Claws decimated his windpipe, slamming him down onto the ground.
Jaden instinctively grabbed her wrists, meager amounts of oxygen desperately leaving his lungs. His wide eyes reflected back her corpse, the hellish nature destroying his mind bit by bit. Though the shock still coursed through him, he could still feel himself cutting off the blood flow beneath her veins, shutting down capillaries and arteries, doing everything he could to reach her heart. His nails were jammed into her skin, endeavoring to pry them away.
An agonizing howl escaped from her lips. Without another wasted second, she dragged him against the walls, repeatedly banging his head against the surface. His vision was starting to get blurry, and when he felt his mental grip on her weaken, her grip on his neck tightened. But already, he could see Alexis racing towards them. He gritted his teeth.
Her fangs kept snapping at him, her bloodless eyes greedily drinking in his helpless form. Age-old wrinkles coated her emaciated body, her transparent skin tearing through any resemblance of the black organs within her. Her once lush, beautiful hair had been reduced to dry, thin strands of gray, her grotesquely long, yellow nails cutting through the thin membrane of his throat. Dark eyes that held so much innocence before had all but disappeared, leaving only two, black holes he couldn't even find himself in. Though remnants of her voice was still left in her throat, even now, Jaden couldn't bring himself to listen to the scratchy records.
And yet, what grabbed his attention the most, was the torn, soiled hospital gown she wore.
Along with a familiar mark, one that Yusei had wanted to be rid of for a long time.
He dragged whatever traces were left of his power, and threw her off him. Before she could regain her balance, he grabbed her shin and tossed her beneath him. He broke both her arms, her torn ligaments rendering them useless, before shifting his weight to her struggling legs. He could smell the iron escaping from him, and he closed his eyes, knowing full well Alexis was behind him, the cold, distant look still in her eyes. Mree tried snapping at him once again, her body violently contorting against his.
Jaden bit the inside of his cheek. A beloved sister, a person he would've done everything for, someone that even Belletrix looked up to; here she was now, a victim to the cruelties she tried to rule over. She was born into that world, but somehow, she refused to become as tainted as the rest, refused to lose her own heart, though she knew she could die from it. She'd given up everything just to retain it, even him, and Yusei, and Belletrix, if only for the sake of something as foolish as that.
Because in the end, she left them.
Memories of kindness and compassion, along with the smiles he couldn't help but grow fond of, the games they've played, laughs they've shared during their time in Fallen…
…were completely, and utterly worthless now.
In that split second, he found Alexis's heel piercing Mree's skull. Almost immediately, the creature screamed again, the piercing sound reverberating through the hallway. Her claws were pathetically scratching the ground in utter humiliation. She kept writhing back and forth, back and forth, doing whatever she could to try and get out of Alexis's grip.
Jaden stared at her, for the longest time.
Then, without hesitation, he drove his hand through her visible rib cage. He could feel the sharp tips brushing through his palm. It kept scarring him, for some odd reason, but he continued, puncturing her lungs, weaving through the veins and arteries and the like. And finally, he felt the fragile thumps of her sick, weakly heart. He found himself smirking. "You really are kind, aren't you?"
With one, fluid move, he ripped the same heart out from her, and crushed it.
Akiza stumbled forward, her hands desperately clinging to the table cloth. Shallow breathing suffocated her chest, as she tried looking at the man ahead of her, the creature known as Belial. He had a tiny smirk on his face, though cool, callous eyes depicted his own, self-worthlessness. Strands of raven hair fell towards those eyes, as he stepped forth, the very instance of relief now slipping away from the atmosphere. It wasn't long before she could feel herself steady. She heard him laugh lightly. "My, what a mess you've made in here."
She clutched the cloth. "I've…I've seen worse."
"I'm sure you have." His eyes fell to Sarah's body. He glared at it for a single moment, before stepping on it, his bloody footprints marking the floors. "Of course, this can't even begin to compare to all the pain and suffering you've caused."
Slowly, she straightened herself, unfamiliar emotions bombarding her at the seams. No, she didn't care who he was, what he was doing here. The old, recognizable ring to his name, as well as his face, the smooth, charismatic way he talked, with an edge of manipulation wrapped around his tone…
Yusei.
They were alike, in that way.
Belial sighed then. "I'd know that look anywhere. It's the same look you give anyone, when you're about to kill them."
"I don't need a lesson about manners from you."
"Now, now, settle down." Belial closed his eyes, taking in the scents of chaos and violence, before opening them again. "But seriously, I warned milady about this happening. And yet, for some reason, she still chose to end her little experiment. If you kept wallowing in your own self-pity, I'm sure you would've gotten more out of this."
Her vision began blurring, though she managed to catch herself.
An experiment.
Wallowing in self-pity.
"And yet," Belial continued, "you couldn't bear not knowing the truth."
"What are you…? Experiments?"
He nodded, as he strolled towards her, his shoulders relaxing at the seams. "She wasn't joking. You really don't remember anything, do you?"
She clenched her teeth. The more she looked at him, the more tense she got. She couldn't help but scowl darkly at him, her nails almost piercing through the white table cloth. The words were lodged in her throat; she couldn't say anything, other than struggle against her own, mental burdens. Finally, it came back to her.
"You mean Belletrix, don't you?"
"That's right." He said carefully, placing his hands flat against the table. He leaned toward her, and smiled, not even bothering to hide the malice in his expression. "You see, Belletrix needed you, for some odd reason. Apparently, you were the key to the Black Rose's downfall."
Black Rose.
That's right.
Yusei was…
He was…
"How's it feel?" she heard him say from a far-off distance. Tendrils of shadows kept peeking out at her, the vague lines separating the silhouette in front of her. "When you saw him there, with Belletrix, the very instance of his death…"
Death.
"…your own fault…"
Dying.
She was dying.
And suddenly, she was forced to the ground.
A sickening crack resounded against her eardrums. She visibly winced at the searing pain erupting from behind her. Her bangs flew wildly around her. Before she knew it, she looked up, and saw Belial, just a mere foot away from her.
"But you know what?" he growled, grabbing a fistful of hair and hoisting her up. She fought down a painful howl, his rancid breath washing over her. "You've had your fun. I think it's time you sleep for a while, wouldn't you agree?"
Sleeping.
She'd be sleeping.
Sleeping while the world around her continued on, as it always had; while everyone would leave her, her very existence forgotten by the people she once so dearly cherished; while new stories abound, plots in which she would have no part of.
Like a withered rose, long after its prime.
Or an amaryllis, just sitting in a lonely vase.
She clenched her fists. "Screw that."
"…kolai."
"Nikolai."
Yusei opened his eyes.
Something heavy weighed against his wrist, his ankles, and when he moved them, the shackles resounded against his skin. He stole a look around him, the shadows messily dancing to the metallic sounds nearby. Darkness shrouded him mercilessly, as he endeavored seeing through the black, only to find himself disappointed every time. He suddenly lurched forward, a throbbing easing its way into his mind. He winced, forcing down the urge to throw up.
Quiet groans etched themselves throughout the room. He could feel his vision blur, could feel the vertigo entwining with his pristine, blue eyes. But still, he endeavored to catch a glimpse of those shadows, trying to gage where he was, trying to remember what he was doing there, when he couldn't help but sense a familiar presence nearing him.
"Belletrix," he growled.
The woman cocked her head. She stood, a mere few feet away from him, her arms crossed over her chest. She wore a plain, black dress, the hem of the skirt roughly swaying along the dust upon the floor. She held an egotistical smile on her face, her lips curled up in that sinister way of hers. He tensed when she came near, the same, intimidating aura surrounding her frame. "Been a while, hasn't it?"
"What the hell are you doing here? Didn't Akiza-?"
"Now that's what they'd call a lie now, isn't it?" She paused for a brief moment, an unreadable thought passing through her face. Before long, her arms came to her side. "Even without that bitch, you're still giving me a hard time."
He clenched his fists. "Where are the others? What've you done with them?"
"Still need to work on that impatience."
"Enough games Belletrix," he snapped, causing her to fall silent. "The fact that you went as far as to capture the nobles…means you want something from me. If it's about that little prank we pulled-"
"I can assure you, that Clovers girl had nothing to do with anything. I'm actually happy you killed her that time."
"Then what is it?" he asked darkly. "You haven't killed us yet, so I'm sure you must want something."
Belletrix was already a few feet away from him, her light footsteps resounding to the dirges of the feast.
His fingers automatically flying to his forehead. Something sticky coated his temples, and from the corner of his eyes, dark, crimson streams nestled against his skull. From the looks both Jack and Crow were giving him, it seems Belletrix had already made her move.
"When Akiza came to Amrbosine that day, it was already checkmate," she stated quietly. "She spilled everything to us, and, inevitably, I caught on. After that, I decided to set up a little experiment. I wanted to see how far you'd go, if you heard that she was alive. You were her Queen after all, and despite everything she's done to you, you wouldn't leave her side. I wanted to test that loyalty. I wanted to see if you really were truly devoted to her."
"Because if I wasn't, I'd lose too," he finished easily.
Belletrix nodded. "In Fallen, everyone has a certain degree of insanity. It determines how far we'd go, how reliable our morality is, how strong we are against the others; whether we're aware of it or not, however, is entirely up to us. We lose ourselves to this power when we fight, when we judge others based on the crimes we've committed, when we kill others like us; we relied on this power for so long, that it's become apart of us. The insanity that flows through our veins is as natural as the blood flowing through your friends' veins. Not even your beloved was able to break that rule; in fact, it was what allowed us to control her so easily.
"So you could imagine my surprise, when I realized that you, of all people, managed to break away from it."
He narrowed his eyes. "What of it?"
"You relied on her stupid promise, so much so it made me sick. I figured that if I could interfere, if I could show you that she isn't as wonderful as she seemed, that not even she could keep up with a promise like that, you'd betray her." She smirked painfully. "I still can't believe; even after she called you a "monster" you refused to leave her side. You still trust her, no matter how much of an idiot she's made of herself."
She closed her eyes then. "She told you that you were human. And as you know, humans are precarious things; they rely on their own existence, and never once are they satisfied. Insatiable things; though they might play the part of the good samaritan, in the end they're the same as every other monster they've imagined. I'm sure you're aware of that little aspect."
"Just stop."
"Nikolai-"
Yusei stood, the familiar presence of his own power wrapping delicately around him. Both Jack and Crow's reflections stared at him, the very essence of darkness hiding them from the feast. He examined the table for a while, before coming back to Belletrix, who eyed him suspiciously. "You wanted something from us. You used the Clovers as bait the last time, and you're doing the same thing with Akiza. If it's information you want, we've already destroyed all of it. I doubt either Jaden or Alexis would remember anything from Fallen."
Her eyes fell to his mark.
Yusei followed her gaze then, a disgusted frown plastered on his lips. "You used these marks to track us down, didn't you? You probably put these marks on the rest of the Signers too, just to keep tabs on us."
Belletrix smiled saccharinely. "Your beloved was rather fond of the supporting characters. This was her dream after all; I just played it to my advantage." She closed her eyes. "Your sweetheart told me something interesting, aside from being human of course."
"Oh?"
Belletrix nodded. "She said she enjoyed reading. She especially liked the stories she made up for your coven. In a way, I was only trying to help her live out her fantasy one more time."
"And what'd you mean by that?" Yusei demanded, taking a threatening step toward her.
She looked away.
His eyes widened.
"You're gonna USE AKIZA, AREN'T YOU?!"
