A New Age, of old strength and allies (ONC 2023)

11. The price of freedom

Pulling my top up, I wiped off my face and neck. My skin felt like sandpaper, rubbed by the sweat and the grime of my clothing. I swallowed as a familiar ache grew in my throat, my concentration wavering as it became harder to retain.

I could hear their footsteps creeping closer, the sound ominous. Feeling exhausted, I gripped the knife in my right hand, fighting to stay alert. The door slowly opened, and I pressed closer to the floor. I waited for the sound of more footsteps, but only heard the one. As I peered in-between the cushions, a young man, lean and agile, made his way carefully into the room. His approach was slow and cautious, yet his gaze was hard. As he moved to the left of me, looking over behind the heavy curtains, I sprang to my feet. Flinging myself at him, just as he looked my way.

The two of us landed hard on the floor as he fired, catching me in my left shoulder. The pain seared me, leaving me panting as I hoped that it was a through and through shot. Bringing my knife up, I thrust the blade into his chest and rolled away. The sound of him faintly coughing up blood following me, before it finally went quiet.

Peering at my wound, I winced at the bleeding, but noticed that it wasn’t as bad as it should have been. The skin surrounding the bullet hole was slightly paler, and the pain as I flexed it had dwindled to mere tenderness.

‘The power of divine energy. Though if the consequences are going to be as crippling as before, it wasn’t fucking worth it.’

Getting to my feet, I realised just how bad I was feeling. I didn’t know for how much longer I would hold out. Listening for anyone nearby, I paused by the door. Hearing nothing, I leant against the wall, flushed, filthy and bloodied. My thoughts spun, Casimir’s words merging together as my head throbbed.

‘The tree of life. Maybe he was right, maybe I did want to see it before I died.’

Deciding to head that way, as though being pulled in that direction, I left the room and the corpse behind. Pushing myself to run, my eyes caught only flashes of the beautiful stories told by the art upon the walls, but all of a sudden I slammed to a stop.

‘Shit! The tree of life...’

Casimir had said that the relic was at the heart of all life, meaning he’d used the energy from the tree of life to carry the corrupting influence of the divine energy, from the relic and out into the world.

I set off once again, pushing back the dizziness that plagued me, even as my joints began to ache and my fever lingered. After a few turns, I found myself back in the solemn and brazier-lit hallway. A few steps in, a knife flew past me, embedding in the wall just past my face.

Spinning around, I kicked one of the braziers as it flared, catching the deep red rug underfoot alight. The flames rose higher as they writhed in a race to devour, the angel guardians stepping back at its fierceness. Looking over my shoulder, I backed away, preparing to turn, but as I did, a shadowy figure suddenly leapt through the flames. Before I could react, they had me pinned to the wall, but no-doubt still felt my blade resting threateningly against their stomach.

As I looked up, Cain’s face was but a breath away from mine. He smirked as I pressed the blade a little harder against him.

“You still trust no-one, not even myself or Abel?”

“I’m certain I’ll live longer that way, and you and I both know that you came here for the relic, not for me.”

Leaning closer, to the point that our lips almost brushed, he whispered, “I came here for both, though the relic was... the more urgent draw... You’re a complete contradiction, Lilith. Leaving Aquilo with us, yet not trusting us.”