"You can run if you want. Or do you think you can overpower me..." he smirked as he opened his arms, goading them into attacking, but with the aura Tymon radiated, even they knew not to fall for it. They were outclassed completely. "I-It doesn't matter," Kaeg said nervously, sweating as he stepped back before regaining his composure. "You can't hurt us either." "Wanna bet?" Tymon's smirk faded, and his fist darkened with black mist. He blurred before them and landed a solid punch to the gut, causing them to fall to their knees and wheeze. The spot where he hit them began to corrode outward slowly. "You can hurt us?! That shouldn't be possible," Kaeg coughed, likely straining to keep from vomiting up all the blood they'd drank that day. "Blood ages. Your liquid body won't protect you from me," Tymon replied as he squatted down to be level with them and gripped them by the hair, forcing them to look at him. "I gave you the option to run. I saw you step back, but why did you resist the urge to do run?" "You say that like you wanted us to run," Kaeg responded, vexed by their humiliation. Tymon gripped their hair tighter and looked them in the eye with a cold expression. "When you hunted humans, didn't you enjoy it more when they ran?" he said almost threateningly as he let their hair go and stood. When Kaeg looked up, the fear in their eyes displayed that, for the first time, they'd come across someone who'd made them feel like the prey. Afraid, they tried not to give Tymon any reason to feel antagonized by surrendering and making themselves seem smaller. They even began to split apart, but Tymon's expression hardened as he peered down at them and reached out. "Wait! We surr—" was all they could get out before Tymon gripped them by the face while they were partway through dividing back into two. Michael found the scene a bit unsettling, seeing Kaila and Claeg's bodies separated, but the head of Kaeg remained due to Tymon's strong grip keeping their two selves together. This gave them the appearance of two bodies sharing one head. "Stop! This isn't right! Show some humanity!" They yelled, their voice muffled under his hand. "I'm not human," Tymon retorted as he blasted their face with Last Breath, decaying their entire head. The erosion continued to spread until they were a withered membrane that crumbled to nothingness. Tymon sat near Michael, who looked at him. "How many lives you think they spared after being pleaded to?" Tymon asked, meeting his stare. Michael held his gaze briefly before looking down at the ground in disappointment. "That's not what the look was for." "What? You regret not being able to kill them yourself?" Tymon asked half mockingly. Then he looked at Michael's somber expression and sighed before asking, "How many people have you killed?" Michael remained silent. He'd spent over a century healing and saving lives. He'd never actually taken one. Even when he felt justified, he could never actually bring himself to. Admittedly, both times he faced Trevor, he held back just enough to keep from killing him. Even when Avarice's group ambushed him, he subconsciously held back. Then, with the twins, he still couldn't bring himself to kill for the betterment of humanity. "Wanting to kill someone and actually going through with it are two different things. Even for us," Tymon told him, now looking out at the horizon instead of at him. "Don't try to be something you're not. Remember what Viraa said; we each bring something different to the table that Alissia will need. Her ideology is to preserve as much life as possible. Your abilities allow you to do just that. There's no need for you to try to force yourself into being someone who can take a life. There's enough of us who can as is." He shifted his attention to meet Michael squarely, his expression earnest. "You focus on preserving her humanity. I can shoulder the grim necessities." Michael's gaze drifted off. His expression must've told Tymon what he was thinking as he said, "Relax, you'll be around longer than you think. I won't let you die, so just focus on meditational healing before you bleed out." "To think I'd be saved by then getting advice from you. Unfortunately, I'm in no position to argue," Michael said as he shut his eyes. The two sat there as they began to tend to their wounds when suddenly Za'Fia pained scream could be heard in their heads. While Michael didn't have the strength to move, Tymon jumped to his feet. "The hell was that," Tymon muttered with a grim expression.--------------------------------------------------------Fun fact: Kaeg is a unique unification form of the Claeg and Kaila. They share the memories of both siblings and boasts enough power to dwarf even Michael.Enjoying the story? 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