The Battle Within An Angel

Six | Maddox & Masked Lady & Claire

Maddox walked toward the frail, shaking, crying woman. He had only seen her in a few dreams, vaguely remembering any details about her. He believed her name was Claire. Her brown hair, if it weren't matted, would fall down in curly locks, falling around her face perfectly, sometimes even shielding her bright blue eyes.

The Masked Lady had looked a bit like her, their features one and the same.

Those eyes didn't shine in this moment though, as Maddox reached out behind her. They were bound by her tears that, when they fell, grazed against her nose and then to her cheek, only to hit the rocks below her.

She laid on a bed of rocks, blood and tears spattered around her nearly lifeless body. She glowed a bright white color, primarily from her hands. It looked as if her skin were broken like glass, revealing a bright light underneath her sunburned skin.

"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."

The voice that had spoken to him while he was unconscious sounded again now, though Maddox was fully awake and alert. There was no doubt that he had stumbled across the same girl that the deity had spoken of, but he was shocked at the sight of her.

How could such a small, frail, crying woman protect the whole world? Maddox still didn't know the true reason why he had been sent to protect the girl, but just as with Cole the night before, he couldn't bring himself to rebel. It seemed as if he wasn't the dictator of his own actions; like someone else had taken control over his mind.

He felt the need to be a protector, and he couldn't shake the demanding feeling. The words he had heard earlier echoed through his mind, "Accept it." It was as if he were being manipulated and forced to protect others, half against his will.

He hadn't felt this way before until he had become unconscious and heard a soft voice tell him to protect a strange woman, to which he woke up and felt the need to protect Cole. It seemed that someone had control over his body, and it wasn't him.

Maddox was torn in between "It was just a dream, what am I doing?" and "I have to protect others."

He decided to follow the latter, though he had no reason to.

Inching closer to the pained girl, he heard the soft-spoken voice again.

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

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

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

Reluctant to follow these orders, Maddox had no choice but to give Claire his blood. He couldn't deny the voice, as if under an enchanting trance. Giving blood certainly wasn't enchanting, but he had a different demeanor that was separate than who he normally was.

Reaching into the side of his worn down boot, Maddox pulled out a small blade with a glistening wooden handle, handcrafted by his grandfather. Gripping his hand into a fist and looking away, he sliced his arm, only enough to draw blood.

Claire 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, Maddox and Claire were able to 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. Without hesitation, Claire grabbed Maddox's arm, taking in the shining golden blood that flowed freely from his arm. Almost immediately, her pain was relieved.