Inexorable Quietus

Desperation

A soft mattress hugged Xanthi's body as she lay in the middle of the bed, warm blankets wrapped around her fragile frame. It was like heaven, being in this bed after falling asleep on the cold, hard floor. She thought about what Claud had said in the moments before she drifted, wondering if he will keep his word as she sank deeper into the plush and comfortable bedding.

Wait a second. Why was she in a bed?

Xan's eyes fluttered open as she stretched her arms above her head, eyes darting around the unfamiliar space. The room is decorated in purples, silvers and golds with wooden accents and a polished wooden floor. Val'sharah, right. She's in Night Elven territory. And the Nightmare creeps up around the area, terrorizing the Druids.

A pang of pain swept through her chest, the hole The Nightmare Weaver left was an open wound for a millisecond.

Stop it. Shut up. I don't want to think of him. There's someone else that has a hold of my thoughts, now. The albino.

She let her thoughts drift towards Azeiox, and it sparked up her everlasting curiosity. Who was he? She knew his face from Icecrown, and she used to see him in Murder Row, playing his Cello. He's a mystery she would beg to unlock if she had the guts to.

It took you two months to even glance at Xaedyn, and you're already speaking to Az. That's good, right? Right?

An eerie feeling took over, then she realized that there was someone beside her. Swiftly, Xanthi sat up in her bed, snapping her attention to the silver-haired priestess beside her. Her twin sat drenched in shadows, black silk covering her from head to toe. No skin showed in this outfit, but Xan knew who the woman was just from the way she sat, prim and proper with her head held high.

"What are you doing here?" Xan furrowed her brows as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and as she slid her hand down the front of her body, her fingers caught on an all-too familiar fabric. The ruby collar, with its bell gone. Xanthi panicked. She needed it off of her as soon as possible, and she frantically moved to find the clasp so she could rip it off. Her whole body felt like it froze in time before tumbling back to the days spent with the Priest, his grip haunting her flesh. Imprinted forevermore.

There was no clasp. This wasn't the same collar.

"Calm, darling." Hesitantly, Anne pressed the back of her fingers against her twin's cheek. The darkness from the woman engulfed Tanthielyn, allowing her to rest comfortably in the haze. "And you say you didn't have daddy issues," Anne tsked.

With a blink, head tilt and one ear wilting at the tip, Xanthi stated flatly; "I don't have a Daddy anymore, so of course I don't have any Daddy issues."

Anne didn't mean it that way. The priestess's face flushed with a deep rosy colour and she withdrew her hand from her sibling. What a filthy thing to hear, never mind having the image of Xan calling Xaedyn 'daddy'. Revolting. Simply revolting. All she knew was that her father used to treat her like absolute shit, causing her to go mad.

"I shall take my leave. You should as well, little panther. I can hear your thoughts from down the hall. Azeiox is the better choice. Run along now." Anne smoothed her dress out before waltzing out of the room, leaving Xanthi in her bed with a devious grin plastered on her face.

Reaching over to the side-table, she opened the drawer to stare down at a tome that Ai gave her.

Should I?

Her fingers graced the cover of the book, but she stalled for a moment, then reeled back, placing her hand over her heart, feeling how fast it was beating.

"One,"

Bubum, bubum, bubum,

"Two,"

B-Bubum, bubum, bubum, bubum,

"Three,"

Bubum, bubum, bubum, bubum,

"Four." She took a deep breath in, then exhaled slowly. Her heart still thudded against her rib cage like a crazed animal, ready to leap out of its confines. Squeezing her eyes shut, she decided that searching for him with shadows would be better.

'In the void, I shall find solstice. Shadows, I beckon you to me, I wish to use a fraction of your power to reach out to someone dear. Allow me to communicate with Alzied if it is possible.'

Twisting and churning, a black mass materialized before the assassin before shooting off into different directions in search for a link to the albino. Some wisps went to the tome, while others darted for Dalaran. She hoped that he would be able to feel her prescience through the dark magic. Eyes now open, she stared off into space with a frown.

"I need to see you," she whispered as she dropped her gaze to the fireplace across from her. Huh, when did that get there?