Art belongs to Spectralx (Vyair is amazing... I'm so hooked on him!)

Watching the early morning light playing across his dagger, he gave his hand another twist, curious at the way his breath seemed to catch when the sun shone upon the blade. Vyair found himself lost once more as the memories of earlier that morning played through his mind, the sight of the young King laying upon the ground asleep, oh so vulnerable and unaware of the danger that stood there within a few simple steps of him.

He could still hear the sound of the boy's breathing hitch when he slowly pulled his shirt up, careful not to wake him before he'd had a chance to see him bleed. His caution dropped slightly when he began dragging his dagger across the bare skin he'd revealed, dazed slightly by the sound of Alex's soft moan of pain. The sight of him shifting in his sleep had Vyair curious about what the boy was envisioning, reaching out to press his hand against his side, far enough from the wound to ensure he didn't taint his bandages.

He had not been expecting what was found, a dark room swirling with shadows as Alex knelt on the floor, clothing hanging in torn strips from his frame. Even from here, he could see the blood trailing from the well-toned body of the king, crimson pooling around his knees. The most startling thing was what lie before the boy, a vague image made of shadows and silk resting upon a golden throne as the boy mumbled softly. Moments later, he was forced out of the boy's mind when he suddenly looked up and those clear eyes locked onto his. He was still unsure of what to make of the expression on the boy's face.

What had once been a desire to sate his curiosity was now blooming into an obsession. He wanted to know everything about the young Alexander, starting with how he had found a way to push him out of his mind.

It was time to go hunting.

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The dreams were starting to get stranger since that night in the forest. Alex found himself daydreaming more often, sometimes missing huge chunks of a meeting until brought back to reality by someone clearing their throat beside him and having to blushingly ask them to repeat what he missed. Whispers spread through the halls as people wondered about what must be worrying their king so much that he was even more lost in thoughts than usual.

The last few nights, Alex could almost swear he felt someone watching him as he fell asleep, the dreams he sank into more vivid than they had been since he drank the potion. Last night he had dreamt that he was singing to the Emperor, one of the songs he'd heard in his post-poison visions. When he'd woke up the next morning, he'd found tears on his cheeks but had no recollection of crying during his dreams.

During the meeting that day, he lost focus of the world around him just as they began talking about the servants seeing movement out of the corner of their eyes and finding objects moved or missing. The most worrisome part was how a few people had turned up missing recently, leaving some to wonder who would be next. Guards were assigned to watch over Alex at all hours, worried that he would soon become a target, especially with how easily distracted he was these days.

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He was such a curious creature, their king. No, he didn't like that thought. Alexander shouldn't be their king, for they had done nothing to properly claim the boy. Not like Vyair had claimed him, placing his mark upon the boy's very mind. And if he went by the way the boy's dreams had been going, upon far more than just that part of him.

He had been visiting him every night for the past few weeks now, keeping hidden only because he saw it as a game to enjoy, seeing how long he could go before anyone even realized he was there. He knew the king wasn't about to say anything, inclined as he was to both believe it to just be a dream and also to not want those dreams to stop.

What a twisted mind he had developed recently, just one more thing that intrigued the Emperor these days. Something he had taken to nurturing in the boy at night.

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Alex fidgeted throughout dinner, eager for the day to finish so he could return to the dreams that ruled over his mind each night. As strange as it might seem and as wrong as it knew it to be, he was becoming addicted to the things he dreamt of and the feelings that came with them. He'd tried to talk to someone about it, searching out both friends and mentors but as soon as he had their attention he had found himself unable to speak, too embarrassed to continue beyond the initial stumbling plea to speak with them.

Instead, he'd let himself sink into the dreams even more, seeing them as an escape from everything that was happening these days. Oh, he might be a bit lost in his mind at times but he'd heard the rumors going around. He knew about the missing servants and even about the missing goods. Alex just found himself at a loss for what he could do about it that others hadn't already done.

Passing the last part of the day in an 'emergency meeting' about yet another missing person, this time one of the guards, Alex found himself drifting off as he wondered where all these missing people were vanishing to. In the back of his mind, he wondered if they would ever be found, but pushing that thought away he found himself thinking about how happy his citizens would be if he were to somehow find them and bring them back safe and sound to them.

Climbing into bed that night, he began thinking of ways he could go about finding them, wondering if he could find any clues to what had happened if he searched around the areas where things had been going missing. After all, that is where the guard vanished sometime in the early morning.

That night, Alex dreamed of a silk covered hand resting against his back while lines were traced on his back, the other hand carefully guiding the blade as pained gasps filled the air.

"Don't waste your time looking for that which won't be found. Your time belongs to me, not them. You belong to me."