2. Voices In The Hollow Darkness
2
VOICES IN THE HOLLOW DARKNESS
~GEMINI~
D arkness cocoons me, interrupted by fleeting moments of awareness that feel like breaking the surface of deep water only to be pulled under again.
Voices penetrate the murky depths of unconsciousness, distant at first, then suddenly crisp and clear as if the speakers stand directly over me.
Each drift toward consciousness brings more clarity, though my eyelids remain too heavy to lift, my body unresponsive to commands.
"Memory loss? Are you fucking for real?"
Zander's voice cuts through the darkness first, familiar in its intensity. Though he's clearly trying to moderate his volume, anger vibrates through every syllable. The effort to contain his rage makes his voice tremble slightly at the edges.
"Of all the bullshit—" He pauses, likely noticing someone's warning glance. "How extensive are we talking?"
Silence follows, filled only by the steady beeping of what must be cardiac monitors nearby. The antiseptic scent of hospital surrounds me, mingling with the distinct cologne I recognize as Zander's.
Someone shifts beside the bed, their warmth close enough that I can sense it against my right arm.
"It's impossible to determine exact parameters until she regains consciousness," a clinical voice responds – Marcus, his usual detachment giving way to a subtle undercurrent of concern. "The hippocampus shows significant inflammation consistent with trauma-induced amnesia, but whether that translates to days, weeks, or months missing..."
A hiss of frustration interrupts him, followed by the sound of someone pacing — rapid, agitated footsteps that match Zander's unpredictable energy.
"Why the fuck weren't we told this was a possibility?" His voice rises before dropping abruptly as if someone gestured for him to keep quiet. "The antidote was supposed to fix everything! You said?—"
"I said it would counteract the scorpion venom," Marcus cuts in, tension evident in his normally measured tone. "Which it did, considering she's breathing right now instead of lying in the morgue."
"Did you want her dead or what?"
The new voice startles me – deeper, with an edge of contempt that feels oddly personal. I recognize it instantly from our confrontation in the Leighton courtyard: Theo Ferdinand. Prince, Savage King, and perpetual thorn in everyone's side.
Why is he here?
The question forms in my foggy mind as silence stretches following his blunt question.
"That's what I fucking thought," Theo continues, satisfaction evident in his tone.
"Can you not be an ass right now?"
This voice sends an unexpected jolt through me.
Warren.
Aries.
The Ruthless King who walked away.
The one I told never to kiss me again after discovering his lingering attachment to Iris.
He shouldn’t be here…right? After I sent him away… I released him from whatever obligation kept him hovering on the fringes of our ruthless dynamic. There's no reason for him to stand vigil at my bedside.
Yet I feel no regret for my decision that day in the classroom.
His divided loyalties made our situation untenable. If he couldn't commit to me beyond his role as protector, couldn't see me as more than a replacement for his lost Maiden...
Still, his presence now, when I'm at my most vulnerable, warms something in my chest that I thought had gone cold.
"I'm being realistic," Theo responds to Warren's rebuke, voice dripping with disdain. "Unlike some people who can't decide which Queen they want to serve. Dead or alive it seems."
"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about," Warren growls, frustration evident in each clipped word.
"Don't I?" Theo's voice carries a dangerous edge now. "You need to make up your fucking mind. You can’t be loyal to her in the present when your past is still haunting you like a fucking plague.”
“Well, you’re a part of that haunting past that’s a thorn in my fucking side at the moment.”
“Oh you wish I was but a thorn in your side, wouldn’t you? That would be nice so I wouldn’t be spending my valuable time aiding you while you have an identity fucking crisis!”
Truthfully, despite the circumstances, I don’t like the idea of Aries and Theo fighting. Sure, they have a messy history, but I feel if it’s enough to still raddle Aries now, after all these years, it proves he still has rooted feelings.
May always have…but that’s something that can be worked with…as long as loyalty is involved.
The monitors beside me register a slight acceleration in my heart rate, though I remain otherwise still. Their argument brushes against wounds still raw, still bleeding beneath the surface.
"Enough." Zander's voice silences the room instantly, the single word carrying the quiet authority that makes even the most rebellious fall in line. "This isn't productive."
"If you two just wanna go outside and fuck your anger out so we can focus, you can do that now before our Ruthless Queen wakes and has to deal with your tense misery."
Ares – his voice carrying that perfect blend of boredom and irritation that's become his trademark. A snort of laughter follows his suggestion, likely from Ren, while someone else mutters something unintelligible but clearly amused.
"Are your brother and Theo a thing?" Ren asks, genuine curiosity coloring his tone.
The question hangs in the air for a moment before Ares responds with a dismissive huff.
"They have history. Shared a Ruthless Queen when he attended Leighton years ago. Basically hasn't gotten over all that shit, which is why I told him to fuck off and not go near our Queen until he sorts himself out."
"You didn't say that last part, liar," Warren interjects, tension vibrating through each word.
“But you can ask him yourself since he’s right there,” Ares offers, clearly not giving a damn regarding Warren’s counter comment.
My consciousness drifts momentarily, their voices fading into a muffled cacophony before sharpening once more. The fragmented pieces of Warren's history with Theo and this mysterious former Queen – Iris – slot together like puzzle pieces, forming a clearer picture of the man I thought I knew.
I don’t necessarily feel bitter like when I first discovered the truth, but I’m not sure how the idea settles for him being present. The idea of him potentially even coming back as a Ruthless King is…odd, but that also has me wondering what happens with Theo.
Or even his loyalty to his Savage Queen…
"Well, of course, he wouldn't," Marcus chimes in, his clinical detachment replaced with rare sarcasm. "If you aren't swearing your loyalty and acknowledging the throne Gemini belongs to sit on, you can go fuck yourself."
"Protective much?" Theo mutters, clearly unimpressed. "You're probably a golden retriever."
Marcus laughs, the sound surprisingly warm for someone usually so reserved.
"If that was the case, you wouldn't have been in charge of shit, because this crew was jackass until I arrived."
"Well, sorry I'm not the fucking board director of medicine," Theo snaps back.
Their voices wash over me as darkness threatens to reclaim my consciousness. I fight against it, clinging to these fragments of conversation that reveal more about the men surrounding me than hours of direct interaction ever could.
"Anyway," Marcus continues, his tone shifting back to professional, "the memory loss is likely temporary. The brain has remarkable plasticity, especially regarding traumatic events. The poison will be diffused out of her system. Whether that takes days, weeks, or months is beyond being able to tell, but the possibilities thanks to the intervention is high enough to stay hopeful."
"So she might remember everything?" Warren asks, unexpected hope coloring his voice.
"Or nothing," Marcus cautions. "We won't know until she wakes fully. The hippocampus?—"
"Spare us the neuroscience lecture," Zander interrupts, impatience edging his words. He usually isn’t so sniped with his commentary, which means he’s worried. "Just tell us if she'll be okay."
A sigh – Marcus, presumably – followed by the sound of papers shuffling. "Physically, yes. The cardiac damage from the venom is healing nicely. Brain function appears normal except for the inflammation I mentioned. Her body is healing from the shot which thankfully didn’t hit any major organs."
"And mentally?" Zander asks, his voice closer than the others. He must be the one sitting beside me, his presence solid and unwavering.
I’m already further relaxing knowing he’s in touch.
Marcus hesitates before answering.
"That's harder to predict. Trauma manifests in unpredictable ways, especially when coupled with potential memory loss. She might wake up exactly as she was before, or..."
He trails off, leaving the alternative unspoken.
"Or what?" Ren presses, unusual tension straining his normally carefree tone.
"Or the gaps in her memory might change her," Marcus says quietly. "Personality is built partly on experience, and let’s be real, having her earlier condition and the potential of biopolar personas isn’t helping with this current predicament. If significant experiences are suddenly unavailable to her consciousness, it could affect how she perceives herself, her relationships, and her place in the world. She could suffer delusion of grandeur, which I mean, could be beneficial regardless because her feeling empowered will make our lingering enemies believe she isn’t as wounded as they would have hoped for, but obviously, not something we’d “want”. Not permanently.”
Silence falls heavy across the room as they absorb this possibility.
"She's still our Ruthless Queen," Zander states finally, no room for argument in his tone. "Whatever she remembers, whatever she forgets…that doesn't change."
"Easy for you to say," Theo mutters. "You've got documentation. The rest of them? Not so much."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zander demands.
Theo's laugh holds no humor.
"It means your precious relationship exists primarily in her head. If those memories are gone, what exactly is left? A bunch of stalkers claiming ownership of a girl who might not remember consenting to any of it? Not to forget, all this started with her volunteering to become a Ruthless Maiden. She attended this university for whatever hidden motives or promises she made to someone outside these walls. Authority you have no clue she still remembers. If she doesn’t recall any of that, where does your relationship stand? You have nothing to show for getting through the tiers of Carnage, Havoc, and Obsession. You’re not going to reach the final title without her memories. You won’t completely become official Ruthless Kings, and she won’t achieve the title of Ruthless Queen, so all of this "Playing House” shit will mean nothing.”
The heart monitor registers another jump in my pulse, matching the cold dread spreading through my veins.
Could he be right? How much might I have forgotten? How much of myself might be lost in the darkness clouding my mind?
I want to try and remember everything but just the idea makes my mind pound in irony. There’s no need for me to push it yet, but it’s obvious that I need to confront this dilemma sooner rather than later.
Just need to see where I stand in all of this madness and what are our odds of winning this game of chess.
"That's not how this works," Marcus interjects, professionalism barely containing his evident irritation. "Memory loss isn't like erasing files from a computer. The information often remains accessible on some level, even if conscious recall is temporarily compromised."
He’s speaking clinical, which is only because Theo is present. He feels threatened by his presence which makes sense because at th end of the day, regardless of his relations to Warren, he’s an outsider.
A Savage Heir…
And he can turn or betray us at any point if he needs to.
Playing cautious is key…and my Ruthless Kings grasp that.
"Keep telling yourself that," Theo responds dismissively. "Meanwhile, maybe prepare yourselves for the possibility she wakes up thinking she's still Domino's favorite punching bag, with no idea why a bunch of men are hovering over her bed claiming to be her Kings."
"That won't happen," Warren says with unexpected certainty. "The core of who she is remains intact. Memory loss doesn't change essential nature, and I doubt she’ll forget that bastard, even if she wanted to."
"And you'd know this how?" Theo challenges.
The monitors register my accelerating heart rate again, prompting someone to move closer to the bed.
"Her pulse is increasing," Marcus notes. "She might be regaining consciousness. Or responding to the tension in the room. Either way, keep it civil."
"Civil," Theo repeats with a snort. "Sure. Let's all pretend everything's fine while waiting to see if your Queen remembers any of you."
"She's not property," Ares says suddenly, the unexpected force behind his words. "Stop talking about her like she's some prize to be claimed or lost."
"Isn't she though?" Theo counters. "The ultimate prize in your little competition? The Ruthless Queen all of you are fighting to possess?"
"You don't understand anything," Zander's voice cuts through the tension, quiet but deadly. "Our relationship with her isn't about possession. At least…not anymore. Things have changed."
"No?" Theo challenges. "Then why the parade of jealousy whenever one of you gets more attention than the others? Why the constant need to mark territory? You're all so caught up in your roles as 'Ruthless Kings' that you've forgotten she's a person first, not just your crowning achievement, or am I reading the outside looking in on things?"
It’s becoming obvious that he’s gaslighting them.
On purpose…
Why?
Is he trying for us to break apart so he keeps Aries’ interest back on him?
The silence that follows feels weighted with uncomfortable truth.
"I think," Ren says carefully, breaking the tense silence, "what matters now is supporting her recovery, regardless of what she remembers."
"Agreed," Marcus adds. "The priority is her health." Anything else is secondary and can wait.”
"And if she wakes up and doesn't remember any of you?" Theo presses, relentless in his provocation. "What then?"
If I don’t remember them?
But I do!
Zander, Ares, Warren, Marcus…Ren…
"Then we start over," Zander answers without hesitation. "We earn her trust again. As odd and fucked up it was, we’ll do it. We prove ourselves worthy of her attention and mercy once more. Yearn her affection, her partnership – whatever form that takes.”
He pauses as if he’s peering at those that matter in the room.
“Either way, it’s not like it’s any of your business. Last time I checked, Sweet Dynamite is a Ruthless Queen. Not a Savage Heir in the making.”
Setting his boundaries.
I’d smile if I could, feeling a sense of pride. His certainty washes over me like warm water, soothing anxieties I didn't realize had formed in my semi-conscious state.
The others murmur in agreement, even Warren, whose conflict over his place in our dynamic has been evident from the beginning.
"How touchingly romantic," Theo drawls, though something in his tone suggests he's not entirely unmoved. "And completely unrealistic. People don't just slot back into relationships they don't remember forming."
"You don't know her like we do," Zander says. "Memory or not, that’s the hill she’ll be ready to climb and we’re going to follow suit."
"If you believe that," Theo responds, "you're even more delusional than I thought."
“It’s our road to walk upon, Theo,” Warren declares, and you can tell from his stern tone that he’s had enough of this back and forth.
He’s standing his ground…and surprisingly enough, I don’t mind his presence.
"C’mon. Why don’t I walk you out.”
“Hmph. I can walk myself.” There’s a pause as footsteps begin to fade but there’s a quiet mutter, “If this is the hill you’re dying on, don’t bother me when you’re on your last breath of life. I’m busy ravishing my Queen. I don’t entertain failures.”
The slam of the door follows, and a cheerful whistle follows.
“Oh he’s MAD mad,” Ren declares. “So you gonna fix that or you meant that loyalty shit.”
“I meant it,” Warren confesses. “Just need to wait for Verena’s validation.”
“And forgiveness,” Ares grumbles.
“Can you tame that bitterness? It’s pissing me off.”
“Make me,” Ares counters.
“Sibling rivalry at its finest,” Marcus dramatically sighs. “Please, pigtails. Wake up faster to tame these children.”
“Fuck off!” They say in unison.
Someone shifts beside the bed – Zander, I think – his warmth moving closer as fingers gently brush a strand of hair from my face. The touch feels achingly familiar, grounding me even as consciousness threatens to slip away again.
"The Blind One will pay for this," he says quietly, voice pitched for the room but carrying intimacy meant only for me.
"Get in line," Ren mutters. "I've got plans for whoever orchestrated this that would make medieval torturers queasy."
"Your bloodthirst is charming," Marcus comments dryly. "But perhaps we should focus on her recovery before planning elaborate revenge scenarios?"
"Who says we can't do both?" Ren counters. "Multitasking is an essential skill in survival. That’s how you’re going to live in the midst of a cage fight."
Their banter continues, slightly forced but attempting normalcy as I drift deeper into unconsciousness once more. The darkness feels less threatening now, less absolute as if their voices have illuminated paths through the void.
Before I sink completely under, one final exchange reaches me.
“Do you think we really have to prepare for the worst?” I’m surprised by Zander’s softened question, feeling a press of lips to my temple. It’s the first time the pitch of anger has subsided and been replaced with genuine worry.
“I think when it comes to pigtails, no matter what happens she’ll recover from it and it’ll just mold her and us to a renewed force for our final act.”
“Final act,” Ares whispers. “We’re gonna have to attend the rescheduled ball…”
“Yes,” Zander whispers. “We’re going to claim and prove to all those fuckers that we will finish this rise of hierarchy to the very end.
“The rise towards vengeance,” Warren declares.
Vengeance…
That’s the word that solidifies the plan forming in my plan.
Be prepared Blinded One, for the next arc of mayhem will lead to your downfall…and my resurrection.