Chapter Text
Soul heard yelling from the hallway, the words were indistinct but the voice was mechanical, never ceasing in its tirade. It must have been that part of the loop again.
They sighed and ignored it, turning towards the mirror to look at his reflection. Oh what an ugly thing it was. Face half discolored and smudged, ears goatlike and neck scarred. But none of those were truly the thing he hated about this wretched face.
No what it absolutely despised were the horns. Three godforsaken horns, tumors in his god's skull, points that deformed him, misshaped him, ruined him in every way possible. It needed to rid himself of this fucking.. plague.
They summoned his trident, a strange thing, adorned with bells and made from some sort of glowing substance that he thought was metal. Most of the time it glowed a bright, violent red, though now it was mottled with splotches of a sharp, piercing blue.
It’d be the easiest option if it didn't want to leave his room, and he supposed it was symbolic, removing the parts of him that were soul with the very shape they replicated, or some bullshit like that.
He carefully lined the prongs up with the horrid things, one prong for each horn– the smaller ones were closer to his forehead, the spaces even matched up –and he shoved, driving the trident into the base of his skull with a yelp of, not entirely unexpected, pain.
Outside the door, the shouting stopped, both parties jumping at the sudden scream. The Sun looked out of the room towards Soul’s room, then glanced at Heart, this could absolutely wait.
He ran out of the room and down the hallway, the slight screams growing louder as he got closer, it almost felt like the house was extending to try and keep him away. Hell, it was a weird enough hallway, it probably was.
After a dash that took far too long, he burst into Soul’s room with a bang, just in time to see the Stars drive the trident into the base of its horns, which seemed to be slightly chipped and cracked.
They tried to stifle another scream but failed again, Aether could see fracture lines running up and down the entirety of the trident, but before he could do more than get ready to jump at Soul the Sovereign once again slammed The Tines into his head.
There was a cracking noise, something that sounded like the shattering of glass, and the haunting ringing of a bell as the trident seemed to explode, bits of blue and red metal flying out in all directions, most stabbing into Soul or the walls, but three went and sailed into Aether.
One went into his chest and thumping against the metal like a single, random heartbeat, one flung through the shadowy mist of his neck, and the final third slipped past his false eye, straight into his brain.
His screams united and duetted with Souls as they fell. Metal coverings, organs and clothes feeling like they were turning into the same mist as the rest of him as he went through the floor and dissolved into nothing.
~~o~0~o~~
At the same time, in a different universe, another scene played out.
~~o~0~o~~
A trident was aimed at the two figures, glowing a bright red sickly light.
Soul stood at the other end, shaking.
Once more he was in the same spot, staring down his counterparts.
{GODDAMNIT!} he shouted, looking at them with fury in his eyes {COULD YOU BE ANY MORE SELFISH? WE’RE FUCKING DYING, THE WHOLE IS DYING AND YOU’RE HERE, WITH YOUR PETTY ARGUMENTS!}
[Soul, I swear-]
{SILENCE, APOLLO!} Soul said, raising his trident to Mind’s throat.
Mind gulped and put his hands up, backing away slightly.
Heart was still pinned underneath him, not daring to make a sound.
{EVERY TIME!! EVERY FUCKING TIME I HAVE TO THREATEN YOU… TO TELL YOU THAT I’M GOING TO END MY LIFE… JUST FOR YOU TO STOP FIGHTING WHY WHY CAN’T YOU JUST STOP FIGHTING!?}
He was trembling now, tears streaming down his face from the pure red hot fury bubbling up inside of him.
He felt lightheaded, dizzy. His elongated limbs felt like a lead weight as he held his weapon.
{YOU THINK YOU’RE THE ONLY ONES STRUGGLING? YOU THINK I’M NOT FUCKING UPSET WITH THE SITUATION WE’RE IN?! HUH!? YOU THINK THE LOOPS DON’T AFFECT ME TOO?!?}
(L-loops? Soul I don’t understand-)
{SHUT THE FUCK UP ARTEMIS! GodDAMNIT I’M SO TIRED OF THIS SAME SONG AND DANCE! I’M SO TIRED OF NEVER BEING ABLE TO MAKE ANYTHING BETTER OR DO ANYTHING RIGHT! WHY!? WHY CAN’T I JUST GET US TO HARMONIZE ONCE AND FOR ALL!?WHY CAN’T I FUCKING FULFILL MY ROLE?!?}
That’s when Soul did something that really scared both of them.
For the first time, maybe ever, he took the trident and
slammed it
on the ground.
Mind watched in shocked silence as the glass made an impact with the floor.
{WHY CAN’T I HELP WHOLE?!}
Another slam, a choked cry from Heart as he realized what was happening.
He couldn’t see, but he knew what sound Soul’s trident made upon impact.
{WHY WON’T YOU TWO FUCKING LISTEN?!}
Slam! A frustrated yell of anguish from Soul, and the unthinkable: a crack.
[Soul! Soul stop, this is really irrational behavior. Let’s all just calm down.]
Soul ignored him, sobbing louder as his head spun. He paid no attention to the cracks forming in the trident.
He raised it above his head as if to put something that was suffering out of its misery.
{WHY… WHY AM I SUCH A FAILURE?!}
He slammed it down for one last time as the prongs of the trident exploded into bits, shards of glass flying onto Mind as Soul was launched back from the impact.
The blow knocked all of them out, fading into an unmerciful peace.
Before the pitch black lull of unconsciousness overtook him, Soul apologized profusely to Harmonia.