Mark held Cibil's dead body in his arms.

    It didn't feel real.

    He stared at her blank face, her eyes clouded, lashes like frost.

    She was just a kid.

    Mark had always taken satisfaction in killing; had always enjoyed the way the life bled from their eyes, and their bodies fell limp, but this—this—

    The shouts and cries of Dark and Anti fighting faded into the backdrop, and Mark carefully ran his hand over Cibil's eyelids, closing her eyes. Her skin was so cold to the touch, but her blood was still warm.

    If he hadn't stood there—

    His hand fell, weak, faltering over her feeble body.

    If he had just moved—

    Mark breathed hard, glancing up at the fight. Dark punched Anti across the face, and he staggered to the ground and landed on his hands and knees.

    Cibil died because of him.

    Mark caught a glimpse of silver in Anti's trench.

    Cibil's death was... his fault.

    Mark gazed down at her body, guilt building up in his throat.

    She was just a kid.

    The racing click of heels echoed past the opening, and Equinox slid into the room, searching, eyes wide. Her head whipped towards Mark, then locked onto Cibil in his arms. Her eyes widened.

    "Mark—" she breathed. She raced forward and grabbed at his shoulders, trying to pull him up. "Come on. We have to get you out of here—"

    Mark stumbled to his feet, Cibil's body so light and frail in his arms. Equinox dragged him towards the opening, and Mark struggled, staring at the fight. It was getting bloodier. Red and black splattered the floor.

    "But Dark—" said Mark. Equinox grabbed his arms, but he resisted her. "We can't just leave him here—"

    "Now's not the time, Mark," she hissed, pulling him out of the ballroom. They stumbled back, out of the opening and into the hallway. Mark could still see them—Dark and Anti, fighting to the death. He wanted to do something—wanted nothing more than to help Dark—to kill Antinstine himself—but he knew it was useless.

    Equinox pulled them back against the wall, gazing at Cibil.

    "Put her down," she said softly. Mark hesitated before obeying, sinking down to his knees and setting Cibil's body on the floor. She looked like a porcelain doll, her limbs falling with grace despite death.

    Equinox gazed at her body a moment, eyes glazing over with an emotion Mark couldn't place. The look left her face as fast as it came. She took a deep breath and pressed a finger to her earpiece, grimacing at the pour of static.

    "Come on..." she said under her breath, heel clicking against the floor. "Come on, Eyes..."

    Mark knelt beside Cibil's body, glancing up at Equinox, his eyes searching.

    The line gave through—just for a moment—and Equinox's breath hitched. "Eyes—" she said, voice tight. "Last floor. Ballroom. Tell everyone."

    A reply fizzed through the earpiece, and Mark swallowed, his heart racing.

    "It's not looking good," Equinox said under her breath in reply. "But you know what Dark requested, before he went inside. We have to respect it."

    Mark didn't know what she was talking about, but he was too distracted to ask.

Another reply, and Equinox nodded. Her hand fell from her ear, and she gazed down at Mark steadily.

    "The others are coming," she said, gaze intense. "It wasn't the plan, but now that Dark's weakened Antinstine, we can kill him."

    A cry rang out, and Mark flinched, glancing through the opening.

    "Is that all you got?" Antinstine laughed, wiping blood from his lips. Dark snarled, hands twitching—trying to blind Antinstine—but his power was gone. No energy, no pain. Nothing.

    Human.

    The pill had stripped him of his abilities.

    The sparks died from Antinstine's hands, weak and sputtering, and he huffed, unable to get the electricity back. Smoke hissed from his skin in thick, curling clouds.

They were both powerless.

    Antinstine's chest heaved, and he cocked a brow at Dark, challenging.

    Mark swallowed, breaths bated. He glanced at Equinox and set Cibil's body aside, standing up.

    "You can slow time," Mark breathed, gazing at her. "You can... slow certain people."

    "You wanna know how humans won their battles, Dark?" called Antinstine, shaking the smoke from his arms. Sparks fluttered and fizzed at his fingertips as his power short circuited.

    "So slow Antinstine," Mark told Equinox. "Stop him."

"We used our hands," Anti seethed.

    Antinstine lunged—grabbed Dark's broken arm—and pulled.

Pain. A broken cry. He staggered forward—

"Stop him," said Mark, "so Dark can kill him!"

Anti planted a foot on Dark's back and shoved, slamming him down into the floor. Dark struggled, fingers grasping, slipping, his uninjured arm pushing himself up—but Antinstine still gripped the wrist of his broken arm, his nails digging in so tight he bled.

Equinox went dreadfully silent.

"I can't," she breathed.

Antinstine raised his foot, pressed it against Dark's elbow, and stomped. The bone shattered, and Dark yelled, body jolting. His free hand caught around Antinstine's ankle, bruising, but he was pinned on his stomach.

No leverage.

"And..." breathed Antinstine, digging his heel into Dark's arm. "My favorite..."

Mark rushed forward, but Equinox caught him by his collar.

"Mark," she warned. "This isn't your fight."

She pulled him back, and he fell into her, breathing hard.

"How can you say that?" he trembled, glaring at her. "I'm—I'm asking you to help him!"

Antinstine's hand glided under his trench, and his fingers rested on the handle of the dagger.

He knelt down, nice and slow, leaning all his weight into Dark. He grabbed Dark's hair and pulled his head back hard, eyeing the strain of his muscles. He smirked, eyes glinting. He could hear Dark's ragged breaths—the strain of his lungs, his muscles. And that look in his eye.

This was it.

"We used weapons," breathed Anti.

His fingers curled around the handle, breaths steady, and he pulled out the dagger.

He hitched Dark's body up—pressed the blade into his neck—

Mark pushed Equinox away, and he glanced at the two, eyes widening.

"No—"

Equinox reached for him. "Mark—"

"NO!"

Mark sprinted, his heart pounding in his ears.

Dark struggled, choking against the blade, his eyes wide.

This was really it.

"NO!!" Mark yelled. "DON'T DO IT!"

Dark met eyes with Mark, heaving, and—

Antinstine slid the blade across Dark's throat.

Mark's blood went cold, and he stumbled, eyes wide. "No—" he gasped. "DARK!"

It was stunning, how an Evolved could bleed so much like a human.

Dark gasped for air, and blood gushed from his neck, pouring onto the floor.

They'd always been described as extraordinary. Beings that were beyond human constraints.

Antinstine let off his grip, and Dark's head hit the marble. He clutched at his throat with his free hand, trying to stop the bleeding, but the blood was gushing through his fingers, warm, thick, horrifying.

The sight before him wasn't human, or extraordinary...

Antinstine stood over Dark, grinning with sharp teeth. Blood dripped from the dagger in his grip, and he stepped back, letting death do the rest.

He was staring at a coldblooded, ruthless monster.

Rage boiled Mark's blood, and he cried out, seeing red. He did the only thing he could think of doing.

He tackled Antinstine.

They flew backwards, colliding against the marble, and the dagger slid across the floor.

He was done playing pretend.

He punched Antinstine in the jaw, his face knocking to the side.

He was done being someone else.

He punched him again, blood splattering across the floor.

He was done faking alliances.

He cried out and slammed a fist down.

He would kill Antinstine his way.

Anti caught his wrist. Mark yelled and brought his other fist down. Anti caught that wrist, too. They struggled, Mark seething, rage burning in his eyes. Antinstine glared up at him, heaving for breath, trying to understand Mark's behaviour.

"It's over, Viper," Antinstine growled, nails digging into Mark's wrists. "I get it. You used to think of the bastard like family—but you're taking this too far. It's over. It's over!"

Mark heaved for breath, struggling in his hold.

"My name..." he seethed, "isn't Viper."

Antinstine faltered, lashes fluttering.

Mark pulled back, swinging Anti upwards, and elbowed him across the face.

"It's Mark."

He grabbed Anti's hair and leapt to his feet, dragging him with him. Antinstine floundered, grabbing his bearings—he tried to stand, but Mark punched him square in the nose, stunning him. Blood gushed from his nose.

"Bastard!" Anti yelled, grabbing at his head, trying to pry Mark's hands off him. He twisted in Mark's grip and tackled him, sending them crashing back down into the floor.

Equinox cursed. She threw off her heels and ran towards Dark, feet slipping on blood. She knelt by him, breaths fast, shallow, and pulled him towards her. His body twitched with every pulse of blood gushing past his fingers.

It wasn't supposed to be this gruesome.

Equinox cradled Dark's head in her lap and pushed his hand away from his neck, replacing it with hers. Her hand pressed hard over Dark's throat, keeping pressure. Blood still slid past her fingers.

"Stay with me, Edwards," she said, voice shaking. Her free hand fumbled with her earpiece, pressing it down. "I need you to stay calm for me. I'm right here."

Dark weakly held onto her wrist, choking on blood. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Panic flooded his eyes.

"I need a healer," Equinox said into the earpiece. "Now."

There was no reply.

"What's gotten into you!" Anti yelled, grabbing Mark's face and pushing it into the floor, pinning him down. Pain blazed in his skull, and he kicked and thrashed, yelling. "What—wanted to kill him yourself that bad?"

Mark grit his teeth, nails carving red lines into Anti's arms. His vision closed in on his throat, and a surge of adrenaline bled through him.

Stranglulate him, roared his head. Strangulate.

Anti brought up a knee and dug it into Mark's thigh, pinning it into the ground. Mark bared his teeth and growled, pain lighting up his body.

Antinstine was stronger than he thought.

"No," Mark heaved, glaring up at Anti, whose destroyed eye still dripped with blood. "I'm going to kill you."

Anti bristled, something glinting in his eye. "But—" His breaths went heavy. "You said—"

Mark shot a hand out and clutched Anti's throat, fingers curling in. He pulled him down, relishing his choked cry, and wrapped both hands around his neck, strangulating him properly.

Anti grabbed his wrists, seething, but Mark was already in his element.

Mark dug his foot into Anti's hip and pushed, rolling them over. He slammed Antinstine's head into the floor, watching his face grow red as he squeezed his throat.

"It was a lie," Mark heaved over him, "all from the beginning."

Antinstine struggled underneath him, stunned by Mark's brute force. Celebrity Killer was no lie, he was certain.

"Did you really think—" breathed Mark, "—that there was something else like you?" He squeezed hard—harder—crushing the muscle, the ligaments, feeling them strain under his grip. "Did you seriously fucking believe—that I was on your side?!"

Anti bared his teeth, thrashing. A glint of silver caught his eye.

"Who... the fuck are you?" Antinstine hissed.

The dagger was inches away.

Equinox looked up and saw the fight.

Antinstine's hand fumbled at his side, reaching blindly for the blade. His lungs burned and ached for air, each breath harder to come by.

"Just some human," seethed Mark, "who got caught up in all this shit."

Mark's hands squeezed, and Anti could feel his blood pulse through him. He struggled, desperate for air—gasping for it—his face going red to purple. His vision closed in on him—and he really thought this was the end for him—just as his fingers closed around the dagger.

His nostrils flared, eyes glowing, and he grinned with full teeth.

Mark blinked at the sudden expression.

Antinstine swiped the dagger across Mark's face, cutting deep, and he shouted as pain flared through him. He reeled back. Hands flew up on instinct.

Anti kicked Mark's side and rolled them over, seething. He bashed the handle into Mark's temple, stunning him, and swung the dagger over his head, holding it high.

Mark's eyes widened, the blade glinting.

No.

"Any last words?" Antinstine heaved.

Equinox's hand pressed harder into Dark's neck, and she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and brought stillness about her. The noise dropped, and the energy in the air slipped into quiet.

Time stopped.

Mark fumbled beneath Antinstine, breathing hard—but when he noticed how still he'd gone, he stopped. His brows furrowed, and he stared up at Antinstine, finding his body frozen in place.

He blinked away blood, panting for breath, and searched the room, eyes landing on Equinox. She held Dark's head in her lap, his body oddly still, too. For a dreadful moment, Mark thought he was dead, but when he noticed the blood gushing from his neck had stopped, he realized he was stopped by time, too.

Keeping his death prolonged.

Equinox met eyes with Mark and nodded.

Mark swallowed, his heart pounding hard in his throat and his body shaking. He returned his attention to Antinstine, whose face was contorted into seething rage. If he looked closer, he could see... heartbreak in his gaze.

Disgusting.

Mark sat up and pried the dagger from Antinstine's hands, his breaths shaking. He adjusted the handle in his grip, motions steady, careful... and pressed the tip of the dagger against Antinstine's chest—right where his heart was.

Was this really it?

Mark gently pressed the blade against Antinstine's chest, his head throbbing, the cut on his face stinging, his body trembling through adrenaline.

He couldn't believe what was happening. His movements didn't feel like his own.

Once Anti died... what would happen to Dark?

He didn't want to think about it.

Mark tightened his grip around the handle, his knuckles going white, the world quiet around him. He took a deep breath, swallowed, and glanced at Equinox.

She met his gaze, then closed her eyes.

Time resumed.

Noise exploded, and weight sank into his body with a slinch. A gasp tore through the room, and Mark met eyes with Antinstine, breathing hard. They both glanced down at the dagger, which had buried itself into Anti's chest.

Anti's mouth fell open, and his eye widened. Blood dripped from his lips, from his chest—painting the blade, and Mark's hands, and the floor bloody.

It didn't feel real.

Antinstine was one of the most powerful Evolveds in the world... and here he was, sagging against the blade in Mark's hands, gasping for breath.

Mark panted, gaze never wavering. He grabbed Antinstine's shoulder, fingers curling tight, and pulled him into the blade.

Antinstine gargled on blood, his face pale and intact eye wide. The dagger slid deeper into him so easily. Muscle giving, blood slipping...

He died so human... blood slipping down the dagger, eye wide, face paling by the second. And the dread in his eye... it was the look that people had, Mark knew, when they realized they were actually going to die.

Antinstine's body slumped, his hands slipping on the floor—failing to keep himself up. Mark breathed hard, and with a grunt, he pushed Anti's body off of him, keeping the blade in deep.

He didn't feel satisfied, or victorious, like when he normally killed.

Anti gasped for breath on the floor, his heart tearing against the blade with every furious beat. His hands slipped over blood, slipped over the handle—but he was shaking too hard to pull it out. Not like it would save him if he did.

Mark felt hollow as he stumbled to his feet, catching his breath.

Killing was different when you did it for a purpose.

Mark wiped blood from the cut on his face and hissed, staggering over to Antinstine.

Killing was different when it was for your life.

Mark knelt down beside Antinstine, chest heaving.

Killing was different when you did it for others' lives.

Mark grabbed the handle of the blade and twisted it, staring Antinstine in the eye. The Evolved yelled in agony, hands flying up and clutching onto Mark's wrist. Fury boiled Mark's veins at the contact, and he pushed the dagger in deeper, snarling. Blood gushed up and spilled down Antinstine's chest, painting the floor red.

"In another world," Mark breathed, trembling, "you and I could have gotten along."

Antinstine shook, lips trembling, and it took him all his energy to grit out a response.

"Fuck..." He took in a ragged breath. "You."

Mark glared at Antinstine, leaning forward, and gave the blade a final twist.

Anti's breath caught—staggered—his hands grabbing, desperate—fighting for life—and then the light died in his eye, and he fell limp, head rolling to the side.

Cibil was right, when she said Antinstine would die in the end.

Mark glanced over his shoulder, and his heart caught in his throat when he saw Dark begin to struggle in Equinox's grip. His blood slicked the floor, thick and ghastly.

But that didn't mean others wouldn't die.

...

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

Love, Kass xoxo