Scarlet

Who knows how long passes as I’m left listening to the sounds of the voices in the darkness while feeling nothing but pain. And over time, I think I even manage to get used to the pain. Which was rather unexpected.

I also hear voices every now and then, but they aren’t very clear, nor are they loud. So I can’t make out what they’re saying.

Eventually I grow bored enough to focus on my fractured DNA – something I suspect is probably the reason for me being here. Wherever here is.

Might even be in my own head for all I know. Not like I know what my head looks like.

My thoughts pause as the voices shift for a moment, then vanish, leaving me in sweet silence.

Until I feel images flashing through my mind. Images of the past that have me clenching my fist and feeling my eyes tighten slightly despite the pain.

Because the images are of a baby girl with gray eyes being held by the White Knight of Humanity as she crosses through a Class V Fracture. Of the Blood Calamity chasing after her while shouting. And of Amelia quickly hiding the baby somewhere while nullifying all senses of her and then returning to the Blood Calamity.

Then the images show me the sight of the White Knight of Humanity and the Blood Calamity fighting, each using nonlethal attacks with the Blood Calamity clearly holding back to not hurt the White Knight. All the way till the White Knight uses Reverse Healing on the man, making thousands of wounds open up on his body at once, knocking him down to his knees before he eventually collapses. Something she never would’ve been able to do if he wasn’t holding back.

“A-Amelia…” the man grunts, barely managing to raise his head to look at her. Then he manages to utter one last word before falling unconscious.

“Why?”

Amelia starts crying after that as she quickly rushes to the Fracture core and shatters it, sending her mate back to Tartarus. And immediately after she rushes over to where she left the baby and brings her with her, disappearing into the night with the baby.

With me.

How… how did the voices do that? Are they really not just voices?

As if the first scene wasn’t enough, more images begin to play out in my mind. First that of Amelia bringing me to Allen and his mixture of fear, confusion, and pleasant surprise at her offer, then Leonidas’s return to Tartarus and his explanation to Gramps about how he ‘sent me to Earth,’ so as to not make his father hate Amelia any more than he already does. And it just continues showing me scenes from the past.

Eventually I feel tears rolling down my cheek as the voices of my family and friends come to a halt and I feel more cold spots appearing, including a few on my faces as someone most likely wipes my tears for me. Which makes me pretty sure I’m just in my mind right now unable to move or open my eyes.

The Sin shows me scenes from when the demons first invaded Earth, when Earth had its first Guardians, and then it moves on to showing me scenes from my childhood. Mostly ones that stoke my Pride.

Over time I grit my teeth and try as hard as I can to tell the voices and images to shut up and go away.

But they continue coming. And the only solace I manage to find is searching within myself as I try to study the fractured DNA, hoping against hope that I might be able to find a way to fix it and get myself out of here.

The Demon King’s Castle

Leonidas feels cold as he holds his daughter’s hand, unsure of anything anymore. Unsure if he’s made the right decisions in his life, the wrong ones, or if he should’ve kept Scarlet close to him from the start. If letting her go back to Earth was a bad idea or a good idea.

No matter what, he finds himself questioning every decision he’s ever made.

And the man calling himself Scarlet’s father kneeling next to him by Scarlet’s bed isn’t helping. But Leonidas chooses to maturely ignore the man as if he didn’t exist.

Then tears begin to fall down Scarlet’s face and she shifts as if in discomfort, and both Allen and Leonidas immediately reach to wipe her tears, only for their hands to collide inches from her face, making them glare at each other for a second. But they both return their attention to Scarlet who is more important than their squabble.

Only to find that Amelia had already wiped her tears, the woman having taken Arkaz’s spot on the other side of the bed while he was away for a brief period of time to deal with his work again. Probably to be back again within a few minutes when he’ll be mad at her taking his spot.

The room is absolutely silent during all of this with the only noise being that of the demons moving around the castle. Meanwhile Leonidas, Amelia, Allen, and Cynthia all stay are Scarlet’s side. And Belle and Arthur, two of Scarlet’s oldest friends who Leonidas actually doesn’t mind, lie sleeping while leaning up against the end of the bed, their shoulders up against each other and their heads too.

Eventually Amelia speaks, her voice quiet as she says, “We’re going to have to tell the people on Earth.”

Leonidas ignores her since it doesn’t matter to him what they do about the humans, but Allen and Cynthia immediately turn to look at her with shock on their faces.

“If Scarlet vanishes for a long period of time, they’re going to question what’s happening,” Amelia says, her voice little more than a whisper as she stares at her daughter’s face, caressing Scarlet’s cheek with her hand. “They’ll wonder if their new Princess abandoned them soon after being labeled as their Princess. She was only supposed to be here for a week after all.”

Her words make Allen and Cynthia grow sullen, but Amelia doesn’t stop speaking, “We’ll have to do this carefully, for Scarlet’s sake.”

Eventually Allen and Cynthia nod their heads.

Meanwhile Leonidas continues ignoring them, focusing entirely on his daughter as she occasionally shifts with discomfort.

Please wake up soon, sweetie…