I opened my eyes in shock, in one minute, I was chugging a terrible potion down my throat, and now, I'm falling. Endlessly falling, to who knows where, I flipped my body to get a better look, and the only thing I saw was white, white, and never-ending white. There's nothing here except for the color white, I couldn't tell whether I am in a room or a vast world. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
The falling sensation stopped, and I opened to found myself standing. The suddenness was awkward and out of place, I almost dropped to my knees as I felt the pressure in my leg joints and muscles. I stood up upright and stretched my arms.
"Where am I?"
Beep!
"Huh?"
Beep!
"Where is that beeping coming from?" I turned around and found a lone heart-rate monitor with nothing attached to it.
I walked towards it, stopped when I got near it, I examined up close, and it looked like an ordinary heart-rate monitor. As sudden as the beeping came, I turned to look when I heard the sound of a baby crying beside me. I'm quite surprised when I saw a woman with blurred out face lay on a hospital bed, wearing only a patient gown. I raised my sight slightly and saw the man beside her, also with a blurred out face, keeping his distance close while showing his support.
Lastly, my gaze fell on the baby swaddled in yellow cloth with black stripes. The newborn happily slept in the woman arms without a care in the world. That baby looks so familiar to me, the brown skin, dark hair, and that generic baby looking face.
"He is so cute like a little bumblebee...my little bumblebee." The woman stroked the newborn's cheek gently as she could.
"What should we name him?" The man asked.
"How about Andre?"
"Andre Adams, I like it." He poked the baby's cheek and caused a little snort from the newborn.
At that very moment, as if a wall has been smashed into dust, I know who these couples are. Their faces become clear as day as the blurred disappeared and revealed what's behind.
"Kristy and Kenny Adams, my mom, and dad… I remember..."
A sound of laughter caught my attention, I turned to the source, and there's me as a little kid. He ran around naked, laughing and giggling as my father chased after me. The scene forward a couple of years, the little me just started learning how to ride a bike, and like other kids, the first time learning is always tough. Little me keep falling off the bike, but he never gave up, he never quits.
I was quite a stubborn kid…
The scene forwards another couple of years, It's my first year attending middle school. My mouth agape as I saw the little girl sitting beside me, I remember her hair used to be black. She smiled at the little me, and I smiled back. Then when she wanted to take out her pencils, a crude drawing falls out, some kind of anime character. It was very rough, I couldn't tell what it is, but the little me thought it was the most awesome thing he ever saw.
"Awesome drawing!"
"What?" Daisie flustered, she quickly hid her drawing.
"Why did you hide it?"
"Because it's not that good...and I don't want people to see it, only mom can see it." She pouted
"No, it is good, awesome even! I wish I could draw like you."
"Do you really think so?" Her big, beautiful eyes stared deeply at the little me.
"Y-Yeah it is, and don't let anyone say otherwise," The little me's cheek blushed bright red and he said it.
"You said earlier that, you're not good at drawing. If you want...I could teach you how."
"Really?!"
"Yes, and I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Daisie Brewer." She extended her hand toward the little me.
"Andre Adams." He shook her hand with a big smile on his face.
It wasn't some grandiose event, nobody was dying, nobody needs saving, it's so normal, so mundane, and that's how I befriended her. I think at that moment I had feelings for her, but I was too young to understand it. It's just like she told me about how we met, it was simple for a more simpler time.
The scene flashes forward again around me like a holographic movie, I noticed one thing from all of these memories, that I spent a lot of time with Daisie. Then the scene stops, and my heart became heavy as I saw Daisie in full black clothes, surrounded by the same people wearing the same color of clothing. Little me stood beside her as they lowered the coffin into the ground, and he took hold of her hand, and I remember how shaky her hand was at the time.
From happy to sad, every last bit of memories I had played in front of me until it arrived on that heartbreaking day. Adolescent me was about to say his last goodbye to Daisie when an SUV struck him. I dropped to one knee as pain surged throughout my body like molten lava, I remember the pain, I remember the scream, I remember choking on my own blood, I remember everything, and even the look of terror on Daisie's face that night.
A tear slid down my right cheek as I remember how helpless I was. Incapable of saving her, incapable of saving myself.
However, one thing that I remember as clear as day that night is dying on the pavement. The final scene melted in front of me and the light dims. I stood once more and let out a long sigh.
I thought it was the end when...a surge of energy stung my chest. The feeling of electricity run through my veins and nerves, I involuntarily puffed out my chest then dropped to both my knees. The light brightens but dimmed again in a short second.
The same stung caused my chest to puffed out again, but this time it's caused me to plunged chest-first against the floor. I heaved the air out of my lungs like never before, I heard sirens, beeping machines, and two people talking to each other in words I don't fully understand.
"He's breathing again."
"DE-FIB is working, heartbeat rising."
Out of nowhere, the same burning rage that I felt twice before, rushes through me like adrenaline. I gritted my teeth and raised my sight like a madwoman.
"I did not die that night!" I muttered through a clenched jaw.
I couldn't believe that young me lived with such anger, no wonder he couldn't let go. He abandoned...No, I abandoned everything just to get back at them, and every life I took gave me pleasure. A manic smile carved onto my face as I watch the horrific scene in front of me. I rise onto my knees and laugh...and laugh...and laugh like a madwoman.
Suddenly, two soft, warm, and bright arms wrapped around my chest from behind. Her body was soothing, calming and familiar. I came to my senses as my rage washed away by the intimate touch. The arms disappeared and in horror, I realized what young me did, or I did. I rose on two feet and charged into the scene, trying to stop it at all costs, but what I didn't realize is when I about to stop him, I couldn't as my hand went through him like smoke.
My eyes widened as I looked upon my hands, soaked in blood and trembling in fear.
"No, no, no...no, no, no...no!"
A familiar voice caught my attention, I turned to it, "Andre... I-I'm sorr—"
"Daisie's father! No, Don't do it!"
Young me emptied all twelve rounds into the man's body, he fell limply on the floor, blood poured out and his eyes became lifeless.
"NOOO!" I dropped to both my knees near him, I reached out, but couldn't touch anything.
"He was her father! You freakin idiot! You were supposed to take care of him after she's gone."
I glared at the young me, his eyes were lifeless, void of any regrets and guilt. He didn't even feel anything except for satisfaction. I gritted my teeth and somehow able to grab him by the collar.
"What do you mean me? It was our choice…"
With a single blink, he disappeared into thin air. However, something was amiss, when I raised my hand, a single handgun was already between my fingers and palm. I stared at the weapon, it felt heavy and warm.
My left eye twitched while my breathing was short and scarce. I tossed the gun away, and a panic attack started to explode out of me. Confused on what to do next, I kept staring at the handgun while stepping back. A loud ring blasted loudly in my eardrums causing massive headache, I squatted down and pressed both palms against both sides of my head. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes, drools started to escape my lips as the aching became unbearable.
However, a single heartwarming feeling snatched away all the pain and grief. I opened my eyes again and realized that I'm on the roof, beside me is the young me. He is trying to repair the roof. I turned my head when my mom called out to me from the lawn, she worried about me as always. Then out of nowhere, my dad came. I let out a snippet of laugh when my mom slapped him then suddenly embraced him.
The young me stood up and was about to get off when someone called out to him. We both turned to face the source of the voice.
"I'm sorry…"
A blindfolded woman, a woman I trusted the most, the one who I looked up to, the one who I admired, someone who felt like a family to me, Adrestia.
She pushed us off the roof.
I fell and my perception of time began to distort, it became slow, slower than a snail, slow enough to see a butterfly wing flapped in mid-air. With shocked eyes, I stared at her with a broken heart and faith.
"Why…?"
Darkness encompassed my vision. When I regained my sight again, the dark sand greeted me. I was back at the small island, in front of Hypnos cave. Cerberus whimpered as it slowly makes its way to me, but he stopped when I slammed my fist against the sand, enough to disperse them into a cloud of dust around me.
I gritted my teeth as tears drip down my face, wetting the sand below.
****
Thunder echoed across the sky, telling me that it's going to rain heavily tonight. I walked down the brick path toward Daisie's house. After a short moment and somehow, my leg froze when I arrived at the front door, I kept staring at it until I finally have the courage to climb the short stairs and knocked on her door.
I heard her footsteps behind the door, as she gets closer, the sound of my heartbeat over consumed my hearing until she opened the door with a smile on her face. She tried to embrace me, but I stopped her by raising my hand between her and me. Perplexed by my actions, she looked at me with worried eyes, I took a couple of steps back and couldn't meet her gaze.
"Daisie…."
"W-What's wrong? Why are your eyes red? Who hurt you?!"
"It wasn't me, I didn't do it…" I shook my head, denying everything I know.
"Andre, please...tell me what's wrong." She took a step forward, and I took a step back.
I gritted my teeth at first, but eventually, I told her the truth. I told her everything that happened, everything I know, even the cause of her father's death. Her face darkens, she backed away while hugging herself. I extended my hand to her, but stop when she looked at me with so much terror...
"How could you?! He was my father!"
"He killed you, the young me thought…"
"Thought what?! That I wanted to hurt my own dad?! He was the only family member I had, and I trusted you. You! You… I hate you, no! I DESPISE YOU!"
"I-I…"
"Shut up!"
"Daisie…"
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"Shut up! You don't deserve to say my name, you murderer!"
She took out the box of rings and heaved it at me. I stood still as the box hit my chest and break open. Two rings were thrown out of the box and fell on the brick road. The same two rings that she offered me, I stared at it as she slammed the door on me.
The rain dripped one by one until it becomes a heavy downpour. My clothes from head to toes soaked in a matter of seconds, I dropped to one knee and gathered the rings in my palm. With a clenched jaw, I closed my hand and brought it closer to my chest. With gritted teeth, I cried silently.
In that heavy rain, no one can tell the difference between my tears and the regular droplet of water that caressed my face. I wanted to know the truth, but the truth isn't what I expected or what I wished it to be. The truth decimated everything, my faith, my beliefs, my relationship, and everything I thought I knew.
However, there is a woman on my list that I needed to confront, Adrestia.
***
Even in her world, the storm continues. Flashes of lightning decorated the dark sky. I walked up to the steps until I reached the Parthenon archways. After I arrived inside, I turned my attention to the jukebox. It's still playing a song, Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine. Ignoring it, I kept on walking toward my goal.
"Andre! Where were you? I've been searching for you all night," Agnes landed behind me.
Helen enters the room, the moment she looked at my face, she knew that something was wrong. She rushed to me, started to check on my body, she was looking for something amiss, but she is looking at the wrong place. What's wrong with me isn't on the outside, it is inside of me.
Agnes looked at me with worried eyes, he turned his gaze at Helen, wishing to know what's going on.
"Andre, what happened?" Helen asked as she placed her hand against my cheek.
"Did you knew?"
"Know what?" Helen was confused by my question.
"Adrestia!" My scream echoed throughout the Parthenon.
A ray of light shone above us, with that Adrestia landed down with so much force that it shook the entire Parthenon. She wasn't wearing the same dress she usually wore, instead, she is wearing a full spartan armor. It seems weird to me, but It isn't the armor that is weird, what odd was the dents and claw marks all over the armor, they are still fresh.
Adrestia didn't even take notice of me, instead, she walked to another armor stand while taking off the one she wore. I barged past Helen and shouted my heart out.
"Adrestia, why?! Why did you do it?! Are you punishing me?"
She kept on ignoring me as if my problems were insignificant to her. Her ignorance only makes me angrier.
"Nemesis!"
She stopped whatever she was doing, and took a glance at me. I gulped and took a step back.
"If I were you, I would watch your tone, child."
"Mitéra, what is going on?" Helen steps forward to her mother.
"She took my life, and ruin everything!"
"That's a bold statement, I did not ruin your life, it was you who did, I did not choose the choices you make, it was you who did."
"Took your life?" Helen looked at me with widened eyes.
"She pushed me off that roof, she killed me!"
"I don't have time for this," Adrestia turned around and wore the second armor.
"Tell me why. Why did you do it?" I was ignored again.
"Looked at me! And tell me why!" My hand reached for my hatchet, Helen embraced me along with Agnes to stop me as I was on the verge of using my weapon on the giant woman.
"You wouldn't understand why," Adrestia disappeared again in a flurry of light, leaving me, Helen and Agnes behind.
A long silence befell on the Parthenon, Helen and Agnes let me go and looked at me with sympathy. I yelled out and thrown my hatchet at the jukebox, it smashed the music player into pieces. I wanted to hurt something, I wanted someone else to feel my pain, I wanted to let out every rage and anger I had. My soul is screaming bloody murder, and I felt the throbbing nerve on my forehead.
The scroll on my belt shone again, at that moment I knew a way to let all my frustration and rage out.
***
Three months have passed.
With my hatchet thrown out of my hand, I clenched my fist and punched The Darkness against its snout causing a loud echoed, similarly to the sound of thunder and it shook the very trees around me. However, my thunderous punch was a pale comparison to the explosions littered in the dark sky above me.
Despite how powerful the punch look, its effect was different, as I cracked a few bones on my fingers while the skin on my knuckles tore apart after I grazed it against the Darkness's rough skin.
The Darkness was stunned, so I quickly called upon my hatchet and planted it right between its eyes, splattering the blackened blood onto my face and chest. I heaved loudly through my gritted teeth, my eyes are bloodshot, and my head twitches occasionally, I was a mess, but I didn't care.
Despite the lifeless corpse in front of me turning into dust, I kept on planting my hatchet in its skull with anger, every swing became more manic, and unstable. Until my hatchet passed through the head and dug deep into the dirt. Only then, I stopped, but I wasn't satisfied so I glared at the dark sky and screamed out everything until I dropped to my knees.
"Andre…" Agnes said with a worried and soft tone.
I fell into a deep silence, then stood walk up to a tree and sat underneath it. I brought my knees against my chest, then hide my face between my legs while hugging them tightly in a sort of fetal position. Agnes walked up to me causing a crunching noise as he stepped over dead leaves. I could tell that he is close to me by his smell and breath.
"They never let up, do they?"
I remained silent, and he let out a deep sigh, but he is trying to remain his positivity. I know he is trying to make me feel better, but I don't want to feel better, I just want to be left alone.
"They don't call this world Pólemos for no reason, the world with never-ending war. Where the strong survive and the weak perish. What kind of sick God makes his world like this?"
I remained silent.
I felt his soothe gaze on me, "Andre, It has been three months, you kept on fighting and fighting until what? It's hard for me to see you like this."
Battle after battle, world after world. I was hunting the darkness from left to right, non-stop, even now I still want to fight them. I don't know why. Maybe this was my way to cope with everything that had happened. I hate everything including myself, maybe that is not entirely true, I don't hate everything, I just hate myself, but I don't know if I want to admit it.
"Andre...I can't help you if you don't talk to me."
I know that Agnes means well, but that sympathy at me just set me off.
"Help?! Help with what? Do I look like I need help?! It wasn't me who murder those people! It wasn't me!"
"I know...I believe you, but I can't help you if you won't let me."
I stood up, and whipped my hand at the empty air in front of me, Agnes stumbled to his butt and backed away, "You kept saying that I need help! And you won't listen, so let me make it clear for you, I don't need your sympathy and I don't need your shitty help! Even if I need someone's help, I won't take it from a monster like you."
Agnes' eyes began to tear up, and his lips trembled. I didn't mean what I said, I didn't think. I didn't mean to hurt him, I didn't mean to lash out at him, I didn't even realize what I was saying. Now, I don't even know how to say that I'm sorry. I gritted my teeth while my own eyes began to tear up, I kept both hands at my side, clenching it hard.
"Your right, I'm just your guide, I'm just a monster. I believed you that you don't need help, but… I won't leave you, not now, not tomorrow. Even if you say mean things to me, I won't leave you, because I still cared about you. You're my big sister and nothing will change that." Even with teary eyes, he said with a caring smile.
I'm so ashamed of myself, but before I could reply, something is amiss. The noise, there isn't any, it's too quiet, even the sound of the wind is silent. Out of nowhere, six beams of light landed all around us, my hatchet flew back into my hand while Agnes turned into his bird form. Out of the light, six women clad in black and pink armor with veils covering their faces, as if they were mourning. Each of the armored women has a distinct weapon and body. Some were muscular while others were slender. One of them carried a towering shield with spike, while the other one was holding glowing knives, every one of their weapons is also different, yet they all wore the same symbol of a white dove on their armor.
“Lower your weapon, Andre of Adrestia. We are not here for you.” One of them spoke.
“Don't call me that name! And don't tell me what to do!”
“As you wish.”
“Why are you here? Why are the freaking Aphrodite's huntresses here? It is because of me? Did...Daisie sent you here?” I gripped tightly around the shaft.
“As I said before, we are not here for you. We are here for Daisie...She has been corrupted.”
“What? Corrupted? What nonsense are you talking about.”
“It’s not nonsense, it’s...a condition that very rarely happens, and yet it has happened before. We as a candidate are nothing but a soul that wore a suit of energized armor if I were to describe it. This powerful body has powerful abilities, grant strength, speed, reflexes, knowledge, and many more. Most of the time this body is stable depending on the condition of the soul.”
“Depending on the soul?”
“Yes, because of you, Daisie has been corrupted. The mental breakdown you caused her and the emotional pain you granted her...I didn't realize it at first, I know that she is in pain, I thought I could help, so I trained her and we were on the hunt for The Darkness. I thought…” Her clenched hand pressed against her chest piece, then one of the women behind here placed her hand on the woman's shoulder. The one that spoke calm down, and took off her veil.
I remembered the woman from Mount Olympus, half-shaved blond air, the leader of Daisie’s sisters. “I know her pain, I have been there before, or so I thought. Her anger wasn't something would go away, and yet, I fooled myself into believing that it would. And here we are. I gave her the sword and trained her, now I need to take responsibility and end it.”
“End it?”
“Take her life, kill her…”
“What?! Are you mad?!”
“I’m not mad, it's the only way! The corrupted will not listen, will not compromise, will not stop, there is no cure! And the only way to end it is to send her soul back to the Underworld.”
“She was your sister and you willing to take her life?!”
“Of course, I’m willing, rather than let her live in that state, where she might hurt someone she cared about.”
“I will...not let you do it, there must be another way.”
“There is no other way!”
“Then why did you come to me?!”
“Because! She is coming for you.”
“Why?”
“Have you forgotten what you did? You are the source of her pain and she wishes to end it.”
“I still won't let you take her life…”
“Here.” She tossed me a rune pebbles and I caught it.
“Called us when she’s here...give it some thought, Andre. Give her the rest that she deserved.”
“Where are you going?”
“To searched other worlds, hoping to find her before she finds you.” Six beams of light came down onto them, and they were transported with no traces.
The noises came back and the sky is littered with war once more. I stared at the rune pebble then stored it in my pocket. Agnes turned into his Harpy form and looked at me with concerned eyes.
“We need to leave Andre… We need to find you a safer place to stay.”
“Shit! Damn! I shouldn’t have told her. What have I done.”
“You were right, you shouldn't have told me, I was happy in ignorance, and It was all your fault.” A voice echoed out from the dark woods.
I turned my head to the source of the voice, and there she was. Clad in leather armor, dragging the tip of her sword against the dirt, leaving a trail behind. Horror washed over me as I saw the black veins running down her body and face, her eyes are blackened as night, and her hair was turning black once more, but there are still traces of orange at the end of her hair.
“Daisie…”
“It was your fault, you killed my father. Haven't I lost enough?!” She circled me in a slow walk.
“Daisie, you are corrupted. You need to calm down and drop your weapon. Let me help you.”
“They kept calling me that, but I don't mind being corrupted.” She said excitedly with a smile that showed her teeth.
“It’s exhilarating, really. I felt power like never before! The power that I needed so I can…” She took a deep breath.
“Kill you!” Like a cheetah, she rushed over to me with so much speed, but I managed to raise my hatchet and stop her strike.
An outburst of energy shook the very trees and the ground around us from that one strike, a tiny crack appeared on my hatchet and her sword. My heart thumps loudly, then I glanced at Agnes, a few meters away from me, he was frozen in place by the sudden attack.
“Agnes, run!” He turned into his bird form and flew away.
I felt her sword pushing my hatchet closer to me, she was stronger than me, maybe I’m just holding back. As I was lost in thought, she broke away and brought her sword down again. I blocked her attack with my hatchet, but this time, two metal crashed into each other and exploded into a flurry of light, sending another wave of energy that shook the air and ground. Her sword was broken in half while my hatchet's head shattered into tiny pieces. Minuscule glowing dust littered the air, I let go of the shaft as I felt the painful vibration, but she doesn't stop, with a smile she brought her broken sword down again.
Without thinking it through, I tried to stop it with my right arm, and that was my biggest mistake as the blade cut off my arm in one fell swoop. My blood squirted out onto her face, and I scream out my pain. I dropped to my knees, holding on to what was left of my arm, I sob furiously as I caught a glance of my dismembered hand on the ground, twitches. Daisie licked the trickle of blood off her face with a happy smile.
“Oh sweet Andre, I finally feel happy again, and so much more. The tingle you caused me from you scream alone, almost makes me...release.” Her voice sounded euphoric and manic made me realized she wasn't the same person or sane person, but I couldn't make myself to abandon her.
“Daise...Please, you need help…”
“Shhhh….I’m gonna cut your arm and your leg, and let you scream and wiggle around as you become only a torso then I’m going to kill you. In the meantime, this is gonna hurt you more than me. Oh wait, this going to make me climax, while make you...wish you were dead.”
Behind Daisie, Agnes hovered and readied for a sneak attack, he flew at high speed toward Daisie.
Daisie pressed her feet against my chest and brought her sword high for another strike, but she immediately turned and swing behind her. Agnes was shocked as his stealth attack was thwarted out of nowhere, blood poured down from the deep cut over his chest, his mouth was agape while his eyes were widened.
“A-Andre...Andre… I’m sorry.” Agnes fell to the ground.
“Agnes!!!” I screamed out his name.
I take hold of the broken upper half of her sword, then pushed her leg away and stabbed her in the chest. Right in her heart, she groaned her pain out and started to cough. I let go of the broken pieces, then hit the broken sword out of Daisie’s hand. I backed away and stared at the cut on my left palm and the blood soaking it. I couldn’t even tell which one is her blood or mine. Daisie gritted her teeth and glared daggers at me then she rushed to me. With her strength, she pushed me down to the ground and started to choke me with both hands.
My faces began to pale as she tightened her grip. The strain she applied on my neck was enormous, I was choking and I felt the bones in my neck began to bend and about to break. I tried to wedge in my finger between her hand and my neck, but couldn't.
“I hate you.”
“I...hate you!”
“I HATE YOU!” Her saliva and blood dripped down onto my face.
She cough and cough as her hand loosen around my neck, she fell on top of me, her eyes were lifeless, she had died with so much hatred in her toward me. I inhaled so much air as much as I could then pushed her off, then quickly rushed to Agnes. I tried checking for his pulse, but I couldn't tell whether there is a pulse or not, I was too panicky, my finger was numb and trembling. However, I remember the rune pebbles.
“Agnes! I’m going to get you help. Please, don't die.”
“Please don’t leave me.”
I took out the rune and clenched it in my hands, everything became quiet and six beams of light dropped down from the sky.
“HELP!”
Death [https://i.postimg.cc/hPXfFn2X/Arc3-last-chapter-2.png]
…..
…
..
-END OF ARC 3-
It all started with a death,
Now It ended with one.