Collision

Chapter 4

His heart sank deep in his chest as the realization took hold. The screams, they rang in his head, reverberated in his skull. It was as if he was there in front of him, but he couldn't reach out to help.

"Where did you get that?" was all Akik could utter. His throat was choked with disbelief, shock, and pure fear.

Asterius didn't answer. His eyes were dispassionate, glaring down at the nephalem without lament. He wasn't at all shaken, nor did his serious demeanor ever falter.

Anger lurched in his mind as Akik's usual protective mindset kicked in. "WHERE IS HE?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"

Still Asterius stood, hand on the recorder. A small smile formed on his face, slightly amused by Akik's fury. Knowing as well as anyone that he would not pry an answer from the planet child, Akik simply sat there, jaw clenched and fists tight as he tried to convince himself:

It's not him.

It's not him.

It's not him.

But the more the sounds seemed to fill the small room, the less the thought convinced him. He couldn't control his emotions as small tears began welling up in his eyes. It was too real, too familiar. The same as back on Xero, when Vizor had dwelled and tortured his mind. Too real. Too real.

He's safe... they didn't get him...

Right?

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block them out, only for his attempts to be in vain. The tears streamed down his face, tears of sadness, of pleas.

"Open your eyes, nephalem."

Asterius's voice cut through the blood-curling discord. Akik didn't heed. The child's calm tone turned to command as he reached forwards and jerked Akik's head to face him. His eyes snapped open, more of surprise than a need to oblige.

"I said," Asterius continued. "Open your eyes."

Akik only stared, breaths heavy and teeth gritted in an empty snarl. The screaming was quite close to his ear now, he could hear it like it was all around him. It made him want to curl in a ball and cry. Blaza's suffering was his demise, even if Akik wasn't presently watching it happen.

Asterius pulled one of the pictures out and showed it to him. Akik immediately looked away, heavy breathing now with a slight shudder. But Asterius refused to allow it, for the child grabbed one of Akik's horns and pulled his head back. The picture was of Blaza, battered, bloody, and broken on the ground. His eyes were glazed with final moments of agony, blood streaming from his mouth. His hair was matted with it, his orange hoodie stained dark crimson. It looked like his chest had been torn by a large blade.

Any sense of stability he had in the small prison died right then and there, the moment he laid eyes on the image. His chest felt tight, heart pounding.

"How does this make you feel, nephalem?" Asterius queried.

Akik stared, his mind racing. He's not dead, he can't be dead, no, he can't be dead...

The picture's fake. People can do that, right? Forge images? There's gotta be some way someone could do that...

It's not true...

It's not true...

"Answer me, nephalem," Asterius commanded, nearly shoving the photo in his face. "Answer the question."

He couldn't. His words were lost in the mindless hopelessness he felt slowly sending him down in a dark deluge of emotion.

Asterius frowned. "Disappointing."

The planet tossed Akik to the side by his horn. He grunted as he was sent crashing to the ground with a thud, but still he uttered no word and did not make an attempt to right himself. Asterius stared down at him before finally turning off the tape recorder. He walked across the room and set the objects he held down on the table they had originally laid on. He then stepped out of the prison cell for a moment before reentering with a tray. The tray contained a few crackers and a glass of water, the kind of thing you'd expect in a prison cell. Asterius sat it down in front of Akik, who made no move for it.

"You should eat," Asterius urged. "You won't be of any use if you starve."

And at that he turned and walked away, leaving the nephalem alone.

Akik didn't move. He laid there on the ground, wrapping his arms around himself. He felt hopeless. He still tried to tell himself that it was all fake, all forged specifically to torture his mind. And that's entirely possible. But it was hard for him to believe at this point.

And if Blaza was gone...

There was no reason for him to stay on this Earth.

—

[Time Skip, Many Weeks Later]

Two sets of footsteps echoed in the dark corridor. Bright red shone through the darkness, their glow flickering with each blink. Vizor's tail flicked. Let's see how our little friend is doing.

Asterius walked beside him, hands behind his back and each stride with confidence. Every now and then he would glance up at the demon, his emotion unrecognizable in his eyes, before returning his gaze down the hall.

"How has he been holding up?" Vizor queried without looking at the child. His smile was knowing - the answer was clear to him.

Asterius replied, "As predicted, his mentality is dropping quickly."

Vizor gave a satisfied flick of his tail. "As I'd expect. Good job, Asterius."

Asterius simply nodded.

The two continued down the dark, dimly lit corridor until they reached the place they held Akik. Vizor quickly unlocked the door and opened it, the old-fashioned cell door making a horrid, grinding sound as it swung open. Asterius walked in first, followed quickly by Vizor.

The nephalem was leaning against the wall, his knees drawn into him and his face hidden behind them. He made no sound, never stirred as the two walked closer. Not too far away, in the corner, what looked like one of the trays Asterius had brought Akik had been overturned and tossed angrily to the side. It was broken, the two pieces snapped like Kit-Kats. Vizor recalled Asterius mentioning something about that a week or so ago.

"Lately he's been refusing the food," Asterius said, not a hint of worry attached to his tone. "I've tried multiple methods of getting him to eat, but it doesn't seem to be working."

"Hm," Vizor said simply.

As if Vizor's voice had triggered something, Akik bolted from his spot on the floor, launching himself at the demon standing multiple feet away. His teeth were bared, breathing heavy and ragged with his boiling fury. The look in his eyes was feral, wild. He pulled at the chains binding him to the wall, the metal clanking and straining as he tried to break free.

"I'm gonna kill you," the nephalem seethed, his voice flowing with pure, burning hatred that Vizor was actually surprised to see in him. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU FRONANZAITEN YHENJ! YOU KILLED HIM, YOU... you killed him..."

His own words sent him into a sob that wracked his thin body, and he simply collapsed to the ground, wrapping his arms around himself as tears streamed down his face.

"He's dead... he's dead..." Akik whispered to himself through his sobs. As if everything within him had come crashing down with the torture brought upon him the past few weeks.

VIzor simply smiled at Akik's languished mental state. "Well. The food thing is a bit of an issue, but other than that I'd say he's handling this as I want. You've done well here, Asterius."

Still Asterius didn't respond to him. He stared down at the broken nephalem on the floor, his gaze unreadable as he watched.

Vizor nodded. "I'll leave you to it, then. By the way this is going, I'd say it's a matter of days before he's useful enough for the plan I have in mind."

Without another word, the demon turned and left, leaving Asterius and Akik alone
A/N
Chapter Written by: TheAddieDragom