Smokescreen: A Collection of Vignettes

Chapter 10

Sakura had been walking home one evening from Madam Bo's when she had spotted an unusual butterfly sitting nearby. It was nothing that she had ever seen before. Its wings were sort of like a gossamer, black and translucent. Its body was slim and glowing red. She quickly took out her cell phone to catch a quick photo of it. As soon as she put her phone away, the butterfly began to flutter away. On a whim, she decided to follow it.

She followed it as far as she dared before it became smaller in the distance. It became nothing more than just a red glow in the night. She shivered as the temperature suddenly dropped. Something cold and evil filled the night, making the hair on the back of neck rise. Sakura reached for her crystal charm around her neck. Its gentle energy gave her comfort.

"That's called a Hell butterfly."

The young woman spun around to see man in gray leaning against a building, half of his face hidden by a mask. There was something about this stranger that she already didn't like. It didn't help that she hadn't noticed him on her way home, nor did she hear his footsteps. A sickening feeling arose in her chest, her heart chakra completely overwhelmed by his aura. Her curiosity might have gotten her into trouble.

"A Hell butterfly?"

The man crossed his arms.

"Legend states that these butterflies come from the pits of hell to collect unique souls."

Sakura had heard of these stories, but she thought that was what all they were. Her heart began to beat out of control when the stranger began to approach her. Gods, he was huge! He was well over six feet tall. Probably closer to seven feet, to be honest. Oh, and sweet Elder Gods. He was muscular. This guy was probably one of those who trained all their lives and non-stop. He could probably crush her if he really wanted to and with one hand.

His eyes, though. They were an intriguing shade of gray, with a tint of red. Red? Whether that was normal or not, it was really time for her to leave. The young woman took a step backwards, with him following. Sakura really wanted to get away from this stranger and just go hide in her bed. She wanted to wake up from whatever this nightmare was. She would also have to cleanse herself with sage once she woke up.

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Tomas was amused. Her crystals wouldn't do much against him. He chuckled at the thought. There was something genuinely pure about this pretty girl. She was just so fragile and delicate. So damned breakable. As ruler of the Netherrealm, he was always looking for someone to corrupt or take home with him. Most days he didn't get a hit. The few souls he would encounter by mistake were simply sent home with no memory of what happened, or he would send them to his brothers to play with. Other days, then again, he was quite lucky.

He hit the jackpot with this one.

"When these butterflies identify a unique soul, it would...give them a kiss, so to speak."

As if it was summoned, the butterfly reappeared and gently 'pecked' her on the nose. The ashen-haired man suddenly grabbed Sakura's chin and forced her to look up. He ripped the charm from her neck and let it fall to the ground. Her eyes were already entranced. Yes, she would do nicely.

"It chose you, my empress."