Bereft: Demise

19 | Of Monsters Worth Pity

Darius took hold of my arm in a bruising grip. He stepped through the Realm without warning, throwing us through the cloying brume. Pain ignited in my lungs as I inhaled a mouthful of the black, smoldering ash. It only lasted a moment, then Darius dragged us both from the Realm and into a vacant hallway.

The Sin grunted and stumbled as he released my arm. The toll of going through the Realm with me in tow, even for such a short jump, was visible. He clutched his chest and leaned against the nearest wall, his fingers digging into his flesh until red spots blossomed on his t-shirt's front.

"Darius," I said as tried to pull his hand away. The Sin's features were sharpening, his bared teeth elongating, his eyes blackening. His bones cracked as his frame gained several inches of height. The shadows writhed between the illuminated sconces interspersed along the hall. "Darius, stop!" 

The creature moved. My back was slammed into the wall as Darius's fingers wrapped themselves around my throat. He leaned into me, his mouth hovering at my ear so I could feel the heat of his breath hit my skin and hear the click of his sharp teeth coming together. 

"Why—!" he demanded as his nail lengthened and began to needle my skin. I stood on the tip of my toes in an attempt to mitigate his strangling grasp. I swallowed, though it was difficult with his hand in the way. "Must you try my patience?!"

"Get off of me," I demanded, refusing to struggle. Struggling would be useless. I could not match the Sin's strength. "I swear to God, Darius, if you don't get off me—!"

"Swear, then!" A terrible power resonated in his voice. It lashed out, striking my flesh with the force of a snapped whip. The shiplap paneling beneath my shoulders groaned and cracked as huge fissures were split open. The sconces dimmed, gas sputtering. "Weak, foolish mortal girl!"

I slapped him. The sound of my hand striking his face broke the ominous white noise of the Sin's latent power. The action shocked him, as Darius's reptilian eyes widened, and the perpetual mask concealing his emotions slipped. I could tell that beneath his assumed visage he was livid—but also scared. Worried.

"Get off of me," I repeated. Darius let me go, and I slid several inches down the wall.

"Idiot," he hissed—though I honestly didn't know who he was addressing. Darius backed away until he collided with the opposing wall. He seemed to shrink in upon himself as his startling features settled and the lights regained their typical brightness. The prevailing cold broke, leaving a trace of dampness upon the carpet runner. 

The Sin's hand went back to his chest, his fingers caged upon his heart as if trying to alleviate a physical pain. It took a great deal of effort for him to lower his arm if the bulging veins threading his muscles were anything to go by. I noticed a lump under the fabric of his t-shirt, just below his breastbone, as if he was wearing some kind of necklace or medallion.

"What was that place?" I gestured behind myself. "I don't understand what that place was, Darius, or even how I wound up there!" 

The Sin seethed as he sank to his haunches. "I told you he could open gates because of the loa spirit he consumed, just like Balthier. What I should have told you was he keeps his gates open, and that it is forbidden to look upon them."

My mouth popped open. "No!" I exclaimed, more in shock than in rejection. "You mean that archway was—?!"

"Yes, Sara. It was the Vale. I hope you enjoyed your brief glimpse of it. You'll not be seeing it again. I'll be making sure of that." 

The Sin rose to his full, furious height and quailed my curiosity. My temper, however, was far from quailed. It was incited. 

"Oh?" I snapped, both of my hands balanced on my hips. My posture conveyed courage I didn't have. Darius himself often reiterated that there was a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Seeing as my current mood was being fed by confusion and fear, I was fairly certain I was encroaching on stupid territory. "What will you do? Lock me up in this refuge? Or is that prison? Well? Which is it, Darius?!"