It was now the middle of the night when Guinevere sensed dark magic inside the house. Albeit there was no one in sight but Granger and herself. The dark magic sounded of violins playing at dramatic speed and hushed whispers. Little did she know, it was coming from Granger's head. He was having a nightmare.
It's only then she realized when she heard his breathing becoming uneven and stressed. She didn't want to wake him up knowing he needed the shut-eye. But she didn't want to watch him suffer, even in his sleep.
Guinevere pondered about a way to calm him, and she finalized to sing a lullaby her nanny would always sing to her whenever she had a nightmare.
"...Just close your eyes, the sun is going down
You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now
Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound..."
"What angelic voice."
A gasped escaped from Guinevere's lips. Turning to the voice, her eyes shot wide open at a male figure spying through the shattered wall.
He had glowing red eyes, silver white hair, and an unknown symbol tattooed on his forehead. Guinevere gulped. He looked straight out of a nightmare, alright.
"Who are you?" She asked with a harsh tone.
"I am Martis of the Ashura Clan. You must be the runaway bride of Gusion Paxley? I didn't expect you to be strayed here in the Southern Mountains, especially with the Death Chanter." He seethed.
"Do you want to kill us?" Guinevere didn't hesitate to ask immediately.
The man chuckled to his surprise. He glanced at the man on Guinevere's lap, wearing an unreadable expression. "Only the Death Chanter. You, I will spare. I wouldn't let all that humane beauty become waste."
"Try me." Guinevere challenged.
"This protection spell of yours, milady, I can break it by just a touch so you best leave and forget your secret lover if you still want to see tomorrow."
Awaken by their verbal fight, Granger shuffled swiftly to his feet once he espied Martis at his peripheral. He summoned his pistol and aimed it at the intruder. "I've been looking everywhere for you, Martis." Granger said, begrudgingly.
"I was tired of you chasing me so I decided to give you a chance, Granger." Martis grinned wickedly. "Now come out and fight if you don't want your wife to get killed as well."
Granger stood in front of Guinevere protectively. Guinevere's heart was beating so fast from the name Martis called her although it wasn't the time for becoming flattered.
"Stay here, Gwen."
Guinevere looked up, disagreeing. "Granger, no."
"I'll signal when you should attack." He whispered lastly before walking forward to Martis. Before Granger could fully walk through the house, Martis had already charged. Guinevere gasped, though gladly Granger flickered away.
The redhead clenched her fists, radiating radioactive balls as she charges up. Once full of energy, she lunges at Martis who got distracted by Granger's burst and enables her anti-gravity ultimate spell, decreasing half of the Ashuran King's health.
Martis backed off for his escape, only to be finished by Granger. He transformed his guitar case into a massive rifle, hitting his target thrice with loud super bullets. Guinevere could feel his aura growing darker.
Silence filled the clearing once again and smoke hissed from Martis's corpse. Granger walked over to examine the body and Guinevere followed securely.
"He'll resurrect in a few minutes, let's go." Granger said in haste.
Guinevere made no reply as she only stayed on his back. Somehow his dark aura still had not returned to its normal color. Guinevere glanced at Martis's body one last time before she went to catch up with Granger.
As they walked fast through the woods, Granger looked frustrated with something and Guinevere wanted to find out why.
"How are you going to finish your mission with your target being unable to die?" Guinevere asked.
"I'll report an update to the Monastery. Alucard was right, though. Defeating that monster is a suicide mission that not even my music can distract him." He said as though he was talking to himself, not throwing her at least a glance. "I've been chasing him for months, researching every possible way to somehow finish him, yet it seems I'm not powerful enough."
Guinevere frowned as she heard him hiss in rage. "Granger, relax. You are stressing yourself out-"
"GRANGER!!!"
Their heads turned around towards the direction of the roar, knowing the owner of it was already coming for them. Martis torn down every tree that was in his way.
"Gwen, I want you to run as fast as you can. Now."
"What? I can't leave you alone-"
"Just do it, Gwen!" His sudden change of tone made her feel estranged. He can't surely be serious about leaving him alone.
Red smoke began emerging from his body, making Guinevere's voice waver as she stuttered. "But I-I..."
Martis arrived like an asteriod before them. The ground shook and the soil underneath him cracked, summoning spiky fangs of teeth with his sword.
Guinevere spaced out and it was only then she regained from her trance when Granger had teleported them behind a huge boulder of stone in a flicker, giving them enough time before they would split up. Martis screamed, becoming infuriated as he searched for them in a nearby foliage of bush.
Granger held her shoulders as she began to panic in confused anger. "I'll see you later, Gwen."
Tears began falling from Guinevere's eyes. This might be the last time they would see each other, which was the last thing she would want. "We can fight him together, Granger!" She pleaded in mercy.
"No, he's too strong. Now go... Please." He never begged before, and she never wanted him to.
"I can smell your pure lady from here, Granger!" Martis mocked in disgust, kindling Granger's anger.
"Just promise me one thing." Guinevere requested. "Stay alive for me, got it?"
Granger nodded and pulled her into a timeless kiss, pulling her body towards his knowing he could possibly never have her this close ever again.
"That's a promise, Gwen." He said. He pulled himself off forcibly and exposed himself to Martis.
"I'm here, stupid." He deadpanned.
Martis looked up from the bushes and smiled gladly, psychotically. "Prepare for the afterlife, Death Chanter!"
Granger returned the smile, such rarity of his smiles, if not far more wicked than Martis's. "Experience the euphony of suffering as well."
⚜️⚜️⚜️
With the help of a magical compass, Guinevere was able to get out of the woods alive. But the ruckus of their fight stretched far beyond. Guinevere listened to the bullets' explosion until she heard none anymore, which made her hold her chest, feeling her heart wrenched.
Martis would be the last man standing, but she couldn't read any presence, and so she finalized that the two of them must have finished each other... peacefully.
They could not. Granger could not. He made a promise to her and he was a man of promise, wasn't he?
The fact that she doesn't know her lover very well yet makes her mad about herself. Until now, she couldn't believe he'd be the one. Not Gusion Paxley, who was highly attractive and in demand across the Land of Dawn.
It was Granger. The Death Chanter. The antisocial and ever so gothic demon hunter who's feared among the Lands. The boy she became instant friends with, and left her in an instant with an unfulfillable void deeper than the Dark Abyss.
She was so happy when she found out it was him, secretly. And she wanted her happiness with him to never end.
He must not fight for her.
They must fight together.
And she must fight with him.
And lo, when Granger had been panting his last breath, blood and sweat mixing on his skin, Martis hauled the guitar case and mercilessly split it into two for receiving satisfaction of seeing the dread in the Death Chanter's eyes.
"Got any last words, Granger?"
Granger shook his head. His whole body had became numb in which he could feel himself slowly fading up.
Martis aimed his sword at Granger's neck, unable to control his evil laughter anymore. He was becoming distracted by his celebration. Forthwith, Guinevere landed between them.
Martis gasped once he saw the confident smile in her face as she said sarcastically, scarily.
"Dance with me!"
→_→(Guinevere used her Ult if any of you didn't get it.) ←_←