Chapter 3

Chrysos' POV

Chrysos stormed down the passage, completely enraged by Titanium's audacity to simply leave the masquerade without informing him. He had made a complete idiot of himself when he had called out for her only to find she was absent along with the mysterious male he had witnessed her dancing with earlier. A completely sickening experience; the chemistry between them had been like none he had ever seen before.

"I shall teach her for the embarrassment she caused me!" Chrysos shouted into the empty passage as he turned another corner. All the games and facades were over with, Titanium had shattered her own happiness by becoming involved with someone other than himself. He approached her bedroom with determination but paused; perhaps a more silent entrance would be to his benefit, especially if the two were up to something. Somewhere before Chrysos had seen the man but the memory alluded him and he could not actually have cared any less; all that mattered was securing Titanium. Quietly he opened the door and peered into the room; Titanium was perched on her bed cuddling her knees as she stared out the window.

"Why'd you leave so soon, princess?" Chrysos did not bother to hide the anger burning in his chest. Titanium's head snapped toward him and her eyes stretched. He locked the door behind him and shoved the key into his pocket; he would not allow her to come close enough to snatch it.

"Chrysos," he sensed something different about her, "I wasn't feeling well. I'm sorry I didn't inform you."

"It was the least you could have done, princess," Chrysos spat as he took a step closer to her, watching as she slipped off the bed. Her posture seemed steady and her stride strong and determined, something that he'd made sure he had ripped from her. In reality, Titanium was too strong willed for him to manipulate into his plans and therefore he'd had her memory stripped from her, replaced with a softer, more gullible personality.

"I've already said I'm sorry," Titanium narrowed her eyes as they hardened over.

'I might as well let the cat out of the bag,' Chrysos thought with a smirk as he yanked the key from his pocket. Her sharp eyes caught the sudden movement and she started to watch him carefully, suspicion now evident on her face.

"Well, well," Chrysos laughed as he swung the door open, "it seems the first bit of my plan went horribly wrong."

"What do you mean?" her eyes found their way back to his and Chrysos cursed the fact that his charm no longer seemed to affect her; it would have been an effective way to disarm her long enough for him to reach safety, to draw his trump card.

"It will do no harm revealing my plan to you. You can't do much to stop it anyway!" he snickered at her confusion, "That crown I gave you on earth was a carbon copy I had made but this one had a single difference; the person who first wore it would have their memory and personality ripped from their mind and replaced with a sugary sweet one. That, along with the powerfully painful emotions you were feeling, convinced you to say yes to the most appealing alternative; returning with me. All the jewellery and clothing in this room was made with the same technique so you would stay blissfully oblivious to the harsh reality you were actually caught in." Titanium's face went blank for a moment as she absorbed the information he had just bestowed upon her.

"None of this is real? I am no princess?" her voice was a weak whisper proving that remnants of the memory alteration were still intact, probably powered by the jewellery and gown she had on.

"Oh, you are the princess of Ischyros, there's no doubt about that but the rest of the perfect world you live in here is a lie! What Exousia told you was the truth! I care nothing for you! I care only for your kingdom and once I control it then you will be of no use to me," Chrysos felt his excitement building as he came to the climax of his plan. After she seemed to have processed this new information, he added darkly, "just like all my other wives, the princesses of every other kingdom on this planet."

"You low, conniving asshole!" Titanium roared out as she launched herself at him. Chrysos shut the door in her face and locked it from the outside, activating the industrial magnets he'd had installed when the room had been redone. He heard a sharp outcry from the other side as Titanium shot away from the door, obviously injured.

"I had some magnets installed by the door and windows just so I can keep you immobile until the wedding is over. Only your lifeless corpse will leave this room," Chrysos cackled as he taunted her through the door. She was completely powerless.

"None of this would have happened if you had just played along," he suddenly became serious again as anger enveloped him and he growled, "but no, somehow you broke away and now it's far too late for everything to return to what it was. I never thought I would need to keep you locked in, in fact; I'd hoped to maybe keep you as my final bride but you had to destroy it and this is your punishment! Enjoy it!" Chrysos screamed before turning and storming off, heading directly for his secret room.

Titanium's POV

Titanium lay motionless on the floor and allowed the breath to slowly return to her shocked, burnt body. Already pus-filled boils were starting to form on her skin and she let out a short gasp of pain as she attempted to hoist herself up. Titanium cursed her foolishness; Blackheart had always told her to trust in what she knew she could believe but she had been naive enough to trust Chrysos.

'Blackheart,' she thought sadly, looking at her gloved hands, 'why did I let you leave?' he would have been able to rescue her from her dilemma but he was probably already back on earth; ready to forget about her. How could Titanium stop Chrysos if she was locked in a room with magnetism preventing her escape? She couldn't-

"Oh what a poor sop-story," Exousia materialised from the shadows, her cold eyes revealing her sympathy to be fake.

"What do you want?" Titanium murmured, she had no strength to argue with the red-head, "Go ahead, say 'I told you so.'."

"Oh, I did tell you so, didn't I?" she laughed shortly, "But that's not the reason I'm here." This caught Titanium's attention and she quickly looked up; this woman would not set her free so what else could she possible want?

"I have a little deal for you," Exousia continued as she circled Titanium like prey.

"I want to make no deals with you," Titanium spat in reply as she quickly forced herself to get up, ignoring the shooting pain which was ricocheting through her body.

"Oh, you'll definitely be interested in this one," a smirk played on her lips and a wave of suspicion flew through Titanium. As she remained quiet, Exousia took it as her cue to continue explaining, "I want you to break out of this forsaken room and head toward the residence block deeper within the palace. There you will find a large painting of an old man and next to it, an even older woman. Pull the painting of the older woman aside and you will find a secret passage which will lead you to Chrysos' hidden room. When you get there and you see I am also present in the room, I want you to assassinate him. You are only to do so in that room and if I am present so I may witness the murder myself; I wouldn't want you screwing me over." Titanium watched her for a moment, surprised by what she wanted done. Chrysos had a traitor amongst his highest rank and he did not even seem to suspect it. Obviously the red-head had him wrapped her little finger.

"Why do you want him dead?" Titanium murmured, using a similar question to the one Blackheart had asked her when she had attempted to assassinate Joanne.

"You'll agree with me when I say he's a bit of a jerk, right?" Exousia turned to face her properly, her eyes now laced with faded versions of deep pain and sorrow from long ago. Titanium merely nodded and she continued, "Well, a while ago we professed our undying love for the other, mine being utterly genuine. It looked to me as though he returned the feeling but when I saw how Chrysos eliminated the princesses who had been the only barriers between him and complete victory I began to doubt. He ensnared them all with the same tactics, courting them and loving them only to turn back to me and tell me it was all just part of the plan, that none of them meant anything to him. I began to believe Chrysos until he heard of you. He took extra steps to capture you, designing all sorts of fancy dresses and jewellery when he had never even given me a single flower. All Chrysos spoke about was going to earth to find you and once he did, I hoped it would be just like all the other princesses. Then he started to talk about keeping you around after the wedding and I finally lost my cool; he had hurt me more than enough and it was time I took control. I would be ruler of Metallo, all I needed was the right plan."

"And now you've found it," Titanium replied almost immediately, feeling the slightest bit of sympathy for Exousia. She, after all, knew the pain of seeing someone she cared deeply for involve himself with someone else. It was the one reason Titanium had decided to return to her supposed home planet.

"Yes," Exousia's eyes suddenly hardened once more, destroying all evidence of the emotional state she had been in mere seconds ago.

"What makes you think I'd help you out?" Titanium asked simply, "Why would I harm myself simply to gain revenge for you?" There had been only one person she would have been willing to do that for and it definitely was not the woman before her.

"I'm glad you asked such an important question," Exousia's grinned sadistically as evil danced in her eyes, making them sparkle, "I know you will because I have something important to you."

"I have nothing of importance here," Titanium snapped impatiently.

"Oh really? I believe his name is Blackheart," Exousia replied quickly, successfully catching Titanium's attention, "A few years back we discovered how to trap spirits and I must say it works fabulously; one of earth's most powerful is now my prisoner. If you ever want to see him alive again, you will do as I told you to. If not, well, then we'll see just how much damage I'm capable of doing with him at my absolute mercy." Exousia giggled hysterically as she disappeared into a bright light. Titanium stared at the spot she had been, the room around her feeling cold and unwelcoming. Blackheart had been kidnapped and unless she found a way out of her prison cell...she expected only the worst.

"There must be some way," Titanium quickly scanned the room. Besides the window and door, she could think of no other possible exit, her heart faltering at the idea of her failing to rescue him. All Titanium's hope fizzled into non-existence and she wondered how long Exousia would wait before she turned her wrath on Blackheart.

"I suspect not very long," a sinking feeling appeared in her gut and she put her head in her hands, frustration making hot tears burn her eyes. Why was she so weak? If she had only been a little stronger she would have easily been able to break free and carry out Exousia's ransom. Titanium cursed her fear as sob after sob burst from her lips unleashing a flood of tears in their wake. Devastated by the possibility of losing him, she found she needed a way to effectively vent off the excess emotion. Titanium launched her attack on the first hateful thing she could think of; the clothing which had made her forget until it was hopelessly too late. She tore through the racks, overturning them and hurling the abominable dresses in numerous directions before using the shoes to break holes in the wooden shelves. Everything in that closet was part of the conspiracy against her and Titanium would not rest until she had destroyed every little bit of it. Unfortunately, the displacement of the racks, dresses and shoes had physically drained her and with no strength left, her body aching all over from exhaustion and the blisters, Titanium collapsed to the floor in front of the only rack left standing. It seemed to mock her apparent weakness and she struck out at it with a final blow only to have her hand catch on to a familiar piece of fabric. Slowly raising her bloodshot and tearing eyes, she took in the black dress hanging before her, radiating danger and power into her.

"What is this display of weakness?" Titanium hissed at herself as she ripped the necklace and bracelet from her body. They were hindering her thoughts and she would need full control to find a solution to her current dilemma. She started to rise, never taking her eyes off the only source of strength she had left, the only reminder which portrayed the power and ability she had formerly possessed. Titanium started to peel the now dull and disgusting dress from her body, ripping the strappy heels from her feet and the gloves from her hands. She disposed of the items into a bundle along with other deserted clothing items, a symbol of the fake world she had been ensnared in. With her mind finally restored to what it once was, Titanium slipped into the black dress and pulled the boots onto her feet, ignoring the pain from her burnt skin. She had experienced far worse injuries.

"This is who I am," Titanium said firmly to herself as she took in her reflection in the full-length mirror, "not Princess Titanio; weak and gullible. I am Titanium; free-spirited, strong and determined!" she then summoned her trusty diamond sword, getting used to the feel and smashed the mirror with all her might, stepping over the pieces as she exited the walk-in cupboard. Titanium slammed the doors behind her as she assessed her situation; the only obstacle in her way was a possible exit. She set her eyes on the door as she considered it as a possible option. With the right amount of force she would be able to break it down, successfully obtaining her freedom but she did not know how much damage the magnets would inflict on her already weakened skin.

"What are you willing to sacrifice for him?" Titanium asked herself as her eyes took in the reddened skin of her arms. The answer was clear; she would give-up anything and everything to see him leave the planet alive. Titanium covered her hands and arms with a thick layer of diamond while stepping back toward the windows, her mind made up. She braced herself, taking only a moment to take deep breaths while she mentally prepared herself. With her heart pumping determination and strength powered by her total love for and devotion toward Blackheart, Titanium hurtled towards the doors, arms outstretched, with as much speed as she could muster awaiting impact and pain at any moment.

Blackheart's POV

Slowly Blackheart started to regain consciousness, immediately realizing that he was in an unfamiliar room. How had he gotten there? Something pricked at his memory, something that included Titanium in some abstract way.

"Titanium?" Blackheart asked in a hoarse voice, feeling confused.

"She's fine," a female voice replied snidely, "I think you should be more worried about yourself." The voice rang a bell in his head and suddenly the memories of the past day flooded back into his mind, overwhelming him. The masquerade, dancing with Titanium, the conversation they'd had and the kiss...it had been directly afterward that this female had somehow managed to take Blackheart by surprise and kidnap him.

"Who are you? And what do you want with me?" Blackheart replied, slipping back into devil's son mode; he would not have anyone walk over him. The female exposed herself, her eyes shining maliciously as she walked around him.

"You are my ransom," she purred in reply.

"Ransom? For what?" Blackheart could not wrap his head around the fact that she had actually been able to capture him. What other kind of technology did this planet possess? It suddenly occurred to him that it could possibly have been Titanium's 'rescuer' that had ordered his kidnapping. Had he witnessed any of the moments they had shared?

"I want Titanium to do something for me," the woman came to a stop in front of Blackheart, a cat-like smile on her face, "and the only way she'll do it is if I have something special of hers."

"What makes you think I'm special to her?" Blackheart snapped in return, disliking the idea of Titanium being manipulated.

"Oh, don't even try to deny it," the woman laughed shortly, "I saw those tender moments you shared. I must say, you did come at the right time. My plan will now pan out perfectly if she plays along. If not, well, I feel sorry for you."

"Do what you will to me," Blackheart said in a low, dangerous voice, "you leave her out of any of this."

"It's too late for such negotiations," the woman crossed her arms, "you aren't in the position to be making demands anyway." He felt like throttling her but when he reached out the force field became visible as it flickered once before fading once more. She looked amused at his futile attempts and was about to mock him when they both heard someone else approaching. The woman immediately turned her attention to the unknown person, a frown prominent on her face. Blackheart too looked in the general direction, hoping that it was not Titanium coming to agree to whatever this woman was planning.

"Ah," she spoke even before the person appeared, "Chrysos, you're just in time." she had just finished speaking when Titanium's 'rescuer' stepped from the shadows into the light. He took barely a moment as his eyes flew from Blackheart to his kidnapper, a look of suspicion crossing his face.

"What's going on, Exousia?" Chrysos questioned sharply.

"I decided to kidnap the mysterious masked individual that had such an effect on your fiancé," Exousia blatantly lied to his face, Blackheart frowning. Whatever she was planning, she did not want Chrysos to know anything about it.

"You," his attention turned to Blackheart, "you were the person she said goodbye to on earth. What are you doing on my planet?" he remained silent, keeping an impassive look on his face; he was not obliged to answer to any of these people.

"How did you capture him? He's merely a spirit!" Chrysos spat at Exousia, a look of rage now clouding his eyes, "And why was I not informed or included in this plan of yours?"

"It was quite spontaneous," Exousia replied silkily as she approached him with caution, "I followed them from the masquerade and decided to apprehend him. It was only in your interest that I did this."

"How?" Chrysos seemed unaffected by her answer remaining stiff and icy toward her.

"Remember that technology the labs were busy with? The one that kept failing? Well they were able to create a prototype that appeared to work. I decided to try it out and look, it functions perfectly," now she was merely trying to impress him, probably hoping to distract him long enough until his anger cooled down. Chrysos turned his attention to the platform on which Blackheart was standing only showing a mild interest; apparently he was not as easy to distract as Exousia hoped.

"You had no right to do this without my permission, Exousia!" he struck out at her but she expertly sprung out the way, landing a few metres away. Exousia's body stiffened as she paused for barely a moment before she sprung back into action, a seductive smile plastered on her lips. Blackheart watched her carefully, suspecting already what her possible plan could be.

"Soon I won't need your permission," Exousia grinned, circling him slowly with hungry eyes.

"What?" Chrysos demanded in return, suspicion clouding his eyes. She shifted her gaze just passed his right shoulder and smirked.

"Your reign has come to an end, Chrysos. It's time to let a younger generation rule," Exousia nodded her head once she had finished speaking as she started to move toward Blackheart, confusion clouding Chrysos' face. He had no time to further question her as Titanium suddenly sprung from the shadows, diamond swords clutched tightly in her fists. He was barely able to jerk out of the way of the two sharpened blades, eyes stretched in utter shock as she immediately swung around and struck again. She carried the same fluidity, speed and accuracy as she had on earth making Blackheart smirk in triumph; he had managed to successfully free her.

"Princess! You are skating on thin ice!" Chrysos hissed as he reached out for her, using his hands to block her attack. Titanium sliced the blade of one sword across his palm, blood gushing from the deep wound and Chrysos was forced to jerk away from her. As he cradled his hand to his chest he glared at her with dangerous eyes.

"You disgusting, worthless being," Chrysos spat venomously, " you do not deserve your title, Princess Titanio. Stop this now!" Titanium's entire body seemed to stiffen as he used the name she deemed fake; it was a poisonous reminder of the fool she had been played for.

"My name is Titanium," she snapped in return, "and I am not an inferior being for you to command."Chrysos' lip curled up in absolute contempt as he dropped both his arms to his side. Blackheart wondered what he planned to do next and could not help but worry about Titanium; this man definitely seemed dangerous. It was as she went in for another attack that Chrysos swung around and kicked her, connecting with her upper abdomen. Titanium collided harshly with the table but sprung up immediately, apparently unaffected by his comeback.

"Come on!" Exousia yelled from beside Blackheart, "You know what's at stake here!"

"You had this ordered?" Chrysos' head snapped in her direction, fury burning in his eyes.

"Of course I did," she replied silkily, "who better to take you down than the enraged fiancé who you brainwashed and kidnapped!" Exousia giggled deviously as her plan finally became evident to him.

"When I've taken her down, you are next, Exousia," he snarled, "and you can expect the worst punishment imaginable!"

"Oh please!" Exousia snickered at his pathetic attempt to scare her, "I doubt you could take someone who has almost the same amount of skill as me down. Now destroy him, Titanium!" Blackheart kept his eyes firmly trained on Titanium, hoping that she would remember all her former strategies and fighting skills. She would probably need everything he had ever taught her and maybe even the abilities she had taught herself.

"How can you fight for the traitor?" Chrysos demanded of Titanium who was merely watching him with calculating eyes.

"I'm not fighting for her," she cocked her head in Exousia's direction, "I'm fighting for someone else."

"Him?" Chrysos looked directly at Blackheart as amusement twinkled in his eyes, "the man you said goodbye to on earth? Don't be such a hypocrite!"

"I did not leave on my own free will," Titanium replied icily, her voice dropping in volume. She was starting to lose her temper, something that would be dangerous for both her and Chrysos', depending on how everything played out. Without leaving him any time to get another snide comment in, Titanium summoned six diamond daggers which she speedily slipped into the spaces between each finger. Contracting her arms and tensing all her muscles, she hurled the daggers at him with as much ferocity as she could muster. Chrysos dropped to the floor as the lethal missiles impaled themselves into various books, sometimes going right through, and charts which surrounded the room. Titanium was quickly in front of him and with both hands stabbed the sword right at him. Chrysos was quick enough, though, to grab onto her legs and pull them out from under her sending the sword flying as she collapsed to the floor. With lightning speed, he straddled her waist and began throttling her, effectively pinning her down.

"Perhaps you need some motivation!" Exousia hissed at Titanium as she sheathed her own weapon and faced Blackheart, "goodbye, spirit." She then lunged the blade through his chest.

Titanium's POV

Titanium could feel her body become icy cold as she heard the sword pierce flesh, her mind screaming out for it to be something else. Anything but what she knew it was... With difficulty she was able to crane her neck to the side but she refused to believe what her eyes were seeing. Exousia slowly slid the clean blade from Blackheart's chest as his body fell unmoving to the floor. With newfound determination and strength, Titanium bucked Chrysos off and jumped to her feet as anger made complete madness consume her body. Both of them would go down for what they did, she would make sure of that even if she had to die trying.

"Yes, that's more like it!" Exousia called from the side, completely delighted. Titanium could not decide which she hated more; the sound of her voice or the sound of the sword piercing Blackheart's chest. Both were equally hateful. A deep growl erupted from her chest as Titanium attacked Chrysos with even more speed and ferocity than she had showed before, making it nearly impossible for him to dodge. He showed no signs of weakness as he continued to fight, barely blocking and dodging each slash of the sword. Frustration and impatience started to build up in Titanium as more time passed without her getting a single hit in.

'What is wrong with me?' she thought as yet another of her attacks missed.

"You need to concentrate if you want to get a hit in. I'm stronger and faster than you but you have strategy and that makes you dangerous to any type of opponent," Blackheart's words rang in her mind; it had been the one time he had given her advice and treated her like an equal at school. She took a moment to breathe in once and collect herself; she need to ignore all distractions and calm down. Only then would Titanium get anywhere in her battle.

"Are you giving up?" Exousia's words broke into her state of calmness but she refused to let them enrage her. Titanium knew she needed peace of mind and as soon as she had it she slowly opened her eyes, seeing a new scene before her. She had one goal: to get to Blackheart. She had two obstructions blocking her path.

"This is far from over," Titanium's voice was calm and deadly. Already she had a strategy worked out in her mind and she was shocked by how blind she'd had to be not to have considered it before. Titanium launched another attack and predictably Chrysos jumped out of the way. After a few more test attacks, she had gathered enough information to put her plan into action. Relying on speed and accuracy; she pretended to lunge herself at him, purposefully missing by a few inches as she quickly spun around and shoved a diamond sword into his back. Chrysos, thinking he had successfully sprung out the way, gasped in shock as he sunk to the floor. Her calculations had been correct to the finest detail; by barely missing him, he sprung out the way a shorter distance than usual allowing her to use a surprise attack from behind.

"Now it's your turn, Exousia," Titanium swung to face the red head but found that she was absent from the room. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned her surroundings but she could not even pick up her aura. Exousia had escaped. That fact barely registered in her mind as her eyes came to Blackheart's motionless body, panic engulfing her chest. Titanium dropped her swords and sprinted toward him, falling to her knees and coming to a skidding stop next to him.

"Blackheart?" her voice was surprisingly tender as she reached out a single shaking hand to cup his face, "Please, say something." Titanium's heart fluttered as her pleading fell on deaf ears, his eyes remaining lifeless.

"No-," Titanium's voice broke as the truth finally began to sink in; she had failed and now there was nothing more she could do. Hot tears fell from her eyes and wet his trench coat while she was left to wonder how one person could make her cry so much in such a short period of time?

"How could I have let you down? You paid for my silliness," she spoke in a mere whisper not trusting herself to speak any louder. Sobs erupted from her chest as Titanium buried her face in Blackheart's unmoving torso, hoping against hope to feel some sort of breathing or hear a heartbeat. Only her own heartbeat echoed in her ears and she wished she could give it to him; the sound was abominable to her, teasing her.

"Dammit, Blackheart! You can't die! YOU CAN'T!" Titanium shrieked as she began to shake him, feeling hurt and delirious. When nothing happened, she sat down next to him and pulled her hair while rocking back and forth, crying until she had no tears left and her throat, eyes and head throbbed. Still, she could not feel comforted or the littlest bit satisfied. Nothing would ever be able to fill the gap in her heart and soul which Blackheart had left behind. Titanium felt hot and cold at the same time as she forced her bloodshot eyes to look at him again, fatigue setting in.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured as she lay next to him and placed her head on his chest for the last time. A feeling of temporary peace and melancholy enveloped Titanium and she closed her eyes, her mind creating the illusion that he was not a lifeless corpse and they were really sharing a tender moment.

"I love you so much, always have and always will. Nothing can change that fact. I know I should probably have told you earlier but I was so afraid of how you'd react but you came after me," she spoke into his chest as she sighed in contentment, "In a world filled with only deception and pain you were the truth that set me free. I don't know how to thank you enough, Blackheart." Titanium shortly fell asleep afterwards, peace and heartache living in odd harmony within her wounded heart. After only a short period of time passed, Blackheart's body evaporated into a cloud of black smoke and disappeared, leaving her sprawled on the cold concrete floor as guards poured into the room to investigate.