An Inkwell's Stain //BATDR Fanfiction\\ [Male Reader]

Chapter Eleven: Guilt and Epiphanies

'Where are you?~' the Lost One cooed from the other room, stalking slowly. It was as if this was a game to him, that this was the only fun he'll ever have. This is it, isn't it? This is how I die.

Adrenaline from fear burst through you, kicking away your upset to make room for determination. No. You heaved with all of your might, and the GENT Pipe came loose. You fell to the ground with a thud. Maniacal laughter filled the room and the Lost One entered and charged at you, flailing his bat left and right. You rolled underneath him and hit him on his back, making him falter and drop to the ground.

'Leave me alone!' you yelled out, stabbing the Gent Pipe into the Lost One's skull. No noise except the squelch of ink sounded through the air. Everything went quiet as you realised what you had done. Oh no. 'No... no, no, no!' Oh god, what have I done? You heaved the gent Pipe out of his cranium and threw it across the room in desperation. I killed him, I'm... You turned him over, looking into his no-longer glowing eyes.

Inky tears fell from your face in astonishment at what you had done. 'I... I didn't mean to! I really... he attacked me first!' You tried your hardest to come up with some lame excuse to make yourself feel better. But an epiphany struck you. Down here, excuses won't cut it.

"Don't be afraid of who you are. Fear only what you may become, and banish it away."

You slowed your breathing, thinking about the first note you had found. 'It was necessary. It was necessary.' Alice's voice came into your mind. "Down here, things are going to try and hurt you, and kindness just won't cut it. Be kind to yourself, knowing you did all you could to co-operate.'

'I'm sorry...' you murmured under your breath, looking at the inky body with dismay. You noticed a battery in the Lost One's left hand, and you had a thought. 'No. No, that was his. Have some respect.' You got up and walked over to your new weapon. I wonder why Alice wanted me to get this instead of a sharp weapon...

You turned back around to the table, seeing many useful things you could take instead of looting the body. Battery casings, toolkits, Gent parts and a single battery. Perfect. You noticed some messy scrawl left on the table, which made you freeze and your eyes dry. "The Dark Puddles are Calling", was written desperately, making you flinch. Alice had said that the Dark Puddles is where souls go to be reincarnated, or get stuck in between. So, you wondered if they meant death was calling you. Calling you.

Relax, you told yourself, grasping hold of your weapon. You can defend yourself now. 'Now for that annoying lock...' you reminded yourself. Walking back from where you came, you headed back to the Atrium.

A threatening and vicious roar sounded out, making you automatically swing your weapon in front of you. Out of pure luck, you hit the Lost One who was charging at you dead in the face. They groaned at the sudden hit, then looked at you with malicious intent. Here goes nothin'.

He charged and swung at you, but being as small as you were he missed when you dodged slightly to the left. You swung at his legs, making him trip with his knees buckled. On the ground, you swung straight down on his head, making a cracking noise as ink squirted out. Another Lost One seemed to have heard this, and you could hear the fastening footsteps. You hid behind the corner and waited to ambush them.

'J...Jack?' you heard a woman's voice stutter, making you hesitate. 'Whoever did this to you...' she sounded much angrier than the others. You jumped out and swung at her stomach, making her cry out.

'This is your only chance, lady,' you said as threatening as you could, to make up for your size. 'Give up now, or I have to kill you.' She didn't seem to be listening. She shrieked in rage as she knocked you off of her. And then she belted at you, drawing out a plunger. An interesting weapon to bring in a fight... you thought.

You ducked, but she brought the plunger down and hit your shoulder. You grimaced at the pain of the wood hitting your ink-infested bones. Ink seeped down your shoulder, but you didn't give her opportunity to strike again, you hit her with your fist under her chin, making her face stick up as she groaned. You took the chance and swung your Gent Pipe up, snapping her neck backwards as she cried out.

'I gave you your chance, I'm sorry,' you said aloud, bringing her to a more comfortable laying position. Her mouth with dripping and oozing, making you shudder. I'm a monster...

You knelt down and placed your left hand on her chest, closing your eyes in a moment of silence. A strange feeling came through your hand, as if sucking up the poor Lost One's soul. You gasped as you saw your hand doing just that. You pulled your hand away and held it in dismay. What is happening to me?

You felt yourself lighten, your wounds no longer hurting. What did I just do? The body of the female Lost One started to dissolve, falling into a shapeless mess of ink. Oh god...

'I- I'm sorry, I didn't know I'd-' you felt a wave of relief suddenly hit, something telling you everything would be alright. '...I...' you sighed, giving in to the relief. It was a rare feeling to feel here. 'No way to go but forward...' You said to yourself, getting up. You felt lighter and more determined. You certainly hadn't absorbed the soul; you couldn't feel it with you. So where did it go? You thought about this as you walked down to the locked door.

It struck you like a ton of bricks. You led her soul out of here. Out of the studio. You freed her. '...I... freed her...?' You stopped in your tracks at the locked door, thinking about this. How did I even get this ability?

For being a kind soul, down here with a bunch of sinners. These unfortunate souls need an angel, as they already have their demons.