*Pant pant pant*
Sunny looked down at the woman in his arms, a soft and sad smile masking the raging storm inside his mind.
A storm that Sunny could sympathize with. His heart started to scream—an urge to just let her go and fall, pin her to the ground, hold her by the neck, and squeeze the breath out of her. An urge that wanted to literally make the woman in his arms suffer, driven by an unknown need.
But on the other hand, deep in the core of his soul, something caged inside urged to break free...
Sunny let out a small growl as he held her tighter, securing a better grip on her waist, using his strength to pull her back onto her feet.
He slowly released the hand he was intertwined with—a soft and smooth, skinny hand.
'Is this girl even eating?'
A thought of worry flickered in his mind for a moment before he shook it away. He looked at Cassie's flushed face, noticing the hand he had just held now reaching towards her hair to sweep it over her ear.
*Clap clap clap clap*
The applause of the people around them grew louder and more cheerful, shattering the reality the two had been lost in.
Sunny looked away from Cassie, taking slow, deep breaths to calm his racing heart. The hateful urge slowly crawled back into his thoughts, his mind snapping back to reality. He felt annoyed... furious... and jealous.
"Let's go,"
he said, guiding Cassie toward one of the ballroom's balconies. Sunny once again noticed how skinny she was, how easy it was to push and guide her, which made him frown even more.
"Alright,"
Cassie replied with a slow nod, her pleasant smile from their dance still brightening her petite face.
A few steps away, a man in a red suit with a black bowtie approached them abruptly, carrying a tray of drinks.
"Sir, ma'am, a drink if you would like."
Sunny stopped in his tracks and looked at the young man.
"No tha—"
"A cocktail, please," Cassie interrupted.
Sunny looked at Cassie, then back at the young man, who smiled broadly.
"Alright then,"
the man said, holding the tray towards Cassie, waiting for her to take her drink.
One second, two seconds, three seconds passed, and the man continued to wait.
Sunny sighed, realizing Cassie had no intention of moving.
"I'll take one too," Sunny said, making the young man flinch.
"Ah... yes, of course,"
the man replied, directing the tray towards Sunny, who took two glasses of cocktails.
Sunny looked at Cassie, and without needing to say a word, she raised her hand. He frowned at her actions.
'Is she daring to use me right now?'
Sunny glared intensely at her, making the young man gulp nervously.
"A... anything else?"
the young man asked.
"No need, thank you very much,"
Cassie responded with a smile. The man noticed that while her head was slightly tilted toward him, her gaze was unfocused.
'Ah! Is she blind?'
The man made a mental note of her appearance.
'The red dress suits her.'
"She said nothing else is needed. You can go,"
Sunny's sharp words snapped the man back to reality. He nodded hastily.
"Yes, sir, I'm sorry for wasting your time!" the man bowed and hurried towards the next guests.
"You scared him," Cassie said softly.
"Like I give a damn. Let's go,"
Sunny replied coldly, but he still handed her the cocktail she wanted, guiding her fingers to the edge of the glass, letting her trace it before grabbing it.
"Thank you,"
Cassie nodded, still smiling—the smile that made his heart boil with hatred... with venom. That's why his heart was beating so fast. Yes... it was hatred.
"If you want to thank me, you better answer my questions truthfully," Sunny muttered, resuming his pace, with Cassie following closely.
They reached the balcony, where the air carried a faint yet distinct smell of wood.
"Even here..."
Sunny muttered.
"So, you noticed too?"
Cassie asked.
"It would be weirder not to notice. It reeks everywhere,"
Sunny replied.
They arrived at the railing. Sunny let go of Cassie's hand, slipping his own into his pocket, while she touched the railing with her fingers, leaning her body against it, resting her wrist on the edge.
"Why are you here?"
Sunny asked, turning around and leaning his back against the railing.
'What do you want from him?'
"What do you mean by that? You dragged me here,"
Cassie responded.
"I'm not joking. That piece of crap is dangerous."
"And how do you know that?"
Cassie questioned.
"I know because I came here with Master Jet to investigate him and lo—...ck."
Sunny froze and let out a long sigh, dropping his head back, leaning against the railing even more.
"And lock him up," Sunny muttered, finally remembering why he was here.
'I hope Jet learned more from Seishan... unless they were just flirting again.'
Sunny faked a gag as he glanced to the side—a garden full of nightmarish wooden statues of creatures and humans, located south of the ballroom, enclosed by a high wall surrounding it.
"Hmmm~"
Cassie hummed softly.
Sunny snapped out of his thoughts about the eerie garden and looked at her.
"What?"
"You came here with a woman,"
Cassie stated.
"So what?"
Sunny responded harshly.
Cassie lingered for a moment before speaking again, her gaze fixed on Sunny. He frowned as she looked at him with her pale, sky-blue eyes, devoid of light.
"Neph would be jealous."
Crash
In an instant, Sunny had Cassie pinned against the wall, his face inches from hers, her breath tickling his skin. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, his right hand tightening around her neck, slowly cutting off her air.
Sunny's grip tightened, his bloodlust evident in his eyes as he spoke through gritted teeth.
"You... pant... you... bitc—... ngh!... you..."
Sunny wanted to curse her, the vile words teetering on the edge of his tongue. His heart pumped venom into his veins with every rapid beat, but he couldn't release the words. All he could do was stare at her face... at her eyes lost from him... at her dry lips... curled into a smile.
Sunny scoffed, smirking with a frown.
'This girl...'
Cassie smiled at him between heavy breaths, not the smile of a woman who knew she wouldn't be cursed or of someone who believed he was merely making empty threats. It was a soft smile, one that dared him to release his fury, his curses... to let it all out. Sunny wasn't a fool; he knew why she did it. She had to choose between him and Neph.
His mind always operated within a logical circle, but his emotions... they continued to corrupt it. He couldn't stop it. He needed them to corrupt him. Otherwise... he'd be a slave who appreciated his master... no, a slave who appreciated his seller.
Sunny took shallow breaths, his hand loosening its grip on her neck. The other hand, which had been clenched into a fist against the wall, slowly relaxed. He rested his head on her shoulder, feeling her body stiffen for a moment as his forehead brushed against the spaghetti strap of her red dress... a dress that suited her well.
"You stole... no, you sold my freedom,"
Sunny's voice was muffled, choked by his own inability to breathe. He wanted to scream, to lash out at her.
"Yes, I did,"
Cassie's words echoed in his ear.
"You chose to save Neph and abandon me."
"Yes... I did that too."
Sunny gulped, his frustration building as tears threatened to fall from his eyes.
"You... ugh... ah... you... are a dummy."
Cassie moved her head, her chin bumping into his hair.
"What?"
"You... you're a dummy..."
He couldn't repeat the harsh words he once spoke to her in front of Neph's dream capsule. He couldn't say them again.
"You're a dummy, a dummy, a dummy."
*Pluck pluck pluck*
Sunny's hand, which had been resting on the wall, clenched back into a fist as he began to punch the surface. Strangely, the material wasn't as hard as it looked. It felt as if he were punching wood... but it didn't matter now.
"Neph is now locked in the dreamland! And because of you, I'm not with her to help her! Every day, I check her stats to make sure she's not dead!"
*Pluck pluck pluck*
He could feel Cassie's body tremble. Was she scared? He didn't know. But she asked for this. Were his actions logical or emotional? He didn't know that either. But he needed to do it—for himself, for his soul.
"I know! I know you told us. The three of us knew from the start that this would happen. The moment I left the cohort to live alone in the dark city... the moment Neph's words echoed in my mind... the moment you gave me that damned endless string memory... I knew it from the start. I knew you chose to save her. I knew from the start that I'd have to fight her, according to your vision... hic..."
Cassie could feel her shoulder growing wet.
"Sunn—"
"I KNEW... I KNEW... but... why? Why, you dummy? Why couldn't you just let me and her fight? Why did you choose?... no."
Sunny shook his head
"You did right... it's good that you have chosen her... it was the best and logical option for you... yes... but... but it hurts, dummy... it hurts..."
*Hic... Plack... hiss... Plack*
The wall now had a hole in it, droplets of blood falling from the edge between the crack and Sunny's fist that was inside it...
"It fucking hurts, you dummy."
"I see... I'm sorry," Cassie finally muttered a response Sunny had wanted to hear for a long time.
"I will not... forgive you... I don't accept them... I'm sorry... I have an ego that would let logic be surpassed by my feelings."
"It's alright... it's my fault."
"Yes... no... yes... it is... but it's not...gah "
A soft hand brushed his hair, a touch like that of a saint comforting a sinner... or a devil that comforted a human. Sunny could feel Cassie pulling him closer, the hand holding her glass wrapping around his back in a weird way, with the other stroking his head.
"Sunny..."
"Hic... gwh... w-what... dummy?"
"Is the moon beautiful tonight?"
Sunny frowned at her words, slowly raising his head a bit to look up at her.
'She's crying...'
Sunny looked at her tears that were falling; he glared even more as he fought back.
"Why the fuck should I know?"
"You can look at the sky."
"Why should I do it?"
"Because I'm curious."
"And what, should I do it because you're just curious?"
"Yes."
The two of them stood there for a moment before letting out a small laugh... why? Why were they laughing now? Sunny didn't know, and he bet his soul core that Cassie didn't know either. He turned his head the other way, the hand that was patting him stopping for a moment before it continued to repeat its task.
Sunny looked at the shining moon that was up in the sky, a beauty... that's what he was thinking... so he responded.
"No... she's ugly."
Cassie let out a small chuckle and nodded.
"I see..."