A/N: Ugh! I must say, through that whole last chapter I wanted to just send Lightning to Hope's rescue and have her kill 'em all dead. But that would just be far too simple and satisfying, huh? Well, maybe this chapter then…
Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers out there. It was good to hear from some new readers as well as those returning. Trust me, I am not unsympathetic to our little Hope. His torture is torturous for me as well, but unfortunately… it must be done. Will it end soon? Now you know I can't tell you that. And I'm glad Cass turned out to be a relatively well received character. I was unsure of how his addition to the story would affect it and my lovely readers.
As always, enjoy the chapter and do review. I love all my readers regardless, but a review just brightens my day and pushes me to update sooner. Thanks :)
Revised: February 2015
"Oh, c'mon, Lightning. Just this once? Please... You used to do it all the time." Serah pleaded with her sister, but it seemed she wouldn't budge. They were all on the beach of Bodhum, enjoying the night sky and the warm glow of the campfire. Serah had a disc of her favorite songs playing on her portable stereo.
Snow guffawed. "What? The almighty Lightning Farron used to dance? Man, now I gotta see." A large grin spread across his face before Lightning socked him in the gut.
"No one's seeing anything." She crossed her arms and stood with her weight on her right leg, not budging an inch.
Vanille giggled as she swayed with the rhythm of the beat almost effortlessly. "Aw, I'm sure you're a terrific dancer." Serah and Snow began dancing together beside her, both nodding at her comment. "Have some fun."
Fang came to Lightning's side and clapped her on the shoulder. "Yeah, Light, take a load off. No need to be so stuffy and boring all the time, Sunshine." Looking around the rigid soldier, she saw Hope sitting on a log, watching the others. When he caught Fang's eye, he visibly shrunk. "You better get your little ass dancin' too, Hope."
Vanille ran over to him and grabbed his arm, forcing him off his seat. "No, I don't dance." He tried to pull away, but Fang pulled him over too. "C'mon, guys, is this really necessary?"
"We just saved the world. Heroes have a right to party too", yelled Snow as he twirled Serah around his finger.
Sazh came over, Dajh resting on his shoulders. "Just don't overdo it, hero. I a'int gettin' your butt outta bed tomorrow."
Serah stopped dancing with Snow and ran over to her sister, giving her a pleading expression so adorable that it was almost sickening. "Claire, please? For me."
Hope laughed and yelled over to her. "If I have to, there's no way you shouldn't have to too." Having succumbed to the torment, he began stepping to the beat, trying his best to keep up with the cheery, younger Pulsian.
"Tch." She looked back at Serah, whose sad puppy eyes were still in place. "You're over doing it, Serah, but alright." She began walking over to the others, all playfully laughing and dancing like fools, and started moving her feet to the music when...
She woke up. It all ended abruptly to the beeping of her alarm. After quickly shutting it off, she lethargically sat up, attempting to rub the sleep from her eyes as she contemplated her dream. It had been more than just a dream. It was a memory of one of her stasis illusions. That night had been one of the many beautiful nights that she'd had in crystal stasis.
For the past few nights and days, she'd been haunted by her stasis. She cherished it almost as much as she abhorred it. Yes, she had loved nearly every minute of her stasis while encased in her crystal prison. She had been surrounded by the warmth of her new family. Every day was a glorious mixture of irritation and love - just the way being in a family was. But now, those dreams only served as a reminder of how it should have been had Cocoon not fallen. How peaceful and wondrous life should be for the 'heroes' who had risked their lives to save the world.
It was enough that she had been tricked by the fantasy in the first place. Now to be reminded again and again of the life she could not attain was heartbreaking. She couldn't allow herself to even enjoy the thought of that past life she'd lived in her dreams. Not when she couldn't see most of her new family now, with Hope gone and Serah, Snow, Fang, Vanille and Dajh all trapped in their own delusions.
Lightning groaned as she ripped the covers off of her body. And then there's that. With Hope gone, all progress with the crystals had been halted. The hopes of waking her sister and the rest of the world, shattered. And who knew when Hope would be brought back to her. It had already been a week since his abduction and she couldn't stand it. She longed for his company almost as much as she wished to make her stasis dreams a reality.
When she wasn't lost in her stasis world, she was trapped in her imagination – thinking about Hope's captivity and all of the horrifying things he could be going through while she did nothing to stop it. Just the thought of him alone and in pain made her livid.
"Maker, what am I doing?" She stood up, ready to go on with her day, when she felt something brush down her leg. She looked down to see Hope's bandana hit the floor. I can't put him out of my mind for a second, huh? Sighing, she shook her head before reaching down and picking it up.
The night before had been especially hard for the soldier. Her first dream, before the blissful stasis one, had been a nightmare. She had woken up calling out for Hope, unrestrained tears falling down her face. After calming herself back down and finding the many flaws with her nightmare, making sure that none of it could possibly be true, she'd gone back to sleep clutching onto the little cloth. Finding it to be the only thing to bring her mind peace.
Just the thought of that made Lightning roll her eyes and grudgingly throw the fabric back onto the bed. It was such an unbelievably girly and childish thing to do, but she couldn't deny that it had helped. After continuing her routine of readying herself for work, she stopped before walking out the door. Her eyes drifted to her room. Dammit, I've gone soft. Too soft. She didn't like it one bit, but with her jaw clenched tight, she walked back into her room, snatched up the bandana, stuffed it into her pouch, and left.
Why are you so cruel? It was one of the few questions Zalera had often asked the gods throughout her life. Why would the Maker and all of the gods let such horrible things happen? Why did good, innocent people have to die to get their attention? Zalera hated them. She hated the gods and she hoped that they knew it.
Many times in her life she'd questioned their existence. Of course, plenty of her fellow tribe had tried to show her proof and explain their reasoning in their beliefs of the almighty beings far beyond true comprehension. She'd half listen, not really caring whether they were right or wrong. She knew she believed in their existence, for how could you hate something that you didn't believe existed? She just didn't want to believe in them. Believing in them showed some semblance of faith. And she'd be damned before she'd show any of them anything akin to faith. They had taken everything from her time and time again. The cycle seemed to be on repeat for her with loneliness and pain. Those two things, she found, were the only things she could count on to be constant in her life. She would have a brief stint of happiness until the eventual crackdown of horrible misery. And this, she'd resigned to. She knew, as she'd known for a while, that the gods didn't care for her. So why should she care for them?
Then she began noticing that it wasn't just her. Many were forced to suffer through the endless continuance of unbearable grief and agony. So maybe, Bhunivelze, Pulse, Lindzei and Etro all just didn't give a damn about any of them. Those respected and worshiped deities just sat atop their perches watching the little beings with utterly uncaring eyes.
It didn't matter anyhow. It didn't matter why they never helped or stopped any of the ruthless violence or what they did while it was all going on below them. All that mattered was that it happened. Asking why never did any good. So why? Why do I still ask? I know it doesn't matter. None of them ever listen to a word I say. So why ask these questions when all I'll receive is blaring silence?
Because there's nothing else for me to do.
While she battled with herself in her mind and continuously asked the gods questions that she knew better than to expect answers from, Zalera laid in a ball on the bare mattress in her cell. Hope's cries still rang in her ears even though they'd ended minutes ago. She clutched her hair in her hands as she tugged on it, uncaring of the small pain she received from the action. She continued wondering about the many questions that floated around in her brain. One being the most dominant. How much longer can I live like this? The answer would remain unknown as she laid there lost in her mind, for she had nothing else left. It was obvious that the monsters who'd taken her were hell-bent on keeping her and keeping her alive. Unlike... Yeul...
She was also very much on the young Guardian's mind. Her charge that she loved with her heart and soul was gone. She'd failed to protect her and because of this, Yeul was tortured to death, she would surely be tortured to death, and that poor kid would be tortured until he was turned into their puppet. Zalera cursed. She cursed the gods, she cursed the wretched villains holding her, and she cursed herself.
Faintly, she heard her door open as a man stepped inside. She did not move except to tense her muscles and close her eyes. When his rough, vile hand brushed against her thigh, she kicked him in the throat. He stumbled back a few paces as she scrambled up. His eyes flared from what she could see in the dim light. She ran for the door, only to have him grab her around the throat and lift her off the ground with one hand. His other hand grasped her shoulder roughly, fingernails digging into her collarbone. Her own nails dug into his hand on her throat as she kicked the air. Unable to do much else, she swung her foot back, hitting him in his most sensitive parts. With a throaty scoff, he shoved her into a wall, pinning her with his body. Her head met the stone with a resounding crack, making her vision blurry and her struggle lessen.
The man groaned as he rubbed between his legs. "Damn, girly. I swear, one day, I'm gonna to teach you a lesson about how to properly greet a man." He grabbed her breast roughly, painfully jerking her body closer.
"Pig", Zalera seethed.
The man stepped back and she fell to the floor, unable to fight much with her head fogged. He arrested her upper arm and practically dragged her back to the hell hole of a torture room. As they reached the stairs, her vision began to clear. She began struggling again as she gained her footing, only to receive a growl from the man and a nice scorch mark on her arm under his palm.
When they reached the room, she went to wrench her arm from his grasp, but froze as her eyes met with the young man's body strapped to the table. He was still breathing so he wasn't dead, but he looked awful. He was unconscious, his breath ragged.
"Move it", the man grunted.
Zalera ceased her resistance as she stared at Hope. She'd hardly noticed when she had been laid onto the table and the restraints had been tied back on. All she did was examine the kid with her eyes. Sebastian hadn't healed all of his wounds, only the major ones so he wouldn't die, but all other injuries remained. Hope's body had been ravaged by blades and magic for hours. She'd heard it. Every cry and scream he made at each painful contact had reached her cell. But it didn't make the visual evidence any less horrifying.
As her eyes drifted along his body, she could almost feel each wound as if they were her own. She had received all of those marks and gashes at one point during her torture, so it wasn't hard for her mind to imagine those injuries as vivid as if they ran along her own body. But even though she'd endured all of the same treatment over grueling, unbearable weeks and undoubtedly months, the worst of it all was, she knew that his torture had been worse. He'd gone through more pain in a few days than her or Yeul had in weeks of captivity. They'd started on him much sooner than they had Yeul as well. And it's all my fault. Tears began to well up in her eyes. She squeezed them shut, but she couldn't manage to stop crying. After about a minute she took a deep breath, swallowing her grief and regret. Looking around the room briefly, she realized that they had been left alone.
"Hope", Zalera whispered. "Hope, please wake up."
He stirred, roused awake slowly by the quivering pleas. His arms moved lethargically as his head rolled in her direction. He winced at the movement. Any time Hope moved, the gashes in his skin would stretch, causing more blood to escape and the cuts to widen.
"Don't."
Hope looked at Zalera, his expression pained and a large amount of fear present in his emerald eyes. He opened his mouth only to cough up blood. It gushed out of his mouth so fast, she didn't know what to do. She struggled with her binds as it seemed never-ending. "Hey", she yelled. "Sebast-" She stopped mid-call, suddenly feeling very conflicted. She didn't want him to die. He didn't deserve this death or death at all really. And could she bear to have another person's blood on her hands? But she couldn't stop the bitter happiness that seeped into her being. This would put him out of his misery and, at the same time, stop the wretched l'Cie's evil scheme.
Silently, she watched the young man choke on his own blood. Gurgling sounds came from his throat, making her cringe. His eyes bulged and his fists clenched as he began to lose his fight. I'm so sorry. Just a little longer and you'll be free. Just as she saw the light begin to dim in his eyes and the strain in his muscles die down, Sebastian ran into the room. Quickly, the giant threw a few powerful cure spells over Hope. The choking fit died down as the blood crept back into its natural corridors. The wounds along his body sewed shut and the burns faded, leaving pale pink in their wake. His eyes fluttered closed at the relief and he seemed to fall into an exhaustion induced sleep.
Sebastian wiped his brow before shooting a scowl in Zalera's direction. "Just like with the girl, eh? You were going to let him die just as you would have let Yeul?" He stomped toward the defenseless woman, ready to beat his fury into her.
"I'm not the stupid oaf who was careless enough to leave him in such a condition." A fire burned behind the man's eyes as he grabbed Zalera's wrist and snapped it. She screamed out in agony and he let her hand drop back down to the table limply. A piece of her bone shone through her skin making the man grin. Wanting to rid him of his satisfaction, she continued. "Don't... you d-dare blame me for the close call!"
"You little-" Sebastian went for her hand again, ready to snap it off of her body completely, but was halted by Castea.
"Stop." He spun around to face his master. "The girl is right, after all." Castea sent a cure spell over to the writhing woman, healing the new injury.
Sebastian bowed as she approached him. "Lady Hidon, I'm sorry." Castea grabbed his chin, her nails digging deeply into it. "I didn't-"
"That's two times now, Sebastian. The girl I let slide, but he is too important." She brought her hand back and slapped Sebastian across the face, the harsh sound echoing in the silence. "Hope is our key. I won't have you ruin everything we have built." Castea's eyes drifted over to Zalera who was still reeling from her wrist's previous pain. She gave her a threatening stare, but the green-haired women only scowled back at her.
"Maybe you should do your own dirty work then", spat Zalera.
Castea smiled mischievously as she walked toward the immobilized woman. "Aren't we a feisty one today? You know that's not a bad suggestion… though my kind of torture is usually more mental than physical." Zalera's eyes bulged and she shook her head vigorously as Castea's hand came towards her. When the wicked woman's fingertips brushed over the young Guardian's forehead, Zalera threw her head back and clenched her teeth. Her muscles tensed, but she didn't move. Her body laid still as her mind was flooded with images.
Dozens upon dozens of images played across Zalera's vision, her mind rampaging through her cruelest memories of Yeul and her torture. There was no real focus, it wasn't one memory at a time, but thousands of pieces of memories scattered and disorganized. If the pain of the memories wasn't enough to drive her insane, the sheer chaos would. Zalera couldn't fight back, she couldn't struggle or scream. She couldn't even manage a whimper. The mass of memories clouded out most of her brain's functions. All that came out of her will to fight were low guttural sounds lost in her throat. Then, suddenly it all stopped as Castea lifted her fingers away. It was a few moments before the room came back into focus, but her mind was still lost in the scattered images it remembered. Faintly, she saw Castea's evil grin hanging over her face before she blacked out entirely.
Castea shrugged as she examined the girl. "Well, it was a test. I guess it was a bit too much for her to handle." She turned back to Sebastian, eyeing him with a vivid light in her eyes. "I'll just have to practice more."
"Wha-what did you do to her", Sebastian inquired, eyes alight with awe.
The blonde simply smirked while she walked back towards the steps. "I showed her the things she'd rather not remember. I'll have to admit it was a bit jumbled, but I think she got the message all the same." Castea waved toward her henchman to follow. "Come, Sebastian. It should be awhile before they awaken."
"I don't really give a shit about how Hope ran things. He's not here if you couldn't tell."
Lightning approached Hope's office quietly as she heard a heated argument going on between two people inside. She recognized the voices to belong to Cass and Alyssa.
"Ugh, you're infuriating. I can't stand you", Alyssa shrieked. "You have no business being in this position."
"Just stay away from my stuff. You're Hope's assistant. Can't you just take some time off until he gets back?"
"As much as I despise it, I'm the director's assistant regardless of who they are."
Lightning heard a flutter of papers as she reached the door. She quirked a brow before sighing. The arguments weren't a new occurrence. It seemed Alyssa and Cass couldn't get along at all. They butted heads about everything. Of course, with Cass being a self-serving, cocky pervert and Alyssa being an annoying busybody, she couldn't figure out who could get along with either of them. How Hope managed to stay sane being around these people, she truly couldn't fathom. Rolling her eyes, she opened the door and stepped in.
The two of the room's occupants looked over to the new arrival with relief in their eyes. Cass was standing at his desk with a file in his hands that Alyssa was eying hungrily, so Lightning assumed that that had been the origin of the fight. A few dozen papers lay scattered around the desk and floor, no doubt having been thrown in frustration.
Alyssa went to nab the file, but Cass moved it just out of reach as he went to speak. "Lightning, can you get this madwoman out of here? I can't work with-"
"I am not a madwoman. Just give me the file", Alyssa pleaded. "I need to do my job. Surely you understand, Light?" She reached over Cass as he continued to hold the file further away.
Cass shot the soldier a look of desperation. "Get this bitch off of me. You're my bodyguard. Get her off me." As Alyssa inched closer to the file, just barely grazing it with her fingertips, she lost her balance, tumbling down and knocking Cass down with her. They landed roughly, Alyssa's jaw colliding with the new director's stomach.
Lightning bit back a laugh at the debacle. "First of all, don't call me Light. Second of all, she is your assistant and she has a job to do, same as you." She shut the door and crossed her arms, resolute.
Alyssa giggled as she caught sight of the file, forgotten and left right in front of her face. She snatched it up as she rose from the spot, sticking out her tongue at a grumbling Cass. He rubbed his stomach as there would undoubtedly be a bruise. Alyssa turned to Lightning. "But Director Estheim..." started Alyssa, glaring at Cass, "...calls you Light?" The blonde flashed Lightning an innocent smile.
The soldier gave her a warning look. Alyssa calling her Light would make them friends. Close friends to be precise. And they most certainly weren't. It was a stretch in Lightning's mind to call them acquaintances.
Cass chuckled as he slowly got to his feet. "I don't think that pet name is meant to be used by anyone but Hope. If you catch-" Cass moved just in time for the book, aimed at his face, to hit him in the shoulder instead. "Damn, what kind of bodyguard are you? I can see now how Hope managed to get tak-" This time he ducked, the next book flying over his head.
Lightning glared at the smart ass and clenched her fists. "Remember the agreement. Your lips stay zipped, Cass."
Alyssa shot Cass a triumphant smile as she waved the prize of their fight in the air. She went to leave but stopped shortly, ready to close the door behind her. "Please do keep it up, Director Leonald. Just a few more minutes of comments like those, and you'll be in the hospital in no time." She left with a satisfied smirk as she hummed down the hallway.
Cass fell into his chair, exasperated. "Maker, how does Hope put up with that shrill voice and constant perky attitude? Do you know what was in that file? I-" Lightning shot him a look, reminding him of his promise. "Alright, alright, fine. Who wants to talk to the hot, bitchy, soldier girl anyway?" He ducked as another hefty book flew in his direction.
Zalera hissed as she regained consciousness. Her head was pounding and she couldn't remember why. Since she was once again tied down to a table, she didn't really need to guess. She tugged a bit on her restraints but stopped, knowing full well that she wasn't going anywhere. She turned her head to her roommate, noticing a huff of breath come from his direction. He was awake, staring at the ceiling. She opened her mouth only to quickly snap it shut. As she watched the boy, a sense of guilt found its way into her body. For a minute, she was confused. That is until bits and pieces of what had occurred before her blackout came back to her. I was going to let you die. Shutting her eyes, she swallowed thickly. She most definitely didn't want to speak to the kid now. Just the thought of him looking at her, the pain and betrayal that she'd see in his eyes, was unbearable.
Hope stared at the ceiling, eyes glazed over, thoughts lost in his body's previous pain. His body had been completely healed. Every scratch was gone. But that didn't stop his mind from remembering every single pain he'd endured. No matter where he would try to force his mind to, no matter what memories he tried to shove himself in or how vividly he thought about them, he couldn't relieve himself of the phantom pains.
He jumped as he heard a sniffle on his left. Praying that it wasn't Sebastian, he looked over. "You're awake", Hope stated in a raspy voice.
Zalera's breath caught in her throat as their eyes locked. Her fear began to subside as confusion slowly replaced it. As her green irises searched his, she relaxed slightly. There was no sign of anger or betrayal, only pain and concern. She swallowed, unsure of how to speak to him.
At her lack of response, he continued. "When did they bring you in here?"
Understanding washed over Zalera. "You... I'm not sure. A while ago, I think. You were awake though. When... I was..."
"I don't remember." That was all he said before looking back up at the ceiling. Secretly, he was kind of glad about a lapse of memory. Maybe it would occur more often and he wouldn't have to remember so much of his horrible captivity. Of course, even he knew that he was being far too optimistic.
Zalera remained silent, very grateful for the loss of that memory. She hated herself for making that decision – to allow him to die – but she didn't regret it. As much as she would rather smash her own skull in than let him – an innocent, sweet kid – die, she knew she wouldn't hesitate to let death carry him away from this hell next time. It was the best choice for him and the rest of the world.
Hope was at a complete loss for what to do. He knew his torture was far from over, but how was he supposed to cope? What was he supposed to do while he waited for the inevitable conclusion to the whole ordeal? He felt so guilty, angry, sad, terrified, lost, and utterly defeated as he laid there unable to do a damn thing. There was nothing he could do with all of those emotions except internalize them. His mind only seemed to want to focus on the pain and Sebastian and Castea and all of the devastating plans they had for him.
When he could, he'd try to remember something good, something happy. It would always be of his family and friends. Their love and warmth would save him for a little while, until the guilt and regret would fill him accompanied by the thoughts of knowing that the whole situation was his fault. Even his thoughts of Lightning couldn't soothe his agony. In his mind, any memory or thought of her inevitably became tormenting. I should have listened to her. Now I can't bring back her sister for her. I can't protect her like I promised. What if Sebastian really... And all because of me. I'll never be able to see her again. I'll never be able to tell her... Hope's fists tightened as he mindlessly fought his restraints and a few tears fell down his cheeks.
Zalera watched the young man unravel as he seemed to be wrapped in his own anguish. She bit her lip for she knew exactly how he felt. All too well.
The tears ran fiercely down his face, but he held in every sob that threatened to break from his throat. As minutes passed that felt like hours, his crying died down but didn't stop. The young director's expression had changed dramatically from pained and scared to blank and withdrawn. "Zalera? What happens if my brand never comes back?"
The emerald-haired woman gave Hope a sympathetic smile, attempting to mollify the anxiety no doubt rising within him. "I-"
"I mean, they said it had never been done before-maybe... m-maybe th-thats because it can't be done."
His pitch rose a bit, indicating the thought had been like an epiphany to the boy, his voice a mixture of excited and frightened. Excited that they wouldn't be able to use him for their dark purposes, yet frightened by the fact that if that were true, his torture could be never-ending. "I'm not sure, Hope. They will do everything in their power to reawaken your brand."
"And I'll do everything in my power to stop them. I won't allow them to kill everyone off and destroy the planet. I most certainly will not be their tool in doing it." His voice was shaky, but sure.
Zalera admired his conviction. It was the exact same way she'd felt about her duty to Yeul, only he was fighting to save the whole world, not a young girl. He was every bit the hero Yeul had made him out to be. "I'm sorry", she said breathily.
Hope shot her an incredulous look, unsure of the intentions behind the apology. "For what?"
"I failed. My failure is what led them to not only..." She bit down harshly on the side of her cheek, not wanting to say it. "... not only killing Yeul, but to your capture as well. If I hadn't been so weak she'd still be alive and you wouldn't have to face this."
Hope shook his head fervently. "No, they would have gotten to her anyway. Zalera-"
"No", she growled. "Don't you dare try to tell me that this isn't my fault. You weren't there and you have no idea what happened. It's my fault. It is." Her body shook with anger. It is!
He knew it wasn't her fault. There was no way that she could have taken on all of the l'Cie and saved Yeul in any scenario. They had wanted her and they were going to get her. However, Hope knew she wouldn't allow him to reassure her about that. With his own situation though, he could. "Fine. But they would have come for me even if they couldn't have gotten to Yeul. My abduction would have occurred regardless." A hint of Zalera's rage toward herself seemed to fade. "And no one but me is responsible for getting caught. I-I didn't listen and should have been more careful. We may have had a shot at defeating them and avoiding... this if I hadn't been so reckless. Lightning told me-"
"Lightning is your Guardian?" Zalera's eyebrow rose, remembering his and Sebastian's discussion before.
Hope bit his lip. That title used on Lightning was still new for him, but it did seem extremely fitting. She protected him countless times and saved him on numerous occasions. "Yeah, I guess."
The woman seemed to relax a bit, her mind slipping away from its worries and regrets to a slightly better conversation. "Yeul used to have visions of the two of you." Hope appeared stunned by this, his lips parting as his eyes widened. "Both your future and your past. She spoke of a very brave young man who overcame his grief and fear to embrace his destiny of fighting his fate. How he would become a savior to mankind and continue saving it until he would no longer be. Alongside you she said there was a woman. A strong, independent, yet partially broken young woman, who fought to protect you at any cost." At this, Zalera turned her head to face her companion. "Your destinies are locked tightly together, Hope. Some of Yeul's visions brought her great sorrow. She was a very compassionate person, you know? She cared deeply for every creature on this planet." She cleared her throat as the raw emotion attempted to surface again. "And even though you were a complete stranger, she was deeply saddened by what you had to go through, but..." A silent tear dropped down her cheek. "...she was glad that you had a protector to watch out for you like she had me." Zalera gasped as she tried to fight off her despair.
"Did she..." He hesitated. "...see the outcome of all of this." His eyes danced around the room indicating what he meant by 'this'. He wanted to know. He had to know.
Attempting to regain her emotional stability, she replied. "She saw many possibilities. Two, though, were most prominent. In one... you destroy everything and everyone using the power of the crystal, and obliterate everything to nothing... summoning the Maker back to this world." Hope's eyes widened in horror as his jaw slackened. "In the other..." Zalera looked to him with sorrowful eyes. "You are able to overpower the crystal and save everyone, but... it... kills you in the process."
Hope's eyes snapped up to the ceiling as he fought to deal with her words. There's no good ending for me.
"But, Hope." His attention snapped back to her. "Like I said, those were only two possibilities. Yeul always said there were possible outcomes even she couldn't predict." A soothing smile graced her face as she looked at him.
"Thank you", he replied, nodding slightly. His mind was still reeling with the thoughts of those very grim, very possible fates. Was he really born just to kill everyone in an attempt to bring back a god that had abandoned its creations long ago? No, I won't allow it. "I'm very sorry, Zalera... for your loss. Yeul seemed like a wonderful person and I wish I could have met her."
Her face contorted into a deeply pained expression. "If we just hadn't been taken to this damned Ark, I-" She clenched her fists.
"We're in an Ark?"
Breathing deeply she answered. "Yes. We're in the Eighth Ark."
Hope gave her a quizzical look. "The Eighth Ark? We've never-"
"That's because it's hidden. All of it is underground except for the entrance which is nicely tucked away in a mountainside. You can't find it unless you're looking for it." She watched his face fall even more.
That meant that those looking for him most likely didn't have a chance in hell of finding him. He was going to have to fight this battle himself.
Barsilisk slammed his fist down on the desk before him, getting more and more impatient as the time wore on. "Damn it, Castea. It's been over two months now. This is going nowhere. I thought you said Sebastian could get this done."
Castea rolled her eyes and grinned at the frustrated man. "What did you expect? This is an extremely difficult task and the boy is fighting tooth and nail against it."
Barsilisk grabbed her upper arm before she could simply dismiss him again. "This isn't a game, Castea." She dug her nails into his hand, easily relieving herself of his hold. "I'm tired of all of this." This was supposed to end it all. All of the long years of servitude would finally be over. He could finally...
"Watch how you speak to me, Barsilisk." Castea gave the man a disgusted glance, a warning look in her eye. "I know. I'm not pleased with the time this is taking either, but we must remain patient."
"I am not a patient man."
"Oh, believe me, I know." Another pained cry echoed throughout the Ark, causing a smile to creep back onto her face. "His cries are so heavenly." She turned to Barsilisk who only scrunched up his nose at her sentence. She laughed, thoroughly pleased with his disgust. "Alright, my love, I'll try my hand at him. Will that please you?" Her fingers grazed his chin as she brought herself closer to him.
Calmly taking a breath, he gave her a forced smile. "We should receive some results at that." Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pecked her lips and forehead before leaving the room.
Castea followed behind, but peeled off in a separate direction when she reached the hall. Hope's yells and screams stopped during her trek towards him and she halted, listening to Hope and Sebastian speak as she stood at the top of the stairs.
"Everything's alright. Everything's going to be fine. You'll be out of here in no time", Hope muttered to himself. He knew they were all just empty words and reassurances, but what else did he have?
Sebastian snickered. "You sure about that, kid?"
"Isn't it enough that you have to break my body? Do you really have to break my spirit too?"
"It's nothing personal. Just my job... that I may get a bit of enjoyment out of. You all are just so fascinating to watch." The burly man gave him one last glance before he punched Hope in the head, causing the silveret to black out. Sebastian sent a few last cure spells into him as he walked to the stairs and left. As he reached the top, he came across Castea. "Lady Hidon." He bowed deeply before her. "The boy is resting now. The girl is in her cell."
"Good." She put a hand on his shoulder, gentle, yet firm. "I will be spending some time with him. Leave us alone until I come for you. Are we clear?"
"Of course."
She descended down the stairs into the room where Hope laid unconscious on the table. She hadn't spoken with him in those whole two months that had passed. She hadn't even seen him. She walked up to him, snickering at his disheveled state, and brushed her hand against his cheek. She then brought it back and slapped him across the face.
Hope jolted awake at the feeling. He let out a light whimper at the sting of his cheek and his eyes widened at the sight of Castea. His body shook, terrified of the woman who he thankfully hadn't seen in a very long time. Yet he felt a bit relieved for she would only wish to speak with him. As opposed to Sebastian.
Castea sneered at the young man's expression. There was a small amount of fear in it, but his gaze was dull, almost empty. She recognized that look. It was the same look the little seeress had given them just before she finally gave. "Giving up already?"
His eyes fluttered closed as he sighed. "I won't... ever... give up", declared Hope breathily.
The wicked woman practically beamed. "Good, because I was about to think that this was going to be no fun." Hope's expression turned puzzled. "You know I've been holding off speaking to you for a while." She jumped up onto a stone table to his right, crossed her legs and leaned back on her hands. "It was so hard, too. I've missed your charm, Hope. And your cute little expressions."
Hope tensed as his jaw tightened. He knew she was only there to toy with him further. She really loved to hear herself speak.
"You know we're still watching all of your little Academia friends? They were scrambling to find you at first. Then when they couldn't, they just... stopped." She gave him a sardonic look. "I was so heartbroken for you that they would just stop looking for their leader..." She jumped back off the table and walked slowly over to Hope. "...their friend... their charge."
His eyes widened. "Lightning?" Castea smirked as she wove her hands through his hair. Hope was disgusted by her touch, but was too focused on their new topic of conversation to pull away.
"Surely you hadn't actually believed Sebastian? Your lovely and fierce Lightning is far too much for him. She is alive and currently guarding your replacement." She stared at his face, watching every little twitch and movement. The woman thoroughly enjoyed how expressive and readable he was.
They've already... Well it has probably been... months. But... Lightning protecting Cass? Why... I thought... I thought for sure she'd still be looking for me. Hope knew that Castea could be lying. In fact, there was a good chance that she was. But even if it was the truth, he had to believe that there was a good reason for her stopping. Maybe they think I'm dead? Or Castea's done something to force them to stop? Or they could just be unable to... It has been a long time... Would I really want them to waste all of their time, energy and resources just looking for me? No. Even as he thought that, he couldn't help but feel abandonment hit his heart.
Castea's eyebrows rose, her features softening as she continued to give him a mockingly sympathetic expression. "That young Cass is quite a... charmer, isn't he? I know Lightning sure had a hard time getting used to him but, they are actually getting quite close. I have to say you may have some competition. The little wench is-"
"Save your breath." Castea looked into his steeled expression, a little surprised by his resolve. "If you're trying to make me hate my friends or lose faith in them... don't. It's a waste of time." He attempted to pull away from her hands which had been massaging his scalp, but she only tugged on his hair and kept his head in place.
She laughed at his response. "I'm only telling you the truth. Everyone's given up on you and your slutty-"
Hope jerked beneath her. "Light isn't a slut and no one's given up on me. If they've stopped looking... then good. At least they're-they're probably doing much more important things for Academia, but just because they stopped, doesn't mean that they've given up on me", he yelled, fury in his eyes.
"Fine, I was just trying to help you deal with the reality of things." She pulled harder on Hope's hair between her fingers. "But don't get the idea that you can snap at me."
"Or what? You're going to send Sebastian in here? Go ahead." The young man tried to pull away again. He was successful, but left a large clump of his hair firmly in Castea's grasp.
She simply smirked as she walked over to the chair sitting against the wall in front of him. "So you think I'm just a bitch with all bark and no bite, huh?" Beginning to unlace her boots, she looked at him, her face filled with sadistic happiness. "You would be wrong, love." She stood and pulled her cloak off, leaving herself completely exposed before him.
Hope looked away.
"Wouldn't want to get blood all over my robe now, would we? You can look, my pet. This isn't going to be pleasant so you should take all the pleasure you can, while you can." She walked over to him and ran her hand slowly up Hope's chest until it rested on his cheek.
He jerked away from her. "What makes you think your body could pleasure me", spoke Hope through clenched teeth.
Her eyes filled with a stunned rage and her jaw fell before she snapped it shut. In response, she dug her nails deep into his collarbone and dragged them down his chest, ripping them through his skin.
Hope's eyes scrunched up and his muscles tensed. A small cry escaped his throat. Castea's nails were a lot longer and sharper than he'd cared to think about. As she pulled out each nail one at a time, he bit his lip, eventually cutting into it with his teeth.
Castea's smile grew wider. "You think these past couple months have been tough?" She walked over to the chair, flicking Hope's blood off of her fingertips as she went, and picked up a pair of pliers before flashing them at him. "You haven't even begun to feel pain."
Struggling against his restraints, he felt the cuffs dig themselves deeper into his skin, as if they were tightening on their own. He looked to Castea who was tightening his binds with her powers.
"Let's start with that sharp tongue of yours, shall we?"
Lightning sat on Cass' couch, pinching the bridge of her nose and tapping her foot. It was twelve at night and as the punk's personal guard, she was always within earshot. She even had to sleep in his apartment while three other guards had night shift and guarded outside. The soldier, of course, couldn't sleep. Two months. It's been over two months. It's been sixty-eight days. I can't keep going like this. He's probably... Her thoughts had been silently choking her all day since she'd come to the realization.
She heard Cass' bedroom door creak open and feet shuffle out. Groaning inwardly, she turned toward him. Really, Cass hadn't been that bad lately. He'd held up to their agreement pretty well and had only received a bruise on his stomach and jaw as well as a broken nose from Lightning. Even with that, it had been a good couple of weeks since she had felt the need to hurt him.
Cass walked in front of her, amused. "Do you ever sleep?"
She shot him a glare. Conversation is unwelcome remember? I'd be glad to give you a reminder.
He rolled his eyes and sat beside her. "Look, I've wanted to talk about a few things with you for a while now and... I know I can be a real ass hole sometimes, but-"
"Sometimes", asked Lightning with a smirk.
"Alright a lot, but..." He sighed as he rubbed his messy hair. "...it seems that I might be... we might be in these positions for a while now and I think we should try and be civil."
This seemed to be a whole different side of Cass which made Lightning slightly uneasy. Though he did have a point, she wasn't sure about the prospect of becoming... friends with the kid. He was obnoxious and rude. She was about to refuse when she remembered her earlier thoughts.
How much longer were they going to continue working like this? In her mind, Hope was never going to be gone that long. Everyday she'd pray for him to be back the next. Two months had dragged by agonizingly. It took every bit of her willpower and strength to hold herself back from looking for him. Her pain and grief about Hope began ramming into her cement wall she'd built around her emotions. "Okay." It might make things a little easier and... she may even find a way to make the kid useful.
"Okay?" He gave her an incredulous look. Honestly he hadn't expected that answer. He'd expected a not so subtle threat from her gunblade or a good punch to the jaw. This was very surprising. "Okay", he said nodding.
Lightning crossed her arms. "I want to know some things though." Cass nodded as he slouched into the couch, signaling for her to start. "Could you... tell me some things... about…" Her face was stoic, but her gaze averted from his.
"Hope?" He glanced over with a smug smile... which he quickly wiped off his face when she tensed. Civility is going to suck. He sighed inwardly. "Anything specific?"
She shook her head.
"Well... we met when I was six. He was nine and we lived in the same neighborhood. Our dads were close, but that didn't really matter because I lived with my mom." He snorted. "My mom was the mistake my father made while still married to my half sister's mom, leading to my disgraceful existence. He stayed with his wife and his daughter. They knew about us they just... chose to ignore us. Anyway, Hope and I were neighborhood friends even though we were so far apart in age. We were also close in school. Remember when I told you we had a lot in common? We were both exceptionally smart, awkwardly shy, and had girlish looks. We weren't winning any popularity contests. In fact, we were bullied quite a lot."
Lightning felt her heart tighten at Cass' recollection, but kept her expression schooled.
"Hope would ward off some of my tormentors when he could. Being older, he could take on most of my bullies... I couldn't help with any of his, though."
"Why didn't your parents do anything?"
Cass scoffed. "My mom worked all the time, trying to support us. She was too busy and I didn't want to bother her with it. Hope's mom was sympathetic, but was drowned out by Bartholomew. He always told Hope to be tough. If he stayed strong and defended himself, they would leave him alone. Which, of course, was a bunch of bull shit. I think he just never wanted to give Hope the time."
She bit down on the side of her cheek. She understood Hope's previous problems with his father a lot more now. A thought popped into her head as she glanced at Cass. "Your father abuses you, doesn't he?"
"It was that obvious, huh?" He shrugged at her concerned expression. "It's not too often, but then again, I don't see the guy much. I try to avoid him as much as I can, of course."
"Did Hope's father..." Her nails dug into the sides of her arms. Bartholomew was stern, but she never got an abusive vibe from him.
"If he did, Hope never told me. Although, I don't think the man was ever home enough to. He was always working. And Nora may have been pretty submissive, but I don't think she would have ever allowed that."
Lightning relaxed a little, grateful about that, at least. Cass' silence indicated he was waiting on a question to continue. "What was Hope like before the whole... l'Cie thing?"
He chuckled. "Pretty much the same happy, gentle guy you know now, only much shyer and much more of a loner. He was always a mama's boy... Hell, I was too. He had a few good friends besides me through the years, but he wasn't Mr. Charismatic like he is now. Not even close." Shaking his head slightly, he stood. "He never had the need to save and change the world though. I mean, yeah, he loved helping people, but he was always the 'fly under the radar' type. It wasn't until after the fall and he woke up, when I noticed that he had grown into that. I suppose having already saved the world once, he'd wanted to continue saving it."
"And after he woke up? While we were all in stasis?"
"He was a bit depressed. You know, about you all for a while. But he focused on helping people adjust and helping build houses and get things running. He delved deep into his studies when he joined the Academy. I swear he was a total book warm."
Lightning smiled as she imagined a younger Hope lost in a pile of books. It was a melancholy smile, filled with guilt for having not been there and missing out on his life.
"He still plays the violin, though, which-"
"Hope plays the violin?"
"Yeah, he's really good actually. His mom taught him when he was... well from... if I remember right... seven until, well, the purge..."
She nodded, unsure of how she felt at not knowing that fact. She knew there were many things she still didn't know about him and many of her l'Cie gang. She just found it strange that she was so close to him and still didn't know much about him. Even the simple fact that he could play an instrument. She yawned and knew that they should get to bed if they planned on being up for work. Of course, she was always working. "Thank you, Cass. Now get to bed. You have a job you need rest for."
Cass groaned as he stomped off like a child to his room. He paused when he got there. "Thank you, Lightning. For giving... this a chance. I know you don't like me much, but-"
"I don't like anyone much."
He chuckled. "I just wanna do right by Hope and... I know that he... cares deeply for you. I feel I owe it to him to make an effort with you."
Lightning furrowed her brow. He was completely right and she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it sooner. Hope deserved to have his friends get along in his absence, even if they couldn't stand each other. Cass retreated back into his room and Lightning lay down on the couch, recounting everything he had told her. She took Hope's bandana out of her pouch and traced the pattern with her index finger. When Hope gets back, and he will get back, we're going to have a long talk about everything. Even if it kills me. I owe him that.
Make it stop. Make it stop. Please, make it stop. Zalera sat curled up in the corner of her cell, her face buried in her hands. Hope had been yelling and screaming full force for hours. Something seemed off, different. His cries seemed far more pained, far louder and far more distressing. Whatever Sebastian was doing to him, it had to be excruciatingly painful. I can't do anything to stop this. I can't do- Zalera realized that there was one thing she could try. Grudgingly, she brought her hands up in front of her face, folded in her middle and ring fingers, crossed her index fingers, crossed her pinkies, bowed her head, closed her eyes, and prayed.
I know I have no reason to ask anything of you. I've always hated and despised all of you. To tell you the truth, I probably always will. But this isn't about me. This is about Hope. He doesn't deserve this. Any of this. Please, you let Yeul suffer. You wretched beings let her be tortured over and over again. She was used for their purposes and you never helped. You wouldn't even allow her the peace of death. Death only came for her because they were done with her and they wanted her to die. The least you can do is help this kid out. Just let him rest. You can redeem yourselves. Show me that there is a reason to believe in you and to pray to you. Please, just let him die.
Zalera dropped her hands and opened her eyes, which were now full of tears. She waited. She waited and waited but his suffering never ended. She let out a shaky breath, cursing herself for thinking that there was a chance it could work.
Her door creaked open, but she was too withdrawn to care, or to try and escape. She looked up to see which goon was there to drag her back to that room. Her eyes widened at the sight of Sebastian in front of her.
He grinned at her. "Just checking on our Guardian. You haven't been eating."
"If you're here, then who-"
"Lady Hidon is having some special time with the boy." He lent down and dropped a tray of food in front of her. "You will eat this by the time I come to retrieve you. Got it?"
Zalera was shocked. She never knew Castea tortured people. The only harm she'd ever inflicted upon her and Yeul were slaps and that mind thing she'd pulled on her once before. Sebastian grabbed her chin when she didn't respond. "I'm not hungry."
"I don't care. You will eat this or I will force it down your throat."
He couldn't fight the thoughts off any longer. He couldn't fight off the desire, the need, to die. The pain was too much for his body and his mind to handle. He wanted to die. He had to die. He knew he was being a worthless coward wanting the easy way out. But he just couldn't deny it anymore. He was utterly useless and unforgivably weak. As his eyes rolled back in his head, his body lost in agony and anguish, Hope begged for death. He prayed to Bhunivelze, to Pulse, to Lindzei, to Etro, to everything and anything, to just let him die. To give him the pleasure of death. No matter how painful his death was to be, he would welcome it. For he couldn't bear to face the alternative. To continue living in this constant state of suffering. This was no life.
Hope cried out and squirmed as his nail was ripped from his newly reformed middle finger, then his recently regrown ring finger, then his thumb. Castea stopped as she went for his pinky, the latest one that she had recreated, she then leaned over his face. "Look at me, Hope. Hope." He wasn't listening; he was far off in his head. She wrapped her right hand around his throat and dug her nails into his flesh. "Hope." He winced as he looked into her gray stare. As their eyes searched each other's, Castea took a dagger in her left hand and began slowly pushing it into his side. "You know what I'm going to have to do soon, Hope?" His eyes tore from hers as he looked to the ceiling before squeezing them shut at the pain in his side. Her grip tightened around his neck, but her dagger's decent did not stop, only slowed, prolonging his agony. "If this doesn't start working sometime soon, I'm going to have to get your little friend in here." Hope's eyes shot open and looked into Castea's. "Let me be specific. We all know how fond of your little Guardian Sebastian is. I think he'd have a lovely time with her."
He stopped breathing, any pain in his body becoming an afterthought.
"Think about it, Hope. Him stabbing her... burning her... shocking her... bringing her close to death... time... after time... after time." Her sick smile appeared as her eyes flared with sadistic satisfaction.
"No", he whispered, his throbbing tongue forming the word slowly.
"Think about it."
"No", he said.
"Yes."
"No", he growled, gaining strength.
"Yes."
"No", he yelled.
"Yes." As she spoke, she shoved the last of the dagger into his side until it was fully sheathed inside him.
His eyes squeezed shut. "No", he cried. Suddenly, a large burst of energy shot from Hope, sending Castea flying to the other side of the room. His left wrist began to burn. It was a searing pain and he recognized it. No. No. No. "No. No. No. You can't. Stop." He cried out as the pain became too intense.
Castea stood, watching him writhe. Her grin grew at the glow of his wrist. "Yes." It's finally time. We've finally done it.
Hope watched in horror as his brand began to appear on his arm. Please don't do this. "Please."