(Simple statement with profound meaning time:

I love this chapter. I'm not even kidding.

After this chapter, I'm going to write a oneshot for TCGeek(which will be oozing with happiness compared to where this story's going) and then come back to this...

The addition of the Paradox also added a chapter to this story. Hooray for the Paradox; and at the same time, boo! The paradox is not your friend!

Named characters(excluding Victoria) © Nintendo

Victoria, child, stepfather © Me)

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Days of Damnation

Chapter Thirteen- The Paradox

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His footsteps were slow and quiet as he walked swiftly through the halls. His grey eyes were both dull and lively, his skin clammy and warm, his long hair limp and flowing.

As he passed several guards, they stopped and bowed to him; the man nodded without moving his head, allowing them to rise once again. The man would not stop for idle talking...

Not when there were Sinners in need of repentance.

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No amount of yelling, threatening or hitting would force Victoria to say anything other than his name.

"Who is he?! Tell me!!"

"...Sidney..."

In his rage, he smacked Victoria, yet elicited no cry from her as he stormed out of the bedroom in anger.

The stepfather was replaced by the daughter, who snuck in quickly, running over to her mother. Her sudden hug snapped Victoria out of her daze; she slowly began stroking the young girl's short, dark hair.

"...hello, sweetie..."

"...Mommy... who was that Sinner... the one that knew your name? The one we saw yesterday?"

The daughter spoke quietly, her face pressed against her mother's stomach.

Victoria paused.

"...a long time ago, I... I loved that man," she spoke softly, her voice oddly calm. "...we were happy... but they... they tore us apart. ...it's been so long... I thought that I would never see him again..."

"Victoria... I promise... nothing will happen. Nothing bad... not if I can do something about it..."

Tears threatened to fall from her green eyes.

"...he wasn't able to keep his promise. ...but... I never blamed him," she slowly continued, her child listening attentively. "I could never blame him..."

"But, Mommy, he left you..."

"You don't understand; he never would have, if he could have done something about it..."

Victoria paused briefly.

"And, also... there's something else..."

The young girl looked up at her mother, confusedly...

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Sidney moaned quietly, curling up on the floor.

The room was cold, and his thin shirt was soaked with blood; the damp shirt against his skin sucked out his body heat. His already naturally pale skin was now pasty white, save for the blood stains on his face, his arms, all over his body; Sidney wasn't sure what he would die of first, blood loss or hypothermia.

But the only real question was when. There was no doubt in Sidney's mind that it would happen; he only wanted to know when so that he could be free of his agony.

The door opened... and warmth slowly flooded in.

Sidney's tired eyes looked up at his visitor.

The paradox was there, a man both dead and alive, here and there, subtle and obvious. He approached the fallen Kasal twin, exuding warmth... and spreading the cold feel of death.

He kneeled down by Sidney's side, his long silver hair falling around his face, hanging to the floor.

Sidney knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt... he was in the presence of the Last Man-- and the First Being.

Adam.

"You have seen your wife," Adam spoke without speaking. "You wish to be with her once again... and with your daughter, who you also saw that day."

Sidney remained silent, comforted by the warmth and chilled by Adam's cold demeanor.

"I know of the transgressions you have committed against me," the paradox continued. "But I am forgiving. Admit your sins... I will give you your life back. I will release you, your brother, and the young one you forced to sin... your body shall be restored. And you shall be happy... all I ask of you is that you open your eyes, and see the truth."

Sidney kept his hazel eyes focused on the young elder, looking up into the grey eyes, reflecting nothing but sincerity, filled with deceit...

Adam placed a hand just above Sidney's temple.

Relief flooded through Sidney's body; he let out a quiet sigh. For the first time in so long, he felt... peace...

"I can grant you this bliss," Adam's tired voice continued energetically. "This is what you truly want, is it not? Not change... but peace within yourself. I can grant you this..."

Peace... The thought drifted hazily through Sidney's mind. Peace...

"There can be no peace, Sidney. Not with the system the way it is."

Greg's voice suddenly entered Sidney's thoughts, cutting through the fog.

But here it is, Sidney silently argued with the voice of his twin brother. It's right here...

"How can there be peace when so many people are suffering, when so many people are miserable? Look at what they've done; and look at what they've taken from us! This is a far cry from peace..."

Sidney cringed slightly under Adam's hand; his head began to throb as he tried to fight with the voice in his head, the voice that pestered him, telling him not to accept the peace...

It's right here, I can feel it, how can it not be here if I can feel it...?

"Sidney, you're closing your eyes-- open them! Open them, look at Adam- and tell me what you see!"

Sidney's hazel eyes slowly looked up at Adam's face.

The grey eyes looked down at him, benevolent, forgiving. Adam's face was calm, reflecting his innate sagacity and his overwhelming kindness... his body radiated a comforting warmth...

Sidney opened his mouth slowly...

"...no."

The answer surprised even him; the peace began to leave Sidney's body...

He suddenly noticed a flicker of anger in Adam's eyes.

"You said no...?"

Sidney's thoughts became more concrete. He saw sternness in Adam's eyes, anger in his frail frame; the warmth began to ebb away, replaced by the cold that only a corpse could exude.

Sidney's eyes were opening.

"...that's not what I want..."

Pain suddenly coursed through his body; Sidney cried out, cringing, trying to pull away from the hand on his head...

"You are losing grace, Sidney... repent, before you lose favor..."

Sidney could hear bitterness in the voice.

He understood now.

"No. No!"

The pain escalated; Sidney gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to scream...

"I won't repent--"

"Why will you condemn yourself?!"

He could only hear contempt in the paradox's voice, the only thing he could comprehend through his agony was the hatred--

"I won't repent-- not when I've done nothing wrong!!"

Sidney suddenly felt nothing. No pain, no peace- only emptiness.

Adam stood. Sidney's hazel eyes followed him.

No longer did he see many things, all contradicting yet harmonizing. And yet, neither did he see kindness, warmth, in the man's image.

All Sidney saw was the embodiment of everything in the world that was dark, that was evil.

All Sidney saw was a Human Sin.

"You are lost," Adam spoke, contemptuous. "All you can be promised now is a quick death."

He left.

Sidney murmured a small prayer...

Thanking his brother for being the voice of reason...

Even when he wasn't there.

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Derek was starving.

He considered himself fortunate.

One small plate of food a day for two people could hardly be called a substantial meal; Greg usually insisted that Derek eat most, if not all of it. Derek would protest; "But you're going through more than I am, you need to keep up your strength!"

His arguments would usually be ignored; "Don't worry about me. Eat. I'll take what's left."

This time, Derek had finally succeeded in pressuring Greg into eating more than the stale scraps of bread that were always left over; Greg was slowly chewing on his sandwich, his hazel eyes not focusing on anything in particular.

"What're you thinking about, Greg?" Derek's voice asked quietly.

Greg swallowed his food.

"...nothing important," he finally spoke. "It's just... I've got this feeling... not sure if it's a good one, but I feel-- I feel like everything's... going to be okay. They probably won't... but I think I'll hold onto this feeling for a while."

Derek smiled briefly as he gnawed on his stale bread.

"Yeah..."

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There were times when the girl was thankful that she lived so close to the building.

She wandered through the halls, searching for the room that the Sinner was in. She couldn't wait for her mother to take her again; she had to find out now, herself, who he was. She had to know.

The young girl ran into the Last Man.

"Oh...! Hi, Adam!"

The frail man smiled down, softly placing his strong hands on top of the young girl's head.

"Good evening, child. Where is your mother this day?"

"Oh, she's at home... I just came to see one of the new Sinners, that's all."

The girl quickly darted away from Adam.

Normally, she wouldn't have minded speaking with him; today, however, she was on a mission.

Never mind that an unsettling feeling had crept into her stomach, and would not leave until Adam was out of sight.

She found the room she was looking for.

The young girl opened the door, quietly slipping in.

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(End chapter thirteen.

Not much to say. Please review!)