Disclaimer: I own no rights to any characters that may or may not appear here. The only thing that's mine is the plot. That being said, I'd like the next chapter of this fic to mark my triumphant return to

Another Requiem, Part 2

Alex stood up faster than she thought possible in her groggy state of mind. That voice… It couldn't be… The remaining Roivas glanced around the bathroom, searching for any hidden items in the small room. Involuntarily, her eyes lingered on the spacious bath tub. Unbidden, images resurfaced; images of her ancestor Max, images of her grandfather Edward, images from three years prior of her corpse resting in a pool of her own freshly steaming blood. She gagged, covering her mouth and ducking her head over the white marble of the sink

"Come now, little Roivas… That's hardly anything…" whispered the female voice. "You've seen far worse in the time it took you to injure us." Alex felt a chill run up her spine

"Xel'lotath, leave me be" the blonde stated shakily, head still bowed. "You're dead. With Mantorok's help, I killed you in three separate realities that it merged as one. There's no way you can be here." Alex wanted so badly to believe the words she was speaking but she knew it wasn't true. These were words spoken from years of science and cold, hard knowledge. Unfortunately, as several great spellcasters have said 'Where science ends, magyck begins.' She looked up again, now directly at the mirror. The reflection it showed was not of Alex's attractive features; rather it was of what could best be described as a twisted forme of an Angel. Humanoid in shape, the 'Angel' had four arms, no head and, where one should have legs, a spike-like appendage. If that wasn't bad enough, in the center of it's chest sat a single eye, glowing a beautiful, corrosive emerald. From this eye coursed several streams of electricity, reaching out to it's fingertips and 'tail'. In her mirror was an image of the Ancient of Sanity (or lack thereof): Xel'lotath.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I CAN SEE YOUR MIND CLEAR AS DAY! WHY BOTHER SPOUTING WORDS THAT YOU DON'T BELIEVE?" Xel'lotath shrieked, voice shrill as nails on a chalkboard. "…But of course you figured it out already…" it added in a whisper, barely audible. "IF NOT, YOU DON'T DESERVE THE TITLE OF 'GUARDIAN OF LIGHT'!"

"Shut up!" Alex yelled in frustration. "How are you still alive?"

"By a spell Pious wasn't aware of…" whispered the emerald enchantress. "THE FOOL HONESTLY BELIEVED WE WOULD TRUST HIM!"

Maybe if I keep them talking, I can find out more…, thought the young woman. "WE heard THAT!" the Ancient shrieked and whispered in unison."We will give you SOME aid, however…. AT A COST!" Alexandra's attention was too focused on the Ancient before her to notice the tingling her left hand felt. Once the realization hit, it was almost too late. Her hand, covered in a light green glow that pulsed gently, was already holding a single razor blade over her right wrist. The Insane Ancient let out a shrieking cackle as Alex's glowing hand pressed the blade to her flesh, a tiny sting accompanying the cool steel. No! Let me go, dammit! Alex focused all her will on gaining control back as she began hearing sounds that shouldn't be able to be heard throughout the foreboding, empty mansion. The sounds of women and children crying and pleading for their lives; a blade being sharpened on a grindstone; footsteps on the first floor, on the ceiling above her, in the bedroom just behind the bathroom door; the familiar chitter of Trappers and Bonethieves as well as the earthshaking footsteps of a Horror.

"Stop, please! I… Please, don't!" yelled Alex as the blade cut into her skin, creating a bloody line before her hand moved up a couple centimeters and began making another cut, deeper than before with crimson actually trickling from the wound.

"DEAR LITTLE ROIVAS, I HATE TO TELL YOU THIS….But we know little about our resurrection… Maybe someone else can tell you…" Alex squeezed her eyes shut, teeth clenched on her lip and drawing shaky breaths. Every passing second, a new mark was made, now deep enough to keep a constant stream of her essence running down into the frigid water and even further down the sink as well. Xel'lotath let out another shriek of laughter as Alex shivered from the amount of blood the cuts, criss-crossing from her wrist to elbow, were draining from her body. Feeling herself slipping from consciousness, she vaguely noted that both hands were now glowing. Her right now turned, exposing unmarked skin which the left hand eagerly began painting with rough, leaking red lines. Not more than a few minutes later, she saw the bathroom swim in her vision. Everything blurred and she heard the Ancient's mad laughter echoing in her head as she blacked out…

Yay for cliffies! Anyways, enjoy the new chapter people! I'm in such a happier mood, and you'll probably see much more being done with my profile. As always, please read and review, it's the fuel for my desire to write! And lastly, look out for new stories from me as well! Love you all, reviewers and non-reviewers, favorites and alerts! TTYL! :3