Fall Foretold

Covenant

He stared at his muscles, through the mirror. There was a big war ahead of him and he didn't know how or where to start. He looked into his own eyes. His brown eyes glowed, spiraling as he looked closer. The image in the mirror transformed, completely. The Shadowmask was standing in the mirror, staring back at him.

"You finally realize the purpose of your secret and you've exposed us to the world, within 24 hours", the Shadowmask said.

"How do you mean?", Joe asked but he already knew the answer to that. He had allowed Felix to read the book. "Sorry 'bout that"

Back at school, Joe and his team had stayed back, past the closing hour, working on their project. They decided to add extra features, hoping to get extra marks.

"Finally!", Jackson said, falling back on a seat, as they added the final piece of the project. "I guess we're done here"

Joe yawned. They were the only ones left in school, except the janitor who had showed up, many times, to ask them to leave.

"Ok, I'm going home", Laura said and picked up her bag. "See you tomorrow, partners".

"Partner", Joe repeated and smiled with great ardour. Laura wouldn't suspect his feelings, still. He picked up his bag, too, immediately she left.

"The man might come back with a stick, let's go", He told Jackson.

Jackson remained there, staring back at him. "I'm just wondering how long you've been hiding your feelings for her. I wonder how long you'll keep it in.", he paused for a while. "Very soon, we'll graduate and get out of here so if you are waiting for a particular time, you have to be sure of what you're doing or else, you may lose her".

Joe just sat back, imagining if he was ever going to try it. He didn’t want to have any false hopes. Jackson continued, "If there's something I've learned about Love, it's that Love is not a crime. Keeping a secret from your partner is... She called us partners"

"What if she doesn't like me? I mean, I have nothing special", Joe said. "What I'm not her type?"

"There is only one way to be sure of that. Besides, you have nothing to lose if she doesn't. I want you to tell her during the sleepover"

"Uhn?"

"Yeah, tell her during the sleepover"

"That was last week, wasn't it?"

"Oh. It was postponed. It's happening this Friday so get prepared. You have until then."

Joe nodded, walking out. Jackson called him back and stood up. "One more thing, before you go"

"Yeah?", he turned.

"You said something about not being special. I read your book"

"What?", Joe exclaimed. That was the second person, in the same day. 'How'

"I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional but... I think I know the secret"

That was it. "Exactly", the Shadowmask said. "Pick my suit from the wardrobe. You'll be going out tonight"

"If I will continue from where you stopped, I need to know the plan, the secret and everything"

"We're talking already. I won't have to tell you. Just be ready to fight."

★

Cedric stood on the rooftop, as usual; the same spot. He could see into a hall where he had seen his targets, earlier. He hadn't killed anyone since he got to Sterling City. He had a long list of targets before he entered Sterling.

"Hey", John arrived on the rooftop. They had planned to meet there.

"I knew you'd come", Cedric said and shook hands with him.

"Slow down. I didn't think I would", John replied and joined Cedric in the sightseeing. "I still don't trust you"

"You don't have to", Cedric said. "I've partnered with my worst enemies. Everyone knows my story"

"Actually, I know less. This is not Russia. The people here seem to care more about reality than myths"

"Back in Russia, everyone was pretty interested in a myth that came to life"

"Our first acquaintance proved one thing, though... Your superhuman strength. You almost flipped the car over"

"That was the beginning of my problems

"Tell me more", John replied, literally interested in his story.

"When Romeo found me, he discovered my gift. I don't know how he did but he showed it to me for the first time. He didn't come to show me what I can do. Not just that, he came to show me how I need to help him. I had to be a tool for his plans. He was an assassin. I was his shotgun"

"Wait. He just came to you, showed you your abilities, and you felt the best way to repay him was to work for him"

"No. He came with an order and a threat. When he came to me, he had full information. He was going to ruin me. The first task I had to do was to steal gold... Then he called me back with more and more tasks. Later, I was getting offers. I was stained already, I couldn't turn down an offer when one person can make me do it for free."

"What happened with your family, then?"

"When I got arrested, Romeo's boss got me out. Then, when he realized that I had ratted them out.. he killed my family before me. And when I recovered, I killed all of them. I had spared Romeo because while he was threatening me, he was getting threatened too. He wasn't going to kill my family if I refused to help, they would kill his family for it... and they would come for me, then, the threats would be on my family".

"That's pretty deep. What did you do to him? How did Lucifer come in?"

"Romeo and I robbed together. We found Lucifer and his pack. They were stronger than anything I had seen. Then, Lucifer had the key. Weirdly, he had control of the key. Maybe that's why they call him the devil. He wanted to lead the Unchaining... For unknown reasons, he stopped wanting the Unchaining so he gave me the key. He asked me to keep it. He said, 'Be careful. The key can open the darkness in your heart. In whatever you do, keep that door locked. Keep the key in your hands and far away from your heart'. I held on to that. Romeo wanted the Unchaining. I didn't know that, then. So he stole the key. He killed his girlfriend and planted it in my residence, leading me back to the arms of the law. After that, I was out for revenge and Solomon Godd found me"

"Oh. Spare me that", John said, doubting Cedric's last statement. "No one believes in Solomon Godd. The next thing you'll say is the Sin City defeat, right?"

"He's real", a voice said, from the back. The Shadowmask had joined them.

"You're late", Cedric said, as he turned back. "What do you know about Solomon Godd?"

"I know he was plunged into an eternal trance. Whoever you met with was not Solomon Godd. You were speaking to a spirit"

"How do you know this?"

"I am not human either. I'm here on a mission", the masked man said. "On my first presence, I had no body. If I took off the mask, you would see nothing. What was Solomon Godd's mission for you?"

"Well, he transported me to a place called Sin City. I had to walk through a horde of real-life vampires and save hostages without killing anyone. That mission was one of a kind"

"So it actually happened?", John asked in disbelief. "I don't even believe in Solomon Godd, yet"

"You don't have to. You might see him", Cedric said and turned, facing them. "Let's face what we came here for. Where's Romeo? How do we find him?"

"I don't know him", the Shadowmask said.

"Well, he's dead", John said.

"Dead?"

"Yes. Lucifer killed him, long ago"

"Why? Why didn't you tell me this, earlier?" Lucifer didn't say anything either"

"Well, he might have tried to do something wrong. The key must have been controlling him so Lucifer killed him."

"Wow!", the Shadowmask said. "So Lucifer has the key now?"

"Or he's given someone else to keep", John replied.

"That would be a bad idea", Cedric said."The devil's daughter will find whoever holds it... except it's her dad"

"What's the plan?"

"We have to go to Lucifer."

★

The woman shivered, crying with her mouth closed. She knelt and remained still. As angry as she was, she couldn't do anything to the man who had a gun with him.

"I am Ken. The devil's daughter sent me here", the man had said, when he entered.

"Uhm. Wrong house, I think", the woman had replied, amused by the introduction. She knew no one bearing Ken, neither did she have a business with the devil or his daughter. Then, the gun was introduced.

"Sorry but I came for business", Ken said, as he entered. "I came for the key"

"What key?", the woman asked.

"The key to the beast lock. You didn't know?", Ken said and sat down. The woman fell on her knees.

"Well, sometimes ago, Lord Lucifer took the key from Romeo. D'you know Romeo? No, you don't. Lucifer gave the key to St. Raphael, your husband, for safekeeping. He didn't know what he was getting himself into, when he accepted the key. Haha"

"My husband's not home. He'll come give you the key when he gets back, I promise"

"Haha. Make no promise. Your husband can't hide from me, even if he wanted to. I could find him anywhere. I'm just not a fan of dead bodies"

"What are you saying?", she refused to get the hint.

"Well, he was supposed to keep the key under his control. Unfortunately, the key had your husband under it's control. Your husband shot himself in the head"

Her pupils dilated. She had screamed inside. She didn't want to believe that. "No! No!", she cried.

"You can calm down and pray", Ken said, smiling. "He didn't shoot twice. Who knows if he'll survive? I need the key now"

The woman fell to the ground, crying silently, as though imagining a life without her husband. Ken stood up and walked in, scattering the place in search of the key.

'The best place to hide something precious... something dangerous', he thought. There was no idea. He closed his eyes and opened them. His eyes glowed, looking round, as if scanning the place for the aura of the key.

There was a door in the kitchen which led to another room. Raphael had written, 'Sanctified' on the door as a warning for his wife and children.

Ken felt heat as he touched the handle. The key was definitely in there. He felt it. Immediately he opened the door, a strong impossible wind threw him back and the door slammed and locked itself. Ken tried to open it again but the door handle had grown too hot to hold.

★

"When you get full control of yourself, you can be stronger than Cedric. You can singlehandedly defeat the beast. It is the prophecy", the Shadowmask spoke to him, in his head, as be meditated. "You should live by that law"

Joe rose on his feeet. His eyes remained closed. His veins glowed through his skin, brighter than they had ever glown. The bright light from his veins seemed to emit fumes, creating a fiery aura around him. The fire spiraled around him and his eyes remained closed.

"If anything is made from God, nothing earthly; nothing of the dark can overcome"

From the spiraling fire, another head shaped out; a perfect copy of Joe's face with eyes closed. His blade bones shifted, like he was about to transform into something else.

"If they are monsters, we'll be their kryptonite".

★

"Sylvester!", he yelled in the church, walking into the church with a shotgun. "Where are you?". He could see the priest, kneeling before the altar. He just had to be dramatic.

St. Sylvester stood up, as though he was expecting Ken to come in. "You're welcome to church", he said, walking towards the armed psychopath.

"Uhm. You should get that sword. Things might get bloody", Ken said, pointing at the decorated knife on the altar.

"Have you come to seek the face of God or you have come to nag?"

"I don't know the definition of what I came here for", Ken said. "How do I walk into a sanctified room?"

"That's nagging. You should ask the priest who sanctified the room. If you are full of darkness, there's no remedy"

"This is a waste of time", Ken said. "I need the key. Lucifer gave it to Raphael so you should know about it"

"Raph never mentioned that to me"

"Well, he put the key in a sanctified room. Now that he's dead, you'll help me get it", Ken said, pointing the gun at the priest's head. St. Sylvester had come so close that the top of the gun was touching his forehead. He only kept smiling.

"No, I will not. You all fight for the key without realizing what you are getting yourselves into. The devil has won your soul with the vain things it can do, making you forget what it can take from you", St. Sylvester turned, walking back to the altar. "Your sanity is at stake. When you're done, go home"

"Stop!!!", Ken shouted and yelled out. He shot twice at the priest. The shotgun was silent, though it shot out bullets.

He shot at the priest , multiple times, but there was no sign of getting hit. St. Sylvester didn't even turn back till he got to the altar.

"Are you done shooting?"

"How are you doing that?!!!", Ken shouted, shooting more bullets.

"I'll ask God, later. I don't know."

Ken shot more and more but the priest kept smiling. The shotgun didn't make any sound, either, as if it were silenced.

St. Sylvester sat on the altar and spoke. "I have sent the noise into the air for the church is meant for sweet melodies alone. I have sent the bullets into the ground, for if Man stands firm in his Faith, he can command death on an endless journey by the power of the Covenant to live..."