BROKEN

How could you have been so presumptuous?

Really, how could you assume you would ever been allowed even a moment's rest from the anxiety of constant struggle for not only your life, but your sanity. This night had been too much for you. You were more than fed up with it all. You preferred the simple life of fending off those bloodthirsty monsters to all this. At least things were matters of black and white then. Now you weren't entirely sure what you were supposed to do with these 'Guests of Honour', let alone with yourself. You scoffed at such a title. What is so honourable about them? All you could see was your utter disdain for the lot of them.

If this wretched world wouldn't allow you the reprieve of some sort, then you resolved to get it yourself. At this point, it seemed that only the forest provided you with anything remotely like peace. Rarely had anyone ventured out this far, especially with the current festivities about. The only beings who did such was them. Even so you had some awareness of their presence, but even with that knowledge it would be hard to rest.

Not like there is any time to rest

...

"How unsettling…" A painfully familiar voice spoke before you.

He'd finally returned for you. Your captor looked down upon you with a frown. You were far too exhausted to deal with his cruel remarks. You were fully aware of how you looked at the moment. Now it mattered little to you. You knew of all the leaves in your hair and tears in your dress. Save for the lone Azalea, you were a total wreck. You didn't need this man to remind you of such things. So without a word you held out your hand. He soon whisked you away to your one small haven: your prison.

He seemed more displeased than usual. No attention was paid to your wounds, all was focused upon the state of your attire. Clearly this must have held some importance to him. In your mind, you surmised that if he was to allow you to wear something special, he should expect it to be tattered. This world is wretched and dangerous for your kind. How could he show such disappointment in knowing this? Did he really expect you to not run into trouble with his preposterous plan? A long time passed before your captor looked you over one last time before speaking. He scolded you. He scolded you for ruining such an important family heirloom. You hardly gave a damn. You didn't ask for it in the first place. He quickly caught onto your apathetic attitude, only adding to his displeasure.

His gaze narrowed. "And where is he?"

Flashbacks from earlier flooded in. You looked away from him. Through gritted teeth you admitted you did not know. Your whole body tensed; fully prepared for punishment. The room's atmosphere was suffocating. Unmoving, both of you remained as you were. You paused a moment. 'When is he..?'

You slowly opened your eyes. He'd turned his gaze from you entirely; deep in thought. You heard your captor heave a heavy sigh once he'd noticed you finally relaxed. The look he gave you, you knew exactly what it meant. For a moment you laughed. You laughed to yourself. You laughed for being so stupid as to even find but a little of solace in such a place….

[🌙]

It would be a miracle if you got any sleep that night.

How could you?

The wounds littered about your body prevented you from doing so. Every time you'd attempt to get even remotely comfortable, the paid would be intolerable. To think your captor could be so vindictive that he'd strategically wound you to make it impossible to sleep. You couldn't lie down: not on your side, back or even stomach. He'd thought of it all. All you could do was sit upright: staring off at the bed sheets before you in a daze.

You remained there for what seemed like days before you'd managed to nod off where you were. It hardly lasted when you heard sounds in the hallway. Fearing he'd return you remained awake, only to find out it was nothing at all. Soon you'd merely bring your head up to stare off blankly to the wall. The only light in the room was the dim candlelight scattered about. It's glow cast a gloomy shadow upon the room.

One word to describe your current state.

Broken

Never would you say it out loud, but you were broken.

This all had taken it's toll. You never wanted this. You never asked for any of this, yet all the burden was thrust upon you. Then once you'd failed, you were beaten and bruised. Who could blame you for not caring? How could you care for something or someone you never desired to encounter in the first place? So much had happened within the past few days, exponentially more than your entire stay within the Carnival. The threat of being eaten alive by bloodthirsty savages now subsided to the immense pressure of battling your ego versus pleasing the very savages you'd fought. Having to force yourself into submission was eating away at you. You felt you were betraying yourself; your identity as a person.

You weren't sure how much more you could take. Your captor clearly expected you to return to Latio. The painful wounds were evidence of such a fact. As soon as that man's name even came into your mind you felt the strong sting of regret. It's not your fault. He was the one who had spotted you. How could you have known he was there? Despite this, you felt so angry.

You began to hate yourself for even existing.

...

All the stress crushing you under it's weight, you lost yourself in self-hatred.

...

You felt utterly helpless. You hated it.

Amidst all your abysmal thoughts, you found yourself giving into pure exhaustion. You nodded off, not being able to support yourself any longer. Your mind was able to find a moment's rest in the sweet escape of sleep.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you everyone for your kind words and reviews~ It's what inspires me to continue on with this story. Things are starting to get rolling between the protagonist and Azu-darling so get excited for the next chapter. I promise it'll be a real treat...for some. ┬┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬┴ ]

Diabolik Lovers, the setting nor characters belong to me. I'm simply crafting a story based upon such.

Nor do I own the title, I have MEJIBRAY to thank for that.