Harmless Faces - Enhypen x The Darkest Minds

| iii.

FOR A MOMENT, NI-KI FORGETS HOW TO BREATHE- whether it be from fear or shock, though, he can't quite distinguish. The boy in front of him doesn't say a word, doesn't try to touch or injure Ni-ki in any way. He simply stands and stares, the orange glow emitting from his eyes never faltering. His mere presence is enough to confuse the other, Ni-ki wondering who the stranger is, where he comes from, endless questions ringing through his mind- all while both stay silent.

In a show of attempted peace, Ni-ki opens his palms and lifts them, showing the other that he's unarmed and means no harm. At the spectacle, the others eyes almost grow apologetic, lips turning slightly downwards in a soft frown. For the first time since he laid eyes on the stranger, Ni-ki hears the boy speak- two words that cause fear to strike his heart.

"I'm sorry."

In a flash, Ni-ki's head is pinned to the ground, a knee held against his neck. He feels a hand push against his skull, forcing dirt into his mouth- a bitter taste that he immediately spits out. He feels the cold tip of a small gun being pushed against the back of his head, a looming threat that taunts Ni-ki, daring to be carried out. Still, his eyes never leave those of his fellow orange, the remorse in his eyes shaking the other to his core. His gaze grows too strong, too intense, Ni-ki being the one to finally break their eye contact. His eyes instead move upwards, finally managing a glance at his assaulter- the female tracer he had seen earlier.

"Look like you were finally good for once, Esa-ie." She snarls, the same poison in her voice from earlier ever present as she regards the young boy.

Ni-ki looks back at him once again, just in time to see him almost visibly flinch at the hatred spewed his way. His eyes don't dare to meet the older's, cowering as his vision instead moves to the ground.

"You work for her? And you're what, 15? An Orange, working for tracers?" Ni-ki questions, his voice a mixture of anger and confusion. His mind demands answers that he feels the other won't be providing him with.

The boy doesn't respond, simply watches. Despite the hold the woman has on Ni-ki, despite his abilities, despite having the opportunity to do something, anything- he watches. His previous sympathy for the boy quickly dissipates, replaced with newfound feelings of resentment towards the cold stranger.

"Who told you to talk, freak?" The woman jeers, increasing the pressure on the back of Ni-ki's neck and causing him to yelp out with pain.

He sees stars at the edge of his vision, growling with anger. Deciding he's had quite enough, he frees one of his hands from underneath the woman's hold, immediately moving it to grasp her wrist. The moment he makes contact, he feels his power course through him, directing it all towards the women. It seeks the life source after leaving Ni-ki, slamming into the tracer. The woman gasps as her eyes go lifeless, her mind processing as she slowly turns into a mere puppet underneath Ni-ki's hold on her mind. Her body goes rigid, all struggle and strength leaving her as she goes mentally limp. 

"Let me go." He demands, to which she immediately obliges. She removes her knee off the back of Ni-ki's neck, standing up and straightening her posture, awaiting instruction. "Drop your weapon." He commands. The woman drops the pistol that had previously been in her other hand to the ground, landing with a soft thump, before reaching into one of her combat boots, revealing a small knife in her sock. She drops the dagger as well, it barely making a sound as it hits the dirt.

Though he can't see his reaction, his fellow orange stands a few feet away, mouth agape as he watches the unknown turn his captor of 3 years into nothing but a mindless shell of a human with a brush of skin and a few words.

"How many more of you are there, and where?" Ni-ki grills.

"A man, Yojun. He went Northeast into the forest to find the others." She answers, her tone deadpan and devoid of any emotion.