Mirror Worlds

How Could You

Chapter 12

How Could You

~Chroma~

"What did you do to him, you little shit?!" I screamed, slamming Aim against the wall with a force that was just enough to hurt him but not to seriously injure him. I startled Pyro awake from within the cage. He only stared at me, confused.

"I can't believe you're siding with that monster!" He screeched at me.

I pulled him from back off the wall and threw him into the ground. He let out a sharp noise of pain with a shortness of breath. I knocked the air out of him. "Airys is not a monster. Don't you dare let me catch you saying that again."

And I heard him scream. It was Airys. He screamed something out that I couldn't understand. He would only know what he said. He seemed so in pain.

Quickly, I ran down the line of cells to see him. My heart broke. To see him in that cell, chained up like an animal, hurt so much. He was covered in blood. It was definitely his. The shade of it was always one shade too dark to be regular human blood. It always had a purplish tint to it.

"Airys!" I cried out, tears beginning to form in my eyes. How could they do this to him?! He doesn't deserve this. He's so fragile and kind. How could they?! They did this to him just because of what he was? What did they think he was? Why only him?!

Airys was sitting on his knees, crying. He turned his head to look at me, tears still rushing down his face. I felt a twinge of pain in my chest. Oh my god. Oh my goodness. Airys. Oh Airys. This isn't okay. Why did they do this to you? I was crying just as badly as he was now. He saw me, and he looked away just as quickly. He drew himself in and hugged his legs to his chest, his head down on his knees.

"Am I a monster, Chroma?" He sobbed, the agony evident in his voice.

Quickly, I pried open the cell, breaking the lock. I ran up to Airys, ready to embrace him.

And then he shoved me away. I was shocked, but not only that, a little hurt.

"Stay away from me," he sobbed, holding his head in his hands, crying into them. "I'm a monster! And no one, NO ONE, should have to love an abomination like me!"

I reached out to him with my hand to try and comfort him. "Airys-"

"Don't! I don't want to hurt you!" He slapped my hand away and stared at me with tears blurring his eyes. "Just leave me already. I know you want to. I know you really hate me. I know everyone does. I don't want anyone to hate me, but they just do. I wanted someone to love me, but it seems I can't have that. Ever."

"I don't-"

"'Love you, Airys?!' Yeah. I thought so. Why would anyone want to?!"

"No."

"What?!"

"Stop."

"What?!"

"I."

"Now you stop."

"Love."

"Shut up! Stop telling me lies. Stop saying these things!"