Did that freak just eat my soulmate?

Maeve: “Oh, hell no!”

I was already sprinting, but I forced my body to go even faster. I took a sharp breath and prepared myself for the pain. My blood boiled before bursting out either side of me through too-raw scars. I grit my teeth, still refusing to let the others know my secret.

Pain tolerance? What a fucking joke! The truth is I wanted to scream myself hoarse every time these revolting things tore themselves out of me! Only the belief that I deserved every agonizing second had ever made it bearable, but that had always been a crutch. Just because pain had been made familiar by those monsters back then didn’t mean it was right, and I was finally starting to accept that-

But you do deserve it, stupid girl...

Shut up, shut up! I don’t have time for this right now!

My tendrils just wanted to whip themselves around idiotically, as usual. I forced my will on them and they split into four, improving my speed dramatically. I was planning to choke the bastard to death before he could do the same to me, which I realized halfway there wasn’t much of a plan. When I actually got within throttling distance, though, it became blatantly obvious that I was going to need a new plan anyway.

Maeve: “What the hell is happening!?”

Wolfie was busy trying to shake Zy awake, so Xenna answered absently from her spot on her haunches as she dragged herself backwards in fear.

Xenna: “He… he’s gone. And...”

I squinted at the nauseating sight before me. Seth’s ‘dad’ absorbing him had triggered some kind of transformation that put all my previous ones to shame. He was expanding at an alarming rate as his flesh quivered and crawled out everywhere. Undefinable organs growing in transparent sacs pushed their way out from his insides while strangely familiar faces formed across the putrid mass, each caught somewhere between laughter and tears. I knew enough about all this body horror stuff to know that it was time to do or die.

What’s the point? He really is gone, you know. Soon they’ll be gone too. And after all, isn't this the perfect end for a monster like you…?

I ignored the phantom voices of the cult. For once I knew they were wrong, and it was an intoxicating feeling.

Maeve: “Zy, you with us?”

He looked around in alarm before turning to me, doing his best impression of cool, calm, and collected. 

Zyturak: “I’m here.” 

Maeve: “I need a huge favour. This born-again Denizen is going to take in everything around it and we don’t have time to play around. I need you to abuse your powers and keep these two from trying to stop me from what I’m about to do.”

Zy’s face told me how he felt about the request, but he didn’t object. With that I tuned out Wolfie and Xenna's frightened voices as I let the reality of the situation hit me. My light in the darkness might very well have been snuffed out for good. I ran all the things I wanted to say and do with him through my mind. I allowed our imagined future to play itself out before me - it was nothing short of perfect. 

But this shitty excuse for a father just tried to rip it all away from us.

For the first time I focused on the suffering of my future, not my past. My skin didn’t warp. My blood didn’t boil. I released all of my emotion in a heartfelt scream, and the voice was my own. I didn’t lose myself... because I hadn’t lost yet. 

I jumped up onto the fleshy mass. As I expected, my friends panicked.

Wolfgang: “Maeve, wait! You’re- you’re just like him! He always tries to throw his life away the moment yours is in danger, too!”

That idiot.

Xenna: “Please, this isn’t over yet! We can… there must be something-”

They were sprinting to my rescue as they called out to me. Zyturak closed his eyes and with great sorrow waved his hand at them, rendering them silent and still.

Maeve: “Zy... Thank you.”

I grinned at my muted companions.

Maeve: “Look, I’m not throwing my life away or any pseudo-romantic crap like that. I’m gonna pop in, find lover boy, and drag his sorry ass back out whether he likes it or not. It’s that simple.”

Zyturak: “Maeve, if you do this I will no longer be able to shield your mind from him. And you should know... I can’t even sense Seth anymore.”

I felt myself being pulled into the voracious newborn Denizen. 

Maeve: “I’m not worried about that - I promise you my will is stronger. And so is Seth's, I just know it. So promise me you’ll get as far away as you can... We’ll be right behind you.”

Then with a sickening pop, reality rearranged itself.

---

Candlelight. Chanting. 

Dread.

There was a sacrifice already arranged on the altar, and whoever it was had simply given up struggling. The bloodlust was palpable in the other cultists, but our leader knew how to draw it out and keep them wanting more.

Cult leader: “Today is a very special day. The great honour of reaping the sacrifice will go to… Maeve Liscomb!”

The other cultists shouted with a mixture of pride and jealousy. The leader looked down on me with an otherworldly severity that told me he was not asking. Suddenly hands that lingered too long passed me from cultist to cultist, their laughter and taunts almost worse than their touch.

Maeve: “No, I don’t want to…”

My voice wasn’t even a whisper. I knew I couldn’t say it aloud, but I needed to affirm those words in some capacity. Somehow, the person I’d wanted to least had heard them.

Cult leader: “Excuse me? You couldn’t even offer up the Liscombs when we gave you the opportunity to prove yourself to us, and even they could do this much. Are you saying now that you’re even weaker than they were?”

The voices.

Cultist: “Stupid girl!”

Cultist: “How dare you spurn the leader’s gift!”

The pain.

Cultist: “Leader, let me punish her.”

Cultist: “No, me! She deserves much worse than this!”

It had only been a few seconds but I had already lost count of the blows struck.

Cult leader: “Enough. Save the rest for when she actually refuses to my face.”

I saw no way out of this. I picked myself up off the floor and it took immense effort not to limp. I approached the sacrifice, who had a bag over their head and didn’t even look like they were breathing. Would it really be so bad to just do what they wanted this time...? I pulled out that familiar dagger, held it high with shaking hands…

And threw it straight into the cult leader’s heart. Not that this asshole had one.

Maeve: “Y’know, for a supposedly all-powerful mastermind I’m actually pretty disappointed. Did you really think I’d fall for the same trick twice? It didn’t work in Armistice, and it won’t work now.”

Even before The Architect pulled the dagger out of his chest, the rest of the cult was upon me, pulling hair and restraining limbs. 

...The Architect must not have known how the rest of this memory went down.

As their hands touched me and their knees bruised me, I cried out with all the hate I had for these monsters. Their daggers pierced my skin, but my blood rushed out to meet them, turning the blades on their wielders as it solidified into sanguine tendrils. The candlelight dimmed to almost nothing. More than half of the cultists dropped me and ran screaming the moment the tables turned. It’s not so fun being the weak one, is it?

My new tendrils sliced through my tormentors like they were extensions of every dark fantasy I’d ever had. I suddenly heard haunting whispers that kept my mind off the pain, promising salvation and destruction in equal measure and hushing my tears at the terrible things I was doing. In my memory the cult leader had already tried running, but here he stood firm. I ignored the shudders he gave me and turned to face him.

The Architect: “Don’t be a fool. I was the one who whispered in your ear back then, have you not yet realized that I gave you your little taste of Bedlam as well?”

He made a gesture. My tendrils twitched, but otherwise nothing happened. I saw actual confusion on his face for the first time, but I broke out in a wicked grin.

Maeve: “Sorry Arch, this gift actually came straight from Bedlam, not you. I did ask if It wanted to take you back, but It said you’re kind of a tool. I would have put in a good word for you, but I tend to agree. Now if you don’t mind, give up the amateur theater, I’m kind of in a hurry.”

I was expecting him to fly into a rage at my impudence, but he simply met my grin with what passed for his own.

The Architect: “What’s your rush? The souls are in confluence and will be joined soon enough. Besides, the one you’re looking for is already here…”

The cultists who survived looked on in silence at the sacrifice. Hesitantly, I walked over and pulled the sack from their head.

Maeve: “Oh my god, Seth…!”

He was beaten and bloody. His eyes opened but there wasn’t a shred of life in them.

Maeve: “What the hell did you do to him!?”

The Architect: “Does it matter? He is mine to do with as I please.”

As if on cue Seth stood and regarded me with an empty expression.

Maeve: “Hey, you’re going to be okay, I’m going to get you out of here-”

Seth: “Why would I want to go anywhere with a monster like you.”

I winced. There was none of his cute awkwardness or nerdy confidence. It wasn’t even a question, just a matter-of-fact statement - and coming from him, it scared me terribly.

Maeve: “Come on lover boy, I know you’re in there. We have to move, quit messing around!”

I saw the faintest hint of recognition in his eyes.

Seth: “Lover boy? Don’t call me that… You’re just a demon good for nothing but hunting other demons!”

Hold on. Those were my words.

...did I really believe that, not so long ago? 

Maeve: “Oh, you want to see the demon in me? Fine!”

Eyes, maws, wings, tendrils. I let them have free reign. Seth flinched, his eyes widening as he fled for the tenuous safety of The Architect.

Seth: “Keep that monstrous thing the hell away from me!”

Such familiar words… I had no doubt, now. It was a crazy plan, but then again, all his plans were.

The Architect: “My, my. Did you actually think he could love you? How deluded! You’re too monstrous for humans and too human for us. You don’t belong anywhere!”

I played up my rage, buying Seth time and selling his ‘fear’ as much as possible. When he was hiding behind The Architect, I lunged.

Maeve: “You took everything from me! You bastard!!!”

What a corny line. The Architect ate it up though; his entire focus was on me. He easily grabbed me out of the air, of course, and started squeezing. God, it hurt. I hoped I was right about this…

Seth’s Soul magic suddenly blasted the Architect point-blank from behind, forcing him to the ground! I fell, and ignoring the pain I rolled my landing and leapt on top of him, our disgusting anatomies fighting for dominance. Seth was winded, but he was charging up another blast. We might actually win this!

Beneath me, The Architect nearly shattered my eardrums with an inhuman roar. I was flung off of him and shoved halfway into the ground alongside Seth by some unseen force. 

The Architect: “I let that little scenario play out to amuse myself while waiting for the confluence, but it seems you need a reminder of whose domain you’re in... It’s far past time I moved this along.”

His massive limbs smashed into us repeatedly. I knew pain, but I’d never known anything like this. Each savage blow struck my very soul, and I felt all at once how insignificant I truly was. But Seth’s pain hurt me much more. I struggled as much as I could, but I was losing too much of myself. Even my gifts from Bedlam had left me... 

We were finished.

The Architect: “Why did you come here!? Just what was your plan, human!? Tell me!! Seth is a mere fraction of myself, and your pathetic soul is so weak that it may as well not exist at all-!”

He was right. Under the weight of his own, I was nothing. I never was, I-

Seth: “You’re wrong.”

...Seth? How could he sound so confident?

Seth: “Her soul is jagged, sure. And scarred. But it’s beautiful. And at least she can say it’s her own.”

The Architect: “What nonsense is this?”

Seth: “Your soul, however, isn’t yours. It’s an ugly, stitched together mess... and it means you’re outnumbered.”

The remaining cultists let down their hoods. Ten young men and women who resembled Seth sprinted at their father. Eight of his siblings moved to restrain The Architect while the other two helped us to our feet. There was an ethereal glow to every one of them, and angry tears stung my eyes as I realized what that meant.

The Architect: “You- you can’t do this! I’ve already wiped you all clean...!”

Seth: “Maybe so, but you never forgot what you did, did you? You forced them to be a part of you - but like it or not, that also means you are only a tiny part of them.”

Seth looked like he wanted to beat the crap out of his old man, but instead he just looked at the faces of his siblings. No matter how much they all might have wanted it, they were better than him. He struggled uselessly against his children, but as he saw the way they looked at him, with equal parts pity and disdain, he gave up. When he slumped over, he almost looked like their father again. With infinite hesitation he spoke, unable to look any of his children in the eye.

The Architect: “...this could never mean anything, coming from me. But I am truly sorry. For nothing more than my infantile wish to return to Bedlam, I ruined all of your lives… I became an absolute nightmare. The only thing an utter failure like me can do now is to promise you this - I am over now. May you sleep well, my sons and daughters...”

None of us understood exactly how. But then The Architect closed his eyes... and faded away.

Seth’s siblings ran to their brother, some laughing, others in tears. They pulled him into a tight embrace, one after the other. Maybe because our souls were brushing against each other, I  knew all their names.

Serene: “Thank you, dear brother. I don’t know how you did it, but you did it... we’re finally free."

Krios: “Hey, but aren’t you going to introduce us to your better half?”

Seth laughed.

Seth: “Everyone, this is Maeve. She’s the cutest badass of all time.”

Ace: “And with such terrible taste! What are you doing with our nerdy little brother?”

Maeve responded with an amused smile.

Maeve: “He has his redeeming qualities.”

Tesseret: “I’d say he does at that - he knows how to pick ‘em!”

Jaikes: “Jumped into our weird little family reunion without even hesitating? Yeah, she definitely gets the seal of approval.”

Everyone shouted their gleeful affirmations.

I blushed from all the attention and had to avert my gaze. Seth’s remaining siblings stared at the spot their father no longer was. The ghostly light that lined them all was growing brighter.

Seth: “...none of you are coming with me, are you?”

Telios: “Sorry, bro. But dear old dad was right - our souls were already one with his.”

Maeve: “W- wait! If we put our heads together, I bet we could-!”

Khaalida: “Aww, she’s adorable. If you hurt her, Seth, we’ll definitely come back to haunt you.”

Maeve: “Hey, I’m tough. If it’d let him see you guys again, it’d be worth it.”

Shydel: “No, but seriously, where did you find this girl? She’s too precious!”

I was fighting the urge to bury my face in Seth’s shoulder out of embarrassment when I noticed it. 

They were fading away…

Seth swallowed hard.

Manah: “We love you, little brother. Live a good life for us.”

Zeno: “Please take care of him, Maeve. We’ll be counting on you.”

Maeve: “Hold on! There’s so much more he wants to say to you-!”

But they were gone. 

I turned to comfort Seth, but even as tears streamed down his face, he smiled as if he’d found something he had been missing for his entire life.

With nothing left to keep us here, everything went dark. I grabbed onto Seth and held him to me tighter than ever as we lost consciousness.