The Weight of Empathy
"Adam haunted by..." Jex paused, looking around the room, utterly bewildered. "Are you all crying?"
A chorus of sniffles and denials met his question. Kai, aggressively wiping tears from his face, checked his reflection only to see that the emotion was universal. Individuals he thought were bedrock—Black, Arike, Maya, and Markas—were crying openly, crushed by the agony of Adam's betrayal and loss. They couldn't hold their emotions in check. Lena remained impassive, as if awaiting the next plot point, and Dr. Orion was neutral, untouched by such mortal sentiment.
Jog-Jog, however, was missing.
"Jog-Jog!" Kai called out. No response.
Hind pointed to a corner. There, the massive figure of Jog-Jog was slumped, crying buckets. One would assume a man of his size and aggressive roughness would be the least emotional, but he was, ironically, the softest heart among them.
"Jog-Jog, what's wrong? Does your head hurt?" Kai asked, concern replacing his self-consciousness.
"Wait, do you still feel the pain from being stabbed?" Maya pressed.
"Why are you crying?!" Arike demanded.
Jog-Jog looked up, tears streaking down his cheeks. "He was such a good person! He wanted to save his wife, but he had to kill her!"
A collective hiss of disbelief met his reply.
Dr. Orion cleared his throat. "I understand the necessary concern for Hind, but we have enough on our table already. The Chronos Syndicate needs to be stopped. After eliminating those assassins, we've lost our element of surprise."
"Why can't we let Jex handle that?" Lena asked, crossing her arms.
"You said he is vital if we're ever going to overthrow the Syndicate," Maya added.
"And he's mad powerful; even Solon agrees," Kai stated.
Black's voice cut through, sharp with subtle anger. "He can't. He's too bored to fight the Syndicate." His expression suggested deep suspicion, as if Jex's apathy was a calculated front.
Dr. Orion confirmed the fear. "Black is right. Jex can't help in this war, not because he finds it uninteresting, but because he would destroy order. He would destroy everything, including you and I."
"Wait, what?" Markas squeaked, terrified. "What do you mean, including us?"
"It means we all die," Black stated flatly, walking out of the room.
Silence followed....
Lena and Maya guided Hind away. "Let's get you dressed and fed," Lena said. Arike followed, adding, "And don't wait for us; we're going to be back late."
Markas slowly cleared his throat. "How about we also go for a drink? I know a good place."
Jog-Jog instantly stood up, walking toward the door. "Are you guys coming?" he called back to Jex and Orion before leaving with Markas. Kai followed, leaving the two old companions alone.
Jex and Orion settled into a quiet, awkward silence.
"I guess we could both use a good nap," Orion finally offered, a small, smile on his face.
"They'll come around," Dr. Orion said, lying down on a separate bed. "The weight of the world seems too heavy on their shoulders right now."
Jex nodded, shrugging off the comment.
Orion continued, "You know they're kids, right? They're supposed to be having fun with the ordinary folks, but instead, they're fighting a war the world doesn't know anything about."
They settled in their separate beds, the silence of two weary giants filling the room.
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CONTENT WARNING
The next few paragraphs contains scenes of an explicit and potentially disturbing nature, including strong sexual content. Please proceed with caution.
***************
At the headquarters of the Chronos Syndicate, the true nature of power was on display.
Dante stepped out of a bath filled with glowing green nutrient goo, his previously broken finger now perfectly whole. Wires still plugged into the base of his neck, he stood, naked and imperious.
"So tell me, where is King?" he asked the Evangelist standing nearby.
The Evangelist, her head bowed in submission, replied, "He said your Grace should come to him instead, as he's too busy completing your task." Fear radiated off her like heat.
Dante began to circle her like a predator. "What's your name, Evangelist?"
"I'm not worthy to be called by my name, my lord," she replied, trying desperately to save herself. "I am your Evangelist, and I will only preach of you."
Dante smiled, a thin, chilling expression. "What is your name? Making me ask twice would cost you more than your life."
"Kathryn! Kathryn, my lord!" she burst out, fast and loud.
"Take off your clothes, Kathryn," Dante ordered, his face utterly blank.
Kathryn's face went instantly pale. She slowly unbuttoned her uniform, peeling off every layer until she stood in her naked glory.
"Come closer," he commanded in a cold, raspy voice. "It's only right you're naked, for I am naked."
Fear gripped her heart. She dragged her legs forward, stopping at a distance where they could feel each other's breath.
Dante reached out, his hand grasping her breast. It was soft and full, and an average size that sent a spark of hidden excitement through the dictator.
Kathryn involuntarily grunted, a moan escaping her lips as Dante expertly manipulated her flesh. She hated the act, yet the warmth of his deadly touch ignited a terrible heat in her body.
Dante pulled away to sit, unplugging the wires from his neck. Thinking her ordeal was over, Kathryn began to straighten.
"Go on your knees," Dante ordered. "Look in my eyes and crawl over to me."
Tears finally streamed down Kathryn's face. She didn't want to die yet.
As she crawled naked, her breasts jiggled slightly, rubbing against each other. She stopped between his knees, his penis brushing her hair. Dante, excited for the spectacle, focused first on business. "I guess I have to pay a visit to King's court," he murmured, before instructing the now-sobbing Evangelist,.
"Sit on me!" He ordered, his voice cold yet exhilarating.
She stood and slowly lowered herself onto his lap, guiding his erect penis into her vagina. A hushed moan, laced with both pain and desperate pleasure, escaped her. She began to move rhythmically, the building sensation overwhelming the fear.
Dante, relaxed and unmoving, enjoyed the sexual interaction. Kathryn was beautiful and she was performing her duty well.
Bouncing and moving her perfectly curved hips faster, filling her vagina holes with every inch of Dante's hard penis, her moans grew louder. She hugged and kissed him like she was going mad from the pleasure, the fear of death dissolving as her mind spun. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she reached the climax, the immense pleasure from having her dignity destroyed overwhelming her.
As they both reached a shattering climax, Kathryn let out a heavy moan, her body twitching violently.
Swish.....
Dante's hand was halfway through her chest, his fingers wrapped around her beating heart.
Kathryn bled from her eyes, ears, and nose, yet her face was frozen in an expression of delight and pleasure. Excitedly Dante thrust his penis deep inside her as hard and fast as he could. Even at death's door, the pleasure was too immense to fight.
Life left her body. With her last breath, Dante rasped, "You shouldn't have enjoyed it. You shouldn't have climaxed."
He dropped her lifeless, naked body, removing his hand from the gaping hole in her chest. He washed his hands, put on a robe, and walked out. "Go regenerate the body in there and leave her memories. She is a good slut," he instructed another Evangelist waiting outside.
"Yes, my lord," the second Evangelist replied, scrambling to do as instructed.
"Hmm. Okay, I guess I really do need to pay him a visit." Dante concluded, now fully dressed and leaving his chambers.
*******
Somewhere inside the Chronos Syndicate walls, in a building west of Dante's quarters, a masked man sat on a map that covers most of the room, his legs crossed. He was chanting a quiet, intense mantra.
....King!