What Makes a Monster

♱Eighty-Four♱

"W-Where's Soran?"

"Don't worry. You'll see him soon." He slips his arm around my waist and, with one jump, we're above the city. I clench my eyes shut when we drop. Air whistles harshly against my ringing ears. Then we're on the ground. Quelen drops me so that I grunt when hitting the charred dirt.

The air here is tense. There's pressure. Moving is difficult. My muscles ache when pushing myself up. Then I suddenly forget the pressure when I catch sight of Soran, motionless in front of me. I rip through the dirt, clawing at his torn, bloodstained clothes. His skin is a dull gray, cracked like clay. There's a slow, wheezing breath and his eyes are dim, but they aren't red. They're gold. A soft gold with the faintest sparkle, as if there's a star hidden behind foggy eyes.

"Soran? Wake up. Soran!"

"He won't be getting up. Not without some help, of course."

I glare at Quelen, who stands over us with a wry smile. Now that I'm sitting up, I see that we're likely at the center of the city. There's a vast clearing. Houses and buildings have been burned to the ground, leaving a circle of gray ash. But in that center of ash is that damn portal again, only it's now hissing lightning that cracks into the sky. I wince at the sound. Above, the sky is growing even darker until red lightning starts flashing in the clouds too. The portal is growing bigger and, I swear, I can hear more screaming. It feels as if everything is centering around this single point.

I bring Soran into my lap, cradling him in my grasp. I hold him tight, casting a shield around us both. My hand trembles when I point it at Quelen, who steps back, only acting frightened. Then he throws his head back with a laughter, "Are you serious? Wow!" He claps. "You got some guts. You're an idiot, but a gutsy one."

"What did you do to him? And...and where is Karsissia?" I expected her to be here. Surely she wouldn't allow this to happen unless she's in on it?

"Dead," he answers.

"That's...t-that's not possible."

"No one thought vampires were possible, yet here we are." Quelen chuckles. "Soran was about to join her, but he really is...the odd one." He rolls his eyes. "Suppose there is a big difference between us."

"A difference?"

"Can't you sense it?"

I look to Soran, to the one thing that really stands out; his eyes. That gold spark is there. I focus on it and I feel it. Lumen lingering within him, but that makes sense. He's a vampire. They consume lumen.

"Since I plan to kill you as soon as he wakes up--"

I bite into my bottom lip, recalling what Quelen said during his visit; he will fail to protect you, just like he failed to protect his family.

"I'm going to let you in on a secret." Quelen steps closer. I ready a sphere in my hand that he doesn't so much as flinch at. "Only Unborn can become vampires because they give up their humanity, their right to be within Aena's light. And, let's just say, when a vampire dies, we have no soul to give to her. We lost that right. We cease to exist...except for Soran, apparently."

My breath hitches in my throat. Quelen takes another step closer.

"When I drained after last drop of vilis from him, when I tried to tear him apart, he kept on fighting and healing because there was still something there--"

"Lumen," I whisper.

He nods. "Nothing like what we consume or even the small, tainted bit that Karsissia and I had within ourselves. No, Soran's is pure, the same as yours, the same as other humans and I wondered why? What's different?" He kneels a few feet away, red eyes fixated on Soran. "Soran did not give up his humanity. It was taken for him and, should I kill him, his soul will remain. Perhaps he'll move on, or perhaps..." He glances at me. I mull it over and can only come to one conclusion.

"Perhaps he'll come back as something not even you could predict? Something new?" I smile. "Someone that could defeat you."

"There will never be utter defeat," he says. "Darkness and light will always coexist. That is the balance of all things, but yes, perhaps."

I'm scared to ask so the question comes out as a mumble, "Then what do you plan to do?"

He smirks just as Soran groans. His eyes meet mine just as Quelen grabs me. I didn't even see him move. My sphere goes up in smoke, the spell disappearing. Soran drops out of my lap, conscious, but barely moving. He reaches out to me, his nails digging into my pant lag until Quelen drags me away. I'm kicking and screaming, but I can still hear Soran's pained voice, "Wallie, please, Quelen, don't! Don't. Don't. Wallie!"

The portal grows closer. The lightning hisses around us.

"Don't fret, Soran. When you go back to sleep, you may dream of him."

Soran tears into the dirt, dragging himself towards me. There are tears streaming down his cheeks. There are tears staining mine.

I want to say something. I want to tell him it's alright. I want to tell him this isn't his fault. I want to tell him he'll be ok.

I want to tell him I love him.

But Quelen doesn't know mercy and I never knew fear until today. He throws me. Red light flashes above. Darkness creeps into my vision. And the last I see of Soran, he's screaming.

♱♱♱

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