#on the bright side this sparks my desire to fill the void that is original characters and art

[dangertomyself]

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄: Flashback

There is beauty in the way that you decide to love someone. Love in itself can be chaotic, tragic even at times, yet all the while worth every second. Sometimes there is a certain love that sticks with you; bound to your heart… never allowing you to forget the magnificent feeling it held. It can be something so grand, that at the time, it is hard to notice completely. You can take it for granted, and use the love as a crutch until there is nothing left but a broken bone. Only this time, the pain you feel is something much worse, more hollow… the taste of sweet love will be gone forever, gone into the universe never to return to your touch. Desperate hands may reach; only to slip through meaningless air of hollow feelings. How did it get like this? How did a world of passion and aspiring hope turn to something so cold?

To answer that question, I would have to go back to the very beginning to where it all started. There were no bright flashing lights, or signs to tell myself this was the right moment. It was not fate, but rather a moment where everything somehow seemed to fall into place. The right time, the right people scenario that happens every so often to two unfortunate souls. The two souls casted for this fatal heartbreak were that of myself and Elle Greene. Myself, the lead singer to an infamous rock group, while she was a no name up and coming actress. From the beginning to end, we both knew our lives would never be the same. One for the better, and one for the worst. The only thing we could mutually set upon ourselves in agreement was that in the beginning, we loved one another. From that very first night, we knew it was love.

I would never be able to quite place that love again— no matter how hard I tried. In the beginning, I never knew I was a man capable of romantic intentions. Sure, there were girls who caught my eye… but they never found a place in my life more than the bed for a night or two. Each beat of my heart brought forth sexual pleasure and desire. The mind of a boy could not quite compare to that of a man. Women were objects; bodies and lust that I craved from the moment I opened my eyes, to the very end as they closed. Their unique taste brought me a new high that even the drugs and alcohol could not compare to. What was more damning than that of a naked woman lying with me in bed? I never wanted to picture myself in any other place. No heaven would ever be as sweet or secure.

The room was filled with people from places that all oozed of money. The high elegance of the air filled my nose, telling my brain that I did not belong there. My manager said it would be a good public appearance, to give the people something to talk about. A rough around the edges singer at a white tie event… what could possibly go wrong? It was a sick joke to someone— someone other than the people of the charity event that all turned to look at me with peculiar eyes from the moment I walked into the room. The whispers started, slipping from one end of the room to the other. It was clear I did not belong there— or was I quick just to set myself aside? To allow the high moments of anxiety to take over what little had to do with me at all? I could not say. The quick aid of a drink or two would do away with any doubts I had shortly.

“How much longer are we going to have to be here, babe?”

My eyes drifted away from the gowns and tuxedos to the woman by my side: Cazzie Maylynn. She was an actress— but what people would call of adult films. We were nothing serious, only using each other for a quick fuck every now and again, but to the public eye they were a high profile item. The blonde did not do much for conversation, her goals mainly being that of how to further her career into more professional aspects. It had been the only reason I wanted to bring her. I knew she was a porn star, there was no hiding that fact, but she had a dream for herself. If there was any way I could have helped her, I did not see as to why I could not try. It also gave me a reason not to be the only outcast in the room.

The faces of empty hearts and dreams circled all around me, pretending that somehow I was the strange one. A man who did not belong. What was it to walk around endlessly with no real drive in your heart? That was all I could see in their faces. Lost souls wandering, searching for the feelings they once held onto so deeply when all of their dreams started to come true. The only difference between myself and the men and suits was that I still lived my dream. Each night I could go out and fill my void and know my heart was content enough to sleep through the night. How many here could claim the same shit?

“Can you stop talking for once?”

Cazzie's eyes widened, shocked at my careless remark and the even more careless look in my eyes. Was I being an ass? Sure. I would apologize for it later and she would forgive me— the thought dawned on me as she turned herself away and stalked off in six inch heels towards the bar. Hell in heels could only be the one thing to describe her. Our time together would be as short lived as any relationship I had in the past several years. No woman ever got too close— just as I preferred it to be. Normal people could hardly handle my mood swings and unique methods of affection.

Already nursing a drink in my hand, I turned away from the bar and set my sights towards one of the nearest exits I could find. A lone bathroom would do or even an abandoned room without the watchful eyes of elite people around me. The alcohol really wasn't doing it for me tonight. In the breast pocket of my tuxedo hid the contents of a party favor a little more suitable for my liking. One line disappearing would alter my mood for the night; maybe then I could pay more attention to Cazzie and really give these people something to talk about.

I had already set my sights on a side door of the hotel which I was sure would lead to some sort of enclosed exclusion when I felt the hand of my producer reach for my shoulder.

“Oz! Not so fast! Where do you think you're going?”Danny Chadwick infamously made a name for himself at the Record Label for bringing in up and coming acts that we're sure to make money. I was a shoe in to be the next greatest thing for rock music; someone to bring in attention and green for as far as the eye could see. Little did good ole Dan and everyone else know that I was going to be a lot more trouble than they originally expected.

“I was just getting out for some fresh air, man. Hey!” Calm, cool, and collected. I wrapped an arm around my ‘friend’ in a casual embrace with a familiar smile. The energy around them held nothing but a fake aftertaste. I couldn't have given two shits about Dan or anyone else here— I knew what I was to them and how my piece in the puzzle was going to be used until no longer useful. “Who’s your friend?”

Who was I really kidding? The blonde was one of the first things my eyes noticed when Dan made his way over. I made sure to keep the calm and collected attitude, but my gaze couldn't stop itself from wandering her way. A magnetic pull that felt far too dangerous for my liking. Every few seconds her green eyes would flash upwards towards me; damning my mind for all eternity for what I knew was not mine to have... yet. Was I insane? Maybe. But when has that ever hurt anyone?

“Well, that's what I was coming over here for. Ozzy, I'd like you to meet Elle Greene.”

At the mention of her name, the blonde instantly gave me a smile that felt far too secretive. A world of mysteries hid behind those cherry red lips wrapped inside of a stunning black cut out dress. I knew why she wore it— hell, she must have wanted to be the center of attention. Right now, right here, she had about one hundred and fifty percent of mine. I couldn't even hide it, looking her over from head to toe before finally settling back on the hidden forests that were set deep within her gaze. Reaching a hand out, I offered what might have been my most polite behavior. "Elle, it's a pleasure to meet you. The names Luke."

The curl on my mouth wasn't a smile, but a complete twist of seduction. There was a mystery lying within her, and I couldn't quite uncover the truth. Her eyes could never quite meet mine yet her facade was nothing but polite. Was I somehow fooling myself— thinking she could sense the same spark I had? A spark. The thought turned my stomach over and I did my best not to roll myself. This wasn't a spark, this was full blown attraction at its finest. Human nature, two people ( or well shit, just one ) who were drawn by natural instinct.

Her mouth opened, daring to speak before Dan cut into her stolen words: "Hey, show her around would you? I've got a few more people I need to talk to right now. I know you'll make her feel right at home."

Something in the way he spoke left me knowing he didn't walk up to me with Elle for no reason. Dan was a man who constantly had wheels turning within his head. Whatever he had going, I wasn't sure if I wanted to play with. But when danger looked that good? I didn't know if I could resist. He gave both of us a final farewell before drifting off into the sea of people. My eyes turned to Cazzie, who was still at the bar now being entertained by two other monkeys in suits and I no longer before a sense of guilt about ignoring her. She'd be fine here tonight without me.

The mere seconds passed before I looked back to Elle— finally for the first time she was able to speak. "Well, it was nice meeting you Luke, but I think I better be going." She gave a shrug and dismissive smile. I knew what it meant— but I'd be damned if I let it slip away so easily.

"Hey, where are you going?" I questioned, finally allowing a smile to move her way. I didn't have to be charm all of the time, a voice in the back of my head reminded me. The role of douchebag didn't always need to be played.

Her eyes shifted to everywhere else in the room, never once looking back to up mine. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but I know who you are. I'm not trying to be wrapped up in..." As she now frantically talked, her hands moved with her in speech. "The whole bad boy thing. I'm sure you're really nice and all, but I don't want people to see me with you. I came here tonight to play nice with the right people. Being seen with you? I don't think..."

"What makes you think you know me so well?" I finally cut her off, feeling a bit pissed off at her words. Were they wrong? No. Did I live up to almost every terrible thing people thought about me? Probably. But hell, at least I wouldn't be that rude to a total stranger. Looking at her, I knew I caught her by surprise. Whatever anger lighted in my mind, I was quick to put out. What was it going to do anyways? I wasn't nearly drunk or high enough to go down that road.

Her expression remained in a state of neutral— unshaped by any regret of what she said or any means of taking it back. She was bold as fuck, I'd give her that. Hell, I still kind of liked it. "Fine, Lucas. Maybe I am wrong." Shit, the surprise on my face couldn't have been harder to hide. "But that doesn't mean I am going to find out tonight. It was nice meeting you."

"Would you ever want to find out?" I pressed, knowing the window of her time would be short lived. What the fuck was wrong with me? This girl had insulted me more in the last five minutes than any girl had in years. Maybe that was what I liked— she was real... honest. Not a fake shit show.

"Maybe. Maybe not." As she started to walk away, face still hardened with intent, her eyes looked back at me with only a hint of a smile as she drifted into the sea of people. I could see the flash of green in the back of my mind like a green light in the sea of darkness. What the hell was I doing? I didn't know. But for whatever reason, I knew I had to know more. She was the realest thing I had come across in years, the only heart and mind I somehow wanted to know more of. Elle Greene.

[nebula-starlight]

Corrupt (Part 11 - Glitch)

Narssia was fast asleep on the couch, having crashed there after accompanying Mark out the day earlier to just truly get some fresh air. She hadn’t seen much of the city when she first arrived but now with her no longer fearing Void would take her over and go on a killing spree, it had seemed like a fine idea to get out of the house for a bit. He’d even been nice enough to treat her to a meal, insisting he knew a great place but it was a bit of a drive. Now, however, she was lost in her dreams... blissfully unaware of the world around her.

The sound of a gun going off roughly startled her awake, frantically clutching at the thin sheet that lay over her body as she timidly eyed the pink haired man that stood not far from her. He resembled Mark but had a pink mustache, wearing pink suspenders as well over a long-sleeve yellow shirt. As she watched, he lowered the still smoking gun, twirling it once before slipping it behind his back.

 “Well hello there, missy.” His voice seemed to fluctuate between registers, adopting a quirky but quickly likable drawl that made Narssia relax her grip somewhat on the sheet, thankful she’d fallen asleep in a tank top and shorts for once.

“I don’t believe I’ve made your acquaintance,” she muttered, trying to stifle a yawn while rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she sat up.

“My name is Wilford Warstache and-“

“Will, come here for a second.”

Narssia heard the ringing first before she even picked up on Dark’s voice, immediately cowering back slightly in alarm as her eyes flickered to the entryway into the main hall to see the demon glaring in. She thought at first his gaze was on her but once he mentioned her visitor she understood. Wilford probably wasn’t supposed to use his gun indoors if she had to guess what he was being pulled aside for.

“Sure thing Damien!”

He seemed all too happy to comply, leaving the room with a soft whistle as his choice of names confused Narssia. Who was this Damien he’d mentioned? She only knew Dark and even then it wasn’t like she saw him but a handful of times since arriving in the first place.

As the two men talked outside, she had time to fully get up and fold the couple of sheets Mark had set out for her to use on the couch in place of a bed. She’d asked him once if he had a guest room in his multi storied home but he brushed her off, laughing that it was used to house quite a bit of junk. Naris had her doubts about how true that was but she let the matter drop, thankful he at least let her crash on the couch each night.

Stretching as she finished, she glanced up at the clock on the wall and suddenly realized why it seemed so bright outside to her even with curtains closed. The time was almost noon, absurdly later than the regular time she’d been woken up. Almost always Mark would be messing around in the kitchen beside the den and it would wake her but that hadn’t happened. Entire she slept right through it or...

“Listen up, child.” Her head snapped back to the other side of the room as Dark entered, Wilford right behind him. “Seeing as Mark is currently upstairs suffering through a bout of illness, we reluctantly came to an agreement that you could come with us today.”

“What?”

The demon held up a hand, silencing her confused protest. “Do come along. I’m terribly afraid we don’t have much time to properly explain. Consider this your introduction to the heart and soul of Mark’s channel.”

Narssia hesitated at first in uncertainty, only forced into action when she noticed Wilford reach for his gun. She didn’t really have a choice in the matter after all...

Void sat in the darkness, watching thin strands of white light mix with her aura and then fade away. She knew what the color meant... even if it did bring back painful memories. Her mind was clear for once - both a blessing and a curse. To think she hadn’t even told Nether when she had the chance. All those letters sent back and forth with no mention of it. If she had found the strength to tell him... perhaps she would have resisted being Corrupted.

She shook her head, a low growl rumbling past her torn throat as she pressed her wingblades closer to her body. Nothing could have saved her from her fate. Even if she hadn’t fallen to the darkness would he have accepted what they created together? Souls didn’t often fuse their essences but when they did it was because they had truly found the partner of their heart and wished to pass that love on to a future generation. Nether didn’t just kill her when he sliced through her neck... he also took away that chance at them having an offspring of their own.

He hadn’t even known the truth when he chased her down. All those high and mighty Council members had filled his head with lies upon his return, making up some story about how she started killing innocents out of the blue. In reality, however, she’d taken it upon herself to help more and more frequently at the clinics spread across their great city. The effort drained her, diminishing her color to a more darker grayish hue which could have been taken as a sign of possession if one had only taken a brief glance.

Void snorted, tail curling around one of her legs as sparks of her magic tried to shimmer from her barren wingblades. She hadn’t even been able to see him upon his return, having been with a young hatchling who’d sprained a wing. The assistant director of that particular clinic had gotten her attention as she started to leave the room, informing her that she had to run for her life. Somehow Nether had been convinced she was wanted for murder and was coming to kill her.

She remembered well how she fled from the city she’d lived in her whole life, vanishing into the outside wilderness where she had nothing to rely on but her instincts. Nether had tracked her at every turn, always several days behind but never giving up the chase until she found herself up in the mountains to the far north. The air had been cold, fresh snow on the ground as she landed roughly amidst a coughing fit. Her head had been killing her, lack of sleep making her jump at the slightest sound. All she wanted was a warm bed and a good meal, tired of always being on the move. If he desired her demise then so be it. She was done running.

It had been nearly dark when she heard him land behind her, turning to face him with as much dignity as she could muster. If he thought she was acting like a cornered animal she didn’t care... wanting to see what he had become. The sight that met her gaze hadn’t sat well at first but now she could only chuckle at how naive she’d been back when she was alive.

Nether had been clothed in the bright red tunic belonging to their military, his eyes nearly blending with the fabric as she noticed his coloring had changed to a more murky gray. It seemed he wasn’t as pure as he had originally been.... but whether that was a result of his most recent mission or not she had no idea. He’d said nothing at first, silently gazing at her before crossing the short distance between them. Even though she had to physically hold herself back from lunging right into him, she knew deep inside that something wasn’t right. She’d never done anything to harm another spirit! How quickly they overlooked the fact that her gift was healing after all. If the Council truly had wanted to turn him against her there were a multitude of ways that didn’t involve an almost certain death. Void had honestly thought she was liked by the higher-ups overseeing Nether’s particular division but apparently she was wrong.

She’d cautiously approached, trying and failing to say just what was on her mind before he stopped with a shake of his head. The way he almost immediately took a step back afterward told her his heart wasn’t in it... that maybe there was a chance she could clear away whatever fog had clouded his judgement. No matter the risk she had to try!

The next thing she knew he lunged at her, maw open before his jagged teeth came snapping down on one of her wings. Shrieking, she spun around, struggling to get free as she tried to jerk away but only made the damage worse. His grip was surprisingly strong, unmoving no matter how hard she squirmed. Of course she felt it the instant it happened in her core when the beautiful green glow of her captive wing ceased to shine, watching in shocked silence as the see-through membrane shattered like glass. Void suspected he quickly did the same to her other wing while she was still stunned, having no real memory of experiencing that numbing sensation twice.

At least he had the decency to back away once he severely impacted her magic, letting her come to terms with what had been done. It was the ultimate branding - rendering a spirit flightless while also marking them as an outcast who could no longer be trusted with the most sacred gift the Ancestors had bestowed upon their kind. Her life’s work was over now. With no magic how could she make a living? And not just for herself but...

Void shuddered, eyes squeezing shut as she recalled how her gaze had slowly risen from blankly staring at one of her now barren wings to glaring at the shadowed form of her beloved, realizing he had turned around while she herself had been silently bemoaning the loss of her once stable income. How dare he do this to her! Was she not his as overseen by the Ancients? Why would such a peace-keeping spirit suddenly exile his own love without any prior warning of mental or physiological instability?

She rushed at him, screaming his name with all her breath until he turned and she felt something sharp tear across her throat. Her voice failed her, falling silent as she staggered back a step and used one of her foretalons to inspect the wound since it was below what she could see at regular height. There was no surprise when she saw the splatters of blood, knowing it was an accident. It had to be an accident! Her soul-mate wouldn’t just...

“Where the fuck am I now? I swear that demon is...”

Void stiffened at the unknown voice, blinking first and then quickly realizing she had been crying. Frantically trying to dry the tear tracks with several panicked twitching of her wingblades, she still found herself flinching slightly at the abrasiveness of the words. There was an accent there too that she didn’t immediately recognize...

“State your reason for coming into this forsaken void.” Her surprisingly steady voice rumbled from deep in her chest as she reluctantly rose to her feet and turned around to properly greet the intruder once she determined where exactly they were located.

“Aren’t you a pretty lassie... Quite an impressive stature too.” The glitch softly chuckled to himself, eyes briefly closing for a moment. “There I go forgetting the main reason I tracked Him down again. Look, where’s Dark?”

Void tilted her head, crouching down before him as her irises gleamed brightly and the wispy trails of her aura slowly appeared. This little virus wanted to see the demon that held her for who knew how long... What harm would there be to tell?

“I’m afraid you’re quite mistaken in thinking that I belong to that monochromatic menace. The demon you currently seek isn’t here at the moment but I certainly am.” She stalked closer, dropping to all fours as her foreclaws scratched against the dark stone covering much of the realm’s floor. Honestly, she’d become accustomed to the strange space after being trapped within it for so long. “Since I’m feeling rather generous, please, by all means, go ahead and say why you require his attention. Monsieur Dark is a very busy individual as I’m sure you are aware. I’m simply doing him a favor in his absence.”

She circled Anti as she spoke, noting his dark green hair and black ripped clothing. Likely attempts at edginess no less... He didn’t seem like much of a talker though. No matter, she had all the time in the world to get information out of him. At least she thought that was the case.

With barely a sound he exploded into a flurry of green and black glitches, reappearing several steps away with a knife in his hand. Void scoffed at the sight of the weapon, the wispy trails glowing even brighter as she stopped and rose up on her haunches. How dumb was this pesky virus? Even humankind in the past had learned steel did naught against a scaled hide!

“Do think before you make a fool of yourself. All of this can truly be avoided if you just say why you seek him. I won’t even mention our little spat either. Just give me what I want to know and leave - simple as that.”

“Why would I trust you?” Anti spat, twitching slightly as he pointed the knife at her. “You’re too much like that illusion brat...”

While she normally would have silently endured his whole rant, she quickly tuned it out, however, and focused solely on the fact that he knew Nether. Why should she give him any mercy? The corrupted spirit hadn’t when he traced her down and, who knew, maybe this virus was sent from him to find out where she was. Would she have to run for her life again? Not that she was sure how to go about escaping this foreboding place anyway.

“You know Him - that cowardly traitor who ruined my life. I’m not surprised really and why should I be?” Her voice dropped to a raspy hiss, practically seething as she stalked forward; the green of her slitted irises glowing brightly in the otherwise dark expanse of her prison as static swelled around her in response to her emotional state. “One little glitch was all it took to figure out who you are. That Irish menace Dark’s always grumbling about between sessions of trying to break my will.”

“Calm the fuck down lassie! Sheesh, if I’d known how much you hated his guts I’d never brought him up in the first place. What’d he ever do to you in the first place?”

Void hadn’t even realized she was glitching terribly until her still intruding visitor made mention of it. Almost immediately she fell silent, even temporarily quelling the static in the background as she struggled to find a way to properly answer his question without putting her own emotional stability at risk. She’d kept quiet too long about the horror of her past and how she became the broken being she was.

“Why should I tell you ANYTHING?!”

She lunged at the smaller demon, anger and pent-up frustration forcing its way out as a low growl that threatened to shake the very foundations of Dark’s domain. Anti barely managed to avoid being hurt as he glitched away to a safer spot, unable to get away from her flickering glare though as she collected herself mid jump and managed to land on her feet.

“Do cease this petty argument, both of you.”

Void’s continued growl fell into a soft whine before fading away as the sharply dressed demon suddenly appeared between them. She noticed he first looked toward Anti before addressing her but quickly found herself lowering her head submissively once he spoke again.

“Now explain why I must abruptly pull away from my own task to see to this dispute. Yes I understand you came to see me Anti and, quite frankly, I do not care to know why.”

The glitch started to speak but hesitated, glaring briefly at Void before he responded. “Your pet was defending her prison space against the one who invaded it and no explanation would change her mind.”

“Is this true, Void?” Dark’s voice surrounded her, lulling her to a state of almost serene calmness before she realized it.

With a snarl, she jerked back, twitching and somehow managing to shake off the hypnotic influence. Who knew how long he’d been manipulating her into being his obedient little slave. She was no one’s puppet!

“You know what - I’m through with all this. Just how long did you plan to keep me captive here you monochromatic menace? Sure you can smooth talk your way out of every situation but at what cost?” She inched forward toward Dark, eyes narrowed as wisps of her aura gathered along her half folded wingblades. “Let me out of this hellhole! I remember what you did back on Valentine’s Day... how you forced my host to choose. Do you even feel remorse for what you did?”

Void paused to try and calm herself down, letting the eerie green glow diminish until the only thing visible was Dark’s own aura. Snorting in amusement when she received no response, the static abruptly returned as she became violent once more. “No, you don’t. Wanna know why? It’s because monsters like you- like us don’t feel. All we care about is the next kill, the next life we ruin. That’s all there is to our pathetic existence now! We can’t die so we take our rage out on those that certainly can in the hope it makes us feel something, anything other than the nothingness we constantly drown ourselves in.”

Anti twitched behind Dark as Void finished her rant and she smirked, coming to the realization the pesky virus wasn’t so sure he wanted to hang around any longer. Honestly he could leave for all she cared. Her main fixation was right where she wanted him after all...

“You thought you broke me,” she chuckled, taking a step forward as she silently examined the expensive cloth used to create Dark’s suite. “All that time wasted for naught, truly. The only one to ever reduce me to such a state isn’t even here. What would happen if he knew I wonder?” Her body twitched, spastic glitching in place as she felt her aura expand around her. “Keep me captive here any longer and I promise that he’ll learn of it. Heck, for all I know he might already be aware and just hasn’t made a move to get me back yet. The illusion weaver’s a jealous brute when it comes to defending what belongs to him and by Sol no creature stands a chance when he’s on the warpath.”

Void kept her voice low, eyes locked onto the demon as she spoke so she could catch every little change in his mannerism. It wasn’t often she made threats - that was more of Nether’s speciality - but when she did creatures tended to listen up pretty well. Then again, she wasn’t even sure persuasion would work on a demon like Dark. Well what did she have to lose?

“Very well, go on then. I’m sure I’ll come across the illusionist you speak so highly of at some point.” Dark sighed, bringing one hand up from behind his back to snap his fingers. The slightest breeze rippled across the bleak expanse as reality warped and tore open to provide Void a way out to get back to the world where her dear host resided.

She hadn’t thought much of Naris for a while actually... ever since Valentine’s Day and what occurred then. The dragoness hadn’t even tried to help her while she was stuck in this hellhole! No attempt at communication or anything. Oh, she’d let the weakling know how it felt to imprisoned for so long.

Snarling under her breath, she gathered her aura close to herself, letting it build until she could stand it no longer. Like a switch being flipped, her body was engulfed by the energy and turned into a black and green staticky mist. She hadn’t taken a different form in quite some time other than the sudden change into her original body when she was first brought into Dark’s domain. The art of transformation was something most young spirits learned at an early age while in school prior to deciding what their occupation would be.

With a low buzzing from her static, she darted away into the portal Dark had created, leaving the two demons behind as she turned her thoughts straight to torturing the one dragon who could have helped her months ago but chose not to lend any aid.