Elias lay on his side near the stage, half-buried in rubble. The air was filled with smoke, and the fire on the heavy wooden beam trapping his leg began to spread to his clothes. Elias screamed out in pain, slapping at the fire on his jacket. His skin was fairly resistant to heat, part of the deal with that… thing, but while it wouldn't kill him, he still felt the agony of being burned alive. Through the white-hot pain, Elias had a moment of clarity. I gotta get out of here, he thought. He reached for the door again. It was only a couple of feet away now, and he could feel himself slipping free of the massive wooden beam. Yes! This is it! He thought, but was interrupted by a deafening crashing sound. Part of the roof had collapsed inward, landing on top of his lower half. Elias felt a sickening crunch in his leg, and his brain reeled with pain. He screamed out again, his throat raw, and he clawed at the floor, searching for anything to grab onto. His fingers slipped over ash and broken glass, and his hands began to bleed, but he didn't care. He clenched his teeth and tried to summon his flames again. The symbols carved into his palms glowed faintly, then went dark. Whatever gift he thought he'd had was gone now. He tried again anyway, pulling air into his lungs, and he tried to force that energy into his arms. He prayed as he did, but nothing answered. He was alone.
The worst part wasn't the fire. It wasn't the pain. It was the familiarity of the whole situation. Elias's brain flashed with memories of his past, and it all blurred into his vision in the moment. This fire… It's the same as back then… He thought, and remembered the appearance of his "Angel." That creature… It was the same one that had taken everything from him. It had destroyed his family. His home. His life. And then it dared to trick him into working alongside it. He let out a sob, and tried to twist free of the debris trapping him. I- I killed so many people… He thought, and tried to pull himself away, halfway between laying down and standing. He felt a pop in his leg, and shouted, pain laced with rage. No, they did this to me. The demon, the Association, it's all their fault! His arms flailed wildly in the smoke, desperate to grab onto something, until they finally caught onto a solid object. The door handle! He thought, and his face lit up with excitement. He pulled himself up with all of his remaining strength, and yanked his leg out from under the rubble. Searing pain shot up his leg, and something in it snapped. Tears formed in his eyes, and he looked down at his mangled leg. It was twisted, broken at multiple points, and the skin was sheared off where it'd been stuck. It was unsalvageable. Elias tried to stand, but the leg wouldn't respond. It was dead weight. His brain screamed in agony as he dragged himself to the door, and dark blood trailed behind him, staining the old wood of the stage. He rammed his shoulder into it, and collapsed through the doorway. The church groaned behind him, and more debris crashed down, blocking him into the narrow hallway.
Elias dragged the door shut to the best of his abilities, then lay on his back in the dark, staring up at the dull gray ceiling. The heat faded away, replaced with the excruciating pain in what was left of his leg. He sat up, and began taking his jacket off. He tore the fabric, and wrapped it around his leg, wincing in pain as he tightened it. The blood soaked into the fabric, and Elias's head swam. He'd lost too much blood. He couldn't go to a hospital; he was a wanted man, and even if he could, he didn't have any money. Above him, the church finally gave way. The sound was enormous, like deep, rolling thunder crashing down, and the ceiling of the tunnel shook. Elias braced for the end, expecting the tunnel to collapse into itself, finally crushing him, but it never came. He lay there in the dark, listening to the faint hiss of fire just outside the passageway. Then he slowly realized something. He had nowhere to go. The Association would hunt him. They knew his name, his face. There was nowhere he could go where they wouldn't find him. He coughed up blood, and shifted to sit against the wall. Well… Shit. He thought. His head was still bleeding, and his body had started to drift in and out of consciousness. Every time he started to fall asleep, he was jolted awake by the intense pain in his leg. Eventually, he forced himself up, leaning against the wall for support, and started to make his way down the tunnel.
Elias shambled down the hall, dripping blood behind him. The wrapping seemed to stop most of the bleeding, but he still felt dizzy from the blood loss. Finally, he reached the end of the hallway. There was a broken maintenance hatch at the top of some concrete steps. He tried the latch, but it was locked. Figures, he thought, and tried yet again to use his fire. The runes on his palms glowed bright, but flickered, only producing a small jet of heat. It was enough though, and the lock glowed white. The hatch opened on the second try. Elias dragged himself out, collapsing in the snow. The cold seeped into his body, soothing his aching pain. The night air pierced his lungs, and he breathed deep. Snowflakes drifted down, melting against his overheated body and turning into steam. For a second, he just lay there, staring up at the starry sky. He thought about dying. It would be easy. All he had to do was close his eyes, and let the cold take him. It was infinitely better than letting himself get captured by the Association. But as soon as the thought entered his mind, he pushed it out, shaking his head. I'm not ready to die. Not yet.
Elias took a deep breath, and wracked his brain for ideas. He needed to survive, to go on. He didn't have loyal followers anymore, and he didn't have an angel to protect him. He needed someone to hide behind, someone that even the Association would think twice about provoking. Someone with resources, people, safehouses. His head spun, reaching back for anything, whispers, rumors, and then it finally came to him. The Ninth Ring. Organized crime with standards, so they say. Elias had spat their name from the pulpit of his church, calling them evil and corrupted, but now they were his only hope for survival. He shivered, and began to get to his feet, his dead leg hanging limp. He'd planned on "Purifying" one of their members tonight, but was rudely interrupted by the Association. He hated having to ask the enemy for help, but none of that mattered anymore. He had to survive, at any cost. The target location was a construction site just a few blocks away, down the street. Elias had scouted the place in advance, and noticed a couple men in dark outfits, as well as the Debt Keeper. They'd been setting up what Elias had assumed was a sort of demonic ritual, with metal tiles being placed in the dirt and marked with blood. The Debt Keeper was well known in the underworld. He was a dangerous man, and most who dared to cross him ended up dead in the streets. Elias thought he'd do the world a favor and introduce him to God early. He sighed and started down the alley, one hand on the wall to keep himself upright.
As Elias approached the construction site, he turned back, staring at the destroyed church down the street. The fire department had arrived, and were actively putting out the raging fire. A black SUV was also there, surrounded by people in black clothing. Association, He thought, and he scowled. He pushed forward, sneaking through the chain-link fence surrounding the site. Inside, Elias was greeted by the sight of a large pit in the dirt, and warped metal everywhere. The last time he'd been there, it was just flat ground, with the framework of a future skyscraper set into the ground, but there was now a massive crater in the middle of the construction site. It had to be at least ten feet deep, and fifty feet wide. Something was soaked into the dirt surrounding it, and the framework of the new building was dented, covered in something shiny that caught the moonlight. The air felt heavy, and Elias's ears popped as he approached the pit. He tried to hold himself up using a nearby pole for support as he got to the rim of the crater. He leaned over the hole, and saw three people standing in the center. One of them was clearly The Debt Keeper, with his fancy suit and iron cane. Elias didn't recognize the other two though. There was a short man who didn't look much older than Elias, wearing a black jacket and typing something on his phone. And the other one looked… Familiar. He wore a black trench coat, and had sunglasses on, despite it being the middle of the night. Then Elias's hand began to slip. He tried to tighten his grip on the pole, but his hands were wet from the snow, and his grip slipped. Elias stumbled, suddenly putting weight on his broken leg, and cried out in pain before tumbling down the side of the pit, heading right for the three people in the middle.
Elias landed at the bottom of the crater, now covered in dirt, and something in his shoulder popped out of place. Oh fu- He started to think, and looked up. The three guys had turned around, and the short one started to walk over to him, his hands in his pockets. As he approached Elias, he crouched down and stared at him. "Oh, wow." He said, his voice flat. "Hey boss, you'd never guess who just stumbled into our operation!" He called over to the man in shades. The Debt Keeper and the boss came over and stood over him. "Well, that's certainly a surprise." He said, and crossed his arms. There was something suffocating about his presence, a deep unnatural feeling that made Elias feel sick to the stomach. Everything was tinted a shade of red around him, and the ground itself seemed to shudder at his feet. Elias forced the creeping feeling of dread down, and tried to speak. "I- I need to talk to the leader of the Ninth Ring. It's urgent." The man with the sunglasses put his hands in his pockets. "Very well. Ivo?" The short man, Ivo, nodded, and grabbed Elias's wrist. He felt the air pressure change, and then his mind was flooded with information. His eyes widened, and his brain went through thousands of images in a millisecond. Bodies. Nature. Space. Guns. Towers. He couldn't make sense of any of it. Then, just as soon as it'd started, it stopped. Elias blinked, stunned, and fell to his knees. Blood dripped from the corners of his eyes, and his head felt like it was underwater. As his vision returned to normal, Ivo disappeared for a second, before reappearing with The Debt Keeper and the man in the shades.
A freezing wind tore past them, and Elias took in his surroundings. He was on a wooden platform, high up in the air. This must be the roof of the building… "How did-" He started to say, but was interrupted by the sunglasses guy. "Let's get straight to the point. Why are you here, Elias Vane?" The man gestured to Elias, and nodded his head at The Debt Keeper. "I- I need your help. Please, let me join you!" The Debt Keeper walked over to Elias, and started to drag him to the edge of the roof. "Really?" The guy in the glasses said, tilting his head. "Go on, convince me." The Debt Keeper let go of Elias a couple of feet from the edge, and returned to Ivo's side. "I can… Provide information on the Association!" Elias exclaimed, and continued. "I can fight! I'll do anything!" The man approached him, looking down with disappointment. "That's all?" Elias sat there, on his knees, and looked up at him. "Please… I beg you…" He said, tears in his eyes. The man stepped forward again, only a foot away from Elias now. "You're pathetic. Begging? Really? Give me one reason not to kill you right now." The air darkened around him, and he cracked his knuckles. Elias's eyes widened, and he started to crawl backwards, but hit the edge of the platform. "I- I can give you names! Ren Halcrow! Max Calder!" He gasped for air. "Devon Astor!" At that last name, the man's eyes narrowed behind his glasses, and he stomped down on Elias's broken leg. "I've heard enough, Vane." Elias screamed out in pain, and Ivo looked away, clearly uncomfortable. The man grabbed Elias by his throat, picking him up off the floor, and for just a second, Elias got a glimpse of his eyes. They were soulless and empty, devoid of all emotion. "Wait-" Elias choked out, then something hit him in the chest. He slowly looked down, and there was a hole where his heart should have been. The man's fist was dripping blood, and he was holding something red in his hand. Elias's eyes rolled back, and he began to fall as the man released his grip on his throat. Please, God… Forgive me… He thought, as the ground rushed up to greet him.