Using his own memories to fuel the magic, as well as the emotions that he’d felt at the time, AJ gave life to a nightmare. All he did was start it, where it grew to was beyond him. The magic took his memories and the love of the two he was touching, and combined them to make a nightmare that haunted them all. It took their fears and added them in to make it even more. That was the downside to making images like this. They had a life of their own.
The castle was Roth’s, that was clear right away. It was the same room that AJ and Brian had been held in. In one corner Nick sat, bound in chains that hooked to the floor. Kevin was stretched out in the middle of the room, unable to move his body, unable to do anything to stop the man who stood over top of him.
Seeing this through the eyes of his friends, AJ felt as if he was both of them at the same time. He wasn’t AJ anymore. He was Nick. He was Kevin. He saw through both their eyes; felt what both of them felt.
Roth stood over top of Kevin, his dark eyes glittering with the madness that lurked inside. The air around him crackled with the magic that he held in him. Dressed in dark clothes, with that caramel skin and the black hair he had pulled in a shoulder length ponytail, he looked like the devil incarnate. His mouth was twisted into a smile, one of pleasure at the sight of the blood on the floor.
“You simple humans. I pity you, almost.” Roth’s musical voice rang through the room. “You think you know it all. Always you fight, until your last breath, until you’re begging for death. I will enjoy watching you beg.”
“I won’t beg you for shit.” Kevin spat out. His head spun when he felt three of the toes on his left foot break. It took everything he had not to scream at the pain. But he didn’t want to make Nick hurt any more than he already was. If he could just keep himself under control, he wouldn’t cause Nick to become more afraid. That was all his life was reduced to right then. Caring for the one he loved more than life itself.
Roth knelt down, brushing a strand of hair back from Kevin’s forehead. “You will beg, shenag. Your kind always does. There is much the body can endure without dying. Let us see how long it takes you to beg, shall we?” Those words sent a chill through Kevin. His resolve not to scream lasted only a short while. Bone by bone, Roth started at his toes and worked his way up his legs, breaking each one as he went. Held by magic he didn’t know or understand, Kevin was able to do nothing.
Over in the corner Nick sobbed. His body still ached from the beating he had received upon being captured. Held by chains, there was nothing he could do to stop this man from hurting Kevin. If anything, Nick’s cries and pleading only seemed to inflame him. Encourage him to worse extremes.
Once the bones in Kevin’s legs and feet were broken, and the last of Kevin’s screams died from the room, Roth smiled again. He was still kneeling by his head. With a chuckle he held his hand out, letting fire spread like a sheet over his palm. He then turned his hand and held it close to Kevin’s skin, letting him feel the heat without burning him. “Are you ready to beg yet, shenag?” he asked him politely.
Mustering all the strength he could, Kevin glared and said “Fuck you.”
Roth’s grin grew even bigger. “I do so love the ones who fight as long as you do.” He said with a chuckle. Then he pressed his hand against Kevin’s chest. One spot, then another, then another. Everywhere he touched the fire burned.
“Please!” Nick cried out. He couldn’t take it anymore. Couldn’t stand to watch his love being hurt. Or listen to Kevin’s screams. “I’ll beg for him! Please, just stop! Anything you want, anything, just don’t hurt him!”
Turning his head, Roth directed his sick smile at Nick. “I wondered who would break first. As I guessed, it was you.” The chains around Nick broke free, and the magic tugged at his very soul. “Come to me.” Roth ordered. There was nothing Nick could do but obey. Against his will Nick crawled on all fours over to where Roth was. There he stayed, staring at Kevin’s face, willing him to be ok. Kevin looked at him with love in his gaze.
Roth looked from one to the other, and the madness in his eyes grew stronger. “Crawl over top of your lover, young shenag.” He said smoothly. Nick’s body moved until he was on all fours over Kevin, their faces inches from one another. Fire suddenly burned Nick’s clothes away, scorching his skin in spots, making him cry out lightly.
Chuckling, Roth moved behind Nick, running his hands over the skin on his backside. “I think I am going to enjoy this. Much more than you will, I’m sure.” The voice came from behind Nick, and was full of a sick pleasure. There was no doubt in their minds what he meant to do. Tears dripped from Nick’s eyes, splashing onto Kevin’s face.
They stared one another in the eyes, the pain and heartache almost visible between them. “I love you, Nick.” Kevin whispered softly. He held Nick’s gaze, watching as the pain flashed there when Roth pushed himself inside. He watched Nick bite his lip to hold in the scream as Roth started to roughly move.
“I love you, Nicky. So much. I’m so sorry. So sorry. Oh God, Nick, I love you.”
“I love you too.” Nick gasped out. A scream slipped loose when Roth started to use air to whip Nick’s backside, the line of his back, his shoulders. It cut into his flesh until blood was dripping from his sides. Still the two stared at one another as they felt the madness start to build; pain was overtaking their minds, their hearts. How could anyone survive through this?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AJ forced himself to draw the magic back inside. To separate reality from the nightmare. It took every ounce of strength he had to bring them back to the present moment. What had taken up almost an hour of time in their minds had been only a short moment in reality. When he finally got it back under control, AJ moved his fingers backwards. He dropped a knee to the porch to support himself.
Realizing they were back on the porch, that the images they had seen hadn’t been real, the couple fell into one another’s arms, sobbing. Kevin held Nick’s head against the curve of his neck, sheltering him while he ran hands up and down his back.
While the two comforted one another, AJ gathered as much energy as he could. He barely managed to make it to his feet, but once there he used his will to hold firm. There was nothing he wanted more than to curl into the sheltering embrace of Brian’s arms and wipe away the images that were burned into his mind, or the feelings that had been brought back to life.
“You son of a bitch.” Kevin swore, looking up at him with angry, tear filled eyes. “What did you do to us?”
AJ forced his voice into an even tone though he wanted to scream and cry with them. “You didn’t understand what you were facing. You were going to stay here, despite the danger. No words would work. I showed you what would happen. I took our greatest fears, yours and mine, and gave them life inside your minds.”
“So it wasn’t real?” Nick managed to get out between hiccups. AJ shook his head. “No. I only showed you what could happen if he ever got you. You needed to understand, so that you can make the right decision. Not one made of ignorance. I know what you saw. I saw it with you. I felt it with you. Hell, I’ve lived it. You had to know what you were facing.”
For a moment longer the porch was silent. No one dared speak. The two men were still holding one another, their tears slowing. Kevin had buried his face in Nick’s hair. They clung tightly, as if reassuring each other that they were alive and well.
Finally Kevin looked up. His eyes were furious and hard. “Do you feel nothing?” he hissed out. “You said you felt it with us, that you saw it. How do you stand there so calmly? How dare you even do that to us? You had no right!”
“I am the trulion.” AJ said softly. His eyes were millennia old in that moment. “I dare what I have to so that I can protect all races. You needed to understand, not only for yourselves, but for the rest of the world. To stay here is not only suicide, but it endangers everything that we are planning. I cannot sacrifice the lives of all for the sensibilities of two.”
“You have changed.” Kevin rose to his feet, keeping Nick tucked under his arm protectively. “You’re a heartless son of a bitch. Somewhere along the way you lost all your feelings. We’ll go get our stuff together and go with you. I shudder to think what you’d do if we didn’t. You won, AJ. You get your way. But when this is done, I never want to see your face again.”
His words cut straight down to AJ’s already bruised and bleeding heart. He let none of it show on the outside. In this, he couldn’t be Alex. He had to be the trulion. “If that’s your wish, I will respect it.” He murmured. “Be ready to leave at first dark.”
Heart breaking inside of him, AJ turned and walked off the porch and down the yard. A lone figure, still covered in blood, his steps heavy with the weight of the grief he carried and the mantle he wore that came with being a leader.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Staring down the lawn at his lover, Brian felt his own heart throb. He could feel the grief and the pain inside of AJ as clear as day, and it brought tears to his own eyes. He also knew that it was only a will as solid as the earth that was carrying AJ and keeping him on his feet.
He pulled his eyes away from him to look back at his friend and his cousin. Form what they’d been saying, he caught the gist of what had happened. Of what AJ had showed them. It was a harsh way of getting the point across, but AJ had been right to do it. They had to understand.
Still, he walked over and touched a hand to Nick’s hair, brushing it back from his face. “You’re safe, Nicky.” He whispered to him. “Whatever Roth did, it was just a nightmare. You’re here now, and you’re safe.”
The younger man sniffled but nodded. He drew himself up a little straighter. It was obvious that his legs were shaking underneath him.
“He had no right to do that.” Kevin insisted, glaring down where AJ was still walking. “Who the hell does he think he is?”
From his spot against the railing, Howie was the one to speak up. “He is who he said. The trulion. The fate of our world, of all races, rests on his shoulders. He doesn’t have the luxury of going easy on those he loves, or letting you live in a delusion that might harm us all. He does what he has to so that all of us might live in peace. It’s a heavy burden.”
“Well, it’s changed him, that’s for fucking sure.” Kevin grumbled.
His words sparked a small flame in Brian. He’d been biting his tongue since Kevin had given AJ the tongue lashing. Somehow he kept his anger under control, but he couldn’t stop himself from saying “You have no idea who he is, Kevin, or what’s inside of him.”
“You’re right, I don’t.” Kevin drew himself up straighter, glaring down at Brian from the vantage of his extra inches. “He’s not who he used to be. He’s grown cold, and heartless. You have no idea what he showed us!”
Brian’s temper flared a little brighter. His eyes narrowed on his cousin. “I don’t, do I? Sounds to me like he showed you Roth’s torture, right?”
“Exactly! He went through that with us, then calmly told us that we’re going with him. He didn’t even shed a single fucking tear over it. Just walked away like he hadn’t seen or done anything!”
That was the last straw. Brian felt his anger boil up and over. “That ‘heartless’ man you’re talking about is walking down there right now almost bowed down with the weight of his grief. Grief of having had to do that to the two of you. He’s holding the tears back by a single thread. What he showed you hurt him more than your thick head is letting you realize. Do you think it was easy for him to do that? To show that to you? What you had is just a short taste of what him and I lived through!”
Kevin made to open his mouth, but Brian glared so strong that it actually kept him quiet. “You have no idea what you’re talking about with him, Kevin Richardson. You think he doesn’t care? He cares more than anyone I know. Cold? Heartless? Just because he didn’t cry here with you when it was done? You have no idea how deeply he feels everything.”
Shaking his head, Brian took a step back. “You’re a fool, Kev. I hope, for your sake, you can manage to pull your head out your ass.” He stepped back again. “Make sure you’re ready when it gets dark, or you’ll be leaving without anything.”
That said he left them on the porch and hurried down the lawn after his lover. Howie would take care of the other two. He needed to take care of the most important one.
It didn’t take long to find him. AJ was behind a tree, out of sight of everyone else. He was on his knees, his forehead pressed into the grass as his body shook with the force of his sobs. Silently Brian knelt beside him and gathered him close. AJ turned to him willingly, burying his face in Brian’s lap. No words were needed. As AJ cried out his grief, Brian held and rocked him.