K: Control

"Mom, look!"

-Oh the pain us humans have to endure from early childhood on is too mature.

She turned around and scanned her

young child.

A big smile on the boy's face.

"Leo!"

-Generations apart but we have the same blood running through us. Just why is it so hard to just get along..

She glanced at him. Her eyes widened in a scary act.

"You take that off. Now."

"But Dad told me you wore this when you were younger, too."

Her expression alone gave away her disgust.

"Why? Why, Leo, won't you act like a normal boy, already..what did I do wrong?"

Her eyes became wet and her hands unsteady.

Her sudden unhappiness turned Leo's smile into a mute line.

"But. Dad told me.."

He was silenced.

Glass splintered, after it hit his face. Shards were hanging onto the skin, thankfully not onto his eyes

She grabbed another glass, ready to throw again

but Leo ran away. Pure instinct.

He didn't scream, he just knew he did something his mother was unhappy about.

She shouldn't have done it.

-But she did.

The fresh wounds were miraculously treated by his father but the sound of breaking glass remained in the young head. It filled Leo with blood lust thinking back, just as it would have for Leigh. And he knew he could smash the train's window he was sitting next to into pieces with the growing frustration inside of him. But he didn't. He didn't do it for his child self and for Leigh.

Hurting someone or something else because

you've been hurt, won't help.

It leads to dissatisfaction.

He knew that and thus only stared out the window with a pair of hollow eyes. But what was burning from within a contrasting pool of hatred for the unhelpful adult hands he had to experience a depressing amount of times.

"Since when is he called King?", Leo thought.

He was on his way to Londinium by train on fast speed.

No company. No passion. No money.

Only the Will to dethrone the King alone.

"You're old, Jack."

"Thank you, I do know that." Charles poured himself another glass of whiskey.

"Do you remember?" "What?"

"When we thought that alcohol was the most disgusting thing on this planet?"

"Ah, I remember you spitting it on the ground."

"What a waste, man." "What a first time."

Ray's uncle was accompanied by another, older man whose longer dark-brunnette hair grew quite a few many strands white. "Speakin' of first time.."

"Yes.", Jack began, "It has been a while."

"When will he be here?" "I wonder. I've been sitting and waiting in this cage for too long."

Charles looked at his old friend silently.

"Well, well, teach me something, Mr. Roseblood."

Jack smiled; words which had agitated him many times to share his wisdom were begging for a lesson yet again.

"Why, do humans think their death is absolute?"

"Oh?", Charles was searching with his eyes, peeking at every detail in the candle-lit room which was filled with a good many of philosophical books, self-written theories and artistic artifacts such as a lithic but glowing Tree of Life.

His hope to find an answer was dying however and Jack finally delivered him.

"Because they are told so. And once one has been told so, so will be the next. Thus, a chain is created. Only someone brave enough to counter the mass and encourage them to think outside of the box will make actual progress and innovate everybody's life. As our leader did once with us, actually. Think about the connection of words and their actual counterparts of reality-"

"But is death..absolute, now?"

"Only if you believe so, right? We're alive because we define our current state of body as 'alive', so what if we counter with the definition of a 'dead' body?"

"That's crazy. Plus, too much thinking in battle, that'd be a hassle."

"But achievable."

"You're asking the Reaper to reverse death here, Mr. Roseblood.

What would be the costs of this trick, then?"

"Don't know. A bit more than just a scar, I think, right Orlando?", both looked upward, staring at the ceiling. "Yuh."

The bottle of wine was emptied

and night had entered.

With it grew slowly a thunderstorm of rageous nature.

"Fuck this shit, for real" Leigh was startled by the thunder.

Her cigarette dropped to the ground of the park where she had fought Leo before. Her mind wasn't yet made up and so she had decided to meander around Pandemonium a little more. Bending forward to grab it she noticed a familiar shadow approaching her. The street's lanterns were giving a golden, warm yellow light. Eyes on the ground but they moved to a clean cigarette which was held by another hand. As she was accepting it, her glance reacted to

a pair of furious white eyes staring down at her. She backed off, at once, slammed her back against bench's backrest. "Oh no, it's just me, relax."

She exhaled in relief as noticed it truly was Daniel.

"I thought you were blind, Daniel."

"Only for daytime, though. Shanna told me a little your crest."

"Uh-huh, and now?", she massaged the aching muscles of her back and put her uncombable hair back in place as best as she could.

"I gave up my eyesight during daytime to increase my Will." "I thought you can lessen the pain by using something that's there already-" "Righto. Then sacrifice something that's there to create something new in exchange."

Her eyes lit up in angst. Lightning came crashing down too close to them.

"I've taught you the basics of Will. Now you'll work on your desires. Ask yourself what do you want?"

"Tsk, I wanna drop everyone who's in my way. Without using the Crest.", she said with a slight snicker. "Well, you've got strength and you're fast, too. Even without the cest I mean." The park was enlightened again; black and white were separated for short to combine afterward.

"I'll give you one last task, you accomplish it and get what you wanted. Sound good?", he smiled with his strange eyes. "What do you want me to do, then?"

"Win against lightning.", his lazy index finger pointed at heaven's dragon.

"Ah, what the fuck..", Ray whispered.

His hands and feet hurt. It was clear that his feet would hurt after walking the whole way home,

but why did his hands ache as well? Whatever the reason for that drag was, it did gave him an idea, something innovative.

Covering his feet in bursting flames, he jumped from one spot to the next with a bang. It was faster than plain walking, of course, but drained greater in return.

Launching himself throughout the familiar woods

he realized that he was almost there, about to meet his father again. Yes, what would he say? Ray intended to end things with his father for once and for all. Fire.

But with words and no fire, if possible. Over the one month of training he grew a little more, at least he felt greater than before and not someone's child any longer. Plus, wanting to see Leo and Leigh again,

made him rush even more. The longer half of his blonde hair was splitting in the wind's resistance whilst turning the tips a darker shade. Ah, there it was already, the welcome sign.

-WELCOME TO LONDINUM-

"Jack?" "It'd be best if you left, Charles" "Alright.

Promise me I'll see you again, old man."

"Charles. You know me. We've been waiting for a counter all this time. I ain't gonna let it slip like that." Charles left the room with a relaxed smile,

only Jack Roseblood was inside his study now. The doors closed and Ray's uncle left the small residance in the middle of the town which was shining bright in the night. People were outside,

enjoying themselves to the fullest, as always.

They were able to because of the protection

of Jack Roseblood. His Will covered entire

Londinium and its citizens. This way he was made to take notice if anyone was to enter with an opposing intent to his.

The train had stopped, just like the howling of the engine, faded into the night, and its' passengers got off.

Adults, teenagers, children all exited as multiple little crowds filling the grey train station with colourful spots when viewed from bird's eye. The night was young and the thunderstorm wasn't as strong as in Pandemonium yet creating no sense of rush to head home but rather to stay out longer and enjoy the rest of the day. The masses intertwined and became a soup full of different shapes and colours you would get lost in as a little child if you let go of your parents' hands. And even so, inquisitiveness would guide the pair of eyes to read the letters:

-KING'S WAY-

The road that led straight to the king's castle and home. It was open to anyone to come and discuss a matter about Londinium with the king himself. After all, he had the greatest Will,

so he was in charge of everything, as a connected organ to this kingdom. Tall buildings, an idustrial smell but medieval and modern look to the surroundings. It all was parted by a river in the middle that flowed and divided two halves whose people were respected equivalently nontheless. Thenceforth, the majority of folk thought of their king the same way:

"The king doesn't dominate his people but helps them in their need."

"He's very friendly. That has not changed within 10 years. I hear he's been single all this time, maybe-"

"Huh? The king? I guess if I had to describe him, he's like a father-figure to all of us. See, he's not even a real king-king but like..he also teaches at the schools here-"

"Ah dude, don't forget about the time you asked him how the town would look from above-"

"Right, and then he made me float, so I could actually see it for myself, haha."

His mood was still unpleasant after hearing those comments. An unusual scowl had stained Leo's face and attracted other people's attention. Their opposing gazes were concerned, some seemed to be reminded of the past, while others simply continued to enjoy themselves.

He moved between people, got a few confused looks directed towards his look,

and moved further down King's Way.

It wasn't new. Of course it wasn't. The view of an alley filled with friends hanging out with each other or happy families going out for a walk was to be expected anyway, however it made him reminiscent of his older life. A drop of blood came out from the spot where he bit his lip but he stopped immediately once he thought about her. His mother.

His eyes looked sad and angered and the slight breeze made him cold. His pale skin was covered with little dots now. King's Way was longer than the short walk from the station to the tavern in Pandemonium. *Crash* Another thunder.

"Don't flinch!"

"Jesus, I know, alright?!"

"When it comes down, let it strike you. But absorb it, please.", he muttered to himself.

Leigh was nervous, she had the resolve but lost it during the try to catch lightning.

"Tsk." She dodged another one. "Fuck."

"It'd be way easier to just die here, though."

"You're right."

Rain came falling down, smashing onto the ground.

"Hey!", Daniel shouted and snapped his finger to alert his pupil.

"Wha-" Leigh saw a tall figure behind her.

One pistol, short white hair and a long white cloak. That's what she was able to make out through the pouring rain before getting shot in her left shoulder. "Fuck.", her teeth clenched. She threw her blade from the left hand into the right.

Daniel knew who that stranger was. He knew them too well yet knew naught about they're being.

"Leigh, get away!" She already closed in,

her eyes were barely opened due to the storm;

it was dark and cold. That figure expressed their happiness through their urge to fight. Hoping to scar her face next, they pulled the trigger and the force unleashed a heavy bullet aimed at Leigh's forehead, though she had swung before the shot, the odds were against her. Normally, it would have been. Lightning came crashing down, breaking through the air,

screaming with rage just as Leigh,

striking through her, electrifying the whole body. Daniel was unsure what to do in that brief moment. Had he failed as a teacher?

One would have only needed to blink to miss it.

The short second in which Leigh reversed her swing, originally aimed at the stranger,

instead she cut the bullet and was still in her former act, striking at the figure whoose eyes had not seen her art just now. Leigh seemed to be split in that moment, alike being present twice in addition to striking individually. To them,

the bullet was suddenly halved; it was then, when they realized they were dealing with someone who could control their Will. Such competition, coming from a teenager as well!

*CLUNK*

He used his pistol to block her sword and unsterstood the situation, but just in case-

"Girl, did you summon that lightning?"

She was adding strength, hoping to push down their trembling arm which was holding and the gun.

"Girl!", a light voice screamed. "And I'll summon your death next, bitch."

She kicked them in their stomach, a shot was fired and they were kicked by Daniel in the back.

"I didn't know I needed to consider you as a threat as well now. Daniel.", they whispered.

He was looking at them with furious eyes and standing between those two they knew they were getting jumped next. One kick followed another punch, another crack in their bones, they seemed to oscillate from Daniel to Leigh and again to Daniel. Weak words could be heard next to the fighting and the tempest.

"I'm- guessing you're- using the moon? Or is it- the night?", they asked but Daniel only responded with a kick to the crotch.

Leigh didn't understand, but she also didn't hear well right now. The left side of her torso was numbed completely about now unlike her will to keep fighting.

Daniel indeed used the moon to strengthen his Will.

His first condition to be stronger during the moonshine was that

he had to give up his eyesight during daytime,

and the moon had to be shining. One could be stronger through restrictions to up the strength of their Will and lessen the cost of active pain afterwards.

"I've no- interest in this, anymore.", they disappeared into thin air after speaking those words.

They left. "Motherfucker." Daniel helped Leigh stand and fixed her wound.

"But, I didn't know about this side of yours, Mr. Cherrywine."

"Would you drop that already?", he said with a serious tone of voice. "Call me Walter and drop the 'Mr.'"

Leigh was left surprised.

"I'm the same age as you, after all."

End of "Königsmord: Control"