Arya
His question leaves deep in thought.
Turning away, I occupy myself with my shoes.
He leans down and picks Dove in his arms.
"Where do I take her?"
I avoid his gaze.
"Would you rather take her to your room?"
He raises an eyebrow.
"So you intend to leave with the Psycho? If she stays with , then you have to stay as well - I’m not taking any chances".
Heaving a long sigh, I finally et his gaze.
"I can’t, Xian Xi. I have to do sothing".
His brows arch up.
"I have to bury Han - the Annihilator - properly. The Peace Corps already think I killed Arigana, now they’ll think I killed him as well. I also have to find a way to bring her body down from the noose and bury her. Also, I have to do so research on Dove’s condition".
His expression softens.
"You do not have to do anything alone. You can ask for help when you need it".
I smirk.
"Don’t be nice to , Xian Xi. It doesn’t fit you".
My snide remark wins a grin from him.
"Point taken - it doesn’t. Neither does it fit you. But, if you want help you can always ask for it. But my offer is limited ."
"I’ll keep that in mind". She said.
He turns to leave ,but then he turns back to .
"Where are you even going to bury them?" he asks.
"I am not precisely going to bury them, at least, not now. I plan to cremate them and store their ashes so I can bury them properly when, and if, we do leave this place".
He looks up at Arigana’s hanging body and grimaces.
"How do you intend to get her down?"
"I don’t. Fang made sure that I wouldn’t be able to. I plan to burn her as she is".
Another raised eyebrow.
"Since you now know the secret passage, you can co by the lounge when you’re done".
Saying that, he walks away, disappearing through the wall with Dove cradled like a baby.
I look up at her gory fra above. Fang really outdid herself. Her ssage has been received.
Sharp pain shoots through my heart. I pull up my sleeve and look down at my arm. The poison is spreading.
This is bad. Very bad.
It was never entirely my intention to beco a martyr. I don’t want to actually die. I usually rush into things because I know I can’t die. But now, the chances are uncertain.
Pulling the sleeve over the black skin of my arm, I rise to my feet.
I haven’t sustained any major injuries, just a few cuts and bruises.
With one last glance at Arigana’s corpse and the headless Annihilator, I walk down the endless hall.
Who even built this place? The walls, the vaults, everything impresses on the work of a designer who is very attentive to detail.
Fang is not the kind to sit and plan such things. She is ticulous in her strategies, but designing the Blink?
It’s hard to imagine a demon doing it.
I shrug off the thought.
Chen’s vault looms in front of .
I hesitate before knocking. My hand pauses mid-air as the door opens and a huge fireball slams against the wall behind.
I slip to the ground with a grunt.
"Are you here to kill off? Why did Han spare you?"
I don’t respond imdiately.
"Han is dead". I whisper between heavy breaths.
His eyes widen with disbelief.
My eyes dart to his hands which are burning up.
"Before you kill , hear out".
"Why should I! You just killed my commander!"
I close my eyes briefly before staring him dead in the eyes.
"I didn’t, but I won’t argue with you. You can kill right after, but I need your help".
His mouth twists in an ugly smirk.
"You’re wrong about sothing - I’ll kill you before, not after".
I push myself up, climbing to my feet with great effort.
A large hole had been burnt into my leather attire - my bare skin is visible.
He had been holding back. His fla is usually hot enough to burn through anything.
But, why?
Why do they always spare against their better judgent? Why don’t they just end once and for all?
"Do it, then. I only ca to ask you to help bury them".
His eyes darken.
"Why do you want to bury them? Why do you want to dishonour them even further? They were heroes!"
"Heroes that died because of ." I look away. "I’m sorry. If I could give my life for any of them, I would".
The fire in his hands slowly die out.
I swallow back my sigh of relief - he can’t know I’m afraid of him.
My heart had been pounding, wondering whether he would throw another fireball my way.
But, he hadn’t.
"Where do you intend to bury them?"
I et his gaze. His eyes look like burning coals. I flinch slightly.
"I... want you to cremate them. They deserve to be treated as heroes till the very end."
"In that case, everyone in the Blink should be present to witness it".
My stomach sinks.
"That’s not necessary". I counter.
"That’s my condition. What better way to honour them than in the presence of the people that had once fought alongside them".
Fang’s voice echoes in my head.
My hands start moving of their own accord, grabbing Chen by the neck.
His skin is hot underneath my hand, burning with its scorching intensity.
I can’t let go.
My body refuses to obey .
"Burn !" I yell at the top of my lungs.
His wide eyes et mine. He is confused.
My grip on his neck tightens.
"Burn !" I beg, more as a cry for help than anything else.
He finally grasps my ssage, grabbing my head with his flaming hands.
My grip on his neck loosens as the heat piercing through the thick layers of my skull overshadows everything else.
He shoves off with a grunt, as though it requires all his self-control to release .
I land on the ground and roll along the floor.
I can’t think.
I can’t breathe.
The sll of burnt hair and flesh floods my senses.
The skin of my scalp still feels like it’s burning.
Fang’s voice has faded to an inaudible whisper, feathery yet nonsensical.
I hear a voice. Soone is speaking to , but it feels like it is coming from a distant place - sowhere far away beyond my reach.
---
I open my eyes slowly. For a brief mont, my mind remains blank as I stare at the ceiling above.
Then, everything cos rushing in - down to how I ended up burned. It floods my mind like water bursting through a dam.
Fang almost made kill him. Why?
She seems to take pleasure in watching beco like her.
I listen for the sound of her voice in my head - nothing. Not even a whisper.
She must have accomplished her mission.
I rise up from the hard surface. As I move my leg, a chain jingles.
I look down at my ankles - my right ankle has been shackled to the wall.
Surprisingly, I’m wearing a muslin dress without sleeves. My leather boots are gone, leaving my feet bare.
I look around . Four walls of grey, moldy stone glare back at .
There is no door anywhere, no bars, no place for escape.
I lunge forward impulsively.
The chain scrapes along the ground until it stretches to its full extent, halting my movent.
Where am I? Is this a prison?
To my left is a pile of rotting bones - not exactly human bones, though.
The room is completely dark. There is not a single crack for light to slip in through.
I try pulling on my chain with all my strength, but to no avail.
Deciding to improvise, I bite my arm and watch it bleed out. The blood just trickles down the length of my arm, landing on the floor with asured precision.
My blood sword is gone?
I try morphing into my demon - even though I know its not possible.
Still, it doesn’t work.
I let out a frustrated shriek, clutching fistfuls of my hair.
Slowly, I sink to my knees. The shackles bite into the bare skin of my feet.
The sound of my breathing echoes through the room, reminding of how alone I am.
I clutch my hair tighter. To my surprise, my hair is full - not burnt and nonexistent. Even my scalp feels... normal.
What did they do to ?
Why did they bother saving and cleaning up if what they really wanted to do was to lock up?
My hands drop to my sides in hopelessness and despair.
Who can I even call to save ?
Xian Xi’s words echo in my head, but I imdiately shrug it off.
Polished shoes appear in front of .
I slowly look up.
To my horror, Claw stands there, looking formidable and dangerous.
I gulp.
This is a typical example of out of the pan, and into the fire - except the fire doesn’t just burn, it destroys everything about you.
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