"for the beauty of the rose, we also water the thorns."
Descendant of Loa lineage, Karliah Shango stems from masters of Haitian and the old Oyo Empire Vodou. After the nuclear wipe out, she finds herself thrown into leadership with little comprehe...
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Anyone who'd attempted to enter Karliah's quarters that night were turned away with a sharp flick of her wrist and commanded to leave the room.
She had sat at her desk for the remainder of the day, nose buried in Haitian history books to take her mind off of what had happened earlier. She wanted nothing more than to forget about it, but the piercing screams, the looks of horror she'd received, they all seemed to become embedded within her mind.
In spite of the fact that her people were more than likely spreading the event like a campfire story, she didn't fear their newfound distrust of their Larenn, there seemed to be only one thing that'd captivated her mind. It wasn't the feeling of regret or remorse of getting carried away, but the lack of it. It was the malicious feeling of need, the desire to make another being suffer, to make an example of the one of many among the kingdom who so desperately wanted to exploit her.
And maybe he was correct. Perhaps she was deferring from the prophecy, seeing as the man penned to be the Antichrist was the same man training her, the same man encouraging her power as no one had before, the same man she'd been empathizing and seemingly growing more and more infatuated with.
She was far from happy to admit it, that Michael Langdon, of all people, was beginning to grow on her. Although, if she was forced to accept the hate she housed, maybe she could accept the developing desire as well.
Her attention was suddenly cut short as she caught notice of a shadow dancing amongst her walls. Sighing, she leaned back into her chair, awaiting the Loa with a bored expression.
An amused hum met her ears, "Correct me if I'm wrong, Ms. Shango, but I've been hearing some nasty rumors surrounding your name." His heavy accent boomed throughout the room.
"Get out."
Papa Legba only laughed in response, "Little girl, your mind tricks do not work on me."
Karliah shook her head, sharply turning around in her seat. "What do you want?"
The Loa's red eyes stared into her own, gleaming knowingly. "I want nothing from you, I've come to tell you what you need to hear."
She closed her eyes briefly, attempting to retain her patience. "And what is that?" She breathed out as she stood, treading over to the Loa.
His tall figure loomed over her, his hands resting upon his cane. "Do you know how the prophecy ends?"
"I save the world and the Antichrist is defeated." She stated clearly, urging him to get to the point.
He stared at her with amusement, turning on his heel as he began to tread around the room. "The story has been twisted and varied from generation to generation, the Oyo Empire explained it as the tale of two children, playing a game of cat and mouse, Egyptians made it out to be a all-powerful Queen who falls blindly in love with an omen, the Kingdom of Aksum said it was a story of a witch who places a curse on the man who burns down her village, and so on and so forth. Many people believe that the Savior and the Bringer of the End of Times hate one another, that is not true. Matter of fact the two coincide, although, they are not the same."
