Summary: Celena seems aware of things that Allen and Hitomi are oblivious to, and the demon Aquaria gives a flex of her true power...
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"It wasn't a dream this time!"
Hitomi slowly awoke to the sound of a young woman's voice, desperate, nearing hysterics.
"It wasn't! I saw him! I saw him, Allen!"
Confused, Hitomi sat up tiredly in the bed and rubbed her eyes before throwing her legs around the side and getting up. She walked to the door and opened it, then smiled on the familiar face before her.
"Celena..." she said sleepily, "It's good to see you again!"
For a moment, Celena's hysterics broke and she looked away from her brother to Hitomi, looking confused for a moment. "H...Hitomi?" she said slowly, her head tilting to the side, "You're here?"
"Celena," Allen said with mild amusement at her sudden change in mood, "Don't be so rude...Hitomi is our guest."
"But she..." Celena trailed off, looking even more confused before shaking her head slightly, "I knew you'd come. He's alive, you're back, this is the start of it all..."
Both her brother and Hitomi were perplexed if not slightly disturbed by Celena's cryptic murmuring, sharing a glance before Hitomi spoke up again, "Who's alive? This is the start of what?"
The platinum-haired girl cast her large azure eyes to Hitomi, with something akin to a mortal fear in their depths. "Dilandau is alive. This is the beginning of the end."
~~
Looking nothing if not bored, the demon Aquaria relaxed in a throne-like seat amid scrap metal, the remains of the floating fortress Vione. She toyed idly with a piece of her hair as her neon gaze followed the group of boys that she and Dilandau had collected to work for them.
It was a trivial thing, really. Dilandau had said they would need an army, and she allowed him the freedom to create his own, should he desire. But it was needless, as he should have well realized...
"Dilandau," she intoned smoothly, voice low and oddly musical, "Tell me again why you believe this necessary."
"To instill fear, Aquaria-sama," he responded. At the same time, both of their gazes were drawn to the young boys, none any older than sixteen, and his garnet eyes narrowed as he could almost feel the demon's amusement growing.
"Fear? Do explain to me how this ragtag team of little boys is going to strike fear into the hearts of men," she spoke, her smirk present on her voice, "There is no need for them. Send them away."
Dilandau's eye twitched slightly from being mocked, which he had never tolerated well. Regardless, he held his tongue. "They could prove useful in the end...we already have their undying allegiance. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of a front line on the battlefield."
Aquaria's smile grew worse, almost to the point of a sneer. "This won't be any normal war, my dear soldier...are you not aware of how truly powerful I am?" There was something deeply menacing in her tone, and the boys sensed it, growing fidgety in apprehension. She tilted her head slightly and pouted in a mock sympathy, a dangerous amusement sparking in her eyes as she spoke again, "I don't need them...they are of no use to me."
With this, she raised a slender ivory hand, palm facing out towards the boys. Without so much as a word or blink of the eyes, a sphere of pure energy engulfed the group and glowed brightly, crackling over the sounds of the tortured screams being ripped from their throats.
The energy dissipated and the bodies of the boys collapsed in a heap, blood streaming onto the cold metal floor as though it were water. Dilandau's eyes were wide in shock at this sight, and his horror deepened as the demon began to laugh, quietly, as though she had just heard a mildly amusing joke. This, Dilandau realized, was far more than he had bargained for.
"Now then," Aquaria spoke, voice light and musical once again, "What are we going to do about that pesky little girl?"
"Kanzaki? The one from the Mystic Moon?"
"Of course her," she said in a light amusement, as though mildly berating him for being so blatant, "Although, the other girl seems to know you're alive. The one you were created from."
Dilandau went silent at this, knowing exactly who Aquaria was speaking of.
"Celena is her name?" Aquaria asked with a mock innocence, fully aware of how she was toying with her soldier.
"It doesn't matter," Dilandau almost growled, a savage sound tapped from an anger deep within him, "We'll kill them all."
"That we will, dearest Dilandau...that we will."
~~
Hitomi's eyes widened as flashes of images passed before her mind's eye. That same woman she had seen the night before, standing over a pile of burnt and bleeding bodies, amusement in her expression...
"Hitomi?" Allen spoke, noticing the sudden drain of color from her face and immediately growing concerned, "Another of your visions...?"
In her mind, she saw the impossible standing beside the demonic figure of the woman. "It can't be..." she whispered, as if trying to wish it away.
"You see him too, don't you," Celena spoke quietly, sullenly, "I told you..."
"Dilandau..."
---
---
"It wasn't a dream this time!"
Hitomi slowly awoke to the sound of a young woman's voice, desperate, nearing hysterics.
"It wasn't! I saw him! I saw him, Allen!"
Confused, Hitomi sat up tiredly in the bed and rubbed her eyes before throwing her legs around the side and getting up. She walked to the door and opened it, then smiled on the familiar face before her.
"Celena..." she said sleepily, "It's good to see you again!"
For a moment, Celena's hysterics broke and she looked away from her brother to Hitomi, looking confused for a moment. "H...Hitomi?" she said slowly, her head tilting to the side, "You're here?"
"Celena," Allen said with mild amusement at her sudden change in mood, "Don't be so rude...Hitomi is our guest."
"But she..." Celena trailed off, looking even more confused before shaking her head slightly, "I knew you'd come. He's alive, you're back, this is the start of it all..."
Both her brother and Hitomi were perplexed if not slightly disturbed by Celena's cryptic murmuring, sharing a glance before Hitomi spoke up again, "Who's alive? This is the start of what?"
The platinum-haired girl cast her large azure eyes to Hitomi, with something akin to a mortal fear in their depths. "Dilandau is alive. This is the beginning of the end."
~~
Looking nothing if not bored, the demon Aquaria relaxed in a throne-like seat amid scrap metal, the remains of the floating fortress Vione. She toyed idly with a piece of her hair as her neon gaze followed the group of boys that she and Dilandau had collected to work for them.
It was a trivial thing, really. Dilandau had said they would need an army, and she allowed him the freedom to create his own, should he desire. But it was needless, as he should have well realized...
"Dilandau," she intoned smoothly, voice low and oddly musical, "Tell me again why you believe this necessary."
"To instill fear, Aquaria-sama," he responded. At the same time, both of their gazes were drawn to the young boys, none any older than sixteen, and his garnet eyes narrowed as he could almost feel the demon's amusement growing.
"Fear? Do explain to me how this ragtag team of little boys is going to strike fear into the hearts of men," she spoke, her smirk present on her voice, "There is no need for them. Send them away."
Dilandau's eye twitched slightly from being mocked, which he had never tolerated well. Regardless, he held his tongue. "They could prove useful in the end...we already have their undying allegiance. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of a front line on the battlefield."
Aquaria's smile grew worse, almost to the point of a sneer. "This won't be any normal war, my dear soldier...are you not aware of how truly powerful I am?" There was something deeply menacing in her tone, and the boys sensed it, growing fidgety in apprehension. She tilted her head slightly and pouted in a mock sympathy, a dangerous amusement sparking in her eyes as she spoke again, "I don't need them...they are of no use to me."
With this, she raised a slender ivory hand, palm facing out towards the boys. Without so much as a word or blink of the eyes, a sphere of pure energy engulfed the group and glowed brightly, crackling over the sounds of the tortured screams being ripped from their throats.
The energy dissipated and the bodies of the boys collapsed in a heap, blood streaming onto the cold metal floor as though it were water. Dilandau's eyes were wide in shock at this sight, and his horror deepened as the demon began to laugh, quietly, as though she had just heard a mildly amusing joke. This, Dilandau realized, was far more than he had bargained for.
"Now then," Aquaria spoke, voice light and musical once again, "What are we going to do about that pesky little girl?"
"Kanzaki? The one from the Mystic Moon?"
"Of course her," she said in a light amusement, as though mildly berating him for being so blatant, "Although, the other girl seems to know you're alive. The one you were created from."
Dilandau went silent at this, knowing exactly who Aquaria was speaking of.
"Celena is her name?" Aquaria asked with a mock innocence, fully aware of how she was toying with her soldier.
"It doesn't matter," Dilandau almost growled, a savage sound tapped from an anger deep within him, "We'll kill them all."
"That we will, dearest Dilandau...that we will."
~~
Hitomi's eyes widened as flashes of images passed before her mind's eye. That same woman she had seen the night before, standing over a pile of burnt and bleeding bodies, amusement in her expression...
"Hitomi?" Allen spoke, noticing the sudden drain of color from her face and immediately growing concerned, "Another of your visions...?"
In her mind, she saw the impossible standing beside the demonic figure of the woman. "It can't be..." she whispered, as if trying to wish it away.
"You see him too, don't you," Celena spoke quietly, sullenly, "I told you..."
"Dilandau..."
---