Star Beings: Dawn

Restoration part two

TW for minor Gore

I tossed and turned all night. I don't think I slept at all.
We left the hotel at five AM.
The drive to the palace was eerily quiet. It felt like we were going to a funeral... or an execution.
The car slows as we pull up in front of the doors.
"Are you ready, Ani?"
No.
"Yes."
With that, the three of us climb out of the car. Elian reaches the doors first, grabbing onto the handles.
"Three..."
I glance at DJ. Her green eye glows in the dim morning light. She's nervous. The air around her buzzes with static electricity, like lightning is about to strike anyone who dares to get close.
"Two..."
I study the palace walls. They're solid stone, with cracks running up and down, showing its true age. This place, if not the fortress in front of me then the ground it sits on, is old as time. My family has lived here since we began our rule. And it will still be here when the last of the Timors die.
Timor.
That's my last name, isn't it? So why does it seem so... different here? It's no longer a last name, but an expectation that I must live up to. One that has loomed over me since I first opened my eyes. And, when I look at Elian, I realize it was the same for him. We come from the same family, the same stress, the same want for perfection. But while he ran from "perfection", I think I leaned into it. Became obsessed with it. And then, I lost myself. I lost my memories. I lost everything.
And yet, here it all is again, just behind these ancient doors.
"One."

Elian swings the doors open and I... I flinch. I wait for the pain the memories bring. But it never comes.
In fact, nothing happens.
"Ani?" "No... No, that's not how that was supposed to work!" "Maybe if we go inside, it'll help."
I nod silently and follow Elian inside.
DJ follows behind. I feel her eyes staring a hole in the back of my head. She's ready to punce if I make one wrong move.
And even though I don't have my memories back yet, I know I shouldn't blame her.
The entrance hallway opens up into a garden overlooking the sea.
The stones are covered with blood that dried long ago.
The first memory comes back.

She is screaming, howling in rage and grief. Both of her eyes glow green. I remember when they were both brown. That strangely beautiful brown that turned amber when the light hit it just right. I hate that brown now. I hate DJ now.
I grin and toss the gun aside.
"How does it feel, Delilah? How does losing someone you love oh so dearly feel? Does it hurt? Don't you want to curl up in a ball and wait for death to take you too? HOW DOES IT FEEL TO FEEL WHAT I FELT ALL THOSE YEARS AGO!!!"
I'm screaming now.
Suddenly, DJ stands.
Something's off. Tears roll down her cheeks, but her face is expressionless.
I watch as Iron rips itself from the ground, tearing away from where it has sat for thousands of years. It curls into cold and cruel claws around DJ's fingers.
She slashes across the nearest soldier's throat.
Then the next.
And the next.
At some point, Lane takes her first breath of new life. Natalie helps her up and the two retreat silently. I watch as the pink haired bitch stares at her girlfriend in horror. I felt so jealous of her for so long. Why? No, I knew why.
I knew all too well.
Eventually, my army is gone, and all that remains is DJ and I.
She walks towards me, wraps her hand around her neck, and I feel fear for the first time in a long time.
Then, she digs her claws into my eye, ripping it from the socket and leaving deep wounds behind.
I scream like I never have before. The pain rips through me, and it is real. Some part of me relishes in it, maybe because it makes me feel alive.
DJ throws me down.
I snap back to reality.

I turn and stare at Delilah J. Murphy in absolute terror.
"Ani?"
"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!!!" I scream, taking off.
I yank open the door to the first room I come across.
Another memory washes over me.

I'm sitting in a lounge chair across from Elian. He looks horrible, his hair having not been brushed in weeks and his scruffy facial hair looking worse than ever. But worst of all, he looks tired.
"I know what your father told you. That she was fierce. Aggressive. Ruthless?" I nod, watching Elian's every move.
"Adira was none of those things. The only times she got aggressive was if she was losing at cards," Elian silently motions to the playing cards on the table. They haven't been touched in years. "Or if you were in danger. She loved you fiercely."
He gets out of his chair, his footsteps echoing through the room as he walks towards the window.
"She was like that with anyone she considered family. I was lucky enough to be one of those people."
Traitor.
" You betrayed her trust! You killed her!" I snarl
Elian turns to me, furious, and starts yelling. But I stop listening.
I stand and walk towards him, reaching for my dagger.
"Shut up."
Elian yells something else.
"Shut up!"
"Eligio was the one to kill Adira. Eligio was the one to push you to the limit. Eligio was the one to make a child..." His voice breaks, "his child into a monster. I think you know who your mother really was. She was a rebel, just like-"
"SHUT UP!!!"
The dagger sinks into his gut.
My uncle makes a choked noise of surprise before collapsing.
I stare at the dagger, my mother's dagger, covered in Elian's blood. I want to throw up, or scream, or show some sort of emotion that isn't anger. But I can't. I won't.
"Hera..."
I scream.