Bound to the Dark

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This Unfortunate was fast. Even though he kept up with her with ease, he let her get a minute head start, not because he thought it was a game but out of guilt. Pure, utter guilt. She had a husband and child back home, and she was sacrificing her soul for her child, who was sick with an illness that could not be cured by human medicine. Poor woman. He saw her before she saw him, but as he drew nearer to her, her body tensed but she never turned around. Instead, she ran ahead at full speed. Rolling his eyes, he gave chase.

They all thought they could get away. It was their own damn fault that they sacrificed their soul, either for money, powers or sex, it was always the same thing. Over and over and over. nothing was ever for the good of others anymore, but when it was, he always felt a twang of guilt, fully aware that the Unfortunate was only doing this for the wellness of her child. He never had children, and he never will. the attachment was too dangerous and risky, as was the whole idea of "love" itself. It was never something he was interested in. Not once had he taken interest in a woman, but over the years he had lost track of the woman who found an interest in him. Hundreds, maybe thousands, he wasn't sure.

He finally caught her and took her by the wrist. Screaming, she eventually fell to her knees and began to sob. He didn't want to do this, but he had to complete what he started, or else face the consequences of impending doom in Hell. Raising his arm, he placed a hand on her forehead and apologized for what he was about to do. As he muttered something in an unknown language to her, he watched as a glowing orb rise out from her mouth and into the glass vial that he had in his pocket. her soul. he had taken her soul from her. Her body collapsed to the ground and she began to shiver in both the cold and fear, her body was now empty.

Something moved not far from where he was standing. Someone was watching him, saw everything that had just happened. Worried, he sighed and sat down on the ground next to the woman's body, and waited. Eventually, they will come out.

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She didn't know why she was out there tonight. Maria felt as though she needed a break from all the hunting and slaying of demons and slavers. It was nothing but a pleasant walk in the woods, her mind nothing but a cloud of jumbled thoughts as she tried to piece the fragments of her memory back together. Her hands in the pockets of her red trench coat, the custom handgun lay hidden underneath, easily accessible in case something were to jump out at her. Maria had a strange way of attracting unwanted attention to herself, and it usually meant fighting her way out. However the half-demon did not meet anything during her walk, that was until she heard the screams of a woman in the night. Maria's mind snapped into battle mode, reaching into her coat to draw out the handgun, following the sound she could hear the voice of a man muttering something. She came across the scene of a man standing over a woman, just as the glowing orb rose from her mouth and was trapped in the glass vile, leaving the woman on the ground lifeless and empty. Rage burned in Maria as she stepped out into the dim light with her gun raised at the now sitting man. "You!" She grunted. "What did you just do to that woman!?"

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It was the full and dark of the moon, and the forest was thick with night. On nights like tonight, there were few humans out, or angels-- only those whose eyes could see in blackness would be found out here.
The dark creatures, then, and the fae.

Dr. Elizabeth Black, like most of her kind, both were and fae, was particularly talented at keeping her identity hidden. Fae'd been hunted in the ages past, and werewolves were coming quite close to extinction. But on nights when the moon was full, she had no choice to become a monster. And on nights like tonight, when the moon was gone? She was near-fully fae.

The intelligent, shrewd scientist's ivory skin almost had a bioluminescent glow to it, seeming to glimmer despite the relative absence of light. Her chestnut hair was free at her back, and despite the wintry chill she wore only a well-fitted blue tee shirt and black slacks. She didn't seem cold, and her eyes were a wide, bright jade in the night. The only thing missing were a pair of wings at her back, but that was a trait she hadn't inherited from her mother, making her only half-fae and not full.

But tonight, Elizabeth was as close to fae as possible.

And her fairy-power, animation of inanimate objects, was at an all time high. A wry, mischievous smile pulled at the doctor's face as she watched the gun Maria held click, as if of it's own volition, and spit it's ammunition onto the ground. She was a few meters away, silent behind a tree-- she had thought, from the crashing, that someone was coming after her, and the demon and his prey had almost caught up with the half-faerie when she realized what was actually happening. It had been interesting to watch him rob her-- she'd seen a soul outside of a body before, but never had she seen anyone take a person's soul. She wanted to know more, overcome with the bizarre curiosity and wild sense of morality that came with her fae nature. Thus, she'd made the gun empty itself.

And now, she was wondering what on earth these two would do to react.

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The gun went off, but didn't harm him. Flinching,he managed to remain silent as he sat, crossed legged, next to the lifeless body of the Unfortunate. The wind picked up a little and he caught the scent of a human. He opened his gray eyes and watched as a human, a gun pointing to him. He shrugged and stood to his feet, not acknowledging the gun at all, even though he had been almost shot. "It had to be done. As painful as it was for me, I had to do it. Surely, you understand..." His eyes changed red and allowed his face to change slightly, to look more intimidating. Intimidation was something he wasn't very good at. The barrel of the gun was staring at him with an evil glint, almost like an eye, but with much simplicity than an eye.

Demons were not of this nature. Being gentle and compassionate, that is. They caused nothing but pain and anything but negative emotions and actions. He was not like the others of his kind. He'd much rather just be on his way back to his little spot in the forest, take a bath in the water, and nap under the full moon. "I'm sorry. I really am. But I can't help what I am. It's in my blood, born to do this, and I can't do a thing about it..." He bowed his head and walked away, knowing that his job was done for tonight, and he was able to rest comfortably at least for a short while before getting awoken by the sounds of another Unfortunate calling him. He felt tired and just wanted to go home, but would this human allow him? Questions filled his mind as he pondered upon whether or not he should make a run for it, or just calmy walk away as if nothing had just happened to that poor woman. Surely, it was obvious. He stole her soul. As simple as that.

He sighed and checked his coat pocket. The soul was still there, glowing like a star in the night sky. placing his sword back into his sheath, he felt something move from behind him. Body tensed, he turned, but no one was there, but yet there was. It was something he had never come across before. Something...odd, about this force. The whispers in his head started up again, and he winced. Voices told him that this being was of two bloods, and was to find the one she loved after the new moon. He shrugged. Okay. Whatever that meant. As he turned to head back towards his small place in the woods, he smiled sweetly, and turned around to look directly into the hybrid's eyes from where she hid in the woods.

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Maria hadn’t expected her gun to empty itself like that, the clip falling to the ground with a soft click. Consciously, Maria gazed around for anyone else before snapping them back at the man. Reaching into the satchel strapped to her thigh, Maria withdrew another clip and slid it into the gun, holding it in there this time without ever taking her violet colored eyes off him. They never faltered even as his eyes turned red and he stood back to his feet, Maria was ready to jump at any second. Her demon-like reflexes were almost too sharp as her finger twitched on the trigger, keeping her self under control instead of shooting him then and there, as was her nature to do so. Maria stepped forwards letting the dim light wash over her, her long silver hair rippling like water. Usually she had it tied back, but tonight she left it loose for her walk, figuring she wouldn’t have met anyone. Maria’s trench coat was unbuttoned despite the cold, she wore a loose fitting, but thick plaid shirt and a pair of loose jeans. Her medallion hung by a small golden chain around her neck, the tiny gem in the center glinted even with the lack of light.

“You’re sure I would understand. That’s a laugh; I don’t even understand myself sometimes let alone someone else. So don’t even THINK for a second that you understand me buster!” She hissed, watching the Man’s every move with a cold stare as she slowly followed him. Stepping next to the lifeless woman, Maria’s eyes flicked down for a split-second before looking back up. “If you’re so sorry, then you’re gonna put that back where you found it before I put 12 silver bullets into that ass of a face you have!” Maria snarled, her eyes beginning to glow eerily.

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Surely, you understand... Elizabeth blinked. Did the human understand? Liz was sure she personally did not. So curious, how they interacted, the demon almost melancholy even staring down the barrel of a gun, the girl staunchly placid. She was a strange sort of human, silver-haired and purple-eyed. The fact that her gun had suddenly purged it's contents didn't seem to bother her much-- how neat! Liz, in her whimsical fairy mood, was beginning to like the girl. A cool customer, she was. Although...was she even human? The species of the demon-man was terrifically obvious, but the girl seemed like something else...maybe a hybrid like her, or a werewolf or vampire or something. Curiouser and curiouser!

Elizabeth shifted her weight slightly as her interest in the situation rose, and managed to accidentally cause a small rustling noise despite her fae nature. It was not the sort of noise that was out of place in a forest, but so late at night there were not many creatures awake and rustling about. The demon-man turned, with a strange smile on his face, and looked her right in the eye! Elizabeth, surprised that he had found her so easily in the darkness of the new moon, simply blinked in response.

But her eyes flickered again when the woman made her threat. Such concern for this lost soul! Probably, then, this woman was a good person, or somesuch. Elizabeth, with nary a thought or word, made the pendant around her neck roll once or twice across the woman's chest, as though someone were playing with the thing. This strange parlor trick of Elizabeth's, easily a potent skill, seemed to be used for little more than quizzical nonsense tasks. A ring of mushrooms emerged around the body of the fallen human, making it quite clear that there was a fairy in the area-- who else made fairy rings?

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Yes, this woman was strange. Apparently, she hadn't emptied the gun herself, but something else did. Her hair whipped around her face as she continued to look over the fallen body of the woman, stunned by what he had just did. Sighing, he walked through the forest and flicked at the branches that smacked him in the face. His head ached as the random voices filled his ears again, mumbling and whispering their thoughts and plans. He rubbed his head and decided to sit down. He wouldn't be long. Just going to rest long enough so that he had the strength to continue sucking the life out of people. That's exactly what he wanted.

He did it again...

With style, as usual...

Much unlike others of his kind, he despised the very idea of himself. Remebering when he was a child, he looked back on the day when he attempted to cut the horns on with a razor blade he had found in the boys bathroom. he had awoken later that day in the hosptial due to massive head trauma and loss of blood. Fantastic. He had been saved again. He didn't want to be saved.

His head in his hands, he massaged the ever growing throb that seemed to threaten him of death itself. why won't they just go away? Leave him the hell alone? Cyrus groaned and lay back against the old bark of a tree. the smells were so familiar to him. His home. Looking around, he noticed that there was an odd ring of mushrooms surrounding a nearby flower. " That's odd..." He leaned forward to get a better look and was surprised to see that it was a fairy ring. Pushing with his mind, he broke apart the mushrooms and investigated further, coming to only one conclusion.

Was there a fae in the area?

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Maria gasped as her medallion rolled along her chest like someone was toying with it. This wasn't an unusual occurrence for Maria, since losing her memory the medallion had done all sorts of strange things. Sometimes it would glow, other times it would quiver and make this soft chime, or levitate completely off her body as if it were being drawn to something. This was usually followed by an intense throbbing headache that could easily put Maria down and out for a few hours, leaving her drained and lifeless afterwards, but after she recovered Maria felt, almost whole. However the medallion never did anything like this before and it surprised Maria at first. Maria forgot all about the soul-stealing man and the lifeless body of the woman next to her as she grasped the medallion tightly in her hand. Peeling her eyes away from the man, Maria opened up her hand to peer at the triangular piece of crystal, the soft light from the tiny ruby glowing in her eyes.

She would be oblivious to the world in her sudden trance-like state; that was until she noticed the sudden ring of mushrooms pop up from the ground beside her. Returning that scowl to her face Maria let the piece of crystal hang from her neck once more, looking around into the forest for the Fairy nearby, having long since lost sight of the soul-stealer. Lowering her gun slightly Maria turned around to look in the other direction, squinting her eyes in the darkness revealed nothing but more darkness as she turned back to look in Liz’s general direction. “Oh great, first a soul-sucker, now a Fairy…” Maria said with an annoyed look on her face, why couldn’t she just have had a nice quiet walk in the woods at night…

Remembering something about how some Fairy’s had the power to control inanimate objects at will Maria quickly added, ”And don’t mess with my gun again, it took me forever to modify that slide, I don’t need it broken again.” Taking a look at the gun, Maria checked the bullets and found that they were just regular hollow-points, before placing it back in the holster and hiding it under her trench coat.

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An odd felling crept into Cyrus's heart. Fae's were always up to no good, speaking from what he heard from other people. They were a nuisance, like mere flies surrounding a picnic on a sunny day, waiting for their chance to strike and cause trouble. The mushroom circle was broken, and almost instantly, the flower withered and died.

" Show yourself, Fae! I'm sick of this shit that you put us all up with! I demand you show yourself now!" of course he didn'y mean it. He would never, ever kill someone even if it was meant as self-defense. Gentle by nature, he wasn't quite sure if his threat seemed real enough for the creature to show themself or not. his voice was too gentle, even when he was upset or angry. his hand quivered and shook as he reached for his katana again, but his hand dropped to his side.

Sighing, he called out " Okay! You win. I'll just sit here and pretend I didn't see the damn mushroom circle..." He sat down and hummed a song, not quite sure what it was, but he hummed it anyway, and closed his eyes, his head falling back and he was soon fast asleep.

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(( I know she's insane right now. That's not normal for her. lol. The rhyme is meant to sound like the mermaid song in Harry Potter, if you know what the hell I'm talking about. ))

A peal of echoing laugher danced around the forest, exactly as one might expect a fairy's laughter would.

"Kin-of-fire, now retire,
your fear of fae a fancy flight.
Break my circles if you would!
You cannot run me from this wood."

It was a sing-song rhyme, which again seemed to echo off of the trees and leaves surrounding both the other man and woman. Elizabeth was still closer to the woman, though, as the man had wandered off elsewhere, and she approached the female first. It was a very dark night, of course, but the people of this town generally saw better in the dark than, perhaps, the people of other towns. Elizabeth was otherworldly in the dark, her features more pointed and delicate than usual, eyes wider, glowing green. Her skin was silvery and smooth, where it showed, and her footsteps were nigh on impossible to hear. She peeked out from behind a tree trunk, the half-fae's natural power causing little vines and flowers to gather around Maria's feet. Liz's pretty face gathered into a mischievous grin, and a single finger was placed to her lips-- a signal to be quiet.

"The demon sleeps," she whispered confidentially. "Shall we tie him up in vines? He might make a clever mummy." Her words were bizarre and enigmatic, playfully chosen but conspiratorially spoken. All the while, plants were silently growing around the body of the fallen human woman. Moss edged at her fingers and toes, and night-blooming flowers were almost covering her face.

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((I know what your talking about!))

Maria listened as the Fae's voice echoed from all around her, she knew that the fairy folk had a great advantage in the forest. It made her feel a bit uneasy as she tucked her trench coat closer to herself, glancing around for any sign of the Fae. Her words had confused maria slightly as she looked down at the ring of mushrooms, the half-demon hadn't even touched it, figuring the rhyme was meant for the soul-stealer. Maria's eyes shot back up to glance to her surroundings, her instincts told Maria someone was near. A movement in the darkness caught Maria's eyes, she saw the soft glow in the Fairy's eyes and the gleam of her silvery skin. The Fae told Maria to be silent and she did so. The demon sleeps? Maria thought the fairy had meant her until she said "him".

Maria slowly nodded, catching sight of the flowers blooming over the woman's face, and noticing flowers and vines gathering around her own feet nearly made Maria jump. She went to take a step but stopped herself, instead she would slip off her heavy boots and went barefoot instead. Maria liked the feel of moss between her toes, it reminded her of something she had forgotten, but could never place it, Maria felt like it had something to do with her childhood. The Half-demon shivered to shake the feeling away, looking back at the Fae once more, ”Okay” She whispered. ”What did you have in mind?”

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A faint whisper found Cyrus's ears, but he thought nothing of it. More than likely, it was just the wind making it sound like a human voice singing an enchanted song. It sounded nice enough, like a soft lullaby being sung to a child unable to sleep at night, but there was no way in the world it could've been a voice. It couldn't have.

Something tickled his nose, and threatened him to sneeze. Using his powers, the trees and plantlife around him bent under the telekinetic pressure. If there was something out here that wanted to play with him, then it would have to play his game first. Cyrus didn't quite enjoy other people having their way with him, all things considered. It was bad enough he had been teased mercillesly as a child just becuase he had the horns on his forehead and he was different from the other kids in the orphanage.

Groaning, he pulled his orange beanie from his head and sighed, not caring if anyone saw the monstrousity on his forehead, and closed his eyes again. " I suppose they'll think twice before doing anything stupid," he mumbled. " One look at me and its an automatic tail between the legs..." Smiling at nothing, he hummed a song that he remembered hearing somewhere and once again, fell asleep under the starry night sky.

The world seemed to shift and the stars turned into a pair of gray eyes. He smiled at seemly nothing as he subconsciously reeached towards the beautiful face before him. He had no idea who it was, but it looked so smooth that he just wanted to stroke it to feel its marble smoothness. A small chuckle bubbled up in his throat as the eyes moved, changing into a small vine that was wrapped around the tree behind him, dancing in front of him. What an odd dream, he thought to himself. the vine quivered and was suddenly wrapped around his body, pinning him to the ground and was unable to move. the vines had sharp thorns in them, cutting his skin and fresh blood leaked out. Not in a harmful way, but almost in a playful notion, these vines moved.

He couldn't move, so the most he could do was sit and wait for himself to wake up from his dream. If he was dreaming, that was...