"He's heading into the Evolved City!" Dark roared in Emery's face. "How couldn't you notice that he OPENED the fucking WINDOW!"

    "I-I was sleep—"

    "Xilef, track him right now," spat Dark, red eyes glaring. "NOW!"

    Xilef grimaced and obeyed, leaving the room. The other Evolveds entered the hall at the sound of the commotion.

    "Ether," said Dark, pointing at her as she entered. "Follow Xilef. Mark will need healing."

    She rubbed her eyes, shaved brows furrowed. "Who—"

    "Go," he hissed.

    Ether obeyed and rushed outside.

    "Lux, come with me. The rest of you—back to bed."

    Lux stepped forward, and they followed Dark. Rushed outside. Far off were Xilef and Ether rushing through the forest.

    Lux grimaced, tying back his wax-white hair. "All this for a human, Edwards?" they said. "Why don't we just let him go?"

    Dark stopped in his tracks, and he glanced down at Lux, eyes burning and alight. Lux swallowed at the glare, clenching their fists.

    "Do not," whispered Dark, grabbing a fistful of Lux's robes, "dare... question me."

    He pushed Lux aside, and they stumbled, brushing themselves off and grumbling.

    Dark tugged at the clasp around his neck, and they continued after Xilef and Ether. "He can't have gone far," he said.

    They sped through the forest, faster than Mark, the bramble snapping beneath their shoes. Dark and Lux's robes kept getting caught in branches, and they ended up taking them off.

    Dark held his robe to his chest with a grimace, heart pounding.

    How could I let this happen? he thought, eyes focused on Xilef's figure tracking Mark's aura which weaved through the trees. He shuddered as a cold gust came through the forest, only in his black muscle shirt.

    Maybe Cibil really was toying with me, he thought. Scorn and disgust gargled in his throat at the thought. Mark, a human...

We're not really destined for each other.

———

Mark panted as he continued running, heart skipping when he saw light ahead. So far, yet so close. Far. Close.

Close.

Closer. So far.

    He sprinted, breaths tearing from his lungs. I need a ride, he thought. There's no way I can run much longer.

    He stumbled. Cursed. Regained footwork.

    The trees began to thin. His heart soared. So tired.

    "H-hey!" he called out, voice absolutely torn. He could barely hear himself, but as houses came into sight, his adrenaline pulsed through him again.

"HEY! HEY!"

    Please. Anyone.

\    Anyone.

Hear me, help me—

    His arm grazed against a tree, and his skin hissed at the contact. He winced and tripped, falling down. Fire seemed to consume his sweaty flesh. "Fuck—

    "H-HELP!" he cried out, forcing himself to stand and wavering. His feet burned. Skin burned. But was it him or the bramble below?

———

Dark's eyes widened at the sound of Mark's voice, glancing at Lux. The two were much faster than Mark, having reached the lights of the Evolved City in mere minutes.

    "If we catch him in the City," said Dark to Lux, "you have to mask his appearance. In his state, they'll know he's human."

    Lux nodded, and the two of them rushed past Xilef and Ether.

    "Xilef, go home," said Dark. "Ether, follow."

    Ether joined Lux's side, and they brushed past the dense forestry. Mark's torn figure struggled only feet away, stumbling and pushing past branches, tearing his hand away at the contact. To them, he looked like a wounded deer—weak and weaving through the forestry.

    Mark glanced over his shoulder, eyes widening at the sight of the three Evolveds.

    No... no, please, I'm so close.

    He forced himself to press on, muscles burning and heart pounding. His breaths stripped his throat, but he wouldn't allow it to slow him down.

    The houses were feet away.

    Mark sprinted forward, stumbling onto cobblestone street. Strangers looked at him, confused, and he rushed towards one of the people, thinking them human.

    "Please—you have to help me—" he gasped, out of breath and practically collapsing. "They're holding me hostage—"

    Dark rushed out from the trees, a snarl on his face and his red eyes gleaming. Once the stranger saw him, they ran for their life, pushing Mark towards him.

    Mark yelped, falling into Dark's arms. He flinched, heart beating like a trapped hummingbird, his arms flailing and legs kicking.

    "No—let me go! Let me go!"

    The Evolveds from the small town stared, some murmuring, others fleeing. A few walked up, though never dared to stand too close to the Tear Stealer. Despite the angered looks on their faces, they were scared.

    "You're not allowed here," said an Evolved, and their hands ignited with fire. Another joined his side, eyes flashing with white.

    "What are you doing to that human, anyway? They're a waste of space."

    Mark broke out of the hold, and he sprinted down the street, panting and huffing, body ready to collapse.

    They called me human, he thought, glancing over his shoulder. Is this—where am I...?

    Mark neared a series of houses and slid around the corner, stumbling into a dark alleyway. He panted, falling to his hands and knees, desperately trying to catch his breath. His entire body shuddered, so weak and frail, every fibre of his being burning. The adrenaline crashed over him, and he fell onto his face, pathetically rolling onto his back to stare up at the night sky.

    He panted, eyes squinting and blurring, and it wasn't until he realized that he couldn't breathe that he found out he was crying.

    Sobbing, wailing, bursting his heart out into that cold, damp alleyway. Emotions crashing through him, relentless, intense.

    Why do they want me so badly? he thought, and he ran his hands over his sweaty face with a grimace. What's so special about me?

    Not far off, Dark punched an Evolved in the face, spitting on the ground beside him as he collapsed to the floor. He glanced back at Lux, red eyes flashing.

    "Kill them all," he ordered, voice rough. "There will be no witnesses."

    They nodded, and Dark glanced at Ether, making a motion for her to follow. "Come. Let's hope some rogue didn't kidnap Mark already."

    She nodded, and they walked down the cobblestone streets. The only fatigue they felt was from the late hours, the lack of sleep—they felt no tiredness from the chase.

    In the alleyway, Mark finally gathered himself, wiping his dirty face and sitting up. He winced, his entire body sore and begging for rest. Only feet away, the clicking of shoes on pavement echoed throughout the street. His heart spiked again, and he held his breath, shuffling to press himself against the cold wall.

    Carefully, Mark stood and slipped around the back of the house, chest lightly heaving. He pressed himself against the wall, screwing his eyes shut.

    The noise stopped.

    He held his breath.

    Heart pounding.

    Limbs shaking.

    Click... footstep... Click... another.

    Why, thought Mark sluggishly, was he walking so slow...?

    Click.

    Mark swallowed, staring out at the darkness of trees. They seemed to jeer at him, the depths of its forestry simmering, whispering, crackling with danger.

    Click.

    It stopped again.

    Mark swallowed, sinking against the wall, sitting down and bringing his legs into his chest. "Fuck," he whispered, eyes stinging. He clamped his hands around his mouth, body heaving and threatening to tear out another sob.

    I'm so close, he thought. I'm so, so close.

    He barely registered the presence beside him, looming, dark, dangerous.

    "Mark."

    He jolted, and his eyes widened as he made eye contact with Dark.

No.

    Mark shot up and stumbled away, gasping for air. Dark shot out a hand at Mark, and a sudden pain tore through his eyes.

    "F-fuck—"

    His knees cracked against the floor. Gasping, spluttering. Pain tore through his eyes. Running into the back of his brain.

    "God, PLEASE, m-make it STOP!" he cried out, clawing at his eyes.

    Dark snarled, tightening his hand as he walked towards Mark. At the motion, Mark screamed, the pain increasing, turning, clicking like a dial. Red blinded his vision. Heat seared through him. Eyes felt like they were being torn in two.

    Dark clenched his hand, and Mark gave a shrill cry that pierced the air. Before he could clench his hand into a fist, Ether shoved her hand into Dark's, squeezing it tightly.

    "You'll make him go blind," she hissed.

    The Tear Stealer huffed, red eyes dimming as he composed himself. He took a deep breath and glanced at Ether, bowing his head with a sigh before pulling his hand away.

    "Forgive me," he breathed, glancing down at the dark pavement.

    Mark swayed on his knees, vision blurring and splotching, and Dark rushed forward, catching his head before he fainted from the pain.

    Something tugged in Dark's chest at the dejected sight of Mark's worn body, but he pushed it aside. He gently set Mark's head down on the cold ground, glancing over his shoulder to hand his robes over to Ether.

    "Hold these for me," he said. She folded the robes over her shoulder, and Dark carefully scooped his arms under Mark's body, huffing as he picked him up bridal style.

    He stared at Mark's face, red from crying and hair plastered to his face from running. Dark swallowed, disgusted at himself as a thick, viscid line of blood dripped out the corner of Mark's eye.

    I did this, he thought quietly. He tightened his fingers around Mark's body, realizing just how frail humans were.

    Mark's body was a ragdoll to him, limp and meager, beaten and light. He stared at Mark's face as he spoke aloud.

    "Do you... do you think this is what humans think of us, Ether?" he breathed. He shook his head, shifting his arms so he could wipe the bloody tears off of Mark's face. He wiped them on his own bare arm, wanting a reminder of what he did painted blatantly on his skin.

    He turned around, and Ether blinked, green eyes glittering as Dark continued.

"All we seem to do is hurt people," he said. He sighed and closed his eyes, brushing past Ether and walking along the pavement behind the houses.

Ether lingered for a moment and watched him walk ahead, stunned. It was the first sign of vulnerability from the Tear Stealer that she had seen. She brushed it off, following after.

"Let me heal him, Edwards," she said, and Dark only swallowed, staring ahead with dulled, red eyes. Ether hovered her hands over Mark's body, tapping her energy into his and mapping his skin in the recesses of her head.

They continued through the town and finally turned into the woods, walking along a worn trail. A few twigs snapped under their feet, but no branches grew out enough to be able to touch Mark. Dark gazed at the trees deftly, which defined the path with domineering branches.

"The trees are venomous to humans," muttered Dark to himself, the lines of his face highlighted from the powers flowing from Ether's hands. "I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did."

Ether said nothing, only nodding in acknowledgement, and they continued down the trail, owls hooting and wolves crying into the night sky. Twigs snapped under their feet and leaves rustled as they passed.

They walked down the trail in silence, Ether healing Mark the best she could while walking and Dark lost in his own thoughts.

Dark knew he was a monster. Used his abilities to hold power over others, funded sick projects, separated himself from lowly Evolveds. Despite his sickening actions, he believed that all Evolveds could live in harmony, and they could welcome humans. That was the mindset he built his persona on. Harmony, peace. Union.

The Tear Stealer.

He glanced down at Mark, only faintly aware of the green wisps flowing from Ether's hands.

Harmony and peace, he tried telling himself, but as he stared at Mark's still-worn face, he doubted his entire legacy.

I'm no better than Anti, thought Dark, and he felt the foreign burning of tears in his eyes. He quickly suppressed the feeling, red eyes glittering.

No, he told himself. He was made. I was gifted by birth.

He glanced back down at Mark in his arms.

I'll change things for you, he found himself thinking. I can't let you and other humans think that we're monsters.

Dark swallowed, and he gazed up at the mansion as they walked up to the porch.

I need to talk to Cibil again, he thought.

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day!

Tell me your thoughts! 👀😏😏

Love you all,

Kass xoxo