Disclaimer: TT isn't mine
Slow updates... motivation to write went down the drain... probably why this chapter turned out to be really weird.
"Speech"
Thoughts/Memories
Here, where no light ever reaches, here, in the amaranthine gloom, my abode, my solitary sanctuary, here, all things converge in this aperture, a single night in each lunar cycle. The moon's rebirth bears memories, buried souls that reveal themselves only when light's masking guise disappears, demons that masquerade as harmless shades, but in truth are harbingers of destruction. Ravens of death.
Shadows swirl about, a void bereft of all sensation, numbing dissolution marking its prey as its own... but I am already dead... long dead. Borne away on the wings of time, oblivion had claimed my soul in lives already forgotten. Sundered spirits grace the darkness with shattered crimson, severed claret, crying out mockingly to those who would step into the shadows of their wings, a warning, to turn back, or to forfeit all life, any mortal soul, to be snared by the void itself, never to be retaken. In the heart of the crepuscular black, where no mortal may subsist, I linger, for I no longer have a spirit to lose. All that remains the expiration of my physical form.
Raven's eyes opened, gleaming faintly crimson. Around her, dark birds gathered, each with two pairs of eyes glazed over with cerise. She remained motionless, concealed in a cloak of pure black, darker than even the pitch blackness around her; all that could be seen of her was the very bottom of her face, the blood red lips, and the pale, faintly pink - no, tinted blood, if anything - skin, replacing her usual grey undertones. And those eyes.
Do I really feel nothing? Or do I merely just say it? Light burst through her irises, flashes of burning crimson, then emerald, then amethyst, then azure, then back to pure sanguine. Just because I have consigned myself to death does not mean I cannot feel. It is merely that I hold no attachment to life.
Is that not the same as being dead, then? Without a reason or a will to live, are we not merely wandering shades?
She closed her eyes. And as the ravens converged, perching on her shoulders, nipping at her cloak of dark energy, her eyes opened again, but this time there were four of them, mirroring the birds' own demonic stares. No... not demonic. Unnatural, but not hellish. Nothing, not even a demon, is wholly evil or good. If those can even be defined. We are what we are. There are those who would seek to judge us merely because of what they see. Her mouth curved downward very slightly. Everyone, actually. Truly, what mortal in herright mind would seek the companionship of a demon? It is because I am selfish that I cannot tell... she bent her head downward, as if in concession.
Lost feelings restored. My heart beats again, my body pulses with warmth, but how can I know what to make of it? Such an unnatural feeling, feeling anything at all. Can I say I enjoy it? Or do I prefer the glacial numbness of death? To feel, and suffer, but to relish that pain, or to be an empty husk. Indeed, no longer a being as a part of this plane of existence, but rather transcended already into the realm of spirits. Long I have resided there, but now...
She clenched her hand into a fist, feeling warmth flood through her fingers. This body of mine, it feels as if it is there again. No longer a faceless wanderer. I am once again, once again... a person. Around her, the ravens milled about restlessly. She held a hand to her head, feeling a sudden pain tear through her. Not a sharp pain, not like a knife cutting through her - it pulsed nearly with her heartbeat, just a little off, enough to set everything awry, as if there were two forces in her body fighting for control. She crouched down, teeth gritted together. The darkness drew back from around her, revealing smooth, pale skin, tinted faintly crimson. Her fingers traced up her arms, up the light scars that lined them, each one a memory carved into her flesh. Down her legs - if one looked closely, it became apparent that her youthful body was marred in countless places, as if she had seen eons of battle, a tireless warrior.
I am not. Not a warrior, nor tireless. She bit her lip, gritted her teeth together, struggling to control the emotions roiling within her. I cannot let myself feel anything. I can't... I just can't... It's too dangerous - so why can't I help it? Why can't I repress this warmth flooding through me? Why can I not return to that tepid detachment that had taken me for so long? I don't want to feel anything. I don't-
She took a deep breath. Around her, the ravens stirred, flying about rapidly, soft voices gracing the void with mournful song but occasionally punctuated by lower, harsher cries, each one striking a pang of pain through her body. She clutched at her chest, feeling a burning sensation within her threatening to tear her asunder. Barely held in check, barely reined in through sheer willpower, threatening to break free, to consume her... she knew at that moment that she had not abandoned all attachment to the world, to life, nor had she abandoned all attachment to other people, to specific people...
I can't let myself... I shouldn't...
Keep telling yourself that. You know that you want-
I don't know what I want- Raven's hands moved up to cover her ears, to shut out the voice speaking to her, but as quiet as it was, it seeped through her whole being, utterly implacable.
What do you desire? You know it well-
I cannot fulfill those desires-
You can. You just need to allow yourself to-
I cannot! Raven shook her head violently, eyes blazing. I have already tried! Every time, there is only death, more death, and an inescapable desolation. Why must I suffer through it again-
Suffering is the crux of living-
Raven felt something blaze through her, some imprisoned force unleashed, and suddenly, she doubled over, emotions whirling through her body. Darkness spread, tempestuous void, thundering about her like some silent storm, rending her body apart. Whirling blades cut into her flesh, each slice sending a jolt of pain through her, but somehow a pain that was not felt as pain, but rather an affirmation that her body was still there, that she was still living, not a spirit, not a faded soul. Darkness tore through her endlessly, if not from outside, then from within, then faded and left her crouched over, back, arms, and legs all dripping blood, her face shrouded by a veil of pale violet hair.
She sunk down to the ground, looking down into the inky void. She shuddered, then closed her eyes, merely sensing everything around her. Breathing slowly, the heavy, dense air filling her lungs, a muted feeling taken into her body, dampening her roiling innards, she took another deep breath.
It's weird... It was definitely an odd sensation. They are there. I know they are there. Waiting to be reached, just past my fingertips, yet I cannot feel them. It was as if her emotions were consuming her, yet she, herself, could not feel them, as if her mind and her human body were separate things all together. She knew she was feeling something, and yet consciously, she could not feel it.
Because I cannot let myself feel anything. I'll be damned before I make that mistake again. You'd think people would learn the first time...
Her breath grew more even, the tension in her muscles loosening a little. She sat up, tracing the cuts on her body, then looked around as the ravens gathered again, gazing at her with stares of dark crimson. She looked back, noting the slight dullness compared to the usual fiery luster, lids slightly drooping, and as they began singing, she thought that they might have been a little sad as well. Just a little. But in the end, they feel nothing either.
They pressed up against her body, soft feathers soothing her wounded flesh, and slowly the cuts began to fade, leaving another set of faint, fresh scars on her skin. Raven laid back, closing her eyes again, and let everything slip away once more.
We're alone. We've been alone for a long time.
I remember...
When I was born, there were still a few of us in Avalon. Even back then, sorceresses were already a dying breed. Because of our unnaturally long lives and especially because most of us were female, there were very few children who were born of our type. Sure, there were normal humans who were born with the spark of magic in them, but most were shunned and feared because they were so different. Naturally, the humans multiplied and the sorceress population began to dwindle as they began to die from old age, or disease, or occasionally, from being hunted as witches.
Still, we of Avalon, in those days, while not respected by most normal humans, were sometimes sought after for our healing abilities, for which we were well known. Back in those days, the mists were not so thick, and Avalon was not so distant from the realm of humans, so travelling the marshes was much easier. The occasional visitor was actually quite frequent, and as a sign of gratitude, they would often bring us gifts, even though, as healers, we would have helped them for free. Unlike now, where people try to kill you for helping them...
But of course, healers are limited in their powers. There are those who would believe that we can do anything, like cure all disease, or provide eternal youth, or raise the dead. All of which is nonsense, but in desperation, some humans called upon us for these purposes.
Before I was born, there was a king of a foreign land who had grown old, as all humans do. And of course, as all greedy men are, he sought us out to provide him with immortality. Clearly, it could not be done, but he was a king, and being used to getting whatever he wanted, would not be put off by our protests so easily.
In the time before I was born, there was a group of powerful sorceresses that lived in the mountains who studied death extensively, and it was rumored that they had discovered ways to raise the dead and banish mortality - baseless rumors, ones that humans invented for their own amusement, but were believed by some because they were desperate to latch onto that small glimmer of hope.
This king, obviously, after we declined to help him, went to seek them in hopes of gaining that eternal life which he so desired. It is not clear what happened, but apparently he did find them and performed some sort of ritual that was meant to permanently bind his soul to his body or something dumb like that.
Obviously, it didn't work, but what happened next was something nobody would have expected. Apparently, instead of binding his soul to his body, his soul was consumed and instead, the essence of a powerful demon lord entered his physical form instead.
As one might have expected, he demanded that the sorceresses serve him as loyal slaves, and when they refused, he destroyed them utterly. For a while, he traveled the lands, testing the limits of his power in his new body, and eventually came to hear of the healers of Avalon.
At first, when they saw him, there was no trace of anything demonic about him. Certainly, he seemed powerful for a human, but nothing that out of the ordinary. He might have been another sorcerer, which was rare in of itself, but not unheard of. So they did not know and allowed him to stay, and thus allowed him to begin corrupting them. My mother, one of the stronger sorceresses of Avalon at that time, was the one he had set his eyes on, though she never knew why it was her.
Regardless, as it is, demons have a way of charming those who do not recognize them for who they are, and my mother was no different.
Raven opened her eyes a sliver, no longer seeing the empty darkness around her, but shifting images before her face, blurred over, as if they were not part of her own memories, because they were not, but another's past being shown to her. There was a woman, with violet hair and soft, feminine features similar to her own, though there was a dark glaze to her eyes, almost like a mask hiding whatever lay beneath.
Of course I understand that. Sorceresses, who have unnaturally long lives and tend to be alone for long periods of time, often have to throw away their emotions. In utter solitude, our type exists, and though there are some who endure it just fine, there are others who cannot handle it. Being completely and utterly alone... no, that in itself is fine. What is terrifying, the most distressing thing, is when one is shown something she wants more than anything else, when one has that thing dangled before her eyes, then snatched away right before she can reach it.
For some of us, that is the company of a single other person who understands... a lover of sorts... the companionship of someone who understands and with whom it is possible to share everything with. The other becomes almost an extension of yourself, and you, an extension of her. Undoubtedly, that is what my mother desired most.
Even as sorceresses, that is a possibility, but because of the humans, and because not all sorceresses are ageless, the rare lover that comes along is almost always lost. And we are left alone again.
Raven's brows furrowed as the images shifted. There was the woman, with a smile gracing her lips, a glimmer in her eyes that belied the dark glaze that they had had earlier. And the man... She frowned.
He must have preyed on that emotion. She hissed. In the end, we sorceresses never learn our lesson, do we? No matter what, we can never allow ourselves to fall prey to that desire for the affections of another. Either they disappear, or they turn out to be some traitor who only wishes to use you for your power. No matter what, it never lasts.
My mother was no different than I, it seemed.
Raven closed her eyes as she saw them together, laughing, smiling, embracing each other, as if they really did love one another... and then under the moonlight, when they were away from all the others, deep in the woods alone...
Raven squirmed about uncomfortably. He showed his true form and took her as his own, and she could do not a thing about it. The images flitted through her eyelids, and despite her best attempts to shut them out, she could not.
The violet haired lady had screamed, raw fear etched plainly on her face, and she had cried, pleaded with him to stop, begged, all to no avail. And when it was done, she had turned toward him, eyes blazing, swearing that he would never leave alive.
A demon would take that as a threat. Raven tried to force her eyes open as the memories began flowing again, but found that her eyelids were glued tightly shut. She gritted her teeth.
A demon would take that as a threat... It was odd. He had looked a little disappointed when she uttered those words, but as she screamed at him again, even through the memory, Raven could feel the sheer fury over take the demon lord.
Four eyes blazing, he had turned toward her, burning with the intent to kill, but then thought better of it and turned back toward the rest of Avalon, where the other sorceresses were.
Arella, his voice was a low, dangerous rasp. He opened his mouth to say more, then closed it, grinding his teeth together. This will teach you not to cross me, he hissed, and then walked off. She had screamed again, this time to tell him to stop, but he was already gone. A moment later, Avalon erupted in fire, and in the distance, plumes of smoke began rising into the sky, ashes scattering in the wind.
Raven sat up, sweating, breathing rapidly. He killed them all except for her. She rubbed her eyes, fighting down everything rising inside her. And then slammed a fist into the ground. Damn it. Like mother, like daughter. Remember to never let yourself feel anything. It only brings pain, pain, and more pain...
She took a long, deep breath, and looked around. Her mouth curved downward.
Avalon... It had been restored, but as she wandered around, she remembered how empty the place actually was. Not a single soul in sight, the buildings standing deserted amidst the tall grasses, overrun by plants, looking as if they were part of the small hills rising gently out of the ground. She reached out, trying to touch them, but found that her hand passed right through, slightly translucent in the soft, misted light. She turned.
Of course. This is merely a memory...
Flying high into the sky, she looked across the landscape beneath her, taking in the gorgeous, glowing view of the greenery, the colored spires of the rebuilt cathedral on Avalon, the warmly colored light radiating through the forests, flush with glorious color as it reflected off of the hills...
She caught sight of two figures sitting on one of the hills, paused for a few moments, thinking deeply, a dark look on her face, then moved toward them, feeling an odd sense of dread in her heart.
Of course, she knew who they were without having to look, but there was no harm in confirming it, was there?
Anger radiated off of one of them, an irritation that was merely supposed to be frustration, or annoyance, not the deep felt rage that she was sensing from... herself. Raven closed her eyes.
"Raven, you musn't be so angry at every little thing. A healer must be calm and smooth, like the water-"
Without having to open her eyes, she knew that her younger self was scowling. "Mother," her voice was surprisingly harsh. "You drag me up early in the morning to take a walk, then force me to come up here with you, with the annoying sun beating down on me and these stupid bugs biting me, and you expect me to stay calm."
"Raven," Arella sighed. "Please, you cannot always stay this way. If you get angry at every little thing, you will only end up losing your temper completely one day and destroying everything around you-"
"So?"
Arella shook her head and stood. "I should have expected no less," she murmured very quietly, but Raven's keen hearing caught her words. "It is in her nature to be angry and destructive. After all, she is the spawn of a d-" The violet haired woman caught herself and looked at her daughter, who wore a puzzled frown on her face.
"I'm a what?"
"Nothing. Come, let's go back inside."
"Wait, you were about to say something-"
"Raven," Arella said a little more forcefully, but then the look on her face softened. "I do not want to force you to do anything you do not want to. Come-"
"But you were about to say something-"
Arella rubbed her temples. "I shall tell you some other time. You are not ready."
Raven scowled again and folded her arms across her chest. "I know you think I am ignorant, mother. But I'm not as stupid as you think I am."
"I do not think you are stupid at all, Raven. But you must trust my judgment."
"Why?"
"One day, you will know."
Raven opened her eyes as the scene faded and the two figures disappeared. She shook her head. Forgot how stubborn I was when I was younger. She looked at her hands, an odd look on her face. Still probably am. If I were a little less mule-headed...
She blinked as Avalon appeared around her again. This time, she was in the center of the grasslands, with all of the buildings around her, though now they were cleaned up a little, apparently in use. Indeed, as she floated about, she saw other sorceresses walking around; even if there were still startlingly few of them, it was a welcome sight.
Well, it was a welcome sight. Raven frowned as she heard a very irritated voice come from within one of the buildings, then another one reply, a softer one, but much colder, frozen anger, clearly furious, but not explosively so. Her own voice.
"... I do not care who you are, Elizabeth. You could be the daughter of God for all I care. But you will not cross me-"
"You're always like this, Raven. But you know, you're not a princess either. You don't always get what you want."
Raven floated toward the building and peeked inside. Her younger self's face was covered, but there was a dark crimson light about her that seemed very unnatural, very... demonic.
"Touch my mirror again, and there will be trouble."
The other girl, a tall girl, with fair hair and a pale face - most people would have considered her beautiful - turned a pair of clear blue eyes toward the mirror sitting on the table nearby.
"What's the big deal anyway? It's just a mirror. Even you... even you, Raven, must care a little bit about beauty sometimes," her voice suddenly grew husky and not a little mocking.
Raven's eyes narrowed. "Entering my room was bad enough. Stealing my mirror was completely unacceptable. And now, you dare to taunt me as well? Do you have a death wish?"
The other girl laughed. "Is that a threat?"
Raven growled darkly. "You try my patience-"
"What patience? You never had any."
The violet haired girl tensed, and beneath her hood, another pair of eyes opened, though they were merely faint glimmers beneath the brightly glowing pair above them. When she spoke again, her voice was an odd mix of several voices, all speaking at the same time. "Do you really think I will hesitate to kill you?"
"You couldn't, even if you tried. Don't think I don't know, sweet Raven. You're not as strong as you act. Deep down, you know it too. It's all just an act, intended to get us to fear you, and respect you, but it's only made you look like an arrogant fool. All that mystery - it's all meaningless."
Raven leaned forward. "You're wrong," her voice was a sadistic hiss. "Perhaps I should show you how strong I really am."
Elizabeth snorted. "Now don't go all four-eyed on me again, princess. We all know you're not human. Just slither back to the pit you came from, demon spawn."
"If you're so intent on getting rid of me-"
"I would. But you know, the only reason any of us tolerate you is because of your mother. If not for her," she smirked. "Poof, you'd be gone."
Raven growled and flashed forward - in a furious thrust, she slammed the other girl through the wall of the building, sending her flying back to land in a heap on the ground. Rushing forward again, she held up the girl by the throat and threw her back, toward the lake shore, gliding forward, eyes glimmering darkly. Elizabeth coughed out a mouthful of blood and glared at Raven, eyes narrowing with rage.
"You think you'll get away with this?"
"Nobody here to save you," Raven murmured, teeth showing as sharpened fangs as she spoke. "Now, I can be rid of an annoying pest."
"In your dreams."
The fair haired girl stood and raised her arms, sending out a wave of fire, but it was instantly consumed as Raven burst through it, darkness shrouding her body.
"Fool." She sent a knee upward and there was a nasty cracking sound as several of the other girl's ribs broke. She let Elizabeth drop to the ground, then knelt down, staring into her face. "There are two types of people in this world," Raven purred, relishing the power flowing through her body. "Those who are fools and know they are fools, and those who are fools but don't know that they are. Which do you think you are?"
"Neither."
Raven smirked. "Wrong answer."
Darkness spread, hammering into the other girl's body, then pushed her into the lake, where a faint, bloody stream of red floated up into a pool of crimson on the water's surface.
Raven turned away, closing her eyes. The images faded again. She sighed, sitting down and putting her head between her knees, trying to force the memories back. Why? Why are you showing me this? I am no longer the person I once was-
Am I even a person? Or am I really just a demon? She shook her head, fighting down the sanguine flowing through her. I don't want to be a demon. I don't want to be angry... I don't want to solely be a force of destruction. But these humans... sometimes they don't deserve saving. Ugh. Why can't I just detach myself from everything? I don't want to hurt anything but I don't want to be hated for trying to help... I just want to be left alone.
Raven's hands clenched tightly, white knuckled fists pressed to her shins. Sometimes, I can't help but get angry. People are just so infuriating. Sometimes, I can't help but want to destroy them. Look at what they've done to us. Without a second thought, they would destroy all that they deem to be sorceresses, no matter how we try to help them. Without a second thought, they'd take away everything I care about, destroy us utterly, torture us to the point of insanity, and only then, grant the peaceful numbness of death. They'd kill her...
Raven's eyes blazed red. I'll be damned before I let that happen.
"You are a demon."
Raven looked at her hands, a melancholic expression overtaking her face. "I suspected as much. They kept calling me that-"
"It was true. I think they might have known."
Raven looked up. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? At least I would've known."
"I didn't think you'd be able to handle it. Your temper-"
"Is still bad."
"Not as bad as it used to be." Arella sighed. "All I want is for you to be happy, daughter."
"Never going to happen."
"Why not?"
"What is there to be happy about? Shunned by everyone. The only people I've ever cared about have died... besides you, mother," she added hastily.
Arella turned. "I know that you do not care about me. Our relationship is not... normal."
"I wish I had never been born," Raven said softly. "Or that my life could just end."
"I wish that you had not been born either. The circumstances were..."
"Unpleasant, I can imagine. I don't think you would have willingly given yourself over to a demon."
"Demons are not all bad."
Raven looked away. "I find that hard to believe. Sometimes, I think that I am just an incarnation of evil-"
"And that is why you must always fight it. But remember, nothing in this world is wholly evil or wholly good. There is always another face to everything."
"It depends on whether or not we see the masks that hide that face," Raven muttered. "And nobody bothers to see past the mask of sorceress or demon, so we always get labeled as evil."
"That cannot be helped. All we can do is help where we can, and if it is refused, leave peacefully."
"That seems really unfair."
"You know what they say. Life isn't fair."
"Then maybe we shouldn't continue living if it sucks so much."
"Raven," Arella said sharply.
"Mother," Raven replied tonelessly.
"Please don't give up just yet."
The violet haired girl shook her head. "You don't understand. Sometimes, I just want to die so badly-"
"Raven..."
"It can't be helped. I'll try not to make a mess if it happens."
Arella turned to her, eyes dark with sorrow. "Please don't. As much as you think nobody cares about you, I am still your mother. I-"
"Don't bother caring about a demon like me," Raven muttered. "Not worth your time. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
Raven looked down at her wrists, at the more pronounced scars that ran along each of them. For a while, she had really just wanted to die and have everything be over with, but after that, she had stopped caring about even living or dying, which was the only thing that had really prevented her from killing herself. But the marks were still there.
Sometimes, I still wonder if it would have been better if I was just gone. I suppose it wouldn't have mattered though. In the end, I am insignificant. Aren't we all...
"Is that really what you think?"
Raven nodded. "It's the truth, isn't it?"
The old man stared at her for a few minutes, his eyes tinted an odd crimson color. "You are more important than you know," he said quietly. "A sorceress or a demon, you are shunned by all ordinary humans, but it is not they who you need to concern yourself with."
Raven's eyes narrowed. "How do you know about that?"
"About what?"
"Your statement... it wasn't hypothetical."
"When we meet again, maybe you will find out what I mean."
Raven looked up as images began forming around her again.
There was a disturbing feeling to the air. It didn't hold the normal calm placidity that Avalon usually had; today, there was a burning sensation, almost... rousing. But terrifying as well. Both of them apparently noticed it. Arella seemed very tense, not the sort of tension that accompanied an unknown fear, but rather an expectation of something she knew was going to happen, something which she knew about. There was a hard set to her face, faint anger, faint worry, her eyes the eyes of a woman staring at death itself.
Her younger self, however, seemed excited. Too excited. The tension in her body was neither of fear nor worry, but of barely repressed anticipation... though that excitement itself seemed to manifest itself as fear within her. Terrified because she was thrilled by the feelings surging through her. She clutched at her chest, eyes slightly glazed over, overtaken by the heat pulsing at her core. But something seemed a little wrong about it. A tiny voice telling her to fight it, and so she did, though there didn't seem to be any reason why.
Ecstasy.
The word rang through the air, but it seemed a bit odd. Perturbed ecstasy. Raven hissed, pacing around restlessly. Darkness throbbed around her with the flow of her breath, resonating with the unknown force in the air, sending her powers into a frenzied state of excitement. She took several deep breaths, then rushed out of the room, outside, to where Arella was staring up at the darkened sky, up at the eclipsed sun, whose rays were now blotted out by a dark shape in front of it.
"Mother," she gasped out.
"Raven," Arella turned, looking slightly concerned as she noted the emotions written on her daughter's face. "You must be feeling it too."
"What's causing it?"
"Your father is coming," she replied darkly. "I imagine for you."
Raven paled. "He's a demon, right?"
"A demon lord, to be exact," Arella murmured. "And a powerful one at that."
"... can we stop him?"
"Probably not. Listen, Raven. I can imprison him for a certain period of time, but it will cost me my life-"
"Mother!"
"Raven, don't argue with me. I have lived long enough as it is. I don't mind letting go of life now in order to preserve yours. You still have much to do-"
"Mother, I'm the one who's supposed to-"
"Hush. He's coming. We have no time to argue."
"That just sounds like an excuse-"
"Raven," Arella said sternly. "Let me do what I must. You must live, and I will sacrifice myself to protect you, if I have to."
"But-"
Suddenly, a shadow descended upon them, the air around them growing denser until it did not feel like air at all, but water instead, a suffocating sensation, like they were drowning...
"Arella. I have come to take what is mine."
The violet haired woman shuddered as the demon materialized behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. A massive figure, perhaps a couple feet taller than her, he radiated pure power and raw destruction, a dangerous look to the four eyes gleaming on his face.
"Ah yes, you have named her Raven. A fitting name."
"She's not yours."
A low, deep chuckle. "Not yet. I am fairly certain you have poisoned her mind against me. But it seems that you have not done your job quite as well as you should have. My aura still excites her."
"And scares her. Leave us alone. We want nothing to do with you."
"I wonder if that really is true. You used to love me-"
"That was only a trick. An illusion," Arella's voice shook slightly. "All that stuff about understanding how it feels to be shunned, how it feels to be alone for eons, losing everything you ever cared about..."
"And you imagined, once I revealed my true form to you, that I did not understand that. But remember, I never changed my convictions-"
"You never bothered to correct me either. Instead, you just took advantage of me, then killed all of them, all of my friends, the only people I had to accompany me in solitude-"
His eyes narrowed. "You tested the ire of a demon, and were burned because of it. Is that so surprising? Perhaps if you had not overreacted to begin with-"
"Enough, Trigon! Leave, or-"
"Or what? You'll make me? We don't even know what our dear daughter has to say about this yet."
Raven's eyes were wide as Trigon approached her slowly, as if she were some animal that he did not want to scare off.
"Be calm," he muttered. "I will not hurt you."
She drew back a little, but he encircled her wrist with his hand anyway, pressing lightly into the soft flesh. A storm of colors suddenly tore through her, nothing coherent, just a few flitting images in a sheer mass of emotions. Solitude, grey, rage, crimson, despair, black, there was an awful sense of being shunned which she understood all too well, without even being given a chance to be accepted, because of what she - they - were, something not altogether human. Being hunted, either as a way to gain power, or as something terrifying to be eliminated, and then a terrible sense of bitterness because they destroyed everything that mattered, everyone that mattered, leaving nothing but desolation once again. Fury, because just because everyone else did not understand, they sought to eliminate them-
There was nothing coherent at all. Just a sense of being alienated, purely bitter, the years of solitude giving birth to an unquenchable rage and an obsession with power, to make everything else suffer because they had made him suffer...
Rage tore through her body and her face contorted. And then a searing, blistering pain, and she drew back, as if burned, clutching her wrist, feeling a burning sensation in her eyes. Raven sank down to the ground, barely holding herself up on her forearms, sheer agony wracking her body. Underneath the curtain of her hair, four eyes opened, replacing her normal pair of violet ones. She gave off a soft cry as Trigon moved forward again, but Arella stepped in front of her, blocking his path.
"Touch her again and I will kill you."
"I doubt you have the power to do that, my dear. Now, step aside."
"Make me."
Trigon's eyes blazed with dark flame. "Do not test my patience, woman."
Arella's brows furrowed and she set her mouth in a stubborn line. "She is my daughter as well."
"Get out of the way."
"No."
One arm rose and he struck her heavily across the face. She stumbled slightly, but regained her footing and stared at him angrily, spitefully, refusing to move. With a cry of rage, Trigon raised his hands and sent forth a large blast of pure darkness, hammering into her body, tearing through flesh and bone. Blood seeped out of the sorceress's mouth, but she held firm and summoned up her own powers, creating a link between her own body and the demon's own.
"Mother!" Raven whispered harshly, pain etched clearly on her face. "What are you-"
"Protecting you."
"Wait- No!"
Suddenly, violet penetrated the darkness surrounding them and Trigon was thrown back by some invisible force, his dark form seeming to lose its humanoid shape.
"What have you done-" "Arella!" They both shouted simultaneously, but the violet haired woman was already gone, her body dissipated into pure energy.
Around the demon lord, the mauve light continued condensing, seemingly tearing apart his physical form. "No!" Raven let out another cry and crawled forward, ignoring the spams of pain paralyzing her. "Arella... Arella, Arella-"
The violaceous light condensed further and Trigon's frustrated growls could be heard, though they grew more faint as his body was consumed.
"Goodbye, Raven-" Arella's voice sounded softly one more time, a wisp of wind in the dark void around her. "Be safe-"
And suddenly, everything exploded in crimson light. A tempest of indiscernible emotion tore through her again-
Raven's brows furrowed and she cut off the images flowing into her mind, covering her face with her hands. She felt her heart pounding against her ribs, throbbing in her ears, her rapid pulse driving the boiling emotions through her body. Her heart beat faster than ever, adrenaline pumping through her body. Her breaths were quick and ragged, slightly irregular with the faint sound of-
"Raven? Are you okay?"
Around her, the flock of ravens suddenly looked up, eyes flying wide with perturbation. Crimson blazed furiously and their soft voices quickly shifted to harsh, grating cries. Raven turned sharply, and without even having to see the distinctive pink color, she already knew who was there.
"I thought I told you to stay away from here!" Raven's voice was a dark rasp. "Get out! Get away from me!"
"But-" Jinx's eyes flew wide as Raven advanced toward her, the four sanguine eyes filled with fury. "But-s-sorry," she whispered, terror overtaking her face. "Sorry, sorry, I'll leave, I'll leave..." her voice died away and she turned, running away, fleeing as if death itself were snapping at her heels.
The violet haired girl buried her face in her hands again and curled up on the ground, hearing nothing but the sound of the blood rushing through her body and the dark cries of the ravens around her.
