Everyone needs to breathe, it was a simple fact of life. No matter how powerful they are, how rich they are, or how much they think they are above others. A simple fact of life is that everyone breathes.

It was what made Cassius' job so easy. Anywhere air could go, Cassius could go. What could stop a man who could turn himself into gas? If someone needed to breathe, then he could get to them.

It made sneaking into this gaudy mansion, beneath an even more gaudy statue, such simplicity. No one thought much about a window barely cracked open, it didn't open wide enough for a person to climb through so what did it matter? But it was the perfect gateway for Cassius.

It was why he had volunteered for this mission instead of allowing the precious Tiff to risk herself trying to sneak in. At least, it was one of the reasons. He might have been given orders from the sandman to investigate, but he had orders from a higher power too.

Spreading himself thin, a light cloud of greenish gas blended in with the ceiling of the mansion as he drifted through the corridors. No one ever thought to look up, they were all too busy with their worthless little lives to bother with such a meaningless thing.

He was initially searching through the mansion, hunting for its owner, when a peculiar sight caught his eye. An old man in fancy robes, looking like some kind of priest, ushering a young girl through the corridors.

Sigh, even in the apocalypse it seemed that priests were always up to their usual habits. But judging by this particular priest's robes, he definitely had to be some figure of importance. The way he puffed out his chest, looked down his nose at everyone and an attitude that demanded respect - even when he didn't rightfully deserve it -.

That was definitely someone who was in charge, it was the same signs his old managers always used to have.

He followed the priest through the corridors, drifting along the high ceilings as he did so, until the pair came to a stop at a door. The priest knocked and Cassius shifted slightly closer, but he quickly stopped and began to panic when the young girl tilted her head up and looked directly at him.

If he still had skin, it would be covered in a river of sweat, and his heart would have been thumping in his throat - actually with the way his body blended together as gas, it very well could have been at this moment.

Yet just as he was thinking he was rumbled, and preparing for a fight, the priest touched the girls cheek, which just made Cassius shiver with disgust, and turned her head away from Cassius. He didn't know whether he should have been relieved or disturbed.

The door opened, the pair entered and Cassius followed. There, inside the room was his ultimate target. Before coming here, they had been shown a picture of this 'Lightbringer' to study, but even if they hadn't it would have been easy to tell this was the big man in charge.

After all, it was his stupidly handsome face that was constantly looming over the city. It was impossible not to recognise him, which was probably the point of such a horrible effigy. Of course, It would be completely different if it was their Lord instead of this 'Lightbringer'.

The reasons why? It just would, that's why.

The false god was talking to the creepy priest, and the creepy priest was talking with the false god. Cassius, despite the fact he was supposed to be on a reconnisance mission, he wasn't actually listening to what they were saying. It was mostly heretical talk, plus it wouldn't matter much in a few minutes anyways.

When the False God turned his back, collecting something from his desk, Cassius finally made his move.

He rapidly descended from the ceiling, his body reconstituting into a solid, flesh and blood form except for his arms, which stayed gaseous.

Landing in between the priest and the False god, one arm turned into a constant plume of green smoke, spewing gas that rapidly enveloped the False god and the entire half of the room he was standing in.

He might have been a False god, but Cassius was taking no chances with him. False or not, power was still power. The other person in the room however? He had no power, simply pomp and a false sense of purpose given to him by a worthless, false god.

His other hand lunged towards the priest, who stumbled back in fear, yet as he opened his mouth to let out a terrified scream, Cassius' gas invaded his mouth and nose, pouring into them and filling his lungs.

The priest immediately let out a wheezing gasp and started to cough and spew. He clutched at his throat, eyes bulging as his body desperately fought against the vile concoction of poison that made up Cassius' gas.

The girl stumbled back in fear as the priest collapsed to his knees, before finally dropping to the floor with a thud.

Cassius pulled back his arm, turning his attention to the cowering girl. He considered his options for a few seconds, before letting out a resigned sigh. Loose ends were simply too messy.

"I'm sorry my dear. With what these men will have done to you, you can think of this as a mercy."

He reached his arm towards the girl, the gas extending towards her pretty, tear stained face as she backed away in fear. But for some reason, something about it felt wrong. Not that he was choosing to kill her, that was simply logical and the smart thing to do, he would be idiotic to do otherwise.

No... what felt wrong was where she was looking. It almost felt as if she was looking... Behind!

Cassius' body turned to green gas with a soft puff, just as a hand clawed through what should have been his throat. The gas filling the other half of the room was blown to the side from the swipe, revealing the Lightbringer standing there, as handsome and as perfect as ever. Completely uncaring for the cloud of poisonous death surrounding him.

Instead of keeling over, choking and sputtering, he simply looked mildly irritated. He glanced down at the priests corpse, and at the foam bubbling from the corpses mouth that was staining his floors, before clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"Tch, And I was just starting to like that one. What exactly do you think we were going to do to the girl? Because whatever vile thoughts are within that heretical head, I know they are simply wrong."

Cassius pulled all of the gas in the room towards himself, pulling his body back together and becoming flesh once more. He didn't waste time, immediately summoning a sword and lunging towards the Lightbringer.

The fool was still standing there, not even bothering to defend himself. He might have been good at holding his breathe to avoid the gas, but that wouldn't stop a-

CLAANGG!

The sword's blade rang like a gong as it struck the smooth and delicate skin of the Lightbringers neck. The razor edge bending inwards and rolling, instead of carving through the fragile flesh.

Gritting his teeth, Cassius swung again and again. Each time it bounced harmlessly off his flesh, ringing like a bell with every strike. The False god didn't seem to be effected by it in the slightest, yet it was Cassius' arm that was burning with pain by the 15th consecutive strike.

It was as if he was trying to cut through a tank with a butter knife. He couldn't even harm a single damned hair on his stupid, perfect head. Never mind cut them, at the end of Cassius' assault there wasn't even a single hair out of place, the bastard looked like he was fresh out of a spa trip.

Letting out a defiant roar, Cassius stabbed the blunt and beaten sword towards the False gods golden eyes, but the Lightbringer simply caught it in the air with a bored sigh. His fingers crumpled the metal like it was tissue paper.

With a lazy motion, the Lightbringer thrust his hand forwards and slammed his palm into Cassius' chest. Yet even such a simple move was faster than Cassius could react to as it sent him flying back, only stopping when he crashed into the wall.

The wall crumbled, a crater forming from the impact, as Cassius slid down it until he was sitting on the floor. He coughed and spluttered, a mouthful of blood splattering across the floor and dripping down his chin.

Every breath was painful, shattered fragments of his ribcage had been shot through his lungs like grenade shrapnel and blood was pouring from them into the rest of his body.

There was no way he could activate his powers in this state, yet even still he raised his head to look at the Lightbringer defiantly as the perfect, model-like man strolled over without a care in the world.

"What... are... you..."

Cassius managed to splutter out, every word spoken with a gargle of blood before he coughed and vomited up another lungful of the crimson life wine.

The Light bringer didn't bother to answer, instead simply lifted a single finger and pointed it towards Cassius as his vision was beginning to go black. Yet the final thing he saw wasn't the comforting blackness, but a blinding and all consuming light.