He trudged against the fluorescent lights, with every part of his body seemingly aching from the long hours of torture. His bangs clung to his closed eyes, while the white straight-jacket wound around his body tightly, suffocating his lungs with chains and leather straps. Stitches covered every inch of his mouth, with the needle hanging from his bottom lip, stretching all the way down to his abdomen. Ugly bruises covered half of his face, along with wounds that exposed a bit of bone. There was a needle lodged in his throat, and from both sides, black and red seeped onto the rough fabric, and two iron rods stuck out from his back.

Two guardsmen shoved him forward, keeping his hands bound behind as they marched forth. He could hear their shocked whispers smoothly gliding back and forth, the conversation drumming against his ears like an unwelcome alarm in the middle of the night. They held him close, trying to prevent him from escaping, though he had nowhere to go, and did whatever they could to shut out his own individual thoughts. He didn't move away from their sick warmth, and showed indifference even as they berated him to fulfill a personal, sadistic accomplishment. When they were finally silent, he knew where they were.

Though the executioner's block was secluded, he's memorized its layout a plethora of times to know which device went where. The bell towers surrounded the four corners of the fenced off square. An iron maiden lay off to the side, as well as a noose in the event the judge felt the tiniest bit merciful, which was always never the case. A butcher table was usually in the middle of the arena, along with the various bloody weapons that stood near it, just waiting to be used. Body parts were scattered here and there, from an arm, to a leg, to even a heart or two. He could hear the screams from past victims, from humans to immortals to hunters that refused to acknowledge their place.

He could hear the crowds surrounding the medieval arena, carefully watching his movements, wondering whether or not he was going to try and worm his way out of his fate. They all fell silent when he stepped onto the stage, an air of disappointment filling the audience immediately, as they picked out every detail lodged within his pitiful state. There the General was, wallowing in his own despair, no friend or ally to stand to his aid, no supporters left to help garner his reputation. Former students came to mourn for his lost prestige, along with traitorous comrades snickering at his downgraded state, reveling in their success as they seated themselves along with their less sympathetic servants.

The guardsmen stopped somewhere, asking themselves what they should be doing now. So one of them shoved him to the ground and stomped on his head, suggesting that they tell a few stories to pass the time. His companion listened closely, both to the words and to the sound of the prisoner's skull cracking; whenever a scene appeared incredibly intense, the pressure became more troublesome. The skin was first broke, then the membrane; he started feeling the man's foot at the edge of his brain when he heard familiar footsteps walking toward them. The men halted their assault and stood attentively at Commander Belletrix.

She asked them to leave, to which they did so unquestioningly. He could hear her crouch down, her lips brushing his ear, as she whispered coldly, "Open your eyes, Nikolai."

He did just that, though he kept them trained to the ground. But he could see her frightening demeanor, and make out her beautiful features from the reflection across the metal beams. Her blond curls cascaded down her voluptuous body, and her spiky bangs were neatly pushed brushed out of her bright, green eyes. She was wearing black, high-heeled combat boots, and though he couldn't see it, he knew she was outfitted with a black, revealing dress that advertised the various blades attached to her skin. The silver gleamed around the majority of her body, but in the darkness, he could make out their frame.

"Look up."

He ignored her.

She cupped his chin in her long, icy fingers and forced him to look at her. As usual, there was no emotion those piercing her eyes of hers. The two gazed at one another other for a long time, and for a while, he didn't know whether he should be thankful he got to see her again, or turn away from her like everyone else. There was no doubt, however, that she was ashamed by his crime, and she showed no hesitation in staring him down.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" she observed quietly. "You knew that if you saved her, you'd have to face the tribunals."

Callously, he nodded.

"Why then? Need I remind you that the higher-up you are, the more severe your punishment is?" Her hand slowly caressed his cheek, all the while gripping the thread and ripping away the thread that bound his mouth. When she was done, she placed a finger on the needle in his neck and tossed it aside. She waited for the bleeding to stop, when she held his face firm in her hands.

"Why?" she repeated.

The question delved through his thoughts, digging up memories of those horrific moments, each ending with tiny splats of crimson and anger. He reminisced on the minutes that passed from each encounter, from the time he found Meredith's corpse in the Black Rose's arms, to the brother that was now in her possession. He thought back to the sweet pleasure he took when her blood first spilled to the ground, the frustration he felt when she evaded him every single time, leaving him half dead in every struggle that ensued. He thought back to his ongoing madness, to how she saved him many a time from going insane from the loneliness alone. He thought back to the aimless lies they've fed each other, all the while tracking each other, playing a game in which he questioned the loyalty he had toward his family, and his sanity.

He finally opened his mouth. "I've no idea."

Belletrix scoffed. "She's taken away a countless number of loved ones. She's killed two of our siblings. She's a threat that needed to be put down, and you're saying you saved her on a whim?"

"Those experiments had no loved ones," he answered emptily. "They were just shells without a purpose. They neither desired nor cared for the world they lived in."

"Do you believe what she's doing is justified then? Murdering countless number of innocent people, all the while proclaiming some sick, psychotic judgement? Do you honestly believe the world is that simple?"

"I should be asking you that," he managed, his cold, azure eyes meeting her abyssal pupils. "She knows she's a murderer, but at the very least, she doesn't have the arrogance to claim that what she's doing is right." He heaved a heavy breath, and glowered at her. "We're just playthings Becca, in the midst of a larger, more horrid nightmare. You really can't see that?"

"I'm not ready to lose to some miserable creature," she hissed softly, throwing his face on the ground. "What? Did she throw her body around like some prostitute? Was one night worth it?"

He chuckled lightly. "Now you're being ridiculous. Did you want to be the one to-?"

A loud, resounding crack pierced through the air. All the air in his body forced itself out, his already wounded body crying out against the pain. He coughed up the wasted blood that was circulating through his system, all the while waiting for another chance to evade the tiresome drug-induced comas. He laughed at his dilemma then, as he resigned himself to the Commander's growing instability.

She stood, and stared down at him one last time, before gazing out into the crowds. "He has refused to admit to his crimes!" she screamed hysterically, as she addressed the stunned silence with her own natural authority. "He will not repent, nor will he seek any assurances for his pathetic life. Therefore, I charge my second-in-command, General Nikolai Alteo with treason, and sentence him to death!"

He listened to the cheers from the sidelines, and he joined them. This was it. This was really it; he wouldn't have to put up with this any longer. He wouldn't have to deal with burdensome emotions, or life itself, and everything associated with it; all he had to do was close his eyes, and sleep for a while. Dream of something pleasant, all the while floating in that dark, cold emptiness, eyes blank, waiting patiently for Death's cold, compassionate embrace to claim him so easily.

He smiled and one by one, his body started shutting down, the cold stroking every vein in his body, gripping his vital organs without effort. He felt himself shivering, seeping away his strength with every second passed. His eyes closed, slowly but surely giving into hypothermia, his limps freezing themselves to death, turning every fluid in his body black.

You idiot.

All at once, the chaos permeated through every person around her. There were hunters rushing toward the exits, trampling over one another in some vain attempt to get away from the infamous witch. There were officials trying to get to the closed off execution, doing whatever they could to pound against the locks, screaming for Belletrix to get away from the arena. His eyes widened, as the entirety of the juries fled without the slightest hints of hesitation, the now abandoned area gazing at all of them.

The chains undid themselves, falling to the ground worthlessly as they scraped his skin desperately. The iron rods slid away from his back, leaving two gaping holes that came so very close to cracking his spine. The relief, as well as the pain, came crashing down on him, removing every trace of ice they could find. He sat there, his eyes wide in shock, trying to register what'd just happened, trying to deduce her motive for doing so.

He watched as the Black Rose came forth and subdued his sister. Large, skeletal wings emerged from her back, her own blood rummaging down the long, white trail, as she pinned Belletrix down. She removed the veins lodged within the Commander's arms and legs, rendering her a useless puppet. She grimaced when she fell to the ground, twitching helplessly on the floor.

And before he knew it, they were running.

His hand in hers.

They were running through a blood-soaked corridor with piles of bodies everywhere. Their horrified expressions kept blurring in his mind, kept distorting themselves in his eyes. The shadows raced past him, their claws reaching out, endeavoring to pull him back to the society he forsook so long ago. The blur of red attacked his vision, and fatigue seared itself across his mind, so much so he almost lost his balance.

Finally, he collapsed.

The Black Rose caught him and sat him up, trying to shake him awake. "Come on," she whispered. "We've got to go."

He gritted his teeth, her own, icy touch enough to make him recoil. "Let go-"

"Right now isn't the time," she answered calmly, as she set him back on his feet, though he had leaned against her petite frame. "We need to move or we're going to get caught."

His eyes slid toward a face he couldn't see. "Why did you save me?" he asked then. "If I died, you wouldn't have had anything to worry about."

"You're more human than you think you are. And I find that refreshing."

"That's all?"

"That's all. Now come," she ordered sternly, taking his hand once again and leading him away from the execution. "The guards on the North and East side are dead. It'll take two hours for them to regroup, and we're almost to the exit."

He followed her silently, the tiredness wearing him down with every step. How long had he been tortured like that? How long had he been at their mercy? He could recall every nightmare they've laid claim to his mind, every object they pierced into his body. His organs have been removed more than once, each time more painful than the last, as they relentlessly interrogated him, trying to determine what he revealed to the infamous witch, to the coven that'd been so much of a threat for the last century.

His fingers loosened. "What happens after this?"

"We'll go somewhere for you to rest. When you get better, we'll return and eradicate this branch."

He narrowed his eyes. "What makes you think I'd want to join?"

"I just figured you'd want some change. Besides which," her golden eyes flicked toward his, "you're not in any position to complain. And though he doesn't want to admit it, he misses you."

He closed his eyes. He remembered that tiny boy who used to follow Meredith everywhere, who would always try and steal some of Belletrix's clothes, who would pick a fight with him just for the fun of it. He remembered how adorable the boy was, how curious he was everything, even for a child as smart as he was. "He's still with your little rabbit, by the way," the Black Rose interrupted. "They're quite the couple."

"He was always a bit impulsive. Are they happy with their little fairytale ending?" he asked harshly.

"They are."

"What a nice dream that must be."

The witch fell silent for a while then, before finally coming to a halt. Even as the sirens raised from every possible direction, she had that same, thoughtful expression on her face. She never moved, as if frozen in some memory she caught on to. "You're not particularly concerned with being discovered," she said softly. "Do you want to die that badly?"

"I've no idea. Are you that concerned about my mentality?"

"This place is hell, no matter how you look at it," she replied, as she started walking. "How long have you been trapped here?"

"For as long as I can remember."

"Is this your only reality then?"

He shrugged. "I've no idea."

He felt her fingers tighten around his hand. It was so different from what he was used to, and immediately, he narrowed his eyes and looked up. "Are you jealous of your brother's happy end?" she inquired.

"Should I be?"

"Do you have anything to compare his happiness to?"

He cocked his head. "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." She stopped again, and turned around. She closed the distance between them and pressed his hand against her chest. There was an analytical light in her eye. "I hate your old name."

He smirked. "I've never felt attached to it."

"Then why do you keep it?"

"There's nothing else I can go by."

"Yusei."

He blinked. "What?"

She placed her palm against his face gently. "That's your name from now on. Yusei."