Guardians

Chapter 14

There they were; Cat, Sebastian, and Arsheena back within the royal palace of Hell once more. They were all aware of the task on hand. The room was no longer lit by bright orange torches. Instead, it was now lit with a creepy purple fire. It hardly gave off enough light to illuminate the room. Their footsteps echoed through the silent halls as they walked along. Cat was in front of her siblings, still carrying Michael's dead body. She was exhausted, and she felt as if she would black out any moment. But she pushed herself forward as usual. She didn't care if ending this conflict killed her. I will avenge you. I swear it on my life.

"Welcome back, Miss Dawkins!" A maid greeted her as they passed by one of the main dining halls. "Cat, where are we going exactly?" Arsheena asked. "We're going to my bedroom. I have something there that I must get." Cat replied. She approached a staircase that led to the upper level of the castle. She quickly ran up them, and at the top her legs finally gave out. She stumbled forward and dropped Michael's body on the carpet below. She struggled on the ground, trying to stand up. But nothing happened. She bit her lip in frustration. Damn it. You did it again, Cat. Pushing yourself to the absolute limit. Arsheena and Sebastian came running up the stairs after her. "Cat, are you alright?! What did I tell you about doing irrational things like pushing yourself like this?" Arsheena said to Cat. Cat let out a feeble laugh. "Heh...I was the one who told you that, dumbass." She chuckled. Sebastian picked up Cat. "You take Michael's body to the gardens. I'll bring Cat to her room to rest." He said. Arsheena nodded, picked up the body, and walked down the stairs. Sebastian walked down the hall until he reached a wooden door decorated with crystal hearts. He turned the handle and walked into the room. There was a large bed near the middle of the room,pushed against the wall.The bed had a canapy,its drapes black and red.The blankets looked soft as silk,the fabric was a beautiful lavender color. The walls were painted red with a line of black along the top and along the bottom.The floor was covered in beige colored carpet. Sebastian set Cat onto the bed and pulled a blanket over her. He took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Get some rest, sis. You really need it." He said, putting his hand on her forehead. She's burning up...She must have a fever. Cat managed to move her arm and place her hand on Sebastian's. "D-Don't sorry about me, Sebby. I'll be f-fine...I promise." She said weakly. Sebastian smiled a little. "If you say so. I'm gonna go check on Arsheena and make sure she isn't getting into trouble. You sleep well. Fell better." He said. He stood up and made his way out of the room, closing the door as quietly as possible. Cat layed there for a few minutes. Despite being deprived of energy, she couldn't seem to fall asleep. Memories were buzzing like bees inside her head. "This night has been really fun with you..." The night of the prom. When all this drama started. Haruka stabbed me in the chest. Damn Yandere. Thank God I don't have to deal with you anymore. Cat reached towards the dresser beside her bed. She grabbed a picture that was sitting on top of the dresser. She held it close to her face so she could see it clearly through her now blurring vision. Endy, Cassie, Michael, and Cat were all in the picture. It was in a clearing in the woods. "I remember that. Hehe. Michael, Cassie, and I all had a little dual. Silly Michael, thinking I was just some cute neko." Cat said to herself with a smile. Looking at the photo helped to ease her nerves and her tension. She set the picture on my chest, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, falling into a deep sleep...

"Is everything okay, Arsheena?" Sebastian asked with concern. Sebastian had found Arsheena at the top of one of the staircases outside, sitting on the top step. She was gazing into the distance, sadness in her crystal blue eyes. "I was just thinking about what happened before.With Lucifer and Endy...This is all Lancer's fault." She answered. "You know that's not true. General Brock was the one that killed them both. Yeah, Lancer have been associated with it, but he's not the one with innocent blood on his hands." Sebastian said. Arsheena sighed. "That may be true. But Lancer is responsible for the downfall of Hell. He's responsible for multiple deaths. Endy and Lucifer would be back by now if it weren't for his new rule. Cat wouldn't be consumed by grief. And mom and dad would still be alive. I was always curious why they didn't come back after they died. Now I know. I want revenge, Sebastian!" Arsheena yelled, standing up. "I want revenge for the death of our parents! The death of our siblings! The death of my friends! I won't stop until I have vengeance. And if you won't join me, I'm going alone." She said. She began to walk down the stairs. "W-Wait!" Sebastian called out. He grabbed Arsheena's arm. "I'm going with you. There's no way I can just let you do this alone." He said fearlessly. Arsheena grinned. "If you insist! We'll be fighting together. To put an end to all of this." She said. She walked down the stairs with Sebastian and together they made their streets through the town outside the castle walls. They were heading in the direction of King Lucifer's castle. To the clearing in which Endy and Lucifer met their fate.

The sound of rushing water and the faint scent of blood carried in the breeze. The air here was cooler than the air near the royal castle. The sight of trees and plant growth was appealing compared to the sight of buildings and dead grass. Arsheena crossed the small cobblestone bridge that went over the stream, followed by her brother. Pebbles crunched beneath their feet. Leaves rustled around them There was no trace of the violence that had occurred only a few hours prior. Only memories and the small trace of blood on the already crimson ground showed any sign of death. Arsheena glimpsed around, scanning the undergrowth for any movement. "Think Lancer or General Brock would sneak up on us?" Sebastian asked. Arsheena shrugged her shoulders. "Most likely. Them being the betraying assholes that they are, it's certainly probable." Arsheena replied. She turned to face Sebastian. "Whatever may happen...Don't give up, alright? I can't just leave our loved ones knowing we didn't fight to our fullest extent. For once I'm actually taking Cat's advice...If you truly set your mind to something, you can achieve it. Even if you die, if you die trying, consider it as a self victory. An award for effort. So for Cat, for our family, for our friends...Don't give up. Give it your all." Arsheena said. Sebastian hugged her tightly. "I'll try my best, sis." He said to her. "Ha! What a motivational and touching speech! Too bad it's not going to last you two very long." Lancer's voice could be heard from the direction of the bridge. Arsheena and Sebastian turned their heads in unison to look at him. He wore a cloak and held a large waraxe with a red handle and the head of the ax was silver with tints of black. He's wearing his cloak. A demon in black. "So this is it. The final battle is approaching." Arsheena said aloud. "Unfortunately so." Lancer said with a smirk. Arsheena pulled out her dagger, bracing herself. Sebastian transformed into his wolf form. His fur coat with chocolate brown, just like his hair. Along with eyes as blue as sapphires. Arsheena hopped onto his back. "Don't let him intimidate you. Just focus on avoiding his attacks and striking when the opportunity arises." She whispered into his wolf ear. Sebastian twitched his ears as a signal that he understood her plan. He narrowed his eyes at Lancer and got into a stance, ready to charge. "Let's go Sebastian!" Arsheena shouted. Sebastian let out a howl and ran right towards Lancer. He knew that even if he died, even if the possibility of them winning was near impossible, he didn't hesitate to run. For vengeance! For glory! For freedom! We shall defeat you!