Everything Has Been Broken: Ace's Lament
Cinder, along with her cohorts, watched the morning news cast as Lisa Lavender went over the events that had taken place the day previous. The ashen haired girl grinned as Ace's alternate persona was displayed for all the world to see. Hearing the media's impromptu title for the criminal alter ego only further spurred her pleasure as she turned to her new plaything, who hung listlessly in his cell.
"Black Rook, huh? Not very inventive, but at the same time, not the worst name they could have latched to you. In fact, I think it suits you rather nicely." She stated.
No reaction came from Ace, the boy simply remaining in his catatonic state. He hadn't moved since he had been returned to his prison. His lifeless gaze fell solely on the floor beneath him, and whether or not he had even blinked recently was questionable.
"What's this? Nothing to say? None of your usual sass or retorts from that insolent mouth of yours?" Cinder asked.
Again, she was answered with silence from the boy.
"I don't think he'll be saying much of anything from now on." Emerald sneered. "Honestly, I think he's much better this way."
Mercury sighed at this. "It's boring. There's no challenge. No wonder you like it so much." He said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emerald asked, crossing her arms.
"It means you're a sore loser Em." Mercury smirked.
Emerald gaped at him. "I did NOT lose." She stated angrily.
"Just keep telling yourself that. Whatever makes you feel better."
"As much as I hate to say it, I agree with the child here. It doesn't really feel like winning when they can't even fight back. This is just pathetic." Torchwick said as he walked in with Neo.
"Roman, don't tell me you actually feel sorry for him." Cinder said.
"I never said that, but going back on your word like that, not gonna lie… Kind of a dick move." He replied.
"He and his friends have interfered in our affairs long enough. Have you forgotten the trouble they've caused you in particular?"
"No, I haven't, and as much as I love seeing the brats get theirs, don't you think this is a bit much? Either kill the kid or let him go."
"Your sympathy, while surprising, is surely misplaced Roman."
"If you think it's sympathy, then you're sadly mistaken."
"Then what is it Roman, because at this rate, people will think you've gone soft."
"Excuse me for having some standards, as few as they are." Roman countered.
"Just do your job and let us worry about how we deal with nuisances. Now, what do you have to report from your stay with the General?"
"Everything you would hope for. I know where they're mobilizing and where they will set up their defenses. The General didn't come here just for the fun of the tournament. He's definitely trying to guard something here in Vale." Roman answered.
"Good to know our efforts on freeing you weren't for nothing. Now we can use your information to prepare the next step of the plan."
"And just what is this big plan of yours anyway?" Roman asked.
"All in good time Roman. All in good time. For now, I have something else in mind that needs to be taken care of." Cinder said, moving closer to Ace's cell. Reaching a hand through the bars, she cupped his chin and lifted his head up to face her. "Your services will be required for this as well." She informed him before removing her hand, Ace's head slowly lowering back down.
Roman was shocked. He had expected a shout of opposition, a desperate plea for Cinder to reconsider, bargaining for his denied freedom. But there was nothing. The kid didn't even blink, just accepted the inevitable.
"You really broke him, didn't you?" Roman asked.
Cinder smirked. "Come, we'll discuss our next step outside, leave him to his silence." Cinder said leading the group out.
"So, what's next? And if the kid's going to be involved, why aren't we letting him hear?" Roman asked.
"We don't need him." Cinder answered.
"But you just said that you require his services."
"I do. Just not for this part."
"Okay, I'm lost."
"There's two plans. One for him, one that he doesn't need to know." Cinder explained. "We're going to use him as a distraction while your little helper uses the information you've gathered to pull off the real plan. We're going to sabotage the military encampments, and by we, I mean Neo."
"Why just her?" Roman asked.
"Why not? Her particular skill set is perfect for the job." Cinder answered.
"What about Spearmint here? She's suited for stealth ops as well." Roman said, pointing his cane at Emerald.
"Yeah but she didn't ask for me to do it. She asked Neo." Emerald deflected.
"Tch, whatever. She'll get it done. Now what do we tell the kid?" Roman asked.
"You're a smart man, think of something. Have him and some White Fang stick up a Dust shop. As long as he draws the locals' attention I don't care." Cinder said.
Roman rolled his eyes and walked with Neo back to Ace's cell.
"Good, they're gone. Now let's get to OUR planning." Mercury said once they were out of earshot.
"Finally. I don't see why we keep him around. Neo can at least hold her own. He's incompetent." Emerald said.
"As long as our tools are useful, we'll keep them. When they're not…" Cinder paused looking at her scroll, "We'll terminate them."
She looked up to see Roman giving her captive his false mission and grinned.
The shattered moon hung high in the night sky of Vale, it alone illuminating the sky as the dense clouds hid the stars and their light from the world. The street lamps glowed as shops and businesses began to close for the night.
A shop owner waves out the last of his customers for the day and shuts the door to his humble establishment. Flipping the sign on the door from open to close, he began his final checks to his inventory and locking up the remaining stock. With the ever-rising threats to dust shops, one could never be too careful when it came to maintaining one's financial assets. Dust was already expensive to acquire as it was.
The man worked in silence, until he heard the sound of the door opening, the chime of the bell telling him someone had entered.
"Didn't you see the sign?" He asked irritably looking up to the door. "We're… Closed." He said in bewilderment as he found no one within his shop.
Feeling uneasy, he walked behind the front counter and reached under it, procuring a small but modest handgun. Holding it steady with both hands he scanned his environment. He heard light footfall to his right and aimed.
"Who's there!?" He shouted nervously. "Whoever you are, you should know I'm armed! I don't want to use this but I will if I have to!" He stated.
He heard nothing. Perhaps he hadn't heard anything to begin with, and it was his late-night fatigue playing tricks on his mind. He relaxed a bit, lowering his weapon. As quick as he was to do this, a pair of arms grabbed him from behind, disarming him and putting him in a sleeper hold.
He struggled in vain as he was held fast, slowly running out of breath.
"DON'T FIGHT. YOU CAN AFFORD TO LOSE LIEN, NOT YOUR LIFE." The Black Rook said.
The shop owner's panic only expedited the loss of his air as he began to pass out under the hold. His struggles faded before ceasing entirely as he blacked out.
Ace tucked the man's unconscious form under the counter, putting him out of sight. Moving to the window, he waved in the White Fang waiting just outside.
The group of Faunus walked in, each carrying a case to collect Dust with and began swiping as much as they could carry before loading their haul into a van parked outside. Then they would return gathering even more to repeat the process.
Ace frowned beneath his mask. He couldn't believe this was to be his life now, working with the very people he had vowed to stop.
"Hey! Stop them!" Someone shouted from outside.
Ace froze, as he recognized the voice to be Ruby's. Looking outside the shop, he saw the reaper herself sprinting towards the White Fang with Crescent Rose raised to attack.
"Make sure they don't get away! They could have the information we need!" Another voice shouted out, this time the voice belonging to Zweii. He and Matthew joined Ruby to combat the thieving Faunus.
Ace began to panic. If they found him now they would now doubt attack him as well. His friends were now his greatest threat.
"Ahh, there they are. I was beginning to wonder when they would decide to show up." Cinder said startling Ace. "Always where they don't belong at just the right time." She mused. "Take care of them for me." She commanded him.
"T-THOSE ARE MY FRIENDS!" Ace protested.
"I know, which is precisely why I'm telling you to fight them." Cinder chuckled darkly.
"YOU PLANNED ON THIS. YOU DON'T REALLY CARE FOR THE DUST, YOU WANTED TO PUT ME IN A POSTION TO FIGHT THEM!" Ace shouted.
"Perhaps I did."
"Y-YOU'RE SICK!" Ace growled, only making her laugh more.
"If you do anything to reveal your identity to them, you die. Now attack your former allies. That is an order." Cinder said.
Ace tentatively walked out of the shop and into the streets, a White Fang grunt landing just at his feet. Regrettably, he now had to hide his true self to play the part as a villain.
His three friends paused, their eyes locking onto him.
"Black Rook!" They shouted in unison.
"You! We were wondering when we would run into you." Zweii said pointing his blade at his perceived foe.
"Tell us where our friend Ace is right now!" Matthew demanded.
"How sweet. They still believe they can liberate you. Go on then. Tell them." Cinder said.
"ACE WOLFBLADE IS OUR PRISONER. I'M AFRAID I CANNOT TELL YOU HIS LOCATION." Black Rook answered. "ABANDON YOUR QUEST FOR HIM. IT WILL DO NEITHER OF YOU ANY GOOD."
The words felt awkward on his tongue, referring to himself as a separate entity, when he knew they were one and the same.
"Why is that?" Zweii said through gritted teeth.
"THE ACE WOLFBLADE YOU KNOW IS GONE." Black Rook answered.
"LIAR! What have you done with our friend!?" Zweii yelled.
"THAT IS SOMETHING YOU WOULD RATHER NOT KNOW."
"You… You monsters! I'll burn you all to ash!" Zweii proclaimed.
With an incredible display of his Semblance's power, Zweii let loose a surge of fire, so massive it engulfed the entire street, directed straight at Black Rook.
Black Rook drew his sword just as the fire was upon him, before being lost within the sea of fire.
After a few seconds, Zweii ceased his attack and the fire began to dissipate. Zweii's expression of rage turned to one of shock as first he saw the glow from a pair of yellow eyes, then as the flames cleared, Black Rook standing unscathed amongst the fading embers around him.
Black Rook stood with blade pointed outward, its runes glowing and producing an orange arcane barrier that shielded him from the flames. The runic defense faded but the symbols along the blade remained alight.
"I'm sorry, Zweii…" Ace thought. Waving his sword in an arc above his head, he produced five small orbs of fire that floated where they spawned. Then with a quick horizontal slash the orbs were sent forth, all five converging and slamming into Zweii's chest plate and exploding, knocking him to the ground.
"Zweii!" Matthew shouted in concern.
"He's… He's a conjurer." The young knight said as he picked himself up.
"THAT WAS A WARNING. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO FIGHT YOU BUT IF YOU STAY I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE." Black Rook said.
"If you think your little magic tricks are enough to scare us off then you have another thing coming!" Matthew said as he charged at Black Rook.
"Matt, wait!" Ruby shouted trying to stop him.
"Don't worry about him. We have other problems right now." Zweii said.
Ruby looked around to see the White Fang soldiers picking themselves up while more members emerged from all around. The group was nowhere close to the number AZRE had encountered previously, but still they would be busy for a while. Gripping their weapons, they prepared to fight them off.
Meanwhile, Matthew engaged Black Rook, running forth and slamming his hammer down at his foe. Black Rook jumped back, the hammer falling short and caving in the pavement instead.
"Argh! Stop dodging and fight me like a man!" Matthew roared, rushing forth and swinging Vulcan again. Black Rook evaded the hefty hammer once more. "You're a tricky one, aren't you?" Matthew asked, glaring at him.
"YOUR MOVES ARE SLOPPY AND PREDICTABLE. SURELY YOU'VE TRAINED BETTER THAN THIS." Black Rook said.
In truth, Ace knew for a fact that Matthew was capable of much better than what he was currently performing at, and it disappointed him that he couldn't scold him for falling back into old habits in his absence.
"Oh, I'm just getting started. When I'm done, you'll be wishing that you told us where Ace is when you had the chance!" Matthew proclaimed swinging Vulcan at Black Rook's side.
Again, Black Rook dodged, but this time Matthew was counting on that a continued his swing. Detaching Vulcan's head and spinning around, his weapon gained the length required to reach Black Rook mid jump.
"Gotcha this time!" Matthew yelled.
Unable to dodge mid-air, Black Rook positioned his greatsword between himself and Vulcan's head. The blade absorbed most of the heavy impact of the hammer, but the force was still far too great to completely nullify and Black Rook was knocked to the side.
Using this opportunity, Matthew rushed forward while at the same time drawing back Vulcan's head. By the time the head was reconnected, he had reached his target and wound up for a tremendous swing.
Black Rook slid to a halt against the city street. Looking up he saw Matthew coming within striking distance and quickly formulated a plan of escape. Reaching into the pack on his right thigh, he grabbed a handful of smoke pellets and hurled them in front of him creating a thick, noxious haze.
"Hey! No… *cough* Fair! *cough*" Matthew sputtered through his coughs, placing a palm over his nose and mouth to prevent further inhalation of the smoke.
Gripping his hammer tightly with one hand, he looked about frantically, trying to locate his enemy. Faster than he could perceive, a black blur shot through the smoke, whizzing past him, but not before landing a well-placed blow on his shoulder.
"Ah! You cheating son of a… Ow!" Another blow, this time to his side, but this time Matthew tried, and failed, to swing his hammer fast enough with one arm to retaliate. "That tears it…" Matthew grumbled as he missed.
When next Matthew heard Black Rook coming, he activated his Semblance. Black Rook's crystalline blade hit pure iron, Matthew's body easily absorbing the blow to his chest. Black Rook cringed, quickly jumping back into the steadily dissipating smoke.
"Not this time!" Matthew shouted firing Vulcan's head like a cannonball, the heavy block of metal slamming into Black Rook's chest, earning a grunt from the foe.
'I can't keep doing this! I have to find a way to get Matt off my tail, or he's going to pound me into paste. Think. How can I lose him without completely taking him out?' Ace thought to himself as he landed back on his feet.
Then, and idea came. Known only to Matthew and Ace themselves, there was a hidden weakness to Vulcan, a flaw in the mechanism that he could easily exploit. He just needed the right opportunity.
Retracting Vulcan, Matthew charged at Black Rook with a powerful battle cry. Black Rook matched him with sword held out to his side. The two meet and their weapons clashed against each other. Jerking his elbow up, Black Rook hit Matthew in the face, stunning him long enough to spin around him and get the desired angle he needed. With a downward slash, he hit the underside of Vulcan's head. The hammer fired involuntarily embedding itself in the asphalt.
"Im-Impossible!" Matthew cried out in shock at what he had just witnessed. Matthew stared at Black Rook with fear as a one though raced through his mind. 'How did he know how to do that!? He couldn't have! H-He got lucky… Right? Unless… Unless they forced Ace to talk. Then they would know all our secrets.'
"Matt!" Zweii shouted as he knocked a White Fang soldier away with his sword. He rushed to Matthew's aid slashing at Black Rook.
Black Rook jumped back into an alleyway. Raising his right fist up he fired his grapple shot up, the barb embedding itself into the top of an apartment building. As he ascended he swung his sword, cutting off the lower half of the fire escape.
"Matt! What happened? What's wrong with your weapon?" Zweii asked as he swatted away a White Fang member that thought they would attack the hammer wielder.
"My hammer… It has a flaw, something only Ace and I knew about. If hit in the right spot with enough force, the firing mechanism malfunctions and activates on its own." Matthew explained.
"So just reattach it like you always do." Zweii said.
"I can't. If the mechanism is fired incorrectly, it gets stuck." Matthew said.
"Can you fix it?" Zweii asked.
"Yeah, but I need some time." Matthew answered.
"Damn! Ruby! You go after Black Rook. I'll stay here and defend Matt." Zweii instructed.
Ruby nodded, speeding over to the alley way. Firing Crescent Rose at below her feet she launched herself upwards at the wall, landing on it briefly before jumping off it and onto the adjacent wall. Using her Semblance and Crescent Rose she defied gravity and wall ran up the building. With one final shot at the top, she launched herself onto the apartment roofing to join Black Rook.
"Hey! Hold it right there!" Ruby shouted.
"Oh look. Your little girlfriend is here. This should be entertaining." Cinder said darkly.
"You've got nowhere to run. Now tell me where Ace is." Ruby demanded.
"I CANNOT." Black Rook said evenly.
Ruby's stern glare softened into a sorrowful look.
"Please. Tell me where he is. I need to know." Ruby pleaded.
"… WE DON'T ALWAYS GET WHAT WE WANT." Black Rook said.
"… Fine. Have it your way." Ruby said, loading Crescent Rose with a fresh clip.
Ruby lunged for Black Rook, swinging her scythe down at him with frightening speed. Black Rook blocked the scythe with his blade just before it could strike him. Ruby continued to hack and slash at Black Rook, pushing him back with each hit. Black Rook only continued to block each of her attacks, not once trying to counter.
Meanwhile, down on the streets, Zweii continued defending Matthew as he worked to fix his weapon. The White Fang were relentless, coming in from any angle they could.
"Matt, you almost done?" Zweii asked.
"Almost." Matthew answered.
Zweii batted away another grunt and looked to his side. He spotted some White Fang climbing up the building closest to the apartment that Ruby and Black Rook were on.
"Hurry up. Ruby's about to get some extra company." Zweii warned.
"Don't rush me. Almost… Done!" Matthew said finishing his repairs to his hammer.
"Good. Go help Ruby now! I've got these idiots." Zweii said.
"Right." Matthew said running into the apartment complex.
Ruby continued to battle Black Rook on the rooftop, the latter still refusing to attack her.
"Why won't you fight back!?" Ruby asked.
"I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU." Black Rook answered.
"You have a funny way of showing it. If you didn't want to fight us, then you should have been on our side." Ruby said.
"WHY ARE YOU SO DETERMINED ON FINDING SOMEONE THAT IS ALREADY LOST? IF YOU ASK ME… YOU'D BE BETTER OFF MOVING ON WITH YOUR LIVES WITHOUT HIM." Black Rook said.
"NO! That's not true! Ace is our friend, and we never give up on our friends! I love him with all my heart. We're going to bring him back no matter what!" Ruby proclaimed.
'Ruby…' Ace thought to himself.
Suddenly a group of White Fang joined the two on the roof top, jumping across from the building next to the apartment. The group pulled out rifles and began firing at Ruby. The reaper jumped back from the bullets, creating a gap between herself and Black Rook. One of the soldiers pulled out an explosive launcher and fired at Ruby, an explosive landing just in front of her.
"LOOK OUT!" Black Rook yelled, but it was a warning a bit too late.
The bomb exploded, blasting Ruby backwards towards the edge of the roof. Crescent Rose was knocked from her hands and fell off the building while Ruby desperately grasped the roof top. She watched as her beloved weapon took the long fall to the street below.
"Stupid rooftops. Every time I swear!" Ruby grumbled angrily, cursing her streak of mishaps involving rooftops and struggling to maintain a grip on the bricking of the building.
Black Rook growled at the Faunus that dared interfere with their fight and put the person he loved in such peril. He swung his sword down, sending a wave of fire at the soldiers, blocking their way.
Running over to the edge he looked down, spotting Ruby hanging precariously from the roof with one arm.
Ruby looked up, her face filling with fear as she saw the Grimm-like mask of Black Rook staring back.
Black Rook stretched an arm out towards Ruby.
"TAKE MY HAND!" Black Rook said.
"Why!? So you can drop me yourself!?" Ruby asked.
"NO, SO I CAN PULL YOU UP! YOU HAVE TO TRUST ME!" Black Rook answered.
"You bust out a crook we worked so hard to capture, work with the people that took our friend, and you expect me to trust you!?" Ruby asked.
"… NO." Black Rook said sadly.
Ruby's eyes softened, looking once more to the deathly drop below before swinging her arm up. Black Rook grabbed hold and with some effort hoisted her back to the safety of the rooftop, the two tumbling over in exhaustion.
"What are you doing?" Cinder asked in aggravation. "Finish her, now." She ordered, loud enough that Ruby could her from her close proximity.
"I WON'T…" Black Rook said in defiance.
"Fool…"
At once his collar began shocking him with an intense electrical surge. He began shouting in pain, Ruby watching the whole thing with great confusion. He had refused to kill her, and now he was being shocked, as some form of punishment.
The shocking eventually ceased, Black Rook hunched over panting from the painful experience.
"GET AWAY FROM RUBY!" Matthew shouted, getting their attention.
Matthew charged through the group of White Fang who had just finished stomping out the fire, swinging side to side with his hammer and knocking them flat. Continuing his charge towards Black Rook, he dragged his hammer along the ground.
"Matt, wait!" Ruby shouted, but Matthew didn't seem to hear her.
Unable to move, Black Rook shook as Matthew rapidly approached.
"FORE!" He shouted, and with a mighty swing, Matthew golf clubbed Black Rook clear off the building. He watched the crook fly across the street, crashing through the window of another building. "Home run!" He cheered.
"Two different sports there Matt." Ruby said as she picked herself up.
"Whatever. You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah…" Ruby sighed.
"Good. Come on. Let's go get him." Matthew said leading Ruby back down to the street.
Black Rook groaned, pushing himself up and off the ground. Looking around, he found he had crashed into another apartment complex. A terrified couple sat huddled together in their bed, staring at him.
Moving his finger in front of where his lips would be, he shushed them before limping towards the broken window. Looking down, he saw that he was only a few floors away from the ground level.
"There he is!" Zweii shouted, pointing up at Black Rook as Ruby and Matthew rejoined him.
Black Rook jumped down, throwing a handful of smoke pellets around his landing zone. Landing in the haze, he activated his Semblance to make the perfect escape.
"Not this crap again!" Matthew shouted as the trio looked around in the haze.
They heard the slam of a vehicle door and looked to see the White Fang had loaded up in their truck. Before the back doors closed they caught a glimpse of Black Rook standing among them. With a screech of their wheels, they sped off, Matthew, Zweii, and Ruby too exhausted to give chase.
"Damnit…" Matthew huffed as they watched their only lead disappear in the distance.
Ace screamed out in pain as electricity coursed through his body. Upon his return to the warehouse, Cinder began to punish him for his insubordination.
"I ordered you to finish the girl. This is what happens when you disobey me." She said increasing the voltage, making Ace scream louder. "However, you did do what I set you out to do. You drew the attention of those brats. This is your last warning. Defy my orders again, and I guarantee the next time I will not be so forgiving." She said turning off the electricity.
Just then Neo walked into the warehouse looking quite disheveled. Her hair was stained with dirt, strands of it falling over her eyes. Her outfit was filthy and stained with grime and her own sweat.
"What happened to you." Cinder asked harshly making Neo flinch.
"What happened is that she failed her mission." Emerald said, walking in with Mercury and Roman.
Cinder's fiery eyes glared down at the much shorter girl. "Is this true?"
Neo nodded in response.
"That assignment should have been child's play for you." Cinder growled.
"Hey lay off her. The military has drastically amped up their security since the breakout. She barely made it out of there at all." Roman said.
"I take back what I said earlier. Neo is about as incompetent as you are." Emerald said to Roman.
Neo's eyes widened in rage. Drawing her blade from her umbrella, she swung at Emerald. The mint-haired girl blocked the surprise attack with both her kamas. Neo grit her teeth, glaring daggers at Emerald.
"Neopolitan!" Cinder barked making Neo cower at the sound of her voice. "You dare to assault one of my most trusted associates? This is unacceptable." She said conjuring her twin blades.
Emerald pushed Neo back and towards Cinder who approached with purpose. Neo trembled, but gripped her blade, preparing to fight despite her condition. If she was going to die, she'd go down fighting. Neo swung at Cinder, but her strike was easily blocked by on of Cinder's blades, while the other struck her from the side. With a simple kick, Neo was knocked to the ground.
"I'm disappointed in you Neo. You know what happens when you cross me." Cinder said raising he blades to deliver the finishing strike. Neo clenched her eyes shut as the blades fell.
CLANG
The curious sound of clashing blades brought Neo to open her eyes. She was shocked to see Ace standing between her and Cinder, his sword held behind his back and blocking Cinder's swords.
"ENOUGH…" Ace said.
"You…" Cinder growled.
"IF YOU MUST PUNISH SOMEONE, LET IT BE ME." Ace said.
"You wish to take her place?"
"…"
"So be it…" Cinder said, shocking Ace once more until he passed out.
"Lock him back in his cell, and don't give him any food." Cinder instructed a pair of White Fang members.
"Yes, Ma'am!" The replied, dragging Ace back to his cell.
"Roman… You will keep better control of your… Pet, if you wish for her to continue breathing." Cinder said before walking off.
Roman watched until she fully left the room, scowling. Looking to Neo, he found her staring in the direction of Ace's cell.
Ace slowly stirred, finding himself locked up once again. He felt weak. Unsurprising considering what he had endured today. But he was alive, whether he would chalk that up as a blessing or a curse remained to be determined.
He couldn't hardly believe what he had done. He attacked his friends. He fought with Ruby and she almost got hurt or worse. He felt sick to his stomach. He would never raise a blade at his friends the way he was forced to earlier, but he had. To him, it was as if he had committed the greatest of crimes imaginable.
He was tired, his eyes barley able to remain open. His vision blurred as he began to slip back into the abyss of his sleep.
The sound of heeled boots roused him at the last moment. Shifting his gaze upwards, Ace saw Neo walking up to his cell. She appeared to have cleaned up since last he saw her, her hair and clothes washed and proper. She stopped just in front, shooting a piercing glare at Ace, her arms crossed.
"…Oh. It's you." Ace said before yawning. "Sorry… I'm tired… I'm very tired…"
Neo continued to stare at him as if waiting for something.
"Do… Do you want something?" Ace asked.
She nodded, pointing a finger at him.
"You're… Wondering why I stopped her?" Ace asked.
Again, she nodded.
"I don't really know. I guess seeing someone else suffering under her, made me want to act. No one deserves her cruelty, not even you." Ace rasped.
Neo seemed taken aback to his answer, her glare dissipating. She didn't detect any dishonesty in the boy's answer. Turning to a nearby crate she picked up a tray of food and brought it over to Ace.
"You… Brought that for me?" Ace asked.
Neo nodded, but then her stomach rumbled slightly.
"That's your food, isn't it?"
Neo blushed and turned her face away.
"Thank you, but you should keep it for yourself."
Neo shook her head, pushing the tray out to Ace.
"… I can't take it." Ace said.
Neo glared at him.
"No, seriously, I can't take it." Ace said, jerking the chains that bound him to clarify.
Neo had clearly overlooked this and sighed silently. Setting the tray down she pushed a crate up to the cell. Picking the tray back up she stood up on the box and proceeded to gather a spoonful of what appeared to be soup. Blushing madly, she put the spoon through the bars and up to Ace's mouth. As degrading as it felt, she owed him for stepping in the way he did. A missed meal on her part was plenty fair compensation, even if she had to feed him herself. She was lucky his mask was currently stored in his jacket.
"You don't have to… Ulk!" Ace was cut off as Neo shoved the food into his open mouth.
As Ace relented and began eating she prepared another spoonful. The process continued for another few spoonfuls until Ace denied anymore.
"That's plenty, thank you." Ace said.
Neo looked at the bowl that remained half full. Surely he was joking that that meager amount was enough.
"You're hungry. You can keep the rest." Ace said with a small smile.
Neo placed the tray down and retrieved a bottle of water. Unscrewing the cap, she brought it to Ace's face. Ace accepted and drank from the bottle, the cool water soothing his parched throat.
"Well isn't this a sight."
Ace and Neo looked to find Roman leaning against a crate, smoking his cigar.
"Torchwick…" Ace said.
"Gotta say kid, you're lucky… Well relatively speaking of course. I can't even get Neo to pick up a pack of smokes for me and here she is hand feeding you her rations." He laughed.
Neo pouted, flipping Roman off.
"Well it's true. Anyway, as much as I hate to say this, thank you for helping her." Roman said.
An awkward silence filled the room.
"… Why did you choose a life of crime?" Ace finally asked.
"Why'd I become the bad guy? Because it's fun kid. Looting places, sticking up joints, and pissing off the cops. All a great big barrel of laughs." Roman said twirling his cane.
"I don't buy that. What's the real reason?" Ace asked.
"Fine. You really want to know why I do what I do? It's the same reason you do. I do it to survive. We're really not that different in that aspect. In a world where everyone is out for themselves, you can only rely on yourself to look out for numero uno kid. Except for Neo. We look out for each other. The part about it giving me my thrills was also true."
"How does that relate to you allying with the likes of Cinder?"
"Gotta play for the winning team kid. As long as we fight for her, our odds of survival are stellar."
"Do you even know what you're fighting for?" Ace asked.
Roman frowned. "Why would you ask that?"
"She tells you everything you do is all for her plan, but she hasn't bothered to tell you what that plan is, has she?"
"What are you getting at kid?" Roman asked.
"Whatever her plan is, we're not a part of the end game. You're both as disposable as I am. When you no longer serve her purpose, she'll get rid of you. Your survival … Goes out the window." Ace said tiredly.
Roman scoffed, turning to face the boy and argue, but any words he had were stopped as he saw that Ace had fallen asleep. Neo looked at Roman and shrugged. He had simply passed out again.
"Hmph. Come on Neo. No need to get caught and make the boss lady any more peeved." Roman said.
Neo pushed the crate back to where it belonged and followed Roman out, leaving Ace to his sleep.
Ace opened his eyes once again, but instead of the usual warehouse surrounding, he found he was back in the city.
"Why am I back here?" Ace asked himself.
Then something dawned on him. Something was very wrong. The city was on fire. Entire buildings were burning like great pyres in the night.
"W-What happened here!?" He asked.
He began running through the burning cityscape looking for answers. None of this made sense to him. Why was he in a burning Vale?
As he ran he came across a sight that made his face pale. Lying in the streets were his friends, covered in blood and heavy injuries. They weren't moving. They weren't breathing.
"No… No, no! This isn't happening!" Ace shouted in horror.
Suddenly a shrill cry rang through the sound of roaring flames.
"Ruby!" Ace yelled out, running to find her.
He turned a corner to find a figure draped in darkness holding her out in front of them.
"Let her go!" Ace shouted, running to save her.
The figure took no notice of him and instead pulled out a sword. With no hesitation, the figure thrust his blade through Ruby's chest, the tip coming out her back. Her blood gushed out, making Ace want to puke.
"RUBY!" Ace cried out in anguish.
"SUCH A SHAME. SHE REALLY WAS THE SPECIAL ONE, WASN'T SHE?" The figure said in an eerily familiar voice as they slid her corpse of the blade and tossed her to the side like garbage.
The flames illuminated the figure making a startling reveal. The figure was wearing Ace's Black Rook get up, complete with collar and sword.
"WHO ARE YOU!?" Ace asked.
"I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE OBVIOUS." The figure said. Reaching up to their face, they removed the mask, and Ace was forced to stare into his own eyes. "Surprise~" The doppelganger said with a twisted smile.
"No…" Ace said.
"Yep. I'm you! Or I guess, I'm part of you. I'm the darkness within your heart." The darker Ace said.
"No, you're not real! This is just a nightmare! There's no way you're part of me!" Ace declared.
The duplicate frowned. "There you go again, denying me, pretending that I don't exist. It's just a lie you keep telling yourself to keep up this illusion that you can do no wrong. Your malice, your rage, your darkest desires, I am the embodiment of it all! And let me tell you, I am very real!"
The evil Ace, created the same orbs of fire that Ace had used on Zweii and shot them at him. The shots blasted Ace back and despite this being a dream, the pain felt very real.
"You've locked your darkness deep within you for so long, rarely letting it surface, but when you do, I get to come out and play~" Dark Ace said.
"W-what are you talking about?" Ace asked.
"You're anger towards Weiss for what she said to you in her mind, your cruelty towards that guy that hit on Ruby and treated you like trash, your bloodlust for the pack of Beowolves that attacked Shadow, and your hatred for Cinder. It's all me!" Dark Ace cackled.
"Y-You're insane!" Ace protested.
"Said the pot to the kettle. You've pushed your darkness down so long, you've developed a hidden personality! But that's fine, because now I get to turn you into the person you really are!"
Dark Ace conjured five more orbs of fire and began firing them. The first pierced through Ace's shoulder, the second his leg making him kneel. The final three fired straight through Ace's chest knocking him onto his back.
Ace began desperately trying to crawl away, his back pushed up against a wall behind him. He trembled as Dark Ace raised his sword and created a large ball of fire. Swinging his blade downwards, he sent the orb at Ace.
In a flash of brilliant light, Summer appeared in front of Ace. Holding out her hand she stopped the attack dead in its tracks, the fireball exploding harmlessly against her palm.
"S-Summer?" Ace asked in astonishment.
Summer turned her head and gave him a brief smile before staring down his darker half.
"Tch. Killjoy…" Dark Ace muttered.
"Begone…" Summer commanded, a white light emitted from her and destroyed the illusion of the scorched city. When the light faded, the evil Ace was nowhere to be seen and they had been transported to the grassy hill that served as their normal meeting place.
"Is… Is he gone?" Ace asked.
"For now." Summer answered.
"You didn't get rid of him for good?"
"I don't have that power. Only you can kill your own demons."
"Where have you been? I could have really used you…" Ace said.
"I'm sorry. I know the suffering you have endured has been unfathomable. But, the forces that be have prevented me from contacting you until now." Summer explained.
"So what do I do now?" Ace asked.
"That's something you must figure out for yourself, but if you want my advice then listen. Every person is given their own trials, some more than others. Everything you're going through right now is another test and every decision you make will shape your future, for better or worse that is up to you. You'll stumble and fall along the way, but if you follow your heart I believe you will make it through this test, and come out a better, stronger person for it." Summer said.
"I'm scared Summer… I just want the nightmare to end, one way or another…" Ace said feebly.
"I know dear. I know. I must go now. Stay strong and remain true to who you are." Summer said before she and the landscape vanished, leaving Ace alone in the void of his mind.
Curling up into himself, he closed his eyes as the laughter of his demons rang from around, haunting him from within his own dreams.
A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a bit since my last update huh? Sorry about that, but I was prepping for finals and didn't have much time for writing. That's partially why I released two chapters in March, as a form of preparing for the inevitable lack of time. But finals are over now and I'm trying to get back on track.
Things are just getting worse for our favorite Half-Breed aren't they. Poor Ace can't seem to catch a break. But maybe things will get better now that Summer has returned... Maybe...
Be sure to let me know what you think of this chapter with a Review or PM and I'll catch you guys next time!