WARNING- BLOOD AND VIOLENCE IS MENTIONED IN THIS CHAPTER

(Rian's pov)
We've been friends with the bandmates for about a week now. It turns out the Devil is Devin's father, which honestly no one was expecting. Well I know I certainly wasn't. For some odd reason, this news made me feel much more anxious around the Devil, who I now knew was called Michael. It didn't make sense to me and I couldn't figure out why. To be honest, I had been feeling all over the place lately. Ever since we arrived at Ashborne my emotions had slowly been becoming too much for me to handle. I was used to feeling rather empty, perhaps getting happy over my latest kill, but not usually any more that that. Of course, no one seemed to notice anything was wrong with me. Why would they? Bri and Devin barely knew me, although it did hurt a little that even Austin didn't realise.

After all, he was my only friend; well that's what we called eachother. We always got into fights and he loved to call me an idiot. I'd never admit it to anyone, but those comments hurt me. Whilst I was well aware that I wasn't the smartest person in the world, I felt like I was definitely more intelligent than the others. Everyone always ignored that part about me, only focusing on how dangerous I was or if I was going to rip their throats out. I enjoyed reading, but only when no one else was around. That applied to alot of things about me. In my mind, only I deserved to know my interests, usually people didn't care to ask anyways.

It was late one evening and I was sat on the wall surrounding Ashborne. The sun was making way for the moon, as it slowly dipped below the horizon, seeming to set the sky on fire in its wake. A mesmerising variety of colours morphed together, battling against the darkness that was crawling it's way across the world. Eventually, as expected, the black of the night won the struggle and forced the sun to retire until morning. I was in awe of the scene before me, so much so that I didn't notice my eyelids begin to grow heavy.

(Devin's pov)
Austin and Bri were chatting about something random again. I had no clue what it was they were on about, so I decided to take a stroll around the town for a bit. Opening up my wings, I pushed myself off of the ground and soared high into the sky, the cooling breeze heightened my senses as I did so. I began to circle the entirety of Ashborne; on my third lap round I noticed something up on the wall. Landing nearby whatever it was I had spotted, I cautiously approached it. Wait a second is that who I think it is?

I could recognise that red and white polka dotted bandana, nested within that jet black hair, anywhere. Rian was lying there, presumably asleep, whilst curled up in a ball. Slowly approaching him, I noticed that he seemed to be unable to stay still. This confused me at first, until I noticed the pained expression on his face. I was getting worried now. Quickly, I darted over to his side, gently nudging him in an attempt to wake him. It wasn't working and tears began to stream down his face. He started squirming around even more than before, letting out small groans of pain.
"Rian! Please wake up!" I pleaded with him, hoping he could hear me.

I pushed him with more force than before, finally causing him to suddenly sit up. He was shaking and I placed my hand on his shoulder, which made him jump with fright. His eyes were full of fear and his ears were flat against his head. Pulling him into a hug, I could feel his chest rise and fall much faster than normal. He was still trembling, in fact it may have gotten worse. All of a sudden, Rian pushed me away from him, stumbling to his feet. He tripped over and I swiftly stood up to catch him.

"Hey, take it easy!"
"I-I'm fine. Don't w-worry about me." he muttered under his breath, turning away from me.
"Rian, please, you can barely stand. At least let me help you back to your house or something."
He shook his head in response, pulling himself out of my grip. Before I could even react, he hopped over the side of the wall, heading back to his house. I decided to give him some space for a while. Whatever happened in that nightmare was clearly scarring for him, so I'd let him talk about it when he was ready. With that, I flew back down to the ground, where Bri and Austin never even noticed I had left.

(Rian's pov)
WOW, that was so embarrassing! I can't believe he saw me cry....he saw me when I was weak....UGH!!!
Without even realising it, I slammed my fist into my bedroom wall, causing it to crack and one of my shelves came crashing to the floor. I flinched at the noise, but then continued to scold myself for being so stupid. Heh, I guess Austin is right about me. There was no way Devin would ever take me seriously anymore. Honestly, I don't even know how I take myself seriously half of the time.

I felt something warm spread across my hands. Glancing downwards, I was shocked to see thick red blood oozing from out of my clenched fist. The wall beside me was more damaged than I expected. Letting out an annoyed sigh, I wiped my hand on my trousers, which caused a sharp sting of pain in my hand. I just sat there, as I watched the liquid slowly drip onto the ground. It reminded me of my childhood. Screams of agony echoed throughout my mind, followed closely by the sound of a young woman begging for her life. This was what had happened in my nightmare and what happened most nights. Her cries came back even louder than before, aswell as the sound of metal clanging against metal. Everything around me turned into a blur, becoming replaced with a burning village.

My mother was on her hands and knees, with a sword held to her throat. Within an instant, I watched her head fall to the floor with a thud, the grass surrounding her became stained with her blood. Her limp body collapsed in on itself, landing next to the rest of her. My father charged towards the werewolf who had just slaughtered the love of his life. Sadly, he met a similar fate, letting out one last shriek, as his eyes lost all the life within them. Turning around, I stared at my home being destroyed; the once beautiful gardens were now completely black. The once vibrant flowers and unique vegetation hung their heads low, deep in mourning at the loss of their habitat. People scrambled outside to what they hoped would be safety, only to be met with their demise. All the screams slowly became one chilling melody, reminding me that I would never escape my past. This scene replayed in my head daily; during the day and night.

People wonder why I'm so messed up. I chuckled darkly to myself, sitting there alone with my thoughts. The silence ringed in my ears. It was comforting and yet unnerving all at once. I loved being alone, but sometimes I wished that just one person could tolerate me long enough to stick around.

(Author's note)
Hope you all enjoyed! This chapter got quite dark and I apologise for that, but I got in the mood to write in this sorta style.