167: CRUNCH -Christina-

I swiftly jumped out of the way to avoid his attack. His blade smashed into the floor where I'd been standing. I recognized the workmanship of the blade as something from the Other Lands. That's why it'd cut so deep.

I felt blood trickle down my chin as I tried to remember my training from so long ago.

"Never defend with defense.", the words of my instructor came to me easier than I'd imagined, "The worst thing you could do if injured is act like it."

I approached him from the side, the pain in my chest making it difficult to breathe. I swung my fist only to find it easily deflected. He retaliated by a side swing with the blade that, if I hadn't ducked, would have cleanly taken my head off.

I grabbed his sword arm and my knee found his groin with sickeningly sweet crunch, causing an soundless scream of pain to escape his lips. He fell to the ground and I snatched up his weapon. I raised it above my head to deal the final blow closing my eyes to avoid the sight of blood.

What I saw stopped me cold. Something I hadn't seen in years was wriggling around his body like vines on stone. Mardockt's tendrils.

"What are you doing?! Just swing down and end it!" It was that annoying bear.

I tossed the sword to the side and knelt to take a closer look. I wasn't mistaken, these were Mardockt's.

"Are you insane?! He's going to kill us all because of your stupid mercy!"

"I have no mercy." I glanced at the bear, "If I kill him he'll just come back. We need to tie him up. Do you have rope?"

"DO I LOOK LIKE I HAVE ROPE YOU CRAZY-"

"Shut up and find her rope you stupid bear." The man who had defended me earlier was awake. He stood and walked over to me, "My name's Carl, that retard is Vincent. I get the feeling we aren't enemies, so I want you to tell me what's going on."

"FINE! I'll just go find rope then!", the bear wandered off.

I stood and looked at Carl, and the door, and finally the fairy, "How are you alive? I thought we'd killed you all."

She stuck her tongue at me and turned away.

"My name's Christina. Why is the door in close proximity of humans?"

Carl opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by the bear known as Vincent rushing into the room, carrying a bundle of rope over his shoulder.

"Guys? We have a problem. Something seriously weird is going on. There are all sorts of nastiness in this place."

"We'll take care of them in a second." Carl waved his hand.

"No, I mean, one of the bigger ones followed me."

And that's when the door behind him exploded.

166: Other Land Survivor -Christina-

I shook my head as a voice from my past faded into nothing. The world was so different now, something new; where humans could stand against Gods in one on one battle and survive.

The door had spit out another creature from the Other Lands, but I was surprised when I found it to be a human male. Since when did humans gain control of the outer realms? The guy I was fighting before moved to attack this man from the door, who easily side kicked the attacker to the side.

"Pathetic. I've seen rodents make better attacks." He laughed.

My mind raced, remembering what me and Patrick had been looking for before he locked me away. I remember what we'd found out.

"Christina! We have to find these anomalies, one of them could be his!" Patrick's voice echoed through my mind.

Soon that voice was replaced with horror and disgust as we found out the truth, "Oh God Christina . . . we have to stop him. We have to find the anomaly before he does, everything depends on us."

This person in front of me now had come from the Other Lands, just like the anomaly would have. He's fearless, just like what is predicted from the anomaly, but something was off. There was no good coming from him. What had happened while I was sleeping?

As he stepped away from the door I realized that I was in a room full of anomalies: A fairy that survived the great war, a walking toy, a man with enough strength to stand against a God, and me, a God with the ability to see things others could not. What had Patrick done while I was sleeping?

The man turned toward me, "You. Are you planning on attacking me too? A wee little girl like you should just stay back and watch me work."

Ah, rage. It washes away thought and rationality and replaces it with raw power, the kind of power I now used to bash this man's disrespectful mouth in.

My fist collided with his face and I felt bones break. His face resembled a crushed grape as he fell, and I closed my eyes so I didn't see blood. A sudden pain in my side opened my eyes, revealing a light from behind me slowly fading away and the man's body disintegrating. Looking down I saw a sword sticking out of my chest.

"So, you've got moves," somehow the man was back from the dead again, "but you can still die. Now just lie still like a good dog while you bleed out."

I grunted as I pulled away, yanking the sword from my body. Breathing heavy I spun around to deliver a kick to his stomach. He stepped back to avoid it.

"Surprised I'm alive? As long as this door exists, I'll just keep coming back. Do you know why?" He sneered.

"Why?" I was bleeding out, this wasn't good.

"Someone up here fears me." He attacked.

The world sure has changed.

Flashback Entry 165: Pact With The Devil -Andrew-

"Have you had enough?" This voice was not the hooded man's and yet it was still familiar. I looked up into a face I hadn't seen for a long time. Patrick's.

"What? Why are you here?", I thought I was hallucinating again. The constant torture left my mind shattered, showing pieces of my past that I'd lost a long time ago.

"I'm here to give you a choice." He stood and walked to where the hooded man was standing, "I want you to work for me. If you do, then I can get rid of your pain. I can make you forget all that you've done."

My mind flashed with an image of my daughter, looking up at me with wide eyes, full of curiosity. I shook my head to rid myself of the image. Pain filled my heart, because I knew what I'd done.

"Stop. Please, stop.", I begged Patrick.

"No. You need to know what you did. It's an irreversible sin."

Another flash, of Vincent's family, sleeping peacefully; unaware that I was nearby. Tears came, flooding past the mental barrier I'd put within myself.

"No, it wasn't me. I wouldn't . . ."

"You did. You took your hands," as he spoke the images flooded into my head, "put them around your daughter's neck while she asked you what was wrong. You remember, don't you?!"

"NO! Stop!"

"Her voice broke as you squeezed. You kept squeezing till you'd heard a snap. You killed your daughter, Andrew. Then you killed your friends," Patrick smiled as he leaned down to me, "And you loved it. Even now you can feel the craving for more in you."

He knelt down in front of me, "I can end all this, the torture, the pain; everything. All you have to do is . . . work for me. If you do, then all this will be gone. You can't live like this, Andrew. Let me help you."

I went limp as I remembered all that I'd done. I remembered the feeling of bones breaking, of blood running down my arms. I remembered the look of fear and hatred in their eyes, the confusion. I remembered loving it. I hated myself for that feeling. It haunted my nights, laughing as the whip broke my skin endlessly.

"Okay, I'll work for you."

The pain faded away as my cuts and bruises healed. I could still remember what I'd done but I no longer felt sad about it. It'd given me a high I'd never felt before. I glanced at Patrick as he smiled and released me from my binds. I pulled myself to my feet and felt that irresistible craving again.

The craving for blood.

Flashback Entry 164: Things Before -Andrew-

The whip tore into the skin of my back as the hooded man laughed at my silent screams. When I finally got my voice back I tugged at the binds and yelled at him.

"Please! Just let me go! I didn't mean it. It wasn't my fault! Oh God, I'm so sorry Vincent. So sorry."

The hooded man knelt down in front of me and I could tell he was sneering at me as he spoke, "He can't hear you. No one can. You're stuck with me for eternity, and no amount of screams is going to change that. It's not like he cares about you anyway, you're a monster. A blackened pit of sick that deserved what you got."

My head fell and I felt tears flow down my face. The soothing wet was soon replaced by searing pain as they rolled over the hundreds of cuts and bruises all over my face, "Please."

The snap of the whip reminded me of what my words meant. Nothing. As the torture continued, I fell back into that part of my mind that keeps me safe. The part of what things were before.

My thoughts faded to a darkened bedroom. I was watching her sleeping peacefully, happy that my life had gotten this far. Everything had fallen into place, and I'd just gotten a great job working with a good friend. I leaned down to brush a lock of hair from her forehead, and laid a kiss on her beautiful, pale skin. She was going on 7 and was the most important thing in my life since her mother died.

I walked to the door and took one last look before closing the door. I made my way into the living room where Vincent sat ready to kick my ass in Soul Calibur.

"She's sleeping?" He handed me the controller.

"Yeah, she took it hard when her mother died, but I think she's finally moving forward. Stephanie would have been proud."

Vincent smiled a sad smile and nodded toward the video game screen.

"Wake up, you stupid piece of worthless air!" Hooded man's voice came flooding through my thoughts, tearing me away from a time when I was completely happy. I looked up at him feeling the rage in me grow.

"You need to stay awake while we tear off your skin."

I knew I belonged here. My sins had been too great.

Hell hath fury.

163: Emotional Instability -Crystal-

The creature's tongue slowly pushed me down, deeper in to the darkness as my lungs screamed for air. The muscled throat kept me from struggling as my body methodically slid down its gullet.

I was a horrible person for treating Nick like that, and now all he would know was how much I'd hated him. No chance to apologize; no chance to be friends.

Maybe I deserved this. I was supposed to be dead so many times but I kept being brought back, but for what? I was worthless and powerless. I led with my emotions and what I thought was right, with out ever caring about the people I might be hurting in my pursuit of justice.

First it was Peter, destroyed by my inability to just let him have what he wanted. He was one of the many zombie children that had fallen to my hand. Then, Saba had been dragged in to my madness and we'd both nearly been killed. It didn't end there though; because of my stupid actions, everyone was stuck inside this building where they could be captured, injured, or worse.

Perhaps, this was all I was here for. Only here to make everyone else around me fall apart. My own Dad. I'd never reunited with my Dad. I felt the tears come and I opened my mouth to scream, only to be soundless because of the lack of air. This whole time I'd kept away and tried to go on, scared of being shunned. I'd never thought about how my Father could be taking the loss of both his wife and his daughter.

"You bastard!" Nick's voice was so close that it took me by surprise.

Just give up Nick. Just leave me here to rot away. Go help the others.

"Give," I felt the creature shake, "her," another shake and an intense heat, "BACK!!"

Heat, like nothing I'd ever felt before surrounded me, and I could feel air rush past me as the beast screamed in pain.

Why? Why keep fighting for me? I'm not worth all this. Everyone else is more important. Why would you want a monster like me?

"Crystal!" I felt a hand grasp my ankle and my body slide backwards back toward its mouth, "Don't you die! We aren't done arguing yet!"

The world exploded in to light as I was met by a surreal vision. Nick had one foot between the teeth of the creatures bottom jaw and his hand pushing the mouth open. Behind him I could see several people looking on in surprise, including Will.

Nick smiled at me as he lifted me out of the mouth and pulled me close, "Crystal, are you okay?"

Wiping tears and saliva away from my eyes, I turned to look at the creature that had grabbed me. Lying on the floor was a massive beast resembling a cross between a lamp shade and a T-rex. Its skin was sizzling and burned so bad that it hung in places.

I turned to Nick, "I'm sorry."

I felt his arms wrap around me and I started to cry.

162: Instant Inverse -Crystal-

Even though it was still the middle of the day, the skies above the museum were so overcast that the street below was covered in dark. As the cab approached I could see the clouds flowing outward from the sky above the ancient building.

The short female driver turned and looked at us as she pulled up, "Are you sure you want to stop here?"

"This is the place, Kelly. Thanks."

"I've heard some weird stuff over the waves, Will.", Kelly motioned toward the radio, "Don't get over your head."

"Already am." We all slid out of the cab.

"Well, I'll be out here as long I can. I owe you for that thing." Kelly smiled a cute smile and then pulled her head back inside.

Nick walked up to the doors and gave them a yank, with out any success, "Something is very wrong here . . . I can feel it in the air."

"Of course you would." I muttered, hoping Will wouldn't hear.

Nick turned toward me in anger, "Is it that hard for you to see that I'm only trying to help?!?"

"You are a sneaky, deceitful bastard! How am I supposed to know that you didn't cause all this?!? You just appear out of no where and expect us all to welcome you in, but I know what you did!"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Will shake his head as he went off to look for another way in.

"You think it's easy?!? I can't remember who I was before only a week ago! I don't know what I did, who I hurt, or sins I committed! Living with out really knowing who you are is something you'll never understand!"

I felt the rage build up and I swung my hand out; connecting with his cheek, "My life was completely stolen from me! Every single thing I've known is gone and the only thing I have now are my friends!", I walked up to the door and slammed my fist against it, "You were the cause of everything, my life ripped away in an instant just so you could show off your power!"

Nick was speechless.

"Every time you speak. Every time you look at me. Every time I see you.", I emphasized my sentences with a pound on the door, "I know that deep inside you're full of lies and darkness; I know that one day you'll turn on us and tear us all to shre-"

At that moment the door behind me shattered. I was thrown violently forward, only to feel something catch me at my midriff and yank me backward. I flew back in to the darkness, the only visible thing being the rectangle of light with Nick’s silhouette. I couldn't see his face but I knew it was one of triumph. The pest was gone, nothing stood in the way of his plans.

A light flared behind me revealing anger on Nick’s face as he jumped in after me. Anger surprised me, I had just humiliated him and he was coming in after me. I watched as fireballs flew from his hands, landing far behind me.

Was I wrong? Was my distrust unfounded? I smelled the hot stink of rotten meat grow as I got closer to what ever it was that held me captive. The further I got, the more determined Nick looked, and the more ashamed I felt for making him out to be a monster. I watched myself fly past the teeth inside the gaping maw of the beast and as they closed all I could think was . . .

I'm sorry.

Entry 161: Voices Of The Dead Revived -Carl-

"You're a worthless son. Come over here so I can kick your genes straight!"

My Father’s voice caught me by surprise. I faltered with my attack and was knocked to the ground by a lucky piece of ham. I rolled away from an attack and glanced around quickly. He wasn't here.

"Sometimes, you just make me want to kill myself rather than deal with the shame of having you as a son."

I shook my head. Why was I remembering this now? It sounded like he was in the room, his voice even echoed off the walls. Melissa's ear moved slightly and she glanced around.

"Qaliphus? Qaliphus, I didn't mean it!", she flitted around the room, a look of confusion on her face, "I wouldn't have ever found someone else! You are my only true partner forever!"

Even the hams had stopped fighting. They stepped back, eventually fading in to the darkness again. My body was exhausted from fighting the constant onslaught of those unusual creatures. Melissa's wails for forgiveness flooded the room as she cried out for a person only she could hear. Light flooded the room as the symbols along the door lit up one by one.

"You think you're tough? If you were tough then you'd know where your brother was. If you were strong you wouldn't be tired from fighting. Worthless. Shit on the bottom of my shoe. I should have punched your Mom while you were growing inside!"

My Father’s words hit me like a punch, pulling what little energy I had left away from me. I fell to my knee as the door glowed brighter.

"Qaliphus . . . you are wrong. The parents; those horrible, horrible parents!", Melissa flew straight in to a wall in her dismay.

Christina pulled her self to her feet and by the look in her eyes I could tell she was trying to ignore a voice. The influence of that voice made it difficult for her to stand. She leaned against one of the exhibits, her breath heavy and her eyes brimming with tears.

"Can't protect anyone! Even your brother left!"

“Qaliphus . . . no . . . ", Melissa cried weakly, "I didn't tell them. It wasn't me. I'm yours for always."

The only person not affected was Vincent. He was dropped by the ham as they left and now was watching us as we reacted to something he could neither hear or see.

"I'm sorry!!!!", Christina yelled at the top of her lungs and then fell to the ground in a heap of tears, "I couldn't stop it! I tried. I didn't climb fast enough!"

"Vincent, your friends . . . they seem to be in pain. Could something be bothering them?"

The light from the door faded and standing only a few feet away was Andrew.

Entry 160: Ben Snaps, Blood Follows -Saba-

The sound of the shotgun pulled me from that small part in my mind that I'd receded to while the knife did its work. I looked up to see blood and brain matter splattered across the tall marble columns. The left half of Ben's body was red with the young girl’s essence. Andrew looked surprised as well, he'd stopped cutting and stood there staring at the reflection of Ben in the column I was tied to.

I could see Ben's mind crack through his eyes as they went from distressed to shocked. We all froze there for a few seconds, the only sound being the pieces of skull dropping on the floor as the blood ran down the walls. I knew what Ben was thinking, I'd felt the same when I'd made my first kill.

I watched as the horror faded, replaced by sadness. I saw him mourn for the child trying to find a way to rid himself of the sickness that had invaded him. I knew the next step, the part where he accepts who he is and realizes that his destiny had been this all along. The part where he joins Andrew in the killing. The part where he kills me.

What I saw was something different. I watched as his face went from sadness to rage. I saw the righteous anger surge through him as he realized the lack of control he'd had for the outcome. Through his eyes, like a movie, I watched him blame the person who caused the death of that young girl. Seconds had passed, but something had changed in Ben.

Glancing up at Andrew, I knew that he saw it too. Where his face had been one of ecstasy, it was now very serious. His hand gripped the knife tighter as he turned around just a little to late. The chair caught him in the chest, slamming his back in to me. Pain shot up my body and I cried out.

"How could you . . . ", Ben resolutely stepped up to where Andrew lay coughing as he tried to draw in air, "You filthy, ugly little cockroach."

Andrew grabbed for the knife he'd dropped, but Ben's foot knocked it away and then proceeded to teach Andrew’s face how to bleed with a swift kick to the bridge of the nose. Andrew slipped on the unfortunate child's blood as he tried to pull himself to his feet.

Ben grabbed the chair again and smashed it on Andrew’s back, "She was so young. She hadn't lived."

I wasn't sure what scared me more, the look in Ben's eyes or the fact that he wasn't yelling. His voice was calm as though talking to a child. There was pain and anger behind it, but it was masked with an emotionlessness that made his words sink deep in to my soul as he spoke.

Groans of pain escaped from Andrew as he tried to recover from Ben's retaliation. Ben grasped Andrew's neck and dragged him over to the motionless body of the girl and pointed to where her head had been.

"You like your work? Did you enjoy taking her life away? Did it make you feel better?"

Andrew finally spoke, "I feel no joy in her being dead. The thrill comes from the killing, but you should know that now. You are what your uncle claimed you would become. A monster, just like him, just like me, just like your frie-"

His voice was cut off as Ben shoved Andrew’s face in to the girl's stump of a neck. He pushed him against her neck until it looked like he had been engulfed. There was no way Andrew could breathe. I struggled at my captors. Ben was going to kill him.

Flashes of my past came to me, the anger I'd felt. The killing anger that engulfed me and made me what I am. The loneliness and pain that followed soon after, feelings that could only disappear with another kill. The constant need to rid myself of those feelings. It was a horrible life, and I couldn't sit here and watch as another person traveled down that dark path. I spread out my abilities and lifted the knife from the puddle of blood.

Ben's eyes were lifeless and cold as Andrew's fighting slowed down. The lack of oxygen would cause him to lose consciousness soon. I felt the ropes fall away and for once both sides of me wanted the same thing.

"Ben, stop!" I pushed Ben aside causing him to lose grip on Andrew. Andrew fell to the ground gasping for air. Ben sat on the floor unmoving, only his breath told me that he was alive.

"Thank you.", Andrew’s voice pulled my darkness out and hid my goodness away as I turned to him, "You saved me."

"You're a fool.", I snarled at him grasping the sides of his head, "I saved Ben."

Then I snapped Andrew's neck.

Entry 159: Truth About Lies -Crystal-

Will stood and looked out the doors, "They aren't going anywhere. Come on, I have an idea."

We followed Will as he traveled to the front desk. He grabbed the phone from a very surprised desk clerk and dialed a number.

"Hello, Kelly? Yeah, it's me, Will."

Nick turned to me, "I don't know what I did that scared you so much. Why don't you just tell me so we can get this over with?"

I hesitated, "Back when I was a child, you were not a very nice person. What kind of guy would threaten a child in to fighting? You told me to fight or I would never see Vincent again."

"Why don't I remember that?! How can you say I've done something I've never did? You treat me like an enemy for something I didn't do!" I could see the fear in his eyes as he said that to me. It was the same fear I have because of my resurrection.

"Because you did it!"

"Would you two just shut-up?!?!", Will interrupted our argument.

Out of surprise we both went quiet.

"I can't stand people like you two! Right now, people are in serious danger and the only thing you two can talk about is how much lack of trust is between you two. Suck it up and move on. Crystal, he clearly doesn't remember. Nick, she was hurt by someone who she thought was you. Apologize and move on, or get the fuck out of my way!"

Will went toward the back of the hotel, "I've called a friend at Hartman’s Taxies, she's meeting us at the back. I'm not waiting for you two."

We followed behind him in silence.

Entry 158: Becoming The Prediction -Ben-

"Do you know what bothers me most about you and your group of pals?" Andrew whispered behind my ear.

I could tell he was smiling with out seeing him.

"None of you realize how serious what you're investigating is. Out of nowhere you stroll in as though you know what you're doing."

The child across from me looked more terrified by the second. I was sure that she knew more about what the game was about than I did.

"That's not the only thing that bothers me about your stupid group. Your friendships just piss me off. Why in the world would you keep around someone as broken as this specimen?"

A light came on to the left, revealing Saba strapped to a column. She looked unconscious as Andrew walked toward her.

"You have a choice Ben. The chair you are sitting is wired to that shotgun. If you get off then that child will no longer see her 16th birthday. However," A shine made me realize that he was holding a knife, "If you don't get up, then I will continue to cut your friend here until she bleeds out."

I felt my skin go pale as he pressed the knife to Saba's skin. This was like a nightmare. Save my friend and become the thing my uncle swore I would, or watch my friend die and never be able to forgive myself? Andrew lifted his knife from Saba's skin and turned toward me.

"This entire setup was thought up by someone we both had the pleasure to know; though your interaction was cut short by a stray axe. Does the name Mr. Giggles mean anything to you?" Andrew laughed as he turned back to Saba.

Watching Saba's blood run down her leg made the tears come. My mind was telling me to stand up but my heart was whispering the names the child across from me could have.

At this point Saba woke up, screaming in pain as the knife ran across her. Andrew made no sound besides his heavy breathing, as though he found his work arousing.

"Ben! Ben, help! Stop him!" I didn't stand up; my thoughts were confusing me.

Slowly I came to the realization that someone was going to die today. Someone would be killed by me. I couldn't stop that. If I saved the kid then Andrew would still have the upper hand, and if I saved Saba then me and her could both stop this madman before anymore people died.

I locked my heart away, and stood up.

Flashback Entry 157: Janitors -Christina-

"You'd be surprised at how frail you actually are. Your kind sits above everything, looking down at all the humans below as if you're better."

Mardockt knelt and grabbed some grass. He twirled it in his fingers and its green turned to brown as the plant died instantly.

"You aren't though. You can die just like any other mortal, it just takes a little more force. You call yourselves Gods! You cannot even FATHOM what a God really is!"

Patrick stood up, "Christina, you tell me what you see. I'll be the sword and you be the mind."

We'd done this before in the past to fend off wild animals. This wasn't the same. This was us fighting for our lives against something we didn't understand. Maybe the adults felt it. Maybe they were headed here to help us right now. The Highest Tier would know what to do.

"Christina! Concentrate!", Patrick ran forward.

Mardockt stood and continued walking as Patrick closed in. The dark tentacle flew from Mardockt again.

"Left!"

Patrick veered left, straight in to Mardockt's waiting arm. Patrick's feet left the ground and he flipped in the air behind Mardockt. I could hear the pain as Patrick pulled himself to his feet again.

"This is fun. I haven't done this in years! A few thousand years of imprisonment makes this more enjoyable than it normally would be. Come on, don't give up. I want this to last!", Mardockt's eyes had a lust that made me shiver.

At my cues Patrick dived left and right to avoid the tendrils of death as they swung out to do their horrible job. Mardockt didn't move, nor did he stop staring at me. Even though his eyes watched me, it was all I could do to keep Patrick from being hit.

"You're interesting. You can see things you shouldn't. Skills like that are reserved for certain humans, not your kind."

Mardockt smiled evilly and then a tendril shot out toward me. I rolled to the side to avoid it but it kept coming. I jumped to my feet and ran.

"Christina! Where are they?!?!", Patrick was still, looking left and right as though he'd be able to see what I could.

"Left!" I jumped to the side to avoid the tendril that was after me.

I heard a thump and Patrick’s groan of pain. Glancing back I saw Mardockt standing over him staring at his face. The tendrils had faded to nothing.

"See, you were doing so well and just one mistake is the end. I'd tell you to learn from your mistakes, but I have the feeling that you don't have time. You should have left your young friend up here and ran."

"You talk too much." Patrick glared at Mardockt with a resolve I hadn't seen in a long time. He swung his feet up, spinning his body to get momentum. A loud crack was heard as Patrick's foot made Mardockt's neck collapse.

Mardockt stepped back, his neck inflating as a laugh escaped, "Such disrespect. I'll show yo-"

A spear suddenly appeared through Mardockt's chest. A light emanated from it, surrounding him. From his feet the sacred Circle of Ghat formed. Patrick jumped back away from the circle. Hundreds of smaller circles burned in to Mardockt's skin, causing him to scream with pain.

A massive white tentacle erupted from the clouds above and stabbed in to Mardockt. Judging by Patrick's reactions, he couldn't see it like I could. He couldn't see the radiating white aura that stretched across the sky.

"AGAIN?!? You think I can be contained the same way twice?!? I'll be back, sooner this time and when I am, I'll wipe your miserable race off the Earth. Arrrgh! No matter how long you live, no matter how much you forget, I will always be in the back of your heads; and when all the Highest Tier have died I will come back. Who will stop me then?!?"

With those last words Mardockt vanished. As the skies cleared several adults floated to the ground. I recognized half of them as people on the Highest Tier.

"We can not kill the children, but they must learn a lesson. They must stay away from areas that are restricted."

"We didn-" Patrick pleaded.

"Shush child!"

Patrick fell silent.

"You will forevermore be unsigned. Never will you have a chance to sit with the Highest Tier, and all your jobs shall be janitorial."

All of my goals dissolved in front of me as my future was stripped away.

Flashback Entry 156: It's From Before I Was Born -Christina-

Mardockt's eyes never left mine as he walked over to the fallen body of the old man. As I watched, a bright red glow slipped from the old man and in to Mardockt. He took a deep breath and kicked the man.

"Fools; all of you."

He turned to me and smiled, his once friendly face wearing a new shade of emotion. Hatred.

"Do you know what they did? What they did to me all those years ago?"

"Mardockt, what have you done? They'll take away our futures for what you did."

In a second he was next to me, his hand leaving a bruise on my cheek. He grabbed my shirt and lifted me up till my feet no longer touched the ground.

"I-", His voice of calm evil etched in to me, "I asked you a question."

New feelings enveloped me as I stared at my old friend’s face; desperation, hopelessness, and fear. I'd never felt anything like them before now. It was as if they were emanating from Mardockt. It took all of my little resolve just to speak again.

"What did they do, Mardockt?"

"They put me in the dark alone. That ever-lasting nothing that you go to when you die. There I sat crying to no one, because I would never be heard. Do you know the feeling? I forgot that I even had a body. I forgot my parents. I forgot my friends. I forgot my life."

"Who are you?"

"I don't remember my name. They took that away from me too! You took it all!", He threw me to the ground.

"I never did that!"

He turned and looked over the cliff, "Your friend is coming back. He's resilient." The following laugh was murderous.

"His name is Patrick. He won't know that you aren't our friend."

Patrick leaped up and looked around, "Christina! Mardockt!"

He ran over and as he did, I saw the pieces slowly fall in to place in his mind. The dead man, the bruise on my face, and Mardockt's smile, all collided in to confusion.

"What's going on?", he stopped moving toward us.

"Oh-ho-ho-ho . . .", Mardockt pointed at Patrick and I watched as a strand of something only I could see flowed toward Patrick.

I slammed my body in to Mardockt's side, interrupting his attack. He turned and grabbed my hair. Patrick started to run forward, but I felt my body collide with his as I was thrown.

"Violence. I love violence. I invented it. I've had blood on my hands since I was born. I am a God among Gods, and unfathomable among men. I can't be stopped, only contained. I am the original darkness, the first monster beneath your bed and I will destroy all of your kind for what you did to me!"

Patrick and I untangled ourselves from each other and stared as he slowly walked over. Our friend was gone and replaced by something else.

Even Patrick looked scared.