Chapter Text
The world sharpened around me. The music, the lights, the crush of bodies all snapping back into focus with painful clarity. Sylus’s grip on my hand was unrelenting, his fingers cool against my clammy skin. His gaze bore into mine as he leaned just a little closer, assessing, calculating, peeling back every layer of my thoughts with just a look.
My fingers twitched under his.
Sylus.
His presence was overwhelming, a quiet storm wrapped in tailored black. The scent of him, something dark and metallic, wrapped around me, drowning out the mix of alcohol and sweat in the air.
I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t find any words.
Sylus’s lips curled, just slightly. Not a smile. A predator amused by prey that didn’t yet realize it was caught. “You’re the one who offered me a story,” he mused, his voice low, measured. “Yet you seem surprised I’d come to collect.”
My brows furrowed, eyes trailing down from his eyes to his nose to his lips as my mind became suffocatingly packed with thoughts.
He’s real. He’s here. He’s touching me. He’s—
“You’re lost in too many things.” Sylus’s voice cut through the noise, barely above a whisper, yet it silenced everything else. His thumb pressed against the pulse in my wrist, a slow, deliberate pressure. “Pick one.”
I stilled, breath hitching.
Was my spacing out that obvious? It couldn’t be. No one’s noticed it before. Is it because of his ey—
He tapped my wrist.
Right.
I took a breath, trying to force my voice to stay steady. “Why are you here? Did you take the deal?”
Sylus’s grip shifted, his fingers sliding to lace through mine in a way I could only perceive as a mockery of intimacy. His skin was cool, smooth. Unnervingly perfect. “I took interest,” he corrected. “There’s a difference.”
The music pulsed around us, I could feel it pooling in my throat. At this point, my legs were practically ghosts, save for the eternal pain they were currently suffering through. Yet, despite all of this, I could only seem to focus on the way his fingers tightened, just slightly, when I tried to pull away.
“You—” I started, then stopped, my thoughts scattering again.
Sylus sighed, a quiet, exasperated sound. “Try again.”
I exhaled sharply through my nose, frustration prickling under my skin. “You ignored the deal.”
His lips twitched. “Better.”
His approval burned worse than scorn.
He shifted his weight, drawing our joined hands closer to him. The lights from above flickered as he turned my wrist, exposing the veins beneath my pale skin. “Walk with me?”
I furrowed, scrunching my nose slightly in confusion. “Why?”
His answering look sliced through me. Amused, impatient, certain. The silent ’must you really ask’ hung between us until I felt my features relaxing under his gaze.
Wordlessly, I nodded.
He turned on his heel, tugging me forward with him. The crowd parted for him like reeds before a current. People moved without complaint, shifting aside just enough to let him pass.
I stumbled after him, my free hand reaching for the feather in my pocket, only to freeze when my fingers found empty fabric. The feather was gone. The seed was too. A cold wave of panic crested in my chest, my heart skipping a beat.
“Looking for something?” Sylus’s voice curled around me, velvet over steel.
I clenched my jaw until my teeth ached. “No.”
The word tasted bitter. The look in his eyes when he glanced back at me told me he was amused. It made my suspicions of him grow.
He pulled me through a door tucked into the shadows of the back wall. One of apparently many, as I could see the doors lined up in a row now that I knew where to look. The noise of the club muffled instantly as the heavy door swung shut behind us, leaving us in near silence.
The room was small, dimly lit by light strips along the floor. There was a single desk, polished, filled with only necessities, pens and paper, stamps. Likely, somewhere to further confirm business.
Sylus released my hand, stepping away to lean against the edge of the desk. He crossed his arms, watching me with that same unnerving stillness.
“Now,” he said, tilting his head slightly, “shall we try this again? Properly.”
I flexed my fingers, the ghost of his grip still lingering. What exactly was he looking for? Waiting for me to say?
I could feel a frown forming on my lips, eyes narrowing as my gaze fell to where his hands perched upon the desk. It was hard to see much detail, but I could make out where his veins bulged.
He sighed, folding his arms leisurely across his chest. “You just can’t stay focused, can you?”
I met his gaze again, before promptly looking away to where the stack of papers rested on the desk behind him. “I offered you a story.”
“You did.”
“And you didn’t take it.”
“I didn’t.”
I exhaled sharply, feeling frustration bubble over at not being able to understand his intentions. “Then what are you doing here?”
Sylus sighed, uncrossing himself as he tilted his head, looking at me as if the answer was obvious. It wasn’t.
“What you offered,” he said slowly, “is only something in your possession. It’s not your story.”
I blinked. “It’s still a story. Arguably an important one.”
He let out a low sound that wasn’t quite a chuckle, more like a quiet hum. His index finger tapped once against his temple in a gesture that felt both mocking and intimate. “If I wanted just any story, I wouldn’t have bothered with you at all.”
I felt my shoulders tense, the muscles in my jaw tightening. “You’re still talking around the point,” I snapped. “Why are you here?”
Sylus’s lips curved into something that wasn’t a smile. It was too sharp, too knowing. Taunting. The dim lighting caught the crimson glint in his eyes as he leaned forward slightly. “I want your story,” he said, the words deliberate.
The air left my lungs in a rush. I could feel my temperature rising at his closeness, at his words, his intent for something that was mine. My fingers twitched at my sides, a tingling sensation aching in them, growing rather numb.
My story? I had no clue what he could possibly mean, besides…that one I’d abandoned half written before my death.
The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. Sylus didn’t break it. He just watched me with that unbearable patience, as if he already knew how this would end.
When I finally found my voice, it came out rough. “I don’t have one.”
Sylus tilted his head, a strand of silver falling across his forehead. “Oh?” The single syllable dripped with amusement. “None at all?”
I stabbed my nails into my palms, but I couldn’t feel them at all.
Before I could retort, he moved. Too fast. Too smooth. His fingers brushed against my temple, light as a whisper, yet the contact burned. “You’re drowning in them,” he murmured, his breath warm against my skin. “You just don’t know how to let them out.”
I jerked back as if scalded, my pulse pumping so hard I could feel it in my ears. “You don’t know that,” I spat, too loud, too raw.
Sylus didn’t react to the outburst. He simply straightened, his hand falling back to his side. His expression remained infuriatingly calm. “Don’t I?” he asked, soft as a blade sliding between my ribs.
He was a problem.
A big, annoying one.
I exhaled sharply through my nose, bringing my hands in front of my chest as I gently massaged them, the flesh having turned purple and swollen from the blood pooling in them. “Fine. What kind of story do you want?”
Sylus’s left hand moved, presenting his palm to me. A swirl of crimson mist swirled from his hand, revealing a certain feather and seed I had lost earlier.
Thief.
Sylus’s finger twirled the feather absently between them, his gaze never leaving mine. “I want a happy ending this time. You can make that happen, can’t you?” His voice dropped to a low whisper that curled around me like smoke.
Right.
Whatever that means.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, dark mist coiled around his hand, threaded with veins of red. The feather and seed dissolved into the haze, twisting together as the mist pulsed like a living thing.
I watched, transfixed, as the darkness condensed, solidified, until all that remained was a single earring. Delicate, yet sharp, black metal formed intricately over the feather, while the seed now took on the appearance of a gem fitted in the style of a dragon’s eye.
Sylus held it up between us, the gem catching the light. “A deal, then?” He murmured, voice uneasily quiet, tired. “Your story, for my protection right?”
My breath hitched. The earring was beautiful in a way that felt dangerous, as if it was going to bite me if I touched it wrong.
Sylus stepped closer, his free hand lifting toward my ear. He paused just before contact, waiting.
A silent question.
Permission.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, giving him a small nod as I felt my stomach flutter about. I felt disgusted. I shoved it down.
His fingers were warm against my skin as he brushed my hair aside. The press of the earring’s post was sharp, precise. A quick pinch, then the click of the clasp securing it in place.
The moment it was fastened, warmth bloomed from the point of contact, spreading through me like ink in water. My vision swam for a heartbeat, colors bleeding at the edges before snapping back into focus.
“There,” he said, his thumb brushing against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. He leaned back, examining his handiwork, but his gaze looked dissatisfied, as if something was missing.
I turned my face away, not wanting to be scrutinized. I lifted a hand to my ear, fingers trembling as they traced the metal. It hummed under my touch, alive in a way that made no sense until I remembered the smallest fraction of what his Evol was capable of. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could create entire worlds with it.
Sylus tilted his head, studying my reaction with those piercing eyes. I didn’t miss the way his fingers twitched.
“Don’t lose it.” He said firmly, voice low.
I scrunched my nose briefly as I processed his tone, my fingers still pressed against the metal. “Knowing you…does it do something?”
A slow, knowing smile curled at the corner of his lips. “You’ll find out.”
The vagueness of his answer sent irritation bubbling up once more. I dropped my hand, forcing my expression to stay neutral even as my heart beat loudly. “You’re not going to explain?”
Sylus’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Where’s the fun in that?”
Bitch.
A beat of silence stretched between us, then, without warning, Sylus turned toward the door, his coat flaring with the movement. “Come,” he said, not looking back. “You’re wasting time.”
I hesitated, looking at him with my brows furrowed. “Come where?”
He paused, glancing over his shoulder. A flicker of something passed over his features before he schooled them back into cool indifference. “Consider this your first lesson in survival,” he said, voice low. “When I tell you to follow, you follow.”
Sylus didn’t wait for me to catch up this time. He strode through the door, shadows clinging to his frame.
And like a lovesick fool, I followed.
—
The moment I stepped through the door after Sylus, the world twisted. The club’s noise vanished as if someone had flipped a switch. One second I was in the dim backroom, the next—
Cold night air slapped my cheeks. My boots hit uneven cobblestones as I stumbled forward, barely catching myself before face-planting into the alley wall.
I whirled around. No door. No club. Just a dead-end alley.
“Wha—”
“Keep up.” Sylus’s voice came from above.
I craned my neck. He stood perched on the edge of a roof three stories up, coat fluttering like dark wings against the moonlight. Before I could protest, he leapt and disappeared over the rooftop.
“Really? Are you kidding me?” I hissed.
Metal clinked above me. Mephisto circled once before diving after his mother.
Even my son was betraying me.
I stared at the crumbling brick wall. No ladder. No handholds. Just slick moss and decades of grime. I could feel a headache forming. Even if I could somehow climb, my arms shook from exhaustion, and my legs were practically numb and useless at this point.
What the hell was Sylus doing?
The earring pulsed warm against my skin.
This was a test, wasn’t it?
Given his character and his relationships with others…he liked testing things before he kept them. Though, usually, that involved trying to kill him first…he had better run from me once I caught up to him because I would be his next attempt after this.
I took a deep breath and reached for a nearby rainpipe. Rust flaked under my fingernails as I tugged on it, testing its sturdiness. It was…undesireable, but it seemed like the sturdiest thing here. I gripped it tightly, wrapping my arms around it as I hauled myself up, muscles screaming. At the very least, I remembered how to climb things like this. Constantly climbing trees as a kid engraved it into me.
Halfway to the first landing, my foot slipped. I barely caught the next support drilled into the wall with my elbow hooked through it, pain lancing up my arm. I looked down, and felt myself tense up, my vision lengthening and shortening before I snapped my gaze away. I had to keep moving.
Sylus’s shadow appeared at the roof’s edge. He didn’t offer help. Just watched.
Bastard.
Gritting my teeth, I climbed. By the time I dragged myself onto the rooftop, my palms were bleeding, my breath came in ragged gasps. Sylus stood silhouetted against the moonlit harbor, examining his gloved hands as if bored.
“Took you long enough, sweetie.”
I kneeled bent over on the concrete roof, taking deep breaths as the world kept spinning around me. He was lucky I wasn’t one to pass out. “I say this,” another breath, “from the bottom of my heart.” I looked up at him, trying to slice him open with my glare. “Go fuck yourself.” I flipped him off with a trembling hand.
His lips twitched. “Charming.”
Wind whipped between us, carrying the scent of his cologne towards me. I slowly got up, bracing myself as I stumbled over to him, holding my arm as I tried to ease the pain.
Sylus watched my approach with amusement, the moonlight catching the sharp angles of his face. The hook in his nose was illuminated by the night, and my eyes were trained on it.
I stopped just short of colliding with him, his hand reaching out to catch my elbow with surprising gentleness.
“Careful,” he murmured, though his grip was firm enough to steady my swaying form. “We wouldn’t want you tumbling off the roof before our lesson begins.”
I jerked my arm away, immediately regretting it as the world tilted dangerously. “What do you mean ‘begin’?” I spat, branching my hands on my knees. “I just scaled this fucking building for—”
“For the purpose of showing you this.”
He stepped aside, holding his left hand out without expectation. Just…there, in case I wanted it. I took it, steading myself with his strength as I looked at the sprawling cityscape beyond the rooftop’s edge. It stretched before us like a living creature, its lights pulsing like veins in the dark expanse. Cars sped down the streets, residents rather lively for the night.
“The N109 Zone,” Sylus said, following my line of sight.
A chill ran down my spine. Even from here, I could see the telltale signs of danger among the streets. My stomach twisted at the thought of navigating the city alone.
“Why are we here?” I asked, turning to look up at him.
Sylus turned to face me fully, his hand never leaving mine. “Why act confused, it’s where you wanted to go,” he said simply. “But you’ll die before sunset if I don’t teach you a few things first.”
The certainty in his voice sent a shiver through me, my hand reflexively squeezing his as I buried any other feelings that might arise. This wasn’t mine to keep.
I opened my mouth to protest, falsely claiming I was stronger than I looked, but he continued before I could speak.
“You were right, that earring isn’t just for show,” he said, tapping my earring with his free hand. “It’s a tether. And a warning system.”
I reached up instinctively to touch the metal where his hand had just been. It hummed warmly beneath my fingers. “Of course it is. What kind?”
Sylus’s smile was lopsided, his teeth not showing. “The kind that tells me when you’re about to do something stupid.” He stepped closer, leaning over as he flicked my forehead. “Like wandering into a dangerous nest without a plan. Or trying to demand the leader of Onychinus’s attention. He’s a dangerous man, you should really be more careful, kitten.”
The wind picked up, whipping my bangs directly into my eyesight. I hastily moved to try and pull them aside so I could keep my eyes on Sylus. “I had a plan.”
“Ah yes,” Sylus drawled, “your brilliant plan to…what was it again? Tell me a bedtime story?” His tone was unbearably taunting, I wanted to bite his face.
I steeled my face, pursing my lips together in annoyance. “And who actually took that deal? I’m sorry, did you want a glass of milk with that story? Maybe a cat bed to sleep in?”
Sylus stared at me for a heartbeat, silence falling over us—then laughed. A rich, deep laugh that resonated from his chest. His shoulders shook, silver hair catching in the moonlight as he tilted his head.
It was disarming.
I knew that laugh too well. I never imagined I would hear it like this. Real.
His crimson eyes glittered with something I didn’t have the right to name. “A cat bed? Really?”
I crossed my arms, heat rising to my cheeks. “I said what I said.”
“Not going to repeat it?” He stepped closer, bringing my hand up to his chest, his tone teasing. “Let’s see if you’ve got a fight in you to back up your attitude.”
He guided me away from the edge of the rooftop, finding stable ground for me to stand on before he released me and took a few steps back. He shrugged his jacket off. “Show me your stance.”
“What?”
“Now.”
I stared at him with confusion, which only earned a dramatic sigh from him. He stood feet apart, fists clenched, arms blocking his head.
A fighting stance. Right
I barely had time to plant my feet before he struck, a blur of black leather and lethal grace. His kick swept my legs out from under me. I hit the rooftop hard, the impact rattling my teeth.
Sylus loomed over me, extending his hand to help me up. “Again.”
I scrambled up, wiping drool from my lip as I glared at him.
This time, he purposefully slowed down, exaggerating his stance so I could study it. “Eyes on my center. If you can’t focus on everything at once, focus on where the body will twist to predict movement.”
I mirrored his steps, knees trembling. He attacked without warning, a flurry of strikes I barely blocked. I was lucky he was holding back, slowing his hits to a forceful tap just to make a point.
“Too slow.” His elbow connected with my ribs. “Too obvious.” A knee to my thigh. “Stop thinking too much. React.”
When he reached to grab my wrist, I twisted into the motion instead of pulling away. Momentum carried me into his arm and I bit down on the flesh there as he squeezed my wrist.
Sylus froze.
The taste of iron bloomed on my tongue. Metallic and strangely sweet, like pomegranate seeds dipped in mercury. His pulse thrummed against my teeth, a rapid staccato that betrayed his calm facade. For a brief moment, the world narrowed to the heat of his skin, the hitch in his breath, the way his fingers had instinctively gripped my waist.
Then he laughed again. Low. Breathless. Alive.
Sylus didn’t pull away. His free hand came up to cradle the back of my head, fingers pressing into my hair to keep me there. Not forcing, just holding. His pulse jumped under my teeth as his voice dropped to an amused murmur.
“There you are.”
The words vibrated against my lips, warm and approving.
His thumb stroked along my jaw, coaxing me to bite harder. The metallic tang of his blood filled my mouth, rich and strangely intoxicating, like something forbidden I’d been starving for.
Mephisto let out a sharp krrr from the ledge, wings flaring.
I finally jerked back, panting, my lips stained crimson.
Sylus didn’t even glance at the wound, half-moon marks engraved into his skin. It was already knitting itself closed, tendrils of red energy flickering over the torn flesh before it smoothed over entirely.
He tilted his head, studying me with approval. “Finally decided to fight back, kitten?”
I inhaled sharply, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. His blood smeared across my skin, glistening in the moonlight. “Don’t call me that.”
Sylus smirked. “Why not? It suits you.” He flexed his healed arm, examining how it healed. “Small. Feral.” He turned his gaze to meet mine. “Likes to bite.”
I bristled, turning my face away from him as I used my sleeve to try and wipe more of his blood off my face. I wasn’t Willow, I wasn’t an MC, I didn’t earn that nickname and it was leaving me unsettled. A cruel reminder of what I’m not.
Speaking of Willow, Rafayel was going to kill me, probably, seeing the blood stained on the outfit meant for her. I was lucky at least the fabric was black.
“Why do I have to wait? Why not take me there now?” Logically, of course, I knew why I couldn’t go right away. I had loose ends to tie up. I had a lie to sell to Willow. Multiple.
“Ah…so impatient.” Sylus clicked his tongue, stepping back to retrieve his discarded coat. “You’re not ready,” he said simply, shrugging the leather back over his shoulders.
I huffed. “I literally just—”
“Bit me?” He leaned over me, poking my forehead. “Cute. But you need to be stronger.”
I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest, ignoring the way it made my muscles ache. “B—”
“You’ll go when I say you’re ready. Not before.”
I felt my eyes stinging at the firm rejection, my fingers moving to run my nails along my thumb.
The comparison came unbidden. MC’s first meeting with Sylus in the game, how he’d taken her straight to his home and let her parade around the N109 Zone. Kept her close. Protected her. Even in their past lives, they spent their time together as soon as they could meet.
With the way his attitude had been, I had accidentally let myself think I could recreate something similar. It’s more likely, he was treating me without a cold attitude because he knew more than I did, possibly even about me being here in this world.
Then…it was likely that happy ending he wanted…was one for him and Willow. And somehow, I was the one that could make it happen.
Sylus stepped closer, fingers brushing against my earring. “You’re thinking too loudly,” he murmured. “Don’t.” A light pinch to my earlobe before he stepped back once more.
I jerked away from his touch, holding my hand up to create a barrier between us. “I’m allowed to think.”
He sighed dramatically, rolling his shoulders. “Come. You need food.”
The abrupt change in topic left me blinking. “What?”
“You look like you should have fainted hours ago.” He gestured dismissively at my trembling form. “Besides, a little birdie told me someone hasn’t had anything to eat since last night.”
“Traitor.” I murmur quietly, locking onto Mephisto’s form on the ledge. I place two fingers near my eyes before flipping them around to point towards him. “Watch yourself.” I say, scrunching my nose.
Sylus let out the slightest chuckle before extending his hand to me once more, red mist circling his palm. “Come on, kitten.”
I glared at the nickname, but I took his hand anyway.
His fingers closed around mine with a gentleness, his grip warm despite the cool night air. Red energy cackled between our joined hands, the tingling sensation making my hand twitch. “Don’t let go,” he whispered, just as I felt a daze come over me as the world dissolved into a whirl of crimson smoke.