Un-Chain

Uteu had to tighten his grip when he felt Uti's smaller hand start to go slack. Glancing around he wasn't sure how he'd get her out of the crystal.

"Uti? I'm going to let go just for a bit alright? I'm right here though, I'm just going to see if I can get you out."

He waited for a few seconds and then, Uti slowly bobbed her head up and down. Uteu exhaled and took a few steps back. He immediately pulled at a few gnarled chunks of metal that he had shredded off the wall earlier. He chose sharp pieces that would be easy enough for him to grip.

Looking at the red crystal wedged into metal, he figured he could try to chip away at the crystal. He'd have to be extremely careful not to strike any area too close to Uti.

Taking in a breath, he rotated his grip on the a chunk of metal in his hands. He let out a breath and then struck the giant crystal.

The very instant the metal hit the crystal, it reverberated and a tremor made it's way up his arms. Uteu gritted his teeth, he couldn't keep his hold on the metal through the tremors for long. He gave Uti a quick glance to check on her situation. He was equal parts relieved that she wasn't harmed from what he was doing and confused that she didn't seem to hear or feel his strike against the metal.

The tremors increased in strength. One by one, his fingers popped off the metal with great reluctance. As soon as his hand was pried from the metal, he could no longer feel the tremors, or hear the echos.

Watching the metal clank onto the floor, he nearly jumped when he saw heads shift simultaneously in his direction and open their eyes.

All around him, under the glass flooring, people of all ages and genders openly stared at him unblinkingly. The red substance they were in bubbled, but none of them turned their eyes away from him.

Uteu suddenly had an incredibly bad premonition. He reached out for Uti's hand, gripping it tightly.

Uteu heard the sound of something being blasted open and then a sound of numerous things clinking onto glass.

Every single body that Uteu could see from under the glass opened their mouths as if they were trying to scream.

"Uteu!"

Uteu's heart dropped to his stomach. That was Judith's voice.

He pried his eyes away from the floor and glanced behind him in the direction Judith's voice called out from.

"We can't hold him back, we're sorry!" He heard her frantically call out as her shoes clunked while she ran.

"Uteu? So you're with Uteu now. My, what a naughty cousin, stealing my possessions like this."

Uteu froze when he heard that familiar male voice. The bit of fear within him was quickly replaced by anger.

Harkal Drelden, this was the man responsible for all of this.

"The instant you came in here I was able to feel it. I made this place you know?" Harkal called out, mockingly.

Of course he knew.

Uteu had to re-watch it several times in fact.

He could feel Uti's nails dig into his hand and then he felt himself nearly black out. Somewhere in the sphere, Judith also let out a choked cry.

"What? What is this?!" He could barely hear Harkal yell out in fright.

The resentment suddenly surged and grew. His connection to Judith was instantly snapped, he could do nothing as it shattered. He didn't have the chance to feel worried about her because in the next instant, Uteu found himself nearly falling to his knees. His breathing grew ragged and the edges of his eyes grew increasingly dark.

The resentment was trying to pull him under once again. He cursed, this was a much stronger pull than earlier. Uteu was not confident that he could fight it off with will power alone.

Just as he was feeling despair, a small bit of warmth entered him through the hand holding Uti's. It was just enough for him to clear his head and stand up fully.

"Th-thank you, Uti."

As soon as the words left his lips, the entire sphere shook violently. The sound of shattering glass made cold sweat break out on the back of his neck.

The lights around him flickered out and suddenly he felt something wrap around his legs, lifting him. Uteu felt himself ascend rapidly up into the air. Uti's hand never left his, so he could only assume she was being brought up as well.

The sphere screeched horridly as it snapped in half agonizingly slowly. Light spilled in as the metal sphere was warped and wrenched apart by something.

Finding himself suddenly in a much higher spot and with all the light spilling in, Uteu was able to see what it was. Red jelly liquid pushed up the bodies within it. Wrapping itself around the bodies, it used them to pry open the metal further.

Looking down, it was a red jelly wrapped body clinging onto his legs as well. Under the crystal Uti was in, still surrounded by bits of metal, was at least a dozen bodies pushing it upwards.

It didn't take long for them to break through to the surface. The light became nearly blinding to Uteu.

The red liquid crystallized as soon as it hit the open air and light. Forming a tower of red crystal underneath him. Uti and he were at the very top of the crystal tower and a little ways below it, he could see Judith wrapped up in it. She was knocked out but looked like she was unharmed. Her head was also free of the crystal so her breathing would be unobstructed.

The tower was grotesque with all of the human bodies within it. Looking at his legs, the body crystallized on them belonged to a woman. Her body was twisted around in the crystal below. Her eyes still open, staring at him.

Uti let out a weak groan. Uteu snapped his head upwards to check on her condition. Their hands were still tightly grasped together and nothing looked any different from earlier.

"B-big brother..." He heard her call out just as the crystal she was encased in let out a pulse like a heartbeat.

Then within the very center he could see a bit of something like black ink slowly spread and dye the red crystal from within.