Hello Hello, dear readers! It's Fangirling Heart, with another chapter for you... while the series is two episodes away from being over... And I honestly don't feel ready at all. I can definitely tell that the finale is going to destroy me in more ways than one. And on that note, I want to say, that even after the end of the show, I will keep writing this story until its very end, I give you my word here and now! I hope that you'll keep reading it as well. Anyways, I believe you want to get to the chapter now (oh, and I almost forgot, this is another chapter that could be a liitle bit dark). So let's go!
Sugarby's transparent, light blue form came floating out of the curtain, her all-white eyes reflecting a terrified Varian.
She was wearing a long, ragged dress with a large stain on her chest and a spiteful, obsessive smile that revealed a series of dirty fangs. While in her free hand she was holding a cane with a familiar-looking skull on it.
She kept moving towards him. And the closer she was coming, the deeper her arm was going inside his, making the numbness spread.
Without even thinking, Varian quickly brought out his sword and slashed her arm, stumbling away from her, while she turned away with a scream, clutching her cut arm, which slowly started materialising again.
She shot him a shocked and enraged glare, noticing how the sword was glowing. Just like his colored streak and his eyes...
Well, that was odd... She did see the glows before, but she hadn't realised they were coming from the sword too. There was no way it would be able to do that, unless...!
Fallen to the ground, as the feeling in his hand returned, Varian could only stare between Sugarby and the glowing blade (whose glow seemed to have lasted a little longer than usual), breathing shakily in shock at what he just did. Weren't for that electrifying adrenaline and that completion he felt coursing through his veins, he definitely would have fainted. And there was something more. A tiny, barely understandable voice in his ears, that felt somehow reassuring.
However, before he could dwell on it further, he noticed something that made him stand up in alarm.
Sugarby was gone.
But she soon made her presence known again:
"...Whο... are you...?!" She demanded, her voice as cold as the wind that carried it.
"Sh-Shouldn't I be the one to ask that?!" He asked back with a guarded look covering his fear, and a strong gust surrounded him and threw him on the floor.
"Oh, so it isn't obvious?" She hissed, as Varian stood up again, grabbed his staff and turned to run away, only to hit a wall... that wasn't even there a second ago. "I am what's left of my former self after that night! When they took everything away from me. My home, my family... even my body and my life! But my spirit couldn't move on. Not unless I returned the favor. And unfortunately, I had to end up here of all places, for whatever reason."
While she was speaking, Varian kept trying to leave from another direction, but wherever he was turning, a wall was rising, until there was nowhere to go.
"Trapped all alone in a prison with little to no chance of escaping... Seperated from those I care about, without even knowing if they're alive or dead... You have no idea how awful it feels." The witch's voice echoed in the cold. Dark, oily, mocking. Sounding like it was coming from everywhere at once.
The young alchemist tightened his grip on both the staff and the sword, as a new sense of concern clawed at his heart.
"What have you done with Rudiger and the Princess?" He called out, brandishing his weapon.
Sugarby simply chuckled. "...Mmm. Then again maybe you have..."
"That's enough! Tell me right now, or-"
"OR what?! Will you kill me with that sword of yours, like that warrior did?! I don't think so!" A powerful wind suddenly roared, whisking both items out of Varian's hands and to the other side of the room.
"No!" Varian cried in alarm and rushed to get them.
But he was stopped abruptly by another cold wave that circled him.
"Stay... That's a good boy..." Sugarby whispered, her breeze's chilly touch wandering across his shoulders.
The young alchemist cringed at that sensation, to which a soft pain was suddenly added. As if something was... piercing his shoulders!
He immediately lunged forward, before the pain gave way to numbness, took the sword backwards and brought it behind him.
This time Sugarby managed to pull away in the last second. But she quickly flew toward him again with a shriek.
Varian moved toward her too, to attack and she brought her cane before her, effectively blocking him. And the two kept their weapons crossed, and their eyes locked.
Momentarily increasing the already existent tension on his face and making her blood boil even more, those light blue glows had made their appearence again. In his streak. In his blade!... In his eyes.
So intense and so powerful, even without the glow. Revealing a darkness, that was contradicting their bright color, and a clash of wills.
If Sugarby knew one thing about those eyes, it was how dangerous they can be.
Time for a new strategy. She thought, before she disappeared again.
"Hey! Get back here!" Varian yelled but received no answer.
And it was then when he noticed... It wasn't cold anymore.
"Seriously! I know you can hear me... whatever you are! The air is getting really stale and it's insufferable! Get me out of here this instant or so help me!" The princess yelled as she kept hitting the walls.
Rudiger did the same, but not as hard as before. Little by little, panic was rising inside him and making him freeze, no matter how much he tried to push it down.
He had been... trapped before... but it wasn't like that. At least that other time, he was the only one in danger. This time, unfortunately he wasn't. And he couldn't help but feel that it was his fault. He was the one who jumped down that staircase, after all...
"My, my, aren't you two noisy?" A familiar, mocking voice was suddenly heard as the room turned chilly.
Dismissing the cold and the uneasiness, Rudiger came and stood protectively next to the trembling princess, growling angrily, ready to attack anything that would get too close.
"I'll admit, you have been really helpful to me today. And I thank you for that. But I need you for one last thing." The voice said, in a gentle, yet dangerous tone.
BOOM!
Varian never thought he'd be so glad to cause an explosion, but apparently there's a first time for everything. With a smirk on his face and the last glowing vial at hand, he came out of the hole on the wall his explosion created.
Okay, so he was out and for now Sugarby was out of his hair. He had to find the others before-
Rumble...
All of a sudden the ground slightly shook, and a loud noise started to be heard. A noise that was definetely not a thunder. And behind it, Varian could faintly hear something else. Something like... chittering and screaming!
He immediately ran towards the sounds, which appeared to be coming from the room behind the curtain. Pushing it away, he found himself in a rather small space, with nothing but a large bookshelf covering the whole right wall. The moment he entered, yet another wave of cold filled the place. And he noticed, that one of the walls was moving.
"My dear Varian, there you are. I was just about to get you." Sugarby said, still not appearing.
"What? Who's-? Kid, is that you?! Get us out of here! Those walls are MOVING! They'll SQUASH us!" The princess' voice screamed from behind the moving wall, accompanied by Rudiger's chitterings, both sounding louder and more desperate than before.
"D-don't worry! I'll-" Varian rushed towards them, but was cut off by another of Sugarby's wind waves.
"You will stay put and do exactly as I say! That is, if you want them to get out of that room in one piece." A smirk was heard in the witch's voice, while her breeze danced around him.
And hearing it, the young alchemist could have sworn that it was laughing at him. But to him, it didn't matter as much as Rudiger's cries of protest, which were still laced with terror.
Through gritted teeth, this time he didn't stand up. He merely sat up, his fists resting on his knees and gripping his apron.
"...What do you want from me?" He asked, looking around with his eyebrows narrowed in anger. But his eyes were betraying the fast beating of his heart.
"I want what you have but I lack: your body and your life. Without them, a spirit cannot leave its turf. And once I'm free from here, with you as my vessel, I shall be able to do a lot more than that!" Sugarby explained, sounding nearly ecstatic.
"Like what?"
"Is that really what you must be concerned about right now, dear? If I were you, I'd make my choice and fast."
Behind the moving wall, Rudiger and the princess were barely able to move anymore. They were both wearing the same look of fear, waiting for Varian's answer with baited breath. However, the answer each was hoping, was different.
Varian squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head with a sigh of defeat. "Okay, you win! Just let them go. Please."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the wall started moving back to its original place and when it got there, he stood up to run towards it. But he stopped abruptly, when Sugarby appeared before him.
"Have you forgotten our deal already?" She asked with a displeased expression.
"I want to make sure they're okay. Give me just one minute. You owe me that much." He replied, his tone hard as stone.
"...One minute." She said, after a moment of hesitation and stepped aside, while the wall sank to the ground.
Rudiger immediately ran to his friend's arms. Part of him wanted to rage at his decision, but at the moment he could only stay right where he was and seek some comfort, while Varian whispered in his ear.
Regina followed just as fast, but upon reaching them, she couldn't bring herself to face the young alchemist.
"Hey." He said with a sad smile and placed a hand on her shoulder, surprising her (so much for avoiding eye contact). "You'll be okay. You can carry on your own. All you must do is listen to Rudiger and be quick."
She raised an eyebrow in confusion, but before she could say anything he handed the raccoon to her (confusing her even more) and walked away from them.
He stood in front of Sugarby, anxiousness and dread dominating his face.
Rudiger chittered at the princess to get her attention, motioned with his head at the other two and jumped off her arms, leaving a little something in his place.
"I'm ready." Varian said, and the witch reached her hands out to-
Crash!
The princess threw the ball Rudiger gave her exactly between them, creating a cloud of smoke that enveloped them both.
Exactly a second later a loud scream echoed, and Varian came running out of the smoke with the sword in his hands.
Upon reaching the princess and his friend, he dropped to his knees. They came closer to check on him, their faces full of worry. But he quickly calmed them down a little with a relieved smile, which they returned.
Unfortunately, though, it didn't last long.
"Sly little wizard...!"
As soon as those words were heard, Varian's body suddenly fell on the floor, like a puppet that got its strings cut.
Unable to move, he could only stare in horror at the other two, who mirrored his stare.
Rudiger was about to go to him. But before he could, the princess grabbed him and moved away from the young alchemist's body, as his pupils disappeared and his eyes turned all white. The distraught raccoon kept struggling to get out of her grip, but she wouldn't let him go.
If anything, she was holding him tighter each second, like a scared child holding onto her teddy bear. While her eyes remained locked on to him-
And noticed something strange.
The colored streak on his hair was flickering. His eyes started turning from white to light blue, glowing dimly as well. And his lower lip was slightly quivering, as if he was trying to speak, but had forgotten how.
Slowly, he sat up, raising his head. And some shaky words started escaping his lips:
"Wi...W-With-... Wither... a-and decay..."
Aaaannnd, there it is finally! Another chapter coming to an end! I will see you all next time! Please leave a review. :)
