Chapter Two

 

Antithesis was ported in front of a shady looking building in Haven. It had neon lights displaying the title of the bar, “The Bloodbath” in rosy pink. He heard cheers and gleeful shouting inside. Without any hesitation, the spectre walked into the bar.

The first thing he noticed before even entering the main area was the mixed stench of vomit and alcohol. However, this didn’t bother him as he never broke stride as he walked straight up to the bartender.

“Hey, scary guy,” the bartender said, cleaning a glass. “What can I get ya?”

“I need the current location of Erza Bathory,” Antithesis said firmly. The patrons of the bar all stopped mid-conversation at Antithesis’s demand. 

The bartender didn’t give an answer and pointed behind the spirit. Antithesis turned around and realized that the patrons were all female. This didn’t phase him.

“Waddaya want with Ms. Bathory?” one patrons said, seemingly the leader. 

“I need to speak with her,” Antithesis said plainly. “I am not looking for trouble, so long as she gives me the information I need.”

“Sounds like a threat,” another woman said, pulling out a combat knife and making it glimmer in the dim lightning. 

“What can I help you with?” a seductive voice asked from a hidden room before entering the main bar. She was followed by four other women that looked gruffer than the other patrons. 

“Are you Erza Bathory?” Antithesis asked, eyeing her long, blood-red dress. She smiled.

“I am,” Erza said. “How can I help you, stranger? Handsome...stranger.”

“I need to find Tristan Delacroix,” the spirit calmly demanded. Soft gasps came from the crowd around him. 

“For what purpose?” she asked. Antithesis looked around at the surrounding women, feeling the pressure of the room. He had never been surrounded by so many women, especially since he had only been with one woman for his entire life. Previous life. 

“I-- He has information on someone else I need to find,” the spectre stuttered. 

“You seem nervous,” Erza said, cocking her head to the side and smiling.

“I… am not,” Antithesis said, reassuring himself. 

“Well,” Erza said, signaling for a piece of paper and pen from one of her guards. She hypnotizingly walked over to a table and bent over. Antithesis frowned, trying to keep his composure. “Here’s his address. Not far from here.”

Antithesis gladly accepted the paper. But, look puzzled.

“Thank you,” he said. “I was not expecting you to give him up so easily.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Erza said. “He’s competition for my business. So, I wouldn’t mind if you eliminated that competition.”

“Are you asking that I do?” the wraith questioned. 

“Not asking,” Erza said, softly chucking. “Suggesting.”

Antithesis nodded in understanding. But, he didn’t tell her he would not kill him unless he deemed it necessary. As Antithesis walked out with the same confidence he entered with, Erza waved.

 

Antithesis found himself at another shady entrance to a shady building. At the front, stood a large, intimidating creature with shades and fangs protruding from his mouth. As the phantom went to enter the building, the creature held up a hand.

“Name?”

“I need a word with Tristan Delacroix,” Antithesis said.

“They’re not allowing any visitors at this time,” the guard informed. 

“I do not want trouble, but I will do what I must in order to finish my quest,” the spectre said. 

“What are you on about?”

“I will state it only once more, creature,” Antithesis said. “I need to speak with Tristan Delacroix.”

“Okay, it’s time for you to leave,” the guard said, placing a firm hand on the wraith’s shoulder. Antithesis glared at the guard and as he did, the guard’s hand began to burn from the plasmic holyflame emitting from his body.

“What the shi--”

The guard could not finish his last words as Antithesis withdrew then re-sheathed his Dimension Splitter sword, slicing at the guard’s neck in between those two actions and beheading the creature. The guard’s body collapsed to the ground and the phantom stood over it, wondering why he had no feelings whatsoever for taking a life. His first kill. Maybe because all he could think about was reaching eternal rest with the rest of his family. 

He placed a hand on the door and burned it to the ground with ease before stepping inside and looking for the throne room.

Luckily when he found it through interrogating wandering guards, the family was having a meeting, so everyone was there.

As the wraith entered the archway, a guard snuck up behind him and shouted at the Delacroixs to be wary of Antithesis. In response, the phantom sliced the guard’s head clean off like the guard at the entrance. 

Jareth Delacroix, the head of the family, pointed at the advisors and guards in the room, all on either side, to attack the attacker. But before they could even take a step, Antithesis’s arms lit up a whitish-gold and incinerated all except the advisors and right hand men of the family. All that remained were Draven, Felix, Emilio, Carmilla, Selene, Tristan, and Jareth. 

“Draven!” Felix shouted at his lapdog. Draven snarled and stormed forward, expecting to easily take the spirit out. He raised a fist and swung, but the spirit caught it and tightly squeezed the brute’s fist. Draven grimaced in pain. 

“I do not wish to kill any more of you,” Antithesis said truthfully. “Tell me where I can find Domination.”

Tristan’s eyes widened and he looked at his dad. Jareth fixed his eyes on the fight, feeling his son’s gaze. The family says nothing in response to Antithesis’s demand. 

“Dad, say something. He’s going to kill us!” Tristan said worriedly. 

“HEAR ME!” Antithesis shouted. “I do not wish to slaughter another family, but I will do so to see mine.”

No response still, as if the family was waiting to see what the wraith would do. He exhaled and proceeded to do what he did not wish, crushing Draven’s fist and kicking him in the knees to force him to kneel. Then, keeping eye contact with the family, Antithesis tore out the brute’s throat, then forcefully shoved it back through his mouth, before slamming his face into the ground. 

“That… that… he was my… friend,” Felix said, staring in horror at the sight before him. Antithesis strode forward ready for the next which happened to be Felix, who bore his fangs and lunged at the spectre. Antithesis caught Felix by his neck and squeezed, his hand heating up as he did. Felix died of suffocation before Antithesis caused his neck and head to explode from a surge of plasmic holyflames. 

“Where is Domination?” Antithesis interrogated. “He is who I must find. Save your family by revealing him to me.”

Jareth frowned.

“Emilio,” he said. Emilio gave the leader a worried look.

“Um, Jareth, why not just tell him?” he asked. “He’s clearly stronger than us.”

“Our reputation will be ruined if word gets out we were taken out by some unknown,” Jareth said.

“Reputation?!” Emilio shouted. “You care more about our feared reputation than the lives of your most trusted friends and family?”

“Take him out, Emilio,” Jareth commanded. Emilio did what any sensible parent would do and grabbed his daughter Carmilla by the wrist, trying to lead her out past Antithesis. Jareth held out a hand and pyro-kinetically set the both of them on fire, killing them. 

Antithesis looked back at the two burning bodies, seeing himself and his daughter in place of the creatures. 

“Father?” Tristan asked, further questioning Jareth’s motivation. Only the two of them, along with Selene remained.

“Fine, you want him to be stopped? I will try,” Selene said walking forward. “But, promise me you will get our son to safety.”

Jareth said nothing as Selene bared her fangs, her face shriveling, claws protruded from her nails where her fingernails were, and large bat wings grew from her back. Antithesis stood unphased by her transformation. 

She hissed at Antithesis as the phantom glared up at her from under his furrowed brow. She leaped in the air and tried to land on him, but he sidestepped. She turned and slashed at him, but he easily dodged her swipes. She threw her arm out at him to try and penetrate through his chest, but he sidestepped this as well, then grabbed her arm and pushed her elbow backwards, breaking it. Then he stepped behind her and kicked her in the back, knocking her to the ground. 

He stepped on her back and began pulling at her wings to tear them off, but as he looked at the chains on his arms and instead wrapped them around Selene’s neck, choking her unconscious. 

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!” Tristan shouted, holding his head as wings sprung from his back like his mother. He bared his fangs and lunged at Antithesis like Felix did. The spectre stepped to the side and kneed Tristan in his stomach, before dropping him to the ground with an elbow. Then, he looked at Jareth, demanding the same information.

“Tristan Delacroix, tell me where I can find Domination!” he shouted. Jareth squinted. Tristan tried moving so he could speak clearly.

“I--”

“Hush, child,” Jareth commanded. He rose off the throne and stepped toward the wraith, glaring at him as he did. “You will never get that information from me.”

Antithesis gritted his teeth underneath his crimson mask, but said nothing as he released Tristan. Almost as a gift for showing mercy with Tristan and Selene, nine alien beings enter the throne room and survey the scene. 

“Wonder what happened here?” Extermination asked.