A/N: Dear sweet Zombie Jesus, I live! D:
That's right my loyal followers, I have arisen from the dead to post a chapter!
This chapter gave me an extremely hard time. While it's true that the area of the US I live in was devastated by tornadoes (my house was fine though so nobody worry!), I can't truly use that as an excuse for a late update because I have been working on this thing every little moment I could spare! And I'm just now getting it done!
Pathetic Excuses: The direction I had been originally planning to take this chapter didn't seem to fit, and so I had to fix that. Fixing it turned into something completely different, and something completely different turned into how in the world did I get here? How in the world did I get here quickly turned into screw it, I'll just redo the whole thing!
…hooray! :D Redone. But that is not even the end of the crazy ride I had with this freaking thing.
The chapter that was going to be updated turned into 10,000 words and felt very awkward, so (as always) I tried to slice it in half. That left one slice a bit lacking however so I tried to fit a flashback in the gap in order to even the field. The flashback turned into 6,000 words and that is what we now have. XD
So basically, I have this chapter done, one to edit before it can be posted, and one unfinished. So at least it won't be too much longer before I can update again. XD
In truth, the flashback you have before you now is one that I've been wanting to write since I started this story. I had originally planned for it to occur later and for it to be a loooot shorter, but I am crazy and very unpredictable. Forgive me.
Dedicated to: Xealotte (formerly CE412), if not for her I probably wouldn't have gotten the idea to write this flashback so early on. She offhandedly mentioned that she wondered if Margulis or Sellers gave Albedo a reason to focus/fight. "It's all somebody's fault." XDDD The inclusion of the flashback so early was supposed to be a surprise shout out to her but it…kinda…got out of control… Forgive me, my devotee! D:
And just as I plugged the unlimited amazingness of my great Aiselne into every socket, I have another author to plug (I need more outlets! D: )
Xealotte's own AlbedoxJr., Ripping and Dragging is just marvelous (not to mention she updates waaaay faster than I do)! If you like what I do, you've got to check her out.
THANK YOU: To every single one of you who reviewed the last chapter. Especially Dizasteriffic, who has been a returning reviewer for a while now, despite my update speed. C: I am extremely sorry that I was not able to answer every review but please know that I thoroughly appreciate the feedback. It makes all of the late nights and countless hours of sneaking around at work to find a place to write worth it. ;P
And also to the band Framing Hanley and their song, "Hear Me Now". It was the inspiration for Jr.'s Glass Cathedral scene as well as Albedo's Pleroma Abbey scene. I doubt I would have written them without that song.
Timeframe: This flashback takes place while Albedo is working for U-TIC and a few years before we see him for the first time at Pleroma. His experience here is meant to contrast a little with Jr.'s Glass Cathedral.
Warning: Wilhelm! D: (Again?)
Disclaimer: Obviously the characters do not belong to me. The plot does though! The ridiculous plot that makes no sense whatsoever. C:
*Meus means "my" in Latin. Just in case anyone was wondering. C:
We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.
-Fydor Dostoevsky
Abnormally Attracted to Sin
Chapter 14
Meus
It was warm here. The kind of warmth that made one calm. The kind of warmth that quieted a child or breathed clarity into the mind. It was the kind of warmth that made one feel safe. Albedo laughed. Pleroma wasn't a place for safety. His boots made a dull echo as he walked the smooth carpet. Despite this small structure's warmth, it certainly seemed like it was deserted of the one the soldiers called God.
The tiny church was empty. It usually was. The soldiers of U-TIC were far too busy to worship. The creation of the walkway above it must have been made with that in mind. A devout soldier might find peace in the sight of the cross and the altar beneath him. Albedo only saw a sharp pendulum heavy and ready to slice into the next unsuspecting worshipper.
Gray walls and empty pews stared silently at the variant as he made his way toward the altar. What did this place want of him? Did the monstrous Margulis wish for him to become a zealot? It would certainly make things easier for them, wouldn't it? If Albedo believed, he'd cooperate. The echo of his steps stopped as he stood in front of the giant symbol of Ormus. There was only one thing that Albedo believed in.
The thought of him made Albedo's insides burn and he laughed. A sharp, devastating thing that sliced through the thick air. His lungs emptied itself of oxygen and the variant sucked in another breath before letting lose another, louder version. It was too much! Too outrageous, too ridiculous! To think that he cared for anyone! Anything! Tears sprung from his eyes as his laughter ripped him apart. He grinned and wiped the moisture from his purple eyes as he took in the sight of the cross and the altar beneath it. The blood in his veins boiled, thrummed with that powerful energy. It was practically evaporating off of him as he stood, taking in the sight. It seemed that even the thought of his sweet Rubedo stirred the dark waves inside of him. He liked that.
The altar before him was bare save for the white sheet that covered it. A raised partition was the only thing that separated it from the cross. On either side of the cross stood two solid stone statues. Albedo had never given them much thought before but as he inched closer he could make out their shape. It was their saint, the one they were always going on about. There were two on each side, one on top of the other, as if to correspond with each side of the sharpened cross. The golden tree that sprouted from its top shimmered in the dim lighting, silently reminding the boy of where he was. The dangerous points of the cross contrasted with the soft expression of their so called holy saint. Albedo wondered what she would think of all of this. The very thought made him grin. He walked up to the altar and grabbed a fist full of the sheet. Did they think they could hide their black sins beneath a white sheet? That their god, their saint would be blind to the crimson liquid they ruthlessly collected? Under sheet as thin, as transparent as the very lies they told themselves as they kneeled before this exact same altar? Albedo's fist tightened on the coverlet as he glowered at the offensive thing. What was it that they prayed for beneath their pendulum cross and over their black, bloodstained altar? What was it that they prayed for beneath the soft eyes of their holy saint and the greed of their patriarch?
"I know what you pray for."
The voice surprised Albedo a bit. He hadn't heard the footsteps of anyone behind him or of anyone on the stone bridge above him.
"Do you?" Albedo asked with a grin. This voice was an unfamiliar one. It lacked the ever-present authority of Margulis and (no matter how silent one was on foot) Albedo was certain that Sellers wouldn't have been able to surprise him.
"How very presumptuous."
Albedo's words were laced with poison. His fist uncurled from the fabric and let it fall, wrinkled and uneven, against the stone. So then, it must be a soldier.
"Tell me what it is that I pray for."
Albedo got that every once in a while. A new recruit, a young believer yet naïve to the ways of U-TIC, or Ormus. Did they think they could save him? Perhaps they held the same foolish hope that Margulis held. The very hope the Patriarch did not. Albedo certainly hoped that this soldier had come looking for a fight. His purple eyes traced the smooth walls to land back on the saint and her peaceful visage. This church could certainly use some red to go with the painful white of their sins.
"Your brother."
How bold. Albedo turned to face the speaker. Very few people knew of Rubedo and those who did were apt to keep their mouths closed. He was more than eager to correct this speaker. Though the moment that Albedo had turned to face him, he found that it was not one of God's foolish followers. No, he was not a soldier at all.
The man that had spoken stood in the middle of the central aisle, eyes downcast. One hand was held behind his back, the other hung loosely by his side. The suit he wore was completely black save for the breast, collar, and sleeves where blue, white and gold made an appearance. His skin was white. Not the pale white of an albino but the solid, sheer white of a moon at its highest point. A pure white strand of hair curled delicately in front of his face. When he finally raised his eyes they were scarlet, the bright scarlet of freshly spilled blood. Albedo new instantly that this man was not one of Ormus' dogs. His grin turned sinister. How interesting.
"I have many brothers," The variant answered.
"You have only one twin."
Albedo snarled, his anger flared at the mention of his other half. This man knew more than the variant would have liked. The man remained unperturbed by Albedo's show of anger. He didn't smile, his eyes didn't show fright. His features remained blank and…expectant.
"What do you know of him?"
The man moved but to Albedo, it seemed as if the very room shifted. As if the floor, the carpet, the pews, the walls, the very whole of Pleroma itself moved for him. The thought made Albedo very uneasy. This man was no ordinary man. Just exactly how did this being know Rubedo? The thought of this man possibly harming his dragon flashed across his mind. His body tensed and his heart pounded, awakening the beast inside of him and causing it to ghost along his skin.
"Nothing of him, truly," the man answered. He raised his red eyes to the cross behind Albedo.
"I know that he is very important to you. I am also aware of the fact that the way you yearn for him is very…abnormal for a brother."
Albedo snickered at that. "Abnormalities, dear stranger?" He straightened his body, purple lines of electric power flitting from one muscle to the next over his form. "Come now, and allow me to present to you the very definition of abnormality."
A small bit of interest flitted across the being's blank expression. Albedo's grin turned vicious.
"Acceptance, dear stranger?"
"Intrigue," he answered. "Your power is of terrible strength. However, I have not come to test it."
Albedo's body did not relax and his power remained visible as U-DO jumped from one part of him to the next. His grin softened but the heat of his gaze did not.
"Then what is this desire? Come to quell me? Request my obedience from the secrets of my treasure? Have my dragon and I'll require your life."
White eyebrows arched very slightly with a hint of mock surprise.
"I don't have your brother. He is not my captive. I'm afraid that I have never had the pleasure of meeting him."
Albedo was unconvinced. He held back against the waves in his system as he tried to break this man apart. He couldn't destroy him just yet, not if he had information about his Rubedo. The man blinked his white lashes and focused his startling eyes onto the URTV. Albedo felt himself flinch momentarily and the feeling igniting even more anger into his already awakened body.
"Speak to him," he said simply. "Surely he can dissuade you from any misconception you may hold toward me."
The statement stung. Albedo hadn't spoken to his twin in six years. Their link, the connection between their minds was weak from lack of use. The more distance between them, the easier it was for their connection to be lost. Without their constant communication and the waves of U-DO clouding Albedo's mind, Rubedo's mind had become silent. Searching for him was difficult as well and Albedo knew without even scanning his open connection that Rubedo's end was closed off. Albedo's fists tightened and his eyes turned threatening toward the creature in front of him. Had he known even this?
Even with Rubedo's mind closed, Albedo could feel him. He was alive and his mind was still strong. Perhaps this man wasn't lying. His grin was a strained thing as he stared him down.
"Ah, but I would much prefer to speak with you, mysterious stranger."
The man closed his eyes as his smooth, pale lips turned slightly upward at the corners.
"I am glad."
Albedo had always been skilled at reading a person, exceptionally skilled. He could tear a person apart with a simple utterance. But when this man gazed at him with his cold smile and disturbing red eyes Albedo's thoughts seemed jumbled and confused, as if he were trying desperately to make sense of a puzzle with missing pieces. The man took a step forward, his footsteps echoing against the walls of the church. Albedo watched every step he took, growing tenser and more alert as he made his way forward.
"Tell me," he spoke. His voice was deep and sharp amongst the silence of Pleroma's dark abbey. "What is it that you desire from this universe?"
His footsteps stopped, the distance between them now cut in half. Only three pews separated their bodies. Albedo disliked the closeness.
"Currently," Albedo replied. The hiss in his voice would have sent any other man a few steps backward. This one remained in place, attentive if blank. "Your demise."
The delicate smile returned and the man appeared slightly amused by the variant's response.
"I'm afraid that will be as difficult as asking for your own."
So he wasn't human. The power bursting through his frame lessened as his curiosity grew but he didn't let his guard slip. Curiosity killed the cat, after all. Albedo laughed silently at the thought. Too bad neither of them could die.
"But I find that the difficulty of such a request hasn't stopped you from wishing for it. In fact," The man nodded towards the cross behind him. "I believe you were praying for that very thing before I so rudely interrupted you."
The creature's eyes landed on the wrinkled altar cloth behind Albedo.
"Death," he said. He said it with wonder, with curiosity and maybe, Albedo thought, with a bit of awe. "To many humans it is something that should be feared. It is the ending of their cycle of life and in the end perhaps it is justified. Who knows what exists outside of this life?"
His eyes shifted along the contours of the cross behind him, looking almost through Albedo as he spoke.
"That fear is what drives them to pray. The fear of the unknown and the fear of the people they care for falling into that unknown. But your fear seems quite different."
He stopped again and set his scarlet gaze on Albedo once again. The madman felt himself flinch underneath it. He resisted the urge to take a step backward and answered his gaze with a glare of his own.
"What is it that has you praying for the very death that humans wish to be spared from? Is it also fear?"
Vampiric was the only way to describe this man. His body was too calm, his movements too sure and Albedo was almost certain that if his smile was only an inch larger he'd see the points of fangs between those pale lips. There was a wisdom that he held in his stance and in every motion he made, one that belied the youth of his appearance, as if his aging had simply ceased millennia ago.
Albedo's body was tensed so hard that his muscles were sore. Waves danced on the tips of his fingers but Albedo's vampire didn't seem very disturbed.
"Is it demise that you pray for?"
Blood did not pulse beneath that pale skin of his and any that he consumed must have gone to feed the startling color in his eyes. He was handsome, he was charming and he drew in his prey effortlessly. But Albedo was just as handsome. Albedo was just as charming.
"The poison in my blood will only dissolve your sensitive palate, vampire."
If this vampire was wishing for his blood, he'd be sorely disappointed. The man nodded; as if that was the exact answer he had been hoping for.
"Of course," he said.
The creature walked closer, taking leisurely steps toward the variant. Albedo watched him, monitored every motion. If this being were to attack then it would be smooth, fast, and Albedo had to be ready. But he didn't. Instead, he walked past the young variant to the altar and raised his head up to the cross. Albedo turned to face him, constantly wary.
"Then perhaps it is freedom?" He asked suddenly.
"What does an immortal know of freedom?"
And then he chuckled. It surprised the boy a bit and he glared at the being. The man closed his eyes, smile still on his lips.
"Questions consume you," Albedo said. His vicious grin returned and he stood a little straighter. "They wear you like a suit. Why not shed your skin and answer to mine?"
The being considered it, tilted his head and turned to face Albedo.
"What is it that you wish for?"
"My wish is the realization of your wish."
"Forgive me, dear genie, I mistook you for a vampire."
"Albedo," the creature spoke and Albedo's grin turned hard and threatening. He had never given this monster his name. "I know what you wish for."
The creature nodded toward the cross.
"I know what it is they say to encourage your obedience."
Just who and what was this creature? If Albedo was mistaken and he was simply an Ormus agent, then it would be easy for him to know Albedo's name. Only Sellers or Margulis dared to tame him with the promise of a reward. With the promise of Rubedo.
"You want your brother," he continued. "He is the only one who can grant your freedom."
It was a crazy thought that this man, this creature could deliver him the very thing he wanted. The very thing he craved. The very thing that he had wished for, had dreamed of, had an absolute need for. It was even crazier that this man understood what Rubedo could do, what Albedo wanted him to do. Something inside Albedo broke apart. The desperate child inside of him screamed, begged for this monster to give him his dream.
"And what is it," Albedo said, his voice was thick and slightly higher than it had been earlier. "What payment do you seek for this most generous gift?"
The creature shook his head slightly, causing the white curl framing his face to swing a bit.
"Nothing."
Albedo laughed. The same twisted, dark, painful laughter that strangled the breath from a person and sent the walls vibrating with the waves of madness.
"Seduce me with words, beast," he cried amongst the noise of his laughter. "Please my ears, excite my mind! Tease me, however…"
Albedo closed the distance between them, his body alive with the feeling of U-DO and his eyes as sharp as daggers. His smile sliced through the waves surrounding him. The creature was small in stature, smaller than he had seemed and when Albedo closed in on him, he was even more delighted to find that he stood a few inches over him. He leaned his head a bit toward the vampire and whispered
"…and I shall show you how very…'disobedient' I can become."
The man didn't flinch, didn't even move to blink his eyes. His breathing remained even and his expression blank. His eyes stared straight into Albedo's.
"Perhaps it is your blood that I wish for. It is only through your death that my wish will be realized."
That seemed to interest the madman. He raised his head back from the creature.
"Then come, vampire, and drink until your belly is full and your porcelain skin is stained crimson! Come, for I contain myself no longer. What keeps you?"
He blinked white eyelashes and turned his head a bit, studying the wrinkles of the altar's sheet. The silence was thick between them, as thick as Albedo's blatant distaste for the immortal before him. The man wasn't scared, wasn't intimidated, and wasn't hesitating. Albedo got the feeling that he wasn't even searching for an answer. He had come here for a reason, had sought Albedo out for a reason and knew exactly what he wanted to say.
"I would like to propose something."
"Marriage, dear vampire?" Albedo leaned in close again, his eyes predatory. "Down on your knee then and present to me your rings."
The creature didn't seem to notice that their bodies were mere inches apart. He didn't seem to notice how dangerous Albedo's grin was. The only sign he gave at all that he had been paying attention to the bio weapon in front of him was a subtle lift of his lips.
"Marriage? A union between two souls?"
His red eyes remained on the cloth. Albedo could barely see the color of them under the pure white of his eyelashes. Medici had once said that the eyes were the windows to one's soul but Albedo could see nothing through this panel of bloodstained glass.
"Quite impossible," he said through his grin. "I think you'll find that we are both lacking one."
"Soulless…perhaps." The rhythm of his voice implied that he had been thinking about Albedo's last comment. The variant knew better. The man continued, eyes still focused away.
"Whether we are with them, or whether we are without them, I don't think that it will matter. Not much."
The air around them was still for a long moment as Albedo studied him, tried to pick him apart, tried to understand this creature in front of him.
"What do you want of me?" Albedo asked finally.
"I merely wish to assist you."
Albedo's laughter had enough force behind it to hurt.
"A comedic as well? Is there nothing you can't become, dear vampire?"
Albedo was against him now, so close that the being could feel his breath against his face and hear the pounding of his broken heart.
"I see through your phases, shape shifter. There is no safety in illusion here. Your logic is backwards and your assistance means my enslavement. Why would I bow before you?"
"Because we both want the same thing. And because I have something better than a ring to offer you."
The man raised his eyes from the cloth and set the full force of them on Albedo. The variant flinched momentarily but regained his predatory composure in an instant, matching his expressionless gaze with the heat of his own.
"Oh? Then deliver it."
The creature's eyes shifted instantly from Albedo to something behind him. The madman hesitated, confused by the monster's eyes and unwilling to turn his back to him. But the being's eyes shifted back to Albedo and with a gentle lift of his chin, motioned for him to turn around. Albedo bristled at the command but there was something in the movement that had him curious. He took a step back from the being and his empty emotions and spun around to see what had held his attention.
What was left of his heart instantly sank.
Everything stopped. All of his senses froze like a halted machine. He was blind, deaf and dumb to anything and anyone around him. For a few moments, even the presence of the creature didn't bother him. His body was paralyzed, a block of ice in the warmth of a dark abbey. The fire of U-DO was extinguished instantly and the only thing left moving, making any sort of reaction was the feverish pounding of his heart.
That was until his lungs decided to follow suit and in a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible he whispered,
"Rubedo?"
It had to be. It must be. There was absolutely no way it couldn't be. He had his back to him and the clothing he wore was very different from what Albedo had last seen him in. He wore a coat, a black one that was so long that it almost swept the floor, stopping at the top of the boy's heels. The collar was high and covered his entire neck, hiding Rubedo's form and shape from him. The very thought had Albedo in doubt. It could be something else in that coat, something else resembling his most beloved brother.
But the color of his hair, his stature, even his posture screamed Rubedo. He even gave off the same aura as his other half.
The image in front of him turned his head at the sound of his name. It was a quick and curious action, one where the listener glanced over his shoulder in order to find the person callling for them. The high collar of his coat hid the shape of his lips but Albedo caught the profile of the being in front of him, and of his blue eyes. His endlessly deep blue eyes that widened with excitement at the sight of him.
Albedo's heart was on overdrive. 'It's not real,' something inside of him whispered. 'It's couldn't be,' something else voiced. Both thoughts curled around his mind, trying to gain his attention, but Albedo pointedly ignored them because the image in front of him was moving.
It was a way only Rubedo would move. He spun around, a cocky, proud twisting motion that made his coat sway around him like a cape. It made him appear magnificent, made him stand eleven feet taller, grabbed every eye in the room.
Rubedo made a noise, something akin to a chuckle and shook his head. When Albedo remained frozen, he rolled his eyes and sighed, the way he would do when Albedo did something that he found absolutely stupid.
Albedo didn't know what to do. He could only blink in utter surprise at the image before him. Then, in a quick motion that shocked Albedo all the more, Rubedo extended his hand toward his twin. It was a welcoming gesture and the younger twin found himself growing dizzier at the scene. 'It's not real,' it whispered again. 'He hates you,' its companion agreed.
Albedo didn't care.
Albedo embraced the rampant beating of his heart. He liked the way it pounded against him, forced the blood to move so hard that it threatened the integrity of his veins. They would grow back.
The creature wasn't wrong. They promised him. They promised him constantly. But it had been years, an eternity as far as he was concerned, and all he had on Rubedo was information.
The make of his coat and the insignia on it belonged to the Kukai Foundation, as did his alias. Gaignun Kukai Jr. was the recently adopted son of Gaignun Kukai, successor to Soze Kukai and director of the foundation. Well, at least Nigredo wasn't alone, Albedo had thought with a sneer.
But that didn't matter right now. It didn't matter when Rubedo was standing in this godforsaken abbey, with his arm outstretched and a smirk playing on his perfect lips. It didn't matter that the being had claimed to have never met Rubedo. Albedo didn't even care that there was no probability of Rubedo being convinced to receive him so warmly.
The younger twin wasn't sure how long it had been since he had drawn a breath, but it was far too long for a normal mortal to have survived. He took a cautious step toward him and Rubedo shook his hand a bit with impatience. The look on his face seemed to ask Albedo why he had to be so dramatic about everything. His heart continued its violent assault in the cage of his chest as he took another step. His lungs remained still. Albedo stared at Rubedo a moment longer, took him in one more time.
It didn't matter.
Finally he raised his own arm toward his brother and found it almost funny how much taller he was. Rubedo never changed, would never change. He reached out to him until his fingertips were hovering over Rubedo's. But when he pressed down to take his hand something went wrong. The moment Albedo's hand met his skin it began to dissolve. Panic seized him and by the time Albedo's eyes rose to meet his twin's face, he was gone.
Gone. He was gone.
Albedo stared where his Rubedo had been. His heart stopped, as silent as his lungs had been. His surroundings finally wavered back into existence. The oppression of the abbey placed its weight back down on him. The saint smiled mockingly down on him, her pendulous cross prepared and ready to fall.
Albedo stared at his hand, the one that had touched Rubedo. The red of his numbers glared back at him: 667. Dizziness consumed him and he found himself on his knees without realizing it. His mind hummed with laughter; screaming laughter, shouting laughter. But he remained still, quiet, and transfixed on his hand, on the spot Rubedo had stood.
If he hadn't touched him…what would have happened if he hadn't touched him?
Albedo's ears pricked at the sound of the creature's shoes on the floor. The sound was audible even amongst the screaming of his mind. Albedo didn't move. He didn't turn around to watch the being move toward him. He didn't bristle, he didn't flinch, he didn't attack. He simply sat - a creature on the border of dream and reality - and let him approach. What did he have to fear? What reason did he have to care?
Rubedo…
"I'm sorry to disappoint you."
His voice was a smooth, hypnotizing thing that stuck to Albedo's mind like syrup. The words clung to his thoughts, dripped down and became nothing. It made him wonder if he was simply imagining the creature as well.
"But there is no safety in illusion here."
A sentence like that should've challenged Albedo, should've caused him to leap up and fight. It should've, but it didn't. He remained on his knees, eyes trained on the numbers on his hand.
"I wonder," the being continued. Albedo felt him behind him now as he spoke. "Is freedom what you truly want?"
Albedo's white hair threw dark shadows over his features. He didn't look up at the creature to respond. He knew what he was hinting at but Rubedo would never accept him. Albedo couldn't stand the thought of living without his twin. He was his everything and even though Rubedo didn't want anything to do with him, he was still alive. It would be easier to convince Rubedo to destroy him than to accept him.
Albedo's eyes traced the red of his numbers over and over again until he was certain his very eyes would bleed from overuse. And even if he did accept him, Rubedo wouldn't live forever. So…if he had one wish…
"Destroy me, demon."
Albedo decided that he no longer cared who or what this creature was. Whatever he was, he had a plan. Albedo would need one if he was going to anger his dragon enough to destroy him.
Rubedo wouldn't miss him anyway.
He wasn't sure what he expected from the monster. The demon had been immovable their entire time together. In truth, Albedo didn't care. He seemed quite content to stay on his knees, bent over his hand and numbers.
"In time."
Albedo heard his footsteps again. They were loud and blasted through the sudden silence of the church like no explosion could.
"But do not despair," he spoke. His voice was full of that charm, the kind used to seduce his prey. The very charm that fed the color of his eyes. "We have all the time in the world."
Albedo clenched his hand, hiding the red of his numbers beneath his fingers.
"Demon…" he started, unsure of what exactly he wanted to say. His voice sounded small in the darkness of the abbey, a shadow of his earlier ferocity. He didn't particularly mind, didn't care about much actually.
Albedo couldn't see the monster's face and couldn't be bothered to turn around and look. He didn't hear the weight of his footsteps as he had earlier but he could feel him retreating. He wasn't exactly sorry to feel him depart, but wasn't elated either. His body was paralyzed and his antidote nowhere to be found. His voice had vanished and he sat, demolished, mute and slightly confused. The demon's presence was slow to fade and Albedo felt it all the more for its sluggish speed.
"I look forward to watching your performance," he said as the last of him finally left the abbey.
"Until our next act, Monsieur Piazzolla."
And then true silence reigned. Albedo was left alone on the floor of the small abbey. The warmth of it wrapped around him like an empty embrace, heavy and limp against his shoulders. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt sick, truly sick. Feverish and dazed he watched as blood trickled from his closed fist. He wondered if it was strange that he couldn't feel it. Not that it mattered. His body would never run out of the liquid and the haze over his mind had nothing to do with the crimson streams dripping from his hand.
He ached. Every cell in his body ached and felt weary. He tilted his head and dug his nails deeper into his skin to watch that lovely color slide down his hands and drip onto the warm gray floor. The silence in his mind was painful, cut into his skull like no blade could. He hated it, the quiet. Even the waves of madness inside of his eternal body were dazed and unwilling to move.
So quiet…it was too quiet. Rubedo…
Albedo blinked at the feeling of something on skin. He shook his head a bit and the feeling multiplied. He blinked again at the sensation, this time in surprise. How long had it been? He unclenched his hand and let it fall to his side as he laughed. It had started as a chuckle but soon it was so powerful that it shook him. He couldn't contain himself. The laughter consumed him in waves so strong that it hurt. The pain of it caused him to laugh even harder. The sound destroyed the silence, ripped it apart and assaulted the walls of the abbey with its remains. He pressed himself up from the ground and screamed his laughter. How long had it been since he'd felt tears? They streamed down his face now as he laughed, as he bent over from it, stumbled backwards because of it. It brought the waves inside of him to life, the glow of it a frightening harmony to his vicious cries.
"Can you hear me?" He screamed. He threw his head back to the ceiling of Pleroma and shouted between sharp breaths, "Can you hear me now, Rubedo?"
He squirmed under the strength of his sound until his leg bumped into the corner of the altar. His laughter died down to giggles as he studied it for a moment. It was much the same as it had been before. The corner of it remained wrinkled from where he had last grabbed it. He smiled at it and grabbed a fistful of it. His hand had healed itself before he'd stood from the ground but the blood was still fresh and soaked through the white of the cloth between his fingers. Oh, this was perfect! His grip tightened and he smiled. 'In time,' the demon had said. How amazing, how delightful! Did it truly matter if the vampire wanted his blood? Not as long as Rubedo was the one to spill it. The white of the cloth was drenched in his blood as Albedo pulled more of it away from the altar. It only made sense. He had begun life with Rubedo, it only seemed fitting that he would end it with him as well. His alpha and his omega.
His heart was restless. U-DO thrummed through his body, turned his purple eyes red until the only word in his mind, in his vocabulary was his brother's name. He grinned upward at the hanging pendulum and at the saints surrounding it. She didn't seem as eager to slice him after all.
"Speak demon," he whispered. His voice sounded heavy and slightly hoarse from the power of his laughter. "Preach to me your blackened gospel."
He received no answer but he was certain that his demon could hear him. He had left Albedo with no instruction, no guidelines and no rules. He was on his own for the most part. He wasn't worried. He doubted that this would be their last meeting. A demon and a phantom would make a lovely duet. Perhaps their tune would draw in a dragon. Certainly it would. Then Albedo would set the stage with his solo.
"Hey!"
For the second time that day Albedo turned around to find someone standing behind him. This time he found a soldier, two of them actually. One stood a few steps behind the first, mumbling something to his comrade but he didn't seem to be listening. Albedo's grin returned sharp and dangerous at the sight. Just what he had wanted.
"Got a problem?"
Albedo didn't answer.
The soldiers wore their helmets at all times. It was extremely rare to find one without one. Albedo was familiar with most of their voices and recognized the hesitant one but couldn't place the brash one. A new recruit, a blind man following the sound of his god. He had yet to realize that he was following a false one and yet to realize just what sort of monster he was speaking to.
"This is a place for peace. People come to worship here. I'm not sure if a monster like you can comprehend something like that," he said as he took a brave step forward. His companion did not follow. Smart. He had been here long enough to know better, unlike the foolishly loud one who didn't seem to notice how very deep he was sinking. "But we can all hear you, so you can either shut your mouth or I can shut it for you."
"Let's just go," the hesitant man said quietly. "We've still got to make our rounds. Commander Margulis won't like this."
"We were making our rounds when we heard this freak."
"He's just a kid."
"He's not a kid." The man looked Albedo up and down. "Are you?"
Albedo heard the smirk in his voice and absorbed it eagerly. Oh yes, he liked this one.
"We're wasting time," Hesitance said, his voice was harsher than before and he seemed thoroughly irritated, if not afraid. "You don't know what you're talking about. Let's just go. He's not doing anything wrong."
"That's not what they say in the barracks and-…wait…"
The soldier walked closer. His pace was quick, fast and he would've walked straight up to Albedo if his friend hadn't grabbed him and jerked him back.
"Are you crazy?" He hissed. "No one's going to try to rescue you if you instigate it, especially not me. I'll let him tear you apart and not think twice about it."
Audacity twisted his arm out of his grip. "Look!" He yelled angrily. "Look at what's he's holding!"
Albedo's own eyes traveled down to his fist. The bloodstained altar cloth was still clenched between his fingers. He'd completely forgotten that he was holding it. He pulled most of it off and the back of the gray stone beneath it was visible. Huh, so there was no blackened blood beneath it after all.
Hesitance seemed surprised as well but all he said in response was, "Let Commander Margulis deal with this. It's not our problem."
"Not our problem?" Audacity shouted. Albedo felt the heat of his glare.
"No," Hesitance answered firmly, "and now you're the one shouting. We've got to get back. What if something important happens and we fail to report it. He's going to care more about that than this."
"What kind of soldier are you?"
"What kind of idiot are you? Let's go."
"You can't expect me to just stand he—"
"—What do you wish for?"
Both soldiers stopped their arguing, startled by his voice. The two glanced at each other and then back to him. They seemed confused, Audacity in particular. Albedo had been so quiet up until now.
Albedo lifted his head and raised his paralyzing purple eyes to them. They burned bright from stirring of the waves inside of him. The drying trails of his tears made his grin that much more terrifying in contrast and a shiver passed through the hesitant one at the sight
The audacious one made a noise that matched his contempt.
"What do you?" He spat in return. He was full of spite, full of hatred toward the variant and they had only just met. Albedo loved it, fed off it. Hesitance took a step back as Albedo took one forward. Audacity stood tall and immovable. Did hatred give him the same high? Lovely.
"My omega."
He continued his walk forward and Hesitance continued his backward pace, matching Albedo step-for-step. The other soldier didn't move.
"Let's go," Hesitance tried again. He gripped his weapon tightly, eyes trained on Albedo. He knew it wouldn't help him against the bioweapon but it made him feel a little safer and calmed him, even if the safety was a lie. The other soldier was going to be submerged under Albedo's waves soon. He could try apologizing, if he did maybe he'd leave with all of his internal organs intact. Of course, he didn't.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Albedo was still clutching the cloth in his hand as he approached him. It was pulled away from the altar during his advance and drug to the floor, sliding along behind him. It made the soldier burn with even more anger and fueled the variant all the more.
"Would you like to know his name?"
The blood laden cloth fell from his fingertips and landed lightly onto the floor of the warm abbey. This church had been given a taste of his blood. Surely the saint wanted more. 'What a beautiful way to for this soldier to die,' Albedo thought as the swirling tendrils of energy began to break through his skin.
'With Rubedo's name on his lips.'
A/N: Oh Wilhelm, that jerk. :P The main reason I chose Wilhelm to motivate (if you can call it that) Albedo is because of the fact that Albedo seems to be working for him from the very beginning. He's been "partners" with Virgil since the 1st game, before anyone even knew what the Testaments were exactly. And if Wilhelm can appear before Kevin as a child, why not Albedo? Seems only fair. XD Albedo is infinately better than Kevin anyway. ;P
I'm really curious about how everyone feels about this chapter. I hope that it's not all completely negative. You all know who to complain to if it is. ;P Thank you all once again for reading and I hope that I am able to update for you all very soon!
Reviews are my muse so inspire it up people. C: