Alex stumbled through the hall... It seemed like it went on forever, she was running for a good five minutes through the same hallway. She was starting to wonder if she was somehow running in circles. Finally she can out into someplace new, but it was a dead end. She collapsed on the floor. She was having trouble breathing...
"You ran away before I could thank you..."
She spun around, there he was. He was no longer a middle aged man, but young... but he felt the same. The same terrible feeling...
He took a step closer. "Thank you... for fetching Fiona for me..."
She groaned in pain... The ringing was unbearable. She couldn't breathe, her body felt like it was on fire and trembling.
"It seems the Azoth I gave you is starting to break down..."
He grabbed her wrist, twisting it. She yelled in pain as he pinned her to the wall.
"Allow me to relieve you of it..."
Leaning his head back, a sickening sound erupted from his throat as he brought his mouth down over hers. She screamed, but within moments all the air in her lungs was sucked out. She couldn't breathe, her body began to twitch and convulse. He released her arm, but only to wrap it around her back, putting his other on the back of her head, so she couldn't pull herself from him, or wriggle away.
She fought back. She kicked him, hit him, scratched him...
But in a few moments all her strength was gone. Her hands went limp and fell to her sides...
Her vision started to fade, everything went white...
Suddenly she was on the floor. She still couldn't breathe, and for a moment started to panic. Desperately trying to inhale she hit her chest with her fist... and breathed...
It was hard to breathe, and painful, but with every breath she felt herself coming back from the brink...
Her eye sight returned... and was awestruck at what she saw.
Lorenzo had his back turned to her now... and was facing Riccardo.
"Riccardo... I see you're still alive." Lorenzo glanced at Alex, smirking. "I'm disappointed in you, my dear."
Riccardo sneered at him. "It's seems you've not changed. I'm not surprised... Using a silly girl to do a job you're not brave enough to handle yourself, old man."
The smile faded from Lorenzo's lips. "When then, boy, perhaps it's time I finished you myself."
Lorenzo lifted his hand above his head, a bright blue light flowed around as he went after Riccardo. Riccardo threw something at Lorenzo, it popped sparks flew around Lorenzo's body, but only for a moment. Lorenzo threw up his arm, Riccardo immediately ran from the spot he'd been standing as a small explosion erupted.
"I should have killed you years ago." Lorenzo spat, seething in hatred.
Riccardo punched Lorenzo, it didn't seem to have much of an effect...
"My gun!"
Alex was still reeling, her brain barely registering that her was talking to her.
She looked around and saw the gun. She'd dropped it when Lorenzo had...
She grabbed it and threw it at him, Riccardo caught it and reached into his pocket filling the gun with bullets.
Riccardo went for a head shot.
Lorenzo fell to his knees... but did not stay down for long.
Alex felt Riccardo grab her arm as he pulled out of the room.
"You- You saved me!" She gasped in disbelief.
"I thought you were Fiona... besides, if he managed to steal your Azoth it would make him that much harder to kill."
"You still think you can kill him!? He took a bullet to the head!"
Riccardo smirked. "Yes... right now, while the Azoth he's obtained has made in invulnerable, he cannot be killed, but it won't last long. In fact, the more he's injured, the faster his new Azoth will deplete... as long as he doesn't get his hands on Fiona..."
Riccardo stopped running, then rummaging around in his pocket... he pulled out a key.
"Take it."
She did. "What is it...?"
"The key to the castle gate... get Fiona out of here..."
"You're really going to... to just let her go?"
He frowned. "If it keeps the old man away from her..."
Alex stared at him... for the first time, not with hate or fear, but with curiosity...
"Go. Now."
She did so, walking away... but pausing to look back at him... "I... Uh..."
He glared at her. "What?"
She cleared her throat. "Th-thank you..."
It was a simple response, but it caught Riccardo off guard. No one, no one had ever thanked him for anything before...
"Protect Fiona." He ordered.
She nodded, then disappeared down the hall...
Thank you... what an infantile thing to say.
Fiona couldn't get the door to open. "Alex!?"
There were no sounds from the other side of the door…
Turning around she was shocked to find herself somewhere she had never seen before. She should have been in the lobby of the House of Truth, but not she was in a small room…
"You've been very naughty Fiona… you're causing me much grief."
She looked around the room…. But she did not see him…
Not again…
For a minute she thought he might have been invisible, like Riccardo…
But there was no sign of him. No footsteps, no breathing, just his voice.
She tired the door again…
"What are you doing, Fiona? Just where do you intend to run?"
Fiona left the door, looking around the room for an exit… there had to be and exit.
"Have you longed for me as I long for you?"
She shuttered. Even though he wasn't in the room with her, she could still feel his eyes on her…
"Everything I do, is for the Great Truth."
Then she saw another door on the other side of the room! Running to it, she opened the door… but there was nothing there, just a wall!
"Looks like a dead end dear, how unfortunate."
She slammed the door shut. He was just toying with her!
"No need to get so upset, my dear."
His laughter filled the room, echoing off the walls.
"At last, you are mind Fiona!"
She heard a creak… the door she'd come in through was open…
"Come to me Fiona…. Come to me Fiona!"
She had no choice… she left that room, and again the door lead to somewhere different then before…
"The great Aureolous Belli once said; 'The most valuable thing in this world, is the Great Truth.'"
As she stepped out into the room her eyes were drawn to the ceiling… there was some sort of painting, or mural on it… she barley heard the door close behind her.
"Human beings... human life... They are not capable of grasping that truth. We cannot merely sit idle and await the future. We must dedicate our lives to the realization of the truth!"
"Oh Fiona... no... My Azoth... Come to me. Come to me."