Both Ishtar's came to a halt inside the front door. Scorch marks littered cracked walls. The second floor had become one with the main level. The divide between living area and kitchen no longer existed.
Five fiery blades sprung up from the debris, fanning out in a semi-circle above the caster as she shoved a large, broken section of wall aside. Her primary focus was obvious as she made a gesture that pointed the hovering blades towards the unscathed 3D chess table.
Malik slowly approached, palms facing out to indicate that he wasn't there for conflict.
"Ka-ib, I need you to stop what you are doing. The magic that is keeping the outer walls intact won't hold for much longer."
Kat turned a narrowed, glowing eye to the two standing behind her. Malik immediately took a prepared stance, readying himself for a potential attack.
She whirled around, hand flourishing high in the air, the blades following her movements like a swarm of hornets, then-
Nothing.
The blades vanished as her eyes changed, taking on a crimson hue as her pupils narrowed and her hand lowered to her side.
"What a wasteful use of magae. Will she never learn to stop and think before acting so irrationally?" Apep scoffed in annoyance.
Marik hadn't noticed the large khopesh that had been swung until he saw Apep quickly dodge and roll towards him. The serpent made an underhanded gesture towards the Ishtari. A shadowy apparition erupted from the ground beneath Malik's feet in the form of a snake's maw, dragging him into the Shadows.
Marik stared incredulously at the spot where Malik had been 'devoured', then slowly turned his gaze towards the one responsible. "Was sending him into the Shadow Realm really necessary?!"
Apep glared in annoyance. "We haven't the time to play with the Ishtari. Our time is limited."
"You could have at least warned me Kat was destroying the place," Marik stated while gesturing at the rubble around them.
"We are unable to see in her periphery. We only see the object of her focus," Apep explained.
Marik glanced at the fully intact 3D chess table that looked oddly out of place among the debris. Even the pieces appeared undisturbed, as though someone had decided to play a game in the middle of the wreckage.
"You're going to have to explain her thought process to me, because I am at a complete loss as to why she's trying to destroy her chess table."
"It is because our vessel is an idiot," Apep stated boredly. "Destroying it will change nothing. If anything, destroying it will leave her and those she cares for vulnerable. She has been granted the ability to join in the Game, yet she does not play."
Apep walked over to stand beside the table, picking up the piece that represented Kat.
"We were never invited to play. At least not like this," it said sadly.
"What game?" Marik asked in confusion.
Apep turned an eye towards him. "The Game. The one the gods play, with mortals being their pawns." It sighed despondently, then sat the piece down beside the board.
The board suddenly warped rapidly upwards, branching out like a quickly sprouting tree. Just as suddenly, the whole thing collapsed in on itself, taking on the appearance of a normal chess board in the end.
Apep took the piece back into its borrowed hand, inspecting it closely. "Interesting..."
"What just happened?" Marik questioned in mass confusion.
Apep continued to stare at the piece. "An option we had not considered. We shall have to plan for this possibility."
"What possibility?" Marik asked, still extremely confused as to what had happened with the board.
Apep placed the piece back on the table, its eyes remaining focused on the object. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with at the moment." It then turned and held out a hand, as if asking for something. "We have been generous in not requesting payment, but our own magae is limited. Between forcefully taking control of our vessel and sending the Ishtari to the Shadows, we are starting to feel famished."
Marik furled his brow. "I still can't believe you did that."
"If you wish for his return, you'll stand by your end of the bargain. A single drop. It will not sate us, but it will be enough to bring him back before our vessel resumes control."
Marik reluctantly placed his hand into Apep's borrowed one, closing his eyes and wincing in preparation. He felt the pressure of the fang piercing his flesh, but it didn't sting like before. He waited until the pressure faded to peek an eye towards the serpent.
"That was strange…I barely felt it."
Apep's eyes twinkled as if delighted. "We knew there was a reason we liked you."
"Why do you do that?" Marik asked in annoyance. "You know I can't stand it when you talk in riddles."
Apep grinned. "There is a choice on your horizon. We wonder which path you will choose?"
Before Marik could inquire the meaning behind the cryptic words, Apep resummoned the shadow serpent and freed Malik from the Shadows. It then closed its eyes, Kat's body falling to her knees as control was relinquished.
Kat slowly opened her eyes, blinking and looking around in confusion. She then fixed her gaze on Marik's finger where a drop of blood lingered for a moment before falling to the floor.
"You're feeding it." It was both a statement and an accusation.
"So? It was my choice." Marik stated a bit harsher than intended.
Kat's eyes immediately fell to the floor.
Marik waited to see if she would say anything in regards to what had happened earlier, but she left him feeling disappointed when she remained silent.
Panicked murmurs prompted him to look over to where Apep had returned Malik. The Ishtari was lying in the fetal position with his hands over his head, his eyes wide in horror as his body quivered in fear.
Kat immediately rushed to her friend's side, reaching out to comfort him. Her hand encountered an invisible barrier, preventing her from touching him.
"Fuck. He's erected a shield. What the hell did my Isfet do to him?"
"It cast him into the Shadow Realm," Marik stated as he came to stand not far from the two immortals.
Kat quickly stood and faced him. "Why would you let it do that!? I thought you had it 'under control'?!"
"He attacked it! It was just defending itself! It probably wouldn't have even taken over if you hadn't been tearing the place apart and trying to attack your own friend! Seriously, what the fuck was up with that!?"
"I lost control, okay! That's what happens when I get upset! I'm not very good at processing how I fucking feel! You know what I am good at?! Fucking shit up and destroying shit!"
"I can see that!" Marik shouted while gesturing to the debris around them. He took a deep breath, calming himself. "Listen, I don't care why you did what you did earlier, but it's like you don't even want to try to apologize for it."
"What am I supposed to fucking say? 'Sorry for being a bitch and fucking shit up like I always do'?" Kat scoffed. Her face relaxed from its irritable expression, becoming sad. "I've never had someone call me out like that before."
Kat turned away to kneel back beside Malik, resting her hand on the invisible barrier that surrounded him and speaking quietly to him in the immortal tongue.
The words themself sounded sad, and as she spoke, Malik appeared to calm, the invisible barrier obviously vanishing as her hand gently fell to his shoulder. Malik reached out, pulling his friend close while burying his face into her stomach and lap. Kat slowly stroked her fingers through his mane of hair, attempting to sooth him further. After several minutes he calmed enough that he drifted off to sleep.
Kat shook her head lightly. "He must have poured too much energy into the shield…though I suppose after certain events I don't blame him for not taking any chances. He had no way of knowing how long he'd be stuck there."
Marik hesitated for a moment before saying anything.
"I didn't mean to yell earlier. I was just upset at what you'd done. I still am. I know that you know it wasn't right."
Kat slowly took in and released a deep breath, her focus fixed on her sleeping friend. "You have nothing to apologize for. You were justified in your response to my behavior. I do know it was wrong of me. I just wish I had realized my own actions before I'd done it. The words 'I'm sorry' sound so meaningless compared to how I feel."
Marik lowered himself to sit beside her. "That's a good enough apology for me."
Kat looked at him in confusion. "But I didn't apologize?"
Marik looked back at her knowingly. "Didn't you? You acknowledged that you were wrong, and you've stated that you regret doing it. That's a form of apology."
"But…I didn't ask for forgiveness…?"
Marik wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's waist, being mindful as to not wake the one who was sleeping on her lap. "That's the thing: You don't have to. I know you think apologies are only about asking for forgiveness, but there's more to it. Sometimes it's just about expressing your regret."
Kat's gaze lowered for a brief moment before returning to its starting point. "How can you be so sure?" she questioned.
A small smile formed on Marik's face as he leaned his forehead on hers. "I'm a reformed international crime lord. If anyone knows a thing or two about how apologies work, it's me."
Kat gave him a small smile in return. "I guess I'll have to take your word for it then."