#rubendalgaard

It had been a rather trying day. One that had been filled with the news of the deaths of two people that he would rather forget; two that had been plaguing his mind ever since he had watched their bodies burn before his very eyes. Two that he had sworn vengeance for; two that he would remake the world for, despite their departure from the world. Glass shattering at his hand as his fingers connected with a series of bottles that stood at the bar, a growl escaped his lips at the thought of his gross miscalculation at sending them out into the war. He had trusted that they would triumph at everything; that they would be able to withstand all. But it looked like that there had been a chink in his plans, one that had allowed an oversight and meant their deaths. He would not make this mistake ever again.

Picking up one of the last remaining bottles upon the table, Dante crushed the neck of the bottle with his fingers as he began to pour himself a heavy glass of bourbon, ignoring the blood that had begun to trickle from his skin. It seemed he had been arrogant with his plans; thinking that he had been invincible at all, and not quite remembering that he at best was still mortal, not even a Saint. Placing the glass down with a large thud upon the bar tabletop, a heavy chuckle began to escape his lips at the fallacy of it all; the way he had imagined that he would never fail in such a way like this. And yet despite this all he would not stop. Lesser men would have been defeated by such an act, but not him.

He would finish his plans; reenacting his revenge upon the two bodies that had been laid out for him, the cadence being death to all those who had dared to stand against him. Pouring himself another glass of bourbon at these notions, he took another large drink from it as he disregarded the sounds of someone entering the bar, remarking coldly with an edge to his tone, “The place is closed, if you didn’t already read the sign.” He was in no mood to deal with his lackeys, subordinates or anyone really. But perhaps a knife to their throat would serve as a better way for them to further understand his words. Turning around with a scowl upon his features and a knife between his fingers, he made it evident that he was not seeking company, and less of all from Ruben Dalgaard as he finally realised who it was.

“How much have you had?” He heard the other ask, as he stepped forward, a growl slipping out as his eyes narrowed. “Do I look like I’m in the mood to talk Dalgaard? Get out of here before I truly find out just how many ways I can cut you up until your immortality slips between your fingers.” He snarled out as he let the knife slip through his fingers and land in the wall behind Ruben, slightly clipping him on the ear as it sank into the wallpaper. 

“The next one will descend in your flesh.”

Darius should have known that his repeated lies would catch up to him eventually. For years, he dodged questions and a built a life of manipulation; one that would lead to a throne assembled from the corpses of enemies and friends alike. 

The blood spattered on Darius’ face, however, coupled with the dying gasps of his freshest victim, were details he could not so easily hide from the man who had simply caught his dear friend at a poor time. For a moment, all the two of them could hear were the choking sounds of a soon to be dead man, his coughs sputtering into cold silence.

“…when were you going to tell me?”

The words were quiet, and Darius merely cocked his head to the side, regarding the horrific expression on Ruben’s face with one of curiosity, despite everything. His powers were readily available to use to make Ruben walk away if Darius commanded it to be. However, he remained on the floor, crouched over a lifeless body.

Tell him what? That he did everything in his power to shield Ruben from what his darkness coaxed him to do? That Darius was doing nothing but protecting Ruben from what he was capable of doing?

“Ruby, it’s not - ” Darius’ calm voice was interrupted with Ruben’s shaky one.

“Please don’t lie to me.” It was a shaky request, akin to a desperate plea. As Darius stood to his feet, Ruben stepped back. Was he scared? Perhaps he was right to be. However, it didn’t stop the crestfallen expression on Darius’ bloody face.

“Ruby, I would never.” Darius insisted, voice cracking over the last word. “…I didn’t want you to be scared of me. I didn’t want you to leave. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.”

Desperation was so easy to mimic, anguish swimming in his icy eyes, framed by smears of red blood. Tears came as naturally as blinking, though his throat remained clear, despite the choke in his next words.

“I need you. I need your help.” His plead was nothing but a lure; one that wrapped around Ruben’s throat and refused to let him escape from a suffocating, toxic flame. “Don’t leave me in my time of need. You wouldn’t do that to your best friend, would you?”

All hell had broken loose just a few days ago. Taking in just how much damage had been caused, Mina’s eyes flitted around as her feet moved her further into the heart of the city. All around, people were working to put everything back right. The minds of those on the streets were a mess, almost as chaotic as the scene around her. From what she could gather, the citizens of Athos were as confused about exactly had happened

Grabbing the arm of someone who was passing by, Mina lifted her gaze up as she stopped the person. “Hey, excuse me,” she said, letting her hand fall away from them. She didn’t want to overstep too many boundaries. “Do you know if all of this happened the other day? What happened?”

“You have all the time in the world to find peace, Ruben,” an unusual warmth, but maybe she had a soft spot for those who suffered because of their powers, because of who they are now in contrast to who they were. Sometimes even Sofia believed her past life, before her powers, was a paradise, yet she couldn’t remember anything. With a smile Sofia gently placed a hand on Ruben’s back. “I don’t know what happened to you, who you’ve hurt, have lost perhaps, who has hurt you, but in the end all what matters is that we keep going despite the pain. Believe me, one day every step along the way will lead you to a better, stronger self.” 

Sofia raised an eyebrow after finally realizing he’d actually meant it, to the core. “Sometimes what we have isn’t necessarily what we deserve; even more reason to fully work towards a better future, don’t you think. Don’t give up just yet.”