"Who the hell are you?" Rasler's voice was sharp and demanding as he glared at the young woman standing before them. His piercing eyes scanned her from head to toe, searching for any sign of deceit.
"Wait," Zidane interjected, recognition dawning in his eyes. "Is that you, Alecia?"
The young woman's face lit up with a mix of relief and anxiety. "I'm sorry I didn't make it back sooner," she said, her voice trembling. "I was trying to get a few potions from the medical ward."
Rasler raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Then where are they?" he asked, his tone dripping with doubt. "Did you lose them on the way here?"
"N-no, I tried to get them… but the only way there was blocked. I think it collapsed when everything started shaking." She explained, looking nervously at Zidane.
"That's awfully convenient," Rasler shot back.
Zidane's expression turned fierce as he shot a warning glare at him. "Knock it off," he snapped. "She's been through enough without having to deal with an asshole like you."
Rasler responded with a flat, emotionless stare.
Ignoring him, Zidane turned back to Alecia, his voice softening. "I can't imagine what you've been through... did you see anyone else still alive?"
"I... I'm not sure," Alecia stuttered, her eyes welling up with tears. "There was blood everywhere! And one of the knights... Oh, I couldn't bear to see who it was!"
"It's okay," Zidane reassured her, shaking his head. "Just stay with us and we'll all make it out of here. We're gonna find Dagger and fix all of this somehow."
"Well I think—" Rasler started, but Zidane cut him off, leading the group out of the room with a decisive wave for Steiner and Alecia to follow. "Don't," Zidane stated firmly as he passed through the doorway, shooting another glare in Rasler's direction. "I'll work with you until we find Dagger, but if you're not going to do anything that's actually helpful, then we don't need you." The tension was palpable as they moved down the hallway, the only sounds Alecia's quiet sobs and Steiner's heavy footsteps echoing behind them.
"Zidane." Rasler called as the party began to ascend the ancient stone steps. Zidane turned, his eyes meeting Rasler's for a moment. Rasler's usual mask of indifference had slipped, replaced with an expression of raw sincerity.
"What is it?" Zidane's tone remained sharp.
After a moment's hesitation, Rasler spoke, his gaze fixed on the ground. "I know we don't always see eye to eye, but—"
"That's an understatement," Zidane interjected bitterly.
"Fair enough." Rasler's voice softened. "I… I can admit when I am wrong. My goal was never to lock you inside the chapel while your kingdom and those you cared for were erased. I intended to get here sooner and do things far differently, but that was the best outcome I could hope for after the circumstances changed. I guess I've lived too long and lost far too much along the way, but I won't bore you with a sad story. Just know this: I would not be here if I did not truly wish to help you. I may not always do things the right way, but my goal is to see you and your queen reunited and these trials before us put to rest."
Zidane studied Rasler for a long moment, his expression unreadable. He sighed, running a hand through his blond hair, unsure how to respond. His mind raced with conflicting thoughts.
Rasler continued. "In truth, with the way things are now, simply working together towards that goal is the best we can hope for. If we can agree on that much, then please heed my advice: something is amiss here. I know not what it is, and while I may have been wrong about your maid, there is a darkness here—surely you can sense it too. Something that has no intention of letting us live if we stay. Does the path down lead to a way out?"
Zidane swallowed tensely and finally relented. "Yeah, there's a tunnel that will take us all the way to Treno. But, I can't just run away and go there if there's any chance at all that she's still here somewhere."
"If Her Majesty is still alive…" Steiner began softly, breaking his silence. "I believe there is a good chance she may have saved as many of the castle staff as she could and already escaped to Treno. I cannot see why she would not have used any of her summons, but I also do not think she would have hidden quietly in the castle waiting for us to intervene."
Zidane crossed his arms, pondering Steiner's words. "I guess Treno is as good of a lead as any, and if Rasler is right and something is coming for us, then that's another problem we don't need right now."
"Then let us not waste time standing idly by," Steiner agreed, looking towards Rasler and Alecia. Both nodded in silent agreement.
With that settled, Zidane led the way down the stairs as quickly as possible, mindful of Alecia's clumsy footing. The air grew colder and damper the further they descended, the stone walls pressing in around them. Finally, they arrived at the lowest level of the castle into a large room. Rasler drew his sword, its blade gleaming faintly in the dim light.
"Do you think it's down here waiting for us?" Zidane asked, as he and Steiner scanned the walls and ceiling, their eyes darting to every shadow.
"I have no doubt," Rasler answered, moving closer to Zidane and Alecia. His voice carried a weight that made Zidane turn. "I hope that this too is something you can forgive in time, Zidane."
"Huh? What do you—" Zidane began, but his words caught in his throat as Rasler's blade flashed in the dim light. With a swift, practiced motion, Rasler stabbed Alecia through the chest, impaling her on the weathered steel all the way to the hilt.
Alecia looked down in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief as blood began to soak through her clothing. She let out a small gurgle, her breath catching in her throat. Her knees buckled, and she sank to the floor, her hands clutching the metal of the blade before she collapsed, lifeless.
Rasler yanked the blade free, blood spraying in a gruesome arc. He looked down at Alecia's still form with a mix of expectancy and bewilderment, as if something had gone wrong. He glanced up at Zidane, who stood frozen, his face contorted with rage.
"Well… she's dead," Rasler said humorlessly. "I can assure you that's not exactly what I expected to happen."
The room was silent, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Zidane's hands clenched into fists, his breath coming in sharp, angry bursts. He struggled to process what had just happened, the betrayal cutting deeper than Rasler's blade ever could.
"You… You—" Steiner sputtered, pointing his sword at Rasler. "I trusted you because Zidane did, but this time his judgment was obviously in error!"
"I don't know what I was thinking." Zidane's voice trembled with fury, his hands shaking. "I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance! She was innocent! All she ever did was try to help the best she could!" Without another word, he lunged at Rasler, far faster than he had expected, with his dagger aimed for the older man's throat.
With a grunt of effort, Rasler parried the blow, his sword clanging against Zidane's dagger. The force of the attack send a shockwave down his arm and je barely l managed to put an arm's length of distance between them.
"I have no desire to fight you!" Rasler argued as another metallic clang filled the air. This time, even though he managed to parry the blow again, the tip of the dagger narrowly missed the veins in his throat.
"Did you really think I'd just let you kill her and be fine with it?!" Zidane countered, his eyes blazing with anger as he searched for an opening to launch a third attack.
Rasler broke his gaze for a fleeting moment, glancing at Alecia's lifeless body on the floor. He was relieved Zidane didn't exploit the momentary opening. "…I suppose this was inevitable. Come at me then."
Zidane snarled, his grip tightening on the dagger. Steiner moved to flank Rasler, his sword ready, as the air crackled with tension. The dim light of the underground chamber flickered, casting long shadows on the stone walls. As if waiting for the invitation, Zidane attacked again, his movements a blur in the dim light. The dagger flashed, each strike a silver streak aimed for Rasler's vital points. Despite his gruff demeanor, Rasler moved with surprising agility, deflecting the attacks with practiced ease. The rhythmic clang of metal on metal echoed through the silent chamber, a counterpoint to Zidane's ragged breaths, fueled by grief and fury.
Rasler, though skilled, was clearly on the defensive. He backpedaled, his steps measured, trying to create distance. Each parry took a toll on him, and a sheen of sweat beaded on his brow. "There has to be another way!" he rasped, his voice edged with desperation. "This solves nothing!"
Zidane ignored him, his eyes burning with a cold, homicidal glint. The flurry of attacks intensified, becoming a whirlwind of motion fueled by blind rage. He wasn't fighting strategically anymore; he was a storm of vengeance, each strike infused with the pain of Alecia's loss.
Rasler stumbled, a misstep betraying his fatigue. Zidane seized the opening, lunging forward with a final, desperate thrust. The dagger aimed for Rasler's heart, ready to end the conflict. But just before it could connect, a new sound shattered the air – a piercing, demonic screech that couldn't be ignored.
Zidane froze for only a second before swiftly turning around to look behind him. The sight that greeted him caused the rage he had felt towards Rasler to dissolve, replaced by a sickening dread that churned in the pit of his stomach. Alecia, who moments ago had lain lifeless on the ground, was now rising slowly to her feet, her movements jerky and erratic.
Her eyes, once warm and full of life, now glowed with an unnatural crimson hue. Her mouth hung open, emitting a guttural growl that echoed unnaturally through the chamber, sending a shiver down Zidane's spine. His grip on his dagger faltered, his hand trembling as he took a hesitant step back. The weight of his vengeance suddenly felt hollow in the face of this grotesque resurrection.
"Alecia..." Zidane whispered, his voice cracking with disbelief. "What's happened to you?"
"Zidane!" Rasler shouted, his voice cutting through the tension. "That is not the girl you once knew! We must put an end to this before it's too late."
But Zidane was rooted to the spot, paralyzed by a whirlwind of emotions. His mind raced, fragments of the memories he held of all the times Alecia had helped both him and Garnet flashing before his eyes, tainted now by the horrific spectacle in front of him. Alecia, or at least the thing that wore her face, took a staggering step forward, her movements becoming more fluid yet more terrifyingly unnatural. Her head tilted to the side, and the corners of her mouth twisted into a macabre smile. With an eerie grace, she lunged at Zidane, fingers curling into claws aimed at his throat.
Rasler pushed himself to his feet, adrenaline surging through his veins. With a guttural yell, he launched himself at the fiend, intercepting its attack. The impact sent them both sprawling to the ground. Rasler struggled to keep the it at bay, its strength far surpassing anything he had anticipated.
"Zidane, snap out of it!" Rasler roared, his voice laced with urgency. "We need to end this now!"
Zidane blinked, the fog of his torment lifting just enough for him to see the reality of the situation. Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on the dagger and moved towards the writhing figures on the floor. Every step felt like a betrayal, but he knew what had to be done.
As Zidane readied himself to take action, he was stopped as Steiner stepped past him and a resolved frown, he swung his sword down cleanly, narrowly missing Rasler. Alecia's head rolled away from her body spurting a dark inky blood. Steiner then glanced back at him with a solemn nod.
Gingerly touching his neck where the creature had clawed him during the struggle, Rasler carefully regained his footing, his sword still unsheathed. "She must have been dead for a few hours at most. I couldn't be sure she was possessed until I felt the dark energy emanating from her. Even then, something must have went wrong or we wouldn't have defeated her so easily. Perhaps somehow the girl fought it even through the very end." Steiner, who had been stunned into silence by the turn of events, finally spoke up. "Those… those things take over the dead?"
"Yes, among other things," Rasler replied, casting a glance at Zidane and Steiner who exchanged a sympathetic look, both silently hoping that Beatrix had not suffered a similar fate.
"How many of those things are there?" Steiner asked hesitantly.
"Would that I could answer that," Rasler responded grimly. "Though likely far too many to count. You should prepare yourselves for any number of them to come our way. This is just the beginning."
Zidane clenched his fists, trying to process the implications of what Rasler had revealed. The enemy they faced was not just a physical threat but a twisted perversion of life itself, capable of turning their loved ones into instruments of horror.
Suddenly, the room was filled with an ominous, low rumbling. Zidane's eyes widened in horror as Alecia's decapitated head started to twitch and roll towards her body, the dark pool of blood around it resembling a sinister halo. Sinister laughter reverberated off the stone walls, sending chills down their spines.
The head's eyes snapped open, glowing with an even more intense crimson light. Its mouth moved, forming words that chilled Zidane to the bone. "Did you think it would be that easy?" The disembodied head rasped, its voice a grotesque imitation of Alecia's sweet tone. "You cannot kill what is already dead."
The severed head's laughter grew louder, more maniacal, as the body convulsed violently. The blood around it began to bubble and sizzle, releasing a foul stench into the air. Limbs twisted and snapped into unnatural angles before starting to knit themselves back together.
Rasler stepped back, his sword held defensively. "Prepare yourselves!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the rising din. "This is not over!"
Zidane tightened his grip on his dagger, steeling his resolve. "We have to destroy it completely," he gritted out through clenched teeth, his eyes fixed on the abomination reforming before them.
Steiner nodded grimly, his own sword ready. "Let's end this nightmare."
The creature's body reassembled itself with unsettling speed, the head rolling back into place atop its neck, flesh and sinew knitting together seamlessly. It stood tall, towering over them, its eyes blazing with a hellish fire.
"Stronger now," the demon hissed, its voice a twisted mix of agony and darkness. "Your feeble attempts only make me more powerful."
Steiner tightened his grip on his sword, his knuckles turning white. "What do we do now?" he asked, his voice betraying a hint of fear.
Rasler's mind raced for a strategy amidst the chaos. "We fight," he declared, his voice firm despite the creeping terror. "We fight with everything we have."
The creature lunged forward with terrifying speed and ferocity. Zidane reacted instinctively, parrying a swipe aimed at his throat with his dagger. The force of the blow sent him stumbling backward, but he quickly regained his stance and retaliated, aiming for it's glowing eyes.
Steiner and Rasler joined the fray, their swords slashing and stabbing in a desperate attempt to subdue the demonic entity. Each strike seemed futile, the wounds healing almost instantaneously.
"Rasler, any ideas?" Steiner shouted over the din of battle, narrowly dodging a clawed hand that slashed through the air.
"If I had a grand idea, I'd be using it!" Rasler grunted in response, struggling to fend off the relentless onslaught.
The creature emitted a savage growl that reverberated through the chamber, unleashing renewed fury. Zidane, Steiner, and Rasler fought relentlessly, their weapons striking in a frantic rhythm. Yet, despite their coordinated efforts, the demon appeared invincible, its dark magic continuously mending its injuries in an instant.
Steiner swung his sword in a wide arc, hoping to catch the monster off guard. It dodged effortlessly, its clawed hand lashing out to rake across his armor, leaving deep gouges in the metal. Steiner grunted in pain but held his ground, refusing to give an inch.
"Zidane, the head! Aim for the head!" Rasler shouted, trying to rally them and keep them focused. But even as he spoke, the dark beast turned its malevolent gaze upon him.
With terrifying speed, the creature lunged at Rasler, its powerful arms sweeping aside his defenses. He tried to dodge, but it anticipated his move. It grabbed him by the shoulder and hurled him across the room with bone-shattering force. Rasler's body slammed into the stone wall, and he let out a strangled cry as its arm extended and it's claws drove through his shoulder, pinning him in place.
"Rasler!" Zidane screamed, his voice echoing with desperation. He charged at the dark presence, his dagger flashing in the dim light, but it swatted him away effortlessly, sending him crashing to the ground.
Steiner, his face a mask of fury and fear, attacked with renewed ferocity, his sword slashing the monster's back in a flurry of blows. The demon barely flinched, its focus remaining on Rasler, who struggled weakly, blood pouring from his wound. His face was pale, his eyes flickering with pain and determination as he tried to free himself from its grasp.
"Is that... all you've got?" Rasler gasped, his voice a ragged whisper. "It'll take more than some no-name monster to kill me."
"A no-name monster? Is that what you think I am, lost one?" Alecia's voice cackled with twisted amusement. "I am not like the others. I would tell you my name, but it would be wasted on one such as you. So, instead, you may call me Death. Be honored that I have chosen to kill you first."
Rasler's vision blurred as pain seared through his body, but he managed a defiant glare.
"You say you are Death?" Rasler laughed, coughing up blood from the effort but continuing as forcefully as he could through gritted teeth. "Then I shall be the one to give your name meaning! You have yet to see what kind of power I am capable of."
Zidane, dazed but not defeated, pushed himself to his feet, his mind racing. He knew they couldn't keep this up for long; this so called Death was too strong, too relentless, and Rasler was already immobilized. He needed to find a way to break its hold, to strike at its head before it was too late.
"Steiner, distract it!" Zidane hissed, his voice cutting through the chaos just enough for the knight to hear him. "I've got an idea!"
Steiner nodded grimly, launching himself at it with a roar, his sword flashing in a desperate bid to draw its attention away from Rasler. The demon snarled, its malevolent gaze shifting towards Steiner as Zidane sprinted towards a section of collapsed wall, his mind racing. He needed a higher vantage point. Steiner's relentless assault was holding the it's attention, but he didn't know how long that would last. Zidane scaled the crumbled stones with agility born from years of experience, his eyes locked on his target below. He knew this was their best chance to end the fight.
As Steiner valiantly fought to keep the beast's focus, his sword clashing against its dark, twisted form, Zidane reached the top of the debris. The fiend snarled, its claws raking through the air as it attempted to strike down the knight. Steiner held firm, his movements precise and deliberate, every strike meant to buy Zidane more time.
Rasler, still pinned to the wall, his face a mask of pain and defiance, watched the scene unfold with bated breath. His vision was blurry from blood loss, but he could still see Zidane positioning himself above them, dagger held tightly in his hand. He mustered every ounce of strength he had left, shouting through the agony. "I thought you were going to kill me… What are you waiting for?!"
Death, momentarily distracted by Rasler's shout, turned its head slightly. In that instant, Zidane leaped from the top of the wall, descending upon the creature with deadly precision. His dagger aimed directly at its head, the point glittering in the dim light.
With a primal scream, Zidane plunged the dagger into the top of its skull, driving it deep into the demonic flesh. The impact was immediate. It let out a piercing, otherworldly scream, its body convulsing violently. Zidane held on, his grip tight as he twisted the dagger deeper, feeling the resistance give way under his assault.
The creature's movements became erratic, its strength ebbing away as the dark magic animating it began to falter. It thrashed violently, trying to dislodge Zidane, but he clung on refusing to let go. Steiner seized the opportunity, his sword slashing at the fiend's limbs, preventing it from regaining its balance.
Finally, with a last, shuddering breath, the fiend collapsed to the ground, its body disintegrating into a pile of ash and shadow. The room fell into a heavy silence, the only sounds the ragged breathing of the three warriors.
Zidane, panting and covered in sweat, pulled his dagger free and rolled off the dark remains. He moved to Rasler's side, worry etched on his face despite their previous conflict. "Rasler, hang in there. We'll get you patched up."
Steiner sheathed his sword, his face a mix of exhaustion and relief. "We did it. We actually won."
Rasler managed a weak grin, his eyes flickering with pain and relief. "This battle... but not the war. We have to be ready... for whatever comes next."
Zidane nodded. They had won this fight, but he finally understood that the darkness they faced was far from vanquished. As they helped Rasler to his feet, the three of them knew their journey was far from over. The true battle lay ahead, and like it or not, they had to face it together.