It was quite the shock to see Amelia here.
The Floating Islands, despite having a whimsical name it had a depressing backstory behind it all. Yet it was still home to millions of insects and birds. There were all kinds that would make any researcher flock towards here.
Not only such, it was also home to a God.
Gods of Wind, Aves. A young man with wavy white hair and dark blue bird-like eyes.
"Oohhh~ Amelia is here~" His voice was deep and loud.
The tree leaves were swaying, a light breeze carrying the clouds and birds flying through the skies. Lush greenery went well with skies as blue as the waterfalls flowing off of the edges of the island.
Even so, what lies beneath the islands was pitch black nothingness.
She groaned out loud, "I wish I didn't have to go through you."
"Eh, why? Aren't you glad to see me?" He was sitting on the grass field.
A tree much larger and taller than the rest occupied the island Aves lived on. There was a small tree house on the thick tree branch. It was unnamed and remained unnamed, still it was respected by whoever came across it.
"Absolutely not." She shook her head.
His outfit was sloppy, his black windbreaker jacket having not zipped up fully and a sleeve falling off his shoulder. His bland white shirt was shown fully. He wore tight-fitting leggings with blue and black coloured sneakers.
She crossed her arms, "Can I leave now?"
"Eh~ Why don't you just stay around for a little longer?"
"Not interested in your nonsense."
She turned around and began walking towards the edge, yet was abruptly stopped by Aves. He grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her close to the tree. She did not fight back, letting him get his ways this time.
"Just a little chat alright? I'll let you go pretty soon."
She was let go once he made it to a spot. He leaped up to his tree house and grabbed some things while she waited, sitting on the ground and observing her surroundings. Her hair started to flow with the breeze.
"Sorry~" He reappeared in front of her with a bottle.
There were flowers above a section and the rest of the water had turned in colour.
He sat down and started talking, "You only have one reason for being here, right?"
"Did you honestly think I would come all the way here to see you?"
"Absolutely not." He chuckled loudly.
He poured some of the tea on the bottle cap and started drinking some. He blew the steam off of the top and sipped it. Her eyes did not meet his, content with staring at the scenery instead of looking at him while he was talking.
"There's been some disturbance around here."
She did not reply which made him continue, "You must have known what it is."
"Bold of you to assume so."
He did not reply initially yet still having a smile on his lips. He took another sip of his tea, leaving silence to cover the atmosphere between them. The breeze started picking up as it grew stronger than before. It changed abruptly which led her to get suspicious.
"Now explain to me." His tone of voice got serious.
She let out a little chuckle, "What about it?"
"It's that hard to explain huh?" He began to lower his hand holding the cap.
The breeze turned violent, raging winds blew through the entire world. It was trying to blow her away though it ended up having her hair swing around wildly. She finally stared back at him, noticing the boiling rage in his eyes.
"Once you calm down, I'll say something about it."
The air current started to slow down back to a gentle breeze. She still noticed the fury in his gaze.
Since he had done so, she decided to explain.
"Give me an answer. Why do you think I am involved with it?"
He raised it up and took another sip, "Because they are someone you knew, right?"
"Even if it was someone I knew, it doesn't mean I'm siding with them."
"You can say that for Cyliam."
He placed it down and continued, "And you are still trying to protect him."
She snickered lightly, "So you already know."
"The winds do not lie, my dear."
He poured more tea into the cap, taking it another sip. He closed his eyes, the smile slowly fading away from his lips. He did not smile, laugh or had any reactions. They again sat in silence with the breeze calming down.
She decided to speak first, "This has something to do with Cyliam, yes. Still, that wasn't the reason why I'm here."
"I know that. You're looking for them."
She tilted her head, "Oh, knowing the specifics too eh."
"Even so, you still need to tell me what happened."
"Why is there a need to?" She asked seriously.
"You will know later." He took another sip of his tea.
He waved at her, "You are allowed to leave. Just don't leave here completely."
She stood up and shook her head, "You can just hold me here if you wanted to."
He laughed loudly, "I'd be scared to do so but we'll see how it goes."
He waved at her while she walked away, "Bye bye~"
She rolled her eyes and jumped off the edge of the island. She was falling down into the darkness below her without much worry, only staring straight at it. The darkness soon consumed the area around her, only it was her surroundings.
It felt like an abyss that never ended. She felt like her voice could bounce off the walls and echoed back and forth a few times. The feeling of nothingness started to set in as she continued to fall deeper and deeper.
After what felt like hours, she finally landed on some ground.
Darkness was the only thing she could see as there was little to no light in the area and having nothing around her. She did not bother and continued walking, humming lightly like she was simply strolling.
The Abyss, a name given to it because of how it looked. An empty space where only darkness lay ahead. No other beings or creatures lived here since it had nothing here, not even a lot of light for plants to grow.
Something appeared in front of her, seeing two doors there.
One of the doors had snakes carved on it, their eyes were empty like it was gouged out. The other door had rusted chains wrapped around it as if it was something forbidden yet ancient. She stood in the middle of both and looked around.
She did not do anything at first, staring back and forth at them.
It was before a painful headache struck her.
"Does it need to be so painful…" She murmured while placing a hand on the side of her head.
A signature laugh echoed off the walls, "What did you think eh~?"
Asura's figure hid hers as he was way taller than she was. He jaw gapped while staring down at her, a visible smirk on his mouth. He laughed loudly again once he looked at her current state as her headache had not gone away.
"Aww.. want some comfort~?"
She sighed, "Fuck off."
He placed his claw on her head and shook her side to side, "How cute~"
"I have something serious to say, stop it." She gripped his wrist.
He still did not move it away, "Go on."
She knew that she could not convince him to move his claw away, so she decided not to say anything about it. She groaned again while her right eye twitched, perhaps she would complain about it much later on.
"Be my back-up for Fox."
"Shouldn't that be assumed?"
She shook her head, "I meant by stopping Aeon."
"Oh."
Her words confused him for a moment. Of all things she could have asked him to do, stopping Aeon from reaching her was the last thing he expected. Heck, he did not even think of that as a possibility before getting here.
He tilted his head, "The least you should worry about right now is Aeon."
She sighed, "If I don't, he might ruin my plans."
"So basically a hiderence."
He laughed out loud after hearing her say that. He finally let go of his claw as he faded away, returning back to her. She stretched her limbs before walking into one of the doors, Asura's voice still echoed in her mind.
"Are you going to find out who the mastermind is?" He asked.
She nodded, "That. But also more things as well."
"I came all the way here after all, it would be a waste to ask only that."
Amelia pushed the door on her right and walked in.
Her surroundings looked not much different from The Abyss yet she could feel the subtle changes from it.
Especially the snakes surrounding her feet.
"Quite the way to greet me, don't you think?" She shouted.
Her voice echoed through the empty halls, sounds of snakes hissing was the other that filled the area. She continued walking forward as they slithered around her, watching every movement she was taking. They still cleared out a pathway for her to get through without stepping on any of them.
"My apologies."
A chuckle followed soon after.
"You've grown quite the balls haven't you, Falak?" Her eyebrows knitted.
God of Snakes, Falak. A man with short black hair with some tinge of green; His eyes resembled a snake's , black pupils and yellow iris. His facial expression never once felt genuine, always exaggerated or intense.
"Saddens me to hear you say that, Amy~" His pitch was higher than the average male.
"Amy is not a nickname you're allowed to use."
He waved his hands, "Aahaha. Take it lightly, miss."
He sat on a throne made out of bones and skulls, it ranged from children to old people. It was built around him and only suited for him to sit on. His robe's sleeves had draped off of the arm rest, shades of black contrasting with the white.
He snickered, "Too bad there aren't any thrones for you to sit on."
She clicked her tongue before speaking, "No need."
He propped his head up with his hand, "Oh? I definitely thought the Guardian Goddess needed a throne."
"That sort of status is unbefitting for me."
He laughed loudly after hearing what she said. The snakes moved around like they were laughing along with him. He shook his head whilst his laughter still ranged through, placing a hand on his mouth to muffle it.
"My apologies. That's quite a sentence." He said in between laughs.
She crossed her arms and stared at him, "I don't care whatever you think of it."
"You should know why I'm here."
He gradually stopped and answered, "Of course. Why won't I?"
"Then you know how to dodge my questioning."
He smirked, his head remained tilted as he stared back at her. He viewed her akin to a toy, or a subject, someone to be experimented on in any way he felt like so. She understood that as well hence why she stared back blankly.
"What makes you think I would not answer you honestly?"
She answered sternly, "Because of who you are."
"But wouldn't answering you honestly fit my agenda?" He placed his chin in his palm.
"In some way. There is always that possibility."
He extended his free hand, "Go ahead then. Give me your best shot."
The snakes start to slither around her, at least leaving some area for her to move around. She knew what they meant, he intended for me to not leave so long as he had not been satisfied by her questions.
"When did you meet Cyliam?"
"At some point he was still being a counselor."
"How did he find you?" She observed him attentively.
He giggled before saying, "Quite the story."
He continued, "It was his desire that I answered to. I believe someone was trying to answer his calls beforehand but I did so before they could."
"He was quite the pitiful man. So lost, fearful and still holding optimism. Perhaps that desire of his was what pushed him here. How would I know? I saw him again after he had made a contract with Noir."
She nodded and listened closely. She did not question him immediately as she was processing what he just said in her head.
"My… Is there that much information I gave you?" He placed his hand over his mouth.
She denied him instantly, "Just making sure that you aren't lying."
"Ah~ Alright then." He placed his hands together.
"You helped the cults behind the scenes?"
He closed his eyes and said, "Hmm… One of them asked me for something."
"Would you like to know what it is?" He chuckled while opening his eyes.
"As long as you're willing to tell."
He clapped, "Alrighty then. This is a rather long story."
"So one of them called out to me, since I thought it was interesting so I answered them. What they asked for is really interesting you see."
He continued with a huge grin on his lips, "They had asked if it was possible to create a half god weapon without using rainbow dragon scale and blessings. Though it's not entirely possible to do so because you can't have that if you don't have a God/Goddess's blessing."
She raised an eyebrow, "So you gave them a hand?"
"Yep and I taught them how to use it as well!"
He was proud of his achievements. The fact that he was even willing to give them a hand meant the biggest suspicion was on him. There still was some doubt in her mind that he wasn't as involved though that would be more clear once she finished her questioning.
"You met all of them at least once?"
He raised his hand and started counting, "The first when he called out to me; Second was she had a desire to meet me; Third was asking me for help; Fourth was also desire to meet me."
"I guess so then. Since there were more than one person coming to me twice." He shrugged.
She nodded and looked around her. Though the scenery did not change, she felt the amount of snakes had grown. There was a lot more coiled up on each other or passing by her feet. They seemed like they were suffocating due to having cramped up in limited space.
"You have more snakes?" She commented while watching them struggling to slither around.
He chuckled as some began to slither up his throne. He usually would have killed them by slicing their head off when they did so, but he looked to be in a great mood. He propped his right arm up and let them wrap around it.
"Yep, now I have more pets to work with."
She blinked a few times before narrowing her eyes at him, "You collected this much?"
"Oh no darling. They were given to me." The corner of his lips curled up into a grin.
"For what? You know it's against some rules."
He tilted his head, "As gifts. I don't think receiving gifts is a liability for us, would it?"
She did not question him further. Still having looked at the way he grinned gave her more than she could have asked for. She shook her head and decided to go on something else instead, clearing up some thoughts that were in the air.
"Something happened between you and Phonoi?"
He stood up and walked towards her, "I believe not. I have not bullied any other God or Goddess."
"You do know he might look for you later right?"
He halted once he was close to her, "Of course. My little pets told me so."
"Did you not believe that they wouldn't lie?" She crossed her arms and stared at him.
"Ahahaha. There is a chance but not all of them would lie to me."
She was not sure why he had come down from his throne to stand near him. He started circling around her as the snakes began to move somewhere else, leaving the space for the two of them. Her guard was placed up as a gut feeling had set in stone.
He wants something from her.
"Do you think I'm working with Foxglove?" He placed his hand behind while asking.
"There is a chance. Even if your goals don't align, you would benefit from this."
He laughed out loud as he continued asking, "So you had your suspicions from the very beginning."
"After one of them decided to attack Andrata. That only solidified that there was more to it than meets the eye."
She did have a feeling once she was handed the investigation, though the idea was not absurd there were still some reasons that it might have simply been the five of them working together for a common goal.
Once Andrata was attacked however, it meant that there was someone behind it.
After not a single snake was in sight, he stopped right beside her. His smirk remained as he observed her. She did not share such sentiments hence not looking back at him. He placed a hand on his chin as he talked.
"What makes you so brave to come here, alone even?"
She still replied in monotone, "So you noticed Asura wasn't with me?"
"Don't ask me another question before you answer mine."
He had not gotten serious, only saying it as a blank threat. Still she could feel the change in emotions as they continued on their conversations. They were using each other for their own gain though unsure of each other's exact intentions.
"Because I can still beat you easily?"
He snickered, "Even in my own domain?"
"You're pretty shit at physical combat."
He could see the shadow of a blade coming his way so he dodged away.
His vision was correct, but it was too late.
A small wound appeared on his neck as he stood up still, blood trickling down his body. Falak placed a finger over it and wiped, picking up the blood with his fingers. He still smirked as he saw Amelia remained there as if she did not just move.
"My my… that isn't kind of you."
She clicked her tongue, "I'm not willing to indulge you in your fantasies."
"So you already know?"
"Was trying to see if my suspicions were true."
He started laughing again, but this time it got louder and louder. His laughter was the only thing that filled this empty space. He had grown more manical than when they were walking, eyes lit up with an unknown excitement.
"Ah… I knew you were the only one who could fulfill my desires."
She turned around, her sword appeared on her hips, "Tell me what you actually want."
He placed his hand over his face and shook his head, "It's simple really."
"I just desire chaos."
Only one of his eyes was visible yet the emotions in them were intense to say the least.
Lust was a way to put it. But those eyes of his conveyed so much wrapped within a deep layer of insanity, it would bring fears to those not willing to stare at the combination of their worst nightmare face to face.
"So you want me out of there?" She gripped on the hilt.
"More precisely to say, I want to see what happens once you're out of there."
He shrugged and continued, "I can get you out of there easily. The Council is really easy to manipulate and they already hate you. So it won't take too much of a push to kick you off of there."
"If you want to get me out, find another way."
He laughed, "But there is already another way."
"Won't you say so?"
Falak's figure turned into sand once he finished his sentence.
Her surroundings did not change, still the same old pitch black as before.
Though there was a sensation that warned and announced their appearance.
Suffocating. Perhaps it was a lighter way of putting it.
There was fog thick enough that she could feel it passing through her fingers; The feeling of fear that would make most knees' give up by themselves; Omnipotent that would make most bow down at them in admiration and terror.
He was no longer who he used to be. Dare some might say it, he might have become a being above all others.
"You…"
Words were stuck in her throat. It felt hoarse yet she had not been speaking for that long.
"Quite a while since we have seen each other, Amelia."
There was a slight longing in his tone though it was clear that she did not share that thought.
"Foxglove." She said his name as if it was a forbidden word.
It was silent. Way too silent. So much so that thoughts had begun swirling in his mind.
Aeon was alone at home as both girls had gone out for a girl's night out. He was somewhat concerned but had gone against his judgement and let him go. He laid on the sofa while staring at the ceiling fan.
"I wonder where she is…" He mumbled out loud.
They had not seen each other for weeks, he even went as far as to visit her during working hours. But every time he was there, she already went out for her midday stroll. That happened so frequently that he chose to wait a day when she was free.
Nonetheless, that day had not come.
He grabbed his phone from the coffee table, noticing the time on his display. 6:05 p.m. meaning that her work hours were over. He stared at it for a while, wondering if he should contact her to see if she wanted to have dinner with him tonight.
He laid there pondering, thinking of all the places he could bring her to.
Eventually he caved in, deciding to call her first.
Beep… Beep… Beep…
No one picked up.
Beep… Beep… Beep…
No one picked up.
Beep… Beep… Beep…
At this point he had gotten frustrated at it. He called three times already but she had not picked up her phone.
He groaned and placed it away, choosing to stare at the ceiling fan and let his thoughts wander.
Yet the more he thought about it, the more some of it did not make sense.
'She always picks up her phone. Even if she knew the caller and did not want to answer them, she still does it. The difference is that she does not say a word, letting them hang up on her by themselves.'
He blinked a few times, processing his line of thought.
Worry began to set in.
'Right… She always picks it up. If she is not at home then she will just message them beforehand letting them know not to call her. Either that or letting Unova ir Sherry pick it up in her stead.'
Worry turned into panic as he realised the possibility.
He decided to call Diane first to make sure that he was not overthinking it. He had hoped very much that it was his paranoia working up and there was nothing to worry about. His rhythmic heartbeat had turned loud and chaotic.
What Diane told him only built on it further.
"Miss Amelia…? She went out an hour ago saying that she had something to do and asked me to go home early for the day. I stayed behind until work hours are over because I still have work to do."
He stuttered, "Ah… alright… thanks Diane."
She knew from his tone that something was wrong, "Is there something going on? If there is, I can ask Marcus for some assistance."
"Haha, no need. Thank you anyways."
He hung up on her before she could continue. He stared at his phone as he wondered if he should act on it.
Perhaps it really was him being paranoid.
"Desperate I see." He sneered at Aeon.
A familiar voice appeared from behind him. He sat up and stared at the person despite already knowing who it was.
"Sura.."
Panic was apparent on his face. He could not hide the emotions raging through him so it was on full view. Asura seemed pleased about his expression, finding amusement in what he was feeling. The corner of his lips curled up into a smirk.
"She's fine… right?" He was desperate for any answer.
But deep within he knew that Asura's appearance was the opposite of what he hoped for.
He placed a hand on his cheek as he spoke, "What would she say… Ah yes, pathetic."
"Give me something will you?" Aeon gritted his teeth.
The glint in his eyes told it all, "But you already knew. What is there more to tell you?"
"Why do you mean?! I know not--"
He stood up in frustration, his tone shifted to that of unsettled. Yet Asura would not let him finish his sentence. He grabbed the lower part of his face, shutting him off at the same time pulling him closer. Asura's smirk remained as he chuckled.
"What a flimsy lie." He muttered under his breath.
He tilted his head as his grip tightened. "Tell me something different. I already know something she's not willing to say."
While Aeon remained confused about his intent, the look in his eyes still conveyed to him everything. That was if he was looking at it. He purposely dodged his eyes as they collectively knew what was going on.
"Spit it out. How far did you see?"
To the outside, it seemed out of nowhere. He asked a question that he had no answer to.
However, he knew exactly what Asura was asking.
Aeon felt like his face was about to be torn off as he gripped around his wrist, knowing well that this would not deter Asura from getting the answers he wanted. Honestly, it was answers that both of them deserved to know.
"If you lie. I'll slowly tear your face off until you speak an ounce of truth." Even when his tone remained indifferent, his threat was not one to be taken lightly.
"You wouldn't want to make your dearest cry, right?"
He loosened his grip just enough for Aeon to speak clearly, but not enough to get his hand off of him.
"So this is what Aves meant by disturbance." Amelia commented.
She understood the situation she placed herself in. Despite that, this was the only way she could get the answers she was looking for.
For once, she could feel her heartbeat racing.
"Don't kid yourself. The Abyss still belongs to no one." Foxglove remarked with a smile.
She could not see him though his presence felt more dominating than all the other times she had seen him. His body was covered up by the same fog, only the outline of it was visible; Even the upper half of his face had been covered.
He sighed before stating, "The Abyss is a free real estate. No Gods or beings own this place because it exists nowhere and has nothing in it. Perhaps only Rose Malibur is the sole owner of it."
"Then again, what does not belong to her?"
She steadied her breathing while never letting go of her grip, staring at him intently. She made sure that he was not going to do anything drastic. After all, she did at least want to make it out of here alive and not in pieces.
He clapped to gain her attention back on him, "Now then, we do have a pretty big fish in our hands."
"Won't you say so too, dear?" His words were followed by the flick of his fingers.
Although nothing had appeared around them, she was not going to take the chance. Any possibility was out of the question.
A huge blaze momentarily lit up the space, clearing out some of the fog around her to see clearly. Even so, it still covered his figure. He whistled when seeing her turned the fog into fire, bringing some life in the otherwise dreadful place.
"Feisty, aren't we?" He chuckled out loud.
"Take that somewhere else. You know why I'm here."
He waved his hand and said, "Come on, can't we have a little chat beforehand?"
"I'm not interested in your musings." She retorted.
He shook his head, disappointed that she was not playing along with him. It was within his expectation but he still hoped that she would do so. He shrugged and sat down, everything he did remained covered by it.
"What did you think of my illusion?"
She groaned and said, "It's not really one is it?"
"Falak just forfeited part of his soul to you. So his words and behaviour looked convincing because it was still him replying to me and not an already scripted play that can't go another way."
"Observant I see." He clapped slowly.
"This is child's play." Her left eye twitched.
He had not said anything else as he stared at her, looking at something. She narrowed her eyes as the fog began to surround her. Her sword disappeared from her hips as she placed her hands into the pockets.
He immediately commented, "Letting your guard down?"
"Of course not. But you still would do something to me even if I have my weapon near me."
"Ah… You know me well~"
She decided to walk closer to him despite not knowing whether or not she could get close. Though she was not allowed to get close, feeling a barrier between them both that she could break. She placed a hand on it even if it was unseeable by the naked eye.
"Hmm~? You want to get close to me now?" He ridiculed her actions.
She retorted, "I just want to see if you are actually hiding yourself or pretending to be."
"So I come off that way to you eh…" He mumbled.
She leaped back once she felt the fog wrapped around her limbs as if they wanted to force her through the barrier. Her eyebrows knitted as she glared at his smirk lips, annoyance plastered on her face.
"Don't you want me to explain something now?" He hummed afterwards.
She crossed her arms, "If you did not force me through it."
"It's just a joke. Don't take it too seriously~" He giggled.
She did not say much about it even as her facial expression did not change. She knew that she should not go on since he might do something about it much later. The aura now felt much heavier than before.
"So you have been working with Falak?" She breathed in and out slowly.
"Indirectly. But he knew of my involvement." He continued, "I highly doubt he cares. If that was what he wanted then it's what he gets."
"Why?"
It was an important question. Even in ways she understood part of his intent and motivation, there was always a chance that she could be off. It was her chance to find out and took it as a chance now.
"What do you think then?" He asked the question back at her.
"Why do you think I need to answer you?"
He placed his hand on his chin, "You always had doubts about the whole operation. In some ways you must have guessed who was behind it and their intentions."
"So, why won't you have an answer?"
He knew. He already knew about it.
It felt like he was always watching over, playing a game of chess with her. Even if he was a step ahead of her, he would still wait for her to catch up to him. If he was a step behind, then he would observe her from there.
This game was not for him to play, it was for him to plan.
"I do. But the intentions are yours, not mine."
He smiled until his teeth showed, "I like to believe that we are on the same page. So, you should already know my intentions right? It is not the hardest to guess after all."
He was luring her into giving him an answer and she knew it too.
"Then? It's still not what I am doing, it's what you're trying to do."
"Do you think we will go anywhere at this point?" He laughed out loud.
He got off from his seat and walked towards her. She took a step back, eyes staring at his figure. She knew that something was about to happen as the fog turned much thicker, so much so it made it hard for her to breath.
It was a standoff with neither side not willing to give each other leverage.
Asura's eyes bore into Aeon, the subtle curiosity and anger had now gone into demand. He wanted to know what he could and what Aeon would tell, even knowing that Amelia would not agree with his decisions.
Aeon spoke up, "I didn't look too far. In the past or in the future, only getting bits and pieces of an event or possibilities."
"Why? Did you mana just run out?"
He shook his head, "It was a fog that blocked me from getting further. And I could feel the ill intent behind it."
Asura snickered, "I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing. Just how each other sees it I guess."
He sighed out loud and let him go, drawing some blood from his cheeks. Aeon did not look too alarmed by it, he simply wiped it with his finger and the wound healed. He stared back at Asura who was still smirking.
"So she is in active danger…" He mumbled.
Asura shrugged, "She is meeting up with Falak and Foxglove right now."
He could hear his heartbeat from his eyes as if he was hearing someone else's. His eyes widened up and stared at Asura who did not seem at all worried about the implications of her actions.
"You should've --"
He replied before Aeon could finish, "She asked me to stop you."
"What."
It was not hard to think of this possibility, they knew that she did this all the time. Yet this time she took on a much bigger risk than before, potentially falling into the hands of a person who would do anything to bring about the end of her.
"Don't she understand that he is a much larger risk than she thinks?!" He shouted.
He was overwhelmed with the feeling, this raging storm of fear that could not be calmed by anyone else. No matter how odd of a reaction it was, for him it had more to do with what she was placing herself into.
Asura groaned, "If she didn't then I won't be here dumbass."
'This is unexpected within expectations.' Asura thought.
"Why won't she ever…" He stopped himself and sighed.
"If I want to get out of this door and get to her, I have to fight you." He stated right afterwards.
Asura smiled, "Of course. I obeyed only hers and hers orders."
He intentionally walked closer to him, smirk still on his lips.
Their eyes made a sharp difference, even when standing near one another without having to look at them. Aeon was unsure if he hated the smirk on his lips, or was it that feeling of helplessness overcoming his senses.
"Then, do you want to fight me? For a chance to get out of here?"
Asura was mocking him, trying to make him fight so he could tear him to pieces. It might make Amelia unhappy and punish him later but that was what he wanted to do. Even as it did not align with her.
To Asura, he still placed his enjoyment first.
To Aeon, he placed others above himself.
Still, knowing that Amelia had placed Asura as a roadblock that he could not do major damage to speak volumes as to her dedication to keep him away. So, putting her intentions in mind…
He decided against it.
"No." He commented and laid back down on the sofa.
Asura felt deflated as he could not get what he wanted. Perhaps there would be another chance to so, a more sinister and horrible situation to force him into. That was where his mind wandered to in the silence.
In some ways, Aeon's worry was justified. Perhaps not in the eye's of Asura.
"Coming without little Asura. Do you really want to die that badly, my dearest?"
Every time hearing him calling her some sort of loving nickname made her stomach curl in disgust. She could try and stop him but it was not worth any effect to do so. Maybe that was why he still insisted on calling her a couple nicknames.
She placed a hand on her side and replied, "It would only give you a higher ground if I brought Asura."
He shook his head, "Come on now, even I miss seeing him."
He flicked his fingers, this time something did happen.
The fog began to wrap itself around her body. She quickly froze part of it as she leaped away, figuring it out something in the meantime. Although there was never really a choice for her to make, only what he would let her.
Since there was fog everywhere, there was no realistic way she could get out of here. She was in another space, not The Abyss. Still she had a suspicion that this was actually The Abyss just under his control.
After all, their last encounter was in The Abyss. She got dragged down there.
"You're lying about The Abyss, aren't you?"
She leaped upwards and let it chase her. She decided that running around was better than wasting her mana trying to burn/freeze/blow away all the fog. Not that there was a solution to permanently clear it out.
It was an area magic he casted and maintained after all.
He tilted his head, "Of course not. The Abyss doesn't belong to me."
It wrapped around her leg and attempted to pull her down. She had enough strength to kick it as a way to disperse it momentarily. Yet the cat and mouse chase game could not last for long.
She felt her body going limp as her breathing halted for a moment. Her heart was beating so wildly that she could hear in her ears. She widened her eyes as visions of chains appeared around her body.
"I just can mess with it however I like." He laughed.
The fog dragged her down to the ground, making a loud 'thud' when she crashed landed. She could not move an inch as it was so tightly wrapped around her that using too much strength might slice her apart instead of breaking free.
"There goes the rabbit." He commented while watching.
As he walked closer, she could feel her vision getting blurry. Her breathing got shallower the longer she was binded to the ground. She noticed that the tip of a spear was pointing at her throat, threatening to pierce her if she moved too much.
"Do you want to know the reason why I'm doing all this?" He leaned down and stared at her.
She could no longer answer him. She felt like her body was going to collapse on itself; Her eyes were closing and her breathing was shallow and light. Most she could hear was her heart beat, barely being able to hear what he was saying.
He placed a hand on her cheeks, "I suppose, because of love. Then again, I have been waiting for this moment for so long that I might have forgotten why I wanted to in the first place."
"So… you're going to die here today?"
She knew what would happen if she died here. Since her physical body would remain in his realm so she would be stuck here for a long time. He would definitely try every and anything to not let her go away.
"Don't worry, when you do I won't bother Aeon or anyone associated with him. Though Asura might be a different story isn't it?"
She glared at him with her half-closed eyes. He placed a hand on her chin and lifted her head up, staring right into her eyes which led him to be able to see his entire face for the first time in years.
He started humming while observing her, "My… When was the last time anyone had seen you like this? This pathetic in someone else's hands?"
His eyes were violet with crimson red, it reminded her a lot of Asura's. She was not going to lie that he looked good, generically handsome-looking. Too bad that such a face belonged to a person that was no longer only a human.
"Fuck you…" That was all she managed to mumble out.
Despite the fact that she was going to die and be trapped in here, there was no true fear in her mind. She was going to accept it no matter what was going to happen, it was still within expectations after all.
He sighed, "Still have some fighting spirit in you eh? Well… too bad."
She tried not letting her eyes close, fighting the feeling so intensely that she was going to use up her strength. She tasted iron in her mouth even when she could not see much of anything anymore.
There was a subtle smile on her lips despite the situation she was in.
Desperate? Sorrow? Relief? Fright?
She no longer had any idea what she was feeling, that conveyed well on her lips. It was a sombre yet gentle smile in a way that was hard to describe, since it gave off emotions that contradicted yet complimented each other.
'Irony' She thought.
Somehow, somewhere, someone had come to her aid.
Her nostrils were filled with a particular smell, one that was nostalgic to her.
The smells of flowers; The salty smell of the ocean. It was calling out to her much more than she thought it would. This sense of comfort and home was a sensation that she thought was long gone.
Though she already knew who this person was.
"Children, don't fight anymore."