#haydee sparks

[volontedacier]

                                   Two Steps Shy

     To think that one day, the mist of Radial Island would suddenly expand like this... Time and again, the Count approached the wall of fog far away from the island. Time and again, he attempted to venture deeper in... only to swiftly retreat— each attempt gnawing away at his existence. Not even his ability to escape any prison or constraint helped much... He would simply arrive back at the center of the city, mere feet from the bottomless pit.

     And now, that corrosive fog is everywhere. Only now, it decides to lose its toxic qualities... only to gain new ones. Phantoms of days long past now take shape in the mist, affecting every “visitor” of this realm. Some bring comfort, others pain... And even then, some are hostile. The Count himself has yet to encounter any of his own personal demons. It’s hardly a matter of luck, though. Merely a matter of time.

     Above all else, his priority remains unchanged: Protect Ritsuka Fujimaru. ... That’s the single most infuriating aspect of this mist: it’s affecting their connection. He can no longer reliably home in on her location, only occasionally feeling a tug in the right direction. Were these spikes a result of joy at saving her friends? Pain from whatever beings lie in wait for her? He cannot say. And that alone is infuriating.

     Days go on with this aggravating game in motion, the perpetual needle in the haystack always moving as it pleases. Troublesome girl... She can never sit still, whether it be from her own impulses— or the dangers that simply seek her out for one reason or another. Every now and then, the Count bumps into another Servant in service of Chaldea. They all seem capable of handling themselves, so he simply leaves them be to their own devices.

     To navigate the sea while its drenched in fog is to make daring glances with death itself... In some ways, this is no different. When will the remains of another lost vessel get in his way? How long before an unexpected formation tears into the hull? Never mind. Wait, and hope.

     By the time a week had passed, his concern had grown worse... much worse. The faint connection between Master and Servant remains strained, and yet— there’s something wrong... An underlying urge to panic. Him? Panic? Inconceivable. Nothing here can withstand his vengeful flames. All threats in his grasp will simply burn, their very souls turned to ash and denied a future. So why? Why must this fear persist?

          Do you not understand? Has your heart truly become so cold... to the pleas of others?

     ... Ah. So this is how his past decides to manifests?

          “... Haydee.”

     He does not need to turn and face her. The ghost of his past remains close, her body hovering mere feet above the grass. The pain in his chest— it grows substantially... But he must remain strong. She speaks in riddles once more. What fate has she foreseen this time?

          ”You need not worry about my heart— or what remains of it. Speak plainly— What have you seen?” A bit of silence lingers, a dejected sigh hidden under the woman’s breath.

          My Count... A terrible storm has come. I fear that— even you...

     She hesitates once more. Before the Count can dismiss her— lightning strikes his very soul. A swift strike of pain, fear, hurt, panic, sadness— an outside source...!

          ”— Master...!!”

     He turns back to face Haydee— yet she has already vanished. The stake in his heart has begun to sink in, sliding further with every passing moment. This powerful sensation— it compels him to the West... Back in the city— Savior’s Respite...!

     Faster, faster, faster...! Avenger’s feet no longer reach the ground, his body free from gravity’s control. The mist refuses to relent, only growing more dense as his speed increases. Master...! She’s hurt— the pain is too much, even for her... Her world is crumbling— why can’t he move faster...?! That terrible darkness, that abyss of death— he can’t let her fall...!

     Sparks crackle around him, his body trying to push beyond the limits of reality itself. But finally, past the fog— a light...! The magical surge of a Command Seal reaches him, once more pushing the Count further beyond!

          Yes...! Command me, Master! Bring me to your side— allow me to—

     What? What? What?!

     No, no, no, no...! Why?! Why a Command like this?! He must resist it, it’s a Command he cannot accept— yet his Master’s desperation is too strong for his Spirit Origin to ignore. At long last, a flash of light breaks out across Savior’s Respite— The Count breaking space itself to get there...! There she is, Ritsuka Fujimaru— He needs to stop, stop, stop...!

     But his body simply won’t listen. He continues to fly over her body— and in that moment...

     It’s gone. The light in those soft eyes, the color in her cheeks, the power of her Command Seals... All of it. Even if he had full control of his body— she has gone beyond the mortal limit. In that moment, he tries to grasp her hand— the bandage still tight from a long forgotten cut. Yet at mere contact, dust is all that remains— the only proof of her existence, aside from her blood and hair tie.

          Stop her? Stop her? Nothing will remain.

     The one guilty of murder barely even had a chance to bask in her twisted victory. One strike. In just one strike, she’s split in two— nothing remains to connect her torso to her legs. Even with the mind of a supercomputer, she barely has a moment to register defeat before her very essence ignites into blue flames, all burning to ash.

     But it’s not enough. Not enough— His body is still compelled... The Count’s feet barely have time to touch the ground before he spots the other target— another copy, overtaken with madness no human could comprehend. This one at least has time to register the new danger, but it won’t be enough.

          Burn. Burn to ash. Leave nothing behind. The vengeful might of God leaves no trace of sin behind.

     Over and over he strikes, over and over and over and over...! Every slash leaves a burning wound, her whole body covered with more strikes than the human mind can count in such a short amount of time. Soon enough— all that energy ignites into a blue inferno. Another phantom vanquished...

     Master’s enemies are no more.

     Finally, his body belongs to his mind once more. Finally, he takes notice of the other wounded girl— another Master forced into cruel games, time and time again... A girl not too different from his own Master. She wants to be saved, she wants to live... The spirit of death reaches out for her, another attempt to grant the gift of life. Yet before he can even utter the words of humanity’s salvation— the poor girl crumbles away.

     Two steps. He was just two steps shy. A mistake that cannot be undone.

     The cruel world has once again claimed innocent souls.

     The silence is deafening. It goes on for what feels like an eternity.

     And at long last— the tiger roars. A roar of madness, despair, fury... hatred. Loathing.

[comtevengeur]

Brynhildr dropped in from above onto Avenger so that they both may crash into floor, holding the long handle of Romantia across his chest to pin him to the ground, hoping to keep him there while she asked, "After you let Mercedes go, after you let her have peace... What did you do then? How did you live your life?"

An interesting way to pick back up a conversation and she certainly caught him off guard. But her question was not received favorably. Golden eyes flashed as managed to grip the haft of the lance and shove her off with a burst of black flames. "What does it matter?" He snapped at her. "Revenge still burned in my soul. Villeforts still had to die!"The black flames raged forth in concentrated blasts. Such questions as she asked had a way of cutting deep. "What does it matter that the slave girl I bought to use against Fernand rekindled anything? Haydee is not here and can never be! Love sparked with her, regardless of circumstance, is not mine to know!"But the knowledge was still there. Perhaps that is what caused it to hurt so. The knowing he will never see her in this world. That he must leave her buried away. "The happiness and peace found with that woman is not mine! The luxury of sailing off for new horizons with her is not for me, soul wrapped in vengeance and hands stained with blood."(Answered from mobile)

[latestnewstable]

Death Squad Diary trial sparks hope in Guatemala

Death Squad Diary trial sparks hope in Guatemala

Guatemala City, Guatemala – Marcia Mendez never stopped searching for her sister. Now, decades after Luz Haydee was disappeared by Guatemalan military forces, justice may be on the horizon, after a Guatemalan judge this month ordered a trial into crimes committed in the 1980s. “For us this is already a huge step forward,” Mendez told Al Jazeera outside the Guatemala City courthouse complex…