Black Horizons

The dark, gothic-styled cityscapes of Ulyshia's capital are quite a sight to behold, so long as you can see them in the pitch black of eternal night. While I have special eyes that can see in the dark, most people living in this nation now are foreigners without those special eyes. Instead, these visitors must wear special contacts to see in the dark. As I jumped from rooftop to rooftop of elegant, expensive houses, I saw how the city changed as I went from the rich to the poor side of the city. Contrasting with the beautiful stores and impressive displays of wealth in the high district are the slums, crime, drugs, and whores that litter the low district. I heard from the local newspaper that the low district has five notable active serial killers, while the high district only has one. But I'm not looking for killers; I have a specific target.

As I landed on the ground in the worst part of the low district, I saw a drug deal on one side of the street, and on the other side, I saw a hooker entering a van. She'll get off with just being beaten half to death if she's lucky. Attached to my waist is a tool belt with a sawed-off shotgun hanging from it; it has proven time and time again to be one of my most valuable tools. I walked through the filthy alleys full of crime and drugs, every person in my path backing away in fear of me; they were right to be afraid. After around 30 minutes of walking in pitch darkness, I arrived at Club Stardust, where Antonio Armando has his headquarters.

I made my way to the club entrance, and the two bouncers at the door tried to stop me. Upon seeing a man wearing a suit of armor with no face, they rightfully saw me as a threat and tried to force me away, one of them grabbing my shoulder. My instincts took over, and I grabbed the shotgun at my side, shooting him in the leg to incapacitate him and shooting him again in the head once he fell to the ground. The blast from the shotgun completely erased his head, blood shooting out of his neck like a fountain. The other man fled in fear; he was far more intelligent than his buddy. It was left entirely defenseless without the bouncers at the door, and I made my way in.

I saw a large dance floor with a door backstage inside the nightclub; Antonio Armando was likely sitting in his office at the back of the club. As I walked through the sides of the lounge, directly to the back, I was stopped by a security guard who asked what an uninvited guest like me was doing there. As soon as he placed his hand on my shoulder, a spike erupted from where he was grabbing me, impaling his hand and making him fall on the floor in pain.

I reached the boss' office door, and two guards greeted me. They told me that access to the office was restricted, and I merely brought my hands to both of their faces in response. They stared at me, confused for a second, before sharp blades quickly erupted from my hands, piercing their brains and killing them instantly.

Armando's office was lavish and intimidating, with a pool table and the heads of multiple exotic animals displayed on headpieces throughout. My entrance interrupted his solo game of pool, and he looked at me confused, asking me what my business was here. I silently ignored his question and grabbed him by the neck, forcing him to the ground as I squeezed his life out. He attempted to use his Phoenix ability, armor-piercing blasts of energy, to kill me, but I simply ignored the hits and continued choking him. Even though his hits were going straight through my armor and piercing my vitals, I suffered through and kept my grip on his neck. Soon, his labored cries for mercy and desperate attacks at my abdomen stopped as his head slumped over, dead. I kicked his neck to ensure he was dead, took a thumb drive from his computer, and escaped through the window. My first step to completing this job has been an absolute success.

That night, I was able to kill 7 of my 20 targets—a productive night for sure. Tomorrow is Saturday, so I won't have to go to work. I decided to call up Mallory to ask if she would hang out tomorrow. After a few rings of the phone, she picked up, and I asked her, "Would you mind meeting me at the bus stop near the city park?"

Mallory's voice was confident and cheerful as she answered my proposition. "I would love to. We can meet around noon tomorrow." We chatted briefly before I hung up on her and got ready for bed. My wounds from Armando were still causing me trouble; it would take a lot more energy from me to heal a wound this deep, and it would likely affect my performance the next day.

Before I went to bed, I searched the contents of Armando's thumb drive. He was expecting a meeting with another one of my targets tomorrow. I messaged the man using Armando's email that the meeting spot had changed to the city park at 1:00 p.m.

Pov: Mallory

I've always considered myself a classy lady who looks her best and is sought after by almost every man. While I do enjoy the attention of being sought after by men, it has brought me no shortage of trouble. I've met my fair share of dangerous men who have tried to harm or treated me poorly for my gender. I was living in a constant state of fear of being attacked when I met Yuzan. He taught me how to defend myself and stand up for others. He kept me safe when I felt most in danger, and I am eternally grateful for that. I began to see him as my hero and someone I value fondly.

When I discovered he was the leader of an organization known as the Black Cloak, I couldn't say no when he asked me to join. It didn't take long for me to become one of the current seven commanders under Lord Yuzan; my skills had proved invaluable to him. Yet despite all of the things I have done for him, he still can't take the hint that I wanna fuck him! I've tried to get his affection however I can, yet he still can't take any hints. But that day, I finally planned to confess to him, so I wore my prettiest dress before casting a spell to keep my body warm in the cold.

Yuzan and I had agreed to meet in the shopping center of the high district, and as soon as I arrived, I could see him sitting on a bench waiting for me. I didn't immediately go to join him; instead, I wished to surprise him with my presence, and I took a route between the alleys to sneak up behind him. Once I found myself behind him a block away, I observed him as he waited for me, trying to build up his anticipation as he remained entirely still on the bench. I slowly lept out of my hiding spot and attempted to inch toward his back, ensuring he couldn't hear me approach him. But it was all for naught when he suddenly turned around and looked at me dead in the eyes, "What are you doing, Mallory?" It appears I've been caught.

"I just thought you'd want to be surprised by my presence." I giggled and winked at him as he looked at me, annoyed. But soon, he regained his composure, and we set off to the park where we always meet. Although the park is always covered in snow, it is populated by trees that can sustain themselves in the permafrost, leaving the place looking gorgeous. However, I had plans in mind to finally gain his affection. First, I'd get him some food to make him thankful to me.

I winked at him and gave him my cutest face, "There's an ice cream place around here. Why don't we check it out? I'll pay for it."

He looked at me, confused and almost indifferent. "What kind of an idiot opens up an ice cream shop in a permanently frozen place?" My plan was already failing.

Trying not to embarrass myself further, I tried to play off the proposition. "Uhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm, I suppose you would want to open up an ice cream shop because a place like Ulyshia needs some cheer in it. Everybody loves ice cream, I suppose."

"Joy? There is no such thing as joy in a place like Ulyshia! I was born here; I know just how awful and cruel this place can be. And frankly, I don't see how some sweets can hope to fix such a drab and wretched place."

Shit! It appears I'd angered him in my attempt to ask him out. I needed to find a way to get back on his good side. My nervousness almost got the better of me before I returned to my usual "sweet girl" personality.

"Haha, I suppose it would be strange to eat ice cream in the snow." God, I was so stupid for thinking that something like that would work on a man like him. If I wanted to confess to him, I had to get my act back together. Perhaps I could ask him out to lunch? Or maybe I could take him shopping somewhere? I thought up a million different ways to ask him out before his serious voice interrupted my daydreaming.

"Mallory, there was something I wanted to discuss with you." His eyes send chills down my spine; they are wholly emotionless and without any hints of kindness, although that is how they usually are. Nervously, I asked him what he wanted to discuss with me, and he said in the same tone, "I can tell that you're trying to seek a romantic relationship with me."

HUH?!?! How did he know? How could he have deduced that I was trying to confess? It just made no sense unless he had some ability to read my mind. Perhaps that's what it was; he's been hiding a telepathic ability from me this entire time. I freaked out inside my mind before regaining a bit of my composure and saying to him, "H-how could you tell?"

"It was your tone of voice and your composure. I could tell you had ulterior motives by the way you always acted sweet with me and how you kept trying to treat me to meals whenever I asked you to hang out with me. Your body language indicated nervousness, further convincing me you have romantic feelings towards me."

Damn, he was good. He could tell all of that just from a simple conversation. It's unbelievable how he can tell so much from so little. I was perplexed at his proficiency and asked if he could read minds. He laughed at my question, staring at me with what appeared to be amusement, "Mallory, Mallory. You don't need to read minds if you pay enough attention to how people act. If you know how people work, you can tell anything about anybody."

I've always seen Yuzan as a competent, meticulously genius man, but his sheer skill in deduction blew away my already high expectations of him. He was simply the most intelligent man I had ever known. I ran over and embraced him to show him how serious I was about my feelings for him. I looked past his chest to stare into the face of the freakishly tall man. "It's true, Lord Yuzan. I've been in love with you this whole time. Since I met you, I've been thankful for all you've done for me, and I've wanted to be with you for the rest of my life." I affectionately rubbed my hand across his face, yet still, he kept his emotionless, monotone face.

He didn't react in any way to my confession and just continued in his emotionless voice, "It's dangerous being so close to me; I don't want you to be put in any more danger than necessary. I'm sorry, but it's a no for now."

His rejection was like a knife to my gut. I had spent every day of the past two years in love with him, and he just went and rejected me with no thought at all. I'm almost filled with murderous rage when he bends his face down to mine, whispering in my ear.

"We're in the territory of one of my targets right now. I impersonated his partner and told him to meet me at this spot at this time. He should be here any minute now." As he said, a well-dressed man with five bodyguards appeared before us. I instantly recognized the man as Osamu Yamamoto, a mercenary who has been doing odd jobs for the King and Queen of Humanity for over six decades. He is currently wanted worldwide with a five billion dollar bounty on his head. He seemed pissed off as he saw who he was meeting with.

"Who the fuck are you people? I was supposed to be meeting up with Antonio Armando. You don't look like his men."

Yuzan stared at him, a cold expression on his face, and blankly told the man, "Mr. Armando will not be joining us today; I went ahead and broke into his house and choked the life out of him until he was a corpse." Yuzan broke free of my embrace and slowly walked towards the men, his footsteps becoming louder on the snow as his body hardened into steel.

He was utterly silent as the sounds of the roaring blizzard drowned out any words from the mercenaries. Time seemed to move in slow motion as he continued his stride toward the men before he suddenly stopped; he stood still and pointed his finger in a gun shape at one of the bodyguards. With a loud "BANG" sounding from his mouth, the man fell over, dead, his blood painting the snow a vibrant, crimson red. But it was not Yuzan who killed him, as evidenced by the knife wound across the man's throat.

From the shadows surrounding his corpse, a man dressed in black with traces of red throughout, like that of a classical ninja, arose as if he were hiding in some shadow dimension. Pointing out of the man's sleeve was a concealed blade covered in blood. The ninja before us was known only as X, and he was the fourth of Yuzan's currently seven commanders. The mobsters instantly surrounded X, pointing their guns at him, ready to shoot, but just as soon as he appeared, he suddenly vanished into the shadows as if he were never there. X then reappeared on a branch of a nearby tree, sitting down and carrying the skull of the man he just killed. He looked in the direction of the mobsters and spoke in his calm, serious, yet commanding voice.

"Tell me, what is the one thing you can never run from?"

They were confused at his question and responded to him in anger, "Who gives a shit about your damn riddles! You just killed our brother!" 

X was pissed off at their inability to answer his question, "Wrong answer! The correct answer is your shadow. No matter what you may try to do, you can never run from your own shadow."

They ignored him and pointed their guns at X, firing off a flurry of bullets in his direction. Before their bullets could reach him, he vanished back into the shadows. One of the mobsters took the opportunity between X's disappearance and reappearance to teleport behind me, hold me down, and point a knife at my throat. "Nobody makes a fucking move!! Or else the lady here dies!!"

Despite the knife pointed at my throat and the threatening man holding me down, I felt no fear whatsoever; as long as Yuzan was with me, I could never be afraid. I laughed at his pathetic display of "power" and mocked him in his face. "So, do you plan on killing me with that knife, or is it just for show?" He stared down at me in confusion at my lack of fear. Evidently, he was taking me hostage in a last-ditch effort to fight off the impending death that X and Yuzan represented, so I decided to spice things up to make this game more fun. "Why don't we go for a ride, sir?"

I snapped my fingers, and we were instantly teleported into the dark skies of Ulyshia, about seven miles above sea level. At this rate, it should take 47 seconds for us to reach the ground and splat against the concrete. Once he noticed that we were free-falling from the stratosphere, he let out a scream of pure terror, realizing that death was quickly approaching him.

"What the fuck is happening!?!?!?!? You gotta save me, lady! I promise I'll let you go, and we can forget about this happening."

I just ignored his question and relaxed my body as I enjoyed the breeze on my skin. "Nope! Sorry! I'm afraid I can't do that. Besides, I like this air on my skin." My words sent him into an even greater panic. Soon, we were falling through the clouds as the faint lights of Ulyshia tore through the endless darkness of the land. From this height, I could see almost every city and countryside surrounding the capital. It would be quite a sight to behold if the land wasn't covered in so much snow and darkness to make the land blend into a dark mess. Twenty seconds left in our fall.

"Please, miss, I have a wife and kids. I only got into this mobster stuff to pay for my wife's treatment. She'll die if I don't get her the money." I wasn't paying attention to his ramblings; I was more focused on the snowstorm rapidly approaching the capital. It was common and almost expected for there to be blizzards in Ulyshia, so much so that the land was almost always covered in some storm. The man's ramblings were getting louder and more obnoxious, so I tried to silence him before answering his pleas.

"I guess your wife will just have to die, then. There's nothing you nor I can do to help her now."

I could visibly hear the man crying now. "Please, I don't want to die. And I know you don't want to die either. So save us both, and we can forget about this." The city was getting closer and closer now. Ten seconds left until we reached the ground.

"Nah! I think I'll die here with you instead; at least I got to see this amazing view before we croaked." He answered my mocking with cries of "No," "please," and "I'm sorry," but I just ignored him as we approached the end of our fall.

Ten....

Nine...

Eight...

At this point, I was beginning to see the outlines of the giant castles of Ulyshia, even through the darkness.

Seven...

Six...

Five...

The ground was slowly becoming more visible as the flames of the lanterns around the concrete became brighter and brighter.

Four...

Three...

Two...

Right before we hit the ground, the very instant before death grasped both of us with its cold hands, I snapped my fingers again, and we reappeared in the backyard of an abandoned castle near the outskirts of town. This castle was once known everywhere for its beauty, but the war 60 years ago had left it desolate and on the verge of collapse. But even in its state of disrepair, the castle, which was still a threatening shade of black, still commanded fear and respect from all who came across it. When the man realized that we were not dead but teleported to another place, his shock and fear quickly turned into blind, murderous rage.

"You're fucking crazy, you bitch!! You almost killed yourself and all, so you could do what exactly? Just play some sick game on me? My name is Shepard Lionheart, and I swear on my name that I will not let this humiliation stand."

I scoffed at his boasting in sheer disgust; I've seen no shortage of men like him who think they're hot shit when in reality, they are hopelessly weak. Shrugging off his boasts, I watched him and winked playfully, "Awww!! It was just a little game. I didn't mean anything by it; I was just having some fun."

This only further enraged him as he began to shapeshift into a lion-human hybrid form. He was undoubtedly a transformation-type Phoenix: A Phoenix whose ability lies in shapeshifting into another form. It was utterly pathetic that such a small fry could ever hope of facing a commander of Lord Yuzan. He'll be dead before I even know it.

The last thing that Mister Shepard Lionheart saw was the glowing eyes of the woman before him. My words began to echo in his brain as he stood there, crippled in fear, "I summon thee, the arms of the Dark God Ktulu." He then felt a sharp pain suddenly appear on his left arm; looking down, he saw that his arm had been completely severed from his shoulder, leaving only a pouring fountain of blood that scattered all over the frozen snow roses that scattered the ground. I took the time to admire the beautiful flowers that had somehow managed to survive this land's eternal night and blizzard.

Picking up a flower, I smelled the sweet fragrance of the rose and marveled at its scent. "Did you know that the land of Ulyshia, despite having never seen a second of daylight nor a moment of respite from the unceasing blizzard for thousands of years, still has a thriving ecosystem of plants and wildlife? It's remarkable how quickly the people, plants, and animals adapted to this nearly unlivable environment." Shepard could not listen to my ramblings, though, as more portals appeared from behind him, and out came strong tentacles that were colored a shade of dark green and blue, the arms of the great Ktulu. One by one, the tentacles began to tear the man apart; they crushed his bones, tore his limbs straight off of him, tore into his eye sockets, and pulled out his eyes as he could do nothing but stand there, frozen in fear from the spell placed on him by the light from my eyes.

I ignored his cries for mercy and continued my lesson on Ulyshian geography, culture, and wildlife. "The plants survived in this harsh land by completely changing how they sustained themselves. Instead of feeding off sunlight and water, they began to feed off the land's darkness and snow. Looking closely at a Ulyshian plant for long enough, you will see that the snow on its leaves evaporates and sustains the roots. As for the wildlife, they adapted to produce heated blood, which keeps them warm in even the coldest of environments. But it was the Phoenixes that had the most drastic changes: they first adapted eyes that could see in pitch black, a trait shared with the wildlife; then, they started using the heat from their Phoenix marks to warm their bodies, an adaptation that even Ulyshian babies can subconsciously use to protect themselves from the cold. But, most peculiar of all, the Ulyshian people began to develop a shared ability: the ability to control darkness and gain power from the shadows. It is all very interesti-." I paused as I realized that the tentacles had already twisted his head off, killing him. His limbs, head, and torso were all set up in a circle by the tentacles.

"Well, I guess that concludes our lesson on Ulyshian culture. Come see me after class if you have any further questions. Class dismissed." Before I left his corpse to rot, I blew him a kiss and sent him my regards. "By the way, I could tell that you were lying about that whole wife and kids story. Not only did you not have any rings on your fingers, but I could also tell from your scent that you're a virgin. Now, I wonder how Yuzan is doing with the rest of those mobsters."