[Beginning of the End 7/7] Dark Storm

[A] || It had been eight days since he obtained control over Chava. Originally he had said a week, but in case anything had gone a little wrong, he decided to wait a day. It took him a little less than five minutes to write the letter. Of course, he did say he's use code, but being over proud in her mental weakness and his magical strength, Aeron kept the first letter plan. Although it was simple letters and the occasional number. He did want to have /some/ fun. He wrote to meet in a secluded part within Knockturn Alley, on the edge of the Dark. It was broken down, no one  even lived remotely close, and it would be easy to see if more than one person approached him. In which case he would apparate away. Simple. Easy. He sent the letter off on an owl that couldn't be traced to him in any form. Then checking his body to make sure he had his weapons and wand, he apparates to the meeting place. He was curious to see the condition of the woman. Was she still under his control well enough? Would he have to cast it again? She had to obey, and her mind was weak. It was unlikely she'd be able to fight it off within in the few days she was away from him. With a sigh, caught up in his thoughts, Aeron flicks his hood up, hiding his red hair from sight, his face clouded in darkness. Sometimes he wished he could just sink into the shadows. It would make things so much easier. As it is, he has to stand out in the open. Elaborately dressed under his traveling cloak. Luckily he chose the right spot, no one was around. ||

[C] || With every passing day, Chava grew more and more confident that she was truly free of the curse Aeron had put her under. But still, she had just been waiting for the day his letter arrived, where she would really be put to the test. And when it did come, she was pleasantly surprised to find that she didn't even have to strain. The curse was really gone. She felt zero desire to really follow through with the note and tell Aeron everything, and she really had Damien to thank for that. Everyday he helped make her stronger. And so, taking the letter  from the owl, she quickly opens it to read it, while going to find Damien at the same time. "Damien!" she calls. Knockturn, a secluded corner of it. That was close, and a good spot. Especially as they only had to much time to go through their plan they made just over a week ago. "We have an hour to be there. He's waiting for me," she smirks.

[D] || It seemed strange to be so impatient for a moment to come. He'd been waiting anxiously for the letter to arrive, waiting to put his plan in action. Was this how Chava felt when waiting to kill his parents? He guessed so. However when Chava shouted out for him, he felt that the time had come. Or rather he'd hoped so. "Did it arrive?" he called out. He was answered almost immediately, so he nodded. "Cast a disillusionment charm on yourself. Learning to climb really would have helped here, huh." he adds as a way of hopefully getting her to train in that field after her pregnancy. He quickly moves towards his brewing room, grabbing one of the blank polyjuice potions, noting how there weren't that many left, before moving over towards Chava, and plucking a hair from her head. "Alright let's go." he states walking towards the door, so they could head to the Meeting spot. He'd take a swig of the potion as soon as they reached where Knockturn met the dark alley, to maximize the time the potion lasted.

[A] || Admittedly, he did apparate soon after he was sure the letter was delivered, so he did wait a while. Eventually, he saw someone approaching the meeting place. No one was supposed to be around so it was clearly Chava. Knowing this, a sly smile pants the man's face. So, she was still under his spell. She came here. She was alone. It was perfect. Aeron shifts, standing up and making his way towards the woman. When they were within talking distance, he calls "I do hope there was no trouble leaving your home." His sea green eyes do scan the area for a while, making sure no one had indeed followed her. It would ruin his further plans. He most certainly did not need that. They grew close, and he speaks again, almost softer. "What news do you have for me, Chava? And how've you been faring?" An odd feeling started to bubble in his gut, and for some reason that made him stop, pausing, internally thinking. Was there some hidden doubt inside of him? Surely she wouldn't have come if Damien knew, if she broke the spell. Yet here she was. Aeron makes a dissatisfied grunt as he ignores the feeling inside of his gut. He was smart. He was prepared for most anything. And he had Chava under his control. All was well. He was even growing in the Ministry. His luck was finally turning around. ||

[C] || Chava still didn't like the plan they had set, but it was the best she could hope for for now. And she would be right behind Damien every step of the way in case something went wrong. In which case she would step in, no matter what he thought of it. She did trust Damien, however. More so than she had before. He was sneaky, smart, strong, he knew what he was doing. And that was really the only thing that could keep her going. So she allowed him to take her place, take the polyjuice, while she put the spell over herself, effectively turning herself invisible, blending into the background of wherever she walked. And she followed Damien, wand and dagger tucked away on her person in case she needed it, until they approached Aeron. He was falling for it, good. He even seemed confident in his work. It was very very hard for her not to immediately jump Aeron the moment she saw him, especially with angry she had been at him all this time. But she had to wait. She had to be patient, as hard as that was for her. Only strike if necessary, and above all trust Damien.

[D] | Damien took a deep breath as he started walking up the alley, before mentally focusing on Chava. Remembering how she talked, moved, etc. Or at least how she did, when the curse was still in effect. They couldn't immediately strike out, as Aeron could have brought Lucedio with him, or might have planned for this contingency. They would have to wait to strike until they were absolutely sure Aeron couldn't do anything about it. When he saw Aeron ahead of him, he made sure to keep his expression carefully blank, otherwise his anger at the man would seep through. When he was close to the man, he stopped moving, as Aeron began speaking. "No. Damien is in a Wizengamot meeting." He spoke, careful to mix his lies with truth to make it more believable.There was a Wizengamot meeting going on, yet he wasn't required to go. If there wasn't one, he would have said he was training. His lies had to be believable, otherwise he'd get caught in his web. "Damien suspected something might be off at first, but I managed to convince him nothing was wrong."

[L] || Everything was going according to his plan, yet Lucedio still worried. While he knew that Aeron could easily get into the ministry, especially with the bribery money he gave him, and he could cause Damien and Chava to look in a different direction, the main problem was in getting information. Lucedio knew Aeron has some sort of feelings for Chava, and that was a weakness in his plan. It was an element he couldn't control. So he made sure to keep an eye on Aeron. He'd watch the man's house a few hours in every day, for something, and most times he'd walk away with nothing more than he came with. Today, it seemed to be different. He saw the owl before he saw Aeron leave, and while he wanted to intercept the owl, he figured he'd be better off following Aeron. To his surprise, some time later, Chava walked down the alley, and the two started speaking. It seemed Aeron was doing that job well, though he decided to watch this meeting to make sure. If all went well, he'd leave Aeron to his own devices.

[A] | Aeron had heard there was a meeting, although he hadn't heard anything about Damien having to attend. Of course, it was information that was hard to disclose, and his contacts always managed to tell him all they knew. So, Aeron believed the woman. How couldn't she? She was completely under his spell, it seemed. He smiles, nodding. "Good, all the easier for you to have attended. But... is that all you have to tell me? He suspected but you convinced him otherwise?" The male tilts his head, acting as if he was confused. "Did I not mention that you would only tell me the things that were of utmost importance? I did say to owl my place should he have any serious suspicions. /Surely/ we did not just waste our time with such a small dilemma." Aeron was slightly upset. He cared that Damien may have his suspicions, but he didn't care to meet and just discuss that. Surely there was more. "What did you say to convince him?" The male soon asks, curious. Did she use the excuse he told her to use? Or did she come up with a new one? The feeling still hadn't gone, and now he felt as if he had more than Chava's eyes on him. Of course, he was just being paranoid. There were holes his own mind were making, and he needed them answered. He did tell her to answer all his questions willingly. Aeron stuffed his hands in his pockets, fingertips kissing the tips of weapons he brought just in case. Chava had pulled a knife on him last time, and the quarters were top close to pull out his own or even use the one she owned against her. This time he kept them ready, on different areas of him, and he made the meeting area wider. More maneuverable. "Tell me, Chava." ||

[D] || This was the best moment. No one else had showed up besides Aeron, and he managed to lower his guard slightly. He was asking a lot of questions, but as long as he answered them, let him think he was safe, then he could immediately move with surprise on his side. If need be, Chava was in the wings, probably already with her wand in her hand. He didn't have to make sure everything he said was perfect, but he wanted to make sure there was nothing Aeron could do. "No, that's not all I have to tell you. He managed to learn of what you did to me, when I asked you to kill me." He smirked internally as he continued forward with his plan. Chava had told him after he broke her from the curse, and it only served to add more fuel to the flame. Aeron might as well know the reasons he was going to suffer. "He's planning on hunting you down, and making you suffer." There was part one of his trap set. He'd discussed everything about this day with Chava, and while this possible topic never came up, he'd hoped Chava knew what he was doing. When he asked the question of what Chava said to convince Damien, he decided to go with the truth. "I told him what you told me to say. That I went to get a potion for my sickness. He believed it and let me go to bed." It was soon the moment to strike, he just wanted to let Aeron digest that for a few moments, before he struck. After a minute or two, Damien smirked up, showing something other than a blank expression for once. His hand sharply grabbed a dagger from his robes, "And you remember what I said about making you suffer?" With that, he moved forward, attempting to close the gap between them, before driving the blade up towards Aeron's chest. "That's today."

[C] || For a while, all Chava could do was remain silent and still, watching and waiting from the side with her wand in her hand. She knew the moment was coming soon, with each word Damien spoke  she could feel it coming. And she wanted it  so, so badly did she want to hurt Aeron for all he had done to her so far. She was thankful the curse had broken when it had- or else this all might have grown to be so much worse. But no, it had broken, she had done it. And now she and Damien were in control of their own battle, ready to strike and fight back. What she felt, she realized, was confidence. Something she had not felt in a long time. Aeron stood no chance. And therefore, without Aeron, Lucedio stood even less a chance than he had before. Right as Damien moved to strike Aeron, she felt it coming, a broad smirk spreading across her lips: the time was now. Only seconds after, with a wave of her wand Chava, the real Chava, becomes visible again, and she couldn't help a laugh. "This will be the /last/ time you fuck with me, Aeron Thorne," she snarls, her anger falling out into a full rage with a single sentence.  She takes advantage of the fact of her wand being out, standing a further distance away from Damien and Aeron, to point her wand in his direction. More distance would give her a better edge if he somehow managed to start running. "This time I won't be the one begging to die," she purrs.

[L] || At first, everything seemed to be going well. Aeron was keeping on top of everything, even if things seemed a bit strange. However what happened next angered him. Aeron apparently couldn't handle this task properly. Aeron underestimated his enemies far too easily, and now he was proving himself to be nearly useless. The one he thought was Chava moved to attack Aeron, and the real Chava revealed herself. He whipped his wand into his hand before casting a knock-back jinx in the real Chava's direction. If Aeron couldn't handle Damien, he would certainly prove himself useless. He stepped out from the shadows before walking towards the group. "You failed my task." he spoke to Aeron, sneering in disgust. "Be lucky you still serve some use or you would be dead where you stand. I don't tolerate /failure/." He could even say he failed two tasks out of the three, since now Damien and Chava were no doubt focusing on him because he had to step in. He turned his head towards Damien and Chava, smirking menacingly, wand still in hand. If his plan was ruined already, there was no point in toying around anymore. He raised his hand flicking his wand in rapid succession, sending killing curses both Damien and Chava's way.

[A] || It shocked him when Chava admitted to telling Damien about the moment she came over to his house. At least, finally, she admits that she asked for it. Aeron could remember that day, and a  part of him regrets the things that happened. But she asked to die, and although he did not wish to follow through, she had angered him. She lived with Damien, she should know better than to anger a Thorne. When he allowed her to escape, leave, he felt guilt bubble inside of him. He hated hurting pretty woman. Hated even more hurting Chava. But alas, he did. Upon her next  words, his face screws up, twisting his beautiful features. "Making me suffer?" Aeron could almost laugh. Not from disbelief, but from the irony of it. He shakes his head, only to smile  upon hearing that his excuse had worked. To be frank, he didn't think it would work. It was a little far fetched, but the fact that it worked made him feel even prouder in himself. If things kept going this way, he and Lucedio may just succeed in - well, whatever it was Lucedio was planning. "Right, and-" Aeron pauses as Chava speaks again, but what truly shocked him was the knowing smirk that grew on her face. A flash of silver skims his eyesight, causing him to mutter a curse. "Damien," He growls, his arms flying from his pocket, countering the attack to his chest. Aeron steps back. Polyjuice. He didn't think it would be this soon. How could Chava have broken his spell? Her mind was /weak!/ Damien couldn't have possible strengthened her in a week. How had she told him? For the first time in a long time - since the day with Chava at his house - the male felt anger rush beneath his skin. Seconds after the  attack, Chava, the real Chava, appeared, wand out and snarling words he could hardly focus on. He would be begging for death? He could laugh if he wasn't focusing on keeping Damien and his blade away from his body. How could this be any worse? Oh! Lucedio had been following him, it seemed, appearing from the shadows, casting a spell at the real Chava and spitting words of failure in Aeron's direction. Aeron didn't like that, he wouldn't tolerate that. He was finally using someone like the way he's been used, he was finally growing respect. But Damien and his wife had to foil his plans, Lucedio clearly didn't trust in him enough, he had to watch the youngest brother. Now he says the reason Aeron is alive is because he is useful? No, Aeron would not accept that, he would not tolerate that. His calming, charming demeanor changes, red flashes in his mind, his free hand pulling out another blade - his wand was on the side easily accessible with his current hand - and slashes that in the direction of Damien's torso, using that motion to bounce back, jumping away from him and the killing curses Lucedio had casted. "How the hell did you break the curse?" Aeron growls, his voice echoing. He uses this time to release his wand from his sleeve, blade now away so he could catch his wand.  He would not stand defenseless. He would fight for hell if he must. Aeron Thorne was dead tired of being used! ||

[C] || Chava sensed that he was there before she saw him, or heard him. A chill down her spine, a cool, piercing headache, a small shiver, and then she heard him. Lucedio. Of course he showed up. And right now, he was who she really feared, above all and anything else. And he was here. The one thing that kept her on her feet was the idea that this was their playing field. They  had set this up and sprung the trap, so surely they had an advantage, right? Her words to Aeron had barely been out of her mouth before she was hit with Lucedio's knock-back jinx, effectively pushing her back, for only a moment. She had to keep her confidence in tact and believe she could do something about this, or they were really doomed. Her first course of action, as the killing curses made their way over to her and Damien? Protect her husband over herself. Her wand out, she sends a shield charm in Damien's direction for the curse to bounce off of, leaving herself without one. And she narrowly avoided the curse, swerving to the side as quickly as she could, while it just brushed past her turning cheek. A sigh of relief, and  she takes the next moment to throw a shield charm over herself as well. Lucedio's words were particularly intriguing her, especially as they weren't directed towards her or Damien, but to Aeron. Of course, it had always been obvious to Chava that Aeron had done what he had on Lucedio's behalf, but that didn't get him off the hook by any means. He would still pay for what he did. That is, if Lucedio wasn't going to get to him first. And she certainly didn't want Lucedio killing off their new play-toy. Aeron had to suffer- he couldn't just die. She sends a  couple spells in Lucedio's direction that she hoped would be enough to keep him at bay for a while- mostly so he couldn't hurt Damien, who was by Aeron. As she continued to cast spell  after spell, including the Cruciatus curse, cutting curses, and her new favorite, Sectumsempra, she vaguely hears Aeron's voice. Oh, and he was angry. Perhaps the angriest she had ever heard him. Out of all of them, after all, he seemed to be the one most outnumbered. "Clearly you're just not strong enough, or smart enough, Aeron dear," she laughs, and it felt great to do just that- laugh at him, taunt him. She hadn't been able to do a thing like that in a while. Even though she was still very focused on sending every spell out there at Lucedio.

[D] || As much as he wished that he could salvage this situation, Damien knew that was wrong. Everything had spun out of their control the moment /he/ showed up. It seemed strange that Lucedio spoke to Aeron first, but it added an element to the whole situation that wasn't wholly know. "Lucedio." He drew his dagger up, defending himself against the strike, though out of the corner of his eye he could see the killing curse come barreling towards him. When it was protected against, he breathed a sigh of relief. With Aeron attacking him, he never would have been able to avoid the curse on his own. He'd thank Chava later, but right now there was simply too much going on. At hearing Aeron speak, and Chava responding to him, he snorts out unwillingly, before remarking. "That and you underestimate us far too much." He shifted his focus towards Lucedio, who would already have to deal with several spells from Chava, before Damien decided to add in a few of his own, namely explosive ones. Though only a few, as he didn't want to overexert himself. He would need his energy.

[L] || The spells would be dealt with easy enough. Far too often, it seemed, his twin and the cunt forgot about his ability. He jabbed his wand down at the ground, moving across through the shadows to appear behind Damien and Chava. There he flicked several cutting curses each at Damien and Chava, followed up by a severing curse at Damien. If he was lucky, Damien would die. If not, he could kill him later. "You talk about underestimating you, yet you underestimate me." He flicked his wand towards a window near Chava, causing the glass to shatter, before immediately firing an explosive spell, one that would send the glass flying everywhere at a swift rate. He turned his gaze towards Damien and spoke again, just in case he lived. "I'll make you a deal. Let yourself die, and I will spare your wife."

[D] || They mocked him, clearly. Everything he did was to survive. He tried being the best child for his parents, but it was never good enough. He tried to befriend both brothers, and both played him, both used him. Hell, Damien had blackmailed Aeron into helping Chava escape Azkaban. None of them knew who he could be. Just like how he did not know them. They were all a family by  blood, Chava by marriage. And - what? All they wanted to do was berate, use, kill and torture the others. He didn't underestimate them. Somewhere inside of the man he knew something like this could happen, would happen. He just had those childish hopes that something was finally going his way. His years of studying, of charming, were actually useful. He wanted to be something. Yet, he was nothing. Compared to Lucedio he was a weakling in magic, he didn't know nearly enough spells. And, as he briefly saw, Lucedio could manipulate the shadows. What could Aeron do? Well, he could charm someone. Like a lower degree imperious curse. Very lower degree. He never used it, and now he wonders if he used his charm as well as the curse, would this have even happened? Damien was distracted with Lucedio, so Aeron flicks his wand out, thinking if he could cast the body bind curse, Damien would be useless. Right before the glass exploded, he does this, aiming at his closest brother. Glass brushes his face before his hand whips, casting a protective barrier around himself. What did Lucedio say? Damien dies and Chava is spared? Even he knew that was not a bargain either would take. If he learned anything about his failure, it was that, when it came to the married couple, there was little selfishness between them. Each would die for the other. It made his heart ache and his anger to simmer to a cold despair. Nothing went the way he planned. Everything was going to hell. ||

[C] || The only real plan Chava had on her mind was to protect Damien, at /all/ costs. Which was proving to be harder and harder and this went on. Both Lucedio and Aeron were fighting against  against him, and Chava could only do so much herself. But... no. That wasn't the right way to look at things. She had to keep this newfound confidence or Damien could end up dead. She had to believe she could do it. So she took the hits for herself. Cutting curses didn't matter if she took them while protecting Damien from a curse that would surely kill him. She knew she was bleeding, from her cheek, her arm, anywhere else, but she didn't care. Her attention was solely spent on keeping a shield charm over Damien. So he lived, for now, and if she  had anything to say about it, he would continue to live for a very long time. She didn't even flee or have time to protect herself from the glass of the window, as she let out a small shriek- as now she was busy keeping Aeron's body bind and curses away from her husband. She held strong, even though Lucedio's next words made her entire body want to freeze up. Damien let himself die, and he would spare her? She didn't believe it for a second. And even if she did, she wouldn't allow such a thing to happen. Neither would Damien, right? He knew better. Or at least she hoped so. "He doesn't mean that," she snarls, keeping a firm hold on the shield charm around Damien, just in case things got even crazier. "Besides, I can live anyway. We both can live, Damien and I. I can live even without him giving himself up." She watches Damien closely, using her words to try and convince him of this, somehow.  "We have plans! Neither of us will die. You can't threaten that, Lucedio, if you don't even have me in your possession," she hisses.

[D] || There was nothing to hope for here, except for getting out alive, or at least Chava getting out alive. And here was his opportunity for him to achieve that. It had a massive cost, but one that he could accept. Despite being thankful towards Chava protecting him, he dropped his dagger, the blade clattering against the ground. What use was life to him anyway, if almost all he knew was war. He walked over towards Lucedio, who seemed shocked at him. "Alright. If Chava lives." he sighed out, each step seeming heavier than the last. It wasn't until he was standing in front of Lucedio, who's wand stayed pointed at him, that he stopped. There was only one problem with the whole situation. Lucedio was lying. Damien knew he would kill Chava no matter what, which is why he needed to get in close. Without warning, he grabbed a knife from his sleeve and drove it into Lucedio’s ribs. 

[L] || It seemed as if he was finally going to get what he wanted. Finally going to kill Damien. He relished the moment as Damien walked up to him, smirking knowingly at Chava. This action was cut short, as he felt a cold sensation piercing his side, his eyes moving towards the source of the pain to see Damien with a knife embedded between his ribs. In one swift motion his wand moved over towards Damien's chest, "Confringo." Lucedio watched on in satisfaction, as his spell collided with Damien, sending him flying back, a pool of blood covering the ground beneath him. His wand flicked again, and a body-bind curse flung its way towards Chava. For the first time since the fight began, Lucedio's eyes flicked towards Aeron. "If you want to regain my favor, watch Chava. Make sure she can't interfere." He was going to enjoy this. He'd tortured Damien once before, and nearly killed him another time. This time he would make sure to manage both.

[A] || It was getting annoying how badly Chava was protecting Damien. He could just protect himself. It was clear since the day that he made his house go against Aeron and their parents that Damien could use magic. Could it be that he just wasn't good at it? That night had been so crazy that Aeron didn't remember much about it. Thinking Damien was bad at magic, he decided to aim any curses at Chava, should the time come. As of right now, the once noise filled battle ground was silent. Chava was screaming straws, and and Damien decided to take the deal. This alone shocked Aeron. He didn't think Damien would cave. Which means he had to be playing another trick. Just as the realization hit him, his mouth opening and his wand shifting, preparing himself to call Lucedio's name, Damien stabbed him. Yet... the pain was /nothing/ to the man. He smiles and blasted Damien backwards. As he was flying, Aeron could see blood start to leak, and as he landed, it pooled. Even he winced. He almost thought to rush forth and heal his brother. He never wanted anyone to get hurt. But, for one, that would be going against Lucedio, and for another, he would be putting a bigger target on his back. Chava may think he was going to finish the job - but no. He didn't have to move. At least, not towards Damien. "But-" He tries saying before stopping. Nothing he said would help any cause. Should he act and blast Lucedio to offer to heal Damien? Or keep an eye on Chava? Aeron, after the briefest moments, grumbles dejectedly and faces the woman. His wand acted, and along with Lucedio's binding curse, he sent a few more in rapid succession, twice in any and every direction the woman would move. Then he moves between his brothers and the woman. For the first time, his eyes show the regret for the whole situation. "I'm sorry, Chava," Aeron mumbles, his  wand pointing steadily, ready for anything the woman could throw at him. "But... I can't let you interfere. This has to be done." ||

[C] || The body bind curses certainly would have hit Chava, had she not been moving as fast as possible before they even had a chance to. She shot as many away as possible using a shield charm, because if their was one thing she knew she had to do right now, it was to stay alive, stay in motion, and help Damien get out of this alive. And it was found much easier to do that with Damien's trick up her sleeve. At first, she was certain Damien was really giving himself up to Lucedio, under the impression that he was somehow telling the truth, that he would spare her for his life. And this alone was to make Chava start to tip into batshit crazy. She was already running to reach Lucedio by the time Damien had fallen over, blood pooling, and there was certainly no chance of any body bind hitting her then. In fact, the only motion she gave to Aeron at all was a Cruciatus curse sent his way in a flash, and a scream of, "SHUT THE  FUCK UP!" before she was running again to absolutely pound Lucedio into a bleeding pulp. And all wands and blades were forgotten for her then, as she twists her hand back, and moves then as if to slam her fist into Lucedio's mouth and nose, hoping to break something. If she could even get that far, that is. Next, her favorite, as she kicks her leg upwards and aims to smash it between his legs. Even if they didn't hit, Lucedio was bound to get very angry at her, but that was kind of part of her plan, wasn't it? If Lucedio was angry enough to shift his focus onto her, he at least wouldn't be hurting Damien. It would hopefully allow Damien some time to heal and get himself back up again, so they could both get through this alive. "YOU DON'T TOUCH HIM!" she screams, next pulling out a dagger that she would immediately try to repeatedly stab into her brother-in-law. There was no real pattern to her attack, just anything that would hurt him enough to keep him away. Hoping that would suffice for a moment, she briefly turns her back on Lucedio to make sure Aeron wasn't getting up to anything. As a safety precaution more than anything else, she sends another Cruciatus curse in his direction, her breathing heavy and tears already falling. Her confidence was slowly draining.

[L] || A flick of his wrist, and a cutting curse flung it's way towards Damien, before a fist slamming into his face brought his focus elsewhere. His eyes flashed in anger, and he reached out grabbing at Chava's throat, blood flowing from his nose. His leg flung out kicking her own leg away. He used that opportunity to try and throw Chava down to the ground. "Did you think I wouldn't learn how to fight the muggle way after everything?" Once again, Aeron had failed him, but he couldn't kill the youngest brother quite yet with his hands full where he was. He was surprised as Chava kept attacking, despite his movements, yet he couldn't deny he admired his resiliency. It just made her harder to kill, and that was a problem for him. He cast several shield spells deflecting the blades, before smirking at the moment she turned around. His wand moved towards her back, "Confringo." It had worked for one of the two, hopefully it would work for the both of them.

[D] || Pain. Pain ran through his body like a searing wave of fire. How had he gotten here, with Chava fighting for his life? How did his plan fail? Another jolt of pain seared his back, before his ears focused on the fight between Lucedio and Chava. He had to get up. Had to get back in the fight. He couldn't just lie here and give up, despite how appealing that option seemed. He pressed his hands against the stained ground, pain jolting through his side. His eyes flashed a bright red, as his eyes blurred and focused on Chava and Lucedio. With one surge of strength, he pulled himself up off of the ground, his hand pulling his wand from his pocket. He pointed his wand towards Lucedio, before focusing. He needed something big, something that would shift Lucedio's focus away from Chava. Something that gave Chava a moment to strike. And he had to do it now, before all of his energy faded away, just like his blood. He swirled his wand around the area, "Lumos Maxima." The area surrounding them lit up in a bright flash, removing it of shadows, hoping that would stop Lucedio from using his ability. He then flicked his wand. The flames made it towards Lucedio, surrounding him, before ultimately extinguishing themselves. He knew he no longer had the strength to keep the fire going, though he wished he did. Perhaps he could have killed him. "Never again." he muttered to himself, staggering back a few steps, his wand hitting the ground.

[A] || She was always one step ahead. His spells could hit her. It seemed, in her desperation to go to her husband, it seemed the woman has inhumanly sped over to him. That wasn't something he could have calculated for. With a curse, Aeron watches, too slow, as her fist connects with Lucedio. Aeron can just feel the annoyance and rage for him from his brother. He almost expected for Lucedio to drop Chava, whip out his wand, curse him to death, and continue on. Stuck in his mind, Aeron didn't realize he had spasmed and fell to his knees, his body aching. Oh, right, Chava had thrown a Cruciatus curse at him. He'd been too stuck in his thoughts, simmering in the regret his mind was issuing, that he hadn't protected himself against the curse. Aeron groans, struggling to his feet. When he looks, he barely protects himself from the next curse, anger starting to bubble up inside of him again. He was so useless! Self pitying himself and all the mistakes he made, for what? He didn't prove himself, he just sits there, letting himself be used and hurt. Thinking this, he ignore the pain and stand, growling, more for strength than anything else. Lucedio sends the same spell he used against Damien into Chava's back, but Aeron no longer cares. He watches Damien stand, lighting up the area then spouting fire. Aeron's immediate response was cast Aguamenti, aiming to cancel out the fire spell. Then he sees Damien drop his wand, and unsure about Lucedio, Aeron, not one for killing, sense the Cruciatus curse  towards his brother. He was done being used. He'd take action when he could. ||

[C] || It hurt, but as long as Lucedio was rather focused on Chava than Damien, it was all worth it to her in the end. Even in Lucedio's grasp she continues to fight and kick and struggle,  but not for what one might expect. She wasn't fighting to get herself free, but rather continuing to hit in hopes of making Lucedio angry enough at purely her. It was a weak, pathetic plan, but it was all she could cling to. The worst pain, however, came with the Confringo to her back as she turned. Which probably really wasn't her greatest strategy. In such close proximity too, it felt twice as bad, the explosion of the spell spreading across her back and sending her flying forward to the floor, a scream escaping her. It felt like her entire torso had been blown off, as her body shook under her, but she tried not to focus on that. Her eyes squint open, her wand still close to her, as she realizes Damien was suddenly getting up. Was he feeling alright enough to do this? Nonetheless, despite the pain shooting through her entire body and the blood staining her clothing, she had to work with him. Otherwise it would just get worse from here. There was a struggle, between two brothers, then, as Damien lights up the area, and sends a blast of fire towards Lucedio, only to partially be refuted by Aeron's wand. It  didn't completely dissolve the magical flame, but it did enough, and Chava knew Damien was weak from the power it must have taken to create it. In the space provided, Chava, from her place  on the floor, barely manages to lift her wand to point towards Lucedio. Now, she hoped he was paying no mind to her after what he had done to her, that he would quite expect what she did next. She cast her favorite curse of the day, the Cruciatus curse, directly towards Lucedio, hoping for a proper hit. It was as strong as she could possibly make it in the condition she was in. Unfortunately, she had to cut it short, especially when she heard Aeron get up. He was retaliating. "NO!" she screams, blocking him off from Damien by sending the Cruciatus curse instead in Aeron's direction once more, trying to get her bearings. She couldn't hit both of them at once. She needed Damien to be okay. Even despite the pain from the explosion all across her body, her emotions swell up, determined not to lose Damien or herself in the process, and she starts to sit up, then moving to crouch down on her two feet, one hand on the ground for support. And what about Lucedio? She tears the torture curse away from Aeron in favor of casting another shield charm over Damien, before collapsing back on her hands and knees. She didn't know if Lucedio or Aeron were listening, but she had to try something. For Damien's sake. "Please," she rasps, coughing. If there was one, singular last thing she could do... it would have to be this. Whether to save Damien, or even just to give him a little more time to move and save the both of them. As long as Damien ended up okay in the end. There were risks she was willing to take. What Lucedio had said to her earlier had reminded her of this idea, that she tried long ago without success... "Please," she cries into the ground.  "Instead of killing him, for me to go... Let him go, and I'll stay. I promise. I'll do anything you want, if you let him go, if you stop hurting him. Kill me instead." She knew,  that perhaps, just as Damien did, this wasn't a bargain that could work. But this was her chance to test that. Or, maybe to just give Damien a little more of a chance to save them.

[D] | All control of this situation had been sufficiently lost. Damien wasn't sure if they ever had any control anymore. Blood was pooling out of his wounds, he lacked energy to do much of anything anymore. One more spell would kill him. He should have been passed out, but he wasn't. Was he getting used to casting spells? No, it was probably just the adrenaline of battle. Aeron and Chava seemed to be at odds, fighting each other, cruciatus being thrown this way and that, but that wasn't anything he was worried about. Chava had skill with her wand. He would have to deal with his younger brother later, but he wanted to end this. One way or another. He moved to attack, though the sound of Chava speaking rang through his mind. "NO!" he shouted out at Chava, "You know he won't keep his word!" He wasn't unconscious... perhaps he was wrong on his count. Maybe he had one more spell in him before being knocked out, though with his wand on the floor there was no time for that. Instead, he rushed forward, barreling into Lucedio. He would not let Lucedio accept that, would not let Chava give her own life for his.

[L] || Despite everything that had happened today, Lucedio was satisfied. Sure there was a knife in his side, and yes his nose was broken, and he was only slightly singed by that fiendfyre spell of Damien's, and that was a real surprise, but still Damien was broken, weakened. The only thing standing in his way was Chava. Her cruciatus was easy enough to avoid, but the real the real kicker in this day was the way she seemed to want to trade her life for Damien's. As if he'd just let Damien /live/. After everything he'd done, as if he'd just let Damien go. It was laughable. "Very well." He lowered his wand slightly, and starts to move towards Chava. He would kill her under the pretense of the agreement, and then kill Damien anyway. There, he and Aeron could overpower Damien and kill him too. Once Damien was dead, he would kill Aeron too, just to cover his tracks. However, Damien unexpectedly barreled into him, knocking him away. Darkness filled his eyes, and he smirked. This was perhaps the worst mistake Damien could have made. He scrabbled back, emerging himself fully in the shadows. It would take a while to get around the light, but it would seem instantaneous to everyone taking care not to touch any of the light. When he emerged, he cast the killing curse at both Chava and Damien. Maybe he'd get lucky.

[A] || Although he had been weak, he felt stronger, and her scream announced the curse. He turns, his wand breaking off from the water, in time to see the curse inches from him. Once more, Aeron was under the Cruciatus curse. It was longer than before, more of a focused burst. Luckily, Aeron doesn't make much noise, his body shivers and stutters. Finally, she releases the hold,  allowing Aeron to gather his breath. Once more, the area was at a standstill, and the male takes this time to gather his bearings. What was supposed to be a simple meeting turned into a literal bloodbath. Things should not have happened this way, but they did. Damien looked to be dying, Lucedio was cocky, strong, the man his parents said he was. For the first time, Aeron now felt anger towards Lucedio. He wasn't dead, so why did he never come home? Why did he stay away, hidden? His death was what made Aeron who he was, thanks to his parents. And Chava...  Chava was pleading for her own death. Once more, she managed to surprise him. What was this love? Why were they willing to die for the other, unconditionally? Her husband was already dying, yet she asks to spare his life? She must have finally lost her mind. This was when he remembered Chava was pregnant, and fear flecked inside of him. Lucedio didn't know. Would he even care? Probably not. It may just make him kill her faster. Before his mind could decide what to do, Damien leaps into action, tackling Lucedio. He disappears, reappearing moments later across the alley. What did he do? What did Aeron do? Two killing cursed went towards Chava and Damien; did he add to that? His split decision was yes. Each of them received two Cruciatus curses and four cutting curses and four cutting curses. All in proximity of where they were all standing. Something was bound to hit. It had to. This battle had gone on far too long. ||

[D] || This battle had gone on far too long. Damien would not stop and let this go on any more than it already had. Lucedio and Aeron on one side, him and Chava on the other, and still they were getting destroyed. They thought they were prepared, but Lucedio had shown them just how unprepared they were, and it was the last time Damien would ever underestimate Lucedio. All this time and he was just toying with Damien. TOYING! And Lucedio still wasn't even using the amount of magic he'd thrown off before. How was Lucedio so utterly beating them? Either way, Damien was having none of that. Weak as he was, he wasn't about to lay down and die, or worse, to let Chava sacrifice her life for naught. He was about to motion for Chava to use the gem he'd given her, but Aeron had to interfere by sending curses their way. He dives to the side, dodging the spells, yet crashing to the ground in a spasm of pain. He wished he had grabbed one of the healing potions before he left. He pulled himself up off the ground, reaching into his sleeve for another knife. He'd focused on Lucedio for quite some time, but Aeron was proving himself to be a thorn in their sides this entire battle. He flung the knife at Aeron, hoping beyond hell it hit.

[C] || She knew Damien didn't like it, that was evident by his scream and how he immediately charged for Lucedio. But she couldn't allow that to be a weakness, to prohibit her from doing what could save Damien. This had been her plan since the very beginning- sacrifice herself to Lucedio in hopes that Damien will be let free, or have more time and ability to fight him off. Sure, there were a few times when the plan faded from her mind. When she promised Damien and made pointless swears that she would try to live- but in the long run, did they really mean anything? Did she ever truly think she had a shot at happiness? Did she really believe that she could have an ending besides death by Lucedio's hands? It seemed almost painfully laughable now. No, Chava was never destined to have a happy ending. Chava was meant to die, and so she would. She only had to prepare herself. By the time Damien had made his way back to her side, she reaches out to grasp his hand in hers. Lucedio had agreed to Chava's terms, so there was no going back now. And what better way to die than by holding onto the one she loved? That is, until seconds later everything came crashing down in one fell swoop. Cutting curses from Aeron slash across her face and her already pained torso, a small gasp of pain escaping her. But even that didn't prepare her for what happened next. As it appeared, Lucedio's only goal wasn't to just kill Chava and let Damien go- how could it ever have been? How could he let Damien go so easily? And Chava saw this clearly now, as killing curses flew in their direction: one just for her, and the other just for Damien. She widens her eyes, and all she can do is think fast, dropping down to the floor and pulling Damien down with her with the hand she still grasped firmly. Now, if she could help it, neither of them would be dying today. And her hand, a certain ring, pressing against her once she moved, gave her an idea. What better time to use the gem than now? She quickly slips the ring off her finger, taking her hand from Damien's only momentarily, to grasp the tiny thing in both her hands. She had to concentrate, and only hoped Damien could fend Aeron and Lucedio off enough while she did so. Pooling as much magic as she could into the gem with every ounce of emotion she had left in her, it almost felt like the gem was sapping her of this energy. She'd fill it until it bust to make absolutely sure this would work. And when it was ready, she stood, taking one more step back to throw it. Aiming, stepping back, and she threw it right at Lucedio.  She could only hope to all hell it would work as it was supposed to- it seemed their only chance left.

[L] || Despite the man's failures, Lucedio owed this success partly to Aeron, who added his own spells to Lucedio's. While Lucedio was no doubt doing most of the work, what little Aeron did was proving to be enough of a distraction. He barked out at this farce of a battle, Damien was too weak to do anything else, and Chava could be beaten quite easily now. In all of their one on one fights, bar one, Lucedio had won, so there was no doubt in his mind that he would get two kills today. This was the day he would get his success. He took a single step forward, raising his wand towards Chava as he did. "You might as well give up." He flicked his wand, starting to speak out the killing curse, when something caught his eye. Chava was sitting there, a ring in her hands. Was she even going to defend herself? "Have you lost your fight?" He sneered out wondering what the bitch was up to. Surely she wasn't going to just let herself die like she intended earlier? If she was, he was just going to take advantage of it. "Avada Ke--" What the hell was that? The ring flew across the sky before clattering at his feet. He waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. "What was that supposed to do? Ava-" The gem on the ring expulsed with magic, causing the ring to break apart in a large explosion. To say Lucedio was in pain was an understatement. The force threw him backwards several feet, feeling as if every single one of his organs had shattered all at once. What the hell was this? He tried to stand in an effort to strike out, but he found himself collapsing to the ground again. Broken bones kept him from doing anything other than lay on the ground. He couldn't stay here anymore, otherwise his state would cause someone to kill him, and he couldn't have that. "I WILL KILL YOU, YOU MOTHERFUCKING BITCH YOUR LIFE ISN'T WORTH SHIT, SO JUST DIE!!" After speaking what he had to say, he allowed himself to fade into the shadows. It would take him a long time to recover, but he would remember this forever, and when he killed them, he would make sure to remember this, and to impart as much pain as possible.

[A] || He was too focused on Chava and Lucedio. After having conjured those spells, Aeron deemed Damien too weak to retaliate any longer. Once more, that was his mistake. No wonder Lucedio called him a failure. With a surprised yelp, his hands drop to his side, the cold feeling of steel slithered into his side, thrown with such force it had embedded through to the hilt. The male hisses, his head whipping up to glare at Damien. He had, once more, underestimated his brother. Yet, he couldn't act. He'd been hurt before, but he hadn't exactly been stabbed. He'd been painted by blood but it wasn't nearly his, like the slow trickling from his side was. The youngest brother went to move, to whip his arm up and sputter spells, but the simple movement pained him. "Fuck!" He curses more to himself. And he was afraid to pull it out. If he pulled it out and it was found something was pierced, he could die. Not many spells could heal a pierced organ, nor did he have any potions. Ruefully, Aeron stands where he is, cupping the blade as he watches his brother's and Chava. Honestly, he wanted to laugh, but he feared if he did it would come out recklessly, bumpy with pain and slight hope that this was over with. Chava was cupping - was that a ring? And Lucedio was singing the killing curse. This would be over, there was no way that they could dodge the curse, Damien was weak, Chava was weakening and distracted. One would have to die! The ring sails through the air, cutting Lucedio off. Aeron almost takes a few steps forward in curiosity. Luckily he didn't. A blast of pure - what was that? It knocked Lucedio back, almost like a rag doll. Aeron was safe from the blast zone, unharmed, save for the knife in his side and his shocked state. What did he do now? Continue to attack while they were weak, or go and help Lucedio? Or should he apparate away, hoping that he wouldn't be splinched in the process? "Fuck," he curses again, gripping his wand in indecisiveness. ||

[D] || His vision failed him a couple times as the adrenaline from the fight started to fade away. It was over... mostly. In the entirety of his life, this was the worst fight he'd ever experience. While it was him and Chava against Lucedio and Aeron, it felt like crazy free-for-all where the stakes were higher than ever before. No one was walking away from this unharmed. Was this how it was it going to be going forward? No. Chava managed to stop the fight with his Deus Ex Machina, and they wouldn't have that anymore. The explosion would have destroyed the gem. Any fights going forward would have to be resolved without that, and Damien suspected this would be the last time there were no casualties. Ignoring Aeron, he pulled himself to his feet, groaning in the process, before extending a hand to Chava to help her to her feet. He wanted so much to just go home, heal, and plan for the future, but there was still one thing left to deal with. He turned to glare at his younger brother, "Leave. Walk away. We've already hurt ourselves this much. Don't make it worse." He would make his younger brother suffer someday but that day would have to wait a while.

[C] || It had worked. It had really, truly worked. A small part of Chava almost expected that the ring would collapse by Lucedio's feet and lie there, while he merely laughs, and points his  wand at her. She figured surely the next thing she would see would be the green light of the killing curse before it struck her between the eyes. At least it would have been a quick death. But no, no it worked, better than she could have ever imagined it would. Lucedio was thrown backwards, and her eyes widen, falling back to her knees and grabbing hold of Damien. He was angry. Furious, even, and it had been a long time since she had ever seen him like this- if she had ever seen him this angry. She half expected Lucedio to lunge right at her in spite of his injuries and claw her eyes out, but he didn't. After saying his piece he merely faded back into the shadows- presumably to heal and then come back at them twice as strong. They would have to be prepared. A long sigh of relief escapes her and she collapses, leaning on Damien, unsure if she could manage to stand again. She was in quite the dangerous position still, Lucedio's and Aeron's curses having hit her in the worst possible way. Her stomach was aching, and she was lightheaded, nauseous, dizzy. A Confringo, an explosion curse, to her back was not quite helping either. She hated to admit it, but perhaps Damien was right in not wanting to let her go out and help him fight while she was pregnant, of all things. But of course, that wouldn't stop her. She couldn't even focus on Aeron or Damien's words to him, simply leaning on him, coughing to try and breathe properly. "We're alive," she murmurs to him, near his ear. She was grasping him so tightly it was as if their lives depended on it. "We won. He left. We won..." Barely. And only for now. Maybe only for today. But she didn't dare say those things. Not now. Now she could only focus on the fact that they were both still breathing. She didn't even care if Aeron was still around watching, or if he had run for dear life from them, as he should. "I will never do that to you again," she insists, referencing to her plea to Lucedio to kill her and let Damien go. It was obvious now any agreement on his part was only a lie. He was out to kill them both, and nothing would change his mind. So Chava would let neither happen. "I promise."

[A] || Lucedio was gone and Chava and Damien were standing up. They had the energy to do that... They could certainly still make him suffer. A moment of thought makes Aeron contemplate making it worse for them. Make them hurt now. He had to be the most unharmed out of all of them. Able to stand without struggling, although his side was now throbbing painfully. However, reason got the best of him. Maybe, just maybe, if he left now, and left them alone from there on, they wouldn't bother him. Today, he fought back in self defense, and to keep himself alive. As he was thinking, Chava manages to stand and starts talking to Damien, who had previously told him to go. He would, he had to. He had to get the knife out of him. Grimacing, he slides his wand back into his sleeve, gripping the knife tightly. "I haven't told him," Aeron calls out. "As it is, I don't plan to." He was talking about Chava being pregnant. During the fight, he had forgotten she was carrying child. Now, when the moment settled and he saw her struggling, he remembered. Aeron's eyes show truth at the words, and regret that things had to happen this way. How could he even fix anything? "I'm sorry." He whispers just before he spins. He didn't care if he was splinched. He was not turning around only to walk away with his tail in between his legs. He would show his last leg of defiance, and apparate back to his home. He was splinched, and struggling to enter the home and mend himself, Aeron does his best to work his way around this night. Perhaps this would be the end. Or maybe, it was just the beginning. ||

[D] || Worried thoughts plagued Damien's mind. Despite everything, they were still alive, and yet Damien felt that there was no way they would continue to be this lucky. He could hope, but his hopes didn't often come to reality. And Chava chanting about how they won, that Lucedio was gone didn't help his mindset. He felt that the next time they met Lucedio, Chava, Clover, Serena, Aveline someone would die, and that wasn't something he wanted. Was it better to heal, then go off and find Lucedio on his own. End this whole thing on his own? No. If he died, then his family would certainly be next. He shook his head, it was better to think of this later. When they were home. "We were both almost willing to sacrifice ourselves for the other." he shook his head. This wasn't the time. He looked up towards his younger brother, as he apparated away, a puzzled look on his expression. Perhaps Aeron could redeem himself. He seemed truly regretful. He was divided between hurting him for everything he'd done, or forgiving him and moving forward. It seemed strange to be contemplating forgiveness, since for the longest time he'd always lived by 'No mercy'. He would figure out what to do about Aeron later. He'd have to talk to Chava about it later. Speaking of Chava. He reached over, gripping her hand, before simply saying. "Let's go home."