The Darkened War

Ch.36

Cerberus stood beside Ash and watched as everything went as planned. He'd spent most of the night with his hands clasped behind his back, spinning on his heels to occupy his time. At first he'd joined the rest of Akuma in shredding the Rayland citizens, and as wonderful as the thrill, the smell of death, and the taste of blood dripping from his fangs had been, Cerberus had never expected he'd quickly become so . . . bored. Bored of ripping people's throats out, bored of watching them fall and take their last breaths; how could he possibly continue to be entertained by person after person all dying in exactly the same way? Aaron had been correct in saying this would be fun; however he failed to mention how long that fun would last. So now he was letting his cult handle the work. It was fascinating how easily they were amused, and unlike himself, their amusement didn't die. Like a kitten being tossed a ball of yawn they grasped at the opportunity, entertained for hours by the repetitive simplicity of death. Cerberus could never fully take pleasure like that. His thrills always died before he could take any true bliss in them. Happiness never came easily, and most days never came at all. He shouldn't be surprised, then, that this was no different. With a sigh, Cerberus sat down amongst the rubble. It was not as if he had done this to find any sort of joy–he had given up on that long ago. Still, perhaps, in the back of his mind there was a flicker of hope that in the very least it might be fun. Instead, it had turned out no different than any other bloodbath.

It could be, Cerberus considered, that it was because every face had begun to look the same. All around him bodies were dropping; bodies without a name or story . . . he might as well have been tearing apart a field of flowers. If there was one thing Cerberus had learned from ending the lives that he did, it was killing someone you don't know is hardly killing at all. It's nearly impossible to get anything out of watching life drain, when it is draining from just another face in the crowd. It was like hunting birds; you target and shoot them down, and your first hit might be exciting—but after a while you tire of watching them drop. However, say, one of the birds you found flying through the sky you had kept for many years as a pet. It would drop differently than the others. It would spark something the others could not. A sly grin crossed Cerberus' lips, as he was hit with a new realization: this lack of fun could very well be a simple fix. While the absolute terror and hurt in the eyes of those he'd killed was sweet, and the screams letting loose agony was music that kept him on a high for a while, it wouldn't be near as satisfying as finally getting back to his roots. He would see if they handled the blood as well as Rayland did. Ajax was getting his revenge (and probably enjoying this much more than Cerberus was) but at the rate the citizens of Rayland were dying, it would soon be finished and they would be ready to move on. Effulgence wouldn't take half the time this Kingdom did.And then the map would be reopened, its pages full of possible destinations. Cerberus already knew where they would go next.That's why he couldn't hold back a smile as Ajax made his way over and stood beside him and Ash, before the three of them went back to admiring the slaughter, and Akuma painted the world scarlet.

A moment later, Ajax was chuckling; his eyes light but smile dark. Revenge. Watching the way the man grinned at the falling Kingdom, Cerberus couldn't help but wonder if his revenge would give him the same sort of sensation. Which he would delight in soon enough. He'd go after Antinanco, with his fangs out, and wouldn't stop until every one of them had had their blood spilled. He would keep to his word, and kill off both of the Kingdoms at war just as promised. Aaron ought to be proud next time they saw each other, but knowing the Antinanco leader, he'd probably just get angry. There was nothing interesting about someone so predictable, but it was Aaron; meeting with Cerberus to make a dishonorable request of him was the only interesting thing he'd ever done, and would surely be the last.

Leaning over so that the younger cult leader's shoulder touched Ash's, he muttered, "I'm getting bored."

Ash scowled,"I wasn't aware it was my job to keep you entertained."