2.1 - Edited by: Rellawing, AlliterativeArts, Raleon, Trismegistus Shandy - 1/13/2021

 

Leona woke with a start. Somewhere nearby, a soft feminine and musical voice was speaking in a low drone. Her name was repeated over and over again.

 

“Leona… Leona…”

 

Leona blinked in confusion before breaking into a bright smile, thinking it was her mother returned to her by some miracle.

 

When she sat up and finished rubbing her eyes she found herself in a strange cold graveyard. Leona leapt to her feet with a yelp. She was entirely nude which was why she was so cold!

 

She spun, swallowing. Leona could only wonder if she’d been kidnapped. Quinn had joked about doing it to her, but this was actually happening. The fact that she was naked made her worry in a whole different way. Had someone drugged and dragged her from her bed?

 

Right as she decided to quickly cover herself, the laughter of that soft voice echoed nearer than before, the voice was lilting and far too sweet. She looked around and saw no one at first but after a moment she saw a faint light coming from a nearby mausoleum that emerged from the mists.

 

Leona gulped and considered the situation. Should she run from or towards the light? Mountains ringed the area in all directions. It was scenery she’d only imagined or seen in pictures online. She decided to run away, no matter how sweet the voice may have sounded, it was clearly trouble. Leona ran in the opposite direction, which was the most rational thing to do, except when she blinked she saw the mausoleum was inexplicably far closer than it had been before. Somehow she’d been turned around. She turned and ran again. Now every single direction headed for that creepy mausoleum. All she could have done was to stop but she continued, forced closer and closer. Eventually, she stopped fighting it as she knew that wouldn’t help when something was seriously unreal about the situation.

 

Because it was so cold she needed to be inside somewhere, she was beginning to shiver. Once inside, she swallowed hard as she turned corner after corner through dark, dust-choked passageways. She warmed a little as she plumbed deeper. Eventually, she struck upon a coffin and when she neared torches ignited to either side that burned a strange deep purple-black. The voice continued to metronomically murmur her name repeatedly, drawing her closer. Leona started to worry about zombies or vampires appearing. Goosebumps stood all over her, and even though it was a bit warmer now Leona still shivered.

 

Suddenly the coffin burst open and a graceful form lifted up and out. The woman with jet-black hair yawned, as naked as Leona. Her skin tone was dusky. As she rose she just kept levitating and her black wings spread to either side. Leona looked away, flushing. Great, it was a pervert who had captured her. Obviously a super-powered one. The winged woman laughed teasingly and simply watched Leona who was unable to stop from trembling for an entirely different reason aside from the temperature.

 

“So you’re Leona… welcome. It is of course a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but I really don’t wish to tarry with introductions so let us instead talk about this wonderful opportunity we happily find before ourselves. Your concern for your friend and that delicious bitterness called to me so sweetly. Such a pure heart… how in the world could I resist such a summoning?” The woman purred.

 

Leona didn’t say a word. She didn’t run because she had a feeling it would only draw her closer to the woman, but was also starting to get an inkling of who this woman was. 

 

“You desperately crave power, do you not? The power to fly unbound by gravity. You do! You wish for the power to become utterly unrestrained. To take whatever you desire and the ability to smite your enemies. Sarah’s parents, for instance… oh yes…” the woman continued in that sweet voice. “For the admiration of your friends who have turned from you gradually, finding their own loves while yours remains eternally unrequited… To show your family how worthy you are to be loved… To show them how much you can give back to them for all they do for you. Such a sweet little thing. And you want to strike back against the system. To do what you yourself think is right even as they slap your wrist… so very sad… I like you, my dear, so I’ll tell you…”

 

“BLACK ANGEL! IT’S YOU!” Leona’s voice rang. The words had wrenched at her heart, but she knew her! No matter how seductive the words were, she was a freaking villain!

 

“Yes…” Black Angel said simply. “In the flesh... so to speak. Super sorceress, power personified. But again, I dislike introductions.”

 

Leona’s blood chilled. “But you’re dead!”

 

“A lamentable half-truth. I-- suffered a minor setback… Oh well, here we are. Now look upon me. Do I seem a zombie to you?” She smiled. “I’m very much not. Why should you fear a dead angel? Listen to my proposition. I’ll show you what it truly means to live. You, who is bound by so many systems and rules… what fun is there in following all those silly conventions? You should start thinking about yourself.”

 

Leona wanted to bolt out of there as quick as she could, but she resisted the urge and instead sat in protest with crossed legs while taking a deep breath and trying to meditate. 

 

Maybe strengthening her mentality would help, she had an intuition that nothing else was going to work. Instead, there was a stirring of the air as Black Angel closed the distance that Leona wanted to maintain. A set of slender and feminine fingers lifted her chin and Leona’s eyes opened against her will. The orb that Sarah had bought her with its grey tuft of down within had been summoned in the moments she’d closed her eyes and Black Angel held it before her eyes.

 

“As much as you seem to want to, there is no escape from this… Leona. Though I wonder why you go by that name.” She mused, smiling gently but then suddenly grasped Leona by her neck to lift her from the floor. Leona’s limbs dangled as her eyes lifted from the orb and unwitting, their eyes met. Leona flailed at that moment. The darkness around the room coalesced and formed chains to launch at Leona to wrap her entirely until she couldn’t move even slightly.

 

“Comfortable? Now that I have your attention, let’s have a nice long chat about your future.” Dark Angel smirked. Finally Leona was yanked forward and onto the floor again, but her neck was propped up forming a supplicant’s pose before the villain. The villain offered the orb again from a dominating position. “Accept this gift and I will grant you powers you can scarcely imagine. In return, I merely request a modicum of control, to live through you. By your hand, I will have my vengeance.” She laughed.

 

Leona struggled fiercely and started to cry. My life can’t end like this! It can’t!

 

“Do you still want to fight? I know your weaknesses, know you…” Dark Angel smirked. A coffin of darkness appeared about Leona. “Enjoy an eternity in the tight confines of that which held me for what felt like an eon. Maybe then you’ll understand how I feel and start seeing things like I do.”

“I need you to hide in here for a bit, Leo,” Albert said, pointing at the chest of dresses he’d emptied to hurl them across his bed.  He’d left one inside to provide a bit of padding.

 

Leo stared at the chest, his lips writhing. He glanced up at his father’s face as he asked, “Why?”

 

“Just do it, twink.” Albert clenched a fist at his son.  “Do as I tell you.”

 

Leo swallowed some saliva and edged away. “I-is this a game?”

 

Albert rushed forward as Leo darted away, or tried to do so, but his scalp screamed in pain when his father grabbed his hair. “This is no game, Leo. Do as I fucking tell you or you’ll wish you had! I’m at the breaking point, here!”

 

Leo thrashed as he was easily dragged to the chest and thrown inside.  The lid slammed closed.  Instead of hammering at the lid, Leo curled up into a ball, clutching his throbbing head.  His whole body hurt.  There was a scraping noise as metal slid against metal.

 

Staring into the distance, Leo sobbed softly as the sound of his father’s footsteps echoed off into the distance.

 

Leo didn’t try to rise because his father was right. He was safe here… even though there was only darkness to accompany him.  It was peaceful until his hunger grew worse and soon after he wished only for a cup of water and his mother’s love.

The lid slammed shut.

 

Leona screamed for what seemed forever.

 

After some time, the screaming stopped. Leona became numb. She was back to being a small child in that chest, trapped, forgotten. At first she received a scrap of a meal once in a while, but never when she cried. Soon enough there was only darkness and loneliness. She must have seriously tried to push out the dark with tears, maybe she would have if they didn’t dissipate.

 

Am I only this? A helpless child? Unable to keep anyone from doing anything they want to me? Is this who I am? Why did this ever happen to begin with?

 

If I accept her offer, I’ll have some power to prevent something like this from ever happening again, except… it won’t be me.

 

What do I want?

 

What?

 

I can’t be a victim again. I don’t want to hurt anyone like she does, but I don’t want to be hurt anymore.

 

I won’t. I won’t. I won’t. I WILL NOT!

 

A ripple of energy started to surge from Leona. The chains holding her down shattered. Leona jumped and yelled.

Black Angel gasped. “How! How can mere Earth scum resist my power!? You’re all black hearted fools… weaklings… cowards!”

 

The coffin shattered and Leona stood before her glowing. “NO!” Black Angel waved her hand and more chains coalesced to twine around Leona again. The instant they touched the light, they evaporated. Another voice, identical to Black Angel’s spoke.

 

“Leona, I will help you fight this evil within my heart. As I help you, please help me!”

 

Somehow, Leona knew she could trust this voice. It was the source of the power protecting her. Leona nodded, gritting her teeth. She balled up a fist and leapt at Black Angel. Her fist connected with her jaw causing her to fly backwards. Leona stuck with her and pummeled her with blow after blow. The recoils of the power cracked and chipped the stone of the mausoleum room. Bit by bit, the place started to crumble around them. Black Angel continued to try to chain Leona even under the hail of strikes. No matter what though, the chains disappeared. Finally, Leona kicked her and the mausoleum fell to pieces. Finding themselves in the open air, Black Angel lifted above Leona, her wings spreading.

 

“If that’s how you want to play it, I will simply force you. No more fig leaves. I will not be denied! You will be MY vessel, Leo Walker! MINE!”

 

“You must accept me.” The other voice echoed, almost ashamedly. It spoke softly even while Black Angel was livid and furious. “All will be revealed. And I promise you, I will aid you. Please trust me.” The voice was sincere.

 

Despite anxiety and apprehension of a trap, Leona spotted the orb Black Angel had offered before on the ground next to her. She quickly lifted it and just when Black Angel dove at her she instinctively held it to her own chest. She started to glow brighter and brighter until an explosion blew the villain away.

 

“NO! I won’t let you! CURSE YOU!” Black Angel charged her again. In a flash everything changed. Leona was no longer naked and vulnerable. Black Angel was gone. She floated amongst the stars. She wasn’t cold nor weak. Leona threw her head back and laughed, bathing in the sensation of the twinkling light. When her eyes opened she saw Black Angel again, or rather it wasn’t her truly. Instead of dusky flesh, this one had bronze-gold skin and white wings. Tears filled the woman’s eyes, “It’s exactly what you suppose.”

 

“I am the true woman within the one whom you know as Black Angel. I am what she was before she gave herself to the dark powers. I have thrown off the temptation of power and want to be free from this Darkness. Both of our essences were in the Angel Down your friend obtained for you. I wish to atone for my crimes against your people and what I and my people have done to the rest of the Universe. I must apologise. I assisted my dark side to make contact with you. You must know however, that when she reached out to you, I was determined not to let her have you.”

 

She touched Leona’s cheek gently. Unlike Dark Angel, she was warm and truly calm. “Please accept me. I will grant you power, the power of an Empyrean. I know that your hero’s heart will steel you against her evil temptations. The heroic feats you perform will make up for the evil deeds I have been party to, and your world will gain a new champion of justice.”

 

She held Leona’s cheeks and smiled warmly. “Accept this kiss, share it with me. You will gain our essence. You will be in control. YOU will gain the power, and YOU shall be whomever you wish to be.” Leona nodded, understanding and believing.

 

She kissed Leona and the world again exploded in light. Warmth surged along her limbs. When she opened her eyes, she saw the good side of Black Angel fading, becoming ephemeral. For some reason Leona cried. The good side smiled, her eyes streaming rivers of light until finally she was no more. Then, everything cut out.