You learned the spell Crimson Overdrive

[18:20] Niklaus steps up alongside of the Oracle at the mention of Taiga snagging a hold of Aku. There's a decided look of agitation to his features.

...What happened? Now he was invested.
(Niklaus Rowan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:21] Niklaus Rowan says, "If that is what you so wish, then we shall."
[18:24] Niklaus Rowan says, "Children, please leave. We will address you when it is said and done. Your mother is busy."
[18:24] Niklaus Rowan says, "Then remain, but the others should clear out."
[18:26] First an incident with Dan the Dogslayer, and now this. While her duties are to take care of the inner-city affairs, the reason for this is due to her lack of patience; diplomacy is not her strong suit.

"Aku." She speaks, staring at the man through iron bars, brow narrowing as she speaks. "You've been accused of being a Belial worshipper, attacking Sima Kang, and attempting to assault Taiga Rowan. Your plea?"

Short and sweet, the woman lists off his reported crimes, glaring with a half-lidded gaze.
(Thera Elisheva)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:32] Aku rose up from the ground after hearing footsteps approaching. He hadn't thought people would come so soon. This was a blessing of its own; being locked up in a jail was more horrible than anything else he could think of. Grey eyes met with Thera's own as she listed off his list of crimes. Recent ones, anyway.

Clothes torn up by battle and blood that had dried off was put on full display as he approached the bars - intent on speaking with Levengard's authorities. Half-truths and technicalities were probably the way that he'd get out of this one alive. He had to play his hand well. Or whatever he could use of it anyway.

"I went up the mountains to kill Eniel myself, but someone got in my way on the way there. I had to send that woman a message back, the kid was the one that I found who'd be able to send the message properly, though I didn't expect him to cry so much over being tripped over."

Aku had to keep it in. Those last words were dangerously close to putting him in trouble and his tendency to lean closer to the bars was making it harder and harder to seem like a trustworthy fellow who could be let free.

"Taiga and I fought, yeah. He spotted me first, but I got the first hit in."

What's it to you?
He almost said it. How difficult could it be to keep his cool at a time like this? He felt... Locked up. Restrained. Robbed of his freedom. No wonder his mind was acting up.
(Aku)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:38] Almost undoubtedly, there's a sneer that crosses over the man's features as his gaze lingered on Aku. There's a dreadful, heavy sensation that looms within the room, like the humidity within the small chasm had tripled in the short amount of time that he had began to talk. With so much water lingering in the air, it'd be a struggle to get those words out, but... Like any graceful host, he'd allow it.

"Oh?"

His simple statement echoes outwards as he rubs one hand against his right hand, prying at the biomanced flesh that coated along the mythril and bone mesh beneath. It's almost like he could pull that flesh off like some kind of creeping, crawling glove.

"How did it feel? Getting the first hit in? Exhilarating? Boring?"

Something said he shouldn't answer, but perhaps it's the air of oppression within the room that's murmuring that in his ear.

Who knows?
(Niklaus Rowan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:40] Victor continued to stand back and watch. Waiting.
(Victor Ducante)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:44] Thera nods, looking at the man with an expression held only by the fury of a retail worker; while she forces a smile, there is nothing pleasant about it.

"I see."

A few questions here, a few questions there, it'd be easy to make a verdict with his testimony...right?

"...and what was the message, exactly?"

She notices the lack of a collar around her neck, which would make the next part of the interrogation troublesome.

"...ah, and someone bring me an anti-magic collar, and remote."
(Thera Elisheva)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:45] Victor Ducante says, "Mhm. I'll be back in a moment."
[18:48] Victor returned after a moment, like he said, with a collar and remote.
(Victor Ducante)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:50] It was hard to resist. Hard to make it sound good and not tell Niklaus that he felt like he was on top of the world when he caught the hunter by surprise - making him feel like prey for the first time in a long time. His lips shifted uncomfortably, almost turning into a grin before they parted, grey eyes locked onto the man and his suffocating presence.

"I felt like I was gonna win."

A clear message that almost came true. A battle that ended by a nailbiter, one that would've been completely different if the Dhampir didn't have the ability to manipulate space itself. Regardless, Aku's attention shifted back towards Thera, uttering the words that she would hear no matter what he'd tell her then and there. Sima was sure to speak.

"That she didn't understand what freedom was."

Ironic, after the last request.
(Aku)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[18:57] "Winner, winner."

And he leers down his sights as the water condenses around them, and sharp, pointed tendrils would angle toward Aku. They were uncomfortably close. If he blinked, he would feel the points on his eyelids, nearly scraping along his pupils. Angled at each vertebrae of his spine, either side of his neck, poised by hips and ready to pierce right through the bone. All around his body, these infernally sharp tendrils of water remained in stasis.

His head tilts to the side as he parts his lips just briefly.

"Why waste a collar on this one, Thera..."

Not when he could just as easily tear someone apart and leave nothing behind. "He's attacked the children, hasn't he?

He's gone after what's mine, too.

Does he practice the same tenants of Eniel Daigal, but a different path of darkness?" His voice drones on and on, and with each beat of his heart, the stasis of the tendrils would break, causing them to writhe like a Dryad's vines.

"Do you feel like you're going to win now...?"
(Niklaus Rowan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:05] "I see."

It's then, that she finally addresses Niklaus, spectral eyes falling upon the massive drakanite. "The collar wouldn't be a waste, I'm afraid. I've a number of questions."

Before answering them, she tosses said collar into the cells, stating her demands.

"Put it on."
(Thera Elisheva)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:07] Thera Elisheva says, "Of course."
[19:07] Thera Elisheva whispers something.
[19:09] Knossos entered the cell, looking towards Aku caught behind bars..

This man - he brought so much anger into his body that he would quell with the stale air that was found down here... He hurt his friend - his beliefs caused his father's death... He shook his head...

The Belial Cult needed to be eradicated...

"There is another child that he attacked... Pandora. One of the Neries that comes from Dawn and attends the school... He lives with me." He nodded his head, giving them that bit of information. "Pandora was left with a busted up shoulder, with crystals and stuff poking out of it... It was really messy." Not only did he attack one of his own, he also injured him quiet severely! But nothing that couldn't be fixed with time...

"And, I was speaking to Lady Freya in Dawn, and she confirms that he is part of the Belial cult... After Daddy's death, they went underground, but uhm - yea... He is one of them." He nodded...

"If you have any questions, I'll answer them but uhm! That's all I know I think..."
(Knossos Fengari)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:12] Niklaus Rowan whispers something.
[19:12] Thera Elisheva whispers something.
[19:13] Thera Elisheva whispers something.
[19:13] What a situation to be in. There wasn't much room for him to escape or maneuver. Nowhere to go. Three stories above him before any meteor would be able to strike down from above and clear a path. He was definitely in the worst place to be.

Niklaus' threats were impossible to ignore. Aku's eyes narrowed upon the Drakanite's form as he felt like he was robbed of motion, like pins and needles were pressing up against him from every single direction at once. The shifting, slithering, and twisting of the tendrils finally caused the redhead to snap.

Celestial energies bursted forth from his form in a bright, sun-colored fashion. Despite his desire for freedom and his belief Aku's whole mind had yet to be consumed by the sealed god. The velvet taint one may have expected was not present as the teenager's forceful eruption of cosmic might tore apart the tips of the liquid tentacles - forcing them away from him.

Clank

As the collar hit the ground and Thera's request was made, both the beast-tamer and the spiritmancer's words were answered at once in a fashion they should have expected.

"I'd never give up on freedom."

Provocation and refusal to comply at once.
(Aku)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:13] Thera Elisheva exclaims, "Ah...aha. Lovely!"
[19:13] Victor poised himself. Ready to act if the word was given.
(Victor Ducante)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:25] Choosing her next words carefully, Thera continues to smile, finding some sort of bliss from all this. It's so easy to see how her family fell from grace, even if she'd never consider walking in their footsteps.

"Thank you for the report, Knossos." As the radiate light of the cosmic makes her squint, she sighs, as Aku had just given up on any chance of escaping this place unscathed.

"Tell me, Aku. What is your idea of freedom? Ah...if only you'd complied." She grabs hold of the arcanium axe upon her back, shaking her head from side to side as if disappointed with the redhead.

"Knossos, you should leave now, dear. While you must already be aware that the world is a violent place, and while I truly do believe that their are many who can seek redemption, sometimes...

In order to protect all that you old dear, you must make a choice that comes with a heavy burden; the decision to kill, when absolutely necessary. The decision to protect the innocent from having their blood spilled, and put an end to those who walk a path of injustice.

There are many magics that allow us to cleanse vile magic, but their is no true cure for those who use their free will to uphold diabolical ideals."

With her small speech over, the axe is lifted, pointed at Aku.

"...now, you will put on the collar, and allow us to save you; or you will die."
(Thera Elisheva)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:27] Niklaus Rowan whispers something.
[19:30] Thera Elisheva whispers something.
[19:30] Thera Elisheva whispers something.
[19:30] Thera Elisheva whispers something.
[19:32] Niklaus Rowan whispers something.

[19:35] His gaze remains, unblinking. Arms hold by his side, and the poise of his body is unnatural, stiff... Too still to be natural, but somehow he manages it. Among the air do the little murmurs come, but there's amusement. Amusement in the water suddenly being blasted away, sending mist flying through the air. The sizzling clash of star-imbued energy and the cold, unforgiving water is the only sound in the backdrop as Thera begins her speech.

But he feels something suddenly very different as he breathes, allowing the mist that he created to enter his body. His own form stiffens like a mimicry to how rigid Niklaus held his own form.

Each beat of his heart starts to drone on, slower and slower, and he feels almost like he's beginning to drown in his own cell as the water continues to break into thick, dense mist around him.

They'd been forced away, but at what cost?

His blood slows as a grasp upon his very life's essence is exercised by exertion of the Drakanite's mana alone.

"Defy this."

He lifts one of his hands, and though he may struggle, he'd find his control over his own body beginning to slip as he mirrors Niklaus lifting his arm, and it hovers-- over that collar.

That collar that sought his freedom all the same as the Rowan did. He'd marionette Aku so long as he did not obey.
(Niklaus Rowan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:41] He watched and listened - learning and absorbing from the words that Thera spoke. His head was currently a wreck - a battle raged within him regarding this whole situation... Does Aku deserve to die? He blinked, almost dumb founded as he found himself frozen...

Was Aku deserving to die? Was anyone deserving to die?

Those who commit acts that cannot be forgiven, those that pillage and wound children for no real reason but their own personal amusement... Should they be allowed to walk the soft grasses? To experience the love of living, the beauty of nature?

He didn't know - he honestly didn't know...

But one thing was for certain, he told them the truth - the truth that he knew was real. With no manipulations or thwarting of people, he stated facts... And that's what mattered to the boy.

"Adhere to temperance..."

He muttered slowly, perhaps a warning to himself - or to the others in the room. Do not let anger consume you and conduct your actions for you.

"I'll take my leave then..."

He nodded and made his way outside, still rather conflicted on this whole issue. He did not know how to react properly.
(Knossos Fengari)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:47] "Not... this."

The only answer he could give out to Thera was this one. He had trouble breathing, thinking— even looking towards his captors was difficult. His consciousness was being siphonned away as he felt the stitches at both the front and the back of his abdomen breaking under the pressure, the stress, the tensing up that his body was undergoing.

Grey eyes slowly lost their light as they stared down the pair before him. His body was trembling, shaking, refusing to follow Niklaus' motion despite the Spiritmancer guaranteeing his survival if he were to listen. Why would anyone go that far? Why would anyone be that... insane?

Madness.
This is what those who would heed the sealed god's wisdom were all said to be afflicted by. One's mind breaking under the pressure to cast away their freedom if they wished to live - which was the only way to gain freedom on its own. Why would anyone fight back at this point? The answer was both simple and complicated:

Aku did not want to let go of the freedom he obtained. Even at the bottom of a damp, dirty cell. Even while the very area around him was choking him out. Even when the threat of death was before him.

Work for your freedom with your own two hands.

When had Belial ever helped him? This was all the boy's accomplishment. The hypocrisy that had come from that divine-blooded woman was only met with retaliation. He never expected his revenge to end this way, however. This...

... was horrible.

Muscles would tear, broken bones would shift, blood from his gut would spill out and float before him with the incredibly humid air, all thanks to the Drakanite's mana.

His grey eyes were losing more and more light as it went on, yet, the resolve one could see in them was only getting stronger. His body was failing him, while his mind fought on.

He was defenseless, for all intent and purpose, but fought on. If anyone was going to restrain him with such bindings it wouldn't by himself.
(Aku)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:55] With Niklaus treating the Belialite like a puppet, she opens the doors to Aku's cell. Each motion is swift. One hand still rests on her axe as she grabs hold of the collar, aiming to slap it around his neck like a whip. What happens from this point onwards will determine the fate of Aku.
(Thera Elisheva)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:01] One could've sworn they could hear laughter.

Laughter echoing throughout the chasm all the while as there was struggle to fight, struggle to get free. However, the Rowan's lips wouldn't move as he kept that hold, watching the blood hover in the air from wounds unhealed.

Yet, as he suffered, holy water would heal him simultaneously as if to keep his consciousness afloat.

...What kind of a monster...?
(Niklaus Rowan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:04] Victor simply hovered by and watched. He showed no remorse for what was happening to the Belialite.
(Victor Ducante)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:04] Most would say there was no point in resisting - in fighting back. That accepting his fate was much better than getting himself in more trouble with senseless resistance. Those who would say that were wrong; Aku believed wholeheartedly that the ones who cast away their freedom off their own free volition would not deserve it back. That they were lesser than trash. Insane, even.

Still, all his struggling was no match for the abyssal whispers that invaded his mind, for the repeating destruction of his physical form before it was healed again only to be mistreated over and over.

The redhead was ultimately defenseless, left to be captured, bound, and restrained by the Spiritmancer. Blood was coughed out - almost as if the mental pain of losing his freedom had a toll on him.
(Aku)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:19] "So be it."

Despite the struggle, she manages to latch the collar around his neck, stealing away his ability to cast magic. "I can't say I didn't try." Soon as those words follow, Thera's hand is balled into a fist, swung directly at Aku's jaw.

This jab is followed by an uppercut, knuckles crashing directly into the mans chin. She draws her free hand back, waiting to make a crucial decision.

"Sima, Pandora, Taiga, and one who served those Belial worshippers. And was it not you, who sold out one of the Dawnites, expecting us to persecute them?" For half a second, she closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath.

"...I do not like to hurt, Aku." There is no joy that comes from her assaults; ire rests within her spectraleyes. "...but, I hate when people lie to me. I hate when people waste my time. I hate when people fuck with my family. I hate, that my true duties are interrupted time and time again by scum who treat children as tools and target practice."

Swinging the axe with a single hand, it's sharp edge collides just above his left knee. Visceral tears result in the splash of blood, and a massive laceration leaves bone exposed.

"You will pay the price for your sins, Aku."
(Thera Elisheva)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:22] Niklaus lifts his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, that heartbeat would return to normal.

Almost like he wanted the panic of bleeding out to be a very real thing here. Mismatched gaze watches unflinchingly toward the brutality as he drops his arms down in front of him, hands tucking together all the while.

"...Do not forget Lailah, Thera."

Such a laundry list of those attacked!
(Niklaus Rowan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:23] Entering the prisons, the Kitsune looks around carefully. Even in the darkness of Levengard's basements, he shines like a bright light. He peers past Victor and Niklaus, into the darkness of the cell.

"..This is.. The last of Belial's scions, right?" He pondered aloud, carefully.
(Emiri Taiyang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:24] Niklaus Rowan says, "Perhaps."
[20:40] It was merciless. Knuckles and knees came flying at him with enough strength to make him stumble back. The wound on his abdomen had re-opened, leaving him to slowly bleed out while his magical talents were snuffed out - robbed away from him.

This was no longer a fair fight. This was no more than a couple of skilled magi torturing, physically abusing and pushing a teenager's body to see how hard he'd fall when he hit the ground. Scornful eyes were directed towards Thera as she spoke up, telling him she disliked having to take the measures she was taking at this point.

To him it seemed as if she wanted no more than to protect her image.
It all broke down at this point. This mask he had put up, this façade he had given them, this occasion to have them play nice - all of it was gone. While his fingertips could no longer produce a spark it wouldn't stop him from fighting back this battle on a whole other level.

Blood splattered onto the cobblestone, red liquid sprayed along the mark of Thera's axe as Aku was forced down to a knee. One of his legs wouldn't obey him anymore. This was it, wasn't it? He could feel the end approaching. His head hung low and for a moment it might've felt like despair was growing. Something crawled down from his chin, splashing into the ruby ichor that had pooled under his frame. A tear? Sweat? More blood?

"And... you expect me to give up just 'cause I can't stand?"

Grey eyes shifted up towards the woman's own, locking eyes with her despite all the pain he was in, despite the fact it was just as bad as casting away his life. His lips curved up into a deep, crazed grin.

"If bein' free in this world's a sin..."

His left hand moved down to the ground, drowned into the results of his mistreatment. Magic may not be with him anymore, but it wouldn't stop him from showing Thera just what he thought of her; breaking through what she thought she could do to him. Even with anti-magic restraints Aku fought on. His perseverance and determination would be admirable if they weren't used in such a way. Commendable at best.

"Then I'll gladly pay the price!"

His left hand rose up, blood being flicked towards the Spiritmancer's face, carrying the very price she had already begun extorting from him.
(Aku)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:54] "Your sins, your crimes, are the multiple assaults on children, the violence-" As blood sprays across her face, any and all thoughts of making this man pay any sort of penance are lost. Lost within a void filled with the vice that gave her strength- the chosen torture that makes her stronger.

Taking a note from Niklaus' book, exorcist-fused waters come crashing down around the magi. Foot raised, she presses the heel of her boot against his forehead, slamming him back with every ounce of her might. This disgrace, and the new of her niece added to the list of his man's victims-

It pushes the spiritmancer over the edge; with her anger overflowing, Shai's stability is lost, and a second set of arms lurch free from the side of Thera. Aku's flesh may find itself slowly being repaired, long before she straddles that which she's decided...

Must die.

Golden arms grab hold of the magi's wrist, while her own hand lunges towards her throat. Unrelenting, her bare knuckles crash into his maw, pummeling until each tooth within his mouth flies free. It wouldn't be enough, no, she wouldn't let him die just yet.

That'd be a waste.

Bloodies hands reach into his mouth, thumb and index desperately grabbing hold of his tongue- ripping the appendage directly out of this man's mouth. She flings the tongue across the cells, covering his now emptied maw...

Flooding it with more holy water, if only to make sure that he doesn't bleed to death; uncaring of his remains in a state of consciousness.

"Then you pay the price in full, scum."

Crimson stained hands wrap hold of the collar, removing herself from his frame-

Dragging the man out of the cells, with her intentions now clear.
(Thera Elisheva)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:06] Levengard doesn't keep prisonners.
Levengard isn't like that.

Where there was a push that came, a shove would follow. Keeping control of your own actions and thoughts was what most magi— most mortals did their whole lives. A slip up here or there, maybe, but nothing too major. Those who sought out true freedom allowed all that self-control to vanish, embracing the destiny they've chosen and facing their issues head-on. Aku's own path had lead him there.

He could feel his jaw shattering under the weight of the guardian's knuckles, teeth flying left and right as air barely made its way to his lungs. A rough beatdown that turned what should've been a cell that remains forever empty into a masacre - a torture chamber. The teenager's body was completely at Thera's mercy, a scream erupting from him as his tongue was ripped right out of his mouth, tossed away like he was some prey to her base, animalistic instincts.

Blessed waters flooded his mouth, ensuring that he wouldn't bleed to death just yet, that he would survive to see another day, another torture. Bubbles of air crawling up his throat surfaced from the water that kept him from his own demise.

The spiritmancer's compromising position was quickly resolved as Aku was held by the collar that had been forced upon him, dragged out of the velvet-painted cell.

He was unable to speak, yet the way he had looked at her the entire time she unleashed her wrathful, vengeful spirit wasn't one with fear or panic - or even disdain. It was... as if he smiled. As if he approved of everything that she was doing. Perhaps it was Aku's own thoughts being transfered, or merely Thera's proximity to Belial's unseen third eye upon the boy's forehead that would allow her to almost hear it.

You understand now.

The blessed one had freed herself from the shackles of humanity. All over a single pest.
(Aku)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:13] Taiga stands atop the stairs. Casually making his way down and then--

He stops. Hearing the footsteps approaching well before the group turns the corner. He stands on one of the middle steps, looking down at the group as they drag a very clearly injured Aku down the hallway. He could literally smell it, regardless of how they tried to clean it - the scent of fresh blood in the air. On Thera's hands, no less.

They find themselves at an impasse.

Were they to ascend those stairs, they would have to pass a field of writhing, squirming tendrils of darkness that seeped out from the cobblestone. His shadow squeezing its way through every crack in the foundation, amassing at the corner of their eyes.

"What... happened?"

The dimness chokes out even Thera. The only light being two red dots atop the stairs.
(Taiga Rowan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:21] Down the halls, she drags him, with Niklaus in their company. She remains on edge, approaching the staircase. Ghostly eyes glare into the darkness, instinctively reaching towards her axe until her gaze falls upon Taiga. "This man has been found guilty for numerous crimes, and denied any attempts at salvation or rehabilitation. Resisted when given a chance to collar himself. Fought back, when I tried to collar him."

Her gaze narrows at those tendrils, with absolutely no patience in her eyes.

She steps forward.

"He is to be executed, but in the most humane way possible. Something I, cannot do for him, right now." She stares into the darkness, fully prepared to move forward.

"...though there are three, that can."
(Thera Elisheva)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:24] Niklaus is, surprisingly, not the one covered in blood here.

Even then, he would stand near Thera, not particularly fussed nor anything about what had gone on. It's clear he believed this to be just desserts.
(Niklaus Rowan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:24] Aku hung from where he was in Thera's one-handed grasp, slowly peering up towards the man that had slipped away from his monstrous nature in order to keep him alive - that had ensured his safety despite the animalistic approach that was given. Grey, dull eyes with barely any life in them stared down the red counterparts as a smile was cast.

... And his mouth opened up, revealing a mangled organ that kept any words away from him; more than that, it revealed just how deep Thera had fallen.

Madness was a curse.
(Aku)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:32] "And what right do you have to speak of humane treatment now?"

Thera's exit would be blocked by an arm.

"You've cut out his tongue. Is this the sincerity you taught me, Thera? I slaughter criminals. By the dozens. Without remorse. I strike fear into their hearts in the dead of night - but they are murderers. They torture people. They take advantage of all those they get their hands on and corrupt them as well." Those tendrils converge across Thera, snaking around her feet. Ready to bite at her ankles.

"What greater crime has this young man committed? He attacked me. He's drawn the blood of others as well, yes? He's a nuisance. A pest. Surely. Not one deserving to go unpunished.

Yet I did not see Levengard rally to cut Isaacs tongue."
(Taiga Rowan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:45] Her eyes fall upon the arm, eyes shaking. An absurd amount of emotions bubble within her chest, azure eyes shifting in an attempt to meet Taiga Rowan's own.

"...it's for this very reason that I'm requesting another to make the sacrifice, so that I do not kill out of anger." She looks up to the Dhampire, continuing.

"He's attacked countless children, is a slave to the creature sealed within the moon, and refused to comply. Refused any aid. Refused any treatment. Fought back, in my attempts to show him any semblance of mercy."

She looks down, staring at the tendrils.

"No, you did not. I didn't have a full report, or testimony. Don't compare apples to oranges. I was told you defended a chaos magi in lands where they are forbidden- and given minimal information to work with- but don't you- don't think I ever intended to see Isaac go unpunished."

There, she continues to stare at the tendrils dancing around her feet.

"He's to be sacrificed to the spirits by those who can end his life, not out of hate. If you stand in my way, you stand in my way as one who defends that which corrupts and flays children. I won't pretend like my temper wasn't lost-

But- I won't let people like Eniel continue to get away with their crimes.

Not anymore."



(Thera Elisheva)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:00] "I had already gutted him like a fish, Thera." Taiga hisses.

"That was punishment enough. He had suffered. Yet as we stand here, building this place as a beacon of hope for our children - you skulk in the cellars slicing tongues. Levengard was never supposed to be a place for acts such as this. Never. Much less the very same building I'll be teaching children in." Taiga is obviously still frustrated, despite it all.

"..." There's a huff. The arm drops. Slowly the tendrils sink back into the cracks of the cobblestone. "It scares me, Thera." His voice is a bit weaker now. More vulnerable. "It scares me to see you like this. It scares me that I might one day be cleaning these streets as well, instead of the slums of Dawn." Cleaning. Is that how he saw it?

"You did not see through him, as you did with me all those years ago. At the heart of the problem. At what made this young man turn to those powers to begin with. At what idea is stuck in his head, forcing him to so staunchly refuse your treatment. Your mercy.

This is what he wanted." A finger levels itself to Aku.

"...And if you wish to give it to him, so be it." Taiga turns, ascending up the stairs. Turning his back on Thera, Niklaus and Aku. He was done here.
(Taiga Rowan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:10] {Item} You drop Acorn x1.
[22:27] "Levengard was supposed to be a beacon of peace, a haven for those who wanted to avoid war!" Thera screams in retaliation. It's now, that tears begin to well in her eyes, frustrated for a myriad of reasons. "These Belial serving heathens attacked, and attacked, and attacked. They destroyed my spirits, attacked Amara and Myst, tried to kill Noel and I-"

Free hand shaking, it curls into a fist. "-assaulted child, after child, and they. Will. Not. Stop. Do you think stabbing him will put an end to this? No- it won't!" She struggles to breathe, feeling as if her lungs are about to collapse.

"If they don't stop, we won't have any children to teach, Taiga."

Her thoughts stated, as the grip around Aku's collar tightens.

"-I never wanted this, I never wanted any of this, but I can't sit back and do nothing- nothing as these people continue to defile everything that I love. I can't- I can't do it anymore!"

Free hand rising, she reaches up almost desperately as he ascends the staircase.

"-Taiga, wait-" See through him, is that what he called it? Head lowered, she unleashes a guttural scream, knowing that there were some points she couldn't truly deny.

Though, her hands had already been stained with blood, and that's a burden she must bear until death.

"...I hate this." Spoken through grinding teeth, almost confused on how to proceed from here.

"...I hate this." Thera drops Aku's body onto the ground, leaving him to fall upon the concrete. "...I can't help but agree with him." She admits, knowing she'd failed this time; failed at keeping her temper in check.

"This is no way to teach the children. The art of sacrifice is done out of respect for the spirits. Sacrifice, is the most humane way to end the life of a human. Sacrifice, is to be a method of thanking the spirits for all that they do."

She shakes her head, not bothering to wipe away the tears that stream heavily down her visage.

"...and there is no love in this act; I do this to protect them. I do this-"

Because I hate those force me to choose between salvation, and damnation.

Thick grip around the arcanium axe, she aims to sever Aku's head in one single swipe.

Aiming to give him a swift death, rather that drag out his suffering any longer.
(Thera Elisheva)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:34] Leaned upon the wall, his gaze would follow along those present and the conversation that drawled on.

"It is not your mercy on the line."

He drones the words outwards as he closes his eyes. "Not when you have me to sweep up after you, Thera Elisheva. Simply let me know when you need someone bloodied, beaten, bruised, and I will do so for you." His gaze half lids as he watches the swift motion, the singular swipe delivered.

"But sacrifice, perhaps, is too much for a young mind to handle. To witness, to delve into."

Maybe later, maybe with due time with something less intently broken and bruised.

"Taiga is a voice of reason, albeit not everything is deserving of life." He pushes away from the wall as he casts a glance toward the shattered remains on the floor.

"You can't save everyone, but you can try."

The panic, the tears, the remorse.

All good.

At least she hadn't been broken into indifference like he had. That would've been the true shame in the matter.
(Niklaus Rowan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:36] You will pay the price for your sins, Aku.

The words the Spiritmancer had uttered were turned back against her. Aku in his own dellusional madness was enjoying himself far more than anyone who was moments away from dying should. The lack of blood running in his veins and the constant, throbbing pain he felt over his face and abdomen was turning him hysterical - moreso than he already was.

He could only revel as Thera lost her mind. As Thera hated herself. This was what freedom was about— no. This was what Belial was about. It's only in those very last moments of his life that the young Aku would realize what the sealed god's true reach was, that he realized how far freedom would lead:

Chaos.

... more blood was spilled, yet only one of them regretted it all.
(Aku)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:46] Brynhild had entered this affair a moment too soon. Her introduction to death was not a happy one, she had to confess. It would have done the dragon well to witness the aftermath, rather than the processions leading up to it. A plangent weight befell her reptilian eyes.

It was a mien of confusion and gloom in equal measure.

And though she did not speak, the nudge of her head against her adoptive father's side spoke louder than any words. The questions would have to wait for later.

Indeed, the dragonling could not bring herself to mourn this loss. She did not know Aku, but she understood the gravitas of death.

There must have been sound motive underpinning this sordid situation; Niklaus did not intervene, after all.
(Brynhild)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[23:00] Niklaus' words bring about some level of comfort, but Taiga's claims eat away at the woman. Regardless, her decision had been made, the moment she steeled her resolve on the battlefield; the moment she followed through with her claims, and took Eniel's life.

So with a heavy heart, the arcanium axe crashes into Aku's neck, severing his head from his body with a single blow. As the metal collides with stone, her hands begin to shake, finding it difficult to lift the instrument of death.

This was justice, what she'd done before?

Far from it.

"...this is farewell."

Trembling hands remain wrapped around the hilt of her weapon, and at this point? Thera's entire body had become absolutely drenched in crimson. From the blood that stained her knuckles from before, to the splatter that occurred from the recent dismemberment.

"...you will not harm our children in the afterlife, Aku."

Paying for his sins, and increasing the list of her own.
(Thera Elisheva)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[23:04] You learned the spell Crimson Overdrive.