Evil

My Artemis

Pain.

Dizziness.

Confusion.

Are you insane? To attempt to break through nearly 6 ranks in the span of a few minutes, what the hell did you think would happen Artemis?

"W-Wuh-What?"

The rank 11, 12, 15 all have the trial of the soul, heart and body. Your dumbass tried to break through all three at once! It's a miracle you didn't go mad and only fell into despair! While I acknowledge that you easily conquered the body trial, your soul and heart aren't exactly the strongest might I remind you!

Tom's annoying voice sounded.

Good fucking god Artemis, don't pull this bullshit on me again! There're so many things that haven't concluded yet. Do you know how much effort I had to spent to save your sorry ass?

"Wait...What? That was all..."

Are you dumb? I've come to realise that you fear helplessness so much. So much so to the point where your ultimate, utmost despair is realising that this was all a dream. A fantasy.
Artemis, your biggest weakness, is yourself. More specifically, your mind.

"My mind?" I was still reeling from the experience. It was too real. But as soon as my rationality flooded me, I realised several things. How could things move so quickly? How could I have went from a hospital to a courtroom? Even in murder cases, a sentence couldn't be reached in just one trial. I came to one consensus:

"I've been fooled."

That you have. Irrationality and helplessness are your greatest allies but your strongest foes. When used against enemies, can prove very much effective. But remember, when you stare into the abyss, Artemis, the abyss stares back. Careful with your actions, lest you experience a true fall from grace.

"Why did you save me?" I stood up. The room was black, just like the first one I had arrived in at the beginning.

I can't bare to see such an interesting person die, can I now? Of course, I've taken away that imprint of yours as reparation. I trust you won't make the same idiotic mistake twice.

As the world faded away, I found myself being slapped repeatedly very hard,"Artemis? Artemis! Wake up!"

Emerald eyes. Black hair.

Charlie.

I heard my heartbeat.

I was alive.

I shot up, sitting up straight, embracing her tightly, feeling her back,"You're—You're not gone! You're still here. I'm not dead, you're still alive!"

———

Charlie's POV.

Brick by brick, these walls around her heart and mind were rapidly collapsing, demolished. Shattered by some unknown force of nature.

At that moment, I heard her voice crack and waver, that illusive vulnerability I hardly saw showing as her small fragile frame quivered in my arms.

One droplet. That first tear seemed like the catalyst, the rest breaking free like water behind held back by a dam finally being released, her head buried deep into my chest, fingers grabbing onto my shirt as if it were the only thing keeping her afloat in a rocky storm of emotions.

Her breath stuttered, she sniffed repeatedly to stop the snot from dripping down.

My heart ached. More than it did when I was at the lowest point in life. Somehow, viewing her darkest hour, this misery, this unending torrent of sorrow or hers, my heart seemed to resonate with her strong emotions. Yet, I wasn't exactly well equipped to deal with this. No one could ever be.

All I could do was embrace her tightly, letting her know she wasn't alone in this fight. To let the torrent of her hot tears soak my shirt. I could hear her eyes, see her cries oh so clearly. Each stuttered breath like a silent scream, holding on to this shattered pride of hers. A bottle of emotions so pent-up in her drive to remain independent, to remain strong-minded just let loose in a flurry.

I ran my fingers through this soft, snow white hair of hers again and again and again and again, all in silent attempts to remedy her sorrow, to calm down this quiet storm, this silent battle, this wordless war within her mind. No matter how futile my attempts seemed, I persisted, doing all I had within my power to stop this avalanche of tears.

Every attempt to speak only led to her getting choked up, as if a lump had grown in her throat, pitiful whimpers like that of an injured wolf made like bolts of electricity sending pangs through my heart.

This internal agony she felt, no amount of coaxing could alleviate it. Something had taken something out of her. That was the way it was with people. We all kept little things inside our fragile little minds and hearts unknown to even us, only to feel the full blow of losing it. It was just like a theft of the spirit, of one's soul, only made known to the person who felt it. An injury, no matter how deep, invisible to everyone else.

She was trembling. Shivering. Quaking. A tiny lapse gave her the strength to pull away, delicate quivering lashes blinking tears away momentarily before it overwhelmed her once more, her howls of misery magnifying, worsening. This pain she felt, I couldn't empathise. It mustn't have been just a single wave, but multiple. Reminiscent of being closed in on all sides.

Remembering how my mother used to calm my baby brother down, I hummed a soft tune, cooing and coaxing, letting her calm down by a little, sobs turning to quiet whimpers and hiccups.

Crying was a messy ordeal. Few could cry with style if they truly felt raw emotion, like protagonists of a story, silently weeping with pearl-shaped tears rolling down their reddened cheeks in uniform line from their wide luminous, glistening eyes, leaving neither smears nor streaks. But it didn't matter. No matter furious, sorrowful, overjoyed or any other mélange of emotions, she was still beautiful in my eyes.

After all, she was my girlfriend.

My Artemis.

———

First: I'm sorry for doing the old bait and switch and messing with your emotions.

You didn't think I could just leave so many things unanswered and on a cliffhanger, right?