There's a lot to talk about. So I'll see you guys at the end of this.


Chapter Forty-Three

I May Fall


"Let's see who's stronger. The Lord of the Dead or the Demon of Aquarius."


Shit.

We're running out of time.

Explosions roar beyond what we can see but they're still happening. The homes and livelihoods of these people—my people—are being taken from them by those who just want to watch the world that deserted them burn. Innocents like them—why couldn't they at least see that?!

"They're blinded by rage, mia Dominia. It is something humans easily follow...because it seldom needs a reason to be."

Lachesis is right. Now isn't the time to be searching for a meaning to their madness. It's a matter of stopping it. Despite the destruction going on about me, the screams have lessened and become a distant hum. The evacuation should be close to being done if they aren't already. It would make fighting a lot easier if we don't have to worry about the people.

"Those attacking us—if Kein's with them, then they're with the Baskervilles as well." Saying this aloud isn't for the benefit of anybody who would hear me, but for my own. Thinking out loud helps me; it's a habit that didn't go away even when Chronos and Lacrimosa did. "Leo...he must've sanctioned this coup."

"It's not out of the realm of possibility," Lachesis responds. "However, he would stand to gain nothing of it."

"Not necessarily," I rapidly correct her as I turn down a certain street. "It'd weaken a great force standing against him. The Court and I united with Pandora, after all."

He's already broken the organization asunder as it is. Barma betrayed us. Sharon's and Break's Chains are gone. And mine…Leo made sure to leave me without Chronos and Lacrimosa using the Nightray's and Baskerville's Key. Attacking the Court and keeping the Lords occupied would be the final nail in the coffin that would allow him to do what he pleases.

Only if we lose here.

Rushing through the flaming debris, I jump back just in time to avoid a falling building as it now suddenly blocks my path. Frantically, my eyes search about for an alternate route and find one along the walls of an alley. Though the buildings on either side are blazing, the path is thankfully clear.

I may not know where Angele and Arbel are, but surely these shadows that suddenly rose to life and began gathering will show me the way. But the longer I follow them, the more this eerie feeling continues to sink deep inside me. They're shadows—human-shaped shadows—but they look different than normal. I've been on the receiving end of Angele's shadows firsthand during my exam too and yet these...they appear different somehow.

They look alive.

My lips part, a sharp inhale threatening to break my silence when suddenly Lachesis speaks out of turn.

"You do not wish to know the answer to that question."

"I do," I simply say, despite fear clinging onto me. "Are the shadows he controls alive?"

"They are not alive in the way you think. But they are sentient in another."

Before her answer can calm my nerves, I'm faced with an unpleasant sight as I finally round the corner of the alleyway and towards the exit. My eyes widen and my jaw locks as I try not to scream. Bloodied, panting, and on death's doorstep is Angele who can barely hold himself together against—

"Arbel?"

"Watch out!"

Angele's warning comes quick enough for me to raise Radiant Dawn and block the dark, sharpened claws that clash against my thin blade and are just inches away from slashing my throat. I'm barely able to keep on my feet when the hit comes, my feet sinking into the ground at the force of the impact. Lachesis intervenes without a word, her arms and wings outstretching themselves outward forming some kind of shield and pushing Arbel back.

The feeling that has me sick to my stomach doesn't stop even with him a good distance away though. In fact, it's tenfold now that I have a good look at what Arbel's become.

The feeling is easy to recognize as well. Nothing short of unadulterated fear.

His skin is black granite in every sense of the word if what I felt on impact was any indication. And those eyes of his aren't that oceanic blue anymore. Instead they're just as dark as his skin with bright circles of scarlet around them. I don't know what happened. I don't know what he is. But he isn't Arbel right now.

"Don't fight him, Clarice!" My eyes veer just enough to catch Angele in his torn state, bloodied and bruised but desperate to warn me. "You can't win! Not against him as he is now!"

"I'd listen to the Lord of the Dead if I were you, King Dawn." The voice that calls me this time is another; a young girl who reminds me a lot of Derek from the complexion of her skin and the color of her eyes. The malicious gleam in her eye and the manic grin tell me that whatever she's up to, it's bad news for us. "A pureblood Corvus like Arbel Artemisia is quite the force to be reckoned with even for you. You won't last unless your aim is to put him down."

"What—"

Before I can even breathe another word, those same obsidian claws clash against my thin blade yet again. My arms tremble from the force of the impact and I'm barely able to dodge out of the way when he goes for a kick to my head. The pressure that whizzes right above me warns me that I can't be hit with any of his attacks. If any touch me, I'm dead.

Before he can catch me off guard yet again with his charge, a flurry of arrows rains from above forcing him to keep his distance and catches his attention and mine. Those arrows...

"Good thing we saw the shadows converging." Swirling orange eyes meet my gaze as both Derek and Envier reach my side, a grin forming on his lips as they do. "Looks like you need some backup."

Envier's ruby eyes widen at the sight of Arbel so ferocious before them. "What's happening to him?"

"He's being controlled—" The only man with them stomps down on Angele's back and pushes all the air out of his lungs before he can say anything else.

But what he said is enough and it gives me an idea of what we have to do. If Kein's powers were anything to go by, the powers they can possess vary but don't stretch too far from their respective lands. Kein was a necromancer; it's how she managed to summon a puppet resembling Cloude. The little girl that spoke before—if her appearance is anything to go by, she might belong to Derek's people.

And if he controls spirits then maybe...

The rest of the Lords and Galen arrive as my train of thought ends. If they're here, then the evacuations must be done. Good, with all of us here and the people out of harm's way, we can get through this.

We can win.

"Glad to see everybody's present!" The floor shakes beneath us as Cerberus stops behind their group. Jumping off from atop the Chain's head, Kein and Cloude's puppet land beside the rest as they step forward. "It'll make our glorious revolution that much easier if we kill the lords and the Court's King in one fell swoop."

Her words are like a pin falling in the quietest of rooms. It causes a cacophony that sets everything else in motion.

It's crazy just how quickly the battle ensues thereafter. It's like a bomb exploding all around us. They barely outnumber us by one now that Arbel and Angele aren't on our side or capable of fighting. But even if it's only Derek, Galen, Talis, Envier, and I, we can still do this. If we can dwindle their numbers enough to have the advantage, it's doable.

Two things are our top priority, however: rescuing Angele and stopping Arbel. And by the look of things, I won't be able to do one without doing the other first.

"How do we stop him?" I ask aloud for any of them to answer me as we dodge and attack wherever we're able to.

"Derek!" Envier exclaims as she pushes the man that stomped Angele off of her. "That little shit's from your land! What the hell do we do?"

"If I'm right about what she's doing to Arbel, severing their connection should be enough." When I shout back at him about what the hell did that even mean, he clicks his tongue with clear frustration before raising his voice at me, "Kill the damn brat!"

Kill?

Though I skid to a stop, my thoughts are running a mile a second. Kill a kid? It's almost unthinkable to me. But the thought of doing something like that only stops me briefly as I take another glance at the ones fighting here with me. They're all counting on me to lead them and end this.

And if it'll save this place and the livelihoods of so many from this hell then...

"Talis, Galen, Derek; open the way. Envier, with me!"

The three of them take care to keep the heavy hitters away from Envier and I as we sneak past them. We don't get very far though. Kein and her puppet are ready to block our path to the little girl controlling Arbel. Though it pains me to see Cloude still, in my heart I know it to be just a fake. And if what Oz said is right, then destroying him is as easy as breaking the ruby inside the skull she's holding.

"Keep him busy." It's all I say to Envier under my breath before sprinting ahead towards Kein.

She's quick on her feet but the fact that she's enraged helps me. Having Cerberus at her side does make it tougher to reach her, especially when I don't have Chronos or Lacrimosa, but with Lachesis' shields, I can at least avoid his attacks and focus on the necromancer instead. The fury in her eyes seems to double at the sight of my using the Curator's powers. And although it's faint, I catch a glimpse of the same distinct red tinge flickering around her irises as Arbel's.

She's a pureblood?

"You impudent girl!" The ruby inside shines bright in response to her ire and the fact that I hear Envier suddenly struggling behind me is telling enough that her anger is fueling the puppet. "You don't deserve those powers! They are mine!"

"They're not yours to take!"

Dodging out of the way after Lachesis shields me yet again, I sprint low right under Cerberus' nose to reach her. Her eyes widen the moment she notices me and her body tenses. I skid back and crouch readying myself to flip back and kick the skull out of her hands, but when she hugs it closer to herself to protect it, I take my chance and feint. Instead of backflipping, I sweep her feet from under her before she can react. Before her back even hits the ground, I bring the heel of my boot as hard as I can muster down on her, aiming for one thing only.

Crack.

A light of bright scarlet blinds me for a split second before it dies down. Kein's hectic screams follow suit as in a manic state she rushes towards me. Before I'm able to do anything, Lachesis and Derek have my back, a shield blocking the dagger she had aimed at me and an arrow piercing her right through the heart. A gasp escapes me at the sight of her wide eyes full of horror and disdain, and to my surprise, my hand unconsciously reaches out to her as she falls back onto the ground.

Though I shouldn't care, it pains me to hear the horrid gasps for air she takes before the red around her irises disappears seconds before the light in her eye vanishes as well.

Though I wish I could, it's useless to linger.

Swallowing the heaviness in my throat, I go around her body and rush towards the little girl that Envier had pointed out as one of Derek's people.

The moment she realizes what I'm doing, her gaze locks on me and before I know it, a blur of black appears before my eyes. There's no time for me to react when a fist punches me right in my stomach. All the air and bile rises to the surface as the force of it throws me aside. Vision blurry, I'm barely able to see that it was Arbel who attacked me as he now stands guard before the girl.

"How predictable. Though I suppose Kein's lust for vengeance was bound to be her downfall." As she stands close to Angele—his gasps turning shallower and shallower by the minute—her head tilts to one side curiously as she addresses me alone. "Reina's pride was what got her killed too." She shook her head dismissively, "Such childishness."

"You—" I hack suddenly, my body still rattled with pain from the one hit. "How can you say that about the people who're working with you? Aren't they your comrades?"

"Comrades?" Her brow rises and her lips remain taut in a small line. "I think you're mistaken, your majesty. What brought us together wasn't loyalty to each other, but instead selfishness that we sought to accomplish through using one another."

Selfishness?

A small scoff slips from her lips as her chest puffs up. "We're not some lost souls that found refuge in each other. Each is simply the mastermind of their own little ploy and is using the others to see it through. Kein, for example, wanted to control the Court as it is now, while I just want to see it and every last Corvus burn."

"What?"

She didn't bother to say another word. Instead, her hand lifts as she sends Arbel towards me. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to deal with him by myself, I go on the defensive, but with all his attention on me, it's clear to see the power difference between us. Suddenly, I sense warmth coming from beneath my feet that doesn't seem natural. Almost on instinct, I wait long enough for Arbel to pounce at me before jumping back seconds before a pillar of magma shoots upward striking him head-on.

Envier lands by my side then and I thank her under my breath before we focus our attention back on the threat before us. Even if it's the two of us, a fight against Arbel doesn't seem plausible. He's too strong. Too fast. A thought suddenly comes to me at that. Maybe we can't take away his strength...but if we can slow him down.

It could level the playing field for us.

"Can you make the terrain harder for him to maneuver?" The cocky smirk she gives me as she twirls her twin blades is answer enough. With a nod, I step forward and rush towards the kid once more. Mirroring me as expected, Arbel sprints for me.

Envier is just a few steps short but even with what little space separates us, I can see the red glow coming from the edges of her blades moments before she slams them against the ground. Answering her call are veins of magma that seem to erupt from underground, distorting the ground and elevating it into mounts as tall as us with bright flowing magma inside. The glow from her blades is warning enough to avoid them as they erupted from the ground but from the sound on the other side, Arbel isn't as lucky. As more and more mounts break through the surface, erupting into spills of magma anytime Arbel breaks them, I know that we've at least leveled the fight a little bit in our favor.

Splitting from her, I ask for a few minutes—just long enough to knock the little twerp out and end this. It's easier to dodge between the erupting mounts when I see the pattern on the ground moments before they breakthrough. Before long I'm facing the girl yet again.

Her eyes narrow before she motions her hand towards me yet again. This time, however, Arbel doesn't answer her. Instead, magma pillars continue erupting around us impeding his path to her. With Radiant Dawn at hand, I yank her away from Angele who's barely even moving at this point, and hold her by the collar of her cloak.

She's so...small.

"It's over."

The expression on her face sends chills down my spine. It's not a concerned one. It's not even spiteful. It's just a blank stare.

Almost as if expecting—

The razor sharpness of a claw barely grazing my neck stops short in the half second it takes for me to breathe. The terrifying growling that comes from behind me accompanies it, but the claw that almost killed me doesn't follow through.

Instead the pain I feel blossom isn't coming from my neck. It's coming from my chest. Slowly then all at once, I recognize what it is. A blade runs cleanly through my abdomen, the pain and the warmth of blood clear indications of that as it spreads from my gut towards my chest.

Mine...and the little girl's.

The same blade runs through her, putting her body flush against mine, but because of the height difference and the upward angle of the strike, what struck my abdomen and exits just below my ribs strikes her right through the chest. Right through her heart. Blood sputters from her lips as those hollow eyes widen in terror. Terror at the realization of what she's feeling is most likely her death.

What registers last is the culprit. The one who struck us both.

Angele grits his teeth through the pain in order to remain upright as he pierces both of us through with whatever blade he must've found lying around. Our eyes meet briefly and it's then that I know that this was our best shot. Had he hesitated even for a second, Arbel would've killed me in the state he's in. And even if he did have to hurt me to do it, Angele wouldn't have done it had it meant my death.

"You're right," he said through ragged breaths and a shit-eating grin that reminds me much more of Break than the calm and collected Angele. "It's over."

I inhale a sharp breath as he swiftly retracts the blade and falls to one side onto the ground. Though I'm in pain, my injury isn't life-threatening. For the girl, however, it weakens her almost instantly as she falls against me gasping for her every breath. Despite what she's done, I hold her against me tightly attempting to console her for whatever time she has left.

It's not much in the end. She's gone in just a couple of breaths more and simply lays limply in my arms.

As if on cue, the magma pillars behind me fall and a glance over my shoulder shows Envier who, although worse for wear, is still standing. Just behind me, Arbel falls to his knees in a heap of heavy pants and painful groans. The fact that his skin isn't all a deep black or that his eyes aren't rimmed red anymore is splendid news, however.

Envier rushes to me after checking on Arbel, but I simply dismiss her to Angele's side. He's the one that needs attention the most. Laying the girl down on the ground, I struggle somewhat to stand back up from the open wound that's still bleeding despite the pressure I'm putting on it. Suddenly, a large hand grabs me by my arm and lifts me back to my feet.

"Can you stand?"

Arbel's voice is hoarse but it's not as guttural sounding as it was before. And though the playfulness of it from before is gone, I can hear the tenderness of it again.

He's back.

"Yeah." The moment I wince, his eyes roam over me before going down on one knee and placing his still darkened hands on my wound. Though the pressure he puts on it hurts all the more, there's a strange sensation that soon takes over and soothes it. It's cool and smooth and eases the pain greatly. The sensation I get from it is quite reminiscent of one thing that reminds me of him.

Water.

It only takes seconds for the pain to lessen and though not fully healed, whatever he did certainly helped with the bothersome pain. I thank him under my breath as he stands and leaves to Angele's side. He does to him what he did to me and, as he works on Angele the best he can, I notice that it was indeed water that I felt against my skin. It must be his powers. Much like Envier's control of magma or Angele's control of shadows, Arbel's help him heal wounds through water. By the looks of it, though, he can only heal them to a certain point.

Once Angele seems to be in a more stable condition, Arbel's glance veers off to where Galen, Talis, and Derek are still fighting the remaining Corvus. His hands curl into fists, the darkened color crawling further into his skin and meaning to take over.

Before I know what I'm doing, my hand lays over his fist. He tenses for the briefest of moments before turning back to stare down at me. Though I'm not mad, I still glare up at him as I say, "You're not a monster, Arbel. You're way stronger than you think. So don't let it control you again." As a last reminder, I squeeze his hand tighter before glancing back towards Angele. "We'll take care of him. I promise. So, please, go help the others."

It takes him a moment but Arbel nods in the end before rushing past the mess of a battle we left behind to reach the others. Turning my back on them, I return to Envier as she tries to bandage the wounds that Arbel couldn't heal all that well however she can.

"He's stable for now," she relays to me. "But we have to get him some better treatment quick."

"Don't worry." It's incredible how calm I am, but by the look in Arbel's gaze, there's not a doubt in me that he'll end this for us. "It's going to be over soon."


Idiot.

What an insurmountable idiot he had been. Nobody would have thought that he would be taken advantage of like that. Had they known these people held connections with the Land of Spirits then perhaps more caution would've been taken. But there was no point in lingering on the what-ifs. What mattered now was ending what they had started.

And he would end it.

The rage in him boiled his blood, threatening to send him on a new frenzy, this time of his own volition. Claire's words and the sight of Angele on the verge of death most of all kept him grounded, however.

"You're not a monster, Arbel. You're stronger than you think."

He once thought that Angele was right. That the girl's bleeding heart would be the death of her someday. But perhaps they had both underestimated the strength that same bleeding heart gave her. Along with the kind of courage it could give others like himself.

Summoning Aqua, he felt the air around him still as droplets of water began to precipitate around him. There was still some space between himself and the rest of the battle, but it was enough. It was far enough to not hurt Claire on her side or Derek and the others on theirs but close enough to deal the blow he wanted to the two remaining Corvus.

It would be swift.

And it would be painful.

Galen, Talis, and Derek stopped in their tracks the moment they noticed their enemies do the same. Through groans and protests of pain, they appeared to contort in their own bodies like rags dolls manipulated by sets of strings.

"W-What's happening!?" Mei Tao screamed.

Marcus could only grit his teeth knowing full well what this was. What had caused his injuries years ago and caused the death of most of the battalion he'd been a part of had been this. How he lived through it the first time was beyond him—maybe uncontrollable power or simply a momentary lapse of consciousness—but something deep in his soul told him there wouldn't be a second time.

A scowl spread across his face as his body continued to contort itself in the most painful ways. And with the pain came the screams. Mei Tao bit down on her tongue to keep it from debilitating her and forced the gravity around her to lessened, but no matter how much she changed it, whatever was harming her wasn't stopping.

"It's useless." Both their gazes rose to find Arbel before them. With a flick of his wrist, the two screamed out their pain as their legs were broken. Droplets of blood exited from every pore in the legs as they shriveled up into dead tissue in the span of seconds. "I'm going to kill you for what you did. Slowly and in the most painful way that you can imagine."

Having the consciousness to spare them of what he was about to do, Arbel gestured to Galen with a wave of his hand, pointing towards the sewer canals from whence they entered.

"Take our King and the others and leave, Arcadios."

"But...the Court—"

"Won't survive this massacre." Surely he must've known that before he even said it. Even if they ended things now and put an end to the flames, the catacombs would be far too damaged for them to have any hope of reconstructing the Court here. It was a lost cause. "Take them and leave. I will follow you after I'm done with them."

Arbel was ready to threaten the late Lord of Fire if he refused to. Thankfully, however, he had the mind Arbel hoped he did to listen. While Derek and Talis took care of Envier and Claire, Galen carried Angele away. Deep oceanic eyes stared after the man and watched his love as he was taken away, tattered and broken, and on the edge of death's door.

All because of him.

"You…you won't kill us."

It was incredible that Marcus could still talk even as he crushed his lungs by expanding all the fluid in his body. More incredible even was that a part of him knew he was wrong, and he hated that part of himself.

Arbel had been one of their more fearsome and efficient fighters even before he became the Lord of his land. Many feared him, those like Marcus more so, and they all had a good reason to. Purebloods used to be much more common one hundred years ago, but as they began to mingle with humans, they became far and few in-between. Some, much like his family, however, wished for their lineage to remain pure.

But that pureness came with a nasty burden.

Thankfully only a few incidents arose from his inability to control himself and his powers. The massacre of his squadron was one of those few of which he took responsibility for and learned greatly from. Leaving all those families without their husbands and wives—leaving children without their parents—was a heavy load to carry and one that urged him to learn caution.

And learn it, he did. Or at least that was what he thought he had learned. But today had shown him just how wrong he'd been to be complacent about his so-called achievement. That he had been taken over so easily told him exactly just how ill-prepared he'd truly been.

All the control he thought he had was nothing but a lie.

"I don't believe you're a monster. No person who's as gentle as you are could ever be one."

The words Angele spoke to him that fateful day echoed in his head with the same message Claire's did. They didn't believe he was a monster, and he wanted to prove them right.

"So just this one last time…" he muttered to himself while keeping hold of their contorted bodies. "After this...I'll prove it to you both."

"What are you—"

Arbel closed his eyes and instead let Marcus' and Mei Tao's muffled gurgling deafen him as he contorted every bit inside of their bodies. Just as excruciatingly as he promised. Once the job was done, Arbel felt his lungs burn a little as he began to cough. The smoke was getting thicker by the second inside the catacombs. If he didn't hurry, he'd end up suffocating and dying in there.

Luckily he was fast enough to make it out through the sewer exits and found himself at the edge of the forest where they had taken Claire after escaping Pandora Headquarters. Thankfully as well, Claire and the rest of the Lords were gathered not far from there, all seemingly huddled close together. A faint smile painted itself across his face but faded almost instantly when the lot of them noticed his presence and was met with their forlorn expressions.

Dread the size and heaviness of lead instantly dropped into his stomach. The Lords parted and gave way to the sight of Claire's trembling back as she knelt over something. Sensing their movement, the girl looked over her shoulder and the sight of her tear-stained face shocked him even further. Without a word, she simply stood and stepped aside to show him Angele as he leaned against the large oak.

Immobile. His chest still.

"...I'm sorry…" He could barely distinguish Claire's cries above the sobs of the others. "I'm so sorry...Arbel…"

No.

Arbel rushed to him, dropping to his knees and scooping Angele's warm body in his arms before pressing his ears against his chest. His breath held, he waited. And waited. And waited. But no matter how long he did, there was no sound to be heard. Despite how warm he still was, his heart had stopped beating.

Almost instantly, his heart broke to pieces. Mumbles escaped his lips as they trembled and unshed tears began to build at the brims of his eyes at the thought of what he held in his arms now. Just a lifeless body—it wasn't Angele anymore.

he's gone.

But as his tears fell and he cradled Angele flush to him, the warmth that was yet to leave him seeped against his skin and with it, a rush of hope.

Perhaps...he could still do something.

"...Aqua."


The tears and heaviness in my heart held themselves for a brief moment as strings of water suddenly began to sway around Arbel. Suddenly, Galen yanked Envier and I away by our shoulders from what was happening. And while Talis was more than confused about what was occurring, Derek held a very telling air of shock to him as we all watched.

The water that swayed around him in tendrils did so in such a delicate manner that it appeared to be dancing somehow. Almost as if it were swaying its arms outward in circles around Arbel and Angele's body. The more it swayed, however, the more I realized something began to glow in it.

A golden light with so much warmth in it that it dazzled me.

As it left Arbel it brushed against Angele's skin and that same golden light gently began caressing Angele's wounds. The moment the paleness in his face began to vanish and his eyelashes began to flutter, my breath hitched with anticipation.

That's...not possible.

"Arbel, stop!" My eyes shot to Derek the moment he yelled and attempted to get close to the cyclone of water that swayed around them. The instant he tried, however, those same gentle waters that were giving Angele life injured Derek with quick slashes as they rotated in place. "Stop this! It'll kill you!"

It was his words that let the realization fall upon me like a ton of bricks. If Arbel could heal wounds...what else could he do with his powers? The smile that pulled at the edges of his lips gave me the answer I didn't want to hear.

Before any of us could stop him, the swaying waters finally converged around them in a bubble that consumed them entirely. Their images seemed to blur through the refraction of light through the water but it was clear to see what Arbel did next. Leaning in, his lips met Angele's and for a whole second the waters stopped before exploding outward into tiny inoffensive droplets.

We all waited with bated breath as Angele's eyes finally opened and the color to his cheeks returned.

"Ar…"

The terror in his eyes the moment they widen shocks me to my core.

"There's...my little angel."

His words were weak and fell from his lips as Arbel himself fell to one side. Angele caught him from hitting the ground but by the time we reached him, the color had already completely faded from his face. And from the devastation that took hold of Angele's fair expression what Derek said would come to happen did.

"What...just happened?" Envier questions, her voice barely above a whisper as Angele quietly sobs over Arbel's limp body.

Galen's hold over my shoulder tightens as he lowers his head in quiet solemnity. "He's gone, child. Artemisia, he—"

He gave up his life...for Angele's.

Tears begin to flow anew as the thought finally settles. This big idiot. How could he think this would be any better? We still lost somebody. He's still gone. And yet no matter how much I want to be angry at him for doing what he did, I can't be. I can't because I know why he did it.

Cloude had done the same thing for me. And I would've done the same. I would've rather die than see Elliot die before me.

"Miss Dawn?"

Galen and Derek are the only ones still strong enough to move somehow. They instantly take their stances against the voice that suddenly arose calling my name, but the squeak I hear responding to their threats is quite non-threatening.

"Who are you?" I hear Galen ask.

"D-D-D-Duke Barma sent me!"

"That traitor?" Derek barks.

"N-No! He told me that if Duchess Rainsworth was to regain control over Pandora to come here and retrieve you!"

The mention of Sharon's grandmother makes me regain some of my composure as I look over my shoulder at the boy. God, he can't be more than eleven. Duke Barma truly picked his servants well; children are far easier to manage, after all.

"Regain control?" I repeat with my brow furrowed. "You mean...the Baskervilles aren't in control of it anymore?"

The boy shakes his head. "Xerxes Break, Lady Sharon, and Duchess Rainsworth took it back. I was instructed to guide you back so you could rejoin them if that were to happen."

"Why should we believe you?" Derek says yet again.

Though I hated to be this harsh with a kid, we needed to be sure. He stumbled with his words for a moment before regaining a bit of his composure. "D-D-Duke Barma told me to tell you that 'you can retrieve what Glen Baskerville took from you. Time and space are with the raven'."

Confusion only mars my face further at the cryptic message. Retrieve what Master Glen took from me? And what's this about Raven—

"Wait..." It suddenly begins to dawn on me what he could possibly mean. "You mean...you mean Chronos and Lacrimosa?"

"You're going to believe him!?" Galen calls out in shock.

Before I have time to respond, a ruckus above us takes our attention. Flying through the sky is a giant bird—a black owl. Much like Jabberwock, it's a massive Chain in its own right and the fact that it's freely flying through the dark skies undeterred tells me enough.

"Owl is the Duchess' Chain. If it can fly through the skies without being shot down, then I believe they've regained control of Pandora. They wouldn't have been able to escape Lottie and the others otherwise."

As they all watch Owl soar through the sky headed northwest, Derek is the only one to speak out his question. "Where are they headed?"

Their direction alone tells me enough. "Sablier."

"The duke also—he also told me to give you this." The boy rummages through his coats before producing a piece of paper which I readily take.

Only one word was written there: Lutwidge.

"What did he tell you about this?"

"J-Just that Mister Lunettes would be waiting for you there."

"Lunettes?" Talis repeats.

"Reim-san." The moment the name leaves my lips, I know what I have to do.

Could you take me there, Lachesis?

"It would deplete your stamina somewhat, but it is possible."

That's enough for me. Turning to them, I gaze at each for a moment to grasp their attention fully.

"All of you return to Pandora." Their retorts are unanimous and with the exception of Angele who's remained silent this whole time, they don't fail to let their qualms be known. There is no time for that, however. Every second is of utmost importance now. "I know the last thing you want to do is leave my side, but we can't afford to be cautious any longer. What Jack has done and what Glen plans to do to stop him is already in motion. Our top priority is to ensure the safety of those we evacuated out of the catacombs. There will be no safer place than at Pandora with you all to protect them."

"You can't be serious," Derek hisses back through gritted teeth. Despite not falling, the brims of his eyes are full of unshed tears. I may be hurting but I'm also aware that they knew each other far longer than they've known me. This loss weighs heavier on them than it does on me. "We already lost—you can't go out there alone!"

"I won't be." If Duke Barma planned this far out, then surely someone aside from Reim-san will be waiting for me at that place. "Because dare I say, I believe in the idiot-haired duke for once. Where I'll be going, I won't be alone."

"What about Ar—"

"Go, Clarice."

We all stop to listen to Angele's voice the moment he speaks. It's so quiet that I almost don't believe he spoke, but the fact that the others await what comes out of his lips next with such bated breaths tells me I didn't imagine anything. He's still holding Arbel against him, one hand covering his face from the rest of us as he cradles him closely. His eyes barely lift from Arbel's still form before meeting only my gaze.

"We will ensure the people's safety. You ensure to stop your foolish brother and master from committing any further meaningless sacrifices."

His words lay heavily on my heart but are much too true to ignore.

Slowly, I take the few steps forward that will bring me to them before kneeling in front of them. Angele holds tighter onto Arbel, almost as if afraid I will rip him from his arms and that, the moment I do, it will all truly sink in.

When I speak to him next, I do so with the quietest of whispers so that only he can hear me.

"I saw it in his eyes. What he did, he did it out of the love he had for you." My hand comes over his as he gently holds Arbel's head in it. It trembles for a moment until I squeeze his hand; it's when I do that the tears finally roll silently down his cheeks. "Don't hate him for his choice. And don't hate yourself because he chose you."

His lip trembles at my words and he's quick to bite down to keep from sobbing. If from anger at me or grief at what I reminded him of, I can't readily tell. But I can't wait around to find out either.

Not with where I have to go plainly visible.

"I don't want to have to order you to do it," I finally say out loud to the rest of them. "But I will if I must. Now that Pandora's is no longer under Baskerville control, the safety of the people is what matters most—both Corvus and the common people of Reveille. That is my prerogative as well as yours. Tend to them, tend to our fallen, and most importantly of all...tend to yourselves."

"We will, your highness."

I'm amazed to hear the first one to say this is Envier. She stands proud as can be with a fierce look in her eye despite how reddened her they look. Galen and Talis follow shortly after, and though a bit uncertain, Derek does as well. Seeing as he's the most hesitant out of them, I give him the task that needs the most attention.

"Take care of Angele and Arbel for me while I'm gone," I tell him in secret as the others get ready to follow Barma's envoy back to Pandora.

Orange eyes darken and narrow. "Why does this sound like some cruel goodbye?"

"I promise it's not." I try to smile brightly but it only comes out weak and unconvincing. He doesn't argue with me however and instead leaves me behind to go with the others.

Just as I'm about to head out towards Lutwidge Academy, Angele's voice suddenly stops me in my tracks.

"Clarice." I spin on my heels and meet him just as he walks towards me, all the while fidgeting with something at the back of his neck. I don't dare move when he suddenly takes a thin chain from around his neck and unlatches it. He then proceeds to take a silver band out of the necklace to place around my right index finger before I can protest.

"What is this?"

"He gave it to me when he was younger while promising me the moon and stars with his love."

The moment he says this, I start to grow concerned and flustered. "I-I can't take this—"

"It's a special ring," he continues, not caring even remotely about what I have to say. "It's how I had a little piece of him to always be with me."

A little piece?

"Mia Dominia, your shadow."

It takes Lachesis pointing it out to me to finally realize what's happening. Something from Angele's shadow suddenly detaches itself from him and stands before us. The shape is taller than Angele, somewhat bulkier, and deep oceanic eyes: Arbel's shadow.

When you said that they weren't alive but instead sentient...what did you mean by that?

"The shadows the young man has dominion over are the shades left behind of others after their last breath is taken. By connecting himself to them, he is able to summon vast quantities. They are all sentient in the sense that they retain the strongest emotion they had when they breathed their last."

The shadow looks at us with a tender gaze that glimmers the softest of blues before it seemingly smiles and retreats to my shadow instead. The only sign it leaves behind is a faint blue outline around my shadow once it disappears.

"I'll lend it to you, but you have to promise me you'll return it to me once this is all over. Alright, Clarice?"

Carefully his hand reaches up to cup my cheek as his fingers card through my hair. It takes everything in me not to shed even more tears the moment I see the look on his face. It's finally hitting him. What took me so long to realize when Elliot died is finally occurring to him too. The moment that I can't hide my tears any longer, I jump into his arms and nod furiously as I hide my face in his chest.

"I promise I will!" I finally cry out, unable to keep the sobs to myself anymore. "So you have to promise me that you'll be here to receive me when I come back too! Promise me, Angele!"

His arms wrap around me slowly but with kindness that I know is hard to muster after all that he's gone through. And as we hold each other, I can sense the emptiness between us. The same kind left inside of us after the person we loved the most leaves us behind in this world. But it's because of that mutual feeling that I can understand what he's feeling right now. And though I know it's no use conveying it in words, I want him to know how I feel.

That I will be here for him no matter what happens.

"Of course I will." As he says this, he takes me at arm's length before lightly pressing his lips on my forehead and ushering me on my way. "Be on your way, Claire. End this once and for all."


Lutwidge is in my sights before long. Once we're close enough, Lachesis carefully puts me down on solid ground before disappearing in a burst of tiny lights and leaving me a bit out of breath.

"I apologize, mia Dominia. It appears this took more of you than I expected."

"Don't worry," I say while still recuperating. "Stay hidden for now. I'll take care of myself from now on."

"Claire?"

His voice is a surprise more than anything but a pleasant one nonetheless. I turn to face Oz and we both stand there looking at each other as if at an impasse. Neither of us knows what to do now that we're in the presence of the other. Who can blame us? The last time we saw each other, Jack was in control of his body and I was under Jack's control killing others. They're certainly not the most pleasant things to remember.

Part of me was also somewhat aghast at what all I remembered of my past. Though there were still holes in it, most of it had returned to me—much of which implied remembering how Jack used me...and what Oz was. But a far larger part of me just didn't care anymore about any of it.

Oz is Oz, and that's all that matters to me.

Shaking the uncharacteristic nervousness, I meet him with a sheepish smile as I rub the back of my head. "Sorry about what happened back at Pandora. I really wasn't in control of what I was doing. But I'm alright now! I'm 100% better and I'm ready to be your lousy bodyguard again…" The facade falls off then as my smile becomes smaller and more genuine. "That is...if you'll still have me, Oz."

The shock eventually vanishes from his eyes as a true smile reaches his lips as well. "Of course—"

"Claire!" "Clock girl!"

All air leaves my lungs when both Sharon and Alice tackle me to the floor. While Alice sobs rather noisily through her nose against my shoulder, Sharon can barely hold her own tears from falling down her cheeks at the sight of me. Such blatant concern moves me and I can't help but tear up a little as well.

"Let her breathe, you two." Gil easily lifts Alice by the collar of her coat before helping Sharon up. Though I shrink back fearing Gilbert's wrath the most after the treason I committed, I'm taken over by the shock when I realize his missing arm.

"What the hell happened to you!? You—Your arm—Are you okay?!"

Gripping his empty sleeve, I can't help but cry out at what I'm seeing. All of this—Oz getting captured, Alice disappearing, Gil losing his arm—all of it happened while I was taken over. While I was helpless to aid them. Despite all that being the case, Gil still smiles kindly at me before patting my head with his right hand.

"I'm fine, Claire. I'm glad you're back with us."

The empty sleeves felt heavy between my fingers out of the blue at his words. Embarrassed but grateful all the same, I nod while hiding my face which is surely a puffy, red mess from all the crying I've done in the last hour. Before I can cry anymore, Oz is beside him and standing in front of me, a kind and genuine smile still plastered on his face.

The look in his eyes—it almost seems like years since I last saw him. Almost like I'm seeing an old friend for the first time in over a decade. In them, I can see the old Oz, but also...something else. Something new.

And something that is purely his.

He takes one of my hands and holds it tightly before saying, "I'm glad you're here, too."

This time it's me who can't keep to herself. Without thinking, I throw myself at Oz who catches me instantly in an embrace. It's a quick one with Alice bickering that she wants in as well and Gil trying to keep her away from us so we can have the small moment. But frankly, I'm glad that we're all here together again.

As we're heading inside and Sharon is telling me how they're waiting on Break to awaken before heading to Sablier, I stop her briefly before tugging at Gil's now empty sleeve with a weak smile. Assuring them we'll be in shortly, he dismisses them before turning back to me and asking what is wrong.

"I know it's a bit presumptuous of me to ask you this but...I need your help."

It doesn't take long for me to brief him on what Barma's envoy told me. It has him thinking for a bit, that brooding expression settling on his face as his gaze goes askance.

"I suppose he isn't wrong. It should be possible with Raven's power," he says at last.

"I know it's something very selfish of me to ask, especially since we're going to Sablier soon and you'll need all the strength you have but…" My hold on his sleeve tightens and he notices this pretty easily. "I need them. They've always been there for me...and I want to see this through with them."

He pats my head after a long pause and when I look up at him, he's smiling again. "I understand. As Baskervilles, our connections to our Chains are on a level very unlike those of others. It's a bond. And it's natural to yearn to mend a broken bond."

"So you'll—"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Gil!"

After putting some distance between us, Gil tells me to brace myself before he summons Raven. It's something that I can only remember from my memories which even then are rather scarce when it comes to the five Black Winged Chains that belonged to our former master. Raven was intimidating enough when Gil helped me find Chronos back at the Nightray Household.

But...a lot has changed about me since that day.

The great bird barely regards me in any measure until Gil finally asks him to bring forth Chronos and Lacrimosa.

"Why should I?" it readily responds. "The girl already possesses one of the strongest Chains in the Abyss. Why harbor in that tiny body two more that are far weaker as separate beings and that will only burden her further?"

"Because they're more than just tools to me!" I exclaim to it. "They're even more than just friends!"

It's just like Oz and the others. To me, Chronos and Lacrimosa are my family. And I want them back with me.

Raven only stares long enough to scoff. "Foolish girl. Those Chains are beyond what any of us can command."

What?

"W-What do you mean?"

"The core created them in order to maintain the order of this world. Giving time and space forms was simply the whim of a human connected deeply to the Abyss. Because of that same connection, the core granted her wish and as her descendent, you have the power to call them forth and give them form even without my help."

"You mean...I can summon them?"

"Can she really do this by herself, Raven?"

He beat his wings, making more of his dark feathers fall. The moment they touch the floor, they're engulfed in dark blue embers that die off after a brief pause. "I can only make the burden lighter on her."

"Then help her, please," Gil asks.

"Very well. Concentrate on them. Think of what they mean to you. I shall do the rest."

I never thought it would agree in a hundred years, but it seems even Chains like it can change. After he accedes and I'm left with the task of summoning them forth, it's harder than I thought at first. He says to concentrate and think of what they mean to me, but that's something rather vague. I know what they are—time and space. They're the very things that my mother summoned and gave shape to when she parted Astrovylia in two. But more than Chains, they're the two star-crossed lovers that lost each other after death.

They were human once.

"Keep going."

They're the ones Cloude and I were meant to reunite by being born twins who could control them. We were marked by our mother to claim them. And they were bestowed to us by Master Glen to rise in arms. But they're more than just weapons. They're people who lost everything and after contracting Cloude and me, placed their faith in us. Faith that is now mine to bear.

And...I can't do this alone.

I want to see you guys again.

"Please…" I pray under my breath. "Come back to me."

"There they are."

Raven's deep voice barely reaches me but before I can ask what he meant to say, his wings beat again. Black feathers scatter all around us as a dark wind blows and surrounds us. Amidst the flurry of black feathers, figures begin forming from tiny flecks of light as they descend from the embrace of those black wings. I run up to them without thinking and as they reach me and my fingers graze them the light bursts outward and familiar voices call out my name.

"Claire!"

Tears spring from my eyes again, but instead of grief being the cause, they're from my immeasurable joy and relief. Both fall into me and bring me back against the floor as Lacrimosa cries into my shoulder and Chronos can't help but curse at me under his breath as he too buries his face on my arm. But the two can do that for as long as they want. I would take his berating for years to come if it meant having them here with me.

Raven disappears thereafter leaving Gil with us as we sit up. Carefully, I wipe away the tears from Lacrimosa's face with the sleeve of my shirt and smile at her.

"Don't cry," I whisper.

"B-But we left you!" She cries even harder, her large doe eyes wavering from the unshed tears. "He tore us from you and we couldn't do anything to stop him!"

"We were so goddamn useless!" Frustration flows with ease from Chronos' words and it's not hard to see why.

The only reason I lost them in the first place was because both their contracts were illegitimate. Those contracts hold no light to the kind I can make with them unhindered by the mirrors or through a key, however.

"No, you weren't." Though I know it's hard to believe, the moment I take their hands in mine, they look up to me as I smile reassuringly back at them. "It was my fault that we were separated like that. And if it's alright with you both, I don't want that to ever happen again."

Lacrimosa seems a bit confused at first, but Chronos, like always, is faster to catch up than her. "You...want to form an illegal contract with us?"

I shake my head at his wording. "Not illegal. As a Baskerville, this would be a true contract. One that not even Glen can break with his key."

Though I know I have nothing to worry about, I still feel dread overcome me when they take a second to gaze at each other. Soon enough, however, they smile at one another before turning back to me with sincere expressions on their faces.

"We promised we'd be with you and protect you," she says.

"And that's exactly what we'll do," he finishes.

Cupping my hands out towards them, the two allow me some of their blood which I take into myself. The feeling that rushes through me isn't violent at all. Instead, it's rather soothing as it washes through my entire body. Almost like a part of me that I've been missing this whole time. Finally, that warmth ends up on my chest where their combined needleless seals overlap with Lachesis'. A heaviness weighs on me suddenly at having three Chains contracted at the same time, but I don't mind it in the least. I was prepared to carry this and more when I decided to take them back.

I regret none of it.

As they begin to leave behind their physical forms to become a part of me like Lachesis has, their voices resonate in my head as they speak in unison.

"We will be with you, Claire. Now and always."

And neither do they.

"Now and always…"


Oz could tell what it was that Claire wanted Gil for the moment he saw her eyes.

That pain and longing...it was the same way he felt when he sent Alice away. Chronos and Lacrimosa must mean the world to her as well. And as they formed their new contracts with her and began to disappear, he swore he saw the faint figures of older people. Almost like much more grown versions of the two Chains. Each of them was holding onto Claire as they disappeared to reside within her.

At the sight of it, Oz could do nothing more than smile.

They looked like a mother and father...embracing their beloved daughter.


A/N:

Well. I think I have a lot to talk about, huh?

It's been *looks at -updated- date* 5 years? Damn, time flies, haha. But after so long, I guess I owe ya guys some explaining.

I've had the ending of this story planned since 2017, I believe. Back then I wrote all my outlines in journals and had this particular one taking up a whole one for itself. I even drew a little chibi of Claire that I still remember based on the little chibis that were put out when PH ended. Sadly, life happened and I misplaced the particular journal. I tried looking for it plenty of times when I'd see this story unfinished and had to urge to continue it. But so far, I've had no luck. I suppose that that kept me from doing this.

However, after the sucky year that's been 2020, I had a very serious talk to myself. I've been getting back into Mochizuki-sensei's manga with VnC and came back to revisit the one that made me fall in love with her storytelling. And I've gotta say PH is still the darling that had me crying tears of joy and sadness even after all this time.

Seeing as I'm starting to get the itch to write another story for PH (and who knows maybe even one for VnC if I get the spark for it), I thought that it would be rather cruel to leave this story that was one of the bigs ones I loved when I was in college. Despite not having the journal with the outline, I do remember most of the story beats that I wanted to hit for the story's finale and especially for the epilogue. And seeing as I've become a far more experienced writer after 5+ years, I wish to see this through to the end now that I'm older.

Since I intend to finish this (and this time I'll make sure to do it!) I will abide by some self-imposed rules so that I don't hinder myself further and keep stalling.

The one and most important one is that I'll try to not waste time in keeping to the old lore I have placed. I've read back on EoT:ReWrite but I can't bring myself to read the whole thing through. I still remember the overall story I wanted to go with but the details are what evade. And trust me it's tough af to reread stuff I read 5 years ago and not cringe. So I'll try to keep things as close to the original as I can without worrying too much about the details. It might make some parts sound clunkier than I'd like but if I'm getting through this, that might be something inevitable. I know you guys might not remember much as well but hopefully in things that I do mess up in, you can let me know and I'll go back to fixing them on the double.

And that's about all I have to say. I for sure thought I had more but I suppose not, haha. Anyway, I know it's been a long time and I'm truly so very sorry it has taken this long, but I intend to see this one to the end. This time for sure. I'm through rewriting and I'm through stalling.

As a final thought, I'd like to express my deepest gratitude to all of you who have ever favorited, followed or reviewed and are back after five long years. The line I wrote about this feeling familiar despite it being so long is something I wrote on the fly and I meant it. Despite it being so long, I still remember what I wanted to convey through Claire's story. It's even evolved through the years, from its start in 2010 as a self-insert OC, to a semi-coherent story when I began the rewrite back in 2014, and up to now at the cusp of ending 2020 where I want to enter 2021 with the ending I had envisioned for her story.

So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, and hope that you enjoyed this chapter and stay with me for this ride that I intend to see through to its end.

*Evie, signing out*