Winter: Waking; Up; In; A; White; White; World; A; Decision; Is; Made PT. 1/7

I let out a slight groan as I woke back up, my hair covering up most of my face.

What the hell just happened to me? Last thing I remember is-!

"Lachesis, what happened to her," I managed to let out before trying to move my body, only to find myself bound to a metal chair bolted to the ground.

"Ah, it seems that our most esteemed guest has finally woken up from his slumber!" A familiar voice said, and everything came rushing back to me as the man named Iapetus appeared in my vision, giving me a grin.

"W-what the hell did you do to me?" I asked, and Iapetus' grin grew even wider at my words.

"Oh, he is even better than I imagined! Oh, what a glorious day indeed, the day of our family reunion!"

Huh? "What the hell is going on?"

"Oh dear, do I need to introduce myself again? Very well, if you insist!" He took a couple steps back before giving me a slight bow, taking off his top hat. "My name is Iapetus, Iapetus the Piercer!"

"I asked what's going on! Where's Lachesis!?" I asked, starting to struggle against the leather that bound me to the chair.

"Oh, the girl? She's dead in a ditch somewhere, who cares about someone like that anyway. More importantly!" He started, putting his hat back on before crouching down in front of me, his face filling with wonder at my unsightly self. "How are you? Feeling comfortable? You must forgive us for our methods, since you started to rage out of control earlier, but it is to your benefit you know, because this day is one of importance to 'our' family, so to speak; the day you bring them back!"

Lachesis is dead? "You didn't mean that right, that Lachesis is dead? There's no way she would die, right? She can't die, not now, hey, tell me if you're lying to me please, hey, please-!"

I got stopped by a slap to the face before Iapetus' hands grasped it, gently stroking the cheek that was now turning red.

"Dear child, she's dead. Probably. But who cares about her, you'll get something worth so much more than that. Now then, as I was saying before-!"

"Huh? Probably, what does that mean? She's still alive then, still good, still alive, still healthy, still fine, still-!" I got another slap to the face, this time on the other cheek, before Iapetus once more stroked it gently.

"Dear boy, the Catastrophe doesn't leave your kind alive if he can help it. She may have gotten away, who knows? Whatever helps you sleep better, let's just say she is alive to make this simpler."

I could only stare into his piercing brown eyes before nodding, and he let out another grin that showed his teeth.

"What Excellence! I knew you could do it, how like the Key to our glorious and wondrous family reunion!" He released my face before walking back again, his brown face flushed with excitement.

"Now, as I was saying, you will be the one to bring back 'our' family tonight, so we can at last be reunited with one another!"

My eyes grew wide at his words, and in the background I could hear soft giggling.

"F-family?"

"Yes my boy, family, the one thing that is most important to anyone in this world! They who will do you no wrong, no harm, and help you to the utmost of your ability; yes, because that is what family is to us!"

"Your Fault."

The giggling grew louder, mocking his words, and I slowly shook my head.

"…do it…"

"Huh? What was that?"

"can't do it…" I let out, averting my gaze to the floor, shaking my head again.

"But of course you can. You're the key. You sent them away, now bring them back."

"Your Fault."

"I can't do it." I said more firmly, my breathing starting to get unsteady from his words.

"Huh? Hey, of course you can, it's why you're here. All this is for 'our' sake, for the sake of family!"

"Your Fault."

"I can't do it!" I roared out, once more struggling against my bonds as the laughter grew to it's crescendo, drowning out my screams and YOURFAULT.

Why YOURFAULT, of all days? YOURFAULT now? Why? Why Why YOURFAULT Why YOURFAULTYOURFAULTYOURFAULT-!

"OF COURSE YOU CAN DO IT!" Iapetus screeched out, piercing through the laughter as if it weren't even there.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WILL MAKE 'OUR' DREAMS COME TRUE, DREAMS OF 'OUR' GLORIOUS FAMILY REUNION!"

"SHUT UP! I CAN'T DO IT, LET ME OUT, FUCK OFF, I DON'T-"

"PIERCE!"

December 24th, 2021, 6:00 pm: Depra has his first conversation with Iapetus.

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"So, this is our key then Father? He looks rather… shabby."

I slowly opened my eyes, still in the same position as before, the leather holding me down strapped slightly tighter.

A boy who looked to be around my age was staring at me through my hair, readjusting his glasses. "Oh, he's awake now by the way."

"OH TRULY!?" I tensed up at Iapetus' words, as the boy moved out of the way so Iapetus could take a closer look at me. "You seemed to be freaking out over something, so I thought you could use the time to reset yourself."

"Wh-what just happened? How did you do that?" I managed to ask, his piercing gaze tearing through my faltering one.

"Hmm? Oh, I just knocked you out, don't worry too much. More importantly, I wanna show who my sons are! C'mon kids, introduce yourself to the Key!"

I watched as three boys, made there way towards me, and the one who was inspecting me went first.

"I'm Prometheus, a pleasure." He nodded at me before he started to get lost in thought.

"I'm Menoetius ya weak fuck, and ya better remember it," the next boy said, his anger and rage causing the very air itself to tremble before he spat on the ground, causing a slight rumble in the earth.

"I'm Epimetheus, and I hope to be good friends with you!" the last boy said, his childish face giving me an innocent look that caused me to involuntarily tense up.

"Oh, alas, if only Prometheus' older twin brother Atlas could be here as well, then 'our' family reunion could truly be complete!" Iapetus said, a deep frown appearing on his face. "But enough of that, we already have a plan in action for him. As for you, you must be feeling better, yes!?"

"Your Fault."

The giggling once more started to infringe on my being, and I gritted my teeth, trying hard to ignore it. "I don't really know about that, since I've been captured and all."

"Once again, apologies on our part, but you were absolutely critical to our plan that even kidnapping you was nothing compared to what we would do to get you here."

I watched him bow his head before me, taking off his hat as a sign of respect.

"Y-you actually needed me that badly? That's ridiculous," I said, looking between the four. "I can't do anything, so why is it that…"

"Because as the key, you are needed for 'our' glorious family reunion!" Iapetus yelled out, putting his hat back on his head as he stood up straight once more.

Once more, I'm needed? I looked back down at the floor, the giggling starting to fade away. Maybe she really was right…

"I still have my doubts though Father," the one named Prometheus voiced out. "We've done plenty of research into your past, so we know all about what happened with the boy and your family."

I tensed up at his words, looking into his calculating brown eyes. "As many preparations we have made on our end, if the Key isn't properly prepared, this will all end for naught Father; you of all people must know that."

"That is why we brought him here!" Iapetus said, grinning at all of us. "Far from distractions, where no one will bother him, he can gather himself to bring them all back!"

"Your Fault."

The giggling came at me, already at its peak, and I started to gasp as I heard the voice that was not meant to be heard on this of all days.

(As if you could make a decision regarding that.)

"No, wait, not-!"

(After all, you know whose fault it is.)

"Please stop it, leave me alone!"

(Your Fault.)

"Your Fault."

YOURFAULT!

I gasped again, feeling someone's hands on my face.

"Hmm, that is very odd indeed. Whatever could it mean?"

"It's possible he doesn't have full control, and if that's the case, then Father, this plan will-!"

I was released as Iapetus went back to Prometheus, and I could feel myself shaking as the giggling turned into laughter.

"Hey, no fighting," Epimetheus said, frowning at me, and it went quiet all around me, both inside and out.

"How did you-!" I was cut off by a security guard rushing in, and Iapetus sighed before turning back to me.

"We'll talk later Prometheus."

"Wait, wh-!"

"Pierce."

December 24th, 2021, 7:45 pm: Depra meets with Iapetus' sons.

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How long had it been since I've been here, waiting in the dark?

Everyone else had already left, leaving only the slight rumbles that shook the building around me. No moon to shine its light on me, the stars unable to reach me.

In the end, I was once more left with my own thoughts and voices.

Is Lachesis really dead? Did Iapetus and his family really need me? Can I honestly do what they wish of me?

(Of course not. After all, you're still a Coward.)

The giggling started to pervade the darkness that surrounded me as the building shook once more.

(A Coward who runs away from making 'that' decision, what makes you think you'll be able to do anything?)

"Bu-but I'm needed…"

(Is that what you tell yourself, ever since that annoying bitch told you she needed you the most?)

"Not just her, the others too."

(Does that include those you took away?)

The giggling started to reach closer to me, growing louder as the building shook with another boom.

"I…"

(Of course, you only think like that when it's convenient. Coward.)

"Who knows if they ever really needed me…"

(You never gave them the chance to find out, remember? You chose to run away from it, from them, you damn Coward.)

"I'm not a coward."

(Oho, is that what you try to convince yourself? You know exactly why you're a Coward.)

The giggling grew ever closer, close to its climax as the building rumbled around me, it too growing ever closer to me.

"This and that have nothing to do with one another."

(Oh, but it has everything to do with each other Depra. The reason you're a Coward, the reason why you lie to yourself, the reason why you won't make a decision regarding 'that', all of it concerns itself with that day.)

The giggling roared to it's crescendo for the final time as it once more turned into laughter, the voice cackling along with it.

(After all, it's Your Fault.)

The laughter started to take over me, the voices once more dragging me down to my everlasting punishment, deeper and deeper, falling in the never-ending pit of darkness…

"Well, no matter. There were too many of you for my sons to fight you all anyway, so as the Father, I'll pick up their slack."

Once more, I was brought back by his piercing words, hearing Iapetus directly behind me.

"That is, after all, what family is for."

(But you never believed that for a second, you damn Coward. Running away is all you do after all.)

"I'm here to take him back."

"Honestly, kids these days. Don't mettle within my family affairs. This is, after all, 'our' family reunion, right, Depra?"

I tensed up at both of their words, recognizing the former's voice as I slowly took my eyes off the ground, gazing towards a boy with a purple Kabuto on, memories of the boy and I picking out the helmet together.

"E-Ere-bus…?" I managed to mumble out, looking towards his singular red eye.

"I'm here to save you King. Just hold on!" He yelled out, and the laughter grew even louder, mocking his efforts.

No, this wasn't meant to happen. Why, why? "Why, are you here?" I asked, my eyes widening at the sight of my childhood friend. No, not now, I don't wanna, please, not now, I'm not ready. "Stop, wait, no, go back, I'm fine, please," I started to plead at him, desperate to keep it all hidden away, because I'm a-

(Coward.)

The laughter roared, and I winced as I was unable to hear anything Erebus said.

However…

"See, even our Key here is saying he's fine, so, why must you try to interfere?"

Once more, Iapetus' voice alone pierced through the laughter, somehow always reaching through to me.

I could only watch as Erebus said something, something I was unable to hear, before Iapetus responded in full.

"Well, that's no fun, is it, Depra?"

(But you would prefer it that way always, isn't that right, you Coward?)

I started to shake, once more trying hard to free myself from my leather bond as Iapetus' voice continued to pierce through the laughter.

"After all, you want them back too, don't you? Your Family. Together, we can have a big family reunion together, and you can bring them all back at last."

(Just as you sent them all away at long last, right, Depra?)

I gasped as I struggled against the leather holding me down, trying hard to ignore the voice that always rung true.

"No, wait, it wasn't meant to happen, I don't know what you're talking about!"

(After all, it's Your Fault.)

I felt the laughter drown out everything, till all I could see was laughter, hear was laughter, feel was laughter, smell was laughter, taste was laughter, drowning in unbearable-!

"Pierce."

December 24th, 2021, 9:00 pm: An altercation begins between Iapetus and Erebus.