Jackson's POV
From wall to wall, bush to tree. Me and Arthur hide just out of sight from Nimue's gaze. Following just behind her wake as she prowls through the pack house and to the underworld portal. Just before entering she looks down towards the crack within the ground, gradually but surely expanding. Immediately upon her entering there's a deep rumbling that causes her to pause. A blue light shining from above her which I can only presume to be Cerberus' presence. Her head effortlessly lifts to confront the beast, placing a finger between her smiling lips, "Shhh" she hushes out. Removing the glow as she continues her advancement, walking with the same powerful stride.
I rush through, still purposefully lingering away from her. Turning to the side she was facing only to see Cerberus' frozen stance. Seeming as if his will to move was plucked out of his own mind. Just as I go to approach him I hear her heels tapping across the stone with Arthur's hand placed along my shoulder, bringing me back to my main goal here...following her.
She stops halfway, kicking some rubble from when Percy burst from the wall. Picking up a piece from the slow reconstruction and examining it, "So you've noticed? For someone as ancient as you I expected better." She laughs, crushing the stone and looking up at the ceiling with a smile. "Already?" She laughs again, narrowly avoiding a falling crystal from above. In and out she weaves without needing to actually look up for confirmation.
Arthur taps my shoulder with his neck cocked upwards, "Look". He brings my attention to the large forming crack through the roof of the underworld, the shattering green crystal displaced from the slots they reside in.
With my thoughts briefly distracted I realise I've lost track of her. Running through the path I glance towards the mansion and then the open door to Avalon. Her purple tinted hair just barely in my sight as it continues forward to her destination. "C'mon" I call to Arthur who's beginning to lag behind.
-
She reaches the centre where the sword once resided. Climbing to the top of the stairs where she eerily waits a few moments, staring up at the golden aurora before walking onwards towards the midnight dyed castle. The doors sliding open as if welcoming her presence. I again continue trailing her, forcing the heavy doors open and waiting for Arthur to come through with me.
He looks around a bit, "Where'd she go?" He quickly runs into the grand space, slowly spinning as his eyes line the walls, scanning for any sort of hint. A sudden click in the distance causes us to make eye contact before running to it. Turning the corner to see Nimue digging her hand into the flooring before twisting it a bit, realigning the walls and opening up a space. I enter ahead of Arthur, "JAC-" He yells before the door closes behind me.
I climb the stairs upwards, gently lifting a hatch above my head to gaze into the room. "And here I was, looking forward to getting my hands on that failure." Nimue spits out, "Aluca...who could you of...oh" Her grim mood suddenly brightens as if realising something.
"Nimue, how come you're here?" I lift open the hatch, climbing in fully and looking around the room while questioning her. A large skylight above us in the shape of the crescent moon, above it sits the golden aurora from outside.
She brushes her hair from her face, laughing uncontrollably as if I said the funniest thing in the world. "I-m sorr-y. It-s just that...I didn't think I'd be able to get rid of you so soon" She smiles.
"What!?" I shout in confusion.
"You had to of known for a while now Jackson, right? Or did I affect your memory that bad?" She tilts her head, letting go of her stomach and looking rather disappointed in me. "You...the personification of the truth...not knowing the truth? Wow that's fucking ironic. I guess it really did have a toll on you!" She snickers again, pointing her hand toward the golden aurora shining through the glass roof. "I'm not going to sit here and monologue, you're way too late to save anyone, Jackson."
I ready myself, still uncertain whether this is a joke or not. "Swallow the light, Caliburn!" She commands, shaking the room as the light gradually begins to fade and pour into her raised palm. "Theta's entirety never left Avalon...that was the one of many mistakes you all made. Burst and alight" She clicks her fingers, lighting the candles around us with a purple flame. The skylight above us revealing that inky form from before, its countless eyes spread throughout the ceiling that the light was covering.
"That look in your eyes...you remember now don't you?" She smiles to me, her expression nothing less than sadistic.
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"The Golden blade that rests in stone...was Excalibur. Aegis was the kindred to that blade..." I slowly piece together.
"Those memories finally adding up...?" She practically breaks her neck, tilting down even further to torment me.
"The Black blade owne-"
"Owne-? What's that mean? Speak" She grins harder, clicking her fingers ominously.
"Its name was Caliburn...its Kindred was Akrasia. Why did you just say Caliburn!?" I yell, not understanding.
A loud banging sends shivers up my back, unprepared for the sudden drumming of the door. "JACKSON!?" Arthur shouts for me, his voice gradually getting louder the closer he gets.
"Right on cue, huh" Nimue whispers right into my ear before taking a step in front of me. Placing her nails along her arm, sinking them in and tearing her flesh while releasing a blood curdling scream. "ARTHUR!" She cries out, flicking blood across my face and dropping to the floor dramatically. "ARTHUR!" She continues to cry.
"NIMUE!?" He bursts through the hatch, climbing in and quickly picking his sister into his lap. "What happened!?" He panicks, folding her arms in her lap while holding her tighter. "You're so cold!". She refuses to respond.
"Jackson what happened!?" He questions me but she answers before I can.
"He...hurt me." She groans out with a tear running across her face. Pointing at me before dropping her hand along the floor.
"I didn't! You have to believe me!" I try and persuade him, "That's not her Arthur!" I panic, walking back a bit as his eyes light up with rage. "Arthur please!" I beg.
"He attacked me in a blind rage...help me." She leans deeper into his arms, a not-so obvious smirk.
He picks her up in his arms, examining her body more. Before looking back at my own hands. My racing heart forces me to take one action only, lighting up my hand I prepare myself to kick off the flooring beneath me with my shoes. Practically bouncing off and sliding my hand along her body as glimpses of it reveal itself. "Kill him." She whimpers, promptly earning him to drop her onto the floor. "Ouch...too far?" She lays there with her hair spread out, nonchalantly glancing back at his glare, far different from my own racing heart.
"Nimue wouldn't say that. And Jackson has no blood on his hands." Arthur kicks her body to the side. An eerie metallic sound of something rolling in placement of the normal human body.
"Fine, I admit. Not my best performance." She dusts herself off, the iridescent sparks I placed on her gradually burn through her imitated design of Nimue until nothing more than the black sword remains.
"Why were you responding to Aegis!?" I call out.
"Cause it worked." She quickly responds back with simplicity.
"You're doing this cause of her, aren't you?" I ask.
"Who...? Say her name Jackson..." The reflective lips within the sword smiles.
I mumble as my lips quiver, physically unable to say the words I need to. "Arthur, I still need you. Be good and...look. At. Me." She releases one of the iridescent shards from the blade, replacing her lips with a singular eye as she gazes through the shard. The small text run across it reading...The Friend.
A distant memory of a primordial beast, roaring through my mind and resurfacing. "ARTHUR DON-" I try to cover his eyes, but his innocence betrays him. As if his mind already understands what's happening, he carries out a swift interaction of what remaining movement he had left...his body swings to open up the hatch, dragging me by the collar and throwing me down the stairs. I briefly look back up to see him...already petrified into stone as Akrasia floats just beside him. The lips reappearing as she begins laughing hysterically, "Run Jackson...run."
-
Yue's POV
Melanie's condition looks like it's worsening...her skin looks like it's just growing paler by the second and her body's losing its heat. I wrap her up in a blanket, looking back at Chris' body in guilt as sweat drips down his face. "I'm sorry". I hush out before, running out of the door with her in my arms wrapped in the blanket. "We'll get you home, we'll get you home" I chant out as a tear almost runs down my face from the worst possible thoughts crossing my mind.
I turn my head right as I burst through the front doors, seemingly seeing someone enter through the door but that isn't my priority right now. The rocks that digs into my bare feet is nothing more than a distraction meant to take me away from my mate. "I'm going to protect you". I look down at her face with a smile knowing I will carry out my ideal for her.
When the portal is in my sight I glance to the left of it, seeing Cerberus' paused state...again not my priority. I hear Melanie shiver a bit, causing me to speed up and barge through the portal, right into some appearing figure.
"...I'm sorry..." A feminine voice apologises, continuing to walk on.
"What!?" I yell back, twisting myself to see who just went past me. "Nimue!?" I shout, unable to catch her attention.
"...I'm sorry..." She whispers again. Not my concern.
I continue running through, hearing one more hushed comment from her, "I didn't know...Yasmine...I'm sorr-" I get to far to hear the rest. Instead focusing on the harshness of the sunlight as my eyes struggle to adjust.
"NO!" Melanie screams when the sun hits a part of her, causing her to nearly thrash out of my grasp.
"Shhh shh it's okay" I reassure her, covering her entirely with the blanket as I run into the pack house. "Ryan come here!" I scream throughout the home, immediately bringing him to my aid as I practically gallop to our room.
I kick it open, keeping her wrapped up before placing her down into the covers. "Alpha!" He stands beside me, "What's the matter?"
"There's something wrong with her, I'm not sure what. Just please...watch over her while I go to get some stuff from downstairs." I quickly explain.
"Will do!" He confirms, already standing guard of her body.
I'll do anything for my mate...anything to protect her.