Chapter 7 : After Midnight
"So, how do we make people feel fear!?" asked Kianna as her voice rang with her excitement.
"It's actually not too difficult." said Anton as he laid his arms out across the chairs armrests "In fact, you've already done something similar without even realizing it. If you'll think back to our previous training, specifically the time when you were attempting to kill your sister with a binding ring, you'll realize that you were projecting your anger out into your aura. Mechanically speaking, the process of instilling fear is in essence the same, only with a different emotion being applied."
"Oh, okay... I do remember that..." mused Kianna as her expression became thoughtful "But how do we do that with fear though?"
"How did you do it with anger?" asked Anton.
"Uh, well, I just kinda did it?" reasoned Kianna "...I guess I was trying to make sure she knew I was pissed? Like I wanted her to feel it?"
"You're on the right track." nodded Anton "Essentially what you're doing is sending a message. It'll be easier to show you what I mean as I explain it. So let's go ahead and begin by flaring our auras."
"Whoa! Hold on a second!" exclaimed Mica as she thrashed back and forth "You can't do this to me! This isn't fair! I'm not gonna be your fucking training doll!"
"Yes, you are." said Anton as he let his aura spread outwards and fill the area "You don't have a choice."
The dark elves were both smiling as they let their auras flare outwards and join with Anton's.
"Now, anger itself is actually a very easy emotion to project. As Kianna has noted, all you have to do is make it be known that you, yourself are unhappy. It really is that simple." explained Anton as he watched the kiochi slow her struggles as she felt the air around her become heavy "Now for an example. I'm going to make it clear to Mica, just how very unhappy with her I actually am..."
Mica made a small sound in her throat as the air around her was instantly filled with a thick and suffocating sense of dread and malice. Blinking her eyes wide in apprehension, she went still as she stared at Anton.
With their own auras now surrounding them and acting as a buffer, the dark elves were able to recognize the presence of Anton's aura around them but were not being directly effected by it.
"This is as simple as it is because I am legitimately furious with Mica. And I do want her to know this... However, I can still generate this same effect with another target that I am not so upset with by simply recalling a point in time that I was feeling especially angry and channeling that same emotion into my current message." said Anton as he narrowed his eyes at Mica "Now, a message of anger can and will elicit a certain amount of natural fear in anyone who feels it. However, this fear is going to be more akin to apprehension, and is not going to be the same as forcing someone to actually feel true terror. Projection is not the same as influence. Though their mechanics are similar. What I am doing right now can be thought of as a warning more than anything. What I'm about to do however... Is no warning..."
Mica's breath became caught in her throat as the aura that was surrounding her began to seep into her very being. Unable to resist in any way, she could do nothing as a thin, swirling cloud of raw dread began to take shape within her mind.
"Just a tiny little taste... Don't want to overdo this..." said Anton as he kept his eyes locked to Mica "Now then, the difference between projecting a warning and influencing your target is subtle but quite significant... Do you understand what's happening? You should be able to feel it, at least somewhat... This is no simple warning... There is no message here... No question or comment that can be ignored or disregarded... I'm not asking her to fear me... I'm making sure that she does..."
The dark elves both stared transfixed as they watched Mica begin to tremble as her face paled. Staring at Anton, the kiochi's slitted pupils constricted themselves down until they were nothing more than thin, black slivers that were barely visible in the sea of emerald green that made up her eyes.
"...I can feel it! How you're... "influencing", her..." whispered Kianna as she tightened her eyes in question "But, how are you... making the fear?"
"Ah, again, it's very simple." said Anton as he nodded slowly and dropped his aura.
Mica immediately breathed an exasperated sigh of relief as the swirling terror instantly drained itself from her mind.
"N-no! N-no more!" she croaked as her entire body was racked with tremors "I'll talk! I'll talk!"
"Why don't we put our little training doll to the test. And see how well she can handle having you both practice this together." said Anton as he ignored the kiochi's cries "To begin with, the both of you can go ahead and imbue her with your auras."
"Wait, what!?" cried Mica as the dark elves both smiled broadly "Hold on! Hold on! Wait! Don't!"
The kiochi went rigid and silent as she felt the weight of the two opposing auras begin to concentrate themselves around her. Shaking her head in defiance, she clamped her eyes shut as she put all her will into resisting their efforts to invade her being.
The dark elves both began to softly laugh as they felt their auras slowly claw their way into the now groaning kiochi.
Her struggles wasted, Mica glared up at them in fury as their presence permeated throughout her being.
"Very good." nodded Anton "Now then, at this point you two should be able to feel her resolve as if it were a wall or barricade fighting to block you out and resist you. Force you way beyond that. Delve as deep into her very core as you can. And don't worry too much about hurting her. That's what you're trying to do after all."
The dark elves both nodded silently as they concentrated on their efforts.
"No!" groaned Mica as she fought to hold them back.
Pressing herself back against the metal chair, Mica clamped her eyes shut as she felt her resistance fail.
"Okay! I think we did it!" breathed Kianna.
"Good." nodded Anton "Now, you just need to make her feel fear."
"...H-how?" questioned Kianna.
"Simple." said Anton as he stared unblinkingly at Mica "Show her your desires. Everything that you want to do. Everything that will happen to her. Make her feel it all. Don't simply tell her anything, show her everything. Make sure that she knows there will be no more warnings, only promises."
"Stop!" cried Mica as she shook her head "No! Get out! Get out! Get-!"
The kiochi's eyes shot open as her mouth hung agape. Slowly looking upwards she made a small gurgling sound as she took in the sight of the looming dark elves.
Fiona and Kianna stood completely silent as they gazed down at the quivering kiochi and watched her eyes slowly go wide in terror. Making small choking sounds in the back of her throat, Mica tried to scream as the dark elves features suddenly began to blacken and their eyes ignited into a fiery glowing red. Taking a step closer, the two dark elves forced Mica to cringe down into her shoulders as they leaned over her and stared unblinkingly into her eyes as they filled her entire being with a crippling, soul crushing fear. Unable to look away from them, Mica whimpered softly as she saw visions of herself reflected back in their large eyes.
"...Alright girls, I think that's enough for now. We don't want to break her completely on the first round. We do still need her to be coherent after all." said Anton in a hushed tone as he watched the dark elves slowly eased themselves away from Mica "...This little exercise actually has a second point of usefulness to us. As one very nice aspect of Infernals, is that they all seem to instinctively understand hierarchy. Establish yourself as more powerful than them. And whether they like it or not. They will recognize you as such. And so, I expect Mica will be much more willing to behave accordingly now..."
"This is seriously so easy!" mumbled Kianna as the blackness that was surrounding both her and Fiona vanished from around them "She literally can't do anything to stop us... I don't think she can even move!"
"It's going to feel easy because for a dark elf, causing fear will come naturally." explained Anton "And yes, I doubt she would be able to move all too well right now, if she can even move at all. This is how it will be for most people, or at least anyone who can't resist you. And this is what you can do without even touching her. The same level of influence would not only be easier to achieve while touching your victim, but the effect can actually be amplified tenfold. I don't think we need to go that far with Mica though, at least not at the moment."
"...No wonder people are so scared of us." said Kianna in a hushed tone as Fiona nodded in agreement.
"Yes, caution is definitely necessary whenever dealing with a dark elf." said Anton "And now that Mica understands that. We should have a much easier time with her."
The kiochi blinked and hunched in on herself as the dark elves both released her from their auras. Turning her eyes to the floor and away from the people in front of her, Mica began to groan softly as a light dripping sound began to echo through the room.
"Ew! Seriously!?" exclaimed Fiona as she and her sister both took a step back "Did she really just piss herself!?"
"Hm... We may have over did things a bit..." muttered Anton as he grimaced at the small puddle that was forming beneath the metal chair "Though, if that was all it took, that is just embarrassing..."
"Shut up! Just shut up!" whined Mica as she clamped her eyes shut "I hate you all!...I wanna go home!"
"Completely understandable." nodded Anton "Cooperate, and we may be able to make that happen."
"...Okay, fine!" whimpered Mica as she left her head to hang low "What do you wanna know?"
"Everything you may know about the clan your parents are a part of." said Anton.
"I don't know anything about that! I swear!" groaned Mica as she shook her head "Seriously! I never even heard about it until today!"
"Hm... Alright then..." sighed Anton "Then how about your parents? You said they were assassins. We're you telling the truth when you said that?"
"Yes." nodded Mica "They are. They're seriously real assassins!"
"Right." said Anton "Assassins who get their targets from their clan?"
"I don't know?" exclaimed Mica "I seriously don't know anything about that!"
"...Hm." mused Anton as he cradled his chin in his hand "...How is it that you know that your parents are assassins, but don't know anything about the clan? Why would they tell you about being assassins but nothing else?"
"...They, they didn't just tell me." admitted Mica "I don't think they even wanted me to know..."
