"Ia?"

"Yes, Mayu?"

"Um… when we have to take the blessing, will it hurt?"

A ruffling of her hair, and her sister's sunlit smile. "I don't know the answer to that- but I do know one thing. You can face whatever comes. Be strong, Mayu.

"I know you can do it."

.X.

Mayu always admired her older sister.

Ia was everything the younger girl wished she could be. She was cool, collected, smart, beautiful. Talented, able to create the most delicious of breads and pastries. She was by far the one who stood out most in their group- or at least, that's how it always felt.

She shone like pure light, and whisked away fear and doubt like they meant nothing. She could win at whatever she chose, love anyone she wanted to have by her side. She was like the picturesque maiden.

To her little sibling, these were all things to strive for. To be considered beautiful and kind, charming and strong. Everything she reached out for, inches from her fingertips.

Ia always was the one to encourage her. Whenever Mayu needed help or was distressed, she would gently tousle her hair and give her a lovely, warm smile. It was because of her that she accepted her feelings towards the sweet shepherd boy, Len, and she had dried her tears when she'd been rejected.

"Why is love painful?" she had asked her sister, leaning into her familiar strong shoulder and blowing her nose into a tissue.

Ia had hugged her and replied, "Because with love comes pain. Like joy and agony, there are two sides to every coin. The promise we made years ago means that we'll all share in these things together."

Of course the eldest was right; she always was. The ten of them shared in everything, from loss to happiness.

And then Miku received that letter, and suddenly there was only despair left between them.

Mayu barely remembers the stories about the Messiah she was told when she was a child. Before she and Ia were adopted into Kaito's tiny family- there had only been him, Meiko, Gumi and Gakupo then- she would sit outside and listen to the other few children with bright futures.

The Messiah was the embodiment of hope. Without them, the world would be doomed to apocalypse. The Tower of Ai had to be relit every fifteen years, or chaos would befall the world, and it would end. However, the Messiah would have to receive nine blessings in order to achieve the mercy of God once more.

When their cheerful tealette laughed and spoke of happier days for them, Mayu felt confused. Wouldn't it be such a hard task? Could her friend do it alone? They would certainly go with her for support, but for her to do everything on her own…

Mayu knew she would never have been able to be strong enough to do those things. She still feared the dark and the creatures living within- how could Miku stand so firmly at the tip of this world and face God's wrath herself?

They made a pact. One blessing for each of them. She didn't know why it mattered- wasn't only Miku supposed to have them? Why were they going to take them for their own?

She asked Rin once, when they had stopped for a break and a sip of water. "Why must we take what should be rightfully hers? Isn't that wrong?"

The blonde's eyes had darkened, turned sad. She'd offered a tiny smile. "Because we share in joy and pain- and the blessings are too much pain for her to face without us. It's the only way we can help her, even if there is no joy left."

Rin's words didn't make sense that day, but when Kaito took the first blessing for himself, she realized why. She knew, when she saw the flash of pain across his face as the doors shut him inside, that those were no such blessings at all. Her heart ached, and she clutched a hand into her bodice, gripping the material tightly.

They were curses. Nine individual punishments, meant for one human girl.

How unfair.

She understood why they were betraying her. Mayu understood that it was wrong, that this wasn't okay, that she was going to lose everyone that she had grown to love. Ia, Len, Rin, Meiko- they would all die because they wanted to save their friend unimaginable pain.

She hated it. She wanted to go home. But she knew she couldn't be childish anymore.

Right after Meiko, she had promised herself that she would be next. She had to take the next blessing, that's what the pact meant, didn't it? Each one of them would disappear.

Why did Ia stop her?

She stood in paralyzing shock when her gentle sister yanked her out of the way, her expression one that her younger sibling had never seen before. The feeling of her fingers through Mayu's hair sent waves of pain ebbing through her, crushing her heart.

She wanted to call out and beg she never leave. She didn't want to see it, couldn't stand it, couldn't bear the thought of her sibling dying, and suddenly her head hurt and she couldn't make herself move-

The doors slammed together, and Ia was gone. Her talented, amazing older sister who had always supported her was gone, and she couldn't be protected from fate any longer.

"Sorry, dear sister."

"Stop it! Stop it, what are you doing?!" Miku's slim fingers gripped into Mayu's arms, shaking the shorter girl. Her eyes were wild, full of unshed tears. The horror and dismay etched over her face was terrifying, finalizing. The girl couldn't see any trace of the old tealette. This one was burdened, weighed upon by grief and betrayal. The girl who had so brightly smiled before had now become a shadowed, fearful monster.

"It's me! I'm the Messiah!" she screamed, looking between the remaining six and releasing Mayu. She found purchase next in Gumi's presence, pulling the collar of the poet's shirt, her best friend, the one she trusted the most. "Stop this, it's not right, you can't do this! Why are you taking the blessings?!"

Gumi's cold stare could have frozen its way through the tealette's skull. "Because you can't keep it all for yourself. We won't let you."

A shiver raced its way down Mayu's spine, and the burning desire to run away befell her- but not from the tower. No, she couldn't do that, after her sister had already sacrificed herself.

She would run straight into the embrace of the next blessing.

Footsteps echoing, the light-haired girl flew from the group, reaching the doorway of the next blessing with speed. It cracked open, revealing a deeply colored, opaque blessing that vividly reminded her of her fears. Its purple glow barely illuminated the room, and she didn't dare wait for anyone to stop her.

Her sister had already done what she was meant to do- and now it was her turn to fulfill her part.

She stomped up to the blessing, letting the doors slam behind her and click into place, not wanting to look back.

This way, would she also be with Ia?

She practically embraced the floating punishment, dreaming of returning to her sister's side. It glowed a bit brighter, then every light went out, and Mayu fell forward, stumbling into where the pedestal had just been.

It's completely black. She could feel the shadows creeping over her skin. In her terror she yelled out, fearing the unknown around her. Anything could be there. Spirits or monsters, those possessing claws and teeth and wanted her blood. There could also be nothing, nothing, nothing but herself here, trapped in the dark.

She staggered about, trying to find anything to touch, to guide her, but it proved fruitless. Her eyes adjusted but still saw emptiness. Was there really not anything here?

No… there were. Dark creatures, in her peripheral, in front of her, behind her, she could sense them.

Ia's name ripped its way from her throat, and she was answered with nothing. Her hands clasped at her chest, her nails digging deep into the skin of her palms and tearing it, bleeding, but she couldn't even see that.

Why? Why?

Someone, save me!

Her heart was ice cold; she couldn't breathe, wouldn't, afraid to see eyes in the darkness, imagining sharp talons tearing into her skin. Her head hurt, the world was spinning but at the same time she felt everything had come to a dead halt.

Ia! Help me!

Her cries were lost to the void, and she had only her tears to comfort her. In her mind she imagined the brightness of the outside, the love of her friends who were pulled apart by the Messiah's destiny.

Someone save her she hates the dark she misses her family she wants to be held she wants to see her sister and Len and Miku and be able to see everyone's smiles and-

Why is everything gone?! Why can't she see?

Don't leave me alone! They'll kill me! I don't know what's real here!

I'm going to go insane!

A/N: This is Unbeta'd.

4/10 down. And we bring in some good ole sibling feels to get the ball rolling.

I've written 7/10 chapters for this. And I can absolutely promise last chapter will be far too long, believe me. I can feel it within. For now, I hope you're enjoying these tidbits and the story as it unfolds. I love writing everyone's perspectives, but Gakupo and Luka have been the hardest... ;-;

Anyway, thanks for reading up to this point, and I'll see you in my next update. This was written while listening to 'Duakoil', 'Goodbye April Doppel', and 'Blessed Messiah and The Tower of AI.'

Read on~!

~Disclaimer~ I own only a fear of what lies in the dark and of losing my siblings, nothing more.