OoC: ...Gee, this seems familiar... << Good thing I actually saved this... Darn hackers. Take two...

IC:

Loneliness…

Trees—solid black and blue and dark green trees—all around. They hurtled past in a blur. She barely registered their unearthly hues. All she knew was the sensation of her bare feet pounding the ground. Where she sprinted and for what reason, she was not aware. In the back of her mind, she was fully convinced she had to reach her destination before something horrifying came to pass. And yet, she did not know what such an event could be.

Ecstasy…

A sudden burst of light illuminated her immediate surroundings but nearly blinded her in the process. Upon removing her hand from her eyes, the sight of a sunlit break in the seemingly endless sea of trees—a clearing—greeted her. Birds twirled lazily through the air, chirping happy choruses understandable only to themselves. They were joined by the sporadic butterfly that floated among the flowers carpeting the clearing floor. Everything about the scene was euphoric, and she moved to the center, inhaling deeply the pleasant, reassuring scents of life dancing on the warm breezes.

Brokenness…

Without warning, the sun was blotted out, plunging everything in her view into darkness. A cold wind swept by, sending chills straight into her bones. A soft crunch sounded behind her. Whirling around in panic, she searched in vain for the source of the noise. Nothing but emptiness. It practically laughed in her face, filled her with a sudden need to weep. The emptiness pressed in around her, threatening to rip every last bit of hope she possessed to shreds. And then, it stirred.

Fear…

Cold settled over her, but this was not caused by any external source. Something was behind her. And she knew it wanted her. The slightest hint of a breath brushed against her neck, and she stiffened visibly. Despite her efforts to banish her frightening thoughts, she continuously convinced herself that benevolent intentions seemed furthest from the invisible presence’s mind. Only a powerful malice tinged with…

Lust…

Her eyes widened in sudden realization. There was only one entity she knew would harbor such feelings for her. If it was indeed him… She fled, not caring which direction she ran, only that it took her far away from him. Spreading her wings, she flew just above the ground, dodging trees as best she could in the nearly pitch blackness. But no matter how she strained her wings, no matter how she begged and pleaded inwardly for speed, that breath constantly feathered upon her neck, as though he were clinging stubbornly to her even as she flew to escape him.

Sanctuary…

An abrupt wall of bright colors exploded into her vision. With a crash, she shattered the stained glass window and hit the floor of the cathedral in a crumpled mess. After a few moments of stillness, she pushed herself to her knees and shook her head, glancing about, vestiges of fear still holding her. The church was elaborate in design, enormous stained glass windows depicting various key moments from the Holy Scriptures in brilliant hues paneling the walls. The ceilings arched overhead at least twenty feet. Stillness pervaded the atmosphere, and a relieving peace filled her.

Damnation…

In an explosion of metal, thick chains burst from every corner of the cathedral and clamped upon her wrists and ankles. A cry of frightened surprise escaped her lips as the chains retracted somewhat and held her suspended in the middle of the sanctuary—now suddenly a misnomer. In vain, she struggled to free herself. As though summoned by the rattling of her chains, a voice, commanding and haughty, pierced the air.

“Mariana.”

From out of the shadows cast by the massive altar at the front, a figure appeared. Tall and regal, he looked the very picture of an archangel. Long, golden-brown hair flowed smoothly to his shoulder blades, complemented by his piercing golden eyes, which seemed to bore straight into her soul as he looked at her. He was clothed entirely in white, yet the billowing robes he wore at the moment failed to hide his muscular body. Her eyes trailed down his bare chest part of the way to rest upon the Ruberisigna.

“Vauthor.” She paused for a moment in her strained acknowledgement of his presence. “What is this?”

He smirked, an unfriendly light shimmering faintly in his eyes. “You aren’t happy to see me?”

“I don’t have to answer that question.”

A chuckle, also unfriendly. “I suppose you don’t.” He fixed her with a condemning stare, magnified by the holy light now slowly forming an aura of gold around him. “How dare you enter this sacred place and pollute it with your filth?”

Visibly stung by his remark, a few tears brimmed in Mariana’s violet eyes. “My filth? Is that what you think of me? I’m a Seal Guardian, just as you are.”

Vauthor’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the Argentsigna which did indeed dangle from the vampire angel’s neck. “Some oversight, I’m sure. One which will soon be corrected.”

She squirmed against her chains once more, knowing full well it was a pointless action, but afraid to ask the question. “…What do you mean ‘corrected’?”

An unpleasant grin formed on his face. “So full of questions, are you? You’ll know in just a moment, but first…there is something I’m most certain you’ll want to hear about.” He moved closer to the edge of the altar which was still veiled in the shadows.

Something about where he was going triggered memories, and she immediately guessed what he must be planning. “If you’re only trying to remind me of Cedric, it won’t work. I’ve suffered enough over his death, and I’ve passed through it. I know it wasn’t my fault. …Not entirely.”

Vauthor laughed outright. “That boy? You think I’m merely going to play with your mind a bit before I strip you of your rank? How simple-minded you are! No, no, no… I have a question for you. Word reached my ears that your damned and carnal relationship with the vampire was severed.”

Mariana winced, not needing any further reminding of the hole in her heart because of it. “Yes, he and I parted. What concern is it to you?”

“Would you like to know where he is?”

Mariana’s heart leaped. He knew where Max was? But why would he offer to help her find him again? “You’d…tell me where he is? Why? I thought you abhorred him. And me being with him.”

She sincerely doubted his smile could get any more unpleasant. “He’s here, in this very room with us.” And then, Vauthor spread his self-illumination outwards, laying bare the contents of the altar to Mariana’s eyes.

An anguished scream tore from her throat.

Maximilian was spread across the marble, limp. But what drew her horrified gaze was not his face but the huge wooden stake stabbed directly into his chest. A numbness slowly crept over her, as her emotions were too varied and too powerful for her to express for the time being. Her mouth dry, she tried her best to form coherent words. “…Why…? Why did you do this…? He’s done nothing to you…”

“He existed! That was sin enough! Judgment was passed on him by higher powers than me. I was merely Yahweh’s hand.”

She could contain it no longer. “I won’t believe that!” Melancholic rage consumed her, and she used her newfound strength to tear herself free from the chains and fly to Max’s body. Removing the stake from his chest, she immediately placed a hand over the wound to seal it. But she knew enough to know he wouldn’t stir, and she buried her head in his chest, weeping profusely, clinging to his still form as though her life depended on it. He was her tangible anchor in her current state. She had persistently held to the thought that nothing could kill him, that he would always be there no matter what. Sobbing hard, tears seeping into his shirt, she teetered dangerously on the edge of insane oblivion. “No…no, I didn’t want to find you like this…”

Suddenly, she was yanked away by Vauthor, who had grasped her wings. Wailing, Mariana stretched her hand out to Max, desperate just to touch him. Pain exploded all along her back, and she was dumped unceremoniously onto the floor. She felt sticky wetness all over her and noticed with terror that her sapphire blood was splashing down in streams. Looking up at Vauthor, she cried out again, for he was standing there, holding her severed wings in his left hand.

“You won’t be needing these anymore.” In disgust, he tossed what were in his eyes abominations to the side, then latched his hand onto her neck and ripped the Argentsigna off its chain. “And you certainly won’t need this, either.”

With another scream of protest, Mariana woke up.

Curled up against the side of a tree, she trembled, the effects of the nightmare still lingering. Despite her best efforts, she could not banish the images of Max staked to the altar of that church—his still body, his darkened eyes, the absence of warmth…

Standing immediately to her feet, she prayed harder than she ever had. I need to know where he is. Just that he’s alright. I don’t know what I’d do if he was… She swallowed hard. Please…please let me find him. Please take me to him.

A thin ribbon of silvery light snaked out of the center of the Argentsigna and off through the trees, as though beckoning her to follow it. Her eyes followed it, and she offered up her heartfelt thanks, first to her Father, then to the Argentsigna itself. Without questioning, she set off along the trail, hoping that she would indeed find Max at the end of it.

It wasn’t long before Mariana came upon a stretch of ruins. The light still called her onward, so she willingly followed, not entirely sure why Max would be in such a place. Amidst the stones, she spied a lone figure sitting in the middle of a ring of stones and gazing upward toward the stars that sprinkled the night sky. Hope surged within her, and she moved closer, throwing caution mostly to the wind. But when she drew near enough to make out a more detailed appearance, she knew it wasn’t him at all. The silver light, however, had stopped, circling lazily around the man as though signifying that this was who she was to find. Taking a slow breath, she again quieted her fears as much as possible and ventured a somewhat timid greeting.

“Hello…”

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Lovely sig and avy by insaney
"Our secret affinities remain secret even to ourselves....We fall in love with certain works of art, as we fall in love with certain individuals, for no very clear motive."
~Joyce Carol Oates