Enter The Soulless (Open)

The singular breath came through trembling lips with trepid anticipation,coming out in a small white cloud that faded away as soon as it materialized. Aaron watched the small reminder slip away as if it never existed and left him alone on the empty balcony. Emerald eyes surveyed a burgeoning landscape that was once New York city,the many lights that once painted its horizon now blotted out by an ugly darkness. It was as if the place had become twisted beyond the fond memory he had of the city, a place so many things within his abysmal life had changed and possibly for the better. A cool wind kissed the bare skin of his neck,drawing a chill like a cold finger up his back. Personally he was hoping to find something in the city, something to make sense of all that had happened within the short span of a year.

”What could it mean?” He muttered chewing gingerly upon his lower lip, looking down to the street that was bathed in darkness beneath him. This was the section of the city he had the fortune to grow up in,the least effected but it was still hit pretty hard by the destruction. He knew that the old home Elena and Sean used to live in was destroyed,lost within the swells that had taken Brooklyn,everything that once built his memories gone within a single moment. Aaron sympathized for the man,he had truly lost everything that remained of his past and that was something Sean was not likely to recover from anytime soon. Turning back his eyes came upon the unconscious figure of Sean sprawled across a bed in only his boxers with bare stomach exposed,scars dotting the pale flesh as a cruel reminder.

Aaron wasn't able to do anything,so he tried to ignore that small detail but it occasionally crept through the mental barrier. That even someone as powerful as him and Sean were not immune to the cruelties of fate. ”Damn.” Aaron cursed under his breath as another white cloud formed and quickly faded away as it came. ”What should I do with him now....Elena?” The question drifted within the air not even a second as it was lost within the quiet and he felt the cool nip at his ear and bring with it that burning sensation that Aaron so loathed. What he needed was a walk,something to clear his mind of the ehavy thoughts that were so close to resurfacing within his mind.

His brothers had killed each other over something as simple as money,his family had nearly destroyed itself over something as minute as currency. Summoning the small bag of leather from the stand by the bed,Aaron levitated over the balcony and into the street below,feet meeting concrete with a soft embrace. It was eerily quiet this time and his thoughts still pushed themselves upwards. Letting his legs guide him,Aaron walked onward with a steady pace as his eyes looked to the sky that was now taking on stars,slowly but there were the small points that stood out against the vast black expanse. ”Wow.” He muttered to himself fascinated. He walked for what felt like an hour his mind caught up within the torrent of thoughts.

Then his attention was brought to the sound of a human voice. Two males to be exact and that interested him minorly. Green eyes came down upon two people in front of what looked like a ruined building. ”Well what do we have here?” He spoke walking upon the two with a raised eyebrow.

As I handed him the picture, I immediately felt a pang of regret. I could see the pain in his heart well up. His eyes twitched slightly, as though he were lost in memories of a happier time and yet trying to escape them at the same time. I frowned, not a large one, just the slightest downward curl of my lips. The young man was obviously holding back tears. His blood red eyes reflected the picture he was staring at so intently, the color in the picture had paled from its time in the ash and yet that only seemed to make the figures outlines within stand out even more, their faces especially. Those stood out in bold relief apart from the dark clothing they wore on that day. Then it happened, a silent thing unlike his earlier outburst. Tears. They began to stream down Max's face and onto the portrait, the drops clacking against the broken glass and staining the photo beneath where it mixed with the soot, creating several dark spots on the almost invisible layer of ash that had taken up residence there.
These tears were different from the ones before, those had been punctuated with rage, rage at a life lost to the whims of that fickle bitch known as fate. Sighing I took a half step forward and did the only thing I believed I could for the weeping young man before me. I embraced him. Placing one arm around his head and the other around his upper back I pulled him in, not tightly, just firm enough to let him know I was there. I recalled the third, how he had done this so many times to Tanya whenever she cried, and from what I could see, she always felt better afterward. My face was a blank, my emotions sealed up inside me. Max didn't need to see me tearing up for his loss. He needed me to be strong right now. Then I heard him speak, though his voice came out in a way that made me think he was trying to choke back more tears, I understood him.

"It's okay Max. I'm here to help any time you need me" was all I could muster. He was telling me how I was the best thing to happen to him, about how he would help me find my purpose in life. Just like before. I'm honestly not that good with other people. Though my own sense of kinship with him had broken down more than a few barriers, I wasn't quite the type to open up and cry out such things.

I slowly released him and turned away, hoping my face was still the blank slate I wanted to project. He spoke again, more clearly this time. Was it really clearer, or was it just that he was no longer muffled by my chest?
He asked me what I was doing there, in his neighborhood, as if I'd intentionally come along.

Looking back, I smiled softly.

"A random roll of the dice brought me here today, my young friend. Just a random roll of the dice." I responded, looking away once more. The truth was essentially that, if a little less poetic. Was I to tell him I had run out of the subway station because of my own disdain for crowds? About how much I despise being physically close to most humans because of the fourth's psychotic actions? I didn't know.

Then I heard a voice, lilting and with the slightest hint of effeminacy. I turned, putting on an air of coldness that matched the weather. A young man had walked up. He looked younger than me but older than Max. His stride was confident if a bit troubled. Was he a friend of Max's? Possibly.

I decided I'd answer his question is the vaguest way possible, if he was a friend of Max then Max would explain. If not, I had no reason to give up any more information than necessary.

"Just two guy digging through some rubble" I said, turning to look at Max.

Their reception of him was interesting but not by the least unexpected,mostly the younger looking one who practically radiated a sort of magical power,something that Aaron could pick up on if he tried. Aaron gave off an aura of his own if anyone could sense it but he mostly threw that off to being his prominent dwarven blood. ” A super? Oh please, I don't think I could call myself that.” He huffed amused as white mist shot from between his lips. He was not so fond of being lumped with so called meta humans when he didn't pin his gifts with the lofty idealism of heroics nor the deluded grandeur of villainy. He snickered to himself as pink lips split into a small smirk. He wanted to know why Aaron was here but it wasn't like he was going to just give such sensitive information to a complete stranger,no. A pair of complete strangers.

”Why am I here you ask?” He shrugged taking a few tentative steps forward. ”What can I say? This is where I lived,where I spent my youth,grew up and all that.” Now it was all destroyed in what seemed like the whim of a mighty god rampaging through, as if the destruction mattered not as long as the means justified some sick end. ”Its only natural to want to return to where you come from.” He leaned back as if he were going to fall but was caught by what seemed like an invisible chair that held him aloft within the air,legs crossing over each other. A display of his mages gift was sufficient enough for them,though he had no intentions of showing them what he was truly capable of yet. That was a surprise for another time and not for now.

”I'm also here for....family business.” He said cryptically as if it held some deeper and darker meaning than he cared to elaborate upon. Sure Sean would have not enjoyed him walking around the ruins of New York,it wasn't like he had any room to talk when it came to irrationally stupid stunts when he almost always manages to get himself killed by everyone. That damned group of Phoenix's would be the death of him yet,Aaron was sure of that. Heroism was for fools not someone who held the title of the head of a family like the Thiel's. It belied his heritage and the blood that his mother had passed on within him, a blood that radiated with a great wild magic that has yet to be fully tapped.

”As for the way I hold myself,its just something conditioned.” If he wanted to keep a professional air he had to keep confidence in everything move that he made and in every word that he spoke. If anyone saw weakness within him,that would look badly upon the good name of the Hale family. His green orbs gazed upon the two curiously as he waited for someone to say something,curious of what the two males where doing out in the cold like this.

I watched as the young man walked up, a certain air of arrogance seemed to permeate him that was only exacerbated when he spoke. He voice sounded posh and formal, like etiquette lessons had been drilled in since his birth were all being put to use now to try and convey some sort of superiority over the two of us. He reminded me of someone the fifth one shot to death, a rival mafia don who's own inherent sense of entitlement had done little to prevent his death by the high caliber round drilled into him. I sighed as he spoke. I was being unfair, allowing the way he walked and the way he spoke to give me a bias against him. Most people, if they saw me, might think me a vagrant, or at the very least a less than reputable character. I couldn't blame them for it, the way I choose to dress mixed with humanity's own predisposition for instant profiling didn't blend well.
Most people gave you less than a second of their time unless you were a constant thing and even that second was an unconscious threat assessment. Whether to move more to one side, whether to quicken their pace, or whether to just continue on as they were. Even the most intellectually challenged humans did it instinctively, a reaction drilled in since the first man learned to walk. I myself had just done it on a more conscious level, allowing my own perceptions to color my assessment as the man continued speaking. Mist, or perhaps smoke wafted from his mouth, an obvious display likely meant to show that while he wasn't a 'super' as Max had described, he did have power.

Perhaps he was like Max, able to use some sort of magic. I doubted he was like the first though, he carried himself in a manner that said he would rather dodge an attack than come back from one. Not that I could blame him for such an approach, I myself have no intention of allowing my life to end if I can avoid it. I moved slowly away from the two, gazing up at the sky. It was still cloudy, as though the weather was waiting to see how this young man might affect me. The sun still peeked tentatively through, but its rays had lessened in number. The young man -whose name I still didn't know- was still speaking. Telling of how he had grown up here and had family business. I looked out onto the row of houses, yet I could spot nothing that immediately struck me as a mansion or high class home. With his manner of speaking, the boy certainly wasn't a slum dweller, even the middle class homes that lined the streets seemed below him. Maybe he was from nearby rather than this area.
Or perhaps a friend lived here whom he visited often enough to consider it a second home. I don't know. I turned and moved behind Max, not too close, but within arm's reach. Something about this man didn't sit right with me. His little display earlier had had a purpose, even if I couldn't figure it out. As the young man finished speaking, I decided that while the feeling I got from him wasn't exactly heartwarming, he had done nothing to indicate hostility, so I would not do anything to provoke him. I looked at Max. He seemed to be at ease, but maybe that was simply my own impression. Either way, I would prefer a fight not occur. I cleared my throat and began speaking.

"I see. I'm Abel, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr..." I said, allowing my voice to trail off with the air of a question. I would not introduce myself to this man as I had to Max, he was far different. While Max projected the air of a young man in need of love, this one reminded me more of a snake, or a predator. Especially his eyes, they were hungry, though I couldn't tell what for.

The larger man gave Aaron his name,which seemed pretty simple yet it was a good name indeed. He wondered if the guy had a surname but didn't let that bother him too much as the other simply stood there as if he were deep within his own thoughts. Whatever bothered him though was none of Aaron's concern. ”Aaron Hale is the name, and the pleasure is all mine.” He let a small smirk permeate his expression before it returned to that controlled look,moving from his telekinetic chair as feet met the concrete with barely any force whatsoever. It was obvious that the guy next to him had some sort of magical power within him but what he could do Aaron was unsure of that, as if he were an anomaly that he had yet to crack.

”Now that I have these erm formalities out of the way.” He let his eyes close for a moment as if catching hold of his mental faculties for a moment. Before he could continue the sound of a cellphone broke the atmosphere its ringing breaking whatever concentration he had upon a semblance of a conversation. ”Well this is awkward.” He muttered reaching into the pocket of his jeans . Aaron held the device to his ear as the voice on the other end came through loud and clear to him.

”Where the hell are you?” Sean's voice spoke on the other end,most likely he had just woken up from whatever alcohol induced stupor he was in.

”I went for a walk. You act like I don't have a life outside of my work.” He answered raising a blonde eyebrow.

”Maybe cause its usually me running out and you're the one usually getting pissed at me.” He could tell Sean was most likely too tired to really argue if they were to argue,but they wouldn't.

”I'll be back home within an hour,don't get your panties in a twist.” Aaron making a joke,who woulda guessed.

”I don't wear panties!”

”I know.” Sean ceded with a wry sound to his voice of course as he decided to hang up after the brief exchange. ”Love you too.” He rolled his eyes before slapping the phone shut and returning his attention to the two after what was to him a pointless exchange.

”Sorry about that.”

The man before me introduced himself as Aaron Hale, the way he said that seemed to be expectant. As though I should know that name. It was like a celebrity walking unnoticed into a restaurant who finds an excuse to give their whole name, believing that their mere presence should inspire awe in the common folk. I shook my head slightly. Yet again I was projecting a perception onto the man when he had done nothing to earn my ire. I believe myself to be better than the rats who call themselves men and yet I fall for the same traps. I sighed silently and began mumbling a mantra the sixth had learned. It was one of self reflection, a chant designed to force you to turn inward when all you desire is to gaze out onto the world. As I finished, I heard a high pitched jingle, a strange rhythmic beeping with the strumming of a guitar.
Was a traveling musician going to be joining our little gathering as well? Then it stopped, and the man who called himself Aaron spoke. I turned, not having heard his first words. Then I saw it, he was talking on a phone. There was no musician, just the ring tone of a cell phone. I immediately felt rather embarrassed for not having realized such an obvious thing. While I'd never needed a cell phone, I had seen and heard them before, the slight edge of static that permeated every ringtone should have been a dead giveaway. Then again, I hadn't been here mentally. Oh well, no use beating myself up over such a minor mistake. Aaron seemed to speaking to his girlfriend, his voice a flippant and singsong thing filled with mirth. Whoever was on the other end of the phone was obviously scolding him for something. Perhaps he'd had prior responsibilities that he was ignoring so he could take a walk through the ruins. It was what I'd done. When I go to work tomorrow, my boss is going to be pissed. Thought I wasn't aware of it, my eye twitched slightly at the thought of the man. A small man with a large ego who was under the impression those below him didn't have emotions. He yelled and abused the men as though their patience was limitless. I couldn't see the future, but it wouldn't surprise me if I came in one day only to find out he'd been shot. I glanced at Max for a moment before walking over to Aaron.

Mantras are all well and good, but much like advice, they do nothing unless heeded. I had nothing to forgive this man for, he had done me no wrong. My own impression of him was irrelevant given the facts. As I reached the man, I extended my hand out in front of me. I was going to shake his hand. It wouldn't bury my feelings but I would give me peace. The first one believed that being courteous was the first step to having a good relationship. 'Unfailing courtesy breeds unending affection' he'd said. It was a maxim I tried to live by, which in this world most seemed to mean 'don't comment when another person is an ass and he won't either'. It was a silent pact between every man and woman that was enforced only by others' impressions of the party who failed to live up to it. The rare man who finally snapped when it became too much to handle. I never agreed to that pact, but I would live up to first's maxim -if only this once-.

"I'm glad to meet you Aaron" I said, adorning my face with a false smile. It was a smile that I'd seen the first use so many times, though each time his had been real. Mine paled in comparison, its falsehood apparent to anyone who had seen a real smile, yet I would wear the mask.

"So, you used to live here? You don't seem the type" I said. I understood that what I had said could be misconstrued, the phrasing was far from exact and in a sense it might border on insulting, but my intent had been simple information gathering, not to insult.

”I don’t seem the type?’ He asked raising an eyebrow, tone still keeping the same level. He wasn’t exactly sure what the guy meant but it didn’t seem like anything that was meant to insult him, not at the surface anyway. Aaron turned his attention to ma for a second, wondering a little about what sort of magical power that he had at his disposal. What he was capable of and if he would prove a useful addition to the Hale family if Aaron offered.” Currently I’m living in Chicago but I have a home somewhere around the outskirts of the city.” he motioned one hand towards where the mansion was but it wasn’t in sight. A good hour walk was between him and where he was. He returned the handshake, not wanting to seem rude.

”I guess you could say I’m rich, though most of the money isn’t mine. It belongs to my family,I just have a…greater access to the funds.” The explanation was enough for the two people though he was sure that it would leave them wondering. Now it was time that he broke the ice with the little magic user, maybe ascertain what he was truly capable of. ”Since you seem so intent about learning of me, I do have a question for you.” His question was aimed at Max.

”I can feel the magical energy radiating off of you, so no point in trying to be discreet about it. What are you exactly? A mage or something more?’ He asked curiously hoping to have his small question answered, though full ready in case the strong man beside him took some sort of offense to his rather obtrusive question.

I smiled, Max and Aaron seemed to be getting along well enough, on the surface at least. I detected tension, nothing tangible yet, but definitely there. The second had been in enough similar situations alongside his cell leader. A place where smiles and courtesy were all you could see, but brush that away and just beneath the surface was a powder keg of violence ready to explode, fuse just waiting to be lit by the wrong words. Words chosen in haste, words chosen without enough understanding of how they might be taken. More often then not the fuse was lit, but the explosion never happened. The other side was dead long before the spark could reach the powder. It was a quick and clean thing, covering those left alive in a glimmering crimson while the dead turned a rusted brown. The second didn't delight in such things any more than I do, but he felt pride. Pride at a job well done, pride that the fools who thought themselves so powerful had died. Their blood a mere drop in the ocean of carnage, even the waterfall that poured down from some engagements amounted to nary a splash or spray in the grand tsunami that was war. The second had that kind of attitude, he didn't enjoy carnage but he loved to kill.
I think that may be partly where the fourth got it. His birth didn't help any. To awaken for the first time surrounded by the blood of those your predecessor loved more than any other, to not have anyone there to guide you away from the darkness that would invariably call to you in that place. It was, much like this house: A graveyard. Though the spirits there were not peaceful, but things of rage and sadness condensed in such a thick and pungent miasma that insanity was the only thing capable of surviving in that place. Occasionally I pity the fourth, were he born somewhere else, some other way, he might have been something great... but, while he has my pity, I do not condone or forgive his actions. I myself was born in the blood of my predecessor and yet I only took immediate vengeance, ridding the world of someone horrible, a rat who had bitten into the vein of another creature for mere pocket change.

I sighed.

I realized what I was doing. The fourth had likely thought the same thing when he killed each of those people. That they were rats, creatures not deserving of life. I looked into his memories while Aaron spoke, trying to find anything I could about his victims and yet all I could see was the moments leading up to their deaths, the moments after it. The sickening stench began to fill my nostrils, I wasn't there, how do I know this scent? As soon as I killed the man I left. I've never known the smell of a dead body, never known the sickly sweet aroma of a corpse aged three days before being thrown out into the open. I hear words, words in my voice... No, this voice is not mine. It is similar, though filled with malice. It is the fourth, he's talking to the corpse. I can't understand what he's saying. Why can't I understand!? The words are English. Heavily accented, but still English. Why don't I understand?!

My trip into the mind of that man was cut off as I heard Aaron speak. Max had said something to him. I hadn't heard. I could barely make out his response, my mind was a blur of images, sickening things that caused my stomach to knot and wrench itself into all manner of contorted shapes.

"Hey, I'll be right back" I said, feeling a disgusting liquid reach the back of my mouth as I did, adding a slight retching noise to my voice.

I moved from my position behind Max, suddenly incredibly aware of every cell on my body. I walked past Aaron, ignoring him. As I made it to the steps of the house, I gripped my sides. Just had to hold it a little more.
I moved as fast as I could out of sight. My throat felt like it was on fire, a burning acid working its way up.

Just a little more.

I turned a corner and saw a trash can. I loosed the contents of my breakfast into the bin, unable to hold it back any longer. It came in waves, each one accompanied by a different person's corpse flashing through my mind. Some not yet dead, others had passed on long before. Each equally if not more revolting than the one before it. Some were mutilated, others simply bludgeoned or killed in a less obvious manner.

I finally finished, the burning sensation still in my throat. I coughed, the pain it brought was intense but far more bearable than what my mind was playing for me. There was nothing left in my stomach and yet my body still made the occasional retching convulsion.

After a few minutes I managed to release the bin, my knuckles white from the force with which I had held the thing. I turned, feeling unpleasantly aware of the blood flowing back through my hands. I felt each individual pulse as if it was my first and last. I walked back to the house. Were Max and Aaron still there? I didn't look, only muttered a tired "Sorry" as I walked back in.

I wonder what was said while I was gone.

The man called Abel walked away for a few minutes leaving Aaron alone with the young man,who actually began to answer his question. He was something very interesting,not like the golems like the Caster family made out of anyone they resurrected. Aaron didn't show anything but a neutral expression on his face as the kid acted as if he would kill him the moment he told him who he was.

Sure the undead were looked upon with some hesitance,it wasn't like he planned to kill him on the spot as long as he proved himself not a threat. Digging his hands into his pockets,Aaron let a small sigh pass through his lips before carefully choosing his words. ” If you had the urge to destroy everything,I doubt you would be standing around and trying to explain yourself;let alone telling me what you are.” He said reaching into the small leather satchel at his side.

Pulling out a small leather bound tome,Aaron quickly thumbed through it as Abel seemed to return from whatever it was that had him occupied,not really wondering where he had gone. Mostly he was searching for any recorded demon he had encountered within the records,a compilation of all the things Hale's over the centuries had gathered on such things. Sadly there were many things that this mysterious red man could be and Aaron had a feeling that the child had gotten himself into something that he may regret later.

To higher beings a soul is nothing,just something to be traded away at their leisure,especially among the Fae. Averting his eyes from the small tome,he raised a single blonde eyebrow at the young mage in question and then moved his gaze from him to Abel the more physically imposing of the two. Pacing the book back within his satchel,Aaron popped his neck silently before clearing his throat.

”I wouldn't want to be called a superhero personally, its a waste of time really. Running around and trying to stop the inevitable will only end up with more trouble than any man could bear, or would care to deal with. Besides,people these days seem to have a diminished view of anyone not considered normal,even us mages are in trouble from this fervor that’s sweeping the nation.” His eyes looked up to the bright sky,a single cloud seeming to pass over them.

”Even the great families are under threat of this.” It was strange really that they would end up becoming targets but all in all thats how hings ended up. People fear what they cannot understand and magic is at the top of the list. ”Anyway its not usually safe to linger around these ruins for too long,you never know what may have moved into it.” He said simply.

”If you two would like,I have a few extra rooms you can stay in. Much better than all of...this.” he made a quick motion to everything waiting for an answer before he would lead them to the mansion.

I listened while they spoke, trying my hardest not to double over and retch dry air, my stomach ached and my throat still felt like it was on fire. They were speaking of magic again, of Max's lack of a soul. Max seemed quite jumpy, as though his status as a ghoul was cause for termination. I wouldn't let that happen. If anyone tried to harm the poor boy I would intercept the blow. We'd made a promise after all. I partially tuned out again, allowing my mind to wander while still keeping my eyes on the man Aaron. His fey mannerisms seemed a facade designed to hide a much deadlier persona, like a tiger wearing a dress. You didn't take it seriously until it was too late to stop the beast's claws from rending your flesh and bone. Then he said something that I hadn't expected. He invited us back to his place. It didn't sound like he meant for us to simply hang out there, rather he seemed to be offering us more permanent lodgings. Was this young man really offering two strangers a place to live out of the blue? I didn't trust it. Not simply because of my own personal wariness regarding Aaron but also because of my distrust of humanity as a whole. Such offers were usually laced with ulterior motives and hidden conditions that weren't revealed until you were too far in to refuse. Besides, I have a place to live. It might not be much, but it suits my needs. What would this man's place be like? A mansion outside of town?
The last one to live in something even remotely close to that was the third, and even then he'd only had a three bedroom house gifted to him by Tanya's parents. The thought of such decadence was -rather than inviting- strangely off putting. As though the excess might consume me if I didn't show the harshest restraint. Then there was Max... If this was a trap or some other less than savory offer he would be alone in it if I chose not to go. He said he knew magic but then again, so did Aaron. Though I did not doubt Max's own skills there was something about the way Aaron carried himself, a confidence born of experience, that suggested he was the stronger of the two. Not to mention that they were unlikely to be alone at the mansion. Some part of me wanted to go with them, if only to prevent Max from being alone with Aaron, but most of me said it was a bad idea. I looked down at Max, his soft features still touched by tragedy. He was on the rebound it seemed, but I still worried. I reached into my pocket and withdrew a piece of paper as well as a cheap pen, writing down my phone number on it.

I turned towards Aaron and gave a smile, it was false, but the words accompanying it weren't.

"I'm sorry Aaron, I can't accept your offer. I have my own home and it's probably best if I be getting back to it" I said, before lightly touching Max's shoulder and handing him the strip of paper. I leaned down into his ear, only about an inch away and whispered to him.

"If anything goes wrong while you're at the mansion, call me. If not, feel free to call me any time." I said softly as I released his shoulder and walked out of the house. As I reached the entrance to the subway I looked at the sky one last time.

The sun was finally out.