Mօռֆȶɛʀ : The Dragon Prince Rayllum - (COMPLETE)

I'll Do Anything for Her

R E C A P :

He had tried to kill himself, suffered in a shelter of rotted wood, had frostbite, and... oh god, he was going crazy.

But it was perfect.

"Wait-" Callum mustered. "Don't hurt her..."

Viren raised an eyebrow.

"Take me instead."

----

"Take me instead," Callum quavered. He scolded himself mentally for hesitating-- but it was going to be alright as long as Rayla was alive. "Please." Callum's heart thumped against his chest mercilessly as he shook his head back and forth to remain conscious.

Aazrail stared at him as if he had said, "I'm hungry for shoes," and looked as if he tasted something sour. "Why would anyone do that?"

"Please, please don't..." Callum whispered. "Don't hurt her, I-"

"Sh." Viren scolded, raising his index finger. "It is not a bad idea," he considered. "He could be quite powerful."

"Callum, what are you-" Claudia said through heavy breaths- she had a scar that went from the top of her eyebrow down to her collarbone. It must have been from her father, judging by the position she was standing in.

"You can clearly see that he has more..." Viren sighed, looking for a better word. "More conflict, I'd say."

Aazrail rubbed his finger against his chin, his gaze unmoving. "Alright," he began. He turned to Callum. "But if I may be as kind to ask, why would you do such a thing?"

Callum swallowed. "Because I love her."

"...and do you think she would ever love you back? After what you've done?"

Callum shook his head vigorously. "It was the biggest regret of my life. I'd do anything to take it back. I know she won't accept me, she won't love me after, but-" Callum choked on a sob and took a deep breath. "- she won't love me, and I deserve it, I know she won't. But I still love her, and I'll do anything to protect her."

Aazrail stifled a laugh and shook his head as if to say, "what a stupid young boy." 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Aazrail said. "We only have one more serum left, which I suppose shan't go to waste-"

"I will, I will!" Callum scowled. "But you need to swear that you're not going to keep her under control. I want to see that she's safe, just a second and then you can inject me."

Amaya growled, about to pounce at Viren when he stopped her mid-strike as she dropped to the floor, unmoving.

"Fine."  Viren spat. He raised his eyebrows at Aazrail, in a way of telling him to fetch the serum.

Aazrail shrugged and brought the serum out, which looked remarkably like...

...like the arrow he used to stab Rayla.

Callum immediately jumped back, sweat beading down his forehead and his eyes widening. The images of everything he did, all the screaming, the blood, the water flooded back into his thoughts and he felt like someone was squeezing his lungs together.

"Yes, it is the arrow," Viren said flatly. "Get over it. The arrow had the serum, so when you shot her it injected her with the clone-like material. So all in all, yes, because of you Rayla was supposed to be executed."

Callum's heart stopped.

It was his fault.

He was responsible.

"Now, listen," Aazrail said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Subsequent to injecting the serum, it'll trigger the amygdala in your brain, therefore your emotions might be more detrimental than now. After doing so, we have all rights to control your every move. Once the serum decides it's done with you, well... that's it. You physically cannot recollect anything throughout the process, unless you can oppose the serum, with is scientifically implausible."

But Callum wasn't listening.

He just kept staring at the arrow.

He heard Rayla's screams, her voice scratching and hoarse, he heard the waves of water exploding from the cage. 

It took him a while to process this: Did he really want to do this?

If Rayla came back, he would be able to see her, alive, not under mind control. Even though she wasn't smiling at him, he would have given anything to be with her, to see her alive and beaming one last time before he was done. But she wouldn't be smiling at him.

Despite that, if she was still there, he'd still be able to see her one last time.

If he took the serum, his last memory of her would have been him hurting her.

So what was he going to do?

The pros: he'd be able to see Rayla if he didn't do the serum. Eventually, the squad could figure out to stop the serum, and his last memory of Rayla wouldn't be her screams for help.

The cons: Someone else might be taken in her place that wasn't him. And Rayla might be living in fear for the rest of her life.

He couldn't let that happen.

"I've decided." He stated. "Just please, let her go," he turned towards Janai and Amaya. "Them, too."

Viren mumbled what Callum heard was, "you ask of too much." Within seconds, Janai woke in a daze in Amaya's arms, who was now smiling at her.

"Rayla." He said, motioning at the expressionless Moonshadow elf. "Let her go," he hissed. 

To his surprise, Aazrail nodded and instantly let her go.

Rayla stared at him. She blinked once. Twice. For a second, he could see anger burning in her eyes, her eyebrows furrowing and her eyes hardening. But the next second, she gently shook her head and smiled.

She's safe.

Without hesitation, he suddenly shook his head and instantly brought the arrow down to the palm of his hand before you could bat an eyelash, and he made sure it drew blood... but then he saw Rayla's face. 

Her eyes were no brimmed with tears and her head shaking.

She was screaming. She was sobbing, screaming hysterically.

She must hate me. Callum thought as he blinked back tears from the wound on his hand.

"Please, Callum! Don't leave me!"

What? Callum thought, puzzled. She had clearly seen him shoot her. Why was she asking him not to do this? He owed her everything.

But once the line of blood had gone down from his palm tracing down his elbow into a drop on the floor, darkness engulfed his vision.

And then there was nothing.