Grey looked at Elowen and chuckled. He wondered what she would think if she knew that he was blaming her mother for all of this.
It was easy to overlook, but Grey was whatever the opposite of a bullshitter was, and he was even less patient. He liked to cut right to the chase, and because of that he only liked to look at things from what made the most sense.
Did it make sense that someone as powerful as the Empress somehow had the wool pulled over her eyes, allowing herself to be manipulated by two Duke families when she apparently had a monopoly on Paladins?
’What a load of fucking nonsense. As if.’
It was too bad that he was so fond of Elowen, because he had a feeling he was going to have to slide a blade between her mother’s rib cage very soon.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
"OPEN UP!"
Grey frowned, his gaze shifting over toward the door. Elowen, however, was so shocked she nearly jumped out of her shoes. She looked toward the door like a little deer that had a pair of headlights blinding her.
"The fuck..."
Nobody had bothered them despite the fact they had been in here for hours. In fact, now that Grey thought about it, that was kind of odd, especially since Elowen’s guards should have been here.
Even if they did it on purpose to try and lure Grey into some sort of trap, they’d have sprung that trap earlier, no? It had already been over a half day and by now Grey only had about a quarter day more to work with before his loop triggered.
’Did they sense the vampire aura I gave off? Now that I think about it, is Elowen that clueless? Or does she just not know a Dark Kin aura when she sees one?’
"You should probably get that." Grey said. "I have a feeling if I go they’re going to blow a hole through my head."
Elowen gave Grey a look, but went forward anyway. A slight smile tugged at the corners of her lips, though.
’Ah, I know that smile. She likes me. Still got it.’ Grey grinned, wiping some dust off his shoulders when she looked away.
Did his chat still see it? Sure. But fuck them. They were useless anyway.
All his notifications were just people trying to get him to accept their sponsorship deals, probably because they could see Zone 234 getting raw dogged right about now and thought he was screwed.
’I’m not about to sell my soul for one of your deals. Just sit tight and watch.’
BANG.
Grey froze.
He felt a wave of air shoot by him so fast his eyes couldn’t even track it. He was caught far too off guard.
The splatter of blood came next, the destruction so whole there was no distinguishing between the squelching of flesh and the shattering of bone.
His head slowly turned to the wall behind him. Crimson dripped down, a large part of it covering half of his body.
’... Elowen...?’
Grey didn’t even know how to react. One moment she was giving him a side-eye and going toward the door, and in the next she was abstract art on the wall.
"Ha..."
Grey had no idea why he laughed. Everything around him just felt so slow, so meaningless right now.
"So fucking fragile..."
Grey’s head slowly turned toward the door. Its edges were still smoking, what was left of the actual door itself embedded into a wall to the side. It looked like Elowen had tried to deflect it at the last moment, but was a step late nonetheless.
The culprit wasn’t even visible at the door, and even as the blood that coated him was absorbed through his very pores, Grey just felt like his mind was lost in a limbo.
What the fuck was wrong with this world?
A hand wider than the door frame grabbed the top of it. The frame broke and bent to make space for it.
Then the hand yanked up.
The roof was torn free and what was ultimately a decimated cityscape was opened up before Grey. It looked like a bomb had dropped right on top of them.
The one who had presumably been banging on the door was now meat paste on the ground. As for the giant hand, it casually threw the room to the side, taking the splatter that was left of Elowen with it.
Grey just stood there, his gaze slowly trailing upward until he saw it.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Grey faintly realized that the hand he had witnessed before wasn’t formed of bone and flesh, but pulsing clouds of lightning and booming thunder.
The high pitched whine that was left of his hearing faded into his consciousness. It was no wonder he hadn’t heard anything. None of Elowen’s last screams or warnings, nothing of the building around him being torn up, none of the man who pounded on the door and revealed them dying.
The room that Elowen had selected for him to craft in must have been well insulated—almost too well... because Grey hadn’t even realized when the figure he had seen in the recaps had appeared here.
Was it the same as the other Volthari? Grey had not a single clue.
But did it even matter?
It was here now.
Grey looked around the city, his eyes still vacant.
The city wasn’t actually destroyed, just this region. The palace still stood, but it showed no signs of movement. The church still stood, but it also showed no signs of movement. The Dukedoms, the Marquisettes, the Earldoms, they all still stood. Yet, an Imperial Princess had just died, but they did nothing.
Grey pressed a palm to his forehead, slicking his white hair back with what blood was still left on him. It marred his face and stained his hair, but his laughter seemed to paint an even darker image.
"I’m really fucking tired of this. I’m really... really... really fucking tired of this."
Every word he spoke came out heavier and darker.