Trust Me

Azrielle was far past furious. How dare he play with her mind like that! He was not fully to blame seeing as how she knew what she was doing but still, it felt better to blame him. She climbed out of bed for a second time that night and went to her dresser to grab the small bag containing her blue gems. Tossing a single gem to the floor, a warp portal appeared in a flash of blue light.

Surely she must have been crazy or why else would she go back there? She stepped in and in the next moment, she was outside of Glast Heim...again. She hastily stormed into the abbey, quite sure that the bastard would show himself. As she expected, she saw him leaning casually against a wall. Even in the dim light of the Abbey, she could see the smug though distant expression on his face. It was still a bit odd to see him without his mask. Apparently, he had forgone wearing the thing.

"You trouble me, priestess," he sighed. He seemed to be staring past her, thinking of something else entirely. He had realized one of the reasons why he was so unhappy. For so many years, he continued to do what he had always done as the Dark Lord. Eventually, he had forgotten all feeling. He had become completely numb and that was his ultimate goal in the beginning. Emotion only got in the way of his duty of delivering death to those that entered Glast Heim.

As he became a blank page, he pushed everything else away. He no longer had a need for companionship…or so he thought. After she showed up, things were different and he did not like it one bit. As he looked at her angry face and realized that she seemed to be without fear. The other times he had run into her, he still sensed fear within her but not this time. She was indeed something else.

Azrielle. On that day that she refused to die, something sparked within him. Most like her would cower and pray for death but not her. It was at that moment that the bitter loneliness struck him full force. Ah, yes, that is exactly what it was. Utter loneliness and regret. Every creature he came upon feared him anymore, Azrielle being the exception. Was this why he wanted her so terribly? He thought he had finally lost his remaining humanity a long time ago but perhaps that was not true.

"Is that all you're going to say?" she asked in disbelief. He showed no regret for tricking her but then again…was it possible that she let herself be deceived? Surely not. The idea was preposterous.

"What exactly were you expecting? An apology? I am sorry but I will have to disappoint you because I did specifically what I intended to do. It is not my problem if you are lying to yourself."

"What?" she exclaimed.

He moved from his relaxed position against the wall to stand just inches from Azrielle. He had an idea. He could only see one clear way to resolve this problem of his. "I think death will suit you nicely," he said calmly.

She was about to speak when her world suddenly went black. He caught her as she fell forward. She really did make things difficult but he would not let her go this time. There was only one solution to this problem and it required her death. He had decided that he would never allow her to be with anyone else if he could not have her.

"Selfish, aren't we?" a quiet voice said with a rather amused tone. Dark Lord looked behind him to see the undead priest. The priest often projected his own cynical morals upon him, usually for his own entertainment. He was once a friend but now he was just a nuisance. Much to his dismay, he still tolerated the priest simply because of the past they shared.

"It is none of your concern," he answered, stalking off with the priestess in his arms.

--

Luzien, for once in his life, could not sleep. He tossed and turned in his bed for hours and finally decided that he would take a stroll down to the kitchen. It would still be another hour or so before dawn, but who ever said that two breakfasts were bad for you? He pulled his clothes back on and sauntered down stairs, careful not to wake anyone. To his surprise, Kaeru was sitting at the table, staring out the window. He looked deep in thought but they were not happy thoughts judging by his expression.

"Kinda early, isn't it?" Luzien asked as he took a seat next the younger priest. He actually knew quite a bit about Kaeru through Alexander so there were a number of things that could have been bothering him.

"I don't sleep that well anymore," he sighed, glancing over at Luzien.

"Busy mind?"

"Mostly," Kaeru did have a lot on his mind but it was generally about his family. Perhaps lack of one to be more exact. They existed but they shunned him. The situation with Azrielle had bothered him but having her back and safe was a great relief for him. Still something would not let him let go completely but he ignored it. Now it was back to his old problems. These problems were likely to never be solved and therefore he would never get any sleep. He hated it.

The high priest have a very good guess as to what Kaeru was thinking about, "You know, some people change, some people don't. Unfortunately, I don't think your brother or even your family is gonna change. I know how bad tempered and uptight that guy is and he's always been that way." Luzien had met the Tierce family a few times before and they were exactly like Alexander. Unfortunately for Kaeru, he was born into a family completely different than him.

"It still upsets me." No one in the guild actually knew that Alex was his older brother. He wondered how they never noticed their similar looks but it must have been the drastic differences in their personalities.

The high priest smiled warmly. "It seems like you've got some good friends in this guild though. They're just as good as a real family. Besides, you have a cute wizard with her hands on you every second of the day. I'd like to get my hands on her," he said practically drooling. Okay, okay. So he had a weakness for pretty women, so what?

"Don't get any ideas; she'll fry you to a crisp," Kaeru eyed him. Did he chase after anything with a pretty face? He knew Mira would not tolerate Luzien's advances because she knew exactly what the high priest was like.

"Er…anyway, the thing with Azrielle wasn't your fault, by the way, and there's really nothing you can do about your bad tempered brother," Luzien said, summing up Kaeru's problems. He wasn't exactly the best person to talk to about your problems but at least he tried.

"I know that but I just feel like something is wrong with everything. I don't know," he said making his frustration obvious to the high priest. He just could not put a finger on what was bothering him so much.

"You could take a peek in her room and check on Azi if it's really bothering you. Mira said that Azi was pretty tired so she'll probably be out cold but just fine. I don't think you should worry so much. "

"I still think I wanna check on her real quick," Kaeru said. Luzien nodded and followed him up to Azrielle's room. Kaeru turned the door handle softly and peered into the room. As his eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness but he realized something was very wrong. He immediately rushed inside and gaped at the empty bed, "She's not here!"

"Oh no, that's not good," the high priest stated the obvious. Grabbing Luzien's robe, he dragged him to Angela's room and nearly broke the door charging in. It would be a surprise if the two of them did not wake up the rest of their guild mates with the noise. Angela awoke instantly as she heard the ruckus in her room. She was instantly livid at seeing the high priest in her room.

"What the hell! Luzien!" she shouted clutching the blanket around her. Luzien's eyes nearly popped right out of his head. Apparently, the lovely paladin slept in the nude. This was a new fact that he appreciated very much. It would make his peeping job a little bit easier, he noted with a lecherous grin. Kaeru promptly turned red at barging in like they just did.

"Why didn't you ever tell me that you sleep naked!" the high priest exclaimed, "I would have liked to know!"

"You pervert!"

"STOP IT!" Kaeru demanded, trying not to let his gaze wander where it should not. It was difficult to do. "Angela, Azi is gone." The paladin's look turned from anger to shock in mere seconds as she took into account what he said.

"You two go wake up Alex and I'll get Mira," she said remaining calm. Panicking never helped any situation. If she was good at anything, it was taking care of business in a calm and collected manner.

"Why can't I go wake up Mira?" Luzien asked. Actually, he did know why she elected to wake Mira instead of him. Angela knew him all too well.

"LUZIEN!"

"Okay! Fine, we'll go wake up the cranky ass knight." The two left Angela's room and walked down the hall to Alexander's door. "You go first," Luzien said quickly.

"What? No way. You go in first," Kaeru argued. They went back and forth for a few minutes until they heard someone clear their throat from behind them. The girls sure were quick.

"You two are SO immature," Mira pointed out. Angela looked equally irritated.

"Fine, I'll go wake him up," the paladin growled.

"Uh oh," the high priest said with wide eyes. Angela was one of those people that had infinite patience and rarely got angry. Unfortunately for Alexander, he had lost her good graces long ago and she had no tolerance for him at all.

Angela practically ripped the door off its hinges and stomped over to Alex's sleeping form. Standing over him, he stirred and slowly opened his eyes. He nearly fell out of his bed when he noticed the angry paladin staring down at him. "Wake up, love, or I'll have to kill you," she said, her words oozing with fake sweetness, she was still very angry with him and that anger never seemed to die down. He immediately sat up.

"W-what is it?" he asked in a startled voice.

"Azrielle is gone."

"What!"

"You heard me. Get your lying, cheating ass up and get dressed," she commanded him. Kaeru watched in amusement as his brother followed her every word with terror in his eyes. The blond woman watched the lord knight's every move in turn. It was so strange that the pleasant, flower-planting paladin was suddenly so frightening. Only Luz seemed to know what made her that way toward Alex.

"If you say a single cross word to your brother, I will shove my sword sideways up yo—"

"Um, Angela, there's no need for that," Luz said hiding a grin. Her temper is what kept Luzien on her good side. He never wanted to be on the receiving end of her rage. It was a very dangerous thing but extremely entertaining to watch when directed at others.

"Brother…?" Mira asked, slightly confused. Who was whose brother?

"Don't worry about that right now," Angela said shortly to the wizard, "Alexander, you've been warned." He nodded obediently and they all looked toward Luzien.

"Ready to go I assume?"

"Yes," the paladin agreed. Seconds later a warp portal to the darkness of Glast Heim opened and the five of them stepped inside. As they strode up the steps to the abbey, Kaeru's worry multiplied tenfold. He thought for sure that Azrielle would have been safe at the guildhall. Angela and Alexander led the way and the other three followed behind, alongside each other, speaking quietly among themselves.

"I'm curious, Luz, what's the deal with those two?" Mira whispered. He grinned and held back a laugh as it seemed innappropriate due to the situation at hand.

"Well, those two were actually a couple once. One night, she got back early from an assignment and found him quite, ah, cozy, with some woman. She was a knight I think. Of course, you may not know that Angela has a famous breaking point in which she'll maim and/or kill anything in her sight," he smiled. He was actually glad for that night to have happened. Alexander didn't deserve her anyway.

"Seriously?" Kaeru gasped in disbelief. He had no idea that anyone would put up with this older brother much less date him. What could the paladin have even seen in Alexander? She was so nice and Alex was just...Alex.

"You bet. Seeing your brother cheating made her snap and she kicked both him and that woman's asses. She beat him up on another occasion too but you'll have to ask her about that. Needless to say, Alex now cowers at her feet and she likes it that way. She thinks he deserves every bit of punishment coming his way. They're not together anymore, of course."

"Wow," Mira said in disbelief. She had not known this. "I think we should concentrate on Azi now though."

They walked cautiously around the dank, dead place for a while with no Azrielle or Dark Lord in sight. "Hey Alex, I think we should go to the church yard," Kaeru suggested timidly. There was obviously no sign of them in the abbey so perhaps checking other places might give them more clues.

"Not until we scour the abbey completely, first. Don't make stupid suggestions," Alex scolded rudely. At once, Angela's blade hovered very near the lord knight's throat. He froze in his tracks, instantly regretting his mouth. The insults just came so naturally that they were hard to stop.

"Didn't I tell you to be nice to him?" He nodded and she replaced her sword back in its sheath. Kaeru sighed as they continued. They would never find Azi at this rate. If they did, it might be too late.

Mira then nudged the priest and signaled that no one was looking at them. "Let's go," she mouthed to him. Carefully, they separated themselves from the other three and headed to the churchyard.

--

Azrielle woke with a throbbing in her head. She was lying on her back on what felt like wooden planks. As she sat up slowly, she saw Dark Lord staring at her from a distance. She felt dozens of eyes on her and she could sense them in the shadows. Ghouls, Wraiths, Evil Druids…the usual. What was he doing this time, she wondered? She had an uneasy feeling in the back of her mind; it told her that something terrible was just around the corner. Just as she was thinking it might not be as bad as she thought, she heard hoof beats. She knew what those were. A band of Abysmal Knights approached Dark Lord. They stood silently behind him, waiting, watching. She could hear something much larger coming from behind them. The shuffle of Khalitzburgs and Raydrics was unmistakable. What did he have planned?

All at once, the wraiths cackled and wheezed as they came from their hiding places. They quieted but never stopped as a much smaller figure approached. She had not even noticed him waiting with Dark Lord. As he closed the distance between them, she noticed iridescent silver hair covering much of his face and the faded black robe that had once been worn by a priest. "Yes…I was once a priest," he whispered. Surely he could not read her mind. Why did she not notice the weirdness of Glast Heim before and stay away? He stopped and turned to look back at Dark Lord. All of a sudden, she realized that she was sitting at the center of a wooden cross.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Our Lord has given a request and you are fortunate to get such a welcoming."

"Welcoming?" she asked again, nearly inaudibly this time. Soon, she saw that monsters from all over Glast Heim were gathering here, surrounding the cross. The cackling wraiths were becoming more and more anxious, their laughter increasing in speed. Rybios and Injustices wandered around restlessly and ghouls stumbled. Other monsters were joining in the horrible laughter creating a deafening and terrifying sound. Then, Dark Lord made his way down the planked walkway, passing the priest and stood above her.

"Get on your knees," he ordered viciously. Azrielle felt compelled to obey knowing that her impending death was not far away. "Priest." The undead priest turned slowly, handing Dark Lord a frighteningly sharp sword. The hilt portrayed a gleaming silver skull and imprinted faces along the handle. The faces carved into the hilt were contorted into expressions of pain and suffering. She peered past the sword and up to the Dark Lord's face. He was completely void of emotion as usual. His crimson eyes were empty and soulless. "I should have done this long ago…Azrielle," he stated in a low, dangerous voice. If he could not have her, then why should anyone else?

"Ugh, what is that noise?" Angela moaned. The noise was very disturbing and she dreaded what it was. "It sounds like it's coming from the churchyard." The paladin was very worried. Glast Heim was a quiet place, no matter the fight. She actually preferred the silence compared to the noise coming from the churchyard. Looking behind her she saw that Kaeru was nowhere in sight. "Luz!" she whispered. He glanced at her but continued walking.

"Hm?"

"Where'd Kaeru and Mira go?" He looked behind them and saw what she did. No priest or wizard. Wonderful. Why would those two have run off? They knew it was dangerous for them since Dark Lord was around somewhere.

"Um…what should we do? It's not like the big oblivious knight up there would even notice," he frowned.

"Just keep going. I'm sure they'll be all right." She hoped they would be.

The priest and wizard knew something was happening in the churchyard but Alex did not believe them so they snuck off. There was not a monster in sight and they were not sure whether that was a good or bad thing. As they reached the entrance, they gasped at what their eyes beheld. The churchyard was filled to the brim with monsters and at the center, they saw them. Azrielle was on her knees and Dark Lord was standing in front of her, sword in hand. "Oh no." Kaeru tried to run for Azrielle but Mira held him back and covered his mouth. They would both die if they tried to go in there.

The priestess had given up. There was no running away from him no matter how hard she tried. She lowered her head in defeat but this seemingly small gesture angered Dark Lord even further. "You mean to tell me that you have no pride left?" he snarled. He expected more from her than this.

Without looking up, she answered softly, "I have enough pride not to run away from death. I thought it was obvious that you'd won so I bow my head. Congratulations." He moved the tip of the blade under her chin and forced her to raise her head.

"It was never about winning or losing. You are not a coward so you will not die like some defeated animal. Any other words?" She thought for a moment and shook her head. With that, he dragged the blade over her skin and clothes until the tip was pointing directly at her heart. The raucous laughter around them grew louder and louder and her heart beat faster and faster as if to give Dark Lord a better target. "To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved," he said with a strange smile and drove the blade into her chest.

She had never seen him smile before and it was the last thing she would see. There was silence except the last sigh of breath escaping from the priestess as she went limp, her life fading.


A/N: Well, what were you expecting? Oh, I'm pretty sure you can guess what's coming next but it was fun to leave this chapter ending this way.

R&R please!