Snippet #2630706

"He's not dead you know." Lazarus stepped through the door, the fire behind his eyes diminishing. "Well, he is, but he's fine."

Lazarus walked to the other side of the room. "I sense your confusion. Allow me to explain." He paused to collect himself. "Lucius used to be a rather happy child, same as the rest. But, that all changed when The Tantibus bound itself to his mind. Unable to control his power, Lucius destroyed his entire village. But soon, he learned.

"He learned the key to its' strength. Fear. Fear is what gives it power, and the more powerful it is, the less control he truly had. In actuality, The Tantibus is only the size of a fist, hardly able to form into a knife. But it feeds from Lucius.

"Lucius is perhaps the most scared person under the sun. His mind and heart are full of shadow, and it scares him. His heart has long since been corrupted by The Tantibus, ceasing it to beat. The thought of what would happen if it left him scares him. Everyone he killed scare him. And most of all? He is scared of himself. Of what he can do, and what he can become.

Lazarus traced a small finger over Lucius's chest. "The Tantibus takes all of that fear, and devours it. Freeing Lucius from his own negative thoughts. It lets him laugh, sing, and smile. But the fear is still there. That's why he went home today. He grabbed something from his past, to constantly torture himself and keep him afraid. That fear lends him the power, and through power, control over the shadow.

"He truly is powerful. He has the ability to look at the hell that he is living, and laugh at it all. But underneath it all, all he feels is fear." Lazarus looked Rex straight in the eye. "Which is why it's so amazing what your leader did today. She caused him to feel something. He sensed the power within her, and immediately attached himself to her. Pledging his allegiance. Then, to prove it all, when she asked him to leave, leave the one thing he can relish in with his power, he did."

"Leave him. Leave him to me. I shall keep an eye on him as he adjusts to his new bindings." Lazarus turned away. "By the way, I'm Lazarus."