What if the person whom you loved the most is actually the one who caused you to lose everything even your life?
"Haaah...haaa...hmpp.." an incessant panting is the only thing that can be heard through the castle walls. The underworld castle's cold stone echoed with the frantic thud of small feet. A silhouette, barely more than a whisper of white against the darkness, fled, his tattered robes trailing blood and mud.
Under the blood moon's crimson gaze, the only witnesses to the chase were the trembling trees and the impassive moon, their silence heavy with unspoken dread. Soon enough a certain someone appeared from the scene. A massive figure with a mane of red followed the man in a tattered robe he called out "Kryx... I'm sorry, please come back to me" still chasing after the man.
He moved with an almost unnatural slowness, each step a hesitant negotiation with the ground, his body swaying slightly as if pulled by an unseen force. The two soon reached an altar fountain-like structure, and then Kryx spoke.
"Do-don't you dare take another step" a moment of silence followed with the casual whistle of the wind sound of rustling of leaves coming from the trees. The red haired man broke the silence "Kryx, my love, let's go back... let's not do this, hmm?, don't leave me please, you're all I have"
"Hahahaha… you expect me to stay with you after what you did to my sister? Answer me, Zagreus!" The accusation hung in the air, leaving Zagreus speechless. Zagreus didn't follow Kryx's orders and took another couple of steps, but before he could take another a white light appeared in Kryx's hands and a dagger materialized.
"If you truly loved me... you wouldn't do things that would hurt me ... you promised me you would protect me... you promised that no matter what you will protect me and my family... But what did you do!" Kryx shouted, sobbing continuously as he slowly pointed the dagger in his throat. Zagreus trying to coax Kryx into lowering down the weapon
tried to walk up to him slowly, "Last warning Zagreus, don't take another step, just let me go... please, I beg you, I already have enough".
Zagreus stood there, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum, each beat echoing his rising panic. He searched his eyes, his own filled with a mixture of fear and desperation. "Is this really your choice?" he murmured, his voice trembling as if the weight of the question might shatter him.
The air between them felt thick with unspoken words, each breath heavy with the possibility of loss. He swallowed hard, the lump in his throat constricting his words. "Do... do you really want to leave me?"
As he spoke, a wave of vulnerability washed over him, and he felt the ground beneath him shift. The thought of him walking away sent a chill through him, leaving him feeling exposed and raw. In that moment, the world around them faded, and all that mattered was the flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, he would choose to stay.
"Zagreus, look at me." He looked up. Kryx's face was wet with tears. The sight shattered the fragile composure he'd managed to maintain. He was about to break, the dam of his own emotions threatening to spill over.
"I'm leaving for good," Kryx stated, her voice firm despite the tremor in her hands. "Don't follow me, don't even think about me, don't…" Zagreus dropped to his knees, his hands clenching into fists. "Alright… I understand," he said, his voice raw. He opened his mouth to offer a lifeline, a promise of welcome, but the words died in his throat. He shook his head, the unspoken invitation dissolving into the silence.
Zagreus's form shimmered, dissolving into a dissipating red mist. Or so it seemed to Kryx; a flicker of doubt remained, a question mark hanging in the air where he'd stood.
A golden-white light enveloped Kryx as he braced for transformation, his ether form beckoning. But before the shift could complete, Zagreus materialized before him, his hand a blur as he snatched the dagger from Kryx's grasp. The instant the dagger left Kryx's hand, a blizzard of silver butterflies erupted, engulfing Zagreus in a shimmering cloud.
Kryx soon materialized another dagger, Kryx's hands trembled but his gaze held, the dagger shimmered with divine light "Sister, Roxanne I'll see you again" with a swift strike Kryx plunged the dagger into his own throat.
Zagreus quickly followed but it's too late "No... no, no no no no!", "this... this is not true, Kryx, Kryx answer me!". The world didn't react with thunder or lightning, it simply stopped. The winds fell still. The blood moon flickered, like a candle about to die. And for a heartbeat, all of the Underworld held its breath.
Then came the light. Not red. Not gold. But silver. Pure. Cold. Final.