Stephen grumbled on the pain in his head. Lying with his back on to the ground after hitting a barricade on the road. The last thing he remembered was driving fast with his thoughts drifting around in spirals until the car crashed. Tiny bits of broken glass punctured through his skin and a sharp metal pierced through his left shoulder. He let out a small sigh and hiss at the pain of both his wounds, muscle and brain. Then he realized about the guy who slaughtered the lightkeepers and piled them up like sacks of rotten flesh. His eyes snapped open at the thought of Darwin.
He pulled himself up and turned to see the unconscious being lying on the ground under the shade of trees. He crawled and picked up his whip which happened to be just a few stretches away from him. Then sneaked out slowly out of the upside down car without making any sounds towards him. Slowly and slow...
"Even if you walk through the air just to make no sound I will still hear every movement of your muscle", Darwin moved his blood stained lips but with his eyes still closed. Lying on the ground like dead.
"I'm surprised you're still alive after that fight", Stephen sighed and rested on the tree as he put his whip aside, "Are you up for another round?", he playfully taunted him.
"It's not like someone like you could actually kill me. But no thanks, I'm tired of fighting when I can just snap you neck on your sleep anytime I want", Darwin's weak voice fainted to a loud whisper.
Stephen rolled his eyes at him. He looked at the car and sighed.
"I don't know happened last night", He told himself.
"We obviously crashed. Idiot", Darwin interrupted.
He rubbed his back on the barks of the tree to aid him as he stand up. Still looking at Darwin in alertness. He pulled the broken glasses on his skin.
"Just don't think of making of trouble", He told him in between whimpers and hiss from pulling the glasses off.
Darwin didn't respond at him. He just turned his back from him and let out a deep sigh. Stephen realized that the adamantine dagger was still planted on his heart.
"You could've just pulled that thing off and run away, idiot", Stephen mocked him at his situation.
"Yeah. But just when I pull it out, life will then push out of my body. Happy now?", Darwin rolled his eyes.
"Guess I would just let you like that", Stephen shrugged his shoulders and just pulled the one last piece. He let out a deep breath at the tingling pain in his shoulder. He tried pulling it off slowly but it was just too painful.
"Hmmm. Looks like someone cannot heal himself", Darwin pulled himself up and sat with legs crossed. He gave Stephen a taunting smile as he pulled the sleeve up from his wrist and sliced it with his claw.
Stephen saw his open narrowing and shrinking as it rapidly heals down.
"So what?", He just frowned at him.
"Here's a thing. You pulled thing off my chest and I pull that thing off your shoulder plus I'm gonna heal your wounds all at once", Darwin tried to bargain.
Stephen just laughed at his face. Giving him a middle finger before pulling the metal off again. His loud screams filled the air.
"Atleast I can have a witch to pull this thing off, but what about your life when you lose so much blood?", Darwin playing with his nails and biting it like a kid.
Stephen gave up and let out a deep moan. He looked up to the blue sky before pulling up to his feet and walked slowly towards him. His wounds are more deadly than the stakes and risks.
"Just know that if you do something bad ,I will never hesitate to pierce this through again", He warned Darwin face to face before putting his hand to the grip of the dagger.
He slowly pulled the dagger off Darwin's chest.
"Fuck! Pull it off!", He pushed Stephen back with the dagger in his hand as he leaped back smiling at him. Darwin's eyes glowing gray at the light and his skin beaming in white to pale.
"Damn! Just as I thought", he looked at him with disappointment. He just let a monster live again to kill more people, this time he's on the top of the list.
"Bitch...", Darwin looked around the shade behind him slowly consumed by sunlight. A furious expression marked his face as he stepped back and forth to avoid the strike of the light.
The sunlight, slowly entrapping Darwin from a shade. He looked at Stephen with fury.
"I see", Stephen laughed at his expression. He let out a taunting smile back at Darwin. Moving playfully his hands to the light of the sun, teasing Darwin who has now anxious and furious, "So how about that bargain you proposed?", He lift his brows.
"How can I possibly heal you when I'm trapped in here?", Darwin rolled his eyes.
"Says the one who can't be trusted", Stephen threw his hand away.
"Shit!", the sunlight slowly creeped in Darwin's nape as the shade became smaller and smaller.
Darwin bit his lips at the pain of burning sunlight in his skin. Looking at his arms, the light gently penetrating through his flesh. He hissed at roasting skin, unable to move any further because of the sun.
"Hey!", Stephen looked around for something to cover but then his coat was too far away from him. So he took off his suit and threw at to Darwin, "Use your speed to cross", He pointed at the tree shed across him.
Instead of running straight to the shed, he lanced directly to Stephen and grabbed his neck. He dragged him across the clear in a lightning speed and pinned him to the back of the wall of the tree shed. His skin still burning from the sunlight and his hair, drying like hay. Half of his face filled with bruises and wounds.
"You are born ungrateful", Stephen said in between breaths as Darwin tightened the grip on his neck.
"You really want to kill me, do you?", Darwin pushed him harder to the wall. Coughing and unable to move, Stephen managed to turn the dagger into the opponent's chest.
"One more push and I'll dig this thing down, so hard you'll never breathe air again", Stephen dug his nails on Darwin's arm. Blood dripping down his fingers.
Darwin groaned at the pain of Steph's nails on his arms. He looked straight into his eyes then to his left arm and back to his eyes again. He grabbed the shaft of the metal that pierced through Stephen's arm and pulled it.
Stephen screamed at the pain as he went down on his knees. Darwin sliding his back to the ground beside him. Both panting like horses.
"Stay away from me", Stephen pushed Darwin to the side. Blood dripping from his wounds.
"You are born ungrateful", Darwin mocked him with his eyes rolling. He felt a strong drip in his energy due to the adamantine dagger that wounded his heart.
A few silent moments passed at both of them lost consciousness and woke up just a few minutes passed the hour of 5 in the afternoon. Just when the sun has set.
Stephen opened his eyes and felt a flow of energy in his body. His wounds have healed and the bruises gone. He pulled himself up and looked at the sky to see that it was already dark.
"My wounds...", he whispered.
"Healed? Of course", Darwin continued. He was standing a meter away from him with his arms crossed. His silver hair falling like stripes of moonlight in his face. Eyes gleaming in the small illumination of light touching his face. He had regain his appearance after a period of time.
"Just try not to die within 24 hours or you'll be one of those creatures that you use to kill", Darwin explained as he dusted off his shirt and walked away from Stephen, "The next time we meet, by chance or by fate, I won't let you live", He looked coldly at him from his shoulder. His eyes turned crimson in shade.
"I'm taking you to the institute", Stephen stood up and walked towards him.
"As if human, you have no idea what you've just met", Darwin gave him a taunting look from behind.
Stephen, not biting the intimidation grabbed and pulled him through his clothes and faced him. Their faces just few inches away from each other.
"I said you are coming with me!", He growled in fury as he demanded Darwin. His eyes changed to blue in shade which seemed to look like a blue torch dancing in a round motion.
His expression intimidated Darwin to the point that his mind was chasing all the thoughts that were racing inside. He couldn't say a word. He has this feeling of dread, mixed with pain and waved in horror and fear. He tried biting his lips to draw him out or the luring stares of Stephen but he was dragged down into a spiral of fear and horror. The first time he felt for the last 200 years. Something that he wouldn't understand.
"Get off...I said get off!", His voice in total dread and shaky that it almost sounded like a human chased by a tiger. He tried pushing Stephen away but his grips were so strong.
"I said you are coming with me!!", Stephen's voice roared like thunder.
"Get away from me!", Darwin kicked his gut with all his might sending Stephen tumbling backwards so hard that the ground cracked. He grabbed his neck and took a step back from him.
He screamed as a shot of pain just throbbed in his head. He went on his knees holding his head. His voice fading from pain to fear to broke. He looked up to see Stephen coming back to him.
"No, stop! Stay away!!!", He screamed at the top of his lungs as he scrammed back to the ground and pulled himself up. He hissed at Stephen as he took a few steps back before pulling his wings off. He took a leap and flew away from him as fast as he can. So fast that he lost sight of the surroundings.
Stephen shook his head and looked around to see that Darwin has gone. He grabbed his temples as a short prick of pain throbbed in his head. He looked up, curious about what happened. His eyes went back to normal shade.
"I can't face the council like this, I failed", He sighed in defeat. Pain creeped into his heart as he remembered the unfortunate and tragic event that happened overnight. It's been a very long day.
He drove back to the institute. Carrying a heavy feeling in his heart upon the fate of his co-lightkeepers. The dread of the sight, the mountain of cadavers, brutally slain by a monster and stashed it like rotten meat in the middle of the road. He closed his eyes, trying to hold a grip of all the thoughts and frustrations running in his head. Then without him realizing, he had pulled into the hall of the institute. Just when he's about to enter the lobby, one of the council members approached him.
"The chairman needs a word from you, officer Stern", he said with a low spirit. Alongside with him was one of the Black Pentagram, Brandon Skii.
"You know how fucked up you are dude", Brandon his very close friend in the Black Pentagram hugged him, "It's been a long time, Steppy boy. We'll see each other after this. And by the way, you look like shit", he gave him a teasing smile before turning to the council member and gestured him to come along.
They both shared a familiar look and nodded on each other before they went on their ways.