Root: A FC/UC Short

Synodic
Creation Era
xxxx, X.X.

Morana refused to look away from the piercing eyes of Vito. “She asked me to do it. I was just following orders,” she answered coldly. “And it was what she wanted. Are you trying to tell me that she actually hated the idea?”

“I’m trying to tell you that it was wrong!” Vito exploded. His eyes gave a glint, “It was a stupid idea in the first place! What kind of – who would want to do that to themselves, anyway? Where’s the joy in living if you’re just…if you’re not even there at all?”

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” Morana lifted a hand and the doors began to close. “Please get out.” Yet Vito stood his ground and the Messenger of Death inhaled sharply at her sibling’s hardheadedness. “Vito. I’m asking you to get out,” she hissed. “You don’t know what’s happening. You don’t know what kind of danger you’re in!”

“What happened to her?!” Vito demanded. He took another step inside and Morana cursed, proceeding to mutter something under her breath while pointing at Vito. Immediately did the male stop and his golden eyes widened; the Messenger of Life attempted to move yet found himself unable to. Morana approached him with dark eyes, her hands glowing and pulsing with a dark color. “Morana, please–”

“Please get out, brother,” Morana whispered. With a wave of her hand, she sent her Twin flying out of the room. Vito sent her a shocked look and he attempted to race back inside, but the doors closed.

And only Morana would be able to open them. Vito stood by the black door dejectedly, his hand meeting the cold surface.

He didn’t understand.

With a loud howl of rage, he aimed his hands at the door and fired a blast of energy towards it. The golden light hit the door and he found himself blasted back against the wall; Vito groaned silently and looked up, but was dismayed when he saw not a scratch on the door’s surface.

“This is a mistake,” he told himself, standing up with a cringe and glaring at the door one last time before racing down the hall and away from what was happening on the very inside. Vito didn’t even want to remember what he saw; he didn’t want to think of the way his Twin’s eyes were dark and yelling at him to get out.

“What are you doing to her, Morana?” he asked quietly. Vito reached the room he was looking for and sealed himself inside for the meantime, locking it with an incantation. Inhaling deeply, Vito faced a silver mirror and knocked thrice.

Immediately did a pair of concerned eyes look into his pained ones. “Life?”

“It’s me, Noctis,” the Messenger answered. From his side, Noctis looked at the troubled Messenger and spotted the bruises darkening different parts of his face and body. The God’s eyebrows knotted in confusion. “Something is happening from our side.”

“Another Life and Death crisis?” Noctis inquired, yet the other shook his head. “What’s going on?”

“It…Morana did something to Crea,” Vito answered weakly. He looked up and slammed his fists against the mirror, punching angrily. “I should have done something – Crea asked Morana to do something and I just stayed there! What kind of Life Messenger just lets things happen like that?” he ranted.

The latter half of the other’s rants had no effect on Noctis. One name resounded in his mind, causing his mouth to fall dry.

“Did you say Crea?”

“I did, I did – oh,” Vito slapped his hands over his mouth and took a step back. Oh no. No. They didn’t know Crea was with us. They thought she made us and then left us, too. Oh no. This is bad. This is bad, Noctis knows –

“Where are you?”  

Vito glanced away, instead focusing on the background of where Noctis was. He could hear the door opening and a voice asking darling what’s wrong, what’s going on? and Vito felt sick to his stomach.

“…we’re located around the giant cluster of stars which form a circle,” he finally answered. “The one with a flashing light in the very center. That’s us. Come quickly.”

* * * * *

Morana had to repeatedly remind herself that it was for Crea’s own good that she had advised that course of action in the first place. She swallowed thickly. Having to go against Vito like that much earlier made her want to throw herself into the nearest void and stay there for the rest of her existence.

I wasn’t supposed to hurt him, she told herself, I was supposed to keep him safe.

“Are you happy? Are you happy with what happened?” Morana asked. Her dark eyes flicked to a person lying down and anger filled her; she wanted to take the person by the shoulders and shake violently. “I had to force my brother out for you. I’m making myself uncomfortable for you. I’m doing all of this for you and you’re just lying there doing nothing,” she screamed.

Morana staggered towards the resting form of the person and ended up staring in disbelief. Her screams ended up echoing. Nothing bounced off the walls, shrill and emotional and loud. Everything that she definitely wasn’t reflected around her, and she swore she wanted to crash down and tune out and away.

“See what you’ve done? You’ve reduced me to emotion,” she croaked. “Emotion – something Vito breathes and adores; something I swore off ever since I began to exist – and now I’m locked in it. You locked me in it.”

And now I have to do the same to you.

“Vito was right,” she whispered.

Cure yourself – can’t you cure yourself?

Wetness stained her cheeks and Morana furiously wiped the tears away, now glaring down at the person who asked her to push through in the first place.

“What kind of supreme one lets this happen to her in the first place? What kind…what kind of mother endangers her children like this?”

Merely staring and doing nothing nearly caused Morana to tune out the noises coming from outside the doors. She jumped upon hearing bangs on the door and voices from the other side, snapping away from her thoughts and realizing what Vito must have done when she forced him away.

You moron –

“Let us in!” someone yelled. Morana cringed. Noctis. Noctis was there and he knew and he wanted to do something just like her.

Another voice. “Morana, let us inside and see her,” it begged. Lumen. Lumen was there too. Her brother ended up calling both Night and Day.

The last voice. “Sister, please. This isn’t the right thing to do.”

“I know it isn’t,” she whispered.

But I have to, I must, I can’t disappoint her.

Taking a shaky breath, Morana whispered a quick apology and lifted her hands, preparing to utter the very same incantation that could make or break them.

This is for everyone’s own good.