PoV:
1. Maria (Our Mythickin Unicorn that now has a horse tail and ears! Wooh!)
Recap: Wolfgang is a true believer in his cause, as we learned very well in the last chapter when sentencing himself to be tortured in Hades for all eternity … He forced Maria to face a trauma in her past regarding her father … to kill him. He was willing to slowly torture those twins until she did it, and so, she was backed into a corner.
In the end, she did it, only to be met by his clone and transported away … A grave mistake on Wolfgang’s part … or calculated? Who can say with such a man? In any case, it’s time for retribution!
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Maria’s heart rattled against her ribs as if trying to break free when lifting the gun Wolfgang had given her. She could hardly hear his muffled voice past the pounding in her ears and it felt like someone rubbed sandpaper against the back of her throat—the only thing in focus was the cold steel in her trembling hands.
I can’t do this … Kill him? He’s insane! Why’s he making me do this—why can’t I?!
Her blurred vision darted to the demons silently hovering behind the defenseless children and women that were tied to the ceiling hooks by their wrist restraints—she couldn’t take it—every person’s pained and terrified eyes pleaded for her to take the shot.
Why me?
Wolfgang’s following smile and words were a knife in her gut, twisting the situation up to her flaming breast. “Know you will be sending me straight to Hades … No guessing required. The demons won’t attack you or anyone else for killing me, Maria. Be the hero they need.”
The memory of Rachel taking immediate action three weeks ago flashed across Maria’s brain as her nightmare continued to escalate—the Lunar Hare’s fist and legs ripping terrorists apart and painting globs of blood and guts across the pavement without a hint of remorse.
In a way, she admired Rachel for that—the world needed people like her—she wasn’t like that though.
She’d hung around killers and gangsters all her life, been in fights, broken bones, and death itself never really affected her, but taking a life wasn’t something she could do. It was always about bringing people together for her, avoiding the conflict if possible, and having parties with the crew.
Maria flinched as the sound of the gun in her father’s hand echoed through her brain from her past—she’d watched the altercation as a little girl through the back of a door crack—some lowlife and her father arguing over money from a job they did that he desperately needed for something; no matter what she did, she would never forget the splatter and dead eyes of the man as he fell.
“I … I can’t…” she stammered, blood thumping in her ears and making her dizzy as she pressed the barrel against the skin of Wolfgang’s forehead.
It terrified her, looking into the calm, almost compassionate smile Wolfgang showed her; she heard every word he spoke—it seemed impossible, but he believed it with every fiber of his being.
He was the unsung hero that would be labeled the villain for humanity’s moral hypocrisy to push it into a golden age of Demi supremacy. He would be the catalyst that would free society of its fear by giving everyone access to the seed inside them.
The truly horrifying part was that he honestly didn’t want to do this but concluded it was the best path forward; he didn’t want to kill or hurt these people—it was for the betterment of the future that he had to live with and was more than willing to shoulder the consequences for humanity to see that brighter future—proven by this very action that would send him to Hades.
Wolfgang didn’t offer lip service but true belief; he saw an end to humanity and the powers that they were up against when meeting Asher and developed a counter plan. He had no fear of where he was going, and even if he had clones of himself that didn’t mean this version of Wolfgang wouldn’t suffer the consequences of making a deal with a devil.
A shiver ran down her spine at the steel on this man; he took the lead, volunteering to be sentenced to agony in the pits of Hades for his vision.
Worse, he genuinely thought he was helping her in forcing this choice—she’d never met anyone like him and hoped to never again.
Ultimately, the time came as Wolfgang took a soft breath, knowing she needed a final push. “Kill a ch—”
She didn’t think—couldn’t.
The trigger pulled back in one fluid motion that was both terrifyingly slow and fast in Maria’s mind.
Sound died in her ears as the bullet ripped through Wolfgang’s skull, projecting globs of blood and gray matter back to speckle across Maria’s hand and arm; the muzzle flare burnt the man’s skin and the kinetic force pushing through, his brain erupting out of the back and sending its contents spilling out.
White noise pressed against Maria’s ears while falling to the ground with Wolfgang’s corpse; the gun fell from her hands—she didn’t notice the kickback. The only thing she could see was the man she’d killed in front of her.
He’s dead … I killed a man.
The sound of gunfire repeated in her brain on repeat, mixing between the shot from the memory of her father’s discharge to the one she just initiated. Body numb, she didn’t feel anything other than the cold void spreading through her hollowed out heart.
She didn’t know how long she sat at the unmoving feet of the man she’d executed, but it didn’t take long for a warm flame to spread across her core; burning, uncomfortable—unnatural—chilling poison flooding her bones and heat surging through her veins—the duality pulled her out of the mental spiral.
It was as if she were just coming out of a labor-filled nightmare; muscles tense and exhausted, mind dull and sluggish. Eventually, as her mind slowly started to pull itself together, Maria realized she had new appendages on top of her head and above her butt, yet it didn’t connect for a moment.
Her shaking silver eyes wandered from Wolfgang’s corpse to her quaking arms, holding them up to fixate on the dark liquid splattered across them—she had blood and brains on her—again, Rachel’s bloody arms and legs from the Miami incident returned to Maria’s mind, which surprisingly helped her focus.
Christ, I killed him … I killed—
Dry heaves shook her stomach as she lurched to the side, nothing exiting her burning throat while coughing, but she couldn’t grasp her neck out of fear of spreading the liquid—it was then that she saw a second Wolfgang, rising from his seat to bend down beside his dead copy.
The man’s calm voice was like hot tongs in her ears as he pushed the corpse to the side and extracted the deck from his back pocket. “It’s unfortunate humanity’s future required you to go through such a tragic experience, Maria.”
He rose to his feet and opened the pack to extract a card, releasing a mournful sigh. “You might even call it Christ-like.”
Maria’s jaw locked, nose twisting in fury as a fire erupted within her breast, chasing away the frigid feelings. “Christ-like? What about any of this is Christ-like, you son of a—”
Newfound power welled up within Maria’s bosom that was utterly different from the Skills she normally used—a hand of reckoning that brought retribution.
Wolfgang flipped the card around, which caused a projection of demonic symbols; a vice closed around Maria’s entire body; it was as if someone was holding every fiber of her being to the point she couldn’t even twitch her tongue.
No! Move! Move, dang it!
A solemn sigh left his lips as he turned to face the boy on the bed. “I really am sorry, Maria. There are … Hmm?”
Maria’s seething eyes caught a faint red glow surrounding the man, and his movements became sluggish; her horn radiated a similar light, bathing the scene in the light tint. It soon spread to the demons around the room—she had no clue what it did but just had one thought on her mind.
Leave the kid alone! I have to save them!
Wolfgang’s lips tightened, muscles tensing while shifting through the cards in the deck, yet a small smile was on his lips. “Congratulations, Maria. You’re gaining access to Skills you’ve suppressed, and they’re surprisingly strong given you’ve never used them before … A reflection-type aura, is it?”
Stop!
He selected a card. “Hmm … Soon, your more offensive abilities will manifest, which I hoped to see. Still, I’ve achieved what I needed from you, and such interference is problematic; I’ll need to act before these new Skills can fully manifest.”
His blue eyes wandered between the paralyzed twins, likely renewing their paralysis restraints. “There’s no need to be concerned about my double’s promises being broken—I expect to release everyone here with the exception of the boy. We will need people like you in the coming war, as well … Good luck, Maria.”
A bright blue light extended from the card, permeating Maria’s body, and in the blink of an eye, she was staring at a concrete brick wall—she’d been teleported. The power restraining her collapsed with the aura she was emitting.
“Freak!” Maria stumbled to the side, supporting herself by using a nearby metal bed.
Mind reeling, her vision penetrated the pitch-black space; she was in a cell. Steel bars were fastened into the concrete floor and ceiling, and a few other empty compartments were shown on the left and right.
“Graah!” she screamed again, fist coming down on the mattress to erupt into flames as it diffused solar radiation.
A little stunned at the sudden explosion, she stumbled back, falling to her butt; her horn hadn’t disappeared, and the strength quickly filling her brought an uncomfortable heated edge—she was pissed.
Hot air shot through Maria’s nose while getting to her feet to watch the flames quickly spread across the bed; she wasn’t powerless anymore, and she felt it—hated it. She didn’t want this part of what it meant to be a Unicorn.
Words wouldn’t form in her mouth; Wolfgang forced her to choose between her morals and children’s lives, and she broke—he knew she’d break, and that was the most frustrating part.
Maria turned to glare at the thick white tail which had sprouted out of her rear-end—forcing her shorts lower—it was in a similar area as Rachel’s. Her ears twitched with agitation once focusing on them. She was officially a horse, which she hated since it was a common trope jealous women called her while in her teens.
The change within her mind was swiftly molding to Maria’s internal desires, and she could feel it. Her thoughts chilled, purpose swelling inside her breast. She didn’t want to let this part of her out because she feared it, but now it was released, there was no putting it back.
Maria breathed in deeply, stretching her neck left and right as her glowing tail followed the motion. If Wolfgang wanted her to accept this side of her, then he’d learn why she resisted it so hard.
Asking the seed what new skills she had, Maria smirked, vision shifting to leer at the demonic symbols carved on the floor and wall. “You hear me, Wolfgang? If you wanna fight, we can do some slug trades.”
A reddish-yellow effulgence erupted from her horn, chasing away the darkness—Solar Radiance II—eliminating everything she didn’t see as friendly.
The blood and brain across her front evaporated as the air pressure in the room quickened in the flash heat; fire erupted everywhere, and the bars began to glow with every second she held the solar radiation.
Maria stood in front of the door, letting the metal expand. It didn’t take long for the beds, chairs, and other materials around her to become a raging inferno.
Lifting her hand to her horn after a minute, she felt the appropriate amount of energy had built and condensed the flare to her index finger—Solar Focus II—holding the spark to the lock, it shot into a beam that melted through the mechanism within.
She tugged the sliding door open and walked out as a fire alarm sounded. A sprinkler system went off; Maria ignored it, leaving the room for the water to douse the flames.
Entering the long hallway beyond the cells, Maria’s Night Vision penetrated the darkness while the siren went off, but it wasn’t long until it was silenced; the passage led to what appeared to be a large central room.
She checked every opening for Wolfgang and to make sure she didn’t leave the little girl he’d mentioned—her wet clothes and hair stuck to her skin, yet that didn’t concern her.
I can’t save everyone … I know that, but justice isn’t dead. I’ll send you to be judged by God, Wolfgang. Not these fake-ass gods you’re so scared of.
Wolfgang’s voice traveled via the ventilation system with her advanced hearing, but she couldn’t be sure where he was through hearing alone; he talked to the various twins while working on the boy. Every word ground against Maria’s brain while swiftly moving between rooms.
“I find twins so fascinating—even more so after gaining this ability to peer into the spirit. You are all proof of the subtle bond that unusual separation causes. In fact, one of you will be the catalyst to bring about a new dawn to human evolution … Ah, I see it. It’s lovely when everything you’ve gathered comes into one complete picture.”
Maria lost track of his voice as she entered the main sitting area of the shelter; a long ladder rose up to her left and three branching hallways she had yet to explore.
Bypassing the bunker’s couches, TVs, and other visual luxuries, Maria went down the central hall since the ventilation system would likely operate in that direction.
Hurriedly passing through two more doors to find a large bathroom and bedroom, she paused; a tiny 5-year-old girl’s head shot up, causing her bound black hair to bob a little.
Her big brown eyes widened as she dropped her play dolls and pointed at her, speaking Cuban Spanish. “You’ve got a horn! Unicorn! Wow! Who are you?” she asked, pushing herself up and bouncing over to her with a big grin. “I’m Yasmin!”
Maria took a deep breath and smiled at the girl. “Hello, Yasmin. I’m a little lost; do you know where the man that took you here is?”
“Uncle Wolfgang?” she asked, blanking and looking past her. “Umm, I don’t know. He saved me from a big bad place and gave me lots of cookies and stuff; he’s gonna take me to my parents soon. Isn’t he nice! Oh, did he save you, too? You can play with me!” she cheered, knee-length dress bouncing up and down. “I’ve been so lonely! Heh, you speak funny, too!”
Maria bit her lower lip, knowing what that statement likely meant—she’d be murdered for his experiment. “I’m … afraid I need to go for a bit, Yasmin, but I’ll be back real soon to get you. ‘Kay?”
“‘Kay! Will you bring cookies? Can I have a piggyback ride? Oh, and can we go outside, too?! It’s so quiet here … I don’t like the bad place, though,” she mumbled, eyes falling for a moment. “Oh! Oh! But you’re a Unicorn! You can protect me from all the bad stuff!”
“Yeah,” Maria forced a smile, but the coals in her gut flared. “My name’s Maria, okay, nina? We’re gonna have lots of fun on a big floating turtle!”
[Nina – Spanish term of endearment, roughly translated as ‘little girl’]
Yasmin’s lips parted in disbelief as a squeal shook her petite body. “A big floating turtle?! Can I feed it?! Can I pet it?! Where?! Where?!”
“Heh, in a bit, nina, but first, I need to go handle some business—can you play a little bit longer, and I’ll be back soon?”
“Mhm! Mhm! I’ll get my play pants on!” She puffed up her chest. “See, I’m resposeboble! I can dress myself and everything! Mama taught me!”
Maria couldn’t help feeling a hidden smile at the innocent girl’s mind; she was already hopping off to a dresser. “I’ll be back soon…”
She closed the door and locked it from the hallway, making sure she wouldn’t be too curious for her own good and wander after her. When it shut, her silver eyes hardened, knowing this girl would more than likely be forced to learn she’d become an orphan.
Wolfgang … God’s judgment or Hades through your dealings … I’m glad you’ll suffer for eternity for this crap.
She tried to open the door; it was locked from the inside. Maria tightened her grip against the nob and forced the lock to snap with some effort; Rachel was far stronger than her, but she wasn’t weak.
The wooden frame swung in, and Maria entered what appeared to be a waiting room. Continuing to the next door, she ran and kicked it in, feeling power in her legs she didn’t experience before.
It broke off the upper hinge while flying in to reveal Wolfgang in front of a small ten-year-old girl that hung next to her twin sister.
Maria’s jaw tightened upon seeing the boy’s still body on the table—Diagnosis made it very clear he was incurable. If a jungle was his spirit, Wolfgang had stripped it of all nutrients, pulling out all the trees to find the ore buried beneath.
Her focus centered on the small ring-sized box in Wolfgang’s hand that he’d fashioned out of the boy’s spirit to be a vessel to transfer the object as the man turned to give her a slight frown. “Well, that was sooner than I anticipated. I gave you a chance to leave, Maria. A pity—I told you if you got in my way, people would get hurt, and I didn’t want that.”
Cracking her neck, Maria’s frame illuminated a dark red and light yellow as a demon flickered; the fiend’s jagged movements were out of a horror movie, but she wasn’t concerned—everyone mirrored the aura she was radiating. “Step away from them, Wolfgang.”
He was about to turn away when the demon shoving its clawed fist into a paralyzed elderly woman’s chest; the woman felt no pain as it pierced her shirt and stopped at her skin—Lesser Aura of Retribution III—the demon convulsed, darting back as a reflection of red and yellow marks penetrated its chest where it had struck her.
“Stronger than I anticipated,” Wolfgang mumbled, vision flicking to her again as he sent the demons after her since the twins were all protected from physical harm.
Maria’s hand shot out at the closest one; she grabbed it by the throat, lifted the creature into the air, and sent Holy and Solar-Type Elemental Damage radiating through her hand.
White light cascaded down its pulsating veins as she evaporated the fiend from the inside out—Lesser Holy Smite III—the process only lasted two seconds. A shrinking howl accompanied a soft hum that sent the other demons shrinking back as the creature’s essence was eradicated—it wasn’t returning to Hades.
Maria’s cold silver eyes found Wolfgang through the dissipating fog that was all that remained of the demon; her flaring horn was more than enough to transfer her thoughts.
With the demons now focusing on her, Maria swapped auras—Lesser Aura of Holy Radiance II—the demons faltered, stunned by the blast of disorienting energy.
Bypassing the throng, Maria went right for Wolfgang; she only made it four feet before he tossed the entire demonic deck at her—black flames detonated from it, which created a wall of fire that cut off a portion of the room, and twelve more demons exited the mix, shielding their faces from her shining aura.
Shadowy chains, black darts, and floating inanimate weapons clothed in the fire exited after; the attack was too quick—bound, she felt the heat of the darts strike her belly and chest while the weapons surged forward to deliver their death blow.
A smile brightened Maria’s lips; Wolfgang was throwing the whole kitchen sink at her, and his wall may have protected him from her, but it also protected the twins from her.
Deactivating her holy aura, she ignored the weapons trying to burn their way through her regenerating body. It was difficult not to cry, but she didn’t let a single tear fall while glancing at the spiritually dead child.
I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough.
Her mind centered on the small army advancing on her, eyes illuminating a raging yellow and deep crimson. What’s my Solar Pool at, asshole?
The seed’s response made her snort, enraging the fiends.
24%, huh? Well, I guess auras are expensive.
A demon jumped forward, claws raking at her back; its shadowy appendages could phase right through the chains binding her. The pain caused her to bite her lip, and a chuckle rolled through her breast as the others jumped in, stabbing, tearing, and gnawing on her side, arms, breast, and neck.
She closed her eyes, bearing the agony that fed back to her mind; her powers kept her alive, healing every injury. This is nothing … Is that it? I’m only down to 16%, idiots … 10% … 6% … 2…
A wave of reprisal radiated from Maria’s core as she opened her flaming eyes; a sword cut through her neck and severed her hair, delivering the death blow—Lesser Reckoning I.
The Skill allowed every point of damage she took while in the Retribution State to be mixed with the prayers and hopes of those affected by the Guardian State, collecting them into a pool.
If a death blow came within ten seconds of activation, all energy expended would be returned with the desperation of those nearby that she was protecting to be funneled and converted into power to deliver a final reckoning.
A spark of white splendor grew into a sphere of pulsating Holy, Purity, Healing, and Solar elemental waves; the demons shrank back as a rejuvenating aura dazzled around Maria’s frame—clothes barely decent enough to look at, her bare skin radiating a majestic luster.
She laughed, shrugging off the failing chains. “Game over, boys.”
The spinning sun of elemental forces detonated with the equivalent of the energy injected—Sequence Pulse IV: Holy, Solar, Healing, Purify—the air superheated, chairs evaporated, demons purified, flames neutralized, and once the pulse passed, only people remained in the space.
All of the twins were freed from their demonic restraints, healed of any pain or physical ailments that affected them, and left confused on the scorched floor; Wolfgang had his back turned to her, but despite everything she’d just thrown at him—enough to fracture and yellow concrete—he only sustained severe burns across his back.
Freakin’ protective magic crap … Oh, I’m at 65%. Nice.
Wolfgang’s back was blackened, and his posture had saved much of his head from the blast. He coughed, hugging himself, legs unable to function. “Heh … Too late, Maria—although … that was—magnificent.”
Maria’s nose twisted in disgust while grabbing the back of his neck and forcing him out of the room, leaving the twins to pick up the pieces.
Either Isabel or Edelira called after her. “Maria … Thank you.”
“Mmgh,” she grunted, “just help them.”
Wolfgang struggled in her arms as she brought him into the next room, which was more than a little damaged from the radial forces that broke past the wall. She didn’t stop until reaching a private bowling alley room across the hall, closing the door and throwing him before her. “What did you do to them?”
He wheezed on the ground, fighting for air; all of his defensive magic seemed to be used to protect him from the combined elemental attack. “W-What? I actually d-did it! It’s done! The twin girls—the seed duplicated and—heh, oof, eh, heh…”
Wolfgang spat out black blood. “I’m actually … A vicious tactic, destroying the magic Relica used to protect me from Hades’ energy—I’m dying, yet I am fulfilled!”
His wild eyes rose to meet her while collapsing to his side. “Those twins’ seed … for them to bloom—they’re ‘wish granters’—only by passing it on, can they live. Their spirits cultivate and help the seed—it adapts to the next person through their own wish, eh-heh,” he coughed out more blood, gripping his chest. “Humanity is saved! Oh, heh, and if these ‘wish granters’ fail to do so—in twelve days, they will die.”
Wolfgang choked a laugh as Maria glared down at the hateful man. “Humanity will live on—no matter the cost!”
Maria had heard enough, and not wanting to take the chance he had anything else up his sleeve, she gathered more solar energy from her horn and sent a beam of focused radiation through his skull—he remained laughing until the end.
Is it really killing someone or just sending the same filth to meet their maker?
She spat on his corpse and returned to help the others, doing her best to adjust her ripped shirt and damaged bra to remain somewhat decent. I need to talk to Clay and Rachel about this seed transfer business.
It was a bitter taste in Maria’s mouth; being able to share the seed to the world was a dream for many—of that she was sure—but the cost that Wolfgang used to achieve it was beyond heinous, leaving them little choice but to comply with his twisted vision.
She brought the excited five-year-old girl out to hang with the others—she was happy to have a ton of new friends to play House with—and moved what remained of Wolfgang’s skeleton out of the room to not scar anyone’s minds further.
Fiona broke through the central entrance ceiling several minutes later; naturally, a hot mess and ready to put a few icicles through Wolfgang’s chest. Although, again, as to her Fairy friend’s nature, the girl became a blubbering mess upon seeing her and latched onto her throat the moment she saw her.
“Maria! I’m so-so sorry I came so late! There was this big, stupid wolf! I just…”
“Yo, girl, I’m fine. Yo! Chill, girl. I’m good … Well, no, I’ll tell you later, but yeah—wanna help me get these people to Cahira’s floating boat? I got a lot to talk about with Tom, ya know? Oh, what’s goin’ on with Rachel and the crew?”
Fiona shook her head, Warpath ending after discovering she was okay and Wolfgang was dead—Maria wanted to see her face when learning there were two that she’d killed herself in this bunker. “Uh—I don’t know; Rachel’s gone all goth-girl or something and is fighting off that one dude—Armand, I think? Yeah, and uh—yeah, I don’t know … sorry. I was just trying to get to you—no, look at your clothes!”
“Heh, clothes can be fixed … Is it safe to bail?”
Fiona wiped her tears away and gave a nod. “I’ll blast anyone trying to come after us! Umm, are Izzy and Edel okay?”
“Eh, yeah, we’re good!”
Fiona breathed a sigh of relief as the twins poked their heads around the corner to see what the noise was about. Maria still didn’t know who was talking as they bounced off each other.
“Is Benedict okay?”
“Where is he?”
Fiona waved her hands earnestly. “He’s off helping Scarlet and Grace, I think—my mind’s kind of fuzzy … Maria, you have a tail! It’s so cute!”
“After!” Maria groaned, feeling her face flush a little. “C’mon, girls, let’s get these people outta this crap hole! We got lots to do! Go! Go! Go!” she ushered, moving to push the twins back inside to get everyone ready to depart.
When is all of this going to end? C’mon, Rachel, do what you’re good at and finish this!
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