A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Nancy, a person close to me who passed away days ago. She was the most selfless person I've ever met, I'll miss her greatly.
Disclaimer: As per usual, I don't own Grand Chase D;
Chapter 24: A Hopeless Memory
Tell her? Why would Elesis even suggest that? Lass' thoughts were everywhere. He sat in a tree outside the inn's back yard, glaring between his hands and the building periodically. Stupid Elesis. She should know... What would happen to Arme... Growling in frustration, he crossed his arms as a strong urge to punch the tree ran through him. How did this even happen? I promised myself I wouldn't ever fall for someone. I have far too much to repent for... Certainly too much to even consider being with her. I should have known something was wrong when Ryan accused me of being to protective of her. Sighing, he pressed a hand to his forehead. Well, it's too late to do anything about it now. But what do I do about it? Standing up restlessly, he jumped down to the ground when a sense of unease filled him. He took a deep breath and leaned against the trunk, waiting a minute for the feeling to fade before he pushed away from the wood.
Elesis is just being stupid, his mind repeated as he began pacing back and forth, I need to leave. I have to before I can't stop myself from telling her. Yesterday was bad enough... He stopped for a second, tracing his throughts back to the moment he had hugged Arme. I shouldn't have done that. And so he went on, continuing to silently list all the faults he had made in his behavior around the violet mage.
But... I still should have protected her. I don't regret that. From that thought he began thinking more and more about the magician, until his mind was filled with thoughts of the smiling, lilac haired girl. How will she fare when I'm gone? ... She has everyone else. Though... What if something happens? He almost involuntarily glanced at the inn again, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Why is her window open?" He wondered aloud, letting out a sigh, "She'll catch a cold." He took several steps towards the building before halting abruptly and turning around. No. This is a bad idea. Someone else will go check on her and close it. Still, when he looked at the inn her window was open, and he felt as though it was mocking him. I... I'll just go close the window. She won't even wake up, and I won't do anything to wake her up. The dark assassin's resolve was still shaky as he walked over to the tall, white wall, staring at it contemplatively.
What if she's not asleep? A small part of his mind suggested. If Lass could have glared at his own thoughts, he would have. If she's not asleep I'll just close the window and go anyway. It's not that difficult. Before he could have more time to doubt himself the white haired boy pushed off the ground and grabbed the white ledge of Arme's window. From that point he hoisted himself into the room, allowing himself a look around the room.
"... What?" The word crossed his lips as he re-inspected the room, and he walked to the center of the room. Arme herself couldn't be found in the room, though he distinctly remembered her walking up the staircase an hour prior. Her hat sat on the dresser, slumped over with it's large eyes shut. Asleep, huh? He could have woken the hat to inquire about Arme's location but decided against it, realizing he probably would have received a long-winded answer he really wasn't in the mood for at that point.
Well, she's not here. This makes it even easier to just close her window and go. But still... He bit his lip gently. Why would she even leave her window open if she was just going to leave the room? I know it wasn't open earlier... I'm overthinking this. Maybe it was too hot or something. Even with this reasoning the assassin seemed uncomfortable, and a certain memory began tugging at the back of his mind. When we were at the main house she left her window open a lot when she wanted me to come visit. She probably doesn't even want to see me right now though, so... Why does it even matter that the window's open? I'll just find out where Arme is and then head back to my room. After all, I can't actually leave the chase until the Knight Master approves it, Elesis isn't going to let me use a messenger bird and Arme is quite obviously not going to let me use the sidtri. The door between Arme and Amy's room was open a sliver; Lass pushed it the rest of the way open and stepped inside.
The pink haired dancer was curled up in the middle of the floor, several sheets of paper around her with bar lines on them. Her violin lay next to her, and Lass could guess she had been using it to test the sound of the music she was writing out.
"Amy?" It only took a few nudges of his foot to get the dancer to stir, and it took a minute for her to sit up.
"Huh?" Lass sighed.
"You fell asleep writing. Do you know where Arme is?" Amy paused a moment before shaking her head.
"That's odd... Really odd. I just made myself tea, and I wasn't tired at all... You can't find Arme? Wasn't she in her room?"
"I just looked there. Can you think of anywhere else she would be?" Amy stood up, stretching.
"Before I went to sleep I could hear her in there talking to Bou..." She reached out to pick up her tea cup from it's spot on a saucer on the floor, "My tea's still warm, I can't have been asleep for long." Lass shrugged.
"Well, I'm going to find her." He murmured, watching as Amy looked back at him.
"Mind if I come? I might be able to help." Lass shrugged again.
"Fine with me. She's probably just in the kitchen or something." Amy paused for a moment, looking down at the ground.
"Lass, I remember... Just before I fell asleep, I guess, I remember feeling some kind of heavy pressure. It was really... Sinister. Do you remember anything like that?" Lass frowned, thinking back over the last few minutes.
"I... At one point I was feeling uneasy, but..." Amy looked up worriedly, picking up her violin.
"Let's go. I have a feeling something's really wrong." The assassin picked up the pace as they made their way downstairs, splitting up in the hallway. The kitchen was completely empty, as was the recreation room. She just went out for a walk. Or she... Where would she be? He made his way quickly back to the dining room, where Elesis and Ronan were still sitting.
"I still can't believe you can already wield the giant sword so easily-" Ronan cut off his sentence when he saw Lass' panicked look, and both turned to give the thief their full attention.
"Have either of you seen Arme?" He asked as Amy came in, receiving a grin from Elesis.
"You decided to tell her?" She questioned, "I-"
"No, it's not about that!" Amy blinked in confusion.
"About what? What were you going to tell-"
"I wasn't going to tell her anything!" He snapped, "Now will you two both be quiet? Elesis and Ronan, neither of you have seen Arme? We can't seem to find her anywhere, did she go out?" Ronan shook his head.
"You checked all the upstairs rooms?" Lass frowned and shook his head.
"I checked her room and Amy's." Elesis stood up, along with the dragon knight.
"We'll help look through there first." She said seriously, "perhaps she was looking for you? Did you even check your own room?" Lass rolled his eyes and shook his head, leading the way up the staircase. Entering the red hall, they opened each door as they passed it. Ryan looked out of the first door to the left; across the hall from Arme's room.
"Have you seen Arme today?" Amy asked the groggy sentinel. He nodded as he joined them, stretching.
"I saw her at lunch, but I haven't since." He responded, receiving a sigh from those in the party, "but... I heard a thud in her room a couple minutes ago, like something fell over. I would have gone to check on her, but for some reason I was feeling so tired... It was so sudden, too." Amy's eyes widened, and she flung open the door to Jin's room, next to her own. The redheaded fighter was curled up and asleep, though a few shakes from Amy quickly woke him up.
"Jin, where's Arme?" She asked insistantly, as though she expected him to know. The shisa looked at her blankly for a second before shaking his head slowly.
"I've been asleep since I sparred with Ryan after lunch..." He mumbled, drowsily sitting up, "Why do you need to find her?"
"No one knows where she is even though she was supposedly in her room, and I have a really bad feeling about this!" Amy insisted, pulling Jin off the bed and into Ronan's room next door. It was nearly empty aside from his weapons resting against the wall.
"She's clearly not here, let's get going." the knight stated, walking them into the hall.
"Wouldn't it be faster if we split up?" Elesis questioned, Ronan shrugging in response.
"We're almost done anyway, we'll split up and do a search of the town if we can't find her after this." He said, pushing open the door to Elesis' room. Like the previous rooms there was no one inside, and they moved onto the next room.
"How would she even get outside, though?" Elesis murmured, "Ronan and I were sitting at the dining table since she went upstairs, and there was a clear view of the front door. We woulda known if she had left that way..."
"Who knows? If she really wanted to, she could have teleported out. And aside from that, her window was open. Though... I doubt she could have jumped out, her room's on the second floor." The group paused outside Lass' room for a moment, and Elesis pushed the door open slowly. When inside they thoroughly scoured the room until they had confirmation that Arme wasn't there either.
"... Okay, let's think this through. Lass, how did you find out she was missing?" The white haired boy looked towards the wall, avoiding the glances of the group.
"I saw her window open from the backyard, and I went up to close it. When I got there Arme wasn't in the room, only her..." Lass' eyes widened.
"What?" Amy prompted.
"Her hat!" The thief exclaimed, "It was in there with her! It would know where Arme is!" He left the room without waiting for the others, though they followed closely behind him as they retraced their steps to Arme's room. Mahou Boushi was still sleeping on the dresser, and the group circled around it.
"Bou, wake up! It's really important!" Amy called, "We can't find Arme!" The hat's eyes twitched a few times before shooting open, and Lass was certain if hats could go pale the one in front of him would have been pure white.
"Where is she?" Elesis demanded, crossing her arms.
The hat only seemed fearful; it's eyes remained widened and the fabric leading up to the point of it curling down in a gesture that seemed almost defensive. It only let out one word.
"Kaze'Aze."
Arme shivered as she awoke on a cold, stony floor, her head aching. It took a second before her amethyst eyes adjusted to the dark lighting of the room. When she did she looked around slowly, trying hazily to remember what had happened. She was in something that seemed to be a prison cell with several small, thin windows lining the back of the cell and allowing minimal amounts of light in. From these windows there wasn't much visible aside from the dark sky and a small, grey courtyard. On each of the three walls there was a large black symbol that seemed somewhat familiar, though she couldn't place it. This symbol was also featured on the floor, and, if she had been able to see it, she would have noted that it was also on the chains that held her hands behind her back. These chains were attached to the back wall, though they were long enough that she could wander up to the bars that led into a small hallway. She could tell that further on it was lit by torches due to the flickering lights, but other than that there was nothing to tell her where she was.
Where am I? She wondered as she tried to summon a fire ball to light the room. It failed, and she bit her lip. What happened? How did I get here? It took her several minutes to recall the information she desired.
"Leaving your window open? What's that going to do, girl?" The hat questioned. Arme didn't answer, and instead went to her drawer to pull out a pair of pajamas. Instead of changing, however, she set them down on her bed and let out a sigh.
"I don't know." She replied, "I..."
"It's not going to do anything." The hat supplied, "Certainly not going to help you with what you should be doing, which is-"
"I know I should talk to him, all right? I just... What if he doesn't want to talk to me?" The hat sighed.
"We've already discussed this. If he doesn't want to talk to you, you talk to him anyway. Now stop being a coward." Arme glared at Mahou Boushi.
"I'm not being a coward!"
"You're just avoiding him because you're afraid. Hence, you're being a coward." Arme felt at this point like lashing out at the hat. She instead buried her head in the pillow, keeping quiet until sniffles began to replace the silence.
"I know..." She finally responded. "I know, but... He was so upset yesterday. If I say something to make him feel worse..." Her sniffles grew louder and the hat paused, taking a moment to think over it's next sentence.
"Perhaps you have the only thing to say that will make him feel better?" It suggested more gently than before. Arme bit her lip, "You're thinking of this in terms of you. Perhaps he's just waiting for you to go see him?" This finally got Arme to sit up, and she glanced at the window.
"Do you think... Do you think he would mind if I went to see him?" She asked hesitantly.
"Glad to see you're listening to others for once. Now get going, girl." Arme waited a moment before nodding, glancing over to the window as a sudden wave of sleepiness hit her. When she looked she frowned, standing up.
"Bou?" The hat scoffed.
"Don't call me that." Arme's next question came somewhat urgently.
"Is it..." She yawned loudly, "Is it just... Just me or... Is there... Purple... Purple mist coming in through the window?" She questioned, rubbing her eyes and began backing up closer to the dresser.
"What are you... talking about, girl?" The hat asked before looking to the window, "Of course there isn- Arme, get out of here. Hold your breath and leave now." It suddenly commanded, sounding as sleepy as it's owner. Arme looked around the room blearily as it hazed with a purple fog, and realized quite suddenly that she couldn't even pinpoint the location of the door.
"What's going on?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes again and attempting to focus them. At that moment the room had filled with a thin purple mist that leaked out of it through the slightly opened door between Amy's room and Arme's own. It also filtered out through the small space between the door and the carpet, entering the hall way.
"List- Listen, you stupid girl... Something's on it's way... Someone with crushing magical power... Someone like-" Who it was like Arme never got to hear. Her mind seemed to preform an abrupt shut down and she collapsed, head slamming into the corner of the dresser as gravity dragged her down. It was as soon as she hit the ground that the smoke gathered into one point, spiralling closer and closer until a solid orb of dark violet was made. This then faded away, leaving in it's wake a tall, violet skinned woman. protruding from both sides of her head were pointed dark violet ears tipped with white, the bases covered by long, straight violet hair. This hair gradiented to a venomous green on it's way down to her thin waist, and a matching violet gown clothed her. Holding a violet staff featuring a green orb at the top, she may have been mistaken for a violet mage had her forest coloured eyes not been filled with an almost concealed malice.
"You..." The hat whispered, keeping it's drowsy eyes locked on the woman as she ignored it and leaned down to lift up Arme.
"Oh my, I appear to have damaged her." The woman frowned as she inspected Arme's forehead. Wiping a thin hand over the small, bleeding spot, she pulled it back and checked the now woundless area.
"Much better."
"What are you going to do with her?" The hat whispered again, glaring. This finally caught the tall woman's attention, and she regarded the hat silently; contemplatively.
"Mahou Boushi. It's been a while." She remarked not answering the question and walking over to pick it up.
"It's been seven hundred years since I sat on your head." It hissed back, "I always knew what type of a magician you were, but still... I never thought you would turn out like this. Arme is innocent, what do you want with her? She'll never join you." The woman chuckled quietly.
"My, those are some serious words. She's innocent, all right. But it makes her gullible. And in the end, I don't need her co-operation. I need her strength. She'll never join me? Strangely enough, I remember words along those lines coming from a young boy several years ago. I believe you know him?"
"How dare you..." The woman's head shot to the window, her mouth still twisted in a small smile, as though she had a secret.
"In fact, I believe I sense that young boy coming now." Placing the hat back down and getting a firmer grip on the unconscious magician, she looked at the hat quietly again.
"What are you going to do, Kaze'Aze?" It demanded.
"To you? Nothing. A chase is no good if they have no hints about what they're going to chase after, in the end. And games are no fun if there's no one doing the chasing... As much as I would like to see my beloved former host, I believe now isn't the time." She placed her hand gingerly on the fabric of the cap, and soon it's large eyes closed against it's will. With her work done the woman gave yet another secret smile, fading until she was yet again a violet mist and filtering out the window a mere minute before a white haired boy entered the room.
"Well, this is great. Just great." Arme groaned, "I fell unconscious and someone kidnapped me. Lass' just gonna be thrilled to hear about this one." She walked back over to the wall and sat down, leaning up against it. Pressing her head against the cool stone, she sighed.
"I'm so stupid. Why exactly didn't I listen to the thousand year old hat when it told me to run?" She questioned herself, looking up at the ceiling.
"That's a very good question." A voice agreed. Arme turned quickly to the bars, staring in confusion at the violet skinned woman who stared at her from the other side of the cage as though she had won a prize. And that prize, her mind stated dryly, is me.
"You're the one who kidnapped me." The violet magician stated. A nod was given.
"Quite the quick learner, aren't you?" There was a silence, "But you don't know who I am, do you?" Arme glared, biting her lip.
"I... I have a pretty good guess." She replied, trying to not look away. The woman's eyes sparkled with amusement, and she leaned against the bars.
"Oh, do you? May I hear it?" She questioned, sounding to Arme like an adult mockingly talking to a child. The violet magician took a deep breath, looking over the woman once more before responding.
"Kaze'Aze." The woman tilted her head.
"Hm? I didn't hear you."
"You're Kaze'Aze!" Arme stated again, this time standing up to get closer, "And I don't know what you want me for, but I'm not doing anything for you!" The queen blinked, then began laughing.
"You're rather certain of yourself, aren't you?" She purred, "But what if I told you I'm not Kaze'Aze? What if I told you you're wrong?" Arme took another step towards the bars, shaking ever so slightly.
"I'd call you a liar." She said firmly. The dark woman began laughing again.
"Oh my, you certainly are different. Perhaps you're right. Perhaps I am Kaze'Aze. But have you ever considered that I'm not evil? Perhaps..." She slid an arm through the bars, and with a single motion Arme's body seemed to be force to close the distance, "I didn't kidnap you? Maybe... Just maybe... I saved you." A long green fingernail stroked Arme's cheek and she shuddered, though her body refused the want to pull away. Something in the tone of the dark magician's voice set off a warning in her mind, and she came quickly to the realization that magic had been laced into the statements. Saved me...? From what?
"You didn't save me. You didn't save me from anything." She voiced her thoughts out loud, more for the privledge of herself than the listening witch, "How did you even find me?"
"I believe you remember a certain witch by the name of Elena? Well, her dying action happened to be communicating to me your whereabouts. A loss, though an overlookable one. But why do you hunt me? Why do you follow along with those who would use you, meaninglessly allowing you to put your life at risk at every opportunity?" Arme's eyes widened, and a flare of anger shot up. With the strength of this anger she stepped away, retreating to the back of the room yet again.
"My life wouldn't be in danger if it weren't for you!" Arme cried, "So just go away! You think this'll work? You think you can just kidnap me? Soon the others will be here! Soon Lass will... Lass will..." Her voice faded, eyes widening with an emotion near terror. Lass, Lass, Lass. Is that all I can do when I'm in danger? Sit back and wait for Lass to come and protect me all the time? I can't just fall back on him all the time! She looked up tearily into the entertained face of the dark queen.
"Ah, so we've made it to the topic of Lass, have we? How has my former host been?" She questioned. There was a thin mask of sincerity placed over this question, though most children would have been able to hear the deceptive tone.
"Former... Former host? Keep your lies to yourself!" Arme growled, "And leave him out of this." The smile on Kaze'Aze's face widened.
"Oh, this is just perfect. He didn't tell you?" The amethyst eyed alchemist turned away, though her eyes were pulled back moments later, "It seems as though I hit a nerve." Arme closed her eyes.
"I don't believe you. Even if that is true, it's Lass' past to tell me. He will when he wants to." The tall woman gasped in mock-hurt.
"Oh dear, you don't believe me? We can't have that now, can we?" This time she pulled Arme close with a gesture of her hand stronger than the previous one; the magician was unable to pull away, "I have just the thing to quell your doubt." Arme tried furiously to pull back as a purple hand reached for her; she failed. As soon as it rested on her forehead Arme's mind went black.
Arme's eyes opened to reveal a prison similar to her own, though it's inhabitants were roughly seven small boys of about ten years old instead of herself. One had white hair, and she almost immediately recognized him as Lass. None of the children seemed able to see her, and she ran over to the smaller version of the thief. His eyes shone with a determination and fire that seemed unusual compared to his usual cool anger, and Arme almost felt a smile tug at her lips.
"Good evening, children." This smile fell quickly, and she turned to face the direction all the children were looking. The magician wasn't surprised to see Kaze'Aze at the other side of the bars, looking in focusedly at Lass, who glared right back with the blissful innocence of a child who had no idea of his true situation.
"Let us out!" He demanded, standing up. The dark magician smiled.
"Such energy... Yes, that was why I let you live, after all. Won't you be a host willingly?" The child-Lass shook his head furiously.
"I won't do anything for you! Let us all out!" He insisted again, shirking back when her hand reached through the bars. Arme could see him going through the same thing she had when Kaze'Aze's finger curled in a summoning gesture, and his resistance only got him so far before his feet began dragging against the ground and bringing him to stand in front of the magician.
"Let's see if you really won't do anything for me, shall we?" She questioned rhetorically, pressing a hand to his forehead. A reaction was instantaneous,and Arme gasped as the boy let out a scream, grasping the sides of his head. The other children looked on fearfully as he fell to the ground, his head pressing against the bars. Arme reached forth, wincing as her hand made no contact with the miniature thief's skin.
"STOP IT!" He screamed out, hands gripping his head so tightly she could see a trickle of blood coming from the spot his nails dug in. Arme's heart felt as though it was bleeding, yet as desperately as her mind was trying to tell her to look away, she couldn't bring her eyes from the scene. His struggle continued for a full minute, in the end leaving him panting exhaustedly.
"I won't..." He murmured, glaring back up at her. The witch only looked down in contemplation, a hand stroking her cheek thoughtfully.
"You, a mere ten-year old child, resisting mind posession? Quite admirable. You want freedom for yourself and your little friends? Let's play a game, then." Lass' eyes widened in shock, but he quickly regained his composure.
"What kind of game?" He asked testily, looking around at the other children, "And if I win, you'll let all of us go?" The woman's smile stretched into a grin.
"Why of course!" She said, "Now, what type of game? How about we play a little game of endurance? You're quite a rebellious child, but I can't help but wonder..." She kneeled down, bringing herself closer to eye-level with the silver haired boy, "How well you can resist mind possession when you're asleep?" Lass blinked, confusion written on his face.
"What do you want? Just tell me the game!"
"Such a temper! Perhaps our game shall resolve it?" She waved her staff lightly, and a pile of various swords and blades clattered to the ground.
"What do you expect me to do with those?" Lass asked, eyebrows furrowed. The dark queen looked around the room slowly.
"Eight children? This shall work out nicely. Do you know what these walls are made of, my dear child?" She asked. Lass looked at her incredulously, then around the cell.
"Stone?" He replied somewhat inquisitively. Kaze'Aze nodded.
"Quite right! Possibly some of the thickest stone in the world! Now, see that back wall there? Do you know where it leads to?" Lass looked back again, at the blank wall.
"... Outside?" The magician nodded again.
"Correct again! The eight of you, your challenge is to dig through that wall. Once you break it, you're out. No strings attached." The small boy squinted at her through sapphire eyes, seeming thoroughly confused.
"So you're saying..." He paused and took a breath, "That if we break through that wall we're free? No catches?" The magician nodded.
"None whatsoever. I'm even giving you some tools to do it with!" At this she waved her wand and the weapons slid through the bars of the cell, "Of course, there is one small catch while you're breaking down the wall. Everytime this child," She gestured at Lass, "Falls asleep, you'll lose a little pair of working hands." Lass glared, his head cocked to the side.
"What... Do you mean?" The woman's grin stretched even further, reaching an almost maniacal point.
"I mean, my dear child, that every time you fall asleep, one of your friends will die." Lass' eyes widened, but before he could say anything the woman turned and began walking away.
"If everyone is dead before the wall is broken down, I win. And my prize, quite simply, is you." When the dark queen was gone for several minutes Lass sighed and stood up, rubbing his head as he looked around at the other children.
"Come on, then. Let's get going, I don't think any of us want to lose this game." They nodded in response, some even smiling.
"This'll be fun! We're like a team, battling the big bad witch!" A brown haired boy exlaimed, picking up a pickaxe. Lass chuckled and nodded, picking up a pair of daggers. Another boy looked at him with concern.
"Shouldn't you sit down or lie down or something? If you work you're gonna get sleepy faster, right?" He asked. Lass shrugged.
"If I lie down I'll get tired. Working'll keep me awake." A black haired boy nodded.
"Let's get this done fast! I wanna go home!" Another child began crying at this, and Lass went to sit next to him.
"Are you all right? Come on, let's get working." The boy sniffled, standing up and lifting up a sword from the pile.
"But... I don't have a home any more!" He exclaimed. Lass sighed, patting his head.
"Neither do I, but we need to get out of here. When we do I'm gonna go to the first store I see and buy a huge cherry pie, and you can all have some!" Arme laughed gently, even though she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. Within the next five minutes Lass had all the children rallied and excited to get out, the weapons evenly distributed. They all felt like it was an actual game at that point, and their weapons were swung enthusiastically at the stone wall.
Arme had over the next two days realized what she could and couldn't make contact with, the bunk in the corner being one of the few things she could. She was sitting on it at that point, watching Lass silently.
"L... Lass?" One of the children questioned, watching the silver haired boy as he sat down on the provided cot quite near Arme herself, rubbing his red and irritated eyes. He smiled back gently, stretching.
"No worries, I'm fine. We've made pretty good... Pretty good progress today, we'll be out in no time." Arme had no idea how he could keep this attitude in the circumstances. Most of the children had lost their energy a few hours after beginning, and all aside from him had been taking shifts sleeping since then. Food had arrived, and most of it had gone to the small thief despite protests.
"You... You look sleepy." A boy remarked worriedly, getting Lass' attention.
"Oh, do I? Nah..." He let out a short yawn, "I could just use some water is all." Another boy, the youngest of the group, ran up with a glass. Gratefully accepting it, the white haired boy drank the liquid hastily.
"Thanks... Now, back to work." Arme bit her lip, looking at him sadly. 'Lass can't take much more of this...'
"Lass? I think that's a bad idea..." The boy with the pickaxe voiced Arme's thoughts, "You don't look so good." Sapphire eyes glared lazily.
"If I lie down right now, I really will fall asleep!" He exclaimed, standing up and twirling his blades around. Another child stood between him and the fair-sized chip in the wall, shaking his head.
"N... Nuh-uh, Lass... You can hardly stand up... You're gonna collapse if you try to do this." He said cautiously, trying to push Lass back to the bunk. The silver haired boy frowned, pushing past him.
"I said I'm not going to just lie down and watch you guys work. Now would you both stop worrying?" He muttered, starting to chip at the stone along with the others in the group. After a minute he paused, resting against the stone. All the children had turned to look at him by then, watching as he shook his head and continued working.
"I think this is a bad idea... I think this is a really, really bad idea." The child from before repeated. The sapphire eyed boy turned around.
"Someone talk to me, then. I can't fall asleep if I'm talking, can I?" The boy with the glass of water quickly scurried over and began babbling in the thief's ears, speaking so quickly Arme couldn't understand what he was saying. Judging by the expression on Lass' face, she was pretty sure he couldn't either. With a sigh she leaned against the wall, watching the boys. 'Why am I here? I know this won't end well, and I can't do anything about it. I don't even know if this is real. What if she's just making this all up so I... I'm sure she has some reason. Like-' Before Arme could finish her thought she was cut off by an urgent volume increase from the babbling child.
"Lass? Lass!" He was fearfully whimpering, staring at the figure of the white haired boy's body. It appeared to have finally given out, and he was slumped against the wall. He had fallen down to the ground, where he wasn't moving.
"! Someone get him up, fast!" A child exclaimed, terror written on his face. Still, none of the children dared step closer to his body aside from the small child who had been next to him, and they all backed up against the wall while the sapphire eyed boy was shook futily.
"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" To their surprise, it only took a minute for the boy to stir again.
"Lass, we thought you..." This sentence was cut off with one look in Lass' eyes. Or rather, a lack of. The whites of his eyes had completely taken over, and a blank look covered his face. The other children pressed themselves closer to the walls, most holding their weapons out in front of themselves and shaking. Arme found herself shivering along with them, aware that she had no power in the situation. The only exception to this was the child who clung to the front of Lass' shirt, even as he stood up.
"Lass, you wouldn't do this! You wouldn't!" The thief glanced at him for only a moment before pushing him to the ground, looking around the room. Walking around in a large circle, he continued stepping closer to the edges of the room, swinging his blades back and forth. He repeated this pattern for about a minute before swinging his arm out, and one of his blades flew across the room. The room filled with a scream, and Arme's eyes widened with terror as she located a child with a blade protruding from his shoulder. The matching one was still held in Lass' hand as he approached, no expression displayed on his face.
"No... Don't..." Arme whispered, unable to turn away. She watched as the bleeding child attempted to stagger away, failing when Lass increased his pace and lunged at his body. More screams filled the air, and Arme watched the scene in a horrified silence. Minutes passed before the body finally stopped twitching, silence filling the air with a heavy fear. Lass' body fell to the ground next to the bloodied child's; no one made a move toward it.
The room slowly started to fill with sobs, and all the children moved to huddle near one another. Arme felt sick; she pressed a hand to her stomach and tried to stop herself from puking at the sight of the body. This continued for two hours before the white haired boy shuddered, a hand moving to push himself up off the ground.
"I... What happened?" He muttered, leaning back to sit on his heels, "I remember... Being tired. I..." He went utterly silent as he looked up, eyes briefing over the room and finally landing on the child, a blade still protruding out of his chest and arms and legs covered in numerous deep scars.
"I..." He turned slowly to face the other children, who were looking at him in fear. Taking a deep breath, he looked around again as though he was lost, "This isn't what was supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to happen at all." Lass' voice had gone nearly silent, and Arme could hear his desperate attempt to cover up his tears. This was the point that the small boy from before stepped forward and kneeled down in front of the silver haired boy, reaching out a hand.
"It w-wasn't your fault." He whispered shakily, "It wasn't you!" Lass looked back up hopelessly, and the youngest of the group wrapped his arms around the bloodstained boy. For a moment Lass sat silently, eyes widened with shock. He then leaned back and hesitantly wrapped his arms around the other child, eyes watering.
"We'll still get out of here. We can still do it." He said, "This can't happen again."
But time took it's toll on Lass, as it would on any ten year old. Fear of the white haired boy had began to fill the group; fear for the next time he would be unable to keep his sapphire eyes open. It happened again one day later; again sixteen hours after that. Finally, after five days more had passed, only two children remained.
"Not again..." Lass whispered, staring down at the body of the boy who had taken a pickaxe.
"We're so close..." His eyes, making their way to the wall, landed on the youngest child of the group; the only one left other than himself. The only child who hadn't run from him every time he had fallen. The child who was at that point looking at him with a blank smile.
"We're just about out." Lass said quietly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The smaller boy shook his head sadly, looking at Lass with pity in his eyes.
"We're not." Was the response. Lass blinked.
"What do you-"
"We're not almost out, Lass." He repeated, "We're only two people. Two kids. The smell is driving me mad... And the fear. I'm afraid, Lass." The boy's smile didn't falter, even as tears began falling down his cheeks.
"But I won't fall asleep again!" The silver haired boy insisted desperately, "I promise!" The boy shook his head again, dirty brown hair swaying from side to side with him.
"Don't promise that, Lass. You can't. I don't... I don't hold it against you... If it was anyone else we would all have died days ago." Arme, listening, could hardly believe how calm the boy was. He had been in near hysterics two days previous, and Arme could only assume he was speaking the truth; the circumstance had driven him to the point where he didn't care.
"I'm sorry... I really am. But no matter how I look at it, I'm the next. I'm the only one left. I don't want to die, Lass. I'm afraid. But..." Holding one of the knives from one of the other boys, he pulled it close to him, "I'm more afraid of the pain. We lost the game, but I... I'll win, just a little." He pulled the knife closer, and Lass' eyes widened even more.
"Wh.. What are you doing? Stop it!" He demanded, "Stop!" There was one, final shake of the boy's head.
"I'm sorry, Lass. I know you tried your best. Thanks... Thanks for being my friend." The young thief, drained of all energy, could only stare as his final comrade fell. He sat silently for a minute, eyes to the ground. Then, in a bout of anger he stood up, lashing out at the wall. Arme watched silently, jolting slightly when she felt a cold enter the hall. Lass fell against the wall, looking back lifelessly as a familiar figure slide into the room.
"Looks like I won the game, now doesn't it, my dear child?" She purred, looking over the room.
"Though a bit prematurely..." This remark was made when her eyes fell upon the newest body, "But ah well." The bars melted away as her hand rested on them, and she stepped into the cell. Lass didn't resist, even when she got closer to him.
"You weren't planning on letting us out at all." He whispered drowsily, allowing her to press her hand against his forehead. The woman seemed delighted by this comment, and her smile stretched.
"Why would you ever even think that, my dear child?" She asked, receiving no response. Arme focused on something to draw her mind away from the hatred that was building for the witch, realizing she couldn't do anything at that point. Finally something caught her attention, and she squinted as she attempted to focus on the area the boys had been working to break through.
Barely, just barely, a small hole had crumbled through to the other side. Through that hole the slightest view of another cell could be spotted.
Arme jolted awake, and found she was back in her own cell. Her cheeks were soaked with salty tears, and she wiped them away futily as she looked around. The witch was looking at her with a smile, as though she had been waiting there the entire time (which had probably actually been a considerably shorter time than the memory).
"You... You're a monster." She whispered, "You're the reason he's afraid." The dark queen laughed.
"Ah, yes. He still won't sleep near others, will he? He may say he's 'lost' his memory, but only what his mind can close out. I believe I did a pretty thorough job destroying his will, did I not? I was quite proud of him." Arme gritted her teeth.
"You're proud of what you did to him?" She seethed, stepping up to the front bars, "When I get out of here you had better damn well run. Because I will destroy you for what you did." Kaze'Aze chuckled.
"Temper, temper. How am I supposed to converse with you when you can't be civil?"
"I have no reason to be civil in front of you, you monster!" The woman appeared amused.
"Resorting to name calling, are we?" A hand reached through the bars, and a strand of Arme's violet hair was firmly grasped, "Mind your tongue." Arme opened her mouth to rebuke but felt herself unable to, a magic of some sort keeping her silent. She glared furiously as the witch paused, her green eyes hazing over for a moment before they cleared again.
"Ah, I have the perfect thing for this! They shan't get my precious mage, of course, but perhaps that's what you need right now. A... Time out of sorts." Couldn't do anything as a hand was waved in front of her face, and her eyes felt immediately heavy. A time out? What does she mean? It wasn't long before she found out. In between blinks the room twisted and changed until white became the dominant colour, an ever so familiar beeping entering her ears along with much urgent chatter and yelling. The hospital. Arme nearly choked. The... The hospital? She's had something to do with this this whole time!She wasn't given much time to think it over; a boy in nurse's wear came running up to her bedside from the noisy hallway outside, and it took a minute for Arme to recognize him as the nurse she had talked to the last time she was awake. He seemed to be in a panic, and he was clenching several sheets of paper in his hand.
"A-Arme!" He gasped, "We found it!" Arme tilted her head, still trying to wrap her head around the whole situation.
"Found what?" She asked, "What's going on?" The boy took several deep breaths, grinning from ear to ear.
"I'm... Sorry, I've been running around all afternoon. You remember asking me about the other patients? Well I finally did it! I got in contact with that other girl's parents! The man on the other side... He asked..." the boy paused again, though Arme wasn't certain whether it was supposed to be for dramatic effect or if he was just catching his breath, "He asked why I was talking to him, and why I wasn't calling another girl's parents. I hadn't heard her name before, but I did some research and we found it."
"What did you find!" Arme asked exhasperatedly, sitting up.
"We found a survivor, Arme! Someone who lived! Somehow... I don't know how, and the doctors are absolutely furious that a treatment existed and was covered up. Apparently this girl's family had influence or major something or I don't know what, but that's not the important part! We got in contact with her doctors and they agreed to come over here and preform the treatment! Of course they legally couldn't refuse to give you a life-saving operation but- But... Arme? Are you all right?" Arme's face had gone pale, and she stared at him blankly. A treatment existed. All this time, one existed? But... What will happen to me if I take it?
"This is great." She said weakly, "Who was the patient?" The raven haired boy took another couple of breaths.
"Sorry to throw this all on you the minute... The minute you wake up. I got permission from all the parents of the other victims, here are the files. The survivor is the last file." Arme took the pile hesitantly, closing her eyes and opening the first portfolio. When she opened her amethyst eyes she nearly gasped, and she tilted the picture of the first victim to the left and right. No matter what she did it still looked the exact same, and the text at the bottom of the picture still read 'Elesis Sieghart'.
A/N: Now let's be honest, who saw that one coming? xD This is also a chapter I was pretty happy to write~ It doesn't seem laid out quite right, but I'm putting off a history essay to finish this so I'll not drag it out any longer~
Hope you enjoyed!
-Utsuro