Imperial War Academy |Year 2|[FT/Fan-T][OPEN][IC]

[Tracian Empire]

Not before long, the blue eyed boy joined Elaine in the water, without hesitating at all. Since the water wasn't exactly deep for the girl, it most certainly wasn't deep for him either, but he did not mind it as.. he still wasn't sure about what to do. Sure.. swimming.. that was easy to say. He was able to swim, of course.. although he couldn't remember where he had learned it. He did have to swim before, in that part of his life that he could remember.. although of course, that hadn't been.. enjoyable at all. Like most of the painful memories that he had.. it was kinda fuzzy. It was next to a beach.. but he, and the other soldiers were in the water, desperately trying to reach the shore, in the middle of the storm, while people from the beach were firing at them.. it was cold.. it was chaotic.. there was blood everywhere.. and the screams..he just couldn't compare that to the happiness of this moment, the calm all around him, to the warmness of the water, to the laughter of Elaine..he had forgotten that.. life could be more than.. pain.. and hate..

"This is.. nice..", the blonde boy calmly responded.. a pretty vague response for anyone else, but for him, having that much of an opinion was.. pretty much. But it was clear that he was still a little confused, even if he enjoyed the water.."What should we do?"

Elaine's eyes lit up as she heard him make a comment of his own as they waded through the waves. Where the water was at her knees, if not a bit above, the water probably only reached barely above half his calves for him. Still, now that he was in the water with her, she felt a little more comfortable with it and waded in to her upper thighs. She couldn't help but smile, not realizing how relaxing something like this could be. If she could've, she definitely would've taken more beach trips if they'd been like this...and when Slaine asked what they should do then, a thought struck her and a mischievous smile found its way to her face.

Within a moment, the dark-haired girl had swung her arms into the water and flicked them back up, sending a substantial amount of water towards his upper torso as she exclaimed "Water fight!" and desperately tried to get away from the splash zone as quick as she could. She nearly tripped from the pull-back of the waves twice, and with her back turned, she was more than open for him to initiate an offensive attack right back at her.

Slaine followed the girl deeper into the water, simply enjoying it. He had no idea what he could do in such a place.. or at least, he did not remember, that's why when Elaine splashed all that water towards them, while shouting something about a water fight.. the blue eyed boy remained there, confused, as the water directly hit him.

What was this..? She had called it a fight.. but the purpose was clearly not to kill or hurt your opponent.. so why fight on the first place? This made no sense.. but then.. he nearly. he nearly remembered something. Water.. warmness.. such a contrast to the few memories that he still had from his past.. or what he thought that it was his past. Like the memory.. of that night.. the night before all of it had started. But his planet.. was sick. Dying. There couldn't have been a place like this on it.. and yet.. why cos he remember that? Why did the concept of this.. water fight.. seem so familiar to him? And why.. why did he, for a brief moment, nearly remember the face of a young, blue eyed and blonde haired girl?..

But this wasn't the place to think about that, and his moment of hesitation.. didn't show on his face at all. He had started to show some more expressions or feelings, but for the most part, he was still maintaining his usual composure.. but then, as if he knew what to do, he swung his arms into the water, and he splashed a substantial amount of it towards Elaine's unprotected back.. as a smile appeared on his face.

[Castle Crashers]

Elaine's eyes lit up as she heard him make a comment of his own as they waded through the waves. Where the water was at her knees, if not a bit above, the water probably only reached barely above half his calves for him. Still, now that he was in the water with her, she felt a little more comfortable with it and waded in to her upper thighs. She couldn't help but smile, not realizing how relaxing something like this could be. If she could've, she definitely would've taken more beach trips if they'd been like this...and when Slaine asked what they should do then, a thought struck her and a mischievous smile found its way to her face.

Within a moment, the dark-haired girl had swung her arms into the water and flicked them back up, sending a substantial amount of water towards his upper torso as she exclaimed "Water fight!" and desperately tried to get away from the splash zone as quick as she could. She nearly tripped from the pull-back of the waves twice, and with her back turned, she was more than open for him to initiate an offensive attack right back at her.

Slaine followed the girl deeper into the water, simply enjoying it. He had no idea what he could do in such a place.. or at least, he did not remember, that's why when Elaine splashed all that water towards them, while shouting something about a water fight.. the blue eyed boy remained there, confused, as the water directly hit him.

What was this..? She had called it a fight.. but the purpose was clearly not to kill or hurt your opponent.. so why fight on the first place? This made no sense.. but then.. he nearly. he nearly remembered something. Water.. warmness.. such a contrast to the few memories that he still had from his past.. or what he thought that it was his past. Like the memory.. of that night.. the night before all of it had started. But his planet.. was sick. Dying. There couldn't have been a place like this on it.. and yet.. why cos he remember that? Why did the concept of this.. water fight.. seem so familiar to him? And why.. why did he, for a brief moment, nearly remember the face of a young, blue eyed and blonde haired girl?..

But this wasn't the place to think about that, and his moment of hesitation.. didn't show on his face at all. He had started to show some more expressions or feelings, but for the most part, he was still maintaining his usual composure.. but then, as if he knew what to do, he swung his arms into the water, and he splashed a substantial amount of it towards Elaine's unprotected back.. as a smile appeared on his face.

It seemed that Elaine's attempt at escape had not been enough. As she tried to get away from him, moving through the water as fast as she could manage, it wasn't a moment before she heard the sound of water splashing, turned, and was met face-first with the wave of water. It nearly knocked her over, but she quickly regained her balance and laughed as she rubbed some of the salty water from her face. "Ah, so that's how it's going to be? A worthy opponent, you are..." She grinned before she slashed more water at him at rapid speed as she laughed. "But I'm the best at water fights, and no one can defeat me!" She then faked an evil laugh as she continued to splash water at him. "Hit me with all you've got, let's see if you can beat me!"

[Tracian Empire]

Slaine followed the girl deeper into the water, simply enjoying it. He had no idea what he could do in such a place.. or at least, he did not remember, that's why when Elaine splashed all that water towards them, while shouting something about a water fight.. the blue eyed boy remained there, confused, as the water directly hit him.

What was this..? She had called it a fight.. but the purpose was clearly not to kill or hurt your opponent.. so why fight on the first place? This made no sense.. but then.. he nearly. he nearly remembered something. Water.. warmness.. such a contrast to the few memories that he still had from his past.. or what he thought that it was his past. Like the memory.. of that night.. the night before all of it had started. But his planet.. was sick. Dying. There couldn't have been a place like this on it.. and yet.. why cos he remember that? Why did the concept of this.. water fight.. seem so familiar to him? And why.. why did he, for a brief moment, nearly remember the face of a young, blue eyed and blonde haired girl?..

But this wasn't the place to think about that, and his moment of hesitation.. didn't show on his face at all. He had started to show some more expressions or feelings, but for the most part, he was still maintaining his usual composure.. but then, as if he knew what to do, he swung his arms into the water, and he splashed a substantial amount of it towards Elaine's unprotected back.. as a smile appeared on his face.

It seemed that Elaine's attempt at escape had not been enough. As she tried to get away from him, moving through the water as fast as she could manage, it wasn't a moment before she heard the sound of water splashing, turned, and was met face-first with the wave of water. It nearly knocked her over, but she quickly regained her balance and laughed as she rubbed some of the salty water from her face. "Ah, so that's how it's going to be? A worthy opponent, you are..." She grinned before she slashed more water at him at rapid speed as she laughed. "But I'm the best at water fights, and no one can defeat me!" She then faked an evil laugh as she continued to splash water at him. "Hit me with all you've got, let's see if you can beat me!"

Taken by surprise by Elaine's sudden counterattack, the blue eyed boy laughed as he tried to fight back, a true and genuine laugh. Who could have ever imagined that something like this, that splashing around with water could be so fun? And what surprised him the most.. was that he was actually having fun. He had.. nearly forgotten how it felt like. He couldn't even remember the last time when he had fun.. but the feeling.. he remembered it, vaguely. It seemed so surreal..but for the first time in just.. so long, the blonde boy actually smiled and laughed as he tried to splash as many water as possible back at the purple eyed girl. But just as she said, the girl soon proved herself to be the best at water fights, or at least, better than him, as Slaine slowly but surely had to back down. Finally, he gave up on fighting, simply trying to protect his face with his arms."You win, you win!", the blue eyed boy told her cheerfully, with a big smile on his face.

[Castle Crashers]

It seemed that Elaine's attempt at escape had not been enough. As she tried to get away from him, moving through the water as fast as she could manage, it wasn't a moment before she heard the sound of water splashing, turned, and was met face-first with the wave of water. It nearly knocked her over, but she quickly regained her balance and laughed as she rubbed some of the salty water from her face. "Ah, so that's how it's going to be? A worthy opponent, you are..." She grinned before she slashed more water at him at rapid speed as she laughed. "But I'm the best at water fights, and no one can defeat me!" She then faked an evil laugh as she continued to splash water at him. "Hit me with all you've got, let's see if you can beat me!"

Taken by surprise by Elaine's sudden counterattack, the blue eyed boy laughed as he tried to fight back, a true and genuine laugh. Who could have ever imagined that something like this, that splashing around with water could be so fun? And what surprised him the most.. was that he was actually having fun. He had.. nearly forgotten how it felt like. He couldn't even remember the last time when he had fun.. but the feeling.. he remembered it, vaguely. It seemed so surreal..but for the first time in just.. so long, the blonde boy actually smiled and laughed as he tried to splash as many water as possible back at the purple eyed girl. But just as she said, the girl soon proved herself to be the best at water fights, or at least, better than him, as Slaine slowly but surely had to back down. Finally, he gave up on fighting, simply trying to protect his face with his arms."You win, you win!", the blue eyed boy told her cheerfully, with a big smile on his face.

It was the first thing she noticed. His laugh. At first, she thought she'd imagined it, but then...he laughed again. He told her she'd won, but she'd stopped splashing before then. She simply stood there, staring at him, but she didn't look sad. She was smiling, and she looked genuinely happy, if just for a moment. "You...you laughed..." She said softly as her smile widened. "You actually, genuinely laughed!" She couldn't remember the last time she'd heard his laugh, and for the moment, it honestly felt like it was worth the wait. Perhaps...perhaps not all was lost yet. Maybe what she'd done...really had made an impact on him. If not for his memories, then...then maybe his emotions! She ran to him then, as quick as she could manage in the water, and hugged him tightly. "You laughed, you really laughed! I'm so happy you laughed!" She exclaimed, and while he probably wouldn't understand it much, it didn't matter. She was happy, and once more, her hope returned.

[Tracian Empire]

Taken by surprise by Elaine's sudden counterattack, the blue eyed boy laughed as he tried to fight back, a true and genuine laugh. Who could have ever imagined that something like this, that splashing around with water could be so fun? And what surprised him the most.. was that he was actually having fun. He had.. nearly forgotten how it felt like. He couldn't even remember the last time when he had fun.. but the feeling.. he remembered it, vaguely. It seemed so surreal..but for the first time in just.. so long, the blonde boy actually smiled and laughed as he tried to splash as many water as possible back at the purple eyed girl. But just as she said, the girl soon proved herself to be the best at water fights, or at least, better than him, as Slaine slowly but surely had to back down. Finally, he gave up on fighting, simply trying to protect his face with his arms."You win, you win!", the blue eyed boy told her cheerfully, with a big smile on his face.

It was the first thing she noticed. His laugh. At first, she thought she'd imagined it, but then...he laughed again. He told her she'd won, but she'd stopped splashing before then. She simply stood there, staring at him, but she didn't look sad. She was smiling, and she looked genuinely happy, if just for a moment. "You...you laughed..." She said softly as her smile widened. "You actually, genuinely laughed!" She couldn't remember the last time she'd heard his laugh, and for the moment, it honestly felt like it was worth the wait. Perhaps...perhaps not all was lost yet. Maybe what she'd done...really had made an impact on him. If not for his memories, then...then maybe his emotions! She ran to him then, as quick as she could manage in the water, and hugged him tightly. "You laughed, you really laughed! I'm so happy you laughed!" She exclaimed, and while he probably wouldn't understand it much, it didn't matter. She was happy, and once more, her hope returned.

Seeing that Elaine had stopped splashing, remaining quiet and just starting at him, the blue eyed boy was pretty confused.. did he do something wrong? But no.. she was smiling. And just a couple of moments later, her smile widened, and she rushed to him, hugging him tightly. Still confused, the boy hugged her back, a little hesitantly, but still smiling.. it took him a few good moments to realize that too. He had laughed.. he had actually laughed..he had not realized that.. it has just.. come to him, naturally. He was no longer trying to constantly keep his behavior in check, always cold, always emotionless, always distant...so this genuine laughter had just.. come out. When.. when was the last time he had actually laughed? He could not.. he could not remember. But now.. he felt so.. so happy? Was that it? Was that what he was currently feeling? It was.. difficult for him to say that.. but it felt so good..when compared to all the pain and the sadness he usually had to go through. But even as the purple eyed girl was hugging him, he continued to feel the cold collar around his neck.. a painful and constant reminder...but not now. He was going to.. try to ignore it for now. Both for himself.. and for her sake.

Of course, all the hesitation in his soul was never visible outside, so the blonde boy simply continued to smile."Yeah.. I laughed..", Slaine said, actually sounding.. happy about that. "I can't even.. remember the last time I.. laughed.", the boy continued, smiling again. "Thank you.."

[Castle Crashers]

It was the first thing she noticed. His laugh. At first, she thought she'd imagined it, but then...he laughed again. He told her she'd won, but she'd stopped splashing before then. She simply stood there, staring at him, but she didn't look sad. She was smiling, and she looked genuinely happy, if just for a moment. "You...you laughed..." She said softly as her smile widened. "You actually, genuinely laughed!" She couldn't remember the last time she'd heard his laugh, and for the moment, it honestly felt like it was worth the wait. Perhaps...perhaps not all was lost yet. Maybe what she'd done...really had made an impact on him. If not for his memories, then...then maybe his emotions! She ran to him then, as quick as she could manage in the water, and hugged him tightly. "You laughed, you really laughed! I'm so happy you laughed!" She exclaimed, and while he probably wouldn't understand it much, it didn't matter. She was happy, and once more, her hope returned.

Seeing that Elaine had stopped splashing, remaining quiet and just starting at him, the blue eyed boy was pretty confused.. did he do something wrong? But no.. she was smiling. And just a couple of moments later, her smile widened, and she rushed to him, hugging him tightly. Still confused, the boy hugged her back, a little hesitantly, but still smiling.. it took him a few good moments to realize that too. He had laughed.. he had actually laughed..he had not realized that.. it has just.. come to him, naturally. He was no longer trying to constantly keep his behavior in check, always cold, always emotionless, always distant...so this genuine laughter had just.. come out. When.. when was the last time he had actually laughed? He could not.. he could not remember. But now.. he felt so.. so happy? Was that it? Was that what he was currently feeling? It was.. difficult for him to say that.. but it felt so good..when compared to all the pain and the sadness he usually had to go through. But even as the purple eyed girl was hugging him, he continued to feel the cold collar around his neck.. a painful and constant reminder...but not now. He was going to.. try to ignore it for now. Both for himself.. and for her sake.

Of course, all the hesitation in his soul was never visible outside, so the blonde boy simply continued to smile."Yeah.. I laughed..", Slaine said, actually sounding.. happy about that. "I can't even.. remember the last time I.. laughed.", the boy continued, smiling again. "Thank you.."

She hugged him a little tighter, then. Not enough to hurt him, but maybe enough to show him how truly important and monumental it was for her to hear his laugh. And, in that moment, the hug was not as it had been on the ship a mere hour or so ago. It was comfortable and natural, and it wasn't cold at all. It was knowing and warm, the kind of hug you yearn for when you're away from your family. She felt like, for just a second even, he had been brought back to her just for this moment. The old Slaine. The one that she knew and missed so much. It was exactly the sort of thing she needed. "No, thank you..." She replied softly, and even though she wasn't looking at him, she could tell he was smiling. And she was smiling too, genuinely, truly happy. It felt like nothing could ruin the moment...

...until she realized she may have been hugging him a bit too long. She couldn't hug him forever, after all, even if she wanted to. Instead, she gently took a step back and let one of her arms brush down to hold his hand instead, wrapping one of her arms around his as she did. She smiled up at him, and in that moment, she looked as if she hadn't been through all the things she had, like he hadn't nearly escaped from her grasp for years and years. Like she hadn't cried in her room for days straight. Like she hadn't contemplated suicide. She looked as purely happy and innocent as she had before the turmoil broke out. She was practically glowing with happiness, and it was...unlike any other expression she'd ever worn. "...now, how about we go do something else? Like...building a sandcastle or something?" She asked, the smile still resting gently and naturally on her face as she asked.

[Tracian Empire]

Seeing that Elaine had stopped splashing, remaining quiet and just starting at him, the blue eyed boy was pretty confused.. did he do something wrong? But no.. she was smiling. And just a couple of moments later, her smile widened, and she rushed to him, hugging him tightly. Still confused, the boy hugged her back, a little hesitantly, but still smiling.. it took him a few good moments to realize that too. He had laughed.. he had actually laughed..he had not realized that.. it has just.. come to him, naturally. He was no longer trying to constantly keep his behavior in check, always cold, always emotionless, always distant...so this genuine laughter had just.. come out. When.. when was the last time he had actually laughed? He could not.. he could not remember. But now.. he felt so.. so happy? Was that it? Was that what he was currently feeling? It was.. difficult for him to say that.. but it felt so good..when compared to all the pain and the sadness he usually had to go through. But even as the purple eyed girl was hugging him, he continued to feel the cold collar around his neck.. a painful and constant reminder...but not now. He was going to.. try to ignore it for now. Both for himself.. and for her sake.

Of course, all the hesitation in his soul was never visible outside, so the blonde boy simply continued to smile."Yeah.. I laughed..", Slaine said, actually sounding.. happy about that. "I can't even.. remember the last time I.. laughed.", the boy continued, smiling again. "Thank you.."

She hugged him a little tighter, then. Not enough to hurt him, but maybe enough to show him how truly important and monumental it was for her to hear his laugh. And, in that moment, the hug was not as it had been on the ship a mere hour or so ago. It was comfortable and natural, and it wasn't cold at all. It was knowing and warm, the kind of hug you yearn for when you're away from your family. She felt like, for just a second even, he had been brought back to her just for this moment. The old Slaine. The one that she knew and missed so much. It was exactly the sort of thing she needed. "No, thank you..." She replied softly, and even though she wasn't looking at him, she could tell he was smiling. And she was smiling too, genuinely, truly happy. It felt like nothing could ruin the moment...

...until she realized she may have been hugging him a bit too long. She couldn't hug him forever, after all, even if she wanted to. Instead, she gently took a step back and let one of her arms brush down to hold his hand instead, wrapping one of her arms around his as she did. She smiled up at him, and in that moment, she looked as if she hadn't been through all the things she had, like he hadn't nearly escaped from her grasp for years and years. Like she hadn't cried in her room for days straight. Like she hadn't contemplated suicide. She looked as purely happy and innocent as she had before the turmoil broke out. She was practically glowing with happiness, and it was...unlike any other expression she'd ever worn. "...now, how about we go do something else? Like...building a sandcastle or something?" She asked, the smile still resting gently and naturally on her face as she asked.

As Elaine hugged him tighter, the blue eyed boy quickly realized that this was nothing like the cold and hesitant embrace that they had shared back on the ship.. it was warm.. it was calming.. it felt.. natural. And for the first time in so long, Slaine realized.. how much he had been yearning for this. For this warmth.. for this happiness.. it was so different.. from the usual coldness...from the pain, from the hate, from the doubt..his frozen, empty soul had wanted something like this for so long.. but he had always held himself back. He had never imagined, that he would be able to feel something like this again.. because all the warm memories that he had were fuzzy and distant. For the first time, in so long.. he had actually started.. to feel like a human being again.

But then of course, the hug could not have continued forever, so the purple eyed girl stepped back, taking his hand instead.. but still smiling. And Slaine felt as if he could lose himself in that smile. For the first time, ever since he had met her again, she truly seemed to be happy..and that expression of happiness and innocence.. he nearly felt.. as if he could remember it.. but like always, it was close, but still out of his grasp. But now, more than ever.. he felt a strange determination.. to protect that smile. Which was weird..because for as long as he could remember, he had never had a purpose..he had been just an empty shell, doing what others told him to do. But now.. he really wanted something.. he really wanted her to be happy..

"Building a sandcastle sounds nice..", the blonde boy replied, still smiling. "But I don't know how to make one.. I can't remember if I ever did one.. so.. I'm not sure.. how to build one..", he continued, sounding slightly embarrassed.

[Castle Crashers]

She hugged him a little tighter, then. Not enough to hurt him, but maybe enough to show him how truly important and monumental it was for her to hear his laugh. And, in that moment, the hug was not as it had been on the ship a mere hour or so ago. It was comfortable and natural, and it wasn't cold at all. It was knowing and warm, the kind of hug you yearn for when you're away from your family. She felt like, for just a second even, he had been brought back to her just for this moment. The old Slaine. The one that she knew and missed so much. It was exactly the sort of thing she needed. "No, thank you..." She replied softly, and even though she wasn't looking at him, she could tell he was smiling. And she was smiling too, genuinely, truly happy. It felt like nothing could ruin the moment...

...until she realized she may have been hugging him a bit too long. She couldn't hug him forever, after all, even if she wanted to. Instead, she gently took a step back and let one of her arms brush down to hold his hand instead, wrapping one of her arms around his as she did. She smiled up at him, and in that moment, she looked as if she hadn't been through all the things she had, like he hadn't nearly escaped from her grasp for years and years. Like she hadn't cried in her room for days straight. Like she hadn't contemplated suicide. She looked as purely happy and innocent as she had before the turmoil broke out. She was practically glowing with happiness, and it was...unlike any other expression she'd ever worn. "...now, how about we go do something else? Like...building a sandcastle or something?" She asked, the smile still resting gently and naturally on her face as she asked.

As Elaine hugged him tighter, the blue eyed boy quickly realized that this was nothing like the cold and hesitant embrace that they had shared back on the ship.. it was warm.. it was calming.. it felt.. natural. And for the first time in so long, Slaine realized.. how much he had been yearning for this. For this warmth.. for this happiness.. it was so different.. from the usual coldness...from the pain, from the hate, from the doubt..his frozen, empty soul had wanted something like this for so long.. but he had always held himself back. He had never imagined, that he would be able to feel something like this again.. because all the warm memories that he had were fuzzy and distant. For the first time, in so long.. he had actually started.. to feel like a human being again.

But then of course, the hug could not have continued forever, so the purple eyed girl stepped back, taking his hand instead.. but still smiling. And Slaine felt as if he could lose himself in that smile. For the first time, ever since he had met her again, she truly seemed to be happy..and that expression of happiness and innocence.. he nearly felt.. as if he could remember it.. but like always, it was close, but still out of his grasp. But now, more than ever.. he felt a strange determination.. to protect that smile. Which was weird..because for as long as he could remember, he had never had a purpose..he had been just an empty shell, doing what others told him to do. But now.. he really wanted something.. he really wanted her to be happy..

"Building a sandcastle sounds nice..", the blonde boy replied, still smiling. "But I don't know how to make one.. I can't remember if I ever did one.. so.. I'm not sure.. how to build one..", he continued, sounding slightly embarrassed.

Her smile became softer and more kind, if that was even possible. It was accepting. It was the kind of smile you always wanted to receive when admitting something, even as simple as Slaine had said. "That's okay, I don't think a lot of people do!" She said cheerily, gently tugging his hand as she led him back to the shore. "Not a lot of people in the Thracian Empire, or atleast on our planet, really know how. Only the select few that had the privilege of going to the beaches do. But not anymore!" Her smile grew. "Now you can know how, too!" She'd only gone maybe once, before the coasts had grown too toxic for human recreation, but it was enough for her brother and she. She remembered when her mother had sat in the sand with the two of them and showed them how to mound damp sand into containers to build it, and how to make little rectangles with her fingers. She remembered using sticks for little flags, and happily making her own little town to go with the castle. It was one of the happiest memories she had with her mother before she died.

She didn't let it bring her down though as she led Slaine to just a little distance from the waves edge, where the sand was still damp, and she sat, gesturing for him to sit across from her. "Now, we don't have any containers, but I don't think that'll halt our progress! First, you take a handful of damp sand and lump it together, and then you put more on it, and then..." She continued on, showing him exactly how to make a stereotypical castle in the sand. Of course, she made sure he joined in, too, so he would know how. She seemed to really, truly be enjoying herself in that moment.

[Tracian Empire]

As Elaine hugged him tighter, the blue eyed boy quickly realized that this was nothing like the cold and hesitant embrace that they had shared back on the ship.. it was warm.. it was calming.. it felt.. natural. And for the first time in so long, Slaine realized.. how much he had been yearning for this. For this warmth.. for this happiness.. it was so different.. from the usual coldness...from the pain, from the hate, from the doubt..his frozen, empty soul had wanted something like this for so long.. but he had always held himself back. He had never imagined, that he would be able to feel something like this again.. because all the warm memories that he had were fuzzy and distant. For the first time, in so long.. he had actually started.. to feel like a human being again.

But then of course, the hug could not have continued forever, so the purple eyed girl stepped back, taking his hand instead.. but still smiling. And Slaine felt as if he could lose himself in that smile. For the first time, ever since he had met her again, she truly seemed to be happy..and that expression of happiness and innocence.. he nearly felt.. as if he could remember it.. but like always, it was close, but still out of his grasp. But now, more than ever.. he felt a strange determination.. to protect that smile. Which was weird..because for as long as he could remember, he had never had a purpose..he had been just an empty shell, doing what others told him to do. But now.. he really wanted something.. he really wanted her to be happy..

"Building a sandcastle sounds nice..", the blonde boy replied, still smiling. "But I don't know how to make one.. I can't remember if I ever did one.. so.. I'm not sure.. how to build one..", he continued, sounding slightly embarrassed.

Her smile became softer and more kind, if that was even possible. It was accepting. It was the kind of smile you always wanted to receive when admitting something, even as simple as Slaine had said. "That's okay, I don't think a lot of people do!" She said cheerily, gently tugging his hand as she led him back to the shore. "Not a lot of people in the Thracian Empire, or atleast on our planet, really know how. Only the select few that had the privilege of going to the beaches do. But not anymore!" Her smile grew. "Now you can know how, too!" She'd only gone maybe once, before the coasts had grown too toxic for human recreation, but it was enough for her brother and she. She remembered when her mother had sat in the sand with the two of them and showed them how to mound damp sand into containers to build it, and how to make little rectangles with her fingers. She remembered using sticks for little flags, and happily making her own little town to go with the castle. It was one of the happiest memories she had with her mother before she died.

She didn't let it bring her down though as she led Slaine to just a little distance from the waves edge, where the sand was still damp, and she sat, gesturing for him to sit across from her. "Now, we don't have any containers, but I don't think that'll halt our progress! First, you take a handful of damp sand and lump it together, and then you put more on it, and then..." She continued on, showing him exactly how to make a stereotypical castle in the sand. Of course, she made sure he joined in, too, so he would know how. She seemed to really, truly be enjoying herself in that moment.

The blue eyed boy happily followed Elaine as they started to work on a sandcastle. Under her strict guidance, Slaine finally realized how to do it, and together, not before long, they managed to build a rather nice castle. And much to his own surprise.. Slaine actually, really enjoyed it. The boy would have never thought that.. something as weird as this would be so enjoyable. Was it.. because it.. vaguely reminded him of something in the past, of something he had forgotten about? Was it just.. because it was calming.. this nearly soothing feeling, or doing something fun, something that wasn't painful or cold.. or was it.. because of the girl next to him, and because of her smile? He had no idea.. but he just smiled, as they worked on it. However.. this happiness couldn't last for long.

Right then, the purple eyed girl was able to see two persons walking towards them, from behind Slaine.. two persons she.. they, knew. The two boys were also changed into their swimwear, but there was no mistake.. it was then. Michael was the first..out of them all, his skin had the sickliest pallor, contrasting so much with his blood red eyes... maybe because his wound still hadn't fully healed, and it was still clearly bandaged. But he also had the smallest number of scars, the few of them looking like older battle scars, worthy of the one that was the First Prince of the Empire.. but the weirdest out of them all was a long, and straight scar over his chest, more specifically, over his sternum.. looking to be the oldest of them all. Alexander on the other hand.. his body was filled with newer scars.. nearly like those that Slaine had.. even if he had no collar, but his usual pale skin matched his messy white hair. And his expression, even if it was similar to the one that Slaine usually had.. it wasn't the same. It was bored, emotionless.. but with something like.. hate, hidden behind. Both of them had changed, or were trying to change.. but both of them had their secrets.

Nevertheless, as the two of them approached, Slaine was unable to react, since well, he had no idea that they were coming. After a moment of waiting, and seeing no sort of salute, an angry Michael kicked Slaine rather violently, sending him to the ground. "Well, well.. not saluting your superiors is bad.. really bad.. have you forgotten your place?", the older Thracian prince said, with a smirk on his face, before looking back at Elaine. "And for you.. it's the same. Aren't you going to say anything to your dear half-brother? And you have nothing to say to your dearest older brother.. even if you haven't seen in each other in so long? That's not nice, Elaine.. you're hurting our feelings." Slowly, the blonde boy tried to stand up, looking back at the two, but once again, Michael hit him rather ruthlessly, in the face this time. The boy fell on his back, on the sandcastle that him and Elaine had tried to build, with his nose bleeding profusely. Once again however, Slaine remained quiet.. not crying, not saying anything.. as if.. as if he was used to it. And as Alexander just looked back at his sister, with an expression that mixed a relative boredom.. and loathing..Michael smiled yet again, seemingly really enjoying this. "And what did you do to poor Slaine? You're ruining our little perfect soldier.. we will have to punish him, you know.. to fix him..."

[Castle Crashers]

Her smile became softer and more kind, if that was even possible. It was accepting. It was the kind of smile you always wanted to receive when admitting something, even as simple as Slaine had said. "That's okay, I don't think a lot of people do!" She said cheerily, gently tugging his hand as she led him back to the shore. "Not a lot of people in the Thracian Empire, or atleast on our planet, really know how. Only the select few that had the privilege of going to the beaches do. But not anymore!" Her smile grew. "Now you can know how, too!" She'd only gone maybe once, before the coasts had grown too toxic for human recreation, but it was enough for her brother and she. She remembered when her mother had sat in the sand with the two of them and showed them how to mound damp sand into containers to build it, and how to make little rectangles with her fingers. She remembered using sticks for little flags, and happily making her own little town to go with the castle. It was one of the happiest memories she had with her mother before she died.

She didn't let it bring her down though as she led Slaine to just a little distance from the waves edge, where the sand was still damp, and she sat, gesturing for him to sit across from her. "Now, we don't have any containers, but I don't think that'll halt our progress! First, you take a handful of damp sand and lump it together, and then you put more on it, and then..." She continued on, showing him exactly how to make a stereotypical castle in the sand. Of course, she made sure he joined in, too, so he would know how. She seemed to really, truly be enjoying herself in that moment.

The blue eyed boy happily followed Elaine as they started to work on a sandcastle. Under her strict guidance, Slaine finally realized how to do it, and together, not before long, they managed to build a rather nice castle. And much to his own surprise.. Slaine actually, really enjoyed it. The boy would have never thought that.. something as weird as this would be so enjoyable. Was it.. because it.. vaguely reminded him of something in the past, of something he had forgotten about? Was it just.. because it was calming.. this nearly soothing feeling, or doing something fun, something that wasn't painful or cold.. or was it.. because of the girl next to him, and because of her smile? He had no idea.. but he just smiled, as they worked on it. However.. this happiness couldn't last for long.

Right then, the purple eyed girl was able to see two persons walking towards them, from behind Slaine.. two persons she.. they, knew. The two boys were also changed into their swimwear, but there was no mistake.. it was then. Michael was the first..out of them all, his skin had the sickliest pallor, contrasting so much with his blood red eyes... maybe because his wound still hadn't fully healed, and it was still clearly bandaged. But he also had the smallest number of scars, the few of them looking like older battle scars, worthy of the one that was the First Prince of the Empire.. but the weirdest out of them all was a long, and straight scar over his chest, more specifically, over his sternum.. looking to be the oldest of them all. Alexander on the other hand.. his body was filled with newer scars.. nearly like those that Slaine had.. even if he had no collar, but his usual pale skin matched his messy white hair. And his expression, even if it was similar to the one that Slaine usually had.. it wasn't the same. It was bored, emotionless.. but with something like.. hate, hidden behind. Both of them had changed, or were trying to change.. but both of them had their secrets.

Nevertheless, as the two of them approached, Slaine was unable to react, since well, he had no idea that they were coming. After a moment of waiting, and seeing no sort of salute, an angry Michael kicked Slaine rather violently, sending him to the ground. "Well, well.. not saluting your superiors is bad.. really bad.. have you forgotten your place?", the older Thracian prince said, with a smirk on his face, before looking back at Elaine. "And for you.. it's the same. Aren't you going to say anything to your dear half-brother? And you have nothing to say to your dearest older brother.. even if you haven't seen in each other in so long? That's not nice, Elaine.. you're hurting our feelings." Slowly, the blonde boy tried to stand up, looking back at the two, but once again, Michael hit him rather ruthlessly, in the face this time. The boy fell on his back, on the sandcastle that him and Elaine had tried to build, with his nose bleeding profusely. Once again however, Slaine remained quiet.. not crying, not saying anything.. as if.. as if he was used to it. And as Alexander just looked back at his sister, with an expression that mixed a relative boredom.. and loathing..Michael smiled yet again, seemingly really enjoying this. "And what did you do to poor Slaine? You're ruining our little perfect soldier.. we will have to punish him, you know.. to fix him..."

For a while, Elaine was caught up in the fun of making a sandcastle with Slaine, and was delighted when they'd managed to finish it in a decent way. "There, that looks great!" She smiled brightly. "Good job! I never doubted you!" She said, but the moment she looked past him, she noticed the two walking towards them...and her smile quickly disappeared and her heart dropped. Had they followed them? How had they known they'd been there? It didn't matter, because the moment they approached, she didn't have any time to warn Slaine before Michael kicked him to the ground. "Hey, he couldn't see you! You can't just do that!" She yelled, watching as he turned to look at her. Was he really trying to guilt trip her? She wouldn't be so fooled. Maybe if she had been younger and more naive, but she had grown and matured a lot since she left. "Don't try to treat me like I'm stupid. I know very well that nothing I do can hurt your feelings, and I can also see that Alexander isn't the same...I've been around Slaine long enough to know that look."

Then, she could only watch as Slaine tried to stand, only to be hit back down into the ground, smashing the sandcastle they'd had so much fun building. It was like having her hope and childish remembrances shattered in one blow. Her moment of brief vacation was gone. It was back to reality now, back to the real world she was forced to live in. It made her heart burn to see him like that, and she momentarily removed her attention from the two to turn it to Slaine. His nose was bleeding...again. Without hesitation, she removed the cloth bow from her hair, letting her semi-wet dark strands fall down against her shoulders and back. "Here..." She said softly, in a much more kind tone than she'd had with the two boys. "Just...hold this to your nose." She said after wiping some of it from his face, giving it to him so he could hold it to his nose. The sight of him having no reaction, not even pain...it was off-putting. Was he..?

When she looked back at the two of them, Michael just looked happy, and...the look on Alexander's face...it scared her. Why did he look so...hateful..? It didn't matter. She...she had to be strong. It was her turn to protect Slaine. She was all that stood between them and the loss of the boy she knew forever. She quickly scrambled to her feet and moved in front of where Slaine lay, hiding her fear with a look of anger, of hatred. She pulled forth all of the things they'd done to her, the pain they'd caused her, to the front of her mind...so that she could use it against them. She needed to stay strong...because she needed to protect him. Even with that...look...she would see if the damage was fixable later. For now, she had to protect what was left of him. "Don't talk about him like that!" She yelled, her anger clear on her face. "He isn't some toy you can just play with! He's a living, breathing human being! And I wasn't ruining him, I was fixing him!" She scowled. "He isn't your soldier anymore, he's my friend, and I'll do whatever it takes to get him back!" With that she shoved Michael away first before she shoved Alexander, too. She was just barely holding back her tears, her angry tears, her fearful tears, as she did. "And you'll have to get through me first if you think you're gonna hurt him anymore! I promised to protect him, and I'll stand to that promise! I won't let you hurt him anymore!"

[Tracian Empire]

As the scene there unfolded itself..the tourists around started to leave, with the few of them that remained on that particular beach simply ignoring it. No one wanted to get in any sort of trouble, obviously, and who would have cared about some random human tourists? Or at least, that's what it seemed to be like. Which meant.. that for now, they were all alone.

"Well, you really are hurting my feelings. That's kinda harsh to say to your loving half-brother..", Michael said, really seeming to be sad, before he looked at Alexander for a moment, smirking. "As for him, yeah, you're kinda right.. you can't exactly hurt his feelings anymore. His situation is a little different from Slaine's..but it's nice to see that you are so perceptive, my dear sister." Slaine meanwhile, avoided to look directly at the purple eyed girl had she helped him.. but with nearly mechanical gestures, he took her cloth bow, and he did as he was told to, holding it to his nose to stop the bleeding. As Elaine placed herself in front of him, between him and the two princes.. even if she wasn't able to see it, the blue eyed boy looked at her with surprise and confusion. He just couldn't understand.. why she was doing all of this. But for the blood-red eyed prince.. the entire situation was really, really funny.

"Oh, Elaine.. you are really, really amusing, you know?", Michael told her, with a big smile on his face. "Why are you even doing this? What are you even trying to protect? The old Slaine, the Slaine that was your friend, the one that tried to protect you.. he's gone. He's dead. He doesn't exist anymore. He's just a shadow.. in an empty shell. Why is this so difficult to understand?" The blonde prince sighed. " He isn't even a human being anymore. Even slaves are more human that he is. What he did.. that act of treachery...he is only alive as the piece of junk he is right now because of the mercy of our father. He belongs to our father, he belongs to our empire. What you are trying to do right now.. it's all in vain. It's pointless. If you want him that much, you could simply order him to do whatever you want him to do. It would be the easiest way.. following orders is all that he can do, after all... he is our toy. He is our soldier."

Michael then looked at Slaine, who slowly tried to stand up. "Come on, show her that she is so wrong. She is just an impolite and rebellious little sister..make her feel some pain. Maybe that will teach her..", the smirking boy ordered him. But Slaine looked at Elaine..and he hesitated, murmuring something. "What? I couldn't hear you..", Michael said, perhaps a little angrily. "I am sorry..but I... I can not.. I can not do that.", the blue eyed boy said hesitantly, with his voice as low as a whisper. Michael sighed yet again. "See? My dear sister.. you seem to have ruined it. Don't you have any bit of respect for all the work that had to be done to turn him into a nice, mindless soldier? One that could die a glorious and possibly immensely painful death for our fatherland, without saying anything? I'm starting to see why our father has lost all hope in you.."

As Michael said that, Alexander stepped in, forcefully pushing Elaine to the side, remaining dreadfully quiet, but looking directly at her.. his magenta, red-purplish eyes looking directly into her dark purple eyes. And smirking, Michael approached Slaine, putting his hand on his shoulder, and leaning forward to whisper something into his ear. The blue eyed boy gasped as Michael stepped back, instinctively touching his collar, before falling on his knees.. as if he was suffocating. Turning even paler that he was before, seemingly unable to breathe, desperately trying to gasp for air, as tears started to flow down his cheeks.. but his expression remained empty, his blank eyes fixated on something in the distance. He just couldn't.. he couldn't.. let them see.. how much it hurt..

"But don't worry, my dear sister. We have our ways.. to keep our toys under control.", Michael told her, laughing.

[Castle Crashers]

As the scene there unfolded itself..the tourists around started to leave, with the few of them that remained on that particular beach simply ignoring it. No one wanted to get in any sort of trouble, obviously, and who would have cared about some random human tourists? Or at least, that's what it seemed to be like. Which meant.. that for now, they were all alone.

"Well, you really are hurting my feelings. That's kinda harsh to say to your loving half-brother..", Michael said, really seeming to be sad, before he looked at Alexander for a moment, smirking. "As for him, yeah, you're kinda right.. you can't exactly hurt his feelings anymore. His situation is a little different from Slaine's..but it's nice to see that you are so perceptive, my dear sister." Slaine meanwhile, avoided to look directly at the purple eyed girl had she helped him.. but with nearly mechanical gestures, he took her cloth bow, and he did as he was told to, holding it to his nose to stop the bleeding. As Elaine placed herself in front of him, between him and the two princes.. even if she wasn't able to see it, the blue eyed boy looked at her with surprise and confusion. He just couldn't understand.. why she was doing all of this. But for the blood-red eyed prince.. the entire situation was really, really funny.

"Oh, Elaine.. you are really, really amusing, you know?", Michael told her, with a big smile on his face. "Why are you even doing this? What are you even trying to protect? The old Slaine, the Slaine that was your friend, the one that tried to protect you.. he's gone. He's dead. He doesn't exist anymore. He's just a shadow.. in an empty shell. Why is this so difficult to understand?" The blonde prince sighed. " He isn't even a human being anymore. Even slaves are more human that he is. What he did.. that act of treachery...he is only alive as the piece of junk he is right now because of the mercy of our father. He belongs to our father, he belongs to our empire. What you are trying to do right now.. it's all in vain. It's pointless. If you want him that much, you could simply order him to do whatever you want him to do. It would be the easiest way.. following orders is all that he can do, after all... he is our toy. He is our soldier."

Michael then looked at Slaine, who slowly tried to stand up. "Come on, show her that she is so wrong. She is just an impolite and rebellious little sister..make her feel some pain. Maybe that will teach her..", the smirking boy ordered him. But Slaine looked at Elaine..and he hesitated, murmuring something. "What? I couldn't hear you..", Michael said, perhaps a little angrily. "I am sorry..but I... I can not.. I can not do that.", the blue eyed boy said hesitantly, with his voice as low as a whisper. Michael sighed yet again. "See? My dear sister.. you seem to have ruined it. Don't you have any bit of respect for all the work that had to be done to turn him into a nice, mindless soldier? One that could die a glorious and possibly immensely painful death for our fatherland, without saying anything? I'm starting to see why our father has lost all hope in you.."

As Michael said that, Alexander stepped in, forcefully pushing Elaine to the side, remaining dreadfully quiet, but looking directly at her.. his magenta, red-purplish eyes looking directly into her dark purple eyes. And smirking, Michael approached Slaine, putting his hand on his shoulder, and leaning forward to whisper something into his ear. The blue eyed boy gasped as Michael stepped back, instinctively touching his collar, before falling on his knees.. as if he was suffocating. Turning even paler that he was before, seemingly unable to breathe, desperately trying to gasp for air, as tears started to flow down his cheeks.. but his expression remained empty, his blank eyes fixated on something in the distance. He just couldn't.. he couldn't.. let them see.. how much it hurt..

"But don't worry, my dear sister. We have our ways.. to keep our toys under control.", Michael told her, laughing.

Elaine held herself together as Michael continued to speak in his arrogant way, continuing on with trying to guilt trip her and complimenting how perceptive she was. But then...then, he began to pick on Slaine, and she wasn't about to take that. She never could. Even if she was scared, even if she was angry, even if she wanted to cry...she had to stick up for him. It was all she could do. "Shut up, you're wrong!" She cried, and while those had been her own thoughts at more than a few times, hearing them out loud was unbearable. Hearing them from someone else's mouth...it wasn't the same. It was worse. Way worse. "You're very wrong! He's more human than you'll ever be! He can care, and be kind, and feel things...things that...that people like you aren't capable of feeling! All you feel is hate! All you feel is pride! You don't know what it's like to have compassion, or to be joyful, or to know what it's like to just be happy! Ordering isn't the same...I want him to be able to decide things on his own, to have his own mind! I know you're wrong because I...I helped him to feel that way..!" She said in a determined manner, wishing to prove her point so they would leave them alone...but...it didn't look like that was going to happen.

Slaine tried to stand once more, then, and Elaine turned to watch him do so with subtle surprise. She wished that he would stay down, that he would continue to lie on the castle they worked hard to build, because she knew what was coming when he stood. Michael told him to make her feel pain, and she met Slaine's eyes as he looked at her. She wasn't scared, not of him. She knew that he had to do what was needed to survive and evade punishment. She couldn't blame him. In fact, she wished he would hit her. Then, then maybe they would leave them be...but Slaine said something, and when Michael told him to speak up, he said that he couldn't do that. No... She knew what was coming, she knew what they did when soldiers defied orders. Hit me...hit me..! Do it...please... But her mental pleading was useless as Michael spoke of how she'd ruined him. "Shut up!" She cried, looking back to him with a furious look, though tears were in her eyes. "He has a name! He's a human being, you can't just treat him like he isn't! He's just like you and I! He deserves to be able to think on his own...what we do--no, what you do, is wrong! All of it! I...I don't care if father's lost hope in me! I don't! All I care about is..." ...Him. All I care about is him...but I...they'll only hurt him more if I say that.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Alexander shoved Elaine to the side, causing her to smack into the sand rather harshly. She...knew he was looking at her. She could feel it on the back of her head, and while his dead eyes scared her...she looked right back at them, anger and betrayal shining bright in their purple color. She held it for a moment, but when she looked back to Slaine...he was choking. It was the collar. No..! She could see the tears running down his cheeks as he gasped, trying desperately to get air into his lungs...and the determined, angry look on her face immediately shattered. In an instant, all of her hope and happiness collapsed. Desperation replaced it. Sadness. A horrified expression. "No..! Stop! He-He can't breathe! Stop it! Turn it off!" She shrieked as she scrambled to get out of the sand, to get to him, to try and help him, even if it was futile. Tears were rolling down her own cheeks as she desperately tried to reach him, even if she knew they would stop her. "Turn it off! Turn it off! Please, stop it!" She cried, breaking into a sob as she did. If only she knew the command to stop it.

[Tracian Empire]

"I'm wrong? Well, who knows.. there might be some imperfections left.. some little problems.. but trust me.. he is no longer a human being. Everything that you think that he is feeling.. all of those are just pale remains. He is never going to return to his former self again.. you just have to accept that already. He doesn't know anything else besides following orders.. he doesn't have, and he will never have a mind of his own. He's just a little toy soldier.. and he will always be that.", Michael replied, coldly. "And hey.. I had compassion once..I knew.. how it was like to be happy. To love someone, and to be loved in return. I vaguely remember.. how it was like to care for someone.. and all the pain that comes from it. So.. why bother? It's useless. We'll all die, sooner or later. Who needs compassion and love when you can feel the burning hate? None of us matter.. but the Empire is eternal. We should all be proud to give our lives for it.. and I'm sure that Slaine here is really proud of it too."

Really seeming to enjoy it, Michael sighed. "It saddens me so much to hear that.. don't you love your family anymore, dear sister? You should care about whether father has hope in you or not..why are you so rebellious, after all? You're the one who is wrong.. just so wrong... and what could you care about so much? So much, for you to ignore your own family, your own blood? This is certainly intriguing.." But seeing as Elaine desperately tried to stand back up, shrieking and trying to get to the choking blue eyed boy.. it made him feel so good..without any sort of hesitation, the blood-red eyed boy stepped in front of Elaine, stopping her from getting to Slaine, looking at her, and smirking. She did not know the command to stop it.. so in that moment, the power to turn it off or not.. he belonged to him. Having so much power.. over the fate of other beings.. it was such an exhilarating feeling. And to see his half-sister on the verge of crying.. the envy inside of him, his broken soul whispering inside of his mind..ah.. such an intoxicating sentiment. "Why should I turn it off? He's just a toy..nobody cares about him. No one would care if he dies..and he has been a little too rebellious lately.. refusing a direct order like that..he needs to be punished." The blonde prince smiled. "I don't think that he ever told you about that.. but the old Slaine.. do you know what his greatest fear was? To die of suffocation.. understandable, considering how his planet was. The air there is so toxic, that you can barely breathe it. I wonder.. what would he say now..?" Michael looked directly at her. "But hey...you have saddened your older half-brother so much today....my heart hurts, you know? So maybe.. if you fall on your knees and beg.. I might consider sparing Slaine's life. If not.. well, we shall see how much he can resist without air.." And with that, Michael stepped aside. There was nothing else she could do about it anyway..

And in the back, the blonde boy had already fallen on the sandy ground. With one last effort, he tried to stand back up.. and he looked at her, their eyes meeting, blue meeting purple.

[Castle Crashers]

"I'm wrong? Well, who knows.. there might be some imperfections left.. some little problems.. but trust me.. he is no longer a human being. Everything that you think that he is feeling.. all of those are just pale remains. He is never going to return to his former self again.. you just have to accept that already. He doesn't know anything else besides following orders.. he doesn't have, and he will never have a mind of his own. He's just a little toy soldier.. and he will always be that.", Michael replied, coldly. "And hey.. I had compassion once..I knew.. how it was like to be happy. To love someone, and to be loved in return. I vaguely remember.. how it was like to care for someone.. and all the pain that comes from it. So.. why bother? It's useless. We'll all die, sooner or later. Who needs compassion and love when you can feel the burning hate? None of us matter.. but the Empire is eternal. We should all be proud to give our lives for it.. and I'm sure that Slaine here is really proud of it too."

Really seeming to enjoy it, Michael sighed. "It saddens me so much to hear that.. don't you love your family anymore, dear sister? You should care about whether father has hope in you or not..why are you so rebellious, after all? You're the one who is wrong.. just so wrong... and what could you care about so much? So much, for you to ignore your own family, your own blood? This is certainly intriguing.." But seeing as Elaine desperately tried to stand back up, shrieking and trying to get to the choking blue eyed boy.. it made him feel so good..without any sort of hesitation, the blood-red eyed boy stepped in front of Elaine, stopping her from getting to Slaine, looking at her, and smirking. She did not know the command to stop it.. so in that moment, the power to turn it off or not.. he belonged to him. Having so much power.. over the fate of other beings.. it was such an exhilarating feeling. And to see his half-sister on the verge of crying.. the envy inside of him, his broken soul whispering inside of his mind..ah.. such an intoxicating sentiment. "Why should I turn it off? He's just a toy..nobody cares about him. No one would care if he dies..and he has been a little too rebellious lately.. refusing a direct order like that..he needs to be punished." The blonde prince smiled. "I don't think that he ever told you about that.. but the old Slaine.. do you know what his greatest fear was? To die of suffocation.. understandable, considering how his planet was. The air there is so toxic, that you can barely breathe it. I wonder.. what would he say now..?" Michael looked directly at her. "But hey...you have saddened your older half-brother so much today....my heart hurts, you know? So maybe.. if you fall on your knees and beg.. I might consider sparing Slaine's life. If not.. well, we shall see how much he can resist without air.." And with that, Michael stepped aside. There was nothing else she could do about it anyway..

And in the back, the blonde boy had already fallen on the sandy ground. With one last effort, he tried to stand back up.. and he looked at her, their eyes meeting, blue meeting purple.

"No, no...you're wrong...I-I saw it! He's still there...he's still in there, somewhere, I just...I...I have to...I have to get it out of him somehow..." She said softly as she continued to try and reach Slaine. She had to get to him. She had to...she had to...save him...but...how..? "He isn't gone, and it isn't useless! When you really care for someone, you-you don't just give up! Life is supposed to be about compassion and love, not hate and revenge! If he was really proud of the Empire, then why would he bother talking to someone like me, huh!? A traitor like me!? That goes against everything! He used to be the greatest person I knew...and look what you've done!" She cried, looking to him with hatred. "If it weren't for you...if it weren't for father...he would still be here!"

Elaine could tell that Michael was enjoying seeing her suffer as she was. She didn't care anymore. She...she just had to help Slaine, that was all that mattered. She could deal with his bullying and arrogance, but seeing him do something like this to Slaine was...unacceptable. "No, I hate my family!" She cried, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks as she said it. She...really did mean it. She doubted she'd be as horrible and hopeless as she was now if it weren't for them. "I hate them...I...I wouldn't even be rebellious if he...if he hadn't done what he did! If I hadn't been locked away as I was! Is it wrong to stand for all that I know!? He was the only one that cared...the only one that really cared if I was happy, or if I was sad...the only one who could really cheer me up...and you...you had to take that one person from me..." She said before he moved in front of her, and even as she struggled to move around him, he blocked her once more. He was smirking, enjoying her pain...teasing her about it. She had nearly forgotten how much she hated him. How much she really, truly hated him.

"I care about him!" She cried, grimacing as more tears flowed down her face. "He didn't see you...he didn't know! It isn't wrong to refuse to hit your friends...it isn't..." She whimpered, listening in a terrified manner when he told her that his greatest fear had been to die of suffocation...and if there was a way to make her feel any more desperate about the situation, that was it. She was once more filled with a sense of desperation, despair, and horrification. She couldn't let that happen to him. She wouldn't. She'd decided that the moment she'd seen him smile for the first time in forever. She'd always knew. And when his eyes met hers, they said one thing, and one thing only. My main priority is to protect you. And before she could stop herself or even think about it, she said it.

"I'll do anything!"

It was a shriek of desperation, a sign that she'd reached her breaking point. She couldn't bare to see Slaine suffer anymore. "I'll do anything, anything you want! Please, please just let him go! I'll-I'll go back home! I'll get married to whoever you want! I won't say a word! I'll do whatever you tell me to! Just please...let him go...stop hurting him, please...I..." She grimaced again and hung her head as the tears dropped from her eyes. "I can't bare to see him suffer anymore, please...please, do whatever you want to me, tell me whatever you want, I'll do it...please...just...stop hurting him, atleast for now..." She whimpered and choked back a sob. "I'll do anything, I swear..." She whispered once more in defeat, not knowing what else she could say. She just knew that she'd made this choice long ago, even if it meant trading her life for his. She would do anything to save him.

[Tracian Empire]

"He's not in there.. is it that difficult to understand..he's dead. And that's it. The Slaine you knew is dead and gone.". Michael replied in a glacial voice."And let me tell you something.. it doesn't matter.. how much you care for someone. Do you think that fate cares about it? It doesn't matter how much you love someone.. they will end dead, sooner or later. It doesn't matter how much you pray, or anything you would try.. it all ends the same. Why suffer, just for some small moments of love?..Life is about pain, suffering, and hate. Just get used to it..." The blood-red eyed boy looked directly back at Elaine, his voice dripping with hate..but even if he tried to hide it.. the sadness and the bitterness behind his words were obvious. But that moment of weakness lasted.. well, only for a moment, as the blonde prince smirked again. "I don't know why he bothered to talk with you.. you probably fooled him. You did lead him to his demise, after all..and I simply can't understand what's wrong with you.. no one forced him to rebel against the Empire. If our father wouldn't have been merciful.. he would have just been executed like everyone else. You should be more grateful.." And then, Michael sighed. But seeing his half-sister cry..it made him so well..she deserved it. She deserved it all..

"You hate us...? That's quite heartbreaking, you know..since we love you and all. We just want to help you.. we just want to fix you. Of course we had to lock you away.. you were an embarrassment...but we had to do that, for your own good. Our father felt so ashamed because of you.. but it's not your fault that you believed in all those stupid things. And in the end.. you probably corrupted Slaine too.. and look how he ended. It's not our fault..it's your fault. Your fault alone...so how do you feel? Knowing that Slaine ended the way he did.. all because of you?" Michael laughed yet again. "You care about him.. that's heartwarming..so nice...but I hope that you do realize.. that you care about a thing. About an object. He has no feelings.. he will never care about you again. We can even make it so that he will never think about you again..and don't try to make excuses for him. He is a soldier.. he shouldn't do something as childish as building sandcastles...and it isn't wrong to refuse to hit your friends? Irrelevant things like friendships do not matter. An order is an order. If he is ordered to kill his own sisters, he will have to do it, no questions asked. Though..thinking about it, he doesn't even know that he has sisters. How ironic.." The red eyed boy smiled, laughing again as he saw the purple eyed girl crying and beginning, telling him that she would do anything.. oh.. this was such a sweet feeling. This enjoyment, this excitement! Tormenting others was indeed.. the biggest pleasure that his broken and corrupted soul could enjoy.

"You'll do anything?....Well.. that should suffice... but just because you asked me so nicely... I knew it. You're just being a little tsundere.. you actually love your half-brother, right?", Michael replied with a big grin on his face. Turning around to look at Slaine, who was now fallen on the sand, the prince kicked him again before bending over him and once again whispering something. And a few moments later, the blue eyed boy started to cough violently, trying to gasp for air, finally able to breathe again. But Michael looked back at Elaine, still smiling. "I hope that this will definitively take care of your little problems..because, you know, I still haven't found out how much Slaine can resist before dying of suffocation. We can continue our experiment at any time.." But then, the boy remained quiet for a moment. "What should we do with you, though? Well, once this trip is over, I shall take you back home.. and we'll see what father will say. You'll probably have to marry someone.. after all, no mater how much you hate it, you still have our dynasty's blood in your veins.. it's probably the only thing left for which you can be useful... or who knows. Father was a little upset with me.. maybe he'll decide that he has to punish me.. by giving you to me...but before that.."

In the meantime, Slaine had managed to somehow stand back up, still coughing, holding his right hand over his collar, his eyes empty.. but still with some tears on his cheeks. Michael looked at him, and smiled in an almost cheerful way as he stood aside. "I am going to repeat this, one, last, time. Make her feel some pain. Follow your order, soldier." Slowly but surely, the blue eyed boy straightened up, and without any other reaction, and with an empty expression on his face..the boy hit Elaine violently, with no mercy at all, forcing the purple eyed girl to fall on the ground. Michael clapped. "See? It's not that difficult. Now, moving on to something more important.. I order you to forget everything about Elaine. Understood?" Slaine only replied with a vague nod. Michael continued to speak. "Now.. hit Elaine again." The boy remained quiet, his eyes hollow.. before finally saying something, mechanically, as if he had memorized those words from somewhere.. but still rather naturally.. as if he had said them so many times before. "I am sorry, your Highness.. I apologize, but I can not follow your order. I do not know who.. this Elaine is. I will accept any sort of punishment for my incompetence." Michael smirked.

[Castle Crashers]

"He's not in there.. is it that difficult to understand..he's dead. And that's it. The Slaine you knew is dead and gone.". Michael replied in a glacial voice."And let me tell you something.. it doesn't matter.. how much you care for someone. Do you think that fate cares about it? It doesn't matter how much you love someone.. they will end dead, sooner or later. It doesn't matter how much you pray, or anything you would try.. it all ends the same. Why suffer, just for some small moments of love?..Life is about pain, suffering, and hate. Just get used to it..." The blood-red eyed boy looked directly back at Elaine, his voice dripping with hate..but even if he tried to hide it.. the sadness and the bitterness behind his words were obvious. But that moment of weakness lasted.. well, only for a moment, as the blonde prince smirked again. "I don't know why he bothered to talk with you.. you probably fooled him. You did lead him to his demise, after all..and I simply can't understand what's wrong with you.. no one forced him to rebel against the Empire. If our father wouldn't have been merciful.. he would have just been executed like everyone else. You should be more grateful.." And then, Michael sighed. But seeing his half-sister cry..it made him so well..she deserved it. She deserved it all..

"You hate us...? That's quite heartbreaking, you know..since we love you and all. We just want to help you.. we just want to fix you. Of course we had to lock you away.. you were an embarrassment...but we had to do that, for your own good. Our father felt so ashamed because of you.. but it's not your fault that you believed in all those stupid things. And in the end.. you probably corrupted Slaine too.. and look how he ended. It's not our fault..it's your fault. Your fault alone...so how do you feel? Knowing that Slaine ended the way he did.. all because of you?" Michael laughed yet again. "You care about him.. that's heartwarming..so nice...but I hope that you do realize.. that you care about a thing. About an object. He has no feelings.. he will never care about you again. We can even make it so that he will never think about you again..and don't try to make excuses for him. He is a soldier.. he shouldn't do something as childish as building sandcastles...and it isn't wrong to refuse to hit your friends? Irrelevant things like friendships do not matter. An order is an order. If he is ordered to kill his own sisters, he will have to do it, no questions asked. Though..thinking about it, he doesn't even know that he has sisters. How ironic.." The red eyed boy smiled, laughing again as he saw the purple eyed girl crying and beginning, telling him that she would do anything.. oh.. this was such a sweet feeling. This enjoyment, this excitement! Tormenting others was indeed.. the biggest pleasure that his broken and corrupted soul could enjoy.

"You'll do anything?....Well.. that should suffice... but just because you asked me so nicely... I knew it. You're just being a little tsundere.. you actually love your half-brother, right?", Michael replied with a big grin on his face. Turning around to look at Slaine, who was now fallen on the sand, the prince kicked him again before bending over him and once again whispering something. And a few moments later, the blue eyed boy started to cough violently, trying to gasp for air, finally able to breathe again. But Michael looked back at Elaine, still smiling. "I hope that this will definitively take care of your little problems..because, you know, I still haven't found out how much Slaine can resist before dying of suffocation. We can continue our experiment at any time.." But then, the boy remained quiet for a moment. "What should we do with you, though? Well, once this trip is over, I shall take you back home.. and we'll see what father will say. You'll probably have to marry someone.. after all, no mater how much you hate it, you still have our dynasty's blood in your veins.. it's probably the only thing left for which you can be useful... or who knows. Father was a little upset with me.. maybe he'll decide that he has to punish me.. by giving you to me...but before that.."

In the meantime, Slaine had managed to somehow stand back up, still coughing, holding his right hand over his collar, his eyes empty.. but still with some tears on his cheeks. Michael looked at him, and smiled in an almost cheerful way as he stood aside. "I am going to repeat this, one, last, time. Make her feel some pain. Follow your order, soldier." Slowly but surely, the blue eyed boy straightened up, and without any other reaction, and with an empty expression on his face..the boy hit Elaine violently, with no mercy at all, forcing the purple eyed girl to fall on the ground. Michael clapped. "See? It's not that difficult. Now, moving on to something more important.. I order you to forget everything about Elaine. Understood?" Slaine only replied with a vague nod. Michael continued to speak. "Now.. hit Elaine again." The boy remained quiet, his eyes hollow.. before finally saying something, mechanically, as if he had memorized those words from somewhere.. but still rather naturally.. as if he had said them so many times before. "I am sorry, your Highness.. I apologize, but I can not follow your order. I do not know who.. this Elaine is. I will accept any sort of punishment for my incompetence." Michael smirked.

"...no, you're wrong..." She replied softly as she rubbed her nose. "Even if all it means is...pain for the rest of us...that little bit of love that we can give to someone else while they're here...that's what's important...not...the pain that follows..." She kept her gaze down as he continued to chime about how it was her fault that Slaine was as he was, and that she should be merciful...and she said nothing, because that was exactly how she felt. She did feel like it was her fault that he was like this. She knew she should be grateful for the sparing of his life, but...how could anyone be grateful to someone so cruel..? It made no sense to her...just like it made no sense to her that Michael could find such joy in her pain. What had she done to him, personally, on a one-on-one level, to cause him to do this to her..? It had to take something really, really serious, didn't it..?

Then, he spoke of how they loved her...how they just wanted to fix her...and she had to resist the urge to laugh. If they loved her, how could they be so cruel as to not even allow her to venture their own home..? Only that room, that prison, she was allowed to wander. Her room...hadn't even been fairly large. It was torture. You didn't torture your family members because you loved them. But...then again, her family had never been normal, had it? He once more continued of how it was her fault, all of it, but she kept her head down. Tears welled in her eyes again, but she refused to let them show once more. Then, he continued on about Slaine, poking fun at what they'd done to him... "You're wrong, he does have feelings...I saw them..." She whimpered. "Not even a few moments ago...he was...smiling and laughing and he was...happy...he did care about me...he liked to build sandcastles...but...then you showed up..." Finally she raised her eyes once more to his as he laughed, pure hatred shining in her purple irises. "If it weren't for you...then maybe...he would be okay...but you have to ruin everything good, don't you..?"

While she had the urge to snap back at him when he asked if it was all an act with that stupid grin of his, she resisted. It was hard, very hard, but she knew anything snarky she said could put Slaine at risk of being hurt once more. She clenched her jaw to keep herself from speaking, but was able to breathe a sigh of relief when Michael finally deactivated Slaine's collar. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, throwing her into the realization of what she'd said. She would...do anything..? For him, yes, but...when Michael spoke of taking her back home to marry someone, and even the mere, spiteful mention that she might have to marry him... it was enough to make her nauseous to the point where she was barely holding back from relieving her stomach in the sand. The thought of having to be stuck with someone like him was...unbearable...to think that she might even have to have children...with him... it only made her stomach knot more.

But...her thoughts were distracted as she watched Slaine stand once more, his eyes empty, the light that had been in them only moments ago, gone. Michael looked happy. Alexander was emotionless, if not hateful. He ordered Slaine to hit her, and without any hesitation...with a loud smack! and a burst of pain in her right cheek, she sailed back to the ground, her face finally colliding with the sand. She didn't move. She didn't think. If someone weren't to pay attention, one could even say she looked dead. She didn't even blink. All she could do was breathe. There were no tears, no sadness, no hatred. The moment the one person she'd trusted, even if she knew it wasn't his fault, hit her, everything she'd built herself to be came crashing down. He'd resisted before...he'd been able to...but he'd been scared into the empty shell he'd been before once more. Everything, everything she'd helped him become was gone. All of her work, demolished. All of her hope, shattered. She had no will to resist anymore, and when he spoke of not knowing who she was, her heart silently broke into a million pieces as she laid there without a word, a red mark growing on her cheek. And yet, she said nothing.

[Tracian Empire]

Seeing Elaine on the ground, as if she was dead.. Michael laughed, the broken laugh of a madman. Of course, he could feel her breathe, he knew that physically, she was not dead.. but what he had just done to her.. it pretty much killed her sentiments. Oh.. such a wonderful feeling..breaking someone.. destroying their hope.. feeling their hopelessness.. it was truly amazing..it was breathtaking. The boy felt as if he could shed tears of happiness and excitement.. but he controlled himself, as he looked back at his younger half-sister, with his blood-red eyes. "Oh, my.. what happened, my dear sister? What is wrong with you?.. Are you enjoying? All this despair?." Michael smiled. "How does it feel, to face all the harsh truth? To have all your hopes, crumbled one by one, crushed all together, destroyed, ripped to pieces? How does it feel, to sink so deep into the depths of despair? Isn't it amazing..you deserve this so much.. I hope that you're enjoying it..after all.. I'm only doing this because I love you, my dear sister. I want you.. to feel the same despair that I have felt..isn't that beautiful?.."

But the blonde prince then sighed. "Well.. I guess that I will leave you alone.. to enjoy this...see you later, my dear sister...and don't you dare to try to run away.. because.. after this entire filthy trip is over.. we have to return home, together..." Saying that, Michael laughed again, before suddenly returning to his cold personality. "Come.", the red eyed prince said in a glacial voice, and even if he had not looked at any of them, Slaine and Alexander both followed him, quietly...

---

And as the sun set over the resort planet, all students were brought to a relatively luxurious hotel. A tall skyscraper, pretty close to the beach. One by one, the students came there, or they were brought there, before being sent to their rooms. And as night came, the silence took over the hotel, with most people sleeping....but a dreadful feeling of despair remained. Something.. was going to happen soon.

[Castle Crashers]

Seeing Elaine on the ground, as if she was dead.. Michael laughed, the broken laugh of a madman. Of course, he could feel her breathe, he knew that physically, she was not dead.. but what he had just done to her.. it pretty much killed her sentiments. Oh.. such a wonderful feeling..breaking someone.. destroying their hope.. feeling their hopelessness.. it was truly amazing..it was breathtaking. The boy felt as if he could shed tears of happiness and excitement.. but he controlled himself, as he looked back at his younger half-sister, with his blood-red eyes. "Oh, my.. what happened, my dear sister? What is wrong with you?.. Are you enjoying? All this despair?." Michael smiled. "How does it feel, to face all the harsh truth? To have all your hopes, crumbled one by one, crushed all together, destroyed, ripped to pieces? How does it feel, to sink so deep into the depths of despair? Isn't it amazing..you deserve this so much.. I hope that you're enjoying it..after all.. I'm only doing this because I love you, my dear sister. I want you.. to feel the same despair that I have felt..isn't that beautiful?.."

But the blonde prince then sighed. "Well.. I guess that I will leave you alone.. to enjoy this...see you later, my dear sister...and don't you dare to try to run away.. because.. after this entire filthy trip is over.. we have to return home, together..." Saying that, Michael laughed again, before suddenly returning to his cold personality. "Come.", the red eyed prince said in a glacial voice, and even if he had not looked at any of them, Slaine and Alexander both followed him, quietly...

---

And as the sun set over the resort planet, all students were brought to a relatively luxurious hotel. A tall skyscraper, pretty close to the beach. One by one, the students came there, or they were brought there, before being sent to their rooms. And as night came, the silence took over the hotel, with most people sleeping....but a dreadful feeling of despair remained. Something.. was going to happen soon.

Elaine stayed where she was as Michael enjoyed her pain and walked off with both Slaine and Alexander, leaving her alone in her pain and despair. In the bitter silence, the only sound filling her ears the wind and the sea, barely even hearing her own breath, she made a single decision. Her life was over. Everything she'd had going for her was gone. Everyone she'd loved was gone. Her mother. Her brother. Slaine. All of them were gone, and everything she'd done and tried to make herself happy, her last resorts, were gone. There was nothing left now. She knew she would reach this eventually...it was inevitable. There was no where else to turn. After a long time, she brought herself up wordlessly and headed to the hotel they were assigned to. For hours, she sat in her room silently watching the wall, wondering whether someone would knock, wondering if somehow, by some chance, he would have a change of heart, a change of mind, and come talk to her. That was all she needed...she needed his voice...but every moment she waited, as every silent tear dropped from her eyes, she lost hope. Despair took its place. He wasn't coming, he never would. He didn't know who she was anymore, or what they'd done together, or what he meant to her. All she needed was to hear those words...that...everything would be okay...but the longer she waited, the darker it got, the more faith she lost. It didn't take much thinking for her to know how things were going to end.

She had first thought of cutting herself, or overdosing on pills, but both just seemed dreadful. She had one more option, and it was a solid one. Once she was ready, no one could stop her. No one could save her. No one could delay her fate any longer, and she was ready. She had changed back into her white sundress by then, and had taken care to make herself look presentable. She didn't know why, but she always felt it would be better to look her best at the end. It put her more at peace to know that maybe someone would find her, see her lasting beauty as her body grew cold, and maybe, just maybe, would regret never speaking to her before the end, never thinking to stop her...it made her feel better. She never unpacked her things, but she did slip on her sandals as she left her room for what she expected would be the last time. She walked down the hallway in a casual manner, but her eyes were empty. She was only walking, going over all of the things she had done, and all of the things everyone had said to her. She was the reason Slaine had met this end. She was the reason he couldn't remember, that he didn't have free will. She was the reason Alexander had ended up the same. She could even possibly be a reason her mother had died, or that the Empire hated her, or that her own father hated her, too...if she didn't exist, everything would be okay. Slaine would be okay. Alexander would be okay. If her blood was spilled across the ground, no one would have to care anymore. No one would have to cry or hate anymore. Everything would be at peace.

She continued up the building floor by floor, replaying the hateful words in her mind, her own criticism mixing with other's, replaying what it felt like to be hit so many times. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she was expressionless as she neared the top of the building. Her faith was crashing with every step towards the top. She was convinced by now that no one would care to stop her. No one had cared from the beginning...it was all probably...pity. They pitied her, so they acted like they liked her. Slaine only did it because he was sympathetic of her. It was all pity. He never really cared, did he..? None of them did. It had all been meaningless, naive hope. She had no future. All that was left for her was suffering, and she needed to end this.

With only a few more steps, she reached the rooftop. The wind was strong up here, but it was exhilarating. She loved it. She wondered how powerful it would be, how light she would feel when she fell...how long would it take? Seconds? Would it hurt when she reached the bottom, or would it be painless? It didn't matter. She probably deserved the pain, anyway. She reached the edge, and she took a moment to look over. She could guess the spot where she would land. Would anyone care, or would they all just walk around her body? Would her classmates even notice her disappearance? Or was she bound to be forgotten from the start? It didn't matter now. She would be dead, and who cared about what a dead girl felt? No one. She took off her sandals and stepped up onto the ledge, extending her arms and closing her eyes to simply feel the air against her face for a moment. She wanted a happy memory before she died. While at first she guessed there were none, it wasn't true. Even if they were fake and pitiful, most of the happy memories she had were with Slaine. And when she thought of them...she smiled, the tears rolling down her cheeks. Perhaps when he died too, he would remember her. He would tell her how sorry he was, and he would hug her and tell her how much he missed her...and Alexander would, too, when he died. She would see her mother. She could be happy again. All she...had to do was lean forward. Then, oh then, she could be free...and all it took was one little step...

[Tracian Empire]

A boy was aimlessly walking on the many hallways of the hotel building, in the middle of the night. He had no idea what to do.. and he had nothing to do. His blue eyes seemed to be just as hollow as usual, but he had dark circles around him. His blonde hair was much more messier than usual, and his blue-red uniform was worn almost carelessly, with the collar opened. If anyone would have seen him then, they could have easily assumed that he was sleepwalking or something.. because the boy looked completely lost.. confused, and tired. But he wasn't asleep.. because he couldn't sleep, not like that. For as far as he could remember.. his nights had been filled with nightmares. And in this night.. they had been.. so much worse. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't even close his eyes.. and since Prince Michael hadn't said anything against it, so the boy was simply walking around.. without an objective, without a purpose, thinking behind his blank expression.

Of course.. he hadn't forgotten Elaine. An order was an order.. but it wasn't like his memory would suddenly wipe out that information. He would usually.. just stop thinking about it. But that order.. that order was just.. so painful.. and he couldn't understand why. He knew, that right now, just by thinking about her, he was breaking a direct order.. and his heart was grasped by fear.. and by the terrorizing feeling.. of running out of air..of feeling.. the metal of the collar.. strangling around his neck.. of desperately trying to breathe..the boy flinched, as he closed his eyes, nearly starting to cry.. But as he tried to control himself.. he saw her. Dressed in her white sundress.. going somewhere. She failed to notice him, as he was hidden in the darkness..but once he saw her, he started to follow her, filled with a strange combination of confusion and determination. For some reason.. he just felt.. as if he had to follow her. No matter what, he had to follow her, as he felt a gloomy feeling of anxiety take over.. as if something.. was about to happen. That's where his soldier training kicked in.. and the girl was completely unable to notice him as he followed her like a shadow. And as the boy finally reached the roof.. he saw her.. on the edge.. ready to jump.

"P-princess?..", the blue eyed boy said in a puzzled and shaky voice. "W-what are you.. t-trying to d-do?.."

[Castle Crashers]

A boy was aimlessly walking on the many hallways of the hotel building, in the middle of the night. He had no idea what to do.. and he had nothing to do. His blue eyes seemed to be just as hollow as usual, but he had dark circles around him. His blonde hair was much more messier than usual, and his blue-red uniform was worn almost carelessly, with the collar opened. If anyone would have seen him then, they could have easily assumed that he was sleepwalking or something.. because the boy looked completely lost.. confused, and tired. But he wasn't asleep.. because he couldn't sleep, not like that. For as far as he could remember.. his nights had been filled with nightmares. And in this night.. they had been.. so much worse. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't even close his eyes.. and since Prince Michael hadn't said anything against it, so the boy was simply walking around.. without an objective, without a purpose, thinking behind his blank expression.

Of course.. he hadn't forgotten Elaine. An order was an order.. but it wasn't like his memory would suddenly wipe out that information. He would usually.. just stop thinking about it. But that order.. that order was just.. so painful.. and he couldn't understand why. He knew, that right now, just by thinking about her, he was breaking a direct order.. and his heart was grasped by fear.. and by the terrorizing feeling.. of running out of air..of feeling.. the metal of the collar.. strangling around his neck.. of desperately trying to breathe..the boy flinched, as he closed his eyes, nearly starting to cry.. But as he tried to control himself.. he saw her. Dressed in her white sundress.. going somewhere. She failed to notice him, as he was hidden in the darkness..but once he saw her, he started to follow her, filled with a strange combination of confusion and determination. For some reason.. he just felt.. as if he had to follow her. No matter what, he had to follow her, as he felt a gloomy feeling of anxiety take over.. as if something.. was about to happen. That's where his soldier training kicked in.. and the girl was completely unable to notice him as he followed her like a shadow. And as the boy finally reached the roof.. he saw her.. on the edge.. ready to jump.

"P-princess?..", the blue eyed boy said in a puzzled and shaky voice. "W-what are you.. t-trying to d-do?.."

Music :3

The moment she heard his voice, she opened her eyes again. Almost in shock, but not quite, she turned to look at him. She wasn't sure why, but...the last thing she'd expected was to see him, of all people, standing there. He wasn't supposed to know who she was anymore, after all. Perhaps he'd lied, but the fact that he'd called her princess rather than Elaine was enough to convince her otherwise. A bitter thought quickly smothered what speckle of hope she'd had in the back of her mind. He's only doing what he's assigned to do...to stop you from hurting yourself. It's just procedure. Don't believe him. Her smile stayed, though, because while she was devoid of happiness and hope, she felt at peace where she was. Knowing that it was about to end, all of this...it made her feel better. It made everything...okay. She could say anything, and so could he, and it wouldn't matter. In a few moments, her fate would be sealed. "What...does it look like..?" She replied softly, the broken, defeated, despair-filled smile still on her face. It looked the same as ever, but it was easy to tell that something wasn't quite right. "I'm ending this...once and for all...no one will have to suffer anymore...you can all be happy! I won't be here to bother you anymore!" She laughed, but it was an awful, scary sound. It was a laugh that no one wanted to hear. It was so...final. "And...you can't stop me...I don't want to be stopped. So please...go back to what you were doing before. You don't need to be here to see this."

[Tracian Empire]

A boy was aimlessly walking on the many hallways of the hotel building, in the middle of the night. He had no idea what to do.. and he had nothing to do. His blue eyes seemed to be just as hollow as usual, but he had dark circles around him. His blonde hair was much more messier than usual, and his blue-red uniform was worn almost carelessly, with the collar opened. If anyone would have seen him then, they could have easily assumed that he was sleepwalking or something.. because the boy looked completely lost.. confused, and tired. But he wasn't asleep.. because he couldn't sleep, not like that. For as far as he could remember.. his nights had been filled with nightmares. And in this night.. they had been.. so much worse. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't even close his eyes.. and since Prince Michael hadn't said anything against it, so the boy was simply walking around.. without an objective, without a purpose, thinking behind his blank expression.

Of course.. he hadn't forgotten Elaine. An order was an order.. but it wasn't like his memory would suddenly wipe out that information. He would usually.. just stop thinking about it. But that order.. that order was just.. so painful.. and he couldn't understand why. He knew, that right now, just by thinking about her, he was breaking a direct order.. and his heart was grasped by fear.. and by the terrorizing feeling.. of running out of air..of feeling.. the metal of the collar.. strangling around his neck.. of desperately trying to breathe..the boy flinched, as he closed his eyes, nearly starting to cry.. But as he tried to control himself.. he saw her. Dressed in her white sundress.. going somewhere. She failed to notice him, as he was hidden in the darkness..but once he saw her, he started to follow her, filled with a strange combination of confusion and determination. For some reason.. he just felt.. as if he had to follow her. No matter what, he had to follow her, as he felt a gloomy feeling of anxiety take over.. as if something.. was about to happen. That's where his soldier training kicked in.. and the girl was completely unable to notice him as he followed her like a shadow. And as the boy finally reached the roof.. he saw her.. on the edge.. ready to jump.

"P-princess?..", the blue eyed boy said in a puzzled and shaky voice. "W-what are you.. t-trying to d-do?.."

Music :3

The moment she heard his voice, she opened her eyes again. Almost in shock, but not quite, she turned to look at him. She wasn't sure why, but...the last thing she'd expected was to see him, of all people, standing there. He wasn't supposed to know who she was anymore, after all. Perhaps he'd lied, but the fact that he'd called her princess rather than Elaine was enough to convince her otherwise. A bitter thought quickly smothered what speckle of hope she'd had in the back of her mind. He's only doing what he's assigned to do...to stop you from hurting yourself. It's just procedure. Don't believe him. Her smile stayed, though, because while she was devoid of happiness and hope, she felt at peace where she was. Knowing that it was about to end, all of this...it made her feel better. It made everything...okay. She could say anything, and so could he, and it wouldn't matter. In a few moments, her fate would be sealed. "What...does it look like..?" She replied softly, the broken, defeated, despair-filled smile still on her face. It looked the same as ever, but it was easy to tell that something wasn't quite right. "I'm ending this...once and for all...no one will have to suffer anymore...you can all be happy! I won't be here to bother you anymore!" She laughed, but it was an awful, scary sound. It was a laugh that no one wanted to hear. It was so...final. "And...you can't stop me...I don't want to be stopped. So please...go back to what you were doing before. You don't need to be here to see this."

"What...does it look like..?", the blue eyed boy answered, in a confused voice. Of course.. he knew what it looked like. He wasn't allowed to think.. but that did not mean that he was unable to understand what he was seeing. And he knew what this was...the princess.. she was trying to kill herself. He couldn't even remember.. how many times he had seen other people taking their own life. Their minds simply snapping.. many.. had tried to kill themselves..simply.. unable to resist anymore. Even if it was forbidden.. since after all.. their lives didn't even belong to them.. they belonged to the Empire. But sometimes.. it was just.. too much. He had only managed to resist.. because of that reason.. that he couldn't remember anymore. He just remembered.. that back then.. way back then, when all of the pain started.. he had a reason for all of this. He had done all of it for a reason. And that's what had kept him from going insane, or from trying to take his own life.. even if sometimes, the sweet embrace of death seemed just so much better than the cold pain that he lived through every day. And here.. the purple eyed girl was standing on the edge of the roof.. trying to jump. She wanted.. she wanted to kill herself. And for some reason..the simple thought of her trying..made him feel a fear like he had never felt before. And not because.. of his orders to protect her. He was used with failing, and with being punished for it. But the thought of her no longer being here.. it hurt him. It hurt him so much. But he had no idea what to do.. he had no idea what to say..but he tried to speak, even if the pain in his chest seemed to be taking all of his breath away.

"No...princess.. why are you.. why are you trying to do something.. like this?", Slaine vaguely asked. But he could see her smile...a smile filled with despair. "You don't have.. to end this. You're not.. bothering anyone..we won't be happy.. if you would... if you would.. die.." And the blonde haired boy flinched upon hearing her laugh. "And no... I don't.. I don't want you to die.. I have to stop you.. I need to stop you.."

[Castle Crashers]

Music :3

The moment she heard his voice, she opened her eyes again. Almost in shock, but not quite, she turned to look at him. She wasn't sure why, but...the last thing she'd expected was to see him, of all people, standing there. He wasn't supposed to know who she was anymore, after all. Perhaps he'd lied, but the fact that he'd called her princess rather than Elaine was enough to convince her otherwise. A bitter thought quickly smothered what speckle of hope she'd had in the back of her mind. He's only doing what he's assigned to do...to stop you from hurting yourself. It's just procedure. Don't believe him. Her smile stayed, though, because while she was devoid of happiness and hope, she felt at peace where she was. Knowing that it was about to end, all of this...it made her feel better. It made everything...okay. She could say anything, and so could he, and it wouldn't matter. In a few moments, her fate would be sealed. "What...does it look like..?" She replied softly, the broken, defeated, despair-filled smile still on her face. It looked the same as ever, but it was easy to tell that something wasn't quite right. "I'm ending this...once and for all...no one will have to suffer anymore...you can all be happy! I won't be here to bother you anymore!" She laughed, but it was an awful, scary sound. It was a laugh that no one wanted to hear. It was so...final. "And...you can't stop me...I don't want to be stopped. So please...go back to what you were doing before. You don't need to be here to see this."

"What...does it look like..?", the blue eyed boy answered, in a confused voice. Of course.. he knew what it looked like. He wasn't allowed to think.. but that did not mean that he was unable to understand what he was seeing. And he knew what this was...the princess.. she was trying to kill herself. He couldn't even remember.. how many times he had seen other people taking their own life. Their minds simply snapping.. many.. had tried to kill themselves..simply.. unable to resist anymore. Even if it was forbidden.. since after all.. their lives didn't even belong to them.. they belonged to the Empire. But sometimes.. it was just.. too much. He had only managed to resist.. because of that reason.. that he couldn't remember anymore. He just remembered.. that back then.. way back then, when all of the pain started.. he had a reason for all of this. He had done all of it for a reason. And that's what had kept him from going insane, or from trying to take his own life.. even if sometimes, the sweet embrace of death seemed just so much better than the cold pain that he lived through every day. And here.. the purple eyed girl was standing on the edge of the roof.. trying to jump. She wanted.. she wanted to kill herself. And for some reason..the simple thought of her trying..made him feel a fear like he had never felt before. And not because.. of his orders to protect her. He was used with failing, and with being punished for it. But the thought of her no longer being here.. it hurt him. It hurt him so much. But he had no idea what to do.. he had no idea what to say..but he tried to speak, even if the pain in his chest seemed to be taking all of his breath away.

"No...princess.. why are you.. why are you trying to do something.. like this?", Slaine vaguely asked. But he could see her smile...a smile filled with despair. "You don't have.. to end this. You're not.. bothering anyone..we won't be happy.. if you would... if you would.. die.." And the blonde haired boy flinched upon hearing her laugh. "And no... I don't.. I don't want you to die.. I have to stop you.. I need to stop you.."

Elaine gave a bitter laugh, wishing that he could see everything from her eyes. "There's...nothing left for me here. My family hates me, my country hates me, you don't even remember me half of the time I tell you about things...you can't see me with the same remembrance or knowing that I see you with...and every time...that I have to remind you, to tell you something I forget that you don't remember..." Her smile faltered again, sadness breaking through her bitter expression. "...I'm...so tired of this...all of it...of the crying, of the heartbreak, of the anger...I...all I wanted was to be happy, and I couldn't even get that...hatred for me has been laced into the blood of all of the people that really mattered. You were all I had left, but..." She stopped. I can't tell whether how you acted around me was fake or not...I can't tell if it was just pity, or maybe even idiocy. You had to have known...right..? Maybe they even...told you to pity me...maybe they planned this all along... She grimaced and looked down at her bare feet, only inches from freefall. She just wanted to go. She wanted to be at peace.

Finally, she looked up again, tears welling in her eyes. "...my life was damned from the moment I was born. I can barely remember my mother before she died, my siblings hated me...Michael thought he was helping but all he did was hurt me...Alexander became my only family left, but soon...he was gone, too...and then I...all I had was you, but they had to take you away, too...I've...rarely felt true happiness, or serenity, or joy...every time I do experience it, it's taken away...and I'm left with nothing..." She smiled again and rubbed her eyes. "...it would be better to end this now...before I have to lose what little hope I have of gaining you back, too...because if I become too hopeful...if I...become just a little too happy..." She trailed off again, almost afraid to finish. "...it's...it's better this way. You'll forget about me again, anyway. It doesn't matter." She grimaced once more and rubbed her eyes again. "...besides...I'm sure you never really cared, either...after all, you can't remember...you can't tell me I'm wrong...I bet they...set you up...they wanted to get rid of you so they threw you to me...because they...knew that I'd get attached...but it would make sense, wouldn't it..? They don't just let anyone roam the palace..." A bitter look returned to her face. The despair-filled smile came once more. "So why don't you just go back..? Maybe they'll leave you alone once I'm not bothering you. I was the reason all of that happened to you, after all. Don't you hate me for that..? That I was the reason they suffocated you like that? That doesn't make you angry..?"

[Tracian Empire]

"What...does it look like..?", the blue eyed boy answered, in a confused voice. Of course.. he knew what it looked like. He wasn't allowed to think.. but that did not mean that he was unable to understand what he was seeing. And he knew what this was...the princess.. she was trying to kill herself. He couldn't even remember.. how many times he had seen other people taking their own life. Their minds simply snapping.. many.. had tried to kill themselves..simply.. unable to resist anymore. Even if it was forbidden.. since after all.. their lives didn't even belong to them.. they belonged to the Empire. But sometimes.. it was just.. too much. He had only managed to resist.. because of that reason.. that he couldn't remember anymore. He just remembered.. that back then.. way back then, when all of the pain started.. he had a reason for all of this. He had done all of it for a reason. And that's what had kept him from going insane, or from trying to take his own life.. even if sometimes, the sweet embrace of death seemed just so much better than the cold pain that he lived through every day. And here.. the purple eyed girl was standing on the edge of the roof.. trying to jump. She wanted.. she wanted to kill herself. And for some reason..the simple thought of her trying..made him feel a fear like he had never felt before. And not because.. of his orders to protect her. He was used with failing, and with being punished for it. But the thought of her no longer being here.. it hurt him. It hurt him so much. But he had no idea what to do.. he had no idea what to say..but he tried to speak, even if the pain in his chest seemed to be taking all of his breath away.

"No...princess.. why are you.. why are you trying to do something.. like this?", Slaine vaguely asked. But he could see her smile...a smile filled with despair. "You don't have.. to end this. You're not.. bothering anyone..we won't be happy.. if you would... if you would.. die.." And the blonde haired boy flinched upon hearing her laugh. "And no... I don't.. I don't want you to die.. I have to stop you.. I need to stop you.."

Elaine gave a bitter laugh, wishing that he could see everything from her eyes. "There's...nothing left for me here. My family hates me, my country hates me, you don't even remember me half of the time I tell you about things...you can't see me with the same remembrance or knowing that I see you with...and every time...that I have to remind you, to tell you something I forget that you don't remember..." Her smile faltered again, sadness breaking through her bitter expression. "...I'm...so tired of this...all of it...of the crying, of the heartbreak, of the anger...I...all I wanted was to be happy, and I couldn't even get that...hatred for me has been laced into the blood of all of the people that really mattered. You were all I had left, but..." She stopped. I can't tell whether how you acted around me was fake or not...I can't tell if it was just pity, or maybe even idiocy. You had to have known...right..? Maybe they even...told you to pity me...maybe they planned this all along... She grimaced and looked down at her bare feet, only inches from freefall. She just wanted to go. She wanted to be at peace.

Finally, she looked up again, tears welling in her eyes. "...my life was damned from the moment I was born. I can barely remember my mother before she died, my siblings hated me...Michael thought he was helping but all he did was hurt me...Alexander became my only family left, but soon...he was gone, too...and then I...all I had was you, but they had to take you away, too...I've...rarely felt true happiness, or serenity, or joy...every time I do experience it, it's taken away...and I'm left with nothing..." She smiled again and rubbed her eyes. "...it would be better to end this now...before I have to lose what little hope I have of gaining you back, too...because if I become too hopeful...if I...become just a little too happy..." She trailed off again, almost afraid to finish. "...it's...it's better this way. You'll forget about me again, anyway. It doesn't matter." She grimaced once more and rubbed her eyes again. "...besides...I'm sure you never really cared, either...after all, you can't remember...you can't tell me I'm wrong...I bet they...set you up...they wanted to get rid of you so they threw you to me...because they...knew that I'd get attached...but it would make sense, wouldn't it..? They don't just let anyone roam the palace..." A bitter look returned to her face. The despair-filled smile came once more. "So why don't you just go back..? Maybe they'll leave you alone once I'm not bothering you. I was the reason all of that happened to you, after all. Don't you hate me for that..? That I was the reason they suffocated you like that? That doesn't make you angry..?"

The blue eyed boy remained quiet.. not even knowing what to say. Her sadness..her despair..it hurt him so much, to know that she was feeling like that. But.. how could he even hope to help her? There was nothing he could do.. there was nothing he could change about her past. There was nothing he could change about her mother's death, about what had happened to him and to Alexander..about what Michael had done to her. He couldn't even remember that.. and he couldn't do anything about her own family hating her. And.. he could't do anything about himself. He was just... unable to remember all of that. Sometimes, in his dreams, he felt as if he was just so close from remembering something.. but in the end, he couldn't remember anything. Large parts of his memory, especially those of the years before.. all of this had started.. where fractured and fuzzy. He had tried, he had tried to so hard to remember.. to remember his past, to remember her.. but in the end, he failed. Even like that, he wanted to help her, to be her friend..but in the end, of all that failed too.. when Prince Michael had arrived. But still..

"No.. I don't hate you.. how could I hate you? How could I be angry about it?", Slaine answered in a calm voice. "And.. you're not the reason.. all that has happened to me. I don't remember why.. but I had a good reason.. to accept all of this, and to resist through all of it. And even right now.. you weren't the reason.. for why Prince Michael punished me. He ordered me to hurt you.. but I refused.. fully knowing the consequences. I only.. I only hit you.. after all of that.. because I was afraid.. and..and I'm sorry for that.." The boy no longer had his usual emotionless expression, as he had a desolate look on his face.. and his eyes, even if still hollow, seemed to be on the verge of tears. "I don't want to hurt you.. but that punishment.. was..just.. too much.. I.. I panicked. But it wasn't.. it wasn't your fault." Slaine tried to look at Elaine again, as tears started to finally flow down on his cheeks, as he felt the fear.. the fear of her dying, and of him being unable to do anything about it.."And if you.. if you want to kill yourself.. how could I possibly.. leave? How could I.. possibly abandon you?.. I just.. I don't want you.. to die.."

[Castle Crashers]

Elaine gave a bitter laugh, wishing that he could see everything from her eyes. "There's...nothing left for me here. My family hates me, my country hates me, you don't even remember me half of the time I tell you about things...you can't see me with the same remembrance or knowing that I see you with...and every time...that I have to remind you, to tell you something I forget that you don't remember..." Her smile faltered again, sadness breaking through her bitter expression. "...I'm...so tired of this...all of it...of the crying, of the heartbreak, of the anger...I...all I wanted was to be happy, and I couldn't even get that...hatred for me has been laced into the blood of all of the people that really mattered. You were all I had left, but..." She stopped. I can't tell whether how you acted around me was fake or not...I can't tell if it was just pity, or maybe even idiocy. You had to have known...right..? Maybe they even...told you to pity me...maybe they planned this all along... She grimaced and looked down at her bare feet, only inches from freefall. She just wanted to go. She wanted to be at peace.

Finally, she looked up again, tears welling in her eyes. "...my life was damned from the moment I was born. I can barely remember my mother before she died, my siblings hated me...Michael thought he was helping but all he did was hurt me...Alexander became my only family left, but soon...he was gone, too...and then I...all I had was you, but they had to take you away, too...I've...rarely felt true happiness, or serenity, or joy...every time I do experience it, it's taken away...and I'm left with nothing..." She smiled again and rubbed her eyes. "...it would be better to end this now...before I have to lose what little hope I have of gaining you back, too...because if I become too hopeful...if I...become just a little too happy..." She trailed off again, almost afraid to finish. "...it's...it's better this way. You'll forget about me again, anyway. It doesn't matter." She grimaced once more and rubbed her eyes again. "...besides...I'm sure you never really cared, either...after all, you can't remember...you can't tell me I'm wrong...I bet they...set you up...they wanted to get rid of you so they threw you to me...because they...knew that I'd get attached...but it would make sense, wouldn't it..? They don't just let anyone roam the palace..." A bitter look returned to her face. The despair-filled smile came once more. "So why don't you just go back..? Maybe they'll leave you alone once I'm not bothering you. I was the reason all of that happened to you, after all. Don't you hate me for that..? That I was the reason they suffocated you like that? That doesn't make you angry..?"

The blue eyed boy remained quiet.. not even knowing what to say. Her sadness..her despair..it hurt him so much, to know that she was feeling like that. But.. how could he even hope to help her? There was nothing he could do.. there was nothing he could change about her past. There was nothing he could change about her mother's death, about what had happened to him and to Alexander..about what Michael had done to her. He couldn't even remember that.. and he couldn't do anything about her own family hating her. And.. he could't do anything about himself. He was just... unable to remember all of that. Sometimes, in his dreams, he felt as if he was just so close from remembering something.. but in the end, he couldn't remember anything. Large parts of his memory, especially those of the years before.. all of this had started.. where fractured and fuzzy. He had tried, he had tried to so hard to remember.. to remember his past, to remember her.. but in the end, he failed. Even like that, he wanted to help her, to be her friend..but in the end, of all that failed too.. when Prince Michael had arrived. But still..

"No.. I don't hate you.. how could I hate you? How could I be angry about it?", Slaine answered in a calm voice. "And.. you're not the reason.. all that has happened to me. I don't remember why.. but I had a good reason.. to accept all of this, and to resist through all of it. And even right now.. you weren't the reason.. for why Prince Michael punished me. He ordered me to hurt you.. but I refused.. fully knowing the consequences. I only.. I only hit you.. after all of that.. because I was afraid.. and..and I'm sorry for that.." The boy no longer had his usual emotionless expression, as he had a desolate look on his face.. and his eyes, even if still hollow, seemed to be on the verge of tears. "I don't want to hurt you.. but that punishment.. was..just.. too much.. I.. I panicked. But it wasn't.. it wasn't your fault." Slaine tried to look at Elaine again, as tears started to finally flow down on his cheeks, as he felt the fear.. the fear of her dying, and of him being unable to do anything about it.."And if you.. if you want to kill yourself.. how could I possibly.. leave? How could I.. possibly abandon you?.. I just.. I don't want you.. to die.."

As he spoke, Elaine's chest tightened and a lump rose in her throat as tears began to fall from her own eyes. She wanted to believe him, she did, but...that voice was still in the back of her mind. He's lying to you...he doesn't care about you...he doesn't remember you...he's only doing his job... But for a moment, she ignored the voice. Just for a moment...as the tears fell from her eyes. The despair was quickly being replaced by sadness, heartbreak, and...fear. "...you don't understand, I...I...I can't go back...I can't..." Her expression collapsed as she cried. "I can't...I just can't go back to that place...I'm...terrified to go back there...I'm scared of what they'll do to me, I...I can't be with that...that bastard...I would rather die...then have to..." She stopped, and she looked back over the edge for a moment. When she looked back, tears were streaming down her cheeks. "...I am...I am scared of dying...but I would rather face death than have to go back there...or to be the reason you suffer more...it's...unbearable to watch you disappear more and more everyday..." She used the crook of her arm to wipe her tears away again. "So please, let me go...I...have no future...just let me go while I can be happy...instead of in the future...when I'll have to do it because I have no other choice..."

[Tracian Empire]

The blue eyed boy remained quiet.. not even knowing what to say. Her sadness..her despair..it hurt him so much, to know that she was feeling like that. But.. how could he even hope to help her? There was nothing he could do.. there was nothing he could change about her past. There was nothing he could change about her mother's death, about what had happened to him and to Alexander..about what Michael had done to her. He couldn't even remember that.. and he couldn't do anything about her own family hating her. And.. he could't do anything about himself. He was just... unable to remember all of that. Sometimes, in his dreams, he felt as if he was just so close from remembering something.. but in the end, he couldn't remember anything. Large parts of his memory, especially those of the years before.. all of this had started.. where fractured and fuzzy. He had tried, he had tried to so hard to remember.. to remember his past, to remember her.. but in the end, he failed. Even like that, he wanted to help her, to be her friend..but in the end, of all that failed too.. when Prince Michael had arrived. But still..

"No.. I don't hate you.. how could I hate you? How could I be angry about it?", Slaine answered in a calm voice. "And.. you're not the reason.. all that has happened to me. I don't remember why.. but I had a good reason.. to accept all of this, and to resist through all of it. And even right now.. you weren't the reason.. for why Prince Michael punished me. He ordered me to hurt you.. but I refused.. fully knowing the consequences. I only.. I only hit you.. after all of that.. because I was afraid.. and..and I'm sorry for that.." The boy no longer had his usual emotionless expression, as he had a desolate look on his face.. and his eyes, even if still hollow, seemed to be on the verge of tears. "I don't want to hurt you.. but that punishment.. was..just.. too much.. I.. I panicked. But it wasn't.. it wasn't your fault." Slaine tried to look at Elaine again, as tears started to finally flow down on his cheeks, as he felt the fear.. the fear of her dying, and of him being unable to do anything about it.."And if you.. if you want to kill yourself.. how could I possibly.. leave? How could I.. possibly abandon you?.. I just.. I don't want you.. to die.."

As he spoke, Elaine's chest tightened and a lump rose in her throat as tears began to fall from her own eyes. She wanted to believe him, she did, but...that voice was still in the back of her mind. He's lying to you...he doesn't care about you...he doesn't remember you...he's only doing his job... But for a moment, she ignored the voice. Just for a moment...as the tears fell from her eyes. The despair was quickly being replaced by sadness, heartbreak, and...fear. "...you don't understand, I...I...I can't go back...I can't..." Her expression collapsed as she cried. "I can't...I just can't go back to that place...I'm...terrified to go back there...I'm scared of what they'll do to me, I...I can't be with that...that bastard...I would rather die...then have to..." She stopped, and she looked back over the edge for a moment. When she looked back, tears were streaming down her cheeks. "...I am...I am scared of dying...but I would rather face death than have to go back there...or to be the reason you suffer more...it's...unbearable to watch you disappear more and more everyday..." She used the crook of her arm to wipe her tears away again. "So please, let me go...I...have no future...just let me go while I can be happy...instead of in the future...when I'll have to do it because I have no other choice..."

"You.. you just have to obey them.. they won't do.. anything to you.. if you just.. obey them..", Slaine replied weakly. He had never been able to understand.. why she was like that. Obeying.. was natural to him. The simple thought of refusing to obey orders was.. nearly unthinkable for him, but she had proven, so many times, that she not care at all about what her brothers were saying. And maybe it was because of her.. but the boy had managed to gather the courage to disobey orders.. a few times, ever since they had met. When Michael had nearly killed him however, fear had taken control of him again..but he felt that.. if it was for her..he wouldn't mind.. being punished. He just wanted to protect her, and it wasn't because of any orders.. Prince Michael had canceled them anyway. But the fear of Elaine dying.. was like a cold grip over his heart. "You're not the reason.. for why I'm suffering. It's something that.. I brought over myself. Life.. may be bad.. it might be a living nightmare.. but if you die.. then nothing can change. Death will be the end.. but even if you suffer.. you need to keep your hope..that one day.. one day, this will change. Death.. may seem like the easy way out.. but you would just.. give in to despair. You don't have to die.. you can continue to live, you can continue to hope and.. I will try.. to carry some of the burden.. with you.."