WRAITHBOUND ASCENTION

Riccardo Cheves had always been a man of two faces.

To the public, he was a decorated police officer, a pillar of the community who upheld the law with unwavering dedication. He was loved by his wife and idolised by his children.

But behind closed doors, he was a snake, a corrupt enforcer who had sold his soul to the Santini Gang. Going against his oath to the country and himself.

For years, he had been their inside man, feeding them information, tipping them off to raids, and ensuring their operations ran smoothly as he got fatter and fatter with blood money.

But greed had a way of twisting even the most loyal of men not to mention a corrupt man.

Not that a corrupt police could be considered loyal anyway.

In the end, he had grown tired of being a pawn in Lucky Santini's game. He wanted more,more power, more money, more control.

And so, he began to secretly gather evidence against the gang, meticulously documenting their crimes with the intention of selling it to the highest bidder.

It was a risky move, but Riccardo had always been a gambler, risking his skin and bone by tipping off the gang about oncoming raids.

Being corrupt was a risky move after all and his luck never disappointed...

That was until it ran out.

Vic, Lucky's right-hand man and first liutenent, discovered his betrayal, investigated him thoroughly and found him guilty.

The confrontation was brutal. Riccardo had been dragged to the warehouse, beaten and bloodied, his face mangled beyond recognition as Lucky himself demanded the location of the accumulated evidence.

Refuting the accusations, hours of torture followed, each moment stretching into an eternity of pain. His nails clipped and his teeth ripped off. And that wasn't even the worst of it !!

They crushed his nuts !!

Of course Lucky took the task upon himself, and Riccardo tried holding out as long as he could, but eventually, he broke. He gave up the location, his voice barely a whisper as he begged for mercy.

But mercy was not something Lucky Santini was known for.

Riccardo had been left in a dark room, his body broken, his spirit shattered. He had expected to die there, alone and forgotten.

But then, the grey world changed.

***

The garden of souls had been both a blessing and a curse to Riccardo Cheves.

He had found himself standing among millions, with the great tree looming overhead as the voice echoed in his mind. He was gifted englightinment and he took it as his last straw.

He had felt the power igniting within him, a strange torrent of energy that promised strength and salvation as it circulated within him.

Returning back to the physical world, he instantly tried to form a core. Trying to emulate the Mancer he had seen during his englightinment.

It was a given. A given that all people received englightinment in the garden of souls, but the extent of what one could grasp was different.

Some could grasp more techniques than just forming a core while others could barely just hold on. Cheves was the former, he gained more than most and because of that he instantly tried forming a core as soon as he was lucid.

But in the end he failed, he failed in forming his core.

He had lost concentration during the critical point of condensing the votex of energy torrent. Putting in the factor of his mangled body, he didn't even have a chance at savoring the process.

This led to a failed awakening and eventual transmutation of his cells into the manifestation of his soul.

Foul and demented.

His soul, already tainted by resentment and betrayal, could not withstand the transformation. The energy had corrupted him, twisting his body and mind into something monstrous.

When he came to his senses he was no longer human. His mind and soul becoming flooded with malice and dread.

His body had become a grotesque abomination, a nightmarish fusion of man and beast. His skin a patchwork of cracked, blackened flesh, oozing a thick, tar-like substance. His limbs were elongated, his fingers ending in razor-sharp claws. His face was a distorted mask of pain and rage, his eyes glowing with a malevolent red light.

He was a creature of pure hatred, driven by a single desire: Kill.

**

Now, Riccardo crouched up in the shadows of the warehouse , his claws clinging deep in the ceiling, his glowing eyes fixatated on the figures below.

Lucky Santini moved cautiously, a gun in one hand and a torch in the other. The touch vital due to the dim lights criss crossed the gun hand, illuminating the warehouse hall.

Behind him, three of his men followed, their faces tense with fear but stalwart in thier movement. They were SANTINI men after all !!

They were searching for him, unaware that he was already watching them from above.Bidding his time to deliver a death blow.

Riccardo's lips curled into a grotesque smile, revealing rows of jagged teeth. He could feel the power coursing through him, a dark energy that begged to be unleashed, a power that illuded his mind to the point of losing self recognition.

He was gone, his inner self replaced with only urdent desire to kill.

***

Lucky Santini was not a man who acted on impulse. Every move he made was calculated, every decision weighed against the risks and rewards. The situation with Riccardo Cheves was no different.

While listening to his men informing him of the situation, he went to the room where he was Cheves was held. The steel door was banged and crushed. What remained of it, lay several feet away from its frame, twisted and crumpled like discarded paper.

He crouched beside it, running his fingers over the deep gouges along its surface. The steel hadn't just been broken,it had been shredded. The edges curled inward, torn by something with immense strength, something that hadn't relied on tools or explosives. No scorch marks, no signs of forced entry with human means.

This was raw, physical destruction.

Seeing this Lucky came to a conclusion, Cheves had failed his awakening and had become an abomination.

He wondered how his men survived his onslaught, how had they remained alive all this time and the more important question....

Where was abomination Cheves right now..?

He lingered there for a few moments then returned to his office. There, Grace was peacefully sleeping at the sofa near the side wall. He looked around some more then sat at his chair, his fingers held together forming a pyramid. Thinking.

He had noticed a few discrepancies in his men's narrative about what happened here.

Firstly, they all claim to have seen Cheves in his new form after he broke out of his room.

How could they survive the frienzy of such an abomination...?

Secondly, there were six people that were left here to guard and man the SANTINI warehouse.

Where was the last member..?

And why did they not inform him about him..?

Why act like he did not exist..? Did they think Lucky wouldnt notice..?

' He could have turned to ash... Just like Mary...'

He lampooned,then called them in.

" What are your names and who is your direct superior....?"

One of the men came forward

" My name is Tony, Boss.. ... this is Lucas, Nate , Boby and Chris. We are under 1st lieutenant Vic "

He introduced the others, his arm pointing as he said thier names.

"How did you guys survive with that thing here, and where is it ? "

This questioned sent a shiver down the men's spine. Tony stilled himself and replied with a haggard voice.

"We managed to trap it Boss .."

"How ? "

He instantly asked, finding it hard to accept

"Tony there acted as bait and lured the creature towards the far end of the left wing adjuscent the armory sir ! .He then used a flash grenade from 1st liutenents office to blind it and ran out as we sprayed the abomination with artillary. We closed the door from outside."

A moment of silence passed. Lucky thought about the door that was holding and containing abomination Cheves in. He lingered for a moment and nodded.

' The door should hold.. at least for now ...'

" So it's still there ? "

" Yes sir ! "

" Everyone to the armory then. It's time to go hunting !! "

After securing Grace in his office and ensuring she was as safe as possible, Lucky stepped out into the warehouse. His mind was already racing, formulating a plan to deal with the escaped abomination traitor.

Lucky could have chosen to flee the warehouse and escape someplace else.

Then why didn't he ?

It was simple, this warehouse was a fortress, a warehouse only in name and the Santini headquarters in truth. It had supplies to last a whole month while feeding almost one hundred people that are stationed here. It also offered security from those lurking abominations outside and also strategical support since it extended into a cacophony of tunnels that span all the way out of the city outskirts to the port.

The main warehouse door, was made with premium steel. Steel strong enough to hold an entire police force armed with rocket launchers. It was multiple times stronger than the one holding abomination Cheves right now. Making this the safest place for Grace at the moment.

Now all they had to do was get rid of the pest...

Abomination Cheves !!