(A/N) And now the second part! Actual interaction in this lmao

Word Count: 3697

THIRD PERSON POV

She couldn't see his face, but she knew. He was smiling.

It was the smile of a monster.

"Don't they look perfect?" He said, savoring the despair, the heartbreak, the anguish that painted his darlings face. "Eyes glazed, mouths hanging open, bodies rotting, blood smearing-"

"Stop! Stop stop stop please just stop!"

A loud gasp sounded throughout the room as (Y/N) awoke from her seemingly haunting nightmare.

What even was that?

Her fingers rose to her cheeks, gently touching the drying liquid with the pads of her thumbs.

Was... Was she crying? She turned her head around to get a good look at the room.

The bedroom was a blinding white, save for the window that showed the black of the contrasting night sky. Every square inch of the walls, floor, and ceiling were padded to the brim with stuffing. The only pieces of furniture were a blanketed bed and nightstand, which oddly sat on the other side of the room.

She lied on top of the heavy mattress, which was beginning to grow slick from her sweat and seemingly damp tear stains.

Her mind was racing from the very second she woke up. The faint silhouette of four bodies, blood pooling from their multiplied shadows. Either it was a bad dream, or something else.

No no, it couldn't be something so silly as a nightmare. Since when were nightmares so realistic?

"Go get help! We'll stay and protect-" Her memories cut off then. The person's voice sounded stressed.

Protect.

Protect.

Protect.

Who said that? Who were they trying to protect? Her mind strained itself, trying to unlock the memory hidden in the depths of her brain.

The lock came off without much restraint.

"See you all later!"

Red hair, orange eyes, a smile as bright as the sun.

Akari...

Her body quickly assumed the fetus position, knees buckling as her arms held tightly onto them. Now she remembered. And honestly?

She wished she didn't.

"I like that look you have on your face."

"W-what?"

"Didn't you hear me? It really is just the cutest thing." A sickeningly sweet voice said, practically dripping with venomous honey. The silhouette of a cowled person suddenly came out of the shadows, two skinny legs reaching the ground without a sound. (Y/N) lifted her head up to get a better look at the small boy.

The cloak he wore was long, almost reaching down to his knees, which were covered in black leggings and many torn up bandages. Two large silver buttons held the piece of fabric together, concealing his torso and neck.

Despite the noir hood that covered his head, (Y/N) was still able to get a good look at his face.

Bright blue eyes, similar to that of a lightning bolt the moment right before it strikes the ground. His hair was the same hue, all but a lighter stade. Chunks of hair stuck out in spikes, only barely visible from the mask of the hood.

"Ah, I guess I should introduce myself. You can call me Cerebrum." Cerebrum gave a slight bow in a mocking gesture. (Y/N) almost felt violated under his stern gaze, which almost seemed to sneer right through her soul. As if searching through her thoughts, picking out her worst nightmares.

(Y/N) slowly yet steadily began to rise from her cradling, hands gripping the edges of the mattress in a careful manner.

"I-I don't understand," The girl spoke up, her voice shakier than she wanted it to be, "who even are you? And why are you doing this? W-why would you do what you- you-" The questions continued to flow out like a tide to the shore. She knew she was babbling, her train of thought coming out disjointed and confused as her thoughts scattered into muddled distraction, but she was too distressed to stop.

An invisible wind blew the cowl around Cerebrum's face off, leaving the sinister shadows around his face to fade away. He walked towards the confused girl, who's words began to quiet down.

It was as if everything (Y/N) said to him went through one ear and out the other- he wasn't listening to anything she was saying.

But he was.

Cerebrum swallowed, mounting frustration burning in his throat. He may have been the world's most powerful daemoria, but that didn't mean he had long patience. Skinny yet strong thighs straddled (Y/N)'s waist, his hands swiftly digging into her shoulders in a painful grip. Fingers pressed deeply into (S/C) flesh, a familiar liquid warmth soon bathing his nails.

"Listen my darling," He said, grabbing the collar of (Y/N)'s clothes, he brought his face dangerously close to hers, his eyes sharp and his tone dangerous, "if you continue to test my patience with these silly questions, I won't hesitate to force you to kill your friends yourself, over, and over, and over. You wouldn't want that to happen now, right?"

(Y/N) gulped then. She was easier to break than he thought, Cerebrum noted as he took in how her face had blanched.

She meekly nodded her head. But it wasn't enough.

"Say it." Cerebrum demanded, his grip on her clothing growing with increasing pressure. Her legs feel weak, but she forced herself to respond.

"I won't ask any more questions, I swear! Please, I'm so sorry, don't kill me please..." (Y/N) mumbled the last part, praying her begging wouldn't reach his ears.

The blue eyed boy let go of his grip. While her tone could use some work, he would accept it for now.

Cerebrum rearranged his position so he was standing before her once again, only this time he was leaning down onto her cowering frame.

"Now tell me, have you ever been in love?" He asked out of the blue, his demented smile softened into something (Y/N) would have described as beautiful under more normal and agreeable circumstances, "I've been questioning myself about it lately. Before I saw you, I didn't think I could ever feel such an emotion."

(Y/N) blinked. Once, then twice. Her lips parted as she attempted to release a noise, only to find her vocal chords incapable of doing so. Any sorry attempts she had previously made to control her breathing slipped away, her chest once again heaving for air. This couldn't be right, this had to be a joke, right? None of this made sense.

"I never thought something like this could happen, you know? A daemonia like me, falling for a human." He hissed out the last word like a curse before clicking his tongue. "I swear I'd be called a joke if any other daemonia found out."

"D-daemonia?"

"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about." Cerebrum gave (Y/N)'s crown a few light pats. "No no, all I need you to do is go through those repeats a few more times. That should be enough, right?"

"Enough to what?"

The blue haired boy didn't respond, leaving the worrying question to float around in the air. Any semblance of a confident facade (Y/N) had before melted at the chilling silence.

He was silent and it was maddening. Did he simply not hear? Did he just not want to answer? Either way, the tension made (Y/N) squirm.

"I thought you just promised me you wouldn't ask any more questions, darling."

With his index finger, he brushed away the stray locks of her hair that stuck to her paling face.

"Wait I-I... I didn't mea-"

His hand slowly slithered around her (S/C) neck. She felt all of the blood draining from her face; the growing pain being the only thing she could concentrate on.

She writhed like a trapped mouse, soon letting her struggles die away as she realized she had no hope of winning the failing fight.

Her captor smiled; his leer only widening at the sight of his darlings precious misery. A small, resonant chuckle erupted from his chest.

Black spots began to appear in her vision, taunting her to succumb to her sorrowful fate. All ability to feel slipped away from her fingertips, spit now collecting in her mouth.

"Aww, do you really think I'd be so kind as to let you die now?~"

Cerebrum's grip on (Y/N)'s neck loosened, just enough to keep her awake and alive. His eyes immediately afterwards narrowed.

"As much as I love you, I'm not willing to kill you. Just know I won't be so gentle on your punishments next time."

(Y/N) whimpered, already being the tiniest bit grateful.

"And you better pray there isn't a next time."

Cerebrum glared at her and let out a small huff before releasing her. (Y/N)'s knees buckled as her hands instinctively reached her neck, rubbing circles on the skin so that pain would numb and the bruise wouldn't form horrendously. She practically gulped bouts of fresh air, taking in as much oxygen despite the figure hovering over her.

Tears in her eyes began to sting, forcing her to squint up at the blue haired boy. He shot a look of disappointment, a frown tugged at the edge of his lips. It brought him a mixture of joy and woe to pull at his heartstrings, to see her down on the ground, kneeling before him. It felt nice, seeing her in this power struggle.

"I suppose I'll be nice enough to answer some of your questions, now that you're starting to learn your place." Cerebrum immediately moved on before she had a chance to even speak.

"What had happened before? That was another reality. The person who is in this room has their subconscious come to realization and time repeats itself over and over. So in other words..." He took a step towards (Y/N), watching her lean back as her face scrunched into a look of confusion.

"For as long as I control it, you'll be stuck watching your friends die until the end of time."

(Y/N) didn't dare question him.

Cerebrum muttered something under his breath, before saying, "Spit it out already."

"..."

"You clearly want to say something, so I'll be nice and let you say it. Now."

"Why?"

Despite seemingly knowing what she was going to say, the blue haired boy lifted a brow to her question.

"Why do you even care about someone like me? How would you have even found out about me?"

'Well isn't this just precious.' Cerebrum thought as he smiled with malicious glee. Oh how much fun this would be to answer.

"Oh, don't you know?"

"I've been watching you this whole time." Cerebrum responded in earnest, the affectionate declaration contrasting his relaxed visage.

(Y/N) eye's widened, her expression morphing into that of pain and terror.

The blue haired boy chuckled, as if he were looking down at a dog trying to walk on their hind legs. She straightened her back, in a sorrowful attempt to appear less meek. Her face flushed as his eyes softened at her movement, as if he found it cute. How demeaning.

"Before you try and ask anything else, let me give you a little bit of... well, insight." Were the last words Cerebrum gave before revealing what seemed to be a tarot card in the palm of his hand. The designs around the edges of the paper began to swirl and glow, an eerie yet dark light encasing the two figures as (Y/N)'s consciousness began to fade. Her eyelids drooped down, her body feeling weaker and weaker with each passing second she was consumed by the powers of the tarot card.

Two girls walked side by side, their arms linked in unison as they talked and laughed in pure innocence. They both stopped by a window display, gazing at it in awe before looking at the red price tag.

A smirk rose to one of their faces. "We should get it."

"Are you sure? We don't have enough money, at least I don't think."

"We'll just split it! Half and half."

A hooded figure sat above in a tree, black shadows trailing them as the stranger gave a smile that gleamed in the sunlight. Two blue eyes pierced the (H/C) haired girl walking down the streets.

Now he was originally here for a specific girl, but seeing her friend added to the mix may have began to change his mind. He'd never seen her before; it irked him so.

From her (E/C) eyes to her (H/C), everything about her just seemed to be perfection. And he hated how much her beauty affected him.

For the next few hours, the two followed their undetermined path as they lead from one adventure to the next, unaware of their current stalker that watched them with glee. They spoke to each other with casualness but care, revealing stories and thoughts at every turn.

"Hey, do you think we can go out and try that new takoyaki stand nearby? I've heard a lot of good things about it!"

He felt an odd twisting in his heart.

What was this... This feeling? Love? Lust?

A bitter feeling rose to his mouth and he grimaced at the thought. It made him sick, and yet...

She was so warm, so full of life. As much as he knew it was wrong, he wanted more. He wanted everything she could offer.

Simply stalking her from a distance wouldn't be enough. Nothing was ever enough for him, anyways.

"No problem (Y/N). I ca-" They were interrupted by the sound of a nearby bell ringing, signaling it was almost late in the evening.

"Aw man..." The redhead muttered, looking down at her orange and white watch to confirm the time. "Guess I got to go, huh?"

She gave a small nod and smile. "We'll spend some other time together then?"

"Of course! I'm kind of busy with school and such, so maybe in a month? I can even get the entire gang to hang out too, if that's ok with you."

"Sounds good to me! I'll see you then, Akari!" With a friendly hug and wave, the two of them set off to their separate ways.

"(Y/N) huh..." He repeats. So that was her name. It sounded so lovely on his lips.

The girl in question gave a soft smile to the disappearing figure of her friend, before turning around and making her own way back home.

Cerebrum smirked to himself.

Really, how adorable she was. How interesting...

How fun it would be to break her.

The tarot card immediately began to burn, leaving only a pile of ash at her knees. All of her senses returned back in an instant, leaving (Y/N) speechless as Cerebrum cruelly chuckled at her expression.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you never noticed me sooner. You are a human though, so I should've expected it."

(H/C) locks hung down low, unable to muster the courage to look him in the eye. Cerebrum hummed, seemingly pleased with her actions. His eyes focus on each of her features, as if hoping to confirm something.

"You do realize," he asked, his voice mockingly gentle, "they all died because of you, no?"

"They... That's not..." (Y/N) was at a loss for words.

"Take a good look at reality. If Akari and the others hadn't met you, they wouldn't have ended up like that."

"So why don't you just give up?" Cerebrum hooked his finger around (Y/N)'s chin, lifting her face up so he could better drink in the hopelessness that was setting in her face. (E/C) stared back to blue; they were calming, relaxing even, but there was a hint of sadism hidden behind. "Just accept their fates, as well as yours. We both know you couldn't last much more of this."

The near painful grip he had on her made her feel like crying all over again, partially due to the pressure and partly because his words didn't seem that far removed from the truth.

(Y/N) knew she already beaten, but still... If she'd lowered herself, if she'd reached this point, it meant he had already won. She just wanted him to tell her that it was already over, because she was too frightened, too much of a coward to read the writing on the wall.

But did she truly even know what she wanted?

"I will!" (Y/N) held back a curse, already feeling the stinging sensation of the rest of her tears being forcibly held back. "Someone from Sefiro Fiore has to know about this, they'll come and save me, I know they will!"

She regretted saying those words the moment they left her mouth.

They will... Right?

They both knew she was lying.

A sigh escaped Cerebrum, his brows just slightly furrowing. Without warning, his grip on her chin tightened painfully as his lips smashed against (Y/N)'s. His other hand snaked to the back of her head, pushing it closer to his - that immense strength preventing the girl from wrenching away as his tongue probed her mouth. (Y/N)'s hands shakily pushed against his chest, but her pathetic attempts were futile.

Harsh grunts responded to any resistance she showed, an unmistakable warning to submit. The muscle deepened in its invasion of her mouth, rumbles of satisfaction emanating from his throat.

It felt like an eternity before Cerebrum pulled away, a string of saliva connecting their lips. His features softened ever so slightly, those blue eyes returning to their signature look as his mouth curled up into a grin.

Cerebrum chuckled, his infamous edged smile never once leaving his lips. He pushed himself off the bed and onto the ground.

"We'll just see about that, won't we?"

─────────────────────

Five girls sat outside together, the afternoon sun beginning to lower as the sky blended into multiple hues of pink, yellow, and orange. They talked and laughed while they hung out, albeit all except for one.

(Y/N) had lost track of how many times she had to repeat this neverending torture. Day after day, watching her friends get killed over and over

The repeats had twisted her mind inside and out, pulling her thoughts apart like cotton wool, teasing the strands of consciousness from one another until each fragment of sentience began to drift away, as though blown by a breeze.

What was this, the eighth time? Fifteenth? (Y/N) had lost track.

"Are you sure you don't-" Ginka was interrupted before she could finish her sentence.

"No. I don't need any." Any and all emotion was stripped away from her voice. (Y/N) looked down at herself afterwards, Her body seemed so pale and weak compared to just a few repeats ago...

"Um..." Luna and Seira gave her a confused look, while Akari and Ginka simply glanced at each other worriedly.

"(Y/N), do you just wanna leave a little early? We can hang out some other time if you're worried about that." The redhead asked.

As if there would be another time.

"Sure." (Y/N) had already began to hastily push her chair back and stand up, leaving the others to follow her lead.

And with that, the five set off.

"Hey everyone?" Akari had lowered her voice to a whisper, her hands cupping her mouth. "I think I'm gonna walk home with (Y/N), so I can talk to her and see what's going on."

The girl in question gave a small glare towards the group, before slowly turning around and beginning to walk back to her home.

Akari waved one final goodbye to her friends as she then ran towards (Y/N).

Glazed (E/C) eyes stared straight forward, her body walking in front of Akari almost like a doll with strings.

"Are you sure you're ok? I know we don't see each other much because of my school and such, but the (Y/N) I know and care about doesn't act like this."

(Y/N) remained silent to her friends pleas.

"If anything happened, don't be afraid to tell me. I hate seeing you sad, it makes-"

Not a single living soul cried out in horror from the gruesome scene, crimson droplets quickly taking their place to stain the ground, as well as (Y/N)'s skin.

All that happened afterwards was nothing but a blur. Seemingly hours passed by, as Seira, Luna, and Ginka all rushed towards the corpse. They gasped, before dropping down to their knees as they tried to protect the body.

"(Y/N)! Go get help! We'll stay back here and protect Akari!"

(Y/N) didn't move from her spot, only her eyes lingering on her friends body.

"What are you doing?! Stop standing there and-"

Seira's sentence was cut off with the immediate removal of her head. Blood dripped from the headless neck as her body slumped to the floor. The rest of the girls soon followed in their own way, their bodies bending and contorting in unnatural ways. (Y/N) didn't even flinch as loud snaps reverberated across the late afternoon sky.

Two thin arms wrapped their way around her torso, blue fuzzy hair tickling her left cheek. "You've finally given in, huh?"

(Y/N) was only able to offer up a short mumble, her mind disconnected from reality at the touch of him. At her confirmation, Cerebrum's eyes lit up with delight.

By this point, he had leaned even deeper into her body. He was so close, his breath tickled the shell of her ear. Her voice was full of dark promise, "Given up? Ready to become mine?"

No reply.

A sadistic grin dominated Cerebrum's face as he looked her up and down.

There was a faraway look in her eyes, one that Cerebrum could never personally experience. After experiencing what had happened to her after all, it couldn't be helped. Survivor's guilt, despair, hopelessness, they all blended together to create such an exquisite expression on her face.

And he fucking loved it.

"That's my darling~"