S3, E10 | Omega

​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.

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\ 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’.

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\ 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 ==