Hardened Heart

He turned his back, meaning to go, but was caught by his own thoughts, "What am I then? How have I changed?!" His pronunciation stood short, leaving the words to be spat in Isaiah's direction.

Before he could take another step, the other blurted out a response lampooned by saliva. "Do you remember the first time all of us met? Don't you remember what you said to us?"

It was early morning; the sun barely rose over the line of imposing structures to the east. The glare from its rays made the city a sparkling jungle of light capturing the eye to its power.

As the sun rose, Kage surveyed all who entered the academy from its front entrance. Sat upon a stool a few paces away in the shade of the equipment shed's gutter, his eyes darted back and forth carefully watching those climbing the hill.

They all were the same. Cocksure smiles, faces plastered with piercings, all brought together with the amalgamations their hair were styled into. Afterall, it was the bare amount these children could control.

Nothing but slaves. Slaves to the teachers who are slaves to their employers which then become slaves to their governmental masters.

But, beyond that lies a greater master. Everyone beneath are cattle to be slaughtered in a time of need.

His teeth gnawed on themselves as Kage reminisced on the night in which it all began.

However, he wished to assuage this anger, instead returning to his observation of the student body. For an hour and forty-five minutes he waited for someone to command his attention but found only disappointment. As he readied himself to leave for the confines of the air-conditioned insides of the gymnasium, he finally saw two pairs that stole the independence from his eyes.

Dependence struck on the dyed hair from a single boy in the couple but then he saw the face of the girl. Only in that moment could he have taken a leap instead of a step, yet no difference would pronounce his gait. The shine to her face exacerbated the beauty beneath, although cluttered by an intense regiment of makeup to the left side leaving questions in the recesses of Kage's mind. Then, the boy beside her laid as another figure for trepidation. His bony, near skeletal, appearance did not lend itself to his confident stature that surveyed the world in apprehension lenses. Then came the next pair.

In front led the tallest of the bunch equipped with sunglasses so dark not a soul could see through to his eyes. Yet, this seeming delinquent of a student had his arm wrapped around another, hunched over with his face casted down into the concrete of their path.

After their manifestation Kage remembered their faces. They were the top of a burgeoning class. High tiers with powers on par with some already established heroes. Tucking this information into his mind he finally uncovered a reason to approach. Marching away from the shadow of the gutter, Kage stood before the entrance casting his own over the four. From there he cited the words which implanted themselves into the four forever.

"It surely took you all some time to get here. Come on, let's get going and stop wasting daylight." To their perception it was confidence unbridled in the form of a student. It seemed to be one who had known them his entire life. Someone willing to break the wall established around each of them. He must be a cornerstone to place their weight on that was the desire which each had supplanted into a corner of their hearts. Unknown by the younger Kage, his luck became immense as the ties which bound all forces bore gracious fruit in this matter.

As they came face to face with this boy only pronounced by the immense tone and musculature that strained at specific points of his clothing, they saw only a familiar face. Someone who had experienced their suffering, as well as the possibility of something worse. He was everything they needed at the right moment.

In the end, they passed by shaking his hand one at a time. That familiar warmth molding the bond to each other like a tether. If one were to fall, then the rest would seemingly collapse.

That was the fantasy born on such a day. Wandering desires in which reality was almost too cruel for such fantastical dreams.

While Isaiah recounted their wonderment, the glow which passed into their souls, Kage regretted each word he spoke. His fingers tore into the palms of his hands.

"It was by fate we met, wasn't it? You brought us together, and in return we became greater than friends, didn't we?"

'No, I manipulated and toyed with you all. There was no fate or coincidence but my own selfish desire.'

"You saw us as similar to you. We all have experienced some trauma and you realized that. That's why we are still friends."

'No, no, no, it was a lie. I needed you to train myself, to grow stronger and create our dream.

The dream.

Paradise.'

"Kage, we were there in the beginning and we will go to the very end. Don't push us aw-

"Stop." It halted Isaiah with an overwhelming chill that emanated from Kage's lips. In a face he expected to see nostalgia, instead it was built by overwhelming mania. It contorted as if bugs crawled beneath in the flesh munching away at his blood.

With a reaching hand, Isaiah wished to take hold of Kage once more, "Ka-

"There is no such thing as Fate." Isaiah's hand dropped, "No coincidence occurred, all that was, is by my own actions. I knew who you were so sought you out."

Isaiah looked for the clear lie in him. There must be something. Kage found them because they needed each other. It was by coincidence, generated faith, which brought them together at a point most needed. "Th-that's not true…" His voice trembled.

"I only needed the rest of you to aid myself and that time is finally over." Wiping his face away of the mildew sweat making it gleam in the slightest bit of sunlight, Kage made to hide more than his perspiration. "Since the beginning you all have only anchored me."

It was Kage's turn to comfort Isaiah. Placing a hand on the boy's shoulder Kage gave a solemn grip to the touch forcing up Isaiah's gaze. "Do you hear me, friend? I never cared for you. Out of all those that followed me, you were the most pitiful. Sullying by himself while carried through life on the heels of Jacob. What a fucking miserable life you've led." Kage kept his hand but rose to cast a drawn-out shadow over the opposed body. "Believe me when I say this… I have never once cared for you."

Then, the hand Isaiah so wished would stay, left. It was like his sole guardian to the nightmares spanning a decade of poverty had vanished. Now gone, he would face the musician's cry. However, the words meant nothing as a tinge to the corner of Kage's lips clued the boy into the deceit taking place.

Once it was gone did he begin to panic.

"WAIT!" Isaiah fumbled with his feet, collapsing into a muddy puddle, splashing its sickness over his bottom with speckles flocking to his thighs. Kage did not glance at the sound, continuing to trudge forth into the dusk settling day.

Without letting him speak another word, Kage interjected to pose a simple question. "Would you- What could you do to save a life." His back was turned allowing Isaiah a quiet reprieve, but not a speedy one.

"Answer." His mouth slowed and so did the words. An escalating tiredness settled over his very being. Tiredness which seemed to seep up, out to the burning glow which descended high from the sky, basking the both of them in its orange splendor.

Isaiah kneeled in the muck then shot both of his arms out to take in Kage… only to stop.

Before he could touch his friend, he had the notion to cease the pointless action. It felt like *something* had blown a suggestion in the form of an icy whisper into the depths of his ear. A suggestion he unconsciously took. One which gave over the rights of his movement to the *one* who suggested it. Yet, he felt himself overcome with the urge to speak his mind. The buried truth he knew not to answer with but did so anyway because it was what this whisper asked of him.

A whisper so gentle in its delivery yet commanding in tone. It pleaded to his innate kindness to forgive the transgression then give in to its varied demand. He must be truthful to a friend, if not, then were they truly friends? Was it all a lie or could he still salvage that last piece in order to maintain sanity?

Isaiah chose the latter.

"I would do anything and everything to save a friend."

Kage's shoulders dropped as the grip to his hands loosened, unwinding the blood coated nails to open air.

Isaiah sought to chew out his own tongue in order to cease his voice. This was not him; he could never tell such debased thoughts. An occurrence that drew closer once more, compelling the teenage boy to explain further. "I could… I would kill to see them live!" He bellowed out into the twisting sky. Echoing the statement along the winds.

Suddenly he fell back into the puddle, losing strength in his lower body.

When Kage heard the statement, a softening wave washed over him. As if he had been granted a blessing from Michael, possibly Gabriel.

He would be worse; he would do worse if it meant those closest to him lived another day.

Swiveling forth, Kage took part in his determined path, leaving Isaiah in the grime of his puddle to stew. He no longer needed to think, plan, manipulate, all of that had just wasted his time. Since the beginning, he should have had a singular focus then executed on it. There was no point in thinking if the action could not be taken.

So closed the day, ending with a last shimmering spark of red squinting out from the edges of the high standing towers. Its weight upon Kage as all sin judged itself in the eyes of God. Eyes bored with wisdom yet alerted to the momentous pull behind each movement that pushed the winds to beckon and heel.

One sin bred his existence as now it would all come crashing over him like a wave to the mighty sea. A sea of sin to incarcerate his soul in the muck of Hell.

Those were the depths he must reach.

To save everyone he would do anything.

Even Become A Devil.