亚洲综合中美

“Does this look weird?”

“Gemma,” Staxius broke from the bar and locked arms with the demi-human. For one of her kind, she truly was beautiful – the clothes did make the individual. With a pretty flower in hand and a strong drink in the other, time was nigh. The theater took lines, and from there, guests were seated by status. Superstars and producers had priority on the middle and higher seats, sitting upfront was rather tedious on the neck. As he’d have it, Staxius was given a seat just below Synthia and Romeo. The actors took their seats, her dress was magnificent and slightly awkward, such the pity of choosing vanity over comfort. Romeo casually entertained the praise of co-stars, ‘-he’s got a big ego,’ Staxius surmised with the few distant observations, ‘-I’d get an ego too if my partner was a goddess,’ he emptily glanced at Synthia, she unwillingly crossed his gaze.

‘Igna…’ she gulped, ‘-my heart’s racing, why is he here… I noticed him earlier, why didn’t he speak to me, why isn’t he doing anything to get my attention?’ her inner-conversation drowned the outside, where, a teasing chant mumbled.

“Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her,” whispered the chosen guests. All eyes befell Romeo, he threw his arm over her shoulder and leaned in for a passionate kiss. The crowd exploded, fangirls over their favorite idols, romance, and ecstasy of a scandalous display ‘-feats of PDA, public display of affection, was yet accepted in the capital. People were reserved, and to see stars, ones to maintain their image as guides, appallingly bid ideals adieu for publicity.

‘WHY NOW?’ her focus rocked, Romeo delivered a nice embrace, and her cheeks reddened as one of the girls shouted in jest, “-she’s embarrassed,” they cried, “-so adorable.”

Romeo widened his body movement, hers diminished, ‘-did he see?’ Staxius watched the whole scene, not even once letting go of her stare, ‘-he saw everything,’ a sinking sensation dropped, ‘-my stomach feels heavy,’ her hands shook – Romeo nonchalantly threw his hands in between her thighs and winked, the lights darkened.

“Lyoko?”

“Nothing,” he escorted Gemma, “-someone caught my eye, that’s all. By the way, you should check your messages,” a ping, she took out her phone, her jaws dropped – the lights went out and they sat.

.....

“How did you get this image?” she whispered.

“Don’t mention it,” he smiled, “-it’ll fetch a great price. Consider this my payment and thank you.”

“No, no,” she dropped her head, “-I should be thanking you.”

“You’ve done plenty,” he casually tapped her head and smiled, “-I was wrong to take advantage of your position earlier. I hope this proves to be adequate compensation.’

“Not exactly a bad memory,” she beamed, “-I’ve never experienced such… pleasure,” she blushed, “-I don’t know what to-”

“Hush, the movies started.”

For starts, it was standard, the story was rather riveting. Everyone’s eyes were glued, each passing moment, the emotion expressed and the clever narrative – one viewed from two perspectives, good and evil, tied by the unknowing bonds of romance, neatly gathered the concept. It was amazing to see the director’s work. One scene stood out from the rest.

Set inside a café with a bias toward luxury and refinement, the unwitting couple grew suspicious of one another.

“Why, why did you lie?”

“I didn’t lie,” she replied.

“A lie is a lie,” he reinforced, “-no matter what, I must find the truth, even if it kills me. I will find salvation for the victims.”

“Stop playing the hero, you’re not a hero. The people who were killed are no longer of this world, they were sex workers, ruffians, not worthy of society.”

“NO MATTER,” he rose his voice, “-a life, is a life,” the tone dropped, “-and whoever stands in the way of said fact should be ashamed.”

“Reckless abandon,” she threw up her arms, “-don’t be a fucking hypocrite.”

“What do you mean?”

“Those following the law are the worst hypocrite this world can face. You and your department are corrupt, you take bribes and leave the victims to face their end without a single shred of sympathy for their situation. Your justice is self-serving, nothing you do is ever sufficient. Selfish, ignorant, and above all, clueless to how I feel-”

“JILL!”

“Don’t-” she glared, “-I’ll never accept your world, and you will never accept mine. This has been the truth from the beginning, we knew who we were when we met. The moments we shared, the lives we lived, it was a nice distraction. I could never love another as I did you, Gilbert. We end it today,” the mask fell, “-you will find the answer.”

“So, you are the murderer.”

“…’

From there, the plot intensified heavily, playing on both sides’ emotions. Did the murder feel remorse or was she in love, did the inspector use his position as an excuse or was he ready to yield the trauma of the past – no matter where one stood, there was genuine chemistry. A forbidden bond, a forbidden love, the taste of the unknown – life on the edge, such was the movie. Aside from the romance, the addition of real-world cases, and inspiration drawn from the infamous Jack the Ripper, was the perfect touch, a harmonious blend. The ending was hit or miss, it never answered the questions spoken in the beginning. Not a cliffhanger, but there were hints – the director’s approach of showing stills after a great shootout, would prove essential. A plot of said caliber, with such intensity of emotions and characters, couldn’t have a simple ending – there was more to it, and even now, after shooting, there laid deliberation on how it should have ended. Using stills from newspaper clippings narrated by both characters ensured hope, a faith that the two would meet.

‘Interesting idea,’ Staxius turned, Gemma was in tears. She wept. A similar emotion hung over the theater – he observed the many faces and breathed a smile, ‘-Synthia did it. She became an actress of world-renown. I can tell from the performance; she worked the hardest to bring life to her character. Seeing it firsthand brings me joy, she’s worked hard and her effort paid off,’ a genuine grin surfaced, ‘-this is the happy ending. If she’s content with another, who am I to interject,’ he rose, “-Lyoko?” Gemma wiped her tears, “-where are you going? The show’s not over, they’ve still to do the credits and give their thanks.”

“Look at you with all the knowledge,” he added with a sarcastic smile, “-it’ll be best you don’t remember me. Forget we ever met, keep the memories but don’t try to follow – you will get hurt,” he flashed a handgun, “-it was a pleasure making your acquaintance, Gemma, I wish you all the best,” he leaned and kissed her forehead, “-farewell.” A spell of concealment easily erased his aura.

Staxius was soon outside with the wind crashing against his face, *snap,* he lit a cigarette and puffed, “-the movie was great,” he walked over to a timidly lit garden where a few couples made their proclamations. He sat on one of the empty benches and stared at the cloudy sky, ‘-the visit was nice,’ he puffed, ‘-I got to bid everyone farewell. I got to see my family and what my actions brought. To think Hidros was separated – nothing seems to be real anymore. I’ve lost touch with reality; my memories of the past are fading – what I lost in the exchange for power is something I can’t take back. Why does it matter anyway… I’ve done my job. I suppose everything could be stopped here… it might as well end… however, there’s a greater threat out there. He’s going to come; I feel his presence – my awakening and his coming – the only entity abled to rival my provenance,’ he flicked the bud into the bin and relaxed, ‘-take in what I can. Draebala’s the final destination.’

“Igna?”

He looked over his shoulder, “-Synthia?”

“I thought it was you,” she wrapped around and exhaled deeply, “-why are you here?”

“Didn’t I promise I’d come to your premiere?”

“Are you dumb?” she stomped, “-leaving the otherworld to their own demise might put reality in jeopardy.”

“Ha-ha,” he laughed, “-don’t be a fucking hypocrite.”

“Pardon?”

“Quoting the movie. You should know, shouldn’t you?”

“Know what?”

“Nothing,” he exhaled, “-doesn’t really matter. Romeo’s out there looking for you, Synthia.”

“Why bring up his name, are you jealous?”

“Am I jealous?” the expression tightened, “-am I jealous she asks. Knowing you, I can’t very well add what I think. Afterall, I am responsible for tainting your reputation as a chased goddess, I can’t very well stand here and demand affection and respect. What I did was wrong in many ways and even if I don’t care about my action, taking away the title of the chase wasn’t… never mind. Look here, Synthia, you were granted a new life and a new start. There’s no need to think back, do what you want, and think what you must.”

“Starting to sound like an angry ex.”

“Seriously?” he grabbed her forehead, “-don’t you fucking dare. Synthon, I’m far worse than you can imagine. Don’t play coy with me, I don’t take disrespect kindly, not from you, not from anyone.”

“You’re not Igna,” she grabbed his wrist and poured mana, “-who are you?”

“Staxius Haggard,” he pulled, taking more of her mana and calling the bluff, “-and right now, with the power I have, I can erase your title of a goddess with a simple snap of my hand. I took your purity, I can also take your title and your life.”

“Enough, enough,” Julius leaped in and forcibly pulled Staxius’ hand, “-this is my bad. I’m sorry, it was a joke gone too far.”

“A joke?” he widened his arms, “-I suppose I should apologize,” a domain expanded over the whole of Hidros, “-I can play jokes too.” The coldness of his power truly manifested. Those able to sense, sensed, and God did they shirked, “-this presence,” many fell to their knees, “-what’s happening.”

“Enough,” came a thunderous echo, “-this has gone on long enough.”

He retracted the realm, “-Goddess of Law and Justice, also known as the Goddess of Judgement, have you come to mediate our conflict?”

A goddess descended from a split in reality – she wielded a long sword, which when placed upside down, resembled a scale. Tharis eyes were hidden behind a black cloth, her robe was white and gold, and split at the hip to reveal her long legs. She landed, “-to the one going by the moniker of Adjudicator, we must leave for my realm immediately.”

“As you wish,” he looked at Synthia and smiled, ‘-I know you’re lying, idiot. Don’t play the heroine, it doesn’t suit you. And yes, I did get jealous when that fool kissed you, no one should have the right to press their lips against the one I vowed to marry. You might have fooled the world – you couldn’t fool me. It was an act on behalf of Tharis. You owe her for rescuing you. Syhton, I will need your help in the future – keep evolving and amass the power of belief, for when the time comes, I will need you.’

Her gaze lowered, ‘-Staxius,’ and hid her face between her palm, ‘-you don’t know how much this hurts. To see you mingle with another, I gave you my everything and swore to be yours. I had to do what I had to… Staxius, you’re the one I choose and the one I gave my heart to. Sadly, circumstances have said otherwise,’ the meaning glances and lastly, their last shared message through telepathy.

Somewhere in the vastness of the multiverse, a fortune teller read, “-Staxius left Orin, forever bidding his home world farewell, a true sign of him giving his humanity for power and responsibility above the station of a simple mortal. The fate of reality alters, and at the center – like Orin, is Staxius Haggard,” said a gentle female tone, “-one can say the whole journey until now was preparation for what comes next. Your destiny and fate are woven with destruction, Staxius, I see all and know all, you will come to hate yourself… when that day comes, it will be your responsibility to slay him.”

“I know, mother, I know.”