Page 45 of Reine's Salvation

“Didn’t I tell you to stay home?” Max replied, laughing. He held out his sword, hilt first, for Reine to take.

“I can’t,” Reine said.

“You have been standing here chit-chatting with Wrath for like ten minutes and you’re telling me you’re not a fighter? Grab it,” Max insisted.

“Max, I’m useless, my arm—”

“You have another arm. Use it.”

Max pushed the sword into his hand, forcing Reine to wrap his fingers around the weapon’s grip.

“Do it for Mystique. She’s safe,” Max said. “One of the men is with her, but if we lose, then there will be nothing left for you to go back to.”

Reine gave a brief nod. He would do this. For Mystique and for their future. He grasped the sword more firmly, swinging it from side to side, testing the use of his left arm. Elation raced through him. This is what he was meant to do. He was a warrior. His mission to keep the balance between good and evil. Vince malum. His vision narrowed as the enemy came. The smell of blood and death permeated the air. Screams and war chants alike could be heard throughout. The moonlight disappeared behind a cloud, but still they fought. The night wore on.

“They retreat,” a Guardian shouted.

Cheers of victory rang across the street. Reine brushed his forehead with the back of his hand. Sweat dripped down his face. Blood stained his pants. His left hand trembled from exertion. Relief swept through him as he lowered his weapon. They had done it. They had forced the Sin and his Inferums to run.

Reine lifted his sword again as he caught sight of a stray Inferum scurrying past. His eyes widened as he saw the creature enter a broken down house and disappear down a flight of stairs.

“They’re not retreating,” he cried out. “They’re going into hiding beneath the houses. We must dig them out.”

Without waiting for his comrades, Reine sprung down the stairs. He quickly overtook the Inferum he had seen. He heard his friends follow him inside. The battle screams mingled with the minion’s frightened shrieks. He ran ahead, stopping in shock at the sight that greeted him.

“How?” he muttered.

Beneath the houses, they were building tunnels. Here and there, a frame of wood held the rudimentary construction in place. Torches hanging from the wall lit the structures. An Inferum swept by him, shrieking. Reine raced after it. He stopped in his tracks when he arrived to a small, circular chamber and saw the closed doors. He had no way of knowing which direction the beast went. Reine took a step back. God damn doors. Always doors. These were not big or wide. They were plain wooden doors, but what lay behind them was an enigma. Sweat dotted his brow. His thoughts returned to the night he’d lost his arm. He had gone into the room without thinking. This time he knew better. He would wait for the rest of the men. He wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.

It didn’t take long for a group of Guardians to arrive.

Which way?” one of the men asked.

“I think it’s best if we divide in two. One half down that door and the other half across this one,” Reine said. “We have no way of knowing what’s on the other side.”

“Sloan, Alexander, Dima, and Kamu with me,” Seamus said. “The rest of you follow Reine and Max through that door. Khalon, keep watch.”

Weapons were quickly drawn. Max placed his hand on the door handle. Reine glanced at Seamus who nodded once. Both men threw the door open at the same time.

“Vince malum.”

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