Doomsday

Chapter 1: Shadows

Clouds raked the night sky, shrouding the moon and stars. The city buzzed with life. Laughter. It was something Jace had not heard for a very long time.Inevitably Shadows crept the empty streets of Saroon, each with an agenda hidden below the surface of an otherwise kind-looking fellow. Not everyone was good. That was a lesson Jace had to learn the hard way.

Perfect city. Jace thought quietly to himself as he swiftly jumped from rooftop to rooftop, before stopping directly above a busy stall.

He straightened his back and began to amble around the quiet rooftops, the shingled roof making a rhythmic tap in sync with his steps. His brown cape swayed gracefully behind him as he continued running across the rooftops.

Someone might have seen him, standing - scouting—above the noisy bazaar down below. But all eyes were down, engrossed in the market.

Jace smiled at the beating city. It's citizens, oblivious to the war around them. He couldn't help but feel a bit of nostalgia

Saroon reminded him of his home. Or at least what he called home. His city had been raided a long time ago, back when he was normal. When he was human.

But now he was nothing but a devil.

The mellow streets slowly faded away as he moved with elegance atop the houses until he finally found what he was looking for.

"Finally," Jace whispered to himself as he crouched down behind a chimney.

In the courtyard below, a man sat on the rim of a fountain, his brown hair wet as he splashed water onto his forehead. The man held a book between his right hand and began to read aloud.

"Don't make me do it. The boy pleaded," The man read loudly, his legs crossed as he sat peacefully, "Oh, don't stress about it. With that, the woman slapped the boy and pushed him into the fountain."

He must be mad. Jace thought before loading his bow with an arrow and pulling back the string.

But then, a flash of movement caught his eyes, a mix of yellow and purple. Holding the string of the bow tightly, Jace quickly turned around.

The moment he turned around, he saw a girl in high heels and a light lavender floral dress. She had blonde hair that was neatly tied into a bun and a small knife in her hand. Her face held a crooked smile and cunning eyes.

Jace gave her a weak smile. "Don't come closer."

"We meet again. Who would have thought," The lady said, ignoring Jace's comment and walking closer.

Blonde. Lavender skirt. You seem very familiar. Jace thought. He felt like he knew her but he just couldn't place how.

"I guess it's just...destiny," She added, drawing her knife.

Jace gave her a blank look. "Which one are you?"

"Diana, but our names don't matter. We share the same mind." The lady said, giving Jace a sweet smile.

In reply, Jace held his bow to her chest. One swift finger and she would be gone.

But then, Diana's eyes turned white. "I don't want trouble." Jace flinched, his hands clenched as if he was holding back a punch. "You are trouble." He stammered hesitantly. He couldn't feel his emotions, it was like something was invading his mind.Diana rolled her eyes."Anyways, it's time for your next assignment."Her eyes had finally returned back to normal and Jace no longer felt the pain."Make the Empress proud." She added while giving him a brown file labelled 'Classified.' "And what about the Saroon Mafia?" Jace asked as he opened the file."Soama will handle them," Diana replied.

Jace gave her a weak smile and then began to skim through the pages. Royals, huh? Looks like fun.

"And which one is Soama? The strong one or the really crazy one from Gennisburg?" Jace asked sarcastically.

"Oh, Nilumbik? I'm afraid he's passed on. Tragic really." Diana said with a hint of exaggeration. You could tell she was lying. All she cared about was getting to her goal and not about those who got her there.

"So what's my next-"

"There's Soama now," Diana said, pointing to a man walking into the courtyard below them.

A hooded man stood at the front of the entrance, holding a stick in his right hand.

"Zuk. Long time no see," The hooded man said walking slowly towards the man before getting down on all fours. He had no weapons or whatsoever. Just him.

"Who are you? Are you the cleaner?" Zuk, the man sitting on the fountain asked. He had an unusual accent, implying that English wasn't his first language. "Handle him!" Zuk added, snapping his fingers.

Then, dozens of men came out from the houses surrounding the courtyard; each with a weapon. They slowly walked towards Soama, some of them running to the rooftops with crossbows.

"For Saroon!" The men began to scream before running towards Soama, but instead of the sounds of deafening blows, there was a loud shriek.

And then, the sound of fabric ripping. That's when Jace realised. It was Soama no more. Instead, it was a large brown bear, twice the size of a car.

So that's Soama's power. Shapeshifting. Jace thought.

Soama dove into the fight, swinging his large brown paws and knocking the men aside like they were bowling pins. One ran towards Soama and shot him in the chest, but instead of feeling pain, the brown bear seemed annoyed. The bear made a loud grunt, before picking up the man and throwing him.

A few men were running across the rooftops, towards the pair, all of them with knives and swords

"Looks like you were right. I am trouble," Diana said before pulling out a crossbow and aiming it towards the men. Then, Diana pulled the trigger, sending an arrow flying and piercing one of the men in the thigh, causing him to lose balance and slide down the roof.

Behind her, Jace pointed his arrow towards the three men getting closer. He knew he had to be precise for it to work.

Gripping the bow tightly, he slowly let the arrow fly. The arrow pierced through the first man's shoulder knocking him into the one behind him and then tripping the last one.

Stupid. Diana said to Jace telepathically as she watched all of them slide down the shingled roof lifelessly.

"I trust you will finish the job," Diana said over the , screams from the courtyard below. She then picked up her crossbow and began to walk across the roofs, her heels making loud tapping noises.

Then Diana stopped and turned around. "Oh and, bring the lightning girl. Alive. But feel free to kill the rest." Diana said cruelly as she turned back and continued walking.

Jace nodded but he was interrupted by a man flying above him and smashing the nearby chimney. Zuk. Jace said quietly. Zuk's face was filled with blood and his body was filled with scratches.

"Overkill," Jace said underneath his breath, sounding horrified.