This World of Love and Strife, page 20
“What happened to the man who vowed to kill Apollyon?” Lucian asked. The question struck Aldous like a dagger. He looked down, unable to speak for some time.
“I haven’t renounced that vow.”
“The stories I’ve heard tell me otherwise. If Julian comes here himself to investigate, I sure hope he doesn’t verify them.”
“He wouldn’t,” Aldous said. Julian was the head Vanguard on the east coast of the United States. He was due for a visit to Lumina City.
“Investigate or verify?”
“I’m sure of the former, not the latter.”
“It all depends on how this plays out from here. Make no moves on the apostate. Wait for him.”
“You can’t expect me to stay idle while—”
“You live in the closest thing this city has to a fortress. You will stay idle and you will act only in self-defense. Am I understood?”
“Understood.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Sir,” Aldous said, once again bowing on one knee. “I will execute your order to the letter.”
“Good,” Lucian said as Aldous once again rose. “You do have my permission to arm yourself. However, see that none of it spills into the streets. A few gunshots won’t arouse too much suspicion and I doubt he’d be stupid enough to attack while you have visitors. He may try to sneak in during daylight.”
“I trust my men.”
“Vampires?”
“You’re aware of that.”
“If you lose any, replace them with real men.”
“They can’t be trusted.”
“I don’t care. I’ve got no stake in your survival, Aldous. I don’t find your existence as offensive as the others. That said, your failure is less to do with corruption and more to do with weariness. You’ve been at this too long.”
“Is that it?”
“You’re dismissed.”
Aldous left the building, fury building up with each step. The situation seemed to become more and more dismal. He was on equal standing with an apostate. Though he cared more for survival than his Vanguard rank, it was especially enraging that Cato was under ranked and out for his head. At the very least, he had permission to kill him. That was all he really needed, but to see Lucian’s total disregard for his fate was unnerving. Even more so, the possibility of Julian investigating his casino. The last thing Aldous wanted was to clear his cellar. His darlings were all he had left.
Back at the casino, Grant and Ralph had finished cleaning up the broken window. Not a trace of blood remained. He wasn’t in the mood for inquiring their meeting with the police, so he headed straight for the lounge. Inside, Rebecca lay sprawled out on a couch. Her dress was rolled up to her thigh, one shoe dangling from her toe. She kicked it aside and sat up.
“You look unwell,” she said as he headed for the drinks. He poured himself a glass of wine and sat at the table near her. She moved to the seat across him. “If you want something you could taste, you could always have me.”
“No,” he said. She smiled mischievously.
“No? That sounded more like maybe.”
“Never again. Not if it was the last bit of blood in the world.”
“That hurts, my love.”
“Go fool around with one of the slot machines. Anything but bothering me.”
“I don’t mean to bother. You look so glum. It’s contagious,” she said.
“The Vanguard has abandoned me.”
“Is that all? You abandoned them long ago. It’s only natural they reciprocate. After all, you never really belonged to them.”
“I have a vow to keep.”
“Which one? To me or to yourself?”
“I owe you nothing.”
“Your memory must be fading. Allow me to refresh it: ‘I, Aldous, pledge my eternal soul to Apollyon, keeper of the pit, lord of the void.’ Do you remember? Surely the taste of my blood, at least.”
“Empty words.”
“Spoken in earnest, else you wouldn’t have turned. My lord wouldn’t accept a pact built on lies.”
“I received your curse, not his. When he dies, you die. Then I will be free.”
“You can barely muster the enthusiasm to say it, let alone commit to the task.”
“I’ve been preparing for over a hundred years. Only a few more to go.”
“Less if you were more inclined.”
“I’ve made this city a shrine to that demon. No, all that remains is to kill it.”
“I would like much better to serve with you. I’m not looking forward to your failure, inevitable as it is.”
“You’re not helping my mood.”
“It’s helped mine. I’m feeling nostalgic. Our first meeting feels like yesterday. Does it feel the same for you?”
“It’s all a blur after so long.”
“But certain moments stand out. That one, for instance.”
“I’d rather not look back.”
“My love for you has stagnated from time to time, but it has never completely diminished. It has grown in recent days. I met with the apostate. I thought I saw you in him. I was wrong. There’s only one Aldous. You’re an evil man. No one will remember you fondly.”
“Not even you?”
“I’ll certainly miss you, but my life has been long. Far longer than you’d likely estimate. I don’t think I’d last long without you. My memory won’t matter, for we’ll be reunited in the pit.”
“I know it’s rude, but I’ve got to ask. How old are you?”
“Guess.”
“Two hundred years.”
“Only twice your age? That’s a slice of my life. No, I won’t tell. A lady’s got to keep her secrets.”
“I’m sure you have many.”
“They get harder to hide. I’ve seen so much, Aldous. If I could share a fraction, you would understand my adoration for Apollyon.”
“Three thousand years.”
“What?”
“You’re three thousand years old. That was the last time Apollyon manifested. You’ve seen him, haven’t you? More than that, you’re old enough to have seen the Argent. How else would you know its secret? I always thought you were a disciple. No one can live that long.”
“I have.”
“Since I’ve guessed your secret, why not indulge me with more? You said you were feeling nostalgic.”
“If it would stir your affection toward me, I can tell you more.”
“A name would suffice.”
“I’ve had many. Don’t you like Rebecca?”
“What did your mother name you?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“Why not?”
“I,” she started, only to stand up and turn away. “I was nostalgic for our old days. Not all the way back that far.”
“Three thousand years,” Aldous muttered, then noticed a hint of sadness in Rebecca’s eyes. “You can’t remember.”
“My mother died when I was young. My father, on the other hand, had been the one to take me to Apollyon. My white hair was a sign of purity. The Vanguard records refer to me as ‘the sacrifice.’ I was to appease Apollyon. I bled for the first time months before he arrived. It was all according to the last ritual, three-thousand years prior. I was led to a cave with my father. He left me behind at the entrance. It was so dark inside. Yes, I remember the sun. It was the last time I saw it. I followed the path deep into the cave until I stumbled onto two green flames that seemed to float. As my eyes adjusted, I thought the outline was a giant statue, ten times the height of a normal man. This had wings. A voice called out to me: ‘Little one, are you afraid?’ I must admit, I urinated on the spot. ‘Little one, what is your name?’ I told him I didn’t have one. ‘We have no names in the pit.’ The flames lowered, and the thing I thought was a statue knelt down. A giant hand reached out. Right when it touched me, everything went dark.”
“Is that all?” Aldous asked after she had gone silent for almost a minute.
“I woke up in a sarcophagus. I had died. Apollyon showed me what lay between life and death: an infinite darkness. I can’t tell if it’s everything or nothing at all. In between two eternal chasms of nonexistence is existence. That I do know. Apollyon taught me this, and for this perfect grain of truth, he has my undying loyalty.”
“I’ve exhausted those records for years. I practically know them by heart. The sacrifice was planned, but never happened.”
“It failed.”
“I see,” Aldous said. “It took two hundred men to kill Apollyon. Ten survived to tell the tale. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know how they killed him. Those records have been lost. The same as the mention of the sacrifice before you.”
“I destroyed them.”
“Makes sense. It also answers the question as to how he ended up halfway across the world to Lumina City. You’ve been at this a long time. I can almost respect the dedication. Why here?”
“He acts through me. My will is his. I never needed an answer for ‘why.’ I supposed it suited him.”
“You’ve had your own reasons for your actions. For instance, why me?”
“I followed my heart. Why would I love a man whose interests ran counter to Apollyon?”
“I vowed to destroy him.”
“By becoming his disciple. Next to me, you’ve been his best. Compare the actions of your life prior to our meeting. You must be capable of looking outside yourself.”
“My goal has never shifted.”
“Your actions, not your heart.”
“A means to an end.”
“And if you come to an end by the apostate?”
“Never.”
“You must consider the possibility. How else could you properly know yourself? You may not make it to Apollyon. You may be killed by him. Then what?”
“I made the attempt.”
“All this wickedness for an attempt,” Rebecca said, shaking her head.
“Wicked?”
“Have you gone mad? How else would you describe the murders? The enslavement? Your cellar is a dungeon!”
“That’s enough,” Aldous shouted, slamming his fists on the table. “My appetites have been measured appropriately with my condition. As you’ve said on many occasions, I could do much worse.”
“Think back to the man you once were,” Rebecca said, leaving the lounge.
Her words clung to Aldous’s mind like a needle. Where had he gone wrong? As she advised, his thoughts wandered to another life.
The Vanguard came to Aldous’s attention after winning a signet ring with their symbol in a card game. It had passed through several hands, the first being a dead man. As collector of occult oddities, Aldous wanted to know more. Though his fellow collectors were always eager to see new objects and share information, they were hesitant with the ring. One of them told him he was better off pawning it. This only further piqued his curiosity.
Aldous poured through his library for any reference to the symbol. After a tireless search, he found nothing. Convinced it was one of many obscure gentlemen’s clubs, a popular fad that had resurgence at the time, he was ready to give up. While pondering if the piece was worth adding to his collection or selling, the man who suggested he pawn the ring sent him a letter. Warning him to proceed with caution, he gave Aldous an address.
Paying heed to the warning, Aldous enthusiastically prepared for the destination. It was a hotel at the center of Lumina City, a place he always intended on visiting because of his many contacts residing there. He sent them all letters proclaiming his visit and proceeded with haste. Upon arrival, he spent the first day going to each of their residences. Strangely, all were absent, but when night came and he went to the hotel, he received a welcome from them all that was more startling than pleasant: among them was the man who Aldous won the ring from in the card game.
This had been an initiation, he was told by this man, who reintroduced himself as Zephyr. Aldous was unable to process this revelation, too elaborate to consider a prank. On the one hand, the relationship with these acquaintances he had communicated with for years was not what it seemed. On the other hand, all his work was finally being recognized. He returned the signet to Zephyr, prompting the start of his recruitment into the organization they called the Vanguard.
For a year, he worked closely with this group led by Zephyr. Aldous was paid generously for his expertise in mineralogy, which initially consisted of testing metal purities and various chemical compounds. It was his first time putting alchemical work in actual practice, and to his surprise, he found great success, especially in silver, the Vanguard’s metal of choice.
Though Aldous was satisfied with his work, his associates ranged from unsavory to repulsive. Zephyr especially fit the latter. He was a fanatical anarchist with fantasies of overthrowing social order in Lumina City. If this were accomplished, his allied cells operating in major cities across the United States would enact their plan, leading to a takeover. Once power had been toppled, the Vanguard would prevent it from rising again.
As ludicrous as it seemed, the others were aligned with Zephyrs plot. Aldous had never discussed such matters with them in letter, preferring the occult to politics, though it now seemed both were entwined. The consensus was that the collapse of social order was good in principle and that even if it failed, a dent would suffice. Their pragmatism didn’t make it anymore palpable. Aldous continued with his work without complaint. Zephyr mistook this as compliance and spilled his plan in detail.
He pointed to a map of Lumina City and highlighted an area downtown that consisted of main tourist sights. The shape of this formed an outline of the demon Gash’s sigil. This would manifest the demon, and with the help of Aldous’s silver compound, they could severely weaken it, leaving Gash open for influence. This would gain Apollyon’s favor, a far more powerful entity capable of granting powers beyond their imagination. Though he was sure Zephyr was capable of summoning a demon in the flesh, his method appeared utterly outrageous.
This forced Aldous to rethink his work. An alchemist took pride in their labors, its fruits eventually leading to the Great Work in which they all aspired. Aldous considered the Great Work a force for good, something that would bring peace and harmony, fulfillment in all things spiritually and physically. Working with demons had bolstered his belief in the transcendent. These were fallen beings from another realm, closer to humans in their ways than their purer intangible kin. However, he was beginning to wonder if this was just an illusion. These spirits were driven to the physical realm as an end. Human beings, from the most fervent mystic to the temporal materialist, strived for a multitude of ends. It came down to a question: Did human beings exist to serve the demons or do demons exist to serve human beings? The latter seemed the least likely. All demons were aware of the existence of humans and worked through them, while most humans were unaware of the demons, even those thoroughly under their clutches.
But were all demons truly aware of the existence of humans? How could he ever know? Did they exist in another realm or a plethora?
These questions needed answers. Aldous was sure they wouldn’t come to him from destruction. He would create, not destroy. Putting a stop to Zephyr and the Vanguard was his priority.
After thoroughly questioning his other associates, Aldous came to the decision that they were equally complicit. Separate from Zephyr, they would continue using their work for the sake of subversion, whether petty crime or grand acts of terror. He had no qualms disposing of the entire lot. When time came to create the batch of silver for the attack, Aldous gathered the entire group into a room to explain his method, which he had kept secret until then. They were so attentive to his demonstration they couldn’t detect an inkling of Aldous’s true intentions.
Rather than bolster the effects of silver with alchemical properties, he created a concoction that reversed the effects. The result was a noxious gas. As the process completed, Aldous put on a gas mask. Before the others could react to the betrayal, the entire room was engulfed in a black cloud. It dispersed in less than a minute. The corpses of Zephyr and the others lay on the floor, all grasping at their throats in agony. A quick, yet painful death.
Aldous kept the mask on, the gas still present enough in the air to be lethal. He collected the most valuable belongings of Zephyr. In the basement, he found enough explosives to do the deed his deranged partners had intended. However, there was a treasure trove of alchemical books he had only heard of in reference. Considering them either lost or hoaxes, he was thrilled to find them.
Knowing full well he had committed murder, no matter how justified, Aldous planned to leave the city that night. He skimmed through his newly acquired books, finding one with a detailed history of the Vanguard. The organization’s origins claimed to be ancient, their purpose the eradication of all things demonic. It ran contrary to the group he was initiated into, even forbidding the use of alchemy.
Armed men kicked open Aldous’s door. He immediately realized he had underestimated Zephyr, who had claimed to have loyalists outside the city. It was only natural he had more inside that were likely eager to take revenge. Expecting his life to end abruptly, he didn’t regret disposing of the anarchists, but certainly lamented his Great Work which had only been an ambition.
Instead of killing him, they blindfolded him and brought him to a car. These men wouldn’t answer his inquiries, so Aldous figured they were going to drive him to a remote location and do the deed. It seemed excessively cruel. The ride was short, and minutes after the car stopped, the blindfold was removed. He was in an abandoned building. His abductors had lowered their weapons, escorting him out of the car. In the shadows, he saw the outline of a man approaching. He introduced himself as Alexander and congratulated Aldous on his success initiation into the Vanguard.
He went on to explain his knowledge of Zephyr’s plan. Aware of Aldous’s talents, he hoped he would act in the manner he had, though sloppy in his escape, leaving behind a slew of corpses. If Aldous hadn’t acted within the next few days, he would’ve been gunned down with the rest of them. Despite his priceless skills, they were a danger if working in league with evil.
