TW// Description of graphic blood and violence
Nate groaned weakly as his head protested angrily, he tried to lift it but the throbbing behind his eyes stopped him. Another weak groan escaped his throat as his face scrunched in pain. After what felt like forever, he finally managed to open his eyes and take in his surroundings. His eyes suddenly snapped open and he struggled violently when he realized he was bound to a chair inside of a cell that slightly resembled the Erebus dungeon, but with a lot more blood. His ankles were bound to the legs of the chair and his wrists were bound to the arm rests with duct tape. He couldn't even lean forward because his upper body was tied to the backrest by ropes, whoever brought him here didn't want him having much range of motion. Nate's mind suddenly started racing, the last thing he remembered was the look of fear on Nyx's face and a cloud of black smoke, then he was suddenly in this completely unfamiliar place. He remembered someone hitting him hard on the head, before waking up in this chair. He also remembered...that his Gift was completely inhibited.
"Fuck..." He uttered softly as fear shot into his bloodstream. His pulse quickened even more when he heard a soft hum that morphed into a gentle giggle. His head shot up to look towards the source of the giggle and the color left his face.
Azriel was standing outside of the cell Nate was in with his hands behind his back and a gleeful grin on his face. His glowing pink eyes however, were saying something else entirely. "Good morning, Puppet Master." He mused in a gleeful whisper before he pulled out a ring of keys and used one to unlock the cell. Azriel slid open the door and stepped inside, causing Nate's heart to race, but he refused to let his face didn't show it.
"Where is Nerissa?" Nate asked Azriel sternly through his fear as he glared into his eyes.
Azriel snickered in response. "That's the question you have? Not where you are, or why you're even here?" Azriel said as he tilted his head slightly, the childish voice that Nate had previously heard him use was gone, it was now menacing, unhinged and dark.
Nate smiled defiantly, "Yes, because I already know where I am, and Nyx does too. I also know I'm here because of the bounty on my head." Nate said back to him before Azriel raised an eyebrow in intrigue.
"Very clever, and that is why I had to stage a little... distraction for your little guard dogs." Azriel mused again as he leaned down closer to Nate's face. "Although, I have actually brought you here for three reasons." Azriel held up a finger, and continued to lift more as he listed his reasons. "Number one, I'm always willing to become richer, and half a million dollars is no chump change. Number two, you're the one person who can shut down my whole operation with a single look. Number three, you're gunna be a sweet little present for my favorite plaything."
Nate's eyes widened slightly as the realization hit him. "You're telling me that you had your little rat knock Orion over the head with a bat-"
"To get Infinity to stop focusing on you, duh." Azriel said as he leaned up again and rolled his eyes and started slowly walking around Nate until he was behind him. Azriel then slumped forward and wrapped his arms loosely around Nate's shoulders, almost in a friendly manner. Nate's entire body tensed from the sudden touch he knew wasn't friendly. "You know, last time I saw her was on Halloween night." Nate's jaw clenched as he recalled what hell Halloween night had been. The woman he loved, her brother, and one of his best friends kidnapped by Damien Erebus. Breaking into the Erebus Estate and seeing Oliver's corpse slumped in a chair. He remembered almost dying himself that night. "It was before Willow pulled them all into her House, I remember admiring how pretty she is when she's unconscious." Azriel moved his mouth closer to Nate's ear and a chill ran through his whole being. Nate let out a barely audible growl of anger before Azriel hummed evenly in response, "That was the last time I saw you as well." Azriel purred darkly into Nate's ear as he tensed again. He remembered taking control of Azriel and getting a small glimpse into his mind for a mere moment. The inside of Azriel's mind was... disturbing to say the least. "When I heard she was killed, I gotta say, I was surprised. However, I was more surprised to hear that it was her boyfriend's fault." Azriel purred out his sick taunt into Nate's ear and he gritted his teeth as the massive guilt overwhelmed him again.
"Shut. up." Nate whispered quietly through his anger. Azriel clicked his tongue twice before Nate suddenly felt cold metal against his throat. He lifted his chin slightly in a futile attempt to relieve the pressure.
"Now, that's not very nice. Then again, I didn't really expect you to be, after hearing how you treated Nerissa." Azriel said quietly and he pressed the small blade against Nate's throat with enough pressure that one swift jerk of Azriel's arm would end him.
"Where is she?" Nate asked quietly determined to not show any fear, knowing that Azriel would eat it up. Azriel let out a soft unhinged giggle that sent a shiver through Nate's entire body. He moved the blade away from Nate's throat and he lowered his head slightly. Nate watched with a hard glare as Azriel walked back around Nate until he was in front of him.
"You know, I haven't met a single Gifted that was alright in the head." Azriel mused as he looked off in thought and idly tapped the small blade against his head, completely ignoring Nate's question. His eyes then flicked down to Nate, causing him to stiffen a bit. "Do you know any? I'd love to meet them, I wonder what that's like..." Azriel said in an unhinged tone and his eyes flashed with pure madness. Nate swallowed his fear but his face remained unreadable. His mind raced through the countless times that all of his friends had snapped and acted with such madness...including himself. He remembered when Nyx slaughtered the entire Erebus Mafia in just a few minutes...the unbridled raw power she possessed.
"The only way you're meeting my people is when they're putting you in the ground." Nate growled out in quiet anger before Azriel hummed through a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"You know...I don't think I like your tone." Azriel said quietly as he lifted the small blade that was still held loosely in his hand. It was a small intricately designed letter opener that had been sharpened to a razor's edge and a fine point. Nate felt Azriel's gloved hand push up his chin with one finger, completely exposing Nate's throat. Subtle fear creeped into Nate's system before Azriel spoke again, but he kept his eyes hard and unfazed. "I don't quite like those eyes you're giving me either." Azriel purred through his smile before he suddenly swiped his arm and the blade sliced Nate's left eye. Nate yelled out in agony before he tried to choke it down. Azriel then reached behind him calmly with a subtle smile, pulled out a white handkerchief, and used it to clean the blood off his small blade. He walked around Nate again as he was breathing through the searing pain in his eye. Nate tensed when the rolled up handkerchief was forced into his mouth and Azriel tied it in place from behind his head and Nate could no longer speak.
Nate looked up at Azriel as he walked around in front of him again. His left eye was clutched shut and bleeding profusely. "That's better." Azriel said playfully with a coy smile. Nate could already taste the blood that was soaking into his gag from his eye. "Unfortunately, I have things to do, so I gotta run. I gotta prepare for my date with your little girlfriend, I'm sure she'll be by soon." Nate's body stiffened as intense worry and anger flooded his system, overpowering the intense pain still surging from his eye. Seeing that Nate couldn't speak in protest, Azriel let out a soft giggle before turning on his heel and he left the cell before locking it back up.
Azriel's footsteps faded away into deafening silence before Nate's mind quickly became loud. This can't be happening...this can't be happening...this can't be happening...played over and over through his mind as his one good eye stared off into space.
No, stop that...Nyx is coming, I know she is...I just have to...stay alive until then...
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Nerissa's leg bounced nervously as she sat on the posh couch in Azriel's lounge. She nibbled on her nail anxiously as she looked off into space. She hadn't seen Jaya since the meeting earlier in the day, and even then he was acting differently. He was even more quiet and distant than usual and it made her feel nervous, even though she couldn't place why.
Neri jumped slightly when the door to the lounge opened, and she whipped her head to it, hoping it was Jaya. Her shoulders relaxed when she saw it was Azriel. "Oh, did I startle you?" He asked her with a tone of concern and a look on his face to match.
"Only a little, sorry I was lost in thought for a moment." She replied meekly as she averted her gaze. Azriel's lips curled upward slightly before he spoke again.
"You know, I've noticed you've been a bit down lately, so I got a present for you." Azriel said in a kind tone and Nerissa's face lit up a bit.
"Really? What'd you get me?" She asked him curiously, Azriel smiled and gestured for her to follow him. Nerissa looked confused before she followed him out of the room and down the hall, her heart fluttered once she realized they were walking towards the dungeon again. Once they entered through the large gilded door, her eyes were struggling to adjust to the darkness as it had been a while since she was down here. It wasn't until they were both standing in front of a particular cell and she looked inside that her pulse quickened from a confusing and slightly shocking sight. Looking back at her with wide and frantic eyes... "Nate...?" She uttered softly as she stared at him with a strange mixture of shock and anger. She immediately noticed that his left eye was clenched shut and had been bleeding badly.
"That's right. I remembered how eager you were to get revenge for you and your late brother, so I thought you'd enjoy getting revenge on the guy who threw you away, just like they did." Azriel said in a sweet tone as he held his hands behind his back. Nerissa's gaze didn't leave Nate, seeing the blood running down his face from his left eye that was clenched shut. "You see, I recently found out that there's a rather large bounty on his head, so I snatched him up for you before anyone else could kill him and claim the bounty." Nerissa then looked over at Azriel for a moment before she looked back at Nate who was still staring with a wide eyed look of fear. So that's why those low lives were trying to kill him. She thought to herself as Nate shook his head subtly, almost begging her not to do this. Nerissa quickly realized that his Gift had been inhibited, so he was completely vulnerable and helpless.
Nerissa swallowed and her face hardened a bit as she recalled Nate's cruel words. The horrid words he had spat out in anger after completely leaving her out of a mission to find Nyx's killer. The look of resentment in his eyes as he blamed her for Nyx's death...
"Thank you for this gift Azriel...I greatly appreciate it." Nerissa said with a slightly happy tone before she actually looked over at him. "If you don't mind, I wanted to do some training today. So, would it be alright if I went and did that, and came back for him?" She asked him sweetly before a smile spread across Azriel's lips, although...it didn't seem genuine.
"Of course, dear. He won't be able to get out like Z did, I made sure of that... because I learn from my mistakes." Azriel's voice sounded kind before it shifted into something slightly menacing as he looked at Nate.
Nerissa gave Nate one last look before she turned and walked out of sight, all while Nate's eyes never left her face. He was silently cursing the fact that he was gagged, he just had to tell her that Nyx was alive, and that fact alone could snap her out of this. Once she was out of earshot, Azriel giggled darkly again. "How's it feel to have all those choices you made finally catch up to you?" Azriel taunted him with a sick smile on his face that sent another chill down Nate's spine. "How's it feel to not be the one in control?"
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Nerissa entered the training room with a blank look on her face. She slowly walked over to the small decorative waterfall that Azriel had installed so Nerissa could have a water source for training. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, subtle memories flowed into her mind from her last night at Sanctuary. The look of anger and hatred on Nate's face as he yelled at her and told her to leave. Neri clenched her fists before she flicked her hand upward suddenly, water shot out from the waterfall and struck one of the training dummies. It was knocked off balance and fell backwards with a thud, but the anger was still there. Nerissa growled in gentle rage and swiped her hand through the air roughly with a loud yell of anger. Water shot out from the waterfall before morphing into a sheet and slicing through the second dummy, cutting it in half. She yelled out in anger and pain as she sliced through it before the voices of Nate, Danny, and Rhys became too much for her to handle.
You said you're our healer and you let her die! You think I trust you anymore after what you did?! She trusted you, and look where it got her!
I think you should leave, Nerissa.
Useless.
Hopeless.
Dante would be so disappointed in you.
"SHUT UP!" Nerissa yelled out angrily as more water flowed from the waterfall and began surrounding her. It formed a large bubble of water that completely encased her. Inside, she was finally able to calm down, the voices in her mind finally silenced. She could finally think properly. The first thing that came to her mind, was Nate's words that night. How much he hurt her, before she thought about how hurt...he was. Even though she was hurt by his venomous words...she knew how much pain he was in from having to watch the woman he loves be killed in an instant. She remembered his heartbreaking scream of pain outside the burning wreckage of the Erebus Estate. She remembered how Soul had to literally drag him out of the burning Estate, because he didn't want to leave Nyx's body. She remembered hearing that he was under suicide watch in the Infirmary for days after the fact. Her mind then shifted to the memory of herself in the woods outside of Sanctuary, where Azriel had found her when no one else even saw her. She remembered how much sense his words made. She remembered how he was the first one to actually offer his condolences for her best friend's death.
She gasped gently when the image of Nyx suddenly shoved its way into her mind. She remembered Nyx's warm smile, the strong bond they shared. She remembered Nyx doing her makeup on Halloween. She remembered Nyx letting her borrow clothes for the party Oliver invited them to, to welcome them to Sanctuary. She remembered how much Nyx loved Nate, how happy she would get when she talked about him in Zachariah's compound.
The water surrounding Nerissa suddenly dropped to the ground with a splash. She was angry at Nate, and that wasn't going to change. She couldn't forget the things he said, and she definitely wasn't going to forgive him. Even though she was angry and hurt...she couldn't kill him...she couldn't let him die. "That's the least I can do for Nyx." Nerissa murmured under her breath before she left the room to return to Nate's cell.
Nate's head jerked up again when he heard the large door open and close, followed by the clicking of heels approaching. He knew it was Nerissa long before she turned the corner. She entered the cell with the help of an armed guard, she nodded in thanks before the guard left the dungeon to perform his other duties. She approached him with a venomous stare and Nate looked up at her with a tired look in his good eye. When she spoke, her voice sounded just as cold as the ice she controlled. "You really fucked up, Nathan." Nate looked at her with a wide and slightly scared look in his good eye as he desperately tried to speak, but it only came out in muffled grunts. Nerissa scoffed softly and rolled her eyes, "I see you haven't learned the function of a gag, it's to prevent you from speaking. Rather handy when it comes to people like you." Nate huffed through his nose and his good eye closed in exhaustion. Nerissa grinned slightly, "Huff at me all you want Nathan. I truly don't give a shit about what you think of me, not anymore. You made me feel so small...and worthless. All with just a few words..." She scoffed again, "Blaming me for Nyx's death." Nerissa spat out with a vicious scowl on her face.
Nate's singular eye widened in fear again, the reality finally setting in. Is she really going to kill me...? If she did kill him, there truly would be no going back for her. No! Nyx is alive! Please Nerissa, I'm sorry! He screamed in his own head, knowing that his Gift was inhibited, but praying she would hear him anyway.
Nate suddenly felt cold as a smile replaced the scowl on Nerissa's face, her tone shifted as well, from ice cold to honey sweet. "But who's fault was it really, Nathan? Who stopped her? Who took control of her and kept her in place long enough that Z killed her, huh?" Nate felt his chest get tight and he looked down at his lap in violent shame and guilt as the moment his entire life shattered played back through his mind. He gasped gently and was pulled from his thoughts when he felt her ice cold fingers grip his chin and force his head back up to look at the woman in front of him. His one warm green eye meeting her icy blue eyes, Nerissa tilted her head and grinned, "That's right, Nathan. You. Not me, not Soul, not even Damien. Just you." She muses, her voice still dripping with sweetness before shoving his chin away roughly. Nate's breath started shaking and he felt his hands beginning to tremble. Nerissa only stared emotionless as Nate's good eye started misting.
"Though, I guess I should be thanking you. Without your cruel words, I never would've left that dead end. I would still be stuck with you all as a weak little healer. So, thank you. Since I've left, I've grown not only as a healer, but as a fighter too. I've grown to not take anyone's shit because they want to throw a fucking temper tantrum. I've grown to respect myself." As Neri spoke, Nate only stared with intense regret and sadness.
Nerissa clicked her tongue before leaning over Nate to whisper in his ear. "Everything I have done, was to survive. There's going to come a time when no one else will be able to help you. So, learn to survive, Nathan, before you end up dead." She whispered under her breath quietly, enough that the microphone she knew was in the upper corner of the cell couldn't hear her. She then took a step back from Nate as he looked at her with a slightly confused look. Without another word, Nerissa quickly brandished a normal looking dagger and Nate's heart started pounding. He watched as she tilted her head while holding gripping eye contact before she slammed the dagger into Nate's shoulder. Nate let out a scream of pain, muffled by the gag before it faded into pained labored breathing. Her fingers slithered off the handle and slyly trailed down his arm before the touch was finally severed at his hand. He looked up at her with one last pained look, but he tensed when he caught something in her gaze. Through the coldness and distaste, he saw her flick her eyes down to the dagger, then down to the binding on his left hand. A hint. Without another word, she left the cell and locked it up.
As the clicking of her heels faded away into silence, Nate realized four things. One, he really needed to stop pissing off powerful women. Two, was that the rope around his torso was cut slightly when Nerissa stabbed him. Looking down at the blood flowing down his body, he realized; three, Nerissa had left the knife in his shoulder, so he had a weapon. Finally, he noticed the final item when he could feel the circulation being returned to his left hand. He looked down and saw the tape holding his wrist to the arm rest was torn. Nate's eyes widened as he looked down at the torn tape, Nerissa's words rang in his ears as he started formulating a plan.
Survive, Nathan.