Our Darkest Hours

XIII

(This chapter might be pretty gore and has maybe some horror themes! Also there is a scene that might seem a bit weird, but it isn't straight up smut!)

[No one]

Grian stared at the hand Xavier was offering him. Why was he doing that? Did he want him dead..?

"Take my hand, won't you?" Xavier cooed and offered his hand closer. Grian bolted backwards and hit a wall(?) behind him. He had no idea where he was and what was going on. "Xelqua, love, please take my hand," Xavier continued. For a second his tone was the exact same as Grian's mother's. That made him almost fall, but he managed to hold himself back.

"I-I.. Don't.." Grian hesitated. He didn't trust Xavier anymore. (Not like he had a choice anymore. He was bound to trust him, forever)

"Look around Xelqua. What do you see? Does this look like the life you wanted?" Xavier taunted and pointed towards the ground between them. There Grian saw images of his siblings' deaths flash one by one like some sort of photo album.

"N-no.. B-but.." Grian sobbed. When had he started crying? Since when had his eyes been watery?

"Exactly! You don't deserve a life like this! You deserve something way more better!" Xavier's red eyes flashed with something dangerous. Now Grian knew exactly why the Fallens were dangerous and why the deals were extremely illegal.

'The Fallens are Watchers who fall because they are too powerful to live. They are evil beings who should never be trusted. They are power-hungry and will never be satisfied. Deals with them are forbidden because they are so dangerous. The Fallen will only use their masters and escaping from the curse is impossible. Once you make a deal, you are doomed to fall. Fallens should always be taken seriously because they are never just fooling around. They will use your darkest hours for their own advance. They don't give a fuck about you.'

     Grian swallowed his sobs as the darkness grew colder. Was this his end? He still remembered his sibling's warnings. Her voice rang through his head once more. He knew he wouldn't hear that voice ever again - even if he survived, because her vocal cords had gotten destroyed.

"Just take my hand, Xelqua! It won't hurt anymore! You know, the pain is only temporary!" The voice of his own Fallen rang through his head. Now it sounded too familiar - because it wasn't Xavier's anymore. The voice that rang through his head, was his own.

His heart began beating faster. How could he ask Xavier to stop, if he couldn't tell them apart anymore? He couldn't recognize his own voice, he didn't know who he was. He didn't know if he was Grian, Xelqua, Xavier or Xelvier. He was lost inside a huge maze of endless turns and stops. He didn't know where to run and when to stop. Was there even a way out?

His breathing grew faster. He saw his reflection. It looked unfamiliar. He didn't know who he was looking at. He didn't know if it was him or someone or something else. He didn't recognize the face, the body, the eyes, anything.

His ears began ringing. At least it covered up the screams of the dead souls that were stuck in the maze forever. Now he didn't have to hear the sound, he'd be joining soon, anymore. Soon he would be one of the dead souls, screaming for help that couldn't be granted. Screaming forever with no one to hear his pleads.

His body began numbing. His legs didn't carry him any longer. He couldn't ran away from the army of black, ownerless hands that were grabbing towards him. He could only lay there and feel them wander over his body, yanking it deeper and deeper into the ground. At least the screams were now gone.