AN: Hope you enjoy reading~
Chapter 24:
A chill raced down Killia's spine when he heard Samuel release a harsh, bone-chilling scream of pure anguish. It…he…didn't know what to do. He had never heard such a sound from anyone, from anything before in his life.
And to hear it from Samuel himself. It hurt. Not to his ears, but to his chest. To his very heart.
Samuel…shouldn't bare such pain.
Killia's concern and fear increased tenfold when a dark, powerful energy suddenly enveloped Samuel, swirling around him like a tornado and stealing him from view.
That…was that how it appeared when he had unleashed Killidia?
"Samuel!"
"Yes, that's it!" Hellekin shouted, laughing manically. "That's it, Samuel! Give into the darkness! Give into the madness!"
Killia whirled around to face him. "You! What are you trying to do?!"
Hellekin creakily angled his head to face him first before turning his body around. "What am I trying to do? I'm trying to make the ultimate demonic entity. By destroying the angelic half of a halfling, the demon side is empowered further. By suppressing the light, the darkness deepens. Do you understand what I am getting at?"
Killia took a half step backwards at Hellekin's blatant honesty. That…that could not be possible, could it? Not with someone like Samuel.
A strong pulse of energy caused Killia to immediately turn back to the dense darkness that had had enveloped Samuel.
The mist slowly dissipated, and a figure began to emerge.
It…it was Samuel, but he was different. He had changed. Three feathered black wings protruded from his back, from his right shoulder blade. The white of his right eye was pitch black, and the iris was an alarming, ominous red. His left eye was clamped closed, for whatever reason. He stood in a slightly hunched stance, his left arm hanging limply by his side.
And in his right hand, hanging limply by what he assumed was the throat, was the Snap Draingon that took Ronny's life.
"S-Samuel?" Killia stuttered.
Samuel didn't respond to him, however.
Instead, as the Snap Draingon started to flounder in his grip, he tightened his hold on it and it suddenly burst into flames. It shrieked and flailed violently, only to crumble to ash. Disappearing into nothingness.
As the Snap Draingon faded away, the others that still remained began to respond, each of them screeching out the last words of their victims.
Samuel tilted his head toward the other Snap Draingons, his right-hand twitching. The screeching grew louder, and he winced. Both his hands suddenly flew up to his head to cover his ears and he bent forward at the waist, staggering backwards as if he was in pain.
"Shut up…shut up…shut up…shut up!" He threw his head back as he screamed. "All of you just shut up!"
His three black feathered wings flared from his back as he pulled his arms from his head and lifted them up over his head. With his palms facing each other, a spark of fire quickly turned into a large ball of flame.
Samuel slammed his foot into the ground as he took a step forward. And threw the fire ball toward the field of Snap Draingons.
"Die!"
Killia raised his arms in front of him defensively, digging in his heels as an energy shockwave blasted around him. He felt the heat of the flames and he clamped his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as he weathered the attack.
As the heated winds died down, Killia lowered his arms and opened his eyes. And the sight before him surprised him immensely.
A massive crater laid in the field where the Snap Draingons once resided. Not a single sign of them remained. Only smouldering smoke and flames.
And Samuel stood before the crater.
To think he was capable of such destruction…
No, his hatred for Snap Draingons was the reason.
"Yes!" Hellekin shouted and laughed manically. "Yes, get angry, my little Savage Dove!"
"Shut up!" Samuel whirled around, his black and red eye focused entirely on Hellekin. "You…How many demons have you enticed with these Seedlings?"
Hellekin stepped forward with his arms outstretched. "As many as needed to give rise to your demonic side, Samuel. Oh, you're so beautiful!"
He what…?
"You…did all of this because of me?"
"That's right!"
Damn it, no! That would unequivocally devastate Samuel. He would blame himself for every single death at the hands of Seedlings.
Hellekin suddenly leaned forward, folding an arm behind his back as he held his chin. "Hmm…Not quite. How unexpected. You're not quite fully demonic. Interesting."
Killia glanced over at Samuel. In truth, he couldn't imagine anything actually demonic about him at all. Not for a moment. In battle, he fought for the sake of others. He did what needed to be done. No joy, no boasting, no ego.
Samuel was…the kindest person he had ever met. Compassionate, caring, empathetic, selfless. Far too much at times. Someone he had come to trust, long before it registered in his mind.
There was nothing demonic about him. Not now. Not ever.
"That angelic side of yours is truly very bothersome, Samuel," Hellekin continued. "Caring for others. Healing them. Watching over them. While simultaneously defeating newly created Seedlings, one after the other. I had to get rid of you. I had to kick you out of Nugatory. I had to find a way to reveal your demonic side. I thought this was it, but I guess I need to do more. I need to absolutely shatter that precious little heart of yours."
That was his goal?
That bastard!
Killia uttered a guttural growl and launched himself at Hellekin. He aimed a punch toward his face, but Hellekin leaned his head back at an unnatural angle and lifted an arm to take the hit instead.
The sinister expression on Hellekin's face faltered when a telling crack was heard from his forearm. He was clearly surprised by the force of Killia's attack, and by the fact that he had the audacity to attack him in the first place.
"You're the one responsible for hurting Samuel?" Killia demanded as he leapt back. "The one responsible for giving him those scars?"
"What's it to you?" Hellekin taunted as he crackled the muscles in his neck by twisting his own neck. "This has nothing to do with you, Outsider."
Flames erupted from Killia's fists. "It has everything to do with me now!"
Hellekin's eyes widen as a truly deranged expression spread across his face. "If that's the case, I'll just kill you, too! Samuel will enjoy that!"
Killia flared his wings, preparing to deliver a Hellfire Shot attack…when a hand grasped Hellekin by his face, fingers violently gouging into an eye and twisting into the flesh and bone. He caught sight of white and blue, watching in muted disbelief and surprise as Samuel appeared between them, his hand clenched tightly around Hellekin's face.
Samuel slammed his right foot onto the ground, the stone cracking under the pressure as he…threw Hellekin over his shoulder, and toward the crater he had created when he destroyed the Snap Draingons with a single attack.
Hellekin hit the ground just before the crater, but the force propelled him forward, skidding and hitting every rock and stone until he crashed headlong into the lip of the crater on the other side.
Killia immediately pulled back in his attack and staggered back a couple of steps. "Samuel!"
Samuel, however, ignored him as he staggered toward the crater.
Damn it, Killia had to find a way to snap Samuel out of…whatever trance he was in!
In the crater, Hellekin stirred. Blood poured from his left eye and from the numerous tears in his flesh. He coughed and spluttered up yet more blood, lying unmoving in the small crater he had made with his own body.
"This power…and you're not fully demonic?" He threw out an arm and clutched his forehead, arching his back from the ground as he laughed manically. "Amazing! Ahahaha, amazing! What can you do, what destruction can you unleash if you were truly demonic?!"
Before Killia could save Samuel, he had to get him away from Hellekin.
Hellekin tried to pull himself out of the crater, still laughing. "Both lovely and deadly. You are quite the curiosity."
Samuel's wings flared and he suddenly disappeared from view. Only to reappear standing directly over Hellekin. He raised a leg and brutal stomped Hellekin in the face, pushing him back into his crater. He lifted his leg, only to stomp back down.
He repeated the motion several more times.
"Amazing," Hellekin continued to rant, completely unhinged. "Absolutely amazing. You're incomplete, but so brutal and powerful. Oh, imagine when you're completely demonic. Oh, what a sight you would be to behold. Hah-ahaha…"
Samuel dropped down to sit on his chest, angling back his right arm and delivering a brutal punch to his already badly beaten face. "Shut up and die!"
"To be…the first murdered…by lovely Samuel…yes…haha…"
Even at the distance that Killia stood, he saw the beads and splatters of blood. Samuel was pummelling Hellekin to death. Which only served to make Hellekin deliriously happy.
"Samuel…"
It broke Killia's heart to see Samuel in such a way. To be so violent. It went against his nature. Against his kind, pure heart.
Hellekin was a violent, deranged, delusional man. To hurt Samuel, to break his heart by manipulating Ronny, someone that Samuel had raised and taken care off, to kill him in the most brutal way possible. Right in front of him. All to bring him to the brink of despair. To bring out his demonic side.
For what?
He got what he deserved, but…it was a shame that Samuel had to be the one to do it. He did not deserve to sully his hands like that.
After a final, brutal blow, Hellekin finally succumbed to Samuel's onslaught, and he dissipated to the ether. Never to hurt him or anyone else again. Samuel slumped to the ground, his shoulders heaving as he breathed heavily.
"Snap Draingons…" Killia heard him murmur. "Snap Draingons…I'll kill…I'll kill them all…"
Slowly, he raised a hand and reached over his shoulder, toward his back. Where he unexpectedly snared one of his pitch-black feathered wings.
And Killia watched in horror as Samuel tightened his grip around the feathered appendaged…and ripped it out of his back.
He lurched forward. "Samuel, stop!"
"Don't come near me!" he yelled back, his voice shrill as he tossed the broken wing aside, blood pouring down his back. "This is what I deserve! This pain is-! This pain…"
No…
"Killia!"
Killia was startled by someone else calling his name. He glanced over his shoulder, and the sight of the rest of his companions brought him a small sense of relief.
"What's happening?" Christo asked as he and the others reached him. "We sensed a strange demonic power earlier."
Killia could not verbally answer, so pointed toward Samuel, who had staggered to his feet.
Christo looked in the direction Killia indicated, and his eyes immediately widened. "Is that…?"
The others were as surprised and dumbfounded as Christo.
"B-bro, is that Samuel?!"
"Wh-what happened, plip?!"
Killia drew in a breath before he told the others everything that happened. About Halfling Ronny, and about the deranged Hellekin, and his plan on destroying Samuel's angelic half to bring forth his demonic side. How everything, according to Hellekin, with the Seedlings and the Snap Draingons, was to bring out Samuel's demonic side.
He would speak about it in further detail once they returned to the Pocket Netherworld.
He needed to get to Samuel first…
Especially when he reached up and snared a second wing.
And ripped it off.
His white vest was steadily turning red. Killia had to stop him before he did irreparable damage to himself.
Zeroken grabbed Killia by the arm and tugged on it desperately. "Bro, should we use Adviya Holy Water?"
Killia shook his head. "It won't work. There's no malice inside of Samuel. This? This is something else."
If it was malice, Samuel would be attacking everyone. He could have easily attacked Killia. But he didn't. No, he attacked only Hellekin and the Snap Draingons. And…himself.
It wasn't malice or the need for destruction. It was…a broken heart.
"Ronny…Why?" Samuel muttered, his voice broken and heavy with raw emotion as he ripped off the third and final wing. He gripped it tightly in his right hand and just stared down at it.
He then threw his head back on a pained wail and threw the broken wing onto the ground in a fit of anger. "How many more times do I have to endure this?! How many more screams of pain, screams of agony, screams of utter suffering do I have to endure?! What's the point of caring about anyone when they are just go and die on me?! Is suffering my only reason to exist?!"
Killia moved to approach Samuel.
"S-sir Killia, what are you doing?" Seraphina immediately began to panic. "He's too dangerous-!"
"It's fine," Killia cut her off, pausing long enough to send his comrades a reassuring look. "Samuel won't hurt me."
Samuel…He had been there for him through countless battles. Fighting by his side, for his sake. Fighting in a war he had no stakes in. Believing in his heart when he thought he did not have one. Trusting in his fists, trusting in him. Through thick and thin. With words of advice, or with just a reassuring presence.
He owed so much to Samuel. Perhaps even his life.
It was time for him to give back to him.
He hoped that he could help the way that Samuel had help him.
"I know what you're feeling, Samuel," Killia said. "And I wish I could say something to ease the pain in your heart. But I can't. No matter how hard I try to think of something to say, the words feel as though they are not enough. Your anger is justified. And the pain you're feeling is understandable. So, get angry, Samuel. Vent your frustrations."
Samuel stared at him through one eye for a moment. "How…how can my anger be justified when it's my fault they're dead!?"
"But you're not at fault." Killia reached out to take him by the shoulders. And, thankfully, he did not pull away. "Outside forces are to blame for this. You have done nothing wrong. You cannot control the will of others. You cannot control what decisions they make. Remember, you said something similar to me, Samuel. That also applies to you."
"B-but…" Samuel spluttered. He shook his head violently and ripped himself from Killia's arms and held his head with his hands. "N-no, it is because of me!"
"Samuel." Christo stepped forward and spoke slowly, and carefully. "You did not make those demons accept the Seedlings that ultimately took their lives. You did not force that demon Hellekin to travel throughout the Netherverse with the purpose of tricking other demons into accepting said Seedlings."
"Yeah, that's right!" Zeroken piped up as he came up beside Christo. "You've been trying to make your way back to Nugatory. You've been fighting to make your way back to the other Halflings."
Samuel continued to hold his head. "B-but, I didn't…I don't want to feel like this!" He threw his head back, his back arching violently as he gave another heart wrenching cry. "I don't want to feel anything anymore!"
Tears began to roll unimpeded down his cheeks, dropping to the parch, dry ground in large droplets.
"B-Bro…" Zeroken stuttered in surprise. "He's crying. He's in so much pain."
Pain…
Usalia slowly toddled up to stand beside Killia. "Samuel. I wish you cared about yourself a little bit more. You remind me of my parents. When you and Killia are together, I like to close my eyes and imagine. Imagine that mother and father are still with me. Though it also hurts, knowing that they're not physically here, it still makes me happy, plip."
Samuel stilled, his body rigid and tense. Then, he slowly turned toward Usalia. His right eye was still the colours of red and black. But his left eye, it was starting to slowly open, revealing a hint of colour. Of white and blue.
"Usalia…"
"I think I understand now," Christo stated as he gave a resolute nod of his head. "This isn't your demonic side, Samuel. This is the manifestation of your pain. You have spent your entire life serving others, taking care of them that you have neglected your own needs. You pushed aside you pain, your heartache for the sake of others. You are in pain, Samuel. You need healing. And that's ok. Everyone needs a bit of healing in their lives."
That was it! Christo was absolutely right. The way Samuel acted before was not out of maliciousness. When he attacked Hellekin and destroyed the Snap Draingons, he did it in response to the pain he was in.
Usalia took a couple of steps forward, fearlessly, and threw her hands up into the air. "We care about you, too!" she shouted loudly, uncaring who heard her. "So please come back to us, plip!"
Killia moved away from the group and stood before Samuel. "The greatest gift you can give anyone is the knowledge that you care for them. Although those demons lost their lives to the Seedlings, you stayed with them until the very end. No one else could have done that. You have comforted so many. It's now your turn to be comforted."
"…Killia, I…" Samuel could only stare at him, his face pale, his eyes filled with pain and confusion. And his cheeks stained with tears and blood.
His face then crumbled, and a sob hitched in his throat. "K-Killia…" he choked out before he fell forward, into Killia's chest. He wound his arms around him, grasping onto his back desperately as he sobbed into his shoulder.
Killia wrapped his arms around Samuel, holding him as close and as tightly as he dared; one arm around his waist, the other cradling the back of his head. He slowly, gently guided Samuel down to their knees, to take the pressure off his strained, weary body.
The others gathered around them, Christo immediately setting to work addressing the dangerous self-inflicted injuries to Samuel's back.
They had their Samuel back, but he…he needed some more time to heal.