Beyond MxB

Chapter 4

---External POV---

"Monster!"

"Abomination!"

The words pierced through the child's heart as it ran further into the woods, black eyes looking back over his shoulder at the angry mob of humans that were lobbing stones at him. He whimpered when one of the rocks scraped over his shoulder but didn't dare to stop.

Angry cheers resounded behind him, making the little boy run faster in fright. What could an eight year old do against six fully-grown adults in a fit of rage?

Nothing.

Thorn gasped, fingers digging into the silk covers beneath him as he groaned. His eyes flashed wildly from side to side underneath their lids, reacting to the nightmarish memory that the elixir forced him to see yet again.

Cold, piercing air running through his lungs as he darted through the forest. His legs were stronger this time, carrying him farther and quicker. The years have been harder on Thorn, as it was etched all over his body. From the mangled clothes he managed to find in a ditch, the way his cheeks were hollowed because of hunger all the way down to the simple fact that several bruises adorned his body.

The warlocks that followed him grinded to a halt when Thorn flung himself of the cliffs, straight into the icy and dark waters of the ocean. He made it to the surface, gasping for air as he looked up, trying to keep as quietly as possible while he hid himself underneath the hanging ledge of the cliff, knowing that the warlocks were hesitant to follow him.

He winced though when several fish nipped at his skin, one of them managing to bite hard enough to draw blood. His eyes flickered down, waving his hands through the black water in an attempt to keep the toothed fish away from him while he waited with baited breath for the warlocks to go away.

The water itself stung, burned his wound as the waste, debris and the fine coat of oil was combined with its natural saltiness. The young man bit his lip and closed his eyes, praying that he could just for once, live in peace.

Fingers softly brushed through Thorn's sweaty hair, pushing it out of his face before he let out a pained groan, pressing his face further into the blankets. Bidziil looked on, his eyes expressing the worry he felt for the unconscious boy in his bed before he sighed and sat down on the edge.

He reached out again, gingerly touching Thorn's temples before he closed his own eyes and frowned, trying to slow the flood of images down as he lived through Thorn's nightmare by his side. Bidziil's frown deepened more and more as he watched Thorn's younger self push himself to survive, evading the claws of werewolves or the sharp fangs of the vampires on his path.

A soft smile slipped on his lips when he witnessed the encounter between Thorn and the two children, hiding in a hollow tree. Bidziil cursed though when a sharp pang of pain exploded behind his skull and the whole room seemed to dim slightly.

"What...was that?"

Bidziil turned around to look at his younger brother, who was looking around the room apprehensively before Ashkii looked back at him. "I don't know, but I need to go back to the human realm to fix this mess. You have no idea what your neglect has caused there Ashkii."

His younger brother at least had the modesty to look ashamed as he nodded dejectedly, staring at his feet. "I didn't mean anything by it really. I just found it...boring and I thought they could handle themselves for a while. Time flies, you know? I'm sorry."

This caused a tired sigh to slip from Bidziil before he heaved himself from the bed and covered Thorn back up, frowning slightly at the shadows that flickered on the edges of his vision. He didn't know what they were but they had something to do with the delicious man lying in his bed.