Drugs

Chapter X

Everything had become more natural to me. These last few days I ran up and down the stairs with ease. My body changed form when I needed it to, though it pained me slightly. With a thought, I summoned hounds, these ugly bastards that looked like they came from the deepest pits of hell with their fiery eyes. Plants sprang from the ground hissing and shaking, I wondered why must they all look close to dying.

It still was not that simple as counting. I needed to concentrate for it to work and at best it was a six out of ten guaranteed.

"Disappear," I said as everything in the room screamed death and vanished.

"This is good, your children wait for you outside," a voice said as the door creaked open.

Turning towards the voice, "Enêpsigos, where have you been?"

"Dodging his gaze."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter, and I rather not waste time explaining it. It's time to get started to move, we have been here for far too long."

"Whatever, when I get the next vice, will I have to do this again, all of this pain?"

"Who really knows," she said, with a smile on one of her heads. "Come."

I walked towards her and we stepped out into the hall. I hadn't really been in any of the other rooms as we passed them.

Zikshita had told me that Enêpsigos stayed in the room opposite mine, but what would she really be doing in her own time. When she didn't need to eat or sleep and not have many desires, it would seem. Looking at the future? The outcome? Was she plotting for me? Why couldn't I shake this one thought out of my mind?

We were almost about to exit the door. I took one meagre look at the modest surroundings before nodding my head. Farewell my old training ground. As we stepped out onto the road and I gazed around at all the residential, unfamiliar buildings.

Ruby Park was the name that I saw.

"Master!" a loud voice rang out.

In an instant I knew who it was, running towards me, Zikshita and men nearby. They knelt before me. I saw that for the days that I was here they had been busy at work making fortifications and some of them were holding guns.

"Yes, I taught them how to use them after what we saw in the last battle. I didn't want to lose any more of our men foolishly, so I thought it would be a good idea. Was it good?"

"Oh, yes, very good work Zikshita. I am truly impressed."

"Now then," Enêpsigos interrupted her finger pointed to the south, "that is where we would be going to meet a very familiar face that you know too well Domenic."

"Who do you mean?"

"You will find out soon, I think he would be dying to eat you."

"What about Samael and sticking together?"

Enêpsigos instead started walking in the direction she pointed.

"We are leaving!" I said out loud, it was met with a hurried reaction as I moved to keep up with her. I couldn't afford to lose my guide and the only way to find my daughter again.

It wasn't long before I was walking side by side with her again. We passed many abandoned buildings, the majority of them were still intact. Many monsters roam the area prowling around looking for something to eat. Humans were scarce beside the occasional dead body on the ground. This area was now monster territory.

"Where are we going and who is this target? You can at least tell me that."

"It's your former boss, Mr. Vanderbrook. He possesses Gluttony."

"I thought Samael and I have to work together to take them down. Isn't that also a part of your job?"

"True, but if you two stayed together, I am almost certain that you would die. Besides, I have a far better plan."

"How are you so sure? I don't trust you. I am not doing anything before you tell me exactly what is going on. I want the truth. Or else you and all your ambitions can go up in smoke."

She regarded me for a while before she spoke, "Because Samael is stronger than you, how do I put this. He already obtained all the vices before in his world. Before he became the gatekeeper. He is..." she paused before strangely looking around towards the sky.

"What? I stopped in my tracks, causing the others to stop behind me. "Then why is he? How? That is not..."

Her heads whispered to each other before the centre one spoke. "Why is he, what in the same position you're in and why is he subservient and why is his world destroyed? Questions, yes Domenic lots of them, Samael plans to kill you and absorb you. He always has, he is just bidding his time, but I don't want that to happen. That shouldn't be surprising. Aren't you planning to do the same in the end too? Sadly, this is the only way I can intervene without him turning his eye towards me."

"Does Rainbow know this? She wouldn't allow this."

"You seek safety with the one you feel familiar with, yes? In the end, for her own ambitions, she would seek to destroy you or him too. You're all heading towards a crossroads in which only one can win."

She broke into a conversation of her own between her various heads.

"Rather, if it can be called winning, they are both the same. Only one can win."

"We must stay to the course, it is our only way. He will not succeed otherwise."

"What if she manages it this time?"

"Then we are doomed."

"Why are you telling me all this!?"

The other voices went silent as the middle one spoke. "Isn't it obvious I want you to win. That's the only way I get what I want. You win and you get your daughter and I win and I get what I want a great partnership, yes?"

The words she said rattled inside my mind. She said that they were both the same was she referring to me and Samael? It could not be, there was no way we were both the same.

"That's right Domenic, Samael and you are the same. Rainbow seeks to betray you and only I can help you."

It couldn't be true. Why would Rainbow betray me now? I am the one in control. I have a contract with her and she needs me now more than ever. Therefore, she couldn't hurt me. She had to be lying to trick me. That's it, it was a lie just like my whole life filled with lies. Mallory, Andrew, my aunt, everyone lied to me, tricked me, and played me for a fool. I won't be a fool here. I won't be anyone's puppet.

"It seems you don't believe me at all. Even though you wanted to know Domenic. Let's go, I guess when you see what I am saying you will form a contract with me too."

She began to walk again, leaving me in silence. My men were all silent, they no longer made noises as they walked behind me.

I lifted my feet for the first step as I followed behind her. Whatever the truth is, it would be revealed to me in the end.