> "The awareness of human separation, without reunion by love — is the source of shame. It is at the same time the source of guilt and anxiety."
— Erich Fromm
> "Guilt is the heaviest burden one can carry, not because it chains the body, but because it shackles the soul."
— Unknown
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It was time after some much wait, rann wasn't in the rax but rather outside, he had his special weapon with him, a dagger attached to chains which he used for both close and long range combat, ruke didn't look ready at all as he stared down the floor while holding his katana, his hands shakes at the thought of him killing his teammates all for the entertainment of the grandmasters.
"It's alright ruke..., we knew what we were getting into as soon as we became draxs, c'mon we have to go.... everyone's waiting"anila smiled her usual demeanor not changing after realizing the fact she was still going to die that night
"How do you do it?...., how do you keep that smile up at a time like this"ruke asked, he so badly wanted to know even if it was the last thing he ever heard her say
"I don't try..., that's just who I am...., and besides I dont mind getting striked down by you" anila explained getting close enough to ruke she attempted a kiss but ruke stopped her.
"This....what you're trying to do is prohibited in the temple sting and you know it"ruke said but that didn't change her mind either she still wanted to kiss him, feel his lip for the last time.
"Don't matter" she replied "what?"ruke asked confused as to what she meant
"It doesn't matter...., I kiss you I get killed.., I walk on that stage tonight I still get killed.....it's all ge same ruke, I die no matter how it turns out, at least with this I Achieved one thing before dying, take it as a farewell gift ruke.....*smiles*....., no shadow" she concluded giving him a kiss to the lip. As soon as this was done she picked up her weapon, a long metal pipe and walked out heading for the arena leaving ruke behind.
"I don't want them dead.... I don't want them dead"ruke contemplated within himself walking out the rax and heading for the arena which was the closest structure to the to the third structure housing the sanctum. Still walking he encountered balk and the duo behind him.
"I can see that I don't want them dead look in your eyes, but let me hit you with an advice, they die or you do, that's just how it is"balk laughed stareing ruke dead in the eye, he wanted him angry but ruke said nothing
"Getting yourself attached so much you don't want them dead, disgusting, and they call you the shadow of the temple"Leo mocked but ruke had no interest in them, he simply just walked right through them like they were never even there, this made balk angry he wanted to attack but couldn't so he said the one thing ruke didn't want to hear, at least not at that particular moment he didn't
"Please go easy on them"balk laughed, ruke let the anger get the better of him and in one swift slice, balk had two fingers cut off from his right arm
"Ahhhhhhhh, what the hell!" He yelled in pain while back away from ruke with his crew
"Feeling that much pain from just two fingers being sliced off, disgusting"ruke said his words sending out danger and lots of blood lust, he could feel himself returning back to how he was before he got himself under control, the red mask wasn't just for show, they were a reminder of his former self, his former blood lusted self.
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"Shadow we've accomplished the mission, let's go now....."anila advised, they were all fully dressed on their drax outfit, the shozoku, and had their face covered with their mask
"We have to leave now shadow, there are guards on their way, we were ordered to eliminate the target and not alert a single soul, but that all went wrong when you walked through the gate like you owned the building"anila said again noticing rann returning
"The halls are filled, the windows our only way out...not that it makes a different but if they come up here and see us, we'll be discovered"rann said dragging his blood filled dagger along with him
"You two go ahead...this is fun...., it's just so much fun, I want blood I want to wash my body on their blood"ruke laughed like a maniac rushing down the stairs and into the halls, gunshots could be heard with sounds of slicing soon it was all over. No sound could be heard coming from downstairs anymore, following their comrade who had went downstairs they found him knees down while he stared at the corpse infront of him. The sight infront of them was horrible and easily irritating, there were flesh everywhere, on the floor, the walls, even the ceiling, how they got there anila and rann had no idea but what got them the more horrified as what laid infront of ruke.
"You.....you killed them?"anila asked
"I..., I didn't know"ruke responded slowly, in front of him laid the corpse of three children and a baby, why hadn't he stopped, why did he kill them why? He tortured himself stareing at the corpse infront of him.
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"That's that shadow the grandmasters need, thats the shadow I don't wanna be"ruke thought stareing at balks trio and the look they had on while they stared at him, it was the same his teammates had on when they stared at him.
He could only interpret it as 'MONSTER', letting out a heavy sigh ruke continued his trek for the arena.
Rann and anila were already there standing in the arena waiting for ruke and when he climbed on to it, the deathmatch commenced. The trio walked around in circles stareing at each other waiting for the person who delivers the first strike.
"Go on.....give it your best shot"rann smiled stareing at anila who smiled back, with this ruke knew something was off rann had never once smiled at anila and strangely no one else, for a fact ruke knew this was his first time seeing him smile, why did he smile? Ruke thought barely avoiding Anila's metal cut, the tip of her metal pipe grew a sharp end which only appeared each time she fought, managing to land on his feet he turned around to find rann swinging his dagger then throw it at him, in an instant ruke twisted his body mid air which was practically impossible, doing this he avoided the dagger, he then grabbed the chain after landing and pulled it forcing rann closer to him then giving him a kick which threw him on the floor. His weapon was no longer in his possession, during the kick ruke had held onto the chain holding it while the force of his kick sent rann flying the other way.
"For your honor" ruke said throwing it to him, while turning around I stare at Anila, she was planning on attacking but when?, he thought diverting his attention towards rann who had rushed towards him again this time his fingers forming a hand sign, something they did for summoning.
"ELEMENTAL TECHNIQUE_ LIGHTENING" he chanted.
As soon as he did the dagger and chain on his grip got engolfed with electrical current which could easily be seen.
"That's my secret art, If I had it hidden any longer, sure I'll be dead In a second"rann smiled pointing a finger at ruke, in a split second ruke dodged the stroke of lightening thrown at him, while still in the air he could tell anila was getting ready to attack, this must have been the reason for rann smiling earlier, this must have been the opportunity they've been waiting for and the opening they thought they created, but ruke had some cards up his sleeves, with the release of a breath he appeared behind rann.
"What the hell was that?, what just happened...., what did we just witness?"everyone asked confused as to how ruke had disappeared an appeared almost instantly, was that even possible m they wondered still watching.
"Damn that bastard"balk cursed he finally got it, the difference between him and ruke were really high and ruke had been holding back during their confrontation each time, "damn it" he sighed
"I never pull my blade....., not against a comrade, I'm sorry"ruke apologized pulling his blade out and putting it back into his its sheath, at least this was what everyone saw, while they wondered what he had just did or if he even attacked Leo's right arm fell. Forcing himself not to scream Leo quickly picked up his weapon with his left arm but it also got cut by ruke.
[YOU EITHER KILL THEM OR THEY KILL YOU]
He remembered the words of the grandmasters and for some reason he could tell he was moving but didn't know why, the next thing he realized was that Leo was on the floor bleeding from every angle of his body, his arms and legs had been decapitated And his body moaned on the floor painfully, there were blood all over and this reminded him of what he was like, the previous mission before he decided to change, how has he lost control again he wondered stareing at rann, he felt great pain and anguish seeing his friend in that condition but as at that moment there was nothing he could do to change it. All these had taken place with few seconds and as astonished as the crowd surrounding was, they also felt great fear, shadow was actually a monster as they had heard right after becoming a drax, he was no average human, they could tell.
"I'm sorry" he whispered forcing his katana through ranns heart but before his friend died rke saw him give out a smirk he then muttered out his last sentence.
"Live...for..us...shadow"
He was dead, ruke had killed him and as of now, had one more opponent to face, turning around he stared at anila who also had a smile on her face, then it hit him, rann had never smiled at anyone before, he had never seen him with such an expression on his face before, his last words "live for us" were so specific, had they planned this all along?.., if his intuition was correct anila planned on doing the same, but why? He thought angrily watching her drop her metal pipe while smiling at him.
"I forfeit" she said out loud,
"What?...no you can't"ruke tried changing her mind but it looked to him she didn't want to
"It's ok shadow, it's alright"she said calming slowly getting on her knee while the drax in charge of the deathmatch slowly approached wielding an axe with him
"You know the penalty for forfeiting a match is death right?, why did you do it"ruke asked again he wanted to know why she chose death when she could still have a chance winning against him
"Live for us....."she replied with a smile waiting to be beheaded when some words were sent from the grandmasters to the drax in charge of penalties. These orders were then announced after some minutes of silence.
"The grandsmasters order that shadow kills the traitor," the drax announced turning around and heading back to his post.
Ruke knew exactly why they wanted him to kill anila, but he didn't want to, he didn't want any of this, but the grandsmasters orders were supreme he had to do it, raising his katana above anila's neck he gazed down at her.
"Just tell me...why? Why did you guys do it?"ruke asked he couldn't understand why they did what they did, humans valued their life, although drax were taught not to, some drax still valued theirs and Anila and rann were among those few.
"It is what it is shadow...just do it, with that you claim the position they want you to claim and you also get to live for both I and lightening, and remember if you don't go ahead with it... you get counted as a traitor and killed too.....just so it ruke, I mean shadow, do it"anila persuaded watching ruke contemplate if he should or shouldn't proceed with it
"I don't wanna"ruke whispered a tear flowing from his eye
"They don't care what you want ruke, finish the job...., just doing it, do it shadow,... DO IT!!"anila yelled
*Slash*
*Drop*
*Silence*