Zetsumei no Kodomo

Chapter 20. Hollow Echo

Nobody's POV:

Dark aura swelled around Zael as an unexplained force pulling him up from the ground. Tilting his head, Zael stared dead ahead with a zombified expression. Zael walked forward with the heavy aura gravitating around him, the grass began to wither with each step he took. Suddenly, from around his neck, the purple pendant began reacting to the dark force. It sparked black lighting and jolted throughout his body suddenly keeping him in place. The thunder swirled and immobilizing him. Without a scream, Zael fell to the floor once more with his consciousness painfully coming back.

Zael: (weakly) Rrg..........ugh..........

Envy: Phew...that was close. Good thing I took precaution and tied that pendant around him before he went insane.

Pride: This would never had happened in the first place if you'd just kill him. We only need his body as a vessel, his soul is useless.

Envy: I...was going to either way, just couldn't find the right time today. Before you know it, he got away from me.

Pride silently stares at Envy in suspicion, he then turned and closed his eyes.

Pride: Finish the job. There's no need for him to stay alive. Greed will be here any minute, we must prepare for the summoning.

Envy reacted to Pride's words and hung her head down. Regardless, she slowly made her way towards the barely conscious Zael. From behind, Pride slit his arm and allowed the blood to trickle down Mia's face. He recited a hymn and the pentagram around him began to glow.

Zael's Perspective:

What's happening...? Everything's...so blurry. It hurts.......so much. My head...my heart....the voices are painfully echoing in my head. I had already complied to their demands but...something is blocking them making the pain even worse. My heart...although still silently beating, feels as if it were crushed..cut to pieces..grinded..and yet...I'm still alive. But I feel dead.. I want to die. My head hurts, I don't want to remember why. Just save me from my suffering, let it all end...

As I was losing the light in my soul, I felt someone standing in front of me. Envy had unsheathes her bat winged sword and held it over her head with one hand. She held that position for a long time while staring down at me with a certain expression. What was it? It wasn't excitement nor joy. Neither grief or sadness. She seems..........hesitant.

Just then, something shot down from the sky at blinding speed and kicked Envy away from me with abundant force. I saw white feathers scattered around me as the wings encompassed my body.

Zelphi: (shocked) Zael what happened to you?!! Hang in there!!

Mother began to sing. As her light surrounded me, Pride shot a rain of feathered needles towards her. While continuing to sing in a soft gentle manner, she blocked every single one of the feather needles that rained down upon her. I felt myself regenerating. I was able to regain movement in my body although it was still a bit sore. Most of the pain had been erased but my heart felt as if it had a hole in it. I looked down and place a hand over my chest, nothing was there. Once mother held out the last note, she worriedly crouched down in a panic.

Zelphi: Zael-! Talk to me! Are you alright-??

Zael: (empty)...........

Zelphi: Zael..?

Zael: (sad emptiness) It doesn't matter...nothing matters anymore. Why..? Why is it...that every time I try to hold onto someone...then end up leaving me. They all betrayed me...leaving me alone..in such a dark place. I rather they hit me, I rather them torture me, kill me. At least I know the pain is there, it's only momentarily. But being heartbroken...hurts a thousand times more. I'd rather die a thousand deaths than to experience it.