Anybody But You

103

Chapter One-O'-Three

Vibe: I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE by Måneskin

The feeling of being released from the mages clutches had been like a surreal moment stuck within a nightmare. Alice's stiff and bruised body suddenly floating... to an early grave.

Her heart was the farthest thing from calm as she and Useless stood in front of the large stone slab. Her head was swirling; her brain a mess as she did her best to come up with a plan through the splitting headache.

Her objectives were clear: keep Useless from revealing the iron bar; avoid getting murdered by said-bar; get someone to understand mediocre intelligence; get the staff away from Geoffrey with their help; preferably keep away from the river water; and stay alive as long as possible. It was as if she were juggling—any moment her grip on just one of those objectives could slip and ruin the entirety of it.

"The test of redemption is simple." John spoke calmly, grabbing two chalices as he made his way towards them, "Drink the blood of atonement, find your way, and cross the River of the Twelve." He explained vaguely, Alice pressing her lips tightly together at the thought of touching the water again. "Whoever reaches the river bank on the other side first, will be given the golden liquid of redemption." Standing in front of them now, he held out the bronzed chalices.

Alice flickered her eyes to Useless as he reached out with a smile curling his lips, unaware of what possible horrors awaited him. "You said we'd see our past, future, and present, right?"

"You will see the truth, child of the divine." John replied cryptically as Useless grabbed the chalice. "Drink and you shall hear the answer your soul calls to."

Alice's stomach was turning; her eyes flashing to the deceitful green of John's eyes. "So it will tell me why my daddy doesn't love me?" She forced herself to joke, "Sounds like an answer I don't want to know."

"Drink." John ordered, shoving the chalice in her hand, "or i'll give it to the boy." He threatened.

Exhaling out shakily, she took the cup despite every part of her alerting her to the danger. "The last face you'll ever see in this lifetime... will be mine, Johnny boy—I promise." She purred, watching his eyes harden and lips sneer.

With both of the contenders holding the chalices, the mages in the background began to whisper around them. Their voices growing no louder than an eerie hum as they chanted deep reverberating animalistic sounds. As the atmosphere seemed to darken and fill with the carnal energy, Alice felt the river call out to her in the near distance.

Useless, seemingly oblivious to the scary noises, had waited for her as he smirked with resentment in his expression, "Bottoms up."

It was as if he was completely unfazed—could he not hear them? Her eyes drifted unsurely to the hooded figures, unable to make out anything but the darkness where their faces were supposed to be. They didn't even resonate in her brain as people anymore. Just shadows and bones in a cloth.

They were completely and utterly stripped of their humanity.

It was chilling.

Raising her glass in a cheers motion as she turned to Useless, Alice forced a smile on her face, "Here's to your inevitable death, scumbag."

Forcing the cup to her lips as the chanting grew louder in the air, she felt like she was going to vomit as she tipped the chalice up—the liquid acting like thick slime as it oozed passed her bloody lips. As she coughed down the enchantment, she could instantly feel the ground under her open up and swallow her.

Everything becoming lost except for the whispers and chants of animalistic carnage as she fell.

~*~*~

A.N.

As Alice would put it: here's to Scumbag's inevitable death! ✨😌

Thanks for reading!

Fun fact, this song is one I have on repeat when I write about Narcisse lmao! Narcisse wants to be everything to Alice, he's just worshiping the ground at her feet low key.