Aww thanks for so many positive reviews! Almost 300!! I feel all warm inside. :) Each review means so much to me!!
Well, I'm having some issues deciding on the whole voting thing. They're pretty close, though as for number, KH is in the lead. However, there were more different reviewers for TH, as some people voted like 20 times for KH. And, as far as reasons go, the voters for TH took that. So... I'm not sure. It's so hard!! In general, I love KH, but with the way this story is going... That's right, honestly I don't know where it is going; they control it! I'm just the author :D
:'( Beyblade time switched... now it's only Saturday as opposed to every afternoon, and it's early in the morning when I'm sleeping! Okay, 8:30 isn't THAT early but still... Highly inconvenient... sigh... oh well, at least it was replaced with a good show! Go Teen Titans!
Anyway, on with the fic! See disclaimer from prev. chappies.
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Twisted Fate
Chapter 20: Cut
Tyson sat on a small wooden bridge, his back to the confinement they had been living in for a while now. He slowly traced the wood patterns with his finger, listening to the babbling stream beneath him. A slight breeze rustled through the grass and swept towards him in a soothing manner, however he was anything but peaceful.
The whisper of a wind blew through his bangs, briefly revealing the dark eyes he kept on the creek below. He rested his chin upon his knees, his legs tucked in. "Why is this so hard?" he wondered aloud. He clenched his fists angrily. "Why do I even care?"
He rocked back and forth subconsciously, lost in thought. His eyes were shut tightly, but gradually relaxed, as did his motions. At some point, he drifted off, into a deep yet troubled sleep.
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The sky was clear in the bright afternoon, their lungs filled with the air as they ran. It felt sharp and refreshing, although exhausting. Rei liked to push himself, although sometimes to a dangerous extent. His face was beaded with sweat, his breaths harsh though he tried to conceal it. He was pale from sickness, his teeth gritted as he focused on running. He couldn't stop yet. Just a little more...
"I'm so glad you're feeling better," Max had said several times between mindless chatter. Max was just happy to talk to Rei again. Rei couldn't stop now. He couldn't let Max see just how bad his condition was.
Kai ran, just wanting to be away from them. He led them, urging them on faster. He wanted to physically strain himself to get his mind off things. Exhaust himself, to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. He wanted physical pain.
"Come on, Kai, slow down!" Max said, panting slightly. Kai paid no attention, though. Max sighed, then picked up the pace. Rei just barely kept up, finding it difficult to breathe. They kept running until he coughed slightly, going unnoticed by Max but catching the attention of Kai. Rei shook his head vigorously; Max couldn't know that he wasn't better yet.
Kai knew that they had to stop. However, Max shouldn't see how weak Rei really was right now. Kai knew that Max would feel guilty; after all, it was partially Max's fault that Rei had become so sick. Max should leave. Hilary and Tyson might have made up by now... "Okay, that's enough," Kai spoke, coming to a halt. "Max, can you go back and check on Tyson and Hilary?" He masked his emotion, but hands nearly shook as he spoke her name.
"Umm, okay," Max nodded. "Why? Is something up between them?"
"Surely you knew," Kai said as emotionlessly as he could muster.
'They were meant for each other,' Kai remembered Rei quoting Max. "You realise we left to give them some time to sort things out," Kai said, carefully.
"Yeah... I got that impression," Max smiled. "Why were they fighting?"
"Nothing now," Kai said, his voice filled with a strange iciness. Rei glanced up at him, frowning. Rei couldn't stand to hear Kai speak like that. Kai would blame and hurt himself relentlessly.
"Yeah," Max said, laughing slightly. "Just like them. They're funny like that. Always arguing but they so obviously like each other." Rei's hand twitched as he resisted slapping it over Max's mouth.
"Bye Max," he said quickly, realising he was having slight difficulty breathing. Max nodded and left.
As soon as Max disappeared from view, Rei started to cough uncontrollably and collapsed to the ground. "Rei," Kai said, catching his friend. "You shouldn't have done this to yourself."
"I know. But I needed to show him that I wasn't still sick," Rei said hoarsely. "I'll be okay, I'll recover eventually. But if Max slips back into depression... Anyway, it sort of felt good after being stuck in bed for two weeks."
"Sort of," Kai muttered. Rei winced as he started to cough harshly again. It was painful.
'Focus, Rei, focus... just focus on breathing. Inhale...' Rei closed his eyes, trying to breathe again. He shut them tighter with pain and effort. His breaths were sharp and shaky as he coughed in between.
Kai watched helplessly as, once again, Rei had pushed himself too much. He sighed, closing his eyes. Rei had done it yet again. The grass they rested on was fresh and clean; the day was warm. Kai leaned back against a tree, absentmindedly running his bit-less blade across the palm of his hand. He heard Rei's breathing ease as he rested, falling asleep. Crimson blood spilled from a thin but deep slit. Kai smiled slightly. That had felt good.
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"Asleep and out for a walk," Max reported back to Kai. Kai glanced up at the boy from his silent state of thought. Kai nodded slightly, acknowledging him. "Wanna practise?" Max asked suddenly, holding out Draciel.
Kai stared blankly for a minute at the blade in his hands. He couldn't refuse... that would lead Max to think there was something wrong. As an answer, he took out his launcher and threaded the ripcord. Max smiled. They left Rei, resting under the trees, to an open area.
"Go Draciel!" Max shouted, pulling his ripcord, as Kai launched his blade silently. An image of the blank bit-chip in his blade flashed in his mind, just as Dranzer flew through the air and ceased to spin.
Max stood dumbfounded; mouth hanging open as Kai picked up his motionless blade. Kai's eyes looked cloudy, his mind in a haze as he took in what had just happened. "Kai...?" Max questioned slowly, but received no reply. His scarf trailed behind him as he quickly left.
"Look, Kai," Max yelled. "I know something's going on. You could at least tell me. I'm you're friend; I'm only here to help..." Max sighed. He felt so left out. He knew they were hiding something from him. "Fine," he muttered, turning his back and walking away.
Kai felt incredibly weak. He hated it all. He hated his life. He clenched the blade until scarlet stained blue.
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A tear fell as Dranzer cried shrilly from her glass prison. She was weakened drastically, as she felt the pain and helplessness of her master. He was strong, that was how she came to be so powerful. But now...
Her crystal eyes full of beauty and power glanced at the corrupt system holding her, her master and the others captive. The controller, the evil man... she had watched him die.
He had collapsed, fallen moments ago. His death had been slow and painful... for he had been dying since birth. Twisted and unfortunate events, one after another took place in his life, until right and wrong were blurred. His craving for power and control had taken his life.
The screen, it flashed now. 'No commands set,' it said. Beep, beep, beep. 'Commencing Default: Scenario A, Sector 1 in five. Four. Three. Two. One.'
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"No way," was all Tyson could say. He felt cold snow on his face and stood up, shivering. He blinked ice crystals from his lashes and stared at the frigid white emptiness before him. They were back where they had started. But this time... they were alone. Hatred and deceit had scattered them.
Tyson was angry with Hilary for cheating on him. Even if they hadn't officially been a couple. She had led him on, toying with him. He was angry with Kai for disregarding his feelings. Kai had known that Tyson liked Hilary, and that she liked Tyson back. Why did he have to intrude? He was such a jerk.
Hilary hated herself. Plain and simple, she wished she had never been born. She messed their lives up, not just her own. In fact, she had never had one to begin with. Stupid Kai for tempting her. She had liked Tyson... it had been simple. Kai had kissed her, screwing everything up. He had tangled up a sweet, simple relationship.
Max was sad. He was always left out, underestimated. They didn't tell him anything, concealing the truth all the time. Why was he always the one last to know? He had thought they could confide in him, trust him with anything. After all, he was their best friend... right? Max was angry with Tyson for not saying anything despite being his best friend. Hilary, she hadn't said a thing. And Kai, he never told him anything. Kai and Tyson always underestimated him. Well no more.
Kai felt weak. He was angry with himself, sad with what he had become. Weak, pitiful. He felt anger towards no one but himself, though. Why not, it seemed as if the whole world was against him now. The feeling was so strong it was taking over. He was angry he had interfered in a perfect relationship, angry he had become so weak, angry he had proven his grandfather right...
And Rei. He was the only one not shrouded in anger and hatred. Nonetheless, he was alone, and tired. While his friends fought, he was fighting his own battle against a terrible sickness within himself. Could he make it without his friends?
Tyson stumbled through the thick, heavy snow. His pants were soaked to his knees. He trudged through the deep snow with his arms folded, this time glad he had a jacket on. He was freezing, though tried to think warm thoughts. He couldn't find any at the moment. He was too angry and bitter. His mind kept settling on thoughts of his friends, and he kept shaking them off. He didn't want to think of them right now. He wanted to be alone.
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A beautiful girl sat by the edge of the water. She traced patterns, watching the liquid ripple and stir at the slightest touch of her finger. She looked at her reflection, seeing a shimmering image of herself, bright green eyes staring back at her.
She thought of him – her sweet, cute Max... No, he hadn't been hers, but she was sure she could have... would have... The thought brought tears to her emerald eyes, and splashed creating ripples which broke her clear image.
She hadn't even gotten to know him that well. Seen him a couple times. Well, talked to him only a couple times. She had followed him, stalking him, when she had been on her mission. But the times they had talked, she had felt something... an unspoken bond between them.
He was so sweet and charming, teasing while flirting. She liked to flirt as well. The girl staring back at her in the water was slim, fair and tall. Her cobalt blue hair framed her face, with piercing green eyes to set it all off. But the eyes were sad...
So maybe there wasn't any serious relationship between him. He probably didn't even like her back. It was at most a crush, nothing more. But he had been a friend... even if he hadn't thought so. She led a lonely, isolated life. She wasn't one to have friends. But even as an enemy, he had been kind towards her. And he had taught her the meaning of the word friendship.
And now... he was gone. Another teardrop slid down Mariam's pale face. She clenched her fists, angry at her self-pity. "I wasn't even going to see him ever again, anyways," she reminded herself. After their mission was over, they had returned to the village. "So what do we do now?"
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Max couldn't understand why they were back. But he knew he didn't want to be here. He was freezing, and had unpleasant thoughts on his mind. He trekked on, not knowing where he was going or where anyone else was for that matter. What was the point? He shrugged and let his feet take him away.
After a while, he found he wasn't far from a slight hill in the snow. He hurried towards it and realised what it was. Buried under a thick layer of snow lay the remains of the very snow fort they had built together, as a team. He scooped some of the icy crystals up in his hands, feeling his fingertips tingle and become numb as he held it close to him.
"I'm not as stupid as I look... do I look stupid? Because that's how it feels. So maybe I'm not as good looking as Kai, Rei, Hilary or Tyson. Maybe I'm not as smart as Kai, Rei, Kenny or Hilary... but Tyson...? Perhaps not as good at blading as Kai or Tyson, or Rei. Not as athletic as Kai, Rei, or Tyson. Not as charismatic as Tyson, Rei or Hilary. Not as cool as Kai, Rei, Tyson... but I am better at some things. Like-- oh forget it," he said, sighing. "I hate being compared. I just want to be me..."
Suddenly, a thought flickered across his mind. "What was I thinking... Kai, tell me?" He shook his head. "I shouldn't have even asked. I mean, if he doesn't want to talk about it, I should know as a friend not to bother him."
He closed his eyes, reflecting on all the things he could have – should have – said. Rewind, play again. Rewind once more... and record over all his mistakes.
He smiled sadly, knowing it would never happen. What was done was done. "It's for the better, anyways... my mistakes have made me who I am today," he reassured himself. "I wonder how the others are doing," he suddenly wondered.
"Me, I'm freezing. And I have a jacket and long pants. But the others..." he let the snow fall from his hands. "We built this together. We survived this together. We can do this again... together.
He stood up, shaking off the snow that clung to him. He started walking again, but this time he knew what he was looking for. Staring at the blanket of white, he watched for footprints that would unite them again.
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Kenny sat in bed, thinking deeply again. He did this a lot. He pondered about death, the afterlife, everything like that. Purpose, existence, life itself... But today was different. This time, he asked himself, what now?
There was no future for him. Sure, career-wise he could do very well. But what about him as a person? There was no point for his existence. Was there? Nope. He had thought before that he was helpful. He served his friends to the extent that they sometimes took advantage of the poor kid. But he loved it. He loved having things to do because it made him feel important. 'The brains behind the world champions', has a nice ring to it, no?
World champions, plural, that's right. Because they, as a team, had won the world championships. They could not have done it without one another. So technically, Kenny figured, Tyson couldn't brag that he was THE world champion. After all, Rei hadn't even fought against Zeo last time, and the year before, Rei had won his battle. Why was it that Tyson always got to have the last battle?
Kai had beaten Tyson HOW many times? He could easily beat him again. In fact, Rei could as well. And Max, even. They all had an equal chance. They were all very evenly matched. Kai was, indubitably, the most skilled. He possessed power, endurance and confidence, and was able to think lightning fast and strategize instantly. However, Rei was extremely sharp as well, and was the fastest of them all. Rei held an extremely tight bond with his bit-beast, and was very driven to push himself past his limits. Max was always ready to try something new, anything to give him an edge in battle. He would often come up with brilliant plans even Kenny wouldn't think of, and win his battles that way. And Tyson, well, he was for sure the most aggressive and offensive player of them. He had a streak of stubbornness, like Rei, but also an apparent ignorance that gave him confidence. Kenny wondered, however, how it was that Tyson was such a phenomenal blader, and could compare with Kai. Kai was more skilled in every aspect...
"I wonder," Kenny thought aloud. "Does it have something to do with emotion?" Kai was always good; he never had off days. In contrast, Tyson's blading abilities were very inconsistent. He would always pull through at the last minute during a final showdown, however he had phases where he was worse at blading than Kenny.
And then, it struck Kenny. Blading had helped the others through tough times. It let emotions out in the form of a battle. It had given them a passion, a different side to them. And now that they were gone... it was time for Kenny to give it a try. He opened up his laptop and started to work.
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Hilary shivered in the freezing cold. She had been wandering for hours now. Her short skirt was not nearly enough to keep her warm in this climate. Her legs went numb as she walked through the knee-deep snow. She shielded her eyes as a gust of wind blew a blizzard of snowflakes to her eyes, temporarily blinding her. She kept going out of sheer desperation. The tears on her face had frozen to ice, shining and glistening as solid streams down her cheeks.
She collapsed, weak both emotionally and physically. Her hands were cold and nearly frostbitten. Fresh tears froze upon the already present ice on her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered, lips blue-tinged. "I'm so sorry. I deserve this."
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The cold Russian sky was bleak as Tala's icy blue eyes scanned it. He stood for a moment, narrowing his eyes in disbelief, then shook his head. "I didn't believe it," he muttered. He had only recently heard of Kai's death, and even later had accepted it.
He wondered why he hadn't been informed of Kai's death, but knew automatically. Why would he have? He shrugged; it wasn't like it mattered whether he had been told or not. The fact was he was dead.
He shivered slightly, wondering how Kai – KAI, of all people – had been killed. And who would dare... And why...
But none of it mattered, Tala concluded. His face, framed by blazing red hair that contrasted with freezing blue eyes, remained emotionless. He shrugged, and turned his back. "He left us... again," he said under his breath. "Pity. He was strong. He could have been of use."
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The assistant knocked on the steel door, worried for his boss. He had become mentally unstable, and was looking quite unwell. The assistant had waited for commands for quite some time, but hadn't been receiving any. His boss had been in that room now for too long...
"Boss?" he said, cautiously knocking. "Hello?" He kept banging on the door, but to no avail. Finally, the man opened the door himself with the force of his bodyweight.
"Doctor—"he froze in his tracks as he saw the dead man. "Boss..." his eyes widened at the sight, his stomach churned with anxiety. What was he to do?
The man quickly reflected on everything he had done for the man. He had kept the organisation hidden... even if measures were drastic. And he had designed many of the twisted tasks. And he had given the doctor his time, his skills and his devotion. After all, who doesn't want to be a part of world domination? Or at least filthy rich. And pretty soon, he had assured himself that he was indeed the brains behind the scheme. He was more than capable of taking over. And that's what he intended to do.
"I am... the boss," he said with a twisted smile. His voice had changed from moments ago. "I am... Doctor E? Yes... doctor E. I am Doctor E," he said with a laugh. He glanced around the gigantic room. It was cold and dark... perfect. The beasts gave off energy, struggling to be free of their confinements. But that was impossible – he himself had designed them. They were indestructible, even by the Holy beasts.
The light from the beasts captivated him. He was entranced, staring at the glorious figures, pressing his hands against the glass-like containers. He stared at them, thinking of all the power they possessed. The power that was now his. He grinned at the total control he had. He could manipulate the beasts, and do anything he wanted. And he would have fun with the owners of the beasts, just as his old boss who lay on the floor beside him. He started to laugh... laugh like a maniac. By the time he had turned away from the creatures behind glass, the look in his eyes assured he was less than sane.
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Kai had been wandering for several hours, seeming like an eternity in this empty frigid land. Barren of life with the exception of a few tree clumps, it seemed even lonelier. His footsteps seemed to go on forever, lost in his mind.
Where was he going? In fact, where were any of them going? Did they want to find each other, or distance themselves further? Either road was a hard, lonely one. The sun reflected off the field of ice that he had come to. His mind was spinning, dizziness increasing. Yet he walked on.
He didn't feel well. Nothing was going right in his life. Everything was spiralling down into the dark abyss he had created. He was cold... in every aspect. His life was falling away.
He tried to convince himself to snap out of it, to go on, just as he had been his entire life. But why? What was the point? He had never had a real life. The Bladebreakers had been it for him. Blading, friends... blading with friends. Learning, discovering, leadership, teamwork... Now that was lost, done with. There was nothing left to do...
He stared at the crimson streak he had created down his hand, then pulled out the blade from his pocket, without even realising what he was doing. He felt the sensation of cold metal as he cut himself, and calmly watched the blood spill, crying his tears for him.
He continued to walk on, though he didn't know why. He clenched his bare fists, feeling cold. He stared at his palm – droplets of blood had turned to ice.
He hated what he had become. Weak, weak, weak. He was cutting himself to ease the pain, though he didn't even realise it as he did it. He hated the blade; it tempted him so. Its sharp, beautiful edges glinting in the light, the thought of cold metal inducing sweet pain, letting crimson escape...
He suddenly collapsed, clutching his head as if to rid it of an evil. Come on, Kai. You know you want to. You can't resist it. You want to stop the pain... "No," he said firmly. "I won't give in..." But you want to, don't you. Tempting, death is...
"Stop it!" he shouted. "No..." his voice wavered slightly, afraid. You have nothing left to live for and you know it. Your own family left you. You weren't good enough. You will never be good enough...
"No... I wasn't... I'm sorry," he muttered. "Never..." Your friendships are broken, and it is all your fault. He closed his eyes firmly as the thought crossed his mind again for the thousandth time. And she never even loved you. Nobody will ever love you. End it now.
"I..." Before anyone else gets hurt. You have betrayed them all. Dranzer, you let her go... "I had to... didn't I?" The one thing in your life... beyblading... it is gone.
The memory of his blade flying easily from one hit from Max flashed in his mind. You hated it, as it had destroyed your life. Your past, everything you had held onto. But you loved it, didn't you, Kai. You tried to stop, to escape from it... But you knew you couldn't stop. There was nothing else you could succeed at. You never even could blade well.
"I know..." Failure... utter, complete failure. At everything he'd ever tried to do. Everything in his life seemed to go wrong. He always ended up making things worse with his presence. The relationship he had messed up... his promise to Dranzer that he had broken... the countless sacrifices his friends had made for him with nothing in return... Wyatt's resulting in mental instability... the destruction of the abbey... the misery of his grandfather... his betrayal to every team he had ever been a part of... hell, even his parents hadn't wanted him; or else surely it was he who had caused their death. End it all now... before you hurt someone else...
He felt the blade trace a thin line of red against his pale skin before he realised what he was doing subconsciously. He dropped the blade instantly, watching drops of his own blood spill into the snow. "What is wrong with me..."
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Tyson could see a faint figure in the distance. He ran towards it, then hesitated. He recognised who it was – he had memorised her picture, lying awake and thinking of her. She lay in the snow, weak and exhausted. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, breathing slowly before running as fast as he could to her.
She stirred at the sound of his rushed footsteps. "K-Kai?" she whispered, face still in the freezing snow.
"No, it's Tyson," he said, not thinking about it too deeply. "Hilary, get up." The girl struggled and, with some assistance, was sitting upright. She opened her eyes, blinking several times adjusting to the blinding white of the snow.
"Hilary, you're frozen. Here," he said, offering her his own jacket. She took it with trembling hands gratefully.
"Tyson, you're... not mad?" she managed to ask, shivering violently. He stared into her ruby eyes, pondering over the question. Finally, he tore his gaze away.
"No, I'm not," he said at last. "I'm not angry. And I actually didn't realise that until just now. I was building everything up inside of me, but I realised how much I actually do... care for you... just now..." his voice trailed off.
"Tyson..." she stared at him with shimmering eyes. "I'm so relieved... I just hope that everything will be okay in the end."
"It will be. It always is," Tyson said, holding her. "Everything will be alright. I promise." He held her in a tight embrace as they sat in the frigid climate. He grasped her hands. "You're hands are frozen," he muttered.
"I know... I can't feel them," she whispered. "Tyson... thank you. Thank you for forgiving me... see these tears?" Tyson reached and touched the solid streams frozen onto her face. "I missed you."
"Me too. You holding up okay?"
"Better than ever," she said softly. He smiled slightly, waiting for her to smile back. She stared at him, blinking, before flashing him a smile that made everything okay again. She held him closely as the two sat together in the fluffy snow. The sun peeked through the cloudy sky, the bright light of forgiveness beaming upon their faces.
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The mountains were lonely, more isolated than they had ever seemed before. The White Tigers sat around the piece of paper, contemplating on words, as they had been for days straight.
"Look, Mariah. This is stupid. What the heck are we going to say?" Lee asked. "We can't just say, 'Oh hi, Mr Dickenson. Mariah had a dream about Rei. Bye!' He's only going to think you need serious help."
"He's alive!!" Mariah shouted. "Can't you feel it? In here?" she asked, pointing to Lee's bare chest. Lee, Gary and Kevin stared at her sudden outburst.
Lee bowed his head, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry, Mariah. But as much as I want to... they've been missing for, who knows how long now. I don't think—"
"But he brought me back!" Mariah exclaimed. She pointed to fresh scars on her wrists. "Don't you understand? He—"
"Sacrificed himself," Gary interrupted, to everyone's surprise. The rest of the team just blinked, before Mariah burst into tears. Gary put his large hand on her shoulder as a sign of comfort. Tears spilled down his strong face as well. Kevin grabbed her hand for support, for both her and himself.
Lee had turned away from his teammates. Kevin glanced at him from over his shoulder through teary eyes, to see his friend staring over the edge of the cliff. He appeared to be fine, but when Kevin wiped the salty tears from his eyes he could see the lion wielder's frame shaking with grief.
The unwritten letter was tossed carelessly into the flames. They danced and licked at the delicate stationary until it turned pitch black and crumbled to dust.
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Rei shivered furiously, shaking in the vile snowstorm. The storm had risen and settled within the past few hours. He had just barely hung on. He walked slowly, stumbling across the ice. The wind grew and rattled violently, causing Rei to stop walking and collapse in a coughing fit. His throat hurt so much; breathing was difficult. He coughed and shook, his hands trembling. He felt faint; dizziness swept him.
The ice glittered beneath him. It gleamed dangerously, though he didn't notice. When he finally heard the deafening crack, it was too late.
The ice split fast as lightning, powerfully breaking beneath him. He took in what was happening all too late. In a split-second, he had fallen through the ice into the frozen depths of saltwater, thoughts flooding through him as he plunged under the surface. His golden eyes shot open with surprise as the coldness hit him, but now, there was no one there to save him. He caught one final glimpse at the light that shone so brightly from above the surface, staring helplessly paralysed by his own weak state. He reached for the faint glow of the surface desperately, but slipped away, down into the dark abyss of icy water.
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END of chapter!! Please review!!
Penguin Pop ;)