The sound of the car doors closing echoed through the desolate street.

"This is where you'll meet Antinstine," said Equinox, waving to the driver as the taxi backed up and drove back into the City. She stepped over rubble and broken glass, heels clicking loudly through the street. The music in the club pounded through the floor, rattling the debris on the neglected asphalt.

Already, Mark felt sick.

Equinox walked up to the doors, stepping aside as Evolveds filtered in and out of the club. The window was grimy and tinted, but it was clear to see the swarm of bodies and the flash of vibrant lights within.

"There's a stone room inside," said Equinox. "Isolated from any technology."

She gently pulled Mark up to the glass wall, forcing him to look at the inside of the club.

"Antinstine uses the club as a way to protect himself when making deals," she continued. "If a threat were to come, it'd be obvious, giving him enough time to escape."

Mark nodded, giving a grateful breath when Equinox began to turn away. He followed after, eyes trailing up the tall, sloping buildings as they left the neglected street.

"Do you have any questions?" asked Equinox with her hands in her dress pockets. The sun was beginning to set now—the day almost over. It had Mark's stomach light up with nervous butterflies.

"Not really," breathed Mark as they continued walking down the sidewalk, the City beginning to liven again. Music pulsed, cars rumbled, and chatter roared off the walls. "I'm just... worried I won't make it."

Equinox hummed at that. "Keep in mind, Mark," she said, and the use of his real name startled him. "Even if Antinstine decides to harm you, it will be his blood on the floor in the end."

She tipped her head at him, reddish eyes glimmering beneath the city lights.

"Your pain, your suffering—if that really were to happen—would not be in vain."

Equinox walked up to the edge of the sidewalk and held out a hand, smiling as the same driver in the horse-driven carriage returned. The horse reared its head at them and neighed as it stopped, tail flicking.

"To Vella, the village," she said, tossing him a coin. He caught it, and she and Mark clambered into the carriage, settling themselves in the wooden seats.

Once they did, the carriage rocked to life, and they began riding out of the City. Mark relaxed against the back of the carriage, taking a deep breath and sighing once the cacophony began to fade, growing quieter and stiller.

The road shifted into that rough cobblestone, and the carriage rocked from side to side. Despite the rough ride, Mark took a deep breath and sighed, tilting his head back and gazing up at the roof of the cab.

The laughs of children and the steady thrum of villagers echoed through the streets, and already, Mark felt a vague sense of calm. No more sturdy citygoers, no more hard looks... but gentler people. If gentle was a proper word for Evolveds in general.

"Equinox," said Mark softly, eyes glittering despite the dimness of the carriage. He tilted his head and gazed over at her. "When you first gained your powers... how did it... feel?"

Equinox tilted her head at that, and she knocked on the wood behind her. The carriage rolled to a stop, and Mark straightened himself, brows furrowing.

"What are we—"

"Out of the cab," she said softly.

Mark wavered a moment before obeying, pushing open the creaking door and clambering down the rickety steps. The carriage rocked as they exited, and the cabby glanced at them with an inquisitive gaze.

"We'll walk from here," said Equinox, tossing him another coin. The cabby caught it and nodded, adjusting the reins and cracking the whip. The carriage creaked and groaned before lurching into motion, the horse's hooves clattering on the cobblestone as it rode away.

Mark watched the carriage disappear into the sparser crowd of people, glancing at Equinox.

"What a—"

"When I first got my powers," said Equinox, answering Mark's previous question,"I was a terrified young girl."

She held Mark's hand and pulled him through the village, passing by the occasional Evolved. They reached the town square where most of the villagers walked to and fro, then swiped her hand across the air. Nothing came from her hands, but the change was obvious.

The villagers had stopped moving.

Even the birds in the sky seemed to slow, their wingbeats moving in the smallest of increments. Seconds worth of walking became minutes—footfalls taking forever to complete.

Mark's eyes widened, and his mouth fell agape. Equinox smiled at the reaction and led him into the square, circling around the slowly-moving Evolveds. It was like the two of them were in hyperspeed, watching everyone around them move in slow motion.

"H-how did you—"

Equinox led him to the fountain in the middle of the square, motioning to the water. It pulsed with life, though its flowing motion halted. A few droplets were suspended in the air, and Mark reached forward to touch one, gasping as it collapsed under his finger.

"I had no one to turn to," continued Equinox. She sat down on the stone fountain, dress falling gracefully at her knees. "My parents didn't have the same ability as me. I was helpless. Lost."

She tilted her head, her black hair falling as she did so. The Evolveds around them continued to move in slow motion, and Mark couldn't help but stare in awe.

Equinox's voice seemed to be louder—isolated now that the sounds of the village had been muted.

"But then I saw Edwards on the picture show all those years ago..." Her eyes glimmered. "He was the only one of his kind—different like me... And yet he found success in his unknowing."

Mark walked around the Evolveds as Equinox spoke, examining them close-up, and... feeling no fear for the first time in a long while.

"He inspired me to appreciate what I didn't know," she said. She stood up then, running her hand under the still fountain and throwing the water up into the sky. It stayed in the air, suspended, in a glittering arch that glowed golden beneath the setting sun.

"He showed me the gift of exploring your identity."

Mark stopped before an Evolved child, the apple they were throwing hovering in the air. Still. Suspended. He examined the fruit, then the child, gazing down at their laughing, delighted features.

"This fear you're experiencing," said Equinox, resting a hand on Mark's shoulder. "We've all had it... Humans and Evolveds alike." She smiled. "And Antinstine is no different."

Mark nodded, and with that, Equinox waved a hand.

Life sped up again.

The Evolveds walked normally again, and the fountain hushed with flowing water. Laughs and chatter rose through the village as if nothing had happened.

The water in the air splashed onto a kid behind them, and she burst into giggles.

"Hey!" she shouted, pulling the sopping hair out of her eyes. She pointed up at a taller boy—most likely her bigger brother. "You did that, didn't you!"

"What? No, I didn't—"

Before the boy could reply, their mother barked at them.

"Michael, Rose, here now!" As they ran to her, she scolded them softly. "What did I say about playing with your abilities in public?"

Mark smiled as he watched the scene, brought back to reality when Equinox tapped his arm.

"Come on," she said softly. "Edwards will be worried if we don't return home soon."

His eyes lingered on the Evolved family before he nodded, following Equinox down that dense and daunting forest path.

———

Mark asked to sleep in the room he was first kept in that night, wanting a reminder of where he really was and how he compared to the Evolveds around him. He wanted to fall asleep knowing just how detrimental tomorrow would be.

Dark lingered at the doorway, hand on the doorknob. His robes softly fluttered at his feet.

"Make sure you rest well," he said softly, eyes glimmering under the dim light. Mark nodded, wiping the rest of the black off his arms and throwing the towel to the side. It didn't do much, but it was enough to let his skin breathe.

"I will," he said. He stood and walked over to Dark, resting his hands on his broad chest. Dark shifted at the contact, gazing down at Mark through his lashes.

"Dark... if—" He thickly swallowed, lifting his gaze to meet Dark's. "If I do die..."

His hands slid down the expanse of Dark's chest, weakly hanging onto his robes.

"Would you mourn for me?"

Dark's eyes glimmered at the question, and he traced Mark's jawline carefully. The moonlight pooling in through the window highlighted Mark's features, only adding onto the intensity of his words.

Dark softly sighed, gazing deep into Mark's eyes. "You are not going to die," he breathed. He brought his hands up to cup the sides of Mark's face. "I promise you that."

Mark grabbed onto Dark's hands and pulled them away, holding them to his chest.

"You didn't answer my question," said Mark. He gently squeezed Dark's hands, eyes glimmering and brows curled. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"Even though you and I are... closer, I-I—" He swallowed, shaking his head in the slightest. "I can't help but... doubt if you really care for me."

Dark's brows rose at that, eyes glinting beneath the moonlight. "Mark..." he said, prodding the tenseness of the room.

If only he could explain—show Mark what Cibil had shown him... The smiles, the laughs... the love.

"If you were to die," said Dark, pulling his hand away to run a hand through Mark's hair, "I would never forgive myself."

Mark glanced aside at that, falling into a quiet.

"I wouldn't be able to live a single day without regret."

He gently squeezed Mark's hands, prompting him to meet eyes with him.

"I can't see life without you, Mark."

"But you've lived without me before," Mark said under his breath. "Who says you can't do it again?"

Dark opened his mouth to speak, but Mark shook his head, pulling away and grabbing onto the edge of the door.

"It's alright," said Mark."You don't have to explain."

Mark began to close the door, and though Dark wished to protest, he knew better.

"Goodnight, Dark," he said, and the door shut with a defying click. It was then that Mark felt it again—the stinging of his eyes, the quivering of his lip... that ache in his chest.

Mark sniffled and ran his hand along the house walls, feeling that steady, vibrant pulse of enchantment. He then turned towards that wretched bed—the one he'd laid on his first night here. Then at the window—the very one he'd snuck in... then broken out of...

He gave a pained smile, still recalling the branches whipping past his skin and battering his humanly flesh.

Despite all the preparation and the knowledge he'd gained... the friends he'd made and the connections he'd established...

He still felt lost.

Mark sat at the edge of the bed, wringing his dirty, paint-stained hands together.

The gift of exploration, thought Mark, recalling what Equinox had said in the village.

He didn't know what to think of that. Yes, he was the only human to ever make so much contact with Evolveds—probably the first to even set foot in the Evolved City—but... it didn't feel like a gift. Gifts were willing... They were natural...

No, no, it...

It felt like a curse.

Mark slipped out the vial in his pocket and gazed down at it, the black liquid flowing like honey.

What if he ran out of this cursed paint? Was caught putting it on or—worse—caught having it?

Despite all the training, all that he'd come to learn about Evolveds, he still had no idea what to expect from Antinstine's mansion.

What did he want from one of Dark's people?

Secrets? Satisfaction? Hell, even a new companion?

Mark shook his head and stowed the vial away, trying to quiet his head. There were so many thoughts—so many questions, worries, doubts, hopes—

But in order to get adequate sleep, he had to convince himself he was fine. Had to convince himself he was back at home with no worries but the human meat spoiling in his fridge.

He clambered onto the bed and pulled the blankets over himself, the pillow sinking under the weight of his head. He gave a deep sigh, forcefully closing his eyes.

It'll only be two weeks, he thought to himself, relieved to find his body giving in to the lull of sleep.

How bad can it be?

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

Love you all,

Kas xoxo