28. A Fiery Tempter. A Shattered Heart.

The man named Riden pushes the dagger deeper into Vanya her skin. She doesn't dare to breathe, causing her lungs to burn. Even though her eyes should stay on the man in fear, they stay on Elisa. Now that no words can leave her lips, Vanya attempts to talk to Elisa through her eyes.

And Elisa understands her. The glossy, broken and panicking eyes tell Elisa that Vanya truly doesn't want Elisa to choose her above the world. If you cause the end of the world, then I'll die with all the others, too. I'll die anyway. Vanya attempts to tell Elisa, but there are countless more words that Elisa reads from her expression.

She'll die both ways, Elisa knows that. But she doesn't want Vanya to die. She doesn't want anyone to die. But that is a fantasy that cannot happen. Some must die, and Elisa knows who it is.

The handler.

She should've killed the woman earlier. The fire should've burned her. Maybe then Vanya wouldn't have that dagger pressed to her throat. Maybe then Elisa wouldn't have to choose between ending the whole world and watching Vanya's throat get slit.

The handler is causing all this hurt and misery. This has to stop, and Elisa knows how to stop it, but it seems impossible . . . killing the handler. Well, not impossibke—clearly. Elisa almost killed her just today. But she doesn't want to be a murderer. She doesn't want to ruin herself like that.

A sigh leaves Elisa her lips. Some things she cannot choose. Some things must happen in order to save millions of people. The handler must die. Elisa knows it. She has known it before this moment, too. She knew it when she almost put the handler on fire. Back then, she stopped herself. But now she will not do so. The handler must burn.

"Accept the fire burning in you, Elisa." It is the handler's voice that shakes Elisa out of her thoughts. Hearing this voice, Elisa knows what she has to do. Today, Elisa will intend to kill, but at the same time she will save the entire world. "Accept it."

"I accept it," Elisa murmurs quietly. No one heard her. "I accept my fate."

The now familiar feeling rises in Elisa again. Her whole body shakes softly as her eyes burn again with the same blinding light that scared Cha Cha before. Not only Elisa changes. No, her surroundings do as well. At first, it is only the ground that shakes softly. Nothing much, really. But the handler notices this, and a smile comes upon her dry lips. She thinks Elisa is truly going to cause the end of the world.

A fog appears—but no normal one. This fog is a combination between dust and fog. It thickens, and no one is able to see much. Elisa narrows her eyes, thinking of everyone's place in her head. Hazel and Cha Cha stand behind her, several steps from Vanya and Riden. The handler is somewhere in front of Elisa, but that does not matter—not yet. First, Elisa will rescue Vanya out of Riden's grip. That promises to be tough since she's completely in his hold.

Determined to save Vanya, Elisa starts to walk. The dark fog makes sure she cannot see a thing, too, but she remembers. She rushes herself forward. Riden and Vanya should be just a few steps . . . There. They are right in front of Elisa.

Vanya whimpers when Riden's dagger lowers. Panicking because of the fog, Riden puts the dagger back in his pocket. Yet, his arms curl around Vanya, pressing her back against his chest.

"Don't think of anything," he warns her.

Immediately, Elisa goes for him. Riden notices soon enough since she's in his eyesight. Fortunately, he doesn't make any sound. Not yet. He frees Vanya, but he pushes her behind him. This makes Elisa sigh in relief.

Even when Riden takes out his dagger again, Elisa does not flinch when he aims the weapon at her because Vanya is out of eyesight—for now.

Riden attempts to press the dagger to Elisa her throat, but a fireball fixes this. Elisa blasts it at the hand with the dagger, causing the weapon to fall on the ground, making a sound. This was a mistake. Surely everyone has heard.

Oh well, Elise thinks. By now they know something is going on.

Because of the blast, Riden has gotten thrown backwards, too. He lands on his back, groaning quietly. He recovers himself quickly, though. He stands up, and he goes to get his dagger again, but he does not succeed.

Elisa reaches it before him. Her fingers curl around its handle as she presses the dager carefully against her back.

Riden his eyes are also burning, but not in the way Elisa hers are. They are glowing with hatred and panic.

"Don't fight me," Elisa whispers to the man as he stands there, glaring at her, and probably thinking what his next step should be. "I don't want to cause you any harm."

"I must," he replies, scowling. "If I do not kill that woman, then they will kill my family."

Swallowing, Elisa watches him. "Is there no other way? We can make sure your family is safe. I'm sure everything will be-"

"Don't you get it?" the man growls. "They will always find my family. They will find a way to hurt me. I can't anymore. So no, there is no other way."

"Very well." Elisa sighs. For a moment, her eyes fall on Vanya again. The woman is watching the situation carefully and with wide eyes. Even she knows what must happen with this man. But Elisa doesn't want her to see any of it. The fog thickens even more. Vanya disappears out of Elisa her view.

"Then I am truly sorry," Elisa tells the man, meaning it. "I must."

"Please," the man begs. "Do it. I'll be better off. My family will be safe again." With shaking hands, Elisa takes the dagger more firmly in her hand. She takes one more look at it, the killing weapon. "Even if I'd kill the woman, they'd still ask me to do things I do not want to do. They will keep threatening my family. This is the only way that I can make sure my wife and my daughters will live."

Elisa approaches the man in a quick pace. Instead of running, he stands still, being actually happy to be saved from this . . . torture. From the handler. When standing in front of him, a whimper falls from Elisa's lips.

His expression softening, the man looks at her. He grabs the hand that holds the dagger, and he folds his own fingers around Elisa her hand. "Please," he repeats himself. He moves his and Elisa her hand slowly, and only stops when the tip of the dagger is touching his chest. "Do it."

"I can't," Elisa whispers. "I don't want to-"

"Save me from this madness just like you will save the other woman," the man whispers back. "Just like you are saving the entire world."

The entire world. Vanya. Elisa is doing this for them. For a good cause. But still she doubts to kill this man. Her hand shakes, even while being held by Riden's hand.

"I'm sorry for all you had to go through." Those are the very last words that Elisa tells Riden before the dagger sinks into his chest. In his heart. Elisa doesn't meet the man's eyes. No, she doesn't want to watch the life drain from his face.

A gasp sounds, but the man doesn't cry out. Instead, he thanks Elisa again . . . and again. He doesn't stop until his lifeless body falls to the ground in front of her.

Elisa has freed the dagger, but she forces herself to kneel down next to the dead man, so she can take the dagger out of his chest. She grabs the dagger firmly, but she does not dare to pull it back. Elisa whimpers, disgusted by her actions. She murdered. This man was her first intended kill. But still, she wouldn't want to take it back. The man, Riden, begged for it. He needed his death to happen, and the world needed his death to happen, too. Still, Elisa feels disgusted by herself. She became what she never wanted to become.

Having to, Elisa pulls out the dagger. She feels it sliding through the corpse, and she wants to run away from it. When the dagger is fully out of the man's body, Elisa watches it with a pained look. Still fresh blood drips off it, and it makes Elisa her stomach turn. Really, she hasn't eaten anything, but if she had, then it'd all be out right now.

The dagger gets put in her pocket, still with the blood on it. There's no time to clean it. Other things need to happen first. Elisa straightens her posture, and she starts to walk deeper into the fog.

"Vanya?" she whispers quietly, not wanting to catch anyone else's attention. There are others who dared to go into the fog already. Elisa can feel them. Their heartbeats. The sweat on their forehead. Their fear. It's a good thing she hasn't met any of them. If she does, they'll have to die, too. Elisa shakes her head in disgust.

"I'm here." Vanya her voice sounds from far away, but she is actually very close. It takes only two steps until Elisa sees Vanya sitting down through the fog.

Elisa approaches the woman. Vanya has her legs pressed against her chest, reminding Elisa of herself. Several tears are gliding down Vanya's cheek, wetting her skin.

"I'll get you out of here." Elisa places her hand on Vanya her shoulder, attempting to reassure her while the two are in hell. "I promise."

To this, Vanya looks up. There's a twinkle in her eyes. A hopeful one.

"Now?" she asks.

Hating herself for it, Elisa must shake her head. "Not now." Elisa sighs. "I have to do something first."

Immediately, Vanya breaks their eye contact. She looks down, and presses her knees even closer to her chest. "Another person to kill?"

Elisa doesn't want to answer, but Vanya deserves answers. She deserves them after everything she has gone through.

"Yes."

With that, Elisa turns her back on Vanya with another sigh. "I'll come back."

"I know," Vanya whispers back.

Elisa starts to walk again, but the voice of Vanya stops her. "Wait, Elisa." It sounds. For Vanya, Elisa does wait. She turns around, frowning.

"I'm sorry you've got to do all of . . . this." The killing. She means the killing. No sound leaves Elisa her lips. She can't force herself to smile, either. The only interaction that does happen is that Elisa and Vanya their eyes meet—but only for two seconds. Afterwards, Elisa turns her back on Vanya again.

The dagger feels heavy. It's as if an enormous block is being dragged behind her. Elisa does not want to step another step. She does not want to . . . kill the handler. The woman who raised her. Yes, her reasons were most horrible, but she still raised her. The handler still watched Elisa grow stronger each day.

It's hard to see through the fog, but Elisa has an advantage. She created this magical mist. Elisa does not know how—especially since she is a bomb. The fog just came, and Elisa finds it very handy. She can feel where everyone is. She knows that the handler is only a few feet further away.

Finally, Elisa is able to see the handler. Her eyes are narrowed at the fog. It is as if she knows that someone is watching her. As if she knows her own fate. Unfortunately, the handler isn't alone. There are two agents standing around her. Yes, she knows what her fate is. If Elisa didn't have such trouble with killing, these assassins would be dead already. But she does loathe taking one's life. Even though it is unlikely that these people have families, they are still living persons, and Elisa cannot kill more than needed. The hander must die, and that will be it. No more.

Elisa imagines more fog, but nothing happens. The fog came without a problem just a few minutes ago. Annoyed, Elisa narrows her eyes at the handler. Surely some part of her power can be of help?

No.

Elisa won't rely on her powers even more. She can do this shit without. Her whole life she has been trained to fight and survive. This situation is no different.

First, Elisa calculates the chance she has. There are only two assassins, but the handler is one hell of a fighter herself, too. So three assassins. Two easy targets and one that'll prove to be very difficult. If they all attack Elisa at the same time, she won't stand a chance. But that will change when she knocks them out one by one. The handler will call it cowardice, but it is surviving.

Having decided to go for the method that will make sure she survives, Elisa takes off, heading for one of the two men. He is large, but no true opponent for Elisa. He doesn't even her coming.

Elisa attacks him from behind. Her first step is to jump into the air. Then Elisa spins. From there, Elisa stretches her leg, and she aims for the man's face. It's a trick she has learned while growing up. The handler taught her quite a lot.

The hit causes the man to fall on the ground. He's sure to have a huge headache. Before he can get up again, Elisa goes for one last blow to his head. After that, his eyes close.

It is no surprise that Elisa has caught the others' attention. The other man attempts to run up to Elisa, but before he's even close to her, Elisa is already safely hidden in the thick fog.

Again, she can feel the heartbeats. And the handler her heartbeat is beating furiously. She is deadly afraid of what's to come.

"Didn't know you were such a coward, little one," the handler yells angrily, but Elisa only sniggers.

"You're quite afraid yourself." Elisa goes for the last man now. This one has seen her twirl in the air, so that move will no good if she uses it. He'll either block it, or dodge her leg. That is why Elisa clenches her fists, and she aims for the man's nose. Her knuckles smash hard against the bone, and Elisa swears she hears a crack.

This man, too, stumbles backwards. But unlike the other, he is quickly on his feet again. He curses loudly, but doesn't show any true sign of pain. He clenches his fists, too, but he makes the mistake of repeating the move Elisa just did. He aims for Elisa her nose, too.

Elisa easily dodges his awful attempt to break her nose by bending backwards.

But the man doesn't give up. Actually, he smiles in anticipation. His next move is a simple one. The man stretches his leg forward, and he aims for Elisa her stomach. Unfortunately, Elisa does not notice this. Her eyes have fallen on the handler. She is attempting to flee. Now that is cowardice, Elisa thinks just before the man's foot plants itself in her stomach.

She takes a few steps backwards, her arms curling around herself as she groans. This causes the man his smile to transform into a smirk. When noticing this change, Elisa glares at him. Oh, she'll make sure his smirk disappears soon enough.

The man sees her recovering, and he twirls around quickly. He lifts his right leg in the air in order to hit Elisa in the face, just like she did with his colleague.

But not again, Elisa knows what he's going to do, and she lowers her own body to the ground. He misses. While his leg is still in the air, Elisa grabs her chance. She leans on only one arm and feet while her other leg goes straight to tackle the man. She succeeds, and the man falls right on his face. He doesn't even need a final hit. He is already out.

Elisa looks up as the adrenaline rushes through her veins. The handler is nowhere in sight. She has fled, but Elisa can still sense her in the fog. having to concentrate, Elisa closes her eyes. It won't take long until the handler reaches the commission's walls. If she gets inside, Elisa will have to fight all the assassins, and that means it'll be truly impossible to reach the handler. That is the handler's plan.

The information of the handler's whereabout comes when asked. The fog tells Elisa exactly where the handler is. It is some kind of telepathy, but Elisa doesn't have any time to wonder about it. She must take off now.

And she does. Elisa runs through the fog with her eyes closed. The heartbeat of the handler becomes louder and louder . . . until Elisa is right in front of it.

"Argh!" The handler flinches away in shock, and Elisa opens her eyes immediately. The handler her eyes are wide. Her mouth hangs open. "How did you find me?"

Elisa her hand goes through her pants' pocket. Her fingers fold around the dagger. "I've got my secrets." Elisa shrugs, knowing very well she does not know, either.

"Have you killed them?" The handler cocks her head to the side, a smirk starting to form.

Not wanting to answer, Elisa her lips don't part even a little. The handler meant the two agents, but the image of Riden's body on the ground doesn't want to leave her alone. It will never. Elisa just wishes it will.

The handler takes this silence as a confirmation. "You did." She chuckles. It appears that she has forgotten the whole reason why Elisa came back for her. "I truly am surprised, little one."

"Stop that." Elisa shakes her head, squeezing her eyes closed while doing so. The dagger feels like lead in her hand.

"I'm proud, too." The handler takes a step towards Elisa. A smile is still playing on her lips, and Elisa hates it. Without hesitating, the handler reaches out to lay her hand on Elisa her cheek. This action causes Elisa to flinch away from her touch. But it doesn't take long until the handler's cold hand is cupping her face once again.

"Proud of me piercing someone through his heart," Elisa whispers—more talking to herself than the handler. "I'm not surprised." Elisa takes a step backwards, leaving the handler where she is. Then, she spits on the ground, next to the handler's heels.

"Darling." The handler chuckles. "How did it feel? Taking a life?"

"Horrible," Elisa growls. "I hated it."

"And yet. . ." The handler's eyes sparkle. "You're planning on doing it again."

Elisa her stomach turns around, squeezes itself-if that's even possible. The feeling of needing to run, to flee again, doesn't get what it wants. It doesn't win, because Elisa keeps standing where she is. Perhaps she is frozen, but—no, she most certainly is frozen on the spot.

"I-" She doesn't succeed in saying even two words of a sentence. This, of course, makes the handler laugh out loud. It makes Elisa scrunch up her nose, and realize that she isn't as frozen as she thought she was.

"I have to." For the first time, Elisa smiles, too. It happens naturally. She doesn't know how she's able to. This isn't like her—not at all. But Elisa doesn't want the handler to laugh with her. Not now. Not ever. "And I will."

It must be a true cruel laugh that leaves Elisa her lips, because the handler's eyes widen. If Elisa is right, then there's true fear showing.

"Let me pull up an Elisa," the handler says before she turns her back on Elisa. Immediately, she heads for the commission, through the fog. Of course she doesn't know where the hell she's heading, but if she goes forward, surely there'll come an end to this frightening fog, right?

"Pull up an Elisa," Elisa mutters angrily.

Elisa follows right behind the handler. Since the fog is still giving her every information she needs, Elisa can do this with her eyes closed. But she doesn't. Her eyes stay on the handler. Her target. Her last kill.

Kill.

That's right. Elisa has to kill. She has to . . .

Her eyes narrow, and even though she promised herself she would never allow this to happen again, the fire inside of her takes over. And she lets it. She has to. Otherwise Elisa would never be able to kill the handler. She still is the woman who raised her.

Again, Elisa her eyes burn. An orangish sparkle appears when Elisa blinks. A burning substance flows through Elisa her veins, warming every inch of her body. It's fire, Elisa realizes. It must be. But at the same time, she doesn't truly burn. A new kind of energy takes over, though. An energy that was long forgotten. But now it is back, and it's taking over control.

"Fleeing won't save you," Elisa speaks up. But then again, this is not Elisa. Not the real her. This is a killing machine, trained and raised to murder. Born to destroy. For years, Elisa has been able to forget about the brute living inside of her, but now . . . Now, Elisa lets it take over. The monster inside of her has a job to do. Kill the handler. Afterwards, Elisa will have to turn it off. But will it work? Elisa does not know how—not yet. She can only hope it'll be easy. But nothing has ever been easy in Elisa her life. Will it be now?

"It saved you," the handler mumbles, now running. She hurries herself through the fog. It doesn't work. She can't lose Elisa. It's impossible.

"Did it?" Elisa laughs—actually laughs. Of course the handler stays quiet. "In my point of view, it did not. For a moment—maybe—yes. But look at me now. It came right back at me. Mor is dead. My parents are still dead, and now you're getting what you wanted."

"And what is that?" the handler dares to say, to open her mouth.

"You've finally made me the murderer you wanted me to become."

The handler stops in her tracks. Elisa isn't able to think or realize enough to know that it wasn't because of her free will. No, the handler most certainly didn't want to stop running. She wants to get out of here, to flee. She wants to be safe in between the Commission's walls. Safe behind her very own army of assassins. But that's not possible. Not with being forced to wait for her own death to happen.

It shocks her when she is able to turn around. Not away, but to face Elisa. A low groan escapes her lips as she does so. She won't die as a coward. After all, she is the handler. When locking eyes with Elisa, she notices Elisa is different. It's not Elisa anymore. This is the monster the handler has created. The monster that she wished and needed to appear for so long. And now it finally did. The monster is out. The bomb has exploded in Elisa herself.

"No last words?" Elisa cocks her head to her side.

Not Elisa, the handler reminds herself. This is not Elisa.

"I don't have anything to say, really." The handler shrugs. "You've finally become who I trained you to be. You'll do great at the head of the Commission. I couldn't have found someone better. Couldn't have trained someone better."

"It appears you did have some last words." Elisa her eyes sparkle. Not with amusement. Not with fear. No. They sparkle with pure hatred. "I am sorry to remind you that . . . I do not plan to lead your silly assassins."

The handler frowns deeply. This action makes Elisa snicker before she says, "I plan on destroying it all."

With that being said, Elisa—or whatever or whoever she is now—clenches her fist. Such a tiny movement . . . and yet, it makes the handler scream in agony. The woman her knees tremble, and it doesn't take long until she's crying out loud on the ground. This doesn't stop Elisa. Instead, it causes the cruel smile on her lips to grow.

The screams go on as Elisa clenches her fist tighter and tighter. By now, she has two clenched fists tightening with each sound that leaves the handler her lips.

But Elisa—the monster inside of her, at least—doesn't want it to go this way. If she continues, the handler will die looking up at the sky. That's too merciful. A death she does not deserve. That is why Elisa walks closer to the handler, and her fingers curl themselves in the handler's hair. She pulls the woman up, on her knees.

Having to, the handler obliges, but she also spits on Elisa her outfit, making Elisa narrow her eyes. "I hope you enjoyed that, mother," Elisa whispers in the handler's ear before freeing her grip on the hair. "Because it's done now."

Because of being called so, the handler looks up. With her eyes wide, she takes in Elisa once again. A monster. And one that she created. A beautiful monster.

To Elisa her surprise, the handler her lips curl up. "I don't regret a thing I did, little one." Even the nickname doesn't change a thing inside of Elisa. The monster doesn't disappear, and Elisa is too far gone to even force the monster to react. That is why she only watches and feels. It all happens in front of her eyes, and she cannot do a single thing about it.

A smile tugs at Elisa her lips, too, when she takes a deep breath. The handler made her this way, a bomb. It is fair that she dies that way, too.

Elisa lays her hand on the handler her cheek. She isn't crying—which surprises Elisa. But then again, the handler would never. Still, Elisa pats the woman's cheek as she says, "Fuck you for everything you've done to me."

Then the handler begins to burn. At first, it's only a tingling feeling, starting in her toes, but it doesn't take long until it grows. And it does so fast. In no time, the burning grows. It takes over the handler's body—every inch of it. More screams leave her lips. More. More.

More.

And Elisa—the monster—is adoring it. Every scream fills her ears. Every sound that leaves the handler her lips is like a beautiful opera. A concert that she can't get enough of. She needs more. More screams. More. More.

More.

The burning reaches the handler's heart. And the handler feels it when it does. The pain everywhere in her body stops for a second or two. But yet, she doesn't have the time to sigh in relief; a true fire erupts in her heart too soon. There goes the relieving moment. There goes her life.

The handler her eyes widen the moment that her body explodes, her heart explodes. She feels it all. The burning was nothing compared to this.

Her whole body shatters in tiny pieces. It looks as if it is animated, but it is not. Unfortunately. Light flashes, and it blinds Elisa. It does not blind the handler, though. The handler sees it all. Feels it all.

That is until she is no longer.

Until her whole body—every limb—has shattered.

Until only fire remains, burning the very last bits of skin and hair. That is all what is left of the handler, together with the memories everyone shares of her.

Just now, Elisa her mouth falls open. She realizes what has happened now that the light has lessened. But only when the fire has died out, Elisa falls to her knees. Just like that the monster inside of her leaves her alone. Alone to mourn and hate herself for what she has done.

"I've just given her the most painful death that she could have," Elisa whispers to herself, knowing it is so very true. She has murdered the handler. The woman who she (sometimes) truly saw as a mother. The woman who made her strong, but the woman who also protected her with everything she had in her. And Elisa burned her—roasted her. And then she made her explode. "I did that."

Elisa her eyes travel down to where the small fires were just a few seconds ago. Nothing remains of the woman. Well, the smell does remain, though. The smell of death and fire. The smell that Elisa will mark as her own. The smell that will remind others of Elisa her actions.

A cry sounds, and Elisa realizes that it is her own. She folds her arms around her waist as her legs press themselves against her chest. It hurts because she is squeezing herself very roughly. But she deserves this. She deserves pain.

"Elisa." The soft whisper of Vanya sounds behind Elisa. Before Elisa can react, a hand places itself on her shoulder. She wants to flinch away. Perhaps she even needs to. But at this moment, she can't help herself but to love the touch of Vanya her hand on her shoulder, because the knowledge that she saved this woman heals all the wounds in her for a few seconds.

Slowly, Elisa closes her eyes, forcing herself to realize what she did in order to protect this woman. "Please, don't touch me."

Vanya her hand doesn't leave. Vanya doesn't even think of moving her hand. Instead, she squeezes Elisa her shoulder softly. "It's all right."

"It's not," Elisa whispers. Her voice breaks. "I'm a monster."

"You're not." Vanya shakes her head slowly, bending through her knees to be at the same height as Elisa. To be able to look at Elisa properly.

"How can you say that . . . when you've heard the screams?" Everyone did.

"Because you saved me." A broken but hopeful twinkle lights up Vanya her eyes. "You saved me, Elisa."

"And I killed two persons to do so."

For the first time, Elisa leans into Vanya her touch. Her body leans against Vanya hers now, and none of the two does something to change this. Yet, Elisa does not dare to look Vanya in the eye. She thinks she won't dare to look anyone in the eye ever again.

"I took people their lives," Elisa whispers, her voice trembling. "And I made the handler cry out loud. How-"

"Stop, Elisa." Vanya folds her arms around Elisa her weak body. "Stop." Elisa stays quiet as she lets Vanya her warmth welcome her. For a moment, the two stay silent.

There are other sounds, though. People scream, yell, cry. No one knows a thing of what actually happens. Elisa can thank the fog for that. Ever since the handler started to scream, the fog became more thick with the second. It's as if nothing is around the two now. It's as if they're alone in their own misery and trauma. Misery and trauma to share.

"Can we go home now?" Vanya asks Elisa, still having her arms around the girl.

Elisa wishes Vanya wouldn't loosen her arms, but she does. Elisa wishes Vanya would never let her go, but she does. And that means that Elisa is forced to go further and face what she has done.

"Let's."

-

Thank you for 6k+ reads! :)