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Series Finale
\ Realm Beyond - Eternal Office - The Mezzanine / Reaching the abrasion’s end, Vic releases Scarlett’s throat from her grasp, the hand she holds the woman’s wrist with forcefully pulling away. Her propulsion too great to combat against, Scarlett’s figure flies into the bonsai tree’s towering trunk, colliding with the sturdy obstruction as her flight halts. “What are you doing, Scar!?” Vic exclaims, her feet hanging over the chasm as she watches Scarlett reposition herself, not dissuaded from her initial attack’s failure. Without a word, Scarlett places her back against the tree’s soaring length and propels herself forward, her hand reaching for Vic’s throat as the question is discarded. Aware of the danger that lies ahead, Vic prepares for Scarlett’s follow-through accordingly, her fingers snapping just as the fiery blonde lunges forward, barely escaping her ill-intentioned grasp. “Can you fucking hear me!?” Vic calls out, watching Scarlett’s thrust wane as she comes to a stop, aiming herself toward Vic once more. “Scar, whatever the hell this is needs to stop!” Vic shouts, pausing momentarily to look Scarlett in the eyes, unable to find emotion of any sort in the woman’s demeanour. “Can you hear me?” Vic asks for a second time, finally offered a response in the form of Scarlett’s slowed approach, the malicious advancement Scarlett had originally met her with having somewhat subsided. “All hail the king” Scarlett murmurs, her voice deepening as her hand takes Vic by the throat yet again, this time given the chance to follow through on her impulsive thoughts. With vicious force, Scarlett hand launches Vic toward the floor of a lower level, her brunette acquaintance fired like a rocket to what threatens to spell her demise. Having the foresight to predict the calm display being little more than a ruse, Vic aids herself in slowing her descent, though not enough to leave her unharmed. With the impact of someone falling down a flight of stairs, Vic makes impact with the ground, rolling through her collision as she crashes into the nearest wall. Aching, Vic rolls onto her back as the dark corner she’d come to a stop within begins to shine with a deep, red colour. Little time to consider a plan, Vic returns to her feet, affording her the chance to watch Scarlett’s feet meet the same terrain as her own, a motivated confidence in her posture as she prepares to deal Vic a fatal blow. “I’m not going to kill you” Vic proclaims, holding her back as she leans against the nondescript wall, her face filling with regret, “none of this is worth killing each other over.” Her expression unchanged, Scarlett remains standing before her friend, her golden locks shining as if kissed by the sun’s blessing itself. Her service dagger summoned, Scarlett’s weapon reveals colours as true as the ones awoken from within her, its pulsating glow shining a bold, bright shade of red equal to that of her eyes. A painful sigh leaving her lungs, Vic lets her hands fall to her sides as she shakes her head, refusing to fight the fate that lies ahead whilst simultaneously rejecting the realm’s desires. Dropping to her knees, Vic steadies her eyes upon Scarlett, openly accepting the end that awaits her. “I’m not living in a world without you” Vic remarks, lifting her chin as Scarlett steps forward, looking past Vic’s pleas with the gluttonous hunger for control driving her forward, “just make it fast.” The space between them shortened to the point of no longer existing, Scarlett pulls her hand back, preparing the dagger for its final place of residency. “All hail-” Scarlett repeats, pausing herself as her hand drives forward, its point held toward Vic’s face until the very last moment, where it viciously veers off course with a curious motivation. Her foot falling back to resteady herself, Scarlett struggles with what resides within, “All-” she further murmurs, trying to pull her hand back despite a greater force refusing to allow herself. “No!” Scarlett exclaims, her voice more defiant in nature as her hangs swings around, the service weapon relinquished as she ferociously spins herself around, turning away from Vic as she fights for supremacy, her greatest battle one fought on the battleground within herself. “All hail the king!” Scarlett growls in heavy opposition, her off-balanced retreat overthrown as she plants her feet upon the ground, quashing the internal rebellion that threatened to undermine herself. Resummoning the dagger, Scarlett turns back toward her potential victim, the moment of surprise that follows being reserved for herself. The brief sign of life that Scarlett’s demons allowed to slip through its strong, impermeable defence having driven her into action, Vic leaves her feet and charges forward. The element of shock falling in her favour, Vic wraps her arms around Scarlett’s person and tackles her to the ground, its physical boundaries contested as their descent fails to cease. Crashing through the ground, Vic and Scarlett’s existence merely discontinues itself as their souls travel elsewhere, their fight carried into the contorting realities they now unintentionally enter. Just as the many rows of desks at the abrasion’s entrance had, the mezzanine’s halls sit quiet and undisturbed, unaffected by the war that wages through its home as the air settles. = Dream Sequence is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media from the start of Season 1 onwards = \ Realm Beyond - Eternal Office - The Motel / Her hand falling atop a bronze call bell, Scarlett leaps back, the rush of air that had been knocked out of her by Vic’s tackle suddenly returned to her lungs, the world around seemingly having rebooted. Frazzled and horrified at the implications that lie ahead, Scarlett’s eyes wander the empty walls that surround her, the floors lined with plain furniture whilst the counter ahead sits vacant, the chair left for those that have the job left uninhabited. “Hello!?” Scarlett shouts, her ears ringing slightly as she leans forward, peering down a hallway lined with doors on either side. Though most rooms sit with the entrances shut, one specific door remains open, an outline of window shutters cascading along the wall as they sit between the open room and a bright, orange light. With more personality than what she’s used to the realm beyond presenting, the motel’s interior clashes with itself, the orange lights that spill through each window somehow incapable of effecting the smokey blue colour that clouds the walls. “Is someone there?” a familiar voice asks with an unfamiliarly soft tone, an obvious confusion carried behind their inquiry. Her attention redirected to the room near the corridor’s end, Scarlett’s guard raises, her attempt at summoning the service dagger she relies on for protection proving ineffective. Pausing for a moment, Scarlett crosses her arms in an effort to surround herself with the cover of a shield, those efforts as unsuccessful as its predecessors. “Are you still there?” the faceless voice calls out once more, growing slightly concerned that a response will never arrive. Forced to move forward without the aid of her powers, Scarlett cautiously steps through the lobby’s hallway, her knees bending slightly as she lowers herself closer to the ground, each step providing her with a better look at what sits within. “Who are you?” the familiar soul inquires, a genuine look of uncertainty covering her face as Scarlett’s crouch eases, her eyes boldening as she stands on the doorway’s other side. Sat at the edge of a king-sized bed with her hands folded and legs crossed, Suzie looks into Scarlett’s eyes with worry, a doubt beginning to slip into her mind. “Are you here to kill me?” Suzie wonders aloud, Scarlett’s unfamiliar appearance striking her not only as odd, but as intimidating, her long-sleeved black shirt and dark black jeans providing an ominous aura “What are you talking about?” Scarlett replies, her voice losing much of its strength as confusion intermingles with her horror. “The woman told me to wait here. She said someone would be by soon to take me” Suzie responds, an awfully convincing innocence carried within her speech. Slowly retreating, Scarlett steps back until her hands graze the wall that stands behind her, finding it hard to breath as she turns to walk away. “Wait! Don’t go!” Suzie blurts out, stretching her hand toward Scarlett in a moment of desperation, the young blonde pausing mid-step at Suzie’s behest. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!” the fearful young woman confesses, drawing Scarlett’s attention back as tears begin to fall from her face, the guiltiness that has built within her left with no option other than to pour itself from her heart. “They wouldn’t stop!” Suzie exclaims, her tears having descended into fully-blown waterworks as Scarlett slowly returns to the doorway, clueless as how to respond. “I told them to stop but they wouldn’t stop! I couldn’t get them to stop and I don’t know why!” Suzie continues, pressing her hands against each of her eyes as the strength depletes from her, “I tried to fight it but it just kept hitting me! Every time- it was like a punch to the gut and it never stopped!” “What never sto-?” Scarlett interjects, immediately thinking to ask a question before stopping herself, reconsidering the person she’d come across, “do you know who I am?” Her tearful admission forced to put itself at bay, Suzie looks at the woman stood across from her in silence, trying feverishly to recall Scarlett’s face to no avail. “No” Suzie whimpers, wiping tears from her face as Scarlett unhurriedly enters the room, her hand sliding against the smooth surface of the room’s door. “Should I know you?” Suzie wonders aloud, unable to comprehend the profound look on Scarlett’s face. Sliding her hand against the nearest stack of drawers, Scarlett enters the space just before Suzie’s eyes, the woman seated directly beneath her. “What was the last thing that you remember happening?” Scarlett inquires, refusing to answer the woman’s previous question as greater worries consume her, “before you came here?” Her lip quivering, Suzie continues to wipe her face as she speaks, slowly murmuring the faintest recollections she can muster. “I remember the ghouls. I remember them cheering for me-” Suzie replies, her voice going cold as her eyes trail toward Scarlett’s, a cold chill running down her spine as she glances up, “-calling me their king.” Distancing herself from the woman for a moment, Scarlett steps toward the window and presses one of its many blinds downward with her finger, staring into the foggy glass that cuts the snow-covered ground beyond from the motel’s warm window. “What else do you remember?” Scarlett queries, beginning to find the comparison she’s seemingly meant to draw. “I remember losing control” Suzie responds, her face falling toward the floor as harder memories begin to dawn, “I remember trying to fight until I couldn’t.” Bowing her head, Scarlett thinks quietly to herself, her eyes closing as Suzie falls silent, the tears beginning to run once more. “Do you remember what happened next?” Scarlett questions, hearing the distraught tone in Suzie’s voice take shape as the answer she’d begun to anticipate is given. “I- remember ki-” Suzie stammers, each failed attempt at replying forcing Scarlett’s eyelids closer together, “I killed my brother.” Just as she’d lost one battle, Suzie falls victim to defeat yet again, this time in the quest to keep herself from emotionally collapsing. A steady breath leaving her lungs, Scarlett’s eyes part once more as she steps past Suzie, her departure motivated by a renewed passion. “Where are you going!?” Suzie exclaims, watching Scarlett step through the doorway, her hands held at her sides in a tight fist. “To get myself killed!” Scarlett shouts back confidently, one foot fiercely placed in front of the other as she approaches the front desk, not a moment of pause spent as her knuckles slam into the call bell for the second time. | \ Realm Beyond - Eternal Office - The Motel / “What are you doing here?” Lincoln inquires, his elbows pressing into his thighs as his head turns toward the entrance, surprised to find Vic stood within his presence. “I- I’m not sure” Vic answers, cautiously stepping through the motel’s door as the man’s posture eases, his eyes taking to her presence as she walks through the room freely, “I don’t know how I got here.” His head pulling back, Lincoln pulls his feet against the bed, allowing Vic to step past him on her way toward the window, the snow-covered ground barely visible beneath the foggy air. “I guess that makes two of us” Lincoln coldly replies, paying Vic very little emotional care, “so, are you dead yet or what?” Slightly irritated, Vic fails to be any less than largely captivated by the environment she’s surrounded by, incapable of allowing her anger to assume the fullest control over her. “I’m pretty sure I did. I mean, in the real world” Vic responds, removing her hand from the blinds as she steps closer toward the man she can barely stomach hearing, let alone being within the presence of. “Well, I guess that leads me to assume you’ve made it to the war” Lincoln replies, instantly recognising the curious look on Vic's face when it appears. “Yeah, the great war” Lincoln nods, a half-smile appearing as Vic lowers herself to the unoccupied side of his bed, her elbows digging into the sides of her legs just as Lincoln’s had. “It’s the realm’s big finale. I always liked calling it ‘The Omega’” Lincoln jokes, “the sixth tragedy it never gives you the chance to avoid.” “Then how do I stop it?” Vic interrupts, calmly asking Lincoln the only question she cares to hear an answer to, his apologetic expression providing her with little hope. “We can stop this from happening. Neither of us need to die!” Vic exclaims, her hands wrapping around the collar of Lincoln’s shirt. “Yes, you do!” Lincoln shouts back, shoving Vic’s grasp from his clothing as distance is re-established between them, “Scarlett can try to fight it all she wants, but there’s something in there you just can’t break through to!” “What the fuck does that mean!?” Vic howls, propelling herself from the bed before looking down upon the man, his height no longer a factor in his visual authority. Holding his head in the palm of his hand, Lincoln wipes his brow as he tries to calm himself, steadying his voice just as he steadies his mind. “It means that she’s not Scarlett anymore” the man answers, slowly looking up to Vic, his eyes meeting hers, “the realm’s already sunk its hands into her. She’s a puppet to Mother’s will.” “I’d really appreciate it if you could just answer a question directly without all of this melodrama” Vic sternly replies, continuing to look down upon the room’s eternal occupant. “It means you were chosen- just like I was- to lead the realm. Scarlett- just like Suzie- is supposed to be your very last test” Lincoln clarifies, the side of his hand slamming against his open palm, “force yourself to do what’s necessary- even if you don’t want to- so you can prove that emotions won’t cloud your judgement.” Her mouth closed, Vic listens to Lincoln’s remarks carefully, trying to digest what he says before leaping to disastrous conclusions. “When she gave me a second lease on life, she told me that the greatest weakness humans have is our emotions- they’re as much of a detriment as they are strength” Lincoln continues, “be affected by them too much, and you won’t make the right decisions when they matter. Be affected by them too little, and you’ll be too attached to know what the right decision is.” “But find the sweet spot, and you’ll know what the right decision feels like and what it actually is” Vic finishes the man’s sentence, his refusal to correct her implying her assumption was precise. “If you can kill your best friend- not because you want to, but because you had to- and any decision from there on is a walk in the park” Lincoln concludes, leaning back in his seat as his palms rest against his knees, “it’s vile as much as it is disgustingly true. What choice do you have other than to accept it?” “I can let her kill me” Vic quickly replies, immediately earning a hearty laugh from the man who’d once tormented her with the constant threat of death. “Yeah, because ending up just like Suzie and I is exactly how you want to spend the rest of eternity, right?” Lincoln jokes, his humoured expression beginning to fall as he tries to bring himself to a more empathetic level. “Do you think Suzie wanted to kill me? No. We had our fights, that’s true, but she never wanted to kill me” Lincoln explains, shaking his head as he pauses, “but what took over her? That did.” “Why didn’t you fight back then?” Vic inquires, the subdued amusement behind Lincoln’s face falling the rest of the way as a sincere honesty presents itself. “Because she’s my baby sister” Lincoln answers, a surprisingly heartfelt reply for someone with his history, “for god’s sake, I was trying to keep her safe until the moment I died the second time around. Just imagine how shocked I was when she held me in her arms as I went! For a moment- just a moment- who she really was came back.” Her stomach tightening, Vic listens to Lincoln continue to speak as the room to run away from what truly lies ahead begins to shrink. “I couldn’t bring myself to kill her when Mother gave me the chance, and if I was given another shot, I wouldn’t change a goddamn thing” Lincoln confesses, his fingers snapping toward Vic’s face in an attempt to draw her away from the self-doubt that he can see creep in. “Think of how long Suzie suffered. Think of how long she’d been fighting whatever it was that possessed her without being able to fight back” he continues, drawing Vic back to the empty spot on the bed. “I’m sure Scarlett’s the exact same way right now. I’m sure she’s fighting however she can to not hurt you, but she’s not allowed to win- the realm wont let her. She’s a passenger in her own body now” Lincoln remarks, his eyes held firmly upon Vic’s, “don’t let her suffer like I did.” Pulling himself back, Lincoln opens the floor before himself for Vic to traverse, the sound of the call bell ringing near the motel’s entrance drawing her focus toward the way she’d arrived. “I think you’re needed elsewhere” Lincoln declares, jolting his head toward the room’s entrance. Hiding her appreciation for Lincoln’s advice, Vic bows her head and leaves the bed, her legs carrying her through the open doorway as the call bell rings for a second time. Her body covered in the motel’s blue tint, Vic approaches the desk and extends her hand over the bell, pausing for a moment to collect herself before being forced into writing her final chapter. Nodding to herself, Vic closes her eyes and lets out one final breath, converting her sorrow into fuel for the fire she needs to survive what lies ahead. Her lips pressing together, Vic’s eyes part, her pupils taking to the empty chair ahead of her as fervour spirits consume her. Before she can talk herself into resumed doubt, Vic’s hand swipes through the air, returning to the realm in search of finishing what she and Scarlett had begun with a single, resounding ‘ding’. | \ Realm Beyond - Eternal Office / Thrown from the heavens at identical times, Scarlett and Vic roll through their respective falls with eyes locked on each other, Scarlett’s service dagger resummoned at the threat’s sighting. Mirroring her friend’s display, Vic summons her own dagger, its blade shading the white walls of their broken-walled starting block a conflicting shade of blue, offsetting Scarlett’s red tinge. Swiping through the air, Scarlett’s dagger collides with Vic’s, the brunette’s mighty blade proving its value as Vic launches her offensive. Retreating to sanctuary, Scarlett ascends the steps toward her starting platform, returning to the place the girls’ journey in the realm began. Giving up the high ground, Vic proceeds forward, swiping at Scarlett as she climbs forward, her shield thrown outward in times of momentarily peril, affording her the opportunity at a further swing. Losing both the high ground and room to retreat further, Scarlett caves into the mounting assault, granting Vic access to the platform as she leaps to the next one over. Anticipating a meeting with solid ground, Scarlett’s feet join the rest of her body in falling through Vic’s starting block, transporting to whatever lies ahead. Capitalising on her momentum, Vic follows suit, bracing for impact as she touches upon her own platform, their first encounter with the realm falling in favour of their first true taste of the environment’s awe. Barely given time to prepare, Vic shields herself against a return attack, Scarlett’s dagger bouncing off her transparent orb as Vic quickly shuffles to her feet. A brief duel ensuing, the girls exchange swipes, each attempt on the other’s life met with a block that preserves their opposition’s existence. Leaving the ground, Scarlett takes her attack toward the sky, allowing Vic’s eyes to wander after her where the setting she enters becomes clear, the skylight she’d witnessed the final tragedy’s reveal through resting just over Scarlett’s head. “It’s specific to us” Vic whispers to herself, the realisation suddenly presenting itself to her, “it’s guiding us to the end.” In anticipation of what’s to come, Vic leaves the ground as Scarlett descends at light-speed, tearing through the air as her fist collides with the ground, the realm quaking in each of their directions as the attempt falls short. Pulling out of her three-point pose, Scarlett’s eyes take toward the sky, watching Vic hover overhead without the intention of attacking. Propelling herself higher, Vic ascends the atrium with her hands by her side, shattering through the glass as she advances to the proceeding level. Following the lead exhibited to her, Scarlett tears through the aperture and enters much of the same, the open air now surrounded by concrete floors that simply climb higher, winding upon itself endlessly. Her instincts kicking in at the last moment, Scarlett’s golden locks fly forward as the rest of her body comes to an abrupt halt, barely avoiding the chunk of marble that soars through the air and imbeds itself within the bark of the nearby bonsai tree. Attempting to summon her dagger, Scarlett’s arm pulls back, her body spinning as she levitates above the mezzanine’s abyss in a defiant act of self-surrender. Barely able to reclaim her wits, Scarlett’s possessor turns her focus back toward the levels above at the last moment, Vic’s arms wrapping around her body as she hurdles down from above. Returned to the chasm’s pit, the girls reemerge in the reinforced boardroom, crashing into the floor as they bounce off of each other, rolling into different, unoccupied corners. “Ah, ffuucckk!” Vic groans, bracing for cover as stacked furniture falls from its previously piled form. With the wave of her hand, Vic clears the debris from her path and struggles to her feet, quickly losing her balance as the strength in one of her knees gives out. “Oh fucking hell! Not now!” Vic shouts, summoning her service dagger as she limps forward, prepared for an assault that has yet to be launched. “Get out of my fucking head!” Scarlett exclaims, punching the side of her skull as she violently thrashes, her hands flailing as the tormentors that occupy her vessel struggle to combat the sudden environment. “All hail the king!” the woman growls, again forcing the woman’s soul back to the restraints placed upon her, hands still swinging wildly as the room’s strength loosens its grasp on Scarlett’s body. No longer capable of defending itself adequately, Scarlett resorts to desperate measures, her hands pressing their thumbs into thin air before her arms thrust forward, invisible detonators sent through every corner of the boardroom. As explosions are set off, Vic braces for cover, shielding herself beneath the transparent orb until the sounds of catastrophe cease, signalling a weakening of the spirit she battles against. Her opportunity presenting itself, Vic hobbles away from cover, hurdling herself toward Scarlett as quickly as she can. Tucking her head in, Vic drives her shoulder into her friend’s chest as they near the steps toward the central table, its wooden surface granting them acceptance into the fifth stage. Hitting the ground at the impact they’d carried with them, Vic and Scarlett emerge within the hall of the faceless figures, each pair of eyes watching from their desks as if the brawl were a spectacle for them to enjoy. Clutching the back of her head, Scarlett’s body forces its way up, slightly woozy from the collision with the ground, and somewhat preoccupied by the internal conflict that boils beneath her exterior. With a growl, Vic leaps at the opening made available, her dagger plunging through the air with its tip taken toward Scarlett’s chest. Following through with her swing, Vic falls forward, her dagger’s collision with the ground succeeding no other contact, the snap of Scarlett’s fingers at the last moment removing her from harm. Confused, Vic looks around the room for a brief moment, searching for her target until the sound of Scarlett’s voice captures her attention. “Serve your king!” the woman exclaims, commanding the legion in attendance to finish the bidding she’d begun. Standing from their desks, the feral ghouls turn their focus upon Vic, capitalising on her confusion as they break into a full sprint. Wounded, Vic’s fight remains persistent, the dagger she wields never once fading from her hand, its blue tint colouring the drab space in her image as the final phase of her war commences. Swinging and slashing, Vic carves into decrepit flesh, slicing and dicing through trapped souls that know of no better than what they’re demanded of. Tearing through and splitting apart, Vic’s dagger punctures those that stand in her way, the motion of her hand sweeping the legs from beneath an entire side at her will. Dashing through and scraping past, Vic lines the hall’s with the bodies of those that had once walked it religiously, her command the only prevailing force as the room becomes littered. Pulverising and ploughing ahead, Vic’s dagger falls to her side, the final few grunts that leave her lungs allowing her chest to expand and retract, each breath taken more freely than the last. In no worse condition than when her massacre had been initiated, Vic’s service dagger lifts across her chest as she hobbles around, her eyes taking toward the room’s back. Surviving the best that Scarlett’s possessor has to offer, Vic’s eyes hold a fury that no force beside that of her own can match, the final stage one which she not only needs to win, but knows herself to be capable of just as well. With shock, Vic finds the space Scarlett had occupied to sit empty, the woman’s captor refusing to even pay her disciples the respect of watching their souls be vanquished in her honour. As a cold wind curiously blows over her face, Vic’s eyes take to the room’s corner on instinct alone, widening as they fall upon the fabled set of double doors, the interior that hides behind them exposed to offer the realm entrance. “Get out of my fucking head!” Scarlett exclaims, violently throwing her body into the various mantles the line the never-ending corridor she walks within, its halls presenting the only detail the realm contains within its entirety. “All-!” Scarlett exclaims, steadying herself before once more falling off-balance, the woman’s trapped soul shattering glass as she willingly wounds herself, trying to disarm her body of its capabilities. “All hail the king!” Scarlett demonically howls, finally regaining control of herself as her progression forward halts, the sound of a voice in her near distance prompting the bulbs over each display case to illuminate. “Hey!” Vic screams, provoking Scarlett’s face into turning back, affording her the chance to watch the woman hobble forward, the hall she’d become familiar with from the midst of delusions having presented itself in its true, physical form. “I’m not finished with you” Vic growls, her service dagger glowing an even brighter shade of blue as Scarlett faces her, a flurry of scorching flames piercing through the dagger’s blade as their last stand commences. Leaving her feet, Vic flies through the air with her blade in tow, Scarlett’s reaction nothing less than an exact duplicate. Their daggers slashing together, the girls trade attacks and counters at will, each swipe met with a block just as each slash is met with an impediment. The sound of their weapons’ buzzing whipping past their ears with each plunge, Scarlett and Vic deal blows until the first sign of weakness presents itself, the soul confined with Scarlett’s body proving a tougher challenge than what the realm has seen before. “Get out!” Scarlett shouts, relinquishing her dagger as quickly as her captor reclaims it, flashing shades of red light reflected in each untouched pane of glass as Scarlett’s soul tries to sabotage herself. “All- Get- All hail-! Get out-!” Scarlett demands, the prevalent force within her switching with each sentence as Vic dashes forward. “All hail the king!” the realm screams, momentarily recovering from the obstruction at the last possible moment, Scarlett’s hand thrusting forward just as Vic prepares to deal the final blow. Her service dagger relinquished by force, Vic’s body powerfully jolts back, slamming into the ground before dragging itself to a slow and painful stop, the toll of their civil war finally beginning to settle in. “Vic, get up!” Scarlett exclaims, resuming the battle for control of Scarlett’s body as it marches forward, approaching Vic’s prone body just as the brunette begins coming to. “All hail- Vic, use-!” Scarlett exclaims, watching Vic struggle to a fighting stance, falling to one knee as her strength depletes, Scarlett’s detainer continuing to draw near. “Your paradox!” Scarlett exclaims, her desperate tone finally catching Vic’s eye, reigniting the fire that holds her together. Expending the last of her will to offer Vic her key, Scarlett’s last bit of fight wanes, granting sole custody of her control to the being that has installed itself within her directive. “All hail the king!” Scarlett screams, resummoning her service dagger with nothing left to stand in her way, Vic’s injured body sat beneath her on its last legs. Throwing her arms forward, Vic snaps her fingers at the last moment, her service dagger relinquished as time winds to a close. Driving her blade through the air, Scarlett’s might proves too formidable to overcome, Vic’s chest slashed through with ease as quickly as it had taken her to return to her feet. Her chest a grizzly sight, Vic’s eyes widen in awe as she falls to her knees, her brain yet to process that her moment of last-ditch hope came a simple moment too soon. Hands hung by her side, Vic’s palm slowly lifts to her chest as her chin is taken into Scarlett’s hand, the blonde’s jailer guiding Vic’s face toward her own. Her bold red eyes looking into Vic’s, Scarlett’s lips begin to part, her triumph not only assured, but mere seconds away. Her face drawing closer, Scarlett’s voice attempts to lower into a whisper, her eyes kept on Vic’s defeated expression until events turn strange. Her appearance turning fuzzy, Vic’s wounded person begins to glitch, short-circuiting like a hologram before Scarlett is prompted to back away, her hand leaving Vic’s chin. Glancing to her wound, Vic’s eyes soon take back toward Scarlett’s with a smile across her face. “All hail the king” Vic’s carbon copy replies, rapidly fading out of existence in a profoundly bewildering turn of events. Realising her victory to have been feigned, Scarlett’s instincts resume control of her actions, the woman’s head turning back as her fatal mistake becomes clear. Knowing she’d won before the blow can be dealt with a tear in her eye, Vic’s true form takes Scarlett’s shoulder into one hand whilst the dagger plunges through the woman with the other, piercing Scarlett’s chest before emerging through her back. Relinquishing her weapon, Vic’s hands wrap around the blonde as she falls to her knees, sobbing as Scarlett’s chin rests into the soft part of her neck. “I’m sorry! I’m so- so sorry” Vic exclaims, her right hand holding the back of Scarlett’s head as the woman falls the rest of the way to the ground, gently guiding her to a stop as Scarlett’s red eyes fade, the whites in her eyes quickly turning yellow. Her lip quivering, Scarlett’s left hand rests on Vic’s arm as her right rests against the side of her friend’s face. Looking the mortally wounded woman in the eyes, Vic watches Scarlett struggle to speak, stumbling over her words with a relieved smile. “I- I don’t f- feel” Scarlett whimpers, her voice softening as a tear streams down the side of her face, “I don’t feel any pain.” Sharing Scarlett’s pain-soaked chuckle, Vic’s face trembles as the sorrow consumes her, the girls’ eyes holding to each other until their last moments have passed. Swiping Scarlett’s hair away from her face, Vic’s face descends into disrepair, the grief overwhelming her as Scarlett’s soul gets the last laugh. “We almost made it” Scarlett whispers, trying to smile her way through the fear of what’s to come, “so damn close, huh?” Pulling Scarlett close, Vic holds Scarlett in her embrace, keeping her tight until the very end, their company shared with the other in the lone bright spot the grey, lifeless walkway can offer. “I’m gonna miss you” Vic weeps as Scarlett’s lips press against her ear, her tearful laughter the only thing keeping Vic’s final strands of composure from falling apart. “You don’t need me now that you have a kingdom” Scarlett jokes, locking eyes with her friend as their faces take to each other’s, Vic’s eyes watching Scarlett’s face ease as her time elapses. “I love you, sis” Scarlett whimpers, her eyes beginning to weaken as the reaper guides her to the pearly gates. “I love you too, sis” Vic whimpers, her lips pressing against Scarlett’s forehead as the woman’s life empties. Passing with a smile, Scarlett’s final breath grants Vic her effort’s justification, forgiveness offered in a warm wrapping beneath the weight of her final remark. “All hail King Vic” Scarlett whispers, dying in her sister’s arms as the illustrious corridor lightens, the dark chambers bestowing the realm with an angelic glow. The realm’s brutalist-inspired, nondescript interior given new life, Vic’s realm presents a new side to itself, each smooth, glossy, uninspired surface adorned with personality. As if more than just an alternative realm of existence, the eternal office prevails through the bleak standard it had set for itself. As drab walls gain colour, lost souls are returned to their mortal bodies, their ability to speak and think freely returned, released from the shackles of purgatory under Vic’s liberation. Pulling away from the kiss she’d left Scarlett’s head with, Vic’s eyes travel to what rests behind her, slowly looking over her shoulder. Pressing her eyelids together, Vic looks back to her sister’s lifeless face, the woman’s body gently laid back to the ground as Vic’s hands slide out from beneath her. “I love you” Vic whispers again, closing Scarlett’s eyelids so the woman can finally find the peace she’s long searched for, “goodbye.” Keeping herself from hyperventilating, Vic struggles back to her feet and crosses Scarlett’s arms across her chest, the corridor’s entrance soon filling with the slow approach of the reclaimed souls she now presides over. Forced to turn away, Vic’s attention rests on what lies ahead, the coronation she was promised no longer impeded. Leaving Scarlett’s side, Vic approaches the steps to her destiny, climbing to their pinnacle before turning back to face the crowd, taking in what rests before her and what it cost to oversee it. Silent, Vic rests her hands upon two large, stone-carved armrests before taking in a deep breath, only releasing it when she’s claimed her honour. With an audience watching over her, Vic assumes control of the realm beyond with a deep sigh, occupying her seat on the throne for the very first time as king. Dropping to their knees, the avenged mortals lift a fist toward the sky, their devotion paid to their new ruler. “All hail the king!” the crowd shouts. “All hail the king!” the horde roars. “All hail the king!” the throng screams. “All hail the king!” the flock bellows. “All hail the king!” the legion howls. With a single tear running down the side of her face, Vic’s eyes return to Scarlett’s body, her face still overtaken with emotion she’s forced herself to hide. Listening to the crowd roar, Vic allows them their moment of unity as she dwells on the journey she leaves behind, unable to consider the reward to be worth the loss. Shaking her head as her bottom lip is pressed between her teeth, Vic lowers her voice to a whisper only she can hear, her eyes still refusing to depart from her sister. “Long live the King” Vic sighs. == Dream Sequence ==
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\ Realm of Reality /
“Why the fuck does it have to be so cold!?” Scarlett exclaims, climbing into the passenger seat of Vic’s truck as she resides beneath a pile of coats bundled atop her. “Because it’s Switzerland, what did you expect it to be?” Vic responds with less vigour, handling the frigid temperatures with more grace than her blonde counterpart, “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but we’re not in the Maldives anymore.” Rolling her eyes, Scarlett nods her head as she removes the gloves from her pale hands, holding her palms against the vehicle’s ventilation unit as cold air gradually turns warmer. “Yeah, leave it to Lincoln to ruin another good thing for us from the fucking grave” Scarlett grumbles, fastening herself into the seat as Vic sits idle, letting the car warm as her head rests against the back of her seat, the sides of her face as red as her nose. “Are we gonna get going?” Scarlett asks, staring out at the vast array of mountain peaks just beyond their windshield, their stowaway home occupying a mountaintop of their own. “Let the car warm up first- I’ve barely thawed out!” Vic humorously quips, flashing Scarlett a smile as her hands rub gently together, her dark strands of hair blown back as her vents blow hot air over her frostbitten face. Sitting quietly for a moment, the girls settle into their seats, growing more relaxed as the minutes pass, almost forgetting the reason they’d entered the vehicle. “You never told me where you grew up” Scarlett remarks, her head turning toward Vic as the statement leaves her lips. Her lips forming a smile, Vic glances back toward the mountains for a moment before replying, the warm air that trickles over the sides of her face provides a welcoming atmosphere. “Washington- the state, not the capital” Vic answers, pushing further into the headrest as she nestles into the seat, “we moved to Georgia when I was ten, and Louisiana when I was fifteen.” Gently nodding, Scarlett glances through the windshield as a brief pause fills the air, each second that passes without the sound of a voice being spent in a comforting silence. “What about you?” Vic whispers, her voice sharing the same presentation as Scarlett’s the longer they speak, each girl’s tone softening. “I was born and raised just outside of New Orleans” Scarlett answers, her arms wrapped around her chest as she hugs herself, kept warm by thick layers of winter apparel. “I had family that lived in Minnesota, and relatives that lived in Hawai’i” Scarlett continues, an ingenuine frown finding its way to her face, “unfortunately, we weren’t ever really close with the relatives in Hawai’i.” Laughing through her nose, Vic’s hand takes to the gearshift and pulls the truck out of their parkway. “I knew the family on my mom’s side better than my dad’s, but that’s not really saying much” Vic confesses, Scarlett’s hand pulling the lever to tilt her seat back as her friend continues, “that’s probably the biggest reason I chose to lay low after what happened.” Eyes kept on the road, Vic swipes hair from her face with her free hand as Scarlett goes quiet, thinking to herself. “You got all of the death out of the way early, huh?” Scarlett queries, a downcast reflection in her voice, “it’s a pretty morbid way of getting lucky, ain’t it?” The liveliness in her eyes slowly fading, Vic shakes her head, tightening her grip on the steering wheel’s rubber covering. “We both got fucked over” the driver replies, prompting Scarlett’s head to turn toward her, “we’ve lost people that we shouldn’t have. The most important thing is that we’re here now- it’s that we survived it.” Passing a look toward Scarlett, Vic finds her friend’s expression unchanged, disconnected from the favourable light Vic had taken toward. “But the question is- for how much longer?” Scarlett responds, watching Vic briefly turn in her direction once more, the dark-haired driver returning her sights to the road ahead. “The worst part of it all is that I don’t think I have survived” Scarlett admits, speaking openly whilst Vic listens in, somewhat convinced that she’s meant to. “My parents, my friends, my home- both of them- they’re all gone” Scarlett recalls, her eyes trailing toward her lap, where the knuckles on her hands gently tap against each other, “I can’t stop blaming myself for letting it happen. It’s like I doubt that I can keep doing this for much longer.” “What do you mean by that?” Vic soon queries, her hands held on opposite ends of the wheel’s top. “I mean just that. I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this” Scarlett responds, little hesitancy in her remarks before they’re made, as if she’d already come to accept the predicament for which she braves. “I think about what we’re up against every day. I think about it when I wake up, and I think about it when I go to bed” Scarlett continues, “I can’t live without remembering that, whenever it happens-” “Then you need to stop thinking about that!” Vic explains, her voice raising from its whispered tone as she abruptly cuts Scarlett short. “We’re here! We’re here, and we’re alive even if we shouldn’t be” Vic follows on, her glances in Scarlett’s direction becoming more frequent, “yes- you’re right- we’ve lost shit-ton to make it this far, but we’ve done it! And more importantly, we still have each other! That literally cannot change until the very-fucking-end, do you understand me?” The question left unanswered, Vic slows the truck ahead of a hairpin turn before setting the vehicle into park, overlooking the sights of snow-covered trees along the Alps’ steep, downward slopes. “I asked you a question!” Vic repeats, her elbow pressing into the centre console as she looks Scarlett in the eyes, the passenger’s uncertain expression reciprocating the gesture, “it’s us until the end, do you understand me?” “How can I not!?” Scarlett quickly shouts, a fair question for the fate that awaits them at such an aforementioned end, “it’s ‘us until the end’ until it’s ‘us or the end’- what do you think I’m kept up at night by!?” Her head hung, Vic sits back in her sight, eyes taking to the road ahead as Scarlett continues, her words tapping a nerve Vic conceals as best she can. “Vic, I love you like family just like you do, but we can’t keep dancing around the inevitable!” Scarlett exclaims, Vic’s eyes gradually turning toward her own, “however the realm makes its decision, it’s going to get what it wants. It doesn’t want you and I, it wants one or the other. Please, tell me, how am I supposed to be sure of anything?” “Scarlett-” Vic remarks, grimacing as her dominant hand rests over the steering wheel’s top, interrupting herself without more to add, unsure of how to respond. “You can’t. You can sit there and be mad at me for as long as you want, but you can’t tell me-” Scarlett continues, watching Vic’s head bow for a moment as the car quiets, filled with Scarlett’s voice until the moment Vic’s grows louder, capturing the power from the passenger’s own. “Because I’m not going to kill you!” Vic screams, her face filling with anger at a moment’s notice, the muscles in her arms more defined as Scarlett falls silent. “Because I never wanted this! Because I don’t care about being king- or whatever the fuck the realm wants from us!” Vic pushes onward, her tone never dropping an ounce, “because I wanted to live a good life and die! That’s all I ever wanted! There’s nothing the realm can give me that would make me want to kill you for it!” Her lips pressing together tightly, Scarlett looks into Vic’s face, her cheeks flushed red and her eyes watery, the tears that wish to fall being refused the chance to. “If the two of us are gonna kill each other over some stupid-fucking--throne, I don’t want it!” Vic finishes, her screams having fallen to a more audible growl as she simmers down, “all I ask is that you make it painless so I don’t have to be afraid when I go- is that good enough to be sure of, Scar!?” Lip quivering, Scarlett watches Vic settle back into her seat, her breaths calming as she reaches for the gear shift, prepared to put the car in drive. Resting her hand against the spherical knob between them, Vic’s hand feels the touch of another prevent her from moving a muscle, Scarlett’s palm resting against her dorsal. “I don’t want it either” Scarlett replies, her voice remarkably lower than the one Vic had spoken with. “I couldn’t have asked to go through this with anyone other than you. It’s been hard and really fucking tragic, but I still don’t want it to end” Scarlett confesses, visibly distressed as her chest grows tight, “but- if it does- please, just do the same?” Her eyes lowering, Vic feels the weight of their admission settle in, unsure if she’d ever remembered fully allowing herself to accept what future had awaited them. Her friend’s hand turning over, Vic’s palm graces Scarlett’s, their fingers wrapping around the other’s hand. “I promise” Vic answers, not only speaking without certainty over how else to respond, but with a genuine willingness to provide Scarlett with the end she desires being met with. Nodding, Scarlett covers her mouth for a moment as she calms her disposition, her opposite hand squeezing Vic’s tightly. “So do-” Scarlett answers, her body violently jolting forward as Vic’s leaves the driver’s seat entirely, the air filling with the sickening twist of metal colliding with a similar framework. Their truck providing a second, less-damaged car with an unfortunate blockade to keep it from falling off the road, Vic and Scarlett discover themselves to be less fortunate. Their hands forced apart, the rate at which their truck slams into the ground and rolls along the Alp-slopes ferociously rips Vic’s body through the shattered window, Scarlett’s entangled person held to the tumbling confines by the strap of her seatbelt. Skipping through the air before colliding with rugged terrain once more, the truck rolls for as long as the mountain’s declivity lasts, all that exists to cease its descent being the ground below. Her mind scattered, Scarlett’s body takes enough of a beating to twist her understanding of the sudden chaos, the strikes to her head and whiplash of her ordeal taking a few, drawn-out moments to fully render her unconscious. With gruelling force, the vehicle’s carcass crashes into the rocky ground below, wrapping around sturdy tree trunks and shredding its own remains apart along solid stones. Resembling nothing short of a horrifying mess of mechanical engineering and human error, the truck’s corpse finally slows to a stop, entombing itself in the natural makeup of the mountain itself, its odds of ever being able to travel once more snuffed just as the lives of its occupants are. = Dream Sequence is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media from the start of Season 1 onwards = \ Realm Beyond - Eternal Office / Her eyes shooting open as she draws in a deep breath, Vic’s sight lay upon a blinding light that force her eyelids shut, a sight all-too similar to one she’s seen before presenting itself yet again. “Hello!?” Vic exclaims, her mind wanting to push her body forward, though her ability to do so evades her, the hands that rest by her sides as immobilised as the rest of her body. “Vic!?” Scarlett exclaims, the woman’s voice seemingly emerging from the position beside her, though the muscles in her neck refuse to allow her head rotation. “Scar, I’m here!” Vic exclaims, wincing in pain the louder her voice is forced to be, the heavenly white light that drowns the mid-2000’s era office space proving less than optimal. “I can’t see you!” Scarlett exclaims, struggling just as Vic does to achieve similar results, the rigid, statue-esque posture they’ve been forced into proving impossible to break from. “Get ready girls” a distant voice remarks, prompting the pearly lights to fade into a menacing shade of red, the ground beginning to rumble as deja vu comes upon them. “Shit! Vic! This is just like that first night!” Scarlett exclaims, the quaking ground increasing in its rapidity as the girls recall what rages ahead. “It’s coming” the echoing voice remarks, its sound carried through the dark red halls with an ominously quiet tone. “Don’t struggle!” Vic calls back, releasing her tense hold on fighting the realm’s restraints, her body going limp as her mind shares the same course as Scarlett’s, easing with the thought of freedom preserved. “Get ready, girls” the voice calls out once more, provoking the realm into shuddering with greater intensity. Their binds removed, Scarlett and Vic’s feet land upon trembling freedom, their balance gained through instinct as their eyes take to the intact wall just ahead. “Scar!” Vic exclaims, providing her friend with the answer to their ongoing issue as she leaves the ground, taking to the air as Scarlett soon follows. As a unit, the girls prepare for what lies ahead, their hands balling into fists as they set their sights upon the ground, waiting for the premier opportunity to present itself. His skin glistening beneath the ruby-coloured lights, the familiar beast tears through the walls and marches on, his targets already privy to his impending entry. In unison, Scarlett and Vic descend upon the ground, their fist colliding with the featureless tiled floors as a wave courses through the realm. Swiping his hands through the air, the beast aims his attack wildly, unable to gauge the women’s positions as his wits are dishevelled. Their service dagger summoned, Vic and Scarlett pierce the glow of their incompatible blue weapons through the beast’s rough flesh, refusing to stop until the last of its life leaves its body, the fight he had entered with depleted in its entirety. Their butchering set aside, Vic and Scarlett catch their breath as their weapons are relinquished, hands placed on their knees as their faces meet, their persons separated by the large corpse between them. “What happened up there?” Vic inquires, barely able to remember much aside from her head slamming into the truck’s roof, “are- are we-?” “Don’t even say it” Scarlett responds, setting herself upright as she wipes at her brow, the headache she’d recalled having quickly vanishing. The room falling silent, Vic and Scarlett struggle to make peace with what they’ve come to believe had just happened, unsure of how to react to it. “We need to find Esotera” Scarlett remarks, leading the charge down the nearest hall, following the same path she’d remembered taking in the first few days. | \ Realm Beyond - Eternal Office / Their initial red scheme lessening into a dark shade of pink, the realm’s lights appear as odd as the encounter it’d presented its keepers with. “I know this is probably the last thing I should be concerned with, but I really hope this lighting isn’t a permanent thing” Scarlett remarks, trying to bring light to an otherwise disturbing situation, “I already know I have a vagina, and I’m not so sure I need this place reminding me of that.” Rolling her eyes, Vic remains quiet, wanting to share the high-spirit in Scarlett’s attempt at diffusing the situation, though can’t bring herself to do so. “Esotera!” Vic exclaims, finally joining Scarlett in uncovering familiar sights. With a gentle push, Vic and Scarlett step through the double doors they’d grown so accustomed to, the desk-filled room with faceless employees sat behind them embracing their presence with one caveat. With her hands by her sides, Esotera stands in the room’s centre, staring at the back wall as the girls enter, immediately recognising her upon their entry. “Hey, what’s going on!?” Scarlett inquires, stepping further ahead of Vic as she questions the woman, concerned by their guidance’s slow turn and silent demeanour. Silent, Esotera looks to the girls with a smile, the faceless figurines that work diligently behind her guiding their attention to Vic and Scarlett immediately upon the emergence of her perfectly white teeth. “Right on time” Esotera murmurs softly, Scarlett’s progression stopping upon the sound of the spirit’s voice a few metres ahead of her partner. Her eyes narrowing, Vic stares into Esotera’s eyes and notices something odd, the absence of character, even for the standard of existence Esotera had set herself forward as, strikes her as off. “Scarlett, get back” Vic mutters, stealing her friend’s focus momentarily, the command confusing Scarlett as soon as it’s uttered. Though unintentional, Scarlett refuses to obey Vic’s orders, her head instead turning back to take a second look at their guardian’s face, its lack of emotion noticeable upon a second look. As Esotera’s eyes take to Scarlett’s own, the blonde gazes toward, inspecting the being with a high level of curiosity, almost enchanted by the mystique that she appears to be plagued by. “What are you?” Scarlett suddenly murmurs beneath her breath, finding it impossible not to question the presentation Esotera has laid before them. Without any reason to ask the question, Scarlett allows it to leave her lips, an instinctual doubt having come over her. Her smile only widening, Esotera responds with a gesture, the hands she hangs by her side now lifting to her chest, her open palms pressing together as her sights remain upon the foremost woman. Her soft, synthetic skin wrinkling, Esotera’s appearance begins to soften, lessening until her eyes and nose seal up, the teeth she presents eroding until all that remains is the cracked lips around her mouth. Mumbling empty remarks to themselves, Vic and Scarlett step away, not entirely convinced that what they reside within is the reality they’ve always known. “It has now begun” Esotera proclaims, her true profile having now revealed itself, the faceless personnel behind her standing at her attention, her role as the girls’ guardian having concluded as she resumes her position as Mother to the realm. On command, the pinkish lights turn white, the walls remaining as empty as they had stood before, all within the realm returned to its normal state. “You’re Mother!?” Scarlett angrily questions aloud, her hands balling into fists as they rest by her side, Vic’s manner assuming an entirely different display as her back presses into the double doors, a look of betrayal worn in her face. “I am whomever I’m needed to be” Mother responds, taking a step forward as her body dawns a long, black robe. Infuriated, Scarlett summons her service dagger, presenting it toward Mother as a symbolic display of intimidation, one which does not phase the realm’s truest overseer. “Your act of defiance will not gain you access to anything of importance” Mother warns, stepping further toward the enraged blonde as her tone begins to echo. “I don’t care what it will or won’t do-” Scarlett replies, steadying it’s aim toward Mother’s throat without consideration over what’s at stake, “-you’re gonna pay for what you’ve done.” “And what exactly have I done?” Mother quickly combats, the strength of speech used to wage war on Scarlett’s outlook. Without an answer, Scarlett remains adamant in her quest for conflict, keeping silent as Mother approaches. “I’ve chosen the two of you to prove your worth to this realm. I’ve given you chances to prove yourselves worthy and unworthy all the same” Mother explains, “I’ve set the board for you to play on- every move that’s been made thus far has been your own.” Her service weapon relinquished, Scarlett stares down Mother with an expression filled with no less anger than what she’d held prior. “What was all of this for?” Vic finally speaks up, redirecting the attention of those that stand ahead of her toward herself, “we’ve told Esotera- or you- how little we wanted this countless times. You have seven billion people to choose from, and you picked two that never wanted this. Why?” The corners of her lips forming a smile, Mother steps past Scarlett, approaching Vic with little concern over how her blonde counterpart would react. “Haven’t you ever wondered why dictatorships and kingdoms have fallen? Why the strongest of forces crumble just like any other?” Mother asks aloud, her head tilting toward one side as she draws nearer, “the people that want such power, or the people they leave it in the hands of, never use it for the greater good.” “So you force us- two people that don’t want it- to fight to the death for it?” Scarlett quickly speaks up, re-earning Mother’s attention, “that’s a pretty shitty rule of thumb to choose your next leader with.” Her lips pressing together, Mother turns her back to Vic once more. “The two of you want it for different reasons- you just don’t know it yet” Mother replies, her face guided toward the tile Scarlett stands upon, “that is where your moves are made.” As her remark concludes, Mother’s head bows, the ground that Scarlett stands upon giving out with no warning provided, allowing the woman to descend toward whatever fate resides below. “Scar-!” Vic exclaims, unable to finish uttering the woman’s name before Mother summons a service weapon of her own, its point held toward Vic’s throat. “She’s alive and you’ll see her again” Mother warns, returning her attention to Vic’s face as the young brunette stares at her angrily. “Do yourself a favour and try to fathom what is at stake” Mother pleads with a frail voice, her dagger relinquished to the realm she presides over, “consider everything you’d known Christoper and Suzanne’s struggles to be and question whether or not you want that for yourself.” “Scarlett and I are not going to kill each other to control your fucking realm” Vic stubbornly refuses, her voice lowering a slight amount as she speaks with confidence. “Yes, you will” Mother replies, the control she has over the conversation itself proving the authority she wields. “Regardless of whether or not you accepted it, I’ve told you how all of this would end” Mother recalls, “the difference in your colours, the shortening of your name- I even put you in the literal driver’s seat!” Her face inching closer, Mother presents her empty face to the woman, her trust left in Vic’s possession. “You’ve seen what happens when I don’t approve of the person that sits upon my throne, do you really want that to be the life Scarlett lives?” Mother queries, her head pulling a slight amount from Vic’s face. “Scarlett’s not corrupted anymore. Her dagger glows blue, you’ve seen it- you know this” Vic counters, cut off before another word can leave her lips. “How do you know she won’t be corrupted by the next time you see her?” Mother answers, the question pulling Vic’s spirits further beyond the chasm they’ve fallen into, “how do you know this isn’t where your stories are meant to end?” Stuttering over her words, Vic finds herself unable to speak with any further coherence, the question Mother asks proving too difficult to answer. “Christopher wasn’t after the power when he and Suzanne collided” Mother reveals, her hand allowed to rest upon Vic’s shoulder as the brunette sheds a tear, “one was after clemency- the other was after control.” Lip quivering, Vic’s attempt at speaking is interrupted, a pair of doors opening in the back of the room captivating her. “Vic?” Mother whispers, returning the young woman’s attention to her as the unspoken question remains unanswered. “Do you understand?” Mother qualms, her chin raised toward Vic’s, the blank facade she presents returning to the familiar features she’d known Esotera to have. Wiping a tear from her face, Vic looks Esotera in the eyes, answering the woman’s question with one of her own. “What do you need from me?” Vic queries, watching Esotera’s smile re-emerge, the spirit’s head bowing as the floor gives out, releasing Vic into whatever lays below. | \ Realm Beyond - Eternal Office / “I am not listening to you!” Scarlett shouts, verbally combatting Suzie’s rhetoric as best she can, the brilliant blue hue of the service dagger she wields held in the apparition’s presence. “You’ve said it yourself- you’ve questioned yourself more with every person that dies!” Suzie exclaims, the only colour in her appearance being the dark, red glow in her blank eyes, “can you really trust yourself at a time like this!?” “Vic is not gaslighting me- you are!” Scarlett shouts, her dagger’s point drawing closer to Suzie with every line of dialogue spoken. “I’m not the one that just got you killed! I’m not the one that’s controlled you ever since we met! For as evil as you make me out to be, I’ve only ever been honest with you!” Suzie exclaims, matching the shouting tone behind Scarlett’s voice, “I was only ever out to redeem myself, and I’d do anything to take the throne!” Readied for war, Scarlett rests the point in Suzie’s direction, her feet carrying her back so as to gain separation. “Think about what’ll happen to you if you don’t take that throne, Scarlett” Suzie furthers, her voice dropping a few octaves as their feet begin to circle, the abrasion that sits in the distance providing a backdrop to the altercation. “Is this really what you want for yourself?” Suzie inquires, her hand waving toward the ground, presenting Scarlett with a detailed look at her hologram-like appearance, “do you want to spend eternity trapped here? A life of torture and agony in a forever-purgatory just because you didn’t have the nerve to lose one more person?” Scowling, Scarlett goes silent, her face falling as she conceals the fear Suzie’s claim strikes within her, the look in her eyes proving the effort futile. “Can’t you understand why I’d fight Chris just to stay alive? To rule this realm even though I was explicitly told it wouldn’t welcome me? It’s because I had the same hope that you have” Suzie explains, her encirclement stopping as they return to their initial places, Scarlett’s back directed toward the abrasion. “I believed- up until the very last minute- that I’d be fine with Chris putting me down. I didn’t want to kill my brother- I had to” Suzie explains, “your dagger may shine blue, but there’s still red in your heart- and that will never go away.” “I’ve changed” Scarlett quickly responds, the confidence in her voice having fallen, the self-doubt she’s tried to set aside slowly beginning to creep toward the surface. “You’ve changed, but you haven’t changed enough” Suzie replies, casually stepping forward as Scarlett’s guard raises, “and when push comes to shove, you’ll find yourself in the same shoes as me. You’ll have let that weakness inside of you- those imperfections- you’ll have let them take everything.” Closing her mouth, Scarlett stares into Suzie’s void eyes, the apparition’s soul appearing as incapable of being trusted as it had whilst alive. “All hail the king” a legion chants, each member sat behind their collective desks with their sights set upon the blonde woman, Scarlett’s head shaking as they chant. “I’ve seen it first hand, there’s still a fire behind those ocean eyes” Suzie murmurs, again presenting Scarlett with the horde’s chant, “prove to Mother that you deserve the throne!” “All hail the king!” the legion exclaims once more, forcing Scarlett’s guard to descend, her dagger growing pale as she swipes at Suzie’s apparition, its presence vanishing as the swarm persists. “All hail the king!” the mob cheers, forcing Scarlett to relinquish her dagger as her hands cup each side of her head. “No!” Scarlett shouts back, her voice nowhere loud enough to convince the legion’s chant to cease. “All hail the king!” the pack screams, prompting Scarlett to shake her head as her eyes press closely together, no amount of pressure she places to each side of her head is able to drown out even the slightest amount of noise. “All hail the king!” the flock hiss, forcing Scarlett to her knees as the pressure mounts, the veins in her forehead visible beneath her skin. “I’m not your king!” Scarlett screams, the top of her head pressing hard into the ground as the howls persist. “All hail the king!” the army proclaims as Scarlett’s teeth press together, the will to vanquish her tormentors lessening with each chant, her breaking point beginning to near. “All hail the king!” the herd bellows as the ground begins to shake, Scarlett’s struggle bending to their will as they seek out her destruction. “All hail the king!” legion declare, standing from their seats as Scarlett leaves the ground, ascending through the air as her voice outmatches each of those that reside beneath her. “SILENCE!” Scarlett commands, bringing the crowd to a standstill as she drops to the ground, landing in the three-point pose as her head faces the ground, the touch of a hand against her shoulder receiving her undivided attention. “I never misjudged” Mother remarks, vanishing as quickly as she had arrived as a pair of feet fall from the heavens, colliding with the ground just as the rest of her body does. Rolling through the impact, Vic takes a quick glance through the room she’d been hurled into, her sights first taking upon the createrous abrasion she stands just before the entrance to. “What the-!? Scar!?” Vic momentarily questions in silence, her freedom from Mother allowing her mind to return to the task at hand. With a simple turn, Vic rests her sights upon the room’s opposite end, the curious outline of a figure in the near distance immediately drawing her interest. “Scarlett!” Vic exclaims, taking off in a sprint toward the woman before her progress halts, her hopeful expression falling into curiosity upon her friend’s rejoinder. Her hands held at her side, Scarlett stares into the distance as Vic’s scurry halts, the sound of her name’s calling prompting her to gradually turn around. Her blonde locks shining brilliantly beneath the drab bureau, her eyes shining a demonic red as her face meets Vic’s. Silent, Scarlett takes a few steps forward, her weaknesses replaced with impenetrable strengths, the perfection the realm had wished for Scarlett to take herself now forced upon her. “Scarlett, what happened to you!?” Vic exclaims, matching her friend’s progression with retreat, one step backward taken for each step Scarlett takes forward. “I’m sorry, Vic” Scarlett responds, visibly struggling at times to move forward, almost as if a second force, more buried than the one she appears with, desperately tries to assume control. “Scarlett, don’t do this” Vic warns, leaving the ground as she hovers back, drawing closer to the abrasion without yet becoming aware of it. “I can’t end up like the rest” Scarlett responds, leaving the ground to join Vic mid-air, the distance quickly closing as Vic takes notice of the danger she nears. Her face scrunching, Scarlett spots her opportunity, extending her dominant hand whilst lunging through the air, her sights set upon the brunette. “All hail the king!” Scarlett shouts, slamming into Vic as their dominant hands take each other by the throat, the momentum carrying them through the abrasion as they re-emerge on whatever rests beyond its borders. Left standing without a leader, the legion stare toward the portal-like crevasse, the room they occupy as empty and lifeless as it had been prior to the girls’ arrival, the realm’s status quo resuming as if the moment of truth it had set in motion hadn’t just been initiated. == Dream Sequence == |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2024
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