The Battle Within An Angel

One | Maddox

"Her. You must protect her, Maddox. If she dies, mankind dies. She is the key to a gate that opens to a world you've never seen before. Be careful around her, she's extremely powerful. You are her protector, and she is the healer of humanity."

Maddox Price, only nineteen but aged by the tragedy of a scorched Earth, looked down upon the frail, hurting woman. The girl squealed in agonizing pain, cowering as Maddox inched toward her. How such a frail woman could save humanity was beyond Maddox's concept of heroism.

It was never clear who had spoken to him, but Maddox knew to listen to the voice that circled around him through the thin air. It was as if she- whoever she might be- had complete control over his mind. The voice of the soft-spoken woman had no clear origin, and her presence was like a ghost; a cold, heavy, lingering presence.

He had only heard her voice once before, and he was unconscious. He could feel a cold wind wisp around him as the voice spoke from within his mind, ringing against his ears, but never to be heard by anyone else.

Maddox deemed the woman "The Masked Lady," observing the white masquerade mask that she wore with delicacy. He didn't want to obey the voice of the woman, but he couldn't bring himself to rebel against her. It felt... impossible. It seemed as though he were under a trance- the trance of an enchanting being, though not as almighty and omnipotent as God himself.

Maddox didn't hesitate to walk toward the frail woman that lay afraid in front of him. He had seen her in dreams. Her curly, long, messy brown hair and blue eyes. He remembered her voice; sweet, yet demanding and sarcastic. Deep inside, it hurt Maddox to see her in such pain. In his dreams, she had been majestic, gallant, and imperial.

The hero that the Masked Lady had described to him.

She had been the one who had protected him in such dreams, not vice versa. But here he stood, towering over the seventeen-year-old girl, watching as she screamed in pain. As she wallowed on the bed of rocks, Maddox noticed that the dust of the Earth underneath her was clotted with blood, and the rocks stained in crimson. As she rolled onto her side, it became apparent what she had been screaming about.

As the desert sun in Sedona, Arizona began to set and the stars began to shine onto her pale skin, her veins were illuminated, as were her limbs. A glowing, golden orb formed in her hands, a powerful beam of light as bright as the sun had been only moments ago.

"Maddox," The Masked Lady began again. "Give her your blood."

"Are you crazy?" He whispered, low enough for himself and the deity that penetrated his mind to hear.

"Give to her and save the world, or keep from her and destroy it."

Reluctant to follow these orders, Maddox couldn't stop his hands from moving. He couldn't deny the voice, and as if under a spell, he involuntarily followed orders as the Masked Lady commanded.

Reaching into the side of his worn down boot, Maddox pulled out a small blade with a glistening wooden handle, handcrafted by his grandfather. Maddox always carried the blade with him, even before the war against neighbors ravaged through the streets of Sedona as citizens stole from one another to support their own families.

Gripping his hand into a fist and looking away, he sliced his arm, only enough to draw blood. As soon as blood reached the surface of his skin, it glowed a golden color.

Claire Adara watched him in awe and disgust as she saw the crimson liquid flow out of his veins turn into what seemed to be liquid-gold.

Although in a daze from the unimaginable heat of the sun, Maddox and Claire were able to slowly approach one another. As scared as Claire might have been, she knew she needed whatever was in Maddox's veins. She was drawn to him, as if by pure instinct.