More than our Masks: Chapter 1 – Opening Up to Compassion

Chapter 1 – Opening Up to Compassion

I set bouquets at the graves of a friend and his trusted associate, kneel by them, and touch them. On my friend’s gravestone is the inscription, “A strong protector of Meridian, just like the rest of his noble Ellory bloodline”.

“I hope the inscription is to your liking, Raymond. You may not like how I’m handling things nowadays, but rest assured that justice is being served. Pray for me so that I gain the wisdom needed for my God-given vocations,” I say.

“Coming out here every week isn’t going to help,” Kane Mundr says from behind me.

“If you do come out here, at least have us watch over you, father. The people of Meridian don’t look favorably upon you,” Raziel says.

“Let them talk. We did the right thing.”

“Speaking of which, I told you two to go ahead of me into the undercity,” I say.

“I know, but we were concerned about you.”

“I’m fine. I need time to get over what happened last week and carry on. That’s all. Now, go. You know that others need more help than I.”

“Yes, father.”

Kane and Raziel head out, and I leave the grave after a few more seconds of silence and prayer. I then go to my parents’ grave and spend some time there as well.

“I’m not the same kind of healer that either of you was. Still, I hope to be just as virtuous as you both are and that I’m making you proud,” I say.

Four people who were close to me died because of my powers. They may not be completely under my control, but I could’ve still…no. I gotta stop thinking about that. It’s time to go to work. Transforming into my dark hero form, L’Obscurité, a long hat forms on my head, a cloak jacket and scarf cover my body, a bullet hole appears on the center of my forehead, and my face becomes an unrecognizable shadow of itself with only a set of sharp black eyes and terrifying, permanent smile on it. My body then becomes one with the light and dark as I travel through it to reach the undercity. In my travels, I can’t help but stop and listen in on the conversation happening between construction workers in the tunnels.

“Do you think they’ll actually go after L’Obscurité? He has saved the city and hundreds of people in it, and brought hundreds of criminals to justice.”

“But he was also helping that guy, Raziel, people said, set the city on fire and killed all those cops and heroes.”

“Don’t people say that Raziel and he can’t control his powers, and that people just get what’s coming to them? That fire that burned the city was harmless to some people and objects, while burning others to ash.”

“Even then, they’re still responsible for the people they allow their powers to hurt.”

Don’t let it bother you. Just walk away from the conversation.

“Regardless, I don’t think the city will bother L’Obscurité. They already have their hands full repairing the damage from that day, and there are people like Timeo Severe, his wife Darcy Travail, Klinge Geben, and Lancetto Affare in support of him.”

“Yeah, having the four most powerful families in the city supporting you can help, but that won’t mean anything if the country outlaws you. Besides them, some of the common men still support him because of everything he’s done, while others hate him.”

“Do your sons still have that L’Obscurité merch?”

Yes, but they may want to sell it later since the stores have stopped selling merchandise based on him. Selling outlawed hero merch to the right buyers can get you enough money to retire on, after all.”

I finally feel empowered to move on after hearing that conversation. I never liked the city selling merchandise based on my hero identity, but at least I’m glad to know some people still support me. The tunnels where the workers are located were abandoned by the city years ago and are prone to collapsing at any moment. They’re only getting attention because Raziel’s fires have revealed a hidden threat beneath the surface that I’m focusing on. No criminal organization, no matter how powerful, wanted to hide under the city because of how dangerous it was, but a secret, sixth family manages to.

This sixth family draws their power from the demonic and shows no interest in wealth or power. Their only desire is to drag others down to Hell with them. Personally, they influenced my siblings and turned my older brother against me, resulting in the deaths of my other siblings and parents. They will pay for every sin they’ve committed as well as the sins of their ancestors. I will ensure that every hero and cop killed by my dark power did not die in vain and that the city becomes even better and safer than before.

As I venture deeper into the undercity, I discover buildings from the nineteen hundreds, the eighteen hundreds, and even the seventeen hundreds, dating back to when the city was first established. Strangely, not all of these structures are in ruins; people live in them and carry on with their lives like anyone else. However, all of them bear mutations, with horns protruding from their faces and bodies, arms, and legs. Each is guilty of leading a life steeped in sin and the corruption of the innocent. All face the sentence of death. I can feel my very essence tremble in anticipation of their executions, yet I pray and maintain control. There’s a more effective way to remove them than simply slaughtering them on sight. Moreover, I observe that the leaders of the sixth family guide their individuals they follow to their death. Yet, without these leaders, they would be directionless and easier to take down, so I bide my time and sift through their memories to uncover the locations of these leaders.

After learning the location of a group of leaders that are about to do something horribly disgusting, I head out to stop them. Going to the area, I find them going to ritualistically rape a nun to force her to have a child, just like they did with the other nuns and innocent women of all ages down here. They purposefully have children here that way so that the child that comes out will be an easier target of sin and demonically possessed. The children who are harder to corrupt and the women who can resist are killed, eaten alive, and the leaders wear their skinned remains and decorate the ritual rooms such as this one. The skinned remains of innocent people, heroes, and vigilantes call out for justice to me, but before I can act, I feel my powers hold me back and sense a familiar yet foreign presence.

A shot strikes one of the leaders in the arm, halting the ritual before it can commence, as the leaders glance into the hallway to see who interrupted them. It was a woman with red hair, wearing a simple black and white mask featuring angel wings on the light grey side and black wings on the dark side, along with a dark blue bulletproof jacket, black cargo pants, and black boots. Exploring her memories, I discover that her name is Polina Yelizaveta, a police officer by day and a vigilante by night when justice calls for it.

She enters the disgusting room and says, “Stop this!”

The leaders in the room look at her like predators look at prey, with their mouths watering and their senses telling them to pounce on her. The leader who was shot was hardly affected by it as their demonic powers quickly heal their wound and press them on to attack Poline. Before they can, Polina’s voice resounds and touches their souls and mine as well.

“This isn’t you,” her voice echoes. “Who are you even? Do you know? Have you thought about it beyond what you do? Do you really want this life that you have?”

The questions she poses give me pause to consider how I’m living, but for the leaders, they’re suffering from a mental breakdown as they clutch their heads, scream, and writhe on the floor until they pass out. With them out cold and seeing that Polina is an ally, I turn my attention to the nun, and thankfully, my touch heals her wounds and exorcises the dark magic done to her body.

“Will she be okay?” Polina asks.

“She will. I need to bring her somewhere safe so she can get some rest,” I say. “Are you not going to try to arrest me for my crimes, officer?”

“I don’t see a reason to, even though my higher-ups would at least have me try. As far as I can see, we’re on the same side with the same goals, L’Obscurité, or should I say, Timeo Severe?”

I reveal part of my real face, but keep it a hazy image, so that it stays safe from prying eyes.

“You figured out who I am, but I see in your memories that it happened on the day that you got your powers.”

“Yes. I obtained them and learned your secret one day while you were helping us, cops, arrest and take down some criminals. Your dark powers touched me, and I obtained the power to see the good in people’s souls, the weakness within them, and why they deserve mercy.”

“I appreciate you keeping my secret safe. I see you can also knock them out through sheer mental willpower. What of the people who don’t deserve mercy?”

“My powers can make them bleed out from the inside, give them heart attacks, and other internal conditions that kill their organs, but I have to have a line of sight for them to work.”

“What about these people? Why do they deserve to live? You saw what they were about to do, and their bodies and this room are dressed in the skin, bones, and blood of their victims.”

“They’re under the influence of the higher leaders, their demons, and they’ve been indoctrinated since birth to be this way. They need to be given a second chance so that they may know the real truth. I’ll explain more once we get that nun to safety.”

“I was about to say the same thing. I’ll be back in a second.”

I take the nun into the light and dark and whisk her away to the surface. There, I disguise my appearance and voice with a mind-altering shadow to look like one of the construction workers, tell the others that I've found a woman underground who needs help, and have them call an ambulance. Once they do, I head back down to Polina and tell her that the nun is safe and we should continue our conversation in a less wretched room. She agrees, and we go to a closed-off hole in the tunnels far from the underground city.

Polina continues our conversation by saying that, “The people here have been abandoned by the surface and ages past who have forgotten about them, and only have the demonic sixth family as their influence. They haven’t the faintest clue about the love and mercy of God and deserve to know it so that there’s a chance they may be saved. Don’t your powers allow you to see that in their memories?”

“I can’t see all their memories at once. Even then, my powers do what they will on their own. I am merely a conduit for the Divine’s will,” I say.

“I know, but you can still hold back justice for mercy’s sake. Can’t you?”

“I can. Still, the blood of the innocent calls out for justice.”

“Justice will come. Just allow me to sever the demonic influences over the people in the undercity before doing so. It’s why I’m down here. I thought there was a good chance you’d be down here because of who and what are down here, and you didn’t want to cause more trouble on the surface.”

“Your guess was right. Are you sure you want to work with me and my apprentices despite disagreeing with our methods?”

“I know better than most that you weren’t guilty of the deaths caused by Raziel’s fire and your dark powers. You merely let your powers do what they had to. Stop beating yourself up over it,” Polina says as she hugs me. “It’s okay.”

I put one arm over her and returned her hug.

“Thank you. I’ll allow you to go with your plan, but the tides of justice can’t be held back for long.”

“I know. Give me some time, and I’m sure some will be saved, at least. We may also be able to repair your reputation on the surface by helping the people down here.”

“I hope so.”

Polina and I go off on our hunt for the heads of the leaders of the sixth family. Here’s hoping that severing the heads will free those under them and repair the damage I’ve done to others.

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The city of Meridian is engulfed in flames; however, certain things and people remain unharmed, while others are reduced to ashes. Raziel Emundatio is responsible for this supernatural fire, but when Timeo and his sidekick Kane read his soul, they discover that he is an innocent man. The Divine has a greater reason for allowing this fire to burn, and they must trust this stranger if they wish to uncover a darker threat against the city.

Executioners of Justice, Fire and Nightmares: Chapter 3 – Lawless Bringers of Justice

Chapter 3 – Lawless Bringers of Justice

The scum run back to their kind and a place where they think they can be safe. They run deeper and deeper through abandoned tunnels and old buildings, homes, and stores from a Meridian that existed during its first hundred years of existence. I keep going through their memories to gain further information about them and what they know about this undercity that’s been operating under my nose, a place that most criminals don’t go into because of how condemned and hostile it is to live. At a moment’s notice, the ceiling could collapse or a feral animal or human could rip a person’s throat out, and yet, these people persist like cockroaches. I was a fool not to look into this place further, but the memories of other criminals made me think that this place is only home to the most insane lunatics and drug addicts.

No one knew how far down the undercity really went, and the kinds of people that lived down here. Now, I do, and I have a lot of punishing to make up for, especially since they’ve done something personal to me. The scum are now in the deepest depths of their undercity, the very end of the line, where no one but those utterly loyal to them know about. They tell their friends about what happened, who are also shocked and look as demonically possessed, both at me attacking them and them coming back.

I laugh at them and say, “Did you really think the hands of Divine justice would not reach you sooner or later?”

“We thought you were on our side! You helped cause all that chaos and killed all those people, especially the heroes and police! What other reason could you have besides turning into one of us?” one of them says.

“The ways of the Divine are strange and mysterious. No one can predict what He will do, not even I, a mere conduit for His will, but now I see that everything that happened was a means to an end, so I can know about and reach you.”

“The world isn’t going to accept you! All the heroes and governments of the world will turn on you because of what you did! Your only chance of survival is to stick with us. What do you say?”

“Hahaha! That’s my answer! You’ll all pay for the corruption you’ve poisoned the city with, especially that of my brother.”

“Brother?”

“Oh, forget I said anything. You and the legacy you’ve left will be forgotten soon. I know that you’re all part of or allies with the sixth most secretive family in Meridian, but that entire bloodline will die tonight! So, repent now, if you can.”

The demonic members of the sixth family attempt to use their unholy powers to manipulate my mind and those of Raziel and Kane as I summon them from the darkness, but I leverage my powers to counter theirs. They endeavor to manifest their demons to assist them; however, these demons are angels first and obey their original master in Heaven out of fear, rather than their earthly and Hellish master, ultimately turning against those who command them and tearing them apart. Dozens upon dozens of them are slaughtered in gruesome and painful ways, and by the end of the battle, at least a hundred or so lie dead at our feet. This provokes a hysterical laugh from me before I steady myself and venture deeper into the depths of this place, where I discover the remnants of their Satanic rituals and depraved acts. Here, we uncover individuals they’ve kidnapped and tortured in sexual or painful ways, along with the remains of those they sacrificed for their wicked religion.

As we free the captives, Kane and Raziel ask me what I was talking about in relation to my brother and why I was laughing more manically than I usually do. I explain that, “These people didn’t do crime to gain power, wealth, or influence like many of the other criminals I’ve faced before, but they did it for evil’s sake, to corrupt the city and send as many souls with them to Hell as possible. Besides influencing my siblings into abandoning our family to satiate their degenerate behavior, they also influenced my brother to kill his siblings and expose my secret identity to my parents, which led to his and their deaths.”

“It’s a good thing we stopped them then,” Raziel says.

“It is. They are also responsible for kidnapping your friends from the original orphanage you were at. As for the location of those friends, I’m uncertain. There’s still much of these tunnels to uncover.”

“I’ve made my peace with never seeing them again, but thank you anyway. Let’s get these people to safety first.”

I bring the people, Kane, and Raziel to the surface with my power and find that the fires in the city have subsided. We get some distance from it all as I immediately take Kane and Raziel to my house, where I see Darcy waiting by the door with my two kids. She’s about to run out to me until she sees Raziel and stops dead in her tracks.

I transform back into my normal self and say, “It’s okay. He’s my new apprentice now, and what he did helped me bring justice to an undercity of vile filth that did evil under all our noses.”

“What about Raymond and Ralph, and all those heroes, cops, and innocent people who died?” she asks.

“Our powers took their lives so that the evil beneath the city would show itself. It was an unfortunate, but necessary loss.”

“I…I guess I can accept that, knowing what your power does and that it’s not completely under your control.” Darcy goes up to Raziel and says, “Welcome to the family and your new home, son.”

“Son?” Raziel asks.

“Yeah, Timeo’s wife has an obsession with getting kids. She calls me the same thing, so try not to be weirded out by it,” Kane explains.

“I’m fine with it and calling L’Obscurité, father.”

“You can call me by my normal name outside of public earshot,” I say.

“Okay, father, Timeo.”

“You don’t need to call me father either.”

“Yes, he does. It’s appropriate as your new son,” Darcy says.

“I agree with your wife.”

“You know what? I think I like Raziel now. He’s worth keeping around.”

“Oh, boy. This is going to be a lot to deal with,” Kane comments.

A few days pass, and Raymond and the many people who died during the city-wide fire have a mass funeral that I attend with Darcy, our kids, Lancetto, Klinge, Mayor Jeph, and his Deputy, Tim. Meanwhile, Kane and Raziel watch us and pay their respects from a distance. After the funeral, Jeph and Tim talk to me in private.

“Meridian has to turn its back on L’Obscurité because of what happened, even though he rescued people and exposed an even darker criminal underworld under the city,” Jeph explains.

“There’s no way we can support him. Getting caught doing so will irreparably ruin our reputation and the trust the public has in us. His identity won’t be exposed, but we can’t work with him in any capacity anymore,” Tim further clarifies.

“I understand. Thank you for everything you’ve done,” I say.

They nod to me and leave us. I then turn to my closest friends and ask, “You don’t have to support L’Obscurité either since it’ll ruin your lives and businesses as well.”

Lancetto immediately says, “I’ll never abandon my brother. I’d rather live and die in a disgraceful life first before doing so.”

Klinge shrugs his shoulders and says, “He’s a hero of the people, and he still has many supporters in and out of the city. Besides, I never cared for drama or criticism to begin with.”

“I can’t thank you all enough for your support and friendship.”

“With that done, you should go back on the hunt,” Darcy says.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. The public’s attention is on the surface. Also, I can’t stand the thought of innocents being tortured and raped beneath the city, especially children.”

“I get it and feel the rage too. The time of their judgment is at hand.”

My friends tell me to bring justice to the scum underneath the city on their behalf and I promise them that I will. Afterward, I tell Kane and Raziel what we’re doing, and they’re eager to do the same, so we do that and bring fire, nightmares brought to life, and death to the villains in the undercity who thought themselves invisible and safe from the hands of Divine justice. When we find them, we stop them just as they are resuming their depraved rituals. In an instant, their sacrifices and victims completely disappear from the room.

I laugh at their confusion and say, “You thought you could blaspheme and spit in the face of the Divine until your death? Hahaha! If you wanted to go to Hell so badly, here we are to bring you to it.”

Kane, Raziel, and I then slaughter the wicked and free the innocent, all in the name of Divine justice.

 

The End

Executioners of Justice, Fire and Nightmares: Chapter 2 – Flames Born from Darkness

Chapter 2 – Flames Born from Darkness

Kane, Raziel, and I have been dispensing justice to all that Raziel’s invisible angel has led us to. During this time, my powers haven’t had a problem punishing those we come across, nor does Kane say that they aren’t marked for death. I keep asking him if they deserve mercy, and he keeps saying no, and I keep praying to lessen the punishment for those we go after and for mercy, only for them to die horrible deaths. Now, the police, hero, and vigilante associations are out in full force, hunting us down. Some villains and criminals are out there as well to distract them, but Kane and Raziel aren’t exactly strong enough to take them on.

I could, but at the same time, I need Raziel to guide me to our targets, so he’ll be visible to them going to and from their locations. I’ve tried taking him into the light and dark like I do with Kane, and yet, it doesn’t work, and Raziel told me that even if it did, his guardian angel wants him to fight and prove himself to me, which I can agree with to some degree. Right now, we’re waiting for the action to die down in a vacant house in the middle-class area of the city as heroes and villains fight one another among a burning city so that we can head out again. I transform into my normal self as I sit on the floor, pray, and consider our next actions.

“You’re…Timeo Severe?” Raziel asks.

“Huh? Of course. You didn’t know that?” I ask.

“I would’ve never guessed that the dark hero of Meridian was also one of its richest and influential men and head of one of the four most powerful families, but then again, I didn’t really care to know your real identity. You’re still L’Obscurité, the dark hero, for the most part.”

“That is true, but what’s truer is that every part of my life is mine, both the dark hero part and the rich influencer. Do you always dress this well?”

“I do. Gotta keep up appearances after all, and use my extensive collection of suits. I’m usually in this suit jacket, dress shirt, dress pants, and suede shoes.”

“He’s a show off, is what he is,” Kane comments.

“What of your L’Obscurité appearance? I remember it being different.”

“The change in cloak, scarf, change in face, and new hat all came with my increase in power. As for the bullet hole in my head, well, my brother gave me that as I tried to thwart his plans.”

“Speaking of appearances, do you always dress like a soldier from the medieval era?” Kane asks Raziel.

“I do. There’s no real reason for me to wear anything considered normal. Besides, people see vigilantes and heroes in Meridian all day, so I don’t stick out that much. What about you? Do you always dress like a gunslinger with your hood and guns?”

“Touché. I do. Now, what really surprises me more than your powers and appearance is the fact that you didn’t know Timeo was L’Obscurité. Discovering his identity is typically what people do when they become his ally or enemy. It’s what I did when I wanted to be his sidekick.”

“I think lighting the city on fire as I did was a better way to bring him to me.”

“Tch. Again, touché. Speaking of identity, I wonder if Raymond is going to expose yours to draw you out or ruin you now that you’ve turned on him.”

“I don’t think he will. His primary target is Raziel, so he’s probably focusing all his effort on finding him,” I say.

“I can see that,” Kane says while looking out the window. “Maybe we can use this chaos to slip by the cops and heroes to find Raziel’s remaining targets.”

“It’s a bit too hot out there, pun intended. Let’s wait a bit longer.”

“Yes, L’Obscurité is right. My angel tells me we’re right where we should be, so there’s no need to attract unwanted attention. I’ve always had a distaste for the city streets. Part of me is glad to see it burn in this manner.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I was born in the suburbs of this city and lived a peaceful life until an accident destroyed it all and killed my family. From there, I was taken to a Catholic orphanage where I grew up in the faith of my family. I hated going outside of the orphanage because of the crime and constant fighting between heroes and villains, criminals and law enforcement. It was nicer to stay inside, read books, play with friends, and pray, but sure enough, the scum of the city forced itself in. They took away my teachers and friends, and somehow, the cops showed up just in time before the criminals took me.”

“My wife, Darcy, told me much of this. You spent the rest of your teenage years wanting to get them back, but never could, not as a cop or vigilante.”

“Everything in my life gets constantly taken away from me. That’s why I was inspired to do such extreme acts as a vigilante like you. After being humbled by you, my guardian angel visited me in jail, enlightened my mind, and gave me these powers, which I unleashed after serving my penance in jail. Now, I am at peace with owning nothing, not even the course of my life.”

“Interesting story. Let me tell you mine,” Kane says.

The two talk about their pasts and relate to one another while I try calling Darcy. I can’t get through to her or get on the internet. Nothing seems to work.

Suddenly stopping his conversation with Kane, Raziel says, “The flames will not reach your family, nor will they harm those close to you, L’Obscurité. That is what my angel tells me.”

“They won’t reach Lancetto or Klinge?”

“No.”

“What about Raymond or the mayor?”

“I…don’t think so.”

I look outside the window to see that the fighting has died down a bit, or at least has moved to another location.

“We should get moving then to ensure that they don’t. Where does your angel tell us to go now?”

“Just a couple of blocks up the street.”

“Let’s hurry then.”

I transform back into L’Obscurité and follow Raziel. We go where he leads us, however, he brings us into contact with a squad of police officers who are aided by heroes, vigilantes, and led by Raymond and his Chief Assistant, Ralph.

“Raziel!” I say.

“Do not worry. We’re exactly where we need to be, and it is those people who need to face judgment,” Raziel says while pointing his scythe at the police, heroes, and vigilantes who are pointing their guns and weapons at us as they ready themselves for a fight. “You will all pay for your sins!”

“I told you not to trust this maniac, L’Obscurité!” Raymond says. “It’s either him or the city that you swore to protect!”

At this crossroads, I allow my powers to decide for me as I manifest and hold out a hand with a hole through the center of it. The flames around us are extinguished as they fly into the air and create a dark being cloaked in flames that has my dark hero’s face. It looks at everyone before pointing at them. It’s then that Raymond is crushed to bits by some unknown force. The rest of the police, including Ralph and some of the heroes and vigilantes, are killed in much the same instantaneous and terrifying way that confuses everyone and causes them to go on the attack, only for them to be met with sudden death either by being crushed or blown up from the inside.

“Why, God? Why did you let my powers kill more people who were close to me?” I say out loud and on my knees.

Raziel flies down to me and says in a voice that sounds like the Divine, “Again, they refuse to listen to you and me when they should’ve. I made sure they didn’t suffer a painful death. You’ve done nothing wrong, and they were blinded by their emotions. They’ll all be in Heaven, soon.”

Kane puts a hand on my shoulder and says, “I’m sorry.”

Again, I find myself lost at a time like this. First, it was when my parents were killed by my powers, and again, I find myself unable to decide what to do next, despite all my years of experience. I didn’t see many sins in those good men, and yet, God wanted them dead. Why? I don’t have much time to collect myself as the ground begins to open up.

“Are you doing this?” Kane asks.

I shake my head, and Raziel denies it too. It’s then that we see people crawling out of the crater, most of whom look evil and light the flames of wrath within me as I see their wretched souls and the evil things they’ve done with their lives. A group of the underdressed, demonic-looking men and women approach us, led by a man with horns all over his body.

“Thank you for all the chaos you’ve caused today. With all those heroes and cops gone, we can take the city for ourselves,” the horned man says in a deep, squeaking, and grating voice. “Since you did most of the heavy lifting, you can have a large chunk of it. How about we go claim it now? What do you say, partner?”

The horned man smiles with horned teeth as he holds out his hand to me. Behind me, the being of dark and flames reaches down, takes the man, and crushes him until nothing is left but bits of flesh and blood. It then attacks the rest of the villains that came out of the hole, aided by Kane and Raziel, who shoot and burn all they can, respectively. I watch my two apprentices fight together and see that they work well together as Kane fires his guns from a distance, while Raziel attracts most of the attention and attacks those who go after Kane. I collect myself as I look into the memories of those around me and see the bigger picture.

By the end of the fight, the vile sinners retreat into the hole where they came from, and the being of dark and flames dissipate into nothing. Kane and Raziel ask me if we should pursue them, telling me the same thing that I just realized.

“God is sometimes merciful in giving us the answers we want sooner rather than later. All this chaos and deaths of good people was to draw out the scum from beneath the city,” I explain.

“Truly, He is good. My angel wants us to pursue them. In their future, I see that their time ends now,” Raziel says.

“I don’t know why, but my eyes tell me that these people deserve death more than most,” Kane says.

“Yes. With their blood, the rest of the flames of Meridian will be satiated. L’Obscurité, my angel, will now let you take me into the light and dark and travel as you do. He trusts that you know what to do from here.”

“Yes, and you have my complete trust from now on, my new apprentice.”

“Thank you,” Raziel says with a head bow.

“He’s made your apprentice in hours, but it took me days. What is this?” Kane complains. “Nevertheless, I like your style, even if it is a bit bland and extensive at the same time. It’s good to know another man who has a good taste of color, of crimson red, and not worrying about whether your actions are legal or not.”

“It’s good to be part of a group of friends again.”

“We can enjoy pleasantries later. Come. Let us end this night of judgment and destruction,” I say as I take Razeil and Kane into the light and dark and travel at the speed of light towards our prey.

Executioners of Justice, Fire and Nightmares: Chapter 1 – A Night of Fire

Chapter 1 – A Night of Fire

My wife, Darcy, informed me about a person of interest that my sidekick, Kane Mundr, and I should pursue. She has her contacts keeping an eye on him, and before we can go out, a massive fire erupts in Meridian. The entire city is engulfed in flames, a result of our target’s power. Quickly taking Kane with me, we merge with the light and dark and race toward the address Darcy provided. Strangely enough, the flames don’t burn everything or everyone. When we arrive at the location, Kane and I see people confused by the fire surrounding them that isn’t harming them, while the same fire demolishes buildings, leaves many Catholic churches intact, and turns others to ash. Children and infants run around as if this is some fancy show, their parents grabbing them and racing to safety while trying to extinguish the harmless flames.

While racing through the small apartment, we find our man, Raziel Emundatio, kneeling by his bedside, praying a rosary. The studio apartment is tidy and filled with dozens of crosses and images of the Blessed Mother, a simple bed, a table with chairs, a computer on a desk, a bookshelf, and a fridge. Raziel has blond hair and wears an orange and yellow fiery cape, crimson light leather armor that has a crimson and yellow hood attached to it. As he looks up at us, he reveals his gold, orange, and crimson eyes, with a blank expression as if our appearance here doesn’t concern him.

Raziel crosses himself to finish his prayers and then says, “L’Obscurité. I’m glad you came here to visit me. You may not remember, but I was inspired by your acts of virtuous vigilantism to be as you are, however, I took things too far, and you rightfully punished me.”

“You still are taking things too far, buddy,” Kane says with his ebony pistol and white revolver trained on Raziel.

“These new powers that I got after being touched by L’Obscurité’s dark powers of justice are not completely under my control. They’re mostly a result of me allowing myself to be a conduit of God’s will, something that I’m sure you’re familiar with.”

“So, you allowed your powers to run wild to get my attention and help?”

“Yes, and I want to be your apprentice just as Kane is. After I heard you got a sidekick, I felt the calling to be another of your successors.”

“Hmm. What do you think, Kane?”

Kane, who stares intently with his grey, light blue and black, and red eyes, lowers his pistol, but keeps his revolver up.

“For some reason, I see that this man deserves mercy.”

“I see in his memories and soul that he’s a good man, despite what is happening outside.”

“I’m sorry for what is happening, but with your help, I’m sure we can stop it. Did your guardian angel give you your dark powers?”

“No, I got them directly from God,” I say.

“How do you control yours then?”

“I act as a conduit like you do, but I can lessen the effect it has on people by praying for them.”

“Mine functions much the same, but as you can see, my prayers haven’t been having much of an effect. In fact, I think my prayers have further irritated the flames.”

“How do they work? They seem to spare the innocent and burn the guilty.”

“That’s exactly how they work, and they also burn whatever objects God wants destroyed. Additionally, they show me glimpses of the future.”

“Really? How’s our fortune looking?” Kane asks.

“I see more fires like this raging in it because of the conflicts you’ll find yourselves in. Your lives as heroes have only just begun.”

“Let’s take things one step at a time. First, let’s put out these flames, and then we’ll worry about the future.”

“Does that mean you’ll accept me as your apprentice?”

“I want to see you out in the field first before I decide anything.”

“As you wish.”

Raziel dons a mask that’s half yellow, orange, and red, featuring three eyes in the same colors. He also unsheathes a small, handheld crimson and black scythe from beneath his cape, which ignites with fire. We exit Raziel’s apartment and step back into the burning city streets.

“Raziel,” I say, “Can you speak to your angel?”

“I can.”

“Can you ask him how to extinguish these flames?”

Raziel whispers, while looking up at something over his right shoulder that we can’t see, and yet, I feel a presence there that my powers aren’t allowing me to look into.

“He wants us to punish the guilty, let the flames burn all night long, and then, and only then, will the flames die down by morning.”

“The mayor, police, and hero associations aren’t going to like this.”

“So? This is the will of God that this is happening. True justice has no care for man’s laws,” Raziel says.

“I’m on this guy’s side. It’s not like we aren’t doing anything to stop the flames,” Kane says.

“Looks like I’ll have a massive headache to deal with in the morning. Okay, Raziel. Does your angel know of any particular targets we should be going after?”

“Yes. Follow me.”

Raziel sprouts wings of flame from his back, and he flies in a direction that Kane and I follow. He brings us to a place where I see men who deserve punishment, and Kane sees that they’re marked for death. These people are taking advantage of the chaos by looting stores and taking everything valuable to them. I let Raziel fight them to see his fighting ability. With his scythe, he cuts down sinners and burns them with the fire that sprays from it and his free hand. Curiously, some of the people are burned and the flames extinguish before they die or serious damage is done to them, and the scythe sometimes doesn’t cut through a person at all, while it cuts through others like a knife through butter.

Questioning him on this, Raziel says, “My scythe is much like my flames, only killing when God allows it. The flames are penitential and burn sin more than flesh.”

“They’re much like my powers, but yours have only one form of dealing punishment, whereas mine varies depending on its victim,” I say.

Feeling my phone ring, I answer it and hear the Chief of Police, Raymond Ellory, yelling at me as soon as I answer it. He says, “I’ve been calling you for over an hour now! I’ve asked Darcy where you’ve been, and she said that you were going after the guy who caused this firestorm in the city. You haven’t been answering her calls either, so I trust that you’re still chasing after him?”

“My guardian angel has been blocking people’s calls to you,” Raziel comments.

“He’s right here with me, and yes, I’m trying to solve the problem. His fires won’t stop punishing the city until tomorrow morning. I’m-”

“Tomorrow morning?! Kid. I can be convinced to look the other way for you because your powers selectively and discreetly punish people, but the city is burning!”

“I’m trying to help Raziel by going after the targets his guardian angel wants us to go after. With them gone, the flames should subside sooner.”

“He has a devil talking to him, not an angel. Raziel Emundatio is an extremist zealot who burned people alive because he thought they deserved it. Can’t you see that with your powers?”

“I can see his past, but I can also see that he’s put his past behind him. He’s a good man.”

“A good man burns an entire city?!”

“The flames are selective, and like my powers. They automatically punish whoever deserves it once activated.”

“Can’t you get them to stop?!”

Memories of my parents dying because of my powers fill my mind as I remember how I’m more of a conduit for God’s will than anything. I unintentionally touch the bullet hole in the center of my head, which is a scar from that day.

“No, but-”

“Look, if you don’t kill him or force him to stop, then I’ll have to get the police or hero and vigilante associations to do it for you. You may not be able to die, but he can.”

With nothing to say to that, I hang up the phone. I try to call Darcy, but the call doesn’t go through.

“You can’t call your wife right now. My angel wants you to focus on me, at the moment,” Raziel says.

I explain what Raymond was talking about and say, “Isn’t there a faster way to extinguish these flames?”

“Besides, with the blood of the guilty? There isn’t, at least that’s what my angel says. It doesn’t even seem that prayers for mercy will help either this time,” Raziel says.

“Then let me try to do things my way. Lead me to where your angel wants us to go next.”

After following Raziel to the next guilty party, we find many people who are just trying to survive. Sure, I can find fault in their souls as well as their less-than-legal deeds, but whose soul is immaculate? I let my powers take their judgment upon them and watch the horrifying result. The concrete below them breaks and forms into tendrils that crush and twist until breaking, holding them over the fire so they burn alive.

“Impressive. Your dark powers are truly astonishing,” Raziel comments.

“Did that satiate the fires at all?” I ask.

“According to my angel, it did a bit, but there is much more to be done to make a noticeable impact.”

Getting another call, I answer it only to hear Raymond yelling at me again. “Kid! I’ve been looking into the people who have been dying, and even though many of them are shady people or have criminal records, many are innocent with a smudge on them.  I’ve even heard reports of teenagers dying! You have to stop this now!”

“No one is completely innocent,” Raziel says.

I look again into Raziel’s memories and soul and see nothing wrong. Am I missing something? Raziel is right, but this chaos could set a dangerous example. Even if the flames die down by morning, we’ve shown that we’ll kill anyone we want, whether or not they’ve broken a law—execution without jury or proof of guilt, and yet, I can’t-

“Kid!”

“I can’t bring myself to kill him! It won’t do anything, and my powers aren’t doing anything to him!”

“You have a pistol that you always carry around. Use that instead!”

“I only use it when I’m holding back, and my powers aren’t doing a thing to him.”

“Look. He’s a conduit like you are. Kill him, and it should stop the fires, right?”

“It won’t,” Raziel says.

“He says it won’t, and I don’t want to spill innocent blood.”

“Innocent people are already dying, and the more that do, the more blood you have on your hands. Who are you going to trust? We’ve been working together for years, and you’re a good kid, a great man, and a dedicated father. I don’t want to have to fight you or your new friends.”

I struggle to make my powers do something, even decide for me if it could ever do that, and yet, I only feel empowered enough to speak and make one decision.

“He’s innocent, Raymond. Raziel is not doing anything wrong, you have to trust me on this, despite what it looks like!”

“I trusted you on a lot, but this is where I draw the line for good this time, and there’s no moving me, no matter what you or the mayor says. Don’t get in my way, because I’ll be hunting that bastard you’re with.”

Raymond hangs up the phone, and I tell Kane and Raziel what was said.

“It’s always been us against the law. I may not see the good in what is happening, but my eyes tell me not to kill this guy, and the people dying are marked for death,” Kane says. “If you want my opinion, we take our chances and trust him.”

“Thank you,” Raziel says before looking at me, waiting for my judgment.

“There’s no going back now. It’s us against the world,” I say.

“That’s just the normal life of a virtuous man. The world is always against us because it doesn’t understand us and hates us for our dedication to God. Thank you for trusting me, L’Obscurité. I promise you that we’ll have these fires out by morning. Now, come. Let me guide you to where my angel wants us to go.”

Following Raziel, we aid him in punishing the guilty. Meanwhile, I pray that I made the right decision and that I don’t see Raymond or any of the other good defenders of this city, so I won’t have to fight against him, and if we do, I hope no one dies and we can come to understand and live with one another. For now, the flames continue to rage on and must be satiated with justice and the blood of the guilty.