Steph stumbled back and took off running, glancing back over her shoulder every now and then. "Leinhart!" She pushed on up the hill, stopping for a moment to catch her breath. She gasped and looked back down at Leinhart and the stranger. She jumped, hearing Lich's voice. "What?... Wake up?"
Kiki sighed and set her cup down, looking over at him solemnly. "Listen. I do like you, but my feelings are stronger for Vrix. And with your life, you have two paths. One, have a family and be happy. Raise your child to be beautiful and respectable. Or two... Kill everyone and loose everything." She picked up the cups and walked downstairs to the kitchen.
Tammi sighed and kissed him cheek. "Cheer up. It wont be there for long."
Originally posted by DangerousBeauty
Steph stumbled back and took off running, glancing back over her shoulder every now and then. "Leinhart!" She pushed on up the hill, stopping for a moment to catch her breath. She gasped and looked back down at Leinhart and the stranger. She jumped, hearing Lich's voice. "What?... Wake up?"
Lich could see that Steph's body was beginning to react, whether it was from his voice of she was reacting to the surgery he couldn't tell. He applied more and more of his ability into strengthening the connection between then. Although as he weakened the link between the invader and Steph's mind, he also weakened himself in the process. "Harken to me, arise. Will it to be so and so shall it be." His voice was empowering and motivating that Steph felt imbued with a feeling of complete control.
Steph closed her eyes, hearing Lich's voice gave her comfort. 'Lich...' Her eyes snapped open. 'Leinheart!' She turned back the way she came and rushed towards the last place she had seen Leinheart. 'I'm sorry Lich... Please hang on just a little longer. I have to see what has happened... I have to see what has happened to you.' She stopped where she had last seen the two and quickly looked around, trying hard to catch her breath after rushing over here. "Leinheart!" She called to him, waiting for an answer.
Kiki sighed and glanced up the stairs at Benjii. "You gonna sit there and be Mr. Sulk and Sob all day or are you gonna come down here and talk with me?"
Originally posted by DangerousBeauty
Steph closed her eyes, hearing Lich's voice gave her comfort. 'Lich...' Her eyes snapped open. 'Leinheart!' She turned back the way she came and rushed towards the last place she had seen Leinheart. 'I'm sorry Lich... Please hang on just a little longer. I have to see what has happened... I have to see what has happened to you.' She stopped where she had last seen the two and quickly looked around, trying hard to catch her breath after rushing over here. "Leinheart!" She called to him, waiting for an answer.Kiki sighed and glanced up the stairs at Benjii. "You gonna sit there and be Mr. Sulk and Sob all day or are you gonna come down here and talk with me?"
Lich cried out to Steph, "No, you mustn't." But he felt his cry was in vain, Steph rounded over the hill to see no longer a struggle but a body slumped on the ground. The clouds seemed to have disappeared and the surreal sun remained in its exact same location as if Steph had awoken for the first time. The body was lying down beneath the isolated tree upon the hill. He was slumped on his side over a protruding root.
Originally posted by DangerousBeauty
Steph stopped and stared at the body for a moment before rushing over and kneeling down beside it. "Leinheart?... Are you ok?... Please say something." She reached over and gently pushed him onto his back.
Leinhart's head swayed in her arms as she turned him over. The light of the sun revealed deep gashes along his face, neck, and chest. With clothes tattered and bloodied, he squinted his eyes to get a better look at Steph. "I thought I told you," he coughs mid sentence, a trickle of blood rolling down his cheek, "not to come back?" A half smile parted his bloody lips. He coughed again, arching himself within her hold. He grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest, "you need to go." He moved her hand towards her stomach were the scar was, but now had completely healed, "I can hear him calling you."
Before she could respond his eyes rolled back as his eye lids closed and his head went limp. All was dark within her vision, and the beautiful scenery disappeared. The voice of the strange man could be heard as she could feel a shaking motion on her arms. "Hey, whistle Princess, come on now, don't you die on me too..."
Originally posted by DangerousBeauty
Steph'e eyes widened and she struggled to stay with him. "No.. No please dont wake me up! Please stop!" She groaned feeling herself being shaken. "Princess?" Her eyes snapped open. "Oh god Leinheart!"
His eyes widened, mouth ajar, as if Steph just said something unspeakable. He shook his head letting his hair sway back and forth in front of his face. He looked towards his left but turned away before letting his eyes sink into the image. He grabbed her by the face with both his hands so that all she could see was his face covered by ends of his long thin hair. "We need to get out of here," the floor beneath them began to shake and the ceiling started to rumble as dust and small parts were starting to fall down. He lifted her up into his arms and sprinted out of the room. Lich lay slumped against the wall with much of his bones lying on the ground. His jaw half hinged to his skull. Ribs was scattered and his arms were inanimate along with the rest of his body. A strange wind swept across his body and slowly he began to disintegrate into dirt and dust.
The creatures that had been in stasis had no awoken at this point and were standing near the door. Without a word, the man passed Steph into the hands of one the towering horned beasts. "Get her out of here," he barked, "hold her tight, don't let anything happen to her. Keep her with you until I say otherwise. You," he pointed to he beast standing next to him, "stay with him, her safety is your number one priority." Before she could speak out in protest he grabbed her face again, "I'm going to get the baby. We're almost done here." He looked at the remaining two beasts and motioned them to come with him. As he busted down the door, a large beam fellow at its mouth were it once was. Without a moments hesitation, the two beasts accompanying Steph took flight and broke through one of the stain glass windows which coincidentally contained an image of a skeleton king holding a tiny flower.
Amidst the dust and rubble, Steph was able to look over the shoulder of the beast and notice the castle in the air was falling. Small spires began collapsing and roofs were caving in. During the free fall the building had lost all structural integrity and was splintering during decent. It was a race of whether the castle would impact the ground at once or in pieces.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The man, with the help of his companions, had broken through the final door. The room supporting the child was in ruins. Beams and stones lay everywhere. For a brief second the man was stunned and hopeless, until he heard the faint sound of a child's cry. He bolted over to where he heard the sound, and found the child to be completely unharmed. Grabbing it in his hands, he made a run for the door. In the hallway he found the old keeper of the castle reading the Book of Generations as the whole place crumbled around him. "What are you doing we need to get out of here!" The old man smiled looking at the man, "I have lived here all my life. Gathering information for this here book. Beyond here, there is nothing left for me. But here take this," he held high a small sheet of paper with merely illegible lines and scribbles. "This will answer a lot of questions for few people, give it to the girl you just saved, she'll know what to do with it." He smiled and began to walk away. In that moment a group of beam supports, rocks and stone fell upon where he stood to disappear in a cloud of smoke. The man nearly dodged a falling boulder before ordering the beast to break through the wall. With the child closely wrapped in his hands, the beast took hold of him and they flew out the protruding hole in the wall.
To Steph all looked hopeless as the castle began to split away more and more and a massive dust cloud swarmed the sky. Suddenly two tiny dots burst through the smoke screen and began speeding towards her direction. By now, Steph stood near a river located at the edge of the forest where she was set down.
She was standing with one hand to her mouth and the other wrapped around her waist. Once she saw that the man was out she stated looking for Lich, praying that he'd come flying out as well. She waited and watched, remembering Leinheart dying in her arms. She shook her head and clenched her eyes shut. "Lich... Oh god Lich please come back." She opened her eyes and watched the man near with her child, quickly wiping away tears at the sound of her child's cries.
Originally posted by DangerousBeauty
She was standing with one hand to her mouth and the other wrapped around her waist. Once she saw that the man was out she stated looking for Lich, praying that he'd come flying out as well. She waited and watched, remembering Leinheart dying in her arms. She shook her head and clenched her eyes shut. "Lich... Oh god Lich please come back." She opened her eyes and watched the man near with her child, quickly wiping away tears at the sound of her child's cries.
The man was dropped on the ground carefully. He did not face her when handed her her baby. And averted his eyes when he turned away. At that moment a deep rumbling sound marked the grand impact of the castle. Seconds later a huge dust of wind followed by a minute dust cloud brushed against their faces and feet. Before the man forgot, he turned and handed her the crumbled up sheet of paper. "Here," he said dumping the paper on her free open palm, "for your husband who couldn't bear the thought of an actual loving existing" he said this last word with some cruelty in his mouth, "family member who gave his life that he" he pointed off in some invisible direction, "might be happy." He fought hard to hold back tears, "I hope what you see in that...that...man" he fell to his knees hardly able to stand up anymore. The weight of of realizing that Lich was finally gone sunk in, and he couldn't speak anymore. "The poor bastard...finally got his wish." and tears began to trickle down his face and moistened the grass beneath him.