"I—what—?"

    Mark's eyes widened, fluttering in disbelief.

    "They might ambush you," said Dark like it was no big deal. "Antinstine and I test our people before we accept them into our houses—it proves whether they hone true worth to us or not. So with you, we need to remove any suspicion that you could be a human."

    Dark ran his eyes up and down Mark's figure, and he shifted in his seat, cheeks burning at the scrutiny.

    "And we'll start with your poor fighting," said Dark simply. "Emery told me how horrendous you were at defending yourself."

    "I—I don't fight," reasoned Mark. "I lead on my victims, sneak up behind them—"

    "Then I know just what to call you," said Dark. "A coward."

    Mark's mouth fell open, and he made a sound of protest. "The hell—"

    "Take your breakfast with you," said the Tear Stealer with an amused hum. "We're going to the Training Hall."

    He stood up, and Mark reluctantly followed, taking his plate with him as they walked down the halls. The Tear Stealer towered over him at his side, black robes fluttering with grace.

    "This is ridiculous—" said Mark.

    "You will be silent."

    Mark opened his mouth, but Dark shot him a glare, sending him back into quiet. He grumbled under his breath, distaste rising in his mouth at the sight of the training hall. It was as enormous as the great halls, yet the far walls were lined with wooden dummies and pads.

    Metal rings stared up at them from the floor, closed off. From the ceiling hung spickets, some dripping with water. Dark flicked a hand before a droplet fell onto the floor, flicking it to the side, leaving the floor untouched.

    Mark blinked at his first display of power, swallowing, setting his breakfast aside.

    "What is your ability anyway?" he asked, but Dark sent him a glare, ignoring his question. Mark huffed, tired of the treatment, and they stopped in the middle of the training hall, the floor under them softer than the other parts of the mansion.

    "Get into stance," said Dark as he unclipped his robes, letting them drop to the floor. Mark eyed the expensive material, swallowing at the sight of the Tear Stealer. Everytime he took off his robes, it made his insides feel so... weird.

    "I said stance," Dark ordered, snapping Mark out of his trance and walking over to him. Mark straightened himself, brows furrowed.

    "What do you mea—hey!"

    Dark knocked his foot into the back of Mark's knees, and he fell onto his hands and knees—just like with Equinox. He groaned, turning around, eyes widening to find a sharp staff inches before his face.

    "I want to test you," said the Tear Stealer. "Before I let Xilef teach you the techniques."

    "You won't—hurt me—will you?" asked Mark, voice wavering. Dark only smirked, dropping the wooden staff and giving Mark space to stand back up.

    "No, I won't," said Dark, and as Mark went to his feet, he swept the staff over his ankles, and Mark tripped and fell back onto the floor with a shout. The Tear Stealer laughed, and Mark huffed, getting back to his feet.

    "The enemy won't go easy on you, Mark," he said, swinging the staff. Mark jumped out of the way, stumbling on his feet. "When you fight, you fight."

    He swung the staff again, and Mark ducked, grimacing.

    "Your life over theirs."

    Dark dropped the staff and splayed out his hands, making himself an open target.

    "Choke me," he said, motioning towards his neck. Mark hesitated, eyeing the expanse of skin, fingers twitching.

    "I—"

    Dark lunged towards him, and Mark stumbled out of the way, heart thudding.

    "Forget who I am," said the Tear Stealer, pulling him in by the shirt and shoving him to the floor. Mark huffed as his elbows scuffed the ground. "Imagine me as one of your victims."

    Mark scowled, glaring at Dark, and got onto the balls of his feet, legs loaded like a spring.

    Well, he thought. This could be practice to kill him.

    He lunged forward, and Dark stepped aside, smirking.

    I'll learn the way he fights, thought Mark, the idea exciting him. His blood pumped in his veins, and he smiled, enjoying the way Dark rose a brow at his reaction.

    "Try harder," he said, pulling Mark from his thoughts. He lunged forward again, but Dark stepped aside, sticking out his foot and tripping him.

    Mark stumbled, regaining his footwork.

    I need to get behind him.

    He picked up the staff and jabbed at Dark with it, who rose a brow in interest. Dark hooked it with his foot and pulled it towards him, bringing Mark with him.

    Mark dropped the staff and grabbed the front of Dark's shirt, tugging him down. He moved around him, using Dark's strength against him, and pounced. Mark tightened his legs around Dark's waist. Wrapped his arms around his neck and squeezed with all the strength he could.

    Dark faltered, hands flying up to his neck, fingers digging in.

    "Good," choked Dark, and Mark reveled in the sound. He chuckled, and Dark mimicked the sound.

    "But not good enough."

    Dark grabbed Mark's arms, grip hooking, and threw him off his shoulders. Mark shouted, knocking into the floor. He grimaced, jumping to his feet, adrenaline nipping his veins.

    I missed this.

    "Again," said Dark, and Mark smiled, panting.

    He lunged forward again, Dark dodging, and they continued sparring, limb against limb, strength against speed. An hour passed, and Mark was panting, sweat beading on his brow. Dark was only faintly breathless, his toned chest heaving under his black, tight-fitting shirt.

    "Good job," said Dark, rubbing his neck. The skin was red from rubbing and squeezing, bruises threatening to form. Mark smirked at the sight, satisfaction churning in his chest.

    "We should do this more often," panted Mark, earning a smirk.

    "We will," said the Tear Stealer. "I won't go easy on you next time."

    Mark laughed, brows shooting up. "You're kidding," he said. Dark chuckled and shook his head, picking up his robes and draping it over his shoulder.

    "You're in a house of High Evolveds, Mark," said Dark, his voice breathy. "And you'll be with High Evolveds in Antinstine's base. Higher than we are."

    He pat Mark on the back rather roughly, and he grimaced.

    "We'll start you off with our weakest Evolveds," said Dark simply. "Then you'll fight me again another time."

    Mark's shoulders slumped, and Dark draped an arm over Mark's shoulders, reassuring him. Mark's heart skipped a beat at the contact, and they walked out of the training hall.

    "Don't worry," said the Tear Stealer. "You're already on the right track."

    Mark hummed, fanning himself. "I need a shower," he mumbled.   

    "I'll take you to the bathhouse."

    "Actually," said Mark, eyes lighting up. They stopped, and Dark rose a brow at him. "Could I find it on my own?"

    "Ah," breathed the Tear Stealer. He pulled his arm away, smiling. "Go ahead."

    Mark smiled, inwardly cheering, and bowed his head at the Tear Stealer. "See you at dinner?"

    Dark's eyes glimmered with an emotion he couldn't distinguish—something between warmth and affection—and he smiled.

    "Not tonight," he said. "You'll be eating with Xilef."

    Mark swallowed, the thought of those black eyes boring into his own unnerving him. "Oh," he muttered, trying to hide his dissatisfaction. "Sounds—great."

    Dark straightened himself. "Here—" He handed his robes over to Mark, who took them with confusion. "You can wear this for the time being. It'll cover you up until I get you some fresh clothes."

    Mark glanced down at the signature robes in his hands, heart thrumming excitedly.

    I'm holding the Tear Stealer's robes.

    He cleared his throat and nodded. "Thanks."

    "Have a good night," said Dark. "I'll see you tomorrow."

    "See ya tomorrow," said Mark, watching him head down one of the hallways, eyes trailing over his robeless figure. He shook his head, pulling himself from his thoughts, and headed the other direction, pausing to find the bathhouse.

    He closed his eyes, hand warm against the wall to find the bathhouse, but all he could think about was Dark.

Thank you so much for reading, dears! I hope you have a wonderful day :)

-Kassian <3