°°° Ambush °°° At seven thirty in the evening, Sean and Karen walked down the street hand in hand. Under the illumination of the street lights, Sean’s once lusterless blue eyes regained their vibrance. He smiled with contentment and joy. With his mom’s condition rapidly turning for the better, he could now return to his plans for the future. Carlos had told him he would arrive town later that night, and the next morning they’d be on the first available flight back to Pittsburgh for the triple threat match, which was set for midday the following day. As they passed through the almost empty Kemble Park, with only a few youths playing some late-night basketball, Sean began to think about his plans and his current financial status. The third round battle of the Domain of Warriors tournament, the Inner Ring, had raised him by four thousand dollars for participating, and after he won, an extra six thousand dollars had been added to his prize, summing up to
°°° Blood Pool°°° • Kengle Park, Oak Lane, Philadelphia • Raising his head, Sean saw the hooded fellow, Jay, holding a knife, stabbing at the same spot he had just left. If he had been a second slower, he might have been stabbed multiple times in the back. Injuries from blunt attacks like the brass knuckles and the wooden bat, he could take and survive; with the dagger in play, he had to be weary of Jay. After his boastful comment about their trump card, the teen with the brass knuckles, Henry, scoffed and ran at Sean. Maintaining his unclenched fists in the air, Sean widened his feet, firming his stance as he awaited his assailant. In seconds, Henry was at striking distance and threw his fists at Sean’s torso, aiming for the sides, but Sean blocked and parried each hit with his cupped palms, until Henry suddenly spun on the balls of his feet, sending his elbow into Sean’s chest, forcing the young lad to stagger backwards. "You look surprised, Bull’s Bane!" Henry chuc
°°° Authority and Mystery °°° • Crest Care Hospital Philadelphia • "Thank you, miss Karen," a female cop said and placed her pen in her pocket. "Everything will be just fine," the lady said and patted the amber-haired Karen. They were seated in the reception area of the hospital, and like earlier, it was still busy with nurses and visitors. It was already a couple minutes past nine at night. They had arrived over an hour ago, but Karen was taken to be checked for her medical and mental health evaluation before the cops were allowed to take her statement, a process that took a while longer than was necessary but was expected of a girl who was facing the trauma of witnessing a violent mugging, witnessing a murder, the trauma of also being shot at, and the trauma and heartbreak of her boyfriend battling for his life after suffering multiple bullet wounds trying to save her. She blanked out, getting lost in her thoughts every now and then, before she finally got a hold
°°° Blame °°° Back inside the hospital, Colonel William had gotten a room allotted to his daughter, quite literally renting it. He sat in the bed with her, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulders and clench his surprisingly muscular arm tightly. The Colonel was casually dressed, wearing black men’s joggers and a white long-sleeved shirt that helped express his muscular structure. Other than the patch of white hair above his right brow, the rest were a glistening black. He stroked her hair gently with a frown on his face, as he was consumed by his thoughts. "Come on, baby," he suddenly said, breaking the silence. "… let’s go home. Kelly would be worried. "What? No… I’m… "I'm not leaving here without Sean," she replied, shaking her head and letting go of his arm. "Come on, Beasty. You staying here won’t do you any good. "You need to take a proper bath, have a proper dinner, and get some good rest," the Colonel replied as she folded her hands. "I am not leaving Sean."
°°° Independence is Bad for Your Health °°° • Central City, Philadelphia • -Colonel Jennifer’s Residence- Clad in a silk gray robe, Colonel Jennifer Moretti stared out her window. She had just ended the call with Colonel John Williams a couple minutes ago and was awaiting another call. Soon it came through, and she picked it up. "Blessed Dark-moon upon you, Radial Ella," she greeted the caller. "Blessed Dark-moon upon you, sister Moretti," the caller replied in like manner. Her voice was deep, akin to that of a man. "Have you completed the task?" Colonel Jennifer asked immediately. Her tone had a touch of urgency to it. This was not surprising, though, as her mission was related to the Order of Babel. Any advancement anyone brought up with matters concerning the Order of Babel was sure to win favor from the upper echelons of the Cataclysm Order. With the Order of Babel being their archenemies, the Mother Omega treated it with importance and elevated those who helped
°°° Clash of Order °°° In the dark of the Dark World stood three pillars of lights with unknown origins extending—vertically—into infinity. In these lights, three figures stood In the only blue pillar of light stood the black-haired African American Colonel and newly ascended Oracle, Jennifer Moretti. She stared at the silvery white pillars opposite her in utter confusion. "Nestor Harkins is of the Order of Babel?" What is going on here? Since when has she been a part of them? Are we actually allies? No, we just attacked the Most Revered Father of Australia. There is no way we are in league with them, unless... unless it was just a false attack? Rector Ray Mathers was also in on this? But… I read the report. The damage was... it is possible that it was falsified. But... why would they train us to hate the Order of Babel when we are actually working together? Do both factions have a similar goal? Who is privy to such information? All Oracles? Is this the exposure that Oracle is
°°° Threat of Death °°° -Crest Care Hospital Philadelphia- After getting well rested, Carlos got up on Monday morning ready to go pick Sean up. After he had ‘fixed’ Kate, he had called Sean to affirm that he had gotten back and that they would be leaving first thing the following morning which was today. Based on their agreement, Carlos drove straight to Crest Care Hospital to pick Sean up. They had agreed to meet there should in case Kate wakes up before they leave, Sean will be able to speak with her and share the good news. Carlos alighted his mustang – which his workers had painted gray in his absence – and smoothed his clothes. He was clad in black jeans and a black turtle necked shirt, and a blue blazer over it, wearing white canvas sneakers. With a smile of fulfilment on his face, Carlos strolled freely into the hospital building and went straight to the receptionist. “Carlos Wilson, I’m here to see Sean. Sean Walker,” he said to the receptionist with a smile. This wasn’
°°° Advancement by Grace °°° Sitting on the toilet seat in the staffs restroom, the talkative nurse with short brown hair, greeted the person she had called, her expression now calm and solemn. “Radial Ella,” the voice escaped the speakers of the nurse’s phone, “… have you made any headway?” the matured and authoritative feminine voice asked. “Yes Oracle Moretti,” the nurse, who was also Radial Ella replied with reverence in her voice. “I made contact.” “Already?,” Colonel Jennifer, Oracle Moretti, exclaimed in surprise. “Yes ma’am,” Radial Ella replied. “I just encountered a man who had come to meet up with Sean. Apparently, he wasn’t aware of what had happened last night. He shared the same aura as the lad, but it is not that denser than the kids. He might be like Sean. A part of a society that they don’t know enough about.” “That is possible but it also possible that he is aware that we will be watching and found a way to hide his full presence just like we did with you,” Colo