"Breaking news. This afternoon, the Wiston Bridge partially collapsed due to its inability to withstand the weight on it. As of now, the number of casualties has not been reported."
The news spread throughout Old Barua. The blaring of emergency sirens filled the city as rescue vehicles raced to the hotspot. That piercing tone is his new favorite melody whenever his calamity strikes. Malum hovers high, mid-air, as the restless wind blows. His eyes feast on the scene unfolding, yet again merciless.
I, the one referred to as malus, the calamity. A being of no name, no origin, nothing. As I am but the manifestation of destruction. With the sole purpose, to destroy.
And so shall I bring it forth, the destruction of the world. As the world itself was born, a creation of destruction. Thus, to destruction it shall return.
Malum's dark mists covered the entire area, not that the humans' eyes could perceive it... except for one.
The bridge's cable snapped, its impact smashing everything in its path, be it people, cars, or even an oil tank like this one, setting off an explosion that engulfed everything under its scorching flames, burning all to a crisp. The bridge rattled wildly as one by one, more of the cables cleaved, a brilliant domino effect. Everyone scrambled for whatever chance of survival they had, but it was to no avail. Not when the one orchestrating the very devastation is calamity, himself.
Guttural roar and scream of terror unceasing from side to side. All were at a loss, as both sides of the bridges are no-go areas, leaving only sitting ducks in the middle. However, one who didn't mind any of it was Ene, gripping the unsteady railing. Her eyes fixed on the one controlling the dark mists instead. The one responsible for this whole damnation.
Malum...
His stoned stare met hers once again as gusts of wind swayed. This scene he had seen too many times. Her gaze of despair is one of the moments he relished the most. To her, it was his first betrayal; in reality, it was another recurrence. Not that she remembers them. He'd make sure she'll forget every single one of her deaths.
In the hope to ensure the purity of her demise and despairs are as flawless as they are from blemishes and unwanted spoils for him to savor, of course.
For whenever and wherever his calamity strikes, Ene will be the catalyst. After all, she is his vessel of calamity; only by true despair will she finally break. However, it seems her true despair, her Pandora's Box, had yet to appear. Given that no matter how many times he puts her among his calamities, she had not been awakened. A late bloomer, he presumed.
He awaited her moment to shine, as it had for her predecessors. The beauty of destruction that his vessels are capable of is beyond compare, immaculate. He awaited such a grand sight, once again, in each millennium throughout his eternal life, the source of his elation. However...
This girl... Her eyes. I don't like them.
Their eyes met again, unwavering, amidst the catastrophe. He frowned.
Malum has always caught something in her eyes, so he's always been dissatisfied. Yet he couldn't put a pin on it. Despite her lingering despair, there was something unreadable underlying her gaze. That is the imperfection he has tried to cleanse since the very beginning, and it has become increasingly evident over the passing years, much to his discontent.
The bridge, on its last vestige of standing, crumbled down piece by piece with Ene together with it. Yet, her stare is without a hint of falter. It somehow touched his nerve, as he frowned slightly.
Now, hurled into the cold waters of November, Ene together with those thousands of lives and the once grandiose Wiston Bridge of Old Barua.
Flailing her small arms against the raging water, only to sink deeper. Her body smacked against the larger segments of the bridge and was hit by a hurtling car underneath, much to her suffering, with no air to breathe. After such anguish, her eyes blur underneath the shivering coldness; the figure she wanted to see was no more.
Her heart aches, yet after a while, it dissolves into an inexplicable tranquility. She didn't understand why, but she felt it; after all of that, she will be fine. And so, she closes her eyes, drifting into her eternal slumber once again with a lightened heart.
Her acceptance of her fate tightened his jaw. His hand ran through his hair out of frustration. Scowling as his brow furrowed.
"What the hell is wrong with this kid?!"
He huffed for a while before calming down. Malum warped before her once again, underneath the water. Her lifeless form floats slowly, rather serene, amid the murky water. He slid his arm around her small back, holding her close, as his stern eyes searched through those delicate features, where her calm acceptance rested. Yet, only met with a sigh.
Feeling a hint of defeat, he carried her into his arms once again, warping back into her apartment's bedroom. Gently laying her body to settle onto her bed, she was no longer drenched nor frigid, but lacked color.
Malum took his steps back as another black orb appeared before his palm. Gesturing it to her, the seed of corruption hovers over her lifeless form, absorbed upon contact. Those dark markings were like thorns that took root on her body, growing more clearly on her neck.
She had always had them, even as a child, all because of the corruption seeds he had sown in her. Not that she knew about it, and not that he would ever reveal it, and so she believed that it was her mark of curse. The black markings are what allow her to see both the living and the dead. His eyes had a hint of somberness.
"Just corrupt already, the more you fight it, the more painful it'll become. Being stubborn doesn't do you any good."
His voice lowers. It was the truth; as a harbinger of destruction, the more she rejects her fate, the more she'll be tormented by it. It happened to his 'self-righteous' vessels, and so it will happen to her too.
Ene began to regain color on her skin as she breathed, shallow, once again—all the wounds inflicted on her body during the rough already healed, not a scar seen. Coming back to life, she sleeps as if nothing had happened. That's how it's always been; tomorrow she'll wake up and not remember a single thing.
Seeing her in such a state, he felt something swirling in his chest. An unidentified sensation. He frowned slightly as his gaze paused on her face, lingering. Before he dissipates once again, leaving her to rest.
***
"Hel... ene? It's Helene Thorne, right?"
The young man repeated her name, hesitation in his tone. He looked at the girl; she had rather striking features: long, wavy black hair, roundish, adorable eyes, pale skin, and a cute smile. The girl shook her head slightly, her expression softening, as she corrected him.
"No, it's Hellene. H-E-L-L-E-N-E. Hellene Thorne."
It astonished him. Intrigued to hear such a unique name, rarely heard in that arrangement. Usually, it would have been Helen, Helene, or Helena. His eyes twinkle, directing his question as his finger rested on his chin.
"I know it's rude, but your name... Do you get...?"
Ene knew what he was trying to convey—a soft chuckle from her, then a nod.
"Yes, a lot of time. 'Hell girl' was one of the fun nicknames my friends gave me."
That strikes him, not by surprise, as he obviously had such a nickname for her in mind. Yet her words were ever so innocent, whilst exuding a laid-back vibe, much to his feeling bad about it.
"I don't think they're friends at all."
Whispers between the two girls who were sitting at the edge of the long table, one a blond wearing a purple beanie and the other a short-haired girl with large framed glasses. They were pitying her; she could see it. The other club members glanced at each other in the uncomfortable silence that followed, and one of them smacked the boy on the back.
"Stop it, Adam. You're being rude."
Adam's half-laughter sounded awkward as he rubbed the back of his neck, rather instinctively. Immediately, he stood up, holding out his hand to her whilst she firmly clasped his. Newly acquainted.
"Welcome, Hellene Thorne, to the Paranormal Research Club."
She gave him a single nod as the others clapped their hands to welcome her within the darkly lit club room. A room, hoarded with intricate, cursed items, but those trinkets didn't capture her attention. It was 'them', the spirits they had invited so arrogantly.
Ene glanced slightly across Adam, by his shoulder, a demon attached to him. The ragged woman was clingy, hugging him tight. Her arms wrapped around his neck and legs around his waist, squeezing him. It was nuzzling its grisly, seamed face against his neck and whispering possessively in his ear.
"Mine... Only mine..."
It did make her shudder just by the sight of it. Shifting her focus to the sides of the room, all sorts of spirits and demons were in their possession, rather diverse if one might say. From a tall slender one, black furry at the back, and little ones running around. They might be from a range of nationalities, too, unexpectedly amusing her. Adam let go of her hand as he directed his question.
"Why did you want to join the Paranormal Research Club? Are you interested in ghosts, too?"
He beamed, anticipating the new member's answer, to which Ene shook her head slightly. Her eyes sparkled as she answered with a bright smile. She leans in, rather conspiratorially.
"No, I want to know more about an angel, hehe."