Black Bloodstains
Chapter 3: Get Back.
I could hardly take the magnificent views of the city. I had to rub my eyes several times to make sure it wasn’t an illusion. I had to sit down on a nearby couch; I could feel my brain and heart trying to leave my body. The fact that I was no longer amongst the living, and there was this whole new planet which I couldn’t even think about. Yet there was this feeling at the back of my head, some tingling sensation that made me stand up and look around each time I fell down in a nervous attack. And for some reason, just being in this magnificent country made my lips slowly form a small smile. When that happened I shook my head, the new deep black hair covering my face.
I fell to the floor, my hands touching the cold window, as if my body wanted to get out there. Something besides my heart was beating; I had the urge to just leave the building and walk around. “But why…” I muttered, my head hurting slightly as if a second personality wanted to take over and tell me to escape. The city skyscrapers seemed to welcome me; the sky was still dark, however, due to the height of the building, the sun was peeking at the horizon. The city was vivid, even if it was barely morning. The sound of cars whooping through the highways and streets, the blinking lights of office cubicles, the city itself was waking up. My body couldn’t take it, kneeling down and sitting on my own legs as the world around me seemed to spin.
I looked down at my hands, dainty and petite, as if they had never been used in anything but gentle and caring tasks. No scars, no wrinkles, nothing but softness and perfection. “Is this me…” I said softly, my voice still twisting my ears, as it seemed to betray what I knew. My body trembled, my own reality seemed to betray me, and what I knew no longer made sense. A strand of hair covered my left eye, the brightest yet darkest black I’ve ever seen covered my face. Time seemed to slow down; even the vehicles and clouds outside stopped. My attention went to my hand; something surreal about it sent my reality into turmoil. The curves and the glimmer of it, a single tear dropping to the center, splashing around the palm.
A shiver down my spine made time return to normal. The sound of shoes hitting against the wooden floor made my head turn toward Alice. She had somehow changed clothes; the fact of the matter was, I didn’t know how much time I’d spent staring out the window, it could have been hours for all I knew. Her hair was the complete opposite of mine, a glimmering white like a fresh snowstorm in the morning; it almost seemed to blind anyone who stared at it for too long. Her skin seemed to be snow as well, but with a pinkish glimmer at the shadows. Even her blue eyes seemed to sparkle, as she wore a frilly blue dress. She appeared to be just an eleven year old, yet the way she moved and spoke resembled that of a grown up. “You okay?” she asked softly as she helped me to stand up. My legs were still trembling; however, I managed to stay standing, grabbing her back for some support.
“Come on, the driver is here. We’ll look around the place and head for some business we have to attend to.” She grabbed my hand and tried to pull me with her, however I remained stiff, not being able to move or react. What if she was out to kill me, to hurt me even more? She’d killed me before; why wouldn’t she do that again? “Look, Geoff. I know this is a whole new world and something huge to bear. But… Let me help you, I promise I won’t hurt you.” She struggled with my name, however her dainty hand squeezed mine, trying to impart some comfort, so I followed her. Something inside of me was happy that Alice was close to me like this. As if a distant memory told me we had been together before. Even if I didn’t want to, something deep inside of me made my hand grasp hers, grabbing it tightly and pulling myself up next to her. “Cute,” she said softly before heading out through the main door and towards the elevator.
As we descended, there was a clear view of the city once more through the glass window. Light seemed to get lost between the gaps, a dark blue tone combining itself with a rainbow of lights. My hands had to grab the handle, as I was both fascinated by and scared about my fate. The sights soon disappeared as we descended to the lowest floor of the building, darkness enveloping us until the doors opened with a cheerful melody. Outside the doors of the elevator, there was a vast, dark parking garage, which was hard to see until the lights came on one by one. A vast array of both modern and antique cars greeted my eyes, making me rub them in order to remove the blindness. As Alice walked forward, the sudden ripping noise of wheels against asphalt made me flinch.
I looked back as a car suddenly appeared in front of us. “Ma’am,” a soft female voice said from behind the small cloud of smoke. It was surprisingly sultry, and somewhat familiar. But when I was able to see the driver, I was quite shocked. I could only see part of her face, as most of it was hidden behind a scarf. Her emerald eyes sparkled, her eyelashes were beautifully combed, makeup perfectly enhanced her beautiful face. Her hair seemed to light up the car, a fiery red tone which made her eyes glimmer even more. Lastly, the angle at which I stood only allowed me to partially see her body. I could only look at her simple white blouse and see how a pair of large breasts almost ripped it open. From the looks of it, she was quite top heavy. I was more astonished by how the garage seemed to open up by itself, revealing the night sky with its many different sparkling lights coming from the building, and a calming dark blue horizon.
The car itself was a whole new deal. It resembled an old Mustang or Camaro; since I’d never been interested in the whole car deal, I couldn’t tell the difference between the two. Yet while it looked as if it had an old chassis, inside it had a whole new interior, flashy lights and modern seats. Alice opened the door for me; I gave her an awkward smile and bowed my head, slowly getting in the other side of the car. Alice soon followed, making sure her dress didn’t get stuck as she sat down. “Just go around the block, show her around and then get to the place,” she casually told the driver before closing the door and cheerfully smiling at me. “Let me show you the magnificent city of Veö.” As soon as she finished her sentence, we took off and head towards the city.
I naturally looked out the window, my eyes growing wide as I saw the immense reach of the city. I blinked several times as we entered the highway and traveled on the high roads and immense streets. Cars nearby all driving the same route, but with enough space between each other so there isn’t much braking. I tilted my head at a blocky vehicle that appeared to have no driver. “That’s a transportation truck; an intelligent computer drives it, and makes sure to not crash against other vehicles or terrain,” the driver said as she lowered the volume of an old hard rock song. I could only catch the phrase ‘Lotta Rosie’ before she turned it down. I turned to looking at the landscape again.
I could see a calm sea underneath me, the reflection of the lamppost looking like a second night sky as we continued on our journey. I looked behind us for a second; even more skyscrapers filled the view, how massive could this place be? “Veö is the capital city of the country of Claudin. It is here where all the kingdoms live at peace, and where everyone is accepted,” she said while staring out her own window. “It’s a pure symbol of the unity and strength of the people. Nine districts in total, one for each of the eight kingdoms, and a single one at the center, ruled by a leader chosen by all the districts, controlling it all.” She shrugged, looking back at me. “Your uncle, in other words.” I tilted my head, unsure about what is going on. “You really don’t remember anything? You don’t know who you are?”
“I’m Geoff.” It was all I could say, looking down at my thighs as the lights blinked at my face.
I could hear her soft sigh, rubbing her neck as her face had a look of uncertainty. “All in due time.” She smiled, now pulling my chin so she could look into my eyes. “Relax, I’m not going to push you into anything.” She smiled, making me give a small one in return. I sat up straight, my hair covering my face and forcing me to pull it away. “This world is made of pure energy. It runs inside everything, through everything, and is everything. And we are made of that energy.” A small layer of ice formed at the tip of her fingers, creating a couple of snowflakes and making them float. “I can control Ice, and soon you’ll know what you are made of. And all these elements are the ones you listed before, each forming a single kingdom. Claudin is the unification of such powers, a single beast that is driven by the spirits and strengths of everyone.”
The highway soon ended, merging into a surface street in a more commercial area. At this point streets began to show signs of life, people walking at this hour no matter how early it is. “Low crime rates, free healthcare for everyone, free education, and a technologically focused society. Process, peace, and life above all.” Parks and common shops began appearing on the streets. I stared at them, unsure of what to feel. “This is where we live, where beings like you and me are considered equals and we all are fighting to survive.” Soon we parked in front of what seemed to be the main building of the city: a tower that reached the sky, with a pulsating stone at the top, sending what seemed to be signals to the whole world. “This is the Unification of Legatos. A building which connects to all the kingdoms, transmitting information as well as allowing the conduction of energy. Here is where we will find out what you’re truly made of. Now I ask you, would you like to continue?”
I stared at the empty seat beside me, my heart seemingly beating faster as my vision seemed to fade. I shook the feeling off, rubbing my face as I opened the door. My feet stepped on the ground, thick solid stone yet smooth and expensive looking. The wind blew my hair around, making me hug my chest as it caught me off guard. I could hear Alice stepping out of her own side of the car, her light steps walking towards me as the door closed. I felt a knot in my throat, unable to speak as I took in the whole situation. The wind pushed the clouds that covered the sky, causing a faint ray of sun to hit my face. The light had been the worst part of this journey by far; it flickered and danced, as a sunbeam would when fighting a moving cloud. My eyes burned in pain trying to see the ambient hue of jaundiced orange. Which was somehow hot and sticky on my skin, bringing a sheen of perspiration to everything it touched, illuminating as though it was a disease.
My knees grew weak, forcing me to fall to my knees. My hands felt as if they were starting to dig into the concrete. The ground began to shatter, cracks spreading out from my hands all around. My hands appeared to be smoking, letting out a black mist as if I was burning. The sun was causing all of this; I could feel my body losing weight and the air leaving my lungs. A sudden shade allowed me to withstand it; my eyes blinked rapidly, trying to regain my eyesight. Alice was standing next to me, holding an umbrella as she blocked the light from my skin. “I presumed you were going to be related to darkness. So I guess it’s a good start.” She smiled, taking my hand and helping me to stand up.
The building ahead of me was bigger than any other I’d ever seen in my life. My sight lost the peak as it seemed to never end. However could see eight bright beams emanating from the top, lighting up the sky and pulsating as if they had a life of their own. “Each of the eight kingdoms posses a single energy form. Since energy flows with nature, it can be damaged and affected by how it is transmitted. Your main element is darkness, which makes the energy made by light difficult for you to register. Since your body can’t transmit it, your skin burns and your organs twist, as they can’t consume such energy.” I bit my lower lip, limping slightly as we entered the building through the main door. On the left and right a crowd of people passed us, each seemingly going about their own affairs, but moving with such harmony that they wouldn’t hit each other.
She pulled me into the crowd, and I accidentally bumped some shoulders, sparking some remarks from the people I hit. But soon the pain ended as out of nowhere Alice disappeared, leaving me alone against a plain white wall. I stared at it, unsure of where the child had gone until a grown man pushed me aside and walked right through the wall. I tilted my head as I extended my hand to touch the surface. When my finger touched it, the surface tension pulled my hand inside, sucking me to the other side of the wall. I wanted to scream, but then I realized I was standing on the other side, with no harm whatsoever. “Energy doors. Currently we’re at the top floor of the building; what that just did was save us a lot of time.” She gestured at the window nearby, and I almost got lost in the sight. It looked like a sea, with clouds being the islands and waves. We were so high in the air that the ground and the nearby buildings were hidden far below.
Alice took my hand and gestured me with a smile to follow her. My hand left the glass as I took slow steps, barely keeping pace with her. The tip of the tower must be narrow, as the room was barely bigger than two classrooms together. At the end of the hallway I spotted a woman in a fancy sixties dress; in fact, the room’s decor was filled with propaganda and articles from the Cold War era. She smiled, gesturing for us to come towards her. “Come quickly, or else you’ll have to wait for the next group!” she yelled, making Alice yank my hand and pick up some speed. Soon we arrived at a counter; the lady had an electronic device which seemed to attach to my wrist. “This won’t hurt, sweetie,” she said, pressing the device to my wrist and closing it tightly. “Name of the… oh… Seems you already have a name picked!” I tilted my head, the device releasing my hand and a door besides her opened. “Welcome to the world of the dead, Elizabeth Tenebris.”
I could see a light which hit my face as soon as I focused on it, glowing with different colors and intriguingly calling me towards it. There were faint voices in my head, all of them speaking at the same time. “Go on…” I whispered, picking out the only clear sentence from the barrage of voices. I slowly made my way through the hallway, pictures of all the elements as if they were paintings, and beside them a portrait of someone. “Hograth, Fýsi, Vrontí, Nakawé, Oignear, Feng, Lucerna… Tenebris…” More words began to spew out of my mouth, causing me to shake my head and stare at the single frame at the end of the hallway. “The Great Ones…” I read out loud, continuing my trek until I reached the other end of the hallway.
“We’ve got an electric one!” a friendly voice screamed as I stepped out of the hallway into some kind of dome. There were a couple of teens my age gathered around a machine in the middle. The machine was apparently the source of the alluring light, which changed colors from time to time. A boy hopped down from the machine, and the guy with the labcoat and glasses gestured for the next one to hop in. “Welcome to the tip of the tower! Here you’ll discover the elements that run through your body, and which allow you to flourish as a fighter or a mage. Name’s Ralph, and it’s me who made this,” he added, pulling a lever and making the beam shoot at the girl inside a tube. The beam soon changed to blue, flickering until it ended up as a pure white. “Water and light!” Ralph yelled, writing it down in his tablet.
I walked towards the beam, the energy calling me and making me step directly towards it. The teens were in line, but I didn’t care; as soon as the girl got out I hopped inside. “Okay then… Someone is eager….” he said in an awkward tone, pulling the lever and returning to his tablet. “Miss… Elizabeth?” he said, more surprised than annoyed, as he turned towards me and slammed his hand onto the table. A faint white smoke started to flow from the ducts below, the glass tube encasing me inside as the beam poured onto me. At first it felt as if it was nothing, but then my vision turned red as the gas and beam change color. “Fire… But wait, there is…” The machine blew up, the emergency doors locking themselves as my body seemed to suck up the energy of the explosion.
Pure darkness, pure black, the beam engulfed my body with the warmth of silence and shadows. My body seemed to flow, as if the mantle of shadows picked me up and allowed me to suck directly from the source. Those shadows began to expand, soon breaking the crystal and spreading around the room. They flowed from the floor, growing in size as they swallowed everything in their path. The teens tried to run, but they were soon enveloped by my shadows. I could feel their fear, their needs, so cold and yet how they burned in my shadows. The darkness blinded them as it began to break through the walls. The shadows tried to pull the machine on top of me, destroying it and allowing a massive intake of energy flow to my body. The walls began to shatter; the ground felt in my possession as well. I’d never felt so alive before. I was a part of everything; they were being swallowed by me. Their memories began to flow to my head, at first enjoyable, but they became too much to handle.
Screams and suffering broke the trance. My body felt limp, and I dropped to the floor.
To be continued….
