"We are all like the bright moon, we still have our darker side."
― Khalil Gibran

Glory was in a terrible mood.

She was sick and tired of people telling her that she needed to take it easy. She was sick and tired of all the rumors circulating around the kingdom. She was sick and tired of staying put and doing nothing.

Everything that the IceWings and the SandWing had told her about the strange order The New Age felt wrong and terrifying.

And the worst of it all was that SandWing.

Aphrodite. Glory growled softly.

Deathbringer you mules head, you better not have been "getting to know" her behind my back.

Just the mere thought made her want to fly into a rage and sink her nails into someone.

There was no one at hand however, so she contented herself with booting a pillow across the room and, incidentally, through a window.

Feeling slightly better, she managed to answer the door, which someone knocked at a moment later, with considerable grace and poise.

It was her grandmother.

Grandeur's sharp eyes went directly to the shattered window, then to her granddaughter with a raised eyebrow.

Glory felt the stirrings of shame inside her stomach. If she wanted to stop being treated like an emotional child, she would have to stop acting like one.

"I came to see how you were feeling," The old woman said. "But I can see that was unnecessary."

"A bird flew into the window," Glory lied. 

"I'm sure."

There was an awkward silence.

"Well, I guess I'll be going then," Grandeur suggested.

"No, hold on, actually, I had a thought, well, a few thoughts. A plan, kind of, and I think you should here me out,"

"Happy birthday Sadhi!" 

Sadhi raised his head from where it had been resting on the table. He looked down. His cheek had been stuck to his book and there was ink spilled across the page.

Velvet bounded into the room with a smile on her face, which faded slightly when she saw him. 

"You fell asleep at the table?" she asked, then peered down at the page of writing that was visible.

I shall not misbehave. I shall not lie. Lying is a sin. Sin is the child of the devil, I shall never fall prey to the devil.

I shall not misbehave. I shall not lie. Lying is a sin. Sin is the child of the devil, I shall never fall prey to the devil.

I shall not misbehave. I shall not lie. Lying is a sin. Sin is the child of the devil, I shall never fall prey to the devil.

Over and over again.

Velvet's blue eyes melted with concern. "How long did you stay up writing lines Sadhi?" She asked.

"A while," he answered. "Don't get mad at me, I didn't mean to do it, it was him, he stole the bread role. It wasn't me, I swear it-" he was cut off as Velvet clasped his hands between her own.

"I'm not mad Sadhi, and I know it wasn't you, so lets forget about it shall we? I'm here to congratulate you on turning thirteen!" She beamed at him.

Sadhi looked surprised. "You remembered that it is my birthday today?"

She scoffed. "Sadhi I've remembered every year since you came here. Anyway, I brought you a gift. Close your eyes and hold out your hands."

He did so.

"Okay, now open them."

He gasped in delight.

Sitting in the palms of his hands was a fuzzy, round fruit.

"A peach!" 

She grinned. "I managed to sneak it out of the Fathers breakfast. Eat it quick so they won't find out."

"We'll share it," Sadhi suggested.

"No, no, Sadhi, it's for you."

"But I want to share it with you." He insisted. "Please let me."

She smiled warmly. "Alright then." She reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a small knife. Sadhi watched as she took the peach and began to slice it evenly on the table.

Her hair, as usual, was loose and flowing down her back. Sadhi knew she preferred it that way, and how much she hated it when the nuns braided it tightly against her sculp.

Today he noticed, there was a single, wild rose tucked behind her ear.

His heart throbbed suddenly in his chest. Though she looked much the same as she ever did, she seemed now, completely different.

She was an emblem of strength, of warmth and kindness. The one person in his life who wanted to protect him.

All at once she seemed to glow in the sunlight and he was struck by a startling revelation.

His hand wandered to his chest where he pressed his fingers over his heart. A sweet pain spread from where it fluttered strongly inside, to every inch of his body.

"You're so beautiful," he said.

The knife slipped and Velvet let out a startled gasp as it sliced through the edge of her finger.

She dropped the knife and grasped her bleeding finger in her other hand.

Sadhi jumped to her side. "You're hurt!" he said, alarmed.

"It's nothing," Velvet assured him through clenched teeth. "Really it's fine." Tears glimmered in her eyes making the soft blue waver.

Taking her injured hand in his own, he unclasped it, bent his head and gently licked the blood from her injured finger, gently, like he had seen wild dogs do when one they cared for was injured.

She held stiller than a statue, just watching him, barely breathing.

When the blood flow had lessened, he clasped her hand near his chest and looked at her. Really looking at her for the first time.

"You always protect me Velvet," he said. "I'll protect you too. I promise."

Her face split into a beaming smile. "I know you will Sadhi," she said.

Then she gave him half of the peach to eat while she ate the other.

"What shall we do with the pit?" Sadhi asked.

She thought about it carefully. "We'll plant it," she suggested. "One day, in a beautiful, green, happy place. In the mean time," she closed his fingers over the large brown seed. "Keep it safe."

When she left, the sweet pain was gone, replaced by a bitter ache, the only comfort being that he knew she would be back.

"Happy Birthday Sadhi," 

Sadhi whipped around. "How did you get in here?" he demanded of Hyena, who stood, taller now than before, near the window.

"Secret."

"Go away," Sadhi commanded.  

Hyena pulled a face of mock disappointment. "I only wanted to wish you a happy birthday! Happy birthday Sarai!" he paused when he saw Sadhi stiffen.

"Oops, did I get it wrong? No, sorry-" He slapped his forehead with his hand. "I got you confused for someone else."

"How do you know his name?" Sadhi whispered.

Hyena's lopsided grin widened. 

"Oh, I know a lot more about him than you do. A lot more. We know each other quite well."

"H-how?" Sadhi asked as the other boy began to prowl towards him.

"Where do we go when we sleep? Do you know the answer Sadhi?"

"No I-I don't."

Hyena grinned. "You go away. You fade to the back of your mind and he takes over. I know you said you don't want to be my friend Sadhi, but he does. Every night, while you are sleeping, he wakes up and we have fun. Oh yes, you suspected something didn't you? When you woke up with blood on your hands or a strange taste in your mouth, you knew something happened, but you pretended it didn't."

Sadhi shivered as Hyena's fingers trailed along his jaw. "You're scared that people will think you're a monster aren't you?"

"Y-es," Sadhi hardly dared to breath.

Hyena's lips brushed his ear, his quiet voice causing involuntary shivers to run up his spine. "I'm the only one who knows the truth, that you aren't the one who killed that wolf everyone found dead yesterday. I know it wasn't you who slit his stomach open and caved in his scull. We both know it. You keep saying, "It wasn't me!" "I didn't do it!" and you're right, you didn't, but you will. You think you aren't a monster because it isn't you who did all the bad things. But it is you who are the monster, not Sarai."

"What do you mean?" Sadhi asked.

Hyena grinned and held something out.

It was a rabbit in a cage. 

"I got you a birthday present," Hyena said.

He opened the cage, reached inside and pulled out the shivering creature.

"Hold it," he told Sadhi,  who shook his head and took a step backwards. 

"Why not? Are you scared? Do you think it will hurt you?" Hyena was grinning again. "No, that's not it. You're scared that if you hold it you will kill it, and you won't be able to say that it isn't you anymore. Well, are you going to prove me wrong?"

Sadhi stared at the rabbit, trembling in Hyena's hands. The black haired boy smoothed down its silken fur, caressing it gently.

"Go on, don't be a baby, Vel wouldn't like you if you were a baby, you know that."

"Fine, I'll do it," Sadhi held out his hands to receive the animal.

Its soft, living warmth and beating heart was alien and strange.

"There you go," Hyena smiled. "Now squeeze its neck."

"What?!"

"Squeeze its neck! Do it!"

"I-I don't-I don't-"

"Do it!" Hyena hissed. "Or I'll make sure Velvet never comes back to you. Do it now!"

Terrified, Sadhi clamped his hands around the rabbits neck and squeezed.

The small, dark eyes looked up at him with terror and desolation, he began to lift his hands away.

"Squeeze harder!" Hyena snapped. "More! Or I'll kill her!"

"I can't!" Sadhi sobbed. "I can't do it! I won't!"

"You will!" Hyena's eyes were wild. He snatched Velvet's knife, which had been forgotten on the table and shoved it into Sadhi's hand. 

"Slit its throat!" 

"No!"

"Do it or I will, and I swear it, take this knife and go slit her throat right now. Do you want that? Do you? Because then you'll have to live with knowing it was you who killed her!"

Sadhi's body shook with terror and sobs as he slowly lowered the knife to the rabbits neck and pressed downwards.

"Yesss." Hyena hissed. "Yes. More."

The rabbit lay completely still in his hands, as though it knew that its fate had been sealed and there was nothing more he could do.

The brilliant white fur became red so fast you could hardly comprehend it.

"Now stop. Stop Sadhi, stop!" Hyena demanded.

There was no stopping. The rabbit was already dead.

Sadhi stared disbelievingly at the still form in his hands, numb with shock and fear.

"You monster!" Hyena cried. "You monster! Why didn't you stop?! I told you to stop but you didn't! See? You ARE the monster!"

"But-but he was already-"

"Still making excuses for yourself?" Hyena spat. "You're pathetic! You're weak! Weak!" 

"I'm sorry!" Sadhi whispered. 

Hyena strode out of the room, calling behind him, "You don't deserve to live!"

When Velvet came back to Sadhi's room, she found him huddled in a corner, covered in blood, clutching a knife in one hand and a dead rabbit in the other. 

"Sadhi!" She gasped, dropping to her knees beside him. "Sadhi, what happened?"

"It wasn't-" the words stuck in his throat. It was him. He had done it. It was his own fault, for the first time and he knew it.

"I didn't mean to," he began to cry. "He said he'd make you go away if I didn't, I didn't know what else to do-"

"Who did, Sadhi? Answer me!" She pressed her hand to his forehead. "Him?" she asked.

"No-"

"Hyena?"

He opened and closed his mouth, desperate for words. 

Having gotten her answer, Velvet wrapped her arms around his shaking form, running her hands through his hair. 

"It's okay Sadhi," she whispered. "It's okay, it's not you're fault."

"But I-I did it this time, I did it-I'm a monste-"

"You are not a monster." She said firmly. "And you didn't do it. Your hands might have done the work, but it was him who made you. Listen to me-" she grabbed his face in her hands and looked him in the eyes.

"I'm not ever leaving you. You are not a monster, I know you aren't and that is never, ever going to change."

Sarai opened his eyes. 

No wonder he's been so restless, he thought. All that dreaming about her.

 The wind on his face was comforting. Spending days and days on end underground was suffocating. 

Out of habit, his hand went into his pocket and he rubbed his thumb along the rough surface of a peach pit which sat, as always, swathed in the material of his pants.

It was a strange thing, he knew full well that the peach pit meant nothing to him, he could throw it away at any time he wished. Of course the other would thrash about and beg him to stop, but he could still do it. 

He didn't.

In fact the mere thought of casting it away caused his heart to clench painfully.

The memories of her, which the dreams had brought to the surface of his consciousness were unsettling and brought on a wave of unfamiliar emotions.

It doesn't matter. He decided. She didn't matter, he doesn't matter. Nothing matters

Deathbringer decided that being fully conscious was much worse than drifting in and out. Being fully awake now, the pain in his body was multiplied by a hundred and there was no escaping it.

Eventually able to sit up, he took the time to assess the damage. As he had suspected, two of his ribs were broken, and another was cracked at the very least.

His head wound was the most painful. It throbbed constantly, bringing on waves of nausea and dizziness.

His throat was dry as sand and his stomach was empty as a dead river bed.

He felt absolutely terrible to say the least.

Luckily, no one had come to torture him, though he knew that wouldn't last long. They didn't want to kill him while they thought there might be a chance of him giving them some valuable information, so they would wait until some more abuse would no longer be life threatening, and then they would get him again.

"How pleasant,"  he said dryly, to no one in particular.

 So, is this terrible? Is the storyline good or bad? I mean, I like it but that's just because I'm a sucker for those dark, twisted characters with dark, twisted pasts that make the story dark and twisted.

Also this story is getting really long lol. I hope no one minds.

Please consider giving this chapter a vote :)

💜