Summary: Amon and Touko are getting married, just as Robin decided to come clean of her feelings for Amon. Did Amon's awakened power have something to do with it? Zaizen didn't just get a son-in law and Toukou is not just a happy bride, what do they each gain from this dirty deal? How will everyone in STN-J deal with the changes in their lives? And what's Amon got to say in all of this?
Discord
The silenced heartbeats
The birth of the dead
Seeing desires
Dancing crimson
Pining for the end
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The fluttering of lights, deafening in the silent dream. Drifting through a colourless abyss, until something grabbed him from the shelter of his own mind, Amon stirred unwillingly.
The lone strand of consciousness he had left forced open his eyes, the darkness was immediately forced back by a warm brilliance stinging his eyes. The auburn pupil contracted just as a part of Amon that he had buried away long ago curled up with his own dread of light, mainly of what the light is bringing.
The ancient lock inside him already started to weaken under the full force of memories thrashing against it. Amon frowned distastefully at his lack of control, but also at the pain of the resurfacing memories. No, he cried inwardly, summoning all his control to repair the barrier to stop himself but with no prevail.
The constriction of his lungs made Amon breath in the unfamiliar air, trying desperately to believe that it will calm him down. Unaware of another presence,theextra element in the air took him by surprise, her. It's not something that he can describe or even remember, but the mere presence of it is enough to destroy him with longing.
The closeness and impossibility of it made him ache, an unfathomable anguish that Amon had learned to hide and reduced to merely a frozen heart… The creases between his eyes deepened, panicking as the past overwhelms him without him even noticing it.
Even more, a caress, no, the wavering of air swept across his face. Amon shivered, there's an inhuman quality to the touch, leaving him unsettled.
What if…?
Shaking his head mentally and chasing the absurd thought away. Knowing that it's impossible, only one option was lift.
A witch must be hunted, he remembered, feeling more like himself now.
Amon's hunter instinct kicked in and convinced him that he is actually in the middle of a hunt. Amon's hand naturally went for the cold object by his side, seeking a speck of safety though weary of the routine.
And where's Robin?
Plan for the hunt quickly formed in his mind, anger for the young partner's unreliability trickled in. Studying his surroundings Amon's eyes widened, he knew this room all too well…
The first strange thing that Amon noticed out of many was that things looked bigger, way larger and taller than they should. Amon is amongst the tallest people he knew and as he stood up to face the window the top of his head is barely over the window sill.
Is it possible that I have shrunk?
Amon's mind directly went to consider why he would be like this and concluded as the obvious reason came:
The witch must have done this.
Amon recognizes the room, he had lived here as a child, in fact the last normal housing he had being in since the Craft had taken over his mother. It's a small room, appeared even more so of the clatter that Amon always made.
Evidently, with his mother's waitress salary, basic everyday needs were a strain on the bank account, affording a house in the suburbs is impossible, but the mother and the son were happy: they have each other.
The wooden floor is worn with countless tenants and littered with plastic little toy cars and such that belonged to Amon. The reason Amon's mother chose this apartment is because the large window that almost covered the entire wall of the bedroom.
She used to say that she hated dark and cramped spaces; she can only be herself, trapped in Amon's father's estate is like killing her. Kazumi needed her own space, do something of her own, make a place for her self. Being the missus of a wealthy business man and crowded by servants finally convinced her to leave.
She wanted her son to grow up to be "free" and never be restricted as she was. Now Amon can see the irony of this all, thinking back to his own dark apartment.
Amon's mother proved her self to be worthy to bringing up her son, even though it was hard, but it was what she had dreamt of. Watching Amon sleep showered in the light through the window every morning comforted her and made her go on. Amon found him self getting lost in the bittersweet memories that this little place held but soon rebuked himself for being so naïve.
"…illusions created by witches almost always take place somewhere you know, or maybe something you want, they take advantage of your deepest desires…"
Solomon's training came back to him, Considering that I have lived here as a child, "me" in the memory should be younger, Amon thought, more at ease now that he has an explanation.
"…but never try to fight when you suspect that you are being controlled, or you will end up endangering your self and your comrades…"
The disoriented hunter retracted his hands mid-way from the Orbo gun at the warning and thought if others are stranded too. Amon hates to feel defenseless, there's nothing he can do, absolutely nothing.
Concerns welled up inside of Amon when his thoughts came upon his younger partner, Robin. However strong she is, she tends to be inexperienced and act rashly at times.
Robin.
The melody escaped Amon, trying not to imagine what kind of trouble she might be in right now. The rational side of him knows that most witches cannot even compare their powers to that of Robin's, but she is just 16 after all.
Astonished why he is even thinking this Amon pushed the thought out of his head as the clashing of metal rang out through his childhood house.
The silent but ever present alarm at the back of his mind tear through Amon as he heard sizzling from not afar, tinged with the roar of fire, creating a peculiar symphony of hell.
A horrifying smell filled Amon's nostrils, burning flesh. A horror rose up in Amon, seeping through him and making it impossible to move.
Had Robin lost control and kill again? Then she will have to be hunted! She will never survive, and I can't without her… Hope and devastation collide, forging a face that Amon had sworn to protect and see a smile on.
Robin…!
A familiar but never before scream lashed out from outside, clutched Amon's heart. He would not forgive himself if Robin gets hurt; forgetting logic Amon got up and sprinted towards the door.
What happened next stopped Amon dead in his tracks: a woman busted into the room looking hectic and helpless. The next thing Amon knew was that he was in her arms.
"Oh, Amon, I'm so sorry, did I scare you? So sorry, I was scared too, I was making breakfast and… the pan just caught on fire…the bacon…I, I didn't know what to do!"
Hot tears burned down her still young face, at last showing signs of weakness and defeat.
In Amon's faded memories, his mother was a stubborn woman, she never asked for help when there wasn't anything to put on the table, or anything else for that matter. Amon had got that from her, never admit defeat.
Abruptly he found himself sobbing in to his mother's apron, the tiny bit of self Amon has left was stunned with the illogical turn of events and this show of emotion with him even allowing it. Kazumi pulled her self away to look at Amon's tear stained face, slowly wiping them away
"Listen to me, Amon, never, ever, give up, okay?"
She looked at him almost begging him to agree, a smile graced her cracked lips as Amon nodded obediently, "we will get through this, together, I promise." She lifted up her head to restore her dignity and looked out of the window not certain where, but enchanted with it.
Clenching her hand into a fist, the sunlight filtered through the window enveloped her, at that moment his mother's perfect profile was seared into Amon's mind.
Feeling the tug of reality Amon knows that it's time to go. He still hasn't figured out if there's a witch, or just a dream. It doesn't matter anymore, meeting his mother once more made sure of that.
A sharp intake of breathe, spurred Amon as he woke up in his comfortingly dark room.
He sat up from his bed and looked out of the window where the world is still dark, but abnormally bright because of the bleak snow on the ground. Amon grunted making his annoyance known at the sparkling white material covering the streets in front of his apartment.
Shivering as the cold air came in contact with his bare skin Amon sank back down on to the sheets, the vivid images of the dream still lingering in his head.
The bright surroundings of his dream contrasts with the darkness he's trapped in awoke a yearning for another's touch, her touch.