"No!" Pearl shrieked, throwing her spear like a javelin toward the man who calls Himself Death.
Her rash action was justified. If what this entity said was true, not to mention the fact that He knew Steven, well.. she had to protect him.
She was pleasantly surprised to see that Death made no attempt to dodge the attack. The spear passed right through Him.
Now He stood with a hole in the front and back of his cloak, though He seemed completely unfazed. Looking down, he examined the rip in his cloth and let out a deep, shuddering sigh.
DO YOU KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO FIND A CLOAK FOR MY.. BODY TYPE?
To see that He was unharmed threw Pearl into a frenzy. She summoned another spear and rushed the cloaked figure. No matter the cost, she would protect Rose's legacy.
But as she ran.. she found herself running further away from her target. It was odd, really. With every step she took, Pearl felt as if Death glided away from her. The world around her acted normally, though the cloaked figure.. His form gradually kept its distance, yet it was like He wasn't moving at all.
Suddenly, Pearl found herself falling.
She could feel a pit in her stomach as she fell through what seemed to be a dark abyss. The inky black surrounding her was unnerving, but not nearly so much as the electric blue she was falling toward.
It all happened so quickly, but she somehow knew.. she was falling into the gaze of Death.
Just as suddenly as it started, the illusion dispersed. Pearl was still standing beside Garnet and Amethyst. She never even moved from her spot after attempting to skewer Death with her spear.
Pearl stared at the figure before them, His face calm, calculating.
Then everything came crashing down on her.
Pearl retched. The pristine, usually composed gem fell to her hands and knees, chest heaving as her human stomach emptied itself of its contents in the sand. The confusion was just too much, the utter fear was just too much!
No.. this was beyond fear. This was beyond being terrified, even. Pearl felt as if every breath she took would be her downfall, that at any moment, Death would bear down on her and her teammates with the intent to kill.
What Pearl felt was complete and utter hopelessness.
PLEASE DON'T THREATEN ME AGAIN.
Pearl froze, holding a hand over her mouth. She felt that any more heaving.. anything that wasn't an answer to this man would mean her certain doom. So she just nodded, not daring to look Death in His piercing eyes.
"What was that..?"
Pearl shot a sideways glance toward Amethyst, who was sitting in the sand. She was propping herself up with her arms, though her entire body was shaking. Had she gone through the same experience as Pearl?
I SHOWED YOU WHAT I LOOK TO YOU IN YOUR MIND'S EYE.
Death explained this calmly, as if this were a natural occurrence. Considering his separation from time, it might as well be.
THOUGH, PEARL HAS THE MOST INTERESTING IMAGINATION OF ME THAT I'VE SEEN.
Just the fact that He knew her name made Pearl want to vomit even more than she already has.
"Why are you here?"
Even Garnet's voice was shaky.. Pearl didn't need to look up at their leader to know that she was just as scared as Amethyst and herself.
I JUST WANT TO ASK YOU A QUESTION.
"Bullshit!" Amethyst's outburst forced Pearl to look up from her heaving. The purple gem was on her feet now, obviously still terrified, but also angry.
"Why would you come here just to ask a question?! You're.. you're Death, for fuck's sake!" Pearl didn't mind Amethyst's swearing.. in fact, she only hoped that she wouldn't be killed more quickly just because of it.
"I-If you're gonna do us in, don't beat around the bush, okay!" Amethyst had tears running down her cheeks. If she was going to die.. she wanted it to be as quick as possible.
"Death doesn't have a reason to lie." Garnet was the voice of reason.. though she was rather skeptical herself.
IF YOUR TIME HAD RUN OUT, YOU WOULD KNOW. TRUST ME.
Death took what seemed to be a breath, as if preparing himself for a longer run of words than normal. Of course, the sound of his breathing sounded like wind banging against the shutters of a window, at least to the gems.
THE BOY IN THAT HOUSE..
Death started, raising a bony finger to point to the beach house.
HE CARRIES TWO SOULS. HIS OWN, AND HIS MOTHER'S.
The gems listened intently. Pearl had finished puking and now sat with her knees brought up to her chest. Amethyst sat beside the pristine gem, gently rubbing her back. The close contact helped both of them to calm down.. if just a little.
IN ALL LAWS OF NATURE, THIS SHOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.
"Gems are different from humans." Garnet spoke matter of factly. Death nodded his head in agreement.
I KNOW. I'VE CARRIED MANY OF YOUR KIND TO THE OTHER SIDE.
BUT THAT BOY IS BOTH GEM AND HUMAN. THAT IS WHY I AM HERE.
The gems stared at Death in confusion. If he wasn't here to take any of them, or to take Steven, why was he so interested in the boy?
I..
Death paused here, rubbing the back of his shiny head. He actually looked away from the gems, rather awkwardly as well.
THERE ARE THINGS EVEN AN IMMORTAL DOESN'T UNDERSTAND.. I WISH TO STUDY HIM.
"What do you mean by 'study'?" Garnet asked. Pearl and Amethyst stayed quiet, allowing the fusion to take charge. They were still too shaken to put in words for themselves, aside from Amethyst's earlier outburst.
IT'S NOT EVERY DAY THAT I ASK SOMEONE OF THIS.
Death sighed again.
IF YOU'LL ALLOW ME TO STAY IN YOUR HOME FOR A FEW DAYS, MAYBE TALK TO THE BOY.. I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT.
Author's Note: Apologies for the long wait. I've had a lot going on, with going back into college and everything.
