OOC Arila here's most of Ephael's..
stuff. My E mail is screwed up, don't know whats wrong with it. So I am sticking these short chapters here. Use if you like.))
1.
The glass sailed end over end shattering loudly against the wall. Strong liqueur ran down the stoic visage of Philip Ross. Ephael couldn't remember clearly how the painting had found its way into her Rome apartment.
She chuckled lowly,"Look at what my god has done to me." She whirled away from the dark eyes of the Omni-tek chairman. Today was a trying day for her. She had those, when the rage was almost unbearable.
Eric Miller, the name floated through her mind, now he was her creator. She was notum addicted, nanobot bound to the world of Rubi-Ka. Most wanted notum for wealth she could not survive apart from it.The war for Rubi-Ka was very real to her, it was her life.
The ability to manifest her rage into a tangible form was a talent of hers that grew by leaps and bounds. A mysterious dark pulse had begun to flow through her long ago, tied to notum energy, tied to something... else. Yes,a mysterious inscrutable intangible force burned deep with in her.
Turning back to the portrait of Ross she could see the shadow of her pale reflection in the cracked glass within the frame. The nanobots, the notum ravaged her body yet strengthened her mind, her sixth elemental sense. She had been doing well in the cradle of Omni Reform/Re education, helping others back into the family. She felt some of her control slowly returning.
She moved away from the painting and over to the softly beeping terminal upon her desk. Reclining in her soft leather chair she had strange emotions welling up from deep within her. Disjointed memories of a purring husky voice, soft hands on her temples, pain. Her eyes shot open. Her face was wet. What was happening to her? She had come so far. Done so well.
She held her dark gloved trembling hands up in front of her. These elegant fingers had caressed the minds of others as well. She had shown them the sacred intensity where pleasure and pain become one, the pinacle of mind shattering ecstacy. Her hands ceased to tremble as they dropped down into her lap. Yes this was the way she would walk. Through the wonders of the labyrinth tied to the essence of shadow. To hope, to look beyond the sacred order was to invite madness. She had to focus the anger, before the anger corrupted her, and unseated her proper vision.
Most laughed at anything other than pure science and measurable data. She however had not forgotten the currents of delicious shadow that flowed through everything, and yes greatly through the notum. There was a pulling, a drawing forward she felt. She was positive she was part of an order that exhalted and crushed at once. There was no creature in the end that would escape being consumed.
There was a power that extended from the One that whispered to all people in their dreams, many may call nightmares. As far as man had come there were still the darker parts of self most wanted to forget, most wanted to never acknowledge. This was her path. Sometimes she felt the vastness of the oblivion and instictively forced herself to immediately disconnect. It was too much for a single mind, or a single spirit. The tendrils came up from time to time, and caressed them all, she was certain of it. In their hatred, in their anger, in their red visioned blood lust, in their exquisite desire for the flesh.
Where was the line between genius and madness? Where was the line between love and hate? Pain and pleasure? The truth was, when they all flowed together as one in the highest intensity of shadow it was the purity of divinity.
2.
Ephael watched the impeccably dressed woman engage the holo-recorder, then seat herself across from her. This was Xhal, her purpose was to further examine Ephael with a tailor made battery of questions to see if she was indeed Omni-Reform material. Ephael regarded her with cool indifference.
Xhal smiled slowly, brushing a wisp of blond hair from her eyes. "Now Ephael, I will break from Reform tradition and be succinct." Ephael nodded. "We have been very pleased with the cases we have had you handle. You've done very well with those 'test' subjects, however we are interested in offering you a more developed role in the department."
Xhal shifted slightly forward. "In order for such a thing to occur, you will need a higher level clearence." Ephael nodded again showing a tad more interest. "We need to expand your profile." Xhal's eyes focused more sharply on Ephael as she continued.
"There has been concern about your ideas of this force you regard as the One. Such a thing needs to be clarified as it could cause distinct problems down the line. I would like you to elaborate." Ephael chuckled softly, relaxing now that she understood the intent of the auditors probe.
"I understand why the department would be concerned if they had recruited a romantic lost in shallow mythical tripe." Xhal smiled slightly. "The One, let me be address the concern directly." Ephael lightly cleared her throat. "The romantic language that I have used is not to suggest that this source is 'god' as ancient propaganda once perpetuated upon Earth. The One is simply a source. It should not be misconstrued with myths grown out from sheep herding former slaves."
Xhal motioned, waving her silent. "Very well, if you do not believe in that ancient concept what is this One?"
"I will tell you what I believe." Ephael continued. "The One is quite simply the source of energy that becomes spirit, that becomes matter. It is indeed where the ignorant project personification. The most ancient societies believed in many gods with various spheres of power, the later societies proclaimed one 'god', its all romantic misintepretation of the source. The simple can not resist the urge to make it like us, as is it is inscrutable, profound and non- sentient in the sense we would use the word."
"I see what you mean, however what is most important is that your beliefs we consider irrational, do not interfer with your duties." Xhal replied.
A cold smile touched Ephael's lips. "You have watched me at work. Do I seem conflicted?"
Xhal involuntarily cringed.
"No, I must say I have never seen anyone perform your type of work with as much single minded purpose and concentration. You do not seem to be phased by doing exactly what is required of you without falter. That is one of the prime reasons for this continued dialogue." Xhal paused. "This Source then, would most consider it benign or malevolent?"
Ephael chuckled again in amusement. "Good or evil? The One has produced all spectrums. Some cultivate darker aspects, some what would be considered light. Some walk between both worlds. Now there are meta-physical beings that are benign and malevolent. Some of great power. None I would regard as a divine though. Close, but not so."
Xhal stood quickly offering a hand to Ephael. "We shall continue this later. On less abstract subjects. For now I can say, most should be satisfied."
3.
Ephael studied the fellow through the one way glass. Nargol was his name. She had spent, what seemed an eternity,in raw communication with his mind.Omni Reform, in particular, the re education unit, had set this test before her. Nargol was a well known Omni employee who had vanished. Time told a story of his recruitment into the Clans.
The re education unit made it clear to Ephael that they wanted Nargol returned to the family. Not only was he a star employee in the past, he now possessed crucial information that could be used to find more effective ways to deal with the Clan, and more importantly, turn them to the corporate cause.
Ephael was beyond exhausted. His will had proven formidable, she suspected for a time she would fail. Then she had stumbled across the root reason for his change, an object where a large portion of his emotion was invested,..a child. After shattering his mind with waves of assaults she quietly introduced horrid visions of the demise of his beloved offspring. Hours of the darkest creative effort on Ephael's part finally had him pleading for release. Offering anything, just for the images to stop. It was then Ephael left him. Even she was close to breaking at this point.
She was aware of Xhal standing near her."I don't know how you cracked that one. You will be recognised for this, in a few circles." Ephael barely heard her, still unbalanced from her own tormenting visions. These currents flowed from a shadowy source that Ephael was quick to call upon anymore. It occured to her perhaps she was using this force far too often for her own personal gain. As certain as she knew this, she also knew she would not be leaving that dark labyrinth of shadow essence anytime soon, if ever.
Nargol was a mess of sweat, tears and blood. She had resorted to instruments only twice. In any case, she would need to clean him up. She would need to build up his vision and assign him a raison d'etre again. It was remarkable to her, how she could turn her images of torment to dark pleasure unimagined by most, and suddenly her most hated disciple was her most ardent follower.When Omni did discover the depth of her power and the wicked forces she invited into Rubi-ka, it would already be far too late.
She wiped her brow, recognizing she was smiling again. Xhal shivered near her.
Nargol had passed though affliction, now he was destined for addiction.
