^^ Nyx

I have no idea how long Eve has been away. Has it been hours or days?

My head feels fuzzy, and I feel like I'm burning up. Every nerve in my body is screaming with pain. It must be light energy reacting badly with the dark energy in my body.

I start coughing again, and blood comes up. I see it stain the white pillow underneath me. Suddenly, the stain transforms into a swarm of butterflies that fly up toward the ceiling before disappearing.

Part of my mind knows I'm hallucinating, but the other part just doesn't care.

I drift asleep exhaustion overcoming me.

When I wake up, there is a hand stroking my forehead.

Their face is blurry at first, but I recognize the cold smile and dead, blue shark-like eyes looking down on me. He has long, light blue hair and a sharp nose. I flinch out of the way.

"Poor brother. It looks like you're going to die soon," he says still smiling, "My only regret is that I don't get to see this."

"Stop... stop it. I'm not going to die," I respond weakly. Even I'm a little shocked by how weak my voice has become.

"You and I both know that isn't true. Stop fighting it," he tells me in calm voice.

"No, I need to stay strong," I mutter.

"You know who else was pretty strong?" he says. " Daddy was strong. He's dead just like you'll be."

"You... you're the one... the one who killed him," I reply.

He laughs, "Who will actually believe you? Everybody hates you. In fact, if it wasn't for me, they would have executed you. But, I guess it hardly matters now," he observes.

He wraps his hands around my neck to strangle me. At this point I'm too weak to fight it, and a large part of me gives up, wishing for the sweet release of death.

But no, I have to stay alive for something.

What was it again?

Eve! I have to fight for Eve.

I had vowed to dedicate my life to her. I can't die now.

His face morphs again. In his place, is a blue haired woman with the same cold blue eyes and sharp noise. Her red lips crack into a smile reminding me of a wolf bearing its fangs. My stomach twists in disgust.

"You look terrible, Crown Prince," she says, "Although I shouldn't be calling you that anymore. I wonder, is it going to be as fun watching the life drain from your eyes as it was when my pathetic husband died?"

"Why?!?!" I cry out, "Why did you have to kill him?!?!"

She frowns, "Don't pretend you weren't a little happy when he died. You were just too weak to do it yourself," she spits out.

"No, that's not true!" I shout, and blast fire at her. She bursts into a cloud of butterflies.

I start hacking up more blood. The red streaks have spread again. It looks like I shouldn't be using magic.

"Shhh," says a soft, comforting voice petting my hair.

I look up, and see a girl with bright red eyes like two jewels. She has pink lips the color of a cherry blossom petal. Her silver hair shines under the light coming from the window, making her look angelic. She smells faintly of roses, and is wearing a white, flowy dress with a ribbon on the front of it.

"Master," I whisper.

"It'll be okay. All you have to do is die," she tells me, still petting my hair, "Then everyone will be happy."

Her eyes have a coldness I didn't see before, and her smile is no longer reassuring.

"But I thought you wanted to save me," I say.

"Do you think I'd save you if I knew who you were?" she retorts, "Does anyone who knows you love you? Because I think everyone would be much happier if you just died."

"WHAT THE HELL?!?!" shouts Eve bursting into the room carrying some child on her back. The Eve next to me disappears.

She drops some pink haired boy on the floor and rushes toward me. She picks up the bowl of water next to me, and runs over to the fire on the floor. She extinguishes the flames.

Oh right. Fire in a wooden room wasn't very smart.

"Are you okay?" she asks me. I nod. It's not like fire can hurt a flame-demon, "I'm going to get some more water. You can watch Finn. He may be hostile."

She turns to leave, but then turns back.

She chuckles awkwardly, "Actually it may be a good idea to restrain him. We... um, didn't leave off on the best terms."

She rips off a strip of fabric from her tattered jacket and uses it to tie the boy up to the bed frame.

Then, she leaves the room to get more water.

I look at this human she placed next to me. He is dressed in rags and has pink hair. He seems to be passed out.

A feeling of annoyance rises up in me.

I have no idea why Eve brought this thing here. How dare this disgusting bug cling onto her back, making her carry him?

Before I send a quick blast of flames at this bug, I stop myself. Master wouldn't like that.

Eve comes back into the room with a bowl of water and a cloth. She walks up to the bed, and sits next to me.

She dips the cloth into the water, and starts cleaning the blood from my wounds.

It hurts when she presses the cloth against my wound, but I grit through it.

"Does it hurt?" she asks. I shake my head in refusal. She lets out a tsking sound, and wipes the blood away lighter than before.

She takes out some kind of strong smelling herbal ointment and spreads it on the wounds. It feels cool when it goes on. She starts bandaging me up with a concerned look on her face, although she tries to hide it.

"Where... where am I?" murmurs the pink haired human, waking up. He sees Eve, and his eyes widen. "YOU!"

Eve grins, and keeps bandaging my wounds.

"ARE YOU KIDNAPPING ME!!!" he shouts.

"Yep," Eve says popping the p.

"You have to let me go!" he begs.

"I'm afraid I can't do that until I get my ransom money. After this I'm going to be loaded," she declares, laughing maniacally. The boy looks like he's going to wet himself.

"I don't have any money! And no family either! Please just let me go, I'm completely broke!" he says.

"No kidding," she responds, "You're literally dressed in rags, and I met you trying to rob me. Not exactly the best target to kidnap for money."

"What?... Then is it my body you want?!?!" he says, looking away, his face red.

"Ew, no," snaps Eve, "Get a hold of yourself. Stop whatever the hell you're thinking! Clearly, I'm not kidnapping you. I couldn't just leave you there in the street."

"Then why am I tied up?" he asks.

"There was like a fifty percent chance you'd attack again when you wake up, so I couldn't leave you untied while I left the room. You could've killed Nyx," she explains.

"I could've taken him easily," I say. That feeling of annoyance rises in me again. Why does she even think this guy is a threat to me? How weak does she think I am?

"You can leave anytime you want," she tells him, finishing bandaging my wounds. She looks up, "Or you could come with us if you want. We're going to the Callisto dukedom."

"Why would I want to go there?" he says.

"I don't know. I don't really care which way you chose. Although it seems like you need it. You were really desperate for that money, more so then you'd be if it's just because you needed to buy food or something with it. If that were the case, you'd give up and rob a much easier target," she reasons.

He pauses, deep in thought, "You're right. I owe the Hellfires money. If I don't pay them back, I'm dead," he says.

"The Hellfires?" she questions.

"They are a criminal organization that practically runs this town," he replies.

She nods as if she understands, "So you want to come?"

"Well, I don't have much of a choice I guess," he says.

"No! Why do we have to bring him?!?!" I fire back.

"Seems like you have more energy now," Eve replies cheerfully, tousling my hair, and grinning.

Ugh, why isn't she listening to me! I glare at that disgusting pink bug, hoping to scare him off.

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