Story Notes:
just read to find out what this story is all about. the first one I ever wrote, and it's hoding up quite good among the strangely great crowd.why is it that where I go, everyone suddenly begins to get really good? and I get really bad?
Ten: The plot thickens
The cavern was breaking apart faster than ice in a volcano. Silth knew well that unless he regained control of his body, he would be buried under tons of earth and ruble. Struggling to just barely move his fingers, he growled and cursed under his breath. "Dammit, damn, damn, damn..."
More and more of the cavern and tower fell apart.
**************************************
Olivia and Rasputin both laid still, fathomed at what had occurred to them. Olivia was still sporting a staggered look. Rasputin on the other hand, was up and at it. She was pulling Olivia's hand, her voice filled with concern and unease. "Don't just lay there! We have to move!" Olivia only looked at Rasputin with some confusion and even a bit of sorrow. "Why would Giratina give us her powers...? Why would she even think about it?" Rasputin shook her head with some annoyance. "I don't know. But if we just stand here and do nothing, we will both die, and her sacrifice will be in vain!"
Olivia knew Rasputin was right.
Olivia could feel the shockwaves from the tremors travel through the installation, could sense the dread in the air. She concentrated as best as she could and began to scan the area, hoping to find any trace of Edgar. She could feel his life force, as well as Silth's, and to her surprise, Darkrai's.
Edgar was alive, but weak, barely registering. Silth's energy was a contrast to Edgar's; it was too powerful for her to even concentrate properly on; just focusing on it gave her a massive headache, as if someone was drilling into her brain, but for some odd reason, when she tried to focus on Darkrai's energy... it was nonexistent; almost as if he was in a hibernation state. Immediately, she knew what was really happening to Darkrai. She knew it well from books she had read, and from her parents. Someone else was using Darkrai's soul, much like a puppeteer would use a puppet. But the thing that shook her largely was the fact only someone of vast power and skill could even attempt such an ability and pull it off so flawlessly. Whoever was controlling Darkrai was powerful beyond imagination.
Only one person fitted that bill at the moment... Silth.
Olivia shook her fist in fury, as thoughts of him entered her mind. She hated Silth beyond anything else, hated him for all he had done to them. Hated him for harming Edgar so badly... No one made Edgar suffer! No one!
---
Olivia once again focused on the anima of all three beings, trying to figure out their exact locations. She noticed that Edgar and Darkrai's anima signatures where so close to one another that the only explanation was that Darkrai and Edgar where in the same room.
She got up with quite some swiftness and force, shocking Rasputin greatly. Her tone was even more serious than before.
"Rasputin!" she said out loud. She pointed towards one of the dark corridors. "We have to move quick! You go that way and cut off Darkrai. He's with Edgar." She lowered her hand, but then pointed at Rasputin hastily. "But be cautious... someone else is controlling his mind..."
Rasputin nodded. Olivia continued, "I'll go to the lower levels and see if I can stop Silth from doing whatever he is doing!" Both Olivia and Rasputin nodded in agreement, and took off into their respective directions.
Before they disappeared into the darkness, Olivia caught Rasputin's eye one last time. "Good luck..."
---
Olivia had only been moving for a short time, and yet she already felt as though hours had already passed her by. Not before long, she came upon the source of the energy influx she had been tracking down.There was no way she could miss it. It was five miles underneath her position, and it only kept getting stronger with every passing second.
Looking to the right, she spotted an elevator shaft in the darkness. She slowly floated towards the shaft, half expecting something horrid to jump out of the shadows and attack her. But no such thing happened.
Olivia let out a deep sigh of relief.
The elevator was still functional, but she decided not to risk it. Instead she focused on spot where the anima was strongest. She closed her eyes, and began to concentrate with all her might. Olivia began to faintly glow; her feet left the ground, as she slowly floated in place. She opened her eyes, which where glowing brightly with white light, and before long, she had vanished.
---
She reappeared in a bright flash right next to a still numb Silth. He managed to slowly and painfully turn his head to face Olivia. As he did, he let out a groan of pain.
"Great! Just what I need! Another crazy one who wants to kill me! Haven't enough people tried to kill me today already?!"
Olivia sincerely had no idea what Silth was mumbling about, but decided to go with the flow. She looked at the massive structure that was the Pillar of Eternity, and as she did, she could only gaze in awe at the immense amounts of energy radiating from it, not to mention the sheer size and magnificence of such a structure.
But Olivia realized, only half of the massive energy came from the tower itself; the other half belonged to Silth, who still lay on the ground for some unknown reason.Olivia cleared her throat, speaking in a cold tone. "What are you up to? And where is Edgar?" Silth laughed as best as he could manage. "If you're saying that I had something to do with everything that's happening... then you are sadly mistaken."
He smiled as he looked at Olivia, but averted his eyes suddenly.
"Well... mostly at least."
Olivia shook her head in disgust and pity. "You're too weak to be controlling Darkrai..." she said, rubbing her chin. "So, then, who is controlling him?"
As she began to walk away, Silth whipped around and called out with panic. "HEY! Don't just leave me laying here!" Olivia turned around and shot a frozen glance at him. "Why should I even save you?" she said, turning around. "All this time we thought you were our friend, ally, even family!" She began to walk towards him, searing mad. "And then you went and stabbed us all in the back! Whatever happens to you, you deserve it!" Silth started to sweat. His smile now hid a very real sense of dread and fear. He needed to get out fast.
He began to speak in a calm soft tone."You're right," he said, taking a deep breath. "I don't really deserve any mercy for what I've done. But even so! Everything I've accomplished to this point has been for the greater good!" he paused momentarily to catch his breath.
"Sure! My methods are not the cleanest, or the smoothest... But if you knew the real story..." he paused once again, looking into Olivia's eyes.
"...You would have probably have done the same thing."
---
Olivia stared at Silth, wide-eyed and shocked. She could sense that everything Silth spoke was the truth, nothing but the real deal. She still refused to believe it entirely, but Silth was actually telling the truth for once...
"All this time, I've been with Edgar..." said silth "just because I wanted..." he said, averting his gaze again,
"Power."
He closed his eyes with silent remorse, waiting a few seconds before continuing, "But then, I realized that I could have something more than just power... something that I've never really had..." He turned once again to face Olivia, who could no longer deny Silth's real sense of remorse and sorrow.
"...A family..."
He took a deep breath and let it out.
"All this time... power was all I really cared about, it ran my entire life!" he said, closing his eyes once more "That it had been all that I had cared for in the past. I thought that just because I was eternal, I could never really have the luxury of friends and family..." he shut his eyes in anger "I should have known... I was a fool!"
Olivia could feel Silth's soul through her clairvoyance; it was as clear and clean as spring water, His soul burned with anguish and regret.
She sighed and kneeled beside the paralyzed entity.
"But you had all that with us. Why did you turn your back on it?" Silth opened his eyes.
"Because of h-"
His sentence was cut short as the cavern shook with force, another quake striking the area. The hideout would soon cave in...
Silth growled in anger. "The truth is often best left unknown... For all your sakes" he said, trying to get up once more, but failing to do so. He spoke in an angered tone. "I'll tell you later. Right now, WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!"
Olivia got close to him and looked down with anger. Silth got the point straight away; he started speaking in a rushed manner. "Fine! I'll tell you now! I'll start by saying this: you must not tell anyone else, especially Edgar... at least not yet, it could jeopardize everything we've been working for."
Olivia tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Working with whom? Legion? The Council? Cipher?" Silth laughed "You have no idea how deep this really goes..." He smiled, wearing his usual evil grin. "We are those you don't see, those you don't feel. Yet we are there, we have always been there... watching, monitoring, regulating, keeping the peace..."
Olivia was beginning to get annoyed by all the secrecy Silth was imposing on her "Are you telling me you and some other freaks act like stalkers? You sicko!!"
Silth coughed, and got annoyed right away. He laughed sarcastically. "STALKERS!? You are so funny!"
Olivia slapped Silth right across the face, drawing some blood from his nose. He lashed out at her in full tone. "WHY DID YOU HIT ME!?" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "WHAT DID I DO!?" Olivia simply scowled at his remark. "That was for being an idiot!" Silth tried his hardest to move his hand, but it only shook in place, as if he was strapped onto the floor. He growled in frustration "You're lucky I can't move my hands! If I did-" Olivia slapped Silth once again, cutting his sentence short. She seemed to be enjoying it... Silth growled once, then frowned, admitting defeat.
"Fine..." He let out a sigh of depression. "I get the idea. No more messing around..." Olivia lowered her hand and nodded with a smile on her face. Silth simply stared at her with some indignation in his eyes.
He talked in a low voice. "I forgot how vicious you could get..."Olivia once again smiled. This time, it was an evil smirk; the same one Silth gave everyone else. Silth shuddered, never realizing just how disturbing it really seemed.
Deciding to speak once again, he took a deep breath "Okay. The real story is..." he said, letting out a rather long breath of air. Olivia leaned closer, waiting for his next set of words. Silth let out a small cough and kept going.
"...Everything you know up to this point... has been a lie!"
Olivia, took a step back at what Silth had just said.
At that moment; another small tremor shook the cave, causing her to lose her balance. As she fell on the ground, she let out a rather loud shout. "What do you mean by that?!" Silth only grinned once more. As he did, the cave finally began to crumble away.
Rocks and twisted metal began to rain on them both. Olivia had no time to react; all she could do was try to shield her head to prevent any of the debris from falling on her. Silth laughed as he watched Olivia's horror-struck face. The tower exploded from the impact of rocks and metal, the ground began to open up, and lava began to fill the once quiet, dark cavern. Olivia could not do anything but scream in terror at her imminent demise; she could not even concentrate properly enough to use Teleport.
The whole cavern erupted as Olivia and Silth were both consumed by the flames.
***************************************
Rasputin had been wandering aimlessly for several minutes now. She'd tried her best to spot Edgar's energy source, but it was almost impossible with all the rumbling and noise from the collapsing hideout.
All she could hear was scraping and banging... Suddenly, she became alerted to some movement several feet in front of her. She dashed as fast as she could to get near, while at the same time avoiding using her own feet, trying to avoid causing any unwanted vibrations or noise.
Spotting both Darkrai and Edgar through the darkness, she saw that Darkrai carried an unconscious Edgar on his shoulders. He seemed to be lost to everything in his surroundings.
---
Darkrai's piercing crimson stare looked towards the eternal shadows as he walked towards the dark void. Rasputin could now tell that something was wrong with him.
His eyes where supposed to be blue, not crimson red. She tried her best to remain stealthy, but it was no use, as a Shadow Ball rocketed towards her position, seemingly launched from nowhere. Rasputin managed to jump out of the way just in the nick of time, avoiding it.
Darkrai's hand was stretched forwards, his eyes filled with otherworldly rage. His fingers twitching with built-up energy. Darkrai spoke out in a deep, dark, evil tone that was not his at all, but rather... some other dark being's.
"Nice try, but you will not go another step. You will die here and now."
Rasputin simply smiled, her zipper-like teeth showing in full view of Darkrai's face, which remained steely.
"That's what you think! Give Edgar back!"
Darkrai laughed, dropping Edgar as he held both hands forward. "The little girl thinks she can best me?!" He began to charge his hands with shadow energy.
"You could not be any more mistaken! With this pawn under my control, I can easily kill you, and anyone who stands in my way!"
He then thrust his hand above his head, forming a dark ball of energy. "Now, prepare to feel what true power really is! SUFFER!"
Darkrai released hundreds of orbs of darkness that flew in every direction, striking the walls, ceiling, and metallic floor. Rasputin found herself having a hard time trying to avoid them in the cramped hallway, because no matter which way she moved, more and more orbs flew straight at her.
She hit a wall, managing to look forward just as an orb struck her in the face, she was suddenly enveloped in darkness. Her vision began to fail as a dark voice filled her head.
"Now, it's time to see what you're really made out of... "
The voice chuckled in her head.
---
Rasputin fell into a deep, nightmare-filled sleep. Every second that passed brought more and more of her most dreadful nightmares to pass by her. Every horrid memory, every phobia, every doubt that she had ever harbored was now being used against her will.
After a seemingly eternal nightmare, Rasputin found herself in a dark hallway, much like the one she had been standing on before she had been attacked.
But something was very wrong.... No matter what direction Rasputin tried to run, she would always end up at the beginning of the hall. As she ran around in circles, she heard a black voice pierce the darkness.
"I feel your anger. I feel youremotions..."
The voice became much more sinister.
"I know what your real desire is... and I can give it to you."
Rasputin was left trembling, unable to see where the voice originated from. Suddenly, Darkrai appeared from the shadows and tackled her to the ground, dissapearing just as suddenly.
She fell with a loud thud that echoed all over the hall. Rasputin got up, struggling to see in front of her. Just as she was up, another blow struck her in the head, sending her flying towards the dark wall. The voice once again rang out.
"Heh, heh, heh! Such a shame..."
"Where are you?!" Rasputin called. The only thing that replied was more sinister laughter. Darkrai suddenly lunged from the shadows once more, but this time, he simply passed through her with incredible speed.
Suddenly, a pain beyond anything she had ever experienced filled her body, a sharp, unbearable agony that struck every nerve.
Rasputin closed her eyes as she let out a scream of pure fear and anguish, falling on her knees and sobbing in pain. She looked at her arm, and realized that it was not there any longer. Instead, there was a stump from which blood freely flowed. The voice called out again.
"Heh, heh, heh. Such a shame that someone so full of promise has to die here."
Darkrai appeared from the shadows, holding Rasputin's severed arm.
"You are weak... yet so full of raw, untamed power. So much that you can't even begin to comprehend the sheer magnitude of its force." he said, tossing her arm back.
Rasputin still held on to her shoulder, hoping to stem the flow of blood. Darkrai began to walk back and forth.
"Like I said before... I know what it is that you truly desire... that which you believe is out of your reach now..." "SHUT UP!!" was all Rasputin could manage to squeeze out, continuing to wince in pain. The voice laughed once again.
"Hah! Look at you now, so weak!" "SHUT THE FUCK U-" Rasputin once again tried to scream, but was grabbed by Darkrai in the last moment. Holding her by the throat, all Rasputin could do was cry as Darkrai pounded her against the wall.
The voice once again spoke out.
"You have no hope to live. Everything that you have done to this point has been for nothing. Accept it. That is your only option..."
"NO!! I... can't..."
Rasputin had no words left. Every time she opened her mouth, blood would pour out. All she could do was try and cling on to life.
---
Darkrai tossed Rasputin towards the wall, as she hit it, Darkrai snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the darkness veil was lifted from the area, revealing a much clearer hallway.
Rasputin slowly looked down at her still severed arm, wincing in pain.
Heavy tears rolled down her face, mixing with her blood. Darkrai spoke, his voice the same one that had tormented Rasputin.
"Now, you have two options." he said, turning around.
"I can kill you here and now, and stop your suffering. Or..."
He opened a portal, his eyes flashing bright crimson. "...You can try to stop me, and die in the process. Either way, you will die."
Rasputin closed her eyes, and began to rise, flinching in pain.
"Looks I have no choice. I guess I'll go with number two."
Darkrai slowly shook his head "Such a fool..." He vanished from the scene. Rasputin shook in place, knowing full well what was about to happen.
Darkrai appeared right behind her, and launched the finishing blow, striking her in the head.
Rasputin closed her eyes, knowing well that she must now be dead.
...It didn't feel half bad. It was actually quite peaceful...
---
Darkrai picked up the unconscious Rasputin off the ground. "No need to waste such an specimen..."
Placing Rasputin on his shoulders, he began to walk towards the portal he had opened earlier.
***************************************
Rapture was feeling pretty bad. His body had sustained massive damage when he battled Edgar; he was surprised that he could still draw breath. The pain was already beginning to fade, but the worst of it still lingered in his mind...
one that no medicine could never soothe.
He had been wrong all this time, he had gone after the wrong person, he had nearly killed what was his only family, when it had been Silth or the council that he should have gone after first.
Rapture tried his best to get up from his prostrate position; it seemed to be working, albeit slowly.
He finally sat down, body aching, and realized that most of the heavier wounds had already closed. He looked at his arm and tapped into the small screen located in his wrist.
Condition: caution: Several bone fractures detected. Body functions at 67%
Rapture closed the lid. His body was still in delicate condition... but he would not just sit there and do nothing! He could feel that something was very wrong by just smelling the air...
---
Rapture stumbled onto the cold metal floor, and found himself in what looked like a gigantic medical ward. The floor, walls, and ceiling where made of what seemed to be cold, rusted steel.
This place was old...
He looked out the window, and saw something that surprised him: he was not only in a ship of some kind, but thousands of men, women and children where racing up the gigantic ramp, what surprised him even more was the fact that Legion soldiers where working hand in hand with the Imperfect army in what was undeniably some kind of mass evacuation.
Rapture limped back to his bed, some of the pain had already returned, especially in his chest.
He sat slowly back in the bed and fell deep into thought. Just what the hell was going on? He could feel severe rumbling coming from the earth.That's when he knew. The shift had been initiated. He looked out the window once more. Strange, green colored snow was falling like ash.
************************************************
Olivia opened her eyes. At first, all she saw was a bright light. It was so bright, that it was almost impossible to keep her eyes open for long.
She heard two voices echo through her mind. One belonged to Silth, but the other was new to her. Slowly, her vision began to clear, and she realized, much to her shock, that she was in a gigantic bubble, trapped in what seemed to be a never-ending expanse of white-hot magma.
She quite literally jumped at the sight of it, fearing for her life.
Once the initial shock had passed, Olivia began to realize that the energy field that had saved her was quite powerful, enough to cancel out the intense heat from the lava. She marveled at the power she was feeling, and felt a bit jealous that she could probably never produce something so powerful.
She looked around and spotted Silth, who still lay on the ground. At his side was a strange being. Its skin was white, and had a star shaped head, each of the star tips had a piece of paper stuck on it. It hovered in place and spoke in a childlike tone.
"Heh, heh, heh! You fell down! Did you get hurt?" Silth simply looked at the being, annoyed. "Will you stop fooling around and lift this paralysis from me?" The childlike being made a somersault in the air before speaking again.
"What's the magic word?"
"JUST LIFT IT ALREADY!" screamed Silth. The being flinched and floated a few feet away from him, its face suddenly becoming teary. Silth's eyes widened.
"Oh, no! Don't cry!"
Too late. The being broke out into tears and wails. "SILTH DOESN'T LIKE ME ANYMORE! WHAAAA!!!"
"Please Chiro! Don't cry! I still like you... just please stop crying!" replied Silth. The being slowly stopped wailing. "You... You... mean that?" Silth sighed. "Yes. Just, please, no more tears. I've had a bad day..." The being once again somersaulted in the air "Yippee! Silth is such a good boyfriend! Yes, he is!"
Olivia couldn't help but chuckle. This was pure gold. She slowly walked up to Silth, placing her head right above his, her smile bordering on the wicked. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Silth, you pedophile!" Silth simply frowned. "Hey! I never agreed to anything Chiro says! Besides, she's the only thing left over from my world!"
He then bit his lower lip in anger.
Olivia took a step back.
"Your... world!?"
"Damn! Oh well, might as well spill the beans..." Silth replied with annoyance.
"What beans?" Chiro then asked out loud.
Silth sighed again. "Chiro... AREN'T YOU FORGETTING SOMETHING!?" Chiro placed a hand on her chin "Oh yeah! Sorry!" She floated over Silth and tapped him on the forehead, instantly returning all movement to his limbs.
Chiro smiled. Silth shook his head and turned to face Olivia. "Sorry about that. Anyway... Me and Chiro are not from your world. Well, we are, sort of... but not entirely, but, in a way, yes, but then again no. It's really complicated."
Olivia simply stood there, dumbstruck.
"It would be better if I showed you..." Before Silth could begin to talk again, Chiro tapped him on the shoulder, clear signs of worry in her eyes "Hon... we have a tiny problem!"
"What now?" said Silth as he turned around. Chiro pointed at the walls of the bubble, and he swore under his breath.
The bubble dome was not going to hold up much longer. In a matter of minutes, it would collapse on them all...
TO BE CONTINUED...Chapter End Notes:what can I say? wait for the next one soon. (as for the others, time to fix them puppies!
More and more of the cavern and tower fell apart.
**************************************
Olivia and Rasputin both laid still, fathomed at what had occurred to them. Olivia was still sporting a staggered look. Rasputin on the other hand, was up and at it. She was pulling Olivia's hand, her voice filled with concern and unease. "Don't just lay there! We have to move!" Olivia only looked at Rasputin with some confusion and even a bit of sorrow. "Why would Giratina give us her powers...? Why would she even think about it?" Rasputin shook her head with some annoyance. "I don't know. But if we just stand here and do nothing, we will both die, and her sacrifice will be in vain!"
Olivia knew Rasputin was right.
Olivia could feel the shockwaves from the tremors travel through the installation, could sense the dread in the air. She concentrated as best as she could and began to scan the area, hoping to find any trace of Edgar. She could feel his life force, as well as Silth's, and to her surprise, Darkrai's.
Edgar was alive, but weak, barely registering. Silth's energy was a contrast to Edgar's; it was too powerful for her to even concentrate properly on; just focusing on it gave her a massive headache, as if someone was drilling into her brain, but for some odd reason, when she tried to focus on Darkrai's energy... it was nonexistent; almost as if he was in a hibernation state. Immediately, she knew what was really happening to Darkrai. She knew it well from books she had read, and from her parents. Someone else was using Darkrai's soul, much like a puppeteer would use a puppet. But the thing that shook her largely was the fact only someone of vast power and skill could even attempt such an ability and pull it off so flawlessly. Whoever was controlling Darkrai was powerful beyond imagination.
Only one person fitted that bill at the moment... Silth.
Olivia shook her fist in fury, as thoughts of him entered her mind. She hated Silth beyond anything else, hated him for all he had done to them. Hated him for harming Edgar so badly... No one made Edgar suffer! No one!
---
Olivia once again focused on the anima of all three beings, trying to figure out their exact locations. She noticed that Edgar and Darkrai's anima signatures where so close to one another that the only explanation was that Darkrai and Edgar where in the same room.
She got up with quite some swiftness and force, shocking Rasputin greatly. Her tone was even more serious than before.
"Rasputin!" she said out loud. She pointed towards one of the dark corridors. "We have to move quick! You go that way and cut off Darkrai. He's with Edgar." She lowered her hand, but then pointed at Rasputin hastily. "But be cautious... someone else is controlling his mind..."
Rasputin nodded. Olivia continued, "I'll go to the lower levels and see if I can stop Silth from doing whatever he is doing!" Both Olivia and Rasputin nodded in agreement, and took off into their respective directions.
Before they disappeared into the darkness, Olivia caught Rasputin's eye one last time. "Good luck..."
---
Olivia had only been moving for a short time, and yet she already felt as though hours had already passed her by. Not before long, she came upon the source of the energy influx she had been tracking down.There was no way she could miss it. It was five miles underneath her position, and it only kept getting stronger with every passing second.
Looking to the right, she spotted an elevator shaft in the darkness. She slowly floated towards the shaft, half expecting something horrid to jump out of the shadows and attack her. But no such thing happened.
Olivia let out a deep sigh of relief.
The elevator was still functional, but she decided not to risk it. Instead she focused on spot where the anima was strongest. She closed her eyes, and began to concentrate with all her might. Olivia began to faintly glow; her feet left the ground, as she slowly floated in place. She opened her eyes, which where glowing brightly with white light, and before long, she had vanished.
---
She reappeared in a bright flash right next to a still numb Silth. He managed to slowly and painfully turn his head to face Olivia. As he did, he let out a groan of pain.
"Great! Just what I need! Another crazy one who wants to kill me! Haven't enough people tried to kill me today already?!"
Olivia sincerely had no idea what Silth was mumbling about, but decided to go with the flow. She looked at the massive structure that was the Pillar of Eternity, and as she did, she could only gaze in awe at the immense amounts of energy radiating from it, not to mention the sheer size and magnificence of such a structure.
But Olivia realized, only half of the massive energy came from the tower itself; the other half belonged to Silth, who still lay on the ground for some unknown reason.Olivia cleared her throat, speaking in a cold tone. "What are you up to? And where is Edgar?" Silth laughed as best as he could manage. "If you're saying that I had something to do with everything that's happening... then you are sadly mistaken."
He smiled as he looked at Olivia, but averted his eyes suddenly.
"Well... mostly at least."
Olivia shook her head in disgust and pity. "You're too weak to be controlling Darkrai..." she said, rubbing her chin. "So, then, who is controlling him?"
As she began to walk away, Silth whipped around and called out with panic. "HEY! Don't just leave me laying here!" Olivia turned around and shot a frozen glance at him. "Why should I even save you?" she said, turning around. "All this time we thought you were our friend, ally, even family!" She began to walk towards him, searing mad. "And then you went and stabbed us all in the back! Whatever happens to you, you deserve it!" Silth started to sweat. His smile now hid a very real sense of dread and fear. He needed to get out fast.
He began to speak in a calm soft tone."You're right," he said, taking a deep breath. "I don't really deserve any mercy for what I've done. But even so! Everything I've accomplished to this point has been for the greater good!" he paused momentarily to catch his breath.
"Sure! My methods are not the cleanest, or the smoothest... But if you knew the real story..." he paused once again, looking into Olivia's eyes.
"...You would have probably have done the same thing."
---
Olivia stared at Silth, wide-eyed and shocked. She could sense that everything Silth spoke was the truth, nothing but the real deal. She still refused to believe it entirely, but Silth was actually telling the truth for once...
"All this time, I've been with Edgar..." said silth "just because I wanted..." he said, averting his gaze again,
"Power."
He closed his eyes with silent remorse, waiting a few seconds before continuing, "But then, I realized that I could have something more than just power... something that I've never really had..." He turned once again to face Olivia, who could no longer deny Silth's real sense of remorse and sorrow.
"...A family..."
He took a deep breath and let it out.
"All this time... power was all I really cared about, it ran my entire life!" he said, closing his eyes once more "That it had been all that I had cared for in the past. I thought that just because I was eternal, I could never really have the luxury of friends and family..." he shut his eyes in anger "I should have known... I was a fool!"
Olivia could feel Silth's soul through her clairvoyance; it was as clear and clean as spring water, His soul burned with anguish and regret.
She sighed and kneeled beside the paralyzed entity.
"But you had all that with us. Why did you turn your back on it?" Silth opened his eyes.
"Because of h-"
His sentence was cut short as the cavern shook with force, another quake striking the area. The hideout would soon cave in...
Silth growled in anger. "The truth is often best left unknown... For all your sakes" he said, trying to get up once more, but failing to do so. He spoke in an angered tone. "I'll tell you later. Right now, WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!"
Olivia got close to him and looked down with anger. Silth got the point straight away; he started speaking in a rushed manner. "Fine! I'll tell you now! I'll start by saying this: you must not tell anyone else, especially Edgar... at least not yet, it could jeopardize everything we've been working for."
Olivia tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Working with whom? Legion? The Council? Cipher?" Silth laughed "You have no idea how deep this really goes..." He smiled, wearing his usual evil grin. "We are those you don't see, those you don't feel. Yet we are there, we have always been there... watching, monitoring, regulating, keeping the peace..."
Olivia was beginning to get annoyed by all the secrecy Silth was imposing on her "Are you telling me you and some other freaks act like stalkers? You sicko!!"
Silth coughed, and got annoyed right away. He laughed sarcastically. "STALKERS!? You are so funny!"
Olivia slapped Silth right across the face, drawing some blood from his nose. He lashed out at her in full tone. "WHY DID YOU HIT ME!?" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "WHAT DID I DO!?" Olivia simply scowled at his remark. "That was for being an idiot!" Silth tried his hardest to move his hand, but it only shook in place, as if he was strapped onto the floor. He growled in frustration "You're lucky I can't move my hands! If I did-" Olivia slapped Silth once again, cutting his sentence short. She seemed to be enjoying it... Silth growled once, then frowned, admitting defeat.
"Fine..." He let out a sigh of depression. "I get the idea. No more messing around..." Olivia lowered her hand and nodded with a smile on her face. Silth simply stared at her with some indignation in his eyes.
He talked in a low voice. "I forgot how vicious you could get..."Olivia once again smiled. This time, it was an evil smirk; the same one Silth gave everyone else. Silth shuddered, never realizing just how disturbing it really seemed.
Deciding to speak once again, he took a deep breath "Okay. The real story is..." he said, letting out a rather long breath of air. Olivia leaned closer, waiting for his next set of words. Silth let out a small cough and kept going.
"...Everything you know up to this point... has been a lie!"
Olivia, took a step back at what Silth had just said.
At that moment; another small tremor shook the cave, causing her to lose her balance. As she fell on the ground, she let out a rather loud shout. "What do you mean by that?!" Silth only grinned once more. As he did, the cave finally began to crumble away.
Rocks and twisted metal began to rain on them both. Olivia had no time to react; all she could do was try to shield her head to prevent any of the debris from falling on her. Silth laughed as he watched Olivia's horror-struck face. The tower exploded from the impact of rocks and metal, the ground began to open up, and lava began to fill the once quiet, dark cavern. Olivia could not do anything but scream in terror at her imminent demise; she could not even concentrate properly enough to use Teleport.
The whole cavern erupted as Olivia and Silth were both consumed by the flames.
***************************************
Rasputin had been wandering aimlessly for several minutes now. She'd tried her best to spot Edgar's energy source, but it was almost impossible with all the rumbling and noise from the collapsing hideout.
All she could hear was scraping and banging... Suddenly, she became alerted to some movement several feet in front of her. She dashed as fast as she could to get near, while at the same time avoiding using her own feet, trying to avoid causing any unwanted vibrations or noise.
Spotting both Darkrai and Edgar through the darkness, she saw that Darkrai carried an unconscious Edgar on his shoulders. He seemed to be lost to everything in his surroundings.
---
Darkrai's piercing crimson stare looked towards the eternal shadows as he walked towards the dark void. Rasputin could now tell that something was wrong with him.
His eyes where supposed to be blue, not crimson red. She tried her best to remain stealthy, but it was no use, as a Shadow Ball rocketed towards her position, seemingly launched from nowhere. Rasputin managed to jump out of the way just in the nick of time, avoiding it.
Darkrai's hand was stretched forwards, his eyes filled with otherworldly rage. His fingers twitching with built-up energy. Darkrai spoke out in a deep, dark, evil tone that was not his at all, but rather... some other dark being's.
"Nice try, but you will not go another step. You will die here and now."
Rasputin simply smiled, her zipper-like teeth showing in full view of Darkrai's face, which remained steely.
"That's what you think! Give Edgar back!"
Darkrai laughed, dropping Edgar as he held both hands forward. "The little girl thinks she can best me?!" He began to charge his hands with shadow energy.
"You could not be any more mistaken! With this pawn under my control, I can easily kill you, and anyone who stands in my way!"
He then thrust his hand above his head, forming a dark ball of energy. "Now, prepare to feel what true power really is! SUFFER!"
Darkrai released hundreds of orbs of darkness that flew in every direction, striking the walls, ceiling, and metallic floor. Rasputin found herself having a hard time trying to avoid them in the cramped hallway, because no matter which way she moved, more and more orbs flew straight at her.
She hit a wall, managing to look forward just as an orb struck her in the face, she was suddenly enveloped in darkness. Her vision began to fail as a dark voice filled her head.
"Now, it's time to see what you're really made out of... "
The voice chuckled in her head.
---
Rasputin fell into a deep, nightmare-filled sleep. Every second that passed brought more and more of her most dreadful nightmares to pass by her. Every horrid memory, every phobia, every doubt that she had ever harbored was now being used against her will.
After a seemingly eternal nightmare, Rasputin found herself in a dark hallway, much like the one she had been standing on before she had been attacked.
But something was very wrong.... No matter what direction Rasputin tried to run, she would always end up at the beginning of the hall. As she ran around in circles, she heard a black voice pierce the darkness.
"I feel your anger. I feel youremotions..."
The voice became much more sinister.
"I know what your real desire is... and I can give it to you."
Rasputin was left trembling, unable to see where the voice originated from. Suddenly, Darkrai appeared from the shadows and tackled her to the ground, dissapearing just as suddenly.
She fell with a loud thud that echoed all over the hall. Rasputin got up, struggling to see in front of her. Just as she was up, another blow struck her in the head, sending her flying towards the dark wall. The voice once again rang out.
"Heh, heh, heh! Such a shame..."
"Where are you?!" Rasputin called. The only thing that replied was more sinister laughter. Darkrai suddenly lunged from the shadows once more, but this time, he simply passed through her with incredible speed.
Suddenly, a pain beyond anything she had ever experienced filled her body, a sharp, unbearable agony that struck every nerve.
Rasputin closed her eyes as she let out a scream of pure fear and anguish, falling on her knees and sobbing in pain. She looked at her arm, and realized that it was not there any longer. Instead, there was a stump from which blood freely flowed. The voice called out again.
"Heh, heh, heh. Such a shame that someone so full of promise has to die here."
Darkrai appeared from the shadows, holding Rasputin's severed arm.
"You are weak... yet so full of raw, untamed power. So much that you can't even begin to comprehend the sheer magnitude of its force." he said, tossing her arm back.
Rasputin still held on to her shoulder, hoping to stem the flow of blood. Darkrai began to walk back and forth.
"Like I said before... I know what it is that you truly desire... that which you believe is out of your reach now..." "SHUT UP!!" was all Rasputin could manage to squeeze out, continuing to wince in pain. The voice laughed once again.
"Hah! Look at you now, so weak!" "SHUT THE FUCK U-" Rasputin once again tried to scream, but was grabbed by Darkrai in the last moment. Holding her by the throat, all Rasputin could do was cry as Darkrai pounded her against the wall.
The voice once again spoke out.
"You have no hope to live. Everything that you have done to this point has been for nothing. Accept it. That is your only option..."
"NO!! I... can't..."
Rasputin had no words left. Every time she opened her mouth, blood would pour out. All she could do was try and cling on to life.
---
Darkrai tossed Rasputin towards the wall, as she hit it, Darkrai snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the darkness veil was lifted from the area, revealing a much clearer hallway.
Rasputin slowly looked down at her still severed arm, wincing in pain.
Heavy tears rolled down her face, mixing with her blood. Darkrai spoke, his voice the same one that had tormented Rasputin.
"Now, you have two options." he said, turning around.
"I can kill you here and now, and stop your suffering. Or..."
He opened a portal, his eyes flashing bright crimson. "...You can try to stop me, and die in the process. Either way, you will die."
Rasputin closed her eyes, and began to rise, flinching in pain.
"Looks I have no choice. I guess I'll go with number two."
Darkrai slowly shook his head "Such a fool..." He vanished from the scene. Rasputin shook in place, knowing full well what was about to happen.
Darkrai appeared right behind her, and launched the finishing blow, striking her in the head.
Rasputin closed her eyes, knowing well that she must now be dead.
...It didn't feel half bad. It was actually quite peaceful...
---
Darkrai picked up the unconscious Rasputin off the ground. "No need to waste such an specimen..."
Placing Rasputin on his shoulders, he began to walk towards the portal he had opened earlier.
***************************************
Rapture was feeling pretty bad. His body had sustained massive damage when he battled Edgar; he was surprised that he could still draw breath. The pain was already beginning to fade, but the worst of it still lingered in his mind...
one that no medicine could never soothe.
He had been wrong all this time, he had gone after the wrong person, he had nearly killed what was his only family, when it had been Silth or the council that he should have gone after first.
Rapture tried his best to get up from his prostrate position; it seemed to be working, albeit slowly.
He finally sat down, body aching, and realized that most of the heavier wounds had already closed. He looked at his arm and tapped into the small screen located in his wrist.
Condition: caution: Several bone fractures detected. Body functions at 67%
Rapture closed the lid. His body was still in delicate condition... but he would not just sit there and do nothing! He could feel that something was very wrong by just smelling the air...
---
Rapture stumbled onto the cold metal floor, and found himself in what looked like a gigantic medical ward. The floor, walls, and ceiling where made of what seemed to be cold, rusted steel.
This place was old...
He looked out the window, and saw something that surprised him: he was not only in a ship of some kind, but thousands of men, women and children where racing up the gigantic ramp, what surprised him even more was the fact that Legion soldiers where working hand in hand with the Imperfect army in what was undeniably some kind of mass evacuation.
Rapture limped back to his bed, some of the pain had already returned, especially in his chest.
He sat slowly back in the bed and fell deep into thought. Just what the hell was going on? He could feel severe rumbling coming from the earth.That's when he knew. The shift had been initiated. He looked out the window once more. Strange, green colored snow was falling like ash.
************************************************
Olivia opened her eyes. At first, all she saw was a bright light. It was so bright, that it was almost impossible to keep her eyes open for long.
She heard two voices echo through her mind. One belonged to Silth, but the other was new to her. Slowly, her vision began to clear, and she realized, much to her shock, that she was in a gigantic bubble, trapped in what seemed to be a never-ending expanse of white-hot magma.
She quite literally jumped at the sight of it, fearing for her life.
Once the initial shock had passed, Olivia began to realize that the energy field that had saved her was quite powerful, enough to cancel out the intense heat from the lava. She marveled at the power she was feeling, and felt a bit jealous that she could probably never produce something so powerful.
She looked around and spotted Silth, who still lay on the ground. At his side was a strange being. Its skin was white, and had a star shaped head, each of the star tips had a piece of paper stuck on it. It hovered in place and spoke in a childlike tone.
"Heh, heh, heh! You fell down! Did you get hurt?" Silth simply looked at the being, annoyed. "Will you stop fooling around and lift this paralysis from me?" The childlike being made a somersault in the air before speaking again.
"What's the magic word?"
"JUST LIFT IT ALREADY!" screamed Silth. The being flinched and floated a few feet away from him, its face suddenly becoming teary. Silth's eyes widened.
"Oh, no! Don't cry!"
Too late. The being broke out into tears and wails. "SILTH DOESN'T LIKE ME ANYMORE! WHAAAA!!!"
"Please Chiro! Don't cry! I still like you... just please stop crying!" replied Silth. The being slowly stopped wailing. "You... You... mean that?" Silth sighed. "Yes. Just, please, no more tears. I've had a bad day..." The being once again somersaulted in the air "Yippee! Silth is such a good boyfriend! Yes, he is!"
Olivia couldn't help but chuckle. This was pure gold. She slowly walked up to Silth, placing her head right above his, her smile bordering on the wicked. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Silth, you pedophile!" Silth simply frowned. "Hey! I never agreed to anything Chiro says! Besides, she's the only thing left over from my world!"
He then bit his lower lip in anger.
Olivia took a step back.
"Your... world!?"
"Damn! Oh well, might as well spill the beans..." Silth replied with annoyance.
"What beans?" Chiro then asked out loud.
Silth sighed again. "Chiro... AREN'T YOU FORGETTING SOMETHING!?" Chiro placed a hand on her chin "Oh yeah! Sorry!" She floated over Silth and tapped him on the forehead, instantly returning all movement to his limbs.
Chiro smiled. Silth shook his head and turned to face Olivia. "Sorry about that. Anyway... Me and Chiro are not from your world. Well, we are, sort of... but not entirely, but, in a way, yes, but then again no. It's really complicated."
Olivia simply stood there, dumbstruck.
"It would be better if I showed you..." Before Silth could begin to talk again, Chiro tapped him on the shoulder, clear signs of worry in her eyes "Hon... we have a tiny problem!"
"What now?" said Silth as he turned around. Chiro pointed at the walls of the bubble, and he swore under his breath.
The bubble dome was not going to hold up much longer. In a matter of minutes, it would collapse on them all...
TO BE CONTINUED...Chapter End Notes:what can I say? wait for the next one soon. (as for the others, time to fix them puppies!