Chapter 9.5

They All Fall Down

A terrifying coldness barrages my senses like an avalanche. An overwhelming feeling whirlwinds and uproots any semblance of understanding from me. The roiling turmoil inverts my vision and the earlier clarity seems like a mirage.

What?

What's happening?

This can't be happening.

Something warm hits my neck and slides down, welling in my collarbone.

Tears?

When did I start crying...?

As I realize this, an immense sting in my chest becomes apparent. It spreads and crumples in on itself, and becomes so terrible that it feels as if I were the one whose heart was ripped out and crushed instead. Sensations as if little pockets of electricity run through my fingers and I fall onto my hands and knees. My subconscious hears and notices movement, but it's all in the background, it's as if my brain can't process these external signals. There's only a high-pitched ringing permeating through my ears.

Disappear.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Every fiber of my being shrieks along with me.

Air crackling with heaviness, the atmosphere shoves it all down. My chest feels as if it's being cracked open, my insides exploding to the outside world. Hazy shadows seeps into my perception, like a frigid fog overtaking the anchors of a sinking ship. Disappear. Waves crushing its metal haul until there's nothing left, it'll be swept up into the freezing ocean and left there to rot. Disappear. My screaming is as distant to my senses as everything else. Disappear. I feel a darkness everywhere, it's saturating everything in black. DISAPPEAR. As if the whole world will swallow it all until there's nothing left to consume but itself. DISAPPEAR DISAPPEAR DISAPPEAR. Collapsing, the whole world will fold into itself until everything disappears.

Disappear.

It's like a whisper in my ear.

Everything is dyed black.

When suddenly, a flicker of light cuts through it.

I look up. Chunks of flesh and fresh blood erupt everywhere. Bewilderment wracks at my brain again, my mind threatening to break from the disorientation. A body, only the neck down falls to the ground right in front of me. Behind it -

Argent hair flows in the wind, catching the moonlight.

An angel...?

An almost translucent arm is stretching towards the heavens, and the last vestiges of ebony tainting my vision is suddenly snipped as I see a head plop in front of my face. The sudden visual sensory intake causes a fracture in my thoughts. Eyes and mouth twisted up in disgusting sadism - it's the head of the killer that was severed.

Before I can understand, the mysterious figure's eyes drawls into an icicle and vanishes from my sight. My body snaps backwards and I see two other Kindred's mouths open to scream. Maybe it did, I wasn't sure since my ears were still ringing. Just like that, two more heads plummet to the dirt.

Or is it a demon...?

"M-Mother..." I look to the side, it's Nott who stutters this out. For some reason, him and Nara are on the ground, limbs quivering and knees sprawling.

As if cold water was dumped on my head, my thoughts suddenly return.

I run towards her.

"Mommy...!"

I push my hands on the gaping hole in her chest. I've got to stop the bleeding...! B-But it won't stop. My hands are too small. Too weak. Tears begin rushing down in torrents. The warmness blurring my vision while the rest of my body feels impossibly cold. Blood keeps flowing from her body. I push harder.

"Please!" I cry. "Lady Amaryllis, please save her!" I can feel the warmth from my mommy's body slowly drain out. Panic grabs hold of me. Lady Amaryllis' frozen and perfect face has a splattering of blood on her cheek, a single strand of hair out of place. She's panting as if she ran here.

"You can turn her, can't you!? I don't care if she becomes Kindred, please save her!"

Only an expressionless face gazes back at me, before a single red line streams from her left eye.

You... What-? Crying doesn't match your image… Stop, stop, stop!

Footsteps echo behind and I see the Irvines next. They stop dead in their track and blanch.

"Please!" I turn towards Lady Irvine, "Water Nymphs have cleansing magick don't they!? Please heal her!"

Lady Irvine jolts and steps backward, "A-Ah..."

Sir Irvine looks taken aback and lowers his gaze. My hands are white from the strength I'm using to push at the injury. Desperate, my head snaps towards Nara.

"Nara! Please! You can take her to an In Between realm right!? She'll have more time before bleeding out! And then Queen Titania will help us!"

Even the over-talkative Nara isn't saying anything. "I beg you! Please, I'll do anything...! I'll stay there forever if that's what you want!"

More and more Fairfolk nobility arrive, gasping in shock. "Please...! Please..." My whole body feels wrack with numbness, the blood snaking up the sleeves of my dress. Shaking like a leaf, my eyes are unable to see anything through the falling tears. "Why won't anyone help her!?"

Stop, stop! Don't look at us like that...!

"...Eve?"

Da...ddy?

He's pushing through the crowd and running towards us. "Daddy!" I cry. He'll help. He can save mommy. Stumbling down, his face falls towards her neck, looking for signs of breath. His large hand shoots for her wrist, frantically searching for a pulse. Slowly, I see the light go from his eyes. And that's when I know.

My mother is dead.

A seething anger suddenly takes hold of my soul. It didn’t make any sense…! My surroundings glow red, my chest filling with an inexplicable hatred

Why? Why didn’t anyone help us?

She could have lived if… If what!? If Lady Amaryllis had just come a heartbeat quicker, my mother wouldn’t have had to die…! If she turned her. If Lady Irvine cleansed her wounds. If Nara brought her to the land of the Fairfolk. If just somebody, anybody, reached out their hands to save her…! I grit my teeth. There’s a cold abyss where my heart lay, yet a fierce anger threatening to boil over in my chest.

It’s all their fault.

All these nobles looking on like bystanders. Useless. Selfish. Arrogant. Spiteful words continue to bubble up. My mother worked so tirelessly for them all. Promoting relations and helping out all these people…! Yet no one came to her aid when she needed them…!

It’s her fault.

It’s his fault.

It’s my fault.

Because I came here in the first place. Did she hear my screams and run over?

“A-Aeriea…? Are you okay..?” My swirling emotions are momentarily broken by a soft voice. Crescia.

Something in me cracks and spills out.

“...It’s your fault.”

What? What am I saying?

“Because of you…! She tried to save you!” I’m not even sure where these words are coming from, yet I shout them all the same. “She died because of you!”

When did I stand up?

“You should have died instead of her!”

Face to face with him, I see a chasm of sadness slowly growing within his wide eyes. “A-Aeriea… I… ”

It’s too late, I can’t stop this torrent. I’ll break if I stop.

“Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up! It’s all because of you!" My screaming is shrill and manic, "Go away…! I never want to see you ever again!”

Panting for breath, I see him slowly backing away. He looks hurt, like he’s struggling for words to say. Nothing comes from his mouth before he runs into the night.