Castle Hydra: Next Generation

[frostmourne]

Aza leaned closer, her lips brushing against his ear as she spoke. "In all technicality, I am as much a part of her as she is of me. I am the dark, and I will only leave when I drag her into the void." she whispered, he eyes gleaming with a terrible glee. Up to that point, it had always used a cruel voice that sounded very close to Aza's, but now it used a voice that was ancient and hollow. It echoed with bitterness and anger for all things in the light and warmth that it hated but desperately desired. "What can Death do to a being who is the very definition of non-existence?" she murmured, once again fading and reappearing out of reach. She reached up to brush a strand of hair away only to have her hand severed at the wrist. She looked to Jared, who was shaking so much that he could barely grip the dagger. "I reeeeaaaally hate you. As in, I will wrap you in barbed wire and drag you across a field of rusty razor blades. Then I will push you into a vat of acid, set the acid on fire and feed your remains to a pig." it snapped in Aza's voice again. Even as it spoke, the darkness was draining out of her eyes. It was clearly frustrated that it was losing its grip. With a bit of vengeful spirit, Aza's body diminished until it looked like that of a small young girl. "A-Aza h-h-has done that before. A-All of it." Jared stuttered, picking up her severed hand. The last of the black faded from her eyes and Aza's gaze locked on the bloody hand Jared was offering her. She screamed and scrambled away from it, not seeming not to notice her missing hand. "Shut up Aza. It's your own hand." Adrian grumbled, not in a good mood after getting his head cut off. Aza very tentatively allowed Jared to reattach her hand for her. She pulled away as soon as he was done and grabbed Adrian's wrist, glancing at Kenan without a trace of recognition an at Jared with distrust. She yawned and leaned heavily against Adrian. "Why are you sleepy? It's the middle of the day." "I've never stayed up this late before. Let me sleep." she mumbled. "What do you mean you never-" Adrian suddenly broke off and seemed to realize something. "How old are you, Aza?" he said in a dead serious voice. "I'm eleven. Don't you remember?" she mumbled, half asleep.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan's eyebrows knotted together.

 

"Well this is a big bump in the road..." Rechal sighed. Kenan frowned and bent down on her level. "It's alright Aza. You're back and that's all that matters." he kissed her cheek.

[frostmourne]

Aza froze with surprise and then shoved him away as hard as could. "What the heck are you doing?!? Who do you think-" she began, looking furious. Adrian put a hand over her mouth before she could continue. "She really didn't like physical contact with anyone when she was little. Oh, and she tends to be a backstabbing imperious brat with a sadistic streak. The 'nicer' Aza is all due to the efforts, and frequent torture, of that guy." Adrian muttered, gesturing to Jared who had a rather haunted expression on his face. The white snake seemed to appear from her arm and quickly transformed back to Skulni. "Skulni? What are you doing here? And and since when were you that tall?" Aza asked, immediately turning her attention to the newcomer. "I see your attention span has shortened, m'lady." he said, smiling. He kneeled and bowed his head. He didn't seem bothered much by her apparent change. "I'm your familiar now." he said cheerfully. "Aren't we engaged?" she asked, completely baffled. "Only if you want us to be." he replied, glancing at Kenan with barely surpressed amusement.

Edited August 20, 2012 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan fumed, anger boiling again. "Fine. I've made my decision. Have her Skulni. You win. I'm tired of fighting. She wants to carry on without me, that's her choice. I've tried and fought and tried and fought. All I want is her. Jared? Adrian?! If she ever changes her mind, tell me. I'm drawing the line. If she wants me back I'll wait for her. She has to say the word." he turned to Rechal and she let them out. Kenan was gone. Rechal was still with Jared, Adrian, Aza and Skulni back in the mansion.

[frostmourne]

Jared disappeared, back in the prison of the cube. "How can she want him back when she doesn't even know him?" Adrian sighed. He turned to glare at Skulni. "Why did you do that? You're suppose to be her knight! Her sword and her shield! Her whatever!" Skulni smiled slyly. "Well, if she wishes to be wed, then as her familiar, I cannot deny her anything she wishes." he chuckled. Aza remained on her feet for only a few more minutes before she fell asleep, still looking distressed. Adrian formed a bed outside instead of carrying her in. She never relaxed when she slept, tossing and turning constantly. Eventually she woke up again and simply stared upwards. "Could everyone please leave?" she said briefly, her voice completely devoid of emotion. Skulni took his leave, vanishing into the mark. Adrian faded too, but didn't stay very far away, lurking in the grass as strands of shadow thin as threads. Aza sighed and grabbed a handful of them. Adrian relented and faded away completely. Alone, Aza allowed the disjointed images to flow. That new tutor that had arrived a few years ago, pinned to the ground, his arm raised as if to protect him from an on coming blow. Adrian, clutching the bleeding stump of his arm. That strange man that kissed her talking with no sound coming out. And finally herself, older and dyed with gore. Her arms were slick with blood and her lips were crimson, as if she had been drinking blood as well. She was standing in a mass of corpses, her black evening dress torn and fluttering like the silky petals of some dark flower and smiling. It was such an innocent, sweet smile and it seemed so completely out of place on her blood splattered face. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook the images away. The one with that man speaking so urgently kept coming back to haunt her.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan just sat stoic on his throne. He seemed devoid of any emotion at all, just staring. "Will you be alright." Adele murmured. Kenan shook his head. "No. No I won't. But I will have to be if only for a little bit." he whispered. His hands clenched the throne tightly, and he felt his father and his forefathers hand imprints as well. Good thing to know, all of them had their tense moments.

 

"I could watch her. She wouldn't know." she whispered, not wanting to topple him into his pit of despair. He was teetering even as of now. "I could help..." Kenan didn't reply, just closing his eyes and shutting down. Adele had seen it coming, and took his silence as a yes so she wouldn't have to see the effects of him losing Aza again.

Edited August 20, 2012 by lycrawaterz14

[frostmourne]

Aza looked up as the sky darkened and storm clouds slowly approached. She gestured towards a shadow and formed it into an umbrella. The effort usually was barely even perceptible even when she was younger. The unexpected pain the simple action brought would have driven her to her knew if she had been standing. She curled up and waited for it to pass. Sitting up shakily, she managed to pick up the umbrella and stumble back into the mansion. She blinked as she looked around, not remembering some of the things in the room. A large white snake was coiled up in one corner, looking like it had been perfectly carved out of pure snowy white marble. She went over and laid a hand on it, expecting to feel cold stone. She drew back her hand when she realized that it radiated warmth despite being a cold blooded creature. The snake raised its head and transformed quickly. "I aways thought you would be-" she began. "A spider? I get that a lot." Skulni said cheerfully. "Anyway, no, we are not engaged. You can marry whoever you want. Or you can go and become a nun or something, although I think some people wouldn't be overjoyed with that." Aza merely blinked, still disoriented. "Where's Adrian?" she demanded. "He's in that cube. You father imprisoned him and Jared, who you are friends with, in cubes." Skulni replied, heading to the kitchen. The silver cubes lay on the table, Jared's completed. A woman walked out holding a tray. "I heard about the complication, madam. Since Adrian did not seem to be overly enthusiastic about the other body, I made another one." the AI said pleasantly. Aza ran out of the mansion and into the raging storm, not understanding anything those strange people were saying. She was completely drenched in seconds, not having take. The umbrella with her. She thought about forming another one but dismissed it as soon as she remembered the pain.

[lycrawaterz14]

Adele slowly approached Aza, carrying an umbrella herself. "May I sit with you?" she asked, her voice always childlike. Adele herself was a child, but had been shoved into her position, like a square into a circle hole. She had adapted.

 

She planted herself close enough to Aza that her umbrella covered her too. "Are you okay?"

[frostmourne]

Aza didn't react in anyway, her gaze locked on some spot in the distance. Turmoil raged in her eyes, betraying that she was not as much of a child as she seemed. Finally she cast a quick look at Adele. "I've never been okay." she said shortly before turning her gaze back to the distance. There was a soft creak of the door opening and the sound of someone slipping on slick stairs and falling into the mud. Aza turned to the sound of the noise and scowled when she saw it was Jared. He looked so thin it was frightening. He looked like he might collapse any second, but pulled himself oh of the mud nevertheless. "Hey! How in the world did you get out?" Adrian said, the shadow following him outside. "I've explained it to you twice already. Since it has to be done from the inside, I don't think I can help you any more." Jared sighed, picking up the ridiculously huge leaf on a stem he had been using as an umbrella. "Aza! Come inside. You're drenched." he called. She refused to respond and Jared shook his head. "Oh, very well then." He Walked over, dropped the leaf and picked her up. She didn't struggle, simply lying as limp as a doll. Jared set her down on a stool and draped a towel over her shoulders. She still didn't move, an Jared briefly felt as of he were preparing a corpse for a funeral.

[lycrawaterz14]

Adele took Aza's hand, slightly smiling up at her. "Is this okay...?" she asked, and gently combed Aza's hair with her fingers. "Would you like another towel?"

[frostmourne]

Aza jerked away from Adele's touch like it pained her. She didn't say another word, turning away from her. Jared sighed and leaned down towards her. "I think you sh-" He never got to say anymore than that. A shadow hurled him across the room with enough strength to leave thin cracks in the marble wall he hit. Jared got back up, apparently very used to the abuse. Aza was gasping from the drain of using that much power. "Don't push yourself. You've changed and you aren't as powerful as you were." Jared said gently, hesitantly touching her shoulder. He was thrown against the wall again, widening the cracks. "Don't touch me." Aza snarled through gritted teeth. She had fallen off the stool and was slowly pulling herself back on her feet. Skulni appeared to offer a hand. "Shall I take you to your room? And don't give me the 'I'm fine' excuse, because you look everything but fine." he said rather aggressively. She shrugged and followed Skulni as he led her to the bedroom. He waited outside the door and she went in and locked it.

[lycrawaterz14]

"Aza?" Kenan's voice murmured from across the room. "I know... you may not remember me... may I speak to you?" he asked, sounding like he was about to flee.

[frostmourne]

There was a slight pause before the door unlocked and slid open an inch by itself. Aza hissed slightly as a sensation of being stabbed raced through her. Skulni smirked and took a step back, ducking a vase that went flying towards his head. He picked up a shard of the blue white porcelain and examined it. "That was from the Ming Dynasty!" he called. He shook his head and glanced at Kenan. "I would duck the minute you walk in the room. She has four of these in her room." he warned, picking up the sharp shards. Aza didn't react to anything Skulni yelled, sitting up on her bed with another priceless vase in one hand. She was clutching the silk blankets up to her neck with the other. Her cloak lay draped over a chair in the corner. She wasn't sure why she decided to unlock the door for whoever that guy was. She just suspected that she needed to hear whatever he would say, but she would not let him stay a moment past than what was need. Her grip tightened on the vase, glaring at the door.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan simply shook her head. "I've taken worse for her." he mumbled. "Aza, I received word you didn't even know who I was anymore. I..." his voice cracked and he blushed. "I love you. I've stood by your side through thick and thin for a little more than thirty years... I never had the courage to say anything about how I felt about you until I was forced to. You chose me over Jared and it's one of my worst mistakes. I know you either love or will love him, perhaps even more than me. I'm not going to force you to choose ever again, but I just... wanted it to be a fair fight." he said, his courage fading. He wasn't going to just give up though. "We hit a rough patch and I just left you... it was stupid, and that is the worst mistake I ever made. It wasn't even that big of an issue, just a misunderstanding... my people banished you from my land because they deemed you too much of a distraction to me, although I need you." Kenan glared at Skulni. "Skulni hurt you. You probably don't remember it. He clawed at your throat, made you bleed, nearly killed you at least twice. I'm not going to try to make you stay away from him, but please be careful." he warned, and held his head. "You're probably not even listening anymore. I don't want to lose you. Ever. I could talk to you for a million years and never get tired of it. I feel like I know you, more than I even know myself. You're afraid of marriage, you don't like starlight too much, you smell like honeysuckle when you're hurt or mad and roses with blood when you aren't. Your hair is black, which doesn't sound like much, but I remembered. I don't even remember what my own hair color is, but I needed to remember it because it was about you. You're kind deep down, under the monster, and you hate it when people baby or pity you." His voice wavered. "You thought I wouldn't be there when you fell apart, when you thought it was your last moments. Even though I said I couldn't see you anymore, I was still there. I thought I would be glad to see you go, but I hated it. It hurt just to watch you go through it. I had to save you, I gave you immortality, even though it cost me physically. I want to be there when you break, I want to hold you and put you back together. All I want is you. I only left because I thought you did, and even then I couldn't stay far away." Kenan finally stopped rambling, feeling like he had been turned inside out. He had said more then than he had in the past century before he met Aza.

[frostmourne]

Aza blinked and looked at Kenan like he had three heads and a tail. Then she carefully set the vase down and sniffed her hand delicately. "...Do I really smell that bad?" she asked. Skulni stifled a snort of laughter. "I think you've completely missed the point." he snickered. "Kenan, you do realize proclaiming your love to an eleven year old is slightly...oh, I don't know...creepy? Very touching speech though completely wasted on her." Aza was looking towards the window, seeing that the storm had cleared. There was a rustle of silk as she slid out of bed, still clutching the blankets around her, and moved to the window. She flung it open, wincing slightly at the light. "Why would I even ever like that prattling tutor? Skulni couldn't even scratch me now even if he wanted to, and saying you love me doesn't make much sense now that you don't even really know who I am. Perhaps what you said is true. I really have lost my memory for whatever reason. Don't you think I might be a different person than the one you knew?" she said rather harshly, not turning away from the window. "You are right mostly in that flattering description of me, but I am not kind. I have never done anything for anyone that could be considered kind or generous or compassionate." Skulni laughed and opened the other window. "But my dear, you looked so lovely bathed in the blood of the innocent on your throne of corpses amidst the flames." he said melodramatically. Aza's grip on the windowsill tightened and she lowered her head. She blinked her eyes rapidly before whirling around. "Shut up." she snapped. Skulni fell silent but the smile lingered. He raised his hand and waved it around. "What?!?" she demanded. Skulni turned towards Kenan. "You should see what happens when you try touching her." Suddenly he opened his mouth and closed it like he couldn't get any air. The silver mark on Aza's arm was glowing for a moment before Skulni collapsed. Aza moved back into bed and pulled the sheets over her head, ignoring Kenan. She didn't move for a while as if she were asleep. She poked her head out of the sheets to check if Kenan was still there. She had been rather unnerved by what Kenan said, although some small silly part of her thought it was romantic.

Edited August 29, 2012 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan just smirked at her. "No. You haven't changed a bit. Besides what small amount of maturity you gained." He set a small ring, the same one he had placed his apology letter for dying in, on the pillow beside her. "When you want me back, just put this on." he murmured, almost fatherly, but not quite. "I'll try to keep away... unless you call." He turned, then stopped. "...please be careful."

[frostmourne]

Jared knocked on the door timidly, startled by the loud noises that had been coming from the room. He opened the door only to have a vase thrown in his face. He caught it, but then it slipped out of his grasp and shattered anyway. "When exactly do you plan to let her go?" he sighed, looking at Aza. "Oh, fine. But let me have one more bit of fun." the voice chuckled, making Aza sit up. She no longer looked like a child, but she still seemed utterly bewildered. The first thing she seemed to notice was Skulni, who quickly left he room before she could do anything. She glanced at Jared briefly, offering him a quick smile before looking at Kenan. "And you are...?" Jared looked at the ceiling as if blaming it for all his problems. "I hate your idea of fun." he said. "What? I've practically handed you her on a silver platter. You wanted her to be yours, didn't you?" the voice said mockingly. For the first time, Jared looked murderous. The glass on the windows shattered as vines forced their way into the room. They wrapped themselves around Aza's neck, meeting no resistance. "Give her back, or I break her neck." he hissed, his eyes such a bright green that they were practically glowing. "As if you'd ever even draw blood." Thorns shot out from the vines and Aza made an odd choking sound. "Fine!" The vines immediately released her and Jared burst into tears. The cuts on Aza's neck looked deep at first, but on closer inspection, they were so shallow that they healed relatively quickly. "I-I'm s-s-so s-s-s-sorry!" Jared said almost incoherently. "Shut up, brainless." Aza said affectionately, sliding off the bed and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. She turned around and grinned. She all but threw herself at Kenan. "I've gained a lot more than a small amount of maturity dear sir." she mumbled, her arms wrapped around him so tightly she suspected she was strangling him a little. Aza turned her head a little to look at Jared who was still crying. "Would you stop? It was just a scratch." "B-But t-t-this is t-the s-s-s-second t-time."

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan didn't care. He held her tighter than ever, not restraining for once. "Aza... is it really you? I'm not going to force you to choose. this is your last chance." he whispered in her ear. He looked like he was about to kiss her, but wanted to wait. He had to make sure she wouldn't change her mind.

[frostmourne]

"No, I'm being possessed by the spirit of a dancing alligator." Aza said lightly, smiling. "And my last chance for what? Running away with my tail between my legs? I don't think so." She closed her eyes contentedly. Jared had quieted, but not because he had stopped crying. He silently got up and left the room, not wanting to ruin their mood. He stumbled to his tower and sat down among the vials of strange liquids and various spare parts. He buried his face in his hands, utterly broken. He didn't move as the fox sniffed at him, confused by the scent of tears. "You must be suicidal by now. How do you handle it?" Adrian asked, leaning against a ridiculously tall pile of books. Jared didn't respond, tears still running down his cheeks. "That's it. I'm going to talk with Aza." The door and windows were immediately blocked by thorny vines although Jared didn't move. Adrian sighed, unable to make the cube intangible as well to escape.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan just blinked, holding his eyes closed for a moment before kissing her. He pulled back after a couple seconds. "Last chance for that." he mumbled. He seemed afraid. "I don't wanna lose you. I'm sorry..." His face turned several shades of ashen white and shades of pink. "I just. I really love you Aza. I really do. A lot. And..." he just looked at the ground, holding onto her shoulders gently.

 

Arachne suddenly appeared by his leg, she had been sticking close for keeping ahold of him as a spider. "Jared?"

Edited September 4, 2012 by lycrawaterz14

[frostmourne]

Aza's eyes snapped open with alarm, but she relaxed quickly, her eyes drifting shut. She opened her eyes when he pulled away, breathless despite how short it had been. She was all but aglow with happiness. "So what do I smell like now?" she giggled under her breath. "Like a wet dog. And you do realize you're wearing nothing but a blanket, right?" Adrian's voice snapped. Aza blushed and made the shadow fade wih a flick of her wrist. She looked surprised and beamed, realizing she had regained her former power. She looked back to Kenan, wearing a smile that looked like it would take an eternity to fade away. "And?" she said brightly.

 

Jared didn't as so much as twitch when he heard Arachne. Adrian looked furious that Aza had waved away the shadow before he had a chance to say something. He sighed and remembered how happy she had looked. He hadn't seen her smile like that in decades-no- centuries even. He supposed he could tell her another time but when he looked at Jared he knew that he was at the exact opposite of that spectrum of emotion.

[lycrawaterz14]

A smirk appeared happily on his face. "You're perfect." He murmured, kissing her cheek. "Why are you caring all the sudden about what you smell like? Shouldn't you have worried about that before I fell in love with you?" he teased, and put his head next to hers. "Like roses. Less blood." he whispered, smiling a little.

 

Arachne laid her head on his lap, holding his hands. "You could take it out on me. This anger. I've been taught to be used as so. I wouldn't mind. I'd rather you hurt me than him." Arachne consoled. She say on the ground still, piteously looking up at him.

Edited September 4, 2012 by lycrawaterz14

[frostmourne]

"You never gave me a chance to be worried whether I was enchanting you. If I remember correctly, I was slightly paranoid and on the edge of going on a rampage when we met. Come to think of it, what in the world did you see in me? It wasn't exactly a great first impression." Aza mused. She laughed and the room seemed to dim a little. The smile on her face transformed into cold fury surprisingly quickly as the sound of scales over tile interrupted her laughter. She pulled away from Kenan and strode towards the black cloaked figure kneeling before her with a naked sword in hand. "You have the nerve to show your face again to me again?" she snarled, holding the sword an inch above the person's neck. She spoke with all the dignity and authority of a queen despite wearing nothing but a blanket. "I do not expect you to forgive me, but I would like to apologize." the figure murmured. "You abandoned me in a crucial moment. You are not worthy to be called my familiar." Aza snapped. "I know. I am prepared to receive whatever punishment you see fit." the figure sighed. "Very well. This is your punishment." Aza raised the sword and hurled it down. The figure closed his eyes, expecting the pain of the stab that never came. The sword was sticking upright in the stone floor a foot away from the familiar. Aza was holding out her arm, the palm of her hand down. "Renew our contract." she said. The familiar blinked with surprise, but he kissed her hand and vanished. She checked her arm and was surprised to see a black snake entwined with the white snake. Aza hadn't expected Skulni to chose to stay. She moved back towards Kenan and smiled. "He was just lucky you put me in a good mood."

 

Jared still didn't seem to react to Arachne. "You're not a punching bag Arachne. Stop thinking like a doormat and don't let people wipe their feet on you." he whispered in a voice that was like a soft breeze that barely rustled the leaves of a tree. He fell silent again, tears forming a small patch of water on the rough stone floor.

Edited September 5, 2012 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

"You're perfect. I don't know. When you met me I had just led a raid complete with mass murder. Why did you talk to me?" He chuckled. "You asked why I killed them and I brought them to life. Gah, I'm a pushover." he smiled. "Are you all better now then?" He asked, pointing to her familiar on her arm.

 

Arachne glared and held his hand. "Hypocrite."

[frostmourne]

"Maybe because you had such a shocked expression it looked someone just hit you with a train. Or maybe because I had no one else to talk to and I was kind of lonely." she muttered rapidly under her breath. "It was the latter! And you're really only a pushover when it's something she wants." Skulni said teasingly. He blinked as if he were seeing the two for the first time. "Hey! What happened to the mean, scary two people I knew?" He had his head poked through the doorway and the black snake was right behind him as if attempting to pull him away."Fine." three voices said at once in response to Kenan's next question. Aza blinked and looked at the two markings. "Jinx!" Skulni chimed in before anyone else could say anything. "Seriously? How old are you?" the other one muttered. "Over several hundred and so is she. Therefore if you call me immature-" he started. "Don't you dare compare yourself to-" the black snake interrupted. Aza cleared her throat loudly before either could continue. The two left, Skulni slamming the door loudly. "It's like having a second Adrian walking around. He doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut." she mumbled.

 

Jared blinked a slightly red eye as Arachne pulled one of his hands away from his face. "I suppose that's true." he murmured. He closed his eyes again, looking drained.