A boy with blue hair shaved on the right side of his head and with dark eyes had just entered the office of a man in his fifties dressed in gray; the secretary had opened the door and was reluctant to let in a person carrying a sword in a scabbard behind his back.
"Henry Allison, right?" the man asked.
The boy sat down on the red armchair after putting aside the scabbard.
"Exactly, why did you call me, old man?"
"Cheeky as they say. But I know that you killed all the targets that were assigned to you, am I wrong?"
"This will be the seventeenth."
"I like your attitude."
"So you tell me who to kill or do I have to beg you?" Henry asked bored.
The man sat down in front of the desk and took out a cigarette. He offered one to Henry but he refused. He lit his cigarette and put it in his mouth.
"You know who I am?"
"Matthew Jenkins, a former policeman who now heads a British intelligence department. I inquired for safety."
"Provident."
"I don't like dealing with anonymous people. What do you want?"
"Let me explain: I'm the brother of a magus."
Henry had no reaction.
"I know what you're thinking, it's weird for someone like me to call someone like you but the details are important so you can understand what's going on. In this city, about seven months ago, a war broke out and my brother Bradley worked in a kind of organization and academy, the Mage's Association; he was frightened by the conflict he called the 'Holy Grail War' and wanted to find a way to end it. Initially I was skeptical, as can be expected of any man of reason, but the mysterious deaths that took place here in London, the fall of the Clock Tower and the millions of civilians killed ... well, as you can well understand I had stopped doubting. The terrorists' excuse didn't hold up. It was clear that there had been a cover-up, I conducted research and became aware of various organizations such as the Mage's Association around the world. During my research I discovered something interesting."
Matthew opened a desk drawer and from there he pulled out a black folder with 'magic' written on it; he opened the file, leafed through some sheets and gave one where there was a map of the world with red dots in some states.
"In Egypt there is an organization called the Order of Tot. I was able to spy on them mainly with the help of a network of contacts and this is what I discovered."
Matthew gave another sheet on which there was a photo of a kind of flying island seen from below.
"What the hell is this thing?" Henry asked, confused.
"They don't know either. They used Magecraft to hide its presence from people, it's in the middle of the desert. It is smaller than Malta by a few hundred square kilometers and according to the information I have obtained, it's believed that another war like the one that took place here in London will take place there."
"So that's why I'm here? To prevent a war?"
"No." Matthew crushed his cigarette in the ashtray. "The reason I have summoned you, a Mage Hunter, is to eliminate all those who will take part in that conflict."
"A genocide of the magi?"
"Yes, but I prefer the term 'revenge'. They have brought London and the UK to their knees and travel the world without ever paying for their crimes. Attacking them in any state would be dangerous and could spark a war… but in this case… things are different. I want them to be punished for the crimes they committed. Can I trust you?"
"It's not a matter of trust but of business. I will do what you told me but I expect a hefty payment for it, of course."
"Obviously. When the job is done you will receive enough money to be able to afford not to work for at least ten years."
Henry got up from the red chair, took the weapon with him and before leaving he said:
"Don't lie to me, otherwise I will come for you."
Henry Allison came out of the building and took an electronic cigarette out of his trouser pocket; after preparing it he began to smoke. He tried to forget the smell of the cigarette that Matthew was smoking and only after a few seconds he walked away; suddenly his path was cut by a blue-eyed blonde girl wearing a pink jacket.
"Sorry!"
The girl was in a hurry.
"Don't worry," Henry replied, a little annoyed.
Alisa, a pale girl, with long white hair and red eyes, was sitting in the bathtub in the middle of the water looking silently at the wall in front of her. It appeared, as in a dream, the image of fire as it burned the bodies of thousands of faceless people.
"No!" the girl screamed, frightened.
She put her hands in front of her eyes, hoping to make the fire go away; when she raised her hands she saw a chair on which there was a wooden puppet with a sad expression; this puppet looked like her. A being from the darkness grabbed that cross to which the threads were attached and began to move that puppet in front of the girl's eyes.
"That's enough … please ... stop it! It hurts!"
"That's enough?"
Vergil appeared and the girl rose in fright.
"No! You're not real! "
"Did you say 'enough'? What does that word mean to a puppet? Whoever is tied to threads cannot deny the treatment they are subjected to." He kept moving the puppet in the chair.
"I'm not a puppet ... I'm free!"
"Free? Do you really think you have the luxury of using that word? You don't even have the right to freedom. You're just a tool. That body of yours belongs to me since I created it for you. Your voice is mine since it was I who gave it to you. Your mind is mine since it was I who shaped it with these hands of mine. Nothing is yours."
"I have chosen not to take orders from you anymore! I chose to live!"
"No." Vergil cut the threads with scissors and the puppet fell. "You chose to commit suicide."
"Alisa, I'm home."
It was the voice of a girl outside the door. Alisa turned to the door then back to the wall. There was nobody.
"I'm coming."
Alisa got out of the tub and put on the bathrobe. Opening the bathroom door she saw her friend as she took off her pink jacket.
"Sorry it took me so long but I had so many things to do at work. Did you already had lunch?"
"No."
"And what did you do?"
"I've been to the bathroom."
"All day?"
"I didn't know what to do."
"Alisa, I've told you a thousand times to find yourself a hobby. You can't spend all your time getting depressed. Life is beautiful, enjoy it!"
"I'm a homunculus, Anna, I don't need to enjoy life or find a hobby."
Anna noticed Alisa's tired expression but she didn't ask any questions about her and she headed to the kitchen to start preparing food.
"Get dressed, so we can eat."
The water was on the fire and Anna was taking out some spaghetti. After a couple of minutes Alisa also came in and took a seat at the table. Anna was preparing the condiments to put in the pasta when Alisa asked:
"Do you ever think about the Clock Tower?"
Anna stopped. She turned with two eyes surprised by the sudden question.
"Sorry, why are you asking?"
"I… I know you have suffered a lot. Do you ever think about James?"
Anna was silent.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean-"
"Don't worry," Anna said pretending a smile. "But I prefer not to think about it anymore."
"Why?"
"Because it's better this way. But you…" She took a deep breath. "Why did you ask me?"
"Nothing important, it's just that sometimes I see ghosts from my past. I don't know why ... it's like the past doesn't want to let me go. I feel hunted by my mistakes."
"Mm."
"You're looking at me like I'm crazy."
"You're not crazy, you're just obsessed with the past. You insist on not moving forward, not living in the present. For me it's wrong, that's all. However, you never told me how you got under a bridge. Who was your master? All homunculi have masters."
"A mean person. You don't need to know more. It's not worth it."
"Did he hurt you very much?"
"Yes and for that I'm grateful to you, Anna. If it weren't for you I woul've died alone, forgotten by everyone, but you gave me a chance. I'm happy that everything is over."
"So why do you keep ruminating on the past?"
"I told you ... it's not my fault ... it's the past that's haunting me."
Someone rang the bell.
"Who will be?" Anna left the kitchen. "Have you invited any friends, Alisa?"
"No, I ..." Then she had a kind of shiver that ran all over her body. A feeling of oppression, she felt her breath fail. "No ... don't open that door."
Anna opened the door. Alisa ran over to the girl and froze to see Vergil's face. His sewn lips formed a demonic smile, even Anna was worried to see that being.
"Who's this?"
"Don't be rude, miss."
"Wha-? How ... is he in my head?" Without thinking twice, Anna locked the door and turned to Alisa. "Who is he?"
"Vergil. He's here for me. He wants to take me back!"
"It's not entirely true but not completely false either."
"Get out of my head!" Alisa yelled.
"Nothing is yours, Alisa. How many times will I have to tell you? You're mine. Your very existence belongs to me."
Vergil broke down the door with just his finger. Anna used Magecraft to summon a magical yellow bow, she shot a magic arrow but Vergil grabbed it in midair and made it disappear.
"He's not a normal magus." Anna shot two more arrows but they were both grabbed and destroyed by Vergil.
"You'll have to try harder, Anna Newton. Otherwise it will be really difficult for you to win the war."
"What war are you talking about?"
"Oh, my dear girl ... you will see it with your own eyes."
"Henry Allison, right?" the man asked.
The boy sat down on the red armchair after putting aside the scabbard.
"Exactly, why did you call me, old man?"
"Cheeky as they say. But I know that you killed all the targets that were assigned to you, am I wrong?"
"This will be the seventeenth."
"I like your attitude."
"So you tell me who to kill or do I have to beg you?" Henry asked bored.
The man sat down in front of the desk and took out a cigarette. He offered one to Henry but he refused. He lit his cigarette and put it in his mouth.
"You know who I am?"
"Matthew Jenkins, a former policeman who now heads a British intelligence department. I inquired for safety."
"Provident."
"I don't like dealing with anonymous people. What do you want?"
"Let me explain: I'm the brother of a magus."
Henry had no reaction.
"I know what you're thinking, it's weird for someone like me to call someone like you but the details are important so you can understand what's going on. In this city, about seven months ago, a war broke out and my brother Bradley worked in a kind of organization and academy, the Mage's Association; he was frightened by the conflict he called the 'Holy Grail War' and wanted to find a way to end it. Initially I was skeptical, as can be expected of any man of reason, but the mysterious deaths that took place here in London, the fall of the Clock Tower and the millions of civilians killed ... well, as you can well understand I had stopped doubting. The terrorists' excuse didn't hold up. It was clear that there had been a cover-up, I conducted research and became aware of various organizations such as the Mage's Association around the world. During my research I discovered something interesting."
Matthew opened a desk drawer and from there he pulled out a black folder with 'magic' written on it; he opened the file, leafed through some sheets and gave one where there was a map of the world with red dots in some states.
"In Egypt there is an organization called the Order of Tot. I was able to spy on them mainly with the help of a network of contacts and this is what I discovered."
Matthew gave another sheet on which there was a photo of a kind of flying island seen from below.
"What the hell is this thing?" Henry asked, confused.
"They don't know either. They used Magecraft to hide its presence from people, it's in the middle of the desert. It is smaller than Malta by a few hundred square kilometers and according to the information I have obtained, it's believed that another war like the one that took place here in London will take place there."
"So that's why I'm here? To prevent a war?"
"No." Matthew crushed his cigarette in the ashtray. "The reason I have summoned you, a Mage Hunter, is to eliminate all those who will take part in that conflict."
"A genocide of the magi?"
"Yes, but I prefer the term 'revenge'. They have brought London and the UK to their knees and travel the world without ever paying for their crimes. Attacking them in any state would be dangerous and could spark a war… but in this case… things are different. I want them to be punished for the crimes they committed. Can I trust you?"
"It's not a matter of trust but of business. I will do what you told me but I expect a hefty payment for it, of course."
"Obviously. When the job is done you will receive enough money to be able to afford not to work for at least ten years."
Henry got up from the red chair, took the weapon with him and before leaving he said:
"Don't lie to me, otherwise I will come for you."
Henry Allison came out of the building and took an electronic cigarette out of his trouser pocket; after preparing it he began to smoke. He tried to forget the smell of the cigarette that Matthew was smoking and only after a few seconds he walked away; suddenly his path was cut by a blue-eyed blonde girl wearing a pink jacket.
"Sorry!"
The girl was in a hurry.
"Don't worry," Henry replied, a little annoyed.
Alisa, a pale girl, with long white hair and red eyes, was sitting in the bathtub in the middle of the water looking silently at the wall in front of her. It appeared, as in a dream, the image of fire as it burned the bodies of thousands of faceless people.
"No!" the girl screamed, frightened.
She put her hands in front of her eyes, hoping to make the fire go away; when she raised her hands she saw a chair on which there was a wooden puppet with a sad expression; this puppet looked like her. A being from the darkness grabbed that cross to which the threads were attached and began to move that puppet in front of the girl's eyes.
"That's enough … please ... stop it! It hurts!"
"That's enough?"
Vergil appeared and the girl rose in fright.
"No! You're not real! "
"Did you say 'enough'? What does that word mean to a puppet? Whoever is tied to threads cannot deny the treatment they are subjected to." He kept moving the puppet in the chair.
"I'm not a puppet ... I'm free!"
"Free? Do you really think you have the luxury of using that word? You don't even have the right to freedom. You're just a tool. That body of yours belongs to me since I created it for you. Your voice is mine since it was I who gave it to you. Your mind is mine since it was I who shaped it with these hands of mine. Nothing is yours."
"I have chosen not to take orders from you anymore! I chose to live!"
"No." Vergil cut the threads with scissors and the puppet fell. "You chose to commit suicide."
"Alisa, I'm home."
It was the voice of a girl outside the door. Alisa turned to the door then back to the wall. There was nobody.
"I'm coming."
Alisa got out of the tub and put on the bathrobe. Opening the bathroom door she saw her friend as she took off her pink jacket.
"Sorry it took me so long but I had so many things to do at work. Did you already had lunch?"
"No."
"And what did you do?"
"I've been to the bathroom."
"All day?"
"I didn't know what to do."
"Alisa, I've told you a thousand times to find yourself a hobby. You can't spend all your time getting depressed. Life is beautiful, enjoy it!"
"I'm a homunculus, Anna, I don't need to enjoy life or find a hobby."
Anna noticed Alisa's tired expression but she didn't ask any questions about her and she headed to the kitchen to start preparing food.
"Get dressed, so we can eat."
The water was on the fire and Anna was taking out some spaghetti. After a couple of minutes Alisa also came in and took a seat at the table. Anna was preparing the condiments to put in the pasta when Alisa asked:
"Do you ever think about the Clock Tower?"
Anna stopped. She turned with two eyes surprised by the sudden question.
"Sorry, why are you asking?"
"I… I know you have suffered a lot. Do you ever think about James?"
Anna was silent.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean-"
"Don't worry," Anna said pretending a smile. "But I prefer not to think about it anymore."
"Why?"
"Because it's better this way. But you…" She took a deep breath. "Why did you ask me?"
"Nothing important, it's just that sometimes I see ghosts from my past. I don't know why ... it's like the past doesn't want to let me go. I feel hunted by my mistakes."
"Mm."
"You're looking at me like I'm crazy."
"You're not crazy, you're just obsessed with the past. You insist on not moving forward, not living in the present. For me it's wrong, that's all. However, you never told me how you got under a bridge. Who was your master? All homunculi have masters."
"A mean person. You don't need to know more. It's not worth it."
"Did he hurt you very much?"
"Yes and for that I'm grateful to you, Anna. If it weren't for you I woul've died alone, forgotten by everyone, but you gave me a chance. I'm happy that everything is over."
"So why do you keep ruminating on the past?"
"I told you ... it's not my fault ... it's the past that's haunting me."
Someone rang the bell.
"Who will be?" Anna left the kitchen. "Have you invited any friends, Alisa?"
"No, I ..." Then she had a kind of shiver that ran all over her body. A feeling of oppression, she felt her breath fail. "No ... don't open that door."
Anna opened the door. Alisa ran over to the girl and froze to see Vergil's face. His sewn lips formed a demonic smile, even Anna was worried to see that being.
"Who's this?"
"Don't be rude, miss."
"Wha-? How ... is he in my head?" Without thinking twice, Anna locked the door and turned to Alisa. "Who is he?"
"Vergil. He's here for me. He wants to take me back!"
"It's not entirely true but not completely false either."
"Get out of my head!" Alisa yelled.
"Nothing is yours, Alisa. How many times will I have to tell you? You're mine. Your very existence belongs to me."
Vergil broke down the door with just his finger. Anna used Magecraft to summon a magical yellow bow, she shot a magic arrow but Vergil grabbed it in midair and made it disappear.
"He's not a normal magus." Anna shot two more arrows but they were both grabbed and destroyed by Vergil.
"You'll have to try harder, Anna Newton. Otherwise it will be really difficult for you to win the war."
"What war are you talking about?"
"Oh, my dear girl ... you will see it with your own eyes."
 |
| Alisa by Bikowolf |
