The reborn's skin was practically melting as it burst out of the wall of raging flames, embers bursting off the creature and melting on the ground as if they were acid. The reborn was screeching as it landed between the man and Emma, eyes filled with rage as it stared at the man. The cloaked man froze, body shaking with fear as he stared at the towering creature.

It felt as if time had frozen still, the reborn completely forgetting the laws of time and space as it struck the cloaked man with one swipe of its arm, limbs moving at a flaming blur. Knocked back breathless, the man crashed back into a building where his body slumped, movement completely gone from his limbs.

With one threat gone, the reborn quickly spun it's head and stared at Emma, eyes looking over the girl many times over. Emma could feel the fear paralyzing her, memories flashing in her eyes as she tried to contemplate the fact that this was her end, this was how she was going to die.

The voice echoed through her thoughts once more. She couched her head as she felt tears brim her eyes, her will to persist nearly extinguished at the thought of losing this battle. The reborn came closer to the girl, it's muscles showing through every once of it's sunken and beetle like skin, the flames had early extinguished conpletley, and blood was seeping through every pore or its body, no longer binding it's wounds that would soon be the end of it.

The reborn was shakey as it got to Emma, yet it pushed off the feeling of death as it lightly clutched Emma with one giant hand, it's other hand extending out to the blade that was embedded into her skin.

With one quick yank, the blade neatly slid out of Emma's body, blood steadly pouring from her wound. The girl felt like passing out, her mind shocked and confused at the sudden kindness these killers had shown her. It was nearly human.

Key word: nearly

The reborn hovered its deformed hand above the girls small body, light green magic pouring out of it's palm and into Emma's wound, stopping the bleeding and sealing the wound close. With its task finished, the dark creature set the girl down against the red dragon that easily beat it in size, the dragons eyes partially opening with the last of the sleeping haze wearing off from the knives attack.

The creature felt the last of its line of life fading, body collapsing on the ground as its head landed in the girls lap. Memories spilled into its head as its humamtiy reformed into its mind, tears pouring out of the eyes that didn't belong to it. The reborn felt the curse spiritually leave his mind, his body no longer useful to the voice that took the life he had grown with most of life.

Emma let her hand land on its head as soon as she saw the tears flow from it's face, a spark of hope reformed in her heart. Maybe the curse was reversible, this creature might have had a chance. As for the reborn, he let his memories play like a film, leaning into the girls touch like a life line.

"What have they done to you..." Emma whispered, a new spark of hope in her heart. She watched as the creatures eyes opened up, crisp green orbs that belonged to a young boy, no older than the age of ten. She felt his presence invade her mind, a small voice echoing though her head.

"Thank you..." Was all it said, and with one last breath, both the boy, and his voice was gone, it's body slowly crumbling into a dust that flew away delicately in the air.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Well that was fucked." Emma said to herself. She quickly tossed the reborn's body off of her and crawled to Joel, his eyes lazily staring back at her grey ones. The girl tried to reach through her link to reach the dragon, but a foggy haze had blocked any communication between them, possibly from the drug inside the knife.

"She's a monster! She just let the reborn lay on her!" A womans scream echoed through the town, the words coming from her mouth echoed through Emma's ears. Her head whipped around to find the woman screaming like someone had just jump off a cliff, panic racing through her. People stayed tucked into their homes, although a few eyes seemed to loom over the windows in curiosity.

Emma sighed, knowing that she would now have to leave soon before these people got the courage to act upon their fear; so she began to pack up her scattered things, taking out the book from the lack as she leaned against the ruby red dragon, waiting for him to wake.

Black blood from the reborns burnt body was scattered all around the stone pavement on the street she sat upon, the liquid stilling as it had no veins to course through anymore. Emma walked over to the puddle of foul smelling blood, putting the book in one hand as she bent down to examine the bodily fluids closer. When closely inspected, the blood was completely black, like a cold void that lacked any hint of light. It was almost as if the blood was sucking the life out from around it.

Curiously, Emma went to touch the hardening liquid, her eyes wide in awe as she saw the blood move closer to where her fingers hovered over. She quickly dipped her one finger in the blood, darting back as she felt her skin sizzle from the liquid. She grasped her wrist and smeared the extra blood on the pavement, blowing in the burn as it thronged with pain. But her attention wasn't on her finger, it was then she realized how the book was now laying in the blood. Due to her slight pain, the latch now unlocked from its side; exposing its hidden secrets after so long.