The Past

A wet cough shook Umbra's frame as he stared at Asher. His lip quivered, utter confusion spilling onto his face.

“What...who…” Umbra gagged. He was completely limp in Asher’s grip, his body too weak to fight.

Asher’s gaze grew critical. “You really don't remember me, huh?” He snorted. “Typical, all you ever cared about was yourself anyway. I guess you haven't changed.”

Asher cast Umbra to the floor, white spots dotting Umbra's vision as his head collided with concrete. He moaned, a heavy tremble passing through him. It took all of his willpower not to slip into darkness.

Asher stalked around him, slinking in a tight circle like a predatory cat. He wore a proud smiling, knowing he had defeated Umbra.

“You were always such a brat,” Asher muttered, giving Umbra's ribs a firm kick. Umbra gasped, his eyes snapping wide open. “I remember you used to cry during class, just so the teacher would stop the lesson and pay attention to you. You just couldn't bear to have spotlight on anyone else, right,  Umbra?”

Umbra's breathing grew sharp, his cheeks turning hot with rage.

“You…” Asher snarled, raising his foot above Umbra's chest, “You were a freaking prince, for crying out loud! Wasn't that good enough for you? You had it all, and you weren't even happy with it!” Asher’s voice cracked, his eyes flickering with malice, “The rest of us, we couldn't even hope to have what you had!”

Asher brought his foot down onto Umbra's chest, and Umbra howled in pain. “That's why we did what we did on graduation. You deserved it, you ungrateful attention whore.”

“You...you were there…” Umbra rasped, staring at Asher with a newfound sense of horror. He instinctively shrunk back, pulling his legs to his chest.

Asher flung his arms in the air. “And he finally remembers me!” Seeing Umbra's shock, Asher grinned, “I had a blast, you know? It was worth the punishment after the teachers found out what happened. But it always bothered me where you went after that…” Asher pressed his boot onto Umbra's head, eyebrows knitting. “Who rescued you?”

Umbra's eyes were vacant, and he was unresponsive.

Asher shook his head. “Whatever. I don't think it matters now.” He knelt down, snatching Umbra by the chin once more. “Don't look so glum, Umbra. I'm actually really glad to see you here. I have you right where I want you.”

“Seeing you have the snot beaten out of you was pretty fun, but I don't think I'm done yet. After all, despite how much I despised you during training, you were my first crush,” Asher murmured, winking, “And I can't resist a man covered in blood.”

That seemed to snap Umbra out of his trance, and he frantically shook his head. “No, no,” he whispered.

Asher forced his lips onto Umbra's, grabbing him by the back of his head. Umbra writhed in tearful fits as he felt Asher’s tongue inside his mouth. After several seconds, Asher pulled away, wiping the saliva from his bottom lip.

Asher leaned in close, his rank breath falling on Umbra's face. “Now, Umbra, I may have the hots for you, but I still have a job to do. It was a mistake for you to come here. You'll regret the day you broke into The Circle of Life. You're messin' with stuff you can't even imagine.”

Asher drew his hand from his pocket, a hunting knife in his firm grip. Before Umbra had the chance to gasp, Asher sunk the blade into Umbra's eye socket.

Disorienting waves of pain wrecked through Umbra, the sounds of his own screams drowning out the squish of his eyeball being pierced. His body convulsed and twitched, blood seeping down the side of his face like water from a faucet.

Asher, unperturbed, twisted the knife, Umbra falling into deeper hysterics. In one fluid motion, he yanked out the blade, running his tongue across it's length. Umbra fell face down onto the concrete, unmoving.

Returning the knife to his pocket, Asher nodded at one of the men that was standing in the sidelines. “Grab him. I'm going to kill two birds with one stone.”

Author's Note- i really have no way to explain myself so take this