ARK

Danae had a satisfied feral grin on her face as she watched the shocked look Artemis was having, his eyes opened wide from the shock and inexplicable pain.“Why?” Was all he managed to mutter before he dropped to the ground, lifeless as his blood stained the snow red.

She began to cackle maniacally, grabbing her head while spinning around, almost like she’s dancing before she fell to the ground, still laughing. She tuned out her brother’s cursing and shouting, telling Artemis to wake up, in favour of her own cackling. Danae never knew that revenge felt this good. Yes, that filth deserved this. He really did… And she was happy that she did it!

She felt hands on her shoulders, shaking her and in reflex, she swished the blade around, cutting herself along with Adonis in the process. A little scuffle took place which resulted in Danae looking at her brother in shock while he too was shocked.

… Adonis’ ring finger was cut off.

“Adonis… brother…” She whispered as her hand reached out to touch him and her eyes widened more when he recoiled.

“You’re no sibling of mine,” his voice was full off venom as he stood up, trying to not let the pain show on his face. What was wrong with her? This is not the Danae he knows… this is not the Danae that he loves!!

When he heard the melodious tinkling which was her laughter, he began hating what he used to love. However, he realized at the same time that perhaps he drove her to this… this insanity. Yes, he probably did with all his protecting stint. And he still will.

That was what he decided when he saw the townsfolk grabbing and rough-handling his twin in attempt to subdue her, Artemis momentarily forgotten.“Release her at once!!” He growled out as he fought the villagers, realizing sometime later that they had pinned him to the ground when he felt the coldness seeping through his clothes. He failed… he failed!

And her twisted laugh is going to forever haunt his mind as he watched them take her away, resisting in futile against the people securing him down.

---

A few weeks had passed, it’s still snowing and Artemis had long been buried. His parents has yet to return from their trip and Adonis sat alone in the dark, filled with despair. He had heard it from the great vine that his sister was to be executed later tonight. They said she had gone mad and is a threat to all if they kept her alive any longer.

He looked at his missing ring finger, recalling getting used to missing an appendage. He wondered about what could have drove her to this and realized that it was not only his over protectiveness. It was also because of her own depression. Her refusal to open to anyone so, she deserves right?

But, it was his own fault as well. He wished he could turn back time so that he could approach her earlier and ask her whether she was alright since he was aware of her depression after Yori’s mysterious disappearance.

… but he wondered when did that depression turned to madness.

Standing up and putting on a coat, Adonis decided to see Danae before her execution. Plus, he needed answers to all the questions that he has unanswered from her, despite her madness.

---

The track to the town prison was slow and torturous… torturous to his emotion. Once he had arrived, he was turned away but one of the guards felt pity at his predicament. Best friend, gone… Twin, captured… And all of this happened while his parents were away.

He was led to Danae’s cell before they left him alone with her. That is if he could find her. The lights from the torch didn’t quite reached her cell and he suspected that his twin was hidden in the shadows. He could hear her breathing resonating through the rather empty prison cells save for her own.

“Danae…”

He was greeted with silence but Adonis waited patiently. He always did whenever Danae is concerned. But it seems like his presence was not welcomed and he was about to leave, when he heard the sounds of rattling from the shadows.

“… what?”

Adonis’ breath was caught in his throat at the sound of her voice. Aah, how he had missed it. He gathered himself before he took a step closer to the bars, grabbing hold of one while the other slipped through it and offered his twin an extended arm, his palms open and welcoming.
“Danae, please step out of the shadows. I missed you and I want to see you.”

“Why? I killed your lover, didn’t I? I even severed your finger. Plus, I’m mad… Aren’t you afraid that I would snap your other fingers off or something? Besides, I‘m not your sister anymore!” Despite the bitterness in her voice, he heard her chains rattled again, indicating that she was indeed coming closer to him yet not coming out of the darkness just yet.

“… there’s nothing that I could do about that, there’s nothing you could do about that. Besides, I know you won’t. That was just an accident… And I want you to forgive me for that… I didn’t mean it. It was just a spur of the moment thing.” Adonis said boldly, his hand still extended. He nearly jumped when he felt something soft yet cold touching where his ring finger used to be.

“I’m really sorry about the finger,” she muttered as more of her was revealed as she stepped out of the darkness.

Adonis’ felt his spirit waver before it cracked. From her unchanged voice, he thought she was fine… healthy. But what greeted him now was nothing but bones and skin, her golden hair now dull and live less while her eyes had lost their usual shine. She was dressed in nothing but the thin nightgown that she wore that night, evident from the bloodstains and she was pale… paler than he was!
He suspected that they had neglected to feed her, hoping that she would die of starvation. Instead, she survived it after what, weeks of starvation?
Perhaps this was the reason why the called her mad… the reason they are going to execute her.

“How could they?!” He growled through clenched teeth as his grip on the bar tightened to the point where his knuckles were turning white.

“Adonis, I’m fine…” She whispered as her bony and cold hands wrapped around his warm one. He pulled her closer to the bars, finally releasing the bar and hugging her though it, a hand running through her now lifeless head.

“Danae, I just want to know why. Why my calm, angelic and beautiful sister did something soo horrible that the angels spat on it while the devils rejoice? That was not you that I saw that night and I’m sure of it,” Adonis said earnestly as he cupped her head when she lowered it. But she was not meeting his gaze and he was quite frustrated by that fact.

There was a long silence between them but Danae still refused to look at him in the eyes. “… he did it,” she whispered, Adonis nearly missing what she had just said, too lost in his memory of his healthier and jovial twin instead of this forlorn and malnourished girl.

“He killed him!!” Danae’s hold body shook and Adonis released his hold on her, fearing that she would suddenly lash out at him. “Who?” He had mustered up all of his courage to ask her but… but he knew what her answer is. And he didn’t want to believe that.

“Artemis! Your beloved Artemis killed Yori!! He killed Yori!!!!” Danae fell on her knees, tears streaming from her lifeless eyes. While she was crying down there, Adonis stood baffled looking down at her. He had expected it but hearing it come from Danae, the broken Danae made it much more easier to swallow yet harder to admit it to her that she may be right.

“Danae, calm down,” he said as he kneeled down to her level and tried to coax her to look at him. “He couldn’t have done it, he was with me and he did help us search when Yori was gone, didn’t him?” He continued but Danae only shook her head, increasing her speed slightly with every word that came out of his mouth.

“You’re wrong… You’re wrong!!!! He did kill him! He killed Yori because Yori admitted that he’s falling for you!” She continued before she grabbed his clothes and pulled him closer to her, slamming him hard against the bars despite her current condition. Her eyes were wide and staring straight into his and truthfully, it was starting to freak him out a little.
“He killed Yori out of envy… envy and revenge towards me because you favor me more than you did with him. So, I killed him out of both envy and revenge, just like him,” she released his clothes before she laid on her back, beginning to laugh the same twisted laugh that he had heard that night.

However, it was unbearable this time because of the echos. “You want proof, my brother?!” He could still hear her as he tried to run away from her. That is definitely not her. That is definitely not the Danae that he knew and loved. That was… that was a mad demon!

“You should check his trun-” Her voice was cut off when he slammed the metal door shut. However, he could still hear her laughter echoing in his ears. The guards gave him and sympathetic look. He heard one telling the other that he should have never been let in. And Adonis couldn’t help but to agree with him.

He rubbed his chest on the way back, knowing that it would bruise in the morning. He was now convinced that she deserved the punishment but how was he to break it to their parents later..?
Well, the other villagers could.

---

Once he was home, he did pondered a little on what she had said. He eyed the trunk and was about to open it but decided not to. She could have been lying just to save herself. Just to make herself look innocent at the eleventh hour. So, he decided to take a bath instead. A long and warm bath.

He heard the clock signaling the time and looked out the window. He could see the town square from his bedroom and saw the wood that was piled around a single erect yet big pole. So, they’ve decided to burn her, huh?
“Burn, huh?” Adonis muttered, suddenly feeling lifeless when he had said it. Burning means slow death and more torture to his twin who was now being led and tied to the pole.… perhaps he should check the trunk, just so that her soul could rest in peace once she died.

He turned his back against the window and made his way to the trunk, flipping it open. And the first thing he was greeted with was red. With shaky hands, Adonis took hold of the shirt, noting the smell of blood when he put it close to his nose. Under those clothes was a hatchet along with a slightly stained diary.
Adonis flipped the diary open, disregarding the earlier lewd entries until he reached the last page. The last page written in red, in contrast to others in black.

And when he read the first sentence, his eyes widened and he quickly ran out of the house in hopes to stop the villagers. Using this, he could prove that she didn’t kill out of madness, right? Right?!
He increased his speed and once he reached the town square, sped through the crowds, using the book to knock some of them off balance as he tried to reach his sister.

---

Danae’s eyes were closed as she felt the heat of the flame engulf her.
It was comforting… if it wasn’t going to kill her. At the ruckus coming from the crowds and unmistakably, the sound of Adonis yelling out for her to open her eyes, her eyelids fluttered open.

“Adonis…” She whispered and she knew that he could hear her despite the noise. He listens to whatever she says. As evident from the book that he was holding now. Her face broke out into a smile, a very sweet and sincere smile the seems lit up her whole face.
“I know you would check… and I knew that I was right,” she said before lowering her head slightly, tears streaming from her eyes as she looked back up and straight at him.

“I love you, Adonis…” She said and the flames engulfed, having licked the alcohol that had been poured onto her body.

“Danae… DANAEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

---

The book dropped with a thud and the pages fluttered open before it passed the red inked entry and stopped at the last page of that entry. A single sentence was forever imprinted on it.

I, Artermis Delune, finally killed Yori.

A/N: This is a work of pure fiction and has no relation to anyone and if it does, I apologize. Anyways, been a long while since I last wrote something and I'm still trying to work on my scene transition. That along with how to format my story. Oh and truthfully, this story is incomplete. This is kinda like the post-climax. I'm still trying to work on the "happy times" before this happens...
Like what I wrote in the summary, this story if based on a song by Sound Horizon titled Ark. Feel free to youtube it because it's awesome!! Oh and don't forget to review!!