"So what?" Nio grits his teeth, walking up to Ryua with a serious gaze. "Captain—no, Ryua, get up. Get over it and stand up." His cold green eyes bore into Ryua, who stares at her trembling hands.
POW!
"GET UP!" Nio yells after slapping her to the ground. "YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO BREAK DOWN!"
"STOP IT, NIO!" Zoey yells, grabbing his arm before he can deliver another slap. "S-Stop... please," she mumbles with a cracked voice, her hand trembling as she clenches his arm.
"What's the point..." Ryua mumbles under her breath, wiping her mouth while continuing to stare at the ground. "I-I'm a monster... I-I should be d-dead!" She grits her teeth as tears stream down her face.
"W-What?" Zoey asks, turning to her with clenched fists. "I-It doesn't matter... w-who cares what they think..." Falling to her knees, Zoey grabs onto Ryua's hand. "I-I..." Zoey wipes her snot away. "Y-You're the one who told me to ignore everyone's opinion and be who I want to be. This is no differ—"
"I KILLED THEM!" Ryua yells at the top of her lungs, punching the ground. "I-I... I killed so many... so many children... UGHUGGHgHhH!" She clenches her head, ripping her hair out. "How... h-how could I do that?" She murmurs, sobbing uncontrollably.
Nio sighs, picking up a piece of paper. "You didn't kill them... They mind-controlled us."
"No no nono no no nononononnNONONONO!" Ryua rips her hair out. "I-I did it... I-I still recall it... I-I did it out of choice..." Her hands shake frantically as she lifts her sword to her throat. "Why d-did it take so long to realize it!? I-I'm a monster, I need to die before I kill any—"
POW!
Ryua's face is once again slammed into the ground. "S-shut up!" Palam falls to her knees in front of Ryua. "D-don't say that! Please..." she sobs, hugging her tightly. "Y-You don't get to decide that, Ryua. You don't get to say when it's over."
Ryua's sobs intensify as she feels Palam's embrace. "I can't... I can't live with this... I'm a monster... I can still feel their blood on my hands."
"We're all monsters," Zoey whispers, tears streaming down her face as she joins the hug. "We've all done things we can't take back. But it wasn't our choice. We were controlled, manipulated. That doesn't make it any less horrible, but we were victims too."
"It was a mixture of manipulation, mind control, and literally reshaping us," Nio exhales, stopping himself mid-sentence. "Where is Suki?"
"Oh, about time you realized," Nero smirks, stepping out of the shadows holding Suki by the throat. "Ugh," she rubs her head. "I'm a good person, you know?" She smiles, clenching Suki's neck tighter. "I was giving you a couple of minutes to sob before I kill you all, but this little thing," she turns to Suki, squeezing his neck tighter and tighter, "decided to ruin the mood and attack me."
"D-don't," Nio mumbles, watching Suki struggle to breathe. "I have a propos—"
Pop
"Proposal?" Nero smirks, dropping the lifeless body. "Hmhmhmhmhm..." Pushing her hair back, she sighs. "Time to wrap up, I—"
BOOM!
The ground erupts with a violent force, cracks splintering outward as a large chunk of earth is sheared off and slides away. The shockwave's destruction is so intense that the sound seems to disappear before it can even be heard. Debris flies in all directions, and the sheer force of the blast leaves a gaping void where the earth once stood.
"Do you seriously think you can beat me?" Nero exhales, scratching the back of her head while effortlessly holding the tip of Nio's blade with a single finger. "I've been holding back because of a particular duo who keeps bothering me." With her other hand, she swings her sword, slicing straight through Nio's neck. But something strange happens—his head doesn't roll.
"H-huh?" Nio's eyes widen, touching his neck. "I'm alive?"
"P-please stand up," Zoey sobs next to Ryua. "Y-you need to lead us... please... S-Suki is dead..."
Looking up, Ryua meets Zoey's eyes. "I-I... I—"
Zoey forces a smile. "We need you—" She manages to say before her head slides off her neck, blood spraying in a gruesome arc.
"Z-Zoey?" Ryua stutters, her eyes wide with horror as blood splatters on her face. "Z-zoey..." Ryua trembles, pushing Zoey's hair aside and cupping her cheeks with trembling hands.
Nio's eyes widen in fear and shock. "H-how?"
"How?" Nero smirks. "Kid, I've been alive for centuries. What I can do surpasses your comprehension."
Nio grits his teeth, tears streaming down his face. "N-no, there are limits! You can't jus—"
"What?" Nero smiles, tilting her head mockingly. "I can't what?" She flicks her finger, sending him flying backward. "It's easy," she mumbles, lifting her finger and pointing at Rio and Nia. "Bite."
Without warning, Rio's body jerks violently, and half of him is suddenly torn away, blood spraying in all directions as he collapses with a horrified gasp. Nia follows a heartbeat later, her scream cut short as half of her torso vanishes in a gruesome flash, leaving her crumpled on the ground, lifeless eyes staring at nothing.
Nio's heart pounds in his chest as he stares in disbelief at his fallen friends. "No... no, this can't be happening!" His voice trembles with raw anguish.
Guys, right now I'm currently switching jobs so I won't be writing a lot until I figure out my schedule. If I post anything it'll be late