‹identidem›

"She called me beautiful..."

That compliment swirled around Leigh's head as she rested it on top a soft pillow. Those four walls didn't feel familiar at all, but yet, she did feel attachment to the wall to her right. Through it she was able to hear Ray and Leo play guitar and sing some melodies which to her surprise,

she took a liking to. "The pretty boy can sing, huh..", she crossed her arms behind her head and bemoaned her discomfort shortly after: The bed had gotten too hot to rest in, so she flung the door open and quickly covered her eyes from the the blinding sun and let out a "FUCK" to which the boys came out of their room and Charles who had slept on the couch awakened unpleasantly.

"Must you scream first thing in morn-",

Leo yawned, covering his mouth. Leigh was standing next to them with her hands glued to her forehead:

"Covering ya mouth because you forgot to clean up?" "What", Leo responded, now putting his hands also on his forehead to get a better glimpse at her.

"I can't believe you made a sex joke first thing in the morning", Ray joined them in their's arms positioning, then went to the fridge to get everyone cooled water. Well, everyone but him, as he wasn't affected by the heat which Leo noticed yesterday, in fact. Thinking to himself:"The Blackwoods must have a disadventage against the cold, then."

"It was only a matter of time-", Leigh was interrupted by Charles' scream, "Geez, you slept on the couch? I have a whole 'nother bed in my room, you know?" The older one's voice was fresh, although just awoken:"I KNOW. But this couch is luxury compared to when we were sleeping on the floor.", he tapped the good piece of furniture "Back on the train?", Leo took the water bottle from Ray and struggled to open it: "Tsk, naw, come on.." "Tsk, Leo, for real?", Leigh teased him. "Like back in the train, yes, but also in the old days we were constantly in motion and rarely rented a place like this.", Charles finally stood up and grabbed his black coat, he had used as a blanket. "Here you go", Ray handed Leo the opened bottle. Leigh had emptied hers in under five seconds and asked:"What's the plan? We know our next destination. Shouldn't we get cracking?"

"I wonder..", Charles yawned,"Would you guys be in right shape and mind?" Leigh responded with her annoyed face and Ray's face as sleepy as always. "Take the word of someone who's encountered the WM a number of times, those guys are within their territory- their HQ. They ain't gonna let us just waltz in just like this... Not with how you guys are right now.", his extended index and middle finger pointed at Ray and Leigh.

Outside, the hot sun was brimming and the people chattering. Leigh didn't understand Charles' remark, or maybe she didn't want to. She trusted him a lot more than Daniel but just wasn't willing to be taught and get lectured yet again. It didn't feel 'free' to her. "Fuck it's hot" The people didn't seem to be bothered by the sword with the white blade on her waist. She wore a casual oversized black shirt which had a pink floral pattern and collar, the last three buttons undone- she looked tropical, befitting considering the hot weather and also lightly dressed people and she finally took notice why the other pedestrians, eating and drinnking away, others having their feet covered by the ocean's water, trying to catch fish, weren't fazed. "Oh, for fuck's sake, the WM's clowns are here?", she did let her hand quickly wander to the Katana's handle but figured it'd be even more suspicious walking around like that. They were searching for the only Godsent outside their captivity, and for all had white hair and golden eyes, Leigh was sticking out like the nail which first had it's polish come off by a bit and now ruined the entire look. Which was why, Leo was fixing his black nail polish by repainting them all, seated in the large garden, watching while waves crushed in the background and Charles trained his nephew. Although, fairly speaking, Charles started to remind himself of how Jack always taught him and tried passing it on to Ray. "The enhancement of your Will, hopefully, by the end of this day, you'll have the blue fire mastered without putting your heart's limit to the test." Leigh was in search of a place to hide in, in order to dodge the WM's soldiers wandering about with their arms, probably loaded. So Leigh stumbled first into an alley covered by warm shadows, then randomly entered a door of a building which she thought was a pub. And indeed, it was. A dark one; that hosted many a curious quiet looks and a guy, probably drunk she thought, standing atop a table, seemingly preaching? Her expression grew once again curious, but all she wanted in that very moment weren't answers to any of those questions- only:"Something cold, please." "I'm not going to serve you your 'something cold', kid. This is a pub, we sell alcohol, not juice." "Did they tell you that when you were applying for the job here?", she countered. Silentium. The ones who were drinking stopped, those who were playing cards stopped, the lights were flickering, Leigh had a seat and slammed her arms on the counter. Her stare was rivaling the barkeeper's until he scoffed, his mustache curled at both ends and his muscular arms were giving the drink within the metal a good shake, he finished that one by garnishing the glass with an orange slice some green leaves atop the liquid. He turned back to the waiting Leigh who had blocked out the drunkard's preaching once he asked her:"What'll it be?" "Just a cracking cold beer, I think.", the one beside her answered,"But make that two.", he added. Leigh peaked over and saw a person with short hair but long enough to cover his eyes, or rather the upper half of his face appeared to be completely unseen. She guessed he was to be two or three years older than herself. "Am I getting hit on?", she carelessly spoke aloud. "It depends of how your thinking views this encounter", he spoke. Leigh noticed his attire was a cloak which covered the whole of his body and she grew more nosy- "There you go.", the barkeeper was a little fed up with Leigh already but left them as soon as the boy next to her gave the coins. "Well, thanks I guess", she started drinking. "It seems as though, news are already making their rounds", he commented, nodding over to the guy standing on the circular table, knocking over his mates' glasses, spilling the drinks over the surface and their cards:"Heed my words, THE day we TAKE our freedom BACK will arrive! IN two DAYS everyone, EVERYONE, every gang will take on the WORLD Military!" Loud laughter. "The hell..?", Leigh thought. Air was dusty and the smell of alcohol hit her nostrils again. "Apparently, someone was going around, travelling from town to town, spreading word of this attack upon the WM..", the short-haired next to her said, after he drank almost half of the cold bottle at once. "Interesting..", she mumbled. "Their goal is to capture Satanael Leo Roseblood, as I hear." Leigh looked at him, then to the preaching, loud guy:"SATANAEL! We WILL kill Y-YOU", then he fell off, dozing off on the floor. His thin fingers reached for the piece of paper which was burried onto the counter with a jackknife. "There, there. Let's look if Satanael is on.. here", he pointed at Leo's bounty on the WM's Hunting List,"My, what a magnificent sum. But should I recall correctly, and I certainly hope I do so", his finger wandered lower and lower until it stopped. Leigh put down the empty beer. His index finger pointed at:

2.750.000 Ȼ - Godsent Lucifer Leigh (Do not kill this target)

1.750.000 Ȼ - Walter Renwick

"And what's the killer's name, if I may ask?", she mimicked his style of language to which his finger wandered one name lower and her eyebrows rose. "Oh, are you two for real? Outside, now.", the barkeeper threw them out at once. He wasn't going to have anything of what was going to happen outside, on the street, inside his pub. That's at least what he thought he was going to do as Leigh grabbed the bottleneck with her hand's knuckles facing downward, twisting her hand, smashing the bottle against the counter, shattered pieces, swinging it at Walter's head who countered her bottle with his own. "GODDAMN YOU TWO-",

the barkeepers words were overpowered by the screams of those, starting to get the commotion going. Throwing people at tables, breaking them in halves and brawling each other. One even grabbed the sleeping drunkard and threw him out of the window with a big cashing sound. Leigh's sword swing was stopped by chains coming from the inside of the velvet cloak Walter was covering his body with. As they enveloped the blade,

drawing nearer toward the handle,

their sound began to make Leigh's ears ache, somehow muting her Will. The sound of metal wrapping around metal.

She was going to electrify him, that chain had to be connected to Walter, somehow, right? "I'm sure if it was that easy to entrap you, many before me would have accomplish the feat."

"So what's holding you back?", Charles extinguished all flames surrounding him. Ray's gaze faced downward. He wasn't in the right mental state for training. "Where's your Phoenix, huh? When you sparred with Leigh in Londinium, you seemed stronger than right now." "Uncle Charles", the blonde began,"I don't feel it. It's like my drive.. has been killed like my flames just now. How can I get grow, when I'm like this?", he let his eyes wander off to Leo after a short pause on his end. The brushstrokes seemed so careful and gentle. The sunlit grass he was seated in was moved slightly by the wind, alike his brunette hair hanging down unlike he usually wore it: Spikes skyward that resembled devil horns to some. In this minute, Leo looked up and Ray met with his sweet magenta eyes and a big smile. A speechless moment in which the wind did all the talking for them. "No one, not a single soul would ever think to themselves that this person could wipe out this town in an instant.", Charles put his elbow on Ray's shoulder,"That's what ya thinkin, innit?" "Again and again.. I just want to run away with him. I get this.. urge to burn anyone out of my way who wants to stop me." "Your heart is preoccupied with him. Don't burn it, or you'll lose him, Ray. Fight for him if you won't fight for you, use your love as your strength- it's the greatest there is", Charles slowly took a few steps away from his body whose air around it got hotter and hotter, this time there were no small explosions, Ray was to be in full control. "How far will you go for your love?", Charles asked Ray within his mind as his concentrated on the spectacle waiting to unfold before them. The green eyes were closed and his arms were embracing the whole world, the whole picture in his mind, the view he had just seen, the one he wanted to see again when he'd reopen his eyes.

The thermometer appeared to had skipped a couple of numbers because as soon as Ray decided to bet his life right here right now, wether he was strong enough to overcome and endure the pain to protect the one he loved, he wanted to know, knowing it was reckless, he bore with it and two blue, beautiful wide wings of flaming shape emerged out of thin air and burned his hair completely black. The air raged but the fire held its shape and was set into place. There they were, couples of blue rose heads covered the entire grass' surface, lighting up one by one like candles so that Leo was encircled by them. Their glow turned chaming in that moment and Ray witnessed Leo's happiness once he reconnected to his vision. The wings spread majestically one last time until Ray released them and let them fade away with the next blow of wind, together with the roses. Charles's face showed nothing but a genuine feeling of being impressed by Ray's ability to control his Will so well, he didn't let any of the blades of grass catch fire. He probably didn't even realize that himself but only let his focus onto Leo running toward him, his colder fingertips painted through his skin and hair, lightly touching his ear, feeling his skin again and the attached metal of the helix piercings. His tip of his nose touched Leo's forehead. Affectus.

She forgot about the broken bottle and decided to pull Walter in by quickly grabbing his neck and shoving him into her trapped sword further inward to make it enter whatever was underneath that black cloak. Both sitting still next to each other until a few bottles came flying in, directed at them. Firstly to dodge that white sword of hers and secondly to avoid getting cuts by some beer bottle, Walter leaned backwards to make summersault in the very same direction, forgetting about the chain chained to the sword and pulling Leigh with him down who had already prepared to swing and make raining glass out of them. With a dimmed thud they slammed onto the floor. A coulpe of seconds later, misfortune arose and the pub's door was slammed open as well. The World Military. "The World's clowns.", Leigh said. "Dogs of a circus", Walter added. The chain was still on, Walter stood up, followed by Leigh, and both ran out of the pub, elbowing both of the soldiers. "THAT'S THEM!", one of them shouted after them. No gunshots. "Fucking barkeeper, bet he snitched on us", Leigh still held onto the handle tightly but after a couple of roads and passing people and even more soldiers, they arrived at the beach part of the town- the ocean. Walter stopped. So did she. "Hell, what do you want from me, anyway?", her breath mildly exhausted from the short sprint, she pulled sword, not expecting the chains to let go of it but here it was, returned to her possession. "Allow me to reintroduce myself: I go by the name of Walter Renwick and I'm a hunted person, much alike yourself.. and your comrades." "Duh.. I been aware of that Wicky, but I'm alone and not in company of my 'comrades'" "Didn't even need to stop for second and just lied. I do like your style, Godsent" "And I'd like you to piss off.", throwing up her middle finger, tongue out. The anglers thought those two were lovers arguing. The waves crashed louder than back at the rented house. The lover's quarrel went on. "You'd like me to leave albeit the help I might offer to rescue your mother from the World Military's HQ?" Her interest was piqued suddenly, the scenery, the waves, their sound were all cancelled out, her blade pointed toward the male in the dark cloak. "He knows about my mother's position... either he's part of the WM, an asshole, or an- Observer. Right, Shanna told me about those just yesterday, but that'd mean... hmmm", she leaped forward, a jump, a strike aimed beside Walter's left- a feint for his chains as the lashed out at sand, using the circular motion Leigh turned 360° to strike again, this time aiming at his right shoulder, awaiting his chains- and indeed they managed to envelop the blade again, she let go, counting:"That's two arms, one more and he'd-", she spun again and went for a successful 540° kick, hitting his right side of his face and knocking him back. The chains dragged the white sword through the wet sand to Walter who used it to not fall down. "You're an Observer, right?" "Correct, well done. I applaud you for finding out by testing if I only had two arms." She smiled with confidence: "You made a mistake toying with me, Renwick. I''ll beat you, even without my Katana", she cracked her knuckles, squatted and got her sword thrown betwixt her legs. "Huh." "You can have your sword back, I didn't come to battle, no, in fact, I did come to offer you my help, as mentioned just now." "You really think I'd trust some weirdo like you? Just like that?" "And are you, the ever so raging Godsent, going to dismiss the help of an Observer after yours just left?" "Shut up.", she wasn't sure about this,"An Observer could be real useful to have when we infiltrate their HQ, I guess... Still, I want to know if I can trust you." "Then, see here, will you allow me to present you my home. Perhaps, you will get a better picture of me, then?"

"This isn't some romance story that works in your favour, dumbass"

"I actually overlooked the romance genre. I instead focused on books that taught me about the world and its people in it." Leigh wiped the sweat off of her forehead and said:"If you can beat me, I'll go with you. Should I win you're going to kill yourself right here, right now, got it-", those metal snakes hit her left and right temples, and she blacked out- "Wha-" Did she see more than just two? The WM's soldiers had arrived at the beach with their searching party, however were they made unable to view Walter, Leigh, nor the Katana because of Walter's Will. His dark velvet cloak wasn't the only thing emitting some ominous aura.

"It's almost evening and she still hasn't returned", Leo listened to Ray's concerned words.

"You didn't find her?", Leo asked Charles when he came back, locked the door and sat down. "Well- No. Not exactly. Thing is, I don't believe that she'd throw a tantrum and then leave for good, you know? She WAS kinda pissed when I told you two to train more so that this gig will be a success but-" "But?", Ray played with Leo's hair.

"There a ton of WM soldiers out there searching for their targets and not only us three but Leigh is on there, too."

"But no way did she let herself get caught just like that. She even had her sword with her, right?" "Yea, I mean Leigh wouldn't lose that easily, if it gets serious she'd use lightning and thunder for sure", Ray commented,"We'd have defo noticed a lightning midday.."

A small silence widened through the living room.

"If she doesn't return, we'll meet her again in two days at the WM HQ. Folks were spreading word of an raid which includes other gangs, too." "Wait for real?", Leo was intrigued. "Apparently, their objective is to kill you, though, Leo", Charles flicked his hat, saw eye to eye, those words made Leo nothing but laugh. Even Ray smiled, he couldn't hold it back and joined the laughter just like Charles did.

The only one not amused by the news was Shanna when Charles called her on the phone.

-"You basically lost a child during your first day of parenting. Are you for real."

"Listen, Shanna, I wouldn't say I 'lost' her because she ran off on her own."

-"Why not 'run' after her Charles?"

"Why 'leave' us right after Londinium Shanna?"

-"Why do I have to will Pandemonium's protection, Charles?"

"Why was Jack forced to stay inside Londinium and protect it night and day, Shanna?"

-"Why are you asking me this, Charles, maybe it's because all of humanity was put under fake belief that the world is fine as it is. Maybe there's another fake layer to break to get things normal again."

"Fuck that's it, Shanna."

-"Huh?"

"That's it! Our coordinate is back!"

-"Hah, haven't heard that in a while-"

"But it's true, I think you just figured it out, the state of the world. Imma go tell the boys, we can help Leo break this fake layer, no?"

-"Let's see.. I mean- If those gangs all do go raid the HQ and everyone believes in Leo having the King's Will, the strongest Will, I think that, this collective belief might even make Leo stronger, you know? In addition, we're gonna support him with our Wills."

"As in: Because everyone thinks that he's the strongest, Leo can use that belief to cover for the pain he's going to have to endure for erasing a whole reality- Overpowering someone else's Will who forced this reality onto us, onto the whole world basically."

-"Yes, plus- He can also use the fact that he's done it once already."

"Smells like a certain victory to me."

Once she came to, she wasn't on the beach in New Angelus anymore. She was in a small mansion, within a wide forest near New Angelus. The wooden floor felt like the one at Shanna's tavern. But it was messy. Books scattered around like bodies on an old battlefield and an unmade bed. She stood up by the help of an offering hand which she only noticed back on foot, belonged to the annoying Walter Renwick. "You motherfu-", his finger pressed on her lips. "I neither have mother nor-", she bit his finger. Fast he took back his hand to inspect the excellent bitemarks. "Some would say those could spell 'love', believe me." Leigh's expression resembled a dead bodie's right now. "A good morning to you, too, Leigh Godsent. I hope you slept well." "I slept on the floor, while there's whole bed-" "I gave you the bed. You tossed and turned so much that you would eventually fall off of the bed and continue sleeping on the floor. I know of this for one of my servants checked on your well-being during the night." "Ah man, what the hell.. whatever, tell me where I am, next." "At my home, you lost our duel and we agreed upon-" "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, but where are we really? Am I far from my friends?" "But an hour away" "Good for you, Walter." "Come, I'll show you the house and the forest", he grabbed her hand and led her out of that bedroom. "Wait, my sword." "It's by the house's entrence door, worry not." She wasn't sure anymore, she couldn't shake off that sense of familiarity when their hands touched.

What was that, emotion like a butterfly having lost its way, swirling aloft a dark pond, wings grasping air awaiting wonder to happen, no more there?

End of : ‹identidem›