Don't wanna read my notes, skip the bold. You know the drill.

Hi to whoever is reading this. I'm gonna put a little extra time into this chapter and try to make up for the last one being shorter. Otherwise I don't have much else to say. From this chapter onward I'm not gonna give authors notes unless it's about a status update strictly for the story. The person I am in real life wouldn't even tell you that, but oddly enough I tend to project myself better not in person. So this is the last message I'm writing. Hope you hear it. I'm a person with a lot of problems. One of them being insecurity. I feel the need to interact indirectly for some reason as a source for driving my writing. That's not what I want. I want to write because I want to. Because the at end of the day satisfaction from a personal achievement is getting harder to scrape up, just like the inspiration for writing. So to put it a little more simply, no more of me talking before the chapters, or after or well, anything much of that source. I think it's making me anxious whether or not someone is listening, or cares or ever is gonna see it. I'm gonna block myself off from that in hopes of pushing my limits a little higher, and making me actually want to write again instead of it feeling like a chore. So, goodbye and not goodbye. At least for now.

"No…"

She already screamed his name so loud. It was all she could afford to say. She stared at his body. He slumped to the ground covered in black veins. They covered his mask, his weapons, his flesh. He was being consumed by it. How long had he been here? How long was Adam here? He had just been defeated, yet he was covered in blood and whatever this black substance was. But these doors were just opened. The stone gate, the fires. How was he consumed by this so fast?

She nearly choked on her breath. Her wind left her with the words. Tears built up in her eyes. She didn't want this. Adam was her her friend once. He wasn't evil. She believed that. She really did. Why couldn't he ever see this is what she wanted to avoid? She wanted a world with peace.

Why? Why couldn't he-

She froze. He turned to look at her. The knight. The assassin. She didn't know what he was. He was a killer. The one who slayed her. The one who slayed her friend. Blake looked up. Her hands still covered her mouth from her scream.

"Why? Why did you do that?"

He didn't answer. He only stared at her. His red eyes looked at her but she couldn't tell what they held. Everything in this world was different. She never thought she would see anyone she knew again. And this? This menace? The strive to kill still existed? Was this some kind of cruel fate at the hand of karma? In this world killing shouldn't have mattered. She came back from death. But here she was, on the verge of tears, because the person who deserved it most finally was killed himself. She wouldn't stand for this. This went against everything she stood for, but she couldn't let him live.

Blake drew her swords. The greatsword wielder did not hesitate. There was no answer. He only drew his sword and ran toward her. Blake had little time to react and he stabbed toward her with incredible speed. The sword passed right by her face as he lept across the other side of the room. She stepped aside and slip into the center of the room. Her boots skid across the blood as she nearly tripped over the bodies.

In her dodge she managed to cut his arm. She should have severed his tendon, or at least slowed him down. But he was just as fast. He swung back into his right and cleared the gap between them almost instantly. She ducked as the giant sword crossed over her and jumped onto his chest as it was thrust her way just as fast. She landed two huge slashes through his face and throat with her swords and kicked back off his chest.

She landed near the back of the open room where adam lay. The watcher was unaffected almost completely still.

How does he keep this up?! He doesn't have aura, and blood has gone everywhere! What is keeping him alive?

Blake couldn't understand what kept the things in this world alive. There wounds seemed to not lessen their strength at all. But they don't use their soul the way her world does. How are they so strong?

The watcher recovered quickly and slowly approached. Blake shifted her weapon and emptied a few bullets into his chest, arms and head but didn't stop his stride in the slightest. He moved forward, slower now. And she felt something on her foot.

Adam's fingered glove grabbed her boot and received her attention. "Blake", he choked out. Her eyes widened. He had been run through with an giant unwieldy huge sword. How could he still be alive. To her ever unexpecting eyes he planted his katana into the ground, and supported himself up. Her mouth was agape.

"Leave…"

To stunned to do anything she hadn't had the time to see the strike coming right for her. Adam shoved her aside and and blocked the incoming strike. She watched as time slowed and the greatsword pushed past the katana with such force causing sparks to fly. She fell over. Too much was overwhelming her for her to pay attention to her footing. Adam leaned in and slid past the attack and stabbed the watcher straight into the chest. He then spun around the hilt going around the watcher as well, and ripped it straight through his side. Adam resheathed his weapon now behind the abyss watcher as it fell over. Blood sprayed from the wound and managed to hit Blake. Her outfit was covered in blood, but that would never be helped. Not unless she got to the fire again.

"I said to leave!", he turned and shouted at her. The black veins covered his entirety. His mask looked like it was practically shattered on the front. Blake wanted to do something, but she couldn't.

"Are you like them?", He asked grabbing his sword hilt. "If I have to kill you too I swear to god I will! I was prepared to from the moment you betrayed me!"

"What?", was all she managed to say. She couldn't get up. She couldn't believe it. He strode over slowly and drew Wilt. He raised the sword in one hand and picked her up by her shirt. Her eyes were wide with fear. "I had to take their souls. I'll take yours too", he said meeting her eyes through his mask. He thrust his weapon through her only to be met with a disappearing shadow. Blake stood before him with her weapons draw at her sides. She only looked on as the greatsword was stabbed through him once more.

He was lifted into the air and sunk down into the blade. Adam grunted in pain and spit out a mix of black and red blood, before being flung to the side like a brick. He smacked to the wall. Blake didn't know if he would get back up after that one.

The watcher flicked off the blood from his sword to his right and looked at Blake menacingly. Blake ran toward him, but the watcher with inhuman speed thrust toward her, and even through her shadow. The wound broke most of her aura. How could she be so low? She hadn't met so many enemies. Adam had killed them, right?

She rushed up from the floor in a back flip as the sword slammed down in her place. The watcher continued his assault and all Blake could do was dodge. The reach and speed of the weapon was unnatural. Adam just managed to block an attack directed at her. He was unmatched in speed in strength with anyone who wielded such a sword she had ever seen. With one hand no less.

She managed to duck under the blade and slid across the floor slashing at his leg. She recovered and spun firing a purple wave of energy his way. She was only surprised when Adam stepped in the way and absorbed the attack with his sword at his back.

"I told you to leave", he said facing the watcher. He slashed straight into his back. The watcher staggered. "These people aren't like you", he slashed behind his knee. "But you'll become like one of them", he fired off the remaining energy he absorbed. The red left his body and clothes as he dispersed the energy from Blake's small attack. The abyss watcher flung forward and Adam stabbed his sword straight through his back.

"What do you mean? Who are these people, what's going on ?!", Blake asked quickly.

"There is no people! There's only these things! Everything here doesn't use their soul like we do! They don't die, they don't stop fighting, and they don't grow weak! They only die when you take their soul from them!" (I know, serious plot hole right? It's not an exact answer, but it's a basic theory.)

He turned back to her and marched over, but stopped before she thought he was going to attack her. "I told you to leave. I suggested you'd take the option mercifully before they turn you into one of them like me", he leaned in. "I should be killing you anyway. But this isn't a place for you. Not like how you are now. You haven't been corrupted like this yet", he said taking off his mask The veins spread to his eye. While the left held it's normal color, the right was touched by the darkness snaking over his skin, and began glowing a horrible violent red. His mask fell to the floor, as Blake stepped back.

"What happened to you?!", Blake said loudly. Her flame sprouted above her hand without her realizing it. She clutched her swords in fear of the worst.

"The abyss, cannot leave this Room! It's already touched you! Once they touch your blood you'll be consumed!", he said grabbing his face. "Don't you see Blake? Once it grabs you it will kill you! No matter how hard you fight against it, it will take your soul and use it to fight against you!"

He looked back up at her. His eye was dangerously close to becoming the same as the right one. "Go Blake. Leave!", he said stepping toward her. He grabbed his sword almost shakily.

"What are you talking about? He's going to kill y-"

"He already has! I've been killing and getting killed for days! Why do you think I killed the ones in here?!"

Blake's eyes widened. Days? He had been here, fighting for days? Wandering this swamp, killing all these people that lay on the floor, the monsters, the grimm. Everything here, he had killed and been killed by for days on end.

"How?! I've only died once and this only started a day or two ago?"

"You were brought back slower", he said stepping toward her. She backed up with every step. "The fire. It brought you back right? And everything else was new again? Right? You were steeped in greater strength. Your soul, you still have your aura. It wither away each time until you're like one of them! The only way you survive is by taking their soul and getting stronger. You get weaker with every death!"

"What happens after? What happens when you run out of strength?", Blake was shouting. He knew more about this world than she does. He knew the answers. He could tell her, he could fix this!

"You become ha-"

Adam wasn't able to finish. A sword plunged deep into his chest for the third time. Blake screamed. The greatsword she had come to dread was no setting ablaze. He was slung to the floor for a third time. The abyss watcher, had crawled over in agony all the way until he reached Adam, just to run him through while he wasn't looking again. Blake watched as the blood would rise from the bodies and begin to draw near the watcher. Was this what Adam was talking about? He was taking their souls? If he killed Adam, he would only gain the strength from him as well. Then why hadn't she taken hers? When he first killed her?

"Blake…", Adam muttered on the ground. Blake looked to the watcher as he kneeled on the ground watching the blood flow toward him. She ran over to Adam. She held her weapons on her back in her best attempt to inspect her wound. But what good could she do? He had already taken such fatal blows before, how could she stop him from dying anymore than he could?

"Blake. Take my soul. And the ones before mine. The ones I've killed. Take them, and kill him. Your aura's going to leave you eventually. It's the only way", he said clutching his wounds quietly.

"What do you mean? Adam I don't know what you mean by that! I know how to do these things!", Blake said practically crying. He grabbed Wilt and ripped it from the ground beside him, and thrust it into her hands. He gripped the blade himself and positioned it to his heart.

"Kill me."

"No!"

"Do it before I have to kill you!", he said glaring at her.

"Adam I don't want to kill you! I don't want to hurt anyone! You know I just wanted-"

"Blake", he cut her off. "That world doesn't exist anymore. You need to kill him! You need to kill me. You can't let him take me. He'll take me, then he'll take you. There is no world to make equal anymore. There's just these things a dark world, and the souls you need to take from them.", he said gripping the sword in her hands tighter.

"We're stronger than them", he said looking toward the watcher. His sword was burning brighter and brighter each passing second. It was nearly engulfed in fire. "Our souls, our aura. We we're stronger than them in the beginning. We're stronger than them together. But not like this", he said looking to his wounds. "You were cursed too. We will become like them, and our soul does just the same. It's in our blood now."

"How do you know all this?!", Blake managed to say between the distress in her voice.

"The blood", her showed her his hand. "The dark soul. The abyss showed me when my blood mixed with theirs. It's all the same. But he's getting stronger. The abyss is taking over us. You have to kill us Blake!", he spat up some blood.

"But I-"

"I'm sorry", he said. Blake was clearly shaken. Necessary or not she never wanted to kill Adam. "I can forgive you, if you kill him. And if you kill me. You always wanted to take care of everyone else. Take care of yourself Blake. So you can take care of anyone else who's left alive.", he said. His tone was different now. It was quiet. He was trying to say goodbye on good terms. Better than she did. He was giving her an answer. She would get the closer he never had.

The abyss watcher was now embered. He was regaining strength. With no more blood to consume, the souls of his brethren were with him. His sword was planted firmly in the ground, and he was rising.

"Do it Blake", he pleaded. The abyss watcher stood.

"Do it!", he shouted. He grabbed the blade end and moved it towards the center of his heart. Blake couldn't stop shedding tears. She was holding the blade shakily trying to bring the will to kill her friend with his weapon. She couldn't find it in her tears. So she did what Yang would have done, and took the strength from her anger. She screamed, closed her eyes and pushed down. The blade sent straight through into his heart. There were no words. No gasps. Just her screaming till her lungs ran out. Her quiet sobs we're beginning to be drowned out from the surging of the flame in the being to her side.

Her flame disappeared, and with it something new came out. Blake only just managed to open her eyes to see the light red flicker travel up the blade. She watched it grow in brightness until it rested atop the hilt of the sword and rest on her hands. It almost took the shape of the flame that accompanied her hand too. She grew quiet. She picked it up and held it close. This was his. It was adam's soul. All the strength he had left rested in her hands. And all the ones she had taken with it, and his would give her the strength she needed to survive this encounter.

"I'm sorry", she whispered. She held the tiny red light steeped in strength to her chest, and absorbed into her body. The abyss watcher stood finally and swung his sword across his view, almost as if testing his strength again. Blake didn't look at him. She removed the sword from Adam's chest.

"You made me do this", she said aloud. "You've killed me, and now you've made me kill my friend. You've corrupted him into this monster, and now he can't come back", she said looking up to him. The black flame spread along Wilt. Her fire surged in strength until the red could no longer be seen. The red had left to her eyes. She stood with Wilt in both hands. She readied herself.

"I can't let you leave this place", she held the blade up level to her eyes (A/N: Ko Gasumi in case you were wondering the name of the position. You're welcome(I don't know why I just happen to know sword positions)).

"I will not let you live!"

The watcher didn't respond. From the other end of the room his gaze met hers. Their eyes intensely red met only for a few seconds. They dashed forward with incredible speed. The bells tolled once more and the voices of the dead sang as the two who bared the fire fought to the death. She was faster now. Stronger. But the watcher gained incredible power from all of the fallen brethren Adam had slain. Had adam taken their souls as well, maybe she would keep up. Maybe she could rise above. But she was back to struggling as much as before. They were bonded by blood. Blake was bonded from the soul(A/N: If you know the lore, this is accurate. There basically the same and not at the same time. Hence why Adam hadn't couldn't do what's stated above).

Adam was unmatched with his Katana, and the the watcher with his greatsword. The blood of Artorias bonded their soul forever. Blake still wasn't strong enough, even with Adam's strength. But she was faster. Much faster.

The watcher, spun and dashed and slashed, with each strike leaving fire in it's path. As each one fell Blake blocked, dodged, and attacked only when an opening made itself available. Attacking the vitals made no difference. She wouldn't wear tire him. She would only win after so many strikes. She had to destroy him completely. His soul would be hers.

Another spin, and a wave of fire passed her as she flipped backwards. Before he could swing again Blake lunged forward like an animal. She slashed at his torso and slid behind him skidding on her boots and hand. She raised Wilt with one hand and attacked from behind. He swung all the way around, and she disappeared. With each strike missed, a black flame crossed where Blake struck. Every swing the watcher took was too slow. The fire could catch none but her shadows. And each was an opening. Blake aimed for his limbs, staggering with each strike. She danced around him like a feral animal in shadows and black fire.

Miss

She attacked his leg.

Miss

She cut through his gauntlet.

Miss

She ran the sword through his knee and lifted him up by the blade. The blade slashed out of his kneecap taking the armor and splitting the flesh and bone with it. No amount of strength from soul or blood or fire alike could save him now. He fell back on his knees and leaned back on one arm. His sword fell to the ground. He saw Blake coming in with Wilt and tried to swat away her attack, but was nowhere near fast enough. Blake screamed as she ran him through. He dropped the dagger on gripped the hilt.

"Ahhhhhhh!", Blake kept running. The katana ran deeper into his chest and eventually lifted him off his knees. She slammed it into the wall behind him, and then drove it further. Wilt cracked and broke the stone through his body and impaled him onto the bloody stone wall. Too low to stand on his feet he kicked his feet tiredly as his weight dorve the blade up his chest. He gripped the handle in pain in an attempt to pull it out. Blake drew out her Gamble Shroud. The fire left Wilt and left to her. She hacked and slashed relentlessly yelling with each strike. She unravelled.

"You killed him! You made me do it! You monster! How could you?! You Monster, You bastard!", tears filled her eyes. Each blood splatter strike of her swords only made her feel worse. She leapt back and swung her swords around to release a strike of her signature attack. What should have been purple energy was stained with the black fire. The ground shattered and burned in its path, then exploded into the enemy in front of her.

The watcher still struggled after writhing from the fire. She could see his face. His burned face read no more expression as he was so charred. He was destroyed and yet some how still lived.

"I loved him!", she threw her sword at his head. It struck into the wall beside his head. "I'll kill you!", she threw her other sword. It landed on the other side of his face. She walked with menace in each of her steps. Her hair was burning black, just like Yang's. She was about to end this.

She grabbed the sword on the left side of her hand and angled it toward his neck with her left hand. She grabbed her other sword with her right and unmounted it from the wall, dragging it to the the other his necks other side. Then, in one swift motion she uncrossed her arms, his head fell to the floor as her sword scraped off the wall. Blood left in it's trail.

Her sword was held in the air as she tried to register what she had just done. Her eyes never left the spot she just saw his burned head. Her breaths were short but heavy. She was no longer crying, but the streaks were still along her eyes. The red glow was gone and her irises returned to amber. The black glow of the fire was no longer present in her hair or her weapons. Her body ignited and in a flash, she was surrounded by the firelight again. Her ember had been restored.

She shuddered as her position came back to reality. She couldn't breathe. Her look of anger was replaced with distraught. She dropped her weapons. Her teeth clenched. She couldn't believe it. So much hate. So much anger. She'd never felt this before. She fell to her knees and grabbed her sides. She won't cry. Not again.

Is this what Yang feels in such anger? Is this what Adam felt? This need to kill…

She had gone against everything she tried to represent. She was peaceful. She was quiet. She never wanted this. She wanted peace. She never tapped into this hatred. She would never thrive in this. She felt sick. She stood and grabbed her weapons and returned them to their rightful place on her back.

The Abyss Watcher's body vanished into a flash of white lights and a ringing sounded signalling his death. She had made sure he wouldn't be coming back. Blake felt nothing. His soul rest somewhere within her now, along with Adam's and all the one's they took. She didn't feel stronger. She felt no different at all. Just alone. More alone than before.

She turned and saw something on the floor. It was Adam's mask. Bloodied and covered in black veins of the abyss. She took Wilt in hand from once in the wall and grabbed the mask far across the floor. Looked to where Blush was. There was no ammo in the weapon. No Adam either. He had left just like the watcher had. She couldn't even give him a proper burial. Sniffing she walked over and picked up the weapon. The ground beneath it was bloody and she couldn't see the surface beneath it. Striking Wilt into the ground, she cut the ribbon off his mask and tied it around the handle. She lay his mask and his weapon Blush on the ground in front of it.

She felt she should say a prayer. But it would do no good. His soul would go nowhere.

"I'm sorry. I feel like I should give you more, but I can only give you this."

Blake reached behind her and unsheathed her katana. She looked at the other half of Gamble shroud. The sheath part of her weapon made up the other half of gamble shroud. They were a paired katana's. But she got Adam's strength and his swordsman skills as well.

'Crack'

She struck the bigger half of Gamble shroud behind Wilt. The two swords crossed in an X. She stepped back and wiped her face. Her ears twitched. "One more thing."

She brought her hands up to her head and gently took of the ribbon tying the bow on her head. Just like she had done the same with Wilt, she tied her ribbon around the handle of her weapon. They fell gently to the ground, then lifted in the wind. It blew in from the door she walked through. The one she had found open when she thought Adam died the first time. She looked to the spot where she had saw it happen, as a sound resonated in it's place. The fire was here. It followed her.

She slowly walked toward the fire and sat down like she once had. It seemed like so long ago. It couldn't have been more than… god she didn't know how long. A day at most. An hour at least. Time slipped by differently here.

She sat at the fire. The sword was there two. The stupid coiled sword. It was like it was mocking her.

"Please… just let me sleep. I'm tired. I don't wanna stay awake any longer. Let me rest", she said forcing herself not to cry. She had just killed her best friend. And another. And done everything she wanted to avoid in life. She was exhausted. Yet she still wasn't exhausted enough to let something like this make her cry. But she wouldn't. She had to be strong. Stronger than the world around her. Is she wasn't, she had already lost.

You can rest. I will make you strong again, the voice spoke in her head. It no longer disguised itself as her. It couldn't after this. She didn't even know herself right now. Blake's eyes closed and she leaned over and consciousness was taken from her. She fell over and everything went away. Maybe when she woke up this would all just be a cruel dream. Maybe she'd forget it all like most nightmares. Maybe Adam would be there. And he could sit by the fire after he came back. Just like she did.

I'm sorry.

Blake whimpered to herself in her sleep. No one was there to hear it. Not Adam. Nor her team. Just her, and her little black flame.

Sigh. Jesus this still isn't as long as I thought. I'm sorry about this. I've been having a really hard time dealing with things lately. I still am holding to my first post at the top, and won't be posting as many authors notes. I've been coming off some antipsychotic medication that affect a lot of the things I experience. Things are making such little sense. It's like certain things are wrong and right at the same time. But it's hard to register. I have to get the balance back naturally and I hope my chapters won't be reflecting that. Withdrawal is a serious issue. But I am going to continue the story. What has come back was my drive for writing. And everything will restore over time. With that said, I hope that's good news. It's good news for me. Those meds really affected my life in ways that most people don't realize, and hey, I'm recovering now :D

I'd hate to leave on a bad note, so just know, unless I say so, everything is gonna get better. The story, the length, everything. Including myself. But if you think it will suck, I won't stop you from hitting the road like horse turds. But you're no horse turds! No sirs! You, are the very definition of the cats PJ's. Thanks for reading thus far. The intro's are over. Now the real fun begins. Until next time everyone. Later.

Post edit notes: SOMEHOW every time I look for corrections then save using the editor on this site, every time after I save those corrections, the word count raises magically by 1k+ some how and I don't know why. I spent ten minutes looking that over, so if some shit happened it isn't showing up in my editor, I didn't see it before posting this. If you know why this happens, please tell me so I don't go crazy. If I miss anything like that, seriously, please let me know so I can fix it and improve the quality of the story. Thanks