I'm in chains...cause i'm only skin deep. (Phay)

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God he was grateful to be out of there. A starving bilge rat could have survived longer in that decrepit place, without food or shelter and then the stench... it was something else altogether. An indescribable combination of filth, blood and decay. Even the overwhelming stench of death couldn't compete in that place he'd just left, he wasn't exactly overjoyed to be out in the open either, here there were other things to worry about. The putrid stench of slaves and their keepers, was only an undertone to the bigger picture, here there were collars and chains, masters seeking to buy those attached and all those in between. Orion felt he was above all that, indignant to the last second of this miserable existence, he was if nothing else defiant. They'd had to double the guards on his section, each group of slaves being connected by a long length of chain, each to their own kind and each collared the same as he was. The irritating piece of silver glimmering softly in the moonlight as it bit deeper into his flesh at the sudden yanking of a guard urging him to keep moving forwards. Snarling and cursing under his breath, Orion tried to keep up, it didn't help that they'd chained him to an old wooden wagon as slow and dreary as a wet week, it didn't help either that his flailing partner was sick and dying with some festering disease from the slave pit they'd just been dragged out of. The blithering idiot didn't even know where they were headed, Orion knew. He'd always known since his capture, that these monsters weren't after the usual slaves, they were out to impress someone, to try and earn respect by dragging down the biggest nastiest brutes they could find.

Most of the werewolves and Lycans had died off early on, these particular traders didn't seem to care much about the health of their slaves, the silver collars alone had killed of most of those. Even the shifters suffered screaming in agony at the silver collars almost bound to their very bones now as they burnt flesh and sinew on the way through poisoning them slowly, Orion was lucky in that aspect. He wasn't deathly allergic to the silver collar now fused together around his neck, he didn't even need to feed as constantly as the shifters, neko's or the humans. He didn't get away with all that though, there was more at stake here than his life, more at stake than even his life, that meant nothing to these people, they wanted blood. They wanted violence and gore, things that normally wouldn't have been allowed had once reigned supreme in Noctum, they sought to bring that back. Now they had if not resurrected that, at least revived the long dead sport from the depths, forcing each slave against another. Already Orion could hear the cheering of the crowds, the throng already gathered to watch the blood sport these monsters had created, already he could see the worn down weather beaten pier at breaking point with the action. The slaves took no value in each others lives, they only cared for their own, only the survivors were sold and allowed to go on with their lives. Losers either died in the ring, or lived to fight another day there were no ties, no overtime either. You lived or you died, if were knocked unconscious or beaten to a bloody pulp you were deemed the loser and left to one side, if you died there... you were lucky. Orion didn't mind the violence, in fact it was the one thing he could understand about this whole process, the rest he'd figured out pretty quickly... there was no time to be ignorant in this industry.

The traders line halted for a moment, ever so slowly the gang of slaves came to a gradual halt, there were of course still protocols and rules to be followed in this industry. One of which seemed to be authenticating yourself at the gate, only top quality slaves were allowed at this venue, no invitation no entry. These guys always had an invitation, a moment later and they off again, the long train of slaves making their way to their own demise. Orion didn't want to be part of it any longer, he'd had enough of being bound and chained, beaten and hungry, he'd been taking every opportunity he had to fight this, to try and find a way out. To escape. Resisting was easy enough, pulling this way and that he'd managed to pry his wrists free of the chains binding them together before, his feet were always left free for traveling as they so often did but the silver collars were infused with some kind of strange magic, only the traders seemed to know how it worked. Vendors selling their slaves, auctioneers and bloody faced contenders all roamed around the pier itself as the solemn trail of slaves was led through, most of those were merely chained together the old fashioned way, iron and steel were little obstacles to these men. Orion and the rest of the gang of slaves were more trouble than most, they're silver collars weren't merely for decoration they served a purpose as the guy next to Orion was about to find out.

The guy had stopped like the others but in the middle of a coughing fit, he'd sat down to rest, big mistake. The big surly trader at least twice Orion's size, the one looking after his section of the immoral road train, noticed the leper slacking off and with one tap of his sausage-like finger had the incredibly ill Neko writhing in pain, the collars as Orion had already figured out with his own acts of defiance held some kind of electricity, obviously as no batteries were contained within these thin highly polished metallic rings there could be no other explanation than magic. Writhing and screaming in agony as Orion watched in dismay, the Neko pleaded for help, for the pain to stop but it was to no avail the next thing he knew the trader had clasped his entire hand over the bracelet that controlled the Neko's collar and he was as good as dead. The volts of electricity shot through ten-fold killing the already weakened neko were he stood, with a quick yell to keep the train moving the rest of the slaves continued on, no rest for the wicked or the enslaved it would seem either. The fighting ring wasn't far now, it wouldn't be long until he was fighting for his life... again. The way things worked was fairly simple, it worked much like an auction house, the traders took bets from the buyers on the slave they thought might win, the slave they wanted to own and then the slave who won his fight was sold to the buyer with the highest bet. Orion knew his only chance to escape this madness, this world gone mad was to get bought and hope to hell they had a reason to take his damned collar off, if he had this collar off he could do anything... he could escape. There was only one fault with his plan so far and that was the fact that no-one had bid on him yet, as fast and as ruthless as he was in the ring, as dangerous as he might seem to the traders, he was much smaller and less bulkier than the usual competitors. Making him the useless weakling that was supposed to get crushed, he could only smirk at their surprise when he won but he'd almost given up hope of ever being freed.

Tonight would be different though, he could sense it.

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“Artemis I don't see why this is necessary...” The inky colored raven, flapped a single wing. Turning it's head as it looked it's master in the eye. “It is for the benefit of your protection, milady...We will not always be able to help you and you will not always be able to use you're power...it is a human body you possess, no?” Phay blinked at him on hand jugged on her hip as she stood in the middle of the road that led down to the pier. The cheap lights could been seen from her view along with a very messy large crowd of people. Sighing she shook her head making her way down towards the yelling freak show. A bodyguard? She didn't need one but she knew the bird would not let up until she at least looked to see if there was anything even there that would be able to protect her.

The night air was cool and the salty smell in the air reminded her of home, but she didn't linger on that thought as she made her way there. Artemis sat perched on her shoulder, six eyes stared forward towards the sea of people that where drawing closer. Phay narrowed her eyes, she wasn't even in plane sight and already she could tell that this place was more rough and only the strong could manage to crawl themselves away from here; no wonder Artemis brought her here the old crow wanted the best of the best. Phay stopped halfway, standing alone in the darkness looking around making sure no one was insight before ushering a silent command. A sudden dark pool opened up next to her feet a long tendril slithered outward holding a polished white mask, endless black holes which she could see out of but no other creature could see in and halfway down the mask, it broke off to mesh designed to help her breath as well as for others to understand her.

Putting the mask on Phay pulled her red hood over her head making her body now completely covered only the out grown bangs of her now snow white hair stuck out. Stuffing her hands into her pockets she made her way into the noisy crowd of people. She glanced around, almost every type of buyer was here, the richer the poorer...all coming for different reason she was sure. Shoving her way along the crowd a few curse words thrown her way but she ignored them. Phay cringed in disgust, the place smelled of shit and piss not to mention the over casting smell of human body odor. Somehow Phay had managed to push herself up to the front, where she could get a better view. She looked around no one was out in the arena yet. She looked up at Artemis though he seemed to be fixated towards the entryway for the slaves to come through she lifted an eyebrow as to why turning her attention towards the center of the arena as the crowded began to roar...

And if she had a heart it would have stop then and there...

There he was standing there, still a distance away but she knew it was him. Her mind flooded with worry, a million question soared through her mind as she tried to make sense of why or even how he could be out there. “The bastard...” Phay growled under her breath as she quickly turned on a heel, shoving and pushing people out of her way as she made a dash toward the betting booth. A small older man stood behind the cheap wooden stand a simple chalk bored sat behind him with the listing of the bets; the big burly guy? Forty-seven Orion? Zero. “I want to make a bid on him.” She pointed over to the arena, the man seemed baffled but nodded none the less. Phay pulled a large lump of green out of her pocket laying it in front of the man; there was more than enough. Taking the money the man stashed it away, writing Phay's number on the chalkboard. “If ya win...just come back here to claim your prize.” She could hear the slight humor in his voice as he spoke but she said nothing and he sunk back a little clearly intimated by the mask that help no expression.

“Why are you doing this, Milady?” Artemis leaned in close toward Phay's ear as she made her way back to her original spot. Phay felt an empty weight in her chest as she looked at the man who she cared more deeply about then anyone else on this god forsaken planet. Phay was dreading this battle she knew he couldn't lose and if he won that meant she owned him...what if he found out who she was? Phay shook her head she worry about that when the time came till then she stood there arms crossed, staring out into the arena waiting for the fight to begin.

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To be honest Orion didn't much care for this sport, sure the bloody battles were fun and being chained up and tortured after wards for not losing and costing the traders so much money was hilarious but in the end was it really worth his freedom? Alright, he was scared. Hell yeah this guy was bigger than he was, at least a foot taller and two in either direction if you counted all his muscle but Orion didn't have much choice, this was either live or die and at the moment everyone wanted him dead. He was fine with that but he wasn't just going to lay down and oblige either. The guy was from another of the slave groups, he had no collar or chains they'd been purposefully removed, he was also a shifter, Orion knew him from some of the other battles, the Traders liked to keep tabs on who did what and this particular guy was pegged to be a big earner, everyone wanted him. The man could turn into a lumbering great panther when he chose or a bear, Orion already knew which form he'd picked, it was simple tactics. The bear was his best form he'd leave that till last so Orion needed to take him down in either human form if he could or as the Panther before he got the chance to change again.

Orion had a couple of problems with that idea, his captors already had a bet running on the shifter, 47-0 were the odds so far they'd announced happily, they wanted him to lose. It wasn't uncommon for traders to bet amongst themselves to up the stakes for the team battles, you could win more than one slave in such a battle but it at the discretion of the traders as to who they threw in with whom. They expected him to lose. It wouldn't have been nearly as bad if they'd removed the chains shackling his wrists together or if they'd removed the damn collar from around his neck as they sometimes did for the weaker slaves. They knew what he was capable of though, they'd already posted several guards around the arena for such a purpose, at first glance it seemed like the guards were merely there to protect everyone present from the two fighting slaves in the middle , Orion knew that wasn't the case. A steward rushed across the sandy bloodied field to hand the shifter a sword, she unchained Orion a moment later and all the guards knocked arrows at the same instant, all eyes on his every movement. The guards weren't here to protect anyone, they were here to make sure Orion stayed put. On more than one occasion already he'd tried to escape, either convincing his enemy slave to revolt or trying to escape on his own, a few times he'd succeeded.

So far they'd always managed, to either recapture him or use the collar to exact their revenge, halting his escape efforts. This time he knew there was no escaping, he would have to fight for his life and hope against hope he made it. He scanned the arena quickly, looking for a weapon, he'd long since given up the idea of seeing someone he knew. He now knew, that he didn't want anyone he cared about anywhere near this mess, as violently chaotic as it were he didn't want anyone to see what was about to happen... to see his pain. Impatiently the crowd started clapping and stamping their feet, a chorus of battle cries erupted each adding to the primeval event, the very atmosphere crackling with expectation. This would be a good fight, despite Orion's size his unbeaten reputation was still well-known in this area, it would be challenging to the extreme a fight to the death always was but this... this one would be the best one all night. Many spectators and bidders alike had come to see the outcome of this battle, slaves that were not usually allowed anywhere near the arena's unless they were down in the middle had been allowed to attend this one. Orion tried to put all his usual gloomy thoughts from his mind, letting the primal urge he always kept so well hidden the urge to kill free, already the shifter held a weapon. He was in Orion's way and he had a weapon, no matter, Orion would just have to take it from him.

Charging head-long into the remainder of the arena before the brass gong that signaled play, had even started. Orion closed the gap, he knew he could move faster than anything else, that alone could save him. The gong sounded, the peeling noise that ensued was enough to deafen him, cowering from the noise tearing him inside out Orion stumbled and fell, the shifter pounced. Shivering and twitching he was morphing into his Panther form, the black fur already growing from his back and fore arms, the ringing in Orion's ears hadn't stopped yet, in fact his vision was blurred and shaking from the blinding effects. He couldn't help the fact that his ears were super sensitive or the fact that he'd been crippled by the sound of the gong, he could however still defend himself. Rolling out of the way as the heavy black furry mass came crashing down on top of where he'd just been, Orion nipped back up to his feet the sharp maneuver left his head spinning but he knew he had to focus for his own sake if nothing else.

Whipping himself back around, Orion flew stretched out as he dropped an elbow on the shoulder blade of the shifter with a bone cracking thump, pushing the half-raised panther face first back in the blood-slicked mud. The shattered shoulder blade forced the shifter back into his human form, an easy enough task for Orion to deal with, even easier considering the fact that the man had abandoned the sword for the use of his powers. Snatching up the sword Orion flashed across the field and then back again to decapitate the shifter, the crowd roared with cheering and outrage, half of them were pleased he'd destroyed such a fearsome opponent so quickly, the rest wanted more, much more. Orion's handler was furious. "Get more men in there quickly, don't let him escape." Several others charged in to grab Orion, slashing, hacking and stabbing his way through the new wall of opponents was no easier than dispatching the shifter. They all crumpled and fell clutching various wounds as they slowly bled to death or merely died at his feet. The sword in itself was an extension of his arm, it flowed as gracefully as the sea breeze, cutting down all those in his path. When he could no longer hack them pieces and a few still remained, he took to picking them off one by one, his shadow a flicker as he ran from one end of the field to the other striking his foes with a entire bullet train of speed and power. They didn't stand much of a chance and the trader had grown far too impatient to let this particular slave live with such an act of defiance.

Leaping into the ring himself, the trader lunged at Orion catching him off guard as he finished off the last of the slaves that had been sent to stop him, to prevent him from living through this mess. Pulling a dagger from its hidden place in his boot the trader plunged it into Orions chest, narrowly missing his heart as Orion now over his sudden shock fought back, snarling and snapping his fangs together as he lifted the trader up knife and all and threw him across the arena. Skidding to a halt face down in the mud, the trader struggled to get back to his feet. As Orion dashed over in less than time than it had taken him to get to the others, this was personal it meant far more to him to kill this trader, his handler. Than it had to kill the others who had no choice but to obey. The crowd was now going wild, no slave had ever disobeyed his handler to this extent and no slave this disobedient had ever lived to tell the tale.The trader got to his feet just in time but then Orion disappeared, the dust left behind in the arena was blown askew by the ocean mist crashing against the pier, for a moment everyone fell silent. He couldn't leave the ring the walls were heavily guarded and he'd have to knock them out first giving the others a sign as to where he might be.

Then all of a sudden, Orion reappeared behind the trader a snarl full of wicked intent and an icy glare that was quickly turning scarlet followed as time seemed to freeze in place no sooner had Orion fit his sharp deadly jaws around the mans filthy neck, did he grab the bracelet that controlled Orion's collar. The resounding crack should have been the sound the air made as it crackled with electricity, a crack that could have been attributed to bone snapping was in fact just that. Orion's jaws had slammed shut at the sudden flow of electricity hitting his collar, his body convulsed with the voltage only amped by the fact that the man could no longer remove his hand from the bracelet, he was dead. His head rolled to one side almost torn completely off by the force of the blow Orion had delivered, Orion's face was contorted in agony, he couldn't release his jaws, every muscle was locked in place by the current flowing through him. Eventually the only thing Orion could do was to cling on for dear life to the trader himself hoping against hope that he'd topple over and Orion would be flung loose. Slaves, medics and other traders ran in to help the dead handler, people from the crowds now swarmed over the barricades trying to get a better look at the vampire almost fused to the trader, those that couldn't reach the front started brawling, a heavy mix of alcohol and drugs present at the venue only fueling the problem. As Orion managed to make the trader topple he was at last able to breathe, struggling through a broken jaw as he gasped for air and crawled away from the man from the silver bracelet, the dead mans hand had been moved by the force of having fallen over but it wasn't the only one Orion had to worry about. Other handlers from his own group ran in to contain the mess, the biggest grabbed Orion by the throat and lifted him up, still struggling to breathe as he turned blue and then purple with the effort, coughing sloughs of blood and mud as he was lifted up off the ground and dragged out of the ring, people were screaming for him to be beheaded on the spot.

Orion didn't understand, he'd done what he'd been told to do, he'd won. Winning hadn't been his only prize the handler he'd killed had been one of Orion's most hated creatures, as vile and disgusting as he was, Orion could only vaguely remember him doing disgusting things, most of his memories were starting to blur together with the lack of oxygen, he couldn't breathe and before the handler had put him down he blacked out. Carrying him to a darkened cage the handler threw him in unceremoniously, grabbing a medic running to join the others he redirected the frail woman back towards the dark cave "Fix him... I'll be glad to be rid of that sorry bag of bones..."[/i] The woman didn't seem to understand english very well but complied rushing in to do what she could for the vampire, there wasn't much to be done he was failing fast and no-one seemed to know how to reverse the damage that had been done. "I can't sell him the way he is... yes, he's been sold to the white-faced weirdo who bet on him first round. I don't know... " The new handler seemed distraught. He didn't want the troublesome vampire anymore but he couldn't just let him go the way he was now either, the sorry looking heap of starved rags wouldn't make it home, let alone to a hospital and he had no idea about the healing rate of a vampire or how old this one was, he just caught, fought and sold the bastards.
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Phay growled, arms and legs swinging in stiff motions as she walked. She had watched the fight and she was enraged with how Orion was treated. Slapped around worst then a dog for what? Trying to survive and they wanted him beheaded for that...Over her dead body. This room will you wouldn't even call it a room it was more like a large tent, that was use to keep the slaves out of the rain most of them were diseased ridden she could tell as she vaguely glanced from side to side at times. They were all staring at her but most of them were staring through her; Phay wouldn't lie those empty eyes unnerved her...Phay did her best to ignore them. The idea of Orion's eyes looking like that...Phay shook her head furiously; no she couldn't think like that this was Orion for heaven sakes not some wish washy wannabe.

When she got there the empty hole in her chest, almost felt like it had grown in size as she stared at the crumpled heap of her once best friend. The handler obviously had not cared of the way he had been thrown in there. His arms mangled underneath him, his torso half twisted painfully to one side and his legs wrenched underneath him. Three guards suddenly appeared in front of her blocking her path and also her view. Phay snarled shoving them away with much more force then they had figured as they lost there balance tumbling to the floor. The handler turned around to see her, arms unfolding as her rushed over to her side using his size to block out the view of the fallen vampire. “Lady, he's not quite ready yet...” Phay leaned to one side getting a better look at Orion, shit... he looked worse up front. Phay looked up at him. “Out of my way...” Artemis who was still perched on her lap gave a sharp caw causing the man to jump back he seem taken a back by the six red eyes staring at him as if he were a lesser being then it. Phay shoved the man harshly out of the way steeping over to the cage, which for Orion's size barely fit him at all. Phay glared down at the woman who still had her back turned to her, she quickly grabbed the her shoulder flinging her backwards. The woman gave a shrill cry but she was safely caught by a guard. “What you're doing is not helping him...” Phay voice was monotonous and flat as she spoke to not only the woman but the handler and the guards as well. Phay knelt down getting a better look at his wounds, his jaw was broken and the electricity had no doubt fried most of his organs. Though she knew she could save him but she had to get him out of here first. Standing up quickly she turned staring at the handler. “I'm taking him.” The man seemed to protest as he began babbling about protocol and that's when Phay just about had it.

The room suddenly seemed to darken as the lap lights flickered furiously struggling to stay lit as the place began to shake. The shadows on the walls began to distort themselves shaping into different creatures some hissing others giggling as if they were children they leered down at the men who were now shaking with fear as the shadows began to seep out of the different surfaces and towards them. The crow screeched loudly, it was completely black now as they were no longer in the normal world, they were in Phay's. Thousands of red eyes suddenly appeared all of which were staring down at the pathetic humans. Black vines seeped out of the darkness of what seemed like the floor, slithering along there ankles once was wrapping itself around the woman's ankle making it's way up. The woman gave a terrified shriek clearing not understanding what had suddenly happened as she tried to pull her leg out from the sickeningly black vine. The handler could no longer support himself with his legs as he was to petrified with fear; sweat was poring down his face as he start at the woman in front of him who had also change looking like a creature from hell. Glowing red eyes as she stared at him wickedly. “I'm TaKiNg HiM...” The handler could only nod in reply afraid that he might piss himself if he were to speak to her and then as suddenly as everything had changed it was back to normal, The handler whipped his around furiously, he couldn't tell if it was reality or not. He turned his head toward where the woman would have been but all that was left now was an empty cage of where the vampire use to be.

Phay stepped out of the shadow portal from the wall turning waiting as a large black creature stepped out almost right after her. His yellow eyes looked down at her for direction as she shifted her head to the side nudging towards the small opened cell. The creature grunted in reply carrying Orion towards the cell, resting him gently on the bed. The cell though being bigger than the cage was still fairly small only able to fit a small bed with a little room to walk in. She knew he wasn't gonna like it but this was necessary she didn't need him doing one of his rampaging fits. Artemis who had disappeared just before she had left suddenly appeared through his own dark shadowy portal, landing on Phay's shoulder he dropping a gleaming sliver wrist band into Phay's opened hand. Phay gave a disgusted look. “What's this for.” Artemis leered down at Orion. “In case he acts up, milady.” Phay frowned but stuck it in her pocket anyway. “Leave me...” The crow gave an automatic bow and disappeared into another part of the manor.

Finally alone, Phay pulled off her mask staring down at Orion with sadden eyes at his pitiful state. Somewhere she felt as if this could have been avoided...if only she had been at his side, the very thought was quickly drowned out by the fact that pretty goody to-shoes angels had claimed that stop for herself the bitter feeling never seemed to stop but Phay had other things to worry about now then some angel. Silently commanding a black pool opened up from the wall a black vine appeared carrying a bucket filled with blood packs that she had stolen from the hospital. It dropped it on the ground before disappearing again. Grabbing the handle Phay lifted the bucket onto the bed. She knew Orion needed blood but she didn't have the tools to give it to him properly so she would have to give it to him the old fashion way. Lifting him up as best she could for a moment she placed herself on the bed, she rested him gently on her arm and while using her leg to support him also. Grabbing a blood pack she ripped it open with her teeth. Gently she pushed his mouth open squeezing a little bit of blood into his mouth. Pressing two finger on his jugular she heard him shallow. Smiling slightly in relief, things would work a lot better now. She continued the process all night, feeding him blood pack after blood pack stopping every now and then to give him a rest but never leaving his side.

Phay stared down at his face, feeling her cheeks warm up at his handsome features. It had been months since she had last been this close to him and it felt a little awkward but she would soon get over it. Rubbing her thumb along his cheek gently she stared at him sadly..if only he knew how much she loved him, how much he meant to her...maybe then he could- Phay gritted her teeth; no nothing was possible as long as that angel was attached to his hip, where the woman was she didn't care at the moment. This was probably going to be the last time she was ever again near Orion and she wanted to make the best of it. As soon as Orion was completely recovered, she would let him go wither she would reveal herself yet she didn't know. Phay sided it probably wouldn't be a good idea, the vampire mostly likely thought she was dead and as much as Phay wanted it to be different it was probably better that way...or was she just trying to convince herself that?

The hours turned into days and Phay was beginning to worry wither or not he would ever wake up but by the end of the second day she could see the slight color coming back into his dead skin. Phay had not once left his side, letting him sleep on her lap when she wasn't feeding him. She did everything to make him feel if only a little bit comfortable and it seemed by the third day he was finally starting to come around as he seemed to steer in his sleep. At this point Phay got up to afraid to be near him when he woke up, grabbing her mask she put it on, turning to look at Orion only once giving one lingering last look before stepping out of the cell, shutting and locking the door quietly behind her disappearing into the manor.

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Orion's eyes snapped open with the loud click of the lock ringing in his ears, to any other life form it must have sounded quiet but in Orion's head it was like a shattering pane of glass, as brief and uneventful as it had been it had still woken him up. He couldn't remember what had happened after he'd passed out, he didn't know where he was or who he was with, all he remembered was the warmth of someone beside him, the soothing heartbeat of someone so familiar it should have been blindingly obvious. He couldn't think who it might be, only that he'd once again woken up again in hell. "Shit!..." he cursed slamming a fist down on the bed, god the sweet surrender of death couldn't even save him from this miserable existence, he always came back one way or the other. He always returned to this damned place, this hell within a hell and in his mind there was nothing worse. Okay, slavery was worse but as far as he could tell he was still a slave, gingerly fingering the band of silver around his neck he could only confirm it. He growled, already fed up with lying here in this broken charred corpse, his arms and legs felt as heavy as a tonne of lead, his left hand seemed to work fine but there were still a few difficulties operating his right hand which had been wrapped around the trader at the time he'd been shocked. He found he could lift his head halfway but he couldn't turn it easily, the thunderous voltage seemed to have fried most of his system. His jaw was the worst of it though, the whoring low-life bastard's neck had broken it, he couldn't help cursing again as he touched his jaw to see exactly where the break was and ignited a blast of pain so fierce he was too afraid to speak for a few minutes. Eventually with the strained use of his left arm and the cautious tilting of his head and neck he was able to lift himself to elbow height for a few brief moments before it became too painful to hold on any longer, at which point he allowed himself to crumple back down in a pile of agony.

When he'd eventually recovered, he tried to process what he'd seen without panicking, a difficult task indeed seeing as he was in such a tiny room with barely anything to see or do, he knew he was going to go mad in here, solitary confinement had been much the same. He knew why he was here though in such an isolated state, that in itself was easy to understand, he was dangerous and in far too poor a state to be allowed free reign anywhere else. He briefly wondered if he'd finally been sold or if they'd simply sent him to some institution to be 'finalized' whatever that meant. Orion could only guess that seeing as no-one ever returned from anything like that, that this would most certainly be the end of the road for him either way. In a way this gave him some relief, either he'd die here and complete the tragedy of his life or he'd continue to write some more pages and die of his own accord. He saw no reason to continue living anymore, he couldn't have what he wanted and he definitely couldn't have what he'd already gotten, so what on this god-forsaken earth was the point in living anymore if everything he achieved was taken from him or denied by someone else? He didn't feel like moving any further than he had already, his arms and back were aching like he'd done forty hours of laboring in the summer sun without a break. He felt a little hungry but not enough to do something about it and he wasn't sure he had enough strength in his damaged vocal chords to call a guard or something to explain where the hell he was. He was dismayed at the state of his cell as it was already, no light was usually a good thing but he couldn't see the sky either which dampened his already miserable mood even further. The door had the tiniest opening and that seemed more like it was used to check up on him than for anything remotely useful. He was grateful his wrists were no longer bound together but the fact that he was a prisoner in his own body made things worse, his throat made it hard to speak or even swallow, already it felt like the coarsest of sandpaper, his insides too felt like they'd been drilled full of holes and in reality they most probably had by the magic collar shooting thunderbolts through his body. He knew in such dire circumstances he normally wouldn't have made it, in fact he'd resigned himself to that fact early on, no matter how many ways he found to die something always happened to bring him back from the cusp of death itself, it seemed even living as a vampire was torturous, on the edge of life and death nothing ever went right even if he made it.

As he lie there wondering for awhile what had happened since he'd blacked out, he let his mind wander over the harsh realities of his life and where everything seemed to go wrong. He'd loved Suri more than a decade ago, loved her with everything he had in his soul but since her rebirth, she remembered nothing of it and she spent her entire free-time trying to reconnect with her past. He had to face the fact that she was no longer apart of him anymore, she wasn't the woman he'd fallen in love with and as much as he hated to admit and to try and rebuild something of a life with her, it just wasn't going to work. He couldn't just forget the past like Suri had, it didn't go away when he closed his eyes and remembered that dark, gloomy place. Then there was Phay, sweet innocent Phay, who'd been caught up in all this. He hadn't meant to grow so close to her since that night she'd freed him from those infernal handcuffs he'd lugged through three towns before he'd eventually found her. Why she'd never been afraid of him he couldn't understand, not that it mattered now, Phay had been missing for months and he had no idea where she was or if she was even still alive. Poor Phay, he was so delusional, so hell-bent on finding her he'd had visions of her taking care of him whilst he'd been recovering from the torture device attached to his neck. God he was losing it all over again, "Cut it out..." he snapped at himself, banging his head violently back on the bed once or twice as though he could knock some sense into himself by doing so. He hated being captive, hated being everyone's chew toy, he wanted to do what he felt like doing for a change and not what everyone else wanted him to do. He knew he should have followed Phay the moment she disappeared from his sight, he should have been there for her before she disappeared in the first place, he should have told her that he felt like shit and that he hated Suri for binding herself to him for what would apparently be no reason at all. In fact seeing as Suri had been the one to die first, their bond should have excluded his new wishes and allowed him to break away too but it didn't and he hated her for it. He hated everything and everyone for not letting him be, these slave traders were no better than the slave masters either, he would be set free one way or the other, he'd make sure of it.

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It had been hours before Phay could even work up the courage to go back into that cell. She sat there in her room in an old writers desk. Her room was full of wore vintage furniture since this place had long be abandon, once a dazzling beautiful mansion was now a dull gray overcast of what it use to be. Phay smirked as she spun around from the spinning stool she had be sitting on to face the room, yeah this place was a mirrors reflection of herself. Standing up she grabbed her mask from the desk walking toward the exit of the room. She opened the door stepping out into the long dark hallway she knew she needed to go see him now any longer and he would probably do something reckless regardless of any injures he might have. Even with that said she was taking her time slowly making her way down the stairs. Making her way to the kitchen she opened up the worn fridge pulling out a steel bucket of blood pacts. Letting her back close the door she stood there slumped for a minute...What was she gonna say?
“Hehehe...Hey Orion long time no see?” Phay groaned dragging herself as she walked out of the kitchen again and back down another hallway.

Artemis suddenly flew onto her shoulder. “I am guessing he is awake now?” Phay nodded not really paying the bird any mind. “And what do you plan on doing?” Phay shrugged opening up the door way down to the basement. “ Tell him who I am and then let him go after he's completely healed.” Artemis feathers instantly ruffled as he spoke, his voice felt like oil running down her spin. “And face rejection from him again?” Phay stopped dead in her tracks her hands began to shake. ”He never cared about you Milady he used you; after you sacrificed everything you had just to help him get there and what does he do when he gets what he wants? He runs off with that pretty little angel of his leaving you alone... Artemis flew over to a near by chair perching on the arm rest. “ Now you are a walking corpse without a heart, a slave to the prince of darkness himself. Everything that has happened to you!.. Is because of him. He does not deserve freedom...nor does he deserve any sort of death he deserves to suffer just like you have, and remember you are no longer Phay...you are the Red Witch...one of the most feared creatures of all Norturm city!” Phay looked down at the floor shamefully she knew he was speaking truth but every time she tried to forget him she was always reminded of those three little words he had said... “Well maybe...there still a chance, that he might love me.” Artemis glared but it was not directed towards Phay. “If he loved you even the slightest would you be were you are right now today? Milady he could never love you.” Hearing those words was like getting hit with a mace in the gut Phay was use to the harsh realities of life but this one...it had be her own secret fantasy something that in the depths of her soul knew one day or at least had a chance of coming true but just hearing the most likely truth killed any hope she might still of had left.

Phay narrowed her eyes, she knew Orion she couldn't bring herself to believe everything just yet. Phay brought the mask to her face putting it on. She had to find out for herself he had to care about her even just a little bit. Leaving Artemis she made her way down the stair case to the basement it was dark and damp as she opened a large steel door that groaned painfully loud on the wall there was a small brass dial; she turned it and one by one oil lamps attached to the wall next to every little prison cell door let up. They shone dimly it wouldn't be enough to hurt him she knew that much. As she neared his cell a sudden rush of anger rose to meet her and before she knew it she had slammed the door open. Making her way in she shut and locked to door behind her, resting the bucket on a single chair in the corner. She turned and loomed over him. “You useless pile of roadkill I was worried I had wasted my money on a double dead corpse.” Phay spoke venom which was from a lot of built up rage that was now releasing itself. She wouldn't reveal herself she wanted to know if he was even looking for her if he cared about her. She glared down at him through the mask taking two steps back to the chair. “You're an idiot attacking a handler like that frying what little brains you might have had to begin with.” She put the bucket on the floor by the bed as she also dragged the chair over next to the bed with her foot. Sitting down she reached down grabbing a blood pack there were a pack of straws resting along the plastic vampire juice boxes. Grabbing a straw also she ripped the opened sticking the straw inside. Gently as possible she reached under Orion's neck lifting it up using her weight to keep him upright. She brought the straw to his lips. “Drink...”

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His instincts told him to snap, snarling and biting this strange new entity now in his face, would be the only way to evade her chilling grasp. He knew that such a violent movement was beyond his reach at the moment, such a move would only leave him howling in pain and agony beyond anything he'd ever felt before but instincts were so hard to ignore... Jerking his head back violently, he winced with the pain and did the only other thing he could think of, glaring at the witch with every little bit of anger he could muster. His hatred was all he had left to defend himself, his anger defined him. A low menacing growl erupted from the vampire's chest, rumbling up and outwards from somewhere deep inside, he held a wild look in his eyes, as though he were no longer anything human but entirely inhuman. He couldn't speak yet, if he could he would have said the most vile things he could think of, he had no idea who this person was or what they intended to do by berating him for saving his own ass in such a forlorn situation. He had no sympathy at all for the witch woman, she was his ultimate goal at the moment, in that very instant he wanted nothing more than to destroy her where she sat. As hungry as he was since first awakening here, he wasn't about to take nourishment from the likes of her, in fact if she was even half an inch closer he could have thrown it back in her face. "I am nobodies slave..." he thought bitterly, answering his own desire to speak to this woman and berate her for a change of scenery, this room wasn't fit to be a toilet cubicle let alone a prison cell and yet here he was lower than a prisoner, a slave.

His stomach rumbled loudly tearing his insides asunder, with a whimper and a groan he grudgingly took the straw sucking back every last drop as fast as he could, he couldn't possibly demand to be freed until he was at least able to talk, having said that he didn't know when that was he'd never been injured this badly before he hoped it would be soon for dignity's sake and for his own mental condition as well. Like a million houses in a power outage, he felt senseless as one after another his muscles and tissue reconnected lighting up in his mind, a wild array of neon lights all turned on at once. Some still flickered and failed but most seemed to blaze anew, lifting his already healed left hand up off the bed he tested the movement once again, touching each finger to his thumb and then back again so quickly it appeared nothing more than an awkward waving motion. His jaw was at least reconnected to the other side but it was still too painful to talk so he lay his arm back down biding his time, there would be no point attacking the woman beside him, as happy as she seemed by his progress, his eyes were filled with nothing but complex thought processes trying his best to eliminate certain problems with his healing body, without her finding out just how far he could move in such a short space of time. Eventually he had enough of looking at the white mask attached to her hovering face and he closed his eyes to rest again. How was he supposed to escape when she was always right there, the only one in his way, he wasn't even sure why she seemed to be such a problem in his mind. She should have been the first and last thing to be destroyed but something about the way she walked or the way she was helping him for no other reason than to preserve her own miserable riches told him she too was familiar to him.

Maybe he had really lost it back there, maybe the lightning had fried his brain and riddled his insides with holes that would never fully heal, he laughed sarcastically at himself, a prisoner in his own mind. Of course he had holes that would never heal his life was so damned fucked up, he was so fucked up that it really didn't make any difference what he did with himself, he was still going to be pathetically useless to anyone, he was better off on his own. He waited until she had gone before he moved again, waiting until she thought he was asleep, he was remarkably good at pretending. He was surprised at just how well he'd managed to learn these things after such a short time in human company, well he'd thought Suriel was human and he'd learnt most of these actions from watching her sleep at night but he'd never really used these practices until he'd met Phay, funny how his problems seemed to keep coming back to hit him in the face. Once he was sure he'd heard the last of her footsteps fading down the hallway he opened his eyes again to stand up, he was surprised himself to see how fast he was healing, he briefly wondered what was in that blood she was force feeding him, whatever it was, was certainly doing the trick. Lifting one knee and then the other clumsily he took a shaky step, feeling like a puppet with a drunken handler he eventually managed to get himself together long enough to walk the short distance to the cell door. It was in that tragic instant that he'd learned he would need much more time to escape than he'd previously thought, his legs no longer functioned the same way they had before, which meant he'd have to teach his own body how to run again like he used to do so very long ago. A puzzled frown overcame him as he thought about how exactly he was going to manage such a feat, the red witch wouldn't let him run around freely, it would be far too easy for him to keep going, he'd have to earn her trust and try and run in secret if he was to continue his search for Phay. Yes, that's what he'd do, he'd go search for Phay. Suriel didn't need him anymore, he had his own life to live and she didn't care whether he lived or died, so long as she didn't get dragged down by his own stupid mistakes so why bother with Suri at all... he'd find Phay as soon as he learned to run again, as soon as he was free and he'd tell her what he thought of Suri.

Now, first things first. How was he going to get the woman with the white mask to trust him? She seemed to be more interested in his health at the moment than whether he could fight or not so what had she bought him for? He could do other things but he'd never ever showed anyone just how much he was capable of, he hadn't even shown Phay these extra skills that to him seemed pointless but to a human they were very important, almost a fact of life. Perhaps the woman in the white mask and red suit needed more than a body guard, maybe she needed something more than a slave who could fight. He felt like the whole world had gone insane and he was merely stuck in the middle trying to find some sort of hole to crawl into where he'd be safe for a time to live as he pleased. He briefly wondered what trying to run would do to him right now, stuff it he could only try if he hoped to escaped this place, besides it would give him a chance to see just how much security this woman deemed him necessary to have. He'd been standing at the door for awhile now his torn and faded blue denim jeans barely recognizable anymore as they held so much blood and dirt that they seemed more like the bandages of a dead man than anything remotely wearable. He took a few unwavering steps backwards and ran forwards, slamming into the door with what ended up being more of a body slam than a shoulder barge, he crashed into the door and was more than surprised when it opened from the other side instead. He wasn't sure why but he was sure she'd locked it on the way out, why had it opened for him? he didn't have long to think about it because two guards came running for him, yelling curses and trying to direct each other so they could corner and catch him before he got too far. It was now or never.

Stumbling to get over his shock of the self-opening door, he hurried to place one foot in front of the other, it only took him a few steps to get into the swing of things and then it was only a matter of fading seconds before he found his pattern as though it had never and someone had merely hit the reset button his brain. He was off, the only thing stopping him now would be the silver collar still surrounding his neck, he hoped the red witch didn't use it, he wasn't sure his fragile body could take another hit of the magic electricity, running down the halls faster and faster back and forth as he searched for an exit, he found that he was getting better and better at keeping himself focused on one task. At the moment he had found an empty hallway devoid of guards or any personnel and found great pleasure in just running up and down it as fast as he could, it had been so long since he'd run anywhere with this much freedom that he wished he could laugh if only for a moment. He felt like a child, amused by the smallest of things he was enjoying his free time, finally he moved on around the corner finding a door half ajar he peeked inside carefully to make sure no one else was inside. He was slightly surprised to see such a big abandoned kitchen standing completely empty like this, he would have thought in such a big gloomy looking mansion the nasty woman would have more servants doing her bidding. Galloping over to the fridge he glanced at the fresh foodstuffs, there was a pretty good selection but none of it looked like it had been used yet, he wondered briefly if he should keep running and leave the kitchen behind but as he got to the kitchen door he heard the thumping heartbeats of three guards and promptly dragged a cabinet across the double doors to block his only exit. Now that he was trapped in the large kitchen though with a fridge full of food, he had only one option to bids his time and that was to make something.

He often found himself making something in times of great stress, it was a relief to be able to do something of value for a change, to revert to his old ways, to relax for awhile and just be himself for a change without having to fight the universe for his existence. Methodically cutting and scraping, chopping and throwing ingredients into pots and pans, it must have seemed like an insane pace to keep as he worked with all the speed and grace of a vampire never slowing. He didn't have much trouble finding anything, not surprisingly either given the rate he worked, whenever he had to find something he'd simply run here there and everywhere until he eventually found it. In this way he always had everything he needed before he needed it, each new project was always set out before he started it but by the time he finished cooking there were several dishes and he still wasn't satisfied with the state of things, he needed a distraction his thoughts only increased his anxiety and he couldn't yet see outside, though at this point it was probably a good thing. He'd just finished washing up the dishes and putting them away when he heard the cabinet in front of the double doors move, he'd been too distracted with what he was doing to bother putting anything more substantial in the way, taking one last look at the food he'd just prepared Orion dashed across to the doorway flattening himself against the wall as much he possibly could, awaiting the moment when whoever was on the other side would come breaking through. Suddenly two guards crashed through the doors, knocking the cabinet over in the process, as they scanned the scene Orion slipped out the door, leaving them to ogle the feast of omlettes, caramel banana pancakes, salad, steak and apple fritters with ice-cream that he'd made. Flying down the corridor with as much speed as he could muster and stopping every now and then to avoid guards he finally found a set of stairs, the top of the stairwell was still heavily illuminated with sunlight though so he continued to move downward through the levels of the mansion until a wall of heavily scented wood hit him.

Opening the heavy steel door with great difficulty, Orion was amazed to see a workshop full of lumber and tools, he had never really done much with wood but it was always one of his favorite materials to work with, as much as he'd love to build something out of it, he was far more concerned with being caught at the moment as the amount of guards seemed to have doubled now that he had yet to be found. "It's alright... no-one comes in here..."[/i] An old wavering voice commanded, Orion spun around completely unaware that anyone had been behind him, the old blind man looked like he was the caretaker here, he wore dark blue overalls that seemed covered in wood shavings, dirt and grass clippings. Orion couldn't ask him where he was or what the old man did down here in the dark, so he merely allowed the man to appraise the situation and eventually put him to work. "dunno how you'll go with that broken jaw... but judging by that collar round your neck i'd say you're here to work so get to it... you can start here and if your any good I'll teach you a thing or two."[/i] the old caretaker told him, ushering him over to a half started job, Orion guessed by the tools supplied he was planing wooden planks for some sort of furniture or perhaps a renovation job upstairs as he hadn't yet seen any work being done downstairs. Keeping Orion busy seemed an easy task for the old man, as soon as he'd finished planing the wood the man moved him from one job to the other, Orion was grateful for the distraction. Working with the heavy pine scent and keeping his hands busy, was a great way to forget all his problems and by the time the caretaker ran out of work for him, it was nightfall. "Well that's it then... time to report to The Red Witch"[/i] he muttered shoving Orion back towards the steel door. Orion had been calling her a witch because he'd assumed if she was evil enough to have him as a slave then she was evil enough to be a witch but he hadn't for a moment thought it was true. Now he knew. He wished against the moon and stars that he could speak right then and there, to explain his situation to the caretaker, to stay here and keep working forever so that he wouldn't have to face the witch woman again, so that he wouldn't have to go back in the tiny cell and be force fed until he was fully healed and asked to do something he'd rather not do again but he couldn't speak, his jaw was still painfully broken and he was quickly running out of energy to do anything, let alone to keep running from her guards. So he grudgingly allowed the old caretaker to lead him up the stairs to the red witch's room, growling inaudibly to himself all the way, he couldn't take his frustrations out on the caretaker it was hardly his fault, so when it came time to enter the room with a heavy knock on her door Orion led the way, setting his most fierce glare on the back wall, as he waited for an inevitable punishment for having escaped his cell earlier in the day.
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Phay sat sprawled out on a large deep red chair that was turned away from the door. Staring up at the night sky from the large window, the moon illuminating almost ever inch of space in her room. Artemis sat perched next to her the moonlight glinting off his six blood red eyes. “It's true milady he broke through the lock on the door running in a desperate run trying to escape to find his sickeningly sweet little angel. Trust me milady you are not even on his mind...” Phay listened, the pocket watch Orion had given her lay in her hand as she clicked it open and shut. “ You can't let this heartache go on, get back at him, hurt him! You know some of his weakness use them break him till there's nothing left but an empty shell...” Artemis leered leaning in closer whispering in her ear. “ Just like he did to you...” Phay snapped the watch shut, glaring fearsomely at her reflection. Oh Phay knew his weakness and she knew just what one to use too. The harsh knock could be heard followed by the footsteps as both Orion and the caretaker walked in she could see Orion face from the reflection of the window and it pissed her off even more...Artemis had been right.

Standing up stiffly she brought her hand down so Artemis could jump on to her hand were she tend let him hop onto her shoulder as she made her way over to Orion. Nodding for the caretaker to leave she looked up at Orion, he seemed to not want to make eye contact. “Down on your knees.” She circled slowly behind him giving enough time to obey or not but when she was completely behind him, he still hadn't fallen. She put her hand in her pocket letting her finger brush up against the cold metal and she instantly saw the results as he crumpled to his knees. Interesting...She be sure to use it later but for now she let him off with only a little shock as she walked back till she was looming over him. Grabbing what little hair he had she yanked his head up till he was forced to look her in the eye. “I would tell you to beg for forgiveness but that would just be a waste of time on my part.” Phay let herself seem calm almost relaxed. Artemis leered down at Orion and if a crow could smirk he was doing his eyes gave everything away it didn't matter if Orion found out the truth or not he couldn't do a thing about it. It was only a matter of time before this bump in the road was taken care of and he could move on with his real goal but all good things come to those who wait.

Phay folded her arms staring down at Orion. “I'm going to give you a little heads up about how I work...” She leaned down her voice holding more spit then she intended. “You don't get second chances...” She leaned back making her way over to the window she said nothing for a few minutes part of her still worrying about hurting him the other thinking up a million things it could do to this treacherous vampire. She still couldn't bring herself to harm him psychically and in truth Phay wanted nothing more then to help him heal and let him go of and be happy but she couldn't she wanted him next to her always she wanted his love that was being wasted on little Ms. Angel and if this was the only way she could have him...Phay sighed she still didn't know... Drawing back to the matter at hand she looked at Orion through the reflection who was still on his knees glaring at her like she was the very thing he despised and that look hurt her more then she cared to think about. “...Grab him.” With out a warning three minion appeared from the dark shadow of the walls instantly grabbing Orion taking him by surprise. Phay watched through the window as he struggled against them throwing sloppy punches most which never hit any of them. After much tossing and tumbling they finally had his knew jacket on, arms looped behind him, belted together. Phay knew he wouldn't be able to get out of that she motion the odd black minions to pick him up dragging him out of her room and down stair after stair till they were down somewhere in the basement again.

They stopped at a empty concrete wall at first glance it looked like nothing but a normal wall with an over sized heavy duty blot lock on it. Phat crouched down unlocking it letting the now noticeably long narrow heavy door swing opened revealing a even narrower dark room. Standing back up she motioned her head to the side. “Put him in...” The creatures obeyed forcing him to his knees shoving him in harshly the back of his head hitting concrete hard. Phay stood at the door. “ I'll give you some time to think about your actions...” Phay gave him no time to comprehend what she had just said before she slammed the door locking it. She took a step back before making her way out of the basement and she wouldn't go back down till she heard him screaming...

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That small jolt of electricity was only enough to cripple him for a few moments but it had enough meaning to last a lifetime, she wasn't going to tolerate anything from him that she hadn't already authorized personally. He sat on his knees for a moment trying to catch his breath, his fore head pressed against the floor as he hid the searing pain from her, gasping with the agony now coursing through his already compromised system. Orion knew he could only ever have returned such torture as a fierce glare, he needed to show her that although she was at this point in time the boss but he was not afraid of the red witch, his glare was solely directed at the black bird now perched eloquently on her shoulder, the one smirking at him as though it had caused all this trouble. The next thing she forced upon him was more terrifying than he had previously imagined the witch capable of but he wasn't surprised in the slightest. Catching him off guard and unprepared, shadow creatures formed of Zenocide leapt up out of the walls attacking him, shoving, poking and prodding him until he finally moved in the direction they wanted him to go. Confused and bewildered, he fought them. Already suffering at the hands of the red witch he had not expected this, there was only a handful of people capable of this kind of treatment… Phay could’ve done it, she could have summoned these monsters but she’d never hurt him like this, would she? He wished she was there right now helping him to escape this madness, he dare not use his own powers here, he didn’t know the effect it would have on the red witch if any and if she could control Zenocide as well as she seemed to be able to, she may just turn his own memories around to hurt him more. Being imprisoned in a concrete closet though, that was the defining point of his insanity, he’d originally thought after being dragged down stairwell, after miserable bone breaking stairwell that he’d end up back in the tiny room he’d started with. He was wrong. Orion didn’t have time to try and object, he didn’t even have time to think how he would object, let alone how he could avoid getting in the tiny space between two walls, he didn’t even want to think about being locked in there. Just when he thought she’d proved her point, he was shoved inside and she’d locked the door, he could faintly hear her footsteps going back up the stone stairs over the crashing sound of his own heartbeat closing in, voices echoing from his horrendous past assaulted him from every angle, though for the moment they were little more than whispers…

When faced with a situation of great loss, there are five steps to accepting that loss. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and then finally Acceptance itself, at which point you move on with your life and forget that terrible ordeal you just went through. It took Orion less than an hour to move past denial, there was only so much time he could spend racking his brain, for reasons that the red witch might have for doing this to him. Anger though, that took him a whole a day and a half to get rid of, the terrible tragedy of his childhood and what he’d been through with Suriel as an adult had only created a black hole within him, a hole he’d subsequently filled with hatred. He had always thought of his anger as limitless under the right situation but here it was useless, meaningless… he had no-one to infuriate, no target to rage against except himself. He spent that day and a half thrashing inside the confines of his new claustrophobic prison, destroying what was left of those barriers inside his mind that held everything in place, the barriers that held his anger, his pain and his ultimate self-destruction at bay. He skipped bargaining, there was no point bargaining with yourself, the red witch never came back to check on him so he was completely alone. Not that he didn’t try, talking to himself every now and then when he came up with a new idea, it was comforting for a time to finally hear his own voice, to know that his jaw had finally healed. That was a relief, in and of itself but there was no point in imagining a way out of this cell, he had learned pretty quickly that there was no way out, not until she let him, if she ever let him. So that just left Depression and Acceptance, the great loss of his freedom and then finally the loss of all his anger had left him with a gaping chasm of depression, it wasn’t hard to imagine where he had to go now if he was to get past all this, to live through all his memories though would be an entirely new challenge.

Screaming erupted in terrific bellows from the depths of the dungeon, several at a time then gaping, gasping silence, more screams not his own joined in. Soon there was only silence again, dead deafening silence. A great cloud of black mist hung over the corridor where Orion was locked away, no-one could see exactly what was happening on the other side of his cell door but every time a new guard went to investigate the screaming would begin again, it wasn’t just guards screaming either. Children, small children, a baby and what sounded like a female’s voice all screamed in unison as well. The chorus of screams sounded like a horror film’s audience, it ran blood curdling shivers up the guard’s spines and it wasn’t long until one went to fetch the red witch, hoping she could make it stop. As they reached the hallway again though, the guards that had been waiting had all disappeared, the black mist like portal remained though as if it were waiting for something or someone. Phay would have understood his pain, she would have seen through the crippling sadness that now gripped him in a death roll. Orion slid down to the floor, his back against the gouged concrete wall, snakelike patterns of where he’d scratched out the wall surrounded him from every side, the crushing black oblivion collapsing in all around him and the tightening anxiety in his chest didn’t help any either. He hated small spaces, ever since he’d been locked away in solitary confinement for a decade, only allowed out for executions that never held any relief. Hanging, beheading, torture and electrocution, none of it had worked. Though to be honest the executioner at the beheading thought he was innocent and hadn’t done his job properly at all, Orion wished he had, it would have made getting to this point a whole lot harder. He’d given up all hope of the red witch ever returning and the screams of the guards outside, did little to comfort his dampening darkness. Sitting in his own blood and filth was in a way disgusting but he was sick and tired of struggling, he would allow himself to starve to death and eventually die here, she wasn’t coming back for him, no-one was.

Whenever a new person from either side of the corridor entered the zenocide mist, it was like entering a dream world, one made of shadows and nightmares. The all-consuming rush of time seemed suspended, they had no chance for survival, none. A dark river of sinister thoughts, thick with fresh trails of blood, led the way through the room. It was no longer made of bricks or gray stone but black granite, as dark and starless as the night sky before a new moon. The roof and floor were blackened marble the faint veins of gray twisting and twirling about each other did little to lighten the somber unmistakable lick of dread, that overwhelmed all intruders. Never ending pools of scarlet blood lay at their feet, a single doorway standing ajar illuminated the darkness lit dimly from within, it creaked as an unseen force opened it, inviting all those outside in. Trespassing across the threshold would have been the biggest mistake, on the other side of that warm caramel colored door lay one of Orion’s most feared childhood memories. Lifeless bodies littered the floor like a scattered bag of skittles, even bugs and all other forms life could not live here, it was a dead zone. Corpses lay all over the place mutilated, decapitated, tortured and headless bodies, some face up their wide eyes an immortal imprint of horror and unimaginable pain. In the middle a child sat, a little boy no older than ten, trying desperately to piece together a little girl about the same age, her head had been severed from her unmoving corpse all dressed in pretty pink frills and white lace now blood stained with the carnage lying all around them. Sobbing and crying hysterically, he whispered sweet nothings to the little girl with the lifeless glassy green eyes, promising her he’d find a way to fix this, he’d find a way to put her back together and bring her back to life.

He jumped suddenly when he heard the door close, the same unseen force as before now behind it, whirling about he tried to hide what was obviously never going to happen. Dropping the girls head, his tear stained face red and puffy, the young Orion tried frantically explaining his presence here in this room to what would apparently be his morbid new carers. ”I…I didn’t mean to… She was my fr-friend…” He sobbed, trying to fight back his tears and choking on the gasping breaths in between, he had no real answers for them. “Can… I… Go?” he quickly added, glancing over his shoulder for a moment at the little girls corpse. Suddenly something moved over to the side, a closet door rattled and thumped as though something was moving inside, the carers closed in. Now in front of the boy and his quivering body, trembling with fear and apprehension he waited until they were inches from the door knowing they would feed on whatever was inside, knowing that he couldn’t stop it and more importantly that he would someday become it. “Can… I… Go?” a voice whispered from the other side, it should have been muffled by the door but the ghostly black mist carried the crystal clear sound to the other side without a problem. Then the door was reefed open harshly,”No, don’t…” the little boy screamed all the while in the background, with the guards collective screaming added into the mix yet as they opened the door to look inside, there he was… confined to a concrete closet, bound in a filth-covered straight jacket and sobbing away his insanity in the darkest corner he could find. Orion’s strange blue eyes went wide, the door had finally opened, confused and distressed as he tried to figure out why. In the twist of that instant, his mind, who he was, who he had been, was already gone. “Mistress…” he whispered, “Command me.” scrambling to stand up and move forwards at the same time but he only ended up on his knees, his gaze remained fixed on her though as he spoke. As every silent second passed, in the ever-expanding circle of time, Orion became more and more distressed as he awaited her response, he almost looked on the verge of tears. “Please… how may I serve you?” he begged. His clothes were torn and now looked beyond repair or recognition, his shirt was destroyed held to his pale stony chest by a thread, it was covered in blood, sweat and tears. Encrusted with filth and added blood of the guards that now littered the floor where once there had been only the bodies of children. His dark hair was matted with his own blood, as he’d thrashed about and broken his skull more than once, dried blood also ran down his face, shoulders and arms as well. Dirt plastered his skin until he was almost black, the jeans he’d worn already torn and ripped, where now falling to pieces around scratched and bruised skin. All the levels of his psychosis so neatly tied up in his barriers of anger, hatred and his value for life had all been set free inside his mind, left to rampage and destroy, obliterating everything that he’d built to protect himself from those haunting memories and the harsh realities of his life. Surrendering all he’d lived for up until this point, he was no longer himself, no longer looking out for himself. He was hers, to do as she might, hers alone to command.

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Phay opened the door leading down to the hallway were Orion was being held, the guards saftly behind her as she stopped staring at the black misty hole beckoning anyone that came near into it's death trap. Phay had almost forgotten about Orion's powers though not knowing enough she new this wouldn't not hurt her unless she let her defenses down she could fight it off. The men stood behind listening to command to follow closely behind her as she neared the dark mist as long as they were near her they would not become lost in the fog. “Open it...” Phay could hear the screaming from the other side. “Now..” The men jumped a little and didn't need to be told again they unlocked the door opening the heavy door it creaked loudly. The guards all gasped backing away in disgust as Orion scrambled toward the red witch. Phay even moved back a little as Orion pleaded for her to use him, Phay slowly shook her head a complete loss for words as she stared down at him covered in his own blood and filth...he looked nothing like the man she knew. The countless bodies of some of her men where now visible for everyone to see; there blood covered the walls and floor. God what had she done...?

One the guards managed to gain some of his composure, grabbing Orion roughly by the collar and lifted him roughly to his feet, shaking him and yelling at his to stand on his own. Phay narrowed her eyes. “Enough...Leave him be.” The guard let go instantly. Phay went over to him grabbing the material of his shirt. Turning around she staring at the two guards. “Get someone to clean up this mess.” The nodded bowing and leaving down another hallway. Phay waited for them to disappear before she opened up a portal leading him inside. They re-entered into her room the moonlight littered her floor in a soft silvery glow. She continued to lead him till they reached the other side of the room, opening the old oak door she lead him in closing it. She couldn't think of any words to say...the state that he was in; she had no idea of the extend amount of damage she had done but for now she would at least give him a bath, hell knows the last time he might have had one. Going up behind him she began to unbuckle the restrains that held his arms back before doing the rest, she pulled it off him throwing it into the waste bin next to them before taking of the rest of his cloths, she couldn't bring herself to look at him. She was to afraid. The shirt had fallen off on it's own as the threads holding it together snapped and the same amount of effort went to what was left of his jeans; they both quickly followed the detestation of the straightjacket. Her bathroom was like the rest of the manor holding an hold heavy vintage look. She took his wrist leading him to the old clawfoot bathtub. Helping him step in before pushing him gently down till he was sitting, Phay's cheeks flushed a little as she tried her best to keep her gaze away from the certain exposed areas of Orion's body.

Standing up she turned the nozzle the pips groaned loudly as the water came gushing out. When the temperature was good she pulled the lever letting the water come out of the shower head, spraying gently onto Orion. She didn't see the point of a bath as the water would have began filthy very quickly. Rolling up her sleeves she grab a sponge she dribbled soap onto it applying it to Orion's back. She scrubbed gently the layers of dirt coming off forming murky water before disappearing down the drain. His pale skin becoming more visible, gathering more soap she washed ever inch of him though she let him do the more personal parts. When his body was done she moved onto his hair, grabbing shampoo she lathered it into his hair, gently massaging away the dirt, making sure that none of it got into his eyes when that was all done she turned the water off, getting up she grabbed a towel quickly wrapping it around his waist, also grabbing a smaller one she took his hand again leading him back out to her room but this time turned towards the wall where another door stood but this one seemed to blend in with the wallpaper; turning the brass handle she opened the door it lend into another room. The colors blue and black where used in every inch of décor. The bed had blue satin sheets with numerous amount of black pillows, heavy black draps covered the large window blocking out any form of sunlight. Across the room there was a fireplace that was now lit and a deep blue loveseat couch sat in front of it. In another corner there was a small library with a over flowing amount of books and a study in the back. Of to the side there was door that lend to his own bathroom. The room itself was big and she knew Orion would feel at ease here at least.

Sitting him on the bed she went off to look for cloths. She came back quickly with something that she figured would fit. Getting on the bed next to him, she grabbed the smaller towel using it to dry of his hair. She still hadn't said anything and she was beginning to see that he was most likely not liking the silence she was giving him. Clearing her throat she spoke flatly showing no really sign of being gentle even though her action thus far had given her away. “What's your name?” She decided to let him get dressed at least before she started bombarding him with questions. Pushing the cloths in his arms she lead him to the bathroom motioning him to get dressed. She sat on the bed waiting for him to be done when he finally came out he look almost exactly the way he did when she had left him. Now that she had restored at least a little bit of dignity to him, she motioned him to come forward. Figuring now was the best time to start with the overhead of what was to be his new life now...not only that she wanted to test him see how far over the line she really might of went.

“This is now your room you are free to do whatever you like in here that is when I don't have any use for you.” She got up pushing him onto the bed, folding her arms. “You are also free to roam the manor as you please as well as the back gardens but you are not permitted to leave the fenced in area, if you do you'll be punished.” She planned for now that he would stay mostly at her side till he got use to things but after that she would put him to some work what yet she didn't know. “Do you understand?” A moment later; Phay without warning lifted her hand quickly bringing down across his face. “That was for killing some of my best men, be thankful that's all I'm doing...” But in reality Phay wasn't really worried about that as she suddenly leaned in close till her mask was almost touching his nose she was searching his eyes for any hint of defiance even the slightest glare...at least that's what she was hoping for...

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He let her drag him out of that place, it made no difference in his mind where he went as long as she was happy that he was doing the right thing. He didn't even object as he normally might have, when she began undressing him, he remained skillfully silent as she sat him in the claw foot tub and began washing him, he didn't even look at her blushing face as she washed his hair or the rest of him. he merely did as he was instructed to do, devoid of all else, he allowed himself to be pushed back into the bedroom, sat down when he was told to, got dressed when he was told to but when he came back he quietly answered her question.

"My name is Orion Alexander Night..."

He didn't add the significance of the name was the reason for his many twisted levels of psychosis, he didn't explain why he'd killed her men that seemed irrelevant now she'd slapped him." I'm so sorry mistress... I wont do it again... not unless you want me too. " He pleaded, wringing his hands together as though he feared she might throw him back in that tiny dark space now that he was cleaned and clothed, he was more trouble than he was worth, he could see it in her examining glare, she wanted him to do things terrible things so he answered the hidden question in her glittering eyes, all too happily.

"Ohh yes mistress, I've killed before, many times before... Please, may I kill someone for you?... Anyone. just name them, just tell me who i am to kill. I will do it as quickly as possible. Please, mistress, tell me who and i will do your bidding and dispatch them for you"

He begged waiting for another question or an order as eagerly as a dog awaiting its master home from a hard day at work, there was no trace of his previous defiance, no trace of who he had once been at all. She could lose herself in his deep blue eyes for as long as she wanted it would not invoke any hostility or violence, his only purpose now was to do her bidding, whatever that may be. He wasn't interested in the fancy decor the bed or even the library that would have previously seen him completely enthralled for hours, they held no interest for him now, he feared being her puppet but he feared the empty dark cell in the dungeon more, he feared small enclosed spaces above all else. He didn't bother explaining why he had killed the guards, that had been an unforeseeable accident on his part, he'd merely tried to get her attention. He had no idea that his powers would entice everyone within the vicinity to their doom, like moths to the flame, he was rather pleased with the results though, it would give him even more resources in the service of his mistress.

The memory itself was a long forgotten part of his childhood, when he'd first discovered the means his kind used to feed. As a child he'd been spared that repulsive history by his protective parents, they didn't wish to burden him with such knowledge until he was ready to handle it, he had always been such a gentle-natured child, they saw no reason to corrupt him. with the death of his parents though things had changed, the carers he'd been given didn't see the purpose of keeping him in the dark, he was a vampire and had to learn those methods and techniques if he was to survive, not knowing how to feed himself at such an age was beyond absurd, it should have been pure survival instinct, to Orion it never was. He seemed to be able to resist the blood lust better than anyone in his clan, better than anyone else he knew, he hadn't killed those guards on purpose, taking life was not his ultimate goal... not unless the red witch wanted him to.

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No...that wasn't the answer Phay wanted at all...She backed away completely mortified as he spoke the joy in his voice unnerved her to no end. His eyes...those where not his own. That wasn't her friend, it was a stranger someone she didn't know. She couldn't think straight. She put a hand to the forehead, gritting her teeth she couldn't handled this right now. Phay knew he wanted her to command him force him to do something, anything...and it wasn't out of love it was out of fear. He feared her...Phay never wanted that she had just wanted his love...the same devotion he had given Suriel. “Just get some sleep for now...We'll start tomorrow...” Phay lift him to do what he wished to do. Closing the large oak door that connected there rooms together she locked the door. She stood there for a moment, trying to get those eyes out of her head but she couldn't. Growling under her breath she threw her mask off, flinging herself onto to the bed. Burying her face into her pillow choking back a sob...her shoulders shook, her vision became blurry.

Orion...The vampire she knew was gone, she had made him disappear she had killed him. He was gone; replaced by some spineless moron...that acted more like a dog then any form of intelligible creature. She had made this new Orion and more than anything she wanted to hate him, hate him for ever being created but she couldn't not yet at least. She curled into a tight ball, reaching over to the end table next to her bed, taking the old antique pocket watch into her hand. The brass giving off an amber glow as she held it against the moonlight. She pulled it to her chest shutting her eyes tightly forgetting the world around as she went back to place in her mind to those few good memories she had of the both of them they were her only comfort but now that's all she had left of him...memories.

A dreamless sleep came quickly and so it was nightfall once again. Phay had been up before sundown she had gotten ready and had eaten. She had earlier resolved that her Orion was still in there somewhere all she had to do was provoke him till he finally snapped which she already figured would be easier said then done. For now though she would have to deal with this new submissive Orion as much as didn't want too. Growling darkly she rushed into his room, the door swung open hitting the wall harshly no doubt waking the vampire up. She stood in the middle of the room her now fowl mood seething through her mask as she barked at him. “Get up you piece of shit!” She had it all planned out, she would treat him worse than a dog the dirt in the groves of her shoe would have more respect from her then he was gonna get she would make it out to seem as if everything he did would not please her at all nothing he did would make her happy and she knew that's what he shrived on.

She waited arms folded growling at him to hurry up. When he was finally ready she quickly opened up a portal and shoved him harshly. The walked along the darkness Phay didn't need to see to know where she was going the zenocide was like a third eye for her it was one of the ways she caught her enemies off guard. When the portal they where in an ally way, the glow of neon lights could be seen. “Come on!” She shoved him forward, yanking him by collar of his shirt till they were in the middle of the town square and even now the streets where covered with people all varying in ages. Phay looked at them then at Orion.“Kill them, all of them don't let one get away slaughter them like cattle but do not drink not until I say you can.” Phay narrowed her eyes at him from behind the mask she knew Orion would never hurt innocent people without proper reason. Phay knew she was gambling with peoples lives but she was certain Orion would object. “Some of them might have family waiting at home for them but that doesn't matter does it do it; please your mistress.”

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Orion didn't hesitate, he'd hardly slept the day before, tossing and turning in the suffocating black of his new room. Now she'd given him an order, a task he could complete, whether or not he had any moral objections no longer mattered. Acting as though it was nothing more than a reflex, he targeted the children first, the youngest and the weakest or whoever was closer, on first inspection it would seem little more than a senseless massacre but to Orion every fatal blow was planned. Grabbing a man by the front of his shirt Orion approached him sideways, the sudden jerk forwards as Orion grabbed him sent him flying forwards, until his head was almost parallel to the pavement, it was only then that Orion jerked his knee up into the mans spine, the sickening impact bent the man in two like a dry twig, his spine snapping with a loud crack. His stormy blue eyes glittered at the prospect of drinking so much blood, already he'd been without food for three days and he was starving but she'd said he could only feed when she said it was okay so for now he'd resist, for now he'd carry out her morbid desires and kill all these innocent people without a single shred remorse. A little girl was next, he didn't even flinch as he shoved the girl backwards as hard as he could, with inhuman speed and reflexes to match he could have prevented the girl's skull from shattering against a nearby building but he didn't, he just stood there waiting for the next woman to come running past him screaming for her life as she noticed the man with the broken back lying dead in the street.

As she passed he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her back down into the pavement, where her skull made a sickening 'thwack' as it compacted and spread shards of bone and fragments of jelly like brain everywhere. The entire street had by now erupted into pure chaos, screaming, yelling and people running everywhere, Orion had to pick up the pace and it wasn't long before the entire street was silent, bodies littered the ground like dead flies, the street itself was a river of blood. Orion stood in the middle of it all the last flailing person still in his arms, he was waiting for the red witch to tell him he could feed, his arms and torso where completely covered in crimson, scratches littered his arms, neck and face from the victims who'd managed to grab something of the stealthy vampire before he'd managed to kill them off, in some cases he'd killed two at the same time. None of it seemed to phase him, he was still wearing the exact same face of desolated emptiness that he had when he'd started, none of it mattered at the moment he was only concerned with making his new mistress happy. Holding the struggling woman, her arms pinned behind her back and his hand across her mouth he continued to wait for her instructions, should he kill her straight away or was he allowed to drink first? "It is done mistress, just as you asked me to..." he panted, he had never killed so many in one go before, it was exhilarating to be that free in such a short amount of time, to be so free to kill as he pleased. It was not however something that made him happy, in fact it repulsed him. given his own choices he would never have killed any of these people, he very carefully singled out his victims normally, people that wouldn't be missed from society, criminals, rapists, old street bums on their last legs. Usually because he valued life above all else, he avoided killing for as long as possible, for as long as he could without killing himself.

When it was clear the red witch wasn't going to give him anymore orders either way he promptly finished off the woman with a disappointed sigh, twisting her head around until her neck snapped, quick and effective she didn't make another sound as he let her slump to the ground to rejoin the other lifeless corpses. He then thought of something he'd left behind, something that might make her happy to know. "Mistress...?" he asked with a sidelong glance in her direction as he dashed to her side in less time than it took to blink. "Do you think it would be alright... if i went and got something... i know you would like it, just as much...." he added carefully, wringing his hands together as though he were anxious to hear the verdict. When she didn't say yes or no, he took off hoping to be back before she got too upset with him. "I'll be right back... it's not far..." he muttered before he left, making sure to give her one last reproachful look before running off, he wasn't sure if she was happy with the job he'd done or not, she seemed almost speechless. Running as fast as he could Orion made it to the tiny crack in the old stone wall of the graveyard he used to call home, walking a few paces to the well he rummaged around the bottom, digging in the dirt until he found the object he was after, wrapped heavily in an old cloth and bound with a chewed up old leather strap. As soon as he'd located it and dug it up he ran back to the alleyway where his new mistress waited, the brief pause giving him plenty of time to think about what he'd done, he'd have nightmares for weeks, the peoples faces already floating past his face, the ghostly screams of the men, women and children already haunting him, joining the countless others he'd massacred in his lifetime. He made sure to wipe away his tears, to destroy the look of complete sorrow on his face, before he returned to her. At least he knew one thing, the red witch was a woman of pure cruelty.

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Phay stared at the countless amount of dead bodies that laid before her. Her voice was caught in her throat. She had watch him slaughter them all of them without remorse without even a second glance in her direction. Orion had killed children innocent children...for her. She couldn't move couldn't look away, she had barely registered him when he ask if he could go at the moment she didn't care, she didn't care if he left and never came back. How could she have let this happen...? As quickly as he had left he was back. She didn't say anything she didn't even look at him she just kept her head down as they walked back into the ally way. The scene of him killing still fresh in her mind it was playing over and over again as if it was caught in a loop. She could no longer deny it...Orion...the vampire she knew was gone...

Phay could hear his nervous footsteps behind her and for some odd reason it pissed her off. She whirled around swinging her hand, the sound of her fist connecting to his jaw echoed through out the ally way she watched him tumble to the ground, The Orion she knew would have never killed so many innocent people! He barely had time to get up before she was on top of him again. “You heartless monster!” She grabbed him by the collar lifting him up over her head his feet now off the ground. The dark energy of her power was surging to life twisting the shadows around them the near by street lights flickered before exploding due to the amount of energy in the air. She knew Orion could feel it, it was as if a heavy steel blanket has just been laid over you. Her eyes began to glow an eerie red a roar erupted from her throat as she threw Orion sending him flying to the other side of the street. Smirking as a portal underneath her feet opened and she fell through only to reappear underneath Orion who hadn't even made it to his crashing detestation leaping upward her foot connected with his face the force behind the kick sending him now vertical instead of horizontal but she wasn't done just yet as a black vine shot up curling underneath her feet before springing her back up where she quickly grabbed Orion's ankle as they flew up even farther her anger was now at boiling point as she flung him down with unnatural strength to the pavement below which caved under him from impacted.

She landed next to him slowly walking over looming over him thunder suddenly rumbled outward from the night sky along with bright flashes of lighting. Phay kicked his side sharply making sure that she crack at least one rib before she stopped. Phay backed off she was shaking with rage now not for this Orion but for the one who she had given her heart and soul too only to have him toss it away completely. She could never get that day out of her head the day he chose Suriel over her...He had seen her eyes that mirrored her shatter heart all to well but he had ignored it...ignored her and soon after that she had left heart broken but yet she had still loved him even to this very moment she loved him but her anger had it smothered out. She began to circle him her voice dripping with venom as she spoke.. “No ones coming to save your ass this time Orion! They must be sick of you sorry excuse of an existence maybe they're just sick and tired of helping you and getting nothing in RETURN!” She was screaming now. “You're all alone Orion...you have no one! No one in this god damn planet gives two shits about you!” She grabbed the collar of his shirt lifting him up till there faces where almost touching before bring her fist up the metal on her glove connected his lip cutting it. Next she slammed her knee into his chest repeatedly before shoving him back to the ground, she figured by now he should be bleeding internally but she couldn't tell since blood cover him.

She started down at him panting still on this anger trip but as she stared down at his miserable state something inside Phay suddenly snapped almost as if a light bulb had finally gone off in her head. She blinked before smiling, thoughts that she normally wouldn't even dream about came flooding into her mind...She knelt down lifting his head so that his eyes met hers she gently wiped the blood from a cut on his lip her eyes were wild looking as she giggled insanely.“Ooh I'm sorry Orion, did I hurt you?” Her voice no longer sounded like her own, it was a sickeningly sweet tone it was as if she was suddenly a different person all together. She petted his head as if he where a dog and that's when it hit her. She smiled even though he couldn't see it. “You wanna be a good boy don't you?” She cocked her head to the side letting her fingers run through his short hair. “You do wanna make me happy right? You don't want to go back in that closet again do you?” She wrapped her arms around his neck as she was now straggling him. “Tell me something Orion...can you think of anyone that is still alive that might love you? That might be looking for you?” Phay laughed throwing her head back before sighing heartily turning her attention back to Orion as she leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “The only thing is this world that can truly make me happy is to see you suffer that's all you where put on this earth for and that's all you'll ever know.” And with the cruelest of intent she meant every word. “Just be a good boy and you'll never go into back into that dark place again.” After that she had dragged him home, cleaned him and put him to bed soon after going to bed herself but when she woke she couldn't remember the events of last night at all only the heavy dread that she had done something terrible.

[Deleted]

Orion tossed and turned in his sleep, his restless nightmares continuing on an epic scale. The Zenocide affecting his brain unleashed his dreams on a grand scale, illuminating the room and part of the hallways beyond with the events of the previous night, killing so many people had had an exaggerated effect on him. He'd never killed so many nor been punished to such a degree for something so horrible in his entire lifetime, he was confused and frustrated. He'd done exactly what she'd asked him to, he'd killed all those innocents just because she'd ordered him to, he hadn't expected to be punished so severely for carrying out orders but he supposed she intended to drive him insane anyway. What good was a bodyguard who slept all day and couldn't enter sunlight? The walls of his bedroom shook with the intensity of his vivid nightmare, people screaming and dying in one swift movement, even the red witch's words rang throughout his mind. Her voice so full of venom and hatred, that it felt like every word was burning through his flesh.

“No ones coming to save your ass this time Orion! They must be sick of your sorry excuse for instincts... maybe they're just sick and tired of helping you and getting nothing in RETURN!”

"I'm sorry Mistress... I did as you asked me to..."

“You're all alone Orion...you have no one! No one on this god damn planet gives two shits about you!”

"Y-yes, Mistress..."

“Ooh I'm sorry Orion, did I hurt you?”

"N-no Mistress..."

“You wanna be a good boy don't you?”

"Yes, Mistress... of course I do... "

“You do wanna make me happy right? You don't want to go back in that closet again do you?”

"N-no, Mistress..."

“Tell me something Orion...can you think of anyone that is still alive that might love you? That might be looking for you?”

"No Mistress... no-one is coming for me..."

“The only thing in this world that can truly make me happy, is to see you suffer. That's all you where put on this earth for and that's all you'll ever know... Just be a good boy and you'll never go back into that dark place again.”

"... I'll try and be good Mistress..."

The words cut deeper than she would ever know, he couldn't even turn over in his sleep without whimpering in pain at the damage she'd caused. Several broken ribs, a shattered spleen and of course and even more broken heart. He knew no-one was coming for him, he'd forsaken Suriel to find Phay, he'd never chosen either out of jealousy or spite. Suriel would have died if he had stayed with Phay and as much as it killed him inside to do so, he wished he could have left Suriel a lot sooner. That in itself haunted him, he wished he knew where she was right now, it would make him happier to know he wasn't enduring this torture for nothing. He wished she might be coming for him but no-one knew where he was, not even Suriel. He didn't know how much the red witch knew of his life, she seemed to know alot more than he gave her credit for, though he did wonder how she'd managed to get so much information... had he been so delusional in his catatonic state that he'd let slip all this horrible regret? Eventually he had to wake up, the ghostly pale faces and all the murderous screams still echoing inside his head as he gathered his clothes and dressed himself, he could faintly hear the red witch stirring in the other room, perhaps she was already up he didn't really care, he was too dejected to speak to her or to even argue with her tonight. At least he had managed to get his journal, that in itself made last nights events almost tolerable, though hardly justifiable in anyone's mind... except maybe the red witch, she was as twisted as he'd imagined if not more so. She did seem to have a softer side though, maybe if he continued to do as she said, if he continued to try and make her happy she might show more of that softer side and eventually release him.