Chapter Eleven:

The grip on my hair is excruciating but I know there is nothing I can do. I am completely and utterly at his mercy.

Ha.

Like that disadvantage would ever deter me.

I thrash around trying to escape from his hold but he flings me brutally back towards the middle of the dance hall. I land heavily on my shattered leg and my vision is suddenly clouded with black spots. I grunt in agony as I slowly regain my sight and try to muster any strength to lift myself from the hard uncomfortable floor.

My sword and sheath have been thrown from my body and skidded across the floor completely out of my reach. Before I can lift myself too high off the floor a boot is brought down roughly on my back.

The force is too great and I find myself with my face pressed back against the floor.

"I'm going to enjoy this." Damien removes his foot from my back only to replace it with a swift kick in my side with abundant strength and I am flung against one of the fallen pillars. A whimper escapes me; I can feel some of the fire underneath me begin to devour my dress and skin. It is scorching but I simply do not have the strength to move. I have to tolerate the burns.

Damien then returns his grip on my hair and I am brought up to eye level once again but I can barely keep my eyes open. I don't have the chance to prepare myself for the excruciating punch that connects with my right jaw. A spurt of blood follows his fist's path and he releases his grip on my hair. I crumple back to the floor, cruelly, coughing up blood as I receive another swift kick to my stomach. The air leaves from my lungs so harshly and I grip my stomach to relieve some of the pain.

"Is that all you got?" I manage to choke out and that rewards me with a hand enclosing around my wrist and yanking it back over my head. Snapping it mercilessly. I can't stop the cry and the tears that burn in my eyes.

It's all too much.

Damien takes a step back to admire his handiwork and I muster what little strength I have left to pull myself upright. Clutching my devastated arm to my body as I stare down him unafraid.

If I am to die here, then I will fight every step of the way.

"Are you too good to beg for your life, Alexandria?" Damien questions me after a few moments of silence.

"Nikki…." Rogue's hushed broken cry of my name is heard and I look down. Letting my mangled hair cover my eyes and the sad smile that plays on my lips. I know, deep down, he didn't betray me but… I wish he wasn't here to watch my ugly demise.

I grant myself a look of him for it could be the last one I ever have and I see his eyes are on me as well. Just as I thought, he had indeed watched the whole thing. I look away ashamed before the image of him makes me cry. I lift my head once more to stare into the eyes of the monster. Fearless, I let the smile come back and I challenge, "If you're going to kill me just get it over with already because I can't take another bloody minute of you rambling on."

Damien reacting angrily and preparing to give another kick to me. I don't flinch…but then… nothing comes. Strangely, he smiles, "You're right. I should have killed you a long time ago…" A moment of silence then he continues, "…but I can't make it that swift for you." My eyes open wide at his surprising response.

Damien gives me another devious smile as the evil thoughts swirl inside his mind.

He lifts his palm up and moves his finger like strumming an instrument. I watch confused then it hits.

A million knife stabbing me from the inside. Mercilessly. I drop forward on my arms as a scream sounds through the air.

The pain… The pain is like nothing I have ever felt before.

The knives cutting me up from the inside out. I can't stop the screams.

Damien leans over me, amused, "You seem to be enjoying my little trick, no?"

My only response is another scream of pain. Please stop this. I can't… I can't take anymore.

Then in an instant; it's gone. Damien takes a step back and slowly I regain control over myself once more but the remints of the torture is still lurking around.

It feels like it could happen again at any moment.

"Well now that I have had my fun… I believe it is time for the great finale. Don't you agree, my dear?" I lift my chin to look up at Damien. For there is no other way I will go out. I will face death head on.

His raises his hand and a black swirl of magical energy starts to build.

It grows bigger and bigger until it is about the size of a small car. I don't look away; I stare wholeheartedly into the dark abyss that is death. It leaves Damien's hand and begins to barrel towards me.

Rogue's scream for mercy is the last thing I hear as my world is engulfed in darkness.

…

It is so peacefully quiet but for me… it is eerie. The world… My world… is not supposed to be this quiet.

Then I feel as if I'm slammed against a brick wall. It shakes me to the very core even chattering my teeth. This must be what death feels like: excruciating quiet and pain. The quiet begins to fade as I can make out the faint whisper of wind whipping around me and something beating.

What is that? It sounds so close almost as if it is pressed right up against my ear.

It sounds…. It sounds almost like… almost like… a heartbeat. Is it mine? …but that's impossible… if I'm dead I wouldn't have a heartbeat… no that can't be right.

Then why it is so loud? If only I could understand.

The chaos of muddled noises continues to increase in volume. Screams, footsteps, wind, a heartbeat…

That force is still pressed against my body as I crack my eyes open narrowly to find…. A button?

What?

My eyes open wider to bring into focus a… a man's chest. I follow the trail of buttons up and I am rewarded with a view of something that instantly brings tears to my eyes.

"H…Ha…Haji." A shattered version of his name is barely formed because I can't stop the hitching of my breath.

The tears fall and I don't bother to brush them away. I stare upon his face as he looks down at me. A voice I never thought I'd hear again apologizes, "Sorry I am late, Miss." I can't stop the uncontrollable giggle that forms, "Better late than never." I have never been so thankful…

I realize now that the brick wall I felt was being slammed against Haji's body as he crashed into me to remove me from the range of Damien's attack.

I look down from Haji's arms and notice we are in the rafters about 30 feet up from the dance floor.

My eyes widen as I realize he could have been easily hurt to save me. I ask Haji if he is alright. Another small smirk forms on his lips, "I should be asking you that, Miss." That means yes.

I reach my only working hand out to him and begin to look for wounds but his arms retract from my body as he sets me down, gently, on one of the rafters. He pulls away and turns his back to me showing me the gaping wound on his left side, "There is another important matter at hand…"

Haji unfolds his wings as he jumps down from the rafting heading straight for Damien. I scream over the rafter, "Haji! NO!" but it falls on deaf ears.

…

Rogue's P.O.V

So broken and fragile. It brought tears to my eyes but for her I wouldn't shed them. As her eyes fell on me I felt my heart shatter even more. Out of respect I held her gaze. Her once elegant dressed had been ripped and torn. One particular slit of fabric exposed a cruel and bloody cut on her side. Soaking the gray fabric dark red. Her face was dusted with black bruises and that is when my gaze locked on the necklace hanging from her neck. It had somehow managed to stay intact but was splattered with red.

The necklace was still there, clinging to her like I wished I could. I wanted to protect her and I sense Damien knew I would try too because he cast this pillar on top of me. No matter how much magic I tried to throw it off me; it was futile. I only could watch defeated as Nikki was beaten right in front of my very eyes.

I was positive that this would be over soon and I would never be able to forgive myself.

I heard Nikki's challenge and the weight of her words rang in my ears.

I stared in disbelief as the magic energy began to swirl and grow in size readying to take her away from me. As it left Damien's possession and made its way towards her I felt an explosive roar of her name arise from me and a plea for her life to be spared…

I had failed.

I had failed her.

Her cry never came.

A shade of black clouded my vision and I heard Damien holler and more shots of, what I'd guess to be, his magic ringing loudly throughout the hall. I tried to follow the flash of black as it was flying around the hall but my eyes could not keep up with its speed.

That was until it settled on one of the rafters high above me and I could make out a disfigured Haji… with black wings? He has something in his arms. At closer inspection I felt my heart leap into my throat. He has her!

To confirm my silent prayer, I looked back at the ground Nikki had previously occupied only to find it vacant.

He had saved her life.

She is wounded badly but she would live. That's all I could ever ask for.

I hear her scream and my thoughts are interrupted as I look up to see Haji fly down from the rafters ready to attack Damien. The two interlock in battle. Damien using his black magic and Haji dodging the blasts until given an opening for his claw to connect with the side of Damien's head. When it finally does Damien is hurled backwards smashing through the wall.

At that moment the doors of the Guild Hall slam open and the entire Sabertooth guild looks ready for battle. Sting is standing at the head of the mob and roars, "We have come to destroy the two demons that threatened our guild and the lives of our teammates!" Two?

Dammit!

Damien must have established a backup plan if his fell through to make Nikki and Haji out to be the bad guys. I yell attempting to gain Sting's attention but my voice is washed away by their chants as they start to circle Haji. This is not the time to try and talk rationally when these people are so overcome by their emotions. Seeing their guild in shambles it is too much for them.

I yell over the crowd to Haji, "Haji! You have to get her out of here, NOW!" His eyes look to me only for a second then my words resonate. He flies up to the rafters to retrieve her. Blasts of magical energy crash all around them causing the beams to shake and start to collapse.

The two start to lose their balance and fall from the rafters. "No!" When a blinding light fills the guild and the rafters crash loudly to the floor.

Haji and Nikki are gone without a trace.

…

I begin to fall in and out of consciousness when I hear Sting's declaration of attack. Without my powers and strength, I am helpless. I have to do something but before I can my faithful Saint gathered me up in his arms once more. I feel a tremor shake from the rafters as they give and we begin to fall. I cling tighter to Haji as an extraordinary white light clouds my vision.

I feel a change in air and I look down to see Haji has his feet planted firmly on the ground. He used my backup plan. Sensing we are no longer in immediate danger, I ask him to set me down gently. He does so with restraint and takes a few steps back but not leaving my side.

I glance around me and see the house I built. My shelter. That's when I can't hold it back any longer. Tears flood my eyes once more and the wave of everything that has happened slams into me.

Frosch almost being killed. The battle. The injuries. Rogue. My own people believing I am a monster. Almost being slaughter by the very people I swore my life to. Being too weak to protect myself and the people I hold dear.

It is all too much for me to contain any longer.

The tears and wails of pain continue to spill over until I'm finally overcome by my own subconscious.