Why couldn’t he do it? He felt such a hatred for her—as if he could bash her brains out all over the dirt that covered the cavern floor. Yet, somehow, someway, something came over him back in Rosemary’s court. He couldn’t end her life like that. But she could end his—was this pathetic little girl even stronger than he?
She couldn’t be. Sophia was humble, modest, compliant, and easily-swayed; she didn’t have the strength to defeat him in a fight, and he contested that she—or anyone—could beat him in a mental challenge. But Rosemary’s game had been an emotional challenge. Juno hadn’t been too experienced with emotions before. He would admit that the woman of God had a leg up on him in that department.
He cursed himself silently. Why hadn’t he been stronger? He could’ve ended her life before it started. He’d done it many times before. Why on Earth couldn’t he do it this time?
Then, reality set in, and they were running again. Juno quickly caught up to Ares and Sophia, Zena tagging along just slightly behind. Without a second thought, he rushed past the priestess and the fiery-haired kid and took the lead in this little party.
Abruptly, he felt a surge in his mind—and he motioned for the group to stop running. The other three people complied, and silently remained in their places. Juno heard footsteps around the next bend, and reached down towards a sharp stalagmite that rose out of the cave floor. Using his Saiyan strength, he ripped it from its place, and held it ready.
Three soldiers emerged from the corner, rifles at the ready. Ares raised a palm and shot a ki blast towards one of the foes, while Juno shot a blast at one and lunged out at the other, piercing his armor and then his flesh with the sharp piece of rock.
The soldier he’d stabbed fell to the ground, writhing in pain. He was a good as dead, but something inside Juno swelled up—anger flushed through his veins, and he stabbed the man again, and again, and again. Crimson blood spewed forth from his chest with each thrust of the stone. It spat forth from the wound that slowly grew larger, staining the halfling’s pale skin with blood.
Juno didn’t know it, but the others were staring intently at his murderous rampage; and not just because of the violence, but because he was screaming as he continued his assault.
“Foe!” he roared despairingly, “Foe! Foe! Foe! Foe, foe, foe, foe! FOE!” His eyes reddened and watered with tears that he could feel just about to burst through his barrier. He’d never felt this many emotions before—they all just seemed to be pouring over, and his soul poured out with them.
“Juno!” he heard faintly in the background. He knew it was her, but he didn’t stop—he kept stabbing. Even though the man’s face was long frozen with death’s cold sting, he couldn’t stop unleashing his anger, his frustration, his despair, his sadness, his gratitude, his hopelessness, his misery, his uncertainty, his indecisiveness, his longing for answers on him.
Her icy hand touched his shoulder, and with a jerk, he reached around and backhanded her hard in the face. She fell back, collapsing into the wall, her face red with pain. She yelled in pain, but attempted not to show any other sign of weakness. Juno approached her weapon in hand. He wanted to kill.
“I trusted you,” he realized, “I don’t know why… this game has done something to me. It’s—I’ve never—I don’t know how—how did you do it? How did you fool me?” Sophia stayed silent, shuffling to her feet and lowering into a battle stance.
“Juno, I will fight you,” she said abruptly. He scoffed.
“I hate you so much,” he told her plainly, his hand tensing around the rock, “You can’t even understand. You’re a good person. That’s what you were supposed to be. Why would you do that?! You killed me. You signed the warrant for my death. And then you didn’t even have the guts to do it yourself. I swear to God, I could kill you right now!”
“Juno,” she whispered fearfully, “You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t know what you’re saying.” Juno huffed with anger—who did she think she was, trying to reason with him?! This was all her fault, and now she was trying to weasel her way out of it? Just like last time. With that one word. Foe. Foe, foe, foe, foe, foe, foe, foe! Just one word!
“No,” he sighed, “I know exactly what I’m saying. I know exactly who you are—you’re a falsity, in and of yourself, Sophia. I know how you did that. You lied to yourself, you lied to the world. And then when you finally had the chance—nobody would know you killed me—you took it.”
“No,” Sophia denied it.
“Yes,” Juno confirmed, looking in her eyes. “You’re a selfish person. But Sophia—there’s one question I’d like answered. What was it about you that changed my mind? I was prepared to say foe, but something within me altered my judgment. So I saved your pathetic, worthless life, and for what? To be betrayed? WHY?”
“I—I don’t know!” she screamed at him in pure fury as he came closer, raising the rock above his head, poised to strike.
“You don’t know?!” he screeched angrily. His anger was swelling, his face was already flooded with tears, his eyes were puffy and red, and his teeth gritted in frustration. “How could you not know? It was you! You’re the one that did it to me! You have to have the answer!”
Sophia winced. If only slightly.
“I couldn’t kill you then,” he murmured regretfully, raising his arm higher than he ever had before in this conversation. “…and I… I can’t kill you now.” He dropped the rock, letting it fall to the sand.
He relaxed himself, but he felt another surge run through his mind, and raised his hand up, catching Sophia’s wrist as she tried to punch him when his guard was down.
“You’re so predictable,” he chuckled lightheartedly, tossing her aside. He seemed relaxed, but Sophia could tell he was tense, too—all at the same time. The trio shot him confused looks, but he paid no mind to their pathetic attempts at figuring him out.
She raised up her hand, forming an orb of ki. Juno stopped, and then said without facing her, “Soph.” He was calmer, friendlier. He faced her. “I can’t kill you. I don’t know why. But I’ll find out.”
He started off. “Hey, wait—” Zena interrupted. Juno scoffed. He’d almost forgotten Zena and Ares were there. “—where are you going?”
“To find someone, something—” he smirked. He walked back in the opposite direction they’d came, leaving the trio to stare at him as he walked. He heard shuffling feet, and quickly formed a ki orb, and shot it to the ground just behind him. A mine was activated, and the resulting smoke shielded him as he took to a run. Within moments, he was out of sight.
As he ran, a smile flickered on his face—he’d finally solved the puzzle.
She couldn’t be. Sophia was humble, modest, compliant, and easily-swayed; she didn’t have the strength to defeat him in a fight, and he contested that she—or anyone—could beat him in a mental challenge. But Rosemary’s game had been an emotional challenge. Juno hadn’t been too experienced with emotions before. He would admit that the woman of God had a leg up on him in that department.
He cursed himself silently. Why hadn’t he been stronger? He could’ve ended her life before it started. He’d done it many times before. Why on Earth couldn’t he do it this time?
Then, reality set in, and they were running again. Juno quickly caught up to Ares and Sophia, Zena tagging along just slightly behind. Without a second thought, he rushed past the priestess and the fiery-haired kid and took the lead in this little party.
Abruptly, he felt a surge in his mind—and he motioned for the group to stop running. The other three people complied, and silently remained in their places. Juno heard footsteps around the next bend, and reached down towards a sharp stalagmite that rose out of the cave floor. Using his Saiyan strength, he ripped it from its place, and held it ready.
Three soldiers emerged from the corner, rifles at the ready. Ares raised a palm and shot a ki blast towards one of the foes, while Juno shot a blast at one and lunged out at the other, piercing his armor and then his flesh with the sharp piece of rock.
The soldier he’d stabbed fell to the ground, writhing in pain. He was a good as dead, but something inside Juno swelled up—anger flushed through his veins, and he stabbed the man again, and again, and again. Crimson blood spewed forth from his chest with each thrust of the stone. It spat forth from the wound that slowly grew larger, staining the halfling’s pale skin with blood.
Juno didn’t know it, but the others were staring intently at his murderous rampage; and not just because of the violence, but because he was screaming as he continued his assault.
“Foe!” he roared despairingly, “Foe! Foe! Foe! Foe, foe, foe, foe! FOE!” His eyes reddened and watered with tears that he could feel just about to burst through his barrier. He’d never felt this many emotions before—they all just seemed to be pouring over, and his soul poured out with them.
“Juno!” he heard faintly in the background. He knew it was her, but he didn’t stop—he kept stabbing. Even though the man’s face was long frozen with death’s cold sting, he couldn’t stop unleashing his anger, his frustration, his despair, his sadness, his gratitude, his hopelessness, his misery, his uncertainty, his indecisiveness, his longing for answers on him.
Her icy hand touched his shoulder, and with a jerk, he reached around and backhanded her hard in the face. She fell back, collapsing into the wall, her face red with pain. She yelled in pain, but attempted not to show any other sign of weakness. Juno approached her weapon in hand. He wanted to kill.
“I trusted you,” he realized, “I don’t know why… this game has done something to me. It’s—I’ve never—I don’t know how—how did you do it? How did you fool me?” Sophia stayed silent, shuffling to her feet and lowering into a battle stance.
“Juno, I will fight you,” she said abruptly. He scoffed.
“I hate you so much,” he told her plainly, his hand tensing around the rock, “You can’t even understand. You’re a good person. That’s what you were supposed to be. Why would you do that?! You killed me. You signed the warrant for my death. And then you didn’t even have the guts to do it yourself. I swear to God, I could kill you right now!”
“Juno,” she whispered fearfully, “You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t know what you’re saying.” Juno huffed with anger—who did she think she was, trying to reason with him?! This was all her fault, and now she was trying to weasel her way out of it? Just like last time. With that one word. Foe. Foe, foe, foe, foe, foe, foe, foe! Just one word!
“No,” he sighed, “I know exactly what I’m saying. I know exactly who you are—you’re a falsity, in and of yourself, Sophia. I know how you did that. You lied to yourself, you lied to the world. And then when you finally had the chance—nobody would know you killed me—you took it.”
“No,” Sophia denied it.
“Yes,” Juno confirmed, looking in her eyes. “You’re a selfish person. But Sophia—there’s one question I’d like answered. What was it about you that changed my mind? I was prepared to say foe, but something within me altered my judgment. So I saved your pathetic, worthless life, and for what? To be betrayed? WHY?”
“I—I don’t know!” she screamed at him in pure fury as he came closer, raising the rock above his head, poised to strike.
“You don’t know?!” he screeched angrily. His anger was swelling, his face was already flooded with tears, his eyes were puffy and red, and his teeth gritted in frustration. “How could you not know? It was you! You’re the one that did it to me! You have to have the answer!”
Sophia winced. If only slightly.
“I couldn’t kill you then,” he murmured regretfully, raising his arm higher than he ever had before in this conversation. “…and I… I can’t kill you now.” He dropped the rock, letting it fall to the sand.
He relaxed himself, but he felt another surge run through his mind, and raised his hand up, catching Sophia’s wrist as she tried to punch him when his guard was down.
“You’re so predictable,” he chuckled lightheartedly, tossing her aside. He seemed relaxed, but Sophia could tell he was tense, too—all at the same time. The trio shot him confused looks, but he paid no mind to their pathetic attempts at figuring him out.
She raised up her hand, forming an orb of ki. Juno stopped, and then said without facing her, “Soph.” He was calmer, friendlier. He faced her. “I can’t kill you. I don’t know why. But I’ll find out.”
He started off. “Hey, wait—” Zena interrupted. Juno scoffed. He’d almost forgotten Zena and Ares were there. “—where are you going?”
“To find someone, something—” he smirked. He walked back in the opposite direction they’d came, leaving the trio to stare at him as he walked. He heard shuffling feet, and quickly formed a ki orb, and shot it to the ground just behind him. A mine was activated, and the resulting smoke shielded him as he took to a run. Within moments, he was out of sight.
As he ran, a smile flickered on his face—he’d finally solved the puzzle.