Meanwhile, Catoria found herself in a pitch black room. She wasn't entirely sure where she was at first, but her senses started to come to focus very quickly, the last thing she remembered was the gas, how disgusting someone could be if it was what she thought it was, but couldn't remember what happened next. She felt panic rising in her chest. Panic set in, she had no idea if anyone in the syndicate was safe, or if anyone was even alive, let alone able to help her get out. The door slammed shut from the inside, and Catoria could sense that someone was there.
There was a shuffling sound followed by the faint silhouette of a shadow moving in her direction; Catoria felt her heart beating furiously in her chest, it took a few moments before the silhouette approached her, finally revealing itself. Vox stood before her in all her glory, clad in a green cloak, the hood obscuring his face. "Catoria Moreau, we haven't had a proper conversation in a while, my dearest colleague...". His voice was deep and soothing, yet menacing and sinister at the same time, and it caused Catoria's breathing to quicken even further.
"What do you want?", she demanded calmly. "Oh, nothing much really," said Vox casually. "Who are you?", Catoria questioned him. "Why, my dear friend, you'll find out soon enough...", he smirked. Catoria felt herself being pushed against a wall and pinned down, but somehow she managed to remain standing, albeit without strength. "You're stronger than I expected. I suppose that's not surprising for a succubus. Such a beautiful species really, pity they constantly get exploited by a certain noble family...".
The two stared at each other for a moment, before Catoria regained her composure and glared at the fae, "Now tell me, what do you want from me?". Vox chuckled lightly, "Oh, that's simple, surely you should know by now...". Catoria grabbed onto Vox's arm tightly. "Just as I expected, so fiesty!". Vox laughed, his grip on her tightening. Catoria didn't back down either, her nails dug further into Vox's arm. "You wouldn't do that to a friend, would you?", he pondered jokingly. Catoria bit her lip, "If you're such a friend, why must you hide your face, Vox?!".
The daring woman ripped off the
cloth covering Vox's face and gazed upon the fae. For the first time in her life, Catoria was faced with a face that had completely shocked her. Vox's expression turned to one of complete madness, as though he had no care in the world. After years of being clueless, Catoria finally realised what was going on, "You, it was you the whole time!", she yelled. Out of pure rage, waves of a vicious carnage shot out of Catoria's body, grazing Vox's chest. The man went silent.
Vox looked down at his chest which was now bleeding profusely, "Ah...that hurt quite a bit...my, how rude of me." With that, a wave of energy hit Catoria straight in the stomach. She flew backwards, slamming into the floor painfully. Her breath stopped, for several seconds she lay motionless on the ground, unable to speak, unable to move, unable to think. She knew that Vox wanted to kill her, and wanted to demonstrate his wrath on the syndicate.
Catoria's golden eyes stared deep into his soul, she saw nothing. Nothing except for his madness. Nothing except for his anger. Nothing but his bloodlust. The hatred in his eyes made her sick to her stomach. With a sigh of contentment, Vox raised his hand and pointed at her, and as his index finger pressed downward, an immense amount of energy began pouring through it toward Catoria. She braced herself and held her hands together, willing every ounce of her energy to protect herself. However, despite having done everything she could to fend off the power he gave her, her hands remained unresponsive.
"I never thought a fae could win using trickery alone...", Catoria said faintly. "Oh, we never lose, we never lie either...", Vox reflected back to her. "I'd rather you lie than destroy...", Catoria murmured, struggling to keep her eyes open. Vox put a finger to her lip, "That's alright...let's make this quicker, shall we?", he said happily while holding up his arms to summon a massive bolt of energy towards her. Catoria did nothing to stop it. It struck her directly in the head, sending her flying backwards, her vision clouded and her limbs felt numb. At that moment, she faded into the stars.
Vox smiled gracefully, "You will forgive me, Catoria, but I simply can't let you live after what you've done...". Then, turning to the side, he looked out of the mansion window. "Oh Palette, seems your chances are growing thinner...", he stated to the sky. His unwavering lack of guilt paved his path, followed him everywhere he went. Everything made sense to him, he understood so perfectly. He knew exactly what his role in all this was, he knew what needed to be done. He needed to win.