I looked back at the chained person sitting across from me. I could tell who he or she was, but I at least wanted to figure out where exactly we were.
"Psst! Hey, are you awake." I whispered.
The person slowly looked up at me, only muttering a few words.
"Just give up." the person said.
Give up? Honestly, I feel like I've already given up. I only wanted someone to talk to during my final hours.
"What's your name?" I asked the person.
"Just give up. Just give up. Just give up. Just give up."
The voice sounded like a girl's, and she sounded familiar as well.
"Do you know someone named Hiro Satomi?" I asked.
"Hiro...Satomi...?" the girl said, looking back up at me.
"Yeah, do you know him?"
"...Hiro...?"
I smiled, but also felt heartbroken as well after realizing that the person sitting across from me...was Xylvia.
"It's me Xylvia," I said. "I'm alright."
"No...you...you died..." Xylvia said.
"No, I'm not dead. I'm here, alive and, somewhat, well."
"No...no...NOOO!!! STOP IT GLEAM!!! STOP IT!!!! DON'T PRETEND TO BE HIM!!!! STOP IT!!!!! FUCK YOU!!!!! STOP!!! AAAAUUUGHH!!!"
Xylvia all of a sudden started freaking out. She swung her chained hands in any direction that she could and cried out in despair. Her voice had no signs of hope or joy. Her perverted nature was non-existent. She didn't even seem angry.
It was as if every emotion was depleted from her body, then replaced with despair.
The door to the room swung open and Gleam appeared once again.
"GET AWAY!!!! GET AWAAAAY!!!!!" Xylvia shouted, kicking and screaming.
"UNTIE ME," I demanded. "IF YOU'RE GOING TO CHAIN ME HERE, THEN AT LEAST CHAIN ME WITH XYLVIA!!!!!"
"Shut it."
Gleam pulled out a glass bottle filled with a blue liquid and splashed it on both of us. We both froze in place, not able to move a single inch.
"I can't believe that out of every being in the universe, you were chosen to be one of the Champions," Gleam said. "I guess it doesn't matter though. You're never going to leave my site, but I guess I can let you be with Xylvia. After all, it is her last day."
I can't tell how long I was blacked-out for, but when I woke up I found Xylvia resting her head on my shoulders. Gleam was sitting a few feet across from me.
"Why did you say that it was Xylvia's last day?" I asked.
"That's obvious. She's going to die tomorrow morning."
"What...?"
Die? Why? Why does she have to die?
"She has extraordinary powers. I've found a way to take her powers and use them myself. Then after that, I'll kill her myself."
"Why do you have to kill her?"
"Because without those powers of hers, she'll be vulnerable to severe psychological damage. You can think of it like a never-ending cycle of sureal nightmares."
"So you're saying that you're gonna put her out of her misery?"
She nodded.
"The thing is...I've already taken her powers," Gleam said. ""The trauma won't start to kick in until dawn, so she had until then. You better hurry and give her a good last few hours."
And with that, Gleam got up and walked away, shutting the door behind her and leaving us in the dark again.
I could feel Xylvia waking up; she lifted her head off my shoulders.
"Hiro...?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's-"
"NOOOO!!! STOP IT!!! STOP!!!!! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!! STOP IT GLEAM!!!!! STOP IT!!!!!! AAAAUUUUUUUHHHH!!!!"
I wrapped my arms around Xylvia and held her tightly close to me. She tried to break free, kicking me and screaming in agony as she tried to deny everything.
"PLEASE WAKE UP," I shouted at Xylvia, crying my eyes out. "PLEASE, OPEN YOUR EYES!! IT'S ME!!! I'M ALIVE!!"
I felt like I was going to die. Seeing Xylvia like this hurt me more than every moment in my life that I've felt pain combined.
"SHUT UP GLEAM," Xylvia shouted. "YOU KILLED HIM!!!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!! HE'S NOT YOUR TOY!!!!! NO!!! STOP!!! HIRO!!!! HIR-MMPH!"
It felt a little cliche, but I didn't know what else to do. I had no idea how to convince her, so I just went in for a kiss.
Xylvia kept trying to push away from me, but I kept us in place. She tried punching my shoulders, but her punches grew weaker and weaker as time progressed. She eventually went from punching me to caressing my cheeks. She placed her hands on various parts of my body, as if trying to figure out if I was really there.
After about what felt like ten minutes, I backed away from her. But after only a few moments, Xylvia pulled me back in for another kiss.
I guess it doesn't hurt to double-check.
Once she was finally satisfied, she pulled back and sighed.
"Is it really you?" Xylvia asked me, her eyes completely red and swollen from crying.
"It's really me," I said. "I'm still here."
"Thank goodness... I'm...so happy..."
Xylvia had nothing left to cry, so all she could fo was smile. That was all I needed to see.
We embraced in a long hug.
After we let go of each other, Xylvia pulled out a glass bottle filled with a glowing purple liquid.
"What is that?" I asked her.
"It's the same liquid that Gleam plans on using to kill me. Me, Leonna, and the other actually found this place a week ago. I don't know who it was, but some voice led me to this place. I found this bottle and kept it on me ever since."
"How did you figure out what it was?" I asked.
"When I was captured, Gleam showed me the same liquid that she had in her own bottle and told me about what it does. I'm just glad that I was lucky enough to keep the bottle on me."
"So you plan on hitting Gleam with this."
"I did, but then Gleam took something out of me and I was suddenly lost in a deep, dark abyss. I thought that I was never going to get back up, but then you came and pulled me back in again."
Xylvia gave me a hearty smile.
The door suddenly swung open and Gleam came walking in again.
Xylvia pretended to be sleeping on my shoulders before Gleam could fully see us in the light.
"Think of something sadistic." Gleam said to me.
I noticed that she was carrying my blade. Blood was dripping from it.
"Why should I?" I growled at her.
She pointed hee sword at Xylvia.
I immediately complied and tried thinking of wanting tear Gleam's head off. Tearing off her limbs. Slicing her guts out and watching them spill onto the ground. Watching her die without showing any remorse.
My blade suddenly sparked black flames and it's demonic aura returned.
"YoU bEttEr GEt mE BAcK!" I could hear the demon, or Sin of the blade, said.
I'll try to.
"This Sin feeds off of it's Champion's dark thoughts," Gleam said. "Why do you think I was trying to get your sadistic side out."
At first, I had no idea what she was talking about, but then I suddenly remembered another person trying to do that.
"Were you that masochist girl from my highschool?" I asked.
Gleam smiled.
"I've had my eyes on you since before you were even summoned here. Trust me, no matter what you plan you'll never be able to beat me."
Gleam once again left the room, closing the door behind her.
I couldn't help but wonder why Gleam used a unique word to describe a wielded of a Sin.
"Champion..."
"I hope that the people are ok." Xylvia said.
"What people?" I asked.
"Well...after the Town of Colors was destroyed by some sort of demonic power, we all had to evacuate to another place. Members of the Army of Light said that they were going split us up into five groups. We then found Leonna and Ray nursed her back to life. Leonna has grown much more cautious, so I know that she'll be able to take care of the town that she's residing in right now."
"..."
No matter what I say, or what I do, it will always end with me being hopeless.
"Hiro?" Xylvia looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"A demonic power wiped out the Town of Colors...hehe...The town that Leonna is currently residing in...he....hehehe..."
I could already feel my brain start to turn into mush.
"Hiro, what's wrong?"
"Xylvia...the town that Leonna is resinding in is gone..." I said.
"You don't know that! Leonna is a great leader, so she won't back down from danger."
"No, it's already gone. You want to know how I know...? It's because the one responsible for destroying that town, as well as the Town of Colors, was...me...hehe..."