The Confrontation

@Buffy <3

It had really been a whole month. He wasnt sure how he had made time pass, but somehow he had managed not to loose track of it. There were marks all over the room, somehow it had reached the ceiling too at this point. "I need to confess something," he admitted, running a hand through the long black curls that mostly had given into the weight and stretched out a slight bit. He had forgotten how long his hair had become at this point. "It shouldnt have been possible for the Aelius girl to have forced me to open the portal to the Abyssus. Even as a summoner, something like that cant just be done... Unless the summoner wills it," he explained, looking at his sister. He had mostly returned to normal at this point and regained his strength, but his eyes were different. The black had gone, given him his regular eyes but the swirls of fire were still there, only faded. His marks were moving too, like the restlessness was all over his body. "I had to want to open up the Abyssus to the world. And a part of me has always longed for it," he said, getting up as he walked over to his sister. He crouched down and looked at the black mass that had attached to her. It may have been the blood of Bael that was stopping it from infecting her, but not draining her. "Unseal the door, Alyssa," he commanded, looking at the door before he looked at his sister.

Alyssa felt weaker by the second, but she refused to give in. She had held out this long, so what was stopping her from holding him back for eternity? His confessions were getting more and more erratic. What was he going to say next? Speaking about the controversial topic that was the fact that the sky was blue? Chuckling at his command it made her cough, feeling how the this blob of darkness was trying to latch on to her harder. "We've been at this a lot of times ... I'm not letting you out, not until you rid yourself of your delusions!" she bit back, struggling as she sat up. She had to use her energy wisely, because despite not dying, she was really drained. She was only lucky that she had been so strong when she had sealed the room. "Try and tell me about your daughter again ... What would she say to all of this?" trying to get his memories going, maybe reach some sort of empathy that was still left in him.
That door wouldn't be opened unless Buffy were found safe and alive. Or else it was truly this for the rest of eternity.

He thought her answer might change, but alas it didnt. He made a small sigh and went back to the big mark he had placed on the ground. It was still something no summoner had ever made. But the daemonic glyphs inside of it gave it away pretty well. It was a gateway. "Do you think the barrier in this room could withstand the power of the Abyssus itself?" he asked like it was something he had pondered for quite a while. Sure no one could know the real answer but he felt so tempted to find out. Running his finger along the dried blood he looked at Alyssa. "You dont think I'm doing this for her sake too? For you? For myself?" he then asked, frowning a little. He hadnt talked about Buffy or Saoirse in all the time he had been here, mostly ignoring questions if she asked him about them. "Tell me Alyssa, where do we end up when we die?" he asked but it was obvious. He chanted a few words to himself, almost feeling the heat from the artifact glow inside of him.

Gritting her teeth, she felt annoyed. "We go to the Abyssus ... But your daughter is only part daemon, and she has celestial in her, which means she might get to choose her own afterlife," she reminded him, or had he forgotten? He seemed so deranged, and yet there seemed to be nothing that would break through to him. "What about Buffy? Messing with this means she might not be able to reincarnate when her time comes," she pointed out, never speaking about the fenix in past tense. No, that would mean she had admitted defeat, and she still believed that the cambion would find her.
"What about her family? About your daughter's family who might now risk everything because of your selfish acts?" Of course Alyssa wasn't thrilled about the thought of her afterlife, but in her eyes she just had to use that as motivation to stay alive. There was a delicate balance in this world, and tipping the scales could throw off a whole system. "Belial, destroy these drawings, they are not something we should ever use," she said, grunting slightly from pain as the blob dug at her insides.
"What would make you forget about this stupid task and leave this room as yourself?"

"You're missing the point here," he said, looking at her with a calm expression. He looked at the mark in his hand, the mark that had been the cause of many's sorrow and hurt. And now he had done the worst that he could have done with his power. "But I dont think you'd understand if I explain it to you either way. You're so adamant on this belief that I'm being controlled. That I dont want this to happen," he said, shaking his head before he chuckled a little to himself. "I've always known the capabilities of the artifact. The true power within it," he explained.
He ignored her telling him to remove the marks as well as all the other things she said. Because wasnt she just trying to play on his sympathy, hoping that somehow he'd snap out of it? There was no way. He had been patient up to this point but he was reaching his limits. The only reason he hadnt tried the mark yet was because he didnt know what would happen to Alyssa if she got sucked down into the Abyssus if it did open. "I'm done waiting," he said, calling the black mass to him, before ingesting what had been leeching off her power. "The artifact is strong because it once was a devout follower of Bael.... maybe even a lover, I'd imagine. Which is why this barrier wont hold," he said, tearing his mark open before he placed it in the middle of the mark, letting his blood flow as he started chanting. Unlike other marks that he made, this one didnt glow or seemingly react, but his blood did, flowing out to all sides like snakes, forming along the mark's lines as if it was manifesting. “Remove the seal and leave. You can save everyone in this building if you’d like, or live with having lead them on to believe this barrier could protect them,” he said in an indifferent tone, closing his eyes as he kept chanting.

"If you knew why didn't you say so?" Alyssa spoke back, because the Baal she had known had just been frustrated and wanting to figure it out. Had he cracked the code when he was in the Abyssus? Or had it come before then?
The mass released her, and for the first time in a month she felt like she could breathe. However it didn't give her back her strength, so all she could really do was sit there and look at her brother, if she could even call him that. He started making demands and threats again, and she sighed shaking her head a little. "The building has been abandoned, the whole area is cleared - But what if Buffy was sitting outside this door right now? Would you kill her to accomplish this stupid plan of yours?" she asked. It was all about getting in his head, because he clearly wouldn't listen to reason. "What if I told you that I knew she was alive? That you could have her back if you only stopped this chaos?" Okay, that was a longshot, but she was kinda running out of options. For all she knew, Buffy was dead and had passed on to another lifetime - one that might be cut even shorter because of Baal's actions right now.
"I really thought that we were going to be a family, that despite being on my own for all these years I could now have some people that I could rely on, to call my people," she said in a saddened tone. Amos was so happy to be around Saoirse and Buffy, and even though he only tolerated Baal, it was better than hatred. "Fine ... I'll open the barrier ... But if I parish, I want you to know that your family will be estranged from you; My son would never let you see your daughter again and Buffy? Do you think she could actually love someone who murdered their own blood?" And with that she unsealed the room, falling unconscious.

Alyssa was left in the room, but luckily she was still alive. Although for how long was unsure, as she felt she was holding on for dear life to not pass over to the other side.

Buffy and Vanessa arrived at the building shortly after Baal's escape, seeing the blood spread like snakes from the entrance, and it made the fenix' heart sink. No. No this wasn't right, this wasn't what their life should be. Feeling her tears press on, she decided to go in to the warehouse regardless, finding Alyssa on the floor. For a second she looked around at all the marks in the room, wondering what was going on.
Looking to the cambion it was as if they agreed on their next move, carrying the empusa outside and a down the streets until the markings were fading. "Alyssa ... Please wake up," she pleaded, moving some of the outgrown bleached locks away from her face. She looked so small, nothing like the great Alyssa she had known. Gritting her teeth she looked down, because what could she do now? Was Baal really that far gone? "I need to find him," she said in a more determined voice, but she was also broken inside. "Will you please stay with Alyssa and keep her safe until she wakes up?" she asked. It was a lot to ask, and usually Buffy wouldn't split up, but she had a feeling that she had to face Baal alone. The others he might sense coming, but she would be a surprise.
If Vanessa agreed, she would take off, following the strange darkness that seemed to loom everywhere and swallow people up. People were hurting all around her, and she cried as she kept running. It was too late to save them, she just knew, and she only prayed that they would have a merciful afterlife.

Going back to the place where the summoner had been held gave Vanessa the creeps. She still didnt understand what was going on fully, but she was starting to piece it all together. This was what the media had been talking about and someone she knew was a part of it all. She did not feel like she could just let Buffy be alone in it. Arriving at the building, she had her hands in her pockets, holding onto a knife she had in her pocket. Never knew what was looming around the corner and if it was dangerous. Heading to the room, seeing Baal not being there gave Vanessa a bad feeling in her gut. She helped the fenix carry out the empusa, holding her in her arms rather than leaving her on the cold ground. Looking up as Buffy spoke about finding him, Vanessa looked conflicted. "I'll take her back to my house. I think she needs souls to recover," she said, but then she looked at Buffy. "I wish I could tear myself in two, so you wouldnt have to be alone," she just said. Sighing she let the fenix walk off alone, but she did hand her her phone. That way she could at least through Gareth figure out where the fenix would be and come if it was needed.

Finding the cult was pretty easy, but all the markers were also so easy to understand if you knew how to read the daemonic lettering. Arriving at their entrance a couple of hooded guards saw him, it had to be the dark energy that loomed around him that made them open the doors without a word. It seemed that he had entered at the right time, as they were all gathered for a ceremony of sorts. Some guy praising the pillar in the cemetery, talking about how the world was going to change. Baal could roll his eyes but simply remained in the background. It wasnt until he was noticed by the preacher who widened his eyes at the sight, everyone's eyes following too as they looked at the summoner. Word seemed to have spread pretty fast.

Buffy thanked Vanessa, taking her phone and putting it in her pocket. She was definitely going to be using it if she ran in to troubles. The city seemed almost abandoned, a few people hiding inside shops and most windows had been closed up. She must've looked crazy to be out here running around like a maniac, but it seemed that the lengths she was willing to go to for love were far. She started noticing small symbols. At first she thought nothing of them, maybe because they seemed to be advertisements for something. But then she stopped at one. Realizing it was actually a location written out, she frowned. The letters weren't recognizable to her, and yet she understood what she saw. It was as if it was just translated in her head.
It was settled then, this was her best lead so far and she took out Vanessa's phone, putting in the address. Luckily it wasn't far away, and as she ran she checked on the map multiple times, just to not get lost. However she didn't seem to get far as she felt someone grab her suddenly. "Let me go!" she yelled out in anger, but the perpetrators quickly covered her mouth with cloth that seemed to make her unconscious. "She'll do; Feisty and strong makes a good soul," a man proclaimed as the others hauled Buffy away.

Being among the cultists was a different feeling than what he was used to. For a month he had had to listen to his sister's pleas, her constantly reminding him what was at stake. Here they were all silent, looking to him like they were expecting him to have all the answers. He didnt even have to say anything, they all just seemed to accept him and whatever plan that he didnt even have to disclose. For once, he didnt mind the silence, actually he preferred not talking to any of them at all. He was led to a room that had been decorated to resemble the insides of the temples. He recognized it so easily and he felt his hand clench in response to the resemblance. "We've sent people out to collect souls for you, blood of Bael," one of the priests of this place said. He didnt reply but just went to look at a mural on the wall. The priest had to be a former priest of the temple, otherwise it wouldnt be so distinctively similar. "Should be arriving soon. We didnt know what you preferred, so we've brought them here alive," he explained before he left the summoner in the room.

As the unwilling participants were led in to the room, they were all covered in daemonic letterings, and a bag was over each of their heads. On the bags were stated their race, and nothing more. Buffy was pushed down to kneel, her mouth gagged under the bag and she was shaking. She didn't have time for this, she needed to find Baal.
Her clothes had been torn in the transportation, and she was shivering from how cold it seemed in the room. Tears were falling down her cheeks, sniffling as she was scared beyond imagining. She could hear as the other daemons left, but one was still in the room. Or at least it felt like it. Her shirt had been torn pretty badly, and despite the daemonic lettering, it was clear that she had her fenix mark on her left shoulder blade. Whimpering softly as she shivered, she kept getting flashbacks to when she had been captured by that wretched family and tortured for fun.

The captives were brought in and Baal was still just looking at the mural as they all seemed to be lined up and ready for consumption. Some of them did bear the corruption, but with the artifact inside of him, the corruption was just another energy source as it was unholy as the Abyssus itself. He turned his head as the daemons left, sighing deeply to himself. Walking over, he decided to read their bags one after one. A seraph, clergy, human, human, fenix, hu-.... He stopped himself with a frown and backtracked to the fenix. Her clothes were all torn and he could see the mark on her shoulder. A mark he believed he knew all too well. Only it couldnt be possible. He crouched down to her level on a knee, reaching over as he moved her shirt to look at the mark. His frown grew deeper and he touched the mark, seeing if it was really a mark or just some dirt or something else that had gotten on her. Looking at the bag on her head, fenix written so clearly in daemonic lettering. It just couldnt be possible.

She could feel her heart in her throat, shivering as she heard the stranger walk in a line. So there was other people in the room, she knew for sure now. But they were all silent - were they in the same situation as her? The stranger passed her and then stopped, making her heart flutter with fear. She felt a hand against her shoulder, trying to push it away as if it would help anything, but this person was clearly stronger than her. She whimpered softly, closing her eyes shut and hoping that he would lose interest in her, because she didn't want to find out what would happen once the bag was removed, having a hunch it wasn't just a friendly smile.
All she wanted was to find Baal, help him understand that she was really alive, but it seemed like she had failed. He would never know that he hadn't been the one to consume her, but rather a complete stranger instead. A few more tears ran down her cheeks, her hands shaking and still not healed from having tried to dig herself out of the coffin yesterday. Had she really been granted another chance only to be wasted on this?

She fought his touch and he didnt really blame her. After all, he was possibly a stranger to her and vice versa. But he had to be sure, for whatever reason was unknown to him. He couldnt believe it either way, so it was pointless. But even so, the mark had maybe saved the fenix from the demise that the daemons had caught her for. Without saying anything he rose to his feet, grabbing the others one by one as he plucked them away and sorted into the ones he was going to consume and then the one that he wasnt going to consume. The resemblance was too much for him. Calling out in daemonic tongue, a couple of cultists came into the room. Without hesitation, he ordered them to take the fenix out and make sure she was left unharmed. Turning to the others as the cultists grabbed the fenix, getting her to her feet before they started dragging her towards the exit. One of them removed the hood off her head before they got to the door, so she would be able to see him.

The seconds felt like hours, but the stranger finally moved away. Her heart was still going crazy, her breath feeling strained with the gag in her mouth. Then he heard shuffling, the stranger called out, and it sounded so strange to her, and yet so familiar. Could it be? She was hoisted up, her feet dangling before being put down and dragged away. She was kicking and yanking at her captors, trying to scream, but the mouth gag muffled it to a crying whimper. Then her hood was removed, and her eyes had a hard time adjusting to the light before she saw him.
His marks were different, his eyes looked strange, but it was him. She started wriggling more, screaming through the mouth gag, trying to get his attention. If he could only look at her! Just one glance, and he'd know! "Be still, fenix, the blood of Bael has spared you, be grateful," one of the men holding her said, but she wouldn't budge. Eventually she had twisted her head enough to let the fabric around her mouth fall down. "Belial!" she cried out, but her captor grabbed a tighter hold of her, "Imma teach this bitch a lesson," the daemon muttered, grabbing the back of her hair, making her scream out in pain.

Waiting for the daemons to get the fenix out, hearing how she fought their grip was also quite strange to him. But then again, he didnt assume she could understand him, so for all she knew, she was about to meet her demise. Maybe the surprise of freedom would calm her down. He waited for them to leave just as his name was called out in a voice he recognized in a heartbeat. Staring at one of the hooded captives, he blinked a few times before he lifted a hand to his face. "Dont haunt me now," he mumbled almost begged, but then she screamed.
He turned and suddenly was there with the daemons and her like the passing wind. Grabbing the daemon who held her hair his grip was so fueled, intensified by the artifact, squeezing so hard that the nerves had to give in and let go of her hair before he could order him to do so. Not that he had had any intentions to when he had ordered them to let her leave unharmed. He just threw him into the room and grabbed the fenix with his free arm, pulling her close while he warned the other with a gaze to back off or meet the same fate as the other cultist.
He took her into the room, holding her in his arms while he watched the door as he closed it. Letting go of her, he looked at her with hurting eyes of disbelief, but then he turned away and went to the daemon that had grabbed her hair. Sitting down by his side as he grabbed onto the collar of his robes, he looked at him with eyes of disgust. He wanted to say something, anything, but instead the black liquid started dripping from his nose and soon the black blop that had infested Alyssa left the summoner once again to attach to it's prey. Only this time, it wasted no time sucking into him, surely something that was far more painful than being killed as it just feasted on anything it could touch like a liquefied leech. Getting back up he dried the black nosebleed away and stared at the daemon under him.

He refused to turn around? Her heart broke in to pieces, her eyes watering as she just so desperately wanted to reach him. The daemon's warning didn't sound good, and the hold he took of her hair was more painful than anything up to this point. She was still shaking, but then it was as if the pressure was let go and she felt arms around her, pressing her close and she for a second wanted to fight it before she opened her eyes, looking up at the daemon she loved so dearly. Only she feared that he was too far gone, and that this was just the ghost of a man she once knew.
She had no choice but to follow him, practically getting pulled with him until they were in a room by themselves. The daemon that had grabbed her was on the floor in no seconds, and she heard him scream as the fluid black mass started consuming him. "Please ... Please stop; He's hurting," she said, begging for the poor man's life. This wasn't the Baal she remembered. He wasn't cruel like this, he wouldn't hurt people out of spite. "Let him go," she finally said, a bit more assertive.

He stood there and watched him as the black mass did what it did best, his expression blank. It wasnt like he was enjoying this, but orders were orders and he was the one in control right now. Buffy's plea to spare the man seemingly put Baal back in place, blinking a few times before he walked away. "Just cover your ears, it'll be over soon," he said in a stoic tone as if it was meant to be comforting, walking over to the captives. He actually preferred not really looking at her. It was just too painful. "How are you still alive?" he asked, but he really wasnt sure if it was her or just his imagination trying to make him believe it was her.

What would be over soon? She was shaking again, for the first time fearing what Baal was capable of. Of course she had been warned by her family, she had been shunned by most for even being with him, but his kind heart had always drawn her in. The way he would look at her and touch her. And here she was, in the presence of the love of her life, and she felt like he treated her like a stranger. Refusing to look at her, marching around these poor captives as if it was a game to him.
"You pushed my soul out and everything was a little blurry until I woke up in a coffin yesterday," she said, knowing it wasn't a good explanation, but it was all she had. Her eyes were wet, feeling like she wanted to hold him close, maybe shake some sense in to him. "Belial, let these people go ... They are innocent and you don't do stuff like this," she said taking a few steps closer, her hands reaching out. Her fingers were torn and her nails cracked from having clawed at the coffin lid.
"Would you please just look at me?" she pleaded with him. She couldn't bare the fact that he was almost ignoring her, as if she meant nothing all of a sudden.

She was here and it was very hard to believe even if what she said made sense. And then it also didnt because what reason had made it so she wasnt consumed by him when he had eaten her soul? Was it the artifact's doing? But why? His mind was pondering all while he looked at the captives in front of him. Buffy spoke again and it was like his eyes went more numb as she reminded him of what he didnt do. He could feel his jaw tense with anger, because it was how he had used to be. And they could only see where that had gotten them so far. She pleaded and he looked at her, but his eyes were defeated.
"What more?" he asked, reaching out to grab her hands. "Among all the things I dont do, what is it?" he asked a bit more frustrated but he wasnt raising his voice, he couldnt meet her again after the belief that he had lost her and then again raise his voice like he did before they were attacked. But what was it that he didnt do? Hurt their daughter? Open the portals to the Abyssus? Kill innocents?
He looked at her fingers, inspecting how torn they were, he guessed it was from scratching against the coffin's lid. He looked into her eyes, shifting between the green, looking at the flame behind them. "Are you scared of me?" he asked a little bit vulnerable, but he wouldnt blame her if she was. Then he remembered they werent alone, turning his eyes to the captives that were still crying, some looking around in confusion. "They know who I am now. They cant leave," he said, looking at her. If they left, it was not to say what they would tell the news, tell people at the temples? His eyes hardened as he looked at them and he let go of her wrist.

He reached out, touching her hands, but she wasn't sure if she wanted him to. What comfort did it give her to know that he was taking lives left and right? And even then she could hear her inner thoughts argue with herself.
Had he always been this way? No. She couldn't sway now. "You are not cruel, you are not Simeon, you don't hurt innocents with the intent of hurting them," she said, looking in to his eyes though she barely recognised him. Was he really so far gone that he couldn't see her reasoning?
The way he looked at her however gave her a little hope. There was still that softness in his eyes that she had seen so many times. "I'm not scared of you, Bella, but I think you are scared of yourself, " she said in a more tender tone. He couldn't scare her, not completely, because she still loved him dearly. She couldn't ignore the fact that he was still the Baal inside somewhere, the father of their child, the one to hold her close when the night got lonely. He then started to argue about the captives now knowing. She shook her head.
"They'll see how you spared them, and even if they don't understand, you won't have these lives on your conscious as well," she said softly. Couldn't he see that this was the wrong path to take? Was it really absolutism that he wanted to show the world? She turned his head with her hand on his cheek, making him look at the captives. "They might be strangers to you, but one of these could be Saoirse, one of them could be my aunt and another one could be Alyssa and Amos," she said, feeling her breath shake a little. "Show them mercy like you showed me," she pleaded.

He should have expected her to be like Alyssa, the reasoning, the way she spoke to his empathy like he hadnt been forced to pack it away for the time being. It just couldnt be helped and turning back now, was simply not an option for him. As she pointed out that she thought he was scared of himself, he frowned a little. “No. I am not scared. I am free, and this time, no one is going to take that away from me. I wont even let them try,” he then said, looking at her with saddened eyes. She was right about him being cruel, that would never change, but he couldnt stray from the path now, couldnt she see he was forced to keep walking it for a little while longer?
He listened to her and looked at the captives as she listed them as someone he loved in his life. And for a second his eyes softened but then went back to the unchanged coldness he seemed to feel towards them. “I showed you mercy because you were you. The love of my life, the one I cant be without,” he then said, and if it wasnt clear that her pleas had gone on deaf ears, then his next words would probably make her realize. “If it sways your judgement about me then so be it, but this is how things have to be now,” he said as he moved over to the captives. Grabbing them one by one, he told Buffy to look away as he took of their hood and soon after stole their soul.
And if she was going to hate him for his decision, he had least haboured the hope that she would come back around at some point. As the last captive fell dead to the ground, he just stood there for a moment, staring at the mural. “When I was just a child, I lived whole my life at the temples. Living my life like a slave, be woken up in the morning by a shock from having cold water thrown over me, getting punished if what I did wasnt seemed good enough by a priest..” he explained. He had mentioned his past was pretty bad but he had never gone into full details. “When I went to sleep, it would only be for a couple of hours, resting so little that my hands that already bled from having to scrub the stone floors never fully closed,” he said, looking down at his hands that were covered in his marks now. “I’m not asking you to understand now. I dont expect you to. But what we have done so far has only brought us pain and suffering because we never understood what it was that weighed us down everytime,” he explained, walking over to the mural, touching it only to clench his hand on it and sigh. “Search my soul. Our bond. Tell me that you feel that I’m different,” he said before he turned to her, walking over to face her. “What is the other way I can go from here? Tell me if there’s a scenario where stopping now means I can keep my life?” He asked, which he knew was a sudden question.
“You dont think that’s what they’re all considering behind our backs? Would you not if I hadnt been your soulmate? A summoner with the ability to remove the threat of death that has been used to keep control over the daemons? I’ve seen it in their faces even when I was weak and docile. Leona, Connor, even Alyssa. If I dont keep going forward with this, you lose me and that is the reality of our situation,” he said with a deep sigh leaving his lips. “You being here and not gone is only attached to the sentiment that I cant stop now. Tell me if you truly believe that I can walk away from this, undo further damage and still get to keep my life in the end?” Unlike how his voice before had seemed so determined by his own words, he was now begging her. Because he would leave it all behind and stop if she could assure him that there was sense in doing it. But she had to have seen it as well. All the seraphim, even Leona looked at him with a different look after learning of his capabilities. And now that people were dying from the infections of the Abyssus? He felt chained to the path he had chosen.

Was she going crazy? Was he going crazy? She felt like he was spewing words that sounded like that of a fanatic, and she was afraid of losing what they had. But was it already gone? He said that he loved her, but did he? She had to look away, she couldn't handle watching how the poor people's souls were lost and never to reach an afterlife. She started sobbing softly, crying for them, crying for the ones in the city who were in pain right now because of what Baal had unleashed. But most of all she cried for herself, because she still loved him. If he was a monster, than what was she? Some deranged follower or a fanatic herself?
He returned to her, and her eyes looked over to the now lifeless bodies, whimpering softly as she quickly looked away. All of them had a life, all of them a future and a family. And now that was snuffed out of them, laying there as empty shells that had nothing but the resemblance of what life had used to be. Baal went on to explain his life at the temples, and she could hardly imagine what it had been like. She imagined a young version of him, she could almost see his fingers bleed as he described it. He told her to search his soul, but she didn't have to to know it was true, only it seemed like she had tried not to see that part of him. "I can't give you a solution," she whispered.
As he slung out all the words about people judging him, how she would lose him if he stopped now. "I thought we were partners ... That we shared with each other what we had on our minds, no matter how crazy or extreme it might sound; But you must see from my view that all of this is coming out of nowhere," she said, reaching out, taking his hands in hers, giving them a soft squeeze. "But I don't think it helps that you are taking innocent lives to fuel your strength - Those people had a life, they had a soulmate; Just like you have me," she felt like she was too hung up on the poor captives, but it was too late to save them now. "Why didn't you tell me anything? Why didn't you let me in so that you could make me understand?" the questions were perhaps layered, but it was basically boiling down to the fact that she feared he didn't trust her anymore. Had she really driven him that far apart from her? "We used to say that together we were stronger, that when we put our minds to something we could find a solution to any problem we might face," she said, her voice having calmed down after crying, but still sounding hoarse and a little raspy. Closing her eyes she took a few deep breaths before opening her eyes once more to look at the daemon she loved. "I won't ever let them hurt you, alright, no matter what," she promised him.