Prince of The Abyss

If time weren't frozen, he was sure it would be raining.

Where was the rain to wash away the blood? To clean his sins.

The blood stood still, hanging from his hands, making him relive the moment over and over again.

He covered his face with his hands, unable to look at the sight anymore, just for it to drip on his lip. Its metallic taste, he was very familiar with, yet it was different from his own.

It was like a venom in his veins, making him bleed internally.

He gritted his teeth slightly before letting go, before detaching himself from the grief, binding him by his arms and legs. Only for a slight second.

The death of someone you trust is horrid, but if you let your emotions get the hang of you, then your soul will truly never rest.

You either give it up, accept things, and go on to the next stage, putting the soul of the person you lost to rest.

Or you go down the rabbit hole that is grief.

...

How much he wished to choose the former.

After all, rats look out for each other,

and he specifically was very vengeful.

He grabbed the sword, dragging its tip against the ground, as if he was trying to get his revenge on it for killing his friend, even if he was the one who had taken his life. The blood was clear, surprisingly so; he was able to see his reflection, both in the blade and in the crimson burning on it.

They both depicted the same person, but one showed a more wicked version.

As blood fell from the tip, it left a trail down, for everyone in the First Ring to see. To see the reality of this world, which needed to be destroyed.

It's impossible to bring someone back from the dead, as much as humanity has tried to find something like it...

Humans are mortals; they have an end and a beginning. There is no such thing as immortality. If something like that existed, one of the two would be lost.

But they can't exist without each other.

So, the only thing left to do for someone who has died is to let them rest. Let them get their salvation. Or let them suffer for the sins they have committed and the sorrow they have caused.

... but you could always take things into your own hands. To get revenge. It was selfish, and the wise would say that revenge only causes more despair, as after it is achieved, it leaves an empty hole with nothing to fill it up.

But he was never wise.

...

...

Avrie was still waiting at home, oblivious to why Aether had left, and why he and Elpis, who had gone to find him, havent gotten back. It was strange, while she expected Aether to stay out late, she would have thought that he would be back with Elpis after him. Had they stopped to get something, or maybe found a target?

But why did Aether even leave in the first place? What had angered him so much?

Out of nowhere, as she was fiddling with her hat, she heard a knock on the door. She turned her head, surprised, never having heard someone knock on the door. But didn't that just mean it wasn't Aether or Elpis? So then, who was it?

She slowly walked to the door, barefoot on the jagged wood, placing her small hand on the doorknob, and hesitantly opening the door. But to her surprise, Aether stood in the doorway.

His hands were stained in blood, and there was even some on his face and hair. His eyes looked dull, like a sky hidden in black clouds. He was carrying a sword, with its tip almost broken, and drenched in blood.

She opened her mouth, trying to speak, but couldn't find the words.

'What happened...'

That was what she wanted to say. She was confused to the point that she couldn't talk. She didn't understand what had happened while he was away. Had something happened with a target, and they had to kill him?

But then why did he have Elpis' sword... and why was it in such a rough shape?

More importantly, Elpis had gone out to find him, so why was The Fool back, but the knight wasn't?

...

"Where's Elpis?..."

She saw as Aether's eyes squinted slightly, almost as if those words hurt him. He saw his hands clench on the hilt of the sword.

..."I killed him."

The silence that came after was like an eternal slumber. He wondered if this was his punishment that had been given upon him for his vices. The ringing in his ears got louder, as none spoke a word. Not because they couldn't, but because they were none to be said.

Like an avalanche ready to fall at any moment, by the slightest noise.

But in this silence, he heard Avrie clench her fist, trying to keep her emotions in check, just like he had done at the scene of the knight's death.

"But..."

She gritted her teeth.

"You promise to protect him, didn't you?"

She grabbed Aether by his cloak, her grip tightening from her emotions, almost digging into his skin. But he didn't resist. He knew that ending Elpis' slow death would linger like a curse.

But he could never say no to a friend. Even more, his last wish.

It was better to carry this burden than know that even in the end, he couldn't help him in any way.

He looked down at Avrie, seeing her tears flow from her eyes, how she stared at the floor as her hands clenched his cloak, like she were ashamed to show her tears.

"You shouldn't trust a Fool with a promise when he couldn't even keep the one from himself."

...

...

As the darkness in the alleyways blocked his vision, he found his way in a dead-end, turning to see a cloaked figure approach from behind. It dragged its blade on the ground, the sound it made was like the sword itself was screaming for help, as if it was in a state of eternal sorrow.

He walked back until he met the wall, falling down in fear. He wakes in horror as it approached, bringing its sword near his neck... and long after, feeling his head fall from where it normally stood.

...

He didn't bother to listen to the codex announce his kill; he was more annoyed with how things turned out. It had been getting very common nowadays for his victims to realize what was happening and try to run, resulting in him having to kill them.

He didn't know if he was just getting worse, or if the rumors had just spread too far, and people had learn more about his ways, and were scared of them. But this was the fourth day when he had not found one to sacrifice.

He headed home as he cursed his fate.

Opening the door, he saw Avrie looking at the Sun, as always. But he had to say, it had gotten quite big, and the radius where time was working had grown by a lot, actually getting a lot of the Ring, which made him wonder why when people saw this, they didn't want to help the cause. It had gotten bigger than its predecessors to some length, and it was also much lighter in color than both of them.

He walked past it, wanting to get himself to get some food. But there wasn't any, which was surprising, since it was Avire's turn to get the supplies, and she had never missed a day.

They didn't talk much nowadays, only when needed. If it wasn't about the Sun or their plan, it was unimportant. They didn't even eat together; they kept a distance when sleeping, and they had their own roles that they stuck to.

He walked over to Avrie, who was still staring at the Sun, like she was stuck to it.

"It was your turn to get supplies, you know? I'll go get them this time, but you'll have to do it for me the next time."

But she didn't respond, not even nodding her head. The only movement from her was breathing.

He tilted his head slightly, annoyed by how stubborn she was. He knew she was mad at him, that she didn't want to see him, and only did it because she had to, because that would be what Elpis would want, to finish things. But in no way did she like working with him. But not getting anything to eat also hurt her, plus they didn't have Elpis' flame, so they had to buy the things to start one too.

So what the heck was up?

Why did she keep staring at the Sun like that?

...

His eyes light up slightly, but more in terror than anything.

He swolled as he watched Avrie look at the Sun, like she didn't even hear him.

..."Whatever you do, don't stare at the sun for too long."

He mumbled to himself as he remembered those words from J.