untitled: Sizzle

 

The cache of his lungs in the cold, cold air burned at his chest like no pain he had ever felt. Then sensation was like tiny sharp hands reaching into one's chest and suffocating them there with every beat of the heart. Still, Ceata pressed on. He was rushing up the stairs with no regard for anything, hardly realizing how dark the night had become...how the clouds over head began to swirl with a dark murky evil. Death felt it most acutely, like a shuddering along the ground. Chains...such heavy chains weighed down his heart as the bell continued to toll that sweetly beautiful death song. A lover died, so long ago now, and Death could not bear that sound then...Even now, the piece which makes the clock work is locked away in his study.

 

Is it merely his mind that sings the song of sadness over and over again? No...For there are others standing and watching as the tower calls to them. Rage, at last breaking from his trance, turns fast and rushes towards Hatred, passing Stannis so swiftly that he nearly knocks him over. "H-He's awake!! H-Hatred, you said he wouldn't wake up!!" Rage cried out desperately, his lips curled in a snarl.

 

Hunger was already stepping back; seeming to shrink away as he looked up at the sky with is rolling pink eyes. There was fear there.....Oh, yes, there was fear.

 

Exodus looked confused a moment, wondering why the beastie he was fighting was stepping back. Then the toll cut into him, ringing sharply, sadly. He peered up as well, still confused for that bell had never rung his whole life living here.  Everyone was still, looking up with wide eyes at the tower, feeling the chill that settled over every last one of them acutely as if someone had grasped them with frozen skeletal hands.                        Still, even with the air cold and bitter, Ceata stumbled up the stairs, panting, heavy for breath. He could barely breathe, the air so cold and hard to suck into his throat.

 

The beasts dissipated like a morning fog, simply wiped away by this tone that spread over the entire realm again and again and again. Exodus was surprised by it, that ache in his heart returning from the old days...Hadn't he gotten over that so long ago? Why were his deepest sorrows appearing now to torment him at a time like this? Even he could not explain it, looking around to see the faces of so many people staring up at that tower...It seemed they too had an expression of sadness on their faces, drawn and white in the gloom as clouds overshadowed the heavens. For a long moment, there was darkness as the moon was covered and the stars blotted out...

 

Ceata stood in the doorway, staring in fear at the empty room before him. Gai lay on the bed unconscious as a fine trail of blood ran from the room tot he window. To see it made Ceata's blood run cold, for there was a pile of bandages near the bed which he had set himself that morning...However, they had been put upon Urius' broken skin and not the ground.

 

Shuddering more, Ceata slipped into the room cautiously, looking about with wide eyes. Well, there was no sign of him here, where had he gone off to? Yes, out the window of course, but WHERE? The shadowshifter checked on Gai gently, finding her out, but alive. That was a small relief, but would it really matter in this situation?

 

Gai stirred just barely, a bruise on her forehead denoting an attempt to bludgeon her there. With consciousness waning, she opened her eyes a moment to see Ceata looking down at her with the utmost concern. The bells were tolling almost as loudly as her head was throbbing...Wait...what happened? Where is she?

 

"Gai...? Gai what happened?" Ceata demanded softly, keeping his voice down for fear of hurting her by yelling. Her head was bruised where it had been hit, with what, Ceata could only guess at.  The woman licked her lips, groaning softly.

 

The girl was obviously useless in that moment and Ceata could only sigh, letting her lay back down for fear of aggravating her injury all the more. He moved away quickly enough and looked out the window, staring down with a slight fear that he would find Urius dead down there. The bell was still ringing, though he couldn't quite hear the sound of fighting...At this angle, the castle wall itself obstructed the view of the main gate and courtyard. Still, there didn't seem to be any more massive explosions, only the cold churning air and that damned bell tower.

 

He needed to find Urius and fast...

 

Gritting his teeth, Ceata slipped over the window ledge. His feet were still a little sore, as was his back, but there was no time to move gingerly. Finding Urius was of the opt most importance right now. All comforts were to be shoved aside and forgotten until he found Urius and found him safe.  Grunting, the small male slipped from the window ledge and began scaling down the wall.

 

 As Ceata is busy trying to track down his wayward lover, those back at the battlefield are in a panic. "You said he wouldn't awaken!!" Rage snarled at Hatred as he came bounding back over the broken pieces of the wall, his eyes glancing wildly towards the castle. Hatred had already dislodged himself from Stannis - the two having been in a fierce fight. He stood off at a distance, panting lightly from the strain and snarled.

  "We'll kill him regardless! He can't be very strong at all, just awakening! All of you fools, calm down!!" Morpheus hissed, cuffing Rage upside the head as the other seemed to glance desperately towards the portal that they entered from. Greed was already kicking Rei to the side as he turned and hobbled over.

  "The creatures are gone...I suggest we just go get him...Fear and Vanity can't handle him alone," the deformed monstrosity hissed, his chest cavity half open as he was ready to attack, should anyone rush out to meet them. Death's army seemed incredibly bemused, for Death himself did not know what was going on. Everyone present looked up to the sky, to the frost forming around them, and stood like geese gaping at the rain - the attacking Gods forgotten easily.

 

 Rei hissed at the kick and squirmed up on his knees. The wild eyed General was thinking fast, hoping for a distraction so he could run away and return to the relative safety of the castle and those within.  "Fuck... it's c-cold." He growled, working at his bonds restlessly, listening to his captures idly as he squirmed and felt his wrist pop out of place painfully. Fuck... it hurt, but it helped and one of his hands escaped.

 

It was just about time too, for, angered by Hatred so quickly ending their fight, Stannis quickly overcame his astonishment at the odd happenings around him to send an immense amount of ice hurtling at the Gods. Rei had just enough time to claw himself behind a rock before the ball of frozen water collided with the ground not to far from him. Unfortunately, it was characteristic of their attackers to be rather swift in evading. All had launched themselves into the air, snarling at the sight of the lone man in black with his burning blue eyes.

  "Damn...can I get him, Hatred?" Hunger hissed, already bearing his saw-like teeth as saliva dripped from his lips. Hatred, almost suspended in the air before touching down, only gave a curt nod.

  "You deal with him...we'll go for - " Hatred stopped, seeming to stiffen, for there was something that had caught his eye out at the other end of the castle wall. He saw it before he heard it - that God-awful wailing that could only be described as inhuman. Death heard it too and rushed out of the crumbling gate to see what poor soul was making that racket. 

 

The moment gave Rei time to make his escape. The man hurried away and tossed himself into the castle grounds, hiding against the wall so he could work all his bonds off with a cackling, gleeful chuckle.                                                                   

 

Death hurried to the sound, confused and frightened by it. What was that? It was like someone was being endlessly tortured in manners most foul. He shuddered, eyes flashing. What would he find...

 

"Fear!" Morpheus said softly under his breath, for he could see the young male stumbling back from the interior of the castle, making such terrible noises as he wobbled forward and fell to his knees. Upon closer inspection of his face, trails of blood leading from his mouth could be seen as he tried to make garbled words with his useless half-tongue. What was perhaps more disturbing and more notable was the stumps of hands he held forth - the bone peaking out of bloody flesh like a freshly sawn roast. Fear stumbled forward, moaning pitifully.

 

  "Maaaah aaaahhhnnsss!! Ee oook mah aaahhhnnss!!!" the pitiful creature screamed. Death had to step back in horror as the Angels did, hardly wanting to get close to this limbless, tongue less being.

 

 "My God..." Roaden could be heard swearing as he stepped out of the way. Even Stannis turned from glaring at Hatred to see Fear slump forward, giving wretched and pitiful cries.

 

The immortal stared at him in shock, lip lifted in a sort of sneer as he was forced to take a step back. The immortal's flesh turned even chillier and he looked about sharply, moving past Fear and nearly shoving the slumped man over as he looked for whom he was sure had caused this. Stumps... those hands were stumps... just like someone else’s....

 

 

The darkness revealed nothing at first, only the empty hollow whine of the wind passed the stones in a tiny space that was used for servants to move in and out of the castle from the walls. Here Death fixed his eyes, for something lurked there...something dark and sinister looked back at him, though he could not make out the shadows nor the familiar shape of a being more terrible than Adonis ever was. His darkness was one that could not be escaped, for it lived in the fathoms of every man's soul.

 

Suddenly out of the gloom, a thick steel chain shot into the back of the kneeling Fear, striking him between the shoulder blades as he jolted forward with body arched and blood spurring from his mouth. His eyes widened, glistening so beautifully before the chain whipped back and took with it the last twinkling of life in his gaze. Death was horrified to watch a soul being sucked into that oblivion on the end of those heavy metal links. He could feel the spirit clawing at his face for freedom as it was sucked into the dark. 

 

The immortal gasped softly, taking a step back at the suddenness and fearful power of the action. The body of Fear slumped forward, a pile of dead flesh now that the spirit was ripped from it so violently.   Death held out a hand, keeping the others who had followed him behind him and away from the darkness that hid the cold beast from view. He could feel him though, knew he was there in the shadows.                                        

Would it be wise to go in there? Death was not sure he should go forward, but he was not sure he should back down either, not when those around him still needed protection. Yet... he felt he had to keep himself between those with him and Sorrow.

 

Suddenly a torch lit as Death stood there with his terrified Shadowshifters at his back, the trembling masses of Angels well back as they held forth weapons in some futile effort to protect themselves. The wash of fear upon their faces was no lessened when a familiar countenance was revealed in the glow of the torch light. Urius stood there, if this thing could be called Urius...He seemed a whole different creature, for the way he stood was not like him, his eyes a feral gleam. What's more, the hints of purple no longer were mere hints, for those eyes were the eyes of a violet-tinted devil. "Don't stop the party on my account," this thing that was once Urius said smoothly, holding under one scarred and mangled arm the bloody limbs which belonged once to Fear. He drops them upon the ground like so much dead weight, setting the torch awkwardly in a sconce that hung on the outside of the wall.

 

To see his hands made stomachs churn with disgust, for they were naught but mangled and thinly layered flesh clinging to bone. Upon his belt he had placed a simply dagger. It was already bloody from use. With awkward movements, he managed to pull it out of his belt with his lesser deformed hand. 

 

Death watched him cautiously, shivering a little as the man took out the dagger. Watching those mangled hands trying to handle the knife was sickening and he took another step back, eying Sorrow with mixed emotions. Both fear and nervous energy mixed in the immortal and caused his mind to go down dangerous trails. Perhaps he could take him out now, while he was still un-whole?  His thoughts scattered like birds startled to flight when he heard the crunch of gravel behind Sorrow.

 

"Ah...Ceata. It's about time you showed up."

 

Ceata stood behind this man that was his lover, staring at him with this look of dread upon his face that could only be described as abject horror. Ceata knew who this monster was...He knew the pain and suffering he could cause. Oh, how he knew it...All at once, his heart seemed to collapse in defeat, knowing now that Urius was lost - perhaps forever. 

 

The pale male stopped and flinched some, staring at Sorrow with wide eyes as a look of defeat slowly took over his features. If Sorrow was here... now, while Urius had been so weak... gods, no! The shadowshifter whimpered softly, unable to get himself to move, eyes locked on Sorrow's back as he stood in the deeper shadows.  Death frowned, hand clenching some. If Sorrow touched Ceata...! Oh if only the immortal knew just how Sorrow had touched Ceata before! The immortal would have been all the more livid.  What to do now though? What to do now... "Ceata... get out of there." Death barked harshly.

 

"No, Death...you shouldn't order him around so. He is, after all, capable of choosing for himself. Aren't you, Master?" Sorrow asked with almost a sarcastic tone, looking back over his shoulder. Once Ceata caught sight of those eyes, he knew that his Urius was gone. The want to fall to his knees and weep almost overwhelmed him, but the fear he felt kept him standing - albeit shaking as he was. 

 

Ceata glowered some at him, though it was a weak one. The hand clutching his sword shook and he had to lean against the wall for fear of collapsing. Death looked sharply from Sorrow to Ceata and saw the young male flinch guiltily. Gods... could it be that...? Damnit! The immortal snarled. Took a step toward Sorrow and stopped. "Bastard.... what did you do?" He growled angrily.

 

"It is not a question of what I did, Ceata...Urius was the one that gave up on life - certainly not me." The monstrosity then turns to his dagger, letting it gleam a bit in the torchlight as the color of blood stains the steel a beautiful shade of reddish-brown. He seems to relish in the sight of it, those violet eyes flickering. "What's more, you are asking the wrong question."

 

Ceata looks puzzled as he watches the other turn to him, holding out his ruined hand with the most missing fingers and the dagger in his other awkwardly deformed stump. "It is not what I did but what I will do." Those words had Ceata even more puzzled until he watched the blade of that gleaming dagger sink deep into the bone of his lover's wrist. Ceata made a terrified squawk, watching with round mismatched eyes as Sorrow slowly severed his useless limb. It was not a fast process by any means...the bone proved most difficult for such a deformed hand. Sorrow simply snapped it against the wall until it made its final sickening crack. Like Urius himself, the hand was dropped as little more than dead weight. What was left was a blood-spewing stump that Sorrow admired a moment and then thrust into the licking golden flames of the torch.

 

The skin sizzled...

 

Ceata cried out in alarm, almost grabbing at Sorrow. The young male kept himself relatively still, eyes wide and throat working as tiny cries of disgust and pain escaped him. Deep red blood gushed forth and glittered a little in the light, the scent of it heady and thick, sweetness and copper.  Death continued to growl, watching Sorrow. There was no clean way he could attack Sorrow with Ceata so close to the man. He could possibly kill the young male on accident.

 

A slow smile crept over those beautiful lips as the bubble and snapping of flesh could be heard under the immense heat. Those eyes gleamed violet and glowed in the darkness as hair wove long tendrils down his neck. Ceata watched the transformation of the man he loved into this thing of nightmares - this embodiment of all the suffering he had experienced in losing his Urius to madness. Ceata felt tears well in his eyes as the beast pulled his cauterized wound from the fire and slowly began to attach a stolen limb to its end. Shadows linked flesh and flesh, animating the dead things so that they might grasp again that illusive wonder known as power. 

 

Ceata watched in mixed horror and fascination, tears streaking his dirty face, pale hair grayed from the dust that had filled the air when the walls had tumbled. His whole body seemed dulled and gray, almost as if it had lost all luster.  The sword fell from his numb fingers and disappeared into the shadows. His whole body felt numb, a dull ache in his chest as he watched Sorrow with wide, unbelieving eyes.

 Death could not stand here and watch Sorrow. There were other things he had to see to. He gestured slowly to those behind him, having them move back. Death would have to deal with Sorrow himself it seemed.