Hi guys! I'm still alive!

So sorry about the delay, but it's been hard to write for both of my fics lately due to being super busy and tired and lacking overall inspiration... T.T

Also, the Far Cry 5 fever has dragged me into doesn't help. AT ALL.

Anyways, thank you starrat, Grieveousorvenom, SwordsgirlJackie and tanithlipsky for reviewing to last chapter! :D I hope next one won't take so long but I can't make any promises...

Also this is another slightly censored chapter. Full version here: archiveofourown DOT org/works/13388058/chapters/35547477

Hope you all enjoy! :D

Bauhaus: The school of art and design founded in Germany by Walter Gropius in 1919, and shut down by the Nazis in 1933. The faculty brought together artists, architects, and designers, and developed an experimental pedagogy that focused on materials and functions rather than traditional art school methodologies. (from MoMA's Glossary of Art)

They were near the door now. All the woman had to do was stretch her arm, grab the doorknob and turn it. But then...

Ah-ahhhhh.

"Lily... are you hearing this?"

The woman observed the monster in front of her with wide, unbelieving eyes. She had seen that creature before, she recognized every little detail of it.

Stefano had shown it to her.

"You mentioned you had a new project to show me. So... Where is it?"

The artist chuckled and she could feel the sound reverberate through her whole body. Not only because she was half sprawled on top of him, both naked as the day they were born, but also because of the warmth the sound carried. It was rare to for artist to feel - let alone show - such easy-going enjoyment of himself and being there for those moments always warmed her insides. She liked the idea of being partially responsible for the carefree happiness of the otherwise composed artist.

"Eager, are we?"

She pushed back from his chest, until she was sitting up astride his hips, smiling down at him.

"Always. I love seeing your work. I love how much passion and dedication you put in to it. But what I love the most is how much you love sharing it with me."

Stefano smiled at her with honest and unbidden adoration. Without words, he pulled one of her hands to his lips and kissed her palm.

"Anima mia. Sometimes I think you were created just for me."

The woman smiled, moving her hand from his mouth to his bangs. Gently she combed his hair back, settling it behind his ear so she could look at his face. There was something in the artist that wanted to protest her actions, that still wasn't comfortable with revealing his damaged eye to her, but he didn't hold her back anymore. Before, he'd pull her hand away from him every time she tried to look at the right side of his face; once he even bandaged it so she could push his hair back without gazing upon the damaged eye there.

But now he let her do as she pleased, he trusted her enough to see this part of him - the part he deemed ugly -, even if he didn't appreciate it all that much. And it made her heart soar.

"Sometimes I think the same about you." She admitted, lowering herself to lavish the right half of his face with kisses. She felt his hands settle around her hips and smiled. "I thought you were going to show me your new project?"

"I will." Stefano reassured. "Grab my sketchbook on the night stand."

The woman did as she was told, raising her body away from his as she stretched to the side. Gently she cradled the notebook in her hands and then made to move back to her position.

"Come on, Stefano." She teased. "Show it to me."

He snarled, showing his fangs as he took the sketchbook from her hands and opened it in the correct page. With one hand he held the image to his chest, allowing her to see his latest creation, with the other he held her waist.

"This is Obscura. My beautiful, absolute masterpiece." He announced with aplomb. "I designed her here in this bed. With you sleeping right beside me. With my essence dripping from between your legs. She is you and my art put together. My soul and my passion made concrete. My two reasons to keep living, merged into one."

"Stefano..." The woman spoke, reaching out to hold on his shoulders. Her blue eyes were watery with emotion and she couldn't help the next words that left her lips. "I... I love you."

The man's eye widened at her admission and for a moment she feared he'd push her away and flee from her one more time.

Instead he let his sketchbook fall down between their bodies as he freed his hand to grab the back of her neck and pull her into a possessive, passionate kiss.

"Say it again." He snarled against her lips.

"I love you."

"I love you."

"I love y-Ahh!"

"Ah-Hmmm!"

The woman watched stunned as Obscura moaned and creeped towards her, moving her three legs in a clumsy, slow manner as her camera moved up and down, side to side, rotating left and right, as if the creature was examining her in all possible manners, trying to find her best angle.

It made her want to hide her face.

She tried to figure out how she could feel such horror at the materialization of an idea she had found so beautiful before. She had loved Obscura and what she meant, admired the details put in that realistic sketch, and awed at the passion with which Stefano spoke of his masterpiece. During and after their lovemaking.

But now she could only feel horror. The materials used to mount this Obscura weren't marble, or clay or customized mannequin parts. Oh no. The Obscura in front of her - Stefano's Obscura - was made of flesh and bones and thick, sharp coil. It was madness, apathy and narcissism merged together in the cruelest form she could imagine.

In a way it was tragically beautiful.

"Lily-" The woman said, pushing Lily behind her as she slowly stepped back from the advancing creature. "-when I say go you run around her. Make an arch, leave a good distance between the two of you and when you see that she's focusing on me you go straight to the door. Alright?"

"O-Ok."

"Ahhhh! AH! AHHHH!"

Obscura seemed to understand their plotting and started to grow agitated, moving her legs with more velocity towards them as metal appendages sprouted from her back.

The sudden movement startled the woman enough to make her turn her back to Obscura to run in the opposite direction, pulling Lily with her by the hand.

That, in turn, only spurned the creature on. Obscura was quick to break in a clumsy trot as she pursued the woman. But the latter was faster and there were many drapes scattered around the room, making it easy for her to pull Lily along and hide so they could escape the sights of the work of art.

Safe for now, the woman knelt in front of Lily. The little girl already had tears tracks on her cheeks, and her eyes - so blue, so wide, so scared - were already preparing a new batch of them. It pulled at the woman's heartstrings and all she wanted to do was hug and comfort the child.

Not now.

"Be brave, Lily." She said instead. "It'll be over soon. Now go."

And with those parting words she let go of the little girl's hand and walked away.

"Obscura!" She yelled, even if she could not see her. "I'm right here! Come and get me!"

In an obscure corner of the room, she could hear moaning and shuffling feet.

And the sounds were approaching fast.

"Son of a bitch!"

Stefano yelled at the insufferable fool in front of him, gripping his knife as tight as possible in his hand.

The artist rarely felt rage such as this. Distaste, disgust, disdain were all very common emotions for him when dealing with the many simpletons that populated the world, but actual burning anger was an emotion he had only remembered feeling twice in his lifetime.

First when that Phi stronza wrote that offensive and ridiculous review on his art, denigrating his work without shame or remorse.

The second time was in Union, during the period he had been avoiding his love, but still watching her every move, photographing every sad smile she gave to the universe and feeling her hand on his every time she gently rubbed her hands together.

On the beginning he had managed to contain himself, and only watched her on the days she visited the gallery. But it was only a matter of days before he found himself stalking her around the streets of Union as well, taking pictures of her day-to-day life until he had enough to create a movie about her. She was so lovely, doing mundane chores as if she wasn't a goddess walking among vile creatures. Always graceful in her movements, always smiling at strangers, always so full of beauty...

Beauty that was touched and used by another.

Stalking his prey wasn't only satisfaction. Stefano also had to watch that little man touch and smile at her freely, even though he was far undeserving of even sharing the air she breathed. And it made jealousy bubble in his insides. Worse still was watching her smile back, enjoying his attentions even though she knew he wasn't right for her.

The first time he saw them together was by chance. He was walking around the park with a sketchbook under his arm, trying to allow his mind to wander far enough from the Woman so he could plan his next masterpiece. He was far from succeeding, for everything around him was perfect, and perfection always made him think of her.

Then, to his utmost anguish, he saw his obsession walk right in front of him, arm in arm with her husband, not even noticing him some feet behind her. Both were disgustingly radiant as they strolled around the park, enjoying the warm sunlight that was so constant inside Union. For the first time the artist found himself hating something in this city; he wished this god damned weather would just close and pour down on the couple in front of him.

But at the time he had no power over Union and could only watch as they strolled around the park together, oblivious to the artist following them with white hot rage bubbling inside his chest.

And he watched them go everywhere that day, even inside their own bedroom.

During his time in the Middle East Stefano had trained and developed his physical strength. It took a lot of him to accompany the soldiers in their marches and battles, carrying all his photograph equipment nonetheless so he always had to be in his best physical form. And after he returned he felt it would be too much of a waste not to dedicate sometime to the gym in order to keep his body in top performance, so he was rather adept to physical efforts, despite his artistic profession suggesting otherwise in terms of stereotypes.

So it was no hassle for the artist to climb up to the rooftops of the empty home just across the street from the Woman's residency; the windows offered perfect support for him. And from that very rooftop, with the help of his trusted camera's lens, he had a perfect view into his love's bedroom.

And there she was, naked and beautiful.

Beneath another man.

Stefano watched and photographed his love with fervor, feeling hate like no other grow inside him at every sad expression he captured in her face while that philistine moved inside her. She knew as much as he did that she didn't belong with that pathetic little man and it showed in their lovemaking-

If I can even call it lovemaking. There's no love there, only... acceptance. Oh, Anima mia, just you wait for me. I'll free you from this torture.

-She looked as if she had given up ever enjoying herself with that man, as if blessing him with her body was nothing more than her obligation towards him. And it made Stefano livid to see his goddess being taken for granted by such a mundane creature.

It was the very first time Stefano plotted a murder for the sake of something other than his art. And while he might not have had the chance to kill that man himself, he had been more than ready to do it if the opportunity had presented itself.

And now, he felt this all-consuming need to end another's life once again. All because yet another stupid man dared to play with something that wasn't his to play with.

"I've had enough of you!" The artist yelled out, undoing the button of his blazer as he pointed his knife at the annoyance in front of him. "Prepare to die!"

He ran at the man then, slashing an arch in the air with his blade, but to his surprise he avoided his attack, side-stepping at the last moment as he threw his crossbow to the ground and reached over his shoulder to retrieve his shotgun.

"No, you don't!" Stefano screamed, tackling his enemy to the ground.

This time the artist was successful and both fell to the floor, with the attacker on top, with one of his knees digging into his victim's stomach.

Stefano wasted no time in rotating the knife in his hand, so he had a reverse grip on it, and bringing it down to the man's face. But the later tilted his head just in time and the blade pierced the floor instead.

To add insult to injury the man grabbed the artist's lapels and pulled him down with violence, headbutting him. The blow stunned Stefano and his opponent took the opportunity to roll them over so his positions were reverted and he was on top. He raised his fist for a punch, but the artist was quicker and pulled his leg back so he could plant his foot on the man's chest and kick him away from him.

"Stop fighting!" Stefano snarled as he got back to his feet.

"As if!" The other man yelled, finally managing to pull his shotgun from its holster. "Not until you give me Lily!"

"The Core is mine!"

The man scoffed as he aimed his weapon. "Over my dead body."

"That-" Stefano began, clenching fists in rage. "-will be arranged."

Both men stared at each other for seemingly endless moments, waiting for the perfect moment to act.

But then the doors to the room were slammed open as Obscura dashed into the room, moaning loudly and desperately, stunning both men into forgetting each other for a short-lived moment. Stefano was at loss as he watched his masterpiece running all around the room with flailing steps, completely out of control,. Her skin was singed in many different places.

Stefano didn't know what it was, but he knew something terrible had happened.