Kurai Yoru (Darker Night)

19.5: Phantasmagorical [AC]

A/N: Welcome to the second AC(Additional Chapter). This one features Ani's dream before chapter 20.

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"Sitri-nii...?" Ani remained frozen. What she's currently seeing made her do so.

Sitri weakly looked up at her, but said nothing. The blonde waited for him to say something, but as frozen as she is, he's as silent.

The demon lied on a concrete wall, just outside his very own mansion. The sky seemed more darker than usual, and the rain that pelted them both can almost make them feel pain with each drop. An unknown red substance kept on flowing down from the demon's forehead, while the gaping slit in his stomach colored the dull area with its crimson color. Even after Ani saw the state he is in, she still hadn't moved an inch.

"Master?" Ani quietly uttered, her face showing no kind of emotions.

Finally, after what felt like ages, he spoke. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? For what, master?" Ani really wanted to hug him, to comfort him, but her body wouldn't budge. She felt like crying, but her eyes showed no signs of it happening anytime soon.

"I wasn't able to fulfill my promise to you, to everyone." He grunted, clutching down his stomach harder.

"What promise, master?"

"That I will never leave you all. That I will protect you with everything I have." His eyes occasionally droops down, but he fights himself to stay awake. "And here I am, dying like a coward." He chuckled dryly, though this just made his wounds become even more painful.

"It's okay. You've already left me, right?" Ani widen her eyes from what she said. "You can die now for all I care." She instantly felt really guilty, and the hurt expression that Sitri did just made her feel even more bad.

Sitri looked down, then laughed once more. When he looked up, a pair of tears can be seen trailing down his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Ani. I didn't notice it earlier. I'm such an idiot, aren't I?"

"Totally an understatement." Ani robotically walked closer to him, stepping down at the hand in his stomach. This made the demon yell in pain, but did nothing more than just that. She pushed harder, then, to Ani's horror, she smiled.

"Can you feel that, master?" She giggled. "That's what I felt when you loved Thalia-chan, Tamamo-chan, Hexhine-chan and Celleya-chan. That's what I felt when you loved them, but forgot about me." She said in a singsong voice, while smiling maliciously. The little girl twisted her foot repeatedly, eliciting an even more louder howl from the demon.

"AAAHH! A-AGH--!" Sitri closed his eyes, trying hard to control himself. With a gritted teeth, he slowly talked. "A-Ani... I'm really sorry..."

"Hah! It's too late for that." She stomped hard, then leaned closer to his downed form. "It's too late."

"I didn't know you felt like this back then, Ani..." His grey eyes turned a shade darker, his former soulless orbs now literally turning into one. "For... give me..."

Then silence.

Ani made an annoyed face, but in the inside, she's a crying mess. She did all she could, she yelled, she cried, she begged. But alas, she can't seem to control herself. She looked down at Sitri again, then the bloody knife in her hand.

'Wait, a bloody... knife?' Her inner self froze, with her tears intensifying even more. Realization started to sink in, as her breathing hitched.

'No, no no no no no no...' Ani continued on shaking her head, not accepting the idea.

"Geez, after killing millions of people, he can't even touch me? This pathetic guy, I can't believe I serve him for more than a second." She threw the steel away, then started walking off.

'No! What are you saying?! Take what you said back! Master is... Master is...'

"Thinking so little of me just because I look young. Hmp! I can make him feel good if I want to!" Ani was disgusted at herself. She can't be this girl. There's just no way.

Right?

"Ah, I'm outta here. I think Celleya-chan still thinks me and Sitri are just walking around the garden... Ehihihi! I can't wait to see her face when I kill her too! Ahahaha!" Ani giggled to herself, all the while walking. She never turned around, and left him there to rot for eternity.

By this point, Ani had enough. She kept on shouting for it to stop, for it to go away. That Sitri will never leave her, and that she will never hurt her master in any way.

'This is just a dream, this is just a dream.' Ani shook uncontrollably, all the while hugging herself. She clutched her head, her eyes widening as saucers. She mewled like a lost kitten, now not knowing what to do. And so, she cried, and cried, and cried.

...

Poor girl.