Chapter Text
Casca wished she were dead.
She wished she had died along with the rest of her men.
But instead, she was reserved for a fate worse than death itself.
Femto had finished, releasing his seed inside her. Casca felt the warmth blossoming inside her, but it felt like nothing but a stab of hot iron pouring into her body. She wailed, forced into her own agonizing, crushing climax. Her body shuddered as Femto forced his tongue down her throat one more time before releasing her. The degraded warrior fell face-first onto the cold ground, sweat dripping down her naked body. The demon lord’s seed dripped down her leg, mingling with the blood from the intrusion. Casca shut her eyes, blocking out the sounds of enjoyment the Apostles made as she recoiled into herself.
A scream that could shake the earth overcame the other sounds around her. Guts, with a black claw clinging to his right eye, his amputated arm gushing blood, adding to the never-ending bloodshed. Casca wished she were dead; maybe she could have spared herself and him that humiliation. Whatever image of her burned into his right eye…
Casca did not wish to acknowledge that shame.
Femto’s beet-red eyes glared at Guts, unmoving, unremorseful. Casca clenched her eyes shut, her cheeks wet, her whole body soaked in sweat.
Kuish.
The black sun fractured, the cracks deepening with every passing second. The Godhand and Apostles raised their heads. Each abomination anticipates and is curious about who could breach the "holy" ceremony. The black sun gave way, shattering like glass across the tormented faces of the sky. The shards revealed a skeleton in armor and his steed. Casca's eyes opened immediately upon hearing the shattering of the eclipse. She turned her head to the right, her pupils shrinking as she watched the Skeleton Knight gallop down the arm of the altar to the ground.
Like the wind, the skeleton cut through every Apostle in his way. Without regard for their existence as he speeds past them.
Femto's gaze turned to the approaching threat, lifted his hand, stretched it out, and then crushed it into a fist. He commanded the space around him to bend to his will, compressing the area around the Skull Knight. Apostles were pulled into the gravity, compressing into a small ball of flesh until they could compress no more.
Casca heaved, her fist tightening as she crawled to Guts. The branded man was knocked out cold. He was losing blood, so much blood. Casca’s hand stretched out far, clawing herself away from Femto. The Godhand watched the events unfold before them from their palm-like throne. Slan's slitted blue eyes caught sight of Casca, still awake and moving like a worm.
“Oh, the little slut is still moving toward her lover!” Slan taunted, her tone facetious.
Casca’s heart dropped; she could feel Femto's gaze at her. Then, right in front of her, she saw a hoof land on the ground. Before she knew it, a hand swept her up, placing her on the back of the horse, along with Guts. It happened quicker than the wind itself. Casca shut her eyes, finally giving in to her exhaustion.
“How unexpected, how unforeseen!” Ubik mused in sheer delight as the Godhand members watched the Skull Knight carry the two branded individuals away from the eclipse ceremony and into the light of the sun
Slan hummed, “It is impossible to foresee everything, for we are not those pathetic gods. And even they are not omnipresent. But tell me, Void, was this fated to happen?”
Void did not respond. The silence lingered for a moment. Slan continued her musings, “Oh, well. Nonetheless, time has begun to flow again, and the fifth demon king has been born. The leaping of a few fishes does nothing to change the river...”
"The age of darkness will begin, where demon-kind rules all. Men will know it as such," Void said. The God Hand watched as the newly born Femto looked above while the apostles bowed before him. Femto glanced at his hand, smirking, reveling in the power bestowed and the power he had taken.
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“Guts, you're awake!” Rickert said, holding a clay water pitcher. The branded man sat up, his head resting on his palm. Pain radiated from his left arm, or rather the stub of his arm, wrapped in white bandages. His vision in his only eye was blurred. He shut it, hearing the plip-plop of the cave water.
The questions Rickert had went over his head as he remembered the events of the eclipse: Griffith. The brand of sacrifice. The Band of the Hawk. Griffith was reborn into Femto. Casca. Casca!
“Casca! Where is Casca?!” Guts grabbed Rickert's collar, dragging him close to his face, a frantic and astringent tone in his voice. Rickert was shaking as he averted his gaze.
Erica pointed toward the pool. “She’s over there.”
Casca wore nothing but a white nightgown drenched in water. She stood in the small waterfalls, embracing them. Guts rushed to her side, straining his wounds. Out of instinct, he reached for Casca with his right arm.
“Casca-” he whispered.
“Don’t touch me,” Casca murmured. She sounded so broken. “Please don’t touch me.” She repeated, snatching her body away from Guts. Her arms were folded against her chest, stepping further away as he moved closer.
“Casca- We made it out. We're going to be okay,” Guts said, his arm reaching out to embrace Casca. Casca slapped his hand away.
“Get away from me!” Casca shouted, her honeycomb eyes darkened. Guts grabbed her by the wrist. “Casca, calm-” Casca punched him in the cheek, sending him tumbling down into the water. Guts coughed water in his throat. Casca stood above him, glaring down with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Just leave me alone! Go for all I care!” Casca ran past Erica as she left the waterfall, shielding her body in any way possible. Casca's hand went to her stomach. She began to groan, clenching her teeth. Another sharp pain roared in her lower abdomen.
“Casca.” Guts coughed, asking his questions much too late. “What’s wrong? Are you hurting!?”
"She's been like this, stomach pains. She won’t even talk to anyone. Not even the elf dust will fix her stomach pain," Rickert's gaze lowered.
Casca ran out of the ore cave and into the sunset. Dense green forests surrounded the cave opening. Her legs moved on their own. Her eyes darted around before clenching shut. Pangs in her lower abdomen brought her down to her knees. The pain was becoming more frequent and tighter each time. Casca stammered back up, memories of The Band of the Hawk hitting her.
Judeau's warm compassion.
Corkus’s bolstering pride.
Pippin's gentle strength.
Griffith. Those blue eyes and comforting smile.
Everything, everyone.
Gone, all gone.
Her men were slaughtered and eaten by demons left and right. Blood, dismemberment, and ripped raw human flesh surrounded her. The smell of blood haunted her.
Griffith.
With his command, with his order. Casca heard the phrase loud and clear despite him having no tongue. Griffith’s words that sealed her fate: “I sacrifice.”
The man she followed and worshiped for years—The man Casca wanted so desperately to be his sword.
Don’t look at me, she pleaded while she was—
Casca let out a harsh inhale as she collapsed on the grassy plains, screeching as sharp pain wracked her body. Her body was used, humiliated, and thrown away. Casca exploded in maniacal laughter mixed with shouts as her abdomen tugged tighter. How ironic. How utterly ironic.
Casca wailed and couldn’t stop.
Casca felt a sharp pinch in her brand as night fell. Hollering as she gripped the wet grass, blood dripped down her legs. It felt like an eternity. The urge to push overwhelmed her. Casca followed her body's command, pushing. Then, Casca felt the pressure and tightness stop and something leaving her body. The branded woman took one glance between her legs. She jerked herself back, and the urge to scream snuffed out quickly. The words could not form in her mouth.
It. Casca couldn’t call it anything else. It was a little lump of flesh. Its head was lumpish with one red eye. Its body was formless with fingerless tendrils. Casca froze, shaking her head as its red eye gazed into hers. Griffith - his red eyes.
It was crawling to her, using its stomach to push it further.
That thing just came out of her.
No
Casca’s eyes darted to a nearby rock, large enough to一she looked back at the supposed demon infant who came so close to her feet, leaving a trail of blood behind. Casca reached out and snatched the rock, and with all her might, she slammed the demon child with it—the sound of crushing flesh and splattering of blood on the grass.
She could not stop.
She did it over and over again, letting out a guttural scream as she continued to slam the pile of flesh harder until she physically couldn't anymore. Casca was heaving, puffs of fog visible from the chill.
Her blood-stained hands clutched at the brand under her shirt, the pain now sharper. Blood from the brand tainted her dress. Things that she could only assume to be spirits of the damned began to lunge at her. Casca sprinted, but one spirit’s hand grabbed at her foot. “Get off me!” Casca yanked her foot away but tripped and fell. Everywhere she looked, they surrounded her. Whispering “Sacrifice.”
“Help… me,” Casca mumbled, body aching and her legs damp with blood.
“The brand of sacrifice will draw the demonic creatures of the dark.” Skull knight on his steed rides to where Casca is. The branded woman starred up, realizing this was the man who saved her from the eclipse.“Your blood, thy whole body has been offered to the abominations. That is the fate of those who are branded.”
Casca gritted her teeth as the skull knight threw a sword at her feet. The handle of the sword had rose thorns wrapped around it.
“ I… I..”
“If you want to survive the night. Then you must fight.” Skull Knight's voice was forbating, rippling through Casca. Casca took several steps back, clenching her stomach, the ache of the labor still roaring through her. “I don- I can’t.”
“Then, you will die. It would have been a waste of saving your life.”
“...I’m already a waste of life, a broken sword.” Casca snatched the handle, pulling it out of the ground. Gripping it with both hands, the blade in front of her as the spirits of the damned came to attack her.
Casca slashed and sliced them, trembling as more came in like a swarm of wasps. She一 She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t live like this, to be cursed and damned. But Casca also knew she couldn’t die to these creatures either. To have her body taken from her once again. Phantoms swarmed her, begging for a taste of her blood, a taste of life. Casca swung her sword around wildly, collapsing to the ground, hurling out vomit. One of the phantoms managed to get to her, possessing her. Casca's brand splatted out blood as she, just barely, stave off the phantom’s full possession with a final slash.
Even she knew this was a pathetic display. The Skull Knight watched her fight all night long. His glowing irises peered into the night, seemingly able to see all. She could feel the utter disappointment.
If this was the Gods’ choice in their next champion, humanity was doomed to fall deeper into the inhumans clutches.
Skull Knight’s bets were aimed more at the Struggler, who fights against causality. He would be a much more suitable choice, though hate will soon consume his heart. He could not see why it had to be this weak woman. Though a warrior and skilled swordswoman, the girl could not endure the first night without intervention.
However, she did manage to make it to sunrise, collapsing to the ground, heaving for breath. Maybe the girl does have some potential if she doesn’t lose herself. Casca was shaking, unable to think, breathe, or make sense of what just happened. Finally, Guts managed to find her in the morning fields.
“Casca..”
“Leave me.” Casca curled up into a ball.
“.... I…”
“You did before!? What’s changed now? Is it because I'm broken? Not even worthy of anything, huh? We’re cursed, Guts!” Casca pulled down her shirt collar to reveal the brand. “The brand of sacrifice is a beacon for hell! Every night those things will hound us down! That’s what happened. There is nothing left for us!”
Guts did not respond, breaking eye contact.
Of course, he wouldn’t. There was nothing to say.
This new reality was her own personal hell. Casca just laughed.
Casca wished she had been dead.
Ignis Aureus