The next morning after Halloween
The Erebus Estate's dungeon
Damien's eyes lazily drifted open when the sun was high enough to shine through the small window and onto his face. He quickly discovered that he could only open one eye, his other eye was covered by bandages that were wrapped around his head. Damien groaned softly as he sat up, his abdomen still aching from the previous night. He instinctively brought his hand to his abdomen when he felt a stabbing pain from his movement. He noticed that there were bandages wrapped around his waist as well. He had slept in the dingy and empty cell of the Erebus dungeon after Zachariah had Damien's men throw him in here. Damien finally leaned up all the way and rested against the stone wall of the cell. He was sitting on his suit jacket that he laid on the floor. His red dress shirt was stained slightly from dirt and his own blood. He brought one leg up so his foot was flat on the ground and rested his arm on his knee.
Damien brought his hand up to his face and dragged it down in an attempt to wake himself up a bit. The previous night raced by in a blur before landing on the moment he felt more isolated than he had in his entire life. Damien gritted his teeth. Those ungrateful mongrels. His men had turned on him, he still had no idea what Zachariah could've offered them to convince them of such an act. Every Erebus Mafia member is sworn to a blood oath the moment they enter, even members of the Erebus bloodline take this oath when they come of age. Maybe it wasn't something he was offering. Damien stared off into space as he thought. Maybe it was something he did to them, maybe a Gift? Damien's eyes widened slightly. Azriel, the boy with the dolls. Damien never really asked about his Gift, he only heard that Azriel was "the best Intel gatherer" in Zachariah's little crew.
Damien eyes flicked to the hall outside his cell when he heard the groan of the heavy metal door opening. He continued watching the hall with an even gaze as he heard a series of footsteps approaching. Three people. Damien's breath hitched slightly when the footsteps source showed themselves. He saw Zachariah, Willow, and his mother, she was in handcuffs and walking calmly in front of them. Damien quickly stood up as Zachariah stopped at his cell, Willow kept escorting Damien's mother, Rosa, to the cell next to his. Damien's eyes were locked on his mother until Zachariah spoke and caught his attention.
"Here." He said before he threw something small at Damien. He caught it against his chest before he lowered his hand and looked at what was thrown at him. It was a pack of cigarettes. "Just so you know that I'm not a complete monster." Zachariah said with a sarcastic tone. Damien's lip curled and a small growl left his mouth. Zachariah then tossed a lighter towards him and he caught it in his free hand.
"Why even bother taking me prisoner? Why not just kill me?" Damien asked as he took out a cigarette and lit it. He inhaled deeply and exhaled as he stuffed the pack and lighter into his pocket.
"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Zachariah said with a small smirk. Damien scoffed and looked away as he took another drag of his cigarette. "Why would I let a talent like yours go to waste?" Damien looked at him again with hate in his eyes.
"If you think that I'm going to work for you then you're better off just killing me now." Damien said sternly. Zachariah's lip curled slightly in irritation. Damien saw this and smirked slightly, clearly pleased with himself for irritating Zachariah.
"You should be careful, Damien. You're under my boot yet again, and this time I know how to really tear you down." Zachariah taunted darkly as he jerked his head slightly to the cell next to him. Damien's eyes widened slightly before his brow furrowed in anger. He pushed himself off the wall and walked forward until he was almost touching the bars.
"Let me be clear, if you hurt my mother, I will kill you. That is no veiled threat, Zachariah. It's a direct one." Damien growled out at the man in front of him, not showing an ounce of fear.
Zachariah hummed evenly, "What do you think you're going to do? More importantly, what are you going to do to stop me?" He purred menacingly before he turned his head towards Willow, who was standing outside of Rosa's cell after escorting her inside. "Willow?" He said with a small smile. Willow smiled and nodded back before she reached behind her and revealed a handgun. Damien's eyes widened in fear for a moment, actual fear. Willow pointed the gun towards Rosa, who was kneeling on the ground and facing Willow. Rosa raised her head and looked at Willow with a calm look.
"Stop." Damien uttered with a slightly shaking voice. Zachariah had, of course, inhibited his Gift with the drug. He could do nothing but watch.
"Damien." Rosa spoke softly, Damien's breath hitched slightly. She turned her head to look at him. "When you get out of here, find your sister. She is all you have now." She said calmly with a small smile while Damien stared at her with wide eyes.
"You seem awfully convinced that he will escape." Willow said to Rosa with a slightly irritated tone. She was still angry that Nate got the drop on her like he did.
Rosa hummed out a small laugh, "Yes. I am." She smiled at Willow calmly. "I love you, my son." Rosa's last words rang in Damien's ears before it was pierced by a loud gunshot that echoed off the stone dungeon walls. Damien's eyes became frantic and narrow as his mother's body dropped, seemingly in slow motion. Damien continued staring at her corpse as it lay still on the stone floor of the cell.
"Let that be a lesson." Zachariah said darkly before he and Willow walked back down the hall and left the dungeon. Damien's eyes didn't leave his mothers body, even as they left the dungeon. The moment the groaning of the metal door shutting echoed into Damien's head, his breath became louder. It shook and trembled. Damien felt a horrible pressure form in his chest. He hadn't felt anything like this in such a long time. He didn't even feel this way when his father was killed. But then again...whenever Damien's father would go too far during training, or when Damien was punished, his mother would always be there and bandage his wounds. There would be a lot more scars on Damien's body if it wasn't for his mother. Damien turned his body to face hers before he dropped to his knees. His eyes misted and welled with tears while his face was just blank. His body eventually forced him to blink to ease the burning in his eyes and the tears fell. Damien jolted slightly when he felt a tear drip down his cheek, it had been a long time since Damien had cried. The night Soul left. Left him alone.
When you get out of here, find your sister. She is all you have now.
Damien fell forward slightly before he caught himself with his hands. He gritted his teeth to choke down the scream in his lungs. Even when no one could see him, he didn't want to show his feelings. He was told, for his entire life, that it was a weakness. He was only allowed to show anger, because anger could be used as a weapon. Damien finally understood the feelings that he felt after his father's death. He understood it now more than ever.
It was relief, and he knew exactly what he was feeling now. It was soul shattering emptiness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The morning after Halloween
Sanctuary, Nate's room
Nyx woke up before Nate that morning, to be honest, she barely slept. She was forced to watch the moment of her brother's death over and over again. To the point where she could recite each detail with disturbing accuracy. The look of dread on Oliver's face in his last moments. The look of pure manic elation on Damien's face as he slit his throat. The ringing in Nyx's ears as her mind drifted from reality, refusing to believe that what she was seeing was real. The heart stopping fear clutching her heart as Damien held the same scalpel to her throat. The look of fear on Danny's face when he turned the corner. The pain in his voice when Damien forced him to talk about the one thing they just wanted to forget.
Nyx groaned softly as she planted her hands over her eyes. She sat up gently so she didn't wake Nate, who was still sound asleep next to her in bed. She looked at his peaceful sleeping face and sighed gently. She was grateful that he made sure she wasn't alone the previous night, but right now she needed some alone time to process. Nyx slowly eased herself out of bed and slid her slippers on, Nate had retrieved them from her room the night before. Nyx left a note on Nate's bed, telling him that she wanted some alone time and that she loved him. She then quietly approached the door to leave when she heard quiet knocking. It wasn't on Nate's door, it sounded like someone was knocking on her door. Nyx opened Nate's door quietly and was confused at what she saw.
She saw Kyle, he turned around quickly to face her when the door opened. "Nyx." He said her name with an even tone that had hints of sympathy. He saw the dark circles under her eyes, her bloodshot eyes that held a pale color.
"Hey." Nyx closed Nate's door behind her. "What are you doing here?" Nyx said evenly, she still didn't have the strength to add emotion to her words. Kyle looked uncomfortable for a moment before he looked away and closed his eyes.
He sighed, "I heard...about Oli." Kyle moved his eyes to look at Nyx and she tensed. "You okay?" He asked quietly. It seemed like this was a conversation he was uncomfortable having. Nyx looked back at him with an expressionless face, he was trying. Nyx just...couldn't put out the effort right now.
"Kyle, I'm sorry but...I just need to be alone right now." Nyx said quietly as she walked past him and into her room. Kyle turned around as she closed the door and he heard the lock click into place. He closed his eyes and his head dropped, Kyle then walked down the hall as he rubbed the back of his head. Kyle's eyes looked up when he passed Oliver's old dorm room. The name plate still said "Oliver Grey" and he looked at it for a moment. Kyle's face softened, Oliver was his friend. Coincidentally, Oliver was one of his first friends at Sanctuary after he moved in. Now he was just...gone? Before his death, Oliver had told Kyle that he and Nyx were siblings. That fact alone caused Kyle to look at Nyx in a whole new light. The similarities hit him like a truck. Both fearless, both strong, both didn't take an ounce of bullshit.
Kyle tore his eyes away from the nameplate and continued walking down the hall. He slid his hands in his pockets to help ground him. He would need his own time to grieve, but he also wanted to be there for Nyx if she would let him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Danny was still laying in his bed when the clock struck 2 pm. He had been awake for a while though. He stared at the ceiling with a blank look. The events of the previous night racing by a light speed, ending with the image of Nyx's fear coated face after her brother had been killed in front of her very eyes. A nightmare that Danny had been afraid of ever since he discovered he had a sister. Nyx actually lived through it, and so did his sister, as a matter of fact.
Danny lifted one of his hands and held it in the air above his head. He stared at it as another memory flashed into his mind. The memory of him using that electrical Gift. How the hell did I do that? He thought to himself, his mind full of holes. He couldn't quite remember what he did to be able to do that. He only remembered feeling angry, incredibly angry, and that anger was suddenly released. He remembered the name that Nerissa had uttered under her breath. Dante. That was the name of Danny's baby brother, the one that was killed before he even had a chance to meet him. His mind started thinking in overdrive, as it usually does to help him cope. Danny knew that Gifts could be inherited, the Erebus family, and Nate and his father. He also knew that Gifts and genetics seemed to be a bit of a grey area. Considering that Nyx and Oliver were related by blood but their Gifts weren't even similar. Nyx and her mother didn't have similar Gifts either.
Wait...
Danny's brow furrowed, upon thinking more, he felt that Danny's Super Prediction seemed slightly disconnected when it came to his ability to find the code to any electronic lock. Seeing visions of lethal events and having premonition dreams seems like it shouldn't be connected to such a Gift...
Did I inherit Dante's Gift when he was killed?
Danny wasn't even sure that's how it worked. There was no evidence to suggest that Gifts could be passed down after someone had already been born but Danny couldn't think of any other explanation. Danny sat up in bed and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He sat with his face in his hands for a moment. Even though anyone who knew about this would tell him he was full of it, the thought never left his mind. Danny felt guilty. If he had just gotten there sooner, if he had just stayed by Nyx's side like he promised...Oliver would still be alive. He failed, again. Danny dragged his hands down his face slightly until they were covering his mouth. He then lowered his left hand in front of him and positioned it with his palm towards the ceiling. Danny focused intently, trying to manifest the power again. He missed how it felt to be so powerful. He closed his eyes and tried to focus. Nothing happened for a bit, which frustrated Danny slightly.
He took a deep breath, not wanting the power to manifest from frustration. He didn't want to burn the room down. He started to recall the feelings he felt in the moment that the Gift first manifested. The mania, the calm rage, the subtle fear, all mixed into a cocktail of madness that sent his mind into overdrive. Danny recalled the feelings but didn't let them consume him. He let it flow through him, he used it as fuel. Danny opened his eyes and saw a small sparking ball of plasma forming in his palm. Danny smiled subtly upon seeing his success. Danny brought his other hand on top of the ball and tried to feed it slightly. The ball grew until it was about the size of a golf ball as Danny moved his hands around it and he smiled. He finally felt powerful, he finally felt in control, and he wasn't going to let fear get in the way any longer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nate was in his room at 7 pm, he had saw Nyx's note and he wanted to respect her privacy in this hard time. That didn't make it any easier for him though. He wanted to be there for her, the way he couldn't be there for her on Halloween. Nate was outside on his small balcony that was connected to his third story dorm room. He was staring off into the vast woods behind Sanctuary and his mind was blank. Until the previous night flashed into his mind, but not events that one might think. The thing his mind showed him the most, was himself. When he had arrived at the Erebus estate and taken complete control of the situation, at least for a while. He was cold, he was efficient, he was ruthless. Looking back on it, it kinda scared him. He reminded himself of his father, and that alone terrified him. Nate tried to recall what could've possibly caused him to act that way. He remembered the fear he felt with the thought of Nyx being trapped in that hell hole for a second time. The thought of losing her. He also recalled a revelation he had after seeing Oliver's corpse in that chair. His mind had snapped, something in him had flipped. It was at that moment that he realized that emotions...were dangerous. Letting his emotions take control was what put him in that situation in the first place. His emotions are what drove him to kill Kuroi, thus causing Damien to target him, thus putting Nyx at risk.
Nate's lip started quivering slightly before he bit it again to keep it still. His eyes started burning slightly. He wanted to be there for Nyx, he wanted to be there for her so badly. But Nyx wanted space, and he had to give it to her. Unfortunately, that also meant that Nyx couldn't be there for him. Why doesn't she see that I need her too? He thought in his head as tears started to fall down his face as he stared off into the woods.
Maybe turning his emotions off in times of crisis was the right call. His Gift, which was always difficult to use when he wasn't in a strong state of mind, was very...invasive. Nate had never told anyone this, but whenever he had taken control of someone, he was completely connected to them. This meant that he could feel their past, their memories, and their pain. He had a better understanding of people he had taken control of.
Nyx.
Oliver.
Danny.
Kuroi.
Damien.
Willow.
Azriel.
Gabriel.
These people, all seemed disturbingly similar. All Gifted, all hurting. Even Damien, who seemed like a man who was inherently evil, was hurting. Nate understood his enemies just a little better, but that didn't make them any less of his enemies. Pain is not an excuse to be malicious.
Everyone was hurting, but it takes true bravery to resist the darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That night, Nyx was sitting in her room on the floor, with her back resting against the side of her bed. She was sitting crisscrossed and staring off into space. Her mind was empty yet racing, each detail of that horrible night burning into the inside of her eyelids. She could still smell the blood, she could still feel the cold scalpel being held against her neck by Damien. Nyx closed her eyes, as if that would help. In reality, she knew that Nate would know exactly what to say to help her. Or he would just hold her until everything was okay. She thought about texting him, asking him to come over...but she just couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to get her phone off the nightstand. Besides, she knew that if she turned her phone back on it would just explode from the vast amount of sympathy texts.
I'm sorry for your loss
I know what you're going through
Just call me if you need anything
I'm here for you
"Pfft, you really think those randoms are there for you?" A voice sounded quietly through the room. Nyx opened her eyes and saw her lap, she was too shocked to look up because she knew that voice. Nyx slowly lifted her head with wide eyes and saw him.
"Oliver?" Nyx choked out in a whisper. It was him, sitting in front of her crisscrossed on the ground just like she was. He was looking at her with a soft, easy smile. He looked tired.
"Hey." He said quietly. Nyx was shocked, she just stared back before she could bring herself to speak.
"I...I have to be hallucinating." Nyx said quietly as she averted her gaze. She looked back when she heard Oliver laugh slightly.
"Yeah...you are. Well, kinda. More like...something your brain is doing to help you...cope." Oliver said as he brought his arm up and rubbed the back of his head. Nyx stared at him more and her eyes softened. This wasn't real...he wasn't really here.
"I...Oliver, I'm so sorry...I didn't get there sooner." Nyx said softly as her eyes watered again.
"Don't do that." Oliver put a hand on her leg, but she didn't feel it, because he wasn't really there. "There was nothing you could have done, Nyx. Damien and I were both powerless and he beat the shit out of me. No offense, but he would've beat the shit out of you too." Nyx snorted slightly at his passive jab. "I don't regret what I did. I bought time for Danny to get to you and keep you safe just like he said he would. That's all I ever wanted." As Oliver spoke, Nyx's face coiled into heartbreak again. She managed to keep it choked down just so she could hear Oliver's voice for what may be the last time.
"I miss you so much." Nyx finally choked out through her restrained sobs. Oliver smiled at her, his gaze staying steadfast.
"I know. Who wouldn't miss me?" Oliver joked again and Nyx let out a small laugh before she sniffed. "Nyx, if there's one thing I learned about the life of Gifted, it's this: No one is right or wrong. You can spend your whole life trying to fight against people you think are wrong but...you'll quickly figure out that life just doesn't work that way. Do you know why Damien wanted to kill you so badly?" Oliver tilted his head slightly as he spoke to her.
"Yeah, he wanted to drop my corpse at Nate's feet, to break his mind so that he could kill him." Nyx responded as she looked down with wide eyes, remembering how pleased Damien looked with himself.
"Yeah well, do you remember why Damien wanted to kill Nate?" Oliver asked another question that Nyx already knew the answer to.
"Because Nate killed Kuroi." Nyx said coldly.
Oliver snapped his fingers "Exactly, in Damien's mind, he was a hundred percent in the right. In Damien's mind, we are the evil one-"
"Wait." Nyx held up a hand. "Are you defending Damien?" She asked defensively.
Oliver laughed a bit. "Hell no, he killed me, fuck that guy. I'm saying that right and wrong is such a grey area that...you can't let some predetermined rules shove you into this mental turmoil. Karma takes many forms, sometimes it has to be you." Oliver said with a sincere tone as he looked at her with a stern gaze. Nyx leaned her head back and looked at the ceiling to try and blink away her tears. When she looked back down at him, he was gone. She just stared at her bathroom door across her room and her throat burned. Nyx brought her knees up to her chest and held them before she broke down again. She desperately tried to keep her sobbing quiet but a few loud cries made it through.
Nate was standing outside, he could hear her crying. He could also hear her talking...to someone. He leaned against the wall next to her door and crossed his arms. He hated hearing her cry, and he wanted to be there for her so badly...but she said she wanted space and he wanted to respect her wishes. He raised his head as he suddenly had a thought:
Maybe Nerissa could be of help.