You guys didn't think that I'd just leave you all hanging, did ya?

Violet clutched her arm, nearly tumbling out the door and down the once lavish drive, constantly looking back as she did so.

Her right arm was slowly but surely bleeding out, knife still in hand, but it was a minor detail at the moment. She couldn't help but feel just a bit of pride as she watched the mansion behind her go up in flames.

She kept going on, not stopping the run until she was well past the tree line. Once she was sure she'd gotten far enough, she slowed down, just a bit.

Her heavy breathing was creating puffs of smoke in the cold air, the sky cloudless as she walked on.

To think that, after countless years of planning, she'd finally gotten out. Granted, there had been false starts and awry attempts, many resulting in some of her friends being punished and some accidently killed in the process.

"And thus, the Great House of De Angelus falls." Violet muttered, chuckling darkly to herself. Those two, Oliver and Madison De Angelus, they had it for a long time coming.

She'd lived in the mansion for years as the youngest of the three De Angelus children. Not that she'd know it right off the bat, having been considered and treated like an only child for her whole life. Apparently, from what her sensitive mind gathered, her parents had been running a cult. At first, they'd try to make sacrifices out of her two older sisters, but when that didn't work, and they were ready to try again, that's when the visions hit.

For as long as she could remember, she'd get flashes. Flashes of a place. Sometimes it was what looked to be a large wooden bar, with people, no, almost hybrids of humans, animals and…Something else. Something she couldn't name. Other times, it was from within a castle, one with dark walls and…Someone, there was always this person, a picture of perfection, always with her.

After she'd told, her parents decided that, just maybe, they wouldn't kill this one. Just maybe, they could go ahead and let this one live. Just maybe, they could get others to join, claiming that their child has seen bits and pieces of the future, or maybe the world after this one.

That's how the cult had gained members originally, her parents were good at weaving their tales, and before she knew it, they'd grown in numbers. Some of those followers were parents, and a lot of those parents were more than willing to give up their children for a "greater cause".

At first, she'd assumed that they were new friends. She'd go down into the basement to visit them, never really understanding their fear, not until she was forced to "oversee" a ritual.

After that, everything was shed in a different light. Her parents, whatever ounce of atonement they had left was long gone.

And so, from there, she began to plot with the girls down there. At first, it was small things, sneaking down more food, or sneaking some of them in and out of the estate. But, after a while, whoever was left, they began to hatch a plan. It took a long time, but Violet finally managed to put together a complex map of the whole place.

Without that, the plan would never have worked.

She continued to trek on, barefoot and cold, clutching the oversized blanket held around her. It was a big help, especially with the thin ragged dress she wore, but still not really much. Her long dark brown hair whipped around in the wind, dark blue eyes squinting to keep the cold out.

She kept squeezing her right hand, trying to keep feeling in it. Whether she was losing tactility in her hand due to blood loss or the cold was anyone's guess really.

Violet let out a sound between a squeak and an annoyed huff, as she tripped and went face first into the hard, dirty ground. She groaned, rubbing her nose, before a rustle of the bushes behind her made her go stiff.

She took a second to look over the targeted area, her knife ready to go in for the kill, only to let out a sigh of relief when all that came out was a rabbit, looking totally oblivious to whatever she was doing.

"Must be nice," She muttered, giving the rabbit a fake sour look before walking on, "Not having to live in constant fear."

As she walked on, doing her best to enjoy all nature had to offer, she couldn't help but wonder where the other girls were. All she'd done was set the fire, assuming that they'd all already left the way she'd opened up for them. Of course, now that she thought harder on it, she knew that hoping they'd all make it out wasn't exactly sensible.

For one, she was pretty sure that, if they didn't get out before she lit the place up, they were so past dead right now. On top of that, she knew that many of them were sick, which was part of the reason that the escape plan had been rushed.

She shook her head, trying not to think of them walking about in the cold like her, slowly but surely succumbing to their symptoms. Poor Julianne, she could see her probably coughing as she crawled out and away from what was left of the mansion.

Assuming she'd made it out, of course.

Once again, she shook her head, groaning. Now was not the time, they all knew the risks, that's the only way for the plan to have worked at all. But, even then, she couldn't help but feel as if she had blood on her hands.

She looked to the sky, a crescent moon staring right back. She wondered what happened to those who didn't make it, maybe now they were protecting her from up above?

A howl made her jump, the sound piercing through the night sky. "So much for that hope." Violet grumbled, feeling the need to run. Something was watching her.

She walked on, knife held onto tightly as she did so, eyes constantly watching for any sign of movement. She really wanted one of the girls to come out, for them to be together against whatever was out here rather than being alone, but there was little to no chance for that.

What she'd give to see one of them, any of them. From selfless Leona to irritating but somewhat loving Jeanne, she'd give her own right arm to see any of them.

And, judging by how she couldn't feel her fingers, it looked like she would be giving it up anyway.

Her head whipped around when a low growl went off to her left, knife held out as if it would do anything to help her. She cursed, backing up as the huge wolf slowly emerged from the bushes, unsure if she was shivering from the cold or fear.

She wasn't sure what to do, as she tried her best to exude anything but fear. Didn't look like the wolf was taking any of it though, as it snapped its jaws at her, the growls slowly but surely getting louder.

Violet held the knife out, keeping her right arm back as she backed up. In all her time spend being alive, not once had she really ventured out beyond the gates of the mansion. Of course, she'd heard stories from the other girls, about how their families were willing to risk wolf attacks to come here and join.

Looking over the teeth on the wolf, she now saw that Nicki's story of how she lost her leg wasn't, in fact, complete bullshit. She made a mental note to apologize about that if she ever found the girl, assuming that both she and Nicki would live long enough for such a day to come.

In a moment of pure stupidity, Violet turned around and ran into the forest, her adrenaline-filled body utterly sure that she could outrun an animal made to dash and kill prey on four legs meant for running.

Her mind, of course, was quickly proven wrong when she heard the dirt being kicked up behind her. Within seconds, she yelped, powerful jaws snapping down on her ankle, quickly pulling her down to the ground.

She didn't register the pain just then, instead opting to flail around almost uselessly, throwing her knife about as she did. She must have hit something in her panicked flurry, as the jaws retracted, a pained whimper being the last thing to come from the animal before it scampered away.

Violet's breathing was heavy before, making it even harder to inhale now. She could feel it, her leg, or whatever was left of it, a mangled mess. Choking on air, she crawled her way forward.

It was foolish. the entire plan was stupid. Assuming that any of them made it out of the mansion, no one would have known where to go from there. There was a small town to the North, assuming any of them knew directions, that was a few miles out. There was no way any of them would have made it that far, herself included.

Finally, with only her left hand to pull herself forward, she pushed herself to lean on a tree. Her left hand, having dropped the knife somewhere along the pitiful crawl, fell to cover her right arm.

Her breathing grew ragged, each moment seeming to drag on as slowly as possible. Her right arm was either numb or getting there, leaving her with the blazing sparks of pain that ran up her spine from her leg.

It took a lot of might not to look at it dead on, but after a while, she gave in, only to have her expression freeze.

She refused to throw up at the sight of what was left, instead opting to look to the sky, choking down her whimpers. She could see the bone in more than one spot, the blood making it difficult, but she could definitely see it. God, did it look gross, but after all she's seen, in both visions and everyday life, she didn't think that her stomach would threaten to give in.

She tried to drown out all of her sounds of pain, doing everything from biting down on her lip to clawing at the ground. All the while, she kept giving the tree line the look, trying to see if any other wolves would try to come in after her.

As tired as she was, sleep wasn't an option. With it being this cold and her current situation, there was a chance that she'd never wake up again.

She thought it over briefly; was it really worth it in the end? Say she did survive this, what then? Where would she go, and what would she do?

Would living through this really be worth it all in the long run?

Her jaw clenched, as her leg screamed out in pain again. Take your mind off the pain, take your mind off of the pain…

She remembered some girls from the basement, found dead in the morning. The members assumed that it was due to the conditions, but the girls down there really knew what was up. From rat poison to rusted pieces of spare metal on the ground; they were willing to do whatever they thought they had to just to escape.

In a sense, they were damn brave. Only reason it never occurred to Violet was because of her duty, in a sense. Her visions, and what she saw in them, was what drew in new members. New members meant happy parents, and usually that meant Violet wouldn't have to worry too much.

But now...In pain, stuck in the woods, and possibly surrounded by wolves.

She may or may not have been considering the coward's way out.

"Thought I 'eard something over 'ere."

Violet's heavy eyes lifted to look the person over, eyes narrowing as the person came closer. He was dressed in an occult uniform, the cloak he wore making him look toasty as the snow began to fall. His face was masked under the shadow of his hood, but Violet still knew that, like all the other members, he could not be trusted, "I'm sure you know 'ow bad this looks, right?"

Violet stayed silent, her head practically swimming through names as she did so. She was sure she'd heard this voice before, but she's always been bad at putting names and faces together, "An' 'ere I am, walking back to the mansion with my catch, only to come face to face with my 'ome on fire. You know what that feels like, Sweet'art?"

She knew the accent for sure, one of the girls in the basement had a similar one, but she couldn't remember this guy's name, "Of course you don't. You're the pampered princess, Sweet'art. So, that leaves the question…"

Violet growled, attempting to kick his hand away, only for him to grab her leg, pulling her much tinier frame up, "'y on earth d'you set that 'ole place on fire?"

Violet, in as much pain as she was, did not back down. She kept her expression emotionless, saved for the sparks of pain and irritation.

To that, the man sighed, his other hand coming up to pull his hood off. The piercing green eyes looked familiar, but still didn't do much to help, "Fine, don't talk. Makes my next move a lot easier."

That's when it clicked.

Loren Himos. She'd arrived about two months prior. She had to ask her parents, but what they'd gathered, her father had been charged with the rape and murder of two women from a town far off. Of course, her parents had offered food and shelter, in exchange for his daughter.

To which he couldn't have agreed to the terms quicker.

And now, here she was, alone and injured in the woods with her father; Fynn Himos.

Violet's movements became more erratic, as she felt something tugging at her shorts, "'ey, don't be like that." Fynn tsked, bringing his hand up to stroke it down her cheek, "But I won't lie, I do love a me a challenge."

Violet growled, eyes narrowing, before leaning into his hand. At first, he looked almost delighted that she would be okay with it, only to drop her right after she sank her teeth into his hand, biting down just hard enough to draw blood.

He cursed, nearly dropping her on her head, as he clutched his hand, giving her a dark look, "You're gonna get it, Sweet'art."

Violet let out a scream as he got closer, closing her eyes and looking away being the only other thing she could do. She waited for...Something to happen. She dreaded the moment that those calloused hands would be laid down on her again, the moment where she'd be striped to nothing, but it didn't come.

She was tempted to open her eyes, to see what was wrong, only to hear feral growls, followed by muffled screams. So, she stayed there, unable to move, eyes screwed shut. She didn't open them when she heard bones snapping, thinking that the wolves would be on her at any second now, once they realized that she was out here too.

She jumped when the footsteps began to pad over, most likely done with whatever was left with Himos, her eyes willing themselves as shut as possible with each step.

"...Finally."

Violet's eyes threw themselves open, confused. Himos's body was on the ground behind him, at least, she assumed it to be. Being how there was only a mess of body parts left, the only way for her to be sure that it was him was due to his contorted yet clear expression of pain and agony in his last minutes.

Not very comforting, but at least she was sure that it was him.

Finally, she gave the figure standing before her a look.

He wore a very fancy black tailcoat and dress pants, with matching dress shoes and a nice fancy white dress shirt. In his breast pocket was a silver chain, most likely attached to a pocket watch.

His face looked...oddly recognizable. His raven black hair seemed almost painfully familiar, his red wine-colored eyes...She's seen this man before…

"Well, good evening to you, young miss."

That's when she snapped. She laughed, nearly toppling over as frosty tears fell from her eyes. This must have been enough to startle the man, before she shook her head, "Hey, are you an angel?"

"I…I'm sorry?"

"Are you going to take me up to heaven?" Violet went on, cackling almost. Finally, she wouldn't have to worry. She could kiss all of it goodbye, from the vivid visions to the mind-splitting pain she was in at the very moment.

"...Is that what you really wish for?" the man asked. When Violet looked up to look him in the eye, she sat there a bit confused. Why would this stranger hold any pity for her?

"Well...I…umm…" Violet muttered, slowly growing sheepish. Of course, she'd love for the pain to end, but for whatever reason, she couldn't bring herself to outright say it.

"If your immediate answer isn't yes, then that means you still want to live." He stated, as if it were as obvious as the night sky.

Before Violet could retort with some witty comment, she coughed, bringing her only good hand up to cover her mouth. She pulled it back, not sure if there was more horror or pain gracing her expression when a large amount of blood appeared in her hand, "...Well damn."

He regarded her for a moment longer, before holding his hand out to her, "Make a deal with me."

"Huh?" She asked. Well, she assumed she did, her mind wasn't really doing well with all the damn blood loss.

"I can help you," He insisted, holding his hand out for her, "I promise; please let me help you. I can't lose you again."

Before Violet could ask, she felt herself lurching over, her head screaming. She was caught, probably by the only person around at the moment, forcing her nose into his jacket. Of course, with that revelation, the first thing to come to mind was to apologize. Maybe all those years of discipline from her uptight mother was finally getting to her, after all these years.

"They're only put into place to help you," Her mother would insist, all while her father was either gone, busy working with the other members, or he stuck around and watched when he had nothing better to do, "Now, from the top, or it's back to the ice tub for you."

When she came back too, she was being held close. He was muttering something, his voice muffled in her hair, but she caught traces of him pleading, begging her to let him help her, to save her.

The entire time, she just stayed there. She wouldn't lie, physical affection of any kind wasn't something she'd ever gotten enough of, but still, it just felt...odd.

Part of her wanted to make a joke out of it, how her last moments could be a literal embrace of death, but she only had the strength to reach up with her good hand, finding and finally grabbing his own gloved one, attempting to shake it at their awkward angle, "Deal." She croaked, before collapsing against him.

She's falling again.

She didn't know why, why was she reliving this? She was falling, her hands flailing outward. Her back, it felt as if someone had ripped something out of her spine, it hurt.

All the while, names flashed before her eyes, as if she were going into shock. Seidax, Revana, Ezequiel. Who were these people? Were they people?

Who was Lux? Who was Arita? Who was she?

All the while, the whistling of wind in her ears only grew louder, before her back collided with something hard.

She blinked, and the scene changed again. She looked around, it was that castle again. She looks down at her hand, her fingers were twisting and pulling at a ring around her finger. Where had she gotten it? Did she always have this ring?

A small jump forward, and she's on her hands and knees, looking for something. It was her ring, something told her. Finally, she looked up, face to face with someone. His face was blurry, but she could make out golden eyes behind glasses, the ring in his hands.

Another jump, and suddenly, she came face to face with those same wine-red eyes. Those eyes bore into her, almost threateningly so. They could command her to walk off a cliff, and she'd do it with no question. But, at the same time, she could see emotion behind them, as if he wanted to cherish her for the rest of her life.

He was reaching his hand out to her now, his eyes asking for her hand. She didn't know why, but something about this stranger made her feel...sorrow. As if she'd wronged him so many times, and yet here he was, waiting patiently for her to come to him.

Slowly but surely, she reached her hand out for him, placing it in his.

Violet woke with a sudden gasp, nearly flying from her bed.

It took a moment to realize where she was, the moment she looked down at the familiar bedding and drapes really snapped it into place for her, which just left her more confused.

She was at home.

She slowly got out of bed, pulling at the bottom of her nightgown as she walked over to the window. She looked out, and sure enough, the yard and drive were as clean and neat as possible.

But no, she backed away, hands out to steady herself. This was wrong, what was going on? There were times back then, when she'd have trouble telling what was real and what was a vision, but she was sure that she'd burned this place down.

She jumped when a knock came to the door, moving to her closet. She got down on her knees, pulling a dagger from under it, before approaching the door, hiding it behind her back, "...You may come in."

Her breathing hitched when the door opened, the stranger from last night walked in, dressed the same while holding nothing other than a glass vial, "Ah, lady De Angelus, you're awake-."

Faster than either could really react, Violet pulled the dagger on him, holding it out as if ready to defend herself, "You've got a lot of explaining to do."

Usually, someone didn't look nearly overjoyed when you pulled a knife on them, but this man managed to pull it off, "Now then, my lady, there is no need for such an action. Maybe you'd like to take a drink first."

"And let you, a stranger, poison me?" She scoffed, eyeing the vial as if it were a bitter medicine.

"A stranger that saved you, yes."

"Still, that's a bit sketchy. I'm not the smartest, but I know better than that."

She took a step forward, only to wince slightly, her hand going to her abdomen. to this, the man sighed, holding his hand out, "As if I'd ever try such a thing. But, if you don't take it, I doubt you'll recover from last night any time soon."

She eyed him once again, only to really look down and examine herself. Her right arm, which had been turning purple if memory held, was now back to its pale self. Now that she looked herself over, everything from the minor cuts on her face to her mangled leg, all healed up.

To this, her eyes narrowed, looking the vial over, before snatching it from his hands, "Gimme that." She muttered, looking it over. She had no idea how to tell if something was poison or not, but since it wasn't green and all bubbly, it couldn't kill, right?

"You're sure this won't kill me?" She muttered, giving him a weird look.

To this, he smiled, "I've been giving you doses of that for a while now, and you've yet to die."

To that, she down the bottle, gagging from the taste as she did so. It tasted akin to salt and…something burning. It was as if she were drinking liquid lava, "I think my throat is fucking dying."

"Rest assured, my lady, I'd never think to do such a thing to you." He insisted, before going over to her bed, moving to fix it up, "I take it that you slept well?"

"Like the dead." Violet stretched, using the bottom of her sleep shirt to rub her eyes, before it hit her, "Which is odd, you know, since I burned this place down last night."

"Did you now?" He said, sounding oddly pleased with himself, the weirdo. Of course, it wasn't like she had anything that could be said, she had allowed herself to quickly trust this stranger.

That brought up another question for him, but that could wait a bit later, "How is it still here?"

"I built it back up." He sighed, stating it as if, again, it was as obvious as the green in the grass.

That got her to snap back a bit, eyes going wide, "That's impossible."

"For someone like you, yes, it is."

"How do you even know what this place looked like?" Violet asked, slowly growing more alarmed as time went on, her grip on the dagger tightening. Had this all been a mistake? Maybe this guy had been stalking her and her home. No, that couldn't be in, only members knew where this place was, and she knew that he wasn't one of them, "More importantly, how did you put it back together?"

"To answer your first question, I know a lot more about you then you give me credit for," He said with that happy tone, his smile throwing her off. Is it bad if his smile made him look more punchable? For some reason, it was a familiar expression, "As for how I did it...Well, I'm sure that much is obvious to you now, yes?"

She wanted to scoff. Her parents had spent her entire life playing mind games with her, now was not the time to really test it. But, with eyes like those, a temperament that was almost too perfect, he definitely wasn't human.

"That reminds me," He muttered, taking off his gloves before pulling something small from his pocket, "I have a small gift for you, my lady."

The moment his bare hand touched hers, she gasped, shaking a bit. her vision was a rushing blur, almost tinted red as the words popped up in her head. She was shaking, or, she felt like she was. It was a feeling similar to those from the visions, but instead of the usual cold rushing against her skin, now she just felt warm, hot almost.

She looked at her, or, more so through him. She could still see his smirking face, but there was another person, another entity, lying right under that. His eyes looked more feral, turning to cat-like pupils. The wine red had faded to a much brighter shade of pink. His smile showed slightly pointed fangs.

"Y-you're a demon." She heard herself say.

"And you're as intuitive as ever," He said, his voice making her blink, the shadowy image of his gone, "Where I am from, I am referred to as Corvus; but you may give me any name you please, my lady."

"Corvus...Okay, umm...Huh, that works for now, I guess…" Was all Violet could coherently manage. She had to admit, as scary as that after image looked, there was still that sort of safe feeling. She knew him, she knew it, but she had no idea where in the mess of her mind to begin.

The visions were a major key, of course, but she didn't know where to start. She herself couldn't even figure out odds and ends with what was going on in her head, and even attempting to begin to could be enough to put anyone into a mental hospital. But that's when his eyes sparkled, as if he knew what she was thinking, and wanted nothing more but to help her realize it.

Maybe he really did know more than she gave him credit for.

He gave her hands a small squeeze, before pulling his hands away, "A perfect fit, if I do say so myself. I personally like my seal on it."

Violet looked down at the ruby ring around her finger, a feeling of deja vu washing over her. If she looked really closely, she could see some sort of symbol embedded into the gem, the ring itself almost glowing with warmth.

She took a long gander at it, marveling at how, just like this man- no, this demon, it was giving her that feeling again. That sort of spark your mind gives when something's right in front of you and all you have to do is reach, but something else stops you from it.

Finally, the man, Corvus, sighed, "Well, when you are ready, my lady, we do have a lot that we'll have to finish by the end of the day."

"Wait!" She shouted, right before he could exit out the door, "You're a demon, correct?"

"That is correct, yes."

"And we made some sort of deal last night, right?"

"...Yes...Yes we did."

"What exactly were the terms?"

Corvus stopped in the doorway, posting a hand on the doorframe, "...I have promised to stay by your side. I will never lie to you, never turn on you, never hurt you. I will do as you ask, no questions asked, but I do recommend that you be wise and precise with those commands."

"And what do you get in return?" Violet asked, tossing the dagger to the side before crossing her arms, giving the back of his head a pointed look, "Demons don't do things for free, you want something in return. So, what is it? When I die, will you take my soul?"

He turned to face her, an almost sad smile on his face, "When the end comes, you will know what I want. But, for right now, this is enough."

And with that, he left her in that room with a small knowing smile on his face, leaving her confused for a few seconds, only to shrug it off, leaving to get ready for the day.

After so many years, he'd found her. He never thought he'd be this lucky, to find her reincarnation, but not even God himself would keep him away from her this time.

Sure, it would take longer, but if he could do it once, surely, he could pull it off once again. Of course, it would be much easier for him to just spill everything, but something told him not to. Surely, he could get her to remember, and maybe during that, he could win her heart over once again.

He had a promise to keep, and he was going to do it right this time.

And that'll be the real end of this story. The rest of it can be up to you guys, whatever you think will happen next. I know that some people think that this is a sort of cop out ending, but really, I like these sorts of ambiguous endings. Lets you come up with your own on your own, whatever you want to happen next could happen next.

Oh, writing Fanfiction from Fanfiction, what a funny and odd idea.

Well, technically, I did that, but still, sounds almost trippy.

I'm thinking about doing a sequel, give you all that happy ending that I know you all want, but that's honestly up to you guys. I rewrote this chapter so many times, I have maybe three different endings. And who knows, maybe I'll post those too some day. But, again, it's your guy's call.

Anyway, for real, this is it. I think I'm going to give myself a little break, at least a month.

...You all know what that really means, I'll be back next week XD.

To anyone that drops reviews these days, your call. Should I give My Shadows its sequel or should I try my hand at Overwatch again? I have a different story, and maybe it's due to my "Accidentally creating a Mary Sue" PTSD, but I'm a bit apprehensive when it comes to testing that fandom again. Or, maybe I'll just stick with this. I have a small idea, and an idea of where to take it, but again, up to you guys.

Amy: I'm still waiting on my sequel, you know.

Me: You'll get it. Maybe. Some day. I think.

Amy: Well, that's not fair! I've been here the longest, but everyone but me has managed to get a sequel so far!

Lilith: I didn't yet.

Amy: "Yet" being the key words there.

Me: That...Is true, won't lie.

Amy: Do you even have an idea.

Me: A rough one, yeah.

Amy: Oh, so like every other Fanfiction story?

Me: Yep.

Amy: No wonder Atrium got so much hate...

Me: Shush it. Just to screw with you, maybe I'll go ahead and give Kuro a sequel just to fuck with you.

Amy: you wouldn't.

Kuro: She totally would.

Amy: Wait, what even is your name now?

Kuro: Huh?

Amy: Are you Kuro, or Violet De something fancy?

Me: Meh, I'll figure it out later.

Till then, quick summary. You guys choose which story next, if not, I'll probably leave it up to coin toss or something. For real, don't forget to see the original story on DeviantArt, really, props out to that person who came up with such an idea.

Well, with that, I hope you guys enjoyed this story! Feel free to leave a review, I love reading what you guys have to say, and hopefully, I didn't let you all down with this one!