Eternals

"Masta Nyarth-" he attempted to say.

"Dun call me dat. Not from ya" he responded. He tried to be forceful about it but he just couldn't, not when the reality of the situation was just dawning upon him.

"Masty..." He took a careful step towards him who immediately took a step back.

Shaking his head, he couldn't help it. He narrowed his blue eyes slightly and choked back a few tears that dripped down his throat. "N-No. If I show ya den I-I will... I-I just can't"

He was breaking down and stammering all at the same time. To Nyarth, this would be a normal reaction for him but for his alter ego, that was a no. But here he was, doing so right before him. Why couldn't he just keep his big mouth shut?

Well, no going back now.

"Why can't ya tell me?" he gently pushed, hoping he wasn't pushing the maniac too far.

Masty smirked weakly, his blue eyes darting around until he lifted his burnt/deformed/destroyed paw. He unsheathed his claws and watched as fresh blood leaked from his most hurtful wound. Perhaps not the one that hurt the most but in terms of how he had gotten it, it hurt the most, in his heart.

He did not feel the pain. He had cut off his major feeling of pain long ago but still, seeing it made a dagger cut through his steel encased heart.

"'Cause every time I t'ink 'bout it, it makes me wanna kill maself, if dat's even possible" He spoke evenly, a trace of sadness creeping into his voice. Noticing that his alter ego was about to say something, he cut him off, instead continuing on with his statement. "I dun know if I carry da same t'in' as ya, ya know wid bein' unable ta die an' everyt'in'. It doesn't matta t'ough, right? I've got t'in's ta do but ya dun know what I had ta do ta get ta dis point" He tried to laugh quietly, but it faded quickly, proving just how badly he would fail at being any kind of Element of Laughter. That was all Nyarth's job. And he was the Element of Leadership. He didn't deserve that either.

"Tell me den, I promise dat I will not t'ink differently 'bout you" Biting his tongue, he traced out the steps as he spoke quickly, "Cross ma heart an' hope ta die. Stick a knife straight t'rough ma eye" Pinkie Promising it. Pausing, he cast a sideways glance to his alter ego. "An' unlike ya, I actually keep ma Pinkie Promises" plainly and not with his usual cocky and matter-of-factly attitude. Even he knew that this was not the time for that.

Once more, Masty let out a small, fake laugh. "Dat was just dat one time. Neva happened again" he said light-heartedly. Averting his gaze downwards he avoided his friend's eyes, being unable to look him directly in the eye. "Ya should've t'ought dat t'rough a little bit. I know for certain dat ya're gonna hate me just as much as I do once I tell ya dis"

Nyarth knew that his alter ego had done many questionable and downright evil things. In a way, he should hate him but knowing that just one meeting not happening at a certain time was enough to create a whole different alternate dimension about how he would've slipped into a maniacal madness and ruled over both what remained of the Immortals and the Eternals. But what could be this bad that he thought he was going to hate him for it?

"Nyarth. I neva told anyone dis but I neva wanted ta become what I had become. It just sorta happened. I neva wanted ta be a rula. A leada was all I wanted ta be but... dat was neva gonna happen" He paused to trail his claw around the broken edges of his charm, his life-line. How it had been broken had only ever been known by himself and now he was about to reveal it to the one and only one who he could ever trust with such information.

"When everyt'in' was fallin' into place, da odas... Dey turned on me. Dey had been plannin' it but some of dem... Dey had not'in' ta do wid it. So when dey came towards me..." Master Nyarth flattened his ears to the top of his head as memories flowed back through his mind. "Nyarth, ya must undastand dat I was slippin' inta madness anyways an' ma actions were what caused me ta become a full-on maniac" Still, he could not look directly at his alter ego.

This made sense, kind of. If the others had turned against him and tried to maybe turn him straight and help him, it would make sense. But given what he had seen from Masty's point of view, he had indeed, began to slip into madness by the point in which he had become the ruler he was known for. But that still didn't answer his question as to what he had done to make him finally snap. Something told Nyarth that it, indeed, was nothing good.

"Ya know, I dun even t'ink dat I really had much control at dat point anyways. Not dat it changes what I did. I did it an' knew dat I did it. I take full blame for it. An' I dun expect ya ta undastand nor keep yer Pinkie Promise but... Just hear me out here, alright?" Masty said as he finally locked his gaze with Nyarth.

The look in his eyes were filled with guilt and internal pain, the worst look that Nyarth expected to see from him. Although technically being one and the same, the two normally were much different in the ways they felt and acted. Here, there was really no difference and such fact scared Nyarth. It scared him all the way down into the very bottom of his heart and soul.

"I t'ought dat dey were gonna try an' kill me an' dat's da irony in all of dis. I told dem dat I meant business but did dey listen? No, an' I acted outta ma twisted instinct. Instead of goin' afta someone wid every intention in hurtin' me, do ya know what I did?" He growled softly at himself, as he traced one of the multiple scars on his head. "I just reacted an' da next t'in' I knew, I hurt, no, killed someone who did not'in' ta me, just ta get a point across. A useless point dat only ended wid more bloodshed an' pain" He pulled his gaze away from Nyarth's who was staring at him. Masty knew very well what he wanted and he knew there was no going back now. He just had to say it.

"Ma killin' of an innocent sparked da end of ma sanity. An' dere was no goin' back from dat point" he stated.

They were silent for a good bit of time which lasted only a few short minutes. To both, it seemed to last years.

Finally, Nyarth broke the silence, his voice dangerously low and emotionless. "Who was it?"

"If it's effectin' me dis badly an' I know ya'll hate me, den dun ya already know?" Masty shot back, his voice lacking any emotion.

It had his suspicions but he needed to hear it from the one who did it. Narrowing his blue eyes, he stepped towards the maniac, his heart taking over him, his mind fading into the background. He stared at him, no trace of fear lingering in his figure, something he was sure anyone else would feel. If he was in that time period, he was sure the others would think that he was writing his suicide and death sentence. Maybe he was, but being unable to die had it's advantages as well as its disadvantages. He was not afraid for he did not care. He knew what his alter ego could do and knew that he could counter him both physically and mentally.

"Tell me" he quietly demanded, his voice hissing in slight annoyance.

Knowing that he had literally no other choice, he narrowed his own blue eyes and found the strength as he spoke, almost completely forgetting the severity of the situation. 'Ya know what? I'll say it, alright? I killed an innocent an' he is one of yer best friends, someone I am taa now close ta. An' now, I'll just let it all out. I did it, I killed ParagonNoca, UberHaxorNoca, whateva else he goes by. Got it? I killed Noca!" he growled, the pain in his voice eventually drowning out any and all anger he felt.

Time seemed to stand still as his secret slipped out. Nyaeth didn't react and that only made Masty suddenly nervous. Nervous and kind of scared. No reaction normally meant that something was building up inside of him and he was sure that it was anger. He was able to to break his Pinkie Promise and be no better than him. He was going to hate him and this time, he was going to be at the receiving end of the stick.

"Noca? As in..." Nyarth finally asked simply.

Gulping slightly, Master Nyarth finished the statement. "Yes. Noca, as in Nova's alta ego" carefully.

Silence dragged between them for what seemed like centuries. Then, Nyarth finally snapped. He narrowed his eyes to slits as he growled and unsheathed his claws He raised them threatening over his alter ego's head, his paw shaking as he tried to control himself. He expected Master Nyarth to react but all he did was look painfully into his friend's eyes, knowing very well that whatever scar he was going to give him, was well deserved.

"Ya fucked up really bad, Masta Nyarth" Nyarth growled the name, his paw shaking even more in his blinded rage. Masty could see the distant look in his eyes as he was blinded from what was truly important.

"I know. I cannot change what I have done but... Ya are bein' blinded by yer own anga. Let me help ya" he calmly responded as he reached his burnt paw up and grabbed his friend's outstretched paw. Nyarth did not strike him but he did tense up, like his touch was bringing a wave of realization back over him.

Noticing his change, he spoke once more, quietly so that only his alter ego could hear him and understand his words. "Watashitachiha, subete, watashitachiha watashitachi no chi no kyōdai no chi de jibun jishin o baindo suru no to onajidearu"

Immediately, Nyarth's eyes widened as a flash of his own guilt flicked into his vision. In order to give him one last push to slip back into sanity, Masty flicked his tail to his side so that Nyarth could see it, the clear chunk taken out of his tail that Nyarth himself had made with his revolver, visible.

Overtaken with sudden emotions, Nyarth breathed deeply as he retracted his claws and forced himself to sit, pulling Masty down with him. He did not look at him and simply stared at his own paws as he unsheathed his claws quickly and watched as blood leaked out of his claws.

He was getting mad at his alter ego when he had done the same. Maybe not on the same level but he had still done so.

"I-I'm sorry" Nyarth choked out as a few tears slipped out of his eyes.

"Why are ya sorry? I deserved whateva ya were gonna give me. Ya're right, I fucked up but I neva did it ta Nova. But I undastand if ya still hate me afta dis" Masty responded, a few of his own tears also slipping out at the thought of being hated by his blood brother.

"Masty" Nyarth spoke calmly, catching the attention of his friend who looked at him with a slightly confused look. "Ya still neva told me how ya broke yer charm or hurt yer paw"

A new, fresh wave of pain filled his friend's face as the memories flooded back into his mind. Looking down to the ground, he took a few seconds to gather his thoughts before he spoke once more. "I-I did dem ta maself. On purpose" He said quietly, as if in defeat.

Taken aback as to how and why he would do two of the very clearly, very painful things to himself just baffled Nyarth. Shaking his head, he leaned gently towards him, his paw extended in a silent gesture to tell him to explain.

Grinning slightly upon seeing it, Masty continued to speak, his voice shaking slightly as he remembered the two acts that had both cut off his ability to feel normal amounts of pain. "I-I literally destroyed ma paw ta show maself just what I had done. I wanted ta be reminded every second of every day but... I-It only seemed ta make me slip deepa an' deepa inta insanity. In case ya were wondarin', I stuck ma paw inta lava. Do wid dat as ya will" Carefully, he looked at his said paw and flinched as he remembered the searing pain. Never once had he whimpered or shown pain at that time. It was almost like nothing else mattered other than making that mark on his soul. He had known that there was no going back from that point forward and never did he ever have any seconds thoughts on his action.

"As for ma charm. It's funny really. Dey say dat ma charm is ma life-force an' it definitely is but ya wanna know somet'in'? It also controls everyt'in' ya feel an' da such. What I broke off of ma charm was ma ability ta feel any an' all strong emotions down in ma soul. It worked wid a hamma an' now, I'm stuck wid it broken like dis an' only extremely strong emotions can really get ta me. Dat's why a lot of dem call me a heartless maniac. I am a maniac but I am not heartless. I'm just... permanently broken" He finished by tracing his charm's broken edge, remembering the searing pain as his emotions were cut off as the piece broke off of his charm. Never did a day go by did he not regret it but he knew that it was for the best that it had happened.

"Masty... I dun hate ya" Nyarth finally spoke after a long pause.

Master Nyarth's head snapped up, shock lingering in his blue eyes as he tried to figure out how he wasn't hated. "W-What?"

"I dun hate ya" Nyarth repeated, edging closer to his alter ego until their fur brushed up against each other.

"But how? I deserve all da hatred dat ya can give me" Masty argued.

"I dun hate ya 'cause I know dat it's in da past. Ya suffaed enough. I suffaed as well. Ya're right dat I should hate ya but I can't. Ya feel strong emotions still, ya know what ya did was wrong an' I forgive ya" Nyarth stated.

"So, we're still blood brodas?" Master Nyarth asked rather innocently, a spark of his usual self creeping back into his voice.

Smiling broadly, Nyarth wrapped his arms around his friend and pulled him into a hug, his grin widening as he felt him return the gesture.

"'Course we are. Not'in' can break da bond between two brodas" Nyarth responded as he fell under the protective nature of Masty once more, both forgiven and trusting each other with their lives. It was the only thing any of them ever wanted.

But their embrace was sooner or later broken by Nyarth who pulled away and stared at the other, his eyes traced with a hint of a dark glint. Only when Masty turned on his aura vision did he notice the troubled aura around him.

"Nyarth. What's on yer mind?" Masty asked carefully, unsure if this was about him in any way. Somehow, he knew for sure that it was.