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Deacon Drake

The Long and Winding Road, Part IV
As Told by Excelsius

a note scribbled at the top of the page:
It was Aika, not Steel, who found out about the Phoenician curse originally, yet it was indeed Steel who verified it through a month of nonstop research. Both of them found it too horrible to be true, that an entire bloodline of people could hold such a curse. Lineage after lineage ended before their eyes on the patents, until finally they came to the conclusion: they were the last of the cursed Phoenicians.

Several months have passed since the tragedy of the attack of the Bloodmoon. Steel has moved on in life, hesitantly yet inevitably letting go of his newfound brother. At first it was difficult for him to forgive himself for his decision, and he needed a spark to help him relieve himself of the endless agony he put his soul through over it. The one spark that was needed to let his human heart let go of the one person he ever felt was truly family to him.

That spark was Rocelyn.

Rocelyn fell in love with Steel the first time she laid eyes on him. She was a beautiful woman, and were he not in a state of mourning, he would have felt the same way about her almost immediately. After his brother's death, Steel became rather secretive, and even I, his godfather, don't know what all he was up to... but here is what I can say for certain: it took her less than a week to win his love. When he finally pulled himself out of the pit he threw his mind into, she became the one thing that really mattered to him. They met for the first time outside the Cat's Lair at midnight, he a retired, twenty-one year old Admiral roaming the streets in contemplation, she a young girl of eighteen, a soon-to-be victim of a violent carnal sin.

His trained instincts never dulled in his sorrow, and he knew almost instantly -- as anyone would -- what the three oversized brutes stalking her wanted. He followed them quietly, stealthily, keeping a close eye on the frantic woman, until they finally had her pinned... and then he made his move. As one man ripped open her shirt, Steel's elbow collided with the side of another's head. Swiftly he rounded and planted his fist in the third's face, and with agility that to this day stuns the unsuspecting first, leapt into the air and drove the toe of his boot into the criminal's neck.

And then Steel woke up from his rage. When the red cleared from his eyes, and he could see again, he picked up on his surroundings. Three unconcious men lay scattered in the alley, and the calm, collected and half-naked woman stood next to him, eying the seemingly lifeless bodies. They looked at each other, and the look in her eye was filled with both admiration and apparent infatuation.

And then he walked away.

It took her less than a week to get his attention back, as both of them were now permanent residents of Britain. She never quite figured out why he simply walked away from her without saying a word until she found out about the Bloodmoon tragedy. It didn't take long for him to warm up to her. Her presence cleared his mind of every mistake he had ever made, and it took him about a month to fall in love with her.

And a month is exactly how long it was before they were married.

Steel feared marriage ever since he found out about the Phoenician curse. He was hesitant to tell Rocelyn why, and as a matter of fact he never did tell her why he would forbid her to bear his child. He would never allow himself to create such a corrupted, cursed life. She was upset at first at the prospect, but eventually gave in. And thus, they led a happy marriage.

Less than three years later, Rocelyn discovered a dreadful truth: she had betrayed her husband's trust by allowing it to happen. There could be no hiding it, even from herself; she knew she was pregnant. In her frantic worry, she decided not to tell Steel. She loved him, and would never lie to him, but she wanted to keep his love.

As much as she tried, she couldn't keep it hidden any longer. One day, with less than four months of childbearing left, she sat Steel down and told him the truth. In her mind's eye, she saw it going well. He would be forgiving, caring, maybe even happy. She had no idea the extent of the damage done by his child being born. She was oblivious to the consequences of such a conception. She thought it would go over peacefully and happily.

She was far from right. Steel was enraged beyond measure at the news. He didn't know why, for he didn't know anything. Before he could stop it, he could already feel his soul losing control of his body, and he knew what was about to happen, yet he had no control over it. He loved her still, and feeling the red shade over his vision, he reached out to her, only wanted to hold her, to kiss her once more... and then it all went black.

When he woke up from his rage, he saw the aftermath of what he had done. His mind seemed to balance on the edge of a knife as emotions tore through his head. One after another, the emotions filled his mind with anguish, glee, rage, sorrow, pride... contempt. One by one, the feelings drove through his soul until he couldn't tell how he felt about what he had done. Finally, he settled down, and thought one last time about the crime he had committed. One state of mind had finally taken over, the same state of mind that remains his defining characteristic to this day. He looked down at the body of his wife, his sword pushed cleanly through her belly, a knife driven into her back.

And he smiled.

Without a word, he stood up and walked away.
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