5 Five - The Creed of Vengeance

Leo was at a loss for words. He could never have guessed that his father was responsible for the kidnapping of Alistair.

"Father, with respect, I demand that you tell me what you mean by your command."

Alston did not look surprised to hear this. It was if he was dreading this day, and now it had finally come.

"It started more than five hundred years ago," he began. "Our ancestors belonged to a dangerous order. A Creed that relied on the pain of others. Moreno Dornan founded the Creed of Vengeance. When a person was wronged, they would take their case to him. He would then have one of the members of the Creed execute the order. The victims could decide to have the targets killed or have their names ruined. Many lives were lost."

"Eventually, the families who the Creed had destroyed took action. They launched an attack on the Creed, which was in the village of Therston. They made deals with the devil himself, gaining extra strength, or agility, in exchange for their souls. They even had demons fighting for them. The gods looked down on this and decided that they needed to exterminate the presence of Hell. They blessed Moreno with extraordinary powers. Legend has it that he could wield shadows as if they were his own blade."

Alistair gulped and looked at Leo, who was standing in shock. Leo's hands were shaking at his sides, the only sign of his fear. He was not one for feelings and would do his absolute best to hide his. He wouldn't even voice his grief when his mother, Laura, had died. He had only been twelve years old, yet he remained silent. He never cried or mourned visibly. The only people who knew anything about Leo were his father, Alistair, and a special woman. The only problem was that Leo was beginning to feel as if he didn't even know his own father. He looked back at Alistair, who was opening his mouth to speak. He shook his head, causing Alistair to close it again.

"There was one man in particular, who had immense capabilities," continued Alston. "He was a powerful man indeed. At least, the public thought it was a man. Her name was Yin Morlo."

Alistair Morlo started at the mention of the name. Alston looked at him and said, "You, Alistair, are the last descendant of a very evil woman. She was the only person to challenge the devil to combat and best him. As a reward, he gave her a very dangerous ability. One of her descendants would be born a demon. The most powerful one to lay siege to our world. She is said to be so evil that flowers die in her presence."

Alistair looked as if he would pass out, so Leo walked over and put a reassuring arm on his back. Alston observed him for a moment, and when he was certain that Alistair was alright, carried on. "She will have eternal life, until she is killed by a champion of the gods' choice. The champion will not only be able to control the force of darkness but will have power beyond what our kind has ever seen. Once Yin was killed, the gods promised Moreno that one of his descendants would be their champion."

"This champion will be able to eradicate evil as we know it but will be faced with a decision. He will be able to fight the Morlo demon, pursue those who wronged him, or fight the enemy within Ithreal."

"Would the enemy within be Hades?" asked Leo.

"No one knows," replied Alston. "A revolt has been rumoured, but nothing certain has been said."

Alistair was deep in thought. 'If Leo is the champion, who is the demon?' he thought.

Alston continued his story. "He will not be able to pursue all, for he would fail, leaving everyone in danger. The prophecy reached the ears of Hades himself. Since then, the Dornans have never been safe. We have been hunted, arrested, killed, and even worse."

Leo suddenly had a realisation. Shaking his long hair out of his eyes, he asked, "Is that how my mother died? You told me her cause of death was unknown."

There was an edge to his voice now, warning Alston to answer carefully.

"Yes, my son. Your mother was murdered by one of Hades' followers. They believed that she was without child and believed that they could end the prophecy. When you were kidnapped, I knew that they had found the truth."

Leo walked up to his father, eyes brimming with tears. Without warning, he struck, delivering a solid elbow to his father's chin. Alston collapsed against a bookshelf, with blood trickling down his chin in dark drops of life. Leo sprinted out of the room, towards the palace entrance. He looked out at the kingdom that would soon be his. The market district was spread out near the entrance to the city. In between the market district and the palace was the residential district. He looked at the stone houses and he saw it. Her house. The one friend no one ever knew about. Not even Alistair. Whatever time he spent with her was either in the room of her house or in the less populated areas in the city.

She believed it safer to keep their friendship a secret, because after all, Maximus Wilardson would not be a happy man to see them together. Leo ran towards Janelle's house, weaving his way between the houses. He vaulted over fences, slid through walls and climbed rooftops. He arrived outside her home. Leo sprinted towards the wall and ran up it. He reached the second floor, but her window was just out of reach. He let go of the wall and extended his arms downwards, shooting streams of darkness from his palms, propelling him straight through her window. He was really beginning to enjoy this ability of his.

There she was, laying on her bed, looking at an image of Leo, who she no doubt believed was dead. She was gorgeous. She had blonde hair that extended down to her bosom. There were slight curls near the ends of her hair. She had a model face, with a petite nose and eyes that Leo always found himself getting lost in. She had deep brown eyes, which coupled with her hair and sharp features, always made Leo yearn.

He had often pictured them together, with her blonde hair contrasting his brown hair. He pushed his hair back, so that his brown eyes would be more visible.

"Honey, I'm home," he announced. She yelped and spun around. Her brown eyes settled their gaze on him. She gasped and ran to him, pulling him into a deep embrace. Her touch sent sparks along his skin. He could feel the love in her hug and he knew that it was purely platonic, whereas he felt much more.

"I thought you were dead." She pulled back, and with her left arm on his chest, slapped him across the face with the other one. He laughed.

"I deserved that."

"Yes, you did," she replied, kissing him on the cheek, causing his heart to pound. He didn't want her to notice it, so he pulled back.

"I think we have much to catch up on," he said, and told her everything.

* * * * *

A few days after he escaped from Maximus, he found that he could not stop thinking of Janelle. He crept back to her house, knowing that she must have been hating herself and him. He had climbed up the wall to her room and pulled himself into the open window. Night had just fallen, and she must have been about to close the window, because he had fallen rather ungracefully into the room, landing at her feet.

"What do you want? To finish defiling me?" she asked with the voice of an angel.

He stood up and opened space between them.

"No, milady, I ca- "

"Milady?" she interrupted.

"Yes, you are female after all."

"Skip the formalities. What do you want?"

"Ah," he exclaimed. "I came here to apologise. I was not in full control of myself and I wish I hadn't done that. I know your father was mad at you and I am truly sorry."

"Oh, is that so?" she drawled. "Then make it up to me. Bring me a picture of you, so that I may have something I can throw my knives at."

"Charmed," he replied.

He left through the window and jumped two stories to the ground. He ran to the palace and found a well printed image if himself. It was given to him by a sorcerer, who took an image of his face and put it clearly onto paper. He had called it a photograph. Leo took it, frame and all, and rushed back to Janelle's home. The window was closed. 'She's not getting rid of me so easily,' he thought.

He climbed onto the window sill and started knocking, without stopping until she opened it.

"I come bearing gifts," he announced, handing her the photograph. "I was hoping we could be friends. You have captured my attention in ways that I could never explained. Give me a chance."

"My word, you make a tempting proposition. Meet me tomorrow, outside the city. We should talk away from my father," she agreed.

Leo didn't expect that he would fall in love with her in such an unrequited manner. He only expected friendship and nothing more.

* * * * *