(Hey everyone! Please be warned that this chapter deals with some anxiety and mental health issues, such as panic, trauma and fear. Be careful reading or steer clear of this chapter if this may upset or trigger you! I haven't put these issues in great detail, but there is some included!
As well, there may be spoilers of Ray's route in this chapter, so please read at your own discretion!
Finally, thank you all again for reading! This story is winding down well, and man I've put poor Luka through the ringer during this fanfic...
But its not over yet folks! >: 3 )
"Get her up."
"But.."
"This is no time for hesitation. Get her up, now."
A mysterious warmth engulfed my shoulder. I was sleeping softly, and had been for what felt like ages. I didn't want to be woken. I was comfortable and relaxed.
"Please wake up..."
A light shaking disturbed my rest. My consciousness started to rouse, but I didn't want it to. I tried to will myself back into the happiness of sleep
"Come on Kelly, wake up."
The shaking became stronger. My mind jolted awake and I slowly opened my eyes.
The first thing that came into focus was a pale face of a man with a silver plated eyepatch on. He seemed to react to my awakening by turning his eyes away from me. His cheeks were glowing bright red.
"Can you sit up?"
I blinked a few times, then felt a cold winter breeze pass by me.
"Harr!"
An angry yelp came from a man infront of us. I slowly sat up and looked around. I was outside still, with my sleeping and injured friends all around me. But instead of us all laying in snow, we were laying on the dusty ground. As I glanced to my left and right, I could see a circle shape cut out of the ground around us, not grass nor snow within the entire vicinity that stretched for miles.
It was as if a bomb had gone off that radiated heat, incinerating everything within its dome-like radius. We all sat within its epicenter. I could only see snow in the far distance. Everything near us was as void as a desert.
Finally my memories returned. Amon had been attacking and torturing us. I gasped and turned to Harr as he held his hand against my back, flushing brightly.
"Where's Luka!? What about Loki? And Jonah and Ra--"
A soft sigh escaped the Joker's lips. He leant to the side so I could see behind him.
The Red and White uniform of Lancelot was clearly visible a few feet infront of me. His one hand was glowing bright red, while his other arm remained loosely at his side.
Infront of Lancelot, was Ray, awake and standing. A bright blue glow had engulfed his entire body. Amon and the disciples stood opposite Ray, with only Amon still on his feet. He was covered in blood with gashes everywhere all over his body, and was kneeling on one knee, holding out a glowing hand to seemly steady himself from another attack.
I gasped.
"What's... going on..?"
"We don't have time for that now. We need your help."
BOOM!!!!!
An unimaginably powerful shockwave emitted from Ray, disintegrating a few inches of ground underneath him so his feet fell into small holes in the dirt. The force was so powerful, both Harr and I were knocked back, the Joker falling ontop of me.
"Joker!!" I heard Lancelot growl as he withstood the blast, using his one hand to radiate more Magic than I'd ever seen him use before.
"Harr! We need Alice, now!"
Harr, blushing even more profusely, quickly jumped off of me. He grabbed my hand and helped me up.
"Alice there is no time to explain. Please, we need you to use your Magic barrier."
I looked ahead of me, watching rubble and wind swirl around Ray as his body glowed. He stood stalk still, I couldn't even tell if he was aware of what he was doing as he stood infront of us. I'd never seen him use this kind of magic before. It was utter chaos.
"D-DAMN YOU LANCELOT!!!" Amon angrily hissed, before succumbing to his injuries and lowering his glowing hand to the ground. He began panting profusely, before the intense Magic that emitted from Ray pushed forward and engulfed Amon in a bright blue light.
After a moment, the light dissapeared. Amon was gone.
My breath hitched in fear. I grabbed onto Harr.
"Harr...wh----what was that?"
But the Joker didn't have the patience, nor the time to explain. He grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me.
"Do you want to see Luka again!? If you do, you need to put your barrier up, right now!"
Panic filling me, I instantly nodded. Something wasn't right with Ray, and I could tell we were in serious danger if I didn't act quickly.
I ran up to stand beside Lancelot and threw up my barrier, protecting himself, Harr, myself and all my injured friends on the ground behind me. Ray's hair whipped in the wind as the bright light around him grew brighter. He unleashed another shockwave that bounced off my barrier and continued away, flattening and killing even more land around us.
I grit my teeth as the wind picked up, blowing in my face. It became so strong, I had to close my eyes.
"Alice..."
A deep, calm voice from beside me spoke out. I managed to open one eye just a little and looked over.
Lancelot too, was covered in wounds. His one hand was lazily fluttering in the wind, clearly broken.
His bright blue eyes glanced my way.
"Are you ready?"
I didn't understand.
"R-ready!? Ready for what!??"
But the Red King didn't reply. Instead, he simply lowered his one glowing arm, then dashed forward, jumping at Ray and tackling him from behind.
I blinked, and the biggest explosion I'd ever witnessed rang out.
Everything went white.
-----------------------
(Kelly P.O.V)
One week later.
I awoke with a jolt, sitting upright instantly. Memories of my nightmares swirled in my mind. Watching Luka be beaten over and over, seeing Jonah stabbed through the chest... the trauma just replayed constantly in my brain.
"No..no..no...no no noo.." unable to control my thoughts, I began muttering incessantly, my breathing erratic and abnormally fast. I looked around in a confused panic as tears filled my eyes. I couldn't control it.
"I can't breathe..." I began gasping for air.
"Shhh, shh! I'm right here ★"
A Black Army soldier dropped the clipboard he was holding as he checked over a patient and came running to me, sitting down infront of me on the infirmary bed I laid on. He looped an arm around my shoulders and began rubbing my back.
"You're okay darling. Just slow down..."
I was shaking so intensely I could hardly grasp his shirt, even as I leant in to bury my face in his chest.
"M-make it s-s-stopp.." I sobbed. I could hear Seth sighing lightly and he curled his other arm around me.
"You just gotta breathe. Do it with me." He took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. I could hear his lungs working as I crumpled in his arms. My tears were staining his shirt.
He began a soft mantra of counting as he took deep breaths. I was willing to cling to anything I could to make it stop. I closed my eyes and tried to slow my mind, listening to Seth speak.
"Breath in....one, two...and out...one, two... Again. In...one, two....and out...one, two..."
Within minutes, I'd managed to calm my racing heart. I stopped shaking, and was able to comfortably cuddle into Seth's arms. I felt so tired, and so vulnerable.
"There, there. Good girl." He whispered softly, allowing me to fall asleep with his comfort.
----------
(Seth's P.O.V)
A little while later, after I managed to tuck Kelly back into bed in the infirmary, I handed off my clinic assistant duties for about an hour. There was many things I had to discuss with the team. Kelly couldn't be expected to continue to suffer like this, and if I had anything to do with it, I would make sure it stopped.
I sauntered down the hallway and turned into Ray's office, discovering him at his desk, while Sirius and Fenrir both stood near the various bookcases. They seemed to be meeting with him.
"Oh good! You're all here."
I surveyed the room. Sirius was still in a sling; his torn through bicep would take months to heal. He hadn't been exactly thrilled over the news at how long it would take for him to recover, but he was still keeping as busy as ever.
Fenrir, who stood beside him, looked tired. The emotional toll the final fight took on the 10 of Spades had really shaken him. I knew he wasn't sleeping well, and he looked like he was losing weight. Observing these changes, I knew later on I'd have to speak with him personally as well. Now more than ever we needed him in top shape.
Finally, I set my focus on the King of Spades. Of all the lieutenants in the room, he was the one I was most worried about. It had taken him about 3 days to come to after the fight with Amon, and rightfully so. After the number he and Amon had done on the area, the aftermath and cleanup of the entire Central Quarter was predicted to be months worth of work. Many were injured, and many were killed, and we were currently waiting for an official deathtoll, as well as the decision on where the blame sat. After all, the two largest and most violent Magical entities that were present that day were Amon and Ray.
And so, responsibility would fall on them two.
As I looked him over, I could tell that the war had changed him. The light in his eyes was gone. He wasn't the same happy, comedic Ray anymore. He too, hadn't slept wilfully since waking from his unconscious state. His skin was pale, and dark circles were forming under his eyes.
He looked on, devoid of emotion.
"Ray, we have to make the decision to inform Kelly of what happened."
The King of Spades stared at me - without a single reaction.
"Go on." Even his voice was stripped of its joy.
"It's been a week, and she is still having consistent panic attacks. I just came from calming her down for the third time today." I frowned.
"She's going to ask about Luka when she learns about what went on." Ray spun around in his desk chair so he could look out the window behind his desk.
"We all very well know that we can't show her Luka just yet."
A grim tension rose in the air around us. Sirius and Fenrir stayed silent.
"I know, but she has to learn sometime! She's suffering, having all these attacks. Her flashbacks are getting worse..." My expression fell into sorrow as I stepped forward and put my hands on Ray's desk to try and get his attention. He hardly moved.
"I know it's tricky because Luka is on life support, but we can't just stay quiet while she goes on, day after day, in panic and confusion!" I was biting my lip unconsciously. This was a terribly difficult decision to make. But we couldn't just stand by and force her to suffer..
Sirius sighed lightly from my right.
"Ray, he has a point. She can only calm down if one of us is there. And we are getting busier and busier as we deal with the aftermath. We can't risk her condition getting worse, and us not being there to help her..."
I lit up as I looked over at Sirius. His eyes met mine and he nodded to me. He knew just as well as I did that this was important.
"There's also the fact that the full moon will be here next week.."
That got his attention. Ray turned back in his chair and gazed at me once again.
I heard Fenrir sigh sadly behind me.
"That means.. she'll have to leave.."
Before I could respond, Ray put his hands to his chin as he analyzed the current predicament in his mind.
"Very well, let's prepare. We'll wake her in an hour, and tell her everything."
The King of Spades then stood up.
"From there, we'll give her the choice. Whether she wants to go back to the Land of Reason, or stay here."
------------------------------------------
(One hour later)
(Kelly P.O.V)
"Princess, ohhh princessss! ♥"
A soft, sing song voice stirred me from my sleep. I opened my eyes and a sudden mirage of Luka's bloody, beaten face sat infront of me. I gasped and jolted awake, my breaths catching in my throat.
"Kelly! Kelly it's just me." The vision dissipated and revealed Seth's face smiling worriedly at me. He innocently leant forward and placed his forehead against mine while he rubbed my shoulder.
"Look, just me." He took his other hand and brought my fingers to his face. A relief flooded through me.
"I'm still having flashbacks.." I muttered, dissapointment evident in my voice. His lips broke into a small, somber smile.
"They'll be gone soon enough. Are you hungry?" Seth sat up and ruffled my hair in a friendly manner. I nodded slowly, feeling vulnerable knowing I was still at the mercy of the trauma I'd seen before.
"I could eat..."
"Good! Let's get you some dinner."
Once I stood, I realised truly how hungry I was. I'd slept off and on in the infirmary all day. Ray and the Black Army urged me to stay there while I was having panic attacks so I could be in consistent contact with help when I needed it. I didn't mind too much, because as long as I had someone to help me get my mind off of the fear, it was better I stay there anyway.
Seth lead me into the dining room and pulled out my chair for me. I took a seat and he pushed me closer to the table with a bright, gentleman-like smile.
"I'll get Sirius." He then left my side and headed through the swinging door on my left, dissapearing into the kitchen. In minutes, he and Sirius stepped back through the door, balancing plates upon plates of food on their hands and forearms. Sirius, despite in a sling, was still using his one good arm to bring food out.
My heart leapt. It all smelled so good..
"Dinner is served!" Seth lowered his voice into a deep, masculine tone. I grinned and clapped my hands, watching as he set a plate of steaming roast chicken, grain and herb rice, and sweet potatoes with cinnamon on top infront of me. My mouth instantly began watering.
"Wow...this look's so good!"
Sirius came from behind Seth and put down a large bowl of caesar salad, as well as a plate of mixed vegetables. He then set down dessert for later: tiramasu.
"Dig in, little lady." The Queen of Hearts placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and gave me a wink. I was beaming so brightly, I began blushing.
"Oh thank you so much!" As I began scarfing down my food, I felt a joy inside that I hadn't felt for a while. The same happiness I had back then, before Luka left for the war. A naive and bright happiness that signalled how innocent I had been when I came here. It felt good to get that back, even if for just a single dinner.
Seth sat beside me and ate a small plate of his share. We talked for a while about what other desserts we could make now that the war was over, and settled on guessing eachothers favourite macaroon flavours too. Finally, I'd eaten all I could, cake and all. I sat back in my chair, satisfied.
"Wow, am I ever full..." I think I ate too much. I patted my tummy with a sigh.
Seth grinned at me as he finished his last bite of cake, then stood to begin grabbing the plates.
"It's alright Seth. I've got it." With impeccable timing, Sirius sauntered out of the kitchen, a dish towel on his shoulder. He began picking up the plates with his one good arm.
"I trust you enjoyed the food?"
I lit up brightly.
"Yes! Very much, thank you! It reminded me so much of the dinners Luka used to----"
I stopped myself as I realised what I was saying. The happy light that was burning bright in my chest suddenly burnt out; a tight, suffocating anxiety replacing it. I turned my gaze downwards to look at my lap in shame.
"I wonder where he...-"
Suddenly, a warm set of fingers reached out from across the table and stroked my cheek. My uncontrollably watery eyes looked up. Seth was trying his best to smile genuinely at me. But his eyes were filled with worry.
"Darling, I'm going to need you to listen now. There's some important things we need to tell you..."
(Ugh Im sorry! Don't hate me! Next chapter, coming soon! 0:) )