Author's Note:This fanfiction was inspired by a Static-X song named "S.O.M."(Symptoms Of Mercy). I don't own any rights, nor will I own any.

"I have seen, symptoms of mercy!
Dragged out of hiding..!
Try to seduce me... Try to seduce me..!"
Static-X:"S.O.M."

"SYMPTOMS OF MERCY"

Black.

It was the only colour he could see with his eyes now. The only colour that filled up his world, the shades coming through loud and clear. He knew that all the colours he had seen had brought him to this; the wide spectrum of colours had produced the monochrome vision... And it included two colours: black, and since it is the darkest colour, white.

As he laid on the altar, with his shirt taken off, he knew that his promise was still binding him. His fate was still bound to hers.

His muscular body shivered under her icy touch.

"Do you regret your decision?" she demanded.

What could he have said? He had made a promise, and he was to stand behind it no matter what the cost. He thought that no price was, or would be high.

And as he felt that fingernail open up a small cut on his skin, he knew that he couldn't pay the price anymore.

"I..." he could say, without thinking of anything else. How was he to respond? By telling her that this was wrong? That he finally saw the line between right and wrong? That he didn't intend for all to end up the way they had? That he loved her... always and forever?

"I think I saw symptoms of mercy..." she said, he could feel her licking her lips, "S.O.M. That's the code. Remember it."

"S.O.M." he repeated, tasting the letters, "What... is it for..?"

"You will know when the time comes." She replied, with that cryptic voice, announcing how the symptoms of his mercy towards himself was to be a code. The password to his own forgiveness was lost a long time ago. His mainframe was locked.

And she had the key.

But she never gave it to him. She knew she had him right in her hand. And when she had realised the power of this, she hadn't hesitated to use or to abuse him to excuse herself. He knew it just as well as she did.

"Ri-"

"Do NOT speak of my name!" she said, tapping one of his veins with her fingers, making pain emerge from the contacting point. He didn't even moan; because he was used to the random physical pain of love.

"What... should I call you!?" he demanded, "If not... with your name."

"If you absolutely need a name... My name for you is Ayreona."

"Ayreona..? Why..?"

"There is no why. It's just that. I am Ayreona; the one to raise above all!"

"I can't... let you... do this."

"Oh, can't you?" she asked, before bending down and landing a kiss on his lips. The cuts on his lips started to bleed with the soft impact, but he couldn't help but relax under the soft touch. Then, he felt his pants sliding down on his legs. He felt her soft weight fall on top of her, and felt her soft hands touch on his cheek. She felt so divine.

After the kiss, she rose on top of him and smiled. She straddled herself onto his lap and demanded the words she knew he would say.

He parted his lips, slowly and inhaled a deep breath. And then, he spoke to flip his soul inside out... For her to see.

"I... I can't believe I'm letting you do this to me."