The Spiral of Death
a Shuyin piece by chibilinnet
Wh00t. Yay for Shuyin angst D Occurs during the final Crimson Squad exercise, in the Den of Woe.
This fic is dedicated to Toki, whom put up with all my stupid ramblings about how dumb Shuyin was (is?)
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Spira.
The spiral of death.
Even after one thousand years, the cycle of death still continues.
I can hear them now, that fat liar, rounding up his hopeless troops and instructing on them for their last mission. To enter this cave, my domain, and find out what's wrong with it. Anyone who returns alive was to join some squad.
Little did he know, he was sending those troops to their deaths. Every single one of them.
They did not know my hatred, my pain, my sorrow. I knew it was those Bevelle scum, the same ones that took my dear ... my dear Lenne away from me. They thought their goal was noble, they think they can save Spira. NOTHING can save Spira. People are too stupid to understand the needs of others, they do not know the pain they cause with their needless bickering, with their stupid wars.
I lay in wait, in my wonderful cave, filled with the sorrow of a thousand years. I am everywhere in this cave of death. I can only smile as the unsuspecting rats enter, poised and ready for any danger.
They do not know where the danger really is, do they?
Oh, how their screams of death will be sweet music to my ears. If I cannot hear my dear Lenne speak to me any longer, let me be satisfied with the screaming, the shrieks of pain from their throats. Let them only know suffering before death. Let them suffer, as I had.
Watching Lenne as she slowly bled, the gunshots in her stomach, the rivers of blood that poured out from those gaping holes, it was unbearable. I had reached forward, wanting to grab her hand, let her know that I was here, to ease her suffering. But I was too weak. I could not grab those lovely fingers, to entwine them with my own! How do they think I felt, watching that crystal tear fall from her beautiful orbs as she breathed her last, her hands no longer moving, her chest no longer rising.
They thought we had perished together. Yet I still lived, and even though my physical body had died, my spirit was left to wander these lonely plains alone. I watched Spira crumble, when Sin appeared and brought only death.
But this did not satisfy me.
Whatever Sin destroyed, those wretched rats only rebuilt. Sure, it took them time, and Sin would destroy it again, but they rebuilt it again. And eventually, Sin would be destroyed as well. Then /they/ would get undeserved peace. Someone had died for their peace, someone's family was suffering over their loved one's loss, but all they can do is /celebrate/. They deserved nothing /but/ death.
And death I would give them.
They come now, poised, ready to dive for any machina weapon they can find. Some of them are alone, some of them are in groups. But I knew that they were going to kill each other in the end. Either they would do it on their own, for their own selfish pleasures...
... or I was going to make them.
My hatred, condensed in the form of pyreflies, roamed free in this place. All it needed was a little weakness in mind. Fear, paranoia, a will to die... any weakness in the mind, and I could take over. My hatred will course in their bodies, and they will be turned against each other, machina weapons raised, the sweet sound of death filling in the air.
It shall spread, like a virus. No one must be left alive.
How excellent, here come my first victims.
Two leather clad soldiers, celebrating on their found batch of machina weapons. They take them greedily, clutching at them with their grubby hands. They are afraid. And wary of each other, not knowing if the other is a friend or a foe.
Perfect.
The pyreflies enter quickly. They scream, confused by the pain, by not being able to control their bodies. They can only stare in horror as their arms raise the deadly machina, as their fingers slowly pull on the triggers...
...they can only scream more, their shrieks caused by lead bullets ripping at their flesh, the armor being nothing more than paper to the deadly lead. They gurgle, choking on their own blood, and they drop to the floor, writhing in agony, minds probably screaming "Why?? It wasn't supposed to be this way??"
... It wasn't.
... It wasn't supposed to be that way.
Fear spreads over the others. The virus is working. Fear now capturing their feeble minds, the pyreflies descend upon it and feed. The combined shots, the death cries, the footsteps running against the cold floor, the sound of bodies thudding...
Blissful music. So sweet the sound...
Ah, but it seems not all of my puppets are affected. A bothersome group, I regarded them. The Deathseeker. An Al Bhed and a Yevonite. And their recorder. I contemplate, looking at them. They are scared, confused like the rest, but their will is strong. Very strong.
However... the one in red... this "Deathseeker"...
If I had a body, I would have licked my lips with delight. Maybe I can do more than just slaughter a bunch of recruits. Perhaps I can make a bigger impact, not just inflict my revenge on an unknown group of nobodies. My revenge can be known across Spira...
...through Vegnagun.
I know where it is. I can get it again.
And this time, no one will stop me.
Letting the pyreflies do the rest of the work, I stalk that one group, keeping my eyes on the Deathseeker. He has grabbed a machina weapon himself and moved on, from pure ambition. To achieve top rank, or to die. Either is fine with him. His friends follow, worried for him.
Stupid fools.
They would get what was coming to them soon enough.
The Al Bhed goes in front, trying to stop him. The Deathseeker is in the perfect position for me to strike. I go for it, the pyreflies swooping down like eagles. The Al Bhed lunges out of the way, but my target is not him. The will to die is so strong... it's so easy, just to take his body.
Yes...
They crowded around him... around me. They ask what's wrong. The pyreflies slowly circulate around the Deathseeker's body as I took over, feeling the transition from spirit to flesh.
At last! I am complete! To wrought death to Spira!
But first... to get rid of these worms...
The Yevonite steps forward now, trying to snap his "dear friend" out of it. I can feel the Deathseeker struggling in the deep recesses of his mind, but I am in control now. I will not let a pathetic weakling such as him ruin my plan.
I aim my machina weapon at his head, smirking as he lowered to the ground, staring at me with reproachful eyes. He is scared now, scared for his life, which meant nothing to me.
But then... the Al Bhed took his own machina weapon to my head, ordering me to lower my gun. I only shoot him a dirty look. I cannot lose this body. Not yet. Why aren't the pyreflies doing their job?!
"No... you lower your gun."
The Yevonite now raised his weapon at the startled Al Bhed. I can see the pyreflies had taken over in his moment of fear. But I knew it was not the time to destroy them yet. One wrong move, and everything I had plotted, planned for these last thousand years, would be wasted.
No... I would not allow that to happen. Playing along, I lowered my gun when their recorder, a young woman of 16, stepped in and begged us to stop.
I would play along.
But once we were out of this cave, my prison, they would get what they deserved.
And I ... I would be free. Free to destroy. Free to kill. Free to bring suffering upon Spira, the suffering it so deserved...
I waited one thousand years. I can wait a little longer. I can toy with these mortals in the meantime, until everything is ripe for the taking.
I am ready.
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... damn O_o that was the scariest thing I have ever written.