Nocturne Chapter 3 (Full)

Unknown date and time.




Azriel’s mind flickered through images that he could not put together. He saw Lexia fighting alongside faces that he felt he should recognize and yet didn’t. Lexia’s golden hair swirling around her as she pulled forward manifesting a pair of golden daggers that glistened within the mist of his mind. The other figures held weapons as well but he couldn’t quite hold onto any one image for too long without it distorting. Lexia was the only one who remained visible. He could smell the rancid smell of burnt flesh as if it were he was there. Grouped together they stood their ground as they were slowly surrounded by dark shapes approaching from the darkness itself. Their enemies shrouded in the mist of the shadows themselves he couldn’t grasp at what they were although he could feel their power. Animosity clung to the air as the viscious circles of darkness danced and flickered back and forth around them. Lexia began to speak but he could hear no words, only feel the determination of her spirit as the shadows closed in on her and the others. The image vanished quickly as another appeared, an Angel in solid gold armor wielding a sword that shimmered as a prism would being held up to the sun. His long silver hair swirling around him as he moved amidst a battlefield of demons and devils. His wings gave the impression as being made of the purist of light itself. Something inside Azriel caught as the figure turned to face him. It’s eyes burning as if made of flame through the smoke of the battlefield. Azriel lurched, trying to command his body to step back as the might of the angel stepped towards him. Light reflecting off of his armor which was coated in the ashes of the slain. Fear gripped at his heart as he forced himself to pull his mind closed. What he wanted was his memories not…this…not…


Azriel came awake upon a hard surface. The light that filled the room blinded him from being able to locate his positioning. His body tense and sore he made no movements until he was sure that he was safe. He listened carefully for any signs of a threat. When he was sure that he was alone he relaxed a little and waited for his eyes to focus so that he could see exactly where he was. He appeared to be laying upon a hard wooden flooring in a run down looking room. He could hear the sounds of the traffic outside and could tell the he was on an upper story of what he could now approximate as being an apartment or something of the like. He began to pull himself up only to fall back against the floor as pain exploded through his chest and down his sides. In that moment, everything had come swirling back to him. Lexia had betrayed him. He pulled his arm forward although his muscles told him to do otherwise to feel for the wound in his chest only to find that the hole was miraculously healed now but from the pain that crippled his senses that thought was unimportant. It seethed and burned throughout him and every movement he made upon the floor did nothing to escape the torment he was now feeling. He writhed for several minutes, unable to shake loose from the pain that tore itself through his body, He swallowed hard at the urge to cry out from the pain but then, in an instant, it was gone.


“Hmm… The giant was truly felled by the stone huh?” Cypher’s voice rang within his head although as Azriel looked about, there was no sign of him anywhere nor could he sense him. Helplessness and anger consumed him. “Screw you demon! Where the hell am I?” Azriel growled as he forced himself to his feet but as soon as he had the pain returned tenfold sending him crashing back to the floor where he lay motionless. “I’d watch that mouth if I were you, don’t you know that derogatory terms are just as hurtful to us as the foul smelling, greedy, war-mongering, piss-pot monkeys you protect?” Cypher flashed into the room as Azriel’s pain began to fade again. Azriel used the opportunity, using all of his strength he put all of his strength into his left leg and forced himself up in one fluid motion and lunged forward catching Cypher off guard and pinning him hard against the wall which cracked easily from the force of it. The pain now only a dull throbbing within him he hoisted Cypher up along the wall by his throat and growled between clenched teeth. Telling him that he was done with the games and that he would tear him open if provoked further. Cypher merely dangled there, an annoyed look plastered on his face but made no movements to get free. It was then that Azriel noticed that Cypher’s necklace was gone and that he had come without his sword. Azriel took a breath to quell the ache inside him before speaking. “What happened?” Cypher’s reply was simple. His scythe appeared in his right hand and in a single upward arc Azriel was sent backward hitting the floor and grasping at his shoulder which was bleeding profusely. “You’re human, get used to it.” Pain coursed through Azriel’s shoulder as he tried desperately to squelch the flow of blood which was pouring all over the floor. Cypher stepping here and there to avoid random spurts that could have gotten onto his clothes. Azriel roared in anger and pain as he tried to regain his footing, trying to manifest his sword to attack Cypher but to no avail. It was as he had said. He was human. Cypher extended his scythe blade and made a quick sweeping motion that knocked Azriel back to the ground, slicing his calf muscles in the process. “ I think you need to sit for this one.”


Cypher’s blood red eyes began to swirl. Veins of red light formed within the skin of his cheek and trailed their way down his neck where they disappeared under his shirt only to reappear from his sleeve where they wrapped around his fingertips. He held out his hand and Azriel hissed as he felt foreign energy burning from within his shoulder. The muscle and bone reconnecting from where the scythe had cut straight through. The skin regenerating and mending itself while Azriel watched closely. When it was fully closed up, Azriel shifted his attention back to Cypher who seemed to be admiring his work. Azriel began to speak but felt his voice catch in his throat. Cypher’s Red eyes danced with amusement. “This is just too much fun. Not quite so intimidating now are you? Well, down to business. Before you start throwing questions at me faster then I can ignore them I’ll give you the short version. Your little friend must have seen us talking and decided that rather then ask questions she’d just gut you which I should add…” He waved his finger through the air, trying to put emphasis on the action before pointing to himself. “I was the one who saved you. Secondly, No I didn’t harm her…much… Although I must say that I showed a great deal of restraint in doing so… or… not doing so whatever the case may be but you understand I’m sure. Also, I learned that you do indeed have a heart, Not that it gave me a definitive answer to the question as you are in human form and therefore it would make sense that you would so it was kind of a waste of time but since I was stitching you up anyway from the little lass’s handiwork I might as well take a peek at your insides.” Azriel struggled to keep his composure as Cypher continued to ramble on about non issues. Cypher stopped talking finally and turned towards him. “Where was I again? My apologies I get a bit wrapped up sometimes. Oh yes, Human. I must admit I was a bit shocked to see it myself but it seems that you were stabbed using a very interesting weapon indeed. A weapon that was designed specifically… To kill you. If my theory is correct, The weapon somehow is set to drain your powers so that it can deliver damage to your mortal form. Thus severing your ability to heal or fight back while you bleed out. I must confess that such a weapon is quite unlike any that I have seen before and I would love to know how it was created.” Azriel growled low in his throat. “How did you manage to escape then?” Cypher, obviously still contemplating the nature of the weapon took a moment before answering. “Like I said, The weapon was designed to kill you. I don’t think it would have worked against me although I cannot say that for a fact because she never had a chance to use it.” “What the hell did you do to her!?” Azriel snapped. Cypher’s eyes flared as Azriel’s shoulder ripped apart and blood began to pour upon the floor. “Just so you know, I don’t appreciate having to repeat myself. She’s fine. And why do you care anyways? She very nearly killed you and would have done so had I not intervened.” Azriel struggled to stem the flow of blood flowing from his shoulder. As if sensing it Cypher closed his eyes and manifested his powers again. He could feel the power flowing throughout his body as it centered and wrapped it’s way down his arms. Azriel slammed his fist into the floor as the energy began to burn and reseal the wound once again. “We can keep playing this game all you want Azriel, But I do have more important things to do with my time.”



Cypher walked forward menacingly and placed the blade of his scythe to Azriel’s throat. “Like I said, I’m not done yet and I have little patience left.” He pulled the scythe away but not before grazing Azriel’s jaw with the blade. He cursed from the sudden sting of the cut but remained focused of the monster in front of him. As if sensing the renewed hostility, Cypher reached forth and snagged Azriel by the hair, yanking his head up to lock gazes. “I don’t care what you think of me, but remember that the monster you fear is always the one that looks back at you.” With those words a vision tore away reality and he was no longer in the apartment. He was in a cemetery where a young woman stood near a freshly dug grave crying over the headstone. Azriel felt her pain surging within him as if it were his own. Felt the wind stinging from where the tears slid down her cheeks. He was confused and angry. What was the point of this? Why was he here? And then he saw the name on the headstone.

Leo Martin

Recognition ran through him at the thoughts he had read from the man’s mind. This must have been the daughter that had left in a rage who now sat on her knees in the mud, crying and trying to find answers she would never know. She would never understand how her brother, the one she had always fought with for her father’s affection could be killed by the man who loved him more then anything. She would never know why he was gone now without even a word to cling to from him. No note, no understanding. The scene shifted back to the apartment. “How can you say that you were justified in your actions?” Cypher’s words struck hard within Azriel who was still feeling the residual emotions from the girl. “ I….I did what was right…” Cypher had him, he knew it. “And what is the right thing Azriel? When is there ever truly a right thing? No matter what you want to believe there is no such thing as good or evil, there is just what there is. If not, Why would the right thing bring other people harm? Why would doing so much good make other people miserable? Who did you save here Azriel? The son had taken another’s life, that would have ate at him for the rest of his days. The father would have had to deal with that guilt tenfold for allowing it and just because you didn’t sense it doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. Who are you to judge what is in a man’s heart? How was what you did the right thing?” Azriel slumped. How could he explain what he had done? What words would justify what he felt in his heart? “….I just knew.” Cypher raised his blade and rested it upon his shoulder and eyed him suspiciously. “That’s it? That’s your reason?” Azriel glared, his anger getting the best of him. He tried to pull himself up only for Cypher to reach out and send a blast that threw him against the far wall, searing his flesh and causing him to gasp for breath. Cypher walked calmly away putting some distance to ensure that Azriel wouldn’t brace for another attack. He needed him relaxed, but he also needed to know that he was in control. “You call me a monster in your thoughts, you think I am the liar and yet I am going out of my way to help you understand that you are the monster…not me. I have a duty whether you say it is good or evil. I have a purpose. You must find yours.” Azriel didn’t know exactly what to say. He merely watched as Cypher’s face grew haunted and dark. This was not the same man who had held so much bearing. This was a creature of secrets. A demon who had chosen Azriel for a purpose and that purpose was now bringing out the true nature of the animal that stood before him.

“Do you believe in fate Azriel?” The question was one of pleading, not authority. Azriel’s eyes met Cypher’s and he answered honestly. “I think I used to.” Cypher closed his eyes and walked calmly over to a chair that had been laying on it’s side and picked it up but did not sit. “I used to as well. I used to think that everything had a purpose, a place and that we were all pieces that needed to fit together to become whole. Even if I do not say that I believe it anymore. I still draw strength and purpose from the thought.” He turned and walked to the other side of the room before continuing. “My purpose is set Azriel, How long has it been since we stood on the precipice of change and looked out to the abyss? How long has it truly been for time does not seem to flow but in an instant. Our destinies scatter to the wind and yet we stand, holding onto the earth with all we have so that we can keep but a semblance of who we are.” Azriel pushed himself up against the wall, expecting to be thrown down again but Cypher remained stationary, simply looking at him. “You’re wrong, we hold onto what we know, yearn for or fear what we do not. We yearn for the things that once were ours and the things left behind. The future is not set by fate but when the past is lost to us, that‘s when we lose ourselves.” Cypher smiled. “You are very much correct, But it is not the past that makes us who we are. It is the choices that we make in the present that shape us into who we are to become.” Azriel was confused by the words. “Isn’t that what I just said?” Cypher smiled arrogantly. “That is why I said you were correct. But in your case I think mine is the one that truly matters. For someone who has no past it is only the present that matters. Wouldn’t you agree?” “I’m not playing this word game with you. You said you were going to give me my memories.” Cypher’s eyes narrowed. “I said no such thing, I said that I would help you regain them but alas, It’s not going to be for free. No, You have to pass a little test first and we’ll see if I am still in a charitable mood afterwards.”

The words brought with them rage that Azriel couldn’t quite control. He lunged forward to find his powers restored. Manifesting his sword he burst forward and swung for Cypher’s head. He ducked and swiftly brought up his scythe deflecting the blow and sent out a blast of energy that knocked Azriel backwards. He recovered quickly and lunged again. Cypher twirled his scythe gracefully and parried every attack that Azriel brought forth. The sounds of their weapons echoing throughout the room. They fought their way through the apartment filling the walls as well as each other with gashes and strokes. Cypher was fighting a losing battle with Azriel’s powers returned and they both knew it. He retreated to the kitchen where Azriel ducked his scythe and lifted him from his feet and slammed him through the kitchen table, sending splinters and shards throughout the room. Cypher sent forth a blast the Azriel deflected with his blade but it was enough to let him regain his footing and he twirled to bring his blade down hard against the kitchen sink sending water cascading throughout the room. As the water hit Azriel it sent images flashing through him. It triggered his nightmares and he could feel his power leaving him. He could feel the ice reaching into him. The tendrils working their way up his sides. Could feel the weight of the abyss resting upon his soul. And he could feel the icy silver-blue eyes that haunted him around every corner. He blindly swung out hoping to catch Cypher with his blade but it was too late. Cypher appeared out of the corner of his eye his scythe held high over his shoulders as another stream of water splashed into his face. He let his guard drop and Cypher planted his scythe firmly into his neck. A blow that would have decapitated a normal man. The pain overwhelmed him and mingled with the images and feelings that swam through him even now and Cypher was using it to his advantage. He disarmed Azriel using his powers to rip the sword from his grasp where it disintegrated upon hitting the floor. The scythe was ripped away in a fluid movement with a stream of blood spraying the nearby walls. The sudden jolt of the withdrawal stopped the images but the strange power that was flowing through him now revitalized him. He could feel that Cypher had sensed it too and was now stepping backwards away from him. Azriel reached out and let out a blast from within himself that was unlike a power he had known. It struck Cypher squarely in the chest and sent him through the nearby wall where he slammed into the bedroom wall and landed in a heap on the floor next to the bed. The scythe spun through the air and landed next to Azriel’s foot where it burst into purple flames and disappeared.

Azriel fell to the floor, exhausted and weak. The blast had drained him almost entirely and he couldn’t even find the strength to stand. “Ugh… Give my powers back my ass.” Cypher must have kept him from reclaiming all of his powers…just in case. And Azriel had fallen for it. He pulled himself forward to the hole in the wall where he could still see Cypher’s body laying face down where it had landed. The blast must have been more then he had counted on. Azriel relaxed a bit and looked about. The apartment was wrecked, blood stained the walls and puddled upon the floor in various places. The broken furniture littered the rooms where they had fought. It didn’t really matter, all that mattered was what was to happen next. Lexia had finally betrayed him. Cypher, the only creature to even seem to know how to get back his memories was now lying dead in the next room. He must have left a clue. If nothing else, he needed to get his powers back. Azriel pulled himself through the apartment to where Cypher’s body rested. Upon reaching it he gaped. The body that was there was not that of Cypher. A man, a human man lay upon the floor where Cypher had been thrown through the wall. He features contorted and his neck twisted viciously. The eyes were as glass as they stared into nothing. But the mouth was frozen in a silent scream. Anger built within Azriel even now as he simply sat, staring at the corpse in front of him. Cypher’s voice called within his head, mocking him. “Well well, Congratulations on a battle well fought. I commend you. But you see, I wasn’t done talking with you.” Azriel tried to force his mind shut as the fury within him rose. “Now now, You are doing very well, Don’t let this small failure set you back. I hold no grudges. It was nice to see you do so well. You are a star pupil after all and I can say that you do not disappoint.” Azriel pushed everything aside. “What the hell is going on? Who are you?” It remained quiet for a several seconds before Cypher spoke again. “Hmm? You didn’t happen to hit your head did you? I must admit I was having a rather difficult time keeping up. I am Cypher. I am the one trying to help you understand what has happened to you.” “Shut up!” Azriel snapped. “You know what I mean!” Cypher merely laughed. “I am what I am, I do what I was created to do. Collect souls of those unworthy. I am a Reaver as your people put it.” “Bullshit! You’re too strong! Answer me!” Azriel could imagine Cypher taking a deep breath and holding his hands to his temples. “Listen, I haven’t lived this long by being stupid. If you don’t recall I lost our run-in which is saying a lot since you are not exactly in right off the truck condition. But, I must add, since our time grows short and my patience thin, Do you remember what I said about how there’s not a right or a wrong thing to do when it truly comes down to it? If you truly believe that… Then by all means, I hope you know the right thing to do now.” Before Azriel could even question him he heard a loud crash from the other room as the police stormed through the front door.