"And they all lived happily ever after. The end."
Young Romeo lay tucked in his bed. The room was quiet except for the cold breeze coming from outside the little boy's bedroom. His mother, Andrea, closed the storybook she was reading to him and yawned.
"Mom?" Romeo called out quietly, and Andrea turned her attention to him. "Why's your hair so red?"
"That's a funny question, but you're not the first to ask me that," Andrea said, sighing and grinning lightly. "My hair's red because I ate too many tomatoes growing up." She ruffled Romeo's hair playfully. Romeo was six years old at the time, and he had lived with Andrea his whole life.
Andrea stood up from her chair and stretched a bit. She looked out the window and into the cold night. Her face fell just a bit, but then she recovered a light smile once more. Romeo noticed the brief change but paid little mind to it.
"I wanted to give you a present today," Andrea said. Romeo's eyes lit up, and he jumped up in his bed.
"Really! Where is it?" he asked, and his eagerness made Andrea laugh a bit.
"Well, I was planning on giving you my old jacket, but I'll leave it be for now," Andrea said. She leaned forward, gave Romeo a light kiss on his forehead, and ruffled his hair again. "I'll make you a promise that I'll never break."
"A promise? I wanted something cool like a pet," Romeo sulked in disappointment, but Andrea pinched his cheek.
"I'll get you a pet one day, but for now, you're going to have to manage with this," she said. "If you ever get scared, just imagine me there with you, and I'll make the monsters go away. Even if I disappear, I'll still be watching over you. Pinkie promise." Andrea lifted up her little finger.
"I still want a pet," Romeo mumbled but reluctantly lifted his pinkie finger as well. They formed their pact, and shortly after, it began to snow. Andrea stood up and started walking toward the door when Romeo requested, "Mom, I'm thirsty."
"Sit tight, and I'll get you a glass of water in a minute," Andrea said and waved casually as she walked out.
Romeo sat in bed and looked outside the window where it was snowing. Snow always seemed to have piqued his interest. He stood up from bed and padded toward the window to get a closer look, and his eyes lit up at the sheer beauty of the snow. Minutes passed by, but his awe didn't fade away until he suddenly remembered his mother wasn't back. Romeo turned to his bedroom door, which was still open, and a feeling of panic surfaced.
"Mom...?" he called out hesitantly and left his room. He searched the kitchen, but she wasn't there. He moved to the small living room, her bedroom, the basement, and even the attic, but she was clearly not in the house. Romeo called out over and over again, but he was met with the same eerie silence. His little mind began to panic, but the more reasonable and calm side of him took over, and he tried to come up with a reason why she wasn't around. Maybe she went out to buy something, but that wouldn't make sense because all stores would be closed due to the snow, and she would have told him if she was going out. Just to be safe, Romeo decided to search the house again, and that's when he saw a thin sheet of paper hidden underneath a vase on the dining table. Instinctively, he picked it up and read the words written on the note.
The note read:
---
If you're reading this, then I couldn't tell you goodbye the way I wanted to.
I'm sorry.
You probably have a hundred questions. I wish I could answer every one of them, but I can't. Just know that if I disappeared, it wasn't because I stopped loving you. If anything... it's because I loved you too much.
Please don't come looking for me.
I know you won't listen. You've always been stubborn. You'd scrape your knees climbing trees just because I told you not to. But this is the one time I need you to listen.
Live.
Live out the life you want. Live out the life you dream of. You'll meet people. People who will make you laugh, people who will make you cry, people who will make you feel happy just like you made me.
And if you ever feel alone, look up at the night sky.
I don't know where I'll be...
But I'll be looking at the same stars.
No matter what happens, I want you to know...
I love you, Romeo. I'll never stop loving you.
Forever and always,
Andrea
---
Romeo looked at the note in disbelief, and before he realized it, he was crying. The boy wiped furiously at his tears and ran right back to his room. There was no way in hell he was going to let her leave, and he had already made up his mind. He was going to find her no matter what!
Romeo packed up all the important things he could find: a flashlight, snacks, a fresh change of clothes, and everything else his eyes landed on. He put on a large furry coat and wore Andrea's old winter boots. Once he was ready, he swung his backpack on his back and left the small house he used to call home.
To Romeo, this was like a little adventure. He imagined the look on his mom's face when he would find her. He imagined her warm embrace, which seemed like a contrast to the cold snow. Romeo kept walking through the snow as he searched everywhere he could think of. He searched through alleys, bars, stores, and even under bridges, but it seemed like she had just disappeared out of thin air.
As Romeo kept walking, he noticed his steps getting heavier and heavier. The snow was getting worse, and the temperature was dropping. Romeo's little adventure soon turned into a little nightmare as he got stranded with no possible way back home. Romeo stopped walking and began to cry. He was just six years old, and his fragile body had already had enough. The tears froze on his cheeks, and his skin was slowly turning blue. The boy took a few more steps forward before inevitably passing out.
Romeo slowly woke up after what seemed like hours. His body was wrapped in a warm blanket, and there was a fireplace right next to him. Romeo stared at the fire and inched closer to it for the pure warmth it brought.
"Careful there. It might burn you," a voice warned from behind him. Romeo turned around and was startled when he saw a young girl sitting on a wooden chair. She was about fourteen years old and had dazzling purple eyes and hair. Romeo stared at her with suspicion, but she giggled at his expression.
"You don't talk much, do you?" she asked sarcastically, and Romeo shook his head. She stood up and walked toward Romeo. He squeezed his eyes shut as he braced for whatever she was going to do, but when he opened his eyes again, he saw a cup of hot tea and some sandwiches beside him. He looked at them with suspicion but then started eating—hesitant at first, but then like a starved animal.
"You're cute," the girl complimented and sat on the floor beside him with her legs crossed as she studied him. "What's your name?" she asked, and Romeo looked up at her.
"Romeo..." he finally answered, and the girl grinned, two sharp fangs on display.
"Well then, Romeo, it's nice to meet you. My name's Zany."
---
The fight between Diego and Zany finally seemed like it was about to go into full throttle. Zany was transformed, and no one could take their eyes off the scene. Wisps of violet mist curled around her feet before climbing higher, wrapping around her body like living silk. Her long hair drifted upward as though submerged beneath invisible water. The ground beneath her cracked as more and more of her purple aura exploded. Zany floated several feet above the ground. She seemed weightless, as if gravity itself had forgotten she existed. The destructive aura she gave off reminded Diego of one person, and that was none other than Frost. She was on Frost's level, and that was as clear as day—but that was bad news.
Diego looked up at her. He was trying to find something—maybe a weakness he could exploit or any flaw she had—but there didn't seem to be anything of that sort. Diego kept looking for an advantage, but then Zany lifted her right arm and chanted some words. Diego's guard instantly went up, but from beneath him, a long purple spike made of crystals shot up and almost impaled Diego. He dodged just in time. Just when he thought he was safe, five more emerged from the ground. Diego froze, and time seemed to slow down. He wasn't fast enough to dodge them, and he knew damn well he could die if they landed. His eyes moved from each one to the next, but then they looked up to where Zany was floating, and BWAM!!! Zany appeared in front of him and slammed her heel right onto Diego's jaw before the spikes could hit him.
Diego crashed into a tree and gasped in pain. What the hell kind of strength was that?! Zany was stronger than he expected, and he couldn't afford to take another direct hit. He needed a plan, but no ideas were forming in his mind.
"You're stronger than you look," Diego pointed out. Zany huffed as though the compliment was an insult instead. She lifted up her arm again, and Diego got ready for another spike attack, but this time, the ground opened up and out crawled a mannequin. It looked old and worn out from countless battles, but it still looked more than alive. In its arms was a bloodied chainsaw, which it revved.
"This is one of my favorite toys, Diego. Have fun with him," Zany winked, and as soon as she did, it started running at Diego. Its movements were sloppy at first, but then, out of nowhere, it gained an insane boost in speed and closed the distance between itself and Diego.
Diego activated his 'Hell Breaker' and lunged right at the mannequin, which swung its chainsaw with deadly intent. But at the last moment, Diego dodged it and swung a fist at the mannequin, and as soon as the hit landed, it broke into pieces like it was a toy. Diego was confused for a moment, but he shook it off and got his eyes back on Zany.
"Oh my," Zany giggled childishly, like it was all a game. She lifted up her hand once more, and from the ground emerged two more mannequins. "Try not to break these two," Zany warned and watched as the chaos unfolded.
Diego growled and got back to fighting. He could manage the mannequins for as long as he needed to, but his main priority was finding a weakness in Zany's abilities he could exploit. The mannequins kept getting faster and harder to fend off, which made dealing with them harder and harder. One of them swung its chainsaw with incredible precision, and it almost hit Diego, but out of nowhere, VRRRRRRKKK!!! A chainsaw tore forward, and its teeth ripped right through Diego's chest, its blades screaming as they moved deeper and deeper until they were visible from the other side of his body. Diego gasped and yelled in pain, and the whole crowd gasped and flinched at the horrific sight. Unknown to Diego, a third mannequin had formed and managed to sneak its way around the fight until it was close enough to deliver this devastating blow.
"Damn it!" Diego growled and bit back another fresh wave of utter agony. With his bare hands, he grabbed the blades of the still-spinning chainsaw. The blades tore through his palms, but he ignored the pain and gripped harder until the blades stopped spinning. With a cry, he broke the chainsaw off and tossed it away before sprinting away from the mannequins, which gave chase instantly. With a wound like this, Diego knew he had to end the match quickly, or else it would end him. Diego kept running and dashing through the dense forest until he finally lost the mannequins and was out of Zany's sight, and that finally gave him some time to plan his next move—which could also be his last. He looked down at his injury and noticed his dark aura was covering it to stop the blood loss, and that was going to buy him time. Diego knew there wasn't any way to beat her, but then an idea popped into his head...
Zany pouted as she noticed Diego was nowhere to be found. Her eyes wandered about the dense forest beneath her, but there was no sign of movement. She huffed in frustration, but then a small pebble hit her on the head. The pebble surprised her, and she turned in its direction, but then her pupils blew wide as she saw a white flash of speed heading her way. On instinct, she teleported away, and when she looked back, the white flash was gone. She looked down and noticed her fingers were trembling, but out of nowhere, the white flash came again, and Zany was barely able to shift out of the way this time. But this time, she caught a glimpse of it, and a gasp left her lips. Diego. It was Diego, but... he was moving faster than her? Diego was in his 'Halo Mode' form, and his hair—which was usually white in this form—was stained with blood. He was using his wings to propel himself and attack Zany, but on both occasions, she managed to escape. Diego landed on a large boulder and studied her. Zany's breath was uneven, and her body was shaking in what he could only recognize as fear. That look alone made Diego smirk, even with his injuries.
"It's just as I thought," Diego said and suddenly moved so fast he disappeared into the vegetation again. "You're not invincible."
Zany searched the ground desperately for any sign of Diego, but he was nowhere to be found, and his voice echoed out with each word he said.
"Sh-shut up!" Zany yelled weakly, and as she did, Diego blitzed upward toward her. She was ready for him this time, and she opened up her palm, ready to counter him. Diego noticed, and when he was within reach, he took her open palm, and in that moment, time seemed to still for Zany. Diego looked at her with cold red eyes, and his grip on her palm got tighter. A blush found its way up her cheek, and Diego smirked for a split second. KRAAASHHHH!!! Diego dragged Zany and slammed her right into the hard earth with frightening force. Zany gasped loudly and gasped for air as she found it hard to breathe.
"You're not in the sky anymore, and I'm not letting go of you until I get what I want," Diego grinned. His white wings spread out while the sun cast a perfect shadow of him over her, and to Zany, he looked like the perfect angel, which made her blush even more.
"W-what you want?" she stuttered. The crowd cheered, and some even wolf-whistled at the scene. "And what exactly do you w-want?" she asked. Diego was about to answer when he heard the familiar sounds of revving chainsaws behind him. He turned, and a mannequin stood right behind him with its chainsaw raised high and ready to strike.
Diego used one wing to hit it on the feet, which made it stagger and miss, and in a split second, he swung a fist backward and smashed the mannequin into pieces. Diego turned his attention back to Zany, but then a surge of pain wracked his body and made him flinch involuntarily. Zany noticed it. Other than the chainsaw wound, something else was pushing Diego to his limit, and that became clear the moment his 'Halo Mode' suddenly deactivated. The surprise on Diego's face gave it away to Zany—Diego still wasn't used to it, and she took his moment of weakness to her advantage. She lifted up her free hand, and a purple crystal shard shot up and pierced right through Diego's arm, and the pain forced him to let go of her. Zany wasted no time in teleporting back into the sky where it was safe. Diego got back to his feet, but then the wall of dark aura that had been closing the wound faded away, and Diego fell to a knee and coughed up blood with clear pain. He was getting close to his limit, and he knew it.
"...Give me control..."
A familiar voice made Diego lift up his head, but he wasn't in the arena anymore. The sun shined, and white roses were growing everywhere. He was in a garden, and he had been here once before. Standing before him was none other than the demon living inside of him...
Blood.
END OF CHAPTER 11