Jaspar spent most of his life hiding because of his power. He should have listened to the warning not to go to the dark side of the city he was visiting but what's life without a little excitement? In this city, a little excitement can get you into...
"John, you don't have to kill him," Jaspar pointed out.
"I won't let you kill me," Justice breathed.
John laughed darkly at that. "Let me?" John chuckled. "You don't get a choice, Justice. And as for you Jaspar. Justice can run, yes. But you are blind. You won't get far and as you know, you're not dying today. Or any day soon," John paused. "You are, of course, going to be punished. In more ways than one when Elison finds out this was planned."
"It wasn't planned," Jaspar commented.
"He didn't know about the plan. I didn't tell him," Justice backed up.
"Jaspar just had a vision about me killing Warden Maria and didn't know about the escape plan?" John scoffed. "Why do I find that so hard to believe?"
"The vision happened weeks ago when I first met the warden. I knew when I was in the car that if we came here the vision would happen but I didn't know when I had the vision," Jaspar said seriously. His palms were sweating as he reached out behind him to scramble for purchase on the rough stone wall, pulling himself upwards so he was standing instead of curled up on the floor like a child. "I knew something was brewing. I got other visions about this but I didn't know what it was until it was happening."
John hummed, the sound almost out of place. "Truth," he murmured. "You truly didn't know," he said gently. "Ok, but that won't change much. You've been sleeping with a demon and today, you just tried to escape him. Justice is right. Technically I can't go after you but Elison would go after you."
"That isn't going happen," Jaspar said before he could stop himself.
"Oh? How so?" John asked, a strange clicking noise happening. "You saw his punishment for losing you didn't you?" he commented with an odd glee like sound in his voice. "Tell me, Jaspar. What did you leave Elison to suffer?" he asked with a delighted purr.
"Don't tell him Jaspar," Justice snapped. "He'll only use it against you."
"To be fair, I don't need to know. I can guess. Oh, Jaspar. You may survive the underworld yet. You slept with a demon, a demon who is your anchor by the way, and then you left him. You left him knowing he was going to be killed for losing you," John laughed in almost a hysterical tone. "Oh boy, you're going to have a rough few weeks ahead. Demons do not forgive easily, even someone whose blood has been as diluted as Matthias Elison."
"I never said I loved him," Jaspar murmured, a tear rolling down his face at that thought. He had just left Elison to be killed after sleeping with him for several days. The memories of the hugs and kisses flittering though Jaspar's mind. It hadn't just been sex, Jaspar knew it. "He took my eyes, he took Justice's legs, he has taken so many people's lives from them..."
"So that is enough to condemn him to death?" John yawned. "Boring. Here I thought you had grown a backbone but no. This was about good vs evil, wasn't it? Elison didn't matter because he was evil."
"No," Jaspar shook his head. "That's not true."
"Don't listen to him," Justice said firmly. "We should leave," he said firmly, tugging on Jaspar's hand but Jaspar shook him off.
"You should leave," Jaspar whispered. "John's right, I can't see Justice. This was a bad idea bringing me alone. You should go. You have a chance. I don't," Jaspar admitted, leaning heavily against the wall, not wanting to fall back to the ground but suddenly overwhelmed by the weight of what he had done. He had left Elison to die like a dog without thinking. Guilt filling him up, making him
"I can't leave you behind," Justice said, grabbing Jaspar's hand before he could move forward. "I left Leo behind, I can't leave you too."
"Leo is bound to me, Justice. Even if you had brought him along for this little adventure, he wouldn't have been able to cross the threshold either. Leo's a good boy. He knows his place," John said calmly. "Now, I am going to give until the count of three. One. Two," John counted without hesitation. Jaspar knew the three would come with the same amount of consistency.
Jaspar pushed himself out of Justice's grasp and forward, something catching him before he could fall and held him up from the ground. Sharp nails rubbed through his hair and breath which was boiling heat blown by his ear.
"Good puppet," John purred, kissing Jaspar's cheek. His fangs rubbing against Jaspar's skin, leaving drool. Jaspar whimpered, his hand holding on to the thing which was holding him up. He could feel a pulse but the texture was strange. Rough and furry at the same time. "Now, this is going to hurt."
"No!" Jaspar pleaded but it was too late. He screamed as pain ripped through his body as his third eye was forced open and he was able to see, everything. Every death, every soul being beaten up, every person who was suffering. Jaspar could see, feel, smell and taste it all. It was dizzying and it hurt. He tried to beg for John to stop it but he couldn't, losing control of his body with the about of information which was flowing through his mind.
"Not so fun without an anchor to focus you, is it?" John's voice laughed darkly in the background of the visions.
Jaspar just whimpered.
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Justice pressed against the wall as Jaspar went limp in John's arms. The sound of Jaspar's screaming still echoing through his ears. Jaspar had willingly stepped forward to suffer that? Justice couldn't stop tears rolling down his face. He was so scared. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life being a bartender either. He tried to move but his leg wouldn't cooperate.
"Justice," John said, cradling Jaspar's limp and whimpering body. "You might as well stip the tears. You are going to deeply regret your actions," John promised.
"I know," Justice whispered before pushing off the wall and running away from John as fast as his leg would let him. He didn't get far.
The ground opened up and swallowed him. He fought desperately as the soil surrounded him, clawing desperately and kicking with all his might but he was dragged under. "No," he yelled, crying desperately as soil filled his mouth. The last thing he saw was sunshine burst over the land as the moon moved away from it. John had won.
