Castle Hydra: Next Generation

[padfoot]

Zekes mother's jaw dropped at the news, "you- you impregnanted AND marrying this thing?!?", she hissed the question at Zeke as if Lorelei was not there, "Zeke, you could hsve done better than that. She is a fish for gods sake". Zekr cringed at her words and his anger grew, "I love her and I original came to invite you to the wead-", he was cut off by her voice again, "you want be to travel to this...this freak school to watch you bind yourself under the disapproving eyes of our lord to this monstrosity!", she screamed, walking across the room to a small table and opened a drawer. He looked at Lorelei and was about to suggest a quick escape when he heard a familiar click from across the room. Zeke wrapped his arms around Lorelei and swiveled his body between her and his mother. Three imposibly loud gunshots rang out and three rounds peirced his upper back. He checked Lorelei's midsection quickly before bolting across the room, already in wolf form. Zeke grabbed his mother by the neck and picked her up off the floor, "I wont let her ruin you Zeke. Its not right", she gasped, letting the gun drop to the floor and grabbing his forearm with both hands. He snarled in her face and a troubling thought crossed his mind, Kill her Zeke. It will make you stronger than every before the voice whispered. Zeke battled with the thought while his mother continued to struggled under his grasp.

[frostmourne]

Aza tripped as she was shoved backwards and hit her head on the corner of the desk. The small bump quickly healed as she pulled herself back up and shook her head. "Just Adrian's way of being impossibly cruel to several people at the same time." she murmured. She handed him the box and sat down on his bed with her head in her hands but with eyes wide open. They looked frozen with terror. After a while she raised her head. "Why did you push me back into the room?" she asked, trying to find something to get her mind off such gloomy thoughts.

Jared touched the inside of the tree and wordlessly walked through it like it wasn't there. Once alone again, he walked deeper into the forest. The plant matter moved out of his way, but he was sent sprawling with every hidden rock he found. The frequency of his falls were testament to just how uncoordinated he was on land and also how he paid little attention to where he was going. The next time he fell he didn't bother get up, but just sat miserably in the middle of a gradually darkening forest.

[sairi123]

Lorelei's eyes began smoldering a few shades deeper than normal as the old woman spoke and the sea nymph had to concentrate on keeping her temper in check. Her words stung like a jellyfish and she could feel Zeke's anger rise as the air around him grew warmer. When Zeke's mother walked away her mate suddenly threw himself between them and wrapped his arms around Lorelei. She let out a muffled scream when she felt the bullets hit him and a tear rolled down her cheek. Zeke had already shifted and was across the room before the halfbreed could stand. In he same instant the faucets in the kitchen turned on and water snaked towards Lorelei in thick rivelets, surrounding her protectively. "Put her down, Zeke." Lorelei's voice was not her own when she spoke, it was as if she were miles under the ocean and power seeped from every syllable. Her eyes had filled completely with the swirling colors of the ocean and she stood next to her mate. He still had his mother by he throat and Lorelei placed a hand on his forearm, "Release her, now. We're going home." The power laced through her voice pulled at Zeke's mind, commanding him to obey. She glared coldly at the frail old woman who was Zeke's mother and bared her teeth, now serrated and pointed like a sharks. Water flared around Lorelei as she spoke, "I'm pleased to meet you, yet saddened you react this way, Ms. Warr." She turned to Zeke, "Let's go," her voice was still heavy with the power of the sea and gripped at Zeke's mind.

[lycrawaterz14]

"Father... he's upset." Kenan said, putting his hand on her head where she was hit. "I'm sorry." he muttered, looking upset. The whole room had a nasty feeling. Numbness, rage, and a bit of uncomfort so strong it was nearly pain. There was a sharp knock on the door. "Kenan." a scratchy, rapsy voice demanded. It was like bones scratching each other. "I need to speak with you!" Death sounded mad.

[frostmourne]

Aza twitched a little when she heard the voice. She looked at the door with equal amounts of fascination and worry with a tinge of fear. "Why? Is it because of me? Should I leave?" she asked, looking a tad apprehensive. She didn't really want to leave, but she would if she was the cause of Death's anger with Kenan. A few tiny fingers of shadow flickered in and out of existence around her. They weren't the fierce, solid lashing tendrils that formed when she was angry, but a faint translucent veil that fluttered with the slightest provocation. The snake bracelet raised its head and wrapped itself tighter around her wrist when it heard the voice.

Adrian popped up silently behind Jared, and prodded him. "Helloooo? Do me a favor and stop being so miserable. You're going to make me cry."he said teasingly. "Stop being miserable? What would you do in my situation Adrian? I could murder you right now and I would have an reasonable excuse." he replied.

[lycrawaterz14]

"No, it's alright... I'll just be a moment...." Kenan sounded worried and inched out the door.

 

"We're going for a walk." His father said, his eyes closed tightly. Kenan helped his father with his blindfold, tying it around his eyes before heading down the hallway with him.

 

"Y-yes?" He asked, stuttering a bit. Death just sighed at him. "Kenan... I know you-"

 

"You don't know anything..." Kenan mused, not disrespectfully, but an almost whine. Death just shook his head. "You're right. I don't. I don't know where you've been for years, why you quit, why you only approach me when you have to. I still want you to be my son though." He sighed, a bit gently. "You're the best candidate to take the throne. My curse only affects what I see. You're naturally blind... the curse may reach a dead end with you... your retirement from being Death could mean your children won't have to only see dead things." His father explained. Kenan faced the ground. "And what if it doesn't? And I'd have to give up everything. My life, Aza... I don't even think I'll make it." Kenan said bitterly. Death siddenly became concerned. "How far along are you?" Kenan's eyes watered.

 

"More reaper than human at this point..." He sniffled. Death shook his head and laid a hand on his back. "I told you you shouldn't..." "I know." Kenan finished. "My whole chest is black and open craters..." He sniffed. "I've been hiding it..." Death shook his head. "You won't even make the year out if this keeps up... better act qui-" His father stopped mid-sentence. "You could be Death and still stay with her. If your eyesight remains gone, you can be with her and still take my place." Death sounded... happy?

[frostmourne]

Aza sat alone in the room, looking confused and worried. She had her chin in her hands. The snake on her wrist detached itself and slithered beside the door, careful to stay out of view. It came back and looked at her almost sadly. She reached over and scratched the scales underneath its chin. "It's alright. I don't expect you to." she murmured. It hissed softly and curled up inside her palm. She pocketed and turned back to staring at the door with a forlorn expression.

Adrian yanked Jared up and attempted to drag him out of the forest. It seemed to be useless as the forest just went on and on in every direction. It took him a while to notice the trees were moving with them. "And you were accusing me of being childish. You can't sulk around forever." "I was only gone for about two hours." "Really? Felt like forever." "That would be because you had no one to torture."

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan just felt open rage. He was falling apart, and his father was still worried about replacing his throne STILL? "Why would I do that? I'm finally HAPPY. I've never been truly HAPPY before. Aza is ev..." He choked up. Such a ing baby... "everything. I can't lose her. I won't chance it."

 

Death sighed. "Listen to me. You'll be a full fledged reaper, and the power that's eating you alive will be appeased. There's a slim chance this power will reject a leash like this. You'll have all the power, but don't have any sight. The curse doesn't affect you. It'll be just like a day job for you. No side effects." His father pleaded.

 

"SLIM CHANCE." Kenan emphasized, he was softly crying now, with rage and sadness at the same time. "I can't lose her..." His father grabbed his face, almost mad, before storming off. "Talk it over with her. You can't think straight." He demanded. Kenan went back to his room with his head low and wiping away tears.

[frostmourne]

Aza jumped up and opened her mouth, but seemed to change her mind. She walked over and wrapped her arms around him. "Take your time. You don't have to say anything." she whispered. She didn't pull away and neither did she question him further. She didn't want to upset him more by demanding the truth. She knew that something had forced him to make another choice. Aza lifted her head enough so she could look at him. Her eyes were unusually bright. A slight film of tears obscured her vision for a few seconds. The snake didn't dare make a noise.

Adrian scowled and sat down against a tree. It picked him up and carried him out of the forest. Jared looked up at the tree and touched it lightly before moving on.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan turned to her and almost smiled, but was too upset. She knew exactly what to do. He held onto her like she was a teddy bear. His hand touched her hair and he sniffed again, determined to not be such a child anymore. She had it rough too.

 

"Aza...?" he started, his voice even scratchier than normal. His eyes closed and be changed his mind again. "N-nevermind..." he sniffed, and pet her hair. "I'll talk about it later..."

[padfoot]

Zeke was grateful that Lorelei's voice supressed the voice in his head. He released his mother who dropped to the floor coughing and cursing. Zeke shifted back into himself and guided Lorelei out of the house with his hand on her lower back. Before exiting, he turned back in time to see his mother struggling into a standing position. A pang of guilt and sadness struck his heart and a tear ran down his cheek, "It was nice to seen you one last time, mother", he said with obvious sadness in his voice. He turned and walked into the pouring rain, shutting the door behind him. The water washed the blood down his back as it continued to pump from the stubborn bulket holes that refused to close. He hugged Lorelei tightly and recited the spell to take them home. The patterns swirled around them once again before they vanished from the human world compleatly.

 

Zeke didn't even wait for his tattoos to compleatly reattach before he walked over to the guard railing on the cliff and leaned on his elbows. He looked down at the water for a few seconds before speaking, "are you ok?", he asked Lorelei softly.

[frostmourne]

"Of course." Aza said softly, no accusation in her tone. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed his touch. She curled up against him and sighed quietly. A soft rustling sound made her eyes open a slit. There was a sprig of ivy vines curled around a plain envelope. Before Aza could go get it, the ivy vines shriveled and a large white mouse ate the whole thing. It vanished with a whiff of something that smelled like a wet dog. Aza turned her head away from the sight, oddly glad that she hadn't seen the letter. She suspected she knew who had sent it, but didn't know who destroyed it. The more she thought about it, the more worried she was the letter might have been a warning. She shrugged it off and closed her eyes again.

Adrian stalked back and forth around a boulder. "I am not going to just sit here!" he muttered angrily. He crossed his arms and sat down on the boulder, doing exactly what he said he wasn't going to do. Jared scrambled up a tree, steps growing into the wood and disappearing once he passed. He sat down on a high limb and looked around. The ground seemed so distant that the huge forest look like nothing more than a patch of moss. He watched a eagle soar a few feet away.

[lycrawaterz14]

"What the hell was that?" Kenan sat up abruptly, still jumpy. "Smelled like... dog." He wrinkled his nose.

[frostmourne]

"It was just a mouse. It's gone now." Aza replied without opening her eyes. She felt safe with him and saw only darkness when she closed her eyes. She was still a bit tired from the last effects of the starlight, but she hoped she wasn't going to fall asleep again. The snake in her pocket curiously peeked out and slithered until it was perched precariously on her shoulder.

It seemed like he had been sitting on the branch of that tree for hours now. Jared rose to get back and stop Adrian from doing something stupid. He was halfway down the tree when something struck him. She had rejected him. After three hundred twenty years of devotion, loyalty, and patience, she had thrown him away like a broken tool. Jared sat down with his head in his hands, not bothering to try to stem the flow of tears. He must have been sitting there for a while before he felt Adrian't prescense. He didn't bother to try to struggle as he was picked up and half carried down the tree.

Adrian looked worried as he dragged Jared down the rest of the steps. It was alarming how still he was. There was no half-mad glint in his eyes like when he was messing around with an experiment or pleased spark like when he saw Aza smile. They were not only haunted by sadness now, but seemed to have been completely overtaken by it. Adrian shuddered slightly as the hollow stare landed on him for a few seconds.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan pet her cheek gently. "Father told me to talk over becoming death with you. He said I wasn't thinking straight. He said I wouldn't be affected by the curse because I'm naturally blind. That it'll be like a day job, and I could..." he turned the odd ashen color. "Still be with you without harming you everytime I looked at you. I didn't want to risk it... do you... agree with Father? That I should become Death?" He asked, wanting her honest opinion.

[frostmourne]

"I...I don't know. Tell me the truth, if you could become Death without the slightest chance of hurting me, would you do it?" Aza asked, opening her eyes. She studied him intently, like he was some obscure document she was trying to decipher. She realized her curiosity had gotten the better of her and let herself relax again. An quiet hiss made her go stiff and unresponsive as a steel pole. It was the same black snake from before, except it now towered over Aza. "Aza, please stay away from home for a while. I'm afraid we have a particularly horrible situation here." it said quietly. Its tone was carefully controlled, and it was obviously doing its best to keep its temper in check. The snake turned away and prepared to dissolve. "What did I do Adrian?" she said timidly. The snake whipped its head around and looked like it was going to wrap its massive coils around her and throw her across the room in fury. It took and deep breath and faded away. Aza flinched and squeezed her eyes shut like she was wishing the snake was just a bad dream.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan was going to answer, but quickly soothed her when the snake came. He held her tighter and seemed angry. "He comes in here again and I'm going..." he controlled his temper. "Sorry... and... I would... I would accept it in a heartbeat." he sighed. "I don't want you to go... or hurt..."

[frostmourne]

"I wouldn't leave even if you could kill me with a glance. I knew someone like that actually. She still managed to 'accidentally' push me down three sets of stairs. Her excuse was that she couldn't see well with sunglasses." Aza said. She was troubled by how angry Adrian was with her. He would never snap at her like that unless something was drastically wrong. "Kenan, it is your choice. Don't be afraid of hurting me, and don't do it just to make others happy. You've followed me without question for far too long. It's my turn now." she murmured, closing her eyes but keeping her head up. Her lips twitched slightly as if she had recalled a fond memory.

Adrian stalked back and forth in front of the door, hoping that Jared would snap out of it. He shouldn't have taken him to Aza's mansion in the first place, but his own home was further away. He struggled to shut out the overpowering waves of emotion he sensed radiating from the locked door. They crashed against the barriers separating his emotions from those of the outside world with the fury and power of a tsunami.

[lycrawaterz14]

He was quiet and thought. "Then I guess father was right then." he murmured. "...thank you. I appreciate it." he said, and leaned on her again. "Mara, go ahead and tell father. I know you're at the door." he said louder, and miniscule shuffling sounds were heard outside. He chuckled.

[MendezLightning]

(sorry i havent been posting for god knows how long ... i just fell out of habit

 

i'll make it so ryu won't know what's happening outside of wherever he is so i can catch up on reading the posts)

 

Ryu woke up in a small room. It was white. Blindingly polished. His hands were bound behind him and he felt the sharp pains that told him that they'd cut into him during his unconsciousness. Where was he?

 

The last thing he remembered was going to interview that woman ... the Human ... then there was a flash. Then he was here. He tried to freeze the shackles that bound him. It didn't work.

 

'Hello Mr. Kong ...' a smug voice rang out over him.

 

He was plunged into shocked silence. Paimon ...

[frostmourne]

Aza smiled briefly before her face settled back into a concerned look. She jumped away from Kenan as if electrified when a snow leopard bounded gracefully through the closed door like it didn't exist and into the room. Its eyes were cold, gray, and disturbingly human. It turned to Aza and projected its thoughts to only her. "Aza, as I am sure Adrian as informed you by now, there is a slight complication back in your mansion. I wish to speak to you in person and Kenan of course is welcome to come. I expect you there within an hour. Am I clear?" She nodded, looking rather hollow, as if the prospect of talking to her father drained her of all emotion. "F-father?" she stammered out. The animal turned to look at her. "Yes?" When Aza didn't speak, it silently padded over. "Sanguis sanguinis mei, tutela tua est." (The blood of my blood, protection is thine.) The snow leopard's eerie human eyes disappeared as it sprung out of the window. Aza remained standing for a fraction of a second more before she sat down and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees.

Edited November 11, 2011 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan looked at the floor in thought for a bit. "What about your father...?" he murmured, and laid a hand on her shoulder.

[frostmourne]

"He wants me to come to talk to him within an hour. He said you could come too." she said, looking up. There was a slight spark of fear in her eyes. "Sanguis sanguinis mei, tutela tua est." she mumbled, closing her eyes again. An odd dark red fluid condensed from the air and wove around the hand on her shoulder a few times before deeming it not much of a threat and disappearing again. That confirmed her suspicion that what her father said was not merely for reassurance. It was comforting in a way. She rose to her feet and brushed some nonexistent dust from her cloak.

Adrian knocked on the door for what felt like the hundredth time. When no one answered, he touched the doorknob and heard the lock click. He was surprised to find the room completely empty.

Jared tentatively looked around, and wasn't quite sure what to think. Aza's father stood in front of him casually, but the environment resembled that of maximum security prison. It took him a moment they were actually in the palace. The room was constantly changing, going from bare cement to marble to black and white tile in a matter of seconds. "I'm afraid we will have to wait for Aza and Adrian to grace us with their presence before we begin." Jared nodded without comprehension and shrank away from him.

[lycrawaterz14]

"Alright... you want me to teleport you there?" he asked softly and heard a click on the hallway. "Hurry... mother's coming... I'd rather you not meet her..."

[frostmourne]

"Yes please. I wouldn't want to deny everyone the pleasure of lecturing me when I come back." Aza said moving over to Kenan. She had a quizzical expression on her face as if she were going to ask why she shouldn't meet Kenan's mother but said nothing. Worry and indecision churned in her gray eyes like a fast approaching storm front.

Adrian sighed and sat down on an intricately decorated chair and crossed his arms, reminiscent of a spoiled child not use to being ignored. He wondered for a brief second if he should go home, to the Ravenwood castle. Then again, the last time he went home wasn't exactly a pleasant experience.

Jared regained enough sense to know he shouldn't stay any longer if Aza was going to come. He was just about to risk saying that when the unsmiling man in front of him glanced down. As if he knew what he was thinking, Aza's father dismissed him with a sharp nod. Jared didn't stay a moment longer and practically ran out of the room, desperate to get away from the chilling aura of Arlex Creperum. If the eyes were the window to the soul, than behind his eyes was the haunting grave where his soul use to be. If he had one at all to begin with.

Edited November 13, 2011 by frostmourne