One World: Many Souls
Chapter 63: Obtusely Ignorant
Third Person Point of View:
Luke was over the moon as he stood before the entrance to Dreemurr Castle in the heart of Terians land. It had been years for him to prepare the right amount of people to handle this attack on the main capitol, but it was part of Silke's plan. He's flooded the castle with his mind controlled army, and he'd go in looking for the direct family himself. He needed one of those goat kids of hers. He'd target any one of them he could get his hands on.
He just needed one.
One kid in hand would bring her out. A fair trade. Or so he planned to say but instead force her to watch him kill all her loved ones. It wouldn't be hard. He could control them to do whatever he wanted. Make them jump off a balcony? Have them stab themselves? Maybe even make them put their head in water to downed them?
The possibilities were endless!
It just made Luke even more excited as he stepped up to the castle entrance with pep in his step. The mountains of people surrounding him as they walked mindlessly with basic weapons in their hands like common tools or knives from kitchens to prepare to fight.
"Halt!" The guards at the gate were already there as Luke's group approached. "It is after hours for the king and queen to meet anyone, please go home in an orderly fashion. They will see you tomorrow."
But the herd did not stop. Still moving forward with weapons at the ready, gleaming under the light posts, the guards took to pointing their weapons at them, their eyes glowing with magic.
"Cease and desist or we will attack!"
But Luke wouldn't let them. Charge.
Luke's army began to dart forward with him hiding in the crowd. The front guards were overwhelmed easily by the crowd, held down and hit before many more shoved open the doors to the castle and the resistance poured inside.
Guards came running at the commotion to halt off the intruders, but the sheer numbers of the individuals that Luke brought were just far too many. Far too quickly they were overwhelmed, even as droves of them made it to the front.
And that was how Luke was able to slip away toward the further back sections of the castle.
He followed along the stone hallways decorated with pictures, monster history, and images of the old kings and queens of time. He tried not to pay much attention to them, other than when he found one with Frisk included. He couldn't help but look at her happy image that made him tremble in anger.
It was a more recent picture of her, her husband, and her three kids. All of them dressed to the nines in decorative dresses and suits who stood together. Frisk and Asriel stood with their three kids around them, beaming smiles at their happy life.
One he hoped would be ruined shortly.
At least he knew what the kids looked like then. Goat kids, like their dad. One was red furred, one was orange of all colors, and the last was white like his dad. He hardly saw anything of Frisk in them, but he could see she had changed as well. Longer hair, red shifting into orange at the tips, like fire. And her eyes, they weren't that brown color like they used to be, no, they were red!
"What the hell?"
"Over there! I see more of them!"
Luke glanced at the guards that ran in his direction before his magic pulled some nearby slaves of his own to defend him. They darted past, startling the guards while Luke slipped down another hallway, keeping a few of the mind-controlled servants of his at his side.
He has to come across one of them soon enough...
"Princess!"
Luke paused, hearing that cry. He hid himself behind a corner to listen in and watch. The guard, a lone one, stood there yelling about while the chaos rang in the castle.
"Princess Rosalie! Please! We need to evacuate you!"
A lone princess? Maybe trying to play hero? Luke smiled at this information while watching intently as the guard kept shouting and rushed off. Luke made his way into the center of the stone corridor where the guard had been moments ago.
If Luke's little plan worked... then it shouldn't be long before-
"Fuck you!"
Out of the stonework came a little fluffy ball of red fur with fire coated hands. She was faster than Luke thought as a good hit was made to his hip, searing and causing him to cry out at the pain. His clothes peeled away from there and the skin burned, weeping droplets of blood.
"Get out of our home!"
It was hard for Luke to honestly take her seriously as she wore some cute anime pink pajamas over herself while she darted forward again. Once more flames danced upon her palms, she aimed for another strike. However, compared to the time before, Luke was faster due to his older body and smacked the girl hard across her jaw. She flew to the floor, the fire simmering at her fingertips as she was picked up from the ground by Luke's hands.
"Well, well, it looks like my little plan worked. A stupid little kid is now my reward." She kicked and squirmed against him, the aggressive teen tried to free herself, but Luke's crazed look in his eyes frightened her to where she froze. "Now you're gonna be a good little slave and help me kill your Mom, okay?"
Her eyes shot as wide as they could while she tried to squirm again before Luke used his magic on her. The scared teen couldn't stop it, she wasn't strong enough to stop Luke. Her entire body shuddered before it stilled, and Luke knew he had full control. Setting her down upon the ground, the girl stared blankly at his chest, the tears endlessly shed down her face. Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife that he passed to her.
"Make sure to hold that tightly to your neck. Now lead me to your mother."
The girl silently obeyed Luke's orders as she stepped away from him to lead him down a hallway deeper into the castle. He was surprised by the secret passages that he was forced to crawl into while she led him to the back side of the castle rather faster compared to the normal tunnels he would walk between with his army.
It was just as he was being led down another hallway that was much darker and appeared to be the preparation to escape into an underground tunnel outside. There was barely any light in the area, and he had to use the kid as his eyes since he couldn't see where he was going.
Only a single light was off in the distance where he noticed some figures. He used a single hand to hold the girl in place while he listened in.
"Sir, we're still looking for her."
"Well damn it, go find her!"
"Asriel, she can't be far, let me check with my magic-"
"No, I promised I'd keep you safe from him."
"We all did, son. Frisk, stay back!"
Luke smiled, he finally found her.
Letting the girl move forward once more, he could just see them under the cone of light at the entrance to the underground passage. A grand staircase that perhaps led to a cellar? Luke wasn't too concerned, but he saw her. Dressed in a bathrobe of red, hair in a tattered mess and wild eyes looking around before they glanced in his direction.
He knew they saw the girl first. She was before him with the knife still to her neck as she walked. The few guards, old king and queen, and current with their other two children watched on as she slowly stepped toward them until Luke set a hand on her shoulder again, stopping her.
"Heya Frisky." Luke commented slyly. "Long time no see."
"Luke..." The scowl on her face was priceless! It looked just like Luke remembered when he first met her. All the years be damned, she didn't change.
"Give us back our daughter!" Asriel roared before a flaming ball of fire almost exploded in size in his hand. But he paused when he saw the blade against his girl's neck, one that she held there herself.
"Nah, ah, ah. That's not the way we're playing that game, your majesty." Luke chuckled before setting his hands on the girl's shoulders and his chin on her forehead. "We're playing by my rules. And Frisk is the prize. If you would please make your way by me, my queen."
He said so in such a sarcastic way as one of his hands danced off the shoulder of Rosalie to the area beside them. While Luke was doing so, another one of his mindless puppets came up with rope in their hands, ready to use.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Asriel snarled, but kept his distance and lessened his fire magic to avoid hitting his daughter.
"Frisk," it was the old queen that spoke that time. Tori-something, if Luke remembered right. He never was really good at remembering their names, besides the few that screwed him over the most. "Please don't think about-"
"Fine, Luke."
Frisk's irritated tone filled the area before she stepped closer to her two other children, kissing them both before pushing them in the direction of the cellar.
"Asgore, Tori, please take them to safety. I'll get Rose."
"Frisk, you can't be serious?!"
"I am, I'm not about to lose my little girl, especially to him."
Frisk began to move then, moving toward Luke. He honestly couldn't care less that the others would run for it, he'd just go back after them once Frisk was under his control. It would be just like last time, so easy.
And he was ready.
"Asriel," Frisk turned back to her husband, her king, her rescuer from all those years ago. "Trust me."
"Of course I trust you." His response was instant.
"Frisky, stop keeping me waiting over here." Luke grew slightly testy as he waited for his prize to come to his side. "Your precious girl and I are eager to see you."
Luke's fingers snapped and the blade began to cut the smallest bit on Rosalie's neck. Little beads of blood rolled down onto the blade the young woman was holding against her will. Tears streamed down her face, even though she had no control over her body.
Frisk clicked her tongue before she began to march toward him. She was making a beeline for her daughter when Luke directed her toward the slave of his. Their hands raised with rope are still easily visible to her. "Over there, my queen. That's where you go."
"Fine..."
Deviating to the other spot she was directed to, Frisk walked toward where she was directed, though still it appeared to be relatively close to her daughter. Frisk grimaced to see the dead look on her daughter's face, wondering if that was how she looked years ago to her family.
"Rose, it's going to be okay." Frisk let out a deep breath as she moved. "I know you feel trapped inside with no way to get out, that's something I never wanted you to feel. But things are different this time, baby bone. I promise."
"Don't promise anything you can't keep, Frisky." Luke commented as she made it beside him, the slave stepped forward to wrap up her arms and hands.
"Don't you know it's rude to come between a mother and her daughter?"
Luke had to blink as a flash of red blinded him, and then he was hurled backward from the girl he hovered around. Slamming into a wall, he coughed up blood from the solid hit he received. He had to blink to see what had happened, and he had seconds to look before he was dragged from where he was thrown to.
A rough tug was on Luke's arm, threatening to pull the arm from its socket from the harshness of it all. He cried out as he was hoisted into the air. When Luke had a moment to look, he blinked down as Frisk was holding her daughter close to her, the knife in her hands was gone. Chains surrounded every one of them, making the room glow a bright red.
While the connection had not been undone so readily as last time due to Luke's stronger magical concentration, Frisk had magical chains holding everyone that was under his control. Her daughter and the slave of Luke's only a few feet away were held tightly in chains so that his commands couldn't be completed. Luke's eyes widened in surprise at this.
"What the..."
"Do you see now what your arrogance has prepared for you?" Frisk stood with her daughter's face hidden in her shoulder. It was a chain of hers that slowly brought Luke closer to her before they were almost nose to nose. "You never thought I could recover from you. You thought I'd be nothing without you, but look how the tables are turned? You're the one with nothing, and you're the one who needs me to save you. Too bad I'm not kind enough for that."
At Frisk's sides, hundreds of chains swirled and merged together to form two snakes of Terians magic that slowly descended toward Luke. Slithering along the ground as they approached.
"Frisky! Get back here!" Luke roared as he tried to use any of his magically controlled army to help him. So many of them were far away, or couldn't make it any closer to him. "You're fucking mine, you hear me!? You never were free of me!"
His overwhelming magic was sent toward Frisk, but her blinding red soul never let him take over, even as the girl against her mother shook, trying to obey orders. Frisk sighed before covering her daughter's ears with her hands.
"Perhaps you're right." And for a second, Luke thought that maybe even a fraction of his magic got through, until he saw the maniacal look in her eyes moments later. A blinding smile as she stared at him eagerly. "I'm going to rectify that. Thank you for reminding me. And thank you for your horrible lessons about how cruel life can be. I'll never forget them, and I'll never let scum like you win."
Luke was lost to the snakes moments later. He hollered, he screamed, and he struggled. He couldn't see anything other than the rapidly moving chains, sparks of electricity, and feel the heat smothering him. He screamed as the chains closed in on him, allowing no escape.
But... she was supposed to be mine!
His final thought never met the air as he was crushed, diced and burned to death all at the same time. Charred hunks of mangled meat and bone landed around the corridor, the smell of death lingering heavily. The heavy atmosphere lingered before something almost like a breath of fresh air came.
Rosalie gasped in her mother's arms. Her sharp intake of breath when she realized she was free, she screamed. The closed off emotions she couldn't say before or do had traumatized her as she was released by her mother, and then latched onto her, crying into her chest. Her trembling body her mother held tightly, and her father rushed over to hold them both.
Over the course of the night, the people under Luke's control had all been freed. With the help of the monster people and the Terians family, all were taken for medical attention after being mistreated for so long. A greater tragedy was averted, all thankfully to their attacker being too stupid for his own good.
Witch's Note:
(The air echoed with battle cries as the days passed and fighting continued. With the armies clashing, many were playing their part in what was needed among the battlefield. Most were of the offensive type, but there were others that carried unique talents as well.)
(One such person was Halloween as she made her way down the field, past the bodies of those that had already fallen. Stepping over them carefully with her scythe in hand, she continued to march toward the castle. She was the type who hated fighting, even small arguments with her sister were something she didn't enjoy. The very thought of fighting made her sick. But she knew sometimes there was no choice in the matter. Sometimes it had to happen.)
(It was what made her soul green. Her kindness to reach out to others to find another solution. And she was the biggest non-lethal solution on the entire battlefield. While she wielded a weapon, fighting was not her strong suit. But she could use her magic to restrain others. And there were thousands of those possessed by that of Luke Madden upon the field.)
(Her magic came to life as she walked, those possessed were snatched up in those of the vines that sprang to life from her feet. Over the miles and miles of battlefield, her presence could be felt. The gentle weave of the vines that directed those who were about to take a hit into perhaps taking minor damage. Those that fought against their will were wrapped in a tight, but soft embrace. Their weapons dropped from their hands as paralyzing toxins coated those unable to control themselves. If their bodies could respond to no demands, they were unable to do anything.)
(Yet Halloween hardly let that be enough. She wanted to make sure they had no lingering wounds or scars to make them remember these horrid days. Where they were pulled from lives that they weren't meant to, where it wasn't their decision. The vines grew to enormous size, merging together until the people were trapped inside that of hollow trees. They didn't have the movement to attack, they were being healed by magic inside, and they themselves were protected from others. It was the greatest form of help that Halloween could offer to those around.)
Mystic Girl: Duck Sis!
(Halloween followed the instructions given as Mystic Girl dove over her head. Halloween taking a knee to allow Mystic Girl access to the approaching enemy before her. Mystic Girl's glowing machetes in hand clashed with that of a revolver that went off, narrowly missing her head. Once the attack on Halloween was halted, Mystic Girl flipped the weapon into her off hand before hurling it into the enemy before her. The grunt couldn't scream as the female's weapon dove into flesh. She hacked and slashed, demanding justice for all that had happened.)
(The smaller woman was filled with fury at being thrown from her home, her friends harmed and killed, and outright infuriated at everything that had taken place. The magic of justice glowed in her hands that demanded a balance, demanded she take from them what had been taken from her.)
Mystic Girl: You keep your fucking hands away from my sister! No one's getting her!
Halloween Witch: I think you got them, Sis. Breathe, I'm fine. There are others that need help. And Shadow is with me. Go on, get your aggression out.
Mystic Girl: Are you sure? (The body in hands fell to her feet once she released it, standing up with blood soaking her clothes.)
Halloween Witch: Of course I'll be okay. Besides, we're winning. Make sure they know that too.
(Mystic Girl took a second to survey the battlefield she was upon. She could easily see Halloween's point as more men fell to their fewer, but far superior numbers. Her sister had a valid point. One that both brought pride and irritation to Mystic Girl.)
Mystic Girl: Fine.
(She took off then to head deeper into battle. Halloween watched her for a few moments before sighing and turning to Shadow.)
Halloween Witch: It seems she and Chaos have a lot of steam to blow off... Oh well... Come with me Shadow, I need assistance capturing more of the possessed. We're getting close now... we may be able to take the castle back soon. Shall we?
(She began the march once more, taking no more effort to move forward than a steady walk while her magic coated more of the battlefield before her.)
Do you feel you've made a difference?
Do you feel the tides of war changing?
Slowly... the ebbs are flowing the way we wish them to...
Special Note: Looks like the website finally is fixed! I hope that helps everyone, and just to remind you we are not far from the ending! Honestly, we have only seven chapters left. So, with that in mind, start thinking about or message me or put in the review what you guys would like to talk about during our final talk. Which will be in July! Holy crap that's close!