Despair

It was over before it could start. She was just too strong. I was laid down flat on my back instantly. So was everyone else, everyone except Kira. She’s able to hold her own against Corina. I turn to my side and to try and sit up, I could feel a dull throbbing pain flaring up inside of me.

Argh… I think my ribs are broken…

CLANG CLANG CLING

Kira is still fighting… what am I doing? All these years just for me to be protected…again?

No… no more.

I grab hold of the hilt of my sword and use it as a cane to try and lift myself up off the ground. The pain I could feel inside was excruciating, but I couldn’t care less. I need to do something, anything to help. I just couldn’t keep being so useless.

Come on! Get up you useless waste of space!

Finally, after a painful few seconds, I was able to hoist myself up off the ground, tilting to the side and using my sword to stabilize myself.

I look back toward the fight, my eyes could barely keep up with what was going on. Kira was fast but Corina was just as fast as her, both moving like a blur to my eyes.

Zoe stayed far back. She began caressing her staff, wrapping her legs around it and whispering to it.

“Yes… kill them all… please kill them all… then… then Zero can be all mine again… I will love him so much… just like my own little brother… hehehe… isn’t that right… Leo?”

She grips the staff harder, her knuckles turning white.

Leo? Her little brother. That’s right, she did mention she had a little brother to me when we first met.

I slowly limp forward with my makeshift cane, each step causing me to wince quietly to myself.

“This.. this didn’t need to happen. Your…little brother…wouldn’t —“

She suddenly freezes in place, looking back to me, her eyes dark and hollow, felt like she was staring directly into my soul.

“You don’t get to mention my brother! He was everything to me! Everything!”

Everything? Did he die? Is that why she’s like this?

“What do you mean? Your brother —“

She let out a manic giggle again before leaning in to lick the staff.

“But not anymore… I was so lonely Zero… but when big sister Corina came… she promised me that she would bring Leo back hehe. Now I’m never alone anymore. Leo is with me always now.”

I stood in place for a moment, trying to make out what she meant by that.

Bring Leo back? Always with her? No…

It finally clicked in my head. The thought of it made me feel sick to my stomach. The amount of depravity someone would have to even think of that would be impossible—unless it wasn’t.

“Don’t tell me. Zoe. You didn’t.”

She tilts her head to the side, her lips curving in a dark malicious smile.

“You finally noticed? Hehe. Corina… turned my Leo into my beautiful staff! My little Leo was so sick and —“

What the fuck?! You’ve got to be kidding me?! What sort of people do that?!

“And then since he was dead, she then told me — “

They’re just murderers. Taking lives without a shred of any humanity.

Zoe continued to ramble on about Leo and what they did to his body. I couldn’t be bothered to listen anymore. All I could feel through my veins was just a burning hatred for them and for the lives they’ve taken. I grip the hilt of my blade hard before lifting it up, pointing the tip of it toward her.

“I will kill you. Every single one of you will die by my hands. I’ll make sure of it.”

Zoe tilts her head to the side and giggles. “Kill me? Kill us? Hehe, you’re such a bad boy Zero, not listening to me!”

I decided that enough is enough, with a burst of strength I sprinted forwards. The pain in my leg was throbbing like it has a mind of its own, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to kill them, screw the consequences.

I’ll kill her! I’ll kill them all!

Just as I crossed the threshold and was almost in range to thrust my sword into Zoe, I felt a dull pain in my arms.

Thud. Thud.

I lift my arms up to my face to see why it was in pain, only to find out that they weren’t there anymore. I fall down to the ground in agony as I scream in pain.

“Argh! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! It hurts! It hurts!”

I start thrashing around on the ground, unable to think of anything to take away the pain except this.

It hurts! It hurts so much! Why isn’t it healing back anymore?! Why is it just bleeding out? Am I going to actually die now?!

Corina stands tall over me before kicking me flat on my back.

“Now now little boy, you’re supposed to play nice with her, I can’t have you swinging that sword around, it’s not very nice.”

Kira sees Corina over me and rushes over in an instant, her speed a blur as she re-emerges and swings her blade with a loud CLANG and forces Corina to step back.

“Zero?! Are you okay? This isn’t good, you’re bleeding out so much, hold on okay?”

She frantically rips off a piece of her clothing to wrap it around both my arms, trying to stop the bleeding.

“Stay with me Zero! Look at me! Don’t leave me too! Please!”

I’m going to die… I’m going to die…

Kira continues yelling toward me as I grow weaker, my consciousness fading away. Her tears start falling down, dropping onto my face like heavy rain.

Don’t look at me like that Kira… just run… leave me… I couldn’t protect you… I’m sorry…

My eyes start to grow heavy. It felt hard to keep them open until eventually all I could see was nothing but darkness.

“Tsk… master… you are dying again… it seems I cannot regenerate your limbs back again… “

“The lady with the whips… she is the cause…”

“I cannot lose you… my master… it seems I will be forced to take further actions… forgive me…”