Illumination

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In the lines and features of her face I saw pieces of the world she had left behind. Every scar across her smooth, milky-white skin was another valley or canyon winding its way through the vast, dry, salt flats that covered most of the homeland where she had spent her youth. The light of her world's harsh, chill sun had lent a certain measure of its cold brilliance to her hair, which, combined with great trauma, had bleached it a stark skull white. Yet in her eyes were the stormy grey seas of a different place, a world notorious for its frigid waters, cavernous whirlpools and savage tempests.  

It was on that hostile planet of storms known as Atrum that I had first met Allana nearly two and a half years ago. As I gazed into her eyes, I felt that the oceans residing there were not so different from the oceans on the planet itself, deep and dangerous. I knew that if I did not look away soon I risked becoming lost in that vast sea where I would surely drown. Yet, as the waves pulled me under, I realized that to be lost forever with her did not seem so terrible a fate. 

Mercifully, a voice pulled me from the depths before I could sink much further. 

"Praetus, are you sure you're feeling well?" 

I shook myself and blinked a few times to clear my head.  

"Of course my dear. Why ever do you ask?" 

"It's just that, well I've started to notice..." Allana paused, as if thinking something over.  

I had known it was only a matter of time before she realized that I'd recently taken to staring at her and decided to confront me about it. It seemed that time was now. I steeled myself for what she would say next. 

"Ever since the end of our last assignment, you have taken to withdrawing into your thoughts more often. What happened on Vesuvius II has not affected you, has it?" She tapped the side of her head for emphasis.  

So she hadn't noticed after all. I wanted to let out a laugh of relief, to shout in triumph, but wisely kept my composure. Unnecessary outbursts would not be taken well in La Alimentaire Méchant, the prestigious restaurant we were dining in, and my sudden laughter would only serve to further convince my companion that I had begun to truly go mad, something she was supposed to protect against.  

"My dearest Allana, if anything was amiss I doubt that it could have escaped the notice of both Solomon and yourself. In all likelihood, one of you, if not both, would have known that something was wrong with me long before I ever caught on." I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. 

She fixed me with a searching look for a few moments, before she seemed to accept that I had not yet succumbed to that malignant Outer Darkness we had spent the last two years working to destroy.  

"I suppose you're right. Solomon has always been able to read people better than I ever could."  

While it was true that his ability to understand people and places was on a different level than Allana's, it didn't make Solomon any better. Solomon's training as an investigator did allow him a certain level of insight into the behavior of any given target, both surface and subconscious. While undeniably talented, Solomon's investigative skills did have their limits. This left him unable to catch those particular insidious individuals who were well practiced at hiding the depravity and darkness they carried deep inside their hearts or those that might play host to a demon.  

Against the sight of a Soulseer like Allana however, there could be no defense. Any facade would be stripped away in moments as she scoured their very being, leaving her to view the blackened soul of the unclean. The only blind spot of her piercing gaze was that, while she could sense any deep seeded corruption of the mortal soul, she was prone to miss some of the more obvious surface traits and emotions, such as a sinner's well-crafted lie or my burning desire for her.  

It was mostly because of that difference in skill sets that I had left Solomon on watch over the back exit, while Allana and myself went inside to try and smoke out our target. The other reason was that ever since he had discovered my infatuation with Allana, he had become almost unbearable when the three of us were together. While I must commend him for his efforts in trying to keep it a secret, his performance was severely lacking, with him all but telling her on two occasions. It was only by some miracle that she had yet to discover how I felt. 

Allana leaned across the small table we shared and whispered to me, her breath warm in my ear "Are you ready?"  

She smelled of that damned perfume. That wonderful, damned perfume. All soft flowers and subtle fragrance, it only made the head rush I got from being around her worse. Her dress, a rather revealing number of royal blue, did not help my condition. Yet I had been assured that such attire was necessary to maintain our cover as aristocrats on vacation. It was then that another thought came to me; wasn't Dimitri the one who had suggested the dress for her? Did he know? Could that scoundrel have caught on as well?  

Banishing the unpleasant notion, I brought myself back to the mission at hand. 

Was I ready? I was dressed in a stuffy nobleman's costume, one that felt sized for someone a few inches shorter than my six foot, three inch frame. I had not yet gotten used to the contacts that turned my blue eyes brown and my head, freshly shaved and waxed that very morning, itched under the wig I wore.  

In short, I looked absurd. 

On top of everything else, I was trying to keep in check the feelings I had for the most beautiful woman I had ever known. The woman I feared to love. 

"More than ready," I responded.  

What I had said was true. After all, what twisted horrors could an infamous and powerful demon binder dredge up that could cause me more torment than I was already feeling?