At this late hour, the streets are quite and empty. The occasional bark of a dog, the rumbling of a car engine as a lone vehicle speeds down the road are the only noises. The sky is grim and overcast, the moonlight casting slivers of light down on the footpath, and the lone figure walking there. Standing at a tall seven feet, the figure is wrapped in a long white trenchcoat, his white hair tied back in a ponytail. His head is downcast as he walks along the streets.
~Light and dark exist
In man and beast alike.~
The silent figure of Janus lifts his gleaming, red eyes to the streetlights that trail along the street. A wind blows up, and there's a thunderous rumbling of thunder and a bright flash in the sky. In synchronisation with this, all the lights along the street plunge into darkness. The giant stands silently, looking up at the light of the moon, and a spatter of water hits his face.
"Rain."
Without a further word, the giant turns and walks off the path along the road, walking through grass and trees. His destination is the nearest building. A church, its windows dark except for the flicker of light within. Stepping up to the door, the giant's hand pushes firmly, and it swings open, offering the seven footer sanctum from the elements. Without a word, Janus steps inside, into the great hall of pews that stand before the altar. Around him, there is no one, no sign of life except for the flickering candles that shed their light around the entire hall, dimly lighting it.
~Light does not exist without shadow
And shadow cannot exist without light.~
The giant seems transfixed by the lights, as he steps forward slowly towards the more well-lit-by candles altar. His eyes seem to go distant, and something moves in the dark. He snaps his head towards it, as the fine edges of reality and the mind begin to blur.
The man with the devillish grin steps out of the darkness, accompanied by a second figure in black robes. Janus grimaces, and stares evenly at them...but he abruptly finds himself restrained, the area around him warping and changing as the fine lines of reality blur again. Janus recedes, bringing Terrence to the fore as he finds himself strapped down to a table and trenchcoat/shirtless, and both the man with the grin and his robed compatriot stand on either side of him.
"I hope you've enjoyed your stay with us, Janus..."
The giant shakes his head slowly.
"My name...is Terrence."
"Tsk. We thought you'd learned by now. Christian?"
"I hear, master."
The robed figure nods his head and steps forward, a ceremonial dagger in his hands as he leans over the giant. Eyes follow Christian's as he touches the dagger to Janus' clean and unmarred chest. A loud scream of pain rends the air, and blood runs freely down that mammoth chest.
One mark.
A strangled cry escapes the giant's mouth. Janus' trenchcoat hangs open now, as if he'd untied it. The giant's eyes are strangely distant, as he presses his hands against his clothed chest, breathing heavily and shaking his head, the harsh movement popping the leather holding his ponytail off. The candles flicker and shimmer, throwing shadows crazily, and it is to these shadows the giant is drawn to.
Gasps of pain can be clearly heard coming from the table as the man with the devillish grin leans over, looking the sweating and obviously in pain giant strapped to the table. The smile doesn't move at all, as he looks down into the seven footer's eyes.
"Now, Janus, is it that hard to understand?"
"That...isn't my..name...I am...TERRENCE!" is the gasped response.
The smiling man just shakes his head and looks towards Christian with an almost apologetic sigh. Without a word, the robed man looks down at Janus once more, leaning over with his dagger...and a second scream of indistinguishable pain rends the air as the dagger cuts through flesh. Blood now clearly stains the giant's torso as Christian once more finishes with his work.
Two marks.
Janus stands stone still in the church. His trenchcoat is wide open, and the memory he's living have made him press his hands to his chest as if in real pain. His eyes dart about almost feverishly as he crosses his arms over his chest, almost trying to protect himself as the shadows around him shift and warp once more, coalescing into...
The grinning face of the strange man as he leans over the table, looking down into the giant's eyes. Janus looks down at the two bloody gashes across his chest, body afire with pain, then at Christian, face hidden by his robes, standing there with a bloody dagger.
"Come now, Janus. You're big enough to give Christian a lot to play with. It's simply a name, that's all that changes about you. Nothing more."
A swallow as the giant gathers breath.
"...I....AM.....TERRENCE!"
The man with the grin sighs and shakes his head, and motions with a hand to the robed Christian, who nods and steps forward. As the bloody dagger comes to bear and the seven footer's eyes widen, the grinning man shakes his head almost sadly.
"You're so thickheaded for someone with so much potential..."
A scream of pain.
Blood running from the giant's chest and dripping onto the table as the dagger cuts into living tissue for the third time.
Three marks.
Janus' shirt is torn now, ripped across the chest as if something had happened to it. As if living the moment once more, Janus claws at his own flesh with his hands, nails reddening flesh and blood welling from the three scars that exist there. Jumping shadows draw the giant's gleaming red eyes once more...
"Are we done now, Janus?"
Silence is his only response.
"Janus?"
The giant shifts on the table, gleaming eyes looking first at Christian, then turning to fix the grinning man with their cold gaze. His tone, far from fearful and pained, is vicious and cold.
"There will be a price to pay for these."
The grinning man merely grins even MORE, and nods his head. Christian, the dagger poised for a fourth slash, retreats at his master's command, watching as Janus and the man with the devillish smile exchange stares. Utter silence passes until the man nods his head.
"Oh, I know, Janus. The price will be paid in full soon enough..."
A thunderous BOOM is heard as harsh winds blow the doors of the empty church open, blowing out almost all the candles. As if coming out of a stupor, the giant narrows his eyes and looks around. His shirt is tattered, his trenchcoat blowing in the wind. Blood leaks from the insistent scratching at the scars on his chest. He pulls his trenchcoat around himself silently, ignoring the blood.
-You felt it, Janus.-
~Your memories are not my concern, Terrence.~
-Can't you understand...-
~Yes, he made me. And come 13th Hour he will pay the price himself...and return to who he was.~
-What are you talking about...?-
The giant walks silently up the pews towards the open door, the harsh wind rippling his trenchcoat and hair about as he exits the empty church, now devoid of light and completely engulfed in darkness. As the giant watches, the streetlights begin to flicker back on, but it's not to these he's drawn. He looks up at the moon and breaths a single, soft word.
".....Silent."
