In this world, there are two kinds of people; the ones who live in the light, and the ones abandoned by darkness.
Those in darkness feel like they have little left in this world for them. They go on and on about finding redemption somewhere, feeling safe, all the while endeavoring to stand up against the torture they've put themselves through. They keep talking about how they're going to end their lives, not even bothering to realize that what they really need was attention. And when they resurface from the "brink", when they've finally managed to mature, just a tiny bit, they don't even see that they themselves have fallen to the depths of society they so happily detested. Corrupt politicians, avaricious doctors, disloyal spouses; they keep believing that they're in the dark, never once comprehending the fact that everything they did, everything they strove for, was completely meaningless.
The light, however, is another evil altogether. Filled with people doused in tainted light, they go on in their innocence, believing that everything is right with the world. They believe they have everything to live for, carrying on as if nothing was wrong, acting like judges for what they thought was good, and evil, with little to no grey in between, with the exception that it serve their own needs. They believe they can disregard the rules of their own natures, and justify their reasoning. They feed into the dark through their self-pity, their empathetic disguise little more than a shell, just waiting for someone to rip away at their facades. It's funny really.
Take Fallen, for example. They attempted to rationalize their actions through the use of their pride; never once did it struck them what they were doing was wrong. They sentenced the weaklings, made the strong stronger, and through that, the first demons were made.
But of course, if Fallen is light, then I believe the covens are the dark, wallowing in their pitiful heartbreak and melancholy. Yes, in a way they did justify what they were doing, and yes, many have died before them. But all the same, they cling to each other, the weak, the strong, doing everything they could to try and remove their sins from existence. The kings and queens are haughty, but only because they need to be; if they try anything else, the covens can and will eliminate them.
It's a very twisted world. People keep saying there are exceptions, that nothing is impossible. However, after all I've lived through, and everything I've seen, I haven't the pleasure of meeting anyone like that, or being in those situations. If anything, my life served to justify my reasoning. To say that I'm disappointed in my little brother is a bit of an understatement.
He's right. I did want to use Amaryllis. She was Fallen's first demon, but she was also the key to getting the immortality humanity had been seeking after. She's the one who first started this story; I only want her to continue it. It was such an alluring tale, after all, with new avenues of opportunities just waiting for me. A revival in the deepest parts of the human heart, along with the sanctity that came with creating these monsters; not even Christoph would dare oppose me, or any of the other covens, for that matter.
His enraged roar bombards my ears. The tendrils of his shadow grazes my cheek, as I move to the right. I could feel his mental prowess endeavoring to break every bone in my body, his own demons scratching at my flesh. My blood cascades to the ground, the very scent of it enticing the darkness around me. When I look up, I see crystallite orbs, following my movements with relative ease.
I only smirk. I dodge his shadows and wrap my fingers around the tendrils. I yank them away, before flying toward him, claws outstretched. I smile in anticipation, the adrenaline coursing through my veins, only for those very shadows to force me away, my back slamming against the feast. I grunt painfully, before jumping out of the way.
"…What's wrong?" I manage. "I thought you wanted to see her again…"
"JUST SHUT UP!"
A barrage of crimson flew across my vision. Something sharp…in my abdomen, I think. I look down, and find a single, sharp knife, just above my navel. I smile, as I rip out the silver thing, my arm easily flying to my side. I take a deep breath, my shields immediately flying up around me. Nikolai was forced back, landing on the ground with a hard thud. "You followed her orders though, didn't you?"
His shadows instantly screech, attacking the shields with all their fury. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, my feral orbs taking in the insanity surrounding me. "You played your part as her Queen. You followed her, and kept her alive, no matter what the cost.
"Yes, even when she ran away, even when she tried destroying herself, right before your eyes, even when she broke her promise to you, even now, when she's no longer here, when she's run away from everyone and everything, you'll follow her. To the depths of hell, if need be."
His shadows intensified.
I cock my head. "Why are you acting like this? I would've thought you'd be ecstatic."
"…Ecstatic?"
A crack.
And before I knew it, I was on the ground.
Blood spilled from my lips. My hand flung to my mouth, my eyes widening at the seams. I felt something tearing inside me, but I couldn't see it. I tried twisting my head, though my knees gave way to my weight. I could feel myself falling, feeling heavier and heavier, until finally, I collapsed.
I couldn't move.
I could hear the echo of his footsteps resound through my eardrums. The tip of his combat boots touch my fingers.
When I look up, I see a smile. A smile I've never seen before.
"I'm humiliated, sister dearest."
And just like that, everything goes black.
Her bangs swept past her face, as she raced to Belial. Akiza could feel her own power drawing near, whispering to her where to attack, where he may defend. He raised his arms, a faint grimace on his face, before she smirked. She took a deep breath, and dove her arm through his own. Without another wasted moment, she curled her fingers around his wrist and tore it away.
She could feel the bones coming undone. That hand falls messily to the floor, tiny splatters of blood falling upon the lines of her dress. Before he could react, she took his head in one hand and bashed it against the table. In a split second, she called upon her own shadows, and beheaded him.
Yes, she remembered him now.
Belial, a man who would do whatever it took to prove his worth, he was desperate to live up to Fallen's incredibly high standards. Even after the torture they've put him through, the harsh training regiments Akiza personally oversaw, he was here, ready to do their bidding. He didn't have an ounce of realization of what the real world was like, the separation between fact and fiction so blurred in his eyes. It was as if he only existed for merely one function, and that was to please whomever commanded his desperation. She knew, because when she escaped, she once asked him to join her, to give him a chance to live another life, one without sorrow, or hesitation.
He refused.
And tried to kill her after that.
Slowly, she allowed his body to fall. He wasn't controlled by fear, like so many of the other test subjects. Nor was the situation that traumatizing for him, as it had been for both Jaden and Alexis. He didn't want to forget the hell Fallen showered upon him, didn't want to forget the rare, pitiful smiles the scientists once splayed for him. Emotions that had once captivated the world seemed to abandon him completely.
She looked up at the high cielings. Jaden and Alexis were somewhere in the building. Seems they've heard the commotion in the dining room, and were making their way there. Jack and Crow were with Angela, or rather, Belletrix, right now, still in shock after what'd happened. The rest of the covens were getting ready to attack, no longer able to stomach the pathetic rule Fallen had subjected them under. Both Belial and Sarah were dead. All that's left now is to rid the city of the organization's influence.
She couldn't help but smirk then. "I'm impressed. To think that you'd come this far, as the Black Rose."
She turned back, and see Yusei there, with a silver gun in hand.