The Knights of Grimm - Act 2 - Captured

Chapter 15 - The Theatrics of Suffering

Jaune

Fear stands tall as he walks towards the groups of people as they fight. Jaune yells as he slams Crocea Mors towards the heated hands of Cinder, she manages to stop the blade but his anger is making him force it closer and closer to her neck. He does not notice, however, that Loss is approaching from behind with her Tonfas primed. Yang turns around and she gasps in terror when she sees Fear stood behind her, a grin on his face, teeth shown under the ripped lips. The green gas with swarms of flies erupts from his wrist and palm, billowing into her face, into her nose, eyes and lungs. She gasps in pain as she feels her lungs on fire from the Fear Toxin working its magic on her, collapsing to the floor. Yang clenches her cybernetic hand to a fist to cover her mouth as she coughs, her eyes burning as she tears up from the fear that is channelling through her. Her muscles tighten up like she is being electrocuted with a taser, unable to even move. "Don't be afraid, Yang...you're not dying, it just feels like you are." Fear tells her.

Jaune's eyes widen when he hears the faint voice of Fear, but when he turns around at Yang who's on the floor, he cannot even see Fear stood there. Cinder yells, creating a powerful fireblast that sends Jaune into the air, Crocea Mors thrown from his fingers and shield bouncing on the floor. Cinder punches him right in the chest. As Jaune lands on the ground, he looks up and sees the Widow standing above him, her black veil of shadows covering her face. Jaune turns and he hears Neptune having the same sort of reaction as Yang, at the exact same time. Same as Weiss, same as Kassius! All of them are having similar reactions, but others are having different ones, breaking down to tears instead of being drowned with fear. They can appear around them at any time, all at once, unlike Fury and Death who cannot produce many clones of themselves at once. They are weaker, but can break people mentally. Loss grabs the black veil and throws it back, revealing her face to him.

She is an extremely beautiful woman with long silver hair that has been hidden, concealed by the veil of shadows that covers her head. The hair blows in the wind, clean and silky hair. Her skin is a pale blue but is smooth and scar-less, alluring lips set beneath her small nose. Her eyes glow bright blue, hooded eyes. But as Jaune sees her, he feels a shock of pure sadness coming over him, his eyes tearing up when he sees something on her change. The eyes turn from blue to green and the hair becomes a luxurious red that forms into a stunning ponytail. The pale skin becomes pale white and the golden bronze circlet plate forms around her forehead. "Jaune..." Pyrrha's voice whispers, Loss' manipulating his heartbroken emotions to break him.

Jaune staggers to his feet, looking around as his surroundings begin to transform as the grass and ground shifts, becoming a clean marble floor and balloons rise from the grass. He sees the walls forming as he sees the bodies of people he knows around him, seeing Nora and Ren in their Prom-Wear as they dance, Sun laughing as he dances with Blake. He looks at them in confusion and worry as he stands there. Until he feels the gentle presence of a hand that touches his. "Do wanna dance?" Pyrrha asks him, and he gasps, feeling his heartstrings being torn when he sees her stood behind him. She wears her beautiful red dress as she stands there, a kind smile on her face.

Yang

Outside of Jaune's sorrow, Yang attempts to get back up to her feet but the fear is causing her head to pound in pain. "My toxin is filling your lungs, your mind, you heart...everything you are...drowning every last bit of it in nightmares." Fear says as he walks around her, his cloak trailing behind him as he walks. "Tell me – what do you see? The corpses of those you love before you? The blade of Wilt and Blush carving through your stomach to end your short life?" Fear asks her as he entraps her with his toxin. "Watching Miss Rose die?" He adds as he tilts his head with a smirk on his face. "As I tear your mind apart, one nightmare at a time, your friends will see you for what you truly are. You make yourself out as a confident girl, one of which who has nothing to fear...but we both know the truth...you are barely holding onto your sanity as it is with your younger sibling in our claws." He explains as he continues to walk around her, chuckling at her. As the toxin tunnels into her mind, his voice starts to sound more demonic, a lot like Mr Hyde in fact. Yang presses her hands to her head as she struggles to keep him at bay. She staggers and when she opens her pained eyes, which is when she sees it. She manages to rise back to her feet; the throbbing sensation of pain in her head is beginning to pass. She look around...