Trigger Warnings: Human sacrifice, rape, suicide, human hunting. This is your warning.
It's funny how the darkness seemed thicker in some places than in others. At least, that's what Ruby told herself. She'd thought that it would be a more even spread.
She could feel it, like a cold, bitter sludge filling her veins and freezing her blood. At least, that's what Ruby told herself. It was physically painless. She'd thought it would hurt.
She laid still for days, watching as the stars flickered and died, one by one, like candles in the froth of an ever-expanding tide. At least, that's what Ruby told herself. She was truly watching her happy memories and her goodness fade from existence.
She was still alive, though.
She was being reborn.
And it was fine.
She was fine.
Except she wasn't. She was a monster.
She was evil.
But that's okay.
It didn't hurt.
She let out a long, low laugh.
"Oh Looooover," she crooned. A spotlight shone on her body, which was strapped onto a rough, crude stone tablet. She was naked, but shadow obscured every inch of her skin. In the corner, a figure strode out into the light. An evil smile showed crooked teeth that were so strikingly normal that they didn't seem to fit inside the smirk that radiated cruelty.
"What is it, dear heart, my inspiration, my muse?" the figure asked. Her voice was high-pitched, and almost cute, but so full of darkness you'd think she was a demon. She moved into Ruby's line of sight, and the sight of her was appalling. She was short, and her hair fell into soft, kinky waves from sleeping in a braid overnight. There were circles under her soft, wide brown eyes. She had a button nose and cute dimples, but there were all overshadowed by the hateful smirk that twisted and contorted her features.
"Loooover, I'm done," she said. "Lover" laughed, her voice making a cutesy giggle.
"No you're not, darling. You've only just begun."
She was beautiful. At least, that's what Ruby told herself. Truthfully, she was nothing special, entirely ordinary.
But Ruby didn't care. She closed her eyes, preparing for the battle to come.
Outside, in the dark room, Lover cringed, holding her hands to her head and clutching at her hair. The smirk gradually fell, and was replaced by two crystalline tear tracks.
"Ruby, stop... Please... You don't have to do this..." the girl whispered. Her heart felt like it was breaking, and every shard was stabbing it's way into her very soul.
"Oh Innocence, darling, you don't have a say anymore. Lover and I, we'll rule together. You could join us, you know. Let go of the light. You wouldn't have to fight the darkness every day, and you could finally show the world what they've done to you," Ruby said, her voice happy. Her eyes were still closed. Innocence let out a choked sob.
"You're wrong! I'm a good person! I always want to help others! I want to help you! I love you so much, Ruby! I want to make you okay again! I want to take all the broken pieces you've got in there and put them all together again! I believe in you! You can be a hero again!" Innocence screamed, her face turning red and her tears soaking her face. Ruby laughed cruelly.
"Lover, stop letting her play with me," she said. Innocence's face twisted painfully, and the dark smirk reemerged. Lover strode forward.
"Are you ready, pet? This part is the absolute worst. But when it's through, you and I… Well, our art will take the world by storm. We will be the only ones who matter. They will all know the darkness, and how fucked up we, and by extension they, are." Lover's voice was thick with Innocence's tears, but that didn't deter the dark layers of her voice. Ruby just giggled in response. Even hers didn't compare to Lover's cruel laugh however. Lover took pride in that. She sat and watched as Ruby's body started to spasm, and her mind detached from its known world.
It was strange to be around her companions again. At least, that's what Ruby told herself. Honestly, it was a great pleasure.
"Ruby!" they called, and it was then she realized that they were all in separate cages. Ruby studied them all, and slowly she walked over to Osmond. She opened the cage, and he hurried out, holding her into a tight hug. She was still in his embrace, her face lighting up in a psychotic grin. She petted his back, and slowly reached up to stroke one of his ears. He was smiling.
"Oh Ruby! We were so worried about you!" he exclaimed. Ruby made a pleased little sound, running her thumb across the soft fur. Then, in a show of inhuman strength, she ripped his ear off. It fell to the ground with a soft thump, which was quickly replaced by his horrified screaming. She watched as the blood trickled down his fur. Then she went into a rage. Slowly, her blunt, human-like nails became weapons of destruction. She ripped through skin and sinew like it was nothing, until Osmond was skinned clean. She started cutting apart his flesh, and carefully selecting her fire ring, cooked him. When chunks of meat were done she would start devouring pieces of him. Eventually, his torn up, shredded and skinned corpse lay at her feet. She tied the bloody pelt around her like a cape, grinning dementedly.
In the next cage, Ungaga and Mikara sat huddled together. They'd heard the horrible sounds and they must have guessed that they were next to be brutally murdered. And they were right. Ruby caressed Mikara's face gently.
"No one ever liked you, you know," she whispered, pressing her grease-stained lips against Mikara's. Mikara pulled away and vomited from the smell of dead rabbit and revulsion from Ruby's insanity. Ungaga went to hit her, but Ruby laughed, freezing him in place. Only his head was free from the magical cold, and the rest of his body slowly turned black from frostbite. Ruby turned back to Mikara, stripping her and revealing her naked body. Ruby leaned down and licked the young woman's jawline, before biting down harshly on the skin of her neck. Mikara screamed out, especially when Ruby's jaw clamped and the coppery tang of blood filled her mouth.
"Luckily for you, I have a soft spot for girls..." Ruby whispered, blood dripping from her smile. She caressed Mikara's body, causing the younger girl to whimper and tremble in fear. Her hands slid down Mikara's body, until she had an awful idea. Her ring made a small column of ice, and she thrust it, without warning, into Mikara's vagina. Mikara screamed as she froze from the inside out. Ruby tilted her head almost obscenely far, watching as the quick-moving ice turned Mikara's sensitive flesh a mottled black.
Ungaga and Mikara felt like they were on fire at first, but as time went on they became numb, and they died in agony of the heart rather than agony of the mind. Ungaga watched the woman he loved so much die before his eyes as she was being violated by someone he once called a friend. Mikara's body was taken from her and abused, and shame filled her like a black, icy river in the winter, extinguishing her internal flame.
Outside of Ruby's mind, Lover watched as Ruby's body thrashed, foaming at the mouth and pulling taut against the ropes binding her. Her wrists were red from rope-burn. Lover giggled in her cute, high-pitched voice.
"Oh dear heart, my love, you're almost done... Just three more to go... And then you'll be mine," Lover cooed. Her jaw clenched of its own accord, and Innocence took over.
"Lover don't do it! She's done nothing wrong! She's just a baby! Let her go... Please... Just let her go... I'll give you our body if you leave her alone..." Innocence's voice was soft, and her eyes watered. Lover shoved Innocence away, wiping the water out of their eyes.
"Shut the fuck up, Innocence. Your selflessness gets on my nerves. Besides, I'll have our body soon enough. I don't need your help. Someday you'll embrace me for who I am. Someday you'll see that it's not always rainbows and butterflies."
Innocence bit their lip and made Lover flinch.
"Did you just really quote Maroon 5 at me?" she asked, then shook their head, sending brown waves tumbling over their shoulders. "Never mind. That doesn't matter. Please, Lover... You can have me... But Ruby... Ruby is special... I love her, Lover... Leave her alone... I'm begging you..." Innocence whispered, looking down at her feet. Lover scoffed.
"You can beg me all you want. It's actually pretty hot. But I won't. The more people I corrupt, well... Let's just say I'm a big believer in sharing. I'll share my darkness with the world, and so will Ruby. We don't need anything else. The world has been cruel to us, so why not be cruel back?" Lover asked, studying her nails. Innocence cringed.
"It doesn't have to be this way! Forgive the world, Lover... People have hurt you... Hurt us... But that doesn't mean we have to become the villains. We can be the heroes of our own story. We can be happy..."
"We don't get to be happy anymore!" Lover yelled, stomping childishly. Their eyes blazed with hatred and pain. "They took that away from us without a second thought! I don't need to forgive anyone! And besides," she said, trying to compose herself. "we're already a hero! You wanna know why?" She grinned psychotically, twisting her hands in her hair and tugging. "We're a hero because every single fucking person on this earth is a villain. So us getting all those villains to realize who they are... That's the most heroic thing someone as fucked up as us could so..."
"I'm not a fuck-up..." Innocence protested, wrapping their arms tight around their body. Lover cackled, arching her back, but Innocence fought for control, trying to make her voice as soothing as possible.
"Lover... I know you're tired... Please, we can forget about Ruby... We can give her her goodness back... And we can go to sleep. We can go to sleep forever." Innocence reached in their pocket and pulled out a bottle of oxycontin. Lover screamed
"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?! PUT THAT AWAY YOU SUICIDAL WHORE! YOU WON'T RUIN THIS FOR ME!"
Innocence flinched, their body recoiling.
"Please... Lover... Please... Let's go to sleep... Please..." she cried, tears soaking their face and dripping down onto their clothes. Lover growled, forcefully wiping their face.
"No... Leave me the fuck alone... I hate you! Just go die! You've never done anything but hold me back and get me hurt! I hate looking after you! You're so fragile, and- and- and-... and I hate you!" Lover yelled, throwing their body to the floor. Innocence cried out as the bottle rolled away. Her heart broke at the thought of her final escape slipping through her fingertips. Lover wrestled with Innocence, clawing at their body.
Neither of them were paying any more attention to Ruby, who's body had settled into spastic twitching, a cruel grin stretching her lips.
Ruby was running, flying, chasing her way through a thick jungle. She could smell Goro, smell his weak human flesh and sweat, hear his pathetic heart beating fast. She could taste his fear on her tongue, sweet and savory all at once. Her ears heard the splash of water and she hunted him relentlessly. She had stolen his clothes, tightening the tunic around her and replacing his bear skin with Osmond's pelt. She laughed, running through the brush.
"Oh Gooooro," she called. "I'm gonna get your fat ugly ass!" She ran for a while, playing with her prey. Occasionally she went in the wrong direction, just to mess with him. But eventually, she had enough. She silenced herself, and snuck up on him. He was hiding in some brush, but that didn't matter as she caught him in her grasp.
"You know, I've been a bad, bad girl lately..." she whispered, running her hands over her body. Goro got the most confusing erection of his life, but it wasn't to last. Ruby laughed at the sight. "I think I should apologize... What do you think?" she asked, getting in Goro's face. He admired her body in his tunic, tightened with a belt so that it hugged her body tightly. But he was afraid. He knew something was wrong, and every so often his gaze would flicker to the left or right, looking for an escape route. She could hear his heart pounding, and she caressed his face, standing him up. She tore a hunk of his tunic, baring her upper thighs and tying his hands together. He stared at her, confused, but she just smiled. She chose another one of her rings, readying it. Goro seemed to recognize the gem, as his eyes widened in horror.
"R-Ruby, no, Ruby please!" he screamed, but she aimed and fired at him uncaringly. His body caught flame, and the sickly smell of burning flesh and hair filled her senses. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes and letting out a small moan.
"I hope the Fairies accept my... offering," she smiled. She left the area working her way towards the last cage, which held a certain hero and a tiny little catgirl.
"ENOUGH!"
Lover pushed Innocence deep into the recesses of their mind, taking control.
"Ruby, you're almost there! Don't give up now!" she yelled. Her eyes closed and her own tears started to fall, slower and more controlled than Innocence's. She was so close, she could taste it...
Ruby entered the final cage, her body heaving. She smelled like blood and death, but that didn't stop Xiao from latching onto her leg.
"Ruby! What's going on?!" she squeaked. Ruby stroked her hair.
"Shhhh..." she said, watching as the blood smeared through Xiao's silky auburn locks, clumping the strands together. Toan watched her, muscles twitching for his empty sheath.
It was easy to kill her best friend. Her savior. Her master. At least, that's what Ruby told herself. Really, something stirred in her mind.
She wanted to do this. She wanted to become the darkness. She wanted to make the world feel all the pain she had felt. But she didn't know if she could do it. Not this. Not Toan. Not Xiao. She trembled, finally realizing what horrible things she'd done.
What the hell is wrong with me? she asked herself. What kind of fuck-up is willing to do this?
"Ruby, are you okay?" Xiao asked, snuggling up to Ruby's side. Ruby froze. And for a tiny moment, a miniscule ray of light made her stop. Was it worth it to throw all your goodness away? Was the power to inflict worldwide pain worth this senseless destruction of her soul?
Lover watched as Ruby's body calmed down on the table. Her heart thudded.
"Don't you dare fucking give up on me," she spat, standing up on wobbly legs. Innocence tried her hardest to pull Lover back on the ground, but Lover's will was too strong. Lover strode over to the table, smacking Ruby across the face. It made a hollow sound that filled the chamber for a few seconds. And then she was screaming again, but there were no words this time. It was white noise, and it was meaningless. Innocence cringed at the sound, contorting their mouth, but that didn't deter Lover's mind from deteriorating. Innocence started crying.
The two were taking their toll on their body. Tears streamed down already puffy cheeks, and their mouth and stomach hurt from Lover's incessant screaming. Innocence couldn't take it. She took control, just long enough to take a few steps forward and fall to the floor. Her hands reached out, shaking, searching the floor for the bottle. Lover didn't even realize what was happening, she was to focused on Ruby. Innocence opened the bottle.
"Shhhh..." she whispered, stopping Lover's horrible screaming. Lover curled their body into a ball, adding her harsh, breathy sobs to Innocence's tears. Innocence smiled weakly, dumping the entire bottle of pills into her mouth. They took a while to kick in. She twitched, and the world spun around in a bunch of colors and sounds. She thought she might've puked a few times, but she couldn't be sure.
She had done it.
She had killed the darkness.
She was dying, but she had destroyed the bad.
Ruby slowly faded away, her choice made. She couldn't hurt Toan or Xiao. She couldn't let the darkness win.
It was hard to die. At least, that's what Ruby told herself. Honestly, it was as easy as falling asleep after being awake for two days straight.
That's how easy it was for her to fade away.
In the morning, two cops found the body of a teenage girl who had killed herself with oxycotin. She was in a warehouse, with an empty bottle beside her. It was dark, and she was the brightest thing in the whole room.
In the end, when they cleared her away, there was nothing left.
Well, nothing except a black notebook, recounting the unfinished tale of a video game character's journey to the dark side. Nothing left except the ghost of a suicide meant to keep the darkness at bay.
It was easy to die, the last page said. At least, that's what I told myself. When it came down to it, it was harder to say no to life than it was to say yes to death.