Suffocation.

That was the only thing Rei felt.

An engulfing shadow.

That was the only thing Rei saw.

The scent of darkness.

That was the only thing Rei smelled.

Fear. Confusion.

They were her only emotions.

Despair. The abyss of despair.

That was the only thing Rei could taste.

Her heart slamming her chest, eager to escape its cage.

That was the only thing she could hear. Until…

“Well, nice job escapin’, lad. But I told ya didn’t I?”

That voice. That unnerving jovial tone. Rei had heard it before. The difference was there was no suffocating scent oozing out of his cage like there was oozing out of him now.

The towering figure, draped in darkness crouched down. A bunch of chains used as wristbands to the figure slithered down from his hands. Then, a white fang poked out from under the shadowy hood.

“I said you better get tha hell away from here.” The shadow-cloaked figure boomed as he grasped the chains. “’Cause people would come after ya. Like me.”

Rei was trapped. She couldn’t move a finger. The dark stench was too much. She had never smelled it before but she knew it was bad. Almost like an inherent evil.

A glance at her trembling saviour told her it wasn’t just the figure’s lingering stench. Even without it, it was a wall of despair, impossible to escape.

But…she couldn’t let anything happen to Knight. Not her saviour. The first person to offer his hand. She couldn’t let this man-

“-Though, they don’t care about you. So, I’ll do ya a favour and just take the girl, HA-HA!” The encroaching despair let out a wild laugh.

-Her saviour was fine. He was safe. This guy wouldn’t do something as pointless as ‘lie’ so…Knight was safe…

“Oh? Don’t cry, love,” the beast crouched in front of Rei with a toothy grin. “I mean, not like I want to take ya. Just, I don’t wanna have this freak attack me, amongst other shit.”

“…”

She couldn’t move. She was frozen but…she didn’t even try to break free. Her mind was dark. She had always been frozen after all. Whether it be in a cage. Whether it be in chains. Whether it be in front of that man. Or whether it be as she was opened up. She was used to being frozen. So, it wasn’t hard for her to accept it. Especially if it would protect her saviour.

“…”

She couldn’t move. She didn’t want to move. Yet, she couldn’t stop her lips from trembling. She couldn’t stop her eyes from watering. And she could stop her hands from shaking.

She was doing as much as she could to stop the fear corrupting her mind. As much as she could to pay her saviour back.

“Well, let’s go,” the figure’s long arms reached out, its matted fingers pulling on Rei’s frail arm. “Glad yar makin’ this easy and not bein’ useless.”

“…”

Rei braced herself for pain as she was dragged from her blanket, yet, nothing came. She was lifted out of the bed, her frail arm cushioned matted hair.

“Agh.”

Rei let out a small yelp as the tips of a couple of daggers tapped her skin.

“Shit, sorry kid,” the beast apologised, making sure not to prick her again.

“…?”

This man, this beast, this thing. It’s dark, lightless smell. It’s engulfing shadow. It’s abyssal presence. All of its shrouded darkness, engulfed Rei along with it. But-

“Heave-ho,” the darkness grunted, floating Rei onto his shoulder. “Yeah, that’s easier.”

But its attitude was different. Everything about it…no… Everything about him was shrouded in darkness. When he stood before you, it was as if you were peering into the abyss itself. Yet, his attitude. His mind…

He might be wading through the darkness.  He might be swimming through the abyss. But he wasn’t drowning.

But this didn’t matter to Rei. The man’s nice words didn’t ease the fear corrupting her mind. They didn’t erode the darkness he was trapped him. For all she knew, he was ordered to kidnap her unharmed. For all she knew…

‘W-Why…? It’s dark. There’s no light. It’s just an abyss. But then why…?’

Why was something deep inside her, beneath all of her scars, telling her not to be afraid? Why was something deep within her telling her the man’s nice words were his true character?

‘I…I don’t care whether he’s evil! I don’t care if he has a teensy-weensy bit of good in him! As long as…’

As long as she was the only one needed. As long as noone else would be harmed. As long as her saviour… As long as Knight…would be safe.

‘B-Bye…’ She was too scarred to call him a friend, never mind family. But. ‘Bye, my Knight.’

At least she could pay him-

Schwing

“You little fucking furball!!!”