AN: This fic was written as a gift for Rozteka. The original character in this fic (Milly Echell) was created by Rozteka, and this is an alternate ending for/inspired by a scene in her fic, 'Whiteclaw', which can be read on AO3/Archive of Our Own.
Also, like all my works, this is cross-posted from AO3.
Snuffed Out
Milly, having grown bored of sticking her tongue out at the dead fishies at the fishmongers, skipped along towards her dad.
She was having a fun time hanging out with him today, while he did art supply shopping for Mommy! As the eldest child by a whole entire day, she was uniquely responsible enough to tag along with him while her brother and sister stayed at home.
Of course, it was a very easy job; everyone here in Torigoth knew her, because they knew her parents! Everyone loved Daddy and her Moms, and therefore her brother and sister and herself; they were friendly and smiley and gave her fun little treats to try or bits of ribbon and string to mess with.
The only part of the place she didn't like so much was the smelly tavern, which smelled of grown-up juice. Maybe it was just because Milly was not a grown-up, but she didn't get the appeal of it at all—normal juice smelled far nicer, and didn't make people dizzy and topple-y.
On her way to Daddy, something in Milly's tummy squirmed and turned all of a sudden—full of fluttering skeeters and wriggling worms; a presence flowed from behind, like an angry volff breathing down her neck.
With no time to react to the very bad feeling 'behind her' gave, something pulled hard on her hair.
Milly grumbled "Hey!" and wriggled, as a creepy stranger held her up with a single hand.
Daddy had taught her that no stranger should ever be picking her up—especially if she wasn't comfortable with it—and she was very definitely not comfortable with this man! Daddy, or one of her moms, or uncles or aunts could pick her up, but never a stranger—not this man with the eyes like a bully, creepy and angry and happy all at once.
In the hand that wasn't holding her up, he was holding something strange; a short, shiny sharp thing, a bit like what Mummy used to chop dinner, but less curvy and more pointy. It glowed with every colour of the rainbow, and then some; they all shimmered and swirled about, and it was so beautiful, like the extra fancy dresses her mommies wore at parties…
But instead of admiring it, something inside her warned her to be afraid; the same feeling that warned her not to stand beside Daddy's ladder, just before a bucket of paint fell down; the same feeling that told her never to
This feeling in her core shouted louder than ever before: He wants to hurt me. That thing he's holding isn't pretty or nice at all!
"No! Bad man! Put me down!" she yelled, punching at his face while he pulled the sharp rainbow back. Her heart and core thumped and trembled, both howling at her to get free.
Daddy twisted around on his feet and ran to her, but the bad man's hand swung in.
Milly heard a horrible crack in her ears, and felt it everywhere else. Her core went quiet, not telling her she was in danger anymore—now it just felt cold, and hurt.
She was snatched up in Daddy's arms, away from the rainbow poked into her chest, as the bad man screamed and went quiet. Looking down, she saw he was knocked onto the ground; his neck and stabby arm was twisted all the wrong ways, and his hand and head were leaking red onto the stone.
Being in Daddy's arms—nose filled with the smell of her moms, and body cradled in the warmth of his arms—should have made her feel safe, but she didn't.
Another crack sound, and another sting and achy throb through her entire body. "D-Daddy? W-what's…"
"Milly!" Daddy said, with a fast panicky voice, "Fuck… M-Mills! H-hang in there! I'll… I…" He looked really upset, and his voice was breaking up. "Architect, don't… It can't… There has to be a way…"
Seeing tears in his eyes and hearing him sound like this, made her scared; Daddy was strong and clever and knew how to make everything better, right? And even for the things he couldn't make better, he could bring Mama or Mummy or Mommy over, and they would make it better, right? Why did he sound afraid?
"D-Daddy, I'm sc—"
Horrid cracking interrupted her, making her whimper with pain. It was a horrible sensation, much like shivering in her heart.
She looked at the core in her chest, that she got from Mommy; red liquid seeped out from a hole in the middle. Cracks spread out from the big broken hole in the middle where she was poked.
All kinds of bright rainbowy colours came out of that centre—spreading through her usually green core with every pump of her heart, and pulse inside the core; the pulsing chill went along jagged, wiggly lines into her body as well.
Coloured threads spread out, and her core cracked along those threads.
Every thump made everything darker, number, duller, and colder. Daddy's warmth slipped away from her every second, and she couldn't hear his voice anymore. Even though it wasn't nighttime yet, his face faded away into darkness, with the rest of the light.
Crack.
"No! Bad man! Put me down!"
That voice turned Rex's head all by itself, and by the time he saw that bastard holding his daughter, he was already running.
An electric tingle of dread ran through his spine, as the Corepiercer made contact—or did it? He couldn't slow down and check.
In just four steps, he'd twisted the weapon-arm away and flung the assassin to the stones, and scooped Milly up in his arms, kneeling on the ground.
Too late, the voice of fear in his chest told him at the sight of that rainbow pattern tainting her core.
He told that voice to shut the fuck up.
Too late, it repeated, at the sound and sight of her emerald core cracking along multicoloured lines.
"D-Daddy? W-what's…"
"Milly!" he said, trying his best to not panic, "Fuck… M-Mills! H-hang in there! I'll… I…" He tried to ignore that cold intonation screaming 'too late too late too late' into his heart and brain. He tried to not cry, because he could see the fear in her eyes. "Architect, don't… It can't… There has to be a way…"
As he poured every ounce of ether he had into trying to heal her, he wracked his brain for a solution. His breathing sped up, but it wasn't enough, not that he cared about his own fucking lungs right now; he wanted to give those extra breaths to her instead.
"Nia! Mythra! Pyra! I— Milly needs you, NOW!" he called out over their affinity connection.
He didn't listen to the part of him that said Nia couldn't heal a Corepiercer infection. He didn't listen to the part that told him this was worse than what had happened to Malos—that Milly wouldn't be able to use data from Mythra and Pyra's cores to heal this injury. He didn't listen to the part that told him they wouldn't reach the teleporter in time anyway, and that Siren was too slow.
"D-Daddy, I'm sc—"
Rainbow threads spilled and spreading along every vein, and cracked more of the crystal as it passed through them. Blood trickled out of the flesh that her core was normally embedded in, but was now exposed and bleeding thanks to that polychromatic knife.
Too late.
He clutched her close, as if his warmth might prolong her life, and kept giving her all the life he had in himself. "Someone!" he barked out to the citizens around, "Find any healing blade you can! Hurry, please!"
Some were paralysed with fear and horror at the sight of their princess—his damn daughter, mind—wounded and dying, while others ran off to ask for help.
Rex rocked Milly, fighting the tears trying to spill from his eyes. Her breathing was getting less even, and the iridescent rot was spreading out of her core and down her veins. "Yer gonna be alright! Stay with me, Mills, fight it, please!"
If only he had a core crystal he could give of himself to replace hers; if he could save her by ripping his own heart out and giving it to her, he'd do it in one heartbeat. He couldn't lose his daughter; he couldn't let Mythra or Pyra or Nia lose their daughter either, or Mio or Vahn lose their elder sister.
You were too late, the other side of himself said, as the crystal cracked into further pieces. He should have been faster—should've stood closer to her, kept her in arms reach.
A guttural, choked gasp escaped her lips. Her eyes grew dull, and cold, and her body soon followed.
Tears escaped his eyes. His heart shattered into pieces like her core.
I was too late.
No, it couldn't be true; not his precious little Mills, who he'd rocked to sleep in his arms; not his little girl, who he'd watched take her first steps; not the girl who he'd laughed watching her play Twisty Turny and spin around with her brother and sister; the girl who he gave piggybacks around their home; the girl with bright eyes, and a brighter smile…
It wasn't right that she was the one dead, when he was the one those rotten monsters thought had sinned for making her. He was the one who'd fought and killed others before—even if for a goal like saving the world—when Milly was just a child who played with wood-carved blocks.
Rex screamed into her sky, full of rage, and grief. Defeated, he fell down to weep into her body, as it dissolved into ash, pieces floating away on the wind.
All that remained were the broken, rainbow-hued shards of her core, which cracked again. The slivers of venomous, infectious colour wouldn't stop spreading until the core crumbled entirely.
He held the bright, self-shattering crystals in his hands, holding them carefully so they wouldn't be blown away with the rest of her as they broke apart.
"Mythra, Pyra, Nia… I'm sorry…" he wept into his palms, as the shards were reduced to a rainbow of dust.
His beautiful, vibrant baby girl—his and his wives precious little light…snuffed out.