2027

~Tove

I pace back and forth, watching the sun slowly start to vanish behind the Territory One cityscape.

I'm going to transport myself out of here. I have to. What is stopping me from going right now is Mary.

Leaving her here is the last thing I want to do. She has made it clear, though, that she isn't okay with my idea, and at least her being here will mean she is safe, while I try find a cure through Keo.

A soft knock on my door has me turning around defensively, scowling as Dax opens it.

"What do you want?" I snap.

"I've come to apologise. And talk to you one on one," he says softly.

He has a kindness in his eyes when he talks to me that makes me want to trust him. But no amount of trust is going to change the truth.

Him and all the Noble's stand no chance hunting Keo down.

And even if they did...Mary would die.

"You don't have my respect just because you're a Noble." I fold my arms over my chest, glaring at him. People fall at these Noble's feet because they are handsome and powerful, but they are like any other magic user...

Pretentious and arrogant.

He runs a hand down his face. "I understand your frustration."

"Do you?"

"This is about Mary, your best friend. You are trying to protect her, right?" He asks, tilting his head to the side. I can't tell if he's sad or if he's just trying to reason with me.

Unless he's about to tell me he has a cure for her rare sickness, then nothing he says matters to me.

"Please just leave me alone." I turn back to the window, tapping my fingers impatiently against the sill.

"I need you to understand why I'm doing this."

"Protecting me, right? You don't even know me," I mutter. I never thought Noble's and their undying obsession with this Territory and everyone in it would come to get in my way so much.

He stands beside me, looking down, although I keep my gaze trained out at the darkening sky, wondering how far I'm going to be able to transport myself.

I just need to get myself past the tall perimeter fence.

"Keo is more dangerous then you could ever imagine. He has killed a lot of people, and I'm not going to stand by while he hurts you," Dax explains quietly.

"It's my life, my decision," I growl back. It's my life for Mary's, and I'm okay with that. She is too good, too pure to be taken from this world, just because a Noble thought he could make a decision for me.

Deep down, I know he values my life more than hers. I'm an Angel-blood, like him....

That only fuels my desperation.

"It won't be for long. All my attention is on trying to find him," he assures me. I don't doubt that. I also don't doubt that it's been his main attention for many years prior to this conversation.

"You're not going to find him."

He stares down at me intently. "Why not?"

I laugh quietly, bitterly. "You're predictable, and you're obvious. I get the feeling he's knows your next move before you even do."

He lets out a breath, tiring of trying to reason with me.

"I wouldn't be so certain, Tove."

My eyes narrow. He may have something planned, but so do I.

"I'm tired."

"I won't lie, this is strange. Keo has never openly showed interest in anyone like this. It's hard for us to wrap our head around, but it's clear he is using you for something," he tells me, backing away from the window.

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, okay."

"What do you want, huh?" Dax says it with enough fire in his tone that I turn to face him again. "You want him?"

I frown. Want him? I'm not that stupid.

"I know him about as much as I know you. Same goes for trust," I growl. They are both powerful, one just hides it better than the other.

"The best you will get out of him is a night...A night of his attention, that's it," Dax insists.

My stomach churns. How foolish does he believe me to be? He thinks this is about trying to get into Keo's bed? I've heard Keo has cult like admirer's, but this goes so much deeper than that.

"So you're saying I'm only good enough for him to fuck?" I may even slap Dax right now, but I don't want to risk being tied up here, unable to transport away.

"That's not what I'm saying, Tove," he winced. "I'm saying no one as evil as him will likely have any interest in anything other than that."

Ny hands roll up into fists, tired of being talked down to like I don't know what I'm getting into.

"What if that's all I wanted?"

He blinks, quietly stunned.

"You could still get hurt," he exclaims slowly. "Once he is done with you, he will kill you. No one he has brought into his life has ever been heard from again. What is to say he won't do that to you?"

"Can I just get some sleep? I'm tired of talking to you," I mutter distastefully, turning away again. I am tired, but my night isn't over yet.

There is a Demon out there who I have to figure out how to get in contact with.

"Okay. Sleep well. I will see you at breakfast tomorrow," he mumbles, figuring he isn't going to be getting anything out of me tonight.

I wait until the door closes behind him.

Dax may be frustrated, but at least he doesn't have to deal with me for much longer, because I'm not wasting any time getting out of here.

Breathing in deeply, I search deep within myself for whatever power I can muster. When I'm not pressured, it's harder to find, but I channel my past trainers teachings, imagining myself reaching for the furthest edge of the Territory.

The world melts away around me, and I fall, tumbling into darkness before my feet touch hard ground again and I open my eyes.

I whirl around, letting out a grateful breath as I see I made it past the perimeter fence of the Noble's estate, and out into the streets of the city.

Taking a step forward, my head spins a little. I'm not used to forcing myself to use that much power.

How Keo thinks he is going to be able to harness power that I don't have, I don't know.

Right now, all that is important is that I need to find this fabled Demon.

Cautiously, I stalk through the sheets, keeping to the shadows. I know I'm meant to be finding Keo, yet a thought does linger in the back of my mind...

What if I could find a cure myself?

I'm valuable to Keo, so why wouldn't I be capable of finding a cure? It would be difficult, but is anything more difficult than working for a monster?

Suddenly I emerge into a bustling market, bright colourful lights staining the cobblestones I stalk over. People pay me no mind as I wander through, selling their wares and talking between themselves.

For a moment, I feel safe, until a shiver stalks over my skin. Someone is watching me.

Slowly, I turn, and sure enough, Keo leans against a nearby wall, watching me with a chilling smile.

"Look at this," he murmurs. "You're all mine again."

I'm not sure what is is. Maybe the sight of him amongst common folk, looking so striking and wonderfully evil, that I'm compelled to turn and run for my life.

The ground is slick as I struggle to dash around people, not bothering with apologies. Instead, I look straight ahead, willing more power into my veins to transport me away, but nothing comes.

I've weakened myself...

Skidding around a corner, I break my run, struggling to regain my breath as I look over my shoulder. Keo is nowhere to be seen, but his presence is close. I can feel it.

Coughing through my rasping breath, I spit onto the cobblestones, groaning. I am not fit.

Instead of running into his arms, I'm compelled to flee from him. It's as if Dax's warnings have finally settled into my subconsciousness, my instincts rearing up to take hold of my body.

Keo appears in front of me, narrowing his eyes.

"Running, really? From a Demon?" He tilts his head to the side, that taunting smile arising a fear in me like nothing I've felt before.

I flee once again, back out onto the main street.

People shout their grievances again, but I continue shoving most out of the way, fighting through the haze of incense clouding the air, trying not to run face first into anybody's wares.

Before I can reach the end of the street, a man's arm shoot's out and he grabs mine, yanking me to a stop.

"Woah girl, calm down," he says gruffly.

I yank against his tight grip, but he doesn't relent. "Please let me go."

"Not until you tell me what's going on?" he growls. "You've got half the street up in arms wondering what a young woman is running from."

I glance over my shoulder, seeing the curious crowd gathering. Some rub their shoulders, irritated that I had so rudely barged through them.

"A man is coming to take me, you need to let me go," I insist, ripping at his jacket, trying to loosen his grip, but he holds me fast, thinking he is doing be a favour.

"Let me help you," he insists.

Looking back again, I see Keo strolling casually through the crowd, looking straight at me. He could have grabbed me by now. He's choosing to taunt me, to hunt me down like I'm some kind of prey.

"You can't..." I tell him hoarsely.

The man follows my gaze. "Is it him?"

"Seriously, let me go." I'm yelling at this point. I didn't think I would panic so much seeing him again. I'm so frightened, I don't care if he is the way to find the cure...I just want to find it myself and be done with him.

Keo emerges before us, rubbing his gloved hands together menacingly as he takes in the man who now releases me.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but you're scaring the girl," the stranger interjects, pushing me behind him, which for once, I allow.

Keo frowns slightly, unimpressed.

When no one says anything, I look up, to see blood dripping from the stranger's eyes. He chokes, grabbing the sides of his head before spitting blood out onto his chin.

I yelp, stumbling away from him as he falls to his knees.

"Now you're scaring her," Keo mutters distastefully.

I know it's him. He hasn't so much as moved, or even blinked, but I know he has melted this poor man's brain and killed him.

"Keo," I force out, choking on my horror, watching the man fall face first onto the ground. Other's around back away, some gasping, while others look on curiously, trying to see what just occurred.

"Shh." He holds his hand out to me. "Shall we?"

I stare down at his hand, the overwhelming feeling of shock and horror gathering in my stomach, making me feel like turning around to throw up behind the man's stand.

Instead, I drag my gaze to the man still bleeding from his ears, laying face down.

"You killed him..." I whisper.

I've made a mistake. A terrible, horrific mistake.

When I look up, Keo's expression is serious, a bitterness in his cold, dark eyes.

"I'll kill anyone who stops me from getting to you," he says slowly. "In the future, don't forget that."

And before I can run away again, he grabs my arm, and the world starts to fall away from around us.

💜••💜

~Midika 💜🐼