Johann was, admittedly, startled by the sudden shift in Cirven's behaviour, but followed his guildmasters orders, understanding that he probably wouldn't be trusting at all, rightfully so, stepping away from Yona before the girl was engulfed in blue, mysterious flame. Johann twitched, one of his hands weakly reaching out at the sight of the fire, but it didn't seem hot at all, figuring that it probably wasn't meant to harm, quite the opposite, seemingly. Turning his attention back to Cirven he saw the knives floating towards him, all his instincts telling him to dodge, accelerate, to run, but he was locked in place, unmoving, sure that the CEO had some sort of plan, as he always did. He wouldn't really try to kill him, would he ? With considerable speed, from the shadows around rose two exact copies of the other man, grabbing the knives and holding them in place, the blades hovering just above the Vice President's skin, Johann still not moving even an inch. He trusted the CEO blindly where he didn't trust Johann at this moment, understandably so after what had occured here. To be honest with himself, the old man didn't trust himself right now. Not one bit, not after what he had done. He knew it wouldn't be worth wasting the breath to try and justify or explain himself before Cirven, however. The CEO explained that he would find it all out himself anyway, regardless of what the VP would do, thus he was intent on accepting his fate, whatever Cirven had planned for him. "Very well Cirven, do it, see for yourself. I will not fight back ...", lowering his head, a feeling of overwhelming guilt locking his expression in a stoic frown, about to completely surrender himself to the spell when he heard Yona's voice calling out from the side, although weakened and somewhat quiet.
He wondered if the girl could even clearly see or hear him through the influence of Cirven's flame spell, but he did it regardless, shaking his head and giving back with equally weak, sad voice, though uttered through a weak smile "It's okay, Yona, I screwed up, and now I pay the price ... I'm so sorry", the world around him going dark as he lost consciousness.
Johann felt as if he had just been launched out of his own body, locked in place by an overwhelming force, flashes of light all around as brief images flashed past, his old home on Amber Island, training with his father, the blazing inferno that swallowed his family and friends whole, the thundering, echoing crack of gunpowder and then silence. The images blurred, a deep seated feeling of hate and anger filling Johann at their sight, shifting to a dirty boy sitting in a dark corner in some alleyway, dressed in rags, staring at a wall with blank expression. Johann remembered his time in Minstrel. Minstrel was a magnificent place, filled to the brim with magnificent sights, exquisite culture and joy. For the rich, that was. If you were poor in Minstrel, well, that could have unpleasant social consequences. To take if one step further, those without possessions, those without homes, without families, as far as Minstrel was concerned, were worth less than the dirt on the ground, and they were treated horribly, inhumane, like the lowest forms of life out there. Images of Johann being beaten, over and over flashing past, the feeling of increasingly strong frustration filling his heart. He remembered doing every odd job he could, wherever he could, saving up enough money to make his way to Midi where he had his first ever blade forged, before finding his way to Bellum where he worked as a mercenary.
Year after year flashed by, showing his path around Earthland, the fights he had fought, the pain he had endured before finally, somehow, manifesting his magic, and as if by fate, ending up on a ship to Tolgalen, meeting a short, sickly youth along the way. "Ruvel", Johann called out, but the image kept shifting, showing the moment where he had sworn his loyalty to him, to the West Fiore Trading Company, to what would later become his friends, his family, his home, his purpose. All he lived for was them, and the feeling of happiness and joy overwhelmed him, tears once more rolling down his face. Quickly phasing through the jobs he had done with both the West Fiore and Onyx Moon they shifted to the day before, "Yona !", he called out as the next image appeared, when Johann found out what the girl had done to the chef, and once again he remembered his anger with his mentee for hurting another member of his family, the VP dead set on teaching her a little lesson, scaring her a bit to make her understand what she did wasn't okay, a feeling of disappointment filling his chest, the images quickly flashing to the fight between the two. Johann had the clear upper hand, but used only low powered spells, and practically jumped around playfully, barely tapping into his full potential when the images suddenly stopped just as Yona used one of her spells. It was only now through Cirven's spell that the full turn of events returned to the Vice President, clear as day, as a deep, dark shadow from within him took over his body, Johann's consciousness locked inside his own head like a prisoner in a cage, forced to watch as his body was moving, controlled by someone, something else, his screams, his pleas to stop, his sorrow as he watched falling on deaf ears, a deep sense of sadness and guilt flooding his head, drowning out all other feelings. The entity that had taken control of him was filled to the brim with a deep, raging, unending anger and hate that burned like fire, simply sweeping away Johann's attempts to regain control of himself, the images moving to the moment where the demonic Johann stood over Yona, blade drawn, about to deliver the final blow when Johann's defiance soared, his body refusing to do as much as move even a muscle, no matter what the demon commanded, before slamming the rapier into his own side, all images disappearing this very moment, leaving the Vice President floating in a vast nothingness, consciousness once more slipping from his grasp, everything around him turning black before he opened his eyes, the moonlight bathing the clearing in the jungle in subtle twilight, still standing in the same spot as before, feeling Cirven's glare on him. He took in a deep breath, hoping that the devil had gotten the answers he wanted.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thread Word Count: 16,063
Last edited by Johann on 14th December 2018, 5:46 am; edited 1 time in total