AN: Okay...so first, I'm TERRIBLY sorry about the length of time between posts. A lot has happened in the past two months. My day job has kept me busy. I had to take a vacation in Alaska due to a terrible case of burnout. And worst of all, my laptop after 9 years finally broke down completely and I had to get a new one. Yeah. A lot has happened the past two months. And for that, I'm sorry. I know it was nothing I could control, but still.
But now I'm back in action. So, enjoy the new chapter of Wild Hunt.
Chapter 71: Unspeakable Evil
As the airship Hansel rode on began to descend to Patch Island, he heaved a sad sigh. He knew what he was doing was probably going to lose a lot of favor with both Ozpin and Glynda. That made him think back to his final conversation with Glynda before he went to the airship. First there was his conversation with her in his room, where he vented about Ozpin's insistence he take a break and focus on teaching. Then, there was the conversation they had before he left. Before that, Hansel had come across a message on the Huntsmen boards about disappearances in Thimble, a tourist trap on Patch Island. The crime itself was a red flag due to Gray Jackal's works. One such work was trafficking. Even if it did not turn out to be Gray Jackal, it was still worth investigating. That was where this conversation occurred.
Hansel Kobalt had heaved a sigh when Glynda Goodwitch stood in his path. She stared back at him, an expression of sadness on her face.
"I'm guessing Professor Ozpin doesn't know?" Hansel had asked with a neutral expression on his face. He heaved a sigh. "Yeah, he definitely doesn't know. I mean, if he did know, I wouldn't even be making it anywhere near the airport."
"You're right, he doesn't know." Glynda had replied. "I figured we could keep this between the two of us."
"I appreciate that," Hansel had given her a small smile upon hearing that, "Glynda, you're not going to stop me, are you?"
"Let's keep things civil."
"Glynda," Hansel had sighed, "if you want to prevent me from leaving Beacon, you're going to have to fight me. I've already made up my mind to see this through."
That made Glynda's expression darkened. She had started glaring uncharacteristically at Hansel for this. She shook her head.
"All these years, and you've never once disobeyed an order from Professor Ozpin. How could you think to start doing it now?" She had demanded of him. "What could possibly be worth disobeying him for once?"
"This isn't about whether it's worth it or not," Hansel had claimed, "I can't abide the possibility of Gray Jackal acting freely."
"Then learn to rely on your fellow Huntsmen." Glynda had countered. "Ozpin only asked you to take a break because he's worried about you. And you're finally getting the hang of teaching as well. I am inclined to agree with him."
"Gray Jackal is my responsibility. And if you can't agree with that, then you are going to have to use force to stop me, Glynda."
"Don't make me," Glynda had pleaded, "I can't let you do this, Hansel. You can't keep pushing yourself like this. It's not healthy."
"All these years," Hansel had looked at Glynda, shaking his head in disappointment, "all these years, knowing what I wanted out of all of this. And NOW you suddenly have a problem? Now you want me to stop fighting to protect people from those monsters?"
"That's not fair, Hansel. You know that's not what I'm talking about."
"Eight years of this. Seven years of training and then one year in the field. You can't suddenly start taking issue with what I'm doing, Glynda. That's unfair to me too. Please, don't make this harder for me. You know that I have to do this."
"And it's going to be the end of you if you keep this up!" Glynda had finally snapped. She then calmed down and continued to speak, trying to hold back tears. "You are going to get yourself killed at this rate, Hansel. I won't bury you. Please, don't make me do that. I'm done burying members of my family."
Hansel's expression had softened upon hearing that. Then, much to Glynda's horror, he started walking towards her, intent on passing her and continuing to the airport. Her hands shook as she pointed the riding crop at him.
"Hansel, don't make me use force to keep you here! Don't make me do it!"
"I shouldn't be alive, Glynda." Hansel's next words froze her as he stopped by her side. "I shouldn't. I should've died eight years ago with the rest of my family. I guess…in a way, I still did. But my point stands…I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be alive. Not if…not if there wasn't a reason for me to still be here."
Tears started falling from both their eyes. Hansel took a deep breath.
"I know how it seems," he had continued, "I'm not crazy, Glynda. I mean…maybe I am, but even so…I just know in my heart that this is what I'm meant to do."
Hansel had continued walking past Glynda at that point, wiping the tears from his eyes. Glynda had then spun around, pointing her riding crop at him. She tried to shout for him to stop once more, only for her voice to no longer have any strength to carry sound. She could not do it. She could not bring herself to call out to Hansel, to demand he stop and return with her once more. And as she stared at the riding crop, she realized with horror that she was pointing it at Hansel, her son in all but blood.
Gods…what am I… She had thought to herself at that moment. Even if she knew she was doing the right thing at that very moment…the fact she willingly pointed her weapon at her boy made her want to vomit.
"I'll be fine…I always am." That was the last thing Glynda had heard Hansel say to her before he left her in the middle of the city. Once Hansel was out of sight, Glynda finally started to cry.
"Damn it…I'm going to fail again at this rate."
Back in the present, as the memory finished coursing through his mind, a single tear fell from Hansel's eye. He felt sick to his stomach. Hansel knew he hurt Glynda badly. He knew he might have just torpedoed his entire relationship with Ozpin with this single act of defiance.
"Forgive me." He muttered. "Please, forgive me."
This is my responsibility…my burden. I can't ignore it. Not even for you…
Meanwhile, Ruby Rose strolled her way towards Thimble's orphanage with a chipper smile on her face. She was feeling quite good about herself in the present time. The brilliant idea of introducing those orphans to an actual Huntsman Bureau, letting them hang around with some really cool people, bringing smiles to all their faces in the process. It was brilliant, genius even.
Unbeknownst to Ruby, however, in the trees, a large mass had begun moving above her, circling her like a hawk circling its prey. Ruby, however, was on vacation. She was also in way too good a mood because of this brilliant and selfless idea of hers. She was not bothering to sense for anything that was near her. The mass growled quietly to itself, its eyes entirely on the chipper Huntress-in-training.
"Hmm," Ruby thought absentmindedly to herself as she continued her stroll, "I'll have to make sure everyone knows the ground rules. For starters, nobody goes anywhere near the bureau bar. It'd look awful if a bunch of kids came back smelling like Uncle Qrow on a…well, every night. What other ground rules do I need to set…"
At that moment, the mass shrieked as it lunged from the trees. It was fast, but as soon as the mass lunged, Ruby's honed combat senses from all her short but meaningful sparring matches with Professor Kobalt kicked in, allowing her to spin around and avoid a very sharp claw that crashed into the ground where she was. Her eyes widened. Perhaps her Aura could have protected her…but the thought that might have killed a poor civilian WITHOUT Aura was horrifying to think about.
"What is that, a Grimm?" Ruby wondered out loud, immediately going for the compacted mass she carried that was Crescent Rose. Then she got a look at the black beast. It was lean, almost reptilian in appearance, complete with its own lizard-like tail. And it was dark and white, like that of a Grimm. However, something about this creature in particular sent a shiver down Ruby's spine. Something about it seemed unnatural, even by the standards of Grimm.
Why do I feel so…horrified? She wondered to herself as she stared the creature down. The Grimm started hissing and snarling at her before lunging at Ruby once more. Ruby quickly brought out Crescent Rose completely, deciding to table the matter for now and readying herself for battle.
Meanwhile, in a different part of the forest, Ray Stein's expression was drawn to a spot where several birds suddenly flew away, seemingly in fright. His expression briefly contorted into something twisted and cruel, sensing the Aura of Ruby Rose.
Well well, she found her. Ray chuckled inwardly. Let's see if this experiment proves…successful.
"Dr. Stein?" Ray quickly put on his kindly facade at the sound of Cedric's voice. He turned to the boy, who seemed to catch on that something terrible had just happened. Ray looked at him in slight surprise.
The boy has sharper instincts than I expected. He mused to himself. My, my, what a poor lad. If he had a chance to grow up properly, he would've had a chance to make a name for himself as a Huntsman. Oh, who am I kidding. The ones with the potential are the funnest flowers to pluck.
"Likely just a predator snatching up some unsuspecting small animal, Cedric." Ray lied as easily as he breathed. "Think nothing of it. That kind of stuff always spooks the birds."
Cedric looked back at the spot. He wanted to accept Ray's reasoning. However, there was something that spooked him about that spot.
Why do I feel so…uneasy? Cedric thought to himself as he followed Ray and the rest of the children.
Meanwhile, back at the spot the birds flew away from, Ruby also took note of the birds. They had only just now flown away. That made no sense. They should have vacated the area as soon as something was wrong. However, this thing; this thing had hid its presence from all of them with ease.
So…it is a Grimm? That has to be the only solution. Ruby told herself. She stared at the beast. There was something else that frightened her of this thing. It was not doing anything. It was just standing there, menacingly. Like it was studying her. Why is it acting like it's…intelligent, like it thinks?
That brief moment of hesitation was when the creature struck. It lunged at Ruby, further demonstrating its grotesque, reptilian like appearance, even though it stood on its hind legs. Ruby gasped and immediately swung Crescent Rose in defense. However, the creature quickly took another bound and leapt higher, moving above Ruby. Ruby's eyes widened.
It adjusted its strategy? So it can think? Ruby realized with horror as she spun around and aimed Crescent Rose's gun attachment at the reptilian beast. She quickly pulled the trigger, only to see the beast jump and weave around the shots with ease. Ruby nodded. Yeah, okay, if it can think, then I can't just treat it like the mindless beasts I've gone up against in the past. Yeah, treat it like I'm fighting something intelligent, something…human.
That concluding thought made Ruby shiver involuntarily. This thing really did seem too aware to be a regular Grimm. In that sense, it seemed quite human. Ruby quickly sped forward with Petal Burst. The sudden change in speed made the reptilian monster shriek. It seemed to hesitate now, like it did not understand what Ruby was doing. It was like that thing was scared of Ruby now that it was seeing a genuine display of power. Ruby took advantage of that power and cut right through the black, reptilian beast with one quick swipe. There was a terrible cry, and the beast was stumbling about, no blood leaking out of it, but it was opened up by the slash. Then, there was one last terrible cry and the creature fell by Ruby's side, motionless. It was dead.
Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. However, the shivering did not stop. There was still something about this thing that frightened her and it was dead. The thing was dead and she was still utterly mortified by this thing's presence. Then, she looked over and saw that it had not evaporated, just like that large one that reminded her of a Beringel the day she and her family came to Thimble. Now that it had happened twice, Ruby was concerned on a number of levels. Something like this should not happen.
With that in mind, Ruby found herself inching closer to the beast's corpse. A part of her was horrified at the thought of going anywhere near this thing. Each inch she moved closer made her heart sink further and further into her stomach. But, she had to know. She just had to know. Something about this thing compelled her to find the truth. She looked over the creature, studying every inch of it. Gods, it really did look human. Then she saw it and her face went paler than it usually was. Her eyes were trained on the monstrous right hand of this creature. On its clawed finger was a metallic band with a shining rock in the center.
No, Ruby thought, visibly terrified at what she was looking at, no, no, no, no, no!
Ruby rose had not seen many engagement rings in her life. However, it was easy for her to recognize one that she had only seen the day before. She forced herself to look closer and saw the insignia carved into the ring.
"Reggie+Emi"
"Emi," Ruby muttered, "no…that can't be. This…this is impossible. How could…why is this thing wearing her engagement ring. The fact it hasn't disintegrated…the fact it's wearing it like it owns the ring…and how it could clearly think."
Ruby knew there was only one real answer to arrive at. It was the worst case scenario. The most horrifying scenario. The most tragic scenario. This thing was Emi, that sweet baker who had been nothing but kind to her. If that thing was Emi, that also meant…
"Oh gods…what have I done?" Ruby felt her stomach sink further and further into the pit. She quickly regained her composure. She had to think. What would a professional do in this scenario? What would Professor Kobalt or Uncle Qrow do in this scenario? "Okay, first thing's first, call it in. Then, I've gotta figure out how this happened to Emi."
Ruby's eyes then widened. She gasped.
"The kids!" She yelled. "I need to check on the kids! Make sure this thing…no, Emi…I need to make sure Emi did not go anywhere near them!"
With that, Ruby sped off with Petal Burst towards the orphanage. Her horror at the thought of those poor innocent children getting caught up in anything of the sort. In her panic and in her reliance on her speed, she failed to simply concentrate and sense the presence of the children, even if they did not have Aura.
Citrine Gosling, for her part, wanted to crack open some damn good whiskey now that the children were going to be out of her life forever. Smoke a cigarette too. She had not been allowed to smoke for years in order to keep up the act of the sweet and motherly orphanage matron. But now, they were going to be dead and gone within hours. She was free. Finally free.
Then, there was a frantic knock on her door. Citrine was cut from her celebrations early, much to her frustration. She rolled her eyes in frustration.
"Oh for the love of…who the fuck could that be?" She muttered before forcing herself to put on the act one last time. She then opened the door and almost dropped the act in an instant. Ruby was standing face to face with her. Ray's target was standing face to face with her. "Oh, Ruby, whatever could bring you here?"
"Ms. Gosling, where are the children?" Ruby demanded frantically.
"The children? Oh don't mind them, they're just getting a checkup from Dr. Stein at his clinic west of here." Citrine replied offhandedly.
They're getting a checkup, thank goodness. Ruby thought with relief. Wait…hold on, weren't Emi and Dr. Stein talking yesterday about a checkup? That means Dr. Stein might have answers about Emi…
"Hey, why don't you sit down. You look so frantic. So, relax, have some tea." Citrine said to her.
"Sorry, Ms. Gosling! Gotta take a raincheck! Bye!" Ruby yelled before speeding off in a burst of petals, moving west.
"W-wait, Ruby, come back! The tea…" Citrine trailed off before yelling in frustration, dropping the act. "Ugh, are you shitting me?! Is that girl just perpetually caffeinated or something! Gah! I had her and she just slipped through my fingers!"
Citrine quickly took a few deep breaths. She knew she could not afford to lose her temper that badly. Not when someone could just walk by and see her like this.
"No, no, it's fine. Everything's fine. She's going to 2 after all. He may be part of the Clubs Division, but he is still a Number. That means his combat skills are still impressive enough. And then there's his trump card. She doesn't stand a chance." Citrine chuckled, breathing a sigh of relief. "Yeah, it's fine. We're in the clear. I just better message 2 and let her know she's coming."
Citrine quickly got out her Scroll and typed up a message. She breathed another sigh of relief as she hit send.
"Almost over, Citrine, almost over." She promised herself. "Once those brats are gone, I can get reassigned elsewhere. Please, gods, just no more kids."
Meanwhile, Ray hummed as he suddenly got a message on his scroll. He looked at it and he raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.
"The girl is coming towards you." It read.
Hmph, I guess that means the test subject failed. Ray lamented. Damn, what a pathetic creature, can't even kill off a little girl. I even was kind enough to infuse DNA from Grimm that are masters of stealth and it still fucked up.
"Dr. Stein?" Ray turned his attention to the children, who were looking at him in slight confusion. Ray smiled, content in being surrounded by the four walls of his clinic. He took out a syringe.
"Oh, just reading a quick text, children." He promised. "Now then, who wants to go first?"
As Ray approached the children they all flinched slightly. Ray chuckled and shook his head, still choosing to play the role of the kindly doctor.
"Now, now, the needle is your friend. It's here to make sure you grow up big and strong after all." Ray enjoyed putting on his act more than he should. "It's all part of the process."
Then, Ray noticed something that made him stop briefly. He looked around. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Where's Cedric?" He asked.
"Cedric went outside I think?" One of the children replied. "Said he needed some air."
"Well, I suppose I'll just bring him in, in a moment." Ray muttered as approached the children with the syringe. He was barely able to restrain his glee at what he was about to do.
This may actually make for a good experiment. He noted. If I can restrain Cedric and make him watch his little friends transform, it may drive him to despair great enough to turn him into a truly successful subject.
Ruby sped around for minutes, desperately trying to find the children and make sure they were all okay. It was around minute ten that Ruby remembered if she concentrated hard enough, she could pick out the presences of people she was familiar with, even if they lacked Aura. So, she did. She concentrated and managed to pick out the presence of Cedric. Once she had Cedric's location, she sped in that direction. Within minutes, she found herself in a clearing with a small building that reminded her of a cottage. Sitting out front was Cedric.
"Cedric!" She called out to the boy she had befriended. Cedric looked up, surprised to see Ruby.
"Ruby?" Cedric blinked in surprise. "What…what are you doing here?"
Then, much to Cedric's surprise, Ruby embraced him, sighing with relief. Cedric sputtered at this, shocked by the sudden display of affection from the girl he knowingly annoyed and bantered with.
"What…what are you doing?" He asked.
"Thank the gods," Ruby muttered, "I just got attacked by…something horrible, and I was worried about you all. I just had to make sure you were all okay."
"You were…worried about us?" Cedric was taken aback. He should not have been. Not after how kind Ruby had been to him and the other orphans since they met. However, he just could not help it sometimes.
"Of course I was, you silly," Ruby said with relief. "And the others are okay?"
"Well yeah, of course they are." Cedric frowned. "Ruby, you're starting to scare me."
Ruby was about to say something to reassure Cedric. However, suddenly she felt a chill run up her spine when she felt a very dark and very familiar presence inside that cottage-like building that was Dr. Stein's clinic. It felt Grimm-like.
"Cedric, the others are inside, right?" She asked carefully.
"Yeah?" Cedric was bewildered by Ruby's sudden change in tone.
No. No. No. Ruby though. That could only mean…but how…wait…that day, with Emi and Dr. Stein…that moment of malice I sensed. No…it can't be him!
The door opens and Ray steps out, smiling pleasantly at Ruby and Cedric. Immediately Ruby hears it, the groans of pain from the children inside. Her eyes widened in horror, slowly putting together what this all meant.
"What…what's happening to them?" Cedric asked frantically. "What's wrong with my friends?"
"Would you like to see for yourself, Cedric?" Ray asked, still having the gall to maintain that kindly doctor's voice.
"Cedric!" Ruby yelled frantically. "You have to run now! It's not safe here! Not with him here!"
"Huh? Why with him, Ruby? Dr. Stein's not a bad guy." Cedric insisted, still innocent and confused about what was happening, though he was also very worried about his friends. Without thinking though, Ruby moved past Ray into the cottage and was horrified when she saw the other orphans writhing in pain.
"What did you do?" Ruby looked over her shoulder, looking at Ray with a look of uncharacteristic hatred on her face. "Tell me! What did you do to them, Dr. Stein?"
Then Ruby saw it, Ray reaching to grab Cedric. His smile was still pleasant, but now she understood. That smile hid the heart of a demon.
"Give it a few seconds and you will see very soon. In fact, you're going to want to see this as well Cedric." He proclaimed. Ruby did not hesitate, she whipped out Crescent Rose and fired a bullet that struck Ray in the chest and sent him flying into the ground in front of the cottage.
"Ruby!" Cedric screamed in terror at the fact she just shot someone he knew.
"Cedric, please, you have to run, now!" Ruby frantically exclaimed. "I don't know what he's done, you have to go!"
"But the others-" Cedric began.
"I'll take care of it, you have to go now! Please, Cedric! I can't do this if I have to worry about you!"
The kids start screaming louder in pain. Cedric gasped in horror.
"No!" Cedric screamed. Ruby acted immediately, she sped over to Cedric and pulled him away from the cottage.
"Cedric! Please!" Ruby yelled at him. "For once, just listen to me!"
Cedric was really starting to get worried now. He heard his friends screaming in increasing pain. However, when he saw Ruby's pleading face, he knew just how bad it truly was. In this moment, he truly saw her as a Huntress, just like the day she first saved him.
"I'll…I'll get some help!" Cedric promised. "I'll run back to town, get some other Huntsmen! Please, just help my friends!"
Ruby nodded as Cedric ran away. She winced as she heard the children screaming louder in pain. She looked over her shoulder, wondering just what was happening to them.
"You're way too optimistic about how this is going to go, Ms. Rose." Ruby felt a shiver run down her spine at that voice. She turned to see Ray Stein rising to his feet. He was no longer smiling that phony pleasant smile of his. No, he was now showing an expression far more appropriate for a monster in human skin. "Though I will say, I don't appreciate you sending away my test subject."
"What did you do to those kids, Dr. Stein?" Ruby demanded. Ray reached into his coat and pulled out a plague doctor mask and put it over his face. Ruby gasped when she saw the Number 2.
"Did your precious Professor Kobalt tell you what these numbers represented, or do you still not understand what this means…for members of Gray Jackal?" He taunted.
"Gray Jackal?" Ruby gasped, horrified. "What are you doing here in Thimble?"
"Conducting research, obviously. Very important research." Revealed 2 of Clubs. "Speaking of which, can you really afford to be focused on me right now?"
At that moment, Ruby heard the monstrous shrieks inside of the cottage. Without thinking, she ran past 2 of Clubs back to the cottage.
"No!" She screamed, horrified at the very thought of something happening to those poor children. Then she saw it, and her eyes widened in pure horror. The children on the ground, convulsing as their bodies began to turn a mixture of pitch black and pure white; monstrous, Grimm-like. "No, no, no, no!"
The children began to shriek, their voices becoming more inhuman by the second. Ruby shook her head, as she began to realize she was far too late, and that she was witnessing something terrible happening.
"Razz, Hunter, Liv, Mag, Ming, Raj!" Ruby yelled, trying to reach them by calling them by name. "Please! Whatever's happening, you have to fight it!"
The children ignored her. They just continued shrieking. Ruby looked even paler. They were indeed becoming Grimm-like. They all rose to their feet one by one, bodies creaking and cracking horribly.
"Fight it!" Ruby pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. "Please! You can't give in!"
The children all turned to Ruby in unison, eyes glowing red. Ruby backed away instinctively, her hands still on Crescent Rose. She shook her head, growing more desperate.
"Please," she said softly, "please no."
"You're already too late, Ms. Rose." 2 of Clubs said coldly. "They're not the poor little orphans you knew."
"No…" Ruby muttered meekly before all the monstrous, Grimm-children pounced on her in unison. Their combined weight tackled her outside the clinic, knocking her off the porch and onto the grass. 2 of Clubs just laughed.
"You should rejoice, Ms. Rose." He taunted cruelly as the children began pounding at Ruby with their tiny, monstrous fists. "What we have here is a very unique opportunity. The opportunity to kill annoying, obnoxious children with no legal repercussions. If it were me in your position, I'd be taking full advantage."
"You monster!" Ruby yelled at him, desperately trying to toss the children off of her without hurting them. When she realized she had to get a bit rougher to get them off of her, she used Petal Burst to toss them off in a burst of speed. She quickly reappeared a few feet away from them. Ruby's face softened at the sight of all of them on the ground. "Come on guys. It's me! Ruby! You know me!"
"You poor thing." 2 of Clubs shook his head in slight irritation. "If you really killed poor Emi, you should know that there's no saving them."
"So you DID do something to Emi too!" She yelled.
"Well of course. I also experimented on that poor sap who ended up looking like a Beringel. The one you killed on your first day here." 2 of Clubs said proudly. "But enough about the past. Again…you need to worry about yourself. Make no mistake, Ms. Rose, they may be children, but with the DNA I inserted into them…they will break through your Aura and kill you if you're not careful. So I suggest you stop messing around. Because in this case, it is kill or be killed."
The children rushed Ruby once more. Ruby side stepped and avoided each pounce and swipe from the monstrous little tykes. She still did not give up though. She kept yelling at the children, pleading with them all to stop. To listen. To remember who they were before 2 of Clubs' experiments. However, none of the children were relenting.
"Stop it!" Ruby screamed desperately. "Please!"
In her distracted state, Ruby failed to notice 2 of Clubs brandishing a magnum from his coat. She was so focused on the charging children, she failed to sense him take aim and fire. The bullet struck Ruby in the side. Her Aura protected her, but the impact stunned her for a split second. That second was enough for the children to pounce on her once more.
"Stop it!" Ruby yelled. "It's me! It's me! Razz, Hunter, Liv, Mag, Ming, Raj! It's me! Please! Stop!"
The kids swiped at Ruby, their monstrous hands beating at her Aura. They were all snarling and growling, clearly ignoring Ruby's pleas. Slowly, a silver light began to shine in her eyes, like a light that was flickering on and off. The danger of Grimm-like monstrosities attempting to assault her was beginning to unknowingly trigger Ruby's powers. And she did not have the control to stop it. Then, when one of the children swiped at Ruby's throat, it happened.
Meanwhile, far away from the location of this nightmarish and tragic event, Hansel Kobalt was walking towards the town of Thimble. However, he was soon distracted by a silver pillar of light that shot up into the sky. His eyes widened, knowing IMMEDIATELY what the source was.
"Oh no…" Immediately Hansel began running towards the location of the pillar, not knowing he was already too late.
AN: Ladies and gentlemen. After two months, I return with what's basically part 1 of one of the darkest sequences I've ever written on this site. I mean, let's not kid ourselves. The light's on. There is no happy ending here. The only question now is, how do we proceed from here.
Hopefully, I won't be at a point where the gap between posts is so large again. I've got a new system I'm working with and a brand new laptop that will hopefully last me as long as my old one did.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. The title is quite appropriate, isn't it? I'll see you all next time.