74 | betrayal; a fight to the death

All Lucas saw was burning, hot red. Anger that climbed from his toes to his throbbing head in a burst of emotion. All he thought was, how dare she. How dare that woman, beautiful and heartless, lay a single finger on that doctor.

That doctor, his protagonist, hero, family.

Gears continued to turn achingly slow, but he didn't have time to swell on the flood of words that flung themselves at his skull.

Lucas gasped, scrambling forward with a lunge of strength that seemed to course through his veins and paint his vision red. It was unlike him; it was rash; it was everything illogical and unwise to act upon a random stir of thoughts from deep within.

And he couldn't care less.

What he knew was that Kane had stumbled back, slamming the blade between two shaking hands as the woman pushed. The tip neared his exposed neck.

Stop hesitating, Lucas thought he heard himself say, though his thoughts were blurred with the idea of that doctor dying. Kill her, or die yourself. Only, Lucas couldn't let him die—no, absolutely not.

The adrenaline wrapped around him, pumping and pulsing as he lurched forward, raising his arms to manifest the silver rings around his knuckles, fitting as naturally as a second skin.

He swung his arm out, eyes hot with anger, imprinted in Elias' watching eyes as the man straightened with interest from where he laid.

Lucas slammed the front of the barrier, the blank canvas of his eyes now burned black in sheer fury. Where did the anger come from, why was protecting Kane so important, he didn't know.

His chest heaved, his mind spun. Chaos, madness. Logic didn't matter, nothing did right now. Screw it all. He huffed, the burn in his arms a vivid reminder that he was alive.

His silver crusted fist pointed ahead in a silent promise.

"If you hurt him," started the man in a quiet rasp of unrelenting oath, "I'll kill you."

"If you touch him, I'll kill you."

"If you whisper a single one of your damn corruption, I'll kill you."

The Teller had manifested in the shape of a floating shadow behind, and Lucas saw the furled lips of amusement falter for a moment.

Spectating and watching Kane's death up close.

Lucas slammed into the barrier again, the unbreakable wall trembling and shaking with fear. Lucas' veins pulsed against his skin, muscles strained and tensed as he refused to move from the spot, even as blood dripped down his arms from the backlash of the barrier.

His fists rained down, chipping away as his arms trembled in protest, and a single crack splintered around.

And if the slightest gap could be made...

His blood-red lips curved into a deadly smile. "I can kill you."

The Teller furrowed its slitted eyes, sliding a hand to pull out a weapon before the scent of blood wafted in the air, and the sudden realization of warmth against his neck became all too apparent.

The slumped man on his back chuckled, a low vibration that rippled through the space. Elias, who'd been leaning casually against stone, waved his slender hands in the air.

"Oh dear, look at that. You've made my darling sponge angry." teased the voice carelessly, despite the sharpened black strings that dug into the teller's skin. "That's upsetting."

"...Elias." said the Teller.

The sound only voiced in Elias' mind, human and nothing like the booming sounds that echoed above earlier.

Elias lazily blinked his sharpened cerulean eyes. "It's unfortunate, but I've been waiting for that fool to remember for so long now. I can't let him die. Don't bite more than you can chew, Teller."

"I allowed you to do as you pleased, because I didn't care. But since my companion has a grudge against you, I can't play along to your games any longer." continued Elias calmly, amused.

The shadow twisted, set in its spot. Lucas and Kane remained oblivious, though the latter was clearly at the edge of his strength, the tip slitting the thin skin of his neck.

"You... are you betraying us?!"

"Now, now. Weren't you the one who tried to kill me first?"

The Teller twisted his head to reply before paling immediately, sweat prickling at the back of his neck as if the sheer, towering presence was pressing down on him, crushing him to the ground.

Sharp, slender fingers seemed to creep into his mind, allowing darkness to trickle in through giggling madness.

His entire body was held in a tight vice, unable to move, like an insect trapped in a web carefully woven for him. He gasped, but the sensation wrapped around his throat, slowly and painfully tightening.

"I can't risk exposing anything with your death.," Elias was relaxed, sliding off the back as he shifted his weight, feeling the dull throb of pain in his body. "So I'll spare you for today, what do you say?"

He took a step forward, standing and watching Lucas' fury, separated by the wall in between them.

Dark, stormy ocean waves roared in his relaxed gaze, gliding across his leisure smile. He tilted his head back, so that Lucas couldn't see his expression properly, hands placed in the black trench coat pockets that he'd sniped from a patient's room.

"But remember this. You are a prey, and you will never be anything more than that."

His smile dropped.

"And if you dare to even glance at that human again, I'll pick you apart," The darkness screamed in the Teller's mind, and he crumpled to the floor violently. "Piece by piece, until you'd wish you were dead."

The barrier finally gave, cracks splintering as the invisible wall shattered at once. Elias watched Lucas dart forward, wrenching the woman far away until she slammed into a wall, a newfound recognition in his observant stare as he checked Kane for wounds.

Lucas wanted to keep to the rules of this game, worried about the consequences of looking for tricks or loopholes.

Therefore, Elias calmly walked over to where the woman slumped, glaring viciously at the approaching man who seemed more like a walking cluster of darkness, danger dancing in his every step.

"You—"

Snap.

Her neck bent in an odd angle as Elias wiped his hands on the jacket, and crouched down beside Lucas.

He found a great pleasure in the worry and care that swirled in Lucas' eyes at that moment, even if he couldn't completely remember Kane's identity. Such a passionate care, Elias was almost envious.

He lowered his blue eyes to the broken and splayed skin at Lucas' knuckles, and how the man crouched beside Kane with a deep frown.

Space unfurled around them, collecting the woman's dead body, and then snapping around them like a paper being folded in half, over and over again. It folded and then unfolded, revealing the same barren streets of the town, and the crimson moon.

The black slate reflected words.

Any tease had been drained from the voice, once filled with amusement, and it's every word shackled and tense.

Elias moved his finger slightly, and Lucas swore he saw the shimmer of a black thread, sinking into the smooth opaque surface. The words trembled, quickly erasing themselves.

Almost in a hurry to scurry away, to find an easier prey to target and toy with. Lucas supposed the ideal group would be one that turned on each other, clawing and murdering their most trusted comrades for the sake of living.

The little game had been simple to them; but to others, it could ruin relationships, no matter how close their ties.

Elias rolled his neck, tapping his fingers lightly on the curve of his neck. "Do you feel rejuvenated, darling?"

Lucas gave a light glance over, feeling as if his body had been taken apart and built back together anew. Odd but renewed, a cool sensation of calm overtaking the exhaustion that'd been there earlier.

"Original title?" wondered Kane, clutching his abdomen that had been wounded, his back slightly hunched.

"Similar to a Teller's personal Title, though weaker and more unique. Know that a higher possibility does not mean a guarantee. That Teller never intended to grant a purposeful reward to begin with." said Elias indifferently.

"A Title related to ourselves?"

"You could describe it like that. Although abilities, to begin with, are already a manifestation of something inside you." Elias smiled, a cruel sort of smile. "A power you'd want the most, or a power highlighting your greatest fears."

Kane shot him a wary look of suspicion, leaning against the wall of the black slate after confirming he wouldn't sink through it again. "And you know so much because...?"

"Because I'm highly intelligent and well-informed, of course. Why else would your brother love me?"

Kane snapped his head over to Lucas, and even the wounds over his body or the ache in his bones couldn't mask his horror. "You're in love with him?"

"In his dreams."

Elias chuckled. "Cruel."

Lucas glanced over. "You deserve everything I say."

"Will you say I love you?"

"I'll say, shut up, damn weed."

Elias laughed, a low sound that came from amusement and nothing more, resulting in a frown spreading across Lucas' face. "I'll take that as your version of I can't live with you anymore."

Kane continued to watch with a mixture of blatant bewilderment and horror at the possibility of his precious younger brother dealing with such a suspicious character.

However, at that moment, Lucas turned, surveying the doctor.

"Lucas?" said Kane, confused.

They were silent, at Kane recognized the dissecting way Lucas' eyes flicked over his body, as he did when he were deep in thought. The doctor said nothing, leaving the silence in Lucas' hands to shape and mold.

"I know you." said Lucas finally, tracing over each word slowly.

Kane felt something drop in his stomach, not in dread, but in weighted surprise and also unease. Because he remembered how Lucas' forehead scrunched in pain when trying to remember, how hurt he'd been when Lucas had forgotten.

He didn't dare hope to be remembered.

"There was a block in my memory before. This Story has made it weaker. I still can't remember who you were to me."

And there was the dread, the hope drawing away from Kane again.

"But I know that I was willing to do anything to keep you alive."

And the hope surged back, brighter and carrying more light that warmed Kane entirely. It was hard to describe, being forgotten by your only family, and then having them remember you again.

Kane swallowed, a hard and weak smile forming on his face. "That's more than enough for me. Even if you don't remember, you'll always be one of the most important people in my life."

"Can you tell me who I am to you? Who you were, are?"

"I don't believe that is a good idea, Lucas. I worry about the repercussions—it's alright. Take your time. I've waited a decade for you, and I will always, always, be willing to give you my time."

Lucas regarded him, and then nodded with a hint of disappointment.

Of course it wouldn't be that easy to place the feelings, the warm and shielded protection that stemmed from Kane's body.

Elias bent down beside Lucas, smiling at Kane whose glimpse of happiness strained in an instant in seeing their interaction. The man whispered, more to mess with Kane than any other reason.

"How admirable you are, to be loved to that extent. And to perhaps, love to the point of madness and injury. How would that feel?"

Though what he wanted wasn't only the deep and protective and foolishly sacrificial bond of the two siblings. He wanted more. Wanted to see it, to feel it.

Lucas merely offered him a glance.

"In the future, maybe I'll let you find out."

"Will you?"

"That depends on your actions." A smile ghosted across his cold features, partially indifferent, a touch curious. "Make me fall in love with you to the extent I can't go without, bastard."

"The last part was unnecessary." said Elias as he smiled in return. "Though that sounds like an amusing challenge."

"Nora and Sylvia." interrupted Kane purposely. "They're not out yet?"

Lucas' expression darkened. "We got out easily, sure. But the Teller's intention is death. They won't be so lucky."

All they could do was wait by the reflections, and hope the two women would return in one piece, ideally, alive. Or at least, with a body to bury.

———XXX———

When the announcement whispered in their ears, echoing above the confides of the dark cave, Nora's lips drew a thin line, grimly raising her head to the woman across. Sylvia regarded her with a collected look.

Nora smiled, though it was one with unease and resignation. "Will you kill me?"

"Are you offering?" wondered the other woman.

"No, I'm asking. If you choose to fight, then I will as well. There are no other options, and I wouldn't blame you either." Her smiled remained soft, gentle. There wasn't even a hint of blame or lies. "I know what it means to have something to live for."

"And if I were a companion? Would you blame me if I fought?" Sylvia asked, the curt woman coldly casting her glance over.

"That'd be difficult, it really would be. I think I'd be a little betrayed, hurt that they'd attack me to protect themselves. But I'd also be thankful, because I'd live with the guilt of their sacrifice otherwise."

Sylvia had drawn several conclusions on the woman before her during their first encounter, and their second. She had to, observing those who could become a hindrance or enemy to her Master.

At first, Nora was something rather unremarkable. Sylvia had only given her a second glance because of her ties to Lucas and Elias, both rather outstanding.

A pretty woman, Nora was. Intelligent in her studies, maybe. Well-spoken and gentle, took care of her appearance and overall, very regular. Feminine, kind, attached her to younger brother's memory. A good older sister, without a doubt.

And yet, she wasn't exceedingly gentle. She offered what she could, knew when to draw a line and step back. She wouldn't sacrifice herself like some heroine, though she preferred to avoid death and disaster.

Well-aware, Sylvia would name it. The woman, with her clear eyes that scattered with starlights of bright intelligence, was rather logical.

This was happening because of that. That would be the result of this. Everything that happened occurred with reason, and was therefore reasonable. In this case, betrayal would be something inevitable, so Nora took it at face value.

Of the others in the group, Sylvia appreciated this sort of nature the most.

Elias, well, he wouldn't die with the tricks buried up his sleeves. Sylvia would be dead in moments, before she could open her mouth to speak.

Kane, she supposed he would reason and find a way for them both to survive, selflessly risking his life for her sake. He was the sort who only knew cruelty when it came to protect, not to save himself.

And there was Lucas, surveying her with the same calculating eyes. Only, he could understand her feelings so much more, dissecting every thought she felt. What would he do?

Thinking on it, she decided that he would ultimately try kill her, their chances of winning both about even, and if he died, it would be without regrets. And if she died, he would bury her body and tuck her memory deep within his own.

Nora, she wouldn't look back. She couldn't, because if she turned around and held onto the weight of death, she'd collapse.

The barrier between the two women shimmered, and when Sylvia lifted her pale hand, there was nothing that stopped it. The wall between them had disappeared.

Two silver blades clattered to the ground, hot with the embers of fire underneath the ground. Red that peeked between the black stone, but didn't burn. Sylvia wondered why, and then decided knowing would do nothing.

She had to return alive, for Alastair who waited. And it wasn't really because he was the only one she had. It was because he had nobody else but her.

Nora smiled bitterly, her fingers curling around the hilt of the blade.

Sylvia swiped the other one calmly, raising to her feet. "The gift that Teller left you, the woman named Wren. Will you request for her help?"

Nora widened her eyes in surprise before shaking her head slowly. "No, I can't ask to be saved every time. I appreciate Wren, but I can't rely on her for everything. To you, it wouldn't be fair."

"In a battle of survival, fairness can't be judged by the dead."

"But it can be judged by the living." said Nora, taking a deep breath. "If I killed you like that, I don't think I'd be able to look back."

"Don't."

"I need to. Lucas, it seems odd to say of a person who I've known for less than a year, but I admire him a lot. I'm running away from the apocalypse; I don't want to accept it, not entirely. He looks every person he kills in the eye, did you know?"

Sylvia took a step, her body elegant and tall, cold blood running through her veins. "And you want to mimic him?"

"I'd like to be strong. And his version of strong appeals to me."

"Very well." A smile appeared on Sylvia's icy features. "It'd be an honour to die at your hands then, Miss Nora."