I woke later that night, slightly confused and disoriented, and I gently rubbed my eyes before gazing into the darkness of the room.
I blinked hazily, brows drawing together when I found my bedroom door open, and Dante’s bedroom light was off, too.
Daem slept? I thought they didn’t.
I lightly slipped my legs off the bed but paused immediately, gazing down at my side.
I then lightly lifted my shirt, just realizing I was freshly changed.
My eyes rounded when I found a crescent-shaped scar settled there.
It wasn’t a dream?
Swallowing something hard, I scooted off the bed and stood, padding over to Dante’s room as I peered into the darkness.
It was empty… he was gone.
I stepped further out.
And suddenly a hand flew over my mouth.
I went cold.
I screamed despite it being muffled, kicking out my legs, but they shoved me against them.
“Shhhh…” an unfamiliar voice cooed into my ear, “don’t call him, little one. That won’t end well I assure you.”
I fought him, jabbing my elbow into his side, but he only laughed, fingers slicing into my cheek.
I winced, breath shaking.
The man just kept his hand over his mouth, lightly moving his other one to lift my shirt.
I screamed, fighting him harder.
“Did you know…” he said then, flipping out his hand.
My eyes widened when a pocketknife slid out from his sleeve.
“That if you damage the contract seal,” he continued, making my breaths still, “he won’t know if you’re in danger?”
He knew about the seal? He wasn’t human!
I squirmed and fought him, but he just chuckled.
“You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?”
He then sliced the blade against my side, and I screamed when pain shot through me, burrowing into my skin like a thousand daggers.
Tears slipped from my eyes, and I fought him harder.
He just released me, and I collapsed onto the ground.
I let out choked sobs, holding my side as blood bloomed through my shirt, warming my hand.
I gazed up at him then, kicking out my legs as I scrambled away from him.
The man just smiled, tipping his head to the side.
My bones shook, my nerves rushing through me like needles, and I watched as he stepped toward me.
His hair was white like snow, but his eyes were red, glowing in the darkness.
He was fallen or a daem… I couldn’t tell.
His clothes were all white, too, as if he enjoyed being covered in blood. He had a sweatshirt on and sweatpants, although he just wore a black mask that covered his nose and mouth, vanishing into the collar of his sweatshirt.
I breathed shakily, clutching my side tightly. “Dante….”
“There’s no point,” the man said then, lashes lowering over red eyes. “He’s miles away. He can’t hear you.” He waggled the knife at the direction of my wound. “Especially with the contract mark cut.”
He then knelt down in front of me, tipping his head to the side as I shrank back. “And look at you, little thing. Who knew he’d be so obsessed with such a little toy?”
I dug my fingers into my side, feeling my skin stick together with blood. “Who are you?”
He just caught my chin, leaning his face toward mine as I breathed shakily. “You directly ask a killer his name? How foolish of you.”
I just glared despite knowing my gaze was shaky.
He drew back then. “You can call me…” he tapped his knife against his chin before pointing it at me, “Oblivion.”
I flinched slightly when he chuckled and drew back.
“Why are you wearing a mask?” I demanded then.
His eyes glowed a slight red. “Any villain would be foolish to make themselves known first hand, don’t you think?”
“You define yourself as a villain?”
“I am, in most eyes,” he stated then, lashes lowering. “I am merely a distasteful spirit that hates the way the world has become.”
“And I’m centered around that?” I retorted.
He gazed down at me. “You are.”
I gritted my teeth then, hearing them crack. “You bastard. You’re just wearing a mask because Dante knows you, doesn’t he? And you don’t want me identifying you.”
His eyes glowed a slight red. “How can you identify me if you’re dead, child?”
“I’m THIRTY-TWO!” I screamed then.
He just drew forward, making me shrink back again. “You are afraid. I can see it plainly. But you mask it with anger. You’re very good at it.”
I just glared. “I will live. He won’t let me die.”
Oblivion just chuckled. “Oh, my… such confidence even when the mark on your side it sliced apart. Dante will always come to save you, won’t he?” He gazed down then. “You’re like his puppy.”
“I’m no puppy,” I snapped then, bones chilling. “And if you’re so smart, Oblivion. You would’ve concealed your hair color but made it JUST ASK EASY to IDENTIFY YOU.”
He watched me then.
“And what are you?” I demanded. “Are you fallen? Demon?”
He suddenly shoved me back, and I collapsed onto the ground, gasping. “Don’t ever call me that worthless trash again.”
I gazed up then, breath shaking.
“Demon,” he echoed in disgust. “I hate them.”
I struggled to sit up again. “So you’re fallen? You gave it away. What a horrible villain you are.”
He turned to me then, acting too calm. “You know what would solve this problem, child?” He tapped his knife against his chin again. “Ah, yes… the issue that serves here is that Dante could come home and I’d have to run away.” He then took one step toward me and I nearly scrambled back.
He just caught the back of my head and shoved me up.
My blood ran cold when his red eyes glowed in the darkness of the room, lighting with his hidden smile. “But how can you identify something you cannot see?”
Before I could react, he brought his knife up to my eye.
I gasped, every part of me freezing in place.
I couldn’t move… my body was enclosed in ice.
And I could feel blood pooling against my side and dripping down my leg.
“This little piggy went to the market,” he said then, circling the blade lightly over my right eye. “This little piggy when to the circus.” He circled my left eye as my breath shuttered, and I remained still. “And this little piggy met a terrible end.”
He then slashed his knife against my right eye, slicing through my eye lid when I closed it.
When the knife pierced through my cornea, pain burrowed inside me and burst like flames.
I screamed then, crying out when I tipped my head back, kicking out my legs.
He dropped me onto the floor and I collapsed onto my side.
I held both hands over my eye, screaming in agony as my vision filled with red.
The pain like acid pouring into my wound. The heat of the blood like fire. The red swarming my vision like the depths of hell itself.
I couldn’t even feel the pain from my side anymore.
Hot blood slipped down my cheeks and pooled into my lips, and I continued screaming in agony, curling in on myself as my whole body shook.
It was like I was about to have a seizure.
“Does that hurt?” he said through my cries of pain. “You’ll never be able to see out of that eye again.”
“DANTE!” I screamed then, tears slipping from my eyes. “HELP ME! DANTE—DANTE—DANTE—DANTE—DANTE!”
“He can’t hear you, little one,” Oblivion said then.
“SOMEONE HELP ME!” I cried, curling in on myself as my uninjured eye filled with blood. “HELP ME, PLEASE!”
Oblivion stepped over to me, chuckling coldly as he raised the knife.
I gazed up at him in horror, shivers racking through me.
And he brought it down onto me.
I cried out, closing my eyes tightly as I shrank in on myself.
But the pain of death never came.
I gazed up then, breaths shaking when Oblivion stood above me, the knife hovering inches above my face.
But the moment I noticed his eyes widened in horror, I looked behind him with my red vision, and I felt my singular pupil shake in fear when I saw it.
Dante was behind him, eyes glowing a bright red as his entire being enclosed in shadows.
He was pissed.
Dante held the man in white by the wrist, and I could feel the blade rattling with Oblivion’s tremors as it held inches above me.
I could feel my face draining of color, and I collapsed onto the ground, breath shaking when a sudden numbness filled me, and I could feel the blood from my right eye pooling onto the ground under me.
I was dying… I was dying.
I watched with my singular eye as Dante shoved the man around and flipped him backward.
Oblivion screamed when he flew over Dante’s shoulder and crashed into the drywall.
Dust and grim filled the room, and I watched the encounter numbly.
Dante turned immediately and stared at Oblivion.
His heels clicked together of his slightly-heightened shoes, although his entire form enclosed in shadows.
Oblivion gazed up in horror, breaths shaking uneasily.
“I’m going to enjoy killing you,” Dante said, voice growing distorted as his the walls thickened with his anger.
Oblivion just gazed up, a bead of sweat slipping down his forehead.
And he vanished.
The shadows grew even more, covering the room in darkness when Dante’s anger finally showed itself.
I heard the walls shaking, the floors rumbled from under me, and he gripped his hands at his sides when his teeth cracked together.
One second passed.
The shaking immediately stopped, and I felt the shadows in the room lessen.
He suddenly gazed down at me, the red in his eyes glowing with fear.
He shot over to me at an instant, and collapsed at my side, examining my form worriedly.
“God…” he whispered quietly, and I could hear his silent words:
Your blood… everywhere.
My entire form rattled with tremors as I held my injured eye.
He just leaned forward. “Let me see.”
“I can’t see,” I whispered shakily. “I can’t see out of it anymore.”
He just caught my wrist and lowered my hand, and I breathed uneasily when he examined my eye cautiously.
“Shit,” he uttered quietly.
That wasn’t good.
He sucked in a breath and gazed down at my side.
I continued shaking heavily when he lifted the shirt and exposed the first wound given to me.
“He cut it,” Dante growled. “The bastard.”
He then gazed down at me. “Luca, I need you to listen to me.”
“Am I going to die…?” I asked him.
He shook his head too soon, letting me know he wasn’t lying. “No.”
My breath shook. “What… what will happen now…?”
“The wound on your side can be healed with an angelic medicine,” Dante explained to me. “I have it here,” he hesitated then, “…but your eye is too fatal.”
My blood ran cold.
“I can fix it with my demons powers, but….”
“But what?” I urged.
“It won’t come back normally,” he explained to me.
“Will the pain stop?” I whispered. “Will I be able to see out of it again?”
“Yes,” he whispered. “Yes to both.”
“Then do it,” I begged, gripping his hand tightly when he gazed down at me. “Please, hurry. I’m hurting so much. Please, stop the pain. Make it stop.”
His lashes immediately lowered over his red eyes, and he leaned down. “Yes, Luca.”
I gazed up at him hazily when he pulled my hands away from my face, and my breath shook when he leaned down…
And pressed a kiss to my forehead.
At first, I thought it was a kind gesture or a loving gesture… but I was wrong.
He suddenly sliced his teeth into my neck.
I cried out, back arching immediately when his fangs entered my bloodstream.
“DANTE! DANTE!” I begged, fighting him.
My sight suddenly burst with light, and I screamed, closing my eyes tightly but it only blinded me more.
I tipped my head back, parting my lashes as my back arched.
I couldn’t see anything, it was like the sun in my eyes, the darkness depleting from the room.
I was in an oblivion.
I kicked out my legs, crying out as fear shook me to my core.
But my hands were suddenly caught, and I gasped when I felt something warm press to the center of my forehead.
Cold emanated from it, and I continued gasping when I heard a whisper:
“Go to sleep.”
And the world drowned out from under me.
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