The Sisters: The Curse of Gabriel's Gardens

Rebirth

The disappearance of young women in Gabriel's Gardens became a number one topic in all the media in the city. There were also a few articles about Mayor Whateley's sudden illness. The man didn't appear in public for nearly two weeks and the people started to seriously discuss his condition.

There were only a few people who knew about his true identity.

At first, they had trouble believing Mayor Whateley could be behind all the misery plaguing them in the past weeks. As both Alexis and Gwendolyn confirmed, Whateley appeared as a courteous man and he was also adored by the citizens - it was one of the few actually trustworthy politicians and seemed to actually care about the people, even about the "lowlifes" in the slum districts.

It seemed that Whateley had two faces. And Alexis was the first one to be able to talk about both of them. She was able to describe the demonic being she encountered. A being which tried to destroy her friend Pia and then Alexis herself.

A war council was happening in the Warren flat in the usual composition - Alexis, Diane, Anna, Gwendolyn, Augustus and Alyssa. The officer was now also familiar with Whateley's true intentions and was equally shocked. She also met the Mayor several times and, like nobody else, would never guess there may be an evil being hidden behind the well-groomed look and thoughtful words.

"So my guess was right, Whateley is a Trimort," Gwendolyn said. "We already know two of his powers. First, he can drain power from his victims and..."

Alexis interrupted her. "But you and me also have the power-stealing ability. Yet we aren't able to turn our victims into ancient, fragile versions of themselves. How so?"

"We can only absorb their energy," Gwendolyn explained. "Just siphon it away and make them tired or even pass out. We are Celestial Trimorts, that means we mainly use our powers to defend and protect ourselves and those we care about. Whateley is an Infernal. He attacks the person's very lifeforce. If you steal the person's energy, they just recover after some sleep. However, attacking lifeforce can be fatal."

"So it's like you and Lex attack the stamina while Whateley takes out the health bar," Diane said.

Gwendolyn nodded. "A perfect explanation."

"But that also means he's much more dangerous," Anna said.

"He does have a weakness, though," Alexis replied. "Once he begins the absorbtion, it has no effect until he finishes it. Both me and Pia have been in the progress of absorbtion. It was, however, interrupted and the stolen youth returned to us. It's not over until it's over, got it?"

Diane nodded. "We can use it to our advantage. That guy ain't stealing my youth no matter what."

"He also uses his mind to attack," Alexis continued. "The same trick he used on Annie - complete brain jam and terrible migraine. If we encounter him directly, I'll try to use my forcefields to deflect these attacks. But be careful. I'm not omnipotent and Whateley is treacherous."

"Wow, this looks like a briefing before encountering a final boss in a game," Diane noted.

"One more thing," Alexis said. "It's his biggest weakness, but also his biggest mystery. It's his age. When I interrupted the absorbtion of Pia, he became old. Ancient. He simply started to look his age. His powers and reflexes dulled, but he was still really powerful. He probably uses his power to maintain youth, but it seems he's hitting his limits. That all the girls he absorbs aren't enough anymore."

"So he will just keep absorbing more and more?" Alyssa asked.

Alexis shook her head. "I'm almost sure he's onto something bigger. When he used his psychic attack on me... I don't know if it wasn't only my imagination, but I think I heard something like Not when I'm so close. As Annie told us, he transfers a bit of his mind into his victim when he attacks. That means I probably heard him."