《Sinner No More》 Prologue: Facility Ever since he was born, he has been afraid of the darkness. Darkness is the lack of knowledge, a place where he is unsure. Yet, it was all he had. It was the same in this night. The harsh luminance from the overhead lamps couldn¡¯t do a thing against the encroaching darkness. Even as he could see every object, every person in clarity, he still felt as if he was lost as he sat shivering by himself. ¡°Why? Why?¡± A incoherent mutter was heard somewhere to his right. It was a cold and lonely voice, chilling to the bone. It was a girl was dressed in a pristine white dress with a cascading lock of hair, gold in colour. Her pale face looked as if it belonged to a doll, perfect in every way. Too perfect. Yet, such beauty was marred by a single dagger embedded in her chest. ¡®It fits her. The colour of her blood against the dress.¡¯ A strange thought popped into the boy¡¯s mind. He was not afraid. He no longer understood what being afraid means. The death of ones life, to him, is nothing more than the death of an insect. ¡°Crist! Crist! Save me!¡± A final desperate cry came from the girl, as her life slowly slipped from her body. The boy looked on at her, and with a emotionless smile, simply shook his head. ¡°Sorry, Alice. I can¡¯t do that.¡± His voice was cold. Moving forward with stoic steps, he slowly pulled the dagger from her chest. ¡°However, I could make it come faster.¡± The naked blade was placed next to her bare neck. Her eyes, now devoid of hope, understood that there was no way she was going to survive. She gave Crist a final, haunting gaze. ¡°I still love you, Crist. Even if you kill me.¡± ¡°No. The dead don¡¯t love anyone.¡± The dagger was drawn across as a sea of crimson followed its trail, splashing onto the boy¡¯s face. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Good job, Crist. Now, kill the rest of them too.¡± The voice from beyond the room hastened. ¡°Quickly.¡± Crist scanned the rest of the room. Hundreds of identical corpses lay dead in the room, as far as the eye can see. Only a final one laid alive on the ground next to him. Every single one of them tried to live. Every single one of them told him that they loved him. Every single of them are dead. However, she was different. ¡°Kill me.¡± she said. ¡°Murderer.¡± ¡®Murderer? What¡¯s that?¡¯ he thought. Searching through his memory, he found his answer. ¡®Murderer: Someone who deprives the lives of others.¡¯ ¡°Yes. I am a murderer. So?¡± he asked the girl. He couldn¡¯t see what was wrong. Death is nothing to him. ¡°So? Don¡¯t you feel any empathy for who you kill? The hundreds of girls whose life you have taken? You are a monster. A sinner.¡± Again he looked for what it meant. Again he was puzzled. He still didn¡¯t see what the problem is. She was weird. Curiosity rose in his heart, a emotion he did not understand. ¡°Quickly! Kill her!¡± The voice from beyond hastened. Anxiety creeped into its voice. ¡°Faster, before they come! Fas-Argh!¡± The room¡¯s eternal silence was disturbed by the sounds of gunfire. The only door in the room slowly opened up. ¡°What in the¡­¡± Someone muttered under his breath as the horrific sight opened up in front of him. The sea of corpses that defied all reason frightened even the most hardened of them all. ¡°There. There is someone alive.¡± The two of us, one holding a dagger, while the other laid prone on the ground, came into their sights. That was when his memory ended in his dream. Chapter 1: Ordinary ¡°Crist! Crist! Wake up!¡± A lock of golden hair tickled his nostrils as he languishingly opened his eyes. A petite figure, just centimetres from his body, crouched over him. Staring onto him was a pair of golden eyes, as bright as the sunshine. ¡°Alice, how many times must I say it. Stop getting into my bed!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Tilting her head in a adorable way, she asked. ¡°Why? We are brother and sister! And have you noticed your¡­figure?¡± Crist tilted his head to side in mild embarrassment. His eyes could not help but wonder, while a mixture of guilt and something else clashed in him. ¡°Ohhh¡­brother, you finally noticed?¡° A mischievous smile creeped onto Alice¡¯s face. Bring her face closer to Crist, she whispered, ¡°Are you finally going to accept me?¡± ¡°Just get up! You know I can¡¯t do th-¡± Crist cried in desperation, before a slender finger sealed his lips. ¡°Stop. I already forgive you, remember? Get ready quickly, you still have to sent me to school.¡± Alice said with a smile while getting up of Crist¡¯s bed. ¡°I will be waiting for you outside.¡± Five years have passed since Crist left the darkness that surrounded him together with Alice. In the days that followed their escape, both of them are kept in another room no different from the one before. There, Crist spoke to Alice once more. ¡°Why are you calling me a monster?¡± The cold, emotionless voice of Crist reached up to Alice, who sat huddled in a corner. His emotionless tone chilled her to the bone. ¡°You killed them all without mercy. Every single one of them. All of them, who are my family.¡±, she said. Her voice was trembling. ¡°Family? What is that?¡± ¡°It is¡­it is a sense of feeling that you get with someone, the relations I share with the rest of them. I know them all, with each of them being me. Yet, yet you killed them all. You wouldn¡¯t understand, you heartless being.¡± Crist felt slient for a moment. Then, again, he spoke, this time with a tinge of emotion. ¡°Family? Family. Then¡­would you be my family?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? Why would I want you to be my family, monster.¡± ¡°If I swear never to be a monster, would you be my family?¡± ¡°If you swear that you will kill yourself, you can be my family.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Crist took off his shirt and looped it around his neck. He then pulled it taut and slowly strangled himself, bit by bit. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Wait¡­What are you doing?!¡± ¡°Dying.¡± Again, without emotion, Crist spoke as he slowly crushed his windpipe with his own hands. His face turned red, then purple, all the while looking at Alice without emotion. ¡°STOP! STOP!¡± Alice moved forward and pulled the shirt off Crist¡¯s neck. Looking on into Crist dark green eyes, she asked, ¡°Is your life really that unimportant, that you would give it up just to be my family?¡± ¡°Death is nothing. If dying is the price to be your family, then I would die without any hesitation. Can I be your family now?¡± Crist said while he reached for his shirt. ¡°Yes! Yes! If you would stop trying to die you can be my family! I wasn¡¯t serious when I said you have to die to be my family.¡± ¡°So, should I call you¡­Sister?¡± This little snippet of memory rose in his mind whist he looked on at Alice receding figure. How long has it been since then. He had learned many things about living from Alice, including the value of life. Without her, he would still be a monster without a heart. Getting off bed with a leap, he quickly changed into his daily wear, which mainly consist of a white V-neck shirt with a black jean. Staring back at him in the mirror is a white haired, gorgeous looking teenager with piercing green eyes wearing a pair of glasses. Combing his unruly hair into order, he walked out of his room, into a girl dressed in a white satin dress with golden accents. ¡°Come on, I am already ready to go. Today is the first day at Golden Imperial University, isn¡¯t it?¡± Alice mentioned with excitement, seemingly forgetting what happened moments before. ¡°Yes, Alice.¡± He replied, with softness creeping into his voice. The dream made him sentimental. Guiding her by the nape of her hand, he lead Alice to the garage by the side of the house. Within in nested a Mercedes S specially designed and made for them, the perfect fusion of size and function. As the door automatically opened at their presence, Crist settled into the drivers seat while Alice sat right next to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Crist said as the car roared it¡¯s way out of the garage. Author''s Notes: The chapters will be kind of short as I don''t really have a lot of time to write with the exams coming up. Tell me if you spot any grammar errors (damn them) and feel free to write your comments down. P.S: This story will be a cross between real life and virtual reality. For the first few chapters, it will be a bit of real life story, setting the relationship between characters before the fun VR stuff comes. Chapter 2: Unordinary The Mercedes Series S coasted down the highway, all the while with Alice hanging her arm around Crist neck. A rather distracting issue, mind you, while the car is charging forward at more than 140km/h. ¡°Alice, could you mind not distracting me while I drive?¡± Crist moved his shoulders unnaturally. He could not help but feel the awkward at the soft sensation he felt transmitted from his arms. ¡°Crist, if you can¡¯t even drive properly with this little distraction, how did you expect to protect me when you enter Golden Imperial University? Will you be distracted by all those pretty girls then?¡± Alice said while snuggling even closer to Crist, as if she was marking her possession. ¡°Alice, you know I have no interest in girls. Besides, this is an entirely different matter!¡± Crist replied in an outburst as he tried his best to suppress the rising emotions within him at Alice¡¯s actions. ¡°That¡¯s why I know you will be mine forever.¡± A chill travelled down Crist spine. His sister just mentioned something really scary, didn¡¯t she? ¡°Hmm¡­Crist, why are you looking at me like that?¡± Alice, tilting her head, said while looking at Crist. ¡°Nothing¡­Nothing at all¡­¡± The car continued cruised along the highway leading directly into the heart Imperial City. By right, there should be a multitude cars heading from the suburbs to city too. However, there is none. This oddity was not missed by Crist. ¡°Alice, get down at the count of three. ¡± Crist said. He had long forgotten about his embarrassment at Alice with the arrival of this new threat. Alice nodded her head in assent. She knew that this was not the time to play coy. Trusting Crist to protect her life, she prepared herself for the signal to duck. Sliding one hand nonchalantly down to his side, Crist continued to drive the car as if nothing was wrong. His hand, however, had already clasped on to a pistol hidden in the side holster of the car. ¡°3¡± ¡°2¡± ¡°1!¡± Adrenaline coursed through his veins in that instant. Pointing his pistol towards the side of the car, a single bullet was fired. ¡°Bang!¡± Cries of agony tore through the silence of the empty highway. A single hooded man dropped out of one of the building in the distance, clutching on his chest, his heart in shreds. ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Bang!¡± The second and third gunshot occurred concurrently, before shower of sparks signalled the collision of both projectiles. Meanwhile, Crist, grabbing onto Alice, jumped out of the car whilst it is still moving. ¡°Boom! Bang!¡± The humongous explosion blew the expensive hundred thousand dollars Mercedes S exploded into shrapnel tearing through air. Crist eyes flared green for an instant as a fourth gunshot miraculously weaved throughout the shrapnel before reaching the brows of another hooded man, outpouring another cry of agony into the empty highway. However, it is not over. The shrapnel from the explosion tore through his bare flesh as he desperately used his body as a shield for Alice as they jumped away from the explosion. A roar of agony left Crist throat as he felt his flesh ripped off by the shrapnel. A safe distance away from the smothering wreckage of the car, Crist laid crouching on the ground with Alice by his side. His eyes, by now flaring with an intense shade of green, traced an path through the air as he scanned the surroundings. Right now, they are in the middle of an industrial park, filled with factories and warehouses, all abandoned. ¡°We are still 30 minutes away from entering Imperial City proper.¡± Crist ruffled his hair in frustration. ¡°Whats worst, even the nano-carbon reinforced car was destroyed. If we stay here, we would be attac¡ªouch!¡± Crist grimaced in pain as he felt a finger gently prod at his wounds. Turning his head around, he saw Alice looking at him with tears in her eyes. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± she whispered, ¡°It was all my fault.¡± Bringing Alice into a gentle embrace, Crist ruffled her hair while speaking to her with a tinge of warmed in his cold voice. ¡°It is not your fault, Alice. It isn¡¯t the first time this has happen anyways.¡± ¡°But¡­but¡­¡± She was silence by the tender touch of Crist finger on her cherry pink lips. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything more, okay? We need to contact < > as soon as possible and ask them why are we being assaulted! Didn¡¯t they swear to gurantee our safety?!¡± A touch of anger creeped into Crist voice. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª < >. That was the name of the organisation that found Crist in that facility so many years ago. ¡°Work for us.¡± That was the only thing that was said to Crist by a faceless individual Crist couldn¡¯t care to remember. Shielding Alice behind his back despite her protest, Crist looked on at man with cold, heartless eyes. ¡°Why.¡± A single word came out of Crist. ¡°For your abilities. You know you are special, right? The <> that you possess, the <>. This facility was created for you. To kill you emotions, making you nothing more than a killing machine. Even the girl behind you, Alice, was created to affect you the most emotionally, so that when you kill them, you will feel the most pain. However, it looks like the one behind you was a defect.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to take revenge against the people who made you so? Find them, kill them, and make them experience the hell you have been through. If you work for us, we can tell you where to find them.¡± ¡°There is no need for that. All I want is the guarantee that she,¡± gesturing to Alice, ¡°would be safe.¡± Alice looked up in surprise at Crist. A cacophony of emotions clashed in her heart. Even though she should be hating him, somehow, in her heart, she felt a stirring of emotions that she could not understand. ¡°Why? Why are you helping me?!¡± she screamed at Crist. Why was that murderer helping her? ¡°Because we are family.¡± That was the only reply. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Leading Alice by the crook of her arm, they quickly made a dash for the nearby warehouse. Shooting the lock open, they scrambled in just as another bullet clashed onto the tarmac in front of them. Once they are in, Crist took out a transceiver hidden in his jean pocket. The transceiver was beeping with a rhythmic tone, signalled a incoming contact. ¡°Are you all right!¡± A anxious feminine voice shouted into the transceiver the moment Crist picked it up. ¡°Yes, Angeline, we are currently taking shelter in an abandoned warehouse. Now, can you tell me WHAT IS GOING ON!¡± Crist voice got progressively louder as he spoked into the transceiver. There are in Imperial City territory, where < > headquarters is located. Why are they being assaulted in < > territory?! ¡°Crist! Calm down! It is <>. You got to watch out. We are still trying to track their positions but it appears that one of Archangels are after you. They want¡ª¡° ¡°That¡¯s enough, isn¡¯t it.¡± A voice deep in the warehouse whispered. ¡°I am one of the Archangels, Azrael, the Angel of Death. Hand over <> Alice and I will grant you a peaceful trip to the afterlife, <>.¡± Against the side of the wall, eye¡¯s devoid of any colour, leaned a pale ghastly figure dressed all black. Grasping on to sword crowned on the hilt with a skull, his empty gaze locked on to Alice. Author''s Notes: From now on it will be one chapter per day. Whoooo....finally can we get into some fighting action! Now, in regards to Crist not being are heartless person, he still is. Except that he only cares about his sister, kind of like Tatsuya from Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei if you think about it. Heck, thinking about it now, my story is kind of like Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei too. Damn.... In regards to the VR portion of the book, it will be tied onto the main plotline too. So don''t worry if it will be clashing or changing the story. The ratio of RL to VR action will kind of be like 4:6. Now, how to write the VR part... P.S: Need help deciding whether to make the RL portion supernatural or sci-fi. Would you like cool magically abilities or sci-fi technology goodness. Chapter 3: Azrael, The Archangel of Death His eyes are the lifeless, the colour of death, his body scrawny, skin and bones, cloaked in an black overall. The sword he holds in his hand, dark as night, was curved at the tip, looking similar to a cross between a scythe and a blade. Pointing it at the person crouched injured on the ground, his raspy voice continued: ¡°The mercy of afterlife, to a sinner as great as you, or a dog¡¯s death lies in your choice, Crist.¡± ¡°I still die in the end, don¡¯t I? What is the difference then¡­¡±Crist spite back. His eyes began to flare with a deeper, darker shade of green as he looked at the Archangel in front of him. The Archangel of Death, Azrael. ¡°Is it Azrael? Oh no¡­.¡± Angeline muttered on the opposite end of the transmitter. Even amongst the twelve archangels, Azrael was considered to be the craziest. The reason? No one will be left alive, friend or foe, after he arrives. ¡°Looks like you have rejected my final mercy. As expected of the <>. You will regret that choice.¡± His footsteps rang out, loud and clear, in the empty warehouse. With each and every step, the ominous mist hanging around him gets thicker and thicker, almost as if it is alive. Twisting and writhing in agony within are human faces, each and everyone of them locked in eternal pain. ¡°<>!¡± The sword in his hand sliced towards Crist, accompanied by the mist in that split second. Like the ancient river of the afterlife, Styx, that flows in hell, the mist engulfed towards Crist, wanting to swallow him whole into its eternal embrace. ¡°Angeline, permission to release the <>.¡± Crist spoke to Angeline through the transmitter, ignoring the mist completely. His body unconsciously moved to shield Alice from the mist, as his eyes became even darker. ¡°Sigh¡­yes. Release <>.¡± ¡°Finally¡­¡± Tattoos, coloured the darkest shade of green, spread out from the corners of his eyes, forming a crown of thorns encircling his head. A symbol of a bow with an arrow appeared in the middle of Crist forehead, as a cracking sound resounded through the empty warehouse. ¡°<>.¡± Cracks began appearing between the palm of his hands, as if something was breaking through his very skin. Blood began seeped through those cracks and condensed itself into the form of a bow entwined with streams of eternal green. Grasping the bow with his bleeding hands, he looked at Azrael in the eye. As he pulled the bowstring back, a single eternal arrow of green blazed into existence. Burning with an hellish blaze, with Crist¡¯s blood as fuel, shot forth, right at the mist. As the arrow left the bowstring, it split into ten identical arrows, firing from all directions, slicing into the mist one after another, cutting a dazzling path through the air. ¡°Alice, get back.¡± Right after the arrow was fired, Crist shot forth right at Azrael, his fingers never stopping to fire even once. ¡°<>,¡± he muttered under his breath, his arrows trailing throughout the warehouse like meteors falling from the sky. <> sliced through the air once, twice, thrice, four, five¡­tens, hundreds of times as each arrow cut through the mist aiming for Azrael. His pale expression never showed a trace of exertion as he moved his blade with unholy accuracy, cutting and intercepting the path of each arrow before it could even touch him. A continuos chain of expressions rang throughout the warehouse, tearing through the stony silence before. ¡°Brother!¡± Alice¡¯s voice cut through the explosions in worry as she saw Crist attacks being dealt with like it was nothing. It was the first time she ever saw someone deal with her brother¡¯s attacks with such ease. In the past, not even an army of soldier could withstand one volley of bombardment, yet Azrael did it without getting injured. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Tsk! <>!¡± When he fired his final arrow, he quickly let go of his bow as it collapsed and reformed itself into the form of a blood red dagger embedded with a condensed jew of green energy. Grasping it with his other hand, he suddenly disappeared into thin air, as the shadows cloaked him. Silence reign in the warehouse as only Azrael and Alice are left, yet Azrael did not move from his spot. His hands are clasped onto his blade as he looked into the shadows that descended in this dark warehouse. Minutes passed in complete silence. There was not movement, no sound, except for Alice¡¯s movements. Lying along the edge of the warehouse, she leaned on the wall, trusting Crist to keep her safe. At that moment, a crackling sound was heard from one of the corners of the warehouse. ¡°Crist! Crist! Are you fine? Hand in there fo¡ª¡° The transmitter was abruptly shut off in the middle, not before the entire area was sliced apart by Azrael¡¯s blade. ¡°Bzzz¡ª¡° The buzzing of the broken transmitter was heard in the corner of the room, sliced in two by Azrael blade. However, Crist was nowhere to be seen. A blade plunged inches deep into Azrael¡¯s hand as it rose to shield his neck from a sudden strike. Stopped just before it pierced Azrael¡¯s neck, the blade collapsed and reformed into a bow firing inches from Azrael¡¯s face. At that exact moment, Azrael had already began to move. His blade, milliseconds after the arrow was fired, sliced from an unnatural angel towards Crist, which had now reappeared. Meanwhile, his other hand guarded his face, while the mist formed a barrier. Crist, on the other hand, had reformed <> moments after firing the shot, disappearing once more just as the blade sliced towards him. This time, he appeared underneath Azrael, his blade cutting at his tendons. However, Azrael did the unexpected. Allowing himself to fall backwards, he momentarily suspended himself in the air and avoided the attack. His blade, however, is now redirected downwards following his momentum, cutting at Crist below him. Crist intercepted the blow with his dagger, while he his foot rose up towards Azrael¡¯s jaw. It slammed into his arm guarding his face just as the arrows hit. Sparks flew as the arrows connected with the barrier of mist, as Azrael¡¯s hand was shifted slightly by the impact, allowing one lone arrow to pass through. Azrael, left with nothing to defend, grasped the arrow with his jaw as the was pushed back along the ground by the resultant force of the arrow. Crashing into the side of the warehouse, he steadied himself as he spit out a mouthful of blood. ¡°Ha..ha¡­very well, <>. You have earned the right for me to use it.¡± Tearing off the overcoat that covers him, his shoulders began to crack apart as two wings, made out of pure darkness, began emerging from his shoulder blade. His pale expression became even paler, as his wings fully extent itself. His very visage becomes clouded in darkness, as the mist from before became even more dense. A sense of death, unlike before, surrounded Crist, as it became apparent that this is the true form Azrael, the Archangel of Death. Author''s Notes: After disappearing for months, I have finally put out another chapter of this story. While, considering what an irresponsible author I am, I will probably be lazy and delay the next chapter. Opps! Now, feel free to post any errors or critique below and I will be glad to receive it.