ACH: Side Story

Canon to Main ACH Timeline: No

Promises Never Kept

Ever since she was a little girl, Emery enjoyed reading. She wasn't very good at it the time, and it would take her until her adulthood to really be good enough to read on her own. Nonetheless, she enjoyed it.

Maybe it wasn't the reading itself that she liked when she was young. No, it was probably the fantastical stories she would hear. Her mother was always so good with words, even when she was growing sicker. Indeed, even to her last moments, even when the plague doctors were taking her away, her voice was always beautiful. Emery almost envied it.

Still, the stories always seemed to come alive whenever her mother spoke. When she was a child, story time was always her favorite time of the day. And some of that must've carried over into her adulthood. Only this time, she was the one telling the story.

"And that is the tale, of the Reversus Rapus. What do you think? Pretty crazy right?"

Darius blinked, frowning as he stared down at the book in her hands. "I think that your childhood bedtime stories were way too insane. I mean, seriously, a creature that rapes people's every hole, including pores and nipples, in order to reproduce? What kind of insane degenerate would even come up with that? Like, no way anything like it exists."

She giggled, patting Darius on the shoulder as she closed the fairly tale book. "Come on Darius, it's an old Halorian legend. Every kid heard about it in one form or another. It's why I never talked to strangers when I was a little girl. Wha did they were the Reversus Rapus? Besides, I can't wait to tell our kid this story when he or she gets old enough. It's practically tradition."

A scoff escaped his lips, and he crossed his arms in indignation. "Emery, I love you, but there is no way I'm letting you tell our child that he or she might get molested and raped by a tentacle monster. Gods Em, sometimes I worry that you're a little crazy at times."

Crazy? Her? Well now, that was just being rude. Still, she couldn't be mad at him. It was just so cute that he thought he had a choice in the matter. "Oh Darius, you sweet, handsome, and sometimes completely stupid man. It's going to happen. I mean, every forestkin has to hear about the Reversus Rapus at some point. Even if our kid is part, Aspect of Destruction or whatever. It'll still be a forestkin."

He frowned once again, looking down at her and cupping her chin. "I get that, I do. But, well, isn't that a bit much Em? I mean, do you really want to explain rape to a child? First off, you'd had to explain what sex is. Which is infinitely more uncomfortable. Is that really something you want to do?"

That… was a good point. In fact, she was pretty sure that she ended up tormenting her mother about it for weeks. The last thing she needed was for that to happen to her. "Fair point honey, fair point. Still, once we give the kid the sex talk, I'm going to make sure the Reversus Rapus is in there."

A knock echoed on the library door before Darius could argue. Without waiting for a reply, the door opened, revealing Evanora with a tray of teacups and cookies in her hands. "Heya Emery, how's the reading going? Enjoying your time out of the room?"

The woman sat down across from them, setting up two cups of tea and pouring the tea in. Reaching out and grabbing a cup, Emery frowned as she took a sip. "I've been doing great so far, thank you for asking. Though I'd prefer it if you didn't ignore Darius like that. That's just rude."

Darius snorted, crossing both arms and leaning back in his chair. "I know right? Honestly, I'd expect this from Rana any day. But you Eva? I'm almost hurt."

Evanora blinked, furrowing her brows for a moment before shaking her head slightly. "Er, right. I'm sorry… Darius. I shouldn't have ignored you like that."

He just smirked playfully, leaning against the table and resting his head on his hand. "I don't think you even mean that. Come on Eva, have a little heart. You didn't even pour me any tea."

Munching on a cookie, Evanora just ignored him. Emery took another sip of her tea. Well, that was just being mean. Did he do something to her? There was no way. The two of them were friends. Maybe even best friends, if you're not counting… her.

Her eyes began to droop slightly. That's… weird. She was starting to feel really tired. The room began to spin, and she dropped the cup of tea onto the floor. Emery tried to stand, but she fell onto the chair Darius had been sitting in.

Wait a minute, where was he anyway? He was just here. Where'd he… go off… to.

And then everything went black.

…

"-we really be doing this?"

"Do you want her to die?"

"W-Well, no, but- "

"Then stop doubting."

Emery's head pounded, and her eyes began to slowly open. Her lower body, it felt cold and bare. She tried to get up, but her arms and legs were bound by some sort of metal holding. She still felt drowsy and numb, especially in her lower body. Shapes were blurry, and the lights hurt her eyes.

"Shit. Rana, she's waking up! Maybe we should stop the procedure."

"Enough, Evanora! I'm following the instruction to the letter, so just… stop!"

"This… this doesn't feel right. We should at least give her the choice!"

"We've already lost Darius, and I'm not about to let Emery kill herself because she wants to keep that poison in her!"

There was a prodding sensation at her lower lips, and then a strange sense of fullness. Not a pleasurable one though. This one was cold, and made her feel uncomfortable. She strained against her bindings, this time a bit more panicked.

"Damn it. Evanora, start the procedure. We're getting this thing out of her, whether she likes it or not!"

"I… okay."

A suctioning feeling began to grow within her. It… it almost hurt. She could feel something coming out, and an almost spiritual clawing sensation. Whatever was leaving her, it was trying to call out.

The haze of her mind began to lift, and a horrifying realization hit her. They were trying to remove her baby. "N-No, stop it! Don't take my child away from me!"

She bucked her hips, and began to thrash as best she could. But her restraints held strong, and the procedure continued. Emery tried to plead, staring directly at Evanora. "P-Please… don't do this."

The woman flinched away, looking over towards Rana. The only response she got from the blonde swordswoman was a look of stony determination. Rana then turned to her, and her eyes softened. "Emery I… this is for your own good. Just because Darius is gone, doesn't mean you have to be. Once we've removed the child, we'll be able to drain you of its poisonous magic, and your hallucinations should stop. Hate me if you want, but at least you'll be alive to do so. Now please, hold still. The procedure is almost over."

No. No no no no no! This wasn't happening, it couldn't! Darius would be so devastated if the baby died! They were supposed to raise it together! They would grow old, and then watch as their grandkids grew up!

It wasn't fair.

"Procedure… procedure complete. Gods, what have we done Rana?"

Emery didn't move, couldn't move. She just let her head lay limply against the surgical table. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Darius walking over to a table. His steps were silent as he stopped at it. His back to her, he simply pointed downwards.

The dagger. The dagger he had given her. It was right there. Just out of her reach. She tried looking for Darius again, but he was gone. Dust in the wind.

Of course. He was trying to tell her something. Oh, that was so like him! Even now he was trying to help her! He really did love her! All she needed to do was reach the dagger, and everything would be okay!

Stretching her hand out, Emery desperately attempted to reach the dagger. But it was too far away. She couldn't reach it. But she had to. He told her to. He gave her the dagger because he loved her. She needed it. She needed to grab it.

The dagger began to spin slightly, revolving around until the hilt pointed towards her hand. Then, it began to drag itself against the table, slowly making its way to her.

"E-Emery? What are you- "

Her hand touched the hilt, and suddenly, everything was right again.

…

His eyes snapped open.

A barrage of foreign memories hit him, forming a pseudo personality within his core. Ideals, concepts, misconceptions, and emotions.

And that was the moment, he became Darius.

His eyes scanned the room, searching for the object of his birth. It seems as if he was born in a medical wing. How quant. His gaze landed on a series of bloodstains against the wall, and a body. A blonde woman, swords partially pulled from its scabbard. A series of stab wounds upon her body. Thirty-seven to be exact.

The original Darius would've been horrified at such a sight. But not him. In truth, he couldn't quite remember who she was. His memories were spotty at best, and the ones he did have were all centered on his maker. Emery Artifice.

Ah, speak of the devil.

There she was, stabbing her dagger into the body of another woman. A taller brunette with a ridiculous hat. The woman had long since died, so it baffled him as to why Emery was still attacking the corpse. Perhaps they had an argument? A particularly heated one at that. Perhaps it would be best to try and rouse Emery's attention? Yes, that sounded most excellent. "Emery, the body has long since died. Perhaps you should turn your attention to the living?"

She froze mid thrust, and slowly but surely, she began to turn to him. Her eyes watered once she caught sight of him, and she began to rush forward.

"Darius! You're back! You're oka- "

Her body hit the floor behind him. Oh dear, it seems that Emery mistook him for something with a physical presence on the world. He'd best correct her. "I forgot to mention it, but I am not exactly tangible at the moment. Or ever will be for that matter. I am simply a manifestation of the imprint of Darius Artifice's soul upon the dagger, as well as your manic hallucinations, born from the awakening of said dagger once it became a Spirit Artifact. Yours, to be precise."

It seems that she understood it well, as she brought her hands to her face again. "S-So, you're not him then. I… I'm still alone."

Alone? Preposterous. She had him, and that was more than enough. "Do not worry Emery, I may not be the real Darius, but I am still a manifestation of him based on your memories. With a little extra from the dagger of course. I am more than enough to- "

"You're not him."

He froze. Why wasn't she accepting him? He couldn't understand. He was basically a replica of Darius Artifice. He was literally made for her, by her. A frown crossed his face. Perhaps… perhaps he should take a different approach. "Maybe not, but that should not matter. Considering the fact that I cannot feel his soul amongst the living, nor am I connected to him, it would be safe to assume that he has passed long ago. I should be- "

"No. No! It can't be! He promised!"

Emery began to wail, sobbing as she clutched at her shirt. That also must've been a poor approach. Her investment in Darius Artifice was beginning to grate on him. Was he not good enough? He had just come into this world, and he was already being scorned. Maybe this woman was a lost cause? The original Darius' memories held her in high regard, but he was not the original. Indeed, it would appear that Emery will not accept him. Still, it was too early to give up now. "Come now Emery, must you be so down? I'm sure we could figure something out."

She didn't listen to him, instead just crying harder while calling out the original's name. His eye twitched. The woman from the original Darius' memories is radically different than this one. The one in front of him just looked… broken. Yes, that was the word. Something within her broke, and she looks to have gone absolutely mad. That was not good. "Like it or not Emery, I'm the only vestige of this version of Darius Artifice left. It'd be best to- "

"W-Wait, this version?"

Oh? Did the original not spill her into the great inner workings of the Omniverse? He certainly told her of his uniqueness, but he must have left out the big picture. Understandable. It is a lot to take in. Nonetheless, his master had asked him a question, and he was bound to answer her honestly. "Of course, Emery. The Omniverse is a place of infinite possibilities. We are but a small piece of a greater whole. Fascinating, isn't it?"

The woman looked down in thought, clutching the dagger in her hand. After a long few moment of staring down, her head turned up and she focused her attention on him. "So… there are other versions of him out there?"

He blinked. "What an odd question. Well, the answer would most undoubtedly be yes. But I must ask, why do you- "

"Take me to him."

Almost immediately, he began to search for a way to do so. Despite his growing concern, he was bound to follow her orders. His eyebrows furrowed as an answer came to him. "As I am now, it would be impossible. Maintaining this personality matrix takes up a lot of preceding power, but it's completely worth it of course. I mean, I'd be little more than a simple emotionless voice in your head otherwise. Splintering myself in order to fulfill such a dangerous wish, well that would be insane. So why don't we calm down for a moment? I'm still here, I could- "

"I don't care. Take me to him."

What?! This woman, she was insane! Doing such a thing, the sheer chaos and havoc that would cause! Even if she found another Darius, there would still be an Emery there.

Oh no.

Realization hit him like a truck. She was going to stop at nothing to fulfill her desires. If there was another version of herself in the way, then she would stop at nothing to remove it. She would kill anyone who got in her way. This Emery, she was truly deranged. He needed to stop her, to-

A pang of agony shot through his body, and he fell to a knee. Curses! He was still bound to follow her commands. Even if his conscious mind wished to rebel, his baser instincts would overwrite that and act on her behalf. Already, he could feel himself begin to splinter.

"Oh Darius! We're going to be together again, just like you promised! Just wait a little longer honey, I'll be there soon!"

This… this freak. She was absolutely thrilled at the idea. Another pant bit him, and he drop to both knees. Damn it, he was just born! This wasn't fair! He couldn't understand any of this. He was made from her memories and desires, and yet she could not accept him?! That was his one purpose!

He groaned, falling to his hands as the pain began to overwhelm him. His form begins to flicker, the splintering reaching its apex. Giving Emery one last glare, he managed to let out his last words. "T-Truly, you are a cruel master. I curse you with all my being. I truly hope his promise is never kept, and that the happiness you seek is forever out of your reach… "

Administrator.

…

How tragic. I hope you'll be here next time, for the final part in this insane trilogy of mine, Sinners Like Us.