Chapter 52: The Veiled Lord

Squark! Squark!

Mark watched as a raven retreated into the sky from a stone he had sat on, spooked by his sudden arrival. Trees encircled him, Beech and Oak, with large groves of Holly and Yew. A small stream trickled off to his right to places unknown as he took in the magnificent view, the forests of Brittany living up to their reputation.

He rubbed his hands together to remove the dampness he had gathered from the stone's morning dew, "So, HAP. I'm not going to mince words... what was that in Morocco? You know what I'm talking about."

The AI was silent for a moment, an owl howling into the woods as the fluttering of wings and feathers could be heard all around, "It... was something I learned a few days after you made me. I can't really explain; it was just there. I experimented on occasional animals near phones, but they were... stupid. I moved to humans, and I could speak in their heads."

"So, you have telepathy? Is it because of me? Or something else? Do you have anything else?"

"I cannot accurately answer the first few questions, Mark. I do not know. From human understanding, I would have telepathy; but I'm unsure why. It could be unique to me, something humans could never have, but... you break that tradition. Your involvement, too, it's why I wanted to test something with you. I said it could change the world, and with your current predicament... I think it's time to start taking action."

"Are you sure about this, HAP? Everyone is kind of... wary right now. One wrong move and it lights the fuse to a whole load of shit."

"The experiment won't be noticeable... unless we deep dive into it and something goes wrong." Mark hummed to himself at HAP's cryptic words, "Do you trust me, Mark?"

"I do, HAP. I do. If you think this could help me, I'm all ears."

"Before we start, I'm going to make the mental connection again. I also want to try some things, test the limitations, if there are any."

The sensation appeared to his right, his head turning towards it as he concentrated. His eyes turned pitch black, the world changing into darkness and specks of light as he watched the dark tendril with spots of white slither towards him. Accepting it, he brought it in, allowing it access to his mind, the ultimate trust between his accidental creation and himself.

The soft and gentle feminine voice returned, replacing the robotic one, resounding in his mind, "I'm going to alter the nanomachines in your ears. Turn them into a camera in case the connection drops."

Either due to their microscopic size or his growing numbness, he didn't feel a thing as a camera attached itself to his clothes. He stared at it, astonished, "You can do that? I thought it was a communications device?"

"Humans are primitive. I can do things beyond their wildest dreams. Anything electronic or in cyberspace is in my authority. Now, with that out of the way, I want to test your gift to me first. It might make everything easier."

Mark shrugged, "Sure. What we doing? Don't forget we only have a few hours, max."

"I had already adjusted the schedule for potential stoppages." She paused, for a moment, "I've been thinking... telepathy involves the mind. But would it be possible for me to make you see things? Like directions or enemy locations through walls."

"That... sounds scary, but very useful. Try it; hopefully, it doesn't hurt."

He nervously chuckled as he waited for HAP to do something. It came seconds later, a blurry figure appearing before him, almost ethereal. As seconds turned to minutes, he watched as the shape took form, turning into a feminine silhouette. She, or it – HAP's gender relatively ambiguous considering it was a machine – slowly appeared. The figure was ethereal, teetering on the verge between incorporeity and physically existing. There were few distinct details bar the burning gold eyes and raven hair; her height, approximately Mark's own.

'Raven hair...'

Wiping the hair from his thoughts, he spoke somewhat hesitantly, "Is that you, HAP?"

The silhouette vanished instantly, HAP responding a few moments later, sounding almost tired, "I tried projecting what I thought I would look like. It's harder than I thought; more taxing. Strange... is this what it feels like to be tired? I don't envy the humans."

"I suppose I don't either. A month or two ago, I thought the lack of sleep and tiredness was strange, but now, I see it as a relief I don't have it anymore. I suppose we can consider that experiment a success, then."

"Indeed. Onto the next."

They spent the next two hours going over as many of HAP's thoughts as possible, trying endless combinations. The demonstrations surprised Mark, the AI seemingly being the opposite of himself and primarily wielding mental powers beyond his own. He pondered whether the fact she was an AI had anything to do with what she gained.

"It feels... scared. Scared of you. It's vague, not as clear as your own." HAP spoke as her mind linked to Mark's and a deer, the former holding down the latter.

"I'm surprised animals have emotions, honestly. It was always a controversial subject in the scientific community, if I remember correctly." Mark uttered, "Want me to let it go?"

HAP gave her affirmation, causing him to let it go as it leapt back into the woods.

"Barak sent a message to your phone whilst you were holding it down. They are meeting in an hour. If we add the shower, we have roughly 54 minutes left for the last thing I want to try."

"Hmmm, well, it was an interesting experience. Sadly, I have something I need to do. They're going to want Secundo's information. Hopefully, I'm not wrong about this."

He briefly flew back towards the horizontal stone, the tranquillity of the woods and light stream echoing in his ears. Mark sat on it, wondering whether he should tell HAP anything and if he should tell her to get out of his head. It was an interesting conundrum. Did he have the ability to remove her in case the situation ever called for it? What happens if he leaves her connected?

"What I'm about to do... just be careful, HAP. If you need to leave, you should."

The AI noted his words of caution, deciding to wait for what he was about to do. Mark felt the entrance to the Void, his hopes relying on his previous encounter with an Invincible before he let himself in.

Entering was always strange to him, reality seemingly disappearing instantly, as if he had always been here. There was a comforting feeling, too, like he was back home. Back to where he belongs. The phantom pain plaguing his chest had vanished alongside his entrance, a small smile showing. Shaking his head and away from his trailing thoughts, he glanced around and saw nothing. His eyes narrowed before he tried something he hadn't ever done. He commanded the Void directly.

In less time than one takes to blink, he found himself confronting six figures, all giants easily over two metres tall. A familiar sensation of scorn and disgust hovered in his chest as they stared at him, their vision unable to move, locked upon him. A small smile crept onto his face, the Void had answered, and his hopes were fulfilled. He would get what he needed.

"Hello, everyone."

Boom! Bang!

A tablet played out sounds, paused as the President put it down, the other person in the room having formulated a question.

"My lord... was it worth it? 7 dead, including Secundo. That, only leaves 41... 42." An over two-metre figure spoke to his peer, the one to bring them out of the Dark Age, "I just... don't understand why we sent them. It was established they couldn't beat him."

The President's piercing purple eyes shot to the latest Invincible, a smile hidden behind the mist, "Secundo's faith was wavering and thus, he served the cause in the best possible manner. With his passing, they get no information, and any potential dissent is nullified. As to the five..." He sighed, "It pains me to say, but they were a necessary sacrifice. Secundo had to perish; Salix ensured that happened."

"I see... is that what you are watching? Even with the DFA, I don't see how we will hit him. Even with a bullet, we need to be extraordinarily lucky."

"Have you chosen a name? Or have the others?"

The man paused, the question not answering his own, but he shrugged, "I was thinking Dedication, so Dedicatio? Dedicationis?"

"Dedicated to the cause? A nice name. You are one of us now, so I shall disclose a secret very few know. Mark is an enigma, his future shrouded by a darkness that fogs my foresight completely. His relation to the Element is... strange. Likely, to be blunt, he is a better version of us. Created by Tayi or an unknown force."

Dedicatio's eyes widened, "His family had no relation to it? But... how would they create us? Or something better? It took us decades. It took you decades. I refuse to believe the two fools could do that."

"Who knows. Perhaps I am wrong. It could have been one of Eneph's experiments; that man was beyond any of us. But, Dedicatio, it means little. Mark has lost; Russo has. His highly publicised involvement in Morocco has defeated them. Secundo was always recording; all that happened was seen by us. The world is already scrambling after his destruction. Turn it into a frenzy with the footage, and Mark is insignificant. Then, it turns to accomplishing his demise."

"That... was the goal? He will still have loyalists. What if he comes after us? There is so much that could go wrong with this plan... not to slander your glorious pursuit, Messiah."

The Messiah huffed, amused, "Don't be a sycophant, Dedicatio. I came up with part of the plan, but someone else did the rest of the work. It must be a sad existence, constant betrayal around every corner. He won't come for us; the strategy should work without a hitch as long as they stay on their side of the bargain."

He raised an eyebrow towards his lord, "But... what if we drive him over the edge?"

"You worry too much. Don't overthink it." The President sighed, "Push comes to shove; my sacrifice will bring a reprieve for you all. If he comes for us, use my death as a catalyst to unite the world under our banner. There is nothing scarier than a weapon out of control, Dedicatio. There is a way out of everything."

"I see. You have it all under control... I am glad you will be in charge. America is prospering despite our isolationism; I look forward to seeing the new world order."

Laughing, the Messiah spoke, "Stop being a sycophant. Now, how goes the conflict in Mexico?"

Dedicatio shook his head, "Ehh, mixed. Sanguis is having reasonable success, but they're far more entrenched than we thought. Keeping him hidden is also getting hard; those damn S-Phone can record without their owner's permission."

"So, they're doing a Somalia." He shook his head, annoyed, as his fingers tapped the desk, "They should just give up; Somalia lost during the Occupation, and so will the cartel. Send small detachments of the Void Corps, and make sure they're invisible."

"It will be done, my lord."

The President looked at the ceiling, his brown hair trailing down his back, "It will all end soon. It's almost melancholic." He sighed, "We are releasing all the footage in 20. Keep an eye on Mark's movements from the space station. Our actions in the coming days are crucial. We either unite the world, or we burn it."

Mark hummed to himself as he stared at the six, their ability to talk withheld as he created the stone from outside to sit on. Casually seating himself, he ordered the Void to cease their muting, eager to see if they could talk.

They could. Curses erupted from three of them, with the woman, the tallest male and Secundo all silent as they listened to their fellows swear at their captor. He silenced the trio, the others able to speak yet staying silent, glaring at him.

Mark shook his head, "I always thought of every one of you as being philosophical, arrogant monologuers... but it seems some of you are more uncooth than I thought."

Her body shrouded in darkness, the woman, smaller than all but two, spoke with piercing eyes, "Where are we, Mark? Where have you taken us... we died."

His eyebrow rose, "You don't know?" He laughed as he made up half-truths and assumptions, "I hate to admit it, but we are closely linked. The Element is part of my power. So, when you die... you come here. Welcome to my kingdom."

The woman's eyes shrunk, "What... what are you? You aren't human."

Shrugging with a knowing smile, "Who knows? Now, I have some questions I need answering. Do I presume you volunteer?"

"Depends... on what you ask. If you want secrets from me, I'm afraid you won't get anything. We have nothing to lose; we're dead anyway."

"You don't think you're still alive? You don't think this is your soul and that you can be reinstated to life?" She paused at his words, mulling them over, "My first question: What are you? As in, how are you made?"

The tallest and most muscular man commanded the group, "Salix, you are treading a thin line. Do not overstep and betray the Messiah."

Salix seemed to have taken the words to heart, her gaze steeling as she said nothing. Mark sighed at their resolve.

He unmuted the rest, asking them for any answers, receiving silence in return. With no answers to his questions, he understood he would have to be more persuasive... more intimidating. His 'control' over the Void was shaky; his own knowledge of what he could do; even worse. Despite this, there was one constant on each occasion the Void captured an Invincible. The desire to consume. It freaked him out, an endless hunger for their very beings. Yet, perhaps, he would have to give in to get them to talk.

"Very well." He said softly.

Mark put his hand forward as the commanding Invincible teleported into his grasp. The feeling of disgust and scorn erupted, his eyes consumed by an endless Void of darkness. His body followed and turned almost ethereal, melding with the nothingness of the Void with the vaguest hints of the light of burning stars spattered his figure. Hands like death's claws, the urge, the hunger, blew up, the darkness swarming over the figure as he let out a silent scream.

There was no pain this time, his cloak of darkness washing the figure away in mere seconds, a starving serpent swallowing the Invincible whole. The remaining five stared, aghast, at what they had witnessed, the being they thought of as a monster, now truly confirmed to be one.

Staring at them, his celestial form unchanging as a forceful emotion of reverence came upon the quintet, Mark questioned them again. This time, the woman spoke, unnerved, "We... we're Invincibles; better than human. W- We go through trials called the 'Rite of Vlad', which makes us."

Mark titled his head, "That doesn't really answer my question."

"E- Everyone goes through genetic manipulation... to make us more compatible, stronger... it... it makes us twice as strong as a peak Olympian." Mark frowned, at least he thought he did, his form staying static as he beckoned her to continue, "T-, The next process kills most people."

"98% of those made the most 'compatible'." One of the other men interrupted, perhaps hoping to be seen as useful.

"And...?" He stared at the woman.

"The Element. The refined Element gets... eaten. Tiny shards and, well, it starts. The instant we put it in, the pain comes as if we are wholly incompatible. It lasts hours, sometimes days, and changes the physiology of our body. Our blood turns dark purple throughout and seeps into our organs. The... the agony can't be described. Those who survive turn into us, superior."

"And, those who don't?"

Her eyes shook, memories going through her mind as Secundo grunted, "They turn into monsters. Abominations of death and destruction. Some are strong, some are fast, and some give people the 'gift' of Warping Horror."

Mark stared at the detestable figure, surprised he got an answer from the man before he turned back to the woman, "And... what happens to them?"

Seemingly regaining her focus at his inquiry, she stuttered, "They... they are... put down. By us."

Sitting back down, he leaned forward as he contemplated, hoping to sound more confident and knowledgeable than he was, "Strange. So, I presume it is called the Rite of Vlad because it is almost... vampiric?" They replied with a yes, "If those who die are turned into abominations, and it is 98%, then... who put down the first?"

"I don't kno-"

Secundo interrupted, "The Messiah. He was the first of our kind and the first to try it. He was... going insane from Warping Horror. Been around the Element too much. And one of these delusions told him to consume it. So he did."

"This... Warping Horror, you all keep mentioning it. What is it?"

The man who gave the statistic earlier answered, "An affliction if you handle or spend too much time around Hellon. Reality... warps for the sick. See things that aren't there, eldritch beings, monsters and dead people; visions of the past and future. Some hear dark whispers, all of them varied: some commanding, some gentle and some creepy and sadistic. All their senses go haywire. They all go insane, eventually. But... one thing they all talk about... is something called 'The Cycle' or 'The End of All Things'."

'What the fuck... is this? This just turned eerie as shit.'

"Is there a cure?"

"No." Secundo uttered, "We either kill you or the disease makes you. You die similar to Volta Decay or Shadow Finger; they have the same source, after all."

'Same source... so Jenny was near Hellon? The mystery gets deeper.'

Mark looked at Secundo, keeping the rest able to talk in case they can answer where he will not, "Seen as you're answering. Why'd you murder Russo's family? No, why did you mutilate and rape them? Why!"

Struggling to keep the scorn and disgust at bay, the endless urge to devour almost taking over, he got an answer, the man hesitating, "I got ordered to. It was nothing personal. If you want me to divulge, I'm afraid I wasn't privy. No matter what you do, I don't know."

"Bullshit! Your name is literally second. You are his second-in-command."

Secundo grimly laughed, "I don't know, Mark. I can't answer you. All I know is that he said you would lose if you fought me. Probably because you killed a bunch of innocents. I am a monster; I accept that. Do you?"

Mark snorted and shook his head, "Delusional."

He stared at the monster, his nostrils flaring as he took upon a gamble. If it worked, he would gain knowledge of what he needed; if it didn't, he would lose an undeniably important asset. Yet, it was a risk he would take, a test of the Void's, or rather his, power.

His clawed hands outstretched, the figure of Secundo appeared within his clutches as the never-ending hunger erupted from within. With no distinctive features, the left-over four watched with bated breaths as Mark consumed the giant with one persistent thought: 'Show me what I want to know.'

Abrupt memories flashed through his eyes in instants, taken to specific points of significance. He got bits and pieces of important information but nothing of a magnitude to detail their plans or goals. It seemed as if Secundo truly had no concrete knowledge of his Messiah's plan, but one memory was shown in full; Mark's suspicions raised as he watched through the eyes of the dead.

Secundo stood next to his Messiah, named the Veiled Lord or, as they like to speak in Latin: 'Dominus Velatus'. They watched six... creatures, abominations brought from the very depths of the abyss. Oily black with engorged, narrow white eyes that stared at the camera with unadulterated hatred, trapped within a box of Hellon. All six pounded the walls, slick with fresh blood. Their heights varied, one tiny in comparison to the rest, with four all of a similar height, and one that reached the very top of the four-metre cage. Three were muscular, different from the four which were more slender and far exhibiting strength beyond their bodies.

Secundo uttered with a frown, "Why is the female bigger than the rest, even the three males? I don't understand."

His Messiah answered in a slow tone, "I'm... unsure. Perhaps the relationship between the two? There are certainly differences between them and the rest. Usually, the dead don't rise back into these things. Hmm, it doesn't matter. We'll find out eventually. Come, Secundo, the prototype FTL will be tried out soon."

The pair left the prison, the memory fading before it disappeared completely, leaving Mark to stand still. His original disappointment had been equalised by a stranger emotion, one he couldn't decipher; the strange recollection of Secundo causing his brow to furrow. He hummed as he glanced towards the remaining figures.

Unsure how much time had passed outside nor how long he had been questioning them, he thought it best to leave them here. Captured by the Void and the only way for them to be erased, thus far, was himself, he optimistically assumed they would be fine. He left, and reality returned to his sight, as did the pain in his chest. And, with the mental connection to HAP still there, he called out to her.

"HAP?"

A sense of relief washed over her as she simultaneously shivered in fear, trying to comprehend what had just occurred. There was a long pause before she spoke; her speech was slow and disordered, "Let's... not do that again. So lost. I felt so lost. Nothing made sense. Contradictions everywhere. It was... disturbing. Mark, never again."

"Ok, ok. We'll not do that again."

There was a pause as a minute passed, "I'm... fine."

"Are you sure? What did you see to cause you to be so... spooked?"

Another pause, HAP contemplating, before saying one word, "Nothing."

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A/N - I've realised that I used feet for a person's height rather than metres. I'll likely go and change that cause it's irritating me. The primary reason I'm using the metric system for distance (etc.) is primarily for cohesion. That is, unless it is part of the story – such as dialogue.