Aria of the Soul [Animositas]

[Aerith]

Do you remember me?
--------
[August 15]

Minutes, hours, days, weeks were measures of time that had melted into oblivion. The smell of earth and water and foliage, the sound of wind and rivers and wildlife, the strange half-light that framed everything in the residue of the sun created a tranquil haven for those weary of the more densely-populated worlds. There was very litle human traffic here. All the better.

There was a man stretched out in a shady patch of grass. From his back, he could see the sun peeking through the clouds and branches. His fedora rested nearby, within easy reach if the mood struck him to move. So far, that mood was far away.

For all he knew, he had been here for years. Whatever was happening outside his piece of paradise did not matter. Now that he had found some semblance of contentment, he cared little for the affairs of others. He could hardly remember the last time he had seen Jericho or Nadia. And his armored friend had left him here at his own request. His only company now were the souls of the dead he could see. And...

"Ethan."

The phantasmic form of his lover materialized against the trunk of the tree and bent down to peer at him. A playful smile crossed her features.

Ethan smiled back and instinctively reached a hand up to brush her cheek. When his touch passed through her, he remembered and frowned. "I am sorry, my dear."

Sophia floated down to rest in the grass next to his hat. Her expression shifted to match the disappointment in his own. "Why have you not killed in so long? Do you not miss the feeling of having power over someone else? Or the sight and scent of blood?"

Turning his head toward her, he kept his face neutral. "You do not want to remain here? No one will disturb us. We can be together forever."

"I want you to kill them, Ethan. Once that is finished, then we can truly be together. Why do you not go to kill them? They hurt me, Ethan. They hurt me so terribly." She shrank away and started to fade.

"Sophie, stop. They will die. I promise you. None of them deserve to live. But this place is pleasant, and I am not quite ready to leave it. Stay with me."

Sophia relented for the time being and grew sharper in appearance. "As long as you promise, I will stay." She moved closer and placed a hand on his head, even though she knew Ethan would not feel her touch.

The water lapped at the earth, and the sun still partially hid behind the clouds.[/font]

[Lagunamov]

Is the squick over yet?

The scent of burning grass started to fill the air, as a blue portal appeared in the field, a young red haired girl stepping out of it before it closed. The image of the girl had... regenerated, so to speak, from its last public appearance, when it scared an entire city by making them think it was a demon in the form of a young girl. Which was probably still better for them than scaring them by revealing a moving suit of armor.

It had been quite a while since Animositas had come to this world, parting ways with a certain couple when they requested it. Which it did, since Ethan was the only human with whom the armor could interact regularly, so fulfilling at least that one request wasn't much of an issue. Keeping it for so long, however, was an entire different matter. The Sentiment had grown tired enough of inactivity. Eons of doing nothing had been more than enough.

Its steps echoed as it approached the man, lying on the ground by the water. The ghost of his former lover was also there, ever present, even if not visible. The concealed armor stood to his left, looking straight ahead, not bothering to lower its sight. "Are you two love birds done catching up?" it asked, crossing its arms. The fake girl sighed in an annoyed manner, her eyes half closed and filled with disdain.

[Aerith]

Squick? I have no idea what you speak of.
--------

The first sign was something burning. Ethan tensed, though he still did not move. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sophia transition from mild-mannered lover to cornered feline.

Wait a moment. He recognized those over-sized shoes and that voice. Ethan quickly sat up, joviality in his smile. When he inadvertently passed through Sophia, a small shiver ran down his spine, but he brushed it off. "Why, if it isn't my favorite suit of armor! I never thought I would see you again. What brings you here? I would have thought you would be flying around destroying things. What is happening in the worlds these days?"

Ethan forced himself to slow down and laughed. "Ah, forgive me. I have no inkling as to how long I have been here, and I feel quite disconnected from recent events."

[Lagunamov]

You didn't even move to the bathroom, or eat?

Only after Ethan addressed the armor did it turn its head down. The female ghost was evidently not fond of it, acting very feral in its presence. It would be bothersome, or concerning, if she wasn't a phantom in the first place. Her ability to interfere with the Sentiment's mind probably became useless after the first time it phased through it, having imprinted on the armor and granting it some new powers, yet to be woken up, but still there.

"There is nothing going on in the worlds. Unless you count terrorizing a city after saving that girl that four eyed monster kept dragging around," it started explaining, still in the same boring tone of voice as before. "Don't ask why. Boredom probably overtook me. Things have been strangely calm as of recent."

[Aerith]

Of course I did. What do you take me for, a savage?
--------

Ethan tilted his head a bit as Animositas relayed the information. "Calm, you say? What of Jericho and Nadia?" Jericho had not struck Ethan as the type to go quiet for long periods of time. The madness might have been carefully concealed behind those green eyes, but he could recognize it for what it was. Insanity was, after all, an intimate part of Ethan's life.

If something had happened to those two, that was certainly troubling. A powerful force had to have arisen to put a stop to Jericho's rampage across the worlds. Such a force might create difficulties for him should he ever return to fulfilling Sophia's perpetual wish for him to kill.

[Lagunamov]

Well, you are human after all.

The Sentiment shrugged at the mention of the insane pair and their whereabouts. "I do not know, nor do I care. As far as I'm concerned, they could have died horrible and gruesome deaths and my interest in the subject would remain the same," it answered coldly and truthfully. Animositas had certainly regretted not killing Jericho when it had the chance, if only for how bothersome his presence in its vicinity was. Disinterest had gotten the best of it at that point. Ironically, it was disinterest that kept it from even trying to gather information on whatever may have happened to those two.

Lowering its right hand to the ground, the image of the young girl could be seen picking up a pebble, throwing it up and down in its hand, the metallic sound of the impact not matching the one expected from flesh. The disguised armor threw the pebble forward, bouncing off the water a couple of times before finally sinking. "So, I repeat my question. Are you two done?"

[Aerith]

A very refreshed human.
--------

How interesting. Animositas knew nothing about Jericho and Nadia, and her vehemence was quite apparent. Ethan noted that it would be wise not to make those two a regular topic of speculative conversation. Besides, an ignorance of whereabouts did not mean they were dead. Any number of things could have happened, and while losing allies was always unfortunate, there was no reason he could not continue his own agenda.

"I have grown used to the quiet here. But I would hate to think I have also grown soft." He smiled and ran his fingers through his hair before picking up his hat. "Sophie," he said to the air. "You may find your thirst satisfied soon."

He could sense her glee as he stood and brushed the remnants of grass from his clothes. His joints protested a bit from the long periods of disuse.

"I can safely answer your question now with a yes. I have lain too long in idleness, and it sounds to me as though the worlds are too stable. What do you suggest we do about that, my friend?"

[Lagunamov]

About time.

A sigh of relief could be hear coming from the red haired girl, her shoulders relaxing and her arms falling to the side. The armor beneath the facade looked at Ethan and the ghost, wondering for a second about what he said, before outright shrugging off the thought of figuring anything itself. "You are the one most familiar with the worlds and mankind. What do you suggest?" Animositas threw his question back at him. It was time to see if staying idle for so long had rusted the sociopath or not.

[Aerith]

Follow my lead.
--------

Killing was naturally the first notion that crossed Ethan's mind, but that was so conventional. Of course, Sophia wanted to witness the slaughter of crowds of people, and that would give him the benefit of access to more souls. The air around him filled with spirits that all seemed to shudder in unison. They, too, wanted to vicariously exact revenge against the living.

For the briefest of moments, Ethan allowed his usual facade to slip. A large grin spread across his face, and a wild light flashed in his eyes.

He turned his head to Animositas. "I might have a notion."

Then it was gone, replaced by a solid mask of politeness. "We need to locate something first. Follow me, my armored friend."

When Ethan moved off into the woods, the cloud of souls followed after, like pack of hungry, rabid dogs smelling blood in the wind. The reason he had chosen this particular world for his reprieve was the obvious lack of humanity, but that did not mean it was completely devoid of visitors.

Persistence soon paid off. He found a group of four people in a clearing. They were of varying ages--one small boy, two middle-aged adults, and one old woman with more wrinkles than anyone could count. From the looks of things, the group was enjoying a midday meal.

"Make sure none of them touch you until I have finished with them," he whispered to his partner, then quickly added, "I only remind you because that boy might not be able to control his hormonal urges around your current disguise."

With a small smile, Ethan emerged from the clearing. Secrecy was not in the plan for today. "Ah, how wonderful to find some fellow travelers! I see you all enjoy the scenery as much as we do."

The adult man looked up, surprised but friendly. "Oh, hello! Yes, we're sight-seeing throughout the worlds, but we needed a break."

Ethan tipped his hat to the two women and bowed slightly. "It is a pleasure to meet new faces. This is my niece. We are traveling the worlds together. Say hello, Annie."

[Lagunamov]

Annie. Cute.

Thankfully, it seemed Ethan had an idea of what to do next. Unfortunately, it didn't involve leaving that backwater world, at least not yet. Animositas just went along with it, following him around until he found what he was looking for. New victims. One of them a young boy that proved his advice against coming anywhere near contact with them correct, for the moment their presence was known, he couldn't stop staring at the facade of the young red haired lady. Lovely.

"Good afternoon," a cheerful voice came out, which only prompted the kid to approach the armor and to try to strike up some conversation. "Good afternoon to you," and there it started. The ogling. The Sentiment took a set back, putting some distance between itself and the kid who just kept leaning in, almost as if hoping to trip and feel something on his fall. Which may actually be intentional, all things considered. "Do you intend to keep this charade up for long? Cause this creature is already asking to be stabbed. Or worse. I can get creative," the metallic voice of the armor echoed inside its partner's mind, if only to keep the conversation discreet.

[Aerith]

Do your worst.
--------

As predicted, the little snot of a boy was completely infatuated with Animositas. Ethan smiled. His amusement went in two very different directions.

Patience, my dear armor. I need only a few minutes before I accomplish my ends. Keep him at bay for the time being.

Turning to the rest of the group, he moved closer. "Your son is quite...energetic, isn't he?" As he spoke, he tugged at one of the many invisible strings holding captive the souls of the dead. One, just one, detached and floated lazily away, though that moment of freedom was enough to make it visible to everyone in the clearing.

The woman saw it first and gasped. Her plate slipped from her hands, scattering food over the grass. "What was that?"

Her husband caught sight of the soul just before it vanished back into obscurity. "I...I don't know."

"Hmm? What was what?" Ethan made a charade of looking where the others were. "I see nothing out of the ordinary." In truth, he could see far more than any of them ever could.

"There was...something moving. I-it looked like a ghost." The woman was now casting wary glances all around the clearing.

"A ghost?" He chuckled. "I was not aware I had stumbled upon a session of camp stories."

"It was really there! I saw it!"

"Oh, come now. We all left such notions behind us in grade school, did we not?" Another tug on the spiritual web released a couple more souls that lingered a bit longer in the clearing and spiraled around Ethan himself. He resisted the urge to smile this time. The souls could sense his game.

The woman shrieked and threw her arms around her husband. "There! Look there!" She pointed at Ethan. "Don't you see them?!"

Everyone else had clearly seen them and were all gawking at him. So much fun. "Again, I see nothing. Do you see anything, Annie?"

He glanced at the armor. The boy brat's curiosity and fear were no match for his hormones, for once Ethan had broken the tense silence, the boy immediately resumed drooling over Animositas.

Now you may kill him. And make sure they all see every wonderful detail.[/color]

If these people were frightened now, they might not be able to withstand what Ethan had in store once the boy's soul was his.[/font]

[Lagunamov]

Oh thank...

For a couple of minutes, the Sentiment couldn't do anything but stall while Ethan worked his magic. And by work his magic, it meant starting to terrorize those humans by letting some of his captured ghosts fly around while pretending nothing was going on. Keeping the kid at bay was proving more... difficult than expected, with him cornering Animositas against a tree and planting both his hands on it, making moving away quite difficult. At least, difficult without revealing the armor's true nature.

Thankfully, now that Ethan had given the word, that was to be over. "Oh, I'm so going to enjoy this," an almost flirty voice came out, prompting the kid to close his eyes and lean forward more... only to have the armor's hand burst through his head, emerging on the other side bathed in blood. Animositas let the image of the girl flicker in and out, almost as if out of control, sending terror into the eyes of the bystanders. With an abrupt swing of its arm, the head of the kid was no more.

But it was still not over. Before the body could even touch the ground, the Sentiment had summoned both its Keyblades and cut the corpse in several pieces almost in a flash, blood splattering all over the ground and the pieces falling to the sides. Setting over the minced meat, the living armor slowly started to approach the rest of the family, its image changing quickly between that of the girl, smiling, and the bloodstained armor.

[Aerith]

This should be interesting.
--------

Even while Animositas spilled the boy's blood and tore apart his flesh, Ethan did not smile. But neither did he react with disgust or fear. Instead, he was completely deadpan, which the rest of the humans still alive found infinitely more unnerving.

A simple thought was enough to coax the butchered boy's soul from what was left of his corpse. The glowing ectoplasm was tinged with darkness, and Ethan could tell jealousy was already at work chaining the soul to this reality.

Leave at least one of the two parents alive. I want someone to be able to escape.

After that, he completely ignored Animositas and everyone else. Sophia manifested off to the side and hovered around the newly released soul. "Look at it, Ethan. Look at how fresh it is. Take it." Her voice was quivering with anticipation, and her eyes were wide with childish glee.

"I would comment on the state of your innocence, dear child, but I know that is hardly appropriate right now. I need to do little extra work to claim you for myself."

With Sophia so near to it already, the darkness surrounding the boy's spirit spiked suddenly, amplifying the jealousy into full-blown hatred for the living.

"You want them all dead, yes?" Ethan said with a strangely quiet gentleness. "Unless I help you, that is impossible for you to achieve on your own."

Left with no other choice, the soul dutifully drifted into the ever-growing tapestry that Ethan could see and touch. And just like that, it was done.

At last, he smiled. It was cold and cruel.

"Your boy has told me he would like nothing more than to kill you all. Being the benevolent person that I am, I simply must fulfill his request."

He released his newest soul and watched it hover in front of him. This is new, my friend. Call it an experiment, if you will.

With a silent command, he sent the soul flying straight for Animositas.

[Summary:
Ethan used Crossing Acheron.
Posts until next use: 2
Uses remaining: 3

Ethan used Styx's Grasp.
Animositas' attack strength is doubled.
Cooldown begins once the soul detaches.
Uses remaining: 2]

[Lagunamov]

You'd think they'd have run by now.

Most of the conversation was blocked out of the Sentiment's mind. It was simply too focused on walking slowly towards the family, inflicting dread into the very depths of their hearts, their bodies shaking in fear. The elderly lady had tripped as she tried to move back, while the remaining two had frozen in place, the shock of the death of their kid having rendered them no more useful than a pile of rocks.

And then Ethan decided to experiment with the soul of the newly departed, quickly achieving an unexpected result. With the soul attaching itself to the armor, a coat of energy surrounded it for a couple of seconds, dissipating eventually and revealing... the kid that had just been killed. Stretching his hands outwards, closing and opening them, the kid was confused. Only moments before he had suffered a horrible fate, but now he felt just fine. He was back in flesh and blood, breathing calmly.

A mix of panic and joy overcame him, rushing back to his parents and embracing them, believing he had been given a second chance by the gods. The heartfelt reunion seemed to last forever to those involved, tears flowing down their faces.

But, then it ended.

Regaining control of its body, Animositas forced the kid rip his parents to shreds, first tearing their backs apart, and then crushing their skulls against the ground with his fists, as he watched them plead for their lives. The kid kept on screaming, asking for the living armor beneath it to stop as it walked slowly towards the last surviving member, crushing the old lady beneath the Havoc in its rifle form.

Tears flowed down his face in sorrow as his grip expression slowly changed into a maniacal grin, his soul twisting itself to the darkness infused in it. It appeared that attaching the soul to the armor had slowed it down, but with a little incentive, the transformation was done. A roaring laughter ensued, slowly fading, same as his form, as the image of the armor came back into existence.

"That was interesting," the cold metallic shriek from Animositas' mind came back to Ethan's, with its speaker simply standing over the bloody remains of the humans.

[Aerith]

Fascinating.
--------

In the bloody massacre, Ethan nearly forgot that he had told Animositas to leave someone alive. The way the armor killed so ruthlessly was simply a marvel to watch, and he found himself wishing there were more victims nearby so he, too, could join in the fun. But alas, it was over well before he could move.

He must have been staring, because he could sense jealousy practically rippling off Sophia. With a glance in her direction, he silently reassured her of his undying affection. That seemed to satisfy her, because she faded out of even his sight.

Ethan turned back to Animositas just as the armor flickered back into existence. The boy's soul drifted out and landed like a loyal pet over Ethan's outstretched hand.

He smiled in almost the same way a proud father might when addressing his children. "You did very well." The soul shuddered in response and then drifted back into the tapestry.

"I specifically gave instructions to leave someone alive, did I not?"

His eyes, with the faintest hint of displeasure, went to the armor. If he fully considered what had happened, however, he could not blame Animositas. Even he had not known what would happen when he attached the soul to her.

"Ah, no matter. The next world we visit will have many more people. Tales of our exploits will spread like wildfire through the Sea of Stars. People will whisper rumors of us, never knowing if our existence is true or not until it is far too late."

Yes, all of humanity would know the truth eventually. They were all dead men walking, and it was only a matter of time before they, too, would hang in the strings of his growing collection.