Light stung Jace's eye as he shifted to his side. He opened his eyes as the light flashed at him, dredging it all back. The memories from the previous night, the pain. Everything.
Finally, Jace sighed. He sat up and turned to his side, his head in his palms.
Last night, Bill had died.
No.
Last night, Jace had killed him–in cold blood. Jace had brutally murdered another human. And not for glorious reasons like revenge or honor. Not because of the people Bill had bullied or the things he had done. If Jace had, maybe his mind would have been at peace. Maybe he would not feel the water rising from beneath him, hovering over his face and infiltrating his lungs. But there was no excuse. No avoidance or detachment. Jace had killed Bill, because he wanted to.
It was a funny thing. Admitting that you were a murderer. Made funnier still when you realize you were being led to do it. Jace almost laughed. The entire thing could fit the play of a dark comedy, or maybe a psychological novel.
Jace had sometimes thought he was insane. Maybe he was. Maybe that was the final thread holding it all together. Maybe if he closed his eyes and pinched his cheek hard enough, he would realize there was no murder. That he was just dreaming.
Shaking his head, Jace stood as his feet settled onto the ground. The floor was soft yet malleable, a hard structure hiding beneath the stretchiness. Jace put more pressure on it as a short yelp caught his attention.
Brown eyes met Jace's as a sheepish smile formed on Jax's lips. "uh, hey Jace. Lovely meeting you here."
Incredulity filled Jace, followed by terror. Jace had stumbled into his room with blood on his clothes and hands. When exactly had Jax been there? Had Jax seen anything?
Who cared? So, what if Jax saw. It wouldn't change anything. Jace was certain the military already knew. If not, they would find out eventually.
"Hey," Jace attempted a half smile. Noting Jax's falling smile, Jace guessed he failed. Jax rose, his legs escaping from the deep brown covers he had brought with him. He stood uncertainly, inhaling as he muttered words to himself.
Finally, Jax cleared his throat and began "I know about Bill."
Jace's mind raced about yet his exterior showed no reaction. He was tired. "I know,"
Taking a second, Jace relaxed allowing the words to flow out. "I mean, I guessed."
Jax shook his head, letting out a breath he had been holding "I don't think you understand. I knew about Bill, last night."
Jace's head snapped back as Jax droned on, his words flying into Jace's ear and out the other "...warned me and we both felt there was something so we resolved to follow you but we were too late and …"
Shaking his head, Jace settled on something "Both. You and Silas….?"
"Yeah," Jax nodded, motioning to a corner. Silas lay there, sheet covers drawn up to cover half his face. His hair covered the other half, his shoulder rising and falling slowly as the young boy dreamt on.
Jace stared at Jax in disbelief as the blonde boy shrugged "We were worried for you. We are worried for you. Things like the paper mask and any other bits were burnt, courtesy of yours truly, so you don't have to worry. I–"
"Why?" Jace forced out, feeling something clog his throat. Jax frowned.
"Why are we here? Silas thought you might…"He drew his hand across his neck "...yourself so we came to cheer you up. At least I would"
"I mean why, why would you do that?" Jace's voice came out hoarse,
Jax took a few steps, placing his hand on Jace's shoulder "We're friends, and friends help each other. Including hiding dead bodies"
Jace burst into laughter as Jax finished. It wasn't funny, the joke. On the contrary, it was dumb and stupid. But somehow even that was fine.
"You–" Jax's words cut off as arms wrapped around him.
"Thank you," Jace whispered as he felt Jax stop struggling free. "Thank you."
"You're uh, welcome." Jax sputtered out as he wrenched free. He glanced away, his gaze drifting over to Silas's still slumbering figure. "I'll, We'll leave you alone for now."
He sauntered over to the corner, hefting Silas upon his broad shoulders. "Call if you need anything."
Grabbing the covers with his other hand, Silas still asleep atop his arms, he stepped out of the room, leaving only Jace and his silent thoughts.
"It begins," Jace muttered as he watched the door shut. With a soft sigh, he arose from his bed. His joints creaked as he headed to his bathroom.
His clammy fingers twisted open the door as he walked into the bathroom. It was small, a toilet at the edge, a bathtub enclosed with glass walls standing metres in front of the toilet.
A sink lay at the other side of the edge just in front of the door, a mirror plastered to the wall over it. Jace shut the door gently, standing in front of the mirror as he took a deep breath. Heart thumping, Jace whispered to his reflection. "Are you happy?"
The reflection stared back, mirroring Jace's wrathful gaze.
"I asked if you're happy?" Jace's tone rose as he clenched the sink, his fingers nearly digging into a tiny crack at its side.
"ANSWER ME." Jace yelled, his chest heaving "Just answer."
"Be careful what you wish for, Vicea brat." The words were cold and mocking, the last two spoken with a mix of disdain and disgust. Jace's reflection moved as the words came, its hazel eyes turning into pools of dark murky depths.
It smiled curtly, performing a mock bow as it spoke. "So which one would you have me call you, Jace Vicea or Jace Blank? I would hate to be discourteous."
Its voice was soft yet sharp, like a blade angled at Jace's throat.
"Jace Blank, and you? What would you call your wretched self?" Jace's voice spilled out in a casual manner, a similar mocking smile playing on his lips. His fingers, though, were as white as sheets.
"Oh, you speak." The reflection countered, hands spread wide, "rather distastefully might I had. But you speak indeed."
It bowed once more "I was worried my host would be an idiot. Your previous displays failed to truly convince me otherwise."
Jace's mind raced as he pondered what his reflection had spoken. Host, previous displays. Jace frowned as he reined his thoughts and fought the urge to question the entity in his presence. He couldn't allow the conversation to be dictated. Plus, it hadn't skipped his notice that his reflection had avoided the question posed.
"Your name?" Jace questioned again, leaning forward. The mocking smile remained, mirroring the mysterious entity as Jace pressed on.
"I would hate to be discourteous."
The reflection paused, its finger touching its chin in thought. Finally, it answered. "You may call me the Destroyer of Worlds. It is an old name, but one that fills me with so much glee. If it's too long, you may address me as the Devourer."
Jace's eyes shut as he thought back to the crystal, to Edgis's words. A sigh escaped Jace's lips as he remembered the crystal. Instant power free of charge should have been a clear sign to turn away. A clear sign to run as fast as possible. But he had forgotten that fairytales weren't real and put his hopes into myths.
"You did it, didn't you?" Jace's voice came out soft despite the turbulence in his mind.
"Did what?" The devourer answered, a sly smile on its lips. There was no smile on Jace's. Jace was done playing a game or being worried about who steered the conversation.
"Bill, you did it?" Jace whispered, his eyes cracking open.
The devourer shook its head, the grin on its face widening "Bill…who is Bill? I seem to have heard that name but I can't rec–"
It paused as its eyes glimmered. "Are you perchance referring to the disgusting corpse? Of course I can te–"
Jace brought his arm up and swung it at the mirror, pausing at the very last second. His arm fell as he sagged, his body drained. "You did it. My head, everything. You did it."
The reflection wagged its finger. A cheerful voice sounded "No, you did. You thought of killing him first. Your frustration, your anger, your indignation. I simply…enhanced them. You came up with the thought yourself. Any less and Bill could still be alive. How unfortunate."
It clicked its tongue, shaking his head as Jace yelled. "You killed him. You murdered him and for what, uhn? For what?"
The reflection chuckled as Jace's yell turned to whispers "Keep telling yourself that I did it. Maybe it'll hel–"
"I'll tell Skye." Jace cut in, his voice calm despite the turmoil in his heart. "I'll tell her and the Instructors, all of them. I'll explain to them what happened…what's happening. They may kill–"
"Will kill you. They will kill you." The reflection's voice wasn't mocking. It was cold. Jace wondered whether it had been scared. Unlikely.
"So what? Not like there's anything worse," Pausing, Jace smiled sadly at the godly entity. "They probably already know Bill's dead. Even with Silas's and Jax's…interference, they probably already have the culprit. I'm dead, so at least I'll be able to take you down."
Jace laughed at his words, his smile curving into a grin "So I guess we're dying together anyways. Isn't it funny? Your actions are leading us to hell. You singlehandedly killed yourself."
Throwing his hands up, Jace spat out "I don't know why you killed Bill, and I don't think I care. But you're still stuck here. In me, and I'm going to make your life a living hell."
The reflection laughed, its mocking voice grating Jace's ears "You, you really think I'm stuck with you. No, you're stuck with me. Do you know how many people have thought that, the words they have spoken. Men, women. Greater than you. They wore confidence as armour and drank wisdom with pride. Yet, each and every one trembled in my presence. Fell in their damnation. Do you truly believe you're any different? Better than them?"
The dark figure smiled, a sinister grin forming. "No. You're a child. Your mind is malleable, your thoughts are easily influenced"
It laughed a wretched laugh. "No. I'm not stuck with you. You're stuck with me."
The laughter continued as the words fell. The reflection's eyes turned from the abyssal depths to hazel. The mythic entity was gone, and Jace's reflection was back to normal. But the young boy wasn't done.
"You're still stuck here. You're stuck in me. This is your prison. Laugh all you want, but in the end, you're stuck here. If you weren't, you would be far far away. That's why you killed Bill, to leave?"
The reflection remained motionless, only echoing Jace as the young boy sighed. The devourer was gone. Yet in the back of his mind, Jace could still hear the chuckles. Jace stepped over to the bathtub twisting the tap as he felt his mind ache.
Minutes later, Jace walked out the bathroom with a new set of clothes. Jax and Silas were gone, leaving the empty room, well empty. The cold lonely place gave Jace time to think. But he didn't want to think.
A sigh escaped his lips as he looked about. Jace ambled to his bed, plumping down on the soft sheets. For a second silence filled the room.
And with that silence, Jace found himself back behind the library. His fist rose and fell as BIll gazed at him with fear in his eyes. Blood. There was so much blood. Jace felt sick as the blood slicked his fingers. And Bill gazed up. Maybe at the moon, maybe at his murderer. And the young man, Bill, had spoken his last word. "Please."
The chirping of birds interrupted the daydream as Jace gazed down at his fingers. No blood could be seen on them, in fact they were as clean as ever. Yet they were smothered in blood. The blood was heavy, so so heavy.
Jace sprang up as he crossed the room in hurry, running back to the bathroom. Then he stopped. He stumbled to the nearest wall.
He raised his head, surveying his room. His silent room. He couldn't stay there. Jace trudged to his door swinging it open as he looked back at the empty room.
With a deep breath, Jace shut the door and walked away. Walking into the courtyard, Jace could feel the sun bare down on his skin. How. How could the sun shine down on a murderer? Why was nature itself at peace with BIll's death?
Jace pushed it away as he felt the urge to go back to his room. No. He couldn't go back to his room, to that lonely place, to his thoughts.
And so Jace picked a direction and walked.
He didn't know where he was walking or who he was looking for, didn't know what he expected to find. All Jace could do was walk, and hope that fate would lead him well.
Jace walked and walked. Led to a path where he walked amidst flowers. Strolled through the bright blue dancing at his sides, to a place he had known.
And in the distance he saw waves of gold. Hair. It flowed freely, shining in the sun. She waited, her green dress almost exactly the same as when they had met.
Jace was scared. His mind raced as his legs increased their pace. What would she say? Did she even know? Could she see the blood on his hands? What if she could read his mind and spy all his secrets?
And as Jace came close, close enough that he could touch her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him close and kissed him. Freeing her lips from his, she lay her head against his shoulders and muttered "I know, Jace. I already know. You don't need to run away, Kano. Not this time. You don't need to disappear."
Jace buried his face against her neck as he stopped listening, suddenly drained of all his thoughts. He didn't need to worry. Elena already knew.