Paragon

⊰❉⊱ 72 ⊰❉⊱

Three. Three lives to alter forever. Three immortals that must survive training and meet Paragon standards before the Elders and Founder. If not, I may as well find three poor sods and end them there.

I had options. Go for the criminals that are lethal for all the wrong reasons and unleash them upon this world–but there is a reason Cordius never fell into that trap. Other Elders had and they usually wound up making too much noise... Or ending up rogue assets–like me.

Or I take the most challenging path. To put myself into situations where I could find a doomed mortal doing good. A mortal condemned to death and change their fate. But they could still turn on me... such was the risk and the reason why Elders chose a batch not three. I was insane for even trying, Vanilla knew it. The only reason he let me was that curiosity to be disproven. Nothing likely pleases him more after so many centuries.

Then there was the question of Selena in all of this. 

An alliance? For what end... Did she seek more power from Paragon or simply freedom from it? She was most intrigued by my outcome that much was sure. But curiosity alone was not enough to drive an Elder to such lengths, she had something else deeper behind those golden eyes.

The sudden eruption of cheers caught my attention from my brooding edge upon the rooftop.

The lawyers and their clients had spilt themselves across a penthouse rooftop that had quickly become a party. I did not want to be in their sights when the evening turned a bit more... explosive. So I sprawled myself out across the neighbouring rooftop and bounced a calf on my knee watching them. I scaled the side of it faster than their trip up in the elevator.

For all purposes, Quinn had yet again not been lying when she said she was enjoying her evening without me. If it wasn't for the occasional glances at her phone for one particular message of course... 

I sighed and glanced at the sky that held no stars.

She was right to be mad at my accusation of course but she was not worth risking. Especially with blonde Elders roaming between the shadows with far too much interest. I should tell her. But that would involve her more than she already was. She would want a plan of attack in some form, or worse... She'd offer to be one of the three.

I stopped bouncing my leg.

Yes, telling her was out of the question. I shuddered at the thought. Quinn stood before that table with Vanilla gazing into the green-gold of her eyes. They'd end her out of principle. 

A champagne bottle went off to my left and I watched them pouring out generous glasses over the square fire pit. The orange glow turned Quinn's tanned skin to bronze. She laughed with them, drinking in the freedom of mortality and a night that would never occur again. Beautiful because it was so very temporary. I smiled lightly as I watched her from the darkness. A perfect painting of how I saw us both. A life I wanted her to have.

She'd never agree because she could never understand. I would never let her become this timeless monster. Forced to find novelty again and again after all those you'd loved have left the earth entirely. 

There was a slight disturbance in the painting. A fight had broken out between two drunken males. I sighed deeply as I watched them get in each other's faces and the mortals all crowded them to intervene or goad the fight on. There was always one after all. I smelt the blood from here when a fist connected a nose and cursing rang out. I smirked as the other was thrown into a pool and the tension seemed to evaporate in the party. Mortals morphed from anger to fear to elation in the blink of an eye. Then they were throwing themselves into it fully clothed.