No, no, no, no, not right now!!!

The voice in his mind screamed out in pain and alarm.

His vision blurred in and out along with his incoherent thoughts... mirroring his unstable condition.

He could barely think straight as it was, but he knew he didn't want it to happen right now, much less at all!

This was bad! Very, very, BAD.

Sweat ran down his face as dark smoky fingers reached around his ribs and encircled him beyond his control, working to heal his body.

He could feel the pull and push of the energy bubbling inside him against his will as he tried to suppress it, but it was too late.

More dark black, grey and tinged green magic engulfed his body as if he were standing in flames.

He heard the shorter woman he had tucked under his arm gasp and mutter in exclamation. "You're... y-you're not HUMAN!!", she cried seeing the magic circling off him and he felt his face drain as she spoke.

She knew... she had it all figured out...

Well, not all figured out, what she had just said wasn't entirely true... but what if she DID figure out everything?!

But she couldn't.., right...? Right...?!

His thoughts ran around in a circle of panic and fear and he had to fight to get it under control.

Stay calm! All he had to do was stay calm!

"Is that MAGIC?!", Diverion suddenly then heard Andrew cry out as he and Cassandra arrived in the area.

His head shot up as he looked at the pair that stood there paralyzed and shocked, their eyes speaking volumes.

NO, NO, NO!! Why was everything going wrong?!

What the hell was he going to do about this?!? His secret was out now!

"J-Just stay back!!", he yelled, tightening his hold on his hostage and gripping his knife tighter with his slippery hand.

He just had to get away from all of them... that's all he had to do and then he was safe. It wouldn't matter any more after that...

But until then, best to keep up the charade and make them think he was willing to kill the Keeper, even though he knew he didn't have the heart for the deed.

His arms shook uncontrollably as he tried to steady them as Cassandra glared at him.

He watched as Andrew held out a peaceful hand and swallowed nervously.

"Let her go kid! You're about to drop anyway!! Is it really worth all of this to run off into the woods with no help when you're like that??", Andrew called as his voice shook uncertainly, "Please Diverion.. you need to stop!!"

The short haired woman then took one bold step forward, pointing her sword at him as fire burned in her eyes, "Think carefully Diverion. Trying to escape is foolish and you know it, so let her go already!!!", she clenched her jaw before continuing, "At this point, I don't CARE WHO THE HELL YOU ARE ANYMORE!! Just let her go and I'll let you be! There's no way you're Varian!", she shouted angrily, tears already going down her face, "Varian would NEVER do this!! EVER!! You finally convinced me now you bastard, you hear me?!! So just LET HER GO!!"

Diverion stared at her in shock and pain as Andrew reached out and pulled her back.

Her eyes never left his though and he could see the hurt written all over her face.

She had relentlessly for days convinced herself that he, Diverion, was some teen named Varian despite all his protests... and now, now she had given up suddenly and felt broken, it all felt very wrong. Finally taking in the cold harsh reality that was bound to happen sooner or later, she had done it too soon.
He had thought it'd wouldn't been later rather then sooner...
She had seemed so strong, so stubborn.

Diverion clenched his teeth and looked away.
Yet another person he had damaged from within because of his god damn bloody face!! Why couldn't she have just let his mask alone??

He glanced around, looking at the intense situation he had gotten himself into. Ready for anything to help distract his mind of the sickening guilt, pain and fear that was coursing through him as magic swirled around him still.

His heart, mind and body hurt.

Nothing and everything seemed to make sense...

Why couldn't he think straight??

What was he even doing again?
Right, looking at his situation... trying to see if there was some way out.

To the thick woods that surrounded him, to his two kidnappers, to Calliope who stood there shaking from fear, and his less then able body, he almost felt like he wanted to die. It all suddenly and overwhelmingly seemed like too much.

But he knew he was to cowardly to ever die. And he hated that.

Yes, he remembered that much.

He hated everything about himself. He was a curse to everyone around him! So why couldn't her have the guts to just give everyone the favor of him dying?!

The best he could only hope was for someone to decide what they wanted to do with him. Let fate decide.

He didn't want to care anymore.

He was going to let himself not care anymore...

Tears and sweat ran down his face as he let go of Calliope, no longer caring if he was attacked by Cassandra or not.

He felt everyone stare at him in surprise as he dropped the dagger at his feet and his hostage.

It almost seemed like the world around him was in slow motion as he felt the pulsing dark energy and the eyes of everyone on him. Was he just hallucinating?

He was dipping back and forth between the underwater slow motion sensation to reality and his insane condition in an unpredictable pattern.

It was almost funny.

He watched as Calliope lay there stunned on the ground for a minute before she got up and scrambled away, running to Andrew's outstretched comforting arm.

Besides the scared whimpering of Calliope, the air was cold and silent. Even the birds and wildlife had ceased their noise.
Everyone not quite sure what to do now that the impending danger had passed, stood there stock still as if in a trance.

"Are you okay?", he heard Andrew ask the scared shorter woman as she nodded in response before he straightened and stared back into Diverion's eyes.

The man's eyes were a deep brown and were furrowed with anger and concern. It was strange...

Shouldn't there only be anger in those eyes? Maybe hurt, sorrow, hate, fear... but not concern!

"Diverion..,", he hesitated, "Are you okay??"

"Hubert!! This... PERSON, doesn't need to be associated with anymore!", Cassandra burst out, "We got Calliope, so let's just leave him alo-."

Diverion cut her off with laughter, his head resting against his shoulder as he started to laugh.

His whole body shook with the sound and continued as his body slumped over from his exhaustion and weight as he heard more whimpers and shocked gasps.

"A-Am I..? You're a-asking me.. if I'm.. okay??!", he burst out running a weak and cold hand over his face and through his hair, "Ahaha-hahaha-haHA-haa~"

His body swayed as he stumbled around to keep his balance until he was leaning against a tree awkwardly.

They looked at him in fear and concern, but this time.. it was for themselves.

He was a beast; a demon. They were afraid of HIM...

And he liked it.

He took one unsteady step towards the little group and he felt them immediately recoil. More laughter spilled out of his lips.

No, he LOVED it.

He had control here... WAIT, NO. That wasn't right. He stopped confused.

With effort he pulled himself back to his fragile sanity. He didn't want this... not at all!

He flinched as he felt his magic drive into him angrily, wanting to be let free as he held it back. Denied it.

Then he slipped. Everything seemed hilarious again as an eerie giggle escaped. He hurriedly slapped a hand over his mouth and shook his head. Everything was going wrong... terribly wrong...

He looked at the mask hanging by his side in his right hand.

How long had that been there?? He knew he knew... but...

Diverion heard and felt someone approaching him. He wanted desperately to tell them to go away and run, but at the same time he needed help. He needed something to anchor him, save him.

His voice wouldn't work as he tried to speak and see who it was but he went down under the waves again, getting swept away by the monster within him.

Smoke like tendrils continued to encircle him as he then felt a warm and strong hand on his shoulder.

It's presence felt solid.

A distorted low voice was all he heard... wait, he knew that voice... that was Andrew's voice!

And it, no.. he!, was saying his name!

Diverion fought and grasped the hand on his shoulder with his left, holding on to it like it was a life ring. He pulled himself back up and over the water he was under, staring straight into the clear view of Andrew's face and Cassandra's.

It was crisp and bright, but it threatened to collapse as it wavered slightly.

"Diverion. Can you hear me?", Andrew's gentle voice asked.

It was almost fatherly... it felt so safe and secure.
He nodded numbly, trying to focus on his eyes and not let himself fall back into that horrible state.

He cared. He cared so, so much! He didn't want to hurt anybody yet his whole life...

"Just keep looking at me. Can you do that?", he asked him, "Diverion? Can you do that for me?"

He blinked tiredly and nodded again as Cassandra edged forward and touched his forehead.

She then jerked back and stared at her hand and back at him. "What's wrong with him?! He's so cold it's burning!!", she looked at him now with worry. Strange.

"I don't know...", he responded back still staring straight into Diverion's eyes, both hands now in his shoulders as he stood there, "Calliope! Any ideas? How can we help him??"

He tried. He really did.
But his eyes kept trying to slide off or unfocus on Andrew's despite all his efforts.

His own mind quickly became his own worst enemy.

Laughter played on the edge of his mind as he threatened to slip into delirium.

Why bother continue fighting?
Why continue to try to keep on living if he knew that all he was going to do is destroy the lives of others?
Why even try to fight off what he really was, that part of him that he tried to deny for so many years, when it was going to win anyway??

There wasn't anything important anymore anyway.

He didn't have his family anymore, not that he really had his parents to begin with.

His father had never been there, couldn't. Or wouldn't.

And his mom... she had always forever been disappointed in him. He was never enough except when she tried to convince him to use his power.
But he hated every second of it.

He heard himself burst out into sickening peals of cold mirth before he stopped and pulled on his violet hair.

He was scared... scared of the crazy unstable person beneath...

He was tired of fighting.

He could just slip off again and live in ignorant and mental bliss... NO!! NO, NO, NO, NO!!!

Diverion screamed in frustration and collapsed to his knees, holding both hands clenched to his head.

He was dimly aware of the cries of concern and his name being yelled, but he was fighting a war, he couldn't answer back, not now.

Magic was his enemy. He hated it. He wasn't going to let it win.
If he let go, it would win anyway. He couldn't let that happen.

But what could he do?

'You can just give in', his little evil voice chided him, 'give up and be who you really are'

What? A monster?! That wasn't who he was!!

How could he keep fighting himself?

The answer was simple. He already knew it, but that didn't change the fact that he could and would still try to fight against it.

His vision swam and blurred with strange colors as he looked up at where he assumed Cass' and Andrew's faces were.

He could feel them. He could hear them...

Should he try to reach out to them or continue his fight, one that he could never escape and never hope to win out in the long game??

But what if got lost if he stopped trying to hold it all back for one moment? What if he went crazy and ended up hurting one or all of them?! What if he did something truly terrible and killed everyone or worse?!!

He was dimly aware of the tears coming down his cheeks and the burning pain in his side as his hand grasped around the locket under his shirt.

All he had to do was open it...; a smile played upon his weak lips as he went under again.

And then he was hit.
Suddenly and brutally without warning.

Startled and in pain, he became hyper aware of how he had gained back some of his grip on reality as he was flung onto his back.

He clung onto it. He couldn't let himself fall anymore!

Diverion groaned as he tried to prop himself up after the attack and felt something inside of him burn with intense fire.

It was in the place he was hit...

He then caught the glimpse of the person before him and he felt his hopes sink even further...

Oh no... it couldn't be..

Just one more thing.

"What the-!!?", Cassandra yelled as she quickly stood up and ran over to him, "Who are you and what the hell do you think you're doing?!", she yelled at the new stranger who stood a few feet away from him.

What was he going to do now??
Now for sure... everyone was going to know...

He swallowed as he stared at his attacker.

The stranger was silhouetted by the bright sun behind him before he shifted and made himself a bit more visible, "Name's Set,", he answered, "And I'm eliminating that demon over there!", he cried as Diverion felt his heart slip down into his stomach, "So get back already and let me do my thing!!"

Hope you enjoyed the perspective change! Love ya readers! 🔥