A True Monster

A True Monster
Abigail’s POV…

There I stood. Feran was only a few meters away from me, surrounded by his guards, all of them pointing their weapons in my direction. I could have attacked immediately. I could have ripped through every one of them before they had the chance to breathe. But I was tired. Not weak. There was a difference.

My body had been pushed hard since I escaped my cell. I could feel the exhaustion settling into my muscles, and even my thoughts weren't moving quite as quickly as they had before. So I decided not to waste what I had. I looked directly at Feran.

"I’m not the evil monster weapon you think I am, emperor Feran. As a show of my mercy, I will pardon those who serve you."

The emperor frowned. "What?"

"Your guards." I gestured toward them. "Tell them to leave."

A few of them exchanged uncertain glances.

"I didn’t mind killing the other ones. And I'd rather not kill these ones."

Feran's jaw tightened. "You think you can order me around?"

"No." I smiled. "I know I can."

I stepped forward.

"You're afraid, Feran. You know how I can tell? It’s because I can hear it."

His expression changed. I tilted my head. "Your heartbeat."

I could hear it clearly. Fast. Heavy. Uneven.

"You should spare these men from a horrible death. Be an actual Emperor and face me yourself."

Feran's fingers tightened around the weapon in his hand. I remembered what I'd told him earlier.

"I promised you I'd peel your skin from your bones. I intend to keep that promise."

Something flickered across his face. Fear. Real fear. I enjoyed seeing it.

"Enough of your madness, little girl!" he shouted. Then he raised his hand. "Kill her, but don’t damage her head!"

The guards fired. Plasma blasts tore through the corridor. I disappeared. The first blast passed through where I'd been standing. Then I appeared behind the nearest guard. He turned. Too slow. I grabbed him and threw him into the others.

Another soldier fired blindly. I vanished again. He looked around. I appeared above him. My hand struck his shoulder. He crashed into the floor. The others panicked. They began firing everywhere. That only made things easier. I moved between them. Invisible. Untouchable.

One fell. Then another. Then another. I could hear their fear growing. Their hearts racing. Their breathing becoming desperate. I wasn't simply defeating them. I was watching them understand that they couldn't stop me.

Eventually, the last guard fell. Silence returned. I became visible. Feran stood alone. I looked at the bodies surrounding him. Then I looked at him. "You're next."

He didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his armor and pulled out a small device. A pulse grenade. I barely had time to react. He threw it. The explosion wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. A wave of energy slammed into me. My vision blurred. My thoughts scattered. I dropped to one knee.

For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was. Feran ran. I shook my head. The effect began fading. I stood. "You can't run from me."

I followed. He moved quickly through the corridors, but I could hear him. His heartbeat. His breathing. His fear. He was leading me somewhere. I didn't care. Eventually, the doors ahead opened. I entered the throne room. Feran was already seated on his magnificent throne. There were no guards. No soldiers. No one else. Just him. And me.

He held a long spear in his hands. I smiled. "Running from a child?"

Feran slowly rose. "I wasn't running."

He spun the spear through his hands. "I was leading you."

I laughed softly. "Where?"

"To your death."

His posture changed. The fear was still there. But now something else had appeared. Determination. He lowered the spear. I raised my hands. Finally. A fight worthy of my time.

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Jarox’s POV…

I walked through the palace. Everywhere I looked, there were bodies. Krug soldiers. Imperial guards. Men who had spent their entire lives serving my father. Now they were dead. Blood covered the floors. Walls. Doorways. 

I kept moving. I had one objective. Find Abigail. Stop her from killing Feran. Then stop Abigail. It was the only way I could see forward. But there was one problem. I didn't know if my new ability would work on her.

Yahweh had shown me what I could do. I could influence minds. I could impose my will. But Abigail wasn't ordinary. She was something Trix had created. Something the Keepers feared. Something even my father wanted to control. I needed a backup plan. I needed another power-dampening cuff.

If I could get one onto Abigail, perhaps I could suppress her abilities long enough for me to stop her. I entered the power room. The lights flickered. I searched the equipment until I found one. I grabbed it.

Then I heard something. A strange electrical crackle. I stopped. There it was again. Sparks. I followed the sound deeper into the room. Then I saw it. One of the main electrical panels had been ripped apart. Wires hung from the wall. Switches had been torn loose. And surrounding the damaged panel were rats. Several of them. Some were still moving through the exposed wiring.

I stared at them. "So that's what happened."

The power outage. The cuffs. Abigail's escape. It had all started here. But something didn't make sense. "How did you rats even get in here?"

I didn't have time to investigate. I grabbed the cuff and left. I followed the trail of destruction through the palace. The farther I went, the more bodies I found. Until finally, I reached the entrance to the throne room. The doors were closed. I stopped.

I could feel them. Abigail. Feran. They were both inside. My hand moved toward the door. I could burst in. I could try to control Abigail. I could try to save my father. But I didn't know what would happen once I entered. So I waited. I listened.

I felt the emotions on the other side of the door. Fear. Anger. Determination. Something was about to happen. And this time, I needed to choose the perfect moment. I tightened my grip around the power-dampening cuff. Then I waited.