Memories flash in and out of Lucien's mind as his soul reflexively fights Ennius despite his inertia, though he quells its attempts to assert dominance rapidly enough. Much of what he sees is himself - himself as a monster, himself as a master, himself as a friend, himself as someone worth dying for - himself as someone worth damning himself for.
All of a sudden he sees Ennius' rage through his eyes, and he understands the pain and the loss that his dearest friend felt for him. Pain at knowing that Lucien was dead. Loss at knowing he would have to destroy the shell that was left of him.
Rage at knowing that he would have to damn himself if he was to free Lucien.
For a second, doubt clouds his mind - will he let his friend sacrifice himself like this, just to grant Lucien oblivion? But Ennius sweeps away Lucien's doubts for him, his will as enduring as his flesh. His fangs drink deeply of Lucien's blood, as they have so many times in the past, while he fulfills the obligation set by his Blood Bond, and by his loyalty - to do what is best for Lucien. He breaks into the Heart's Blood, and Lucien feels the corruption lifted from his soul, and taken into Ennius. He feels Ennius begin to tear apart the fabric of his very consciousness, and cannot muster the strength to thank him.
Then it all goes wrong.
A third presence joins this - this most intimate connection between these two, this final goodbye. It dwarfs the momentousness of the finality of Lucien's existence with its very presence.
No, I don't think so. You agreed to serve me Lucien. Ennius would take your place, but I would not let you go. Let's have a compromise shall we?Then, Ennius, who had never showed an ounce of pain or fear in the entirety of his existence, not even when Yorak captured him in the Cathedral of Flesh when he left the city of Rome to slay the Ancient, not even through the centuries of torture, of reprogramming, of painful reconstruction, not through every horror that Lucien and Sandor could think to visit upon him - he screams.
---
Gedric steps back from the gatehouse - the other guardsmen had already run off to their families or loved ones when the castle started shaking, most everyone had been evacuated and now the worry was only that the earthquake would extend past the castle and into the city. He had no loved ones to worry about however, and was brave or stupid enough to stay and watch.
One of the few guards blessed by Sandor's special attentions, he was aware enough to understand that what was happening was not natural - this was magic at play, and big stuff too. Something the ancient sorcerer might summon up himself.
He takes cover when he judges that its about to collapse. When the keep goes down its like an implosion - the whole thing just kind of falls into itself, stones collapsing onto everything that had been inside. A short while after the dust clears, Gedric feels a sort of low-pitched boom that sets his heart racing. Something big either just showed up or just left - hell, maybe both.
Despite his better judgement, he runs up into the inner courtyard and scrambles up the wreckage of the keep. He had to see some things for himself - especially Sandor. If the old man was dead... he didn't want to think about the possibility. Didn't even dare hope for it.
He gets to the top of a particularly large bit of wreckage when he feels a falling sensation in his gut immediately followed by an enormous blast that sends him flying into the air, knocking his head on one of the blocks of granite from the throne room. Tons of stone fly through the air and smash apart on other masses of rubble. He reflexively closes his eyes when blood starts pouring into them, himself on the verge of passing out, when a hand that feels like it's made of well-forged steel grabs hold of him and lifts him to the air. Squinting through bloodied eyes, he sees that monstrously enduring knight of Lucien's - Ennius - standing in front of him. But something's wrong - his veins are all lined in Black, his body is covered in burns, he's far bigger than he should be, swollen to the point of impossibility, his eyes are dark as night, and a terrible, terrible evil rages its way into his soul in its presence.
Gedric tries to croak out something, but finds his jaw doesn't seem to work the way it should. The thing seems to understand the question, however.
"We are Lucius. Avatars of Kupala. We grant you your right to die."
End Sidequest
Author
Topic: Monstrous Mistakes - Kiril and Lucien (Read 193060 times)