"Meet you on the other side!" The cawing came like rocks rolling about a blender, harsh and quick as the crow with a million eyes took higher to the sky and disappeared. It took only a little longer for Gilbert and Lovino to figure out on the other side of what.
Lovino blinked. It was as if they had entered a hall of mirrors. They stood tall, higher than any tree top, with glorious designs of silver and copper. Even without entering Lovino could see the forking in the paths. A maze. He closed his eyes for a long while and just…breathed. He knew what was coming. To face despair in this way he would have to buck up mentally. Gilbert stood against a tree, studying the entrance. They were quiet.
"Alright," Lovino finally muttered, feeling he was wasting time now.
"We'll stick together," Gilbert decided.
It was impossible to not see his own reflection. Mostly because it went beyond him in the swirling whips he had familiarized himself with, but also because the mirrors surrounded every part of them. Lovino focused on his steps, his eyes downcast. Whether he was calm, or the surrounding attack was actively causing the emptiness to grow in his gut couldn't be determined in the moment, because he didn't care enough to think about it. He needed to aspire to something to defeat Nurgle. He had planned for this, he was ready. The monster in the mirror wouldn't deter him, because his plan came with it.
He could almost smile.
"This is weird," Gilbert said at hi side. "Why are there so many mirrors?"
"What do you see?"
"Just us. Nothing special. Why, what do you see?"
Arthur had said something about the mirror only reflecting against the person that they had been summoned against. Perhaps Nurgle had not been expecting Lovino to bring Gilbert. Perhaps he only had the power to reflect one at a time. Lovino did not know the extent of a Neverborn's power, only his own.
They came to the first fork in the road. The both of them paused. Neither rushed. "Which way should we go?" Gilbert asked, taking a few steps each way as if to test the waters. Left, right, forward (that broke into two slightly deterring paths itself. Lovino finally brought himself to look up, look past.
His frown did not correspond.
Rolling his eyes upwards he sighed to the purple sky. "I don't think it matters," he groaned.
They went right.
Fun story, it was the wrong way to go.
At first, nothing seemed different from the path that they had taken. Lovino's curiosity stared, Gilbert muttered something about clowns, and they walked. The swirling and twirling of tar in the mirror followed and grinned at them—or, at Lovino—but it didn't seem off. Not until it started to grow and expand. Lovino's steps slowed and he looked behind himself.
They were blocked onto the path. "Gilbert," he warned, focused and ready with his sword in hand. It didn't take long for whirring metal to join him.
"What do we do?'
"The only thing we can do is keep walking."
"Or try breaking through and going back."
Lovino shook his head. "Good luck with that one. You're more likely to go deaf then succeed at breaking one of those things."
They were more careful as they walked, always looking back to watch as the blockade seemed to follow them in. Every few steps it would close in.
It wasn't much to think on until they made it to the end of their path only to find that that, too, was blocked. There were no more forking paths. Gilbert put his hand to the mirror they found themselves at, as if making sure it was real. Lovino turned in wide circles, trying to see past his own reflection. "Fuck," he growled.
"Okay, so how do we get out of this?" Gilbert asked.
Before Lovino could respond, the blockade got a little closer. It was closing in on them. His heart lurched when he understood those implications. "I don't fucking know, but we're going to have to figure it out soon."
The feeling in his gut expanded like the shadows in the mirror. Soon Lovino found himself surrounded. He let his sword fall, afraid of another trick against Gilbert. He did, however, recall his shield as the darkness overtook his head.
You are not like her.
This was not the usual voice of the shadows. It did not take his own tenor or pattern of speech. It was distinct and rasped. It was the voice of Nurgle.
"Lovino, a way out!" he heard Gilbert call. He could not see his friend, so he continued to refuse the information as fact. Even if he could see him he would not be able to believe it.
Paranoia. It was a backlash of the emptiness, then. Perhaps. Could he believe that as fact?
He stayed calm.
Why do you insist on following?
"Why do you insist on asking questions that don't matter?" Lovino sighed. He allowed his shield to fall. He had nothing to hide from this Neverborn; or, from anyone, really. Perhaps. He didn't care enough to wonder around the notion.
You are being tricked.
"Probably."
You don't care?
"Not enough to try and find a loophole, no."
Why?
It was a strange serendipity that he found in the darkness. With a blink, however, it became formed and familiar and him. "The only way to defeat you is to figure out what's worth fighting for, is it not?"
This is not about defeating me.
"No, but it is about what I want," the brunet decided. He reached out and touched the cool surface of the mirror. "And Chaos is all about sacrifice for the better, is it not?"
Your logic is flawed.
Lovino smiled, letting his hand fall. "It usually is."
You are on a path of pure destruction.
He knew that. It was why the image in the mirror threatened him so. He was afraid of himself, of not being able to control himself, of being the thing that hurt rather than help. But, he was realizing slowly that maybe, just maybe, it was his nature to hurt. Chaos hurt but it allowed those who healed to thrive and grow. "Ever try to plant a flower in concrete?"
You are not like her.
He just closed his eyes. Was the barricade still moving? Closer and closer, closing in on him, causing the stress in his body and the tension in his lungs. The claustrophobia setting in, threatening to break his cool. Or was it something else? An unstoppable doubt that replayed his own declarations in a dim light and mocking tone.
He didn't let his smile fall, though. He laughed. He opened his eyes. He looked into himself with a new vigor. "I'm not like her because I'm not her. I have my humanity. Once I lose that, though, I will be just like her." He stared into the image of himself. "But don't worry about all that. Gilbert's really good at setting up securities."
He imagined that the reflection of himself grew and grew before falling and dying. Perhaps it was a trick of his eyes, or maybe it was Nurgle's last attempt to deter him, but it seemed that the figure in front of him took, instead of a final fall, a fall that was broken and swirling and the cause of a great new terror. It stabbed into his heart like an arrow, pushing him back away from the mirror he stood at.
It was the pain that brought tears to Lovino's eyes, he decided as he fell into Gilbert. The albino caught him by the shoulders. The world was light and purple and filled with overbrush of trees and bushes. Lovino scrubbed over his eyes, dispelling the darkness in his heart—or, trying to. It was…powerful. He had gone through a lot, but this little attack was what may have taken him to his knees had he not had Gilbert to remind him of his mission.
"What—What happened?" he asked weakly.
"The mirrors just disappeared," Gilbert shared.
Lovino stood shakily on his own, rubbing at his chest. "Alright. Let's keep—going. We need to find Nurgle and absorb his powers."
"You alright?"
"Peachy."
There were no cries to meet them. Just two beady eyes that stared them down as they walked into the familiar clearing. Lovino pulled the stone from his pocket. The eyes just continued to stare. Lovino stared back.
Silence.
When Nurgle move to grab the stone, Lovino could have sworn he heard something whispered, a 'don't even try to trick me. You know it won't work,' but Lovino wasn't positive if he had heard anything. Slimy fingers wrapped around the stone.
Underneath rolls of fat was where Nurgle's symbol lay. It was different than Khorne's, three circles wrapping around each other like snakes. In the middle was where he placed it.
Similar to how it worked out with Khorne, a bright green light blew up the once purple world. Lovino only watched as it got so bright it was white. Nurgle lost his color and his life, a grey squat stone that would forever sit and home that crabs that continued to crawl and snap. Lovino approached and stole the stone back.
Beady eyes did not watch them as they left, as they were gone. Voids of scorched nothingness.
Gilbert walked next to him in silence, his hands deep in his pockets. He seemed to be thinking of something, but Lovino couldn't imagine what. Though, Lovino was also too tired to try. The day's expense—or, the however long they'd been there—was starting to take a toll on him. He watched his feet as he walked, thinking and thinking until the voice in his head grew bored and dipped out to leave him in true silence.
"We should take a break," Gilbert decided.
Lovino agreed, falling against the base of a tree with a stifled groan. "You didn't happen to bring anything to eat, did you?"
"No."
Lanze flew around their heads. "What's the matter? There are two more retched ones to defeat!"
Lovino closed his eyes, leaning his head back. Lanze continued to caw obsessively, even to the point of picking at him, but Lovino ignored him. He was too tired to deal with it all. His felt like everything was weighed down and his heart still tremored with the pain Nurgle left him. Wanting nothing more than for the pain to disappear, Lovino allowed himself to drift.
When he woke up he found Gilbert was asleep across from him, his mechanical arm crossed with the other over his chest. Lovino stretched, sore, and stood. He felt better. His sleep had been dreamless, something he didn't really mind. He looked up and around but could not find Lanze. Almost scared he checked his pocket. The stone was still there. He allowed himself to relax.
He popped and stretched the kinks that came from sleeping against the base of a tree. Gilbert stirred and woke, instantly reaching and turning on his arm when he saw someone was standing in front of him. Before he successfully launched an attack, however, he seemed to recognize it as Lovino and sighed.
"Ready to go, then?" Gilbert asked with a long groan as he stood.
Lovino nodded.
Lanze was diving from the trees before they even had a chance to call out for him. Their mission continued on.
"I've never gone against the other two Neverborns," Lovino admitted. "I don't really know what to expect."
"Lanze, where are we going next?" Gilbert demanded.
"To the retched on Slaneesh!"
Gilbert nodded. "The Neverborn of pain."
"I think Arthur called it the Neverborn of life."
Gilbert shrugged. "Doesn't matter what you call 'em."
The whole world continued to change colors and scenery, but it felt like years and miles before anything aside from their journey happened. Lanze took to flying closer to them when the trees disappeared. It was as if they were in a barren landscape of sand, desert. Lovino blinked through the sweat that beaded and rolled down his forehead.
"I couldn't imagine a Neverborn of life to be here," Lovino coughed into his sleeve.
"Slaneesh has moved locations many times," Lanze shared. "She is quite paranoid of your arrival."
"I've never—"
"Word travels when the descendant of the Creator comes around." A cackled laugh. "Word travels, and she is scared! She's scared to die!"
"If she's afraid," Gilbert trailed.
"Then this one won't be as easy as the last ones." Lovino agreed.
Whirring and initial anger at hand, the two continued.
Perhaps it was the heat, or perhaps it was a mirage, but Lovino could see in the distance a patch of life in the middle of the sand dunes.
"She's scared to die," was the song that took them closer and closer to the battle. Lovino kept his eyes wide, but the sun was blinding. The heat was distracting. The sand was hard to wade through.
Suddenly Gilbert let out a surprised cry. Lovino spun around to see the albino handing upside down in the air, a tight vine wrapped around his leg and holding him up. It whipped him around before turning to smash him downwards. Lovino jumped forward and slashed at its base before a fatal move could be made. His weapon sliced through it effectively. Gilbert grunted when he hit the sand but was able to kick out of the dead vine that still wrapped around him.
When the two turned back towards the trees and life, they found that it was instead coming towards them. A walking island amongst the sand.
"What the fuck?" Lovino breathed.
"That's a new one," Gilbert chuckled ironically, using Lovino as leverage to stand.
It wasn't a large island in comparison to land masses but compared to the two males that stood in front of it the island was ginormous. Large brown, worm-like vines wobbled beneath it, a great collection of dirt its foundation. Trees and bushes could be glimpsed on its back, along with the phantom figure that Lovino thought to be a woman. The island stopped moments in front of them. Lanze was nowhere to be found.
A long pause happened between them.
It was broken with the foundation came apart like a mouth and howled in their faces, spraying them with rocks and muck before tearing forward. Lovino and Gilbert tore apart just in time to watch the island devour the sand where they had just been standing.
"It's trying to eat us!" Gilbert screamed.
"I can see that, Gilbert!" Lovino screamed back at him as the island swooped back into the air. It turned towards Lovino and advanced, but Gilbert let off one of his balls of energy. It let out an impossible howl, turning around to attack the albino.
As it turned, Lovino confirmed it. On its back stood a beautiful woman, evasive in the sun. Her face was contorted in concentration, her arms wide, palms downwards and fingers spidered. She was controlling the island!
Lovino ran under the island, slicing at one of its rooted legs in hopes to occupy it long enough for him to get to Gilbert. His plan worked well enough, and soon the brunet was practically crashing into the man shooting off another blast. "Keep—Keep it distracted," Lovino panted, looking back to watch as the rooted leg weaved itself back together. Stronger. "I think I know how to defeat it."
Gilbert let off another firey ball that careened and splinted a tree that had been dipping off the side. He nodded. "I'll do my best."
"Thank you."
Lovino needed something other than a sword. Something that would allow him to climb the island so he confront the Neverborn on top. He dropped his first weapon of anger and tried to imagine his powers morphing into daggers or claws. It was futile. Groaning he recalled his weapon and continued forth, no time to experiment.
The island screetched when Lovino made his way under it again. Gilbert moved, hitting it's front rather than its side in an attempt to distract it from Lovino's movements. The action would have done good if sudden vines did not curl around the earthy belly of the beast and attack Lovino with snake heads. Lovino cut and diced, heads only growing in places of the fallen like some Greek mythical dragon or dog. Lovino cried out when one bit his shoulder, turning and cutting it.
It was that pain he was able to expand and grow into protection along his limbs.
The island made a dive at Gilbert, causing the blond to scurry. "If you could hurry, Lovino, that would be great!"
Swallowing Lovino took one final swing against the vines before grabbing one. It bit at his armor, its fangs causing his protection to crack, but Lovino just dropped his sword and grabbed at another. More and more fistfuls of vines came with more and more bites. Once he was able to tangle his feet into the mess he was able to start his climb. Fangs finally made it through his armor, but the pain didn't deter him. As quickly as he could, Lovino scrambled up the side of the island, throwing himself onto its back.
Scrambling to his feet in a shattered shield he beckoned his weapon once more. A vine followed his moments, slinking into his pocket and tearing the stone from him. It recoiled too fast for Lovino to catch it, and when Lovino rose he found himself face-to-face with the woman of the island.
He straightened, never breaking eye contact with emerald eyes.
"Why are you here?" Her voice shook as much as her eyes, a practical whisper. Dark hair cascaded down her bare back and her body trembled. Her skin was kissed, and her lips were perfectly sculpted.
"My name is Lovino Gaspari, I am—"
"I know who you are."
"Then you know why I'm here."
She seemed to tremble more, tender tears kissing the corners of her eyes like a song. "You're here to kill me."
She looked so fragile and beautiful, but Lovino knew there was a power to her. He could see it in the depths of her eyes. He could see the lie, the manipulation. He could hear it like a dark honey dripping from her tongue as she begged. She grabbed at his hands, holding them to her chest as she cried.
Lovino could feel his heart dip and speed. His mind fogged, and pity filled his being. Pity and lust.
She certainly was beautiful. Something to be protected! A flower in the concrete. His goal. She was his goal. He would protect her from all harm.
When her lips met his, however, the illusion shattered. His eyes stared, wide and opened, as in that moment of contact her skin became placid and her limbs boney. Gnarled and ugly, with caverns for cheeks and snakes for hair.
He jumped back, swinging his weapon through the air. She returned to her former beauty, staring at him with wide scared eyes. "What's the matter?" she begged of him.
"I've come to absorb your power," he stated. "Give me back what belongs to me!"
She approached with outward hands, groveling before him, but he threatened her with his sword. She must have realized that she had been found out, because her last cry was snuffed out as she opened her mouth wide and began to shriek. Her hair billowed around as her limbs grew long and gaunt, her skin paled, a sickening crack mushing with that of the wind that surrounded her.
Lovino readied himself for a fight. Behind her, a large monster of constructed vines formed. Lovino watched as the stone was constructed into its body, protecting it away from him as the vines picked up the woman, devouring her and her screams.
Flaccid eyes dropped down the monster's body. Emerald. Perhaps this was her true form in the end. With broken armor Lovino swung at a flopping arm that batted against him with terrifying speed and strength. He gasped as he was thrown through the air. He scrambled to grab a fistful of vines just before he was tossed from the back of the island and to the sand below. Kicking down dirt he scrambled on his hands and knees back to stability, only to have to roll out of the way as another limb of weaved vines slammed down.
Calling the sword, he ran around and slashed at the monster's back. The vines fixed themselves just as easily as Lovino had cut through them. He tried stabbing through it instead, but the vines only tightened around Lovino's wrists, causing him to open his palms and for his weapon to disappear and he untangled himself.
He tried instead his sword of despair. He prepared to fly forward with an attack when he caught the reflection in the blade. The monster and the island and the sky were all monochrome, but he could see that towards the center of the vines was a glowing green ember. The stone, wrapped tightly in a knot of living rope.
Looking up he was presented with the normal, colorful, bright world. The monster screamed and attacked. Lovino dodged out of the way, but a vine wrapped around his leg and threw him into the air. He attempted to cut through the vein, but his sword didn't sear through it like his weapon of anger did. The monster slammed him against the ground. Lovino screamed on contact, his sword disappearing. The vine lifted him again, posing for another attack, but suddenly a blast of energy tore through the monster's arm. Lovino was dropped to the ground.
Shakily he stood, coughing and spitting blood. Another blast hit the monster in the chest, causing it to stumble backwards. Lovino looked over the side to see Gilbert taking aim once more.
With a small sigh he reformed his weapon of anger and recollected himself. His body cried out, and he was forced to drop any means of his armor in fear that he would pass out. The monster screamed and cried, vines reforming over the body of the woman that it was hiding in its knots. Perhaps this wasn't her true form, but she was protecting her true form. If he could attack the woman, make her weak enough to drop the vines, he could get to the stone and absorb her energy.
"Gilbert," he screamed over the side, "shoot for the chest!"
"Got it!"
Lovino waited. Another shot from Gilbert destroyed the newly reformed vines. He could see a blink of pale skin. As quickly as his battered body could, Lovino ran and stabbed his sword into the small hole of opportunity.
The woman from within screamed, pitch so sharp that Lovino recoiled slightly, his head ringing with pain. He twisted his sword until the greenage faltered and fell, unveiling the ugly witch from within. He had stabbed her in the stomach, tarnishing the symbol of life. She reached at him with long fingernails and crazy eyes, but Lovino dodged away, drowning himself in falling vines as he groped for the stone. His fingers wrapped around it just as the woman's claws tore into his leg.
The vines finally fell and Lovino hit the ground. He scrambled out of the woman's grasp, kicking and turning just in time to catch her other hand that came down, clawing at his eyes.
He wrestled her hands away from his face, but she got the upper hand, knocking the stone away from him. Lovino looked over to see the mess of vines rise and go for the prize. Pushing her off of him he scrambled for it, grabbing it just as the vines began to wrap themselves around it, instead wrapping themselves around him hands. He called his sword, and its formation cut them away.
When he turned he was met with not a beautiful woman, but a final, desperate attempt. Golden eyes pleaded and cried. Lovino forced the stone into the chest where he had recalled the symbol to be. Golden eyes filled with lies trembled back to green as the Neverborn screeched. Lovino closed his eyes tight and turned his face away as the brilliant light turned the warm body underneath his hands to stone. When he looked again the woman was dead and there were no lies in the void.
The island beneath him rumbled and fell. Upon contact with the ground Lovino was thrown off his feet, tumbling into the sand. Gilbert helped him to his feet.
"Fuck," Lovino groaned, grabbing at his side, keeled over.
Gilbert laughed, but his words were suddenly drowned out when a blinding light surrounded them. Lovino stumbled, hitting the island of Ivan's office.
"What the fuck?"
"Gilbert, Lovino!"
Lovino rose to find Ludwig in the doorway. The three of them looked at one another in confusion. "Did you—" Lovino stared.
"No, Lud did—"
"What?"
Gilbert and Lovino shared a long look before also sharing a breathy: "the fuck?"
"Are you two alright?" Ludwig asked.
Lovino grunted to lean against the island with his hip. "I really hope you're not here with bad news," he groaned, grabbing at the box of crackers he had left. They were a bit stale, but his stomach was beyond empty. "Where's Feliciano?"
"Back on the String. Something's wrong."
"Wrong how?" Gilbert inquired.
"There's a new killer on the loose."
"What do you mean by new killer? You went back to the eighties, Feliciano probably studied the fucker to death."
"That's the problem. Feliciano says he's never heard of this guy."
Gilbert groaned. "You guys fucked up the String."
"We could use your guys' help fixing it."
Lovino couldn't say that he was disappointed by the sounds of that, but— "Gil—"
"Yeah?"
"Please tell me you have real pain medicine and not that sleep shit."
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Ah, this chapter was hard to write. Not because anything surprising happened or I didn't know where I was going, but because I kept wanting to write the next three chapter. Why? Well because starting now is the
BURY ME ALIVE CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR
That's right, guys! A three chapter Christmas special! New serial killer, budding love, and maybe even some plot? HOW GREAT DOES THAT SOUND?
(anyone that sasses the fact that this is being written in September goes on the Naughty list, so fuck you.)
Oh, and YAY! WE GOT TO 100 REVIEWS, YOU GUYS!
(the fuck are y'all on AO3 doin? Huh?)
RaiderR comment 09-07-2018
Interesting theory to bring into this, dude! And, awe, don't cry! You'll be alright, promise. Haha, the only part of the Harry Potter series I cried during was when Sirius Black died. That shit broke my soul, and is also one of the reasons I will never ever like Snape (that and because he was an asshole but whatcanyoudo?) And, ramble away! I love your rambles (:
You should check out the account Sky-Hetalia-Trash. They write, like, 100 word stories that are AMAZING! Maybe you're just not a multi-chap type of writer!
COMMENT! Out of the Neverborn's powers that we've seen so far, which one would you want and why?