The Seed of Hope

Chapter 31: Empathy

Kate cracked open her eyes, the sudden blunt pain on her ankle caused her to recoil and moan out. The echo of her muffled voice rang around her along with the soft noise of moisture trickling onto the stone floor. Chains and cuffs wrapped around her wrists tightly and a cloth was tightly gagging her mouth. Kate looked to the opposite side of the dark and damp room to see Logan bound with chains and heavy leather bands over his eyes and mouth. The cuffs wrapped over his neck, wrists, and ankles and the chains forced him to press against the stone wall behind him. As sure as hell, he wouldn't be able to escape that.
Kate noticed dry blood on his head and forehead, but more importantly, his breathing. He was okay, for the most part. Kate kept looking around, wondering where they were.
The smell and the atmosphere were enough to let her know where she was. Kate began to whimper, her insides twisted as she began kicking and thrashing in anger. Echoes of disembodied voices rang around them reminding Kate of what she has suffered down here. She hated it, despised it. She leaned her head against the stone wall behind her, breathing heavily. Her ankle was somewhat healed, but it still hurt. She eyed Logan once more before trying to call for him. Her tongue was trapped underneath the filthy cloth, making it much harder to talk. Logan, however, responded. He slowly lifted his head and began to react to Kate's noises. He said something barely audible but Kate knew he said her name.

Kate stretched her leg and tapped him on his shoe, notifying him of her presence. He began to search for her, thrashing within his chains. Blackness met his bounded eyes as his anger grew at his constriction. He stood still, and his skin began to glow from within. The temperature around them increased significantly as his bondages began incinerating from his face. Falling off in ashes as he opened his eyes and panted. He looked straight at Kate and began to worry.

-"Are you okay?"- He asked her and she nodded with whimpers.

He looked around, easily recognizing where he was. -"What the fuck...you have to be fucking kidding me!!"-

-"Welcome back."- A voice came from beyond the iron bars, in the pitch-black darkness.

Moloch walked in, closer to the dim lantern that barely lit the cell.

-"Moloch...what the fuck do you want!?"- Logan barked.

-"You know how long it's been since you've said my name? That was refreshing."- He leaned forward, pressing his shoulders on the bars. -"Lord Bassilisk will be here soon, hand tight."- He amused himself with the pun with a chuckle.

Logan frowned angrily. -"Let the Seed go, take me instead!"-

-"As tempting as that sounds, no can do, Lo, Bassilisk has plans for her."- Moloch twisted to crack his spine. -"By the way, King Solomon, why were you obsessed with that Beast?"-

Logan choked for a second, -"That name again...King Solomon...Solom--"- Logan trailed off. A distant memory played behind his eyes. -"What were you doing in my room!?"- He growled.

-"I'm just saying that we were worried about your obsession, might've led to uhh..."- Moloch thought on his words. -"to you behaving like this..."-

-"Behaving how exactly? Free?"-

Kate observed how both men bickered and spoke. She could tell how much they knew each other. Logan was angry but this still felt like sibling rivalry. Between insults and threats, Kate could tell they cared about each other.

-"You took my brother away from me!! Marduk never did anything to you!"-

-"That gargoyle of a man was too soft!! I always knew he would be easy to get rid of! Besides, that's what he gets for hurting Kateri--The Seed..."-

-"Get rid of for what? Why are you doing this to us? We were your family!!"-

Kate made a muffled noise through her mouth and kicked around, making both men eye her. She glared at Moloch and growled.

Thunder rumbled around them and the dust on the walls lifted.

-"He's here...Let's see what fate awaits you two."- Moloch snickered. -"Not even Solomon's power can save you from this, even though you've been crippled by it."-

-Crippled?-

-"Shut up!! His power is the only thing saving me from you and Bassilisk!"- Logan bit.

-"Why, Logan, why!? After everything we gave you, how we took care of you after your whore of a mother abandoned you! She gave you to Bassilisk willingly!"- Moloch's voice sounded almost hurt, betrayed as he tightly gripped the iron bars.

Logan sighed and lowered his head. -"Bassilisk stole the throne, and you know it, something deep within me is telling me so, I can't explain it."-

Moloch eyed Logan, how defeated he looked for a second. Maybe he should tell him. Moloch cared for Logan more than anyone and he knew him very well. He practically raised him. Maybe if he did him this favor, everything could change...just maybe.

-"Logan..."- Moloch softly called, his voice purposely low and discreet. Logan didn't answer.
-"There's...something we've been keeping from you and have wanted to say for the longest time."-

Logan lifted his head slowly. Side glancing at Moloch in a threatening manner.

-"We know who your parents are..."-

Logan frowned, confused by Moloch's unexpected claims.

-"Your mother lived here, within these walls. She was the Lady in Red."-
Logan widened his eyes and gasped. He knew who Moloch was referring to, he has never seen her, but they have talked of her around him in the past.

Kate recognized that description, The Lady in Red.

-Elyon!?-

-"The Lady in Red? So...all that cry of...some baby...wait."- Logan went silent. He remembered the dreams he had of a lady and an infant crying. His throat tightened as his limbs went numb, how could they hide something like that from him, something that has been haunting him ever since he can remember, but most importantly, why?

Kate began to breathe unevenly at the sudden realization. She stretched her leg again, tapping desperately trying to get his attention. Logan turned to her, too weak and shocked to speak.

Kate turned and tried showing him her hand when Moloch began to speak again.

-"And...your father..."- He began to hesitate. -"Is the man you have been obsessed with since you were a child. Solomon...The Abaddon King."-
Logan froze, his mind was running so fast, his emotions were tangled, and his heart pounded in disbelief.

-"That's why you are so strong, the best we have, and truly I don't blame you for following your instincts, but don't bite the hand that feeds you."-

 But before Logan and Kate could process what he just said, Valac barged in and whispered something in Moloch's ear.

-"Okay,"- Moloch sighed and unlocked the cell. -"Logan, if you weren't such a rebel, this wouldn't be happening to you."-

Logan thrashed in his chains, -"Get the fuck away from me!"- Moloch's hand was pushed back by an invisible force.

-"Now, now Logan, you can't avoid this any longer."- Moloch clicked his tongue. -"You have no idea how much this hurts me.'"-

_________________________

Ariel sat, slumped against the wall before the empty throne. Her hand shaking and stained from the blood that came from her chest. She used up all her power to try and heal the gaping wound Moloch inflicted on her. Her breathing was still very heavy and her body was weak. She didn't know how long she had left but she was relieved that she managed to extend her life, even by a little.

-Why the fuck was I backed up into a corner like this?- Ariel thought. -Why would God do such a thing? What will happen to our people, to our cities?-

Ariel threw her head back, trying to facilitate her breathing.
The doors to the throne room opened and Ariel jolted up to her feet. Bassilisk walked in, looking down at nothing in particular. He felt Ariel's stinging presence and lifted his eyes toward her.

-"What the fuck are you doing here!?"- Bassilisk shouted as he extended his arm and forcefully made Ariel levitate.
-"I mean no harm...I promise you!"- Ariel's voice strained under immense pressure.

-"Bullshit!"- Bassilisk growled as he squeezed her neck tighter.

Ariel's blurring eyes drifted to behind Bassilisk's shoulder to encounter a familiar blonde. Her eyes widened as pools of tears formed, further clouding her vision.

-"Bra...Bassilisk, let her go!"- Yenziel placed his hand on Bassilisk's shoulder.

-"Don't fucking touch me!"- Bassilisk jolted away from him. Yenziel frowned at the outbursts the silver hair was displaying. It was so easy to get him from zero to one hundred, like a short fuse. 
-"Is this a setup!? It can't be a coincidence that both of you are here at the same time..."-
Bassilisk eyed Ariel, noticing her face and how she looked defeated. The bleeding wound in her chest weakened her. Her life force was fading, she couldn't even fight anymore. Bassilisk let her go and Ariel fell to the ground with a thump. Yenziel ran over to her, checking if she was okay.

Ariel looked at him, regret in her eyes as they drowned in tears. The man before her was a God, until then. -"I'm sorry I didn't take care of you...I should have tried harder to keep you out of trouble."- She whispered to him as he leaned her against the wall.

-"I'm not your responsibility, Ari."- Yenziel said covering her wound with his hand. -"Besides, we both know the truth, we can see now. The hard and painful truth."-

Ariel coughed. -"Why would God do such a thing? He should be a kind and understanding ruler and yet..."- She trailed off. -"It is opposite of his teachings..."-

-"He's a tyrant, Ariel...It doesn't matter if he is one of us or above all. The Seed was right, all he wants is absolute power and submission from us."-

-"I knew that...the Seed was in a way corrupting your mind. I wonder why and how she saw it before we did..."- Ariel strained her voice at the sudden cough, blood splattered out of her mouth. Yenziel gasped and held her.

-"And I'm glad she did. But...who did this to you?"-

Ariel sighed, -"Moloch, he caught me off guard and..."- She choked again.

Bassilisk stared at the two as they spoke. They were now understanding how he felt. What he went through in his darkest moments. How God abandoned him despite everything he has done and dedicated to him.