Invitation to an Intricate Pleasure: Part 10
“Do you understand how serious this situation is, Gahbreal?” Destodai began as she looked at him with strange eyes. “I had to tend to your injuries while Eviax handled Gahbriogyva’s. I haven’t seen you receive so much damage in a very long time.”
“Not to mention, that wasn’t even you.”
Novevu’s voice caused his ears to perk up. The aikekunai had hoped he wouldn’t speak, hoped he wouldn’t have anything to say. Even so, it was inevitable that his father figure would have something to say about this catastrophe.
“Yes. It seems that my first life managed to slip through the cracks,” he responded to which Xainayne clicked his tongue.
“I believe it was you who said you’d have that under control.”
“I do have it under control-”
“And yet you’ve allowed this entire situation to unfold! Not only that, but then you go to Eviax to fix your mess. It’s disgraceful.”
There were few things that hurt more than Xainayne’s disapproval. He and his ancient rarely got along, but he was the one who looked after him the closest for as long as he could remember. It made the wolf’s heart cry out, the two who had acted as a mother and father to him giving him such steep expressions. However, he had no choice outside of facing them directly.
“All of that, however, is secondary. What troubles me most is that daughter of yours.” Naiick said in an attempt to bring the conversation elsewhere.
“What about her?” Gahbreal responded with a souring expression.
“What about her? She is the child of an aikekunai, of which there are no others to currently speak of. We left her in your care entirely on a whim and, when next we hear of her, she’s breaking your bones with her bare fists.”
“While it doesn’t seem like a great feat, you are personally heavily resistant to blunt trauma and damage. You always have been.” Florita always seemed to remember every detail about it. Even the ones everyone else forgot.
“Florita is right. It hasn’t been too long since she was born, but she already has strength capable of damaging you to this degree?” Novevu stated before turning his attention to Cyva who stood at his side. “And if your report is correct Gahbriogyva also blatantly refused your orders and commands to continue seeking out more bloodshed against her own father.”
“That is... correct. I could not stop her.”
“If she isn’t willing to listen to her own parents and mentally capable of culling them, what leaves any of us to believe that the girl wouldn’t just do as she pleases with anyone from our houses?” Flori placed his opinion on the table along with everyone else’s.
“It’s a simple problem to fix,” Gahbreal’s eyes turned in Xainayne’s direction. “We do what we’ve always done with rowdy claimants who can’t control themselves.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I think you know exactly what it means, Gahbreal.”
“I don’t know a damn thing, and I won’t until you put it into plain words.”
“Being stubborn won’t change the outcome of this situation,” Xainayne’s words steadily lighting Gahbreal’s eyes ablaze. “If she cannot do as she is told and becomes a problem for everyone then she will simply have to die.”
Xainayne did not move an inch. Refusing to waver entirely at what might have possibly spelled grave damage. Only allowing his eyes to stray to the side where Gahbreal’s axe was now lodged next to his head on the chair. A part of him was disappointed to think his knight would believe a warning like this would suffice. It was only when taking a closer looked at the situation that, to his dismay, he found that Cyva was the one who had acted to move his arm ever so slightly. Without that his aim would have remained true, and his axe would have no doubt hit its mark.
Cyva, on the other hand, while understanding was entirely dismayed. She knew her husband cared for their daughter more than anyone including herself. What she did not expect was a reaction so immediate and violent. She watched as vines sprung forth and attempted to hold Gahbreal in place as he was already prepared to move forward, but that was proving to be ineffective at keeping him entirely in check. The resulting scenario would end with steel chains coiling his body as well as solid ice covering all but his head. There was a moment in which it began to creak and crack, but eventually his movements were entirely halted.
“That’s enough.” Evyette ordered. “I understand that you are upset, but there are important things being taken into consideration.”
“I don’t care.”
“What?” Daenu responded to his direct insubordination.
“Watashi wa arayuru kabe o kowashimasu. Ano musume o surutameni wa, arayuru shōheki o uchiyaburi, arayuru hō o uchikudaite kudasai. Kanojo ni kigai o kuwaeru mono wa, darenimo torikaeshinotsukanai shi o mukaeru koto ni naru. Fukkatsu wa arimasen. Modottekonai. Reigai naku.”
(I will tear down every wall. Break through every barrier and shatter every single law in place if I must to protect that girl. Anyone who harms her will die a death which no one will ever be capable of undoing. No resurrections. No coming back. No exceptions.)
“Is that so?” the ancient of darkness started. “And what if I were to carry out the task myself?”
“You’ve known me this long and you’re still asking stupid questions like that? Dig deep and pull the answer from your soul.”
“You’re out of line, Gahbreal. Don’t let your personal feelings encroach so heavily on your actions,” Nammay attempted to calm him to no avail.
“I’ve lived long enough to know that there are no saviors. Among the greatest of us there are monsters and there are martyrs, struggling for some semblance of rule over a kingdom that does not truly exist. Even if the sun burns the earth away or the realms collapse in on themselves, I will protect that girl if it is the last thing I ever do. I don’t care who I have sacrifice for the sake of her survival.”
“Are you saying that you’re willing to betray us all for the sake of Gahbriogyva?” Chaemai asked him to which his eyes snapped to her position.
A deep red, seething with madness, blistering with corruption. It was akin to staring in the face of disaster and devastation. There was an insanity behind them which told a tale of multiple lives writhing within. As if every eye he ever owned looked at her like meat, and she could tell he was serious. There was no attempt to hold it back as he bared his fangs. The strain on his body showing on his face with each passing second as darkness dripped down his brow like sweat.
“Betray you? If this is even a suggestion, we were never allies to begin with.”
“You’re not yourself right now, Gahbreal. You need to calm down.” Jayhe said.
“Not myself? Hah! What a farce.” His brow furrowed deeper than it ever had as he spoke. “I will not hesitate to do what I must for that girl, and no one comes before her. Above all else I am her father. It doesn’t matter if it’s a claimant, a champion, another aikekunai, treasure, or ancient! The slightest attempt on my daughter’s life will result in the most gruesome and unrighteous dea-”
“Gahbreal!” Cyva’s voice caused him to stop before going any further. “That’s enough. Don’t go any further.”
There was silence throughout the room. Specifically, the most surprising part of the silence was Xainayne. As long as it took for everyone to gain Gahbreal’s respect and devotion, with most of his lives only ever loyal to Xainayne and Novevu, the look on his face along with the words he used spoke volumes. As if centuries of trust faded away into darkness. While Gahbreal had said many things and often spoke in a disrespectful manner, this was the first time Xainayne had found himself on the receiving end of a threat from him.
When had Gahbreal become so volatile? When did their relationship become so fragile? Xainayne could remember every moment from Gahbreal’s birth; the timeline in which they spent nearly every day interacting with one another. He could still often see his face smiling from when he was still a child. Granted, that expression rarely appears on his face these days. The boy who once called him mother, treated him like a direct parent in comparison to everyone else including his own birthmother, now looking at him as if he were nothing more than his average enemy. One of the same targets he had to deal with every other day. The only other person in the room who could understand the way Xainayne now felt was Novevu.
“Nothing is certain, Gahbreal.” Jaiho broke the silence. “No one has confirmed your suspicions, so there is no need to be so hostile.”
“Words are meaningless in comparison to an expression. That’s the reality I understand.”
“Then what should we take from your expression?” Destodai asked the wolf.
“That question is stupid, and you know it. Fill in the blanks, come to your own conclusions, just like you expect of me. Make whatever decision you see fit; understand that my mind is already made up.”
“Enough! This conversation is going nowhere,” Novevu said as he stood to his feet. “We called you here to confirm the details of what happened, and we already have our answers. Both you and Cyva may return home for now. If we need more, we will call on you at a later time.”
The ice, chains and vines which held Gahbreal in place retreated from whence they came. There was a moment which Gahbreal looked at everyone, a steady gaze, before placing his hand over Cyva’s and the two would disappear in a swirl of darkness. Sighs and groans filled the room as soon as the two were gone, but to everyone’s surprise it was Naiick who was first to speak.
“That was an entire shit-show, and we all know exactly where he stands now.”
“Cyva may have stopped him from saying it outright, but that doesn’t change how prepared he was to say it.” Chaemai looked entirely drained by the situation. “Do you really believe Gahbreal would betray everything he’s ever known for her?”
“Absolutely,” Evyette responded.
“There’s no question about it,” Florita agreed. “There is a certain agency which takes precedence over everything else when your own child is involved. Would any of you be pleased if your treasure were threatened?”
“That’s not the same thing and you know it,” Flori answered her question.
“I believe that question was meant to be rhetorical.”
“Rhetorical or not, it is still not a comparison. Unless you’re saying Misnia is equal to his kid, Daenu.”
“You really don’t know how to shut up and understand the motive behind anything.”
“Gahbreal has never liked his job and does it out of respect and duty,” the air ancient responded to Flori. “His family life is a disaster; he rarely has time to speak or socialize with anyone other than his enemies, but most importantly the only peace he’s had all his life has come from the ancients and his wife. Even with that in mind, Cyva has only been with him for a portion of his life, and we haven’t always done things in a manner that pleases him. Often quite the opposite.”
“I don’t get how that’s supposed to mean anything. If we give him an order, he should follow it. It’s a pretty simple concept.” Jayhe’s words caused Jaiho to sigh.
“If you believe that’s what has been keeping him under control this entire time then you’re hopeless.”
“I said what I said to express emphasis on what matters to him. Gahbreal has had very little to trust and constantly loses a lot. Whether that been his sanity, his friends or his life. He’s also the aikekunai of the lot who has remained the same across his lives, although he’s mellowed out quite a bit. His daughter is no doubt acting as an anchor point for him.”
“And you’re trying to say that she’s enough to keep him from remaining loyal to all of us?” Destodai asked.
“It makes sense,” Novevu added. “Think about it. Gahbreal works without rest on the daily. He sleeps only when he needs to and doesn’t question anything unless he is interested. It wasn’t until Gahbriogyva was born that it became normal for him to return home at least once a day.”
“He has barely had any time to interact with the child, but he cares for her more than anything else already. In his mind she most likely represents everything. It should come to no surprise that he’d be willing to kill for her. The greatest problem to consider is what may occur if she is slain.”
“You mean the Chisuke.” Xainayne responded to Florita as he pulled Gahbreal’s axe from its current position, lodged in his seat. “His family has always been a problem, specifically all the claimants in it. Mayray is a wildcard that constantly refuses to listen, Kikana and her sisters are the most annoying thing to deal with in general, Kana has never been trustworthy, and a large portion of their family are males who aren’t even claimants. Gabi’s death could spark having them all become enemies, and the resources required to even deal with all of them at once would be impossible to put together. I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew we were having this conversation.”
“Kikana does pride herself on knowing every secret. Even my assassins don’t get around as much as she does. It’s like the woman has eyes and ears everywhere. Not to mention her troublesome niece. I’ve only ever seen that girl once,” Evyette said as she leaned back in her seat.
“Once? At least you’ve seen her,” Quinnox responded. “All I know about her is that she somehow manages to show up in places she isn’t meant to be without ever being called.”
“Another big problem, and one I chose to keep from mentioning while Gahbreal was present, is that she has already met with Hellfire.”
“Are you serious? Evyette, why would you even allow that?” Xainayne questioned the ancient of fire.
“It wasn’t a big deal before, but the problem you’d have to consider is that Jerimyha has already grown fond of the girl. Albeit strict. That means there is a chance that he and Gahbreal could become allies instead of enemies under the banner of wanting revenge for her death.”
“It’s just problem after problem! Something must be done, but I cannot risk causing his fucking annoyance of a family to revolt against us. We wouldn’t have to worry as much about them coming for us as we would have to worry about them going for other claimants! I need to think. How was her condition?”
“From what Eviax told me, Gahbriogyva was in a rather poor state. We were able to reattach her severed wing and handle all her major injuries. The minor ones were left alone. She should be out of commission and resting for at least a few days,” Destodai responded to which Xainayne exhaled a breath of relief.
“Good. I’ll think of something to do with her for now. So long as she’s not causing any more trouble there shouldn't be any more problems to worry about for the time being.”
“You’re finally back,” Gabi stated as she watched her parents appear at the entrance to their home.
“Gabi? What are you doing out here? You should be resting!”
“Forget resting. Didn’t you say Eviax said she should be comatose for several days?”
“I don’t care about that, there’s work to be done. Get ready,” Gabi raised her finger towards her father. “We aren’t done yet. We’re picking up where we left off.”
“What? Do you even realize what you’re saying?”
“Of course, that’s why I’m saying it.”
“Absolutely not. I’m more than willing to teach you what you need to know to build yourself up to be as powerful as you desire, but you and I fighting isn’t going to happen again.”
“What?” she spoke as her eyes began wandering off. As if the reason for his words would appear in the air around them. “How am I supposed to get stronger if you don’t push me further?”
“My decision has been made. You already have more than enough strength, what you need now is control. What was learned from your last fight is clear. You have no concept of controlling yourself and that needs to be rectified. However, as things stand, you can’t be trusted to freely fight with anyone.”
“That... that’s not fair. You said you’d teach me to be the most powerful! You promised me!”
“As I said, my decision has been made.”
Her body was flooded with emotions. It felt foreign, strange, as if her body and mind were at odds with one another. She wanted to punch him in the face as hard as she could; instead, Gabi’s simply turned to her mother as if expecting her to help somehow. When Cyva shook her head in response those emotions only intensified.
There were few things throughout his life that made Gahbreal waver outright. He could clearly remember many things from his past lives. He could remember watching his allies injured to great extremes, the faces of those who had perished that were close to him, all his failures when involving other claimants who depended on him and relied on him. The closest he had ever come to breaking was the moment his mind caught up with him after the showdown with Amarjeet. However, there was no feeling as souls shattering as his daughter’s words.
“You’re barely ever here and you can’t even keep just one promise! You... you liar!”
“Gabi, sweetheart, you know that isn’t fair-”
“I don’t care!” her fists began to shake as tears poured down her cheeks. “All you do is go and fight every day! It’s all you ever do, everything for everyone else! If we can’t even do that then... then what’s the point? Why do you even come back?”
“I come back home because of you, wolf pup.”
He attempted to reach out to her only to see her slap his hand away. Even when Cyva tried to console her the girl backed away, as if doing her best to keep them at a distance. Neither of them had ever seen her throw a tantrum of this magnitude. In fact, it was odd to see her cry for reasons like this at all. Their daughter who usually resorted to anger alone was now bawling her eyes out while continuing to hold her normal frustrated gaze. It was only when her eyes went from red and full of anger to blue and completely devastated that they could feel their hearts twist.
“This was mine. We were gonna do it together! But you lied!” She looked as if she couldn’t find any more words to say. No matter how large her mental dictionary had grown, there was only a single phrase that popped into her mind. “I-I hate you pa!”
“Gabi!” Cyva called out as the girl rushed back to her room. “Gahbreal, we must... Gahbreal?”
Cyva had seen many expressions on her husband’s face. Worry, caution, anger, rage, peace, joy, fear, confusion, the normalcy of his basic features. She had believed she had seen everything he had to offer. There was never a face more broken and dejected than the one he now wore against his will. He looked physically weak, as if all his vitality had been drained away with that one phrase from his daughter. If he lay down on the floor, he would look as if he were dead. In every way it looked as if the joy had been forcibly removed from his soul. As if all the energy he had conjured up for the sake of his daughter evaporated into thin air.
“I did what I had to do. It was for the best.”
“Dear, let's sit for a moment and talk. You need to rest-”
“No, I’m fine. This is for the best.” His words didn’t even seem like something he personally believed as he slowly walked to the entrance of their home. “It’s for the best... it has to be.”
Cyva watched as he left their home and shut the door behind himself without making a sound. She didn’t know what to do at all. On one side her husband was falling apart at the seams, but on the other her daughter was possibly in the most vulnerable state she had ever been in before. There was too much to process, too much to do, but before anything she had to make sure her daughter did not decide to do anything reckless. That was the immediate threat to her sanity. If she chose to act out again there was no telling what she might do.
Cyva ascended the stairs and made her way to the now shut door of Gabi’s room. These days it felt as if only she were the one that made any sound when walking through their home, but her daughter was too rowdy to remain silent and it brought a slight smile to her face. A part of her was hanging on by a thread with this situation, but there was a sense of peace inside of her that she felt somewhat ashamed of. Gabi had become so self-sufficient that the girl rarely ever had a need for her, but this was something that as a mother she would be capable of doing for the one she called her little angel. That was why she chose to knock on the door and enter, the reason she found the courage to face this situation so wholeheartedly, and also the reason she found herself so dismayed when she found Gabi to be gone. Both her and the remaining boxes her uncle had given her.
“So, let me get this straight... you ran away from home and chose to come here of all places?”
“Won’t Gahbreal come here looking for her? That seems like an inevitable event, or at least a highly possible one.”
“I don’t plan on staying here for long. I only came here to let you know I’d be showing up often,” Gabi spoke as she looked at her grandmother and grandfather from across the room. “Father has proven to be... untrustworthy. As such, I’ll be relying on you to teach me from now on.”
“Wait what? You want me to teach you?” Kikana looked rightfully panicked.
“Yes. You taught my father, and he refuses to teach me more. So, you must be capable of teaching me more than him.”
“It’s not so simple, or I mean... how can I say it... your father had multiple teachers in the past. I was only one of them.”
“That doesn’t matter. I trust you more than anyone else. I hear your lessons are strict and difficult. That’s exactly what I want. If I want unreachable power, then I will need things to be difficult. Will you do it?”
“Well, I suppose.” Kikana looked at Harvel who shrugged his shoulders. It was as if he were telling her to do whatever she wanted, and he would handle the rest. “All I can really teach you are the combat techniques of our family, some assassination methods, a few choice details involving combat from other houses, and a few moves I’ve picked up from watching the ancients. If you want to learn, I will do what I can.”
“Thank you, grandma!” Gabi said as she lowered her head.
“What are you doing? You don’t have to be so formal,” Harvel stated. “She’s your grandmother after all. Show her some proper affection for once.”
“What? No, that’s not necessary!”
Gabi raised her head, her eyes meeting her grandmother’s before she made her way across the room. Kikana looked almost afraid of what the girl might do next. Gabi’s stature was already equal, no, slightly above her own. Not to mention she had seen what the girl was capable of on multiple occasions. Her eyes lit up; her breath nearly drawn out of her entirely when her granddaughter’s arms wrapped around her.
“Thanks grandma.”
“Of course, dear. However, I must ask the question: when do you plan to return home?” The question caused her to release Kikana and step back slightly.
“I won’t be.” Her answer was met with silence. Both Harvel and Kikana looked at her as if she had said something egregious. “Dad is a liar; mom can’t be trusted to be on my side... there’s nothing there for me.”
“You can’t just abandon your home, Gabi. Especially not at such a young age,” Harvel attempted to convince her to no avail.
“You can’t change my mind. I can handle myself well enough on my own. All I need from you two is more power. I refuse to go without more power. I’ll take care of everything else, including funds. The human realm is easy to manipulate for that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking my leave. I’ll be back, though.”
They watched as Gabi’s wings coiled around her person, engulfing her before disappearing in a burst of black feathers which scattered themself like falling leaves. On the other end of her perspective, she would appear in a place she had not planned to be but knew about beforehand. If her father had accepted her challenge this would have been unnecessary. However, as she looked down on the illuminated city below, she couldn’t help but frown as if displeased with it all. What was once a sadness restrained and morphed into a hatred she disliked greatly. This was all his fault.
She descended to the rooftops below, the cold air sliding across her skin and causing her eyes to narrow in irritation. She placed the bag which was hanging off her shoulder onto the concrete roofing; hands slipping into an opening to retrieve one of the boxes which rested within. She didn’t know why, but a part of her felt it would be a bad idea to open it. Her mind screamed at her to refrain from doing it until she was feeling better about everything, but that only drove her to do it even more. Anything to distract her from the thoughts which raced throughout her mind.
Her fingers clasped the top of the item, her red eyes looking at it as if to second guess her purpose entirely. A light sigh escaped her throat, the warmth within her body now visible as a thin mist from her lips. She flipped the lid back and inside rested an odd, congealed liquid. It was thick, gray in color and lacking in substance. Its matte state seemed to shift, becoming a deep black before shifting about within its cradle. It swirled about wildly, causing Gabi to drop the item to the ground and back away.
“Well, isn’t this a surprise.”
“No,” the voice caused her to express an abnormal sense of dread.
“Yes. What else did you expect? You thought, with all your knowledge, that after all this time you wouldn’t be made to face me?”
“I refuse to believe it.”
“You should get used to it. Your desires mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. As you are now, you’re still acting like a fucking waste of space. Useless, weak, a cur that doesn’t even have a place to call home now. Doesn’t it aggravate you?”
Gabi couldn’t tell if this was some sort of joke that her uncle had prepared, or if this were an entirely different thing. There was no possible way Eric could have predicted all the things happening, no possible way he could have foreseen this outcome. It made her skin crawl, her mind itch, her tongue sour. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing up on end as her body stiffened instinctively. Her breaths now heavier than they had previously been, she could only watch hesitantly as the substance grew from within the box and took shape. Mirroring her every feature until she stared directly into the eyes of herself.
“I don’t have time for this.”
“Really? And what exactly do you have time for? Ah! That’s right! You have time to cry and run like a spoiled child.”
“You’re pissing me off.”
“Don’t act so high and mighty. You’re not talking to some low-grade rabble. As things stand, I exist above you.”
“What was that?” her teeth clenched together. “Do you have a death wish?”
“Get over your fucking self. If I have a death wish, then so do you. What makes you think you can stand up to me? After the way you almost died, I’m surprised you aren’t cowering in a corner or running away.”
“I am no coward!”
“Then what do you call this?” she spoke as she walked to the edge of the rooftop with arms outstretched. “This doesn’t belong to you, but here you are. Running away from everything like some... some human child throwing a useless tantrum.”
“I’m telling you not to talk to me like that.”
“Or what? Will you run away from me too? This isn’t some simple game, Gabi. This is everything. I’m taking this seriously, I’m the you that you act as if you’re not. You were raised to be above your peers, trained to be an emissary of violence and yet look at you now! Am I meant to be afraid? Do you believe Qrow would be afraid? Eric? Our father? I don’t even believe Stasia would be afraid of you as you are now.”
“Enough...”
“You’re acting like a baby. Someone without real direction, without real purpose, and yet your purpose has been clear from birth!”
“Then what is it? What is my purpose? What is it that I want? I don’t get it anymore! Everything revolved around that single promise! It was everything, but now it’s nothing... so what am I even supposed to be doing now? What’s the point of it all?”
As if the very sky were falling onto her shoulders she collapsed onto her hands and knees. The entropic decay of her courage was like the shattering of ice. It felt as if every single protective wall, the layers of practical denial of herself she had built up melted away like steel becoming molten. Her heart ached entirely; burned as if a flame were dying out in her chest. She could hear the rhythmic thuds of her heart beating in her ears as the pattering of tears fell to the ground beneath her. It felt terrible.
“You’re pathetic.”
“Enough... that’s enough.”
“It’s no insult,” her words followed a hand falling on her shoulder. “Everyone begins pathetic. Is that not how you’ve always been? This was all to grow, all to become something more than what you were. Now you just must make a new purpose.”
“A new purpose?” Gabi spoke as her head tilted upward to spot her own face looking at her with a smile.
“That’s right. Throw away the past, throw away your sorrows or they will eat you alive. Devour you whole. I am you as you are now, but that is why you must defeat me.”
“What?” She leaned back and sat on her feet as she spoke. “What does that mean?”
“That is the purpose of this test. You were meant to simply defeat me, but I won’t let it end so simply like that. A fight as you are now means nothing. There must be a change.”
“Change... what change do I have to make?”
“You must change the purpose which now ties you down.” She backed away and stood with her arms outstretched. “I represent what you are now. All your mercies, all your holding back, it lies with me. I am you as you stand before me. The you who relied on your father. The you who relied on a lie. You need to cast that ‘you’ aside and craft a new purpose. One only you can achieve with your potential.”
“Something that only I can achieve...”
She looked at herself, seeing herself for what she was. Gabi hadn’t taken the time to view herself properly but seeing it now, she felt disdain. She looked weak, as if deeply saddened and lacking a large part of her. Ever since her father had spoken to her it felt as if a large chunk of her being was missing, like she was falling apart, but that wasn’t right. Did she really need him? Was he the only one capable of leading her down the path she desired? That couldn’t be the case. She could feel a spark behind her eyes, a feeling nawing at her from within the depths of her mind.
She wiped the tears from her eyes and stood to her feet. A deep breath surged through her lungs as her eyes shut tightly. If she needed a new purpose, then it had to be something that everyone could understand. She needed to make certain that the entirety of all the realms would come to understand what it meant to stand alongside her, stand against her, and stand beneath her. There was no room for doubt or second guessing. If even she didn’t believe it, then there was no chance of it ever becoming reality. That’s why she didn’t hold back and thought of a purpose that went beyond normalcy. Something no one else would be sane enough to ever declare! That was what it meant to be her, to be Gahbriogyva.
“You look as if you’ve made up your mind. Are you ready to defeat me? To fight to a proper death?”
“Fight?” Her voice carried no sense of caution. “This is no fight. You were right, I was certainly being weak. A coward... but no more. I won’t rely on a single soul to get me where I need to be outside of my own, because only I can reach the heights I deserve.”
“Those are bold words. Do you seriously think I’ll let you win easily?” she spoke as she raised her hands to the ready.
“You’re being a nuisance. I’ve grown annoyed with the me I once was. Although I must admit, you certainly woke me up. So, I’ll give you every shred of power I now have. Ahh, but be grateful,” Gabi said as a smile spread across her face accompanied with eyes red enough to illuminate the night. “You’ll be the first to die by my new, purposeful hands.”
Her doppelgänger rushed forward, readily annoyed and prepared to fight. However, it was a short-lived engagement. A single fist thrown which was readily caught in Gabi’s hand. She attempted to pull away, struggled to be released, but there was no chance to accomplish the task. She could only watch as her fist was pulled back with every visible fiber of her being, the impact of a blow which immediate tore through her midsection as her legs flew across the rooftop. There was no holding back, the entire building shaking as windows shattered down to the ground floor. Car alarms were now blaring down the road below as several screams rose after the shockwave into a symphony of chaos.
Her eyes looked down at her now missing legs. The difference was far more severe than initially imagined. The only thing keeping her from the ground now was Gabi’s hand, still tightly clenched around her own as her eyes didn’t even bother to look down on her. Her gaze remained in the sky, reveling in something that could not be properly grasped by anyone else. However, as her cheeks revealed I precious red blush and her red orbs shifted in her direction...
“What have you decided?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to do what no one else could ever hope to accomplish, with my own hands,” she spoke as she dropped her to the ground and pressed the sole of her shoe on top of her head. “I’ll bathe this world in red. Blood and gore the likes of which no one else could possibly comprehend. And then, when I stand atop the limitless corpses that I craft with my own two hands, I’ll proclaim to all the realms exactly what I am.”
“You plan to destroy everything? To kill everyone without warranted reason?”
“Don’t be so naïve. That simplicity is what makes you nothing compared to what I am now. There will be those who come to follow me, kneel at my feet and call upon my name for guidance. Respect me above all else as they rightfully should! That is what it will take, and what it means to become a monarch. A monarch of claimants.”
“So, you’ve chosen to become... an ancient? To overtake Xainayne and rule your house?”
“Rule his house? No! Of course not! This house is far too weak. That is why I will reach further than this sorry house and its sorry state. I will reach out with my own two hands and grasp the power for myself. Then, when no one else can stand before me, I will craft a new house for claimants who will live to bathe in the blood of their enemies and bask in tithes of sinew!”
She could feel the pressure of Gabi’s foot pressing down on her skull. The bone cracking, breaking, being crushed under the pressure and yet she couldn’t be anything more than pleased. This was it. This was the sight which she had been hoping to see! Her eyes peering down at her like a deity drunk with bloodshed, hungry for life yet willing to defile it entirely. Dominant in all ways yet relishing in that grace given by lust beyond morality. The Gabi which had readily tossed aside all forms of mercy and decency for her lust and desire for power. It was for that reason that, even in her final moments as nothing more than a soulless copy, she could smile and share the exact same expression. Laughing in a fashion that only madness could produce.
“Long live Gahbriogyva. Newly awakened to who she was always meant to be.”
“That’s right, proclaim it even with the shattering of your bones and remember even in the nothingness you’ll return to. Carve it into your mimic soul. I am Gahbriogyva Leigh Dimea, and I will become an Ancient. Crafting my unmatched House of Violence.”