Mark sat at the edge of the bed, wringing his hands together as he stared at the wall. Lux had taken all of Mark's possessions before they locked him in the room, leaving him unable to call anyone or use his tools to make his escape.

The window had even been locked, the glass impeccable, so even breaking his way out wasn't an option.

Mark fell onto his back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Hours had passed, only silence, and no way out.

He was trapped. Held captive with Evolveds that could kill him in a heartbeat.

Mark cursed at himself, wondering how he could be stupid, so impatient, so blind.

His thoughts whirred until sunrise filtered through the window, and his eyelids began to droop. The door slammed open, and he jumped up, body swaying from the lack of rest.

At the doorway stood Equinox, red eyes gazing through black lids and pale features. She stood tall, dress pooling gracefully down her frame.

"Human," she hummed, sweeping her eyes over his battered frame. "Come with me."

Mark hesitated, assessing his situation. The woman looked weak, fragile... yet the way she carried herself spoke otherwise.

"If you're thinking of attacking me, you won't have any luck," she said, pulling him from his thoughts. "You're in an entirely different world now." Her eyes flashed. "Now come with me."

Mark swallowed, hesitantly walking forward. Equinox leaned over and grabbed Mark's wrist, clicking a handcuff over it. He protested, tugging, but she caught his other wrist with the cuff and secured it. Mark grimaced, pulling against the binds, but Equinox grabbed the chain and forcefully dragged him out of the room.

"You need to eat," she said, pulling him down the hallway. Mark tripped over his feet, glaring at his situation.

This is nothing like I expected things to go, he thought bitterly.

They turned through a few hallways, and the dining hall opened up before them. Mark swallowed, heart skipping a beat when he spotted the Tear Stealer approaching them.

"He's all yours," said Equinox, shoving him forward. Mark stumbled, breath catching as he caught himself right before he almost rammed into the Tear Stealer. Dark nodded his head at Equinox in thanks, and she left the room, heels clicking against the wooden floors.

Dark gazed down at Mark for a moment, taking in his frame, suppressing a smirk at his shift of discomfort. He grabbed the chain of the handcuffs and dragged Mark to one of the chairs, undoing one of the cuffs to attach it to the table.

Mark glared at the Tear Stealer, who only sent him an amused glance. His robes swished as he sat down feet away from Mark, gaze intense.

"Eat," he ordered, directing his eyes towards the plate of fruit on the table. Mark grit his teeth together, staring at the food.

"I'm not hungry," he decided to say, glaring at the Tear Stealer. Dark merely stared back, features unreadable. He sat back in his seat, posture impeccable. That electricity from last night thrummed to life between them.

"I'm curious, Mark," said the Tear Stealer, voice a low drawl. "Last night, when you so failed to kill me." He stared evenly at him, gaze never wavering. "Had my people not caught you, how would you have done it?"

Mark swallowed, fists clenching under the table. "Do what," he hissed, shoulders tense.

"Killing me," he said simply. He picked up a knife, its edges sharp and glinting under the morning light filtering through the windows. Dark gazed at his reflection in the blade through half-lidded eyes. "How would you have done it?"

Mark eyed the blade in his hand, breaths shallow, his skin tingling. "Why do you want to know?" he breathed, glancing between the knife and the Tear Stealer's face.

Dark rose a brow, placing down the knife and resting his hand over it; its tip pointed towards Mark menacingly, and he knew it was a message to watch what he said.

"Let me remind you," said Dark lowly, leaning towards Mark, "that you are under my roof." His red eyes flashed. "My rules, my manor, my legacy." As he spoke, he leaned forward, lifting the knife and pointing it dangerously at Mark. The blade was only a show. "You're but a mere ant to me."

Mark swallowed and leaned back, breathing in relief when Dark leaned away from him. He set the knife back down on the table, lapsing into his upheld demeanor.

"Now," said Dark, resting against the back of chair while Mark stayed tense and on edge. "Answer my question."

Mark clenched his fists under the table, his jaw tight. "Can I at least eat first?" he forced himself to say, and Dark chuckled.

"Go and stall all you want," said Dark, a smirk on his lips. His eyes flashed. "But let me remind you... that any control you think you have belongs to me."

Mark suppressed a shiver, his words menacing. He glanced down at his food and focused on it, trying to ignore the leering presence of the man next to him.

———

Xilef eyed Dark through the corner of his eye as they walked down the hallways.

"So?" asked Xilef, voice low. "Was Cibil right about the human?"

The Tear Stealer bristled in the slightest. "I'm not sure, yet," said Dark. "But last night, when I laid eyes on him, and he was so close to me..." He paused. "Something in me couldn't bring myself to kill him. There's something about him that catches me off guard."

"He has no idea of the future," said Xilef. "He's going to see everything as being held captive."

"Oh, definitely," said Dark with a smirk. "Once he calms down, I'll see how true Cibil's words are."

They headed towards the second grand hall, where the Tear Stealer usually lingered and Eyes worked her magic on intercepting. The screens glowed bright despite the light of morning, and Dark and Xilef joined her side.

"I don't get it," said Eyes, glancing over her shoulder and glancing at the two Evolveds. "Nestor—he hasn't been reacting in the slightest. Mark's been gone for a day now."

They looked at the screens, finding Ethan walking down the sidewalks and going about his day. No hint of concern on his features.

"Humans react differently to concern," said Xilef, gazing at the screen. The Stealer only hummed.

"If you see anything suspicious, report it," he said. "Other than that, Nestor shouldn't be a problem anymore."

Eyes nodded, and he walked over to the living room, sidling up to a glass cabinet in the wall.

"Cocktail?" he asked as Xilef approached. The Aurist shook his head, vaguely waving a hand.

"No thanks," he said. "I won't drink what gives me no benefit."

Dark opened the cabinet and pulled out a stemmed glass, eyes sweeping over the racks on the left side. Vials upon vials lined the small shelves, filled only with a few droplets of a clear liquid. His eyes landed on the name "King George VI" inscribed on a vial, and he pulled it from the cabinet with a smile.

"This'll bring back memories," he said, closing the cabinet and turning to show Xilef the half-dollar sized vial. The Aurist sat on one of the darkened couches, his legs crossed.

"Let me guess," hummed Xilef, putting a finger to his lip, "is it Prada's?"

Dark shook his head, chuckling at the guess. "King George the Sixth," he said, setting down the glass and reaching for a bottle of clear tequila. He opened the bottle and poured himself a serving, setting it down as he sat on the chair in the middle.

"Secrets he had will have been unraveled by now," said Xilef, resting his elbows on his knees as Dark popped open the vial. "You collected his tears when he first ruled."

The Tear Stealer picked up the stemmed glass, dropping the contents of the vial into the alcohol. He smiled, gazing over his glass at Xilef.

"Oh, people hold many secrets," he said, taking a sip of the alcohol. He licked his lips as the liquid burned down his throat, a thrum of power surging through his veins. "Even in death, they carry secrets with them."

Xilef hummed, leaning back in his seat and draping an arm over the back of it. "Will you look into them?" he asked, eyeing the cocktail. The Tear Stealer shook his head, taking another sip.

"Not today," he said. "I can feel them in the back of my head, but I no longer have any business with England; the secrets are useless to me." He took a longer sip, reveling in the rush of adrenaline pulsing through him. "No, today, I'm simply in want for some power."

Xilef nodded, and they lapsed into silence, enjoying each other's presence.

Thank you so much for reading!

Have a great day!
Kassian