[Xyan]

A piercing scream sliced a deep gash in my skull before fading out as Akhet doubled over onto her knees. Her fingers dug into her own hair, clawing at her skull in pain as black tears began to spill from her void-black eyes. I wanted to heed her words, for I feared what was about to happen, but I found my legs glued to the floorboards as I stared in pure shock at my own friend silently screaming in agony.

Her breaths began to heave, her hands starting to tremble and her tail beginning to twitch this way and that. I could see what she felt, feel it, almost - the sensation was difficult to explain however I could somehow tell exactly the pain she went through. A knife through her skull, riddled with lies a forceful, psychotic voice that filled the space between, ordering her to leave, leave, leave-

He's trying to take control of her.

It snapped into place as I found the feeling in my legs again and grabbed Praxus's hand as I began to break for the stairs. A tightness and a sudden, painful jolt, however, jerked me to the ground and sent a jolt of pain and the sound of a sickening crack through my senses. I cried out at the shocking impact, my hands flying to the injured area of my skull. It'd heal, but god dammit that hurts like hell.

A voice, somehow both feminine and masculine, rang suddenly and sharply in my head. It started softly, then a slow crescendo overtook it and suddenly all I could focus on was that laugh, that laugh that had been driving me insane the past two weeks.

"Gradient..."

The word was almost a hiss on my tongue, soft but still audible. Involuntarily I was jerked to my feet, another wave of pain washing my body in discomfort and agony as it was done. I met the eyes of Akhet, the blank, dark eyes that I could tell did not belong to her. She smiled at me maliciously, a look I found unfamiliar on her usually sweet, distant face.

"Hello again, Xyan." The voice that rang in my head barely belonged to her, Akhet's familiar voice covered and masked by an ill-intended tone of another's. Gradient's.

My finger twitched as I tried to move my body, however I couldn't seem to find the ability. Every one of my limbs was buried in cold ice, ice I couldn't break free of from within. My mouth seemed to work just fine, however. "What do you want?!"

Akhet/Gradient laughed in my head, a twisted, strained cacophony of pain and glee all at once. I could tell Akhet struggled within - I heard her pleas from within my own mind, faint but somehow present.

The instant one of her eyes seemed to flicker, to my horror, an ink-black hand suddenly burst from her chest, twisted claws gripping what appeared to be a red sphere with slowed, paler flames that rose like steam from the glowing orb. Akhet coughed, suddenly regaining control of herself just as the hand was jerked from the new black hole over the usual black scar on her chest. The weak spirit collapsed to the ground, my own voice suddenly straining with her name as she shuddered and suddenly lay still. Already her form was fading, her eyes returning to black and the same inky tears pouring down her face.

I looked back up at the man I knew all too well had done the deed before my eyes, the pleading red eye on the soul he held looking at me with melting remorse as it disappeared into the palm of his hand. A gleeful laugh rose from Gradient's throat, nearly psychotic in nature and chilling to the core of my very being.

I was suddenly reminded of my lover's presence behind me, Praxus's green glow catching the corner of my eye. He, too, watched in frozen terror, not frozen out of force as I was but out of cold fear. I tried to call out to him, beg for him to run, but my lips were sealed with a flick of Gradient's wrist.

"What, you didn't miss me?" Gradient lashed his tail, his black grin of sadistic pleasure sinking deep into my mind. His feet began to move towards me, painstakingly slowly as he drew nearer. I could do nothing, nothing but watch that horrid face grow closer and closer until we stood inches apart. A chill ran through my blood, ice settling into my limbs.

"G-Get the hell away from me." My own words struck a sense of trauma through my mind, for I remembered begging that very phrase every night, within every nightmare that Gradient tormented me with death beyond death.

His dark chuckle struck a knife through even that. "Now, let's not be rude, Xyan. Wouldn't want your little friend over there to get hurt now, would we?"

I heard a strained cry rise from behind me, and Gradient forcefully turned me to see Praxus on his knees, clawing at the bright white string that had appeared from nowhere and now snaked around his neck. I had to bite my lip to keep from yelling in anguish - I knew it wouldn't kill him, thank god, but the pain and struggle to breathe still remained and it made me want to comfort him. But I couldn't.

"W-what do you want from us...?!" My begging tone couldn't be hidden if I tried. "Just please, leave us alone!"

Gradient only laughed again, amused by my pleas until he spoke. "Well, if you really want to know. I thought you would by now - I guess you're not great at picking up on the clues I keep sending you."

His tail wrapped around my leg, his force turning me a mere inch from his face. Again I found my gaze fixated on that odd scribble, the wild projection of his own mind plastered onto his face and drawing my attention to a point it was near impossible to look away.

"You... will be my puppet." His breath was cold on my ear as he whispered the words, his sense of pleasure driving icicles through my core. "And you will be my puppet alone."

"What... what do you mean?" A dreading fear began to take hold of me, creeping into my brain like a spider sneaking on an unsuspecting prey.

An intense pain shot through my abdomen, a thin line of fire in my stomach. I couldn't move, otherwise I would have doubled over on the spot. Instead I simply cried out, failing to bite back the agony that spread through my body. Gradient did nothing but stare at my pain.

Suddenly I collapsed to the floor, my bindings gone and my limbs free. But I couldn't move. Couldn't move as in every inch of me protested with burning pain at my every move and even worse when I remained still. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. That's all I knew at that moment. Everywhere. Everywhere. Knives stabbed me from all angles, poison flooding my veins and burning through my skin...

The world was starting to fade. I couldn't keep my eyes open. My vision was swimming. I heard someone yell - it sounded like Praxus, but I couldn't be sure. I met Gradient's eyes in my few fading moments of delirium, that white blade of an eye cutting through my soul and sending me into lonely darkness.

"This is what I mean."

-=+=-

[Praxus]

"XYAN!!"

As Xyan fell to the ground, Gradient released the string around my throat. I had barely gasped for air when I had called his name, my heart dropping into my stomach as he went limp. Immediately my mind was driven into panic. What did Gradient do? Is Xyan okay? Is he gone?!

The very thought of Xyan being completely gone was enough to crush my soul.

I barely registered Gradient walking forwards, stepping over Xyan casually and kneeling down to pick up something from the ground that had fallen from Xyan's pocket. I recognized it after he brought it up to observe it. It was the ring, the totem that was supposed to kill him on contact.

But it didn't. Gradient twirled it in his fingers, observing the small object with curiosity. He smiled, meeting my eyes.

"This thing? Really?" He laughed, amused at our mistake. "This is what you were going to get rid of me with? Ha! Hilarious."

He casually dropped the black ring to the ground, allowing it to roll to a stop before stepping on it with a strong force. It broke as if made of thin ice on contact with his shoe, further plunging my mind into hopelessness.

This is it.

This is it.

We're done.

Dead.

I don't even have a chance...

As tears began to well up in my eyes, movement caught my gaze. Xyan. A flood of relief hit me like a train, but slowly it washed away. His movements were more... automatic, not like he'd been in pain minutes before. His limbs randomly twitched as he brought himself to his feet, random shivers racking his body unnaturally.

Something was... terribly wrong.

Gradient simply smiled at him, his attention turned away from Praxus as Xyan came to. "Ah. Welcome back, Xyan."

Xyan brought one of his hands up to his face, as if rubbing his eyes, then slowly brought it down so he could see it. I saw it, too. It was black, ink black like Gradient's, claws protruding from the end of each finger. I noticed for the first time the blackness spreading from his severed parts, ink bleeding through bright blue parchment.

No.

It's... not possible.

It was not the eyes I knew that met me.

But the cold eyes of a husk.

The breath was knocked from my chest as I met Xyan's cold glare. No emotion shone through, a wild scribble dancing over his left eye. An icy blue slit replaced the warm calmness that once resided there.

"X-Xyan..." I choked out, a faint memory of heartbroken tears beginning to stream down my face. "Xyan, n-no..."

The man that was not Xyan tilted his head, his stare unrecognizing as he observed me. His hands were clenched into fists, as if he was fighting some urge inside of him. The urge to kill, consume.

Gradient flicked his tail in satisfaction. He didn't look at me when he said,

"I'd say your best chance currently is to run. While I'm still feeling generous."

Without a second thought I bolted to the door.

-=+=-

Spot the song reference :b

Also don't mind me speedrunning this so y'all SLACKERS (/j) can catch up to book two-

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