Shudders: Retribution

Chapter 52 - The Despondent

        The King chuckled as he let go of Xed and allowed him to drop to the ground and clutch his aching chest. He can feel his heart struggling as the hold worked to attach itself. But for some reason, it was having trouble doing so. It couldn't fully attach.

        Zankoku felt this and glared down at Xed. His hold was having trouble?

        Xed grimaced on the ground as his blood began to sizzle around the hold, slowly disintegrating it. It was still there, but breaking away as Xed's toxic blood counteracted it.

       This intrigued Zankoku but also infuriated him.

       Since Xed was too weak and pathetic to put up a fight, Zankoku grabbed him by his shirt and began dragging him off with him. He was yet another demon down on his luck that the King could take advantage of. "Come on, boy. You work for me now."

       Rueben watched the King drag Xed off and took an interest in this. "Even he couldn't fully touch him. Not even the hold worked."

        So even if (Y/N) did listen to the King and used the holds, not even those would work on Xed... His blood was too toxic.

"Are we even in the same head?" B spoke as she placed her hands on her hips as the scenery began to change once more. "What made him go so batshit insane if this is how he used to be?"

       (Y/N) pursed her lips as she thought the same. The Xed she knew always grinned at every little thing and had such a sadistic air to him. He walked around in confidence and never took other demons seriously.

       But this... he used to be a shell of himself. What made him change..? While B kept a lookout for any good information they can use as the memory changed again, (Y/N) found her more intrigued by what happened to Xed.

       They were now outside of the asylum near the large makeshift fence that towered around the sides of the property. (Y/N) looked for Xed and found him being put to work on patching up a hole in the fence with other demons. He still looked weaker, barely even holding on as he helped move a large slab of concrete that many of the lackeys had trouble moving. He was made into a lackey, someone who was merely dispensible.

      Rueben turned his eyes away from the lackeys as he gazed out into the gardens before them. A melancholic expression graced his face.

"Why didn't he just run?" (Y/N) questioned. "If the hold can't affect him, why stay?"

"Look at him." B pointed out as Xed stepped back from the wall. From the way he moved to the zero emotions on his face, it answered everything for them. "He doesn't care. That's someone with no hope left."

"Still..." (Y/N) muttered as she looked around the asylum's gardens. Demons working against their will, the holds connected to their hearts, threatening to kill them at any second. "Anything is better than this..."

"Hey, you!" Came a light voice that grabbed the girls' and Reuben's attention. They looked down to see a pretty short female demon, she had long dark hair, pale white skin, and dozens of gold eyes across her face.

       She approached Xed and stopped just behind him. He slowly turned around and glanced down at her but remained silent still.

"I heard that the King can't touch you. Is that true?" She spoke like a girl who just heard some sweet gossip. Xed didn't answer, he just simply looked at her. But she smiled anyway. "Is it your blood? Can I see?"

      He didn't have to answer again as she took his arm and used her claws to cut his skin, watching as his dark green and sizzling blood leaked out.