Hey, Kikaromi again after a long time. I haven't been able to write anything chapter-like in a long time, so I've been writing little drabbles for my favorite brothers, the Kresniks. Gomen to those who are waiting on chapters; hopefully these drabbles help tide you over until I can get into the spirit of writing chapters again.
They're dead.
Without even having to check for pulses or subtle movements, Ludger knew they were dead. He could hear Julius whispering behind him and turned to face him, although he didn't circle around entirely. From the glimpse he caught of his brother, he was (understandably) horrified by this outcome. Apparently Julius had expected Ludger to prioritize Elle's and his friend's lives over Julius' life— heaven knows why though.
Even though Julius kept many, many truths from him and even rigged a few circumstances so that they'd in his older brother's favor, those weren't enough to warrant him death. He loved Julius. He loved Julius, and there was no way he'd let his friends' desires take both his sibling and his happiness away without a fight.
Thus, using both his own and Julius' watches, Ludger invoked an even stronger Corpse Shell than before and took down whoever he could before his power faded and he picked off the stragglers who survived long enough to out-last his transformation.
At that point, it'd been just him and Jude. Everyone else was either too weak to force themselves to stand or fell victim to blood loss long before he reverted back. Ludger couldn't remember what exactly Jude said to him, but he could recall Jude attempting to approach him without raising his fists. Ludger took one step back for every step forward by Jude, occasionally pushing Julius towards a safer spot just in case.
They eventually ended up in a position where, should Ludger try to step back, he'd fall into the water. Falling into the water wouldn't be bad if he had nothing in his hands, but swimming to shore with a short sword in each hand? Not worth the risk.
Jude wouldn't stop coming closer despite having every reason not to get within close range of the younger Kresnik. Once they were not even a step apart, Ludger felt Jude's arms pull him into an embrace. Normally he'd be comforted by this, though this time fear coursed through him, warning him that this was a perfect opportunity for one of Jude's friends to kill Julius as he was trapped in Jude's arms.
Ludger thrashed around until Jude was forced to let go, and he switched to his pistols and unloaded his entire clip on his old friend. This time, he didn't make any move to approach him again; rather, Jude crumpled to the ground dead or pretty much on the way to be.
—It's a memory Ludger attempted to suppress constantly, but it always came back. Whether it be due to remembering the faces of his old friends, or seeing a corpse and remembering the first time he created corpses, the memory never left him for good.
This more often than not led to panic attacks, soon to be sedated by his beloved brother.
Oh what he wouldn't do to forget this bloody deed…