Daevas -I- ✔️

Chapter 18.3: Scars

The longer Ari stared the greater Inge's grin grew. How did he— Why would he be here? And with Sascha and the others? Something was not adding up. Ari rummaged through his memories of all the interactions he had with Inge up to this point, but his mind was in a disarray. No matter how much he tried to push aside his growing fear it reached and reached until it had its hands wrapped around his throat, suffocating him in fear. 

"Oh, no need to fear me, kitten," Inge said as his eyes strayed away from his, disinterested. "Plans change and we just have to change along with them."

Ari's eyes fixated on Inge's fingers drumming against the wooden table.  

"What do you want from me?"

"Want?" Inge laughed. "Nothing. Like I said, plans change." 

Someone came and placed another candle on the table, illuminating Inge's face more which revealed a deep gash going diagonally across his face. Ari's eyes widened in surprise. Thoughts ran rampant in his mind but he did not dare say a word. 

"Disturbing, yes? This pretty face of mine..." Inge traced a finger across it before sticking that same finger in his mouth. "A minor thing, really." 

"If you want nothing from me then why am I here?"

"That is a question better asked to the person who brought you here." 

The candles flickered and the air grew stale. Ari chanced a glance at the passing silhouette of a person on the wall before he snapped his head back at the sound of something heavy being dropped on the table.  

Ari tensed. He soon recovered by repositioning himself in the chair, ignoring the brown eyes boring into his soul. 

"Sascha, tell me, why did you bring him here?" Inge asked. 

Sascha scooted a chair beside Ari and sat in a relax positioned while shrugging. "You helped me. You should help him."

Inge bellowed with laughter, slapping his hands against the table. Soon his hands turned into fists and caused a hole. "Sascha, dear, I know you mean well. But this kitten here has caused me nothing but trouble." 

"Still—" Sascha interrupted. 

Inge put his hand up, silencing Sascha. 

"As if you did not bring that trouble onto yourself," Ari glowered. 

Inge's lip twitched. "Oh, you do not know a thing. You ignorant little—" 

"Inge, he is like us. You must help him," Sascha said with earnest. 

"I tried," Inge growled," I tried and this is what I got in return," Inge said as he pointed to his scar. 

"Auovin..." Ari whispered.  

"Auovin will burn in the fiery pits of hell when I am through with him. I hope he gets what he wants. I want him to. Once he does," Inge laughed. "Once he does, he will suffer the worst of fates. He will be alone. An aloneness not even Cyrus could fill. Soon he will do something to make him leave, if he has not done so already." 

"He has done wrong..." Ari mumbled knowing better than to refute him. Even if he wanted to, Ari had no words or wisdom to say he was not deserving of it. Ari could no longer defend him due to Auovin's unbearable pain because that was what he caused Ari and many more to feel. Being used and thrown away... lied to and taken advantage of at his most vulnerable time. 

"I am sorry I did not believe you. I was blinded by him and what I thought was love." Ari rose from the table and leaned across it. "I became sidetracked and lost, but I know what I want now and it is not him or what he has to offer. I want wisdom and I want to learn."