*********************WARNING*****************************************
This chapter contains content that some people may find distressing.
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Song recommendation: Tear us apart (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCYtesyE7OA)
Clover stormed out of the dwelling indignantly. Ace ran after them.
"Clover?" he called.
Clover didn't turn back. They were walking at such a violent pace, Ace had to grab them by the arm. Even then, they were half out of his grasp. Ace glanced down. To his surprise, Clover was shaking. They looked increasingly pale. Their foot was tapping anxiously on the ground.
"Clover? What's going on?" Ace questioned. "Do you know what she meant?"
Clover's eyes flickered up as if coming out of a trance, "It didn't mean anything. Just nonsense. Come on, let's go,"
Ace watched them walk away in disbelief. He had never seen Clover so shaken. On the journey back Clover's behaviour was even more bizarre. Once more they set up camp and after it was finished Clover sat in front of the fire staring into it. Eventually, Ace went to sleep.
He awoke astonished that Cover was still staring into the ashes where the fire had been the next morning. Evidently, they had been sitting there all night without sleeping. When he approached, Clover didn't even lookup. They were still staring into the empty fire pit with an oppressive intensity.
The rest of the journey back, Clover was quieter still. Even Michael seemed to take note as he commented in his mocking fashion:
"What's the deal Clover? Looks like that old witch gave you some home truths, huh? Be honest. Do you have a child we don't know about?" he said half-jokingly and half with his usual shrewd appraisal. He waited for the answer with the ambition of an animal set on devouring his prey. He was looking for a weakness. Ace glanced over nervously to Clover. Surely they wouldn't give him anything useful?
Instead of an answer, Clover rode on indifferently. Either having heard the question and ignoring it or they were too deep in reflection of their own thoughts. However, Ace glimpsed a cunning smile on Michael's face. It would have been better if Clover dispelled the idea completely...
When they reached the palace of Swords, Clover swooped from the lizard and went directly to the great hall. Clover gave a slight gesture as they walked inside. By coincidence or intrigue, the rest followed just in time to see the guards shut the door behind them.
Michael stepped forward curious to look inside. However, the guard's blade came down in front of his face.
"No one goes in," the guard snapped. "Come back later...maybe,"
Michael was about to argue when Kalandra came forward and whispered something in his ear. Michael stopped with an arrogant grin and they began to walk away. Bird came following behind Ace who was regarding the door worriedly.
"What's going on?" Bird queried.
"Hopely it's not what I think it is," Ace said half to himself. "I'm sorry, Bird. I'm going to go back to my room. I need to do something,"
"Oh, okay," Bird said, surprised.
He watched Ace turn swiftly and set off. Bird hovered for a moment by the door. He didn't know exactly what compelled him to stay. He was trying to decide how he ought to spend the rest of the day when he abruptly cast his eyes back to the door. A terrible malign energy seeped from inside the great hall. Bird's eyes widened and he stepped back uncomfortably. Whatever was happening, he didn't want to stay to find out.
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Two days passed. Clover didn't leave the great hall once. Ace began to feel more nervous. Was it happening again? The loss of control that Clover described? He knew that Clover wouldn't have wanted the others to discover it.
Nevertheless, the day had come. Everyone had arrived expecting to be healed. Ace hoped that the guards would be enough to prevent their entry. Michael and Kalandra turned up by the door.
"Why can't we go in?" Michael demanded.
"Do I look like someone who gives explanations to someone like you?" The guard responded with his usual lack of enthusiasm.
"We need to see Clover!" Michael snapped.
"Maybe we should just come back later," Kalandra interrupted with an unusually subdued affect.
Michael glanced at her, but surprisingly her eyes went to Ace instead.
"She's right," Ace enjoined flatly, "We should just come back,"
"Wow," Michael scoffed, "Did both of you enter a stupidity competition when I wasn't looking? If we don't get healed, we turn into demons. What do you mean come back later? We don't have time to wait until later!"
Ace crossed his arms with a blank expression. He turned to Bird, dismissing Michael completely.
"We should just leave," Ace said in a low voice.
"I don't really understand why we should leave either though," Bird replied cautiously.
"Even Bird can see this doesn't make sense!" Michael exclaimed, "Unless you know something that we don't, Ace?"
"What would he know?" Kalandra injected, " It's just obvious they're not going to let us in,"
Michael turned back to her sharply, "Kali, you might take orders from this demon trash, but I don't,"
"What did you say?" the guard pointed his sword at Michael, "You wanna die, human scum?"
Michael turned to him with a smile, "I'd be careful where you point that thing. The last demon who did that ended up buried in the wasteland,"
"You wanna go in that bad?" the guard grinned darkly, "Go ahead, it'll be your funeral,"
Michael shoved past him. Kalandra shot Ace a worried look. However, Ace just shrugged. If Michael wanted to get himself killed, it would be no great loss. After all Michael had done, why was Ace trying to help him?
Kalandra turned coldly and followed Michael in. The doors shut behind them. For a while, there was silence. Perhaps, it wasn't as Ace thought. Maybe Clover was just sleeping. They often locked Michael out if they were.
However, in spite of the silence, the air began to quiver. A malevolent aura shuddered around the closed doors.
"I felt this before," Bird commented nervously, "I've never felt such dark energy. We should go in after them,"
"I don't think that's a good idea," Ace answered reluctantly.
"Why not?" Bird exclaimed, "Don't you think this is strange?"
"Michael was warned," Ace frowned. "What happens now, is his own fault,"
"Ace, this isn't like you," Bird returned unflinchingly, "I hate what Michael did, but I can't let him die. And I think deep-down you don't want him to die either,"
"Why do you always try to protect him, Bird?" Ace replied in an irritated manner. "He's not a good person,"
"Who is?" Bird smiled.
He ran to the doors and stepped inside.
"Damn," Ace uttered. He stood still for a moment. After all Kalandra and Michael's threats, he didn't want to help them. But Bird was right, for whatever reason, he still didn't want to see them die.
Finally, Ace hurriedly sprinted inside.
The sight that greeted him made his blood turn cold. Kalandra and Michael were thrown to either side of the hall. Both collapsed. Ace feared they might already be dead. Why had he waited? What was wrong with him?
At the heart of the room, Ace's eyes slowly fell on Clover. In Clover's hand, Bird was hoisted above the ground struggling against their grip. He raced towards them. Suddenly Clover threw him aside.
Ace leapt out just in time to catch Bird as they both were slammed against the wall. Ace hit the wall first as Bird's body fell into his arms. His head rang as he fell forward. Ace had shielded him from most of the blow. Blood trickled down his forehead.
Bird let out a cough as he gasped for air.
"Ace.." Bird breathed, "Run..."
Ace came to his feet unsteadily. Clover was still standing at the centre of the room. Their head tilted back to the ceiling in a daze, holding out their hand and muttering incomprehensible words.
Ace slowly approached.
"Clover?" Ace held out a hand, "Can you hear me?"
Clover's red glowing eyes turned to Ace hostilely. Ace froze in place. The look in Clover's eyes was completely foreign to him. It was bloodthirsty and cruel. In an instant, they disappeared entirely. Ace scanned the room frantically.
Suddenly a punch hit him directly in the gut and drove him flying. It sent sharp pain in his ribs. Ace could barely stand by the time he smacked against the doors. Ace's eyes came back to Clover fearfully. There was nothing of Clover there at all, only the demon lord.
Ace felt his way to stand leaning back against the door. With his remaining energy, he might be able to make a run for it...However, slowly his eyes came back to the others. Clover would surely kill them.
Against his better judgement, Ace stumbled forward. He breathed heavily as once more he came towards Clover.
"It's okay," Ace exhaled. " Whatever it is, I will listen. This is our game, remember? You do something bad. I do something bad. Then we can comfort each other, right?"
Clover lurched closer unsteadily. It seemed for a moment as if the words had some effect but then suddenly, at a startling speed, the demon lord darted towards Ace.
"Don't you love me?!" Ace cried desperately.
Clover halted with their hand outstretched just short of Ace's neck. Ace gulped as he met their incomparably crimson eyes. Ace held his hand to Clover's cheek, still trembling. He swept away a lock of their gossamer hair.
"You don't want to kill me, right?" Ace faltered, "We haven't finished our game. You still have to say the words. You have to tell me you love me...that's the rules. I know you hate to lose, Clover." Ace smiled as tears dripped down his face.
"This isn't playing fair," Ace inhaled a shallow breath. "So please...come back to me."
Clover's expression didn't change. They grabbed the hand by their face. Ace felt their grip tighten around his wrist. The pain felt like his bone might be crushed. It wasn't working...
Ace gritted his teeth. "I'm sorry, Clover,"
With his free hand, he slapped Clover hard in the face. Clover dropped Ace's hand. They stepped back disorientated by the blow. Blood dripped from their mouth. Ace had used as much strength as he could muster. Clover stared at the blood, blinking as the glazed look in their eye cleared.
Clover's turned to Ace surprised.
"You hit me," they said, still taken aback.
Their eyes slowly panned around the room and a look of horror came over them. Finally, their eyes came back to Ace. There was blood dripping from his brow. He was breathing unsteadily and cradling his wrist. Ace threw up an arm to stop the tears as they continued to fall.
"I had no choice," he sniffled as his voice broke. "I didn't want to! I didn't want to..."