Riiing, riiing.
Sting woke to the sound of ringing in his ears. He opened his eyes in a daze, taking in the white-washed walls and dimly lit room. Slowly he remembered his surroundings and the hotel in which he stayed.
Riiing, riiing.
"Hello?" Sting answered groggily.
"Good morning, Mr. Eucliffe," the receptionist said, "this is your wake up call. We hope you enjoyed your night."
"Thank you." Sting hung up the phone and groaned as he pushed himself off the bed. Landing with a thud, he rubbed the back of his head before untangling himself from the sheets.
"Wasn't one of your best ideas." Lector yawned.
"I know," Sting stretched, "but if I didn't then I would never get up." Looking at his phone that had fallen beside him, Sting saw that Rogue had left multiple voicemails that night.
'I wonder why he called.' He thought to himself. He waited patiently for the voicemail to start but all he could hear from the other line was irregular breathing.
"I swear if he drunkenly called me, I will kick his ass." Right as he was about to end the message, he hears a whimper call out to him.
"Sting," it was Rogue's voice, but it sounded strained,"Sting, please answer me."The message ended.
"What the hell?" Sting asked himself.
"Who was that?" Lector asked.
"Rogue."
"What did he want?"
"I'm not sure, it's probably just a prank. I bet Orga set it up." Sting listened to the next message.
"Sting." Rogue sniffed, "I don't think I can do this anymore. They're back, Sting, and they're worse than before." Rogue's voice cracked. "I need you. Please come home."
At the mention of the nightmares, Sting jumped up and packed his bags faster than he ever has before.
"What's wrong?" Lector asked worriedly.
"I think Rogue might be in trouble." The two of them ran to the nearest train station. Although he wished it was some sick joke, he knew Rogue would never involve his nightmares in anything. He played the last message.
"I'm scared, Sting."Rogue cried. "Why won't you answer me? You said you would always be there that you were just a phone call away." Rogue took a shaky breath before continuing."I dreamt that I killed you and enjoyed it. The gruesome image won't leave my head; the sound of your neck snapping and the pool of blood you landed in. There was so much blood, Sting!" Rogue's sobs broke Sting's heart as he waited for the train to move.
"The part I can't forget is the laugh I made when it happened." Rogue whispered."That disgusting laugh is the only thing in my head. They're destroying me, Sting. They're making me question my own actions, my trust for you, my love for you." Rogue's voice quavered from the thoughts running through his head.
Sting was a blubbering mess as he pushed through his motion sickness to return to Rogue.
"My shadow is coming for me, Sting. I don't know how much longer I can hold it off. I guess it's better that you're not here with me. If something were to happen to you while I was like this then I could never forgive myself."Rogue took in a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "I don't know how much longer I have left, but I need you to promise me something. No matter what happens, you'll do whatever it takes to stop me. Even if it means killing me."
"No, Rogue, I won't!" Sting yelled, "It won't happen! I'll stop it before it gets you!" Sting was in tears as he fell to the floor of the train clutching the phone to his ear. "Someone make this damn train go faster!"
"Sting, please calm down. We'll be home soon, we're not too far now." Lector tried to reassure Sting but to no avail.
"I know you don't want to do this," Rogue continued,"but we both know it will have to be done to save everyone else. Please, Sting, don't let me die a monster." Rogue paused to catch his breath. "I love you, Sting, I always have. It's all my fault. I'm sorry."
"I love you, too, Rogue." Sting wiped the still flowing tears from his face. "Don't blame yourself, you can't control it. I-" Sting was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream from the other line. "Rogue!"
Sting pushed through the crowd once the train arrived and ran through the streets with Lector not far behind. Sting listened to Rogue's screams and the crashes that followed.
"He doesn't care, you know. Why else wouldn't he answer any of your calls?" A second, deeper voice sounded from the other line. "Kill him. It's our destiny."
"Shut up!" Rogue yelled back to the unknown voice. "I won't hurt him! I won't hurt anyone! I'll stop you before you take control again!"
"Oh, Rogue," his shadow, the unknown voice, laughed, "How naive of you to think you have any say in the matter. We will kill him sooner or later. That's a promise. I'm stronger than you, Rogue. I will take control whenever I see fit. There's nothing that can be done to stop me."
Glass shattered followed by Rogue screaming causing Sting to run faster.
"You're worthless, Rogue. You would be nothing without me. I'm the one who gives you your powers, the one who will give you new ones soon enough, and the one who turns you into the Dragon King. I'm the one who will turn you into the great and powerful mage you could ever dream of becoming."
"I want none of that!" Rogue cried. "Sting will stop you. I know he will."
"Either way, you lose." The shadow chuckled.
"I won't let you win!" Rogue's scream was the last thing Sting heard before the message ended.
Sting ran until he reached the front door of their shared apartment to find Frosch crying on the steps.
"Rogue isn't Rogue anymore!" Frosch wailed.
"I want both of you to go to the guild. You'll be safer there. Tell someone there to call an ambulance." Sting knew that something was wrong with Rogue and would have to fight him. He didn't want the exceeds to get hurt or to witness what he was about to do.
Sting ran into the apartment once the exceeds left and halted at the scene in front of him. The room looked as though a tornado passed through destroying everything in its path. From the corner of his eye, Sting spots a trail of smeared blood leading down the hallway. Sting followed it when Rogue's scream rang through the apartment. Sprinting down the same hallway the blood was on, Sting opened the door to their bedroom to find Rogue curled into himself on the floor. There were cuts covering his body from the glass lying on the floor.
"Rogue!" Sting knelt next to Rogue holding him as blood oozed from the cuts.
"Get out of here, Sting." Rogue struggles to get away.
"No." Sting holds onto Rogue tighter, "I'm not letting anything else happen to you. I'm here now."
"My shadow is still here, Sting. Please, leave. I don't want to hurt you." Rogue tries to pry Sting's hands from him.
"But I do." The shadow laughed as it twisted itself around Rogue.
"Get away from me!" Rogue yelled as he broke free from Sting's grasp. He clenched his head as he backed away from Sting, crying out as the shadow circled him laughing.
"It's our destiny." Rogue fell silent.
"Rogue?" Sting took a step forward then halted when he heard a sound from Rogue. It was a laugh, a maniacal sound that erupted from rogue. The same laugh that terrified Rogue in his nightmare. "Rogue?" Sting asked again.
"My power is now your power" Shadows swarmed around Rogue increasing his magic. "It is yours to wield." Rogue swung his arm sending Sting flying back hitting the wall behind him.
"Rogue, stop! You don't want to do this!" Sting fell to the ground with a trickle of blood escaping his mouth when Rogue hit him. "I know you're in there! Fight it!"
"Rogue isn't here anymore. I am Shadow and I will do as I please." He stepped toward Sting with a smirk on his face. "You won't have such a pretty face once I'm done with you."
"I'm sorry, Rogue." Sting stood. "White Dragon's Roar!"
Rogue turned to shadow before the attack could hit him. "Shadow Dragon's Flash of the Wax Wing." He appeared behind Sting.
"White Dragon's Holy Ray!" Sting yelled from the shadows piercing his skin.
Rogue howled as the attack ripped through his body.
"White Dragon's Claw!" Sting yelled out while Rogue knelt bleeding on the floor. "I'm sorry, Rogue. I really am. White Drive" Light flooded Sting as he went into Dragon Force. "I love you." Sting blasted a ray of light at Rogue. He watched as it torn through Rogue and fell to floor.
Sting held Rogue close once the shadow left his body.
"I'm so sorry, Rogue." Sting rested his head on Rogue's.
"St-sting," Rogue whispered.
Sting looked at Rogue as his tears mixed with the blood covering Rogue's face.
"I-I lo-" Rogue gargled on the blood in his mouth.
"Please, don't speak." Sting sobbed into Rogue's hair. "Save your energy. They're almost here, Rogue. The ambulance is almost here." He cried harder when he heard the sirens approach.
"Sting," Rogue said with his last breath, "I love you."