Very important note at the end of this chapter.

I was enveloped by snakes. Everywhere, there were snakes. They were hissing, hissing at me. They coiled around my laying body; their scales rubbing on my skin. Mouths open, fangs unleashed. They found a corpse to nest: Me.

Their blades bit on my leg, tearing off my flesh like it was cake. There was no pain. Only numbness.

A face appeared on the midnight sky. Another snake. A giant king cobra. Its eyes flamed red. I presumed it was the one who ruled the others.

I spoke to it. "Hello, devil."

It opened its mouth, but it didn't speak. Rather, many did. They were cursing at me in different languages, most of which I'd heard before. I could hear their unbridled rage being thrown to me. I could picture their angry faces.

I felt... satisfied. Somehow, I knew I earned this, but I didn't know why.

A multitude of cussing later, their faces appeared on them; all flushed red. There was no fangs on them anymore. They were shouting in my ears now. Some even strangled, slithering to my limbs. My neck was left alone. I let them do it. Seemed that mere words wouldn't satisfy them.

The cobra closed the distance between us. It finally spoke in its own voice.

"Why?" A male. A child. A boy.

"Why what?"

"Why did you kill us?" he asked innocently.

"Because it was my job."

"And if it wasn't?"

"I'll still do it."

"Why?"

"Kid, you wouldn't understand."

"Why!?" he urged. The snakes tightened their grip. I could feel my arms and leg popping out. I gritted my teeth, enduring the sudden burst of pain.

I remember how I had ended the conversation. I had sighed and placed my hands on the sides of his neck, crushing it with a simple "Goodbye."

Now it was the reverse. Now he was here doing the murdering, and mine was slow.

"To simplify things, there's too much shit in the world, and I plan to get rid of it. Well, to me at least."

A pause. "Why?"

"God damn it, stop asking! Always with the questions. Kids these days, I swear."

The cobra blinked and cocked its head. A snake dropped from his eyes. Then another. His mouth contorted to a frown. He started sobbing uncontrollably.

"WHY? WHY? WHY?"

The newly formed mass of snakes slithered into my gaping wounds from my leg. They wiggled inside, munching on anything blocking their path. My flesh, bones, organs and all were being decimated.

It was disgustingly painful. Painfully disgusting. I was being eaten alive. I tried to scream to relieve myself from the pain, but a piercing bite on my lips from a nearby snake stopped it. His "why" turned into wails. All I could hear was a banshee cry. I wasn't deaf, surprisingly. No, that wasn't right. I couldn't go deaf.

My lower body was already gone before I knew it. All that was left was the top. Suddenly, I felt one snake reach my unprotected heart. It didn't sink its teeth in. Instead, it encircled, bashing against it with its rough exterior. The cobra was closing in, still bawling. His cries became much louder in close proximity.

My body naturally resisted. It couldn't take the pain much longer, spasming uncontrollably. But the more I tried, the tighter the snakes were. I tried forcing myself to relax, but it was pointless. I was too weak.

Emptiness filled my hostage heart. I was weak. I am weak. I can't stop them. So weak. So tired. I wanted to sleep.

The cobra was right in my face. We locked eyes. I could see his innocence, his confusion, his hatred.

My heart was beating faster. I was inhaling quick breaths. Sweating all over. Something replaced the void in my heart. What was it? I searched for the words. I was... I was...

Scared. Frightened. Terrified. Horrified.

Then, my limbs popped.

My heart: Squished.

My head: Chomped.

I found myself in a better body. No more slithering monsters. What were they called again? My mind was a blur of letters and images. I ransacked my brain to form that word I was searching for.

...Snakes.

A memory flashed by before my very eyes. It replayed that very scenario. My body jerked up and my mouth opened, screaming at the top of my lungs; my throat unusually dry. But I could only do so for a second as something clamped it shut and forcibly moved my head back down to a soft material. The slam hurt. It also made the memories vanish, thankfully.

"Ow." I managed to croak.

"I am sorry, Warrior. But we need you to be silent for a while," said a familiar but aggressive voice.

I blinked. Thrice. My vision focused on the face.

"Mareth?"

"Yes, Warrior?"

"Your grip's too tight."

He hesitated for a bit, before complying and stared at some direction. I sat up. I felt my bones cracking. I straightened my back. They satisfyingly popped. I did the same with my entire sore and stiff, sweaty body. I then took a swig of delicious water from my canteen beside me, with Twitchtip oddly staring at me. Once we made eye contact, she faced the opposite way. I didn't think much of it and continued swimming in my thoughts. One in particular stood out.

How long was I out?

My question was answered as I looked at whatever Mareth was looking at. On the bow of the boat, directly smiling down at me, was the Queen.

"Oh."

"I let you go off for one day, and look at the trouble you get into."

I smirked and tested my voice. "I didn't get into trouble. Trouble found me first, and she's right in front of me." It worked fine. So was my humor.

"Much trouble," said Mareth. Ah, no wonder he was using that tone with me.

"I cannot go back," she said; her smile still on. "It is too far now, and Aurora and I would most surely perish in the deep."

"Yes, you timed that nicely."

"I know."

Mareth's hands clenched. "I know you know. Everyone will know you knew if you ever arrive home in one piece to tell the tale."

I piped up. "You heard the man, Queen. He said 'if'. Your chances are pretty slim."

She ignored me and faced Mareth, glaring him down.

"Oh, Mareth, how long are you to stay angry with me? It has been at least a day already. No one will blame you for my disobedience."

I was flabbergasted. Not because of how she tried to sweet talk Mareth -- not that I care -- but because of what she said.

"Wait, a day!?"

Lizzie, inching closer to me, poked my shoulder. "Mareth will explain later."

"He better." I grumbled and eyed at the family feud before me, carressing my bandaged right leg. It was numb.

"That is much beside the point, Luxa!" barked Mareth. "This venture is extremely dangerous, and what if you die? You leave Regalia with Nerissa as a leader, and she is of age. Can you imagine what will happen then? To Regalia? To Nerissa?"

"She will have to abdicate," Howard said from somewhere in the other boat.

"She will do no such thing. She will rule if I die and not Vikus, and never you and your wretched sister!" She spat out the last word with extreme distaste.

That kept their mouths shut. Well, expect the noisy feasting fireflies. Seriously, what were their stomachs made of?

Howard broke the silence. "Is this what you think? That I want to be king? I believe you have me confused with another cousin."

Ooh. Nice burn. Even Lizzie flinched. I hid my smile.

"And do not judge me by Stellovet. She is wretched. I admit it. But I can no more control her than you could control Henry!" Howard equally spat out.

"If you think I will believe you innocent, I will not. I have seen you torment Nerissa," accused the Queen.

"When? When did I do this? I have barely spent five minutes with her altogether!"

"At the festival. When you set that lizard at her!"

"Set it? I did not set it! That was a rare color changer, and I thought it would amuse her to see it!"

"But Henry said he saw you -- !"

"Henry said? Henry said!? I cannot believe that even now you do not question things that Henry said, Luxa! Is he the one who told you I was after your crown?" Howard's voice rose in frustration. "Henry said!"

The arguement seemed to end there. "Can I talk now?" The participants of the quarrel stared at me. Mareth nodded.

"Finally," I sighed. "What happened during the day I was out?"

Mareth was the one who replied. "It was two, Warrior."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You were unconscious for almost two days."

Two days... That's 48 hours. Damn, that long? I could've trained during those days.

A thought popped up.

Wait, I lost control during the fight with the squids. I tried remembering my assumed rampage. There were cutting, screaming and... laughing? I couldn't get all of it. Only bits and pieces. Shit. That meant that they saw me. Oh crap, what would they think of their savior who couldn't even control himself? What would Ares think? That his bond isn't the skilled Warrior he think he was? That their greatest warrior had stupid anger management issues? Damn it. This was all because I was too weak.

I was now hesitant on asking Mareth. But I had to ask. I wanted, no, needed to know what his view was. He had to explain.

"What - what happened to me?"

I stammered. Out of all the things I could've done, I stammered. My god, that was embarrassing.

Mareth gave a sad smile. Oh no. That wasn't a good sign.

"You... lost control."

I buried my face in my hands. It was worse when someone else says it. "Go on," I said, my voice muffled. "Explain in detail."

"When they were retreating, you were still trying to hit them. The rest of us rested and were being mended by Howard, but you... You kept going, even after they had gone. That was when I had to stop you."

Wait... That wasn't right. I didn't remember myself embarrassingly slicing thin air. I lifted my head up to Mareth.

"But what about the tentacles trying to rip the boat apart?"

His head cocked. "They did no such thing."

"But I saw them! I saw you drop your sword! I saw you guys giving up!" I insisted.

He stared fiercely at me and shook his head. "I do not drop my sword in a battle, Warrior. Nor will I ever give up." My words must've stung his pride.

He was quick to realize his tone and forced himself to be calm. "It was not your fault, Warrior. Howard said that the venom must have affected your mind."

I looked at Howard for confirmation. His face was still red with anger, but he nodded nonetheless. I held in my laughter. The ridiculous convenient excuse was almost hilarious.

Mareth made it worse. "I, however, thought you were following your soldier's instincts and protecting us all."

A quiet "Ha!" slipped out. He didn't notice my implications. That was good.

"Mareth, please."

"You are right. I shall not embarrass you any further."

"That's not -- Forget it." I lifted my leg. "So, what's it look like under the bandages?"

"It is not for the faint of heart," said Mareth. "You may thank Howard for saving your leg."

I ignored his advice and peeked under them. My skin was covered in lumps, some big, some small, but all blaring red. I couldn't even spot my muscles. I wrapped them back. That was enough sightseeing for me.

"Ugh, thanks Howard." The Queen scowled at me. Weird. I gave her a confused look in exchange.

"I am trained in water aid. I have sworn to save anyone in peril related to the water," said Howard.

"If my cousin had been paying attention that night, there would be no need to be so grateful."

Great. An attitude problem. "Hey. Don't blame that on him. Blame the tentacles. They're the one who attacked me. And us. But mostly me."

Everyone was quiet for a minute, then Mareth spoke up. "We probably would still have been attacked. But it is crucial to stay wary on guard. Not only our own survival, but that of many hangs on this journey."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I messed up. I was distracted."

The Queen quipped in. "By what?"

I shrugged. "The Bane."

She eyed at me for a moment, maybe absorbing that information, then nodded sympathetically. The heck? I didn't need pity. Why did she do that? I sighed, perishing the thought of thinking it further.

Girls. I never understood them.

Mareth called a break for dinner. My stomach reminded me of my starvation. I immediately stood up and ran towards the meal, but after one step on my right leg, I went tumbling down.

Two hands broke my fall. My own and Howard's. He lifted me up by my arm and patted my back. I considered myself to be pretty light, so him doing that was no biggie.

"Are you alright, Warrior?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just not used to major injuries."

"Do you require help?"

"No. I can walk on my own."

I limped towards the food with Howard following behind and wolfed them down, almost choking on my meal. Once I was full, I laid down in satisfaction.

I then scanned the boat, searching for my empty spot, which was at the corner of the boat. But the Queen had stolen mine and was sharpening her sword with some sort of stone. I cursed silently. There was no "lone" spots other than that one. The other corners were either taken up by the rest or got stacked up with the supplies. I didn't want to whine about it, not when she was there. With nowhere else to go, I went up to my once-claimed spot and sat a couple of meters away from the Queen. She gave me a curious glare, but didn't push it and continued her work.

There was a moment of silence between us, maybe a few minutes, before she cut it with a question.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Better, I guess."

She tested the edge of her blade by splitting a strand of rope. It went cleanly through with a mere touch. She frowned in dissatisfaction and continued to work on it.

"You do know that's sharp enough, right?"

"Not sharp enough for what lies ahead of us," said the Queen. "It is doubtful many of us will survive."

I already knew that, with that sharpness, she could dice through skin like it was wet paper. They were convincing words. But not to me, to herself.

"Distracting, isn't it?"

She stopped. A sad smile formed. "You knew."

"Of course I did. I did the same thing before."

"Who were you 'before'?"

Ah, shit. Should've known she would say that. No point avoiding it now.

"Well... Let's see... I was really famous up there, in the Overland. A lot of people would pay me to help them out. But some people didn't like that, and want to kill or capture me because they think what I do is wrong."

Her eyes widened; some sort of realisation struck. "You are like me."

I shrugged. "More or less. I'm not royalty though, that's for sure." As soon as I said that, a thought sparked. "Why did you come?"

She eyed at me for a second before looking away. "I do not trust you much."

I laughed, but only for a short while; as to not attract attention. "Is that all?"

"Aurora and I have Ares to think of as well. We were friends longer than your recent bond. We do not want another..." She stopped.

I pushed on. "And...?"

She glared at me. "Is that not enough?"

"Yes, actually. I know you have something else to say. Something to do with royalty. Stellovet, for example."

She folded her arms. "What about her?"

"Well, hypothetically speaking, if I were you, I would've came here to shut her up as well."

She didn't say anything.

The bats, who apparently had been out flying around, came in for bedtime. Mareth put Howard's red bat, Pandora, and Ares on guard. Understandable. Reduce the risks by having more to look out.

Twitchtip was shifting around furiously. I raised an eyebrow. Was she that uncomfortable?

"Something's not right." She lifted her nose in the air; her head made an involuntary jerk to the side.

Daggers were in my hands instantly. "More squid?"

"No, it's not animal. But something's not right," she repeated.

"In what way?" asked Ares.

"With the water," she said.

"Is it tainted? Frigid? Filled with debris?" asked Howard.

"No," said Twitchtip. "I'd recognize those things. It's something I don't have a word for."

Something wrong with the water. I could think of two things.

"Describe it," I said.

"It's -- it's moving around. Spinning."

That confirmed it. It wasn't a tsunami. Howard must've realized it as well, as his eyes lit up.

"Whirlpool."

I'm sorry to say this, but I'm discontinuing this series. I no longer have any motivation to write this AU. These few months, I've tried to write it several times, but I just had no drive. As you all have obviously seen from my recent chapters, my writing abilities faltered a lot. I actually had this complete chapter for a year, but I kept procrastinating on whether I should upload it due to some confidence issues (no, it's not a typo, I meant to say confidence and not confident). All those months (probably a year) of waiting for the next chapter? They were all spent on other stuff of life that I enjoyed doing. I wrote this Killer series for fun, and also to write more fight scenes (which I still enjoy writing).

I admit, these few chapters (from 3-8) were basically copy pasting most of the dialogue and description from the original. I did this in most of Killer as well, and the more I read it, the more cringy it gets. It feels so stale and crappy. Like, why did I set up this stupid personality problem with barely any foreshadowing purely just for the MC to act like what Gregor did in the books? And why did I set Ryan to be this almighty god? It's lazy and stupid writing! So dumb of me...

Anyways, I would like thank all the reviewers that had spent their time to leave their words in this crappy AU of mine. I truly appreciate it. (Well, there's only 3 faithful reviewers, but whatev) Yknow what? I'll state all of y'all names.

Clytuis - My first ever reviewer, ever. I had never thought that anyone would even bother to review my fanfiction. You commented little, but they were nice and sometimes comedic. So, thank you for doing that.

Gwynevere Whisper - You stuck around and reviewed for basically every chapter I posted. Thanks for the feedback and questions you gave; sometimes I used your questions to kinda fix up the story.

Vengeous - Man oh man, where do I start with you... You're practically the best thing a writer could've dreamed of. Long fantastic reviews with superb constructive criticism and great analogy. Your reviews literally changed my life, giving me the determination to become a better writer and pushing me forward to where I can be. I had never in my life expected you of all people (in a good way of course) to review this crappy fanfiction, but you did. You even took your time to PM!

I don't have enough words to tell you guys how glad I am. I'll just simplify it with two words: Thank you.

With that said, even though this AU series is gone, I still will continue Just a Photograph (which is somewhere in my WIPs). Sadly, I won't be able to write the other TUC that I had planned, as I wrote those as a distraction to Killer: Bane, but it didn't work out, after much consideration and editing. After Just a Photograph, I won't be writing any more TUC fanfics (as of now).

I'll still be writing fanfiction, but of a different series: RWBY (and maybe a few other series along the way). So if you're a fan of RWBY as well, help me review that fanfiction!

TL;DR: Not continuing Killer series because of motivation problems. Tried writing it repeatedly but failed. Gave up. Thank you readers. Goodbye for now.

Thank you for your time, TUC fans. I'll see you in Just a Photograph.