Chapter
1 – Fallen Successor of the Apostles
A hypocrite. That’s what I’ve
always been for the sake of power. It’s what I’ve wanted so I could have an
unlimited sense of freedom and security. That’s what all humanity wants, so I
felt justified in doing everything I could to obtain it. Since traditionalism
is on the upswing in modern times, I felt that I should enter the priesthood. I
did so, rose through the ranks by impressing the right people, giving them what
they wanted, and became a bishop later in life. With the rise of the Dominion
of Mercy and Justice and their members gaining political power, I should do the
same, so I ran for mayor of the capital city of the Columbian Union, and after
becoming mayor, I became governor of the capital state.
The power that I had gave me the
best houses in the country, allies in all the right places in several
governments and religions, and the ability to affect lives without directly
interacting with them. If I wanted someone’s life ruined, I could make it happen.
If I wanted to move up the ladder or help an ally do the same, then I knew who
to pay or call for a favor. In the most extreme cases, if someone opposing me
couldn’t be moved or convinced to change, then I had ways of making them
disappear for good. I thought I had everything I ever wanted, but I always
wanted more, and after realizing this fact multiple times, I began to see the
vanity in the way I was living.
I prayed earnestly, probably for
the first time in years, and only felt more regret for the way I lived. What
was the point of having power when it only made me want more, like some crack
addict? What did power give me other than the fear of always looking behind my
back and always being wary of others to keep what I worked so hard to obtain? What’s
the point of having all the money and access to the best doctors in the world
if I’ll eventually die one day and there’s a singular destination for my soul?
I have spent all these years working for nothing, dust that I hold onto as it
slips through my hands, so before I can be fully disappointed, I’m throwing it
all away in one stroke.
Today, I’ve been told there’s
another assassin coming to claim my life. I’ve told my associates that it’s
being handled, and by that, I mean that I’m accepting my death. I kneel in my
private adoration chapel and pray for hours, confessing and repenting of my
sins to God, until I hear the click of the door behind me and the shot of a
silenced gun. Everything goes black, and my body feels weightless, and yet, I
still feel conscious, so I continue praying. Then, I start to feel someone
cutting me apart. Figures. It’s a classic tactic of the hitmen and assassins I
know. They kill their targets and spread their body parts around the country so
that they won’t be identified or take years to figure out who the body belonged
to. It makes sense that I deserve this fate.
“Hehehe. If only it were so, Terah,”
I hear a cackling voice say.
Who’s there?
“The messenger who delivers your
prayers to God and delivers His will to do, your one and only guardian angel.”
You don’t look like an angel. You
look more like a reaper with your spiky cloak with horns on it and shadowy face
with a green smile, eyes, and nose.
“Would you expect anything softer
and cuter for a man such as yourself? All guardian angels are particular to
each person they protect, and my appearance reflects the kind of man I have to
deal with.”
I guess you’re right. What message
do you have to deliver at the moment of my death?
“That isn’t the end of your life.
Hehehe. It’s only the beginning.”
Flashes of green lighting and fire
light up the darkness around me. In it, I see my body become clothed in long
black and grey clothes with light green trimming, like those of a homeless man,
along with a dark green scarf. My body comes back together, making me not feel
weightless anymore, but for some reason, I can’t feel my arms.
“You won’t need those with the new
power you’re being given.”
I feel jolts of electricity
coursing through my body, each of which I can shoot out from me, and it feels
like an extension of my will. With the green light, I dispel the darkness
around me and find myself back in my personal adoration chapel. Nothing is
remaining in here or the other rooms in my house. How much time has passed
since I died?
My guardian angel appears in front
of me and says, “What happened to you in your mind took seconds, whereas it
took weeks to put your body together, and it is in this time that God wants you
to return with a bang.”
With these powers of green
lightning? Am I meant to be some kind of superhuman hero for God?
“That’s the idea, friend. I think
you know where to start in the purging of heretics and heathens. They were the
ones who took everything out of your house after you died, even that statue of
me that you had in your room.”
That thing was a gift made to
generally represent you that I didn’t pay much attention to. No offense.
“There’s much offense to that
statement. No one makes statues of guardian angels, so I appreciate the ones
that are made of us. I’m kidding.”
You do seem to be the jokey type,
much to my surprise.
“You take life too seriously. It’s
why you need a joker like me. You act older than me, even though I’m centuries
older than you.”
I look at the spot where my
guardian angel statue was, and look up at the mirror in the wall that’s yet to
be removed. I really do look like a bum, but my eyes are yellow, light green,
and dark green.
“Don’t act as if you care about
what you look like now. You only wore the clothes that got you the most
attention.”
That’s true. The clothes have to
match the man, so this is the best that I can expect as a dead man walking.
Walking outside of my house, I see that the cars in my garage are gone. Am I
expected to walk to where I need to go?
“Nope. That’d be too boring, even
if it were to be an effective penance for you. I have something more exciting
for you. Let me do the work.”
I’m suddenly lifted into the air as
my guardian angel flies up. We fly at high speeds to our destination, a towering
office building where all kinds of familiar faces are gathered today. It’s a high-class
society place with expensive chandeliers and famous musicians singing on stages
for background noise and entertainment. As I float among them like a ghost in
the crowd, I see that they’re selling many luxurious and precious items, some
of which came from my house.
“Don’t these people have enough?
From what I hear from their suffering guardian angels, they have enough to fill
ten houses, and then some.”
That’s the thing with money. When
you have it, you gotta make it work for you. Otherwise, it’s useless. Besides,
these people here know that objects are vanity and are here for the real prize
of making and maintaining their connections to others.
“That stupid paper does more damage
to people’s souls than they realize. I’d love to see it burn.”
You’ll see it soon, but for now,
these people have to burn. Let’s see these new powers of mine in action. I
exert my will as green lightning shoots from my body, and people start to
notice me.
“Terah?” one of them says before a
lightning bolt hits them and sets them ablaze.
Some of the others who get hit die
on the spot, but for some reason, I feel in control over some of them. As the
crowd starts to run, I make them stay and move around.
“End yourself,” I command.
The people I have control over snap
their necks with their own hands. These powers are something else.
“Stay focused and keep the
lightning flowing. They can’t get away,” my guardian angel says.
I do as he says and let the green
lightning strike out from me like the fingers of God, picking out who dies a
particular death and who comes under my control. Even the superhumans and
guards who try to stop me are no match for my powers and are a useful tool for
eliminating the guests and torching everything in the building. When they are
no longer of any use to me, I make them end themselves, each other's lives, or simply
throw themselves out the windows. Flying outside the building, I watch it while
floating in the air with my guardian angel. I’ve been curious about getting
superhuman powers for myself, but having so much political power and leverage
in businesses made it seem like another investment that would give me more
attention than I needed. Looks like I didn’t know what I was missing out on.
“If you had powers, it would’ve
made your death more excruciating,” my guardian angel says. “Besides, you’re
not supposed to enjoy this. You are executing pitiable souls who were like you,
and you knew.”
You’re right, my angel. Excuse my
over-indulgence in this power. You know how it’s my drug. I’m still surprised I
was given it.
“Power itself isn’t evil or
corrupting. It’s people who misuse it and give it a bad name, like those who
use charities to get rich and reputation as a good person. You were meant to be
a bishop, mayor, and governor. No one gets a position of power without God
allowing it. This is why you have your powers. Come on. I want to see the purpose
for your power fulfilled tonight and more burning money.”
Before I go anywhere, I see a large
red and blue explosion in the city. A fireball of the same colors shoots out
from it and lands right in front of me.
Chapter
4 – Rehab Through Violence
Heading into the tunnels
underneath, Exquista Caro, Thaddeus, and I find that they’re all lit up with
electronic lights. On the walls are various satanic images drawn in blood, and
scattered along the floor are broken pieces of crucifixes, pieces of the broken
Eucharist, shattered statues of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and other saints. Further
in, we find more blood and pieces of bodies, especially those of infant
children and people dressed as nuns and priests. The entire place smells worse
than the city above, and makes my head start to spin.
“I should start burning all this,”
Thaddeus says.
I can’t agree more. It could also make
the upcoming fight easier and may even destroy the cultists in the tunnels
before they can attack us, so I tell him to do it. Thaddeus’s flames fill the
tunnels and strangely make it easier to breathe. The sound of screaming,
similar to that of the demon who's been bothering me, echoes throughout the tunnels
and breaks the light bulbs, lighting up the tunnels, leaving Thaddeus and my
blue flames our only source of light.
“Get ready. Here they come,” Thaddeus
says, which scares me.
I raise my left arm to burn the tunnels
with Thaddeus; however, a ground of dark figures descends on us, and makes
everything pitch black around me. My body feels numb, and I’m even more afraid
than before, so I start praying and begging God and my guardian angel for help.
“Your quest has led you straight
back to me. How else did you think it would end?” the demon, who wears my face,
says in my voice.
I try to use the powers given to
me, but find that I’m back to normal, so I instead fall to the ground in prayer
and beg even more for help to the point of crying. A hand in the dark forcibly
lifts my head and makes me open my eyes. In the distance, I see a light, and
not knowing what else to do, I head to it.
“Keep going, Tanith! We have them
on the run,” I hear the muffled voice of Thaddeus say.
I do as he says, for what purpose? This
demon and my temptations will be with me for the rest of my life. I have this feeling
in my bones, in my soul, that I’ll never feel alive or happy again until the
day I die, but is that really such a bad thing?
“Why isn’t it? How can you live a
life that isn’t enjoyable to live?” the demon says.
What did my parents say? Jesus was
born on Earth, knowing the suffering and horrible death He would die, but He
did it anyway for us. Huh. I have a bit of pep in my step now, and the light
ahead of me feels closer and warmer than ever.
“That isn’t what you want. That isn’t
what anyone wants. All everyone wants to do is live a happy and comfortable
life, and you know it.”
That’s what I’ve told myself and
felt my entire life. Still, I never asked myself if that’s the truth, or just what
I wanted to believe. My parents learn about the perverted things I was doing
for extra money, and still, they forgave me and told me that pleasure and money
aren’t all that people live for. Feelings and wealth come and go, but what
comes after death is forever. Where is this wisdom coming from? Is it an answer
to my prayers, or me finally remembering what my parents taught me? The light
is so close now that I can almost touch it.
“You’ll never escape the suffering
of this life, and you’ll be miserable for the rest of it, until you die.”
That’s fine with me. My parents
said to offer the pain up, and now, that’s what I’m doing. The light overtakes
me. On the other side of it, I find myself back in my old room on my knees with
my guardian angel floating above me.
“What happened today?” my guardian
angel asks.
Remembering this moment, I
automatically say, “I…failed another test. I’m not passing for sure, despite
all the studying and extra work I did. Why do I even bother doing it when I find
work on the streets and clubs more fun and satisfying?”
“Because you love your parents, and
you don’t want to chain yourself to corrupting pleasures. Your body is a temple
and not meant to be used like some common, disposable object, and is meant to
be respected in the way God intended.”
“That’s right,” I say outside of
the memory. “I’m not going to chain myself to it anymore.”
My appearance changes to one that
looks like my guardian angel.
“Finish it and break your chains.”
My guardian angel points towards
the demon with my face, who I freeze with my blue flames before it can speak,
and then stab it through the head. When I blink, I see that I’m back in the
tunnels, except they’re burning with red and blue flames. The demon, who was in
front of me, looks more like a medusa now, with snakes coming out of its head
and lower half. It also has horns coming out of its head and body, and looks
like a hermaphrodite. I don’t have much more time to look at it as the tunnels
start to collapse and Thaddeus yells at me to rush out of here. Both of us are
suddenly lifted into the air, and we go through the collapsing ground as if we
were ghosts.
Flying above Exquista Caro, I watch
the entire city burn and freeze as it collapses in on itself, until all the
buildings crumble into the ground, and nothing is left of the city but a hole with
red and blue flames coming out of it. Thaddeus and I fly to the outskirts of
the city and continue to marvel at it.
“Good job, Tanith. You did it,”
Thaddeus says.
“I couldn’t have done it without your
help, but this isn’t the end, is it?” I ask.
“Not at all. My guardian angel
tells me there’s another sinful soul that we need to add to our group of
misfits and way more sinners that need punishment and a long-awaited wake-up
call. Together, I’m sure we’ll save many souls and secure our place in Heaven.”
“Yeah. Guess there’s no rest for us
then.”
“Kind of. I’m sure we can get some
rest along the way.”
“Right, but we probably shouldn’t
sleep in the same room, given our past sins.”
“We’ll be traveling together, so I’m
not sure how well that’ll work, but we’ll give it a try.”
The sound of a motorcycle makes me
turn my head to see who’s approaching. I’m surprised to see it’s a flaming
chopper motorcycle that turns into a normal one that's not hot at all to touch
when it stops in front of Thaddeus.
“What’s this? We aren’t going to
fly to the next place?” I ask.
“We have to keep a low profile. I’m
a wanted criminal, and the authorities will think you are as well. Your
guardian angel should be giving you a vehicle of your own.”
Turning to my guardian angel, he
agrees and makes a sports motorcycle arrive in much the same manner as Thaddeus’s,
except mine comes in covered in blue flames, before turning normal when it
parks itself in front of me.
“Oh, sweet,” Thaddeus says as he
admires the motorcycle. “I like how we both have a motorcycle. Anyways, let’s head
out. My angel will lead the way, so follow me.”
Thaddeus and I drive away from the
outskirts of Exquista Caro. A muffled voice from behind me makes me turn to see
the burning, torn-apart demon with my face crawling at high speed toward me.
For some reason, I’m neither afraid nor surprised. I tell my guardian angel to
take care of it, and the demon is launched back into the fiery ruins of
Exquista Caro, where my past belongs. No longer will I use my body for
meaningless and short-lived pleasures. I’m above it now. Instead, it’s a weapon
and servant of God, fulfilling the purpose for which I was created.
The
End
Chapter
3 – The Chains I’ve Made
While fighting together with
Thaddeus to rid the dens of depravity of their inhabitants, he asks me, “How
come you don’t transform as I do?”
Turning to my guardian angel, he
says, “You’re not ready yet.”
I relay that to Thaddeus, who
accepts it. I don’t. Can’t I know more about why I’m not ready yet? The fact
that I know my guardian angel hears me, and doesn’t answer my question, is
irritating. It’s especially irritating that the demon with my face keeps
bothering me, and my burning myself and Thaddeus’s flames barely do anything to
keep it at bay.
Seeing the concern on my face, as
we head to the next location, Thaddeus asks me if I’m okay, to which I say,
“I’ll be fine after this is over.”
“Are the demons here bothering
you?” he asks.
“One of them is. Did you know there
would be demons here?”
“Where there’s sin, demons are
feeding the addictions of its addicts. I don’t see your demon, but I know it’s
probably wearing your face and using your own arguments for why you should go
back to sinning.”
“You’re right. How did you get rid
of yours?”
“I haven’t. They’re simply
suppressed, so they come out now and then to tempt me. My best advice to deal
with them is to pray and keep your mind on the task at hand.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do.”
“Tell me, is this actually hurting
the overall city? It feels like we’re hitting small sex clubs and fetish whore
houses that won’t be missed either way, because if we were, I’m surprised that
more of this city’s defenders haven’t come out to hunt us down.”
“I haven’t thought about it much,
to be honest. All I care about is going after the places I’ve done business
with, and just like you said, keeping my mind on the task at hand as a way to
ignore my temptations.”
“Let’s hit bigger targets then.
Just getting rid of these places bit by bit is just tiring us out.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Taking a second to think, I
remember a central hub where many groups of sex traffickers and more legitimate
porn companies trade and do business. We go to it and find a modern-day Sodom
and Gomorrah with people having sex and fulfilling their desires in public and
buying and trading people.
Upon seeing it, Thaddeus says, “Oh,
yeah. Now this looks like a target worth taking down.”
Together, we head in and
immediately start using our powers to burn and freeze all the degenerates. For
some reason, the sound of everything gets muffled, and I can’t help but see the
demon that’s been bothering me always in front of me.
“What’s the purpose of life other
than to enjoy it?” the demon says in my voice. “All you want to do is live
happily and in peace at any cost. This is what you thought hours ago.
Continuing to do this will make you a target of both criminal and legitimate
institutions. Not even the Church will accept you, and you’ll have to live on
the run for the rest of your life.”
Images of my perverted deeds,
including a sex tape I filmed where I played the role of an innocent woman
being corrupted in a sex ritual, fill my head. I am reminded of the good life
with my parents that I ruined and the happy days with them that will never
return. In desperate need to stop seeing these things, I focus more on burning
myself than the degenerates around me.
Thaddeus sees this and runs over to
me to remind me, “Ask God and your guardian angel for help. You can’t let your
demon take your focus away from relying on them.”
“Right…” I say.
I do as he says, and my guardian
angel fights with the demon, as I continue to help Thaddeus. After the fight,
superhuman reinforcements come to try to salvage what they can from the
marketplace and keep the slaves from escaping, but Thaddeus and I stop them.
“You destroyed their happiness!”
the demon says, before my guardian angel smashes its face into the ground,
silencing it, for now.
“If your demon was bothering you
that much, that means we’re on the right track. The more you fight against
evil, the more it’ll fight back, and that’s how you know you’re doing the right
thing,” Thaddeus explains.
“Since it’s bothering me this much,
we have to pick up the pace,” I say.
“Let’s. I’m sick of this place and
hearing echoes of old temptations as well.”
Leading Thaddeus to the next
location I know of, we find ourselves on the block where various porn videos
are shot and drawn porn is made. The people here call it the artist’s district,
and despite everything that’s happened in Exquista Caro today, the people here
go about their business like normal.
Stopped by this strange sight,
Thaddeus asks, “Are big fights normal in this city?”
“Yes. The only law here is the law
of the strong, and those with the most influence and strength can do whatever
they want. Everyone else has to do what they say,” I explain.
“Well, if they’re only going to
listen to strength, let’s make them listen to the strength of God.”
Thaddeus and I leap into action;
however, everything slows down and turns black as bodies fall around me. All are
dead because of me.
“They all have cute faces, don’t
they? They won’t resist you or put up a fight. They’re still warm enough to get
a kick out of, don’t you think?” the demon says.
…what? I’m not thinking about that…
“Oh, I don’t even need to know your
thoughts to know what you want. You’re pleasure-deprived. The shakes in your
arms and cold sweat show it, plain as the grey sky. You also shouldn’t lie.
It’s a sin.”
Unable to control myself, I start
taking off my clothes and moving to the bodies, until Thaddeus’s slashing stops
me. Everything is clear now, and I see that the entire artist’s district is in
flames and frozen.
“Tanith! Stop!” Thaddeus says with
one of his swords, pointing at me.
“Huh? I don’t know what was
happening,” I say as I put my clothes back on.
“You’re feeling it too, huh? The
itch in your skin and the fingers in your brain. The demons are really starting
to pull at their chains in you.”
“You could say that. We have to get
this done quicker. I don’t know how much more of it I can stand if I black out
like this and lose control of myself.”
“Tanith, don’t let them get under
your skin. Control your nerves and take it easy.”
“How can I when every part of my
body craves what I’m denying it, and I can hardly think straight?”
“Pray, calm yourself, and focus on
other things than yourself.”
“I’ll try…I’ll try…”
I led Thaddeus to a center where
the more legitimate members of society stay, a luxurious place of lights that
sticks out in the ruins of this city. Even though not as much degeneracy
happens here, it’s an important place for Exquista Caro’s funding. It seems to
go well at first, with Thaddeus taking most of the attention, while I go into
the hotels and buildings to freeze their inhabitants. Then, I realize that this
might be going too well. Is this not the correct place to target? Is there
something about this place that I’m not seeing? Maybe I’m already under the
demon’s spell and haven’t realized it yet.
“God tells you to have faith, but
forbids you to worry,” the demon says as it manifests out of one of the rich
people I froze to death.
Running away from it, I try to
concentrate on what I’ve been doing. I have legitimate concerns that I have to
think about. I’m not worrying or needlessly overthinking things. Am I? No, I’m
not!
“You still aren’t in control of
yourself, not even your own thoughts. What kind of God would want you be saved,
while also leaving you chained to your desires?”
Everything around me blurs as I
hear endless excuses for my concerns, sins, and wanting to both put my past
life behind me and stay in it. In the blur, the only solid thing I can see is
Thaddeus, who isn’t in his flaming form or moving at all.
“He’s probably the only other man
who's cared for you, besides your father. Don’t you think a man who puts his
life and soul on the line for you deserves a little loving?”
…yes…he does…I can’t help but give
in again. I take off my clothes and approach Thaddeus, who still isn’t moving.
Staring into his eyes, I grab his head and start kissing his lips. The jolt of
pleasure satisfies a craving that I’ve been denying, and yet, I want more. More
and more and more! The last shred of my self-control goes away as I lick his
face and bite his neck. He’s starting to move now, which makes me hesitate a
bit, until he starts kissing me as well.
Now, I’m really starting to lose
control. I rip off his clothes and knock him to the ground. Before I can have
my way with him, he transforms into his flaming form and blows me back with a
burst of fire that comes from his mouth.
“Ta…Tanith? What’s going on?”
Thaddeus asks.
I walk over him and say, “Just lie
down and let me have this one taste of you. I’ll go back to doing whatever God
wants after I satiate what’s been bothering me.”
“Stop, Tanith!”
Again, Thaddeus pushes me back, but
is standing up this time, ready to fight me.
“Come on, Thaddeus! I know you want
it too!”
“I have to admit that I do, but
it’s not right!”
“Who cares what’s right? I just
need to feel something!”
I leap at Thaddeus and kiss and
pleasure myself with him despite the burning flames. He pins me down and starts
burning me with his flames that come out of his crimson swords.
“Fight it, Tanith! If I can do it,
you can!”
Screaming in pain, I feel the demon
in my head trying to retain control.
“Fight him, Tanith! Who is he to
deny what you hunger for? Kill or injure him and have your way with him!” the
demon says.
Above me, I see my guardian angel
standing over me. “Take my hand, Tanith. You can still break free of your
chains.”
Between the two voices, I’m barely
able to choose my guardian angel, as I reach up, take his hand, and feel myself
transform. The force of the transformation pushes Thaddeus back and makes the
flames on me disappear. Looking at myself, I see that I look like my guardian
angel with a spear for a right arm, blue flames coming out of my left arm, a
black cloak on my body, and a grey skirt.
“Yes! You did it!” Thaddeus says.
Now that I’m free from the demon’s
influence, I see that we’re in one of the burning hotels, so we leave it, only
to be met with superhumans and criminals with guns outside. It’s time to put
these new powers to the test.
“Let me show you what you can do,”
my guardian angel says.
Allowing my guardian angel control,
I fly at the incoming crowd, stabbing and freezing everyone, and knocking over
their bodies to break them into pieces. With Thaddeus helping, the fight
doesn’t take too long, and I’m left with the high of victory and a new sense of
freedom and control for a few seconds.
“That was amazing, Tanith!”
Thaddeus says.
“I…I shouldn’t be congratulated
after what I tried to do,” I say as I fall to my knees with my head down in
shame.
“No, don’t let your failure get you
down. I failed as well, and if it wasn’t for my guardian angel blowing you off
me, I would’ve done something I regretted because I was giving into my old
addiction as well. We all fall to sin, but what matters is that we get back up.”
“My parents always used to say
that.”
“Then keep it at the forefront of
your mind.”
“If it weren't for my guardian
angel, I wouldn’t have repented, and you would’ve probably burned me to ash,” I
say as I put the spear to my neck.
Thaddeus stops me and says, “You
broke free. That’s more than most people can say! Just look at the bodies
around you of similar and worse people who refused to change. Your guardian
angel continuously trying to save you proves that you deserve to live, doesn’t
it?”
Looking at my guardian angel, I see
him float down to hug me. “I’ll never abandon you, no matter what you do. God
and I are always with you.”
In tears, I say, “Okay…you’re
right.”
Thaddeus helps me up and tells me, “Point
the way to our next target, boss.”
Thinking for a second, I say, “We
can destroy the demonic influence over this city in one move.”
“How so?”
“Maybe it’s because the demon has
been blocking it from my memory, or I didn’t want to think about it, but the
tunnels below Exquista Caro are filled with sadistic cultists who perform
satanic sex rituals to empower themselves, fulfill their sickest desires, and
constantly spit in God’s face.”
“You’re right. Eliminating them
should be a significant blow to the city. Lead the way.”
I’m hesitant at first to move, but
after taking a deep breath in and out, I lead Thaddeus to an entrance to the
underground that I know of, hoping that we can get rid of the demonic in a
place where they are strongest. God help us, and have mercy on us.
Chapter
2 – Help from a Fellow Sinner
The city, if you could call it
that, that I’m in is called Exquista Caro, by its inhabitants. It was once a
normal city in the Columbian Union, but after a series of superhuman fights in
it, it sits in ruins. The government has long since abandoned trying to help
it, and those with any sense in their heads have long since left it, and the
only ones dumb enough to try to save it are scouts from the Dominion of Mercy
and Justice, who are trying to rescue the innocent people who get taken here.
Exquista Caro is a lawless city, known for its human trafficking, weapons
dealing, and superhuman experimentation. The sickest criminals, villains, and
corrupt members of legitimate society come here to fulfill their sickest
desires and obtain riches, people, pleasures, and weapons they can’t get
anywhere else in the country, and I helped build it up, and now, I’m going to
tear it all down.
“You know the city best, better
than I’d ever want to. You can start anywhere you’d like,” my guardian angel
says.
Not wanting to waste time, so I can
be free of my sins, I choose the nearest hive of degenerates I know of. During
the walk there, I can feel my temptations begin to rise again, like something
is squeezing my head from within and scratching at my nerves. I burn myself
with the cold, blue flame to keep my temptations silent and prepare to use it. The
place I find myself in is where they keep many of the kidnapped people for
those with rape fetishes and tastes for certain people. At first, the people
here are surprised to see my new appearance, but are then completely caught off
guard when they see me using my blue flames to turn most people here and things
to ice.
Some people are frozen in place,
while others fall over and shatter into pieces. Meanwhile, the rape slaves aren’t
touched or affected by the cold in the slightest, and yet, they are horrified
by me. This probably isn’t their first time being forcibly moved, so I don’t bother
saying much to them. Instead, I break their frozen cages, take a pair of truck
keys from their dead captors, and throw the keys to them.
“Get out of here while you still
can,” I say.
They look confused as I leave them
without another word. Turning back to look at them, I see them talking to one
another, running towards the parked trucks, and starting them up. I’m thankful
that they’re taking the offer because if they stall any longer, the other
perverts from the rest of Exquista Caro will soon hear of the noise and come
here to take those who remain.
“Why let such prized meat get away?”
the demon with my face says from my shoulder. “Many of them have yet to have
their virginity taken away from them. Did you see that young woman? What about
that older man? Both of them are to your tastes, are they not?”
I burn myself with my icy flames
and move on. Can I move on with these desires holding me back? Yes, I can. My walking
away from it proves it. If I were my normal self, I would have taken advantage
of those people while they were still in their cages. Heading to the next
holding area I’m aware of, I find animals and those lower than animals having
their way with them. Keeping my mind off images of myself in their place, I allow
the icy flames from my left arm to turn them all to ice, save the animals whom I
free and let loose. That’s right. I was just like them.
“And you’ll always be like that,”
the demon says.
Burning myself again, I don’t feel
the icy, hot feel as much this time, so I instead ask my guardian angel for
help.
“You asked your guardian angel before
for help. Remember where it got you, or you can simply look around you.”
“Nor God, nor I have forgotten your
prayers, Tanith. Even though I was invisible to you up until now, I have never
left your side or stopped praying for you,” my guardian angel says.
“And it is only now that you
actually help her, whereas I have been giving her everything her perverted
heart has desired. Will she have to wait more years for your help?”
My guardian angel burns and stabs the
demon.
“It is all in God’s providence.”
The demon falls to the ground. It
twitches as it laughs, so I run away to get the least bit of comfort and
distance from the demon, even though I know it will eventually catch up and bother
me again. In a rush, I sprint to a sex club where they are corrupting newcomers,
and immediately start burning and turning all of them to ice. Not one of them
survives or is spared from the ice, and most shatter in seconds. My eyes zero
in on their faces as I’m leaving the club. I know some of these people.
“Yes. You corrupted them to do as
you said, and you brought women like you to be corrupted. You made both of them
follow the same road to damnation, but instead of trying to save them, you sent
them all to Hell. You’ll never be a good person, Tanith, and this proves it,”
the demon says.
I burn myself yet again with my
blue flames, as I run away from the club. Seeing an incoming convoy of trucks and
fancy cars carrying new slaves or degenerate visitors, I immediately run out into
traffic with my flames at the ready, hoping to stop them or die in the process,
but I get neither. Instead, an explosion from a flying object blows me away
from the incoming traffic. Getting up, I see a flaming man with red swords for
arms cutting people apart, burning them to ash. Some of his flames are on me, and
yet, they don’t burn me and feel like paper tissue when I brush them off. When
everyone in the convoy is dead, the flaming man approaches me, and his
appearance disappears to reveal a surprisingly familiar face.
“Thaddeus?” I say surprised and guessing
at the man’s name, as if struggling to believe my own eyes.
“Tanith? So, it’s you who my
guardian angel wanted me to save,” he says.
Thaddeus is dressed in his usual
black jacket, red shirt, dark jeans, and red sneakers, but for some reason, his
eyes are red, orange, and yellow. I ask him about them, along with how he got
his powers and why he’s here.
“It’s because God told my guardian
angel to be here to help you,” Thaddeus simply says.
“When did you care about God or the
supernatural? Last time we saw each other, you streamed a dare living here for
a week, and wanted to come back to satiate your desires for younger women and
men who dressed like women,” I say.
“That’s the past me. Recently, my guardian
angel helped show me the error of my ways and repent. Did you hear about the
destruction of the Jewel city?”
“That was you?”
“Indeed, and now I hear that the
destruction of this sinful city is your test.”
“I’ll…take all the help I can get,
I guess.”
As I should’ve expected, the
superhumans and filth of this city come to see what all the noise is about and
to see if they can pick the bones for anything to pleasure themselves with. Thaddeus’s
body goes back to its flaming appearance as he goes to fight them, and not
wanting him to be alone in it, I use my icy flames to help him from a distance.
Interestingly, his flames don’t burn away my ice, and instead, work together with
one another, burning people to ash and turning those trapped in the ice into
bloody puddles. Every superhuman and criminal who tries to attack me is met
with Thaddeus, who blocks their attacks, but I do get hit by stray bullets and physical
hits from superhumans.
After taking care of the threats,
Thaddeus asks me, “Are you okay, Tanith?”
“Yeah. My body was modified to deal
with worse, so I’m fine,” I say as I pick out the bullets and shake off the
pain dealt to me.
“When did you get those blue flames?
Didn’t you have a drill in that left hand?”
“My guardian angel made this
modification to me, along with the change in my body, hair, and eye color.”
“I was meaning to ask about that
too, and was going to ask why someone would need a drill in your circumstance,
but that’s probably best left unanswered. Can you see and hear my guardian
angel?”
“Yours? I can’t. Can you see mine?”
“Not at all. Just wondering since
we both seem to share the same hero’s power origin.”
“I’m not a hero. I’m not even a
decent person.”
“You think that because of your
past, don’t you? Well, don’t let that keep you down. Remember that the
difference between a saint and a sinner is that a saint repents from their sins
and makes amends, while a sinner is obstinate in their self-destruction.”
“My parents told me something
similar to that.”
“Sounds like you had better parents
than I did. Let’s make them proud, eh?”
“…right. Follow me. I know more
places to hit to bring down this city.”
With Thaddeus behind me, I feel a
sudden sense of comfort, like he’s an answer to my prayers. Is he?
“He is. He will be a valuable ally
and invaluable friend for the rest of your life,” my guardian angel says.
I can’t say that the answer to my
prayers surprises me anymore. They’re being answered in the strangest of ways
as of late, so I hope that they continue to be and carry me through the
challenge in front of me. What I’ve done has only destroyed a small portion of
Exquista Caro. Much more needs to be done to make it fall completely, but at
least I have another angel by my side with a fellow degenerate, who has seemingly
overcome his sins.
Chapter
1 – An Addict’s Recovery
When they first arrived, I thought
they were a superhero, an answer to my prayers to be saved, but instead, they
were just another person who wanted to use me, another punishment sent to make
me regret my decisions. The bodies of the people who bought and sold people
like me and protected their transactions lay in pieces around me, and my false
savior simply stared at me, expecting a prize as if there wasn’t a slaughter
around us. This person spoke in a mixed female, male voice, looked more male
than female, had stubby horns on their head, and wore torn clothing.
“Clean up. I don’t want to touch
used goods,” they said.
They had a strange way of using
people with their words, which is why they were able to single-handedly kill so
many people. Because of my fear and their power over me, I did as they said.
They led me to the showers, where they sprayed me with scorching hot water,
gave me a new pair of lewd lingerie, threw me on a nearby bed, and had their
way with me. My body has been modified to handle the strength and fetishes of
superhumans and the worst kinds of people, but it could hardly handle what
happened to me at the time. Reliving the memory of the event in my nightmares
is enough to wake me up in a cold sweat.
Everything and everyone around me
is cold and frozen in ice. The people stuck in the ice are also burning from a
light blue flame within it. I can hear their muffled screams, and can’t do
anything to help them. Touching the ice they’re in gives me a burning, freezing
feeling, and whatever I try to use to free them melts or breaks upon impact.
The cold in the air becomes too much to bear, so I take off my lingerie and put
on a long black and grey shirt, skirt, and boots. Looking at myself in the
mirror, I see my brown skin, red hair, and green eyes begin to turn grey,
white, and dull, and it’s then that I remember why this is all happening. This
is all because of my guardian angel.
“I prayed for help, and it finally
came,” I say aloud.
In the mirror, I see him, my
guardian angel. He’s a figure, robbed in a black cloak with a hood over his
head, grey spikey shoulders, one black eye, and one light blue eye. He has no
legs, but is somehow levitating without wings, and has a spear-like right arm
and light blue flames coming out of his left arm. Turning around, I see him
silently looking down at me. Is he going to say something?
“Yes. I will speak to you directly,
Tanith,” he says to me.
Can you hear my thoughts?
“I can hear every thought you have,
and know the inner workings of your heart and desires.”
You can, can you? Then why haven’t
you heard my other prayers? Why did you abandon me to live a torturous life?
Oh, that’s right, it’s because it’s what I wanted to do. I wanted this for
myself. I didn’t want a life of pain and monotony. I wanted a life of constant
pleasure and happiness.
Huh? What’s this voice in my head
that sounds like me? Turning my head to where my guardian angel is pointing, I
see a floating being who has my face, except it has green and red eyes, a veil
covering half its face, a red cloak covering half its body, and is wearing
leather straps and fetish wear, like how I used to.
“It is nothing more than a demon
that infested you after you gave yourself to the degenerate lifestyle,” my
guardian angel says.
“Degenerate?” the demon says in my
voice. “How can something that I’ve wanted that’s given me nothing but wealth
and endless pleasure be degenerate? Besides, it’s too late to go back now.
Remember the price you paid to get further into this life. Your parents wanted
you to live a prosperous, faithful, and arduous life that was going to be
nothing but pain, suffering, and boring nine-to-five work. You did the right
thing in abandoning it and getting involved in those strip clubs and
prostituting yourself.”
“It’s never too late to change.”
“Hush. I didn’t get to the best
part yet. When your new friends promised you more wealth, pleasure, and
freedom, you took their offer, no questions asked. You lured your parents to a
place where they were kidnapped, and your friends recorded a video of you
defiling them as they cried and prayed for you to stop. I wonder where they are
now. Maybe dead. Maybe still being used and sold. Maybe damned and in Hell.”
I don’t know why I did that
anymore. It’s like another person was inside me, while I was asleep. It was the
drugs they gave me and the addiction I had to the pleasure and high of it all.
That was it!
“That’s just an excuse. You wanted
that life, and now, you have to get yourself out.”
“Get out of here, slave angel of
God. Your ice is ruining everything Tanith has dedicated her life to.”
“Use the power you’ve accepted as
part of our deal, Tanith. Use the icy blue flames to resist your temptations.”
“Don’t do it. Why would you want to
feel pain and deny yourself? You, and only you, know what’s best for yourself.”
“This is your opportunity to break
the chains of sin and lust that have bound you for years. Break the chains and
don’t leave one remaining.”
“Let’s not forget what you did to
get here and the power you deserve.”
My mind feels like it’s living in a
daydream. I see that I’m running away from the abnormal superhuman who was just
using me in the dream. I remember this. I had enough of them using me, and
wanted my freedom. I ran around the whorehouse, picking up weapons, shooting that
freak’s face, bludgeoning it, and killing whoever got in my way. Thanks to them
being drugged up and tired from our sessions together, they were weaker than
usual, so I was able to get the better of them.
Still, everything I threw at them
wasn’t enough to put them down for good, so I took out their legs, took out the
drill where my left hand was, and drilled down their throat until they died. By
the end of it, I was covered in blood and looked so psychotic that everyone who
followed the freak was afraid of me instead, and did everything I was told. I
had my way with every one of them, especially the ones who abused me the most. It
was the most freeing experience of my life. Because of what I did, I was able
to profit from all the drug and sex operations of our group and take as many of
our products as I wanted. I was on top of the world, but…still unhappy. Still
hungry for more. It’s ruining me! But I still want more!
“Get out of my head!” I say aloud
to the demon, who’s influencing my thoughts with its voice.
“Those are your desires speaking to
you. Nothing more,” the demon says. “You want more drugs and sex, and there’s
nothing that can change that. You’ve already done all sorts of beyond hardcore,
degenerate things. Remember those animals? What about those children? How about
those snuff films and rape movies you’ve made and profited from? There’s no
coming back from that.”
“Shut up!”
Using the blue flame that has
replaced the drill in my left hand, I burn myself with its icy touch. The demon
screams out, and its appearance disintegrates, making it look like a decayed corpse
version of me. Still, it refuses to go away.
“What? Did you want to make me
disappear or kill yourself? I know that both are true,” the demon says before
laughing. “You won’t get rid of me that easily. I’ll be with you until the day
you die.”
I turn to my guardian angel, who
says, “It’s true. It’s your burden, punishment, and your penance.”
“How am I supposed to be a better
person if I have this demon and these temptations always with me?”
“Let your failures and the
temptations remind you of the evils of sin, and the constant reminder of your
reliance on God, who you can do no good without.”
“This is the same thing your
parents said, Tanith. You remember what good it did to them. Remember how you
failed your college classes, wasting your time and money, and despite your
family’s support, you knew that you’d never be able to pay off your debts or
get a job you really wanted.”
Again, I burn myself with the blue,
icy flames. This time, the demon hangs its head and doesn’t say anything else.
“There is a way to suppress the
demon and make up for what you’ve done. Through our deal, you will become a
better person, and who your parents thought you could be,” my guardian angel
says.
I’ll do whatever you want. I just
want out of this life, and I don’t care what I have to. I’ve already done so
much that nothing will phase me.
“I know. That is why you will use
your powers to expunge the corpse of the city you’re in of demons and deviants.
I will help you along the way, especially with the demonic.”
Come on, let’s get it done before
that demon wearing my face wakes up. My guardian angel agrees. As I leave the
room, I see the demon fidget, so I run out of the icy house. Looking back, I
see the demon staring at me with a smile on its face. I can hear it laughing in
my mind. There’s no real escape from it, but I will break the chains it has
over me. Knowing what I’ve done, I know I deserve to live with the consequences
of my actions until I die. Still, my parents believed that as long as someone
is alive, there’s a chance they can be saved, and I hope to prove them right.
Your prayers are being answered, Mom and Dad. I hope I can make you proud for
once in my life.
