Chapter 4: Forlorn Flames ~ Faye Fiammetta

The rundown district of Veritati, in northern Nexus City. As clouds of misery covered the sky, there was a ruined road, bathed in the glow of streetlights, where officers from the Nexus City Police Department were caught in the midst of a shootout with the criminal organisation, Apathia.

The officers simply passing through on evidence pick up were suddenly ambushed by darkness empowered assailants. Once Apathia spotted law enforcement in their territory, they would always take immediate action to establish their dominance of the area.

Entertained by the NCPD’s desperate, blind shooting, as they cowered from behind the cover of their vehicles, the goons took advantage of their dominion over the shadows to disorientate and terrify the feeble authorities in a display of intimidation.

The leader of the pack of Dark Magus Users, was an overweight, yet monstrous individual, who called off his men and stood before the officers, issuing them the challenge to shoot him point blank, intentionally leaving himself open. Goading the incompetent law enforcers and laughing at their gutless behaviour.

Agitated by the incessant mockery, the officers took their shots, but the bullets were snatched out of the air by dark, serpent like tendrils that flared out of the man’s chest, from pools of darkness, devouring the bullets. Their shocked expressions only encouraged laughter from the mobsters. The rookie officers were clearly not trained to deal with Magus users of this aptitude.

“What a fucking joke.”

On the top floor of the apartment building, looking over the scene, a young woman witnessed the events from her bedroom window, offended. Both by the officer’s pitiful performance and by the Apathia members toying with them.

“They always send the same clueless dipshits. Never see any Magus Knights come to clear out this infested anal pit. We know the city’s already stopped giving a shit about us, they don’t have to rub it in by sending these fucking losers.”

Ignoring their shameful display, the woman returned to reading her book, one of the few things that gave her pleasure in her dingy, depressing life. In all the years she lived in the Veritati District, she’d grown used to hearing gunshots and screams of terror from those dumb enough to enter unprepared.

She glanced at her phone, realising it was already evening. ”Shit, I gotta go to work. Maybe someone worth a damn will show up this time.”

Leaving the safety of her locked bedroom and braving the wasteland that was her mother’s apartment, she found her only parent lying on the sofa with empty beer bottles clustered together on the floor. As she reached for the front door, she heard a voice, sloppily call out to her.

“Hey!”

She groaned. “What is it Mom?”

“Don’t… you… have school?” Her mother asked, barely conscious.

“No, Mom. I’m twenty two.”

“Where are you going…? I didn’t say you could leave… ”

“I’ve got work, Mom.”

“Work? You… you don’t work… I’ve seen you with those… fucking… skanks… you’re a slut… you… you…”

Her mother suddenly went quiet.

“Passed out, again? Thank Christ. Won’t have to put up with anymore of your bullshit, tonight.”

She headed down the steps of the apartment building and into the alleyways. Despite the shootout still in progress, she wasn’t concerned for her safety. Not out of personal neglect, but from absolute assurance in her abilities. Without them she never would have survived this long.

“Fucking finally.” Her scantily dressed associate whined. “You must be Faye, right? The one with the crazy hair and ‘daddy never loved me’ makeup. What took you so long?”

“Don’t you have cocks that need sucking, you stupid slut.” Faye immediately responded, as the other girls giggled to themselves.

“So, the angsty emo bitch has a sense of humour?”

“I’ll dress however I want, you disease ridden, bimbo.”

“What, like a centuries old scene kid?”

“It’s called punk, a far more palletable style than your flimsy fucking g-string.”

“Goth, punk, emo, it’s all the same shit. All black and leathery.”

“I bet you know all about taking black leather, cock sleeve.”

“Don’t talk back to me, you little piss stain! Why in the fuck does someone like you work for Crystal!? You’re just a foul mouthed, goth bitch, with flabby tits and no ass! All you’ll do is scare the clients away with your gross fetish gear.”

Faye was offended by the ignorant woman’s comments. Her appearance and style was one of the only things she still put any care and effort into.

A black leather jacket and biker gloves, black t-shirt, pants and boots. Her black hair was long, wild and bushy, with fiery red highlights along the edges. She even wore black lipstick and eye-liner, a difficult feat when most of the beauty stores in the area were just a front for Apathia.

“Are we gonna have a problem, dick gobbler?” Faye argued.

“You’re the problem. Once the boss realises none of his clients want to fuck a vampire, you’ll be tossed back onto the street like the dog you are.”

Faye suddenly burst into laughter. “Holy shit! Wait! You think I’m here to get dicks slammed down my throat, like you!? You really are a dumb fucking slut!”

“Wh-what!? If you’re just here to laugh, then you can fuck off!”

“I’d tell you not to get you panties in a twist, if you were wearing any.”

“Just what the hell are you even doing here then!?”

A devilish smile crawled across Faye’s face. “Oh, you’ll see.”

One hour later and the group of street delinquents were joined by Crystal, their boss’ assistant. She was well dressed and presentable. A close friend of Faye’s and the only person she trusted in this dirty den of a district.

“Yo, Crystal.” Faye called. “Is this dumb bimbo new, or just fucking stupid?”

“New and stupid. Why?”

“She keeps asking me dumb questions. Didn’t the boss fill her in on anything?”

“He’s been busy lately.”

“Yeah ‘busy’.” Faye mocked, miming a drinking and needle injecting motion.

“Come to think of it. I haven’t heard from him in the last few days.”

“Having another whiskey episode, is he?”

“I hope not. We can’t afford to cover for any more of his ‘episodes’.”

“Excuse us! You ladies open?” A group of five men entered the alleyway, waiting to be served, with Crystal obliging.

“Hello, gentlemen. Will you be requiring our services this evening?”

“We’re looking for the little firebrand. She’s been making quite a name for herself lately.”

“I see. Are all five of you here for Faye?”

“Yeah. We wanna test her endurance.”

“Understood.” She called into the alleyway. “Faye! Clients!”

As Faye emerged from the shadows, the worker from earlier interjected.

“Wait! You’re going to service all five of them at once!? And you had the nerve to call me a slut!”

“Shut the fuck up. I told you, I’m not here to suck dick, like you!”

“So, what are you going to do? Bake them a cake?”

“No. I’m serving up a roast.”

“What, a spit-roast?”

“Ugh… Just sit back and watch… whore.”

The clients took a moment to look Faye over.

“So, this is the firebrand we’ve heard so much about? You don’t look so special.”

“I’m assuming you understand the rules?” Faye explained.

“Rules?”

“Fucking hell…” She pointed to a crate against a wall, with a bowl sitting on top. “The money we bet goes in the pot and whoever’s left standing takes the winnings.”

“But, there’s five of us. If you lose, you’ll have to pay us five times what we bet to make up for it.”

“I know. Put the money in the bowl. Cash only. No credit card bullshit. Anyone who tries to steal from the pot fucking dies. Got it?”

“Confident, huh? Okay, boys. What do you say we put in a thousand bucks each? If the girl wins, she gets five grand, but if she loses, she pays us five grand each.”

The men cheered at the idea. It was five against one, with a big payout as a reward. They boldly emptied their wallets into the bowl.

“Oh, one more thing.” The man explained. “Don’t worry if you can’t pay us all back at once. We’ll gladly accept free services from you as compensation.”

“When I’m through with you, the only services you’ll be needing are the emergency services.”

“Faye, you sure you got this?” Crystal asked. “Fighting five Apathia guys at once?”

“Don’t worry. These fuckers’ heads are so far up their own ass, the smell has blinded them from the shit they just stepped in.”

“Alright. I’m up first.” The man held out his palm as it darkened with black energy. “Fair warning. I don’t fight fair.”

He fired the inky black shot at Faye, but her arm lit up with a crimson light and in that brief flash, she batted the darkness aside, as it splattered onto the wall like paint.

“Shit, that was fast. I’m starting to see how you garnered your reputation.”

The black smudge on the wall shot out dark tendrils that wrapped around Faye’s arm and pulled her into the wall.

“But, it’s gonna take more than a few sparks to fend us off.”

“What is this weak shit?” Faye grunted.

Her arm suddenly exploded into crimson flames that severed the tendrils from the wall, freeing her arm, as the remains of the dark tentacles were incinerated in the blazing heat.

“Ooh, so your Fire Magus is more than just a cheap lighter.”

Faye’s boots burst into flames, as she rocketed toward the man without warning. Her raging fist slammed into his stomach before he could react, followed by a rising uppercut, powered by the explosive burst of fire shooting out of the bottom of her feet like jet boosters.

The man was sent flying onto his back. If it weren’t for his Dark Magus, covering his face like armour, his jaw would have been completely shattered.

“Dammit!” He cried. “Crazy bitch nearly killed me!”

“If I’m too rough, you’re free to quit at any time.”

“Like hell I will! This ain’t over!”

The man charged at Faye, eager to crush her condescending scowl. His hands, engulfed in darkness, locked into Faye’s, as they pushed against each other, wrestling for control. Despite his size advantage, he couldn’t overpower the young girl. Faye’s flames quickly ate away at his darkness, until they started searing the flesh underneath.

“Goddammit!” The man yelled, as he felt the heat burning through his Magus.

He lifted Faye into the air, over his head, hoping to slam her back down into the dirt, but Faye only took advantage of this new position. She fired flames from her boots like rockets, propelling herself downward, forcing her weight upon the man, locking him down in another struggle.

“Are you… kidding me!?”

He tossed her away with the remainder of his strength, as Faye landed perfectly unharmed.

“Christ…! My spine nearly snapped! How did you learn to use Magus like that!? I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“Necessity.” She answered. “In the Veritati District, you either learn how to fight, or end up as just another whore on the street… or dead.

It started with a few scraps at school, but after getting expelled, I had more than enough time on my hands to hone my skills, and dumbasses like you make for the perfect punching bags.

The harder I fought the stronger my flames burned. The stronger my flames became, the more techniques I was able to develop and experiment with. I had no help from anybody, just my burning desire to survive. Fighting is how I live. It’s my job, my insurance, my protection and unlike you I don’t have the luxury of quitting.”

The man laughed. “God, I haven’t heard someone drone on like this since that Ardente guy.”

“What the fuck did you say!?” Faye’s attitude suddenly shifted from cocky to dead serious.

“Aww, did I upset the little baby? Still sad daddy left you?”

“Wh-what!? W-why!? How the fuck do you know about that!?”

“Oh, I’ve only heard stories from our boss. But, after finally meeting you, I think I’m starting to understand why he disappeared. Who’d want to look after an arrogant, little shit like you?”

Faye was paralysed by her anger, looking down at her feet, in a desperate attempt to control herself. The man’s emotional bullets seemed to have hit a bullseye. Faye had left herself wide open for an assault.

“Grab her, boys!”

The group of men pinned Faye to the ground, holding her down, one man per limb, with the leader, stamping on her chest.

“Not so tough now, are you!? Now, give yourself up kid, or we start breaking bones!”

Just then, smoke rose from the man’s shoe, as his cohorts felt the stinging sensation of heat on their palms. Then without warning. Faye’s powers erupted.

An explosion of heat and fire consumed the men, as the force of the blast sent them hurtling out of the alleyway. As the men desperately tried to put out the flames on their clothes, Faye marched toward them, her entire body bathed in a scarlet inferno, with only a shadow of her figure visible through the intense heat.

“YOU FUCKERS EVER TALK SHIT ABOUT MY FAMILY AGAIN AND I’LL MAKE THE FLAMES OF HELL FEEL LIKE A SUMMER BREEZE! I’LL CREMATE YOUR FUCKING SOULS, INCINERATE YOUR FLESH AND BURN YOUR CORPSES TO ASH! DO YOU HEAR ME!? I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!!”

The men felt as if they had just awakened a demon and promptly made themselves scarce.

“That’s enough, Faye!” Crystal cried, throwing a bucket of water on her enraged friend, as her flames immediately died down.

“What the hell, Crystal!? You didn’t have to do that!” Faye yelled, having calmed down.

“Jesus Christ, Faye! What was that!?”

“I got a little upset.”

“A LITTLE!? I’ve never seen you that mad before!”

“Whatever, it scared those douchebags off, didn’t it?”

“But, you scared me too… I didn’t know your Dad leaving hurt you that badly. You can talk to me about these things, you know?”

“What’s to talk about? That asshole walked out on us ten years ago and never came back. He escaped this hellhole and left us behind to rot. He’s probably living it up somewhere with a new family, while I’ve been dumped with the insufferable drunk, still pretending to be my Mom. Fuck him. Piece of shit…”

“I had no idea…”

“What really pissed me off was that those pricks somehow knew about it. I don’t like my shit family being advertised to the whole fucking world, just let me be miserable in peace.”

After giving Faye room to breathe, the awkwardness of her outburst passed. Faye finished counting up the bills left behind in the bowl that miraculously survived her ferocious firestorm. She still felt slightly light-headed, not used to expending so much of her Magus all at once.

“Pardon the intrusion, ladies. Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

A tall, pudgy man in a suit entered the alleyway, his confidence gave off a sickening vibe, as Crystal addressed him.

“Good evening, sir. Can I help you?”

“Yeah. I’m looking for the young lady who scared my men half to death.”

“Aw shit… ” Faye sighed. “You looking for a fight too, fat boy?”

The man leaned into her face. “Oh no. I’m looking for something else.”

Faye was disgusted, both by his arrogance and his breath. “Whatever it is, I’m not into it. If you’re looking for the sluts they’re around back.”

“Actually, I’m looking to make you an offer, Faye Fiammetta.”

“Why do you know my name?”

“Who hasn’t heard of Fiammetta? The man who abandoned his family.”

“You fat greasy, fuck!”

Before Faye could do anything, Crystal immediately held her back. “Faye, please. He’s a client, just hear him out first.”

“That’s the kind of blind aggression I’m looking for.” He laughed.

“Shut up.” Faye grunted. “What do you want?”

“I’m looking for someone to carry out a job for me.” He handed Faye a picture of an old black man, wearing a grey cap. “See, this geezer’s been poking around in our business lately and I was wondering if you could do something about him.”

“Define ‘something’.”

“Oh, I just need him removed. Permanently. With all the evidence burned with him.”

“This sounds like a filthy Apathia job.”

“It is.”

“You fucking serious?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Yeah. You guys turned this place into a shithole. Apathia can go suck a fat one. I’m not doing it.”

“Oh my dear, I’m afraid you have no choice.”

“Come again?”

“You see, last night, some drunken fool picked a fight with my boys and well, let’s just say the worms living six feet under, are having quite the feast now. We soon learned the fool left a small business behind, full of poor vulnerable girls. So, like the gentleman I am, I have decided to take personal responsibility for my men’s actions and run his business myself.”

“Th-the boss is dead?” Crystal was shaken.

“As of now. You girls are under the employment of Apathia. A little side gig to generate some extra pocket money.”

“Fuck that noise!” Faye yelled. “Let’s ditch him, Crystal.”

Just as Faye grabbed her friend’s arm, black tendrils shot out of the ground, holding Crystal in place. Having no Magus, Crystal was defenseless.

“You bastard! Let her go!” Faye cried.

“I will, once you do this job for me.”

“How about I roast your fat ass, instead!?”

“Excuse me? Do you know who I am?”

“A dead man?”

“I’m Ravage, an admin of Apathia. You kill me and you’ll have the whole organisation coming for you. They don’t take kindly to their men being disposed of without their permission. Personally, Hunter is my favourite tool to fix problems like you.”

“You think I‘m scared of some guy in a shit hoodie!?”

“You should. If Hunter doesn’t find his prey, he tends to get quite upset. He’ll go after their family, their friends, everyone associated with them until the target finally shows themselves. He’s a true demon. Apathia’s finest search dog.”

Faye had heard stories of Hunter, she was confident in her skills, but risking her friend’s life on a wild gamble against that monster was far too reckless. For now, she decided to play along.

“F-fine. Where is this old dude?”

“Right now, he’s in a hotel on the edge of Veritati. He’s been snooping around in our business, possibly gathering intel and handing it over to the authorities. We don’t like the attention, so please, do us a favour and get rid of him.”

“If I come back and you’ve done anything to Crystal. I’ll kill you.”

“Duly noted…”

Heading to the hotel on foot, Faye had plenty of time to think to herself. She had five grand, plenty to escape the district with, at least for a short while, but she could never bring herself to stoop to the same level as her Dad and abandon the only friend she had in this depressing hole just to save herself. For now, she was trapped.

“This fucking sucks…”

At the entrance of the small hotel, stood a single guard outside the main doors. Dressed in a burgundy uniform with gold trimmings, this was no ordinary police officer. This was a Magus Knight.

“This old fuck must be pretty important to have someone like that as a guard. I could bribe him with some cash, but brute force is more my style.”

Faye marched up to the door, as the guard addressed her.

“Halt. I’ll need to see your ID before you can proceed.”

“Fuck off.”

She tried to push past, but was shoved back.

“No ID. No entry.”

“What? I need ID just to enter a fucking hotel now?”

“For my client’s safety, the hotel will not be taking any more residents this evening.”

“Get out of my way.”

A sudden gust of wind blew Faye onto her butt.

“If you continue your blatant disregard for the law, I will use force.”

“Try me!”

The guard prepared himself and fired a blast of wind in Faye’s face, to throw her to the other side of the road, however, lifting the heels of her boots, her flames ignited like jets, pushing back against the force of the wind effortlessly.

“My word! That is some powerful Fire Magus for a child!”

“I’m in my twenties, asshole!”

“Regardless of age, I cannot let you pass, but I can’t risk whipping up a storm in a public area, either.”

“Too bad. Because I can.”

Faye’s entire body ignited, exponentially increasing the force of her jet flames. The added velocity broke through the guard’s wind as she flew into his face with a solid flaming punch.

In that brief moment, where the guard put the people’s safety above winning the fight, Faye crashed into him, sending him tumbling inside the building and knocking him out.

“Oh, goddammit.” She whined. “I forgot to ask him where the old man is. Whatever, this place isn’t too big. I’ll just look around.”

After what seemed like an eternity, Faye found a door guarded by two more Magus Knights.

“Jackpot. Now, how do I get past these guys?”

Faye strolled up to the guards and politely asked. “Hey, I’m drunk as hell, can one of you guys show me where the bathroom is?”

“Your face wasn’t on the list of current occupants. You must be the one who caused all that commotion downstairs.” The guard immediately concluded.

“Oh, fuck this!”

Pillars of flame suddenly engulfed the guards, as Faye motioned her hands to push the pillars down either side of the halls until they crashed into the walls, taking the guards out.

She paused to catch her breath. “Shit… okay… that was a bit much, but it got the job done.”

Holding out her palm, she blew the door open.

“Are you serious with this shit!?” The old man cried, cowering behind his desk. “I’m here for one day and I already got someone trying to kill me!”

“Hey! You the old man in this picture!?”

The old man looked up from his desk. “Nah! You’re looking for someone else! Go on, get outta here!”

Unfortunately his appearance matched the picture perfectly.

“Fucking jackpot. This was easier than I thought.” She threw the picture away as it burnt to ashes.

“Who are you!? Who sent you!? Was it Apathia!?”

“Obviously.”

“Those arrogant sons of bitches! I only came here to pick up some damn evidence! They don’t waste a second!”

“Yeah, I don’t get it either, but whatever.”

“Whatever!? Do you even know who I am!?”

“Should I?”

“I’m Akachi Quaero! I helped make this city!”

“Well, you did a real bang-up job.”

“Don’t they teach you anything in school?”

“I was expelled.”

“Oh… that’s… I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Whatever.” Faye held out her hand, conjuring a fireball.

“Wait! Are you really gonna kill me?”

“The sooner I do, the sooner I can get out of this shithole.”

Akachi paused for a moment, something about this girl didn’t seem right, and if he was going to die anyway, then he may as well pursue his suspicions.

“Alright then. Kill me.”

“What?”

“Come on. Roast my ass.”

Faye hesitated. All she had to do was kill this guy and she’d be one step closer to escaping her living nightmare, but something buried deep inside, hidden underneath all the bitter cynicism, kept her finger off the trigger.

“Dammit!” She shot her fireball at the wall, frustrated.

“I knew it.” Akachi explained. “You don’t have the eyes of a killer and trust me, I’ve seen plenty of them.”

“Wh-what the hell do you know?”

Akachi walked past Faye, heading over to the door. “I know that you’re one hell of a Magus User. Just look at this, you completely blew the door’s lock open and yet, the door itself isn’t even charred.”

“I didn’t want the hotel to go up in smoke.”

“Yeah, now look at the guards. You used Fire on them too, but they ain’t burnt to a crisp, either. You just put them to sleep. If you really were a killer, you wouldn’t bother sparing the lives of some guards.”

“I-it would just complicate things…”

“Fire Magus is second only to Darkness in terms of destructive power. Most people just use it to light cigarettes. It takes great skill and dedication to wield it with as much power as you do, even more so to prevent it from incinerating everything in its path. You’ve got quite the talent.”

“Hey, if you’re looking for a dick to suck, I’ve got a friend I can introduce you to.”

Akachi was amused by her vulgarity. “Well, ain’t you a hardass. I could definitely use a tough as nails girl like you on the squad.”

He handed her an employment slip.

“Sorry, not interested.”

“What? Why? That’s your ticket outta here.”

“I’m not leaving my friend behind.” Faye walked out the door.

“Friend…? Hold on, you’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. You were right. I don’t have the stomach to kill anyone.”

“You gonna be okay?”

“Sure. I’ll find some other way to escape this dump.”

“He wasn’t there?” Ravage asked, once Faye returned to the alleyway.

“According to the guard, I just missed him.” Faye explained.

“Well, isn’t that a shame. I guess I’ll be keeping your friend with me for a little while longer.”

Faye glanced over to Crystal, wrapped in black tendrils, unable to move or speak.

“Oh, come on. There’s gotta be something else I can do.”

“Something else?” The man had a sick grin on his face. “I suppose there is something you can do. Something personal, for me.”

“What?”

“Why don’t we have the bimbos over there prepare you for a night of service?”

“Service!? With you!? Fuck no! You’re out of your fucking mind!”

“And what other choice do you have?”

“I’ll kill you!”

“Kill me? Go for it. Hunter loves cutting down cocky prey like you. Once he has you up against a wall, with his jaws crushing your neck like a vice, you won’t be singing pretty. The only way you’re leaving here without the fear of death stalking you, is after I’m finished with you.”

Faye was more than willing to take that risk, if she were alone, but putting Crystal in danger was out of the question. She nearly choked herself holding back her rage, but to guarantee her only friend’s safety, she begrudgingly did as she was told.

She waited on the top floor of the apartment building, just outside the room with Ravage and Crystal inside. She assumed she could get the whole ordeal over with as soon as possible and leave, but now that she was actually here, in her disgustingly revealing g-string, the weight of her decision was slowly crushing her resolve, as the realisation of what she was about to do finally set in.

“What are you on edge for?” The prostitute from earlier asked.

“Shut up. I… I’ve never done this before…”

“Well, it’s about time someone broke you in.”

Faye ignored her, preoccupied with staring into the distance.

“What are you looking at?”

“Unity Tower…” Faye replied.

In the distance, piercing the skyline, at the center of Nexus City was Unity Tower, the centerpiece of Nexus Point. A tall, white tower, with a large disc shaped pod at the top, not unlike the spinning restaurants of Vegas.

Laying at the center of the entire city, no other building came close to matching its height and grandeur. It could be seen, lit up like a christmas tree, from all corners of Nexus. The sight of it triggered a distant memory in Faye’s mind.

“When I was twelve, me and my family went to that tower. It was like a massive playground. There were shops, arcades, hotels, restaurants, everything you could need for an awesome vacation. It was the last time we were ever a family together.

Back then, Dad was so cool and caring. He gave me piggybacks when I was tired. I’d sit on his lap at the bar and everyday we would play this shooting game at the arcade and I’d always beat him and… then, after coming home, he just ditched us…

I don’t understand… How could he do something like that? Did he really not love us? Was it all a lie? Life was never the same after he left. Mom became a drunk, the city fell into disarray and my life became a living hell. Seeing that tower now, just reminds me of how long ago the good days were…”

“So? It’s not like you're the only one who’s been fucked by this city.”

“I know.”

There was a knock on the door. “I’m ready, Faye.”

“Well, this is it.”

Faye walked into the room. Sitting by the window, with no shirt and his gut hanging out was the man she was supposed to ‘service’. On the bed was Crystal, still constrained by black tendrils.

Ravage got up and called Faye over. “Skimpy outfit you got there.”

“Shut up.” She replied.

“And you’ve still got that attitude. Very nice.”

“What the hell makes you think you can just waltz in here and treat us like slaves, anyway?”

“I’m Apathia. And as long as you’re in Apathia territory, no one can stop me.”

Black tendrils shot from the ground, ripping off what little clothing Faye had. If it weren’t for her extremely long hair, she’d have nothing to cover herself with.

“Still playing coy? That’s fine. I like breaking in the newbies.”

Ravage dropped his pants and there it was. Staring her in the face. His sickening one-eyed serpent.

Faye never imagined her first time would go like this. With a fat, sociopathic, mobster. She hoped to meet someone cool, attractive and respectable, but this was just revolting.

“You can’t hide from it forever. Now, get in there.”

As Ravage grabbed the back of her head. Faye’s mind raced to find any hope of escape from this horrifying scenario, but there was none. Not unless she wanted to be hunted like a stray dog for the rest of her life.

He pushed down harder, as she tried to fight back, but it kept drawing ever closer. She teared up, filled with deep regret for everything that led up to this moment. Wondering if she had made a mistake or if this was fated to happen.

“I don’t want this.” She thought. “I don’t want this. I don’t want this.”

Her breathing got heavier, her chest tightened, her stomach churned. “Make it stop. Please. Someone. Make it stop. I just want it to stop.”

The smell was nauseating, his self-satisfied chuckles were insulting, the whole torturous nightmare was beyond demeaning.

And then, just as the tip touched her lips, she snapped.

“NO!”

With a roaring scream, Faye’s Magus exploded, engulfing herself and the man in a raging inferno. The force of the blast tore through the ceiling and shattered the windows as Ravage was flung outside. He fell five storeys, from the top of the apartment building, before slamming onto the concrete below.

The black tendrils holding Crystal hostage dissipated, as Faye’s anger quickly subsided. Upon realising what she had done, she ran over to the window in a panic. Ravage wasn’t moving, his limbs twisted unnaturally, his skin was severely burnt and once the other workers checked over the body, it was finally confirmed.

He was dead.

All Faye could do was shed tears of despair, knowing what would happen once law enforcement arrived.

At the police station, Crystal was questioned on the events of that night, while Faye was kept in a separate cell, awaiting judgement.

“Miss Fiammetta.” The officer called, opening the cell. “Come with me, please.”

Faye was escorted down the hall, holding the officer’s hand, still traumatised. She was led into a small office where a familiar old man was sitting at a desk waiting for her, along with Crystal.

“Hey, kid. Remember me?”

“The old man from earlier?”

“Hard to believe we’d meet again like this, in just a few hours. Then again, when it comes to Apathia, we don’t like to waste any time.”

“I’m fucked. Aren’t I?”

“Faye, I want you to look at this picture and tell me if you recognise this man.”

“That’s… my dad…”

“Thought so… now look at this picture. Who is this?”

“That fat fuck.”

“His Apathia codename was Ravage. A notorious, twisted son of a bitch, who murdered his way up the ranks, taking over his victims’ businesses like some sort of sick prize.”

“That’s what he did to us.”

“Yeah, but around ten years ago, someone came into his territory to try and nip this problem in the bud. That man was Ardente Fiammetta.

According to witnesses, he fought past his men with fists of flames until he faced Ravage himself, but having burnt up his energy, Ravage destroyed him. Ardente’s body was discovered in a ditch days later, but his death was kept quiet to avoid drawing Apathia’s attention to the investigation.”

Faye slammed on the desk in confused anger. “Fuck off! You’re lying! He didn’t die! He abandoned us! He ran away! He’s living it up somewhere with some whore!”

Akachi was shocked, but remained firm in telling her the blunt truth.

“Is that the story you told yourself? Sorry, but no. He’s dead, Faye. Has been for at least a decade now. I can only apologise that you were never informed, especially when our investigation ultimately led nowhere… but, he died fighting to protect his family and this city.”

“But… this isn’t… you can’t… FUCK!” She screamed, as her tears welled up. “That’s not fair! That fat fuck killed him!? And then… that fat fuck was killed by me!? I never wanted to kill anyone! I hated my Dad! But, he never even abandoned us!? I hated him all this time, for no fucking reason!? What the fuck!?

That fat piece of shit took everything from me and now it looks like I killed him out of revenge! That’s fucked up! I’m fucked up! Everything’s fucked up! What the fuck am I even supposed to do now!? I’m… I’m fucked!”

“You’re not ‘fucked’, Faye.” Crystal assured. “Akachi’s got a plan.”

The old man slipped a piece of paper onto the desk.

“The contract?” Faye asked.

“Yep.” Akachi replied. “Look, you can either spend the next few years going through the legal process and hope for a self defence acquittal, or you can bypass all that bullshit and come work for me. Then you’ll be my problem to deal with. Think of it like community service.”

“What about Crystal!? I can’t leave her behind in that hellhole! She’s coming with us, right!?”

“Sorry, I’ve only got room for me and my employees at the Defence Agency.”

“NO!”

“Faye!” Crystal yelled. “Just go. You and I both know your talents are wasted in the Veritati District. Now, you finally have the opportunity to do something worthwhile with your life. You can fight to help people like us. Like your Dad. To put an end to all this suffering.”

“But, you’ll be all alone. Who’ll protect you from Apathia?”

“I’ll be fine. Akachi’s putting me under witness protection. They won’t be using me as a bargaining chip anytime soon.”

“Well, you heard the lady, are we in agreement?” Akachi asked.

“Can I kick those Apathia guys right in their fucking nuts?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then, I’ll do it. I’ll clean out Apathia’s rotten stench, once and for all.

For Crystal, the sluts, the whole city… and for Dad.”