Page 13 of Chaos Unleashed

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, my magic is allowing it, and I don’t like it either.”

“Hmm,” he replies, the hum strangely soothing.

“What’s your name?” I ask him since he doesn’t appear to be going anywhere, and I don’t know what the purpose of this dream is. I’m not stupid enough to think that I’m going to wake up even close to as healed as I am right now, but it is allowing me to feel a modicum of relief for now, and for that reason alone, I want to prolong it.

“H,” he replies, and I instantly know that he’s given me a fake name for whatever reason; he also looks puzzled by this but asks, “Yours?”

“Ren,” I reply; if he’s not going to give me his real name, I won’t give him mine.

I find it amusing that even my subconscious wants to keep shit from me.

He smirks, “I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but for some reason, I don’t like that you’re in pain, and usually, I couldn’t give a fuck.”

“Charming,” I reply with a chuckle.

He chuckles and says simply, “Always.” We’re quiet for a moment before he asks seriously, “Why are you in pain?”

“Torture.”

“Do you deserve it?” he asks me.

I pause, “I think that the answer to that is complicated. There are things that I have done in my life that would warrant my torture, but for this instance, I would say that, no, I don’t deserve it. I haven’t got the information that they want. Having said that I wouldn’t give it to them if I did, they are the fuckers who the information needs to be protected from.”

He's silent for a moment as he thinks over my confusing reply; speaking softer than he has since he got here, he says, “I think you’re wrong. I don’t think you deserve to be tortured. We’ve all done things to survive that we wouldn’t do under any other circumstances.”

Taking a chance because it's my dream, and what the fuck is he going to do? I reply, “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

He sighs, his whole body slumping, and for the first time since he appeared in my dream, I feel like I’m seeing behind his mask. He’s damaged and maybe a little bit broken, but he so fucking strong; for some reason, I think that he’s had to be strong for so long, and no one has actually been there for him.

“It’s a part of my job,” he replies, “a job that I love, but until recently, one that I thought I had failed at.”

“I get that,” I reply. “What did you do?”

“I was an enforcer of sorts,” he replies, and I know that there is a lot that he’s leaving out.”

“Me too,” I reply.

“You were?” he asks, sounding surprised at my reply.

“Of sorts,” I grin, knowing he can’t see me.

He chuckles quietly, the sound somehow soothing the frayed edges of my soul, “Touche, Ren.”

For some reason, my made-up name on his lips gives me a sense of comfort that I didn’t expect. This whole interaction is weird as hell, but then again, I don’t really expect much else from my subconscious.

“You’re hurting,” I blurt out, some instinct making me say it even though I had decided to keep that innate knowledge to myself.

He tenses his head, slowly turning in my direction; his eyes search the area that I’m sitting in but never really lock on me, letting me know that I’m still shrouded in darkness for some reason.

He looks away from me, but not before I see a touch of fear and a whole lot of confusion in his eyes. I’m reasonably sure that he’s going to ignore me after that tactless accusation I practically hurled at him, so it surprises me when he doesn’t.

“I’m lonely,” he says, “I’m not alone. I have people that I consider friends, some old and some new, but I’m lonely. It would take a very special woman to not only understand me but accept me. I’m just a bit bloodthirsty, and I love chaos, among other things.”

“Until recently, I thought something similar, but I’m now starting to believe that the right person is out there for everyone. Sometimes, they're just in the weirdest places.”

“Hmm,” he replies, not really committing to what I’m saying, but that’s okay. I wouldn’t have believed me either. “I think I’ll just stick to fucking and killing.”

I burst out laughing, sending pain ricocheting around my body, but it's so worth it.

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