Hey there, Maiden-sama's back ~
Thanks for those that still review and read :'D~ I'm updating my deviant art at the moment, so writing is getting hard to squeeze in again. But I'll try fitting both in my time !
ANYWHO~ Lets begin
A pair of chains swung pass the shadow bodies as they trembled towards them. Slowly and aimlessly, the shadows swung their arms at them. Leo swiftly threw another pair of chains and ripped their 'arms' off. The shadows cried out a trembling scream, retreating a few steps before their arm regenerated. Leo bit his bottom lip, but continued to process.
Len slashed through a few other bodies while they approached, only to see the amused face of Rui. Her wide grin hasn't change from the start. It tampered with his temper. Only making more angry, cutting apart the shadows that seem to constantly come back towards them.
Reina watched the boys over her shoulders who stayed currently unharmed, but the thought never left her mind. They do not have enough energy to continue this for another hour or so. She swung her scythe once more only a moment short, and fell to her feet.
"Reina!" Leo called, swinging a whole set of shadows away from her and ran to her side. Rui's laugh echoed in the huge room with the shadows still getting back on their feet and resuming their way to them. Len gripped onto his sword, defending both Reina as she regained consciousness. She sat up and quickly shook her head to wake her up a bit, but held onto her head as another stroke of pain struck her head.
"It seems to have caught you" Rui commented, folding her arms across her chest.
"What have you done to her" Leo demanded, 2 steel swords with a angel's wing imprinted at the halt of the sword, fragmented into his hands. He rose his right sword and a illusion of a white wing appeared. With one swing, a scatter of sharp silver scraps burst from the sword and pierced through the shadows that fell back at that moment. A single line appeared on Rui as a drip of blood slipped down her cheek.
"Seems like I angered someone" She said, licking the blood off the side. Leo spat out a ball of blood from his mouth to the floor and wiped the remains off with his sleeve. Reina gripped onto his sleeve, helping herself up to a standing position.
"I can't stay here..." She spoke with much difficulty. "please take care of Rin". Once again, she closed her eyes and a yellow glow surrounded her body. Breathing in a gasp, the cerulean blue eyes sprout itself from beneath and in confusion, she looked around her surrounding curiously.
"Rin?" Leo muttered in a soft voice. The blonde turned towards the voice and every muscle of her body refused to move. Water built up to her eyes as she dropped the scythe that she was holding, and covered her mouth.
"D-dad...?" She whispered, examining the man before her wearing a white coat with yellow designs by its edges, white suit with matching white dress pants. His messy blonde hair just as she remembered it at the last time she saw him.
"Rin!" Len called, cutting a shadow approaching behind her. Rin jumped at his voice but refrained herself from showing it. She watched as the shadows stepping towards them.
"W-what are those?" Rin asked, picking up the scythe and holding it in front of her.
"Clears. " Len repeated. "bodies without emotions, thoughts, or soul."
"no...emotions...thoughts...or souls?" Rin muttered to herself until a thought hit her back to her senses. She immediately turned to Rui's direction. "These people...they are the one...that you trapped"
Rui raised an eye but only closed it again and smiled. "I'm not sure what you are talking about". Rin glared at Rui without hesitation before speaking.
"Then why don't I show you" She saids, looking around the grand room. It has to be here. Their presence. That means the mirror is here too! But..where?
Without another thought, Rin ran away from Rei, and towards the pillars from the front entrance, and knocked down the pillars to the ground. Rui stood up from her airborne position in shock. Leo and Len exchanged looks from each other but the realized the silver crack on the floor.
Where is it!? Rin continued to knock down another pillar, tumbling the marble stone to the ground and cracking another part of the floor.
Show yourself! She thought, knocking down another that was near it.
"Rei!" Rui ordered. The raven haired boy nodded instantly and charged towards Rin, but only to end up in the chains of Leo.
"Where do you think you are going?" He spoke with venom in his voice. Leo threw the chain over his shoulders and slammed Rei against another pillar by Rui. The marble fell to the ground and remained on top of Rei. "Now stay there."
Len didn't let himself be the only one not contributing to the action. He continued to slash apart the shadows that is now much quicker to their feet and running towards Rin.
Standing in front of the last pillar in the room, Rin has her arms readied to the side and gripped onto her scythe.
These cracks...they have to be. Rin looked down at her feet at the silver crack that is now all across the floor. Mirror cracks. One. Last. BREAK.
With the last swing, the marble pillar fell to the ground and more cracks formed on the ground. Now connecting to the rest of the cracks, the entire floor began to shake. Rin retreated back towards Len and her father as she embraced both of them and formed a light shell around them. The only thing heard from there was the clear burst of glass from below them as they fell.
Rin finally opened her eyes to find herself on top of a black cage. The same one that she saw from behind the mirror. Looking around her, Len remained by her side while her father ended up on another cage top, hanging onto the black chain attached to the cage below. From above, the chain hung itself on another rusty chain that hung from wall to wall in the pit. Rin looked down and as the last time she saw it, bones filled the bottom floor. But now, the shadows are laying on the bottom.
Rui's wings settled her on one of the chains on top of the cages. Her eyes now filled with rage and a scythe formed into her hands as she approached the top of the cage Rin stood on.
"Why. Why must you ruin. Everything. EVERY. TIME?" Rui screamed with an uncontrollable rage. She lifted the scythe over her head and swung at Rin.
Rin lifted her scythe just in time to counter the blow, but lost her balance at the second strike, dropping her scythe down to the bottom. Landing into Len's free arm, Rui stepped closed towards them. Holding the scythe above her once again, a tear fell from her eyes.
"Why. why can't you just die!" Rui cried, throwing own the scythe for the third time. Len pulled himself between Rin and Rui as they both shut their eyes, embracing for the attack..
one second past...
then another...
A gasp could be heard from Rui as she jumped away from them. Rin and Len both opened their eyes and turned to face Rui, who's forearms were injected with thorns.
"Since when did you get here" Rui spatted, holding both arms close to her, and enduring the pain. The two blonde's followed her gaze to one of the many small caves on the wall. There stood 3 figures with phantom white hair.
"You...you're" Rin squinted at the small group when she saw a familiar red pair of eyes. "Tai!"
The young white haired girl smiled back at Rin, who was waving for her attention. Len flinched at the sight of her, but then realized who else was next to her.
"Haku...Dell" He spoke in a spark of hope and joy. The two adults nodded at his acknowledgement.
"Sorry to ruin the moment, Rui. It's been a while" Haku smiled, jumping from one cages onto another until she reached Rui's level. Dell and Tei both stood on a different cage about one chain below Haku's.
"What's your deal here." Rui argued, stepping closer towards Haku, but her legs soon gave out and she fell to her knees.
"I was given word of your little experiment. So, like before, I came to stop you" Haku said bluntly.
"Of all people. I thought you would be the one to understand. To understand WHAT I WANT TO GET BACK. OUR PARENTS, HAKU. DON'T YOU WANT TO SEE THEM AGAIN?" She cried
Haku got down to Rui's eye level, and with one blow, a slap swung across Rui's face.
"Don't speak so loudly of them" Haku retorted, standing back up. "You are blinded by who you are truly saving"
"What...do you mean?" Rui smiled with opened eyes. "our...parents..."
"WHERE'S REI?" Haku suddenly hollered, stunning Rui's every movement. She looked up at the hole that was the floor she fought upon just a moment ago.
"Up...there.."She pointed weakly but then flinched at the realization. Behind Haku, Dell dragged the lifeless Rei and threw him in front of Rui. His skin was now pale, his eyes were as clear as glass, but the rest of his appearance has not changed. Rui quickly pulled him in for a hug and tears came pouring out as her grip on him tightened.
"Rei...he's" Len paused. Rin looked down at the trapped bodies that remained as they are in the cages.
"No more than a doll." Haku answered. Rui continued to wail in tears. She sighed and looked down at Rin and Len with a painful expression.
"Rei, Was a loyal childhood friend of Rei's...As for Rui, She never seen her mother." Haku looked back at Rui, who didn't seem to pay attention to anything she was saying.
"But, she was talking about saving her mother. She-" Rin cut herself off and glanced over at Rui. Haku looked away.
"Rui...Rei and I were all from the same orphanage. We...were raised there at a very young age. The both of us were chosen into the Rose maidens, and Rei, who wasn't a flower, forced everything against him...to be Rui's partner. Of course the organization didn't allow it because the training and ranks are very tough. So an ordinary person like him, was bound to die. It was surprising enough that me managed through the training but then...War broke out. By that time, Rei was at his limits. His body was paralyzed from protecting Rui...and soon, his soul broke apart. The only thing left was his body on that day. It was from then, that the news broke out that the black rose has fallen. Of course, Rui wouldn't let go of him even as dead. So...as I was told, she had to collect 99 souls and 1 pure heart in order to replace his soul." Haku explained, sitting down on the chains. Rui cried even harder listening to her.
"But everyone knows. Once broken, it can never be replaced." Haku finished.
"T-that means...all those times...Rei was..." Rin trembled at her words. Haku nodded and looked back at Rui.
"Rei...Rei..."Rui cried, burying her face in his chest. "Please..."
'Rui' A faint voice called. Rui looked at the direction where the voice came from. Two figures lit with a golden light approved from behind her. Rin's eyes widen as she saw a faint image of a grown women and a young boy.
"Mom?" Rin whispered. Len looked at her, then looked around. "Reina? Where?" He asked. Rin looked back at him and pointed at the golden figures.
"Don't you see them?" Rin asked. Len looked at where she was pointing, but shook his head.
"R-rei!" Rui cried, dropping the body and scurrying towards the figures. Haku watched her as her own expression saddened.
"Reina..."She muttered.
The young boy walked up to Rui and dropped to his knees and threw his transparent arms around her. The women watched from her place. Rui hugged him back and more tears came rushing down.
"Rei!" She cried. The boy showed a rush of golden powder leaving his eyes as if he was crying as well before pulling back and wiped the tears off her face before touching the glass key on Rui's neck. With one tug, he ripped the glass key from her neck and whispered into her ears.
"Please. stop this madness Rui." His voice was faint and settled.
"But...Rei..." Rui reached out to him, but his eyes stopped her.
"You are hurting people Rui...we promised didn't we? That we can't hurt anyone." He trembled.
'I can save you now' Rui forced out a smile.
'I'm already gone, Rui. so please.' He placed his hands on her shoulders. 'Stop hurting them'
Rui looked down at the bodies against the cage bars around her. The shadows from on the bottom floor still trying to climb up, but ending up falling on top of each other.
The young boy looked down at the glass key and crushed it in his fist. The shards fell in a single line down to the bottom as the cages few open, and the bodies reunited themselves to their trapped souls. The shadows turned into golden figures like Rei and Reina.
Floating up and out of their prison, spots of golden light and dust scattered in their presences. The figures all gathered around Rin and showered her with gratitude, before fading in the distance.
"Rei..?" Rui watched as the boy fading also. "No! Don't go!"
"Rui..." He said, kissing her on the forehead. His figure faded from his feet. Soon, Rui's body started to glow as well. Haku watched in grief, as she covered her mouth, Dell walked over to comfort her.
Rui's tears began to turn to dust as she embraced Rei, both disappearing into the air.
The next to fade was the women before the boy. She looked at Rin, then to Leo, and finally to Haku.
'It seems like this is my end as well' Her voice was faint in their minds. Rin...my precious daughter...This...is not the last time you will hear me...but from today on, My soul will move on as well. Leo...go home to see the girls for me more often alright? I promise this isn't the last. And Haku...thank you...for everything. Because of you, I can finally move on...good bye, old friend."
"Mom...you-" Rin whimpered. The women smiled softly and responded
'You will do fine. After what happened today, I'm certain that you are capable. Now...please smile...one last time. For me"
"I can't-. I can't do it" Rin's face scrunched up as tears fell. "Mom...don't go..."
"Silly Rin. Don't do that." Her dress started to fade. "i will certainly be back. So...wait for me alright?"
Rin just nodded as hiccups came to crack her voice. "Mom..."
As the last of her dust faded, the walls began to crack.
"We have to get out of here or else we will all go down with the castle" Haku instructed, getting back to her feet. Leo and Tei from the other side, nodded while Len helped Rin up.
"Alright kids..."Leo let out a sigh and his chains wrapped around Rin and Len as he threw some chains against the wall and started to climb.
"Watch out!" Len cried as a piece of wall ripped from the cracks and came tumbling towards them.
"Rose Rush!" A voice instructed. A blast of pink petals destroyed the rock. Looking up, their group has came at long last.
"Luka! Gakupo!" Len said in surprise. Two other vines came down from the edge.
"Hey, what about us" Mikuo smirked, carrying Miku with one arm on one vine, with Akito hanging onto Neru on another.
"You guys!" Rin smiled, finally getting to see her friends.
"Lets get you guys out of here" Miku cheered.
It didn't take them long to exit the castle. On the front yard, they rested and watched as the palace turned into a pile of nothing.
"I was waiting for you" Meiko said, walked from a nearby opened portal. She looked at the tired faces of everyone and smiled. "Welcome back." She said with a smile, guiding everyone back into the library, where they remained for the next 2 days.
WOOT THEY FINALLY GOT OUT ;W;
I HOPE THIS WASN'T TOO CONFUSING FOR EVERYONE TO TAKE IN. QuQ ...AND I HOPE NO ONE ELSE CRIED BESIDES ME...
But anyways, getting back to a normal life after this is hard. o wo I wonder how this would turn out?
Questions: Well, give me your honest opinion of this chapter. I'm not sure if I explained it clear enough for you all, but just in case, you know :D
Well, For anyone that is interested in my deviant art, it's ChiInWonderland
Most of the pictures are of Elsword, But I'm looking forwards to uploading more Vocaloid~
Until next time~
~Maiden-sama out~