The teens turned the corner.

  Terran stayed behind as they ran off. He couldn’t let them see him now. Being seen too often would spoil the fear. Though they were ahead, it mattered little now. They wouldn’t get away. There was a dead end ahead. These fools had trapped themselves.

  Terran entered the alleyway. Sure enough, the teens were there, sprayed against the wall. All screamed, even the meaty one with the slicked back hair. One of the girls tried to climb against the brick wall. But it was in vain. There was no escape. Not from the Dark Lord.

  He could taste their precious fear. Each step made them squirm. They held each other, murmured fervent prayers, and still Terran advanced. Then he stopped. He made it look accidental too, as if he had just stumbled. The Dark Lord took staggered steps, and shook his limbs such that they appeared to require effort. At last, he stood in place, wheezing with feigned strain.

  The Dark Lord’s battered chest rose and fell. The alleyway was quiet, save for his own wheezing. Seconds crawled by. It became a minute. The teens glanced at each other. The greased one shoved the scrawny boy towards Terran. The boy stayed still for many seconds. His friends urged him to go. The boy did so, though not before grabbing a brick off the floor. Shuffling across the alleyway, the boy kept far from Terran as he rounded past him. Terran turned his head but did not act. The boy hurried along.

  The boy reached the other end unscathed, but he did not move on. Instead, he looked to his friends, and motioned for them to go. Such loyalty. It almost made Terran regret what would have to happen next.

  Almost.

  The other teenagers came in single file: the blond, then the twins and at last the broad one. Still Terran paused. Once he was parallel with the jock, Terran leapt upon the poor soul. He slashed at his ankles, then slammed him into the pavement.

  Screams abounded. Terran leapt for the other teens, going from one to the next. He slashed each on their forearm, giving them a permanent scar— a lasting reminder of this horrid night. Then he let them go.

  The teens tripped over themselves as they ran into the early morning fog. Terran laughed to himself. That would teach them to be out so late at night, and at that horrid diner too. They’d never make that mistake again. The night was something to be afraid of, and it was time these modern people got a hold of that. The whole city would know this soon.

  Refocusing his vinye, Terran climbed back to the rooftops through use of a nearby fire escape. He intended to rest there, but sirens forced him to move on. Those sounds signaled emergency services. Police, maybe. The alleyway would become a crime scene. Nobody could see Terran, not after the killing was done. They needed to think that he would appear, kill, then turn into mist. If that demon could come and go without warning, then it might as well be anywhere, stalking them while they slumbered. When the people thought that, their paranoia would be self perpetuating. That would make all this far easier.

  Terran briefly recuperated in the warehouse, though within twenty minutes he was on the prowl again. He had done six attacks tonight. A new record. One he should double by sunrise. Such a feat would surely tip his followers off. They’d have to accept him then.

  It did not take long for Terran to find his next victim: a lone girl reading a book on the side of the road. She couldn’t have been far older than twenty, but kicked her feet innocently as if she were a child. She wore a heavy coat, far too big for this muggy night. It was so puffy that the girl read with her arms up and out. It must have been some book, for the girl was buried in it. The night did not phase her. This hinted at a strong naivety. She had no idea of the dangers that surrounded her.

  Were all youths this moronic? No matter. Terran was all too willing to show her his power. With Gifted strength, he was destined to rule. Destined to overwhelm. She would not survive this night unscathed.

  One slice to the back, then Terran would let himself be seen before fading away. She’d bleed out and suffer before being found. Her dazed mind would exaggerate his presence, giving way to rampant rumors and speculation.

  A clang echoed out from a nearby alleyway. A pack of stray cats rushed into the streets. The girl looked up to them, smiling with relief. She had tan skin, brown hair and eyes silver as the moon. “Oh my,” she gasped. “Y-you scared me.”

  The tan girl dared meet his eye. Her stare held firm even though she was surrounded by flame and soot. The voices, the screaming, those great roaring fires. All of that was gone. There was only her. She repeated the word, “Y-You…”

  She said no more, not that emotion overtook her. She said the word as dry as could be, as if this were just any other day. No tears masked her silver eyes. The girl clenched her hands. Her lip curled. She was fuming. Anger. Raw anger, nearly ready to blossom if it weren’t for the fear. Such power. This girl had potential. Leon bowed his head in respect, though he knew the gesture would go unappreciated. “What is your name, child?”

  She stepped back, “Gr-Gratia.”

  “Let me help you, Gratia,” Leon said, reaching out his hand. “How would you like to come with me? I can get you far away from here.”

  That was a mistake. His hand was red. Gratia looked at Leon, then the body in front of him. She ran off, tripping over her own feet, before weaving between the rubble of the town. She disappeared behind the smog. Leon did nothing, not having it in him to kill a child.

  Little did he know, that would become his biggest regret.

  Tan skin. Brown hair. Silver eyes.

  Terran lunged for the girl, claws extended, ready to split her in two. She gasped. He swiped. But the girl was gone. It was just him in the alleyway.

  “Well well well.” A voice cried out. Terran straightened. That voice. The girl was behind him, leaning casually on a street pole. She had removed her heavy coat to reveal a lighter jacket and small cloak. With a grin, she gestured such that both hands resembled finger guns. “Dark Lord Terran, I presume.”

  “Y-You,” Terran stammered. “It can’t be…”

  “You’re right. It’s not.” The girl bowed. “Raven Blackwell, at your service. Figured that trick would get you out in the open.” She looked off to the side, staring at her nails. “Young woman, reading a book, all alone. How could any psychopath resist?”

  Terran growled. She got lucky. She wouldn’t again. He went to attack, but she sped past him in a sudden flash. She reappeared further down the street. “Please,” Raven said. “There are loads of people still being born. Did you really think you’d be the only Gifted one around here?”

  “H-How?”

  “You made it real easy,” Raven said. She strolled his way, gradually closing the distance between them. “I mean, really easy. You left behind so many witnesses. You used your brute strength out in the open. You made no effort to hide your form. Honestly, it's like you wanted me to find you.” Terran cursed himself. All this effort to alert his followers had been in vain. It had only brought him a new enemy. But perhaps one who was all talk. She’d run like all the others.

  Terran transferred all his vinye into his legs. They turned scarlet. He gave an ear-splitting roar that would strike fear into any reasonable man. Yet the girl only laughed. “Don’t embarrass yourself Terran. We both know you aren’t a monster. Just a messed up guy in very messed up circumstances.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Do I?” Raven asked, stopping. “I mean, look at yourself. I can smell your organs. That’s messed up. Let’s not even consider how you’ve fallen. These murders don’t help your goals.You’re just a bully now. Nothing more.”

  Terran clenched his fists. Him? A bully? Hardly. This was not mere fun. It was part of his mission. He stomped the ground, and the pavement beneath him split. “You know nothing of me. Nor my plan.”

  “Do it?” Raven smiled in such a way that made Terran want to tear her apart. She got a gun out of her coat pocket. “Here’s what’ll happen now. You come with me, and I’ll ask you some questions. Maybe, then, I’ll let you live. Keep you as a museum attraction or something. That could be fun.”

  She couldn’t be serious. Terran was a Dark Lord. Not some mongrel that could be forced around on a leash. Terran got into a fighting stance and charged.

  “Guess you’re going the hard way then,” Raven said. She charged for him. Terran prepared to swipe at her left. Raven shot at his lower abdomen. The blow grazed, cutting at the flesh.

  Terran skidded to a stop, stumbling just before he slammed into a building. Raven smiled. “A pity. The great Dark Lord, almost out from a single hit. This’ll be over faster than I thought.”

  That brat. One good hit, and she thought she had won. Terran would show her. Nobody faced a Dark Lord in battle and lived to tell the tale. Raven charged again but he dipped out of the way just in time. She sped on, and hit the building behind him. Bricks exploded.

  There was a hole now, revealing the interior of a darkened warehouse. A series of shelves created a maze-like construction. Cramped, confined. The perfect place to build fear. Yes, Terran would make this girl fear him. Only then could he win.

  After faking an attack on Raven’s left, Terran slipped past her for the warehouse. Rows upon rows of identical shelving. Rushing down, Terran tried to build distance but he could hear Raven hot on his trial. “Running won’t help,” she said. “I’m not afraid of you!”

  Terran smiled. That confidence would soon shatter.

  He dove left through an opening in one of the shelves. Raven rounded past, taking the long way. But Terran dove back the way he entered. This created distance. Terran climbed the shelf. It rattled as he ascended. Raven was still below. Good. Now Terran could fade into darkness.

  She’d expect him to strike right away. Best to toy with her. Terran leapt from shelf to shelf, rushing such that he became wind. Raven whipped her head around, struggling to keep up. She fired. Bangs echoed in the night. None got close. Terran stayed focused. Raven had her gun up high. She kept aiming so that she was aligned with him. But she’d soon folly. That was when he’d strike!

  They went like this for a while. Raven soon backed herself into a wall. Terran landed on a shelf directly above her. He crouched low. The girl was glancing about, everywhere but above her. Perfect. Time for the kill!

  The lights turned on. Raven stepped away from the shelf, gun firm in both hands. She looked up. Terran retreated back, crouching low to stay out of sight. Raven kept her gun aimed, but lowered it when footsteps echoed through the warehouse. Someone was approaching.

  He was a portly man, just under five feet tall, yet he strode with as much confidence as Raven. His thick lips were tied in a vicious scowl. He marched straight for Raven, coming close enough for Terran to see the bulging vein on his forehead. The man glared at her gun. “Blackwell! What the hell are ya doin’ in my ware-”

  Raven held up her hand. “Get back sir,” she said, though with a confident smirk. “There is danger here. I can’t have a commoner like you interfere.”

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  The warehouse manager stopped in his tracks. He gasped, “The mob?”

  “Worse,” Raven met the manager’s eye. “Dark Lord Terran has returned.”

  A brief silence, then the manager howled with laughter. “That is rich,” he said, swatting a tear from his eye with one of his big sausage fingers. “Ah, so the bedtime stories are real now?”

  Bedtime story? Terran would show this manager a bedtime story. Soon. His pitiful life finally held purpose today: a bargaining chip to let him win. Terran just needed him to get closer. He’d strike when the time was right.

  “‘Course he’s here,” Raven said. “Don’t you smell him?”

  The manager sniffed the air. “Ain’t nothing but warehouse stink,” he said. “Though I’ll admit it's a little worse than usual.” Terran sniffed the air. He smelled nothing wrong.

  Raven smiled, but the manager frowned. “Listen girly,” he said. “If you wanted to steal from me, ya need a better excuse.”

  “Steal from you?” Raven marched up to the manager, arms crossed, eyes like daggers. “I am a Blackwell. Why would I need to steal from you? Look, I wouldn’t be here for no reason. It’s dangerous here. It’s best if you leave.”

  “Why should I leave? So you can shoot at all my stuff?”

  “I wasn’t shooting at your stuff.”

  “You were shooting at the Dark Lord?”

  “Exactly.” When the man’s glare held firm, Raven walked off. “Just gimme a second, and I’ll be out of your hair. But be careful. The egomaniac’s probably watching as we speak.”

  The manager still neared Raven. Ten feet…then five. There! Terran leapt down from above. He picked the man up with one hand, and leapt away. Raven drew out her gun, aiming for Terran’s head.

  “Easy there,” Terran said, lifting the manager by the throat. He put a claw right over his belly. “Don’t move or I’ll gut him.” Ah, here it was. The moral dilemma. Eons ago, Terran had put Gratia through a similar test. Her morals kept her from doing what was needed, which allowed Terran to defeat her. That had secured him three more years of rule. Morality made heroes rigid. Predictable. It may be a new age, but the weaknesses were the same. Heroes were simplistic that way.

  “Go ahead,” Raven said, arms crossed. “Do it.”

  “What?” Terran and the manager said in unison.

  “Just gut him now so we can get this over with,” Raven said. She cocked her gun, and put the finger on the trigger. “There’s no way I’d let you go. You’ll kill way more people if I do.”

  "You don’t know that for certain.”

  “You call yourself a Dark Lord,” Raven said. “That pretty much announces your evil to the world. And you’ve been murdering for no clear purpose. Just ego. So yes, you’d do a lot more killing if I let you go.”

  Terran gave a sigh. This girl. Wrong on so many accounts. He didn’t kill for ego. He killed because… well, it was because he had to damn it! For his greater mission. But that wasn’t even the worst slander here. “That’s not what my title means.”

  “Then what does it mean?”

  “It me—” Terran stopped himself. He was falling for Raven’s games. How moronic of him. She wanted him unsure. She wanted him racked with guilt. It was a classic deception. Nothing more. Focus! he cursed. Focus on the matter at hand.

  Terran put the blithering manager in front of him. “You do realize I mean it,” Terran asked. He raised his claws, and slashed at the manager’s arm. The wound was small, but still the man cried like a child. “I will kill him!”

  The manager babbled, begging for his life. Swore to be better. On his wife. The gods. All that boring stuff. Terran brought up a claw to his neck, and the manager shut up. “Do you really want his death on your conscience?”

  “It’ll be on yours,” Raven said. “But seein’ as it’s probably all shriveled up by now, well…” She waved her gun idely, then fired.

  The shot whizzed past the manager, and hit Terran’s side. He shrieked with pain, and threw the manager towards Raven. The man bounced off the floor once. Raven took off with great speed. She caught him before he hit his head on the pavement.

  Terran ran for them with claws extended. Raven let the manager go. She slid beside him. Terran flew over her, giving Raven two clear shots. Bang! Bang! Two stabs of pain, right in the abdomen. A dazed Terran fell.

  He was up in a moment, but the folly let Raven get near. She kicked his knees, then hit him right in the chest. Her Gifted strength sent Terran flying back. He flew straight through a wall.

  It was a cramped room. Metal walls. Pipes criss crossed throughout. Terran had shattered one. Steam poured into the room. Heat cooked Terran from the inside out. He tried to pry himself away, but his shoulder spikes were caught on the metal. No…no…No!

  Raven stood at the hole she had caused, hands on her hips. Only her silhouette was clear due to all of the steam. “Well well well,” she said. “You disappoint me, Terran. I was sure you’d put up more of a fight. Ah well, probably for the best if we end things here.”

  Terran tried to pry himself off. Only a few spikes came undone. The cursed heat. His body was fusing with metal! He needed time. “Things won’t end here,” Terran said. “This is only the beginning.”

  “The beginning? Wait.” Terran halted in her tracks. “Let me guess. You're still trying to find your cultists, aren’t you?”

  “What of it?”

  “They’re gone,” Raven said. “Gratia brought an end to them. You’re alone.”

  “No!” Terran tried to charge, but the wall kept him in place. No matter how hard he tugged, he was stuck. “My followers are skilled. They’ve been trained to be eternal. You lie to me!”

  “Do I?” Raven smiled. Instead of shooting, she charged straight for Terran. He kicked her back when she got near. She slammed straight into another pipe. More steam spewed into the room. The Dark Lord pried himself free. Two spikes stayed, embedded in the wall. His ruined shoulder was exposed. But at least he was free.

  Raven ran once again, going for another punch. Terran weaved just in time, rolling past her. Steam got in her eyes. She tried another blind punch. Still no attempt with the gun. Could she have been out of those metal rounds? Or maybe she feared damage to the machine…

  Many pipes were connected. Terran ran against the wall, slicing one wide open. More steam poured inside. Now Raven was but a shadow. “Hey!” She coughed. “Don’t do that. You wanna get us kill-”

  The girl stopped there, but the blunder had been made. Get them killed. There was danger with all these steam. The armor made Terran immortal. If something were to happen, he’d survive. Raven would not.

  All these pipes. They all converged at one point. A cylindrical device on the far side of the room. Attacking that could release much steam at once. Yes, that was it!

  Terran kicked his heels in, and bolted for the device. Raven followed at his left. The girl punched and punched, a flurry of frustrated attacks. Terran dodged as many as he could. One grazed his abdomen. He leapt back. She slipped beneath him for the exit — an obvious attempt to goad him outside. Terran pulled her back. She would not leave.

  Raven hit herself free. The onslaught continued. Left. Right. Left. Right. She was getting clumsy. Predictable. But there were so many hits. Terran hardly had time to attack. Raven was forcing him away from the cylinder.

  She nicked an armor spike. It sliced her palm. The pain made her jolt. It was brief, but clear. Terran took advantage, punching her in this brief window. She flew back a good foot before stopping herself.

  Growling, Raven whipped out her gun. She fired. The shot went through Terran’s gut. It pierced something vital. He fell to his knees. Raven stood over him, long hair in messy knots, huffing and puffing. “There,” she said. “We’re done now.”

  Terran wheezed, breaths now belabored. That had pierced his lung. Maybe a rib too. It was bad, but not fatal due to the armor. Standing would be painful, but doable. He could still fight. But for how much longer? Another bad shot could render him paralyzed. He had to end this. And fast.

  Raven stepped closer, bringing the gun just out of Terran’s reach. A clear taunt. “I’m surprised you made me use this,” she said. “I mean, to fire a gun in a boiler room. How stupid could you get? Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter now.”

  Terran put his hand on the floor, the motion unseen due to all the steam. He felt a large pebble. He smiled, “So you think you’ve won?”

  “I’ve got a gun aimed at your heart,” Raven said. “You’re basically a shambling corpse, and there’s a hole clean through your midsection. Trying anything would be suicidal for us both. Yeah, I think I won.”

  Terran nodded, then bowed his head to the floor. “Very well,” he said. “You damn brat.”

  Terran flicked the stone. Raven bobbed her head to the left. She said, “You missed.”

  “Did I?”

  The stone hit the boiler. An explosion shook the earth. Raven was flung back, as was Terran. He flew out the hole and back into the warehouse. Terran corrected his course mid air. Landing on his feet, he skidded to a stop.

  Something pulled. Terran landed awkwardly. He staggered back, roasted and filled with lead. Terran only looked back to the damage once he was several meters out.

  The place was in ruins. Just a smoldering pile of rubble. Raven was there, stumbling about, yelling aimlessly. She had survived, but was in no condition to fight. Terran smiled. All talk, little show. Like so many things these days. Sure, she’d done a number on his chest but such wounds could always be patched. Pain could be adapted.

  It was time to finish things.

  “Freeze!”

  Five officers at the far end of the warehouse. All armed. Terran grunted. Of course Raven would have backup. They opened fire, sending a swarm of bullets his way. Terran transferred all of his vinye into his legs. His arms now dangled, but his legs were aglow with power.

  Terran tried to weave past the shots. Both his shoulders got hit. Yet the armor held. He continued. But more and more bullets hit. Some pierced. So many jabs of metal were tearing at his flesh. Yet Terran still ran, ignoring the pain.

  Click. Click. Click.

  The nearest officer ran out of ammo. Terran leapt on him, then kicked his body ahead. The others screamed. While distracted, Terran dove beneath a shelf. He kicked a box beside him then rolled out to the next aisle.

  Another ligament tore. Terran screeched in pain. His body. It’d come apart in the seams if he kept this fight up. He had to flee.

  And so he ran. He ran and ran, arms useless and body filled with bullet holes. So much lead. Nearly a pound of the stuff. Weighing him down. The Dark Lord focused on running. His legs became a blur. Soon Terran found the hole to the outside. Freedom. Salvation.

  One officer stood guard. Upon seeing Terran, his jaw dropped to the floor. Looking away, the kid fired. Five shots whizzed past him The sixth hit, sliding between Terran’s plating armor. It spit his skin. A howling Terran stumbled, tripping over himself.

  He transferred vinye to his arms just before hitting the floor. He pushed himself off, up in a flash, but in so doing he had exposed a vulnerability on his left side. The officer took the shot. It went straight through, going deep into his body.

  Terran fell to the floor. The bullet had pierced his heart. Thanks to the armor, this was not fatal yet the pain remained. The bullet lingered. Each time he tried to get up, the pellet embedded itself further into his heart like an insect eating at him from the inside.

  “I-I got him?” The officer approached Terran, gun in hand. He rounded up to the front, blocking the exit.“I-I got him!”

  Terran tried to stand. The bullet went in further. The officer kept calling for his peers. Backup was coming. They couldn’t see him like this. Pain was a sign of weakness. Terran was too good for weakness. He would not show it. Not here, to the guard. Not to Raven. Not to anyone. He was no longer human. Pain meant nothing. Terran had to escape, even if the bullet tore his heart in two.

  Uprighting himself, Terran took a step towards the officer. The kid backed away, eyes widening, fear etched across his face. The officer made no move. He simply stared, paralyzed by fear, and allowed Terran to pass. One good swipe sent him down.

  The Dark Lord limped on, hand to his heart. He forced his legs to glow. His stagger turned to a respectable march. There was a manhole outside. Terran kicked it down, then leapt into the sewers.

  Terran marched through the labyrinth until the pain forced him to limp. And then, he limped until his quivering knees made him collapse from exhaustion. Coughing like mad, Terran clutching his aching chest.

  Such a cowardly thing, running away. But that brat had gotten close. Too close. No longer running on adrenaline, Terran now felt his pain in full. So many pricks, jabbing at bone and flesh, making each movement a risk. He had gotten away. The police weren’t following. At least there was that. Yet Raven, that horrid brat, lived.

  Terran punched the ground. Then he did it again. And again and again. The stone round him turned to rubble, his fingertips cracked. But still he hit. The vision of Raven’s cocky grin was too much for him to bear. She had read him too well. Far too well!

  A final slam. Dust flew into the air, and Terran gagged. “Damn you, Gratia,” Terran yelled. “Even now, you find a way to curse me.” He got into a crawl, then staggered on. It felt like the air was made of needles, yet Terran had to persist. That outburst would be heard. He needed to be gone before others came to investigate. Being seen like this would be humiliating.