Page 98 of Dark Captivation

“Stop, you’ll die if you fight Varcus in this condition.” I restrained Malek.

Varcus lunged at us, primed to make his kill shot at Malek’s neck.

Springing into action, I tackled Varcus.

We both tumbled through the mist, losing ourselves in its cloudy thickness.

I hopped to my feet, preparing for Varcus’s attack. I couldn’t see the hand in front of my face but I relied on my nose to guide me through.

“Sunny, are you alright?” Malek called.

“I’m fine.” I said, turning around as I glimpsed something dark at the corner of my eyes.

“We both know you’re just jealous of Malek’s power. He’s a god and you’re just a spineless coward.” I goaded Varcus, trying to make him focus on me instead of Malek.

“Oh please. Malek was weak in the underworld and he’s weak now.” Varcus’s voice rebounded through the mist. “What is a demon who refuses to torture humans? Torture is in our nature, our very reason for existing. He made us that way! Human souls unlucky enough to enter our realm are there to entertain demons. That is their sole purpose for existing. Did our king really expect us to just stop torturing? Should we have rolled over and allowed him to fuck us out of our birth right?”

I made a zigzag motion, sweeping my legs wide. Figuring that if I bumped into Varcus, I could catch him unguarded and strike.

“Maybe he wanted you to be better. Maybe he wanted you to grow as a species, to learn to help people instead of destroying them.” My hip smacked into the wall.

“Sunny, come to me.” Malek begged.

“Demons used to be feared by all. Humans used to quake in their boots at the mere mention of demons! For centuries nobody dared fuck with us. We were great!” Varcus yelled and the beat of his footsteps echoed close by. “But the minute he made us stop torturing, they started treating us like pussies! Now nobody runs, nobody is afraid anymore. But they will be.”

His voice was so soaked in animosity and resentment, it grated at me. How could I have ever thought this guy was good? I wanted to ring his dirty neck, how dare he play with me?

“I thought you wanted to stop Malek from starting up a pointless war. You said you wanted peace between all beings.” I said as the thump of Varcus’s footsteps grew louder. “What the hell do you even want?”

“Oh, this is about way more than that, she-wolf. Once I’ve killed the Demon King, I’ll wage my own war, but not to capture or rule.” Varcus’s words were too quick and somewhat jumbled making him sound unhinged or straight up crazy. “I will kill all non-demonic life, sending them to the underworld. Demons will reclaim our rightful helm and spend eternity torturing the souls of all who dared not fear demons in life.”

“You’re a mad man. No one will allow you to do this.” I spoke.

“Who can stop me?” Varcus said.

A dark figure broke the mist apart. He’d found me.

I drew my leg back shifting my body into a pre-kick stance. My foot launched like a rocket. The figure spun around, and a pair of deep, dark eyes pierced me.

My knee bent and my foot swiped across his hair, narrowly missing his head.

“Malek.”

“I’m so sorry, Sunny. I never should have allowed it to get this far.” Malek’s breaths were labored and though he was standing, his every move appeared to bring him pain.

“Please just listen to me for once and run as fast as you can.” He begged through clenched teeth.

I eyed his blood splattered shirt with worry.

“Don’t worry. It’ll take more than one stab from a cursed blade to kill me.” He feigned a smile. “But the poison has slowed and weakened me. I cannot protect you like I normally could.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with him.” We both knew that if I left him in this state, he would be a sitting duck. Why was he so willing to die?

“I’m staying right here. We’ll kill Varcus together.”

“Sunny!” He roared, angry ridges crumpling his nose.

I embraced him, sticking to him like glue so that he would finally accept that I wasn’t leaving. How could I leave him after all we’d been through?

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