Rudolf was unconsciously bound by chains while Vincencio checked the tank, ensuring it was hot and not frozen by the temperature of the cell. As for Skylar, she was busy navigating the entire cell's life forces – magical life forces through meditation. She activated each colorful line and altered some before connecting all of them to Rudolf's spot. Then she added her own touches, her crystallized bloody strings or the Soul's Fate. She let it connect to Rudolf's bleeding core, causing a faint crumble within the cell, alarming Vincencio in the process.
"What's that? Did an earthquake happen?" Vincencio wondered while the trembling of the ground was still vibrating in the cell.
"Look at the tank. If the water moves, then it happened, but if not, then something else did." Skylar answered, but still focused on her task, reconnecting the strings.
Vincencio frowned, but curiosity took hold and made him glance over the tank where the steaming hot water hadn't moved since the earth crumbled.
"It didn't…so, what exactly is happening in here?" he wondered as the trembling kept increasing.
"Reconnection of the past, present, and the future." She answered while the strings began expanding out from Rudolf's unconscious body, jolting Vincencio a little since he had never seen any blood move like that before. It's alive and moving on its own. Then, Skylar continued, dusting her clothes, saying, "That's Sophia's curse inside Rudolf's body, and it didn't think it would be this huge. No wonder Rudolf's dying from the inside. His body could not hold it, and since he failed to do his part as a mate and husband, it became dark."
The cursed blood was rich, dark, but the scent of metal became rotten under the mud, making Rudolf's body look like a decaying vampire body already, although he was still alive. When it stopped growing, Skylar went to Vincencio's side and entwined her hands with his, then the cursed blood began spreading across the cell, spreading like it was searching for its body or head. It splattered everywhere, and like acid, it melted anything it touched apart from the couple.
"Don't move. Not even a flinch." Vincencio whispered sternly, determined to protect his wife, and pulled her closer to his body while standing protectively tall before adding, "You've got me now. I'm your pillar."
Skylar sensed it quickly. Vincencio's body wasn't tensed or frightened; he was much firmer and commandingly taller than he used to be whenever he was the Night Hound and a boss. He was radiating the heat of the sun and the serenity of the moon, protecting the love of his life. But what truly made Skylar feel proud was her mark showing off over his neck like a rose thorn spreading on his entire being.
"So, this is what he meant by being my pillar." Skylar thought secretly, feeling his love and protection, securing her entire being. She blushed and was hot but not bothered; instead, she squeezed his hands, smiling before whispering, "You're daringly hot, hubby."
"Don't." Vincencio shivered, stopping her from saying more. "Don't turn me on."
"Alright, maybe later, what do you think?" She suggested teasingly, forgetting the cursed blood's rampage in the cell.
"When everything is calm, you still owe me a baby." He grinned, teasing her back before kissing her head.
As the cursed blood's rampage became calm, Skylar made a couple of steps, catching the cursed blood's attention. Vincencio was on guard, ready to retaliate if it made a wrong move, but Skylar, on the other hand, was calm, collected, as if she knew the curse blood was. She smiled genuinely and stretched out her hand, letting the curse blood move. It moved closer, hesitant like a wary, sniffing dog before it formed a hand, touching hers.
"Hold him this long. I think it's time to head home." She said to the blood, and it looked at Rudolf's still unconscious, weakening body before taking a form – Sophia's form.
The bloody Sophia went to Rudolf and touched his face delicately before smiling sadly. It was crying before one last kiss was placed on his temple, waking him up in the process. Rudolf jolted because a bloody monster was staring back at him. He tried to move but couldn't because of the chains around him. He wanted to speak until a bloody hand stopped his lips, catching his attention, confused, but he did calm a little. He was skeptical but curious about the bloody creature who had taken the form of his old love, Sophia.
"S-Sophia…" He stuttered, making the blood nod, and then he cried. He tried to deny it, but the bloody Sophia's presence was the same as the vampire he loved. "…I'm sorry…I'm sorry for breaking my vows and promises…I'm sorry if I got scared and pushed you away when you needed me the most. I'm sorry for not being the man you used to know and love…I'm sorry…I'm…just…scared…"
"What made you scared aside from losing me?" Skylar asked behind the bloody Sophia form, making Rudolf think he was talking to it.
"Anyone I tried to love and loved me back always ended up dead…I don't kill them, but accidents, illness, or bad people always had their way in taking them away from me…you…I forgot them, but seeing you badly injured…hurt…I rushed back…and I can't lose you, but somehow, I already did, and I'm sorry…" he confessed his truth, breaking and crying his heart out, making the entire cell react – trembling.
Rudolf's truth and tears made the cell tremble in acknowledgement, but something else steamed out from his body. Vincencio quickly stepped beside Skylar and morphed into his awakened wolf form. Skylar gasped at how huge his wolf turned into, but she didn't make a fuss over it and focused on Rudolf's dark energy slipping out from his body.
'Wifey, what's that? I could smell rotten fallen rogue from him.'
"Because he is a fallen rogue but dying…" Skylar responded through their telepathy while their eyes studied Rudolf's dark energy.
The dark energy was from him being a fallen rogue, but something else, negativities such as fear, guilt, regret, and what caught her attention was longing. Skylar softened when she finally understood the meaning of his dark energy, and with an eye like Sophia's, she looked deeply into Rudolf's core before stepping closer to his body, touching his chest. Rudolf instantly winced in pain, screaming, horrified by what Skylar was doing.
"W-what are you doing?" With gritted teeth, he asked, glaring at her, but he was in pain.
"Trying to save what's left of you," Skylar answered sternly as she pressed her hand more against his chest, making him roar.
He screamed over the top of his lungs, making the dark energy explode, turning the entire cell filled with melting but sticky dark bloody slime. It was everywhere, and Rudolf began smirking, making Skylar notice her hand was stuck and wrapped with the same slime. But instead of being terrified or mad at him, Skylar sighed, pitying him even more.
"Don't make this hard, Uncle Rudolf." She said coldly but softened, trying to divert the captive man's attention.
"I'm not your uncle." He spat, but was a little taken aback by what she addressed him.
"But Aunt Sophia is dear to you, right? So, I'm paying respect." She reasoned honestly, making him skeptical, waving the slime over her hand a little.
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" He shouted before it weakened, saying dejectedly, "I already lost the right to stand beside her…"
"True, and you took long enough to return." She sighed, saying something that made him frown and look confused.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, intrigued about what it meant.
He wavered, making his dark slime do the same over Skylar's hand. She smiled because her words diverted his attention, making the slime stuck on his hand move, and her hand against his chest pressed further. Rudolf groaned in pain, and the more Skylar pressed her hand against his chest, he screamed again, but this time he was crying.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!" Rudolf shouted, trying to wiggle out from the chain and get rid of Skylar's hand pressing deeper against his chest. "TAKE YOUR HAND OFF ME!"
"Sorry but not sorry, Rudolf." She replied, taunting before adding something serious, "If you want to meet her, let your heart and soul repent from everything you have done to her."
"I ALREADY CONFESSED! ARGH! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" He screamed, defending himself before groaning in pain, "ARGH! I'LL GIVE ANYTHING JUST STOP THIS!"
"Anything you say?" She wondered amusingly after hearing that plea.
"ANYTHING! ANYTHING AS LONG I HAVE THEM JUST MAKE IT STOP!" He shouted quickly, making Skylar put the request into consideration, grinning sinisterly.
"Then give me your soul." She answered, grinning darkly, catching him off guard.
"My what?" He asked, dumbfounded. Skylar was amused, and she liked that reaction pretty much.
"You said you'll give me anything I want, then you heard me. It's your soul that I want from you." She repeated tauntingly, almost sounding like a whisper, making the captive man shiver in his chair
"NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!" He shouted, declining the deal, but Skylar won't take a 'no' for an answer.
"Then let's play. If you get out of that chair, I'll let you leave and meet Sophia, but if I win, your soul is mine." She grinned darkly, deciding to play where Rudolf can't escape without trying.
"You sounded like death." He commented weakly, making her laugh.
"I'm representing life and death, but not the death itself. But I'll take that as a compliment." She corrected him, taking it as a compliment before asking, "So, do we have an agreement?"
"Show me Sophia, her remains, before I agree." He tried to bargain, and Skylar knew it.
"Just behind you, but you won't be able to see because she didn't want you to see her until you decided for yourself." She answered, looking past him where Sophia's soul had been standing behind the chair, listening, watching, and waiting for him to give in. However, he couldn't see it, except for the presence staring back at him.
"Decided what?" He wondered.
"Go home." She answered softly, terrifying Rudolf as soon as he heard it. He might be staying at their old house, but he was not really at home.
"I…" he tried to come up with something, but his words weren't coming out. Skylar knew the answer; that is why she proposed the game.
"Then let the game begin." She smirked tauntingly, jolting him up.
"Wait! I'm not ready…" He whined before clicking his tongue as soon as he saw a timer counting down in front of him. "Dammit."
Skylar stepped away from Rudolf's area while Vincencio, in his huge wolf form, stood on guard by the door. The couple already had their protection around the cell while the dark slime kept dripping from the ceiling to the wall, down to the ground. They looked like jelly on the ground, making Skylar grab some before sitting by the tank.
'What are you doing with that?'
"I'm going to create some toys for our babies." She replied telepathically as she began molding the slime.
'Babies? Are you pregnant?'
"No? Just preparing." She responded, shrugging her shoulders while her focus was on the molding before adding, "Stay on guard, he might use his fallen state in the process."
'Already checking that. But these slimes…they were distracting.'
"They were cute and fluffy." She defended, making her husband sigh in disbelief. "I mean them."
'If you put them into an MMORPG game, I might consider they to be cute creatures.'
"I didn't realize you're into online level-up games." She frowned slightly while mixing up some of her strings before stretching the slime, molding it into a fluffy star.
'Well, the boys, Joey, Prince, and I have been into gaming lately whenever we're free.'
"Hmm, and you didn't report it to me?" She asked, sounding shocked.
'Well, it's our boys' night out routine in the pack.'
"You play while I do paperwork." She pouted, whining, making Vincencio chuckle in their telepathic conversation.
'You're better at it than playing housewife.'
"Touché." She sighed, giving up because she was never born to be any housewife material at all.
'I'll cook your favorite after all of these.'
"You'd better pamper me." She grinned, demanding, making him chuckle.
'Ohho, I always will.'
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