- art above is my own -

~ heart and soul ~

the overwhelming majority of you wanted chapters to come out bit by bit, so here you go!

Kori was exhausted. Not physically, but mentally. How long did he have to wait? He wanted to be with [Y/n] now. He was sure his chances of getting to [Y/n] first were the greatest, but he feared that his calculations may have been ever so slightly off, and if that were to be the case then he would be left without a chance. He continued to wander through Vihren territory, keeping away from the action. Surely [Y/n] would be hidden away somewhere here.

"Halt!" an angered, shrill and abrasive voice called from somewhere behind him. He turned around with a look of deepest annoyance. There stood some angry looking direwolf with its hackles raised. Dogs... he could practically smell the must on the creature's fur. His nose wrinkled in disgust.

"I'm no threat," Kori waved his hand in boredom, voice holding a lazy, lulling quality. "Just trying to find a friend."

"No threat? Too busy admiring yourself in a mirror to remember? You're our enemy, vampire," the oversized dog spat out. Kori didn't care for theatrics right now, or the stupid 'all vampires are vain' stereotype that Vihren creatures seemed to harbour. Oh no, a war, how scary! Yeah, no. That didn't suit him at all.

"I am your enemy yet I haven't made a single move to kill you, which I estimate would take less effort for me than raising your hackles in an attempt to look scary would take for you." The direwolf didn't pay attention to Kori's comparisons, taking a few threatening steps in advance towards the seemingly unarmed boy, his large paws crunching the leaf mould beneath them.

Kori threw one of his daggers straight through the creature's skull, before retrieving his knife and moving on, though he briefly stared at the dog's corpse, wondering whether its stupid presence had given him fleas. But he could acknowledge that it was sad. After all, he'd hoped to keep this one alive for some information. He groaned out in annoyance at his own impulsive and admittedly unwise actions.

* * *

[Y/n] had been waiting for god knows how long. She was beginning to find herself nodding off to sleep on the uncomfortable tree stump she seated herself on. The air around them was now lightly tinged with the scent of burning and iron... the smell made [Y/n] want to be sick. That was the smell of blood and death... how many would die on this dreadful day? She decided to shut her mind off from this horrific reality and ignore it.

Al appeared from her clothing once more, pointing off in the direction of a distant rustle. [Y/n]'s eyes widened. Nyais would be arriving any second now. She took a long, deep breath, hoping for the best but preparing herself for the worst.

The many 'worst case scenarios' that had conjured themselves up in her mind began to ring true as a throwing knife precisely lodged itself in a tree just behind [Y/n], even plucking off a few strands of her hair as it flew past her. The one she knew to use throwing knives and shurikens... Kori.

The bushes now parted to reveal the grey haired, blue eyed male in question. [Y/n] stood up from her seat on the tree stump, backing away slowly. Kori stared at her in pure admiration for just a moment, before switching his gaze to the faerie boy who now returned to his full size.

"Alfred, am I correct?" Kori raised a brow. The blonde nodded his head in affirmation. "Ah, I was given strict orders not to kill you." [Y/n] was visibly perplexed at this, despite her best efforts to keep a poker face, and Kori sent her a smirk. "What, you didn't know the King of the Faeries was one of our allies?"

For a moment, [Y/n] could swear that everything had gone still. The wind in the trees, the chirping of birds, the very beating of her heart; it all felt distant and intangible, as though she were surrounded by void and not actual space. And what a joy that would be, to not actually be here. To be nowhere. Untouchable. Yet everything around them was oh so very real, and [Y/n] was reminded of that by the sharp pang of anxiety that pierced her chest and rung through her skull, as though she had been struck by a mallet.

"What...?" she uttered, her earlier uncertainty doubling. No, tripling.

Al turned and met the gaze of [Y/n], who stumbled back from him with a look of hurt and defeat. Al's eyes seemed hurt as well, and he was lost for words. He did indeed feel awful about letting [Y/n] get hurt this way, but it was his only option.

"Why?" [Y/n] questioned, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She was afraid to let herself cry, both in front of Al and Kori. But everything she'd just achieved was about to be snatched away from her once more, and it was hard to keep those emotions of despair and hopelessness concealed. The ally she thought she had was a traitor, and Kori of all people would be the one to return her to that shit hole of a 'nation'. She did not yet know that Kutelo was gone.

"I..." Al paused, clearly lost for words. How did he explain this complicated concept to a human with no knowledge of their political affairs without going on for hours? Kori would get impatient after a few minutes, he assumed. "This was the best chance for the faeries. I would supply the vampires information about Vihren and, in return, the faeries in captivity would be released. If they chose to stay, then they would be given fair working conditions and rights alike to the vampires." His saddened expression slowly faded to a scowl. "I couldn't fight Kutelo because Feron was a coward. He only fought today because of you." [Y/n]'s eyes narrowed at this. She didn't know whether to believe Al or not. The faerie continued. "Because of my actions, [Y/n], I managed to free all of the faeries from slavery as of yesterday afternoon. So now, as Kutelo burns to dust, they can be safe and reunited with their own kind once again. And I can reform our original settlement as an independent group from Feron."

Kori smirked. "You let hundreds die for the sake of having an independent nation? How selfish," he laughed. Of course, he thought Al had made a good decision, but he anticipated the sweet looking faerie boy had more empathy than him. The idea of mentally wrecking him was amusing. Much to his surprise, Al only shrugged.

"Their lives were insignificant," Al stated, before allowing his wings to show themselves. He extended his hand for [Y/n] to shake. "Thank you for helping me, [Y/n]. Your role has been pivotal in my kind gaining their freedom. Now, I'm afraid I must be leaving."

[Y/n] didn't shake his hand. She glared at him darkly.

"Did you even know Hetti...?"

Al let out a laugh at that, shrugging. "Oh, I knew her, but we faeries all have the same connection. Hetti was my 'sister'. Every female faerie is my 'sister'. I didn't particularly know her any better than every other living, breathing thing in my kingdom." [Y/n]'s eyes grew tearful and cold. Her glare at the faerie before her only hardened. She looked up at Kori with the same glare, slowly backing away.

Kori, however, watched Al with a suspicious eye. When he'd observed Al's occasional breaches into Kutelo, he'd always been keeping an eye on Hetti, doing everything in his power to make sure she got the best jobs and had the easiest life. He decided not to call him out on his lie, however. He'd much rather [Y/n] detest him as Kori knew he didn't have a hope in hell of killing the King of the Faeries.

"Are we done?" Al questioned, checking a wristwatch, if only to further sour [Y/n]'s plummeting faith in all beings with a heartbeat. "As I said, I must be leaving. I have somewhere to be."

[Y/n] didn't respond, instead turning and walking away herself. Kori let a chuckle leave him at the actions of the girl he was so dearly besotted with, watching her try to keep her pride intact. He'd make sure to destroy that pride. He'd reduce her to nothing in time. Well... a lot of time. He had many things to do first.

[Y/n] heard Al walk away, and she didn't hear any footsteps or even breathing after that, though she knew Kori was right behind her, following her at the exact same pace.

"Are the others alive?" she asked quietly, keeping her eyes fixed on the path ahead of her. Kori was intrigued about her intentions - she was walking straight towards Kutelo. Did she know that? Was she giving up?

"They might be," Kori responded cryptically. [Y/n] stopped walking now, turning to face Kori with her narrow-eyed glare.

"A straight yes-or-no answer would suffice," she muttered. Kori wore a scary smirk, and she almost regretted turning around.

"Why should I give you one?" the spy questioned, tilting his head as he took another step forwards. "You hardly deserve one, butterfly. You left Kutelo and waged war on us! How in hell am I supposed to trust you now?" he chuckled, lifting her chin so she faced him. "I'm happy, though. I can proudly gloat that I captured the Queen of Vihren. That I own the Queen of Vihren."

"You don't. You never will." [Y/n] and Kori glared at one another now, and the air seemed to grow thicker. [Y/n] waited for the pain that would accompany her actions, but it failed to arrive. This only increased her fear of the situation. Kori then grabbed her arm, walking in another direction. One that wasn't Kutelo. [Y/n]'s brows knitted together in confusion. "Where are you taking me?"

"I'm sure you'd rather be in a house than a pile of rubble," Kori shrugged. [Y/n] looked down at the floor. So Feron had indeed carried out the plan already.

"Did everyone get out safely?" she questioned, her voice shaky and quiet.

"Everyone? Everyone being? The entire species, or just the ones you know?" he asked. His voice seemed to be dripping with venom and [Y/n] couldn't tell where his contempt arose - was it from jealousy? That would be the safe assumption, but it seemed more complex than that.

"I know you can't vouch for the entire species, I'm not an idiot. So just the ones I know, I guess," [Y/n] hummed.

"Then I won't be answering your question," Kori shrugged.

[Y/n] went silent now. He wasn't going to make sense any time soon, and she understood that perfectly. This was Kori - an asshole, a killer, a stalker, a lunatic, and any other insult [Y/n]'s mind could possibly conjure. At some point the insults became Shakespearean and at that point she had to stop; he didn't even deserve the comedy.

Kori's ice cold gaze would occasionally rest on her, taking her in. Each time, a shudder would course through her unintentionally, and she cursed at herself in a wish that she would stop reacting. Each time she shuddered, he smirked, and she didn't want to think about what might be going on in his mind. Though she had no doubts it was impure, one way or another.

She thought back to the grey haired boy who had sat beside her on a sofa and spoken for the first time, declaring his will to protect her. In a strange way, he'd stayed true to this ideal, save for one thing. Sure, Kori could protect her from others. But he could not protect her from himself.

* * *

At some point on the long trek Kori and [Y/n] had taken, the girl had fallen unconscious, too stressed and exhausted to go on. Kori was a little saddened by this development but he held no opposition to carrying her the rest of the way, which was perhaps another 50 miles. Eventually he reached the temporary settlement the survivors of the Kutelo attack had made. It was around 100 miles from Kutelo itself, so [Y/n] had done extremely well to hold out on the first 50.

When she would wake, she'd find herself in a shoddily constructed cabin, only put up a day prior. She'd been unconscious for two days. Partially by Kori's desire - after she'd fallen asleep, he'd decided to drug her into staying that way until the journey was over. He didn't want her to die, of course, so he made the rest of the journey quick. The second thing she noticed, after the mental note of how shoddy the cabin looked, was the sudden drilling sensation in her head. She was incredibly dehydrated.

She looked to her side. A rock worked as a bedside table and on it, precariously balanced, was a glass of water. [Y/n] grimaced as she had to fish a fly out of it. How long had it been there? She daren't ask.

She downed the glass, keeping her mind absent of thoughts of any creatures with exoskeletons or wings, and held it in her hand, swinging her aching legs over the side of the bed, immediately making a move to stand. She needed to get out. She shuffled to the door, which was unlocked, before slowly creaking it open.

The moment light flooded in, the door was slammed shut again by someone on the other side, and [Y/n] was to remain clueless about their situation. She went to sit on the bed, and waited. Waited, waited, waited, until finally the door opened.

She expected to see Kori, but someone else, someone much worse, revealed himself.

"Rayne," [Y/n] dipped her head, and he seemed surprised to see her still maintaining that brave facade. Though [Y/n] knew now not to be fooled by his look of surprise, for Rayne did not feel such mortal emotions. He felt, that was certain, but what he felt was derived from depravity and insanity. Something as mundane as surprise likely filled another purpose. Was he trying to gain her trust? Or, perhaps, was he trying to force her into this state of confusion as she babbled about trying to work out what he wanted from her? If the latter was the case, which [Y/n] understood it probably was, he'd certainly succeeded.

"[Y/n]," he returned, feigning a smile, a dry and empty smile that may as well have cracked his lips from the rarity of it. "Would you like to know the situation outside?" he questioned. She slowly nodded her head, but held no expectations. "Nyais is dead, Kutelo has fallen, and we've taken all the boys prisoner."

"The truth, please," [Y/n] hummed. Rayne raised a brow.

"And what makes you think I was lying?" he chuckled. This time his smile was more sincere, yet [Y/n] understood that this was because he was amused, not happy. He enjoyed her struggle like a house cat, letting go of the mouse's tail to watch it scatter away, just to snatch it up once more and tear out its organs. Would her organs be torn out? It was always a possibility. Unlike when she had first come to this place, she was now prepared for and accepting of this fact. She was probably going to die painfully. No, she was definitely going to die painfully, but to whose hands and when she was unsure. After all, she could not die of sickness or old age, and she healed well and fast. If she was to die, someone would have to make a deliberate effort to kill her.

"The first thing you did when you got here was mess with my head," [Y/n] responded to his question after a long moment of thoughtful silence. He hummed, slowly nodding.

"Yes." His response was clinical. Exact, precise. A measurement. "But why would that mean I lied? Would one mental test not be enough for me?"

"You're never satisfied," [Y/n] returned quietly, though now she was becoming uncertain. If he was pushing so hard that he had told the truth, perhaps... perhaps he had been.

"I was satisfied for a while," Rayne admitted, "but my source of satisfaction has now left me." There was almost a bit of pain in his gaze, and [Y/n] didn't see any gain in him showing a weakness right now, so perhaps it could be genuine? She never knew.

"Stop changing the subject," she spoke more softly this time. "What's the situation outside?"

"We're the only ones here," he hummed, contradicting himself this time.

"Another lie," [Y/n] huffed, "I can hear voices outside."

"If that was an obvious lie, and the first one was not, then why would the first one be a lie at all?"

"You're impossible," [Y/n] spat. He nodded, quietly uttering 'impossible' to test the word on his lips as he processed it, before nodding again as he agreed.

"I suppose I am. In fact, how very apt a description. I may have never been described so well..."

"You're trying to flatter me now? What the fuck do you want, Rayne?" It was clear that [Y/n] was losing her patience and Rayne chuckled, glad to be winning his little mind game. But his fun was cut short when the door creaked open again and Kori entered, negating his lie of Nyais' death and the capture of the boys. His eyes went dark when they landed on Rayne and he pulled out his knife.

"Out."

"[Y/n] and I were just having a wonderful conversa—"

"Out," Kori repeated, louder this time, and with a final laugh the raven haired doctor left the room. Kori walked over to [Y/n], scooped her up into his arms, moved to the bed and sat on it. He pulled her into his lap and just held her close. In fact, this was the most vulnerable [Y/n] had ever seen Kori. She almost felt guilty. Though more than anything, she was irritated, for Rayne had been her only lead to what was happening outside. She knew she could not ask Kori for he was never going to tell her anything useful. Rayne may have had gain in [Y/n] escaping.

"Rayne was acting strange," [Y/n] mused quietly, trying to pry information out of Kori another way. The male laughed.

"Yes," he returned. His voice was quiet and she realised that Kori was acting strange, too.

"What happened?"

"He, Aytsa and some human came here together. I killed Aytsa and took the human captive," he explained briefly. [Y/n]'s eyes widened.

"Aytsa is... dead...?"

"Yes. Thank god." He then furrowed his brows. "What a strange expression. I am not religious..."

[Y/n] couldn't help but notice Kori's odd behaviour and thoughtfulness, and though she knew that Kori would indeed be feeling relief right now, she also understood that a part of him had cared for the others that he had grown up with. In fact, Aytsa would likely be the most impactful death of any of them. If Kori had killed any of the others, he probably wouldn't have emoted. Though he looked up to Seishin too, so perhaps he would've shown something in such a situation. But Aytsa, though being unanimously hated, was also unanimously accepted. He was strange. Annoying to the point of being acceptable. Perhaps they did not feel threatened, for they knew that [Y/n] could never grow close to Rayne's clone.

"Are you okay?" [Y/n] asked gently. She did not care whether he was okay or not but knew better than to act cold and distant with him. If she wanted to escape, she needed his trust. Yet Kori saw right through her act and let out a bitter laugh.

"I'll open my heart to you when you open your ears to me." His grip on her tightened a little, and [Y/n] gritted her teeth at the discomfort. "Do not ask questions you don't want the answer to, butterfly."

* * *

Over time, [Y/n] had learned the situation. She had learned that Kori and Aytsa were the only ones of the six who had made it to the camp, and whether the other four were alive, she did not know. Aytsa had been killed by Kori soon upon arriving. Rayne was in an odd state of despair so injuries amongst the vampires were not being treated, though he did occasionally visit her when Kori wasn't around, just to fuck with her head. She didn't understand his drive in doing this, though she assumed Rayne held resentment towards [Y/n] greater than just Nyais. She had taken the attention of Nyais formerly, that friendship he secretly yearned for crumbling further. Nyais was now a cold shell once more and Rayne blamed [Y/n] for that, too. [Y/n] blamed herself as well. Yet she had stolen not only that from Rayne, but also Aytsa - his son - who was now dead because of her.

No, [Y/n] forcibly reminded herself that Aytsa's death was not her fault. She had not killed him. She had not asked the boys to become obsessed with her. And who could've prepared her for looking after vampire infants? Her mistakes in her early days were driven by confusion and she did not try and pretend she hadn't failed dreadfully, but she knew for certain that the things that were now happening were not her doing. The boys were all old enough, conscious enough, to decide for themselves whether to kill or to spare, whether to obsess or to forget. She dearly hoped that the other four were on the path to forgetting.

[Y/n] raised her gaze to Kori, who was laying on the bed beside her. Vampires did not sleep past the age of 21. Well, they did not have to, but they could. Kori never did, though he laid on their bed through the night so he could be close to [Y/n] in order to protect her better. Through the day, she would be left on her lonesome and protected by a guard outside who never spoke to her despite her best efforts to start conversation. She knew Kori was off training somewhere, but for what she was unsure.

"Kori?" she questioned quietly. He turned, gave her a small smile, one that urged her to ask whatever she had been meaning to ask, though made no promises for a response. "What is it that you've been doing through the day?" she questioned. She knew, and Kori knew that she knew, so his brows furrowed. He wondered what she was trying to work out.

"I've already told you. I'm training," he hummed. [Y/n] let out a huff.

"Yes, yes... but what for?" she asked.

"Oh... yes, I forgot to mention, I have something very important to do tomorrow. Your guard will not be able to be stationed outside so I'll have to place you in a dungeon for a few hours," he sighed, clearly not liking that idea. [Y/n]'s brows furrowed. She was not mad about the dungeon, but about the vagueness.

"Would you just give me a straight answer?" she sighed out. "Please?"

Kori rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm challenging Nyais."

[Y/n] felt her heart go still for just a moment.

"You're... going to kill Nyais?"

"I'm going to try to, yes," Kori nodded. [Y/n] knew he had full confidence that he could, but she was also aware that this could go one of two ways for her. If Kori became king, her life would surely get a lot worse. And truthfully, despite her fear of him, [Y/n] did not want Nyais to die. Deep down, she still cared for him. But if Nyais won, Kori would die, and Nyais may kill [Y/n]. Have her executed for her treachery. She had overheard many people outside wishing for this outcome. At the same time, Nyais could pity her sad, lonely existence and let her go.

"Tomorrow?" [Y/n] attempted to affirm.

"Correct."

[Y/n] looked down at her lap and Kori sat up, pulling her into a gentle and surprisingly loving hug. [Y/n] was reminded about something very strange by his actions. Since she had been brought here, Kori had been nothing but gentle and loving with her. Perhaps that was her reward for being well behaved, but she was shocked that he hadn't punished her for... oh, I don't know, waging war against his country just out of distaste for six specific individuals. Yet he forgave her, as though anyone could make that mistake. Had he redeemed himself? No. Far from it. Kori was still a monster, and [Y/n] waited anxiously for the fallout.

"Don't worry. When I win, I can finally love you properly," he chuckled. A selfish love, [Y/n] knew that. No, not even love. He could obsess over her without limits if Nyais was dead. She didn't raise her gaze to meet his.

"Are you out to train soon?" she questioned, diverting the subject. Kori exhaled a long sigh, before nodding, placing a kiss on her head.

"Yes, I suppose I must." Another kiss followed his words. [Y/n] had trained herself not to recoil from his unwanted touch. It made her life easier.

"Good luck," she said quietly.

"Be honest. What do you actually think when I leave?" he questioned, his cool blue eyes glimmering with childish curiosity. [Y/n] looked away for a moment, afraid of the test he may be presenting to her, yet she understood that he knew full well that she hated him. "Whatever you say, I promise not to be mad," he spoke gently.

"I hope a boulder falls from the cliff and crushes you to death," [Y/n] muttered under her breath, and Kori let out a laugh, oddly lighthearted. He placed a kiss on her cheek.

"I love you too, butterfly."

* * *

How long had it been since the challenge? [Y/n] couldn't accurately remember. Perhaps it had been minutes, or maybe hours, or years. It couldn't have been minutes, for things had moved on too far, but it couldn't have been years for they hadn't changed too much. Hours was perhaps plausible but [Y/n] understood that it had most likely been a matter of days since Nyais' death. Yet, thinking further into it, could it be years? [Y/n] would not know if things outside had changed. She never left this room, and everything seemed to be vague... as though she were in an eternal world of sunset and sunrise, so much so that she had forgotten up and down, and sunset could be dawn as sunrise could be dusk.

A new home, a new Kutelo, was in the process of being built. [Y/n] was not Queen, oh no, Kori would never stand [Y/n] having power almost equal to him. She was more like a glorified servant. He kept her at his side at all times and she was heavily guarded should he need to leave her.

The vampires had found a cave system nearby to adapt into their new home. This one would not be called Kutelo. Kori wanted a new home, and a new name, though he was deliberating on what it might be called.

Sometimes, Kori would disappear for a day when he was angry, and he would return covered in blood. [Y/n]'s smell for blood had got better recently, likely an effect from the elixir, and she could tell that it was always the same person's. The same human's. When she asked him about it, he'd laugh, and say 'one day I'll take you to meet him. But perhaps you should try to avoid that.'

Kori hadn't yet been violent with [Y/n] and that she was incredibly grateful for. She pulled her silk dress off and stared at herself in the mirror that had been embedded in a stone wall - she was not afraid to be exposed right now for Kori was not around. She turned, staring into her reflection in the mirror, and let out a gentle sigh. Her body was pristine, all her scars were gone, and she did not know whether it was the elixir or perhaps a surgery in one of the many instances of her being drugged into unconsciousness. She had no doubt that Rayne could perform skin grafts.

Speaking of the raven haired doctor, [Y/n] jumped out of her skin when the door opened, and she quickly rushed to pull a robe over herself. Rayne stood in the doorway and [Y/n] glared darkly at him.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?!" she spat out.

"Sorry. I didn't think you'd be seducing your reflection," Rayne hummed, shaking his head in apparent disapproval. Rayne had changed a lot since the deaths of Nyais and Aytsa. He no longer experimented on humans nearly as much, and instead focused his attentions on being the doctor he'd always intended to be. [Y/n] figured, perhaps as an act of self improvement or atonement, Rayne would visit her and be... surprisingly civil. Rayne was the only visitor that Kori allowed without his supervision, for he knew that Rayne would do nothing to put himself in danger whilst his entire support system was gone.

The man had brought a small basket of fruits that [Y/n] could eat later. She trusted that they weren't poisoned but frankly didn't care much if they were. Death didn't bother her anymore. Life was an endless cycle of nothingness, anyway.

Placing the fruits down, he leaned against the wall in boredom. "Have you ever seen a lesser dragon, [Y/n]?" he questioned. She slowly nodded, recalling the strange horse-lizard creatures that lived in the forests around Kutelo. "When I was younger, I used to have one as a pet." [Y/n] raised a brow. She didn't care that her only source of semi-normal conversation was with Rayne anymore. He knew humans well, and knew how to make her feel less stressed, which was probably why Kori didn't mind him being here as well.

"And it didn't burn you to a crisp?" she questioned. He rolled up the sleeve of his lab coat and black turtleneck underneath it, showing several burn scars.

"He certainly tried," Rayne laughed. "One day, Olli captured him, and killed him." [Y/n]'s eyes widened.

"Why would he do that?"

"To make me suffer," Rayne shrugged. "Olli held much less compassion than he let on. [Y/n], you were blind to the fact that none of us have the empathy you do. And if you think one of us does, we're lying."

"Then you're lying. You're gaining something out of being nice to me," [Y/n] shrugged.

"But you already knew that. I'm still the man who would trap young individuals in a dark basement and perform tests on them until their bodies turned to mush," he laughed. [Y/n] nodded.

"Do you plan to kill me, Rayne?" [Y/n] questioned. He shook his head.

"I plan to watch you fall."

The door creaked open from the other side of the room - Kori had returned from his meeting and his footsteps were inaudible, though [Y/n] knew he was approaching. Rayne silently took note to disappear, and so he did. He was gone, as though he'd never been there before. Kori wandered over to her and glanced down at the fruit.

"Eat those in the bathroom. The smell makes me feel bilious," he huffed.

"Kori, may I ask you something?" [Y/n] ignored his bad mood with a question. This irked him a little, that much was evident by the subtle narrowing of his eyes, but he nodded his head to allow her to go on. "Do you still write? Like you used to, back when we were in Kutelo?" she questioned.

"No."

"But why? Weren't you really good at it?"

"Are you trying to find an excuse for me to spend less time with you, [Y/n]?" Kori interrogated, though he already knew that this was exactly what she was doing. And knowing she had no chance of lying to him without being caught out, she slowly nodded, knowing truth always worked better than lies with Kori. He was not gullible like Draka or Mitzu.

Kori softly patted [Y/n]'s head, like an owner consoling a dog that had done a bad thing but knew their crime. It was pitying. "Why don't we go on a walk, [Y/n]?"

"Outside?" [Y/n]'s eyes widened a little.

"Sure. Why not?" he chuckled. [Y/n] nodded her head quickly. She'd attempted to hide her eagerness as she did not want to give Kori too much satisfaction, but he had seen it clearly, and it brought a surprisingly calm smile to his lips. This would be the first time she'd been outside consciously since they had started their trek to this place. Kori wandered over to a wardrobe, musing through clothes that she might want to wear, as she was still hiding herself in that robe. He pulled out a navy dress, longer than the ones he usually asked her to wear, with a neckline that concealed all chest and shoulders. Though the several bite marks under her ears were still very visible. Kori wanted the world to know she was his, but not to think they could share.

He placed the dress on the bed, and turned his back to her. "Be quick. We don't have all day," Kori hummed. But really, [Y/n] knew he just got a high from giving her instructions. She obliged, however, putting on her navy dress as quickly as time allowed, before moving over to tap his shoulder to let him know that she was done. He turned to glance at her and gave her an approving nod.

She and Kori were not to be married. They had performed no sexual acts, and the most intimate they had been was a kiss; a one sided one at that. Yet Kori acted like a husband sometimes, as opposed to a slave owner. The way he took her hand, his touch gentle and loving, somehow served to calm [Y/n] just a little. His love was not requited, but care was much better than sadism, so she'd take it. Kori pushed open the door he had come in through. To her, the corridors were pitch black in this place, but she knew that vampires could see in them just fine. The darkness pressed against her like a cloak, one too thick and too hot for her to bear, but she pushed through without complaints.

They walked for about six minutes before the place eventually grew light enough for her to see, and continued to grow lighter and lighter still. At last, she could taste the air - it was damp and crisp, as though it had just rained. How long had it been since she'd tasted that beautiful post-rain air? A smile grew on her face and Kori's grip tightened just a little, but not uncomfortably so.

Finally, they turned a corner, and light hit them like an oncoming train - [Y/n] briefly wondered how long it had been since she had seen or heard or been on a train; she could not even recall the interior layout of trains. Kori pulled her closer and they exited the complex cave system, before wandering down a well trodden path. [Y/n]'s brows furrowed.

"Kori... how long has it been since you first became king?" she questioned. "How long have we been here?"

"Why?" Kori hummed, tilting his head.

"Well... I can't place it..." she rubbed the back of her neck. "This path looks like it's been used for many years but I swear we've only been here for days," she frowned. Kori let out a laugh.

"It's been 52 years since I challenged Nyais."

[Y/n]'s eyes widened at that revelation.

52 years? So... she was 71...?

She extended her hands before her, slowly, fretfully, her delicate fingers trembling. They showed no age. She was still the 19 year old girl she had been back in Kutelo. She knew no more about Kori than she had on his day of challenging Nyais. She knew none of what he'd done as a king. Yet she was shocked - she had not been hurt once, in 52 years of capture, and that fact almost made her... happy? But she could not be happy. Her friends were old now, and her parents possibly dead or in a home. She did not know the true fate of her friends. She would soon be given an idea.

They wandered through the forest that surrounded the cave system, along the path, silent. Eventually, [Y/n] smelled blood. Her brows knitted together and she turned to look at Kori, her eyes questioning. She did not take another step forwards.

"I've done all I want to do in this place, [Y/n]," Kori explained gently. "No longer do I have to spend so much time away from you. It was a sacrifice that had to be made." He kissed her forehead. "I'm running away from Daryen so I can have you all to myself. Doesn't that sound wonderful?" he smiled at her.

[Y/n] took a step back from him, but he grabbed her wrist, his brows furrowed. "[Y/n], butterfly, what's wrong?" He let out a laugh. "I've been nothing but kind to you over all of these years."

"Why... why didn't I know the time was passing, Kori?" [Y/n] narrowed her eyes, and her voice had broken just a little as she had uttered his name.

"Building up Daryen took time, dear. I had Rayne slip some... concoction of sorts into your water so you didn't know much of what was happening," he reassured.

[Y/n] didn't know whether to be grateful or scared. She narrowed her eyes and he shook his head, seemingly displeasured with the way she looked at him. In Kori's eyes, [Y/n] should've been grovelling, kissing the earth he walked on, for the mercy he'd given her. He hadn't hurt her once. He hadn't done anything that might make her uncomfortable, save for a single kiss. He'd realised that for her to love him, he would have to be kind. But maybe drugging [Y/n] out of sense was a bad idea, for she may not have been driven insane, but he would have to start again with the whole... positive reinforcement thing. Ah, but he had something else to do first.

"You know, [Y/n], I'm still mad that you tried to kill us all," he frowned. [Y/n] didn't respond. "So, I'm finally going to act on that anger, alright?"

The scent of blood was getting stronger.

[Y/n] didn't seem too phased by it. She'd been living with vampires for over 50 years - a little blood wasn't exactly uncommon. That was, until he brought her to a cage in the woods. Inside that cage was a mangled, barely alive man, looking like he was in his early or mid sixties. He only had tufts of hair left - either he'd pulled his hair out himself, or someone else had. The rest of his hair was white.

"He was only part vampire, so he does indeed age," Kori hummed. The man tensed when he heard that voice. [Y/n] now got a look at his face. Those strangely familiar, yet also... unfamiliar features. He was missing his tongue, his eyes were lacerated and had ulcers on them from the infections they had sustained. Sightless. Though he still had his hearing. [Y/n] then noticed that his arms were barely attached to his body. The further down the arms went, the less alive the flesh was. He had no movement of his hands or lower arms. They were just dead flesh at this point. The same went for his legs.

[Y/n] spotted a familiar ring on his finger.

"Who... is this?" [Y/n] whispered quietly. Perhaps he would've reacted to her voice if over 50 years hadn't passed, but he didn't recognise it anymore.

"Ah, shit... what was your name again?" Kori frowned, walking up to the cage, his blue eyes narrowed in a glare. He kicked the cage, demanding an answer, before a shrill, deranged laugh left his lips. "Oh, of course, my bad. I tore out your tongue." He leaned against the cage thoughtfully, humming. Then he brightened. "Ah. Damien."

"Da- Damien...?" [Y/n] whispered.

"Just one 'Da', I think," Kori jeered with a smirk on his lips. The act was slipping, and for the first time in a long while, she was seeing the man behind the mask again.

[Y/n] walked over to the cage, her legs shaking. Kori passed her a blade when she got close enough. She held the blade in a trembling hand, and though Damien couldn't speak, her saying his name had made him remember. This was [Y/n], the girl he had once loved. The girl whose obsessor had trapped him in a cage and tortured him for 50 years, using that... strange doctor man to keep him barely alive the whole time. And he would be lying if he said he didn't resent her a little, but he cursed himself for such thoughts.

Kori pulled [Y/n] into his arms with a dark, malicious chuckle. "It's okay, [Y/n]," he reassured his trembling object. "How about this, hm? You get the honours of putting him out of his misery," he whispered against the shell of her ear.

[Y/n] stared in fear at the mangled body of her friend.

"Come on, I'll show you how." He brought her closer. [Y/n] could taste the overpowering scent of decay in the air, as well as other things... of course, Damien had not moved from this cage in over fifty years. And that was evident by the smell. At least the cage was moved around now and again so he wasn't sitting in a flood of his own fluids. [Y/n] was almost sick.

Kori placed his hand on hers, and brought the knife up to Damien's neck. "One swift movement," he spoke against her ear once more. "One swift movement and you'll set him free. Be careful now, you wouldn't want to get it wrong and make him suffer more, would you?" he chuckled.

[Y/n] stayed still, trembling. She felt Kori place a kiss just under her ear. She wished she had the guts to turn around and slice him open, but she knew from her mistakes so long ago that such a thing was stupid and naïve. And right now... Damien probably needed this. But it didn't make it any easier.

"Go on," he goaded, "do it."

[Y/n] shut her eyes. The sound of gargling, choking... the feeling of liquid pulsating to the rhythm of Damien's erratic heartbeat all over her. The taste of iron. The sound of Kori's laughter. The feeling of the vampire's lips on her skin, his teeth brushing against her neck every so often.

She kept her eyes shut, one desperate wish on her mind.

To never open them again.