"The state of peace between men, who live side by side, is not a natural state, which is rather a state of war."
(I.Kant, Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch)
(I.Kant, Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch)
A shot went off. The echo rebounded in that ovoid-shaped room. The continuous sound of a siren, in the distance, embraced the red light that colored the entire room. Two male figures. One man dressed as if he had just come out of the Venetian carnival, the other wore a brown coat, with golden decorations, along with dark blue trousers.
The first, with his face covered by a bauta, was brandishing a Glock 17 with the barrel still smoking. The second man was bent to the ground with his hand pressing on his right side; blood was climbing over his fingers and gushes were staining the floor.
"You lost," the masked man said. "You tried to stop me, but you were defeated. I can almost touch your frustration. I admit that I'm enjoying this moment." His brief pause was accompanied by a direct kick in the man's face. "Forgive me, but I can't tolerate that ugly face of yours. You gave me a hard time and I admit I was … scared. I've never felt terror in the face of death, but you were almost able to frighten me and I congratulate you. Yours was a feat that no one had ever been able to accomplish."
The injured man tried to get up. From his mouth he emitted constant groans of pain; with his hands he clung to the masked guy's legs.
"Do you keep fighting?" He punched him on the head. "You're really tenacious, I recognize you. But obstinacy, alone, is like a fire without oxygen. You, like the flame, will suffocate and go out." He hit him again, this time on the forehead. "Seeing you crawling on the ground like the caterpillar you are is a real joy for the eyes, you know?"
A steel door opened. A woman, in military uniform, opened her amber eyes wide at the sight of that wounded man. In that look there was a genuine surprise. She muttered some incomprehensible words and then turned to the masked guy:
"We have to go, sir. Agares and Vassago are waiting for us."
"Thanks, Amber," he said warmly. "Well," he turned to the wounded man, "this is goodbye, my nemesis. It was a fun game ... while it lasted."
Another shot went off. The man fell to the ground with a hole in his head.
"Come on, Amber, we have a fire to put out," he said, putting the weapon away.
"Yes, sir."
The two left the room.
A sound emerged from a blanket of darkness, the echo of a female voice. In the darkness, the image of a wax throne illuminated by green flames was drawn. The throne, at the top of a staircase of books and parchments, was occupied by this masked figure wearing a black habit.
The figure, with white braids and pale skin, made a movement with her hand and a book materialized in her palm. She leafed through the pages and, slightly lowering her eyeglasses, welcomed the man who was lying on that floor made of coal:
"Welcome to the afterlife, Immanuel. I am Hush. Hush de Void," she introduced herself politely.
"Where ... where am I?" he asked confused.
"Afterlife." she repeated angrily. "You're in the world of the dead or, to be more precise, you are in the Anteroom of Non-Life," she said. "In this place I will decide whether you will go to the Golden Gardens, the Ash Fields or if you will disappear into the Abyss. To avoid unnecessary pain, I think it's right to inform you that I'm in charge here. If you do something that irritates me, I can throw you directly into the Abyss and prevent your future rebirth. I hope I was clear-"
"Rebirth?" he said, arching his eyebrows.
"Yes. Once you're sent to the Golden Gardens or the Ash Fields, you spend the human equivalent of a century in the afterlife and then be reborn. If you are sent to the Golden Gardens, you will be reborn with all the memories of your previous life intact. If, on the other hand, you are sent to the Ash Fields, you will not remember anything from your previous life. However, there is the third possibility: the Abyss," she explained.
"No!" Immanuel exclaimed angrily. "I can't wait a century! I have to stop Galorian now! If he manages to reach the top of the Tower, he will put out the Sacred Fire!"
"This is not my problem," she replied coldly. "If the Sacred Fire were extinguished, humanity would lose the faculty of reason. The entire human race would end up resembling the beasts of the forests, mountains, oceans and caves. Instinct would become the only guide of human action." She paused briefly. "But that doesn't interest me. You guys are just pawns in a game devised by the Seven Divines and Sheol. The preservation or destruction of the Sacred Fire doesn't bother me in the least."
"But ...!"
"Do you really care so much about fulfilling your duty?" she asked in a cold voice.
He didn't answer immediately. The memory of the humiliation he suffered before his death was clouding his thoughts. Every fiber of his body, moved by fury, was only stimulated by the idea of being able to face Galorian one more time.
Hush, meanwhile, continued to leaf through the book she had in her hands.
"Oh, look ..." she said in an astonished voice. "Apparently you and Galorian have been enemies for a long time. It all started with your brother's death, am I right? Such a Wilhelm. I actually met a man with that name. A dear boy."
Immanuel's eyes widened with bewilderment.
"Where is he? Where is my brother?"
"I won't tell you, Immanuel. This information doesn't concern you."
"I just want to know if he's-"
"You have no right to know anything, Immanuel," she said coldly. "Only I know where he is, and only I need to know. Stay in your place, pawn."
"Do not call me that!" he shouted furiously.
Hush moved her fingers a little and Immanuel was catapulted to the ground. His body ached as if he had been hit by a truck. No wounds appeared on his body. Although in pain, Immanuel got up and advanced towards the staircase. The invisible force that had attacked him blocked his legs.
Hush, after having heaved a nervous sigh, put the book aside for a moment and said to the man:
"Maybe you didn't understand what I said earlier, so let me tell you again: you have no power here. You are in my world and I, here, am the law. I hope I was clear this time."
Immanuel didn't accept being treated that way. He tried to move his legs ... but it was useless. Whatever was paralyzing him, it was really effective.
"Have you understood your situation now?" she asked.
"Yes ... I understand," he said surrenderedly.
The force holding Immanuel disappeared.
"Good," she said smugly. "Let's go back to your soul." She leafed through the book. "Well, Immanuel, I understand that you and Galorian have a rivalry that transcends your roles as pawns. But apparently he won in the end."
"He set a trap for me, that's all," he explained annoyed. "If he hadn't used those tricks to block my powers, I would've killed him without a problem."
"Oh, and how can you say it so confidently?"
"Because I know how to kill. That's what I do best."
"Really? Let's check." She reviewed every page of the book at inhuman speed; within seconds, the book was closed. "Well," she began with a satisfied tone, "you don't seem to be lying. Mm ... maybe I can make an exception for you."
"Really?" he said with renewed hope.
"I would need someone with your talent."
"What do you mean?" he asked her uneasily.
Hush made the book disappear. With calm movements, the woman left the throne and went down the steps.
"Dearest Immanuel, I have a mission for you and I expect you to complete it before killing Galorian."
"Why should I do this?"
"For two reasons. First, you want to be reborn now to be able to face Galorian and I can make this happen. The second, the person I want you to kill is problematic enough for me and the longer she stays alive the worse it will be." She paused a little. "Her name is Atalya and she's a thief. And she's also many other things that I prefer not to say to preserve your innocence."
"Can't you kill her?" he asked.
"I cannot enter your world, if I did I would disappear instantly. I am forced to this place, while you are not."
"And why is this Atalya so important?"
"I know why, you don't have to know. You just have to do what I told you. Kill her and you can do whatever you want in your new life."
At the end of the stairs, the two found themselves face to face. Hush was a little shorter than Immanuel but she gave off a terrifying energy.
"But" she began, "if you decide to give priority to your personal revenge ..."
Hush touched the man's chest with her finger. Immanuel felt his body shiver, a strong heat ignited in his chest. The man, for a moment, had the impression of being torn apart from the inside.
He fell to his knees, panting and sweating.
"What did you do to me?!"
"Eheh, just a precaution," she replied. "I can't enter your world, but I can always act on it using these tricks." She bent down. "Now you have a bomb in your chest. A magical device that will explode if you ignore the mission entrusted."
"What?!" he exclaimed in terror.
"Come on, Immanuel, don't look at me like I'm a monster. I just want to make sure you do your job. If you kill Atalya, the bomb in your chest will disappear and you will be free."
She gave Immanuel two gentle slaps and then returned to the stairs.
"Wait!" he exclaimed still shaken by that terrible news. "You can't do this to me! I can take care of her at any time-"
"You will do what I tell you, Immanuel. You're a pawn ... and pawns follow orders. You will kill Atalya and then you will be free." She paused. "But, since I'm a good person, I have decided that the detonation of the bomb will be preceded by two signs of alert," she said, showing two fingers.
"What signs?"
"First you will feel your body warm up abnormally, then you will feel excruciating pain in your chest and, eventually, boom. Goodbye Immanuel."
The man had no choice but to follow Hush de Void's orders. What else could he have done? Obviously the very idea of putting aside the desire for revenge irritated him, but he couldn't refuse that offer. Although blatantly unfair, it was still the only exit ticket available. It was his chance to kill Galorian.
With a bitter taste in his mouth he had to say these words:
"Okay, you won. I'll do what you told me."
"You're a good pawn, Immanuel." She took her seat on the throne. "I'll give you your life back, be grateful."
"Wait, before I let myself be resurrected ... I want to know what this Atalya is like."
"Here comes the tricky part," she said.
"What does it mean? Don't you know her identity?" he asked in amazement.
"She can change her identity. Her face, her body ... they are never the same. If you want to find her you will have to start your investigation with an ally of her: a certain Valentus Polaris."
In Immanuel's hands, a photograph of this blond man with a goatee and brown eyes appeared. His face was dry and he had an intelligent look.
"Where can I find him?"
"You'll have to start at the lowest level of the Tower," she replied. "Milawata is where Valentus has been residing for a couple of years. Is that enough for you?"
"I'll make it enough ..." he muttered angrily.
"Well. Good rebirth, then. Try not to die again."
As soon as Hush de Void snapped her fingers, Immanuel felt lighter. The earth beneath his feet opened, he fell into a chasm. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
Darkness fell again.
The first, with his face covered by a bauta, was brandishing a Glock 17 with the barrel still smoking. The second man was bent to the ground with his hand pressing on his right side; blood was climbing over his fingers and gushes were staining the floor.
"You lost," the masked man said. "You tried to stop me, but you were defeated. I can almost touch your frustration. I admit that I'm enjoying this moment." His brief pause was accompanied by a direct kick in the man's face. "Forgive me, but I can't tolerate that ugly face of yours. You gave me a hard time and I admit I was … scared. I've never felt terror in the face of death, but you were almost able to frighten me and I congratulate you. Yours was a feat that no one had ever been able to accomplish."
The injured man tried to get up. From his mouth he emitted constant groans of pain; with his hands he clung to the masked guy's legs.
"Do you keep fighting?" He punched him on the head. "You're really tenacious, I recognize you. But obstinacy, alone, is like a fire without oxygen. You, like the flame, will suffocate and go out." He hit him again, this time on the forehead. "Seeing you crawling on the ground like the caterpillar you are is a real joy for the eyes, you know?"
A steel door opened. A woman, in military uniform, opened her amber eyes wide at the sight of that wounded man. In that look there was a genuine surprise. She muttered some incomprehensible words and then turned to the masked guy:
"We have to go, sir. Agares and Vassago are waiting for us."
"Thanks, Amber," he said warmly. "Well," he turned to the wounded man, "this is goodbye, my nemesis. It was a fun game ... while it lasted."
Another shot went off. The man fell to the ground with a hole in his head.
"Come on, Amber, we have a fire to put out," he said, putting the weapon away.
"Yes, sir."
The two left the room.
A sound emerged from a blanket of darkness, the echo of a female voice. In the darkness, the image of a wax throne illuminated by green flames was drawn. The throne, at the top of a staircase of books and parchments, was occupied by this masked figure wearing a black habit.
The figure, with white braids and pale skin, made a movement with her hand and a book materialized in her palm. She leafed through the pages and, slightly lowering her eyeglasses, welcomed the man who was lying on that floor made of coal:
"Welcome to the afterlife, Immanuel. I am Hush. Hush de Void," she introduced herself politely.
"Where ... where am I?" he asked confused.
"Afterlife." she repeated angrily. "You're in the world of the dead or, to be more precise, you are in the Anteroom of Non-Life," she said. "In this place I will decide whether you will go to the Golden Gardens, the Ash Fields or if you will disappear into the Abyss. To avoid unnecessary pain, I think it's right to inform you that I'm in charge here. If you do something that irritates me, I can throw you directly into the Abyss and prevent your future rebirth. I hope I was clear-"
"Rebirth?" he said, arching his eyebrows.
"Yes. Once you're sent to the Golden Gardens or the Ash Fields, you spend the human equivalent of a century in the afterlife and then be reborn. If you are sent to the Golden Gardens, you will be reborn with all the memories of your previous life intact. If, on the other hand, you are sent to the Ash Fields, you will not remember anything from your previous life. However, there is the third possibility: the Abyss," she explained.
"No!" Immanuel exclaimed angrily. "I can't wait a century! I have to stop Galorian now! If he manages to reach the top of the Tower, he will put out the Sacred Fire!"
"This is not my problem," she replied coldly. "If the Sacred Fire were extinguished, humanity would lose the faculty of reason. The entire human race would end up resembling the beasts of the forests, mountains, oceans and caves. Instinct would become the only guide of human action." She paused briefly. "But that doesn't interest me. You guys are just pawns in a game devised by the Seven Divines and Sheol. The preservation or destruction of the Sacred Fire doesn't bother me in the least."
"But ...!"
"Do you really care so much about fulfilling your duty?" she asked in a cold voice.
He didn't answer immediately. The memory of the humiliation he suffered before his death was clouding his thoughts. Every fiber of his body, moved by fury, was only stimulated by the idea of being able to face Galorian one more time.
Hush, meanwhile, continued to leaf through the book she had in her hands.
"Oh, look ..." she said in an astonished voice. "Apparently you and Galorian have been enemies for a long time. It all started with your brother's death, am I right? Such a Wilhelm. I actually met a man with that name. A dear boy."
Immanuel's eyes widened with bewilderment.
"Where is he? Where is my brother?"
"I won't tell you, Immanuel. This information doesn't concern you."
"I just want to know if he's-"
"You have no right to know anything, Immanuel," she said coldly. "Only I know where he is, and only I need to know. Stay in your place, pawn."
"Do not call me that!" he shouted furiously.
Hush moved her fingers a little and Immanuel was catapulted to the ground. His body ached as if he had been hit by a truck. No wounds appeared on his body. Although in pain, Immanuel got up and advanced towards the staircase. The invisible force that had attacked him blocked his legs.
Hush, after having heaved a nervous sigh, put the book aside for a moment and said to the man:
"Maybe you didn't understand what I said earlier, so let me tell you again: you have no power here. You are in my world and I, here, am the law. I hope I was clear this time."
Immanuel didn't accept being treated that way. He tried to move his legs ... but it was useless. Whatever was paralyzing him, it was really effective.
"Have you understood your situation now?" she asked.
"Yes ... I understand," he said surrenderedly.
The force holding Immanuel disappeared.
"Good," she said smugly. "Let's go back to your soul." She leafed through the book. "Well, Immanuel, I understand that you and Galorian have a rivalry that transcends your roles as pawns. But apparently he won in the end."
"He set a trap for me, that's all," he explained annoyed. "If he hadn't used those tricks to block my powers, I would've killed him without a problem."
"Oh, and how can you say it so confidently?"
"Because I know how to kill. That's what I do best."
 |
| Hush de Void (BikoWolf) |
"Really?" he said with renewed hope.
"I would need someone with your talent."
"What do you mean?" he asked her uneasily.
Hush made the book disappear. With calm movements, the woman left the throne and went down the steps.
"Dearest Immanuel, I have a mission for you and I expect you to complete it before killing Galorian."
"Why should I do this?"
"For two reasons. First, you want to be reborn now to be able to face Galorian and I can make this happen. The second, the person I want you to kill is problematic enough for me and the longer she stays alive the worse it will be." She paused a little. "Her name is Atalya and she's a thief. And she's also many other things that I prefer not to say to preserve your innocence."
"Can't you kill her?" he asked.
"I cannot enter your world, if I did I would disappear instantly. I am forced to this place, while you are not."
"And why is this Atalya so important?"
"I know why, you don't have to know. You just have to do what I told you. Kill her and you can do whatever you want in your new life."
At the end of the stairs, the two found themselves face to face. Hush was a little shorter than Immanuel but she gave off a terrifying energy.
"But" she began, "if you decide to give priority to your personal revenge ..."
Hush touched the man's chest with her finger. Immanuel felt his body shiver, a strong heat ignited in his chest. The man, for a moment, had the impression of being torn apart from the inside.
He fell to his knees, panting and sweating.
"What did you do to me?!"
"Eheh, just a precaution," she replied. "I can't enter your world, but I can always act on it using these tricks." She bent down. "Now you have a bomb in your chest. A magical device that will explode if you ignore the mission entrusted."
"What?!" he exclaimed in terror.
"Come on, Immanuel, don't look at me like I'm a monster. I just want to make sure you do your job. If you kill Atalya, the bomb in your chest will disappear and you will be free."
She gave Immanuel two gentle slaps and then returned to the stairs.
"Wait!" he exclaimed still shaken by that terrible news. "You can't do this to me! I can take care of her at any time-"
"You will do what I tell you, Immanuel. You're a pawn ... and pawns follow orders. You will kill Atalya and then you will be free." She paused. "But, since I'm a good person, I have decided that the detonation of the bomb will be preceded by two signs of alert," she said, showing two fingers.
"What signs?"
"First you will feel your body warm up abnormally, then you will feel excruciating pain in your chest and, eventually, boom. Goodbye Immanuel."
The man had no choice but to follow Hush de Void's orders. What else could he have done? Obviously the very idea of putting aside the desire for revenge irritated him, but he couldn't refuse that offer. Although blatantly unfair, it was still the only exit ticket available. It was his chance to kill Galorian.
With a bitter taste in his mouth he had to say these words:
"Okay, you won. I'll do what you told me."
"You're a good pawn, Immanuel." She took her seat on the throne. "I'll give you your life back, be grateful."
"Wait, before I let myself be resurrected ... I want to know what this Atalya is like."
"Here comes the tricky part," she said.
"What does it mean? Don't you know her identity?" he asked in amazement.
"She can change her identity. Her face, her body ... they are never the same. If you want to find her you will have to start your investigation with an ally of her: a certain Valentus Polaris."
In Immanuel's hands, a photograph of this blond man with a goatee and brown eyes appeared. His face was dry and he had an intelligent look.
"Where can I find him?"
"You'll have to start at the lowest level of the Tower," she replied. "Milawata is where Valentus has been residing for a couple of years. Is that enough for you?"
"I'll make it enough ..." he muttered angrily.
"Well. Good rebirth, then. Try not to die again."
As soon as Hush de Void snapped her fingers, Immanuel felt lighter. The earth beneath his feet opened, he fell into a chasm. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
Darkness fell again.
