The girl looked to her brother’s mutilated corpse, not wincing once through the whole ordeal. He begged, cried for her to save him, but she let his cries fall on deaf ears. They all meant nothing to her now. She got the one who got away. It wasn’t easy, for the spilt personalities were hard to fight with. First she had to change her name to Claudette just to make sure that Cody wouldn’t remember her. He was slowly starting to catch on to her, but thankfully they had reached Cassandra’s lair by that time. The time away allowed Aerith the breathing room she needed to lower the ego’s suspicions.
Othneil was clueless the whole time, a mere puppet on Cody’s strings. In some way, she felt that it was Cody who should be the personality to suffer, but Othneil did just watch, not stopping the act. In fact, he seemed rather to be enjoying himself. His death was sweet to her.
She looked to Cassandra as she cleaned up her tools, wiping her blades clean with a delicate cloth she carried. The woman had said nothing the entire time, her face covered in a soft smile like a woman being talked to with sweet nothings into her ear. She took a risk asking for help from the Gisela Reaper, but thankfully the payout had exceeded the dark mistresses wishes.
She had happened to cross her in Gisela, copying her style of killing to gain her attentions. That in itself was almost a close call, her death nearly given by a score of people, but she survived long enough to convince Cassandra to help her. The woman came up with a plan, telling her that she needed to merely wait and bide her time in Salvar. She had done so, and after time she was beginning to think the plan wouldn’t come to a head. Then it all started to fall into place.
Othneil came to town, and Aerith slipped him the poison that would awaken the dormant part of his mind. Cody slowly began to awaken again, and with each kill that Cody had dealt he began to grow more confident. Cassandra had carefully placed a few documents about Aerith’s location, knowing full well the man hated her. It all came together when Cody made his power play, starting to control Othneil’s actions for longer periods of time. He went to Knife’s Edge, became a cop and tried to live a double life, slowly building up information on finding his sister. Killing became a sort of hobby for Cody, and each kill was slowly giving him more power. Then Cassandra killed a playmate who Cody was going to off, eliciting his wrath. He met in a dark room with himself and made the power play to control Othneil, and the pieces all fell into place.
He traveled the land to gain what he needed for a team he could think would kill Cassandra Remi, but his clients he picked were all carefully manipulated by Aerith and Cassandra well ahead of time. Ravager was an easy choice to pick as prey, for the mangy mongrel was easily swayed. His death, his roll in the plan was never set in stone. He was merely there, and when he was killed Aerith was happy to be rid of the Dark Elf. A pawn that lived and died by her whims. She smiled thinking of how easy it was to confuse him.
Now that it was all over, now that her deal was done she didn’t know what to do. There was a void in her soul that was at long last filled, but a new void was created in its place. She had nowhere to go, her life of killing her brother was satisfied. She heard a zipper move upwards and she glanced at Cassandra as she lifted her back pack up over her shoulder.
“Two years,” Cassandra said in a lustful voice. “Two years for such heavenly sounds. Did they make you feel good, Aerith, or now do you feel empty?” She leaned heavily on her hip and Aertih felt her cheeks flush. Cassandra Remi was curvy and sultry and now that she was in a good mood her already impressive traits were magnified. The woman’s genuine smile was more charming than a suave prince. Yet that dark companion’s presence seemed to destroy the mood.
“I do feel empty, Lady Remi, but it's not for the reasons you may think,” Aerith replied. “I simply do not know where to go now.” Aerith looked to her dead brother, lifting up the gun and the knife, and with a flick of her wrist she tossed the revolver against the wall. The knife however she twirled in her hand expertly before lifting it to gaze at the inscribed letters. She ran her finger over the text, feeling a soft weight lift from her soul. The blade of her brother offered no nostalgia in her heart, which she was happy to know. She turned the weapon and put it handle first towards Cassandra. Cassandra took the proffered weapon with a grin.
“A token of your gratitude, I suppose?” Aerith shrugged indifferently.
“I no longer need it. It’s just a useless toy. My brother Othneil always thought he was some Sword Saint, and well, Cody worshipped Seth Dahlios. I suppose this was some sort of compromise in his mind. Othneil always thought it was a broadsword, though. Funny that.” Cassandra nodded.
“So what will you do now, then?” Cassandra flashed her smile. “Revenge is a fine dish to eat from, but after that, what more is there to eat from? Your palette will never be quenched again.” Aerith nodded knowingly. She gave no answer and Cassandra seemed to tilt her head back as if talking with something. The wave of dread that accompanied Cassandra seemed to vanish, and the woman stepped forward.
“You been alone for a long time, haven’t you?” Aerith nodded again, looking into Cassandra’s hazel orbs and being lost in them. “Would you like me to be your guide?” She lowered her hand and Aerith gave her a shocked expression. Was she getting an invitation to join the Midnight Monster? She was confused and she turned to look at her as she swished her hips.
“I have found a great value in you, Aertih. This past two years you have been a willing pawn, but you didn’t demand of me. You were able to think, feel, be yourself. Something within you desires to be with me, and I feel that same desire as well. But in the end, I cannot force your hand. Do you wish to join me, or do you wish to wander the world, alone and never being fulfilled?” Cassandra turned the corner.
She waited a moment before she answered, but then with hurried steps she followed in line behind Cassandra Remi. The woman nodded her head as she walked back towards her home in Sei’s tomb.
“The fate’s blew me into Sei’s hell hole, but I see now that you are one of the many tools for my grand vision. If you trust me whole body and mind, then I will teach you to be like me, but do not expect me to coddle you. I will not tolerate weakness in you, Aerith.” She nodded quickly. Cassandra smiled again.
“Can-Can I ask a simple question?” Aerith pleaded. Cassandra stopped turning to her. “May I, if it’s alright with you, consider you my family?" The request seemed so odd for Aerith to make, but the girl was still seventeen. A large portion of her life was empty, and all she wanted was a family. "As you can tell, my last one wasn’t worth my love, but…” She trailed her thoughts as she hesitantly looked to Cassandra, expecting her to glare at her or offer her a stiff backhand, but what Cassandra did took her by surprise.
“Of course, my child, I will happily be your new family,” Cassandra whispered cupping her face in her hand, running her other hand through her red locks. Aerith felt her heart swell and she moved in on Cassandra, hugging her tightly. She sniffled, giving her thanks to her as she whispered how happy she was to have a mother.
“I love you, mom,” Aerith whispered. Cassandra merely smiled as she held her, her lips parting in the most vilest of grins.
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