Chapter Ten: A Taste of Darkness
Drago's POV
Frost. I will help you get though these games without you loosing your mind... I cannot let you suffer any longer! You are COMPLETELTY different to the previous fifty! I will not let your race die! Heed my words Frost Richtofen, once you have what it takes, She will give you your gift... Just be ready for it...
Frost's POV
Huh? I snapped out of my trance when Mindy came to my view. I sighed as she stood in front of me looking extremely worried about me. Her eyes sparkled like red jewels in the setting sun behind us and she raised a finger in front of my face. I looked at her confused and blinked twice before she asked me how many fingers she was holding. I sighed and blinked again. Now why would she even think of me having double sight? I wasn't hit on the head, was I? I told her my honest answer with a red face before she sighed in relief and sat down to the left of me, making the white bed moan quietly under her light weight. Suddenly, just as she rested her head on my shoulder, the bathroom door exploded open with an incredible amount of force that shook the entire room. Heck, my heart even skipped a beat and punched my chest! Mindy jumped in shock and I immediately looked behind me to see Ruby who walked out with a red face accompanied with a frown. I sighed. I see she has gotten a lot stronger, but why DID she come here in the first place? I mean, why during the games?
"S...sorry!", Ruby exclaimed shyly and clenched her fists into balls of pain. "I didn't intend to push the door THAT hard!". Mindy chuckled we both stared at the adorable girl who just stood there, as still as bricks before she grit her teeth painfully and pointed at me with her right arm and index finger as straight as rail tracks in a threatening way. "Frost!", She yelled and closed her eyes.
I have no idea what the hell is going on. Did I do something to hurt or upset her in any way? I think not! Maybe she's just angry at me for... I sighed and let myself get rid of the negative thoughts that tried to consume me like once before. I do not want to enter the real realms of insanity. Instinctively, I looked at her with a confused face and blinked as I shook my head slightly.
"Did I do something?", I asked in complete confusion as I stared into her diamond like eyes that reflected my dark brown eyes that shone in the setting sun behind her. She was dumbstruck for a split second before she grit her teeth harder and opened her eyes once again, showing the blazing inferno within her that was gradually building up.
"The king told me, to tell you that the next challenge starts tomorrow", She stated and reached into a pocket on her dress with her right hand, desperately searching for something. For crying out loud! Give us all a rest! How am I supposed to keep myself from falling into the cold embrace of insanity if this is going to go on and on!? Her adorable light blue eyes eased off from the anger that built up within her for no reason as she pulled out a small black chalk about the size of my pinky and brought it up to her face. "This is the first strike", she said sounding ALOT more calmer before she crushed it with her right hand, causing it to turn to a black mist that suspended in mid air before disappearing entirely from existence like magic. I say magic because there is no logic whatsoever behind this act of black magic!
"What time?", Mindy asked calmly and smiled brightly at Ruby who somehow managed to retreat from her sudden anger to the adorable, innocent girl that bit my hand TWICE in the last hour. I sighed just before the realisation hit me across the face like a good, hard slap. The promise I made... I... I can't do that just yet... There is still a lot to do. I know she'll understand.
"Tonight after dinner", Ruby replied and walked around the bed with quiet footsteps that silenced everything in the entire room strangely as our shadows stretched along with the room slowly becoming more and more darker. I sighed as I looked forward again, looking straight at the wooden door with its handle shining like a star before it began to fade along with the light, slowly becoming replaced with a much more dimmer light with a tint of light blue. "Frost... are you ok?", She suddenly asked sounding empathetic towards me for no particular reason at ALL... When I saw her eyes, they looked sad as they stared at my left hand resting on my left thigh. The bandages have gotten much more worse for wear and it straight up felt like garbage wrapped around my hand.
I covered it slowly with my right hand and sighed before she blinked out of her little trance and sat down to my right, making the bed moan slightly. She sighed before I felt a warm arm wrap around my right arm as Ruby leaned on me with teary eyes. The pain she must've gone through... Her past... I felt myself wanting to burst out into tears but I restricted myself from doing so... She always looked up to me when we were children... I was once brave and confident... But ever since those 'incidents', I've changed entirely... Suddenly, the hallway became flooded with muffled banging noises that quickly approached our front door before making a dramatic stop like a red light was lit up. The golden handle twisted to the right, pointing south east before the door opened up quickly to reveal Milk who smiled at us cutely with her eyes widened as the bright yellow light of the hallway forced my vision to readjust themselves to the new lighting.
"Oh... I didn't know you three where establishing a family?", She said sounding innocent and surprised at the same time. I blushed along with Mindy and Ruby while Milk just stood there wide-eyed at what she assumed we were doing... What made it look like we were is completely isolated from my knowledge. I mean, HOW? Before I could even say something, Ruby's stomach growled for fuel like a something was vibrating within her... erm... what the hell brain...
"Well, that's the indication for fuel Ruby", Mindy stated and chuckled at her own small joke that actually made me laugh. I've always been able to laugh at even the simplest things... Then, she unexpectedly looked down sadly... Just like before... I wonder what's bothering her so much.
Ruby's POV
That hit the spot as hard as stones! I've never tasted sushi as good as THESE ones, let alone Frost was the one who decided to cook for us! I see he hasn't changed a bit... well, maybe a little. Cut that, he's changed almost entirely... Well, who cares for now? Especially after having a killer meal by a sweet, loving boy! Haha! Once these games end, I'll make sure Frost remembers about the promise he made for me. Don't wanna make thing more difficult for everything, after all, Serenity DID say that these games are all about death and destruction for the grant of...
"What a meal! Even our parents can't even make something as good as these!", Sindy exclaimed and took in a deep breath before hugging her full stomach beside Star who looked like he was taking a nap. Honestly, they look like a couple.
"Don't get too comfortable. Our challenge starts very soon", Frost warned with a sigh when he made the slightest glance at at me before looking away in embarrassment. Does he not fully understand who I am yet? I've made it completely obvious to him, but maybe, just maybe, he must not be happy with me participating in these games. After all, it IS all about death and destruction... But Serenity said something to me... riddle to pass onto Frost after a few challenges or when the first so called 'incident' occurs. But what it is, is yet to be deciphered. "Ruby... when does the challenge start?", Frost asked suddenly and looked back at me with his dark brown eyes staring into mine from across the wooden table we all sat around in the quiet cafe. It looked truly splendid with the great combination of white and green paint along with another level up above.
"Right now", I stated in a whisper and gave him a heart warming smile. He returned one back to me and chuckled before dismissing himself from the table with that DREADFUL, ear splitting scream from under the chair... I cringed and blocked my ears along with all the other FrostBittens...I hate how sensitive our ears are...
Frost's POV
Like what happened before the last two events, we had to line up behind flag which was now replaced with a banner of the colour of light blue and the word "FrostBitten", written onto it in white vertically. Right beside it, was a black mark... Our first strike... The sudden chills of the throne room's eerie effect froze my blood and clogged up my mind with the solid images of things that gave me courage and motivated me. The one that stood out the most was Mindy who had the will to survive even after I had forcefully removed her entire right arm! I admire her determination to live on after that... Thank goodness she had it healed up... The king cleared his throat like the true man he is, sounding like a lion's roar before he began explaining the challenge for tonight.
"Good evening contestants, this challenge is more of a rescue mission. The location will be in a bar with each member being harassed and abused. Remember this, you don't want to hate each other now do you? Everyone won't suspect you until you LOOK suspicious. Other than that, one person must be elected to be the hero while the rest are the captured", He explained so well, that it rang twice within my ears... He's truly a definition of a true king. A great king.
I knew without a doubt who everyone would elect. We didn't even have to move or look at each other from how well they could rely on me... But if I fail this, then I'll do the same to my right hand with to what happened to my left... Or I would never forgive myself. Without further a do, the freshly polished throne room disintegrated into nothingness but the dark abyss of eternity that could grasp onto anyone and send them to the deep realms of insanity. Before I knew it, my eyes where blinded momentarily before they readjusted to the new lighting of the room I was in... What... The fuck... I gulped as I allowed the horrifying imagery to invade my mind like an army of bacteria, quickly multiplying and making the image very clear to me... The whole room I was in had around thirty people inside, all sitting down on brown, luxurious couched to the right as I sat on a bench at the bar. The room smelt of alcohol and cigarettes which stung my nostrils painfully as it choked me... But that soon ceased as soon as I felt nauseas... It proved fatal towards me, ending my vision entirely before I could feel the cold hands of strangers drag me towards my imprisonment... Maybe my eternal imprisonment.
The striking pain of blood entered my nose, forcing em to awaken inside of a metal cage lined with spikes that prevented me from attempting to even escape the slightest bit. I grit my teeth painfully as I watched two horrifying figures approach the middle which was lightened up the most inside of this bar... All of the other participants sat on the seats all over the entire room, smiling like this was funny to them. I swear, once I escape, I'll make them frown with the tip of my blades... Wait a second... Shit! I'm unarmed. Then...
"Frost! HELP!", I head the very familiar masculine voice scream in pure terror as the ground opened up and very slowly like trap doors, accompanied with a buzzing noise emitted as a sand coloured chair began to rise up from the empty patch with Star... His hands and feet where ensnared in bonds that sealed him on it... I knew immediately what this is... "FROST! I DON'T WANNA DIE!", He screams out at the top of his lungs before my heart sank down to the endless pit of hurt and sorrow...
H...his throat was slashed slightly by the man to the right equipping a blade made of rusty iron in his right hand. No blood spilt but he somehow became unable to interact to anyone or anything vocally... just the small croaks of horror could escape his wide opened mouth. I began to tear up slightly, but this wasn't done.
"Let the show begin!", The man to the left said and immediately received an applause from everyone before he pulled out his own knife from his back pocket.
Star looked ever so frightened as he leaned over him, making it hard for me to see before he stood to the left of him again and sliced off his fingers from his right hand. Blood gushed out like an open tap of red water which showed the small bones that exposed themselves to the outside world. The world of pain. My eyes immediately filled with tear before they streamed down like waterfalls from the side of my cheeks and splatted onto the cold, hard floor that I stood on uneasily with the urge to vomit due to how much I could actually feel his pain... I'm way to empathetic if you ask me. Star's eyes where as wide as ever with his pupils contracted to a small white dot of fear... oh no! He's at the brink of insanity! I... I cannot let that happen!
"JUST FINISH HIM OFF!", I screamed out with tears falling harder from my face, making the two men. No, the two monsters smile before lunging their blades into his chest, ending Star's life. But I knew that he wasn't dead. Not while we're still in these twisted games of insanity... His head flopped backwards on his limp neck, making me unable to see his face... But these men weren't over. They torn off his arms by force, taking out a large chunk of his torso out which tore his chest almost in two... I couldn't hold myself from the pure terror that image induced into me! My knees smashed onto the hard floor under me as I clenched onto my head as the dreaded whispers entered my head like wildfire, causing me to slowly loose myself under this extreme guilt and pain that I could feel.
When I looked back up, I saw his rib cage wide open like the jaws of a shark, only it had around four bones left to hide his internal organs... but they where already torn into shredded paper... Blood splatted all over the sandy chair, turning it into his red grave. I cried harder and felt the fear and shock eating me away once again. Please... No more! I... I can't even get myself to talk nor even think straight! I looked back down at the cold iron floor that seemed to calm me down slightly, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to become noticeable.
"FROST PLEASE! DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO US!", I heard an ear splitting scream emit from up ahead... In the place of Star, was now Mindy's younger sister... Sindy! Before she could say another thing, she too was slashed at the throat by the blade of the man to the right who smiled devilishly at me as he wore his black clothing to induce fear into me. It totally worked! And now it's eating me away with it's inducing pain and fear for the others along with a rock of guilt that sat behind me, pulling me down and making think so negatively...
My eyes widened even more as they began cutting away her ears with their knives... She had her mouth wide opened, screaming out nothing but the croaking of pain that caused me to hold my heard tighter and tighter until I felt like it was about to break into a million pieces of shattered glass. But it never happened. Blood trickled from her ears as she now looked dizzy. Her purple hair, slightly darker than Mindy's was now coated in her own crimsons of defeat... The next thing they did made me cry as hard as I ever had in my life as I finally understood the role of the hero... He must be the one to suffer more than all of the others... He hold everyone's burden... no...No...NO! HER LEGS WHERE GONE! HER FACE WAS COVERED IN HER SALTY TEARS AND BLOOD FROM HER EYELESS SOCKETS! I CAN'T STAND IT! I CAN'T ANYMORE! I then began cutting my right hand on the sharp spikes from the bars of the dark grey iron cage that became my prison. And soon, my eternal one if I don't do something... But how can I?
Blood began to splatter onto my face from the deep wounds I had inflicted upon myself under the influence of insanity. There's no denying that anymore! I...I can't feel the wounds! Suddenly, I heard a soft, soothing voice of someone. When I looked up, my heart sank into the depths of darkness while my pains started to come back at me all at once, causing me to cringe and sniff before I grit my teeth and clenched my fists onto the cold bars of imprisonment.
"Frost... Please don't let us die", Mindy said soothingly and shed a tear... A tear that caused me to cease crying as I gripped the iron bars even more tighter... Everything went slow as I felt something taking over me, causing me to stand up straight still holding onto the bars with all my strength as my eyes widened in shock.
"Frost! You have gone through too much! I cannot allow someone as special as you to be devoured by evil! NOW RECLAIM YOUR SWORD!", The voice within my head screamed out and concussion me before I fell back to the ground, clutching onto my head as I screamed in pure agony for a fixed moment before my eyes turned to the darkest colour of red... The colour of my blood... And the colour of what I want.
I smiled as time slipped back to its original pace, causing the blade of the man on the right to ALMOST make contact with Mindy's throat if it weren't for the ability for me to induce fear into the enemies once they make eye contract with me, making them force suicide... But I feel like a completely different person... the man was now stunned and severely shocked at what had just happened. No, more like dead. The blade was jammed right into his forehead with blood spilling out like a fountain before he fell onto his face on the floor as the one on the left was completely frightened. Oh... I guess he's next!
"Ezarca!", I yelled and watched at the legendary blade of FrostBitten formed from in between my hands. The blade's handle had a very stable grip made of a combination of hardened carbon, iron and steel, making it highly durable and most of all, easy to handle. It was coated with strands of brown, soft leather that gave it it's comfortable grip and at the tip of the handle there was four silver blades sticking out diagonally with one larger one horizontally. In between it all, rested a giant red gem, carved to perfection by the legendary dragon. The blade was as sharp as an atom, and having an florescent appearance as well as being slightly transparent with the colour of icy blue. Finally, a pitch black strip was attached onto the blade and on it had my full name engraved into it horizontally in red.
The enemies trembled at the appearance of the blade as if it was well know... HAHA! I smiled and slashed the bars clean off with no sweat and immediately dashed out as time seamed to slow down again... The people who where sitting around watching where now off their butts and making a full sprint towards me all in slow motion while Mindy was shedding tears from her beautiful eyes. I will NOT allow another person I care about get hurt!...
An easy fight it was to be honest, and a very quick one indeed. Blood splattered everywhere. Including on me and Mindy. She looked horrified at what I had just done but she quickly understood why I went on a rampage against these creatures. Organs and the stentch of nlood filled my nose to the brim before Mindy looked at something behind me after shaking off and intestine from her bloodied shoes.
"Mindy?", I asked curiously before she held out her hand, trembling in fear... I looked behind me... I couldn't believe my eyes. I trembled at who I saw inside of the cage... It looked like another me... Only was his hair less messier and he wore everything the same as me only in pure black... Is this... Me?
Before I knew it my eyes had changed back to the colour of dark brown before I felt extrememly uneasy as the pain from my head and right hand struck me like lightning... I fell to the bloodied ground unconscious, not being able to see anything, but a whole phrase... It was the colour of white in the eternal darkness...
"The ruler of destruction, Ruler of death, but it depends on how you see me. Most know for darkness, but worked well with wisdom... Who am I?"... I felt myself make a smile... Chaos...
Hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter! Be sure to leave a review on it and tell me if I should maybe add some more blood and gore to it. Or maybe even a better element of romance! Take care and stay tuned for the next chapter! Stay awesome!
"Being a hero isn't easy. Dying will make others hurt, and no hero wants that... But the hardest part it carrying everyone's burden... They all depend on the hero, no matter what...".