“As belief in Cain increases, so does his power.”
“With enough followers he will break free of his prison.”
“Very well,” the Apostle said, hoping that they could see her face and know that it was only a matter of time before she was able to reach them. “I shall begin
immediately.”
“There is one last test.”
“Centuries, take her to the Eye of Perdition.”
The Apostle growled savagely as the Centuries clanked forward. Quickly, she put the purple crystal around her neck, so as not to lose it. The thought of fighting briefly crossed her mind, but it would be completely futile. There were twelve of them and they could shock her into submission with a single touch.
The Centuries surrounded her, and one of them lifted her from the ground by her upper arms. She screamed and thrashed as electricity surged through her, momentarily blacking out. When she came to, the Century was holding her still twitching body as it walked. Every few seconds it would shock her enough to keep her muscles from
recovering the strength to break free. Humiliation festered in her heart.
Some time later the Century stopped, setting her down before an unfamiliar door.
The Apostle swayed as her muscles continued to twitch and jerk from the shocks while the other Centuries gathered in around her. With lightning speed a Century reached out and ripped her prized clothing off of her, leaving her naked for all to see.
Snarling with rage, the Apostle stepped forward to destroy the automaton, but the others pushed in menacingly and she stepped back toward the unknown door, resisting the urge to cover herself with her hands. She was the Apostle now, and would conduct herself with dignity regardless of the conditions.
There was something behind the door—a power unlike anything the Apostle had
ever felt before, vast, wild, and insatiably ravenous. Turning to regard the door, she felt real fear for the first time in a long time. It slid open upon her approach, and there was dead, dark silence beyond.
She had not realized she’d stepped through it until the door slid closed behind her, plunging her into pitch-blackness. She could see better in the dark than in the light anyway. Smarting over the loss of her clothing, the Apostle swished her tail in anger.
Glancing around, her wolflike ears twitched, trying to catch any sound as she sniffed the air.
There was a sound at the far end of the room, but she wasn’t entirely sure that she was hearing it with her ears. Drawn, the Apostle began to drift toward it. She could not make her feet stop moving toward the source of the sound that was not a sound, and the power that churned hungrily in the darkness.
Stopping dead, the Apostle stood slack-jawed in fear and awe. The air was
twisted and bent, distorting everything seen through it. Within the distortion was a black thing that the Apostle had no words to describe. She could feel it reaching out to her, and she wanted nothing more than to turn and run away, but her feet moved toward it of their own accord
The thing in the distortion was darker than anything she’d ever seen, and it
radiated disturbing currents of wild power. It was so black that it actually almost seemed to shimmer with a power that could be sensed, if not exactly seen. Whatever it was, it was hungry, and would devour anything that strayed too close to it, yet the Apostle could not stop her feet from moving toward its call.
Stepping into the distortion caused her bones to hum within her, resonating with some unheard sound. Her feet carried her straight up to the reflective surface of the black orb. Liquid blackness seethed and surged hungrily, as she looked at her reflection, seeing the fear plain on her face.
Fading away, the Apostle’s reflection was replaced by that of a man with eyes
that blazed like fire, and skin made of the same inky black nothingness of the of the thing that sat within the distortion. He grinned and spread his arms wide in welcome to her.
“My Apostle,” a distant voice reached her. “I am so proud of you.”
The blazing eyes took in her nudity, lingering between her legs for a time and then on her breasts, making the Apostle’s skin crawl. She wanted to scream and run away, but something was holding her in place.
“Come to me. Surrender yourself to me.”
“No,” the Apostle said, fear causing her voice to squeak. “No. I don’t want this.”
“You have no choice but to obey me.”
To the Apostle’s horror, she stepped forward. Fighting against her own body, she tried to turn and run, but to no avail. The inky black arms encircled her and she felt cold emptiness filling her body and soul, numbing her mind and her senses in a way that she had never before experienced.
“Become one with me and I will give you power so great that none will ever be
able to stand against you.”
The black head lowered toward the Apostle’s face. She felt its cold, empty lips on her neck, moving down to suck on one of her nipples before pressing against her mouth. Darkness pushed into her, becoming one with her, a part of her. Her heart beat so loud and fast in her ears that it was a constant rumble, as something vile and alien forced its way into her mind. It was a far worse violation than any that she’d ever endured. She had no concept of rape, but if she had, she would call the way that it rooted around in her memories, rape of her mind. She was helpless to stop it.
Unable to handle it anymore, the Apostle fainted dead away.
When she came to she was completely clothed in black from head to toe, wearing black body armor, and a hooded cloak over it all. Not a single inch of her flesh was showing. She’d never been so covered in her entire life, and she reveled in it for a few seconds before she remembered the dark figure that had forcibly entered her mind.
It was still within her, watching through her eyes. She could feel its pleasure.
Now go, my Apostle, your god commands you to set him free.
Unbidden, her left hand raised to the purple crystal hanging around her neck, and she stepped through the place between worlds to find herself on a completely different one.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen! She was supposed to be free.
She was supposed to avenge the other ninety-nine subjects. But now, she’d been violated in the worst way imaginable. She wasn’t free! She was caged even worse than before!
Serve me, my Apostle, and I promise to you that you will have your revenge.
“Get out of my head,” the Apostle cried.
The dark presence of Cain only laughed. The Apostle did not have enough
experience with other people to recognize the complete and utter insanity in that laugh as she took stock of her surroundings. She didn’t even know where to start.
There shall be no other gods save me. Start there.
Standing on a dirt road in the middle of flat green fields, the Apostle could see a massive tower in the distance, casting a shadow miles long in the late afternoon sun.
She’d find some way back to the World Closest to Perdition, and make the
Council pay for what they’d done to her, and all of the other Subjects. Plans began to form in her mind as Cain cackled. She bared her teeth behind her mask wickedly as a plan began to form. It was only a matter of time before she found what she would need to put it into motion. And she’d kill Cain too, if she got the chance. Any god that would force her to kill the other Subjects didn’t deserve to be called god. Until then she had little choice but to serve him, it seemed. She would serve him as best as she could until the day came when they met face to face, and she took his head.