Chapter Text
"So... Your daughter..."
The vague start catches the blond's attention and causes him to turn to look at him. Sora fiddles with his hands in an attempt to redirect his anxiety
They'd just emerged from the pasture, the events at Luiza's house and the attack on Iulian still fresh in their minds, with nothing but the wind to fill the silence. Whether this was good or bad, he wouldn't know, but he'd rather have something to fill the void than nothing at all
“Yes...?” he leans in, encouraging him to continue, he doesn't
For a moment, Ethan considered walking on, opting to give him time to organize his thoughts. God knows the boy needed it after everything he saw
But Sora seems to compose himself enough to speak coherently “Do you really think she's in there?”
His eyes strayed to what loomed behind them. The imposing castle, majestic to the naked eye, kept stirring an anxious unease in his gut that grew with every second and Sora seemed to share the sentiment
“It's the only clue I have”
That doesn't seem to calm the boy's anxieties, but whether he agrees to go or not, he doesn't say, just hums and stands behind it with a calmness.... Somewhat worrying
Yes, this is preferable to him freaking out or shutting down as happened in the garage, but besides the initial reaction, once the emotions passed the boy fell into a practiced calm, almost like an act
No, correct that, it's not an act, it's a habit
Sora somehow had gotten used to keep his mind serene despite what happens around him, his attitude doesn't change to a maximum seriousness (like a certain soldier he thought he knew), but he's more focused, like a warrior
What kind of situations did he have to go through to develop such a mindset? Would it have something to do with his magical powers?
Wait... his powers
Even if it looks like magic, it can't be, magic doesn't exist (werewolves don't either, but you see) what if Sora is a failed experiment?
That would explain his agility and combat training, though the giant key he uses as a weapon still baffles him, could it be some “no sharp objects” rule? Though his power seems to be channeled through that...
His thoughts and theories are abruptly cut short when they reach the large slab door. He puts the missing piece in the right way and it opens in a not at all threatening manner
“Nothing but blood and death, huh?” he finds himself repeating Elena's words. If whoever lives here didn't want to give Rose back to him, then the blood and death of this place will be by his hand.
How did it all go so wrong in less than an hour?
His legs burn from the effort, the hard metals weigh down his hands, restricting him from carrying his weapons efficiently, or reaching them for that matter.
Wild roars and growls surround him, claws reach out from the wall trying to grab him and claim their prize, but they only succeed in clawing at him
Inwardly, he's thankful that he's the one going through this twisted “game” and not Sora. The boy dropped a huge bolt of lightning from the sky and shoved him through the hole in the corner yelling something like “See you later at the castle!” and disappeared
If he wasn't focused on running for his life, he'd be panicking right now
Those people, those... things weren't human, there was a cursed doll, for crying out loud! Sora might be a mutated (for lack of a better word) and he had proven to be strong, but he's just one person, one child, against all those people plus the Lycans
He just hoped he had run away or could hide, he couldn't take another death on his shoulders, less if he had....
The big one's sledgehammer left an immense pain in his side, but it helped him focus on the present, he has to get out of here, he has to live, find Sora and look for Rose
And if he's really gone... then he won't waste his sacrifice.
°°°°°°
Sora didn't know what was going on, which is not uncommon, he never knows until he's deep into it
But this time he seriously doesn't know what's going on.
He had made a spectacle, attracted too much attention on himself and now he's running through a series of caverns with a swarm of werewolves at his heels and a metal controlling madman trying to capture him. His only comfort was that he'd managed to divert his attention away from Ethan.
The rusty pipe came out a crimson red, there's a dangerous laugh, Ethan gives him a grin
He still doesn't know how he survived that, but the important thing is that he did and was able to get away
A giant piece of metal falls at his feet, but he's quick to react and dodges it, casting a magnetic spell to push the other objects away for a few seconds and hinder his followers
"<You've got guts, kid! I'll give you that>" The raspy voice echoes over the speakers, much amused at how his prey is running for its life
Too bad the fun will be over soon enough
The place he had come out of faced a natural skylight, more specifically, a hole in the rock ceiling. It only gave light to anyone passing through, no normal human would reach such a height, or mindless creature for that matter. Good thing that Sora is neither of them.
There were some timbers used as beams, the magic illuminated his feet as he acrobatically stumbled from the wall to then pass through said beam and shoot out. He greets the cold air again with joy, it was suffocating down there with all the torches and the effort of running for his life. He looks down, the beasts huddled on top of each other in a failed attempt to reach him, he would laugh if he didn't know who those beasts were before
Fire. Eyes staring.
"That was a good show. I must admit."
He turned around, the man's boots sounded with heavy footsteps as he swung his hammer to his shoulder, letting it rest there. He already felt the force of the weapon when he tried to fight back when they were captured, he doesn't want to feel it again
"And you know what? Since it was soooo good, I'll let you live a while longer" The man in the hat gives a creepy smile "Maybe you can give me front row seats to see those skills of yours"
His shoulders lined up, tense for action. He made another mistake and exposed himself to people with clearly bad intentions, he wasn't planning on doing more for his entertainment, he's nobody's clown here
He hear a shuffling sound, Sora lets his guard down for a moment and turns around, seeing Ethan walk out the door in the distance. It's at that moment that he realizes where he is, on one of the ramparts inside the castle's outskirts
“If Daddy here is determined to find his baby, it won't be long before we meet again” the hot breath felt extremely close to his ear, a shiver runs down his spine as he pulls away in alarm, the old man scoffs, pleased with the reaction “I think that's enough time for a good show.”
Sora looks back at Ethan, torn between going or staying. He doesn't want to be anyone's guinea pig, but he has to fight and help Ethan, who knows what kind of things can be found in the big structure?
Deep down, Sora knows what his final decision is, it just makes him grunt, he's giving him what he wants.
That doesn't stop him from jumping up and going after Ethan, with the last words of the beast in human disguise ringing in his ears
“The clock's ticking, little lion.”
°°°°°
His palms were burning, crimson liquid dripping onto the unmistakably expensive carpets, ruining the gold doors and stealing supplies from the drawers
He would almost feel bad about vandalizing such a beautiful place, were it not for the fact that its residents were crazy perverts and the cause of his grievous injuries in the first place
And by the dried patterns hidden in the floor, it hadn't been the first time these walls had witnessed an atrocity
Only blood and death. That was how they described this place, what wrong had these people done to deserve this? What did Sora do? Or Rose?
The very image of his baby being held by this group of madwomen sent a cold terror into his heart, followed by a rush of an all too familiar anger and determination in his system, driving him foward
He wishes he had some of that ointment Sora used, but from what he said earlier, it seems he has few left and he won't be the one wasting resources for every minor injury, if he can keep walking, he can hold on a little longer
He staggers back to where he was captured, there were now four statues scattered in the center, but that's all he notices before he rushes towards the door to the side, right where he left....
“Duke?”
The large merchant he'd encountered outside was now sitting behind a desk with merchandise strewn all over the place
“Ah, Mr. Winters” the Duke clapped his hands complacently, as if seeing him would cheer him up. Though maybe it does, seeing as he's the only person who can buy his merchandise “I see you've come alone.”
That makes him react and check the rest of the room, his stomach drops when he sees no sign of the boy
“Where's Sora?” the big man doesn't seem interested in answering him, which increases his anger “He was here, you must've seen him, he-....”
“Mr. Winters, please, you need to calm down” that almost makes Ethan jump on top of him and choke him “There was no one here when I arrived, so I guess he went out looking for you.”
That's great. Just great. As if not knowing his daughter's location wasn't enough to drive him crazy, the kid goes and gets lost, what if he gets caught? What if he gets hurt? They've only just found each other, he can't-.....
“If I may offer my humble opinion” Ethan is almost tempted to tell him to fuck off, but lets him speak "Young Sora is strong and capable, plus of course a brave warrior. Whatever predicament he finds himself in, he'll be able to pull through."
“And if not?”
Because there are so many variables, so many ways something can go wrong, no matter if you're experienced or have strange powers, a single mistake could cost you everything
“Then I'll trust you to be there to help him.”
°°°
You stupid. Why didn't you do something?
Sora's heart thundered so loudly that he was surprised not to hear it within the castle's great walls. His steps were firm but cautious, ready to draw his keyblade if the case arose.
He searched the first floor for any clue as to where they had taken Ethan. However, all the doors remained unopened, and the few that were open were merely shortcuts between the main hall and the entrance, reminding him that he was practically locked up with those who'd took the adult.
Ethan...
His mind kept going back to that moment. He'd entered an almost empty room, save for a typewriter, a desk, and a replica of the castle with something resembling a set of red crystals inside. He was reviewing notes on how to obtain them when it happened.
"Looking for Rose?"
There was laughter, followed by sounds of Ethan struggling, then something like flesh tearing and cries of pain. There were taunts and footsteps heading to the door where he was, asking about the pretty boy who'd come with him.
And Sora... froze.
He could barely hear Ethan say something about coming alone when a loud "Tomp!" came, followed immediately by a grunt. The woman sneered as she assured that they're going to find him, feeling a shiver when she said that they were going to make a "good use" of him.
Laughter was heard again, this time accompanied by a shuffling sound and the alarmed cries of Ethan fading in the distance. After that, a stony silence fell. And it was only then that Sora realized he'd been hiding behind the castle replica the whole time.
He went upstairs with a frown on his face. Why didn't he get out and help? Why did he freak out so much?
Ever since he came into this world, he's done nothing but run, flee, and freeze. Imagine that! He. The savior of worlds. Who faced monsters both physical and metaphorical far stronger than him, hiding and huddled in a corner. What is wrong with him?
If his friends saw him now, they would mock his cowardice.
The second floor had more locked doors, but one in particular caught his eye. It had a face with a missing eye.
And to no one's surprise, it wouldn't open.
By this point, he was tired. He'd been wandering around pointlessly for 15 minutes, and the important-looking door was locked.
In irritation, his hands moved on their own. He jumped back and pointed to the door with his keyblade. A light shot out from it and hit the door, which opened with a triumphant, resounding "click."
"Well, aren't you a cute little trickster?"
His blood froze. A handful of flies appeared out of nowhere, swarming around him. The bugs came out of the newly opened room, turned around and...
... and then it transformed into a pale woman with a glint of madness in her eyes and blood dripping from the mouth.
"But don't worry. We know how to take care of people like you."
His legs soon did their job as he ran into the room, which turned out to be a hallway with more doors. The first one was closed, but the second gloriously wasn't, rushing in immediately and locking the door, only to found himself in a dead-end room.
The buzzing of the flies could still be heard in the distance, as could the woman's laughter and taunts.
"It's been a loooong time since I've had fresh meat," she said, giving a small chuckle. "Let me string you up, slice your jugular, and just watch..."
His mind shut down as he processed what he just heard.
She doesn't plan to... No, she couldn't... It's not possible, is it?
He felt something heavy in his hand. Kingdom Key came in a instinct. She doesn't mean it, she can't mean it.
"I still can't decide whether to eat you dead or alive!" The footsteps and buzzing were growing closer. "But I'm getting ahead of myself...” Something bangs against the door, Sora let out a startled shriek. “Why don't we play first?”
There're squeals. Something's scraping at the door. An excited murmur is heard from the other side, enjoying making his pulse shoot up and his hands begin to shake and sweat.
He grips his blade so tightly that his knuckles turn white. His head spins, his throat close up; he's short of breath. This can't be happening. He feels himself denying in disbelief. It can't be true! People don't eat each other!! IT SIMPLY CAN'T!!!
A few flies begin to filter through the gaps in the door. He feels his face pale as his legs drag him to the far corner, leaning back against the dresser...
When he notices the hallway behind a few wooden boards.
The door opens just as he breaks the boards and shoots inside, his heart beating as fast as his feet pounding the floor until he finds a hole in the floor and leaps out without a second glance
Already down, he runs past a stone corridor to a dead end. With the adrenaline still coursing through his veins, he notices a small hole and quickly dives in, crawling through the narrow tunnel which to lead to a room full of boxes and bottles, but no people.
He climbs out of the hole and gets as far away as he can, avoiding the green door and circling the table, closer to another stone exit. His heavy breathing is the only sound to be heard, concentrating on that small entrance, wondering if he was still in this “game” that the girl – girl? Swarm of flies? What was that thing? Could it be considered human? Of course not! Humans don't GUT AND EAT OTHER PEOPLE!!!! – thought they were playing
There's a hand on his chest, his heart almost stops when he realizes it's his own, gripping his shirt tightly
The door handle moves, Sora freezes for a brief moment, they found him
He sped down a third hallway as the door began to open. Seriously, how many hallways does a place like this need?. A huge shadow loomed, but he didn't want to stick around and see who it was, so he turned at the first entrance he saw and crouched behind some barrels, he had to move them a bit to fit properly, but he was able to get by
He heard thundering footsteps approaching his position, covering his mouth so they wouldn't hear him. There was no sign of flies, but that didn't reassure him as he pushed deeper between the cracks formed by the barrels, hunching over as much as possible.
The footsteps stopped in the center of the small loft and it stood there for a while. Sora could've seen who it was through the gaps between the barrels, but he closed his eyes, refusing to see his would-be attacker head on. This left him alone to deal with whatever his mind could conjure up.
Something's destroyed next to him, and Sora used all his strength not to scream. He squeezed his eyelids and pressed his hands against his mouth and nose as hard as he can, ensuring not to make the slightest noise. There's a liquid running down his cheeks, but he didn't know if it was tears or sweat.
The silence and presence linger for a few seconds that feel like hours. His uncomfortable hiding place feels small and insignificantly obvious and Sora fears, for a second, that the creature had seen him and is just playing with him like a cat chasing a mouse. Finally, it starts to walk away. The "click, click" of its footsteps fades into the distance, and a door closes
Sora could get out of there and be on his way, he could get up and resume his search for Ethan. And he starts to do it, he really does! But his legs felt weak and his lungs refused to let air through normally. Still, he forced himself to press on. If anyone else fancied coming along, then he really would be trapped.
Outside his hiding place, he finds the shattered remains of the bookshelf next to some marks on the wall. He doesn't dwell on it, doesn't want to. He pokes his head out and, seeing the coast clear, goes deeper into the corridor.
At the end he comes upon a small, round room, lit by a torch that hung from the ceiling, the walls filled with small statues of warriors with spears, bows, arrows and normal swords, and two columns with their own torches, only extinguished. For a moment he considered go back on his steps and using the door, but quickly discards it, he doesn't know where it would lead him and he don't wanna go the same way as that thing and risk being seen, he'd rather stay alive and in one piece, thank you very much.
He pats the walls carefully, maybe there's a secret passage or....
"Aha! A draft!"
In the background there is an almost invisible, but existing, straight line where the wind passes. With an air of victory, no pun intended, he begins to look for some mechanism to open it, certain that it led to a hidden path. However, he finds nothing.
He makes an irritated grimace, he didn't go through all that chase to find nothing, there must be something, there always is.
As he thinks, his eyes move to the unlit torch, then he looks at the other one and finally the one in the center. Then he understood.
“I guess... I have to light them up.”
Two Firas later, all three torches were burning. In that moment the walls move sideways revealing the secret passageway.
But instead of being the path to the exit he expected, he was greeted by an overwhelming darkness
Now, Sora is not one to be afraid of the dark. As long as Riku's stories didn't bother him, he used to sit at his window watching the stars at nightfall when he was little, he saw it as magical, though part of that might be because of Ven's heart in his. And his years fighting Xehanort taught him that darkness wasn't something to fear, only to avoid and, in some cases, accept as part of life. He himself has been closer and more aware of his own darkness, not enough to control it like Riku but enough to not let himself get completely carried away. Here...
He still remembers with absolute clarity that poor gutted crow, the Lycans chasing him in the woods, the blood in the cabin. Here, darkness means death
But he can't turn back, Ethan was in danger. So, with his heart in his stomach, he takes the first step into the dark abyss, then another and then another. He barely manages to pull out the small flashlight that the Duke gave him outside the castle and shines it
He feels his stomach twist, his breath catch in his throat. This... this is... A chair with nails in the seat and armrests, dried blood on the walls, rusted metal bars that creak at the slightest touch
A torture chamber. And not just one—five cells were illuminated by his light and who knows how many more there would be when he turned that corner. Sora didn't think it was possible for this place to get any creepier, but this certainly takes the cake
He forces his feet to move, trying to ignore what were in the cells, the putrid smell that made him want to retch, his footsteps filling the oppressive silence and his flashlight barely shedding any light in the dark dungeon. The cold air and rock walls made the temperature drop drastically compared to the heat he felt in the cellars moments before.
He let his thoughts wander. How many people passed through these same corridors? How many would made it out alive? Had they been killed? Or worse—eaten? The concept of people eating each other still eluded him. How could someone do something so... so... inhuman with such normalcy?
He wonders, if he'd faced those women when they took Ethan, would they've brought him to this place? That thought stops him. If they'd taken Ethan prisoner, they must have drop him here
He has to look now. The blond didn't seem like the type to stay in one place, though. Those witches/vampires/insects could be chasing him down right now, and here he was, playing dumb. But if he was, wouldn't he be yelling or making a sound? A gunshot, a call for help—something should indicate it!
Is he hurt? That would explain the silence. Maybe he's unconscious, or maybe he's staying alert in case he attracts something or someone unwanted by making noise. Yeah, that makes sense. Attracting attention to yourself is counterproduc–...
"AHHHHHH!!!"
So absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't see the duffel bag hanging from the ceiling. Least of all did he expect it to fall in front of him.
The duffel bag... shaped like....
...
...
...
He squeezes the flashlight harder and jumps over the lump. It's just a lump, Sora. It's nothing else. Just keep walking, and don't look at the ornaments, the black stains, the surgical instruments that for some reason are there, or the lumps that seem to be hanging from the— Nope, don't look, don't look. You're find. You're fine. You're fine.
A noise interrupts his mental mantra. He stops walking and stands still for a moment, making sure he didn't imagine it. For a few seconds, there was nothing. Then...
Clank!
He slides over to the boxes in the middle of the room. There're candles in the corners of this section, but it only make seeing past them more difficult. The metallic sound is heard again, this time followed by a growl.
Sora's heart soars. More werewolves? Here?
But something doesn't add up. The Lycans are more energetic, making their presence known when they appear. Plus, they make a different sound—more like an animal roar than a hiss.
Sora summons his keyblade and slowly advances toward the dark threshold. He takes a deep breath, preparing himself mentally, then enters.
He didn't expect to find a freaking zombie.
"What the—!?"
The creature raised the axe it was carrying and swung it at him. Sora dodged, taking advantage of his speed, and ran past it, only to come face-to-face with another zombie holding a spiked mallet.
Seriously, who gave these guys weapons?!
He blocks a blow from the zombie with the spiked mallet and hears the other approaching from behind. Sora grabs the sledgehammer, ripping it out of the zombie's hands and horribly noticing that his arm comes off too then turns to throw it at the other zombie's head. There's a crunching sound that shouldn't satisfy him, but it does when he no longer sees the zombie move. He concentrates on the remaining one with the lost arm, hitting the corpse-like enemy several times until it falls to the floor.
Suddenly, he feels something burying itself in his flesh.
A scream rises from deep in his throat as the thing on his back pulls until it detaches. He lurches forward shakily, the roar of his blood pressing against his ears. Still, he can hear the inhuman groan behind him.
A third zombie with a long axe lunges at the wounded brunette once again. Sora barely dodges the attack before launching a series of Firas that incinerate the monster. The zombie writhes in the flames and falls to the ground, producing hair-raising shrieks. Adrenaline and burning pain still in his system, Sora looks at the creature and does something... unusual.
He raises the keyblade and thrusts it into its head.
The zombie stops moving immediately, and its body is consumed by flames until nothing is left. Sora doesn't know how long he stood there, with trembling hands as he contemplated the incinerated body. But he knows it was long enough for the pain in his back to strike again with full force.
He leans his shoulder against the wall and rummages through his pockets, the bottle of Ultra-Potion appearing in all its glory. He could use a Cure, his mana was not depleted, but he did not want to see the weapon once bright red stained. He slowly removes his jacket, then his sweater, and finally his shirt. The ambient chill hitting his bare skin sends a shiver through his body and makes his teeth chatter. It's worth it, though, when the warm green liquid begins to take effect and heals the wound in a few seconds.
The blood on his clothes, though, will be harder to get out—not to mention the big hole it put in them. Maybe the Duke has a needle and thread; he can't be walking around in tattered clothes.
Still, he put his three layers of clothing back on, covered the large scratch as best he could, and moved on.
Daylight greets him in a small, destroyed part of the dungeon where four other zombies were also waiting. One came close to biting him, grabbing his shoulders and opening its grotesque jaws. However, Sora cast an Aero spell, sending the zombie flying.
After finishing them off, he advanced through the rest of the dungeon, which was much better lit this time. He came to a door with a strange symbol that he couldn't open. He decided not to have another outburst like the one earlier, so he left it behind and continued on his way.
He was already turning another corner when he heard something that made him freeze like a deer in headlights.
Flies
A swarm of flies
"And to think Cassandra let you get away."
His feet moved on their own, crossing the remains of the catacombs. Threats and laughter fell on deaf ears as he climbed the stairs with such speed that he almost thought he'd activated his Flow Motion, arriving at another entrance with wooden planks.
This time, he had no luck. When he raised his keyblade to break them, he felt it being taken from his hands and disappearing amid lights. Disoriented and dazed by the recent events, he's grabbed by the shoulders and turned to face his pursuer.
Her blood-stained face, greasy blonde hair, sickly white skin, eyes full of bloodlust and a depraved grin.
"Where do you think you're going, cutie?" she purred under her breath, trying to sound seductive but causing the opposite effect when a cold terror invaded his heart
Suddenly, he's pushed against the boards, which broke, and he fell backwards onto the floor. The lunatic pounces on top of him.
"You're so adorable. I'm almost sorry I have to eat you."
In a blind panic, Sora blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.
"I—I already have a girlfriend!"
The woman guffawed, "Then you'll be even more exquisite!"
Strangely, that's what made the boy focus because how dare she?
How dare she disrespect his bond with Kairi?
How dare she try to break the Paopu's Oath?
His Keyblade materialized in his hand. His countenance was a mixture of determination and anger. He struck the woman. Or at least tried to, but the flies scattered, allowing the metal to pass through her without harming her.
"Nothing can hurt me, not even your strange weapon" she sneered.
"No. But this can!"
The new voice took them both by surprise. The sound of gunfire echoed through the room. At first, nothing happened, but the sound of glass cracking and exploding said it all.
The cold came in furious bursts, causing the woman to jump away from Sora and writhe in pain.
"You damned mortal!"
He felt a big, warm hand grab his arm and help him stand up. His shoulders relaxed in relief at the sight of the green jacket and blonde hair.
"Ethan!"
He receives a small smile from the adult, but it quickly turns serious as he turns his gaze to the girl. Sora follows suit, getting into a combat stance.
°°°
As much as he would've liked to make sure the boy was okay – because, honestly, he didn't seem to, his face was pale with scratches, and there was a huge, horrible bloodstain on the back of his clothes – they had to take care of the witch first. His theory, which more than theory was a lucky shot thanks to the note from earlier that the daughters were weak to ice, like vampires to the sun, was spot on. It solidified, turning her skin (flies?) into ice, making her vulnerable to their attacks.
It didn't make her any less dangerous, though. Her deadly agility was still a problem as she appeared in front of him and slashed her sickle into his shoulder several times in a row. But Sora, always opportune, tackled it off her and conjured ice when the Sister tried to escape.
"How dare you—!?"
A bullet from his shotgun interrupted her abruptly. Dead flies fell in a horrifying equivalent of blood. When she tried to attack again, he was prepared, doing an efficient feint and stuck behind her back, firing another bullet.
Ha! Those two aren't the only agile ones here!. He thought childishly.
The witch staggered forward and looked down at her arms, noticing for the first time that she was no longer immune.
"My... body... No! I'll rip you both to shreds!"
The madwoman leaped and latched onto the blonde's body, crashing into the boxes. Ethan grabbed her wrists, preventing her from stabbing him with her weapon. She bit twice in a desperate attempt to hurt him, but he kicked her in the stomach and pushed her away.
She didn't give up, though, and tried to attack again. However, Sora stepped in and blocked her, immediately counterattacking by casting another ice "spell."
The blonde took two more shots, then switched to his handgun and aimed mostly at her head and hands. He even broke the other window so she wouldn't be able to escape through the railing at the back.
"I should have killed you before!" she roared angrily, cutting the air as she tried to land a hit. However, he noticed how her movements became more rigid and desperate. "S-Stay still!"
They spent a few minutes like this. She lunged with her weapon, looking to hurt them, and they responded as best they could. They even used whatever they found around them –Sora almost threw an entire box of ammo when he ripped it from his hand, and gave him a candle — as a means of distraction. They didn't come out unscathed, though. Sora gained several new cuts on his back and chest while he got deep wounds on his stomach and shoulders.
Still, they saw their efforts bear fruit as her body froze more and more while she shouted curses and furious denials.
Sora delivered the final blow with an explosion of water that covered her completely. The water plus the winter air was enough to freeze her legs solid.
"No...! Not like this... It can't...!
In a last act of desperation, she raised her sickle at Sora, but it stopped midway, calcified into a crystal statue that collapsed right after.
They stood silently, watching their remains turn to dust. The only thing that survived was the torso; not even the sickle was spared. Ethan looked at Sora, worried about how he would react to all this. Technically, they'd just killed someone. It was self-defense, but still...
Regardless, the boy appeared calm. Restless and disturbed? perhaps, but there was no shock like at Luiza's house. Instead, there's a quiet resignation and... a hint of pity? He's new in reading people, so he can't be sure.
"How did you find me?" His voice contains genuine doubt, but his countenance doesn't change. He doesn't even look at him.
"You left an easy trail to follow," he replies simply. The open doors and ammo left behind were a good trail of crumbs.
He nods, making a sound of recognition but doesn't move, still staring at the "corpse."
Ethan grimaces. Maybe he mistakenly assumed this was normal for Sora. These looked like clear signs of shock, but there's awareness behind those eyes. Sora knows what they did, and maybe that's the problem.
"She wanted to eat me."
That abruptly stops his train of thought, knocking it off the rails and falling sideways
"What?"
He didn't miss how his hands were shaking. "S-She... She said they were going to eat me. I panicked. I didn't—..."
There it is—that's the reaction he expected. Careful not to startle him, he puts a hand on his shoulder. Sora tenes for a moment, but force his body to relax. Close his eyes, takes a deep breath, and then exhales. He did this four more times, along with a hand movement that Ethan recognized as a physical ritual of concentration: fanning his fingers into a fist.
A few minutes passed until Sora finally calmed down, at least enough to not have a nervous breakdown at the slightest noise. He turned at Ethan and gave an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened..." the blond denies.
"Don't apologize. This kind of thing—" the looking over the shoulder, the paranoia, the blood, the death, the horrors. "–It never gets any easier."
“Have you ever had to do this before?”
He pressed his lips into a thin line. Talking about Louisiana, the three years were Mia was missing, and the three years after he found her—the things he saw, the things he had to do—it was never simple. He can run off his mouth on how talking is the key to truly leaving the past behind, but he can barely think about all that without feeling something crawling and stirring throughout his body. Like something was wrong, but he doesn't know what, as if everything had shifted an inch to the left.
Now, he has a child staring at him with wide eyes, one that might as well have been built to kill, desperate to maintain a glimmer of morality after what he was forced to do.
"They tried to kill me," he sighs heavily. "I did what I had to do, just like now."
His mouth opens in surprise, but then his expression melts into taciturn understanding.
Understanding.
Understanding.
He's killed before; he's found it necessary. But when? And where? He's not well-versed in bioterrorist organizations (he'd leave that to Chris and Mia, the apparent experts in the field), but he's sure that news of someone as flashy and young as him running around would go viral.
Was he on the run, thus why he had to kill and hide? From the way he looks at him, it doesn't seem like it's something he's proud of. Maybe he even hates himself for doing it.
He shakes his head. He still knows very little about his life before they met. He shouldn't jump to conclusions. It's better to let him open up naturally.
"I think we should go," he says, catching him off guard. "I don't want her sisters to come out of nowhere and see this. We'll get our heads cut off."
Sora watches him for a moment and then reacts.
"Oh, ah, yes, you're right. We should go," he nods, still visibly in shock, and walks toward the door.
Come to think of it, wasn't there a gate there before? I could have sworn there was a moment ago. Well, he's not complaining. He didn't want to go through those horrible catacombs again, and he's sure as hell that's the last thing Sora wants right now. He carefully picks up the torso-shaped crystal and puts it in his backpack. Sora gives him a strange look but remains silent. Don't look at me like that, kid. Someone has to pay for the supplies, and I'm sure it won't be you.
Going through the kitchen was an experience in itself. He found the bottle of wine that belonged in the second-floor room. With what he'd already seen, he was sure it would activate some hidden mechanism or passage—so it was a win-win. On the other hand, he found the bottle soaking in blood. That, plus what he already knew about the "secret ingredient" of the wine and the note he found on one of the shelves, didn't give him much reason to stick around and check if they had anything edible.
They also saw animal meat — or what he expected to be animal meat — and garlic. The irony is not lost.
After finding a upgrate for his gun in a hallway, they arrived at the dining room. There was nothing interesting here, just a locked door that led to a snowy inner courtyard and an unlocked door that led to the main hall, taking them right back to the beginning.
There didn't seem to be anyone around, so they walked to the room where the Duke was staying. Sora looked at the statues curiously for a moment but left quickly before he could explain.
The Duke's eyes sparkled as he saw the two of them walk by. "Young Master Sora! Blessed are the eyes that see you," he greeted warmly. "I knew we'd meet again."
Ethan could almost hear the "I told you so" in his tone. He rolled his eyes and put the bag on the ground.
"Duke? What are you doing here?" Sora asked, hearing the younger boy's confusion.
"As I told your friend before, where there's business..." He leaves the sentence unfinished and laughs. He'd be worried if it were anyone else, but the merchant has done nothing but help, which is a welcome respite after everything that happened today.
He'll still keep an eye on him; it never hurts to be careful.
"But that's not important," he says, clapping his hands together. He pulls out a briefcase, opens it on the table, and reveals medical supplies. "I'm sure this will do you good."
Sora was about to grab them gratefully when Ethan grabbed his hand and eyed him suspiciously.
“How much?”
"You have good intuition, Mr. Winters," he smiles complacently. Ethan is not amused. "These and other supplements aren't expensive, but I'd never turn down a good offer."
Ah, the "give me something good and I'll give you double" sign. The Duke is an enigma; one that he has neither the time nor the desire to solve it. But at least he was honest about his intentions as a salesman.
The little wooden angel and the calcified statue of the daughter earned him a decent sum, but he only bought two kits, antibiotics, gauze, alcohol, and small bandages; and needles and threads for Sora's clothes.
First, he took care of the boy's wounds. The cuts and bruises weren't serious, but they still needed attention. What worried him the most was the back. Even without an open wound, there was a long vertical mark, he's surprised that the spine had not been damaged. Sora mumbled something about potions, which explained the lack of scarring, but he still checked it.
He also found old wounds that had already healed. There were many of them, but it was neither the time nor the place to talk about that, so he ignored them as much as he could until he finished his work. Then, he started to focus on his own wounds.
Sora gasped when he saw the horrible state of his hands, he grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him into a corner. Then searched his pockets until he pulled out a vial containing a yellow liquid—or was it orange? No matter. It was one of his ointments, and he was about to spill it all out.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" He tries to unclasp his hand, but Sora grabs him tighter.
"Stay still," he hissed, but the blonde kept pulling.
"No, you said you had a few left. You can't—"
"Ethan" he calls in a forceful voice, very different from the small, fragile one he had before. "They pierced your hands. That's reason enough to use it. Not to mention the sickle she stuck on your shoulder, cut your stomach several times, and the many other wounds you got today. Even with your strange healing abilities, you can't go around..."
His mind cuts off.
Strange healing abilities? What is he talking about?
Yeah, he has taken hard hits, but nothing that would stop him... the blade of the shovel cut his leg, tearing tendons, veins, and bones nothing he couldn't get out of... cuts that healed too fast. Hits that should've killed him, but only knocked him unconscious. H̷e̷ g̷l̷u̷e̷d̷ h̷i̷s̷ l̷e̷g̷ w̷i̷t̷h̷.̷.̷.̷
There was nothing strange about him, was there? He was normal. Chris survived worse. He's fought biological threats for twenty-six years, and he's as fresh as a man over forty can be.
"...an..."
He's not different. He just held on a little longer than usual. It's not serious. He's normal. There's nothing strange with him. There's nothing wrong about him. He's normal. He's fine.
"...han..."
He must be normal. He walks, eats, and breathes. Does he? He feels pain, loves, laughs, cries, and has four limbs two of which are r̷e̷c̷o̷n̷n̷e̷c̷t̷e̷d̷ t̷o̷ h̷i̷s̷ b̷o̷d̷y̷ He has a family that loves him, and he loves them back. He's normal. There is nothing inhuman about him, there's nothing wrong with him.
"¡...than...!"
He's normal
He's fine
He's human
He's not a monster
"¡Ethan!"
He abruptly snapped back to reality. Sora was still holding his hand, but with more force than usual.
"Let go! You're hurting yourself!"
He looked at him, or at least tried to, but his vision was blurred. Why was it blurred? Why were his eyes wet? There was urgency in his features. Both of Sora's hands were on his right arm. He remembered having only one on the wrist, but now he had the other trying to open his fingers from a fist.
Funny. When did he make them into a fists?
The boy blurts out something else, but his words are unintelligible. There's something warm and slimy on his hand—a different shade of red than his jacket.
It was blood.
He opens his palm; the crimson fluid flows more freely without a gauze or hand to stop it. Sora was quick, cleaning the wound with practiced precision and bandaging it after finishing disinfecting it.
He let him clean the other one without complaint. Neither of them seemed to want to talk about what just happened.
It had been a long time since this'd happened to him. He'd been too focused on Rose and Mia's strange attitude to think about himself and the things that didn't add up about him. He didn't like doing it anyway, and he appreciated that Sora didn't force him to talk.
In the end, he reluctantly used Sora's "elixir," as he called it. He still felt bad about using one of his supplies, but the relief his whole body felt seemed worth it. The duke was fascinated by the level of healing it provided and asked to examine it so he could replicate it. However, Sora mentioned the exotic ingredients it contained and shut him up.
Once he was finished, Ethan upgraded his weapons, asked for more ammo — because you can never be too prepared — all while he watch Sora repair his clothes. And with everything ready, they went back out
They climbed the stairs without any trouble. For some reason, Sora tensed up, but he wasn't going to ask for an explanation, so he took him up to the wine room and left the bottle in its place. As he'd predicted, this activated a mechanism that opened a door to a secret room with more wine
"This place is full of surprises" Sora murmured.
"And it's not even half of it," he replied, remembering the castle's immense size. A box caught his attention, so he grabbed it and pulled out a key with a label marked “courtyard key”
“Well, at least we know our next destination”
They had already descended the stairs when they heard the now-familiar buzzing of a swarm of flies approaching. Sora immediately went into combat mode, dropping into a fighting stance and summoning his strange key sword. However, unless the were in a cold space, they wouldn't be able to do any real damage, or damage in general
The daughter was gliding through the air, but Ethan already grabbed Sora's arm and dragged him toward the dining room. Flies swarmed past them as he opened the door, the bugs scurrying away from the drop in temperature near the inner courtyard. At least, that's what he wants to believe
After inserting the key, the two went out into the courtyard. The snow covered everything, giving the courtyard an idyllic air. It was beautiful, he had to admit.
Most of the doors were closed, except for a stone one in the far corner. He pushed hard, with a bad feeling settling in his gut.
I have a bad feeling about this
°°°°°
By this point, Sora was convinced that Ethan was not human
His wounds were not normal, nor was his ability to move on after obtaining them
It wasn't necessarily a bad thing; he had seen many unconventional living things act more human than should be possible and develop hearts naturally. This was normal for him
However, Ethan seemed convinced of the opposite, if his collapse when Sora mentioned his progressive healing was any indication
He didn't intend to scare him; he was just concerned that Ethan was overtaxing himself and causing him permanent harm. He didn't realize he was touching a sensitive subject
Why did it bother him anyway? Regenerative powers are great and useful in exceptional circumstances like this. Even he wished he had something like that for those times when he ran out of potions or his mana
Or when Donald didn't feel like healing him. But that's another topic(?)
So, with that level of healing, he must have survived that fall.
To give you some context, as they passed through the stone doors, they were greeted by a set of luxurious marble stairs. The problem was that they saw the lady of the castle at the bottom of those same stairs. She didn't seem to notice them and continued on her way without interruption. However, none of them dared to move in case she did.
The footsteps grew more distant until a door was heard to shut. Sora exhaled, now aware of the air he had been holding. He had seen the big woman when they were in that strange, typical villain meeting, and he didn't want to approach her again. The very thought made his stomach churn. However, this was their only open route, so they went up the stairs as well.
For a moment, he was sure she was going to chase them. The space itself seemed perfect for that sort of thing. However, it was what he heard next that gave him that impression.
"What have you done to my daughter?!"
Sora's heart shrank. There was so much rage, pain, and sadness in that scream that he almost felt pity.
He still thought about the fight, how the daughter fought haughtily at first, only to be reduced to pure despair and crystals. The witch they saw in the hallway didn't seem to have noticed her sister's death. But her mother had, and now she's furious.
They both froze. Ethan grabbed him by the shoulder in case they needed to get out quickly. Seconds passed. An overwhelming silence weighed on their ears, but nothing else happened. Somehow, that made him more hysterical.
They passed through the hallway with leaden steps and found a map of the floor. Ethan searched the drawers, finding vials of medicine and ammo for his weapons. Sora wasn't thrilled about the firearm thing, but he wasn't going to complain if they kept the blonde safe.
They found a large puzzle in one of the open rooms. He almost threw up when the nauseating stench hit his nose. There was something like an indoor pool in the middle of the room, but its contents disturbed him. It was blood—red and pure.
It took them a while to solve it. The positions of the statues confused them, and they'd only solved it by pure luck. But at last, it was finished.
The tub drained, revealing a staircase that led to another basement. A shiver ran down his back. He shuddered at the thought of setting foot in those dungeons again. Then again, he'd rather be down there than up here, too close to the Lady of the Palace.
When they descended, however, they found the place awash with gallons and gallons of blood. The acid in his stomach finally escaped as he threw up in a corner. He didn't even know what he threw up; there was nothing in his stomach. Ethan crouched down next to him and stroked his back, waiting patiently for him to finish.
The worst part was that they had to walk through it. The space was too small to fly or do any acrobatics. He had to walk through the thick red liquid reaching his knees, making his clothes to stick uncomfortably and disgustingly. Not to mention the zombies hiding underneath, ready to jump out and scare him at any moment.
At the end of this horrible place, they found an elevator that took them to the castle's balconies. The view from the top was breathtaking. Snow covered the roofs and the surrounding area, blanketing everything in white. It looked like a magazine cover.
Ethan called out. There was a balcony overlooking an ornate doorway that was quite possibly connected to one of the women's chambers. He's not thrilled with the idea but still jumped across while Ethan walked along boards that almost came loose under his weight, but still made it to the other side.
His ears picked up a strange buzzing sound. It wasn't the sound of flies. It couldn't be out here, so close to the cold. It was more like his Gummiphone. What'd Jimminy called it again...? Ringtone! That's it. A ringtone sounded from somewhere nearby.
He was about to check when he felt a tug on his shoulder, forcing him to duck. His mouth opened to utter a complaint when Ethan signaled for silence and pointed to the window. Sora's eyes widened as he saw the tall, imposing figure of the maid—whose name he had yet to learn, he was running out of synonyms—cross the ostentatious room.
She grabbed the old-fashioned phone, took a puff from what he guessed was a big pipe and sat down at the vanity, answering the call with a harrowed, angry look on her face.
"Mother Miranda," she began, putting on some lipstick to hide her bad mood. "I regret to inform you that Ethan Winters has escaped that fool Heinsenbergh."
Ethan tensed beside him. The blond hadn't told him what happened after he pushed him down the hole, only that he was lucky to have escaped alive.
The room fell silent. He could only imagine what Miranda was telling her.
From the look on her face, it wasn't good at all.
"Because he's in my castle, along with that outsider boy, and they've both proven to be too much for my daughters to handle!" She slammed the lipstick down on the table. "When I find them—"
The furious ramble was interrupted by Miranda herself. Her face went from cold, unquenchable anger to unmistakable frustration.
"No, Mother Miranda," she replied with forced calm. "Yes, of course I understand the importance of the ceremony."
Even without gloves, Sora could tell that her fingers were white from the pressure she was putting on the phone. He's surprised she hadn't broken it yet. He's still confused, though. What ceremony was she talking about? And why was Ethan involved? Judging by the look on his friend's face, he doesn't know either.
"What about the boy? What part does he play in all this?" There's silence again. He leans closer to the wall, wishing he could hear what she's saying. "Very well. I won't let you down."
She hangs up the phone hard and takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself after whatever Miranda said.
The calm didn't last long, though, as she grabbed the vanity and threw it across the room with ease, startling both men.
"To hell with the ceremony!" she snap furiously. "That man and his brood will pay for what they've done!"
With heavy steps, she approached the door, slammed it open, and ducked through it, out of his sight. The silence that followed was tense. His fingers gripped the edge of the window tightly. A few minutes ago, he had taken for granted that she would try to do something to them for killing his daughter. But now she was going against orders from above. She was serious.
He understood her, though; he himself fell into a frenzy when Kairi vanished in front of his eyes, and he would undoubtedly do the same for any of his friends. But these people are dangerous, not just to him and Ethan, but to other people as well, and they must be stopped—no different than the threats he has stopped before.
Maybe they'll meet in the after life as well.
He sensed movement on the periphery. Ethan had gotten up and was heading for the door. He still didn't know what the adult was hoping to accomplish, but he got up and did the same, walking into the small room and exploring a bit while Ethan examined something he couldn't quite manage to detail.
The room was just as elegant as the rest of the place with its gilded details and beautiful furniture. The only exception was the obvious outburst that sent the poor vanity flying.
He noticed other things: the large closet; the huge mannequin, which he mistook for the woman, almost gaving him a heart attack; and an open notebook. Now, he respects others privacy, but it was about the meeting they had this morning and how it ended, and he quotes, "in an electrifyingly unsuccessful manner because a child summoned a lightning bolt."
Had it really only been a few hours? It felt like days ago.
Also, while fipping through the pages, he found the woman's name: Dimitrescu. Well, it's better than calling her "Lady" anymore.
There was also a key hanging on the wall. He was about to grab it when he noticed that Ethan hadn't moved from his spot, staring at something. He was about to ask him if he had found something when he saw it: An empty crib.
They were silent for a few seconds.
"She's not here..." he moaned, heartbroken.
The realization hit Sora like a truck: Ethan's daughter was a baby. A baby. Not a girl or a teenager like him, but a helpless baby, no wonder he was so desperate. And of course they were searching here of all places. It would be obvious that they had her in the main rooms. The crib itself gave away her previous presence. But little did something like that matter if the person they were looking for was not here.
Ethan clenched his fists so tightly that the veins began to show—and, for some reason, they were a little dark?—He looked away from the cradle and turned his attention to Sora. In response, he gives her a smile.
"We'll find her, I promise."
The brunet sees the tension slip away for a moment. Ethan takes a deep breath.
"You're right," he nods, not completely relaxed, but he has managed to regain his composure. He drops his hands and shakes them, trying to look natural and nonchalant. "We need to keep looking.”
With the blonde's mind made up, Sora jumped up to tackle the large key. Ethan eyed it curiously. "I've seen this same symbol on several doors. I think this is the key."
"Like a master key?" Sora nods assertively.
"Something like that, yeah." He hesitated for a moment, assuming was dangerous in a precarious situation like this. But he was always good at getting out of this kind of situations, so he stayed calm. "But even if it's not, I have a real master key here." Proudly, he made the Kingdom Key appear. Ethan just blinks.
"That serves as a key?" Sora gives him an expressionless look.
"It's a Keyblade. What part of that didn't you understand?"
"You call it a blade! You made it sound like a sword or something"
"I didn't made it sound like, it IS a sword"
"More in my favor. Something as big as..." he makes an exaggerated gesture toward the weapon. "that won't fit in a lock
"It doesn't have to fit in the lock. It's magic."
Ethan sighed and grabbed the small key, unwilling to give the matter any more thought as he unlocked the door.
Sora wanted to claim the obvious avoidance of the subject when suddenly said door opened without any one having touched it
“There you are!”
Sora's blood froze. The hunched but imposing figure of Lady Dimitrescu entered using the door frame for support as she hovered over them, drawing a curse from Ethan. The woman glares at them with cold yellow eyes, emanating a dangerous aura
“All this trouble...” she began as she straightened up completely “...for a child who isn't even here!”
She... not here?
Ethan, just as bewildered as Sora, let out a growl “The hell you're talking—!”
But his words were cut off as Dimitrescu shot out her hand and clamped it tightly around his throat tightly.
“Ethan!”
“Stay out of this!”
The blond's body was used to send him flying out the window. The glass shatter followed by several punctures piercing through his clothes and digging into his skin, rolling on the cold floor of the balcony with the balustrades as his only restraint
A thud come, then a scream. Sora can barely get up, Dimitrescu had caught him off guard, but he manages to crawl to the window and leans on the edge, there he realizes that it is the woman herself who screams, being on her knees
“You come into MY house!” she yells, whipping Ethan's body against the plush golden carpet “You lay your filthy man-hands on MY daughter!” another blow. Sora swears she heard something shatter above the adult's muffled moans. “And now, you even try to steal MY property? How dare you!”
She didn't lift him again at the third blow. Instead, she kept pressing until he fell all the way through the floor. The man's screams faded as he fell deeper and deeper.
"NO!"
His body moved before his mind could react. One second he was outside, and the next, he had his sword in hand, brandishing it at the large woman.
But she saw him coming and raised one of her arms, slapping his body and sending him into the wall. The glass in his back buried itself deeper.
"Enough games!"
He groaned and looked up, still ready to fight, when Dimitrescu flicks her wrist and pulls. Damn. Long. Claws.
His eyes widen as the incident in the warehouse flashes in his head.
The marks on the wall...those were...
They unfurled from the five nails as if they were an extension of her skin. They turned from mere dead cells into dark, cold steel—like well-polished, curved daggers that could cut you just by looking at them too long.
And they were about to do it for real if he didn't move, ¡fast!
Dimitrescu lowered her hand toward him, the blades cutting through the air with force, but he blocked the attack, pushing down on the sword blade and slowly starting to get up. When he was sure there was enough space between the claws and the floor, he deflected them to the side and rolled in the opposite direction, toward the window.
Sora propelled himself through the window, over the balcony, and into the void. The wind hit his face hard until he turned around, landing on his back, and used the chain extending from his keychain to anchor himself to one of the columns.
Once anchored, he swings to the nearest window, one with bars, so he couldn't get through it, but far from the lady and her blades.
"Rest while you can!" he hears her shout from above. "Because I will hunt you down, and I will destroy you!"
Sora hears nothing after that, which could mean that the large woman has left, or that the wind is blowing hard. Either way, he is safe. Hanging from the chain outside the castle with glass shards in his back, but safe. He looked around and found a window a few meters away that was not barred, and he swung himself toward it, opening it carefully and entering what appeared to be one of the many corridors in the castle.
He slides to the floor and exhales, leaning his neck against the wall. This was the third time they had been separated in this castle and, to be honest, he was getting tired of the same trick. The next time he finds Ethan–…
Ethan
He opens his eyes, which he doesn't remember closing, with alarm. Ethan had fallen, pushed, across the stone floor, and Dimitrescu has already made clear her intention to chase them down and turn them into mincemeat, against the wishes of their leader.
His muscles protest as he begins to move, but he manages to get up and start walking. He doesn't know which hallway he's in; Ethan had the map, but he can find his way back to the statue room and run up the stairs, thanking Kingdom Hearts for not encountering the sister again on his way to the kitchen.
"He must be alive. He's strong, he has supernatural endurance." He repeated to himself, trying to calm his nerves.
He had already gone out into the courtyard, running toward the only other open door, thinking about how he would get past Dimitrescu, hoping that the big lady had left the large hole through which he had fallen unguarded, when he heard something mechanical behind him.
He turned, still with his hand on the door handle, and saw the ground in the center of the garden open up, revealing a black metal pavilion with a strange marble statue.
And in the center was the blond man.
He exhaled, a deep sense of relief washing over him. "Ethan...!"
He hurried down the stairs, a million questions racing through his mind and silently grateful for the blond''s great resilience, when he stopped dead in his tracks.
Ethan was on his knees, his face stained with dried blood, staring hopelessly at his right arm, which was missing a hand.
His stomach clenched tightly, nausea threatening with acidic bile, which seemed to be all that was left inside him. Blood soaked his sleeve, sliding down to stain the cold, white tiles.
"What...?" he croaked in a mixture of disbelief and horror, unable to look away "How did this happen...?"
His feet moved on their own, circling the pavilion until he was standing in front of it, his mind still trying to understand when and how this had happened.
With disgust, he examined the cut. It was too clean, too perfect. This wasn't done by a simple zombie, but who...?
The image of long, cold claws came to his mind.
Dimitrescu. Somehow, she got to Ethan before he did. It was the only explanation he could imagine, and yet the thought that she had beaten him in finding him and doing such harm sent a spike of guilt into his heart. He had wasted time. He hadn't been fast enough. Healing spells or potions couldn't fix this, even with the advanced magic he had learned in the world of Cloud. It required a great deal of magical and mental skill, two things Sora don't have at this moment.
While his thoughts wandered, he didn't notice that Ethan had taken out a bottle of antiseptic. They had found these small bottles of medicine all over the castle, even the Duke sold some, and Ethan used them much more regularly than potions or healing spells, always with the excuse of "not wasting resources."
The sound of liquid and a hiss brought him back to reality, watching as the adult emptied the entire bottle onto the severed limb until there was not a drop left, the bottle falling from his trembling hands— er, hand
He doesn't understand. Did Ethan expect it to work like the potion and close the wound? No, even he should know that normal human medicine wouldn't have the same effect as something magical. Besides, he doesn't think it's a good idea to wield weapons with only one hand and a stump.
Sora could only stand there, not knowing what to do in this situation. Should he try to heal him? No, you just thought that, Sora. It won't work. Maybe put some gauze on him? Would he have enough for something like that? No, no, the ones he had were just in case his own bandages got damaged, they wouldn't be enough to cover all that.
Then there's only one option left, Duke. He could carry the blond's body without any problems, but getting past the witch would be a different matter—
Ethan pulled his severed hand out of his jacket, and Sora's brain almost short-circuited.
Had he carried that all the way here!? How the hell had he managed to catch it?
Ignoring his bewilderment, Ethan pressed his lifeless hand against the stump while suppressing a groan of pain. What was he trying to...?
No...
He can't be serious!
“Ethan, I don't think…” The words died on his lips; the mere thought was impossible.
What is he thinking? Yes, he put the medicine on, but it's just that, medicine! He'd be the first to admit he's not what you'd call smart, but even he knows that reattaching an amputated hand with alcohol it's imposible! It's not fucking glue, for God's sake!
But there he was, watching open-mouthed as someone flouted the laws of biology with chemical fluids and sheer willpower.
Ethan stopped pressing and slowly released her wrist. There was a moment of uncertainty, sure that the piece of flesh would fall comically to the floor in a grotesque caricature-like reflex.
He waited
And waited
And waited
And suddenly—
The fingers tensed
What?
What just... ?
There was a spasm and a grimace of pain. A deep daze almost prevented him from processing what he had just seen.
The previously mutilated hand closed into a fist, slowly and carefully, making sure that each joint moved as naturally as it had before.
It's not possible...
He felt his throat close up, his eyes wide, a chill run down his spine, but he didn't know if it was from the cold or from what he had just seen.
"Good." Ethan let his arms fall to his lap.
"Good"? Is that all he's going to say?
"Good"?
"Good"!?
WHAT PART OF THIS IS GOOD!?
His... hand...!
It's not possible, this isn't... it can't be...!
"Ethan" despite his inner turmoil, his voice came out calm, a little muffled but steady.
The man shuddered as if he had been hit, just as badly as hims, if not worse.
He had underestimated his accelerated healing. No. Underestimated is not the word. He was completely and utterly wrong. Such a miraculous level of regeneration shouldn't exist, even with magic. It just didn't work that way for humans.
But he...
"You're not human."
It wasn't a question, it was a statement, an undeniable fact that he had come to terms with before.
And that was okay. Because even though he has more questions than answers, even though this opens a can of worms he's not sure he's ready to face, unlike the other non-human creatures they've encountered, Ethan isn't a murderous monster, just a father who wants to find his daughter. He's not human, but he has humanity.
He has a heart.
But Ethan, just as when he tried to heal his hands, thought the opposite.
"I'm normal."
Sora didn't look at him with pity, nor did he try to argue. Instead, he called Kingdom Key to his hand and pointed it at him. He closes his eyes, needing concentration for this, otherwise he'll ended up using all his energy, and the last thing he wants is to faint right there.
Ethan says something, but the words feel distant as he takes a deep breath. He opens his eyes and raises the sword.
"Curaza!"
A powerful green glow surrounds the blond, the tension visibly leaving his shoulders. Meanwhile, he feels his legs weak, so much so that he falls to his knees.
He feels two arms catch him, Ethan holds him steady.
"Why...?" The chestnut shakes his head.
"I don't know the extent of your powers, but if your body did the worst part, my magic can take care of the rest." The adult looks at him as if he had grown a second head. "That way... you can store energy."
Ethan shakes his head, still trying to process everything, which Sora takes advantage of to examine him. The powerful spell he cast healed him completely, but his face was still gaunt, his eyes sunken and cloudy. Judging by his expression, he must be drowning in conflicting thoughts about recent events.
He grimaces. He looks as if he's about to fall into a spiral even more intense than the one he avoided just a moment ago. There has to be a way to get him out of his mind...
A small smile appears on his face. "So... about the magic key."
The blond sighs in exasperation.