Advent of Chaos

10

Toryn brushed his hand against the hard surface of the metal wall now separating him and Mora, staring into her fiery gold eyes with his own deep brown ones.

"That didn't take long." The male warlock smiled at her, and she could have sworn she'd seen her own angered features through his eyes. Tired, she was so very tired again.
"Just--ignore that. What are we doing?" Mora willed her voice to calm, so it wasn't shaking out of anger.

"I've contacted a friend who knows a lot about enemies of Darkness and other dimensions. So, we'll be heading off to the Tower soon to meet him. Maybe he'll know something about these creatures."

"What's he like?" She brushed off her anger for the time being, seeing no reason to even be thinking about Ankou anymore as she sat down on the couch.

Toryn didn't join her, he just stood idly by the door. "He's quiet, for the most part-- but he's extremely skilled in combat and even more skilled with his mind. Just-- don't fool with him, Mora. He's nice, but to an extent where only tolerance reaches--well, so far." As Toryn ran through this description, Mora made mental notes, her mind snapping on the hope that this man would truly prove himself useful.

Mora began, "I assume he'd want to meet in the hangar, on the lowest floor for--"
"Drinks. He's probably going to need one to tolerate you and Ankou." His face lit up with amusement, already picturing the ordeal in his mind were something to go wrong. Which, in this case--with the tensions between Mora and Ankou--is extremely likely.

"Hey! I can control myself around that prick."
"That's what he said after you scarred his face."

Once again, she found herself thinking about him, how much she wanted to rip his throat out, and how much she couldn't stand his childishness.
"I still think he deserved it."

"It is agreeable that staring at a woman's ass while she's unaware is deserving of some kind of punishment-- but damn, you did some damage." Toryn suddenly loosened up, noticeably less tense.

"That, and all the things he's said in the past- can we stop talking about him?" She stood from the couch, taking the cup of now lukewarm cocoa, and pouring it down the drain unceremoniously. The liquid was bitter, anyways.

"So wasteful." Toryn shook his head, dismissing it almost instantly. Then he continued, "I'd suggest you get your armor back on. We're not going to linger in space for very long. And please- be careful."

"About what?" Mora tilted her head to the side, falsely imitating curiosity-- but doing it extremely well. She knew.
"Ankou. I think it's best if you two don't speak." She smiled, as she was already planning to do such a thing.
"Oh, trust me, I plan on avoiding him the best I can."

With that, Toryn turned and left, letting the door shut on its own. Mora stepped in front of a large mirror, spotting her armor on a stand just next to it. The SIVA-infused robe called to its owner, and she answered its call.

She lifted her top over her head, slipped her pants off, and stared into the mirror. In those moments, Mora saw something that sent a chill down her spine, bit into her soul, and made her question longevity as if it were a newly minted term. There was a black ash peppered across her chest, her fair skin a creamy background for this ash to coat. It reeked of death, but it felt like something only she could smell. Instantly, Mora wiped her hand across the top of her left breast, checking her hand. It wouldn't come off. Then she took a closer look at her hand, scanning in horror what appeared to be burnt fingertips. Each nail was slightly more curved, as if prepared to form into claws at any given moment.

Mora began scratching at her chest anxiously, her nails growing sharper and sharper against her skin as she tore at the ash. It seemed to be infused in her flesh, she realized as she fruitlessly clawed at her own skin. What remained as a result, were red scratches along her chest-- spreading down from her collar to her breasts. Beads of thick blood welled at the scratches, but Mora paid no attention to them. She lowered her hands, looking down at them in the mirror, seeing the golden embers well at her fingertips. Somehow, she was able to push them back, forcing the foreign energy back into a well of power, now separate from the Light she had. 

"I'll remind you, that I am in charge here." She said to nobody in particular, now fully aware of her state of mind. The smouldering iron claws disappeared.

Mora smiled at herself--fake, what a fake smile-- and proceeded to dress herself.

I control you.