Markus Valegood's Story

“Two lattes, a grilled chicken, chorizo and red pepper sandwich, and the Woods Special. Can I get my two favourite customers anything else?” Phoenix asked, provoking a giggle from the two old ladies in front of him. They confirmed that no, they were perfectly happy, and Phoenix told them to call him over if they did need anything. They were approaching closing time, but he knew that Daisy and Phyllis would be out well in time for them to close up. They came in at the same time every day, like clockwork, and always ordered a latte each. Sometimes they would treat themselves to a pastry or a cookie, other times, they would stick with a sandwich, others, just the coffee. But they’d been coming since he opened, and they had stayed coming, even after the attack. And that meant a lot.

And, bang on time, Daisy and Phyllis left, leaving them with plenty of time to clean up. Usually, Phoenix took as much time as he and the staff needed clearing up, but tonight was different. He didn’t rush anyone, but it seemed they were out in record time. Later that evening, there was going to be a town meeting of some kind to try and put a plan in place to prevent something like the festival attack happening again.

Phoenix would have been lying if he had said that the thought of it didn’t make him more than a little nervous. Following the attack, people had stopped gathering in public. The most people he’d seen in one place was his daily lunchtime rush, and even then, he could see the look of anxiety on their faces, the way they looked over their shoulders any time the bell on the door rang. People were afraid. But apparently this was a call to action. An attempt to try and take things into their own hands. And after everything that had happened, he couldn’t blame them.

In an attempt to distract himself, he’d spent the night before baking. He had filled a tray with his ultimate comfort food brownies to bring to the meeting with him, but he also had a smaller box balanced on top. Phoenix had said he’d swing by Alex’s with them to drop them in to his abuela, but in reality he didn’t want Alex to have to walk through town alone. Phoenix had been finding it hard, but it was nothing compared to Alex. And probably understandably so. Phoenix didn’t like to dwell on that night. The memory of seeing his best friend on the ground, covered in his own blood and the way that Phoenix had just… left still haunted him. He could only imagine what it was like to have been the one on the ground.

He called his goodbyes to the rest of the staff as they locked up, pulling his coat on and tucking his scarf into it. Winter had fallen as harsh as ever, and he knew it was a matter of time before it began to snow. At least this winter, he lived right above the cafe and had a functional heating system, meaning he didn’t have to venture too far into the cold every morning. He didn’t waste time walking the familiar path back to the house, eager both to keep warm and get out of the dark. He’d never been afraid of the dark. The things that went bump in the night were commonplace in this town and often showed up first thing to his cafe in search of their usual coffee and croissant, before going home to bed. But all that had changed now.

“¡Hola, Abuela! Te traje unos brownies!” He called as he let himself in to Alex’s house. “I’ll leave them in the kitchen!” he added, switching back to English. He’d picked up a decent level of Spanish having spent a significant portion of his childhood in their house, but Abuela frequently bemoaned his grasp of grammar. He left the box of brownies into the kitchen and stopped to kiss the old lady on the cheek as he did so. The old lady chuckled and called out in Spanish, telling Alex that Phoenix was here.

Rosie had gone straight from class to the town hall to help set things up. She hadn't organised the meeting, hut she'd been spreading the word and encouraging people to come, despite how afraid they are. She'd drawn the line at telling her students, though. She wasn't risking any of them getting hurt if anything did go wrong. They were kids. This wasn't their fight, as much as they might have wanted it to be.

And even if she hadn't organised it, she'd somehow found herself being asked to speak. Maybe it was just because, if she could control a class of rowdy freshmen, she could control a crowd of scared townspeople. Or at least that was what she told herself to calm the slight anxiety. She dug her phone out of her bag and sent a few texts.

To: Markus
you better get your ass here tonight because i've somehow been roped in to speak

To: Zada
babe apparently i have to talk at this thing so you better be coming

Things had been rough on everyone since the attack. But sitting at the top of a classroom, staring down at the empty chairs of students who had been murdered... she'd gotten her freshmen to rearrange the classroom so those empty seats weren't there and so their classmates wouldn't feel as they were sitting in their fallen classmates' seats. Rosie had wondered if she would have been able to make a difference if she had gone. If she could have saved even one of their lives, would it have been better? Or would she have been beating herself up that she hadn't done enough? She took a deep breath and took her seat on the stage as people began to trickle into the hall. She couldn't dwell on that now.

Alex had been like this for weeks but it didn’t hurt any less to see him like this. The hollow smile did nothing to reassure Phoenix, but he returned the smile anyway. Phoenix returned the look that Abuela gave him with a small reassuring smile, promising to look after him.

Alex didn’t wait particularly for Phoenix, only glancing to make sure he was following, but Phoenix caught up easily. It was like being with somebody else entirely as they walked in silence. Before the attack, there had seldom been a silence between them, always filled with laughter or teasing. Now, Phoenix knew not to try and fill the space with noise. Even he found it hard to know what to say.

The contact of Alex’s arm pulling him to a stop shocked Phoenix out of his thoughts as he mentally prepared himself for an attack, but he saw nothing. Just Carl. Phoenix took one look at Alex’s face and thought for a moment about suggesting they ditched the meeting and went back to his apartment instead. And then Alex started moving again, apologizing in more of a mumble than anything. Alex actually spoke as they reached the town hall. Phoenix just shrugged. “It’s okay. I get it. Everything’s different and weird and… Just… know I’m always here, okay? Even if you just want to get drunk or drink tea, or… I dunno, sit in silence on the floor. Any time of day or night.” They’d been friends long enough that he knew he didn’t have to say it, but sometimes a reminder was needed. Alex clearly wasn’t in a great frame of mind right now. And besides, there was plenty of nights when Phoenix found himself awake at three, four, five in the morning, unable or unwilling to go back to sleep.

Phoenix was glad that the first person they ran into was Kay. It was hard not to smile in her presence, and her energy was practically infectious. Her outfit put them all to shame as they huddled in their jackets and scarves. He left the two of them for a moment as he went to put the tray of brownies down for people to take as they pleased. He got back just as Kay put a flower crown on Alex’s head, struggling to balance it on his curls, and Phoenix couldn’t help but laugh. Then she bounded away, and Phoenix could see the slight change in Alex’s expression. He wasn’t in a flower crown mood, but Phoenix knew he didn’t want to hurt Kay’s feelings. And so Phoenix very obviously reached over and stole the flower crown from his head, balancing it on top of his hair instead.“Bullshit, we all know I’m the cuter one wearing this,” he declared.

Alex started to ask wear Phoenix wanted to sit, before darting to an unoccupied seat.“This is perfect. I’m afraid if we sit any closer to Rosie’s skirt without sunglasses, we might do permanent damage,” he joked. The exact location of the seat hadn’t escaped Phoenix either, but if he was being honest, he was happier here too.

He caught that familiar, sickening scent before he saw her. He didn’t even turn around to acknowledge her, not wanting to grace her with a reaction. But he could feel her eyes on him, see her out of the corner of his eye. But instead he kept his eyes forward, trying desperately to keep his expression neutral despite the twisting in his stomach and the anger that rose within him. The only outward reaction was a clenching of his jaw as Camila kissed Alex’s jaw. She slunk away and Phoenix had to resist the temptation to glare at her as she did so. Thankfully, a distraction came in the form of Rosie getting to her feet and walking to the podium, the room starting to fall silent at that single action.

The hall filled up relatively quickly, which Rosie was pleasantly surprised by. She spotted Kay bounding around, handing out flower crowns and trinkets. The small smiles they produced didn’t escape her notice, and that meant a lot. People looked scared, and confused, and angry. A smile wouldn’t change or erase any of that, but it was a start. It made things seem a little less terrible. Kay quickly ran up to the front and threw her a necklace, which Rosie caught and pulled it over her head, before going to stand at the podium as the last few stragglers came in.

“Good evening, everyone,” she said, and silence fell over the room. “Okay, wow. This isn’t high school English, don’t worry, guys, you can relax,” she added, getting a few giggles out of the crowd. “It’s wonderful to see so many of you guys here. Thank you to the wonderful Kaylessa for these trinkets and to everyone who brought anything. I know that things have been scary… and I know people are afraid. But we rallied around tonight, and that’s a good start. We fought them off once and we can fight them off again. So, let’s get this started. First, Chief Kaner is going to discuss what the police force is doing and what volunteers are needed for them, then I’ll open the floor back up for a discussion. So please welcome Chief Kaner to the stage and hold any questions until the end.”

Rosie took her seat as the police chief stood up to drone on about increased vigilance and whatever. He had never been the most engaging of speakers, but Rosie had long ago perfected the art of listening to boring speakers. Her students tried, but some were always more engaging than others. It was only as the crowd gave polite applause that she came back to herself, getting to her feet. "Thank you, Chief Kaner. So, now that we're aware what the police are doing, it's time to discuss what we can do. So, first up is... voluntary patrols. I'm aware some have already been running, so would anybody like to fill us in and let us know what we can do to help?" She asked, glancing down towards Markus. She highly doubted he would speak up, but maybe someone else might.

Phoenix didn't know what he wanted to do. He didn't know where he wanted to go. No, it was that he knew exactly where he wanted to go. He wanted to go to the same place he always went when he was hurting this much, where he knew it wouldn't hurt quite as bad. He wanted to go to Alex's. But that option was gone.

Oh, the irony.

It was only when Violet gently put a hand on his shoulder that he realised he hadn't gone anywhere at all. He jumped a little. Her being able to touch him was... weird. Wrong, almost. She'd changed too, since that night. Well, they'd all changed. But Violet more so than most. Why? What had happened? Why did nothing make sense any more? What had that attack done to the town?

Her words were firm, but not harsh or uncaring. He wanted to explain. He couldn't just go back inside. He couldn't just pretend everything was fine because it wasn't. The flowers that had begun to grow through the concrete, unaffected by the bitter cold, their bright colours almost an insult, was a testament to that. Everything wasn't fine. He wasn't fine.

"You're a fucking coward." The words echoed in his head, made the lump in his throat feel like it was smothering him. All he wanted to do was run and hide. That was all he had ever wanted to do and it hadn't served him well so far. So why was he still so afraid?

But somehow, somehow, he found it in himself to turn and go back inside, stopping only to wipe the last of the tears from his cheeks. He stood at the back of the hall as Neden made their grand entrance, flanked by two Spriggans. Their dramatic flair would have usually made him smile, but not tonight. Tonight, he could barely muster a half smirk. Part of him wanted to prove Alex wrong. Prove he wasn't a coward and sign up to protect the town. But no, he couldn't do that either. Instead, he stared at his feet, trying and failing to calm down even just a little bit.

The silence that hung in the air as she asked if anyone would like to speak lasted just a second too long, and Rosie knew it. But then Elijah made his grand entrance and made his way to the stage. She let him move her, ever so gently, forever the gentleman, but his glancing smile was met with an eyebrow raised just a little. It was gentle and gentlemanly and entirely innocent, and they both knew that, but also she would have stepped aside without having to be moved.

His speech was intended to rouse and bring hope, and while it may have been best delivered to a group of soldiers instead of a group of terrified but angry townspeople, it seemed to rouse a few and comfort a few others. She gave him a nod and a smile as he looked at her for confirmation. Before she could step back up to the podium, however, Travis got up.

His speech was... slightly less well received. Rosie could hear the angry mutterings from the crowd. Travis had a point, she had to admit. The town was showing signs of division, and while she was quelling it as fast as she could in her classes, she couldn't do much about the rest of the town. But the town was angry, and they were scared. They were afraid of humans, especially of newcomers who didn't have any link to anyone in the town. Fear did bad things to people, and people did bad things because of fear. Showing off his injury wouldn't gain him any sympathy. Everyone in this room had either been injured themselves or had lost somebody in the attack.

The angry mutterings continued, and Rosie was about to take back control of the crowd when Markus spoke up. Almost reflexively, she raised her eyebrows. He barely liked talking to people one on one, let alone in front of a crowd this big. It was brief, but did the job, and it seemed to quiet the crowd a little, or at least turn the murmurs a little more positive. He shot her a look that she understood all too well. He was done talking now and needed somebody to take over. Rosie stepped up to the podium- but before she could say anything, the doors swung open, and in walked Neden. There was a brief moment of confusion as people realised that there appeared to be two of them- and then one of them revealed themselves to be a spriggan. The real Neden, with their usual overdramatic flair, added on that anybody was welcome to join the patrols. Rosie just raised an eyebrow and smirked a little as they assured her that the town was perfectly safe. She doubted it, but at least Neden and Markus appeared to have the whole thing under control and were competent. She cleared her throat as Neden and their group of spriggans took their seats.

"Alright then. So, thank you all for your speeches and your contributions to the safety of the town. If nobody has anything else to contribute, I think we'll wrap it up there for tonight. I understand there's some refreshments down the back. Thank you," she said. The crowd began to chatter, a mix of emotions filling the room as she headed towards Markus.

"Hey. Thanks for that, I think we, uh, needed a change of tone after Trav's speech." She said, raising her eyebrows knowingly.

Rosie just raised an eyebrow and shook her head a little as Markus asked if his speech was any less awkward. “It was fine, not shitty at all, Markus. You need to give yourself a little more credit,” she said, with a half grin. The update at least put her at ease. She couldn’t go on the patrols, what with having to mark papers and prepare for her classes, but Markus had at least been keeping her in the loop. In a time like this, she'd found herself taking some degree of leadership on this thing. Mostly, she used the information to advise her students to stay away, or to answer any questions they did have. She couldn't do much, but she could try to protect them. Markus turned to walk away, having updated her in his usual brief manner, but instead Neden reappeared in their usual energetic manner.

The grin on Rosie's face rapidly disappeared as Neden mentioned what they’d found during the week. “No. No, he didn’t.” She said, turning to stare down Markus. She just sighed as Neden explained that they’d had a hiccup. And that they now had a guest. She knew exactly what that meant, unfortunately. It meant things were now more complicated than they had been two minutes ago. Neden disappeared as quickly as they’d appeared under the pretense of getting food. Rosie turned fully to Markus.

“Were you going to bring this up?” She asked, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow. “Markus, if there’s one of them, there could be more. What are you going to do with our little… problem?” She asked, keeping her voice low, little more than a hiss to prevent anyone overhearing. “We need to deal with this.” She glanced around and saw Travis looking at her, giving a wave. She smiled back and return the wave, before turning back to Markus. “As quietly and as quickly as possible.”

To give Markus his credit, he told Rosie the full story once they left, away from where they might be overheard and cause a panic. They thought the hunter might be a valuable source of information, but he hadn’t said anything yet. His training was surprisingly good, and he hadn't cracked yet. But he couldn’t stay locked up in Markus’ basement forever, and they needed to do something with him. They spent the next few days trying to hatch a plan. Rosie could use her abilities to get him to talk, reveal everything him knew. But she wasn’t eager to do that. If he escaped, her giving away an element of her ability could potentially be used against them. It was only when she was in Travis’ shop, picking up a few things for dinner, that she had her brainwave. Getting a human to talk to the hunter could work. Let them think there was somebody on their side. Someone who could help. And they wouldn’t be giving away a tactical advantage.

Their plan came together relatively quickly after that. Rosie made a stop into Phoenix's café on her way home from class and managed to talk him into bringing Jaiden and Violet out for drinks. Markus and Rosie had both agreed that they needed to get Jaiden and Violet out of the house, just in case things went wrong. And a third party would keep them accountable. That and, well, from what Rosie could see, they all needed a night out with friends. She hadn't seen Jaiden that withdrawn since she'd first arrived in Greythorne, and now she was possibly worse than she had been then. And as much as Phoenix was pretending that everything was fine, Rosie knew it wasn't. She didn't know the details, but the marked absence of Alex from Phoenix's surroundings seemed to be part of the problem. And Violet had changed too, but possibly the least. Rosie could still see the old Violet every time she went to Markus'. She'd changed, of course she had. They all had. But Rosie could still get a smile out of her, which was more than she could say for some of the others.

She headed straight over to Markus' after class. Travis wasn't going to be finished for another while, but Rosie wanted to be there early in case Violet and Jaiden needed more persuasion, and because, as ever, she had essays to be marking. She wasn't sure whether or not Neden would be coming or if they were doing patrols that evening.

When he'd woken up the morning after the meeting, everything had felt like a horrible dream. And then it hit him again. None of it had been a nightmare. It had happened. And it felt like somebody was kicking him in the chest all over again. But he'd gotten up, as normal. He'd gone for his run, taking a different and slightly harsher path, but one that he knew meant would pose less of a risk of running into Alex. He'd gone home, showered, and gone to work.

And that had been his routine. Pretend everything was normal. Pretend that he didn't stare at his phone, waiting for a text that didn't come, writing texts he'd never send. Pretend that it didn't feel like somebody had cut off his left arm. Sure, he didn't need it, but not having it made things so much harder.

Abuela still came in, like she always did. Phoenix couldn't lie to her, couldn't tell her everything was fine. He gave her her usual supplies of bread and pastries when she came in instead of dropping them over before or after work.

"He misses you too, Phoenix, querido. He just can't say it." He didn't need to say anything. Abuela could always read him like a book, and lying would be a waste of time. He just smiled sadly and handed her the bag of baked goods.

Get up. Go for a run. Go to work. Pretend like the dark circles under his eyes didn't give away the fact he was snatching only a few hours of sleep every night and that that sleep was seldom restful. Nightmares plagued him from the moment he closed his eyes. And it wasn't like he had anyone to talk to them about.

He knew from the moment he saw Rosie's face that she was back into "caring english teacher" mode, and it at least gave him a couple of seconds to brace himself. But she didn't mention him, just said that she'd been around at Markus' and thought Jaiden and Violet needed a night out. He didn't know how she managed to talk him into agreeing to bring them out. But she had always been extraordinarily persuasive, even without having to use her abilities, so he found himself having committed to the plans.

He'd taken his time getting ready, waiting for an excuse to arise that would mean he didn't have to go. Going would just be a few more hours of pretending that everything was fine. It was bullshit, everyone knew it, but Jaiden didn't need his stupid crap on top of everything she was dealing with. He'd even put on eyeshadow and eyeliner to stretch it out, but eventually, there came a time when he had to leave to go meet Jaiden and Violet at Markus'. Shoving his phone in to his pocket, he turned and left, making his way across town.

He knocked on the Markus' door and was let in by Rosie, who chattered in her usual charming way, giving out about her freshmen. He just smiled and nodded, forcing a laugh at appropriate points, and mostly just prayed that Violet and Jaiden would appear soon. He loved Rosie, but he just... wasn't in the mood for that constant chatter right now.

There was more people here than Phoenix had been expecting. A plate of baked goods was handed around, somebody explaining that Violet and Jaiden had been baking. The atmosphere was familiar and warm. It might have been comforting at any other time, but now, more than ever, Phoenix felt that absence, that feeling of nothing where usually there was something. His half smile felt more forced than ever.

And then Travis arrived. The shift in the atmosphere was considerable as people regarded him with considerable, and perhaps justified wariness. His joke fell flat and did nothing to reduce the tension. Phoenix spotted Jaiden slipping out of the room, and silently followed her out, slipping in to the kitchen after her. Being away from the crowd was an odd relief, feeling like tension had been removed from his chest.

"Hey," he said quietly, careful not to scare her. He wasn't entirely sure what to say. He knew not to ask her if she was okay. None of them were okay. Asking what was wrong was a stupid question, he knew exactly what was wrong.

"You did a good job on the baking," he said with a small smile. "Listen, we don't have to go to the bar or whatever. We can just go back to mine and do whatever. Sit in silence and stare into space. Watch a movie. Whatever. I think Markus and Rosie just want us out of the way... just in case." He didn't know exactly what was going on, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that they seemed to be the ones everyone else turned to.

Rosie smiled as Travis complimented her outfit. "Thank you. In terrible times, someone's got to bring the colour, right?" She said, before heading back into the sitting room where the others were. She could feel the shift in atmosphere the moment the others saw him, and internally, she prepared herself. Markus hadn't been terribly receptive to the idea, and she was pretty sure Neden had only agreed because, tactically, it made sense.

Travis' quip about being accepted on to the patrols fell about as flat as Rosie had been anticipating, and she just internally winced. She knew why the others were hesitant, but they needed to be able to work together if this was going to work. She ran a hand through her hair as Markus clarified that she would be starting things moving. She cleared her throat, not willing to give anyone a chance to ask any questions.

"So far, our house guest has been pretty unwilling to talk. He's also been pretty damn stubborn and has put up a fight. But he seems to recognise us as "monsters" which is why he's been so stubborn. But he might be a little more receptive to another human, which is where you come in. Pretend to be his friend. Pretend to sympathise. I don't care what you have to tell him to get information out of him, just do it. And if he's not talking, we'll... figure something else out." They didn't want to just kill him, not when he could potentially provide information, but he was also a liability. If he escaped, they could have a real issue on their hands. "One thing that opinions have been divided on. Do you want one of us down there in case he does put up a fight? I don't think he's seen me yet, I can go down with you. I'm... probably the least threatening." She said with a small smirk, glancing at Neden and Markus.

Phoenix held his hands up in apology as Jaiden jumped with fright. It was easier to scare all of them now, but especially people like Jaiden. People who had lost somebody special to that attack. He still felt a little bit of guilt that after... well, that he hadn't been totally there himself in the days following. He should have been there for her, should have been there for everyone. And he'd tried but... his heart, his mind hadn't been in it.

He just smiled as she said going to his apartment sounded better. He couldn't help but agree. At first, it had seemed like a good idea but now, he realised his mind wasn't in the right place for partying or drinking. Going back to his and doing nothing and not having to do it alone sounded like the best option. "It's fine, I get it. We all... we all had stuff to deal with. And besides, we're here now, right?" He said with a slightly forced smile. "That counts for something." There was no point in pretending things were normal. They weren't, they were so very far from normal. And they both knew it. But at least they weren't totally alone.

"Well, then, we better go before Rosie chases us out with a threat of a Hamlet essay or something," He joked. "Do you wanna go see if Violet's coming or not? I'll see you guys outside," he said. When he stepped outside, it was cold enough that he could see his breath in the air. He'd always hated winter. It was too cold and the days were too short, with never enough sunshine. No amount of snow or frozen clouds of breath would make him change his mind on that.

He frowned as he swore he could hear footsteps, feel another presence, just out of sight. He took a step or two away from the house. "Hello?" He called, starting to wonder if his imagination was beginning to play tricks on him.

Travis insisted on going down alone. He did have a point however, so Rosie just smiled and nodded. Waiting was easier said than one, however. The whole time, she felt like... something was wrong. Like something was going to happen. Travis seemed to be gone a while, and it was putting Rosie on edge. Then she sighed and got to her feet. "Screw this, I'm going to check on them."

The minute she was within sight of the hunter, he lurched out of his seat. She didn't have time to do anything more than scream before he had grabbed her, something sharp pressed against her neck, and his hand clamped firmly over her mouth. Her blood ran cold as he called her a siren. He already knew what she was. They'd already lost their element of surprise. Then two gunshots rang out and the hands grasping her fell limp as the hunter fell to the ground.

"It's... It's fine," she said as she stared at the body. She also was okay with him being dead if it meant she didn't get a nail driven in to her neck, but they'd just lost a valuable source of information. Especially considering he already had information on them. Then Markus burst in. Rosie caught the look at her, but before she could move to stop him, Markus had Travis pinned to the wall. "Markus-" she warned, but a distraction arrived in the form of Neden. "I'm fine," she said, folding her arms as they asked her if she was okay. Then she separated Markus and Travis, ordering Markus to go cool down. Rosie led the way upstairs, flopping down onto the couch again as they reached the living room.

"Leave him out in the woods, someone or something will deal with him," Rosie suggested as a way of dealing with the hunter. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed Travis was limping slightly as he entered. "Is your leg okay? He threw you over that chair pretty hard," she remarked with a small smirk.

Kay's bright "hi!" was an abrupt change in tone, and Phoenix turned to see Jaiden and Violet were back. Their presence was a welcome distraction. He'd told Kay the truth and... he could tell she didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to see her get hurt, but if she wasn't going to listen to him, there wasn't much else he could do. Not now, at least. He didn't want to continue with this conversation either. All of the guilt, the anger, the pain of the past few days was sitting in his chest like a physical weight.

He forced a smile as Violet asked Kay if she was coming with them. "Yeah, we're going back to mine, just to relax for a while. I've got brownies and we're probably going to make some hot chocolate and find something dumb on TV to watch. You want to come?" He asked. He liked Kay, he really did, but the thought that she might keep asking questions and talking about Alex wasn't exactly one he was totally okay with. But he wasn't going to just walk away and not say anything. And besides, she might cheer Jaiden and Violet up a little. That would be worth it.

"I also have that tea you love," he said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "Come on, it'll be nice." Being in groups like this made the absence of Alex feel all the worse. He had always just been there. It had been said more than once about them that they practically came as a pair. Phoenix could handle being alone. It was when it felt like he should have been there that the hole was felt. But what could he do? He wasn't going to risk making things worse. As much as he wanted to, he knew he wasn't the right person right now. So he'd just have to... wait and hope. Just like he always did.

"Come on then, let's go. It's too cold to be standing around like this," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and heading back towards his apartment.

Rosie just nodded as Neden said they were going to deal with the body. Rosie had learned that when it came to Neden, it was generally better not to ask too many questions. She didn't react, simply stared at her shoes as Trav asked them all to at least listen to him. And then Neden left, leaving the two of them alone for a few minutes.

"I'll tell them you did it to save me," she said quietly. "They'll... they'll respect that much. But I need you to tell me something, and I need you to tell me the truth," she said, sitting forward and holding his gaze. "Travis, how did he know I was a siren? He called me pretty little siren and knew to cover my mouth. I don't look like a siren from mythology."

But before Travis could answer, Markus came back in. He still looked deep in thought, and Rosie looked at Trav. Don't say anything. She got to her feet. "I think we could all do with tea, yes?" She said in her usual bright banner, brushing herself down and heading out to the kitchen. She pulled down a few mugs and put some water on to boil, leaning against the counter as she did so. Suddenly, things seemed much more dangerous. Things had felt... wrong since the first attack, but the feeling was worse than ever. Nothing like this had ever happened before. She knew that much. And she'd heard the stories, of towns like this that were destroyed and its surviving inhabitants forced to move and scattered across the world. She didn't want that to happen again. She wouldn't let it happen again, not if she could do anything to stop it.

Even if it had been the last thing he’d wanted to do at one stage, he was glad he brought the others round. It made him feel a little less alone for a while. It made things feel a little more normal. Made it a little easier to deal with. But it couldn’t last forever, and all too soon, he was alone again. He went back to his repetitive routine. Run, work, sleep. Repeat, repeat, rinse and repeat, over and over again. Sometimes he went to Markus’ to see Jaiden and Violet. He perfected his Opera Cake recipe at 3AM one morning. Abuela still came for her bread and pastries, and Phoenix pretended he was more okay than he actually was. She’d always been able to see right through him, and her sad smile as she left told him that that hadn’t changed. But it was either that or probably end up crying at work when he spoke to her, and he refused to give in to that.

Kay appeared to have forgiven him, at least. She still asked if he’d spoken to Alex again, and he’d force a smile and shake his head and say no, they were just too busy. The flower crown still sat on a bookshelf in Phoenix’s apartment, the only place he could find for it where it wasn’t going to be staring him in the face every time he walked into the apartment. She still seemed convinced that Alex had genuinely meant the flirting, and he wasn’t sure what else he could do or say to convince her otherwise. How could she not have known that he was like that with everyone? Was it because she’d only ever really seen him with Phoenix, and he had never been like that with him? Or did she just really believe that he was different with her? He’d told her to bring him the brown flowers she mentioned. Maybe the flowers might make him smile and it would be worth it.

He didn’t want to leave his apartment, but his cupboards and fridge were so low that he really needed to get groceries. Travis always stayed open a little later to serve the night-dwellers, which meant that Phoenix was able to call in after work. Travis was pleasant as always, but Phoenix wasn’t particularly in the mood for a chat. He took his groceries and left again.

There was a strange energy in the air as he walked back to his apartment. He couldn’t explain it, but it was… oddly familiar, and not in a good way. It was a tension, as if something bad was about to happen.

He’d just gotten back into his apartment and put the groceries down on the counter when he heard the first scream. Something told him to slam the door and lock it, told him to hide. But instead, he sprinted back down the stairs, back into town. The hunters were back. He met one almost at his door, but before he could react, a vampire appeared from nowhere and tackled the hunter, their teeth already in the hunter’s neck. Phoenix turned and ran, running back towards town.

He didn’t expect to see Abuela there. He wasn’t, however, surprised to see her punch a hunter who was at least a foot taller than her in the face and knee him in the groin. “Abuela! Where’s Alex?” He called. He didn’t give a damn about their fight, he needed to make sure he was safe. He hadn’t dealt well with the first attack, so if they were going to be attacked again, he had to try and help. “He went to the graveyard!” Abuela called back, and Phoenix took off running again, avoiding the hunters as best he could.

Rosie and Travis excused themselves from Markus'. He insisted on walking her home to make sure she got home safe. And it was there that he told her the truth of why the hunter had known who she was. She wasn't exactly happy about it, but it did make sense at least. It was an answer.

The next few days were quiet. Too quiet. Neden and Travis stayed passing on the information from the patrols, and everything was quiet. Considering they'd captured and killed one of the hunters, Rosie knew that quiet was certainly not a good thing. It was a matter of time before they retaliated. And they needed to be prepared. The patrols got bigger and patrolled for longer. She and a few of the other teachers stayed after hours to make sure the kids who stayed late got home safe, walking or driving them home themselves if needed. They were preparing for an attack, if they couldn't make it obvious.

So when she heard the screaming start from town, she knew exactly what it was. She'd stayed after school to make sure the drama kids got home from rehearsal safe. When they'd announced they were doing a production of Macbeth, Rosie had gotten roped in as director. It was turning out better than she'd imagined, but that afternoon, she hadn't been able to focus on any of it. She was just getting her stuff ready to leave when the screaming started. She and the others had prepared for this. Their first priority was to get the kids home safely.

She and half a dozen sophomores had ended up too close to the centre of town, where the worst of the attacks seem to be concentrated. She'd decided that it wasn't worth getting them all home, and instead was going to bring them back to hers. There was enough room and she could keep them safe. And then a hunter ambushed them. Her kids were ready to fight, but not as ready as Rosie. He hadn't expected her to take flight and kick him in the face from the air. But he recovered quickly and grabbed her ankles, yanking them towards her. She leaned into it and drove the force of her weight into it, knocking him out. She hit the ground and yelled for her students to run. And they ran, just like she'd told them to. They were kids. They didn't need to fight this fight, they needed to be safe. She got to her feet and started following them, catching up to them easily. She was going to protect these kids, no matter what. No matter what she had to do.

The next few days came by like a blurr for Jaiden. It was a mix of returning back to her normal everyday things, and then with the introduction of a Hunter and his body being taken care of, Jaiden knew what she had to do. She began training with her abilities, thanks to some help with Markus. He was able to gather some other Pyrokenetics in the town who helped her focus and know-how to contain it. They practiced in secrecy and private as the days passed. They all knew. They knew what was coming, it was obvious. They just didn't know when. Jaiden had always practiced slightly with her connection to fire, but never spent as much time as she did. The days were exhausting and seemed to go on forever. With the ever-growing dread, and with slightly more control, Jaiden had started to fall back into her old ways. Going out with some friends, and staying in Markus' home lately. Things had felt off in the following days, just something didn't feel right. About anything, and she didn't know why. Not until the day arrived.

Jaiden was out among the town, enjoying her day for the first time in a very long time. She went among the shops and checked to see if there was anything she wanted or needed, but there wasn't anything of real note. Passing from storefront to storefront her day went by rather quickly, and as the sun began to dip, fear and anxiety began to slowly creep inside once more. The air felt colder. No sign of wind or movement, but just cold. As if even nature knew what was about to happen. She found herself walking down the street in the dark when it happened. Screams. It started out in the distance of just one, and then another joined in, and eventually, it was a crescendo of multiple people screaming as they ran through the town. She felt her heart sink as reality hit her. It was happening again. Just when everything started to feel normal once more. She began to finally take a few steps back and as she turned, she saw what was going on just down the street. A dark figure rushed out from between two buildings, tackling an elf in the process to the cold hard ground, and a gunshot rang out. The elf went silent and still as a pool of blood began to form. She felt sick as others rushed past her, whether to action to help or in fear as they made their escape, but all she saw was the same thing the night of the festival. People screaming, running for their lives and to find safety, and Hunters. Everywhere. There was too many this time around as they seemed to swarm from the surrounding treeline as they made their way into town.

The young witch finally snapped herself back into reality as someone pushed past her, forcing her against a brick wall. After a moment of shaking her head, Jaiden found herself pushing herself against the wall and into the middle of the street. Looking around for any sign of someone needing help. She wouldn't run away, not this time. She was a coward last time, and someone she loved dearly paid the price for her actions. She was a coward, and she hated herself for it. Feeling so helpless and defenseless. Too scared of her past actions to use her abilities to help someone else. To use it for good, or at least in a just manner. She shook her head, seeing two more Hunters run after a group of small children, cornering them in an alleyway. Jaiden quickly gave chase after them and stopped about five feet away from the Hunters. A large lump formed in her throat as she tried to hold back the anxiety as her hands shook. After a brief moment, she called out to the Hunters, "Aye, Fuckos! Get the fuck away from those kids!" Jaiden lunged forwards, punching one in the back of the head as she gave a short burst of fire towards the other Hunter's abdomen, using it as a distraction. The first Hunter whirled around as he grasped the back of his head in pain, mumbling something under his breath about how they'd all pay. She heard and had enough, without even a single moment of hesitation, the two Hunters were consumed by a sudden wall of fire, that slowly drew in closer and closer, the light bouncing off of the buildings. Giving the scene a hellish glow as the two Hunters crumpled to the ground as they screamed, and suddenly were silenced as they turned to ash and dust. Without a single look of remorse on her face Jaiden turned to the group of children that had been herded like cattle. "Go find your parents and hide, don't let anyone find you. This isn't your fight, got it?" her voice was compassionate and somber but was cold as ice at the same time. She quickly turned on her heels and left to go find others that were in need of help, or maybe even one of her friends to help, if they weren't busy. All she hoped was that everyone was okay, and that nothing bad had happened just yet.

The following days had been an absolute mess. Markus had been busy with trying to figure out what to do with the whole Hunter issue, as losing their only real form of information had been expired all too quickly. Patrols became stricter, longer, and larger groups were sent out as it wasn't safe. Things hadn't felt right since the first Hunter showed up, and with how things had only seemingly got worse over the next few days both Markus and Neden grew paranoid. They added new members to the patrols and made sure everyone was combat-ready and knew what to do if another attack were to transpire. It was like the worst thing that could possibly happen, was starting to happen and it was only a matter of time until it made itself known. That was until today. Markus was tending to things in the town, getting a few personal items, as well as supplies for the house as three people were in his home. He hadn't realized how expensive food was for three people, but he couldn't complain. As much as he never wanted to admit it, his friends were his family and he was happy to help them any way he could. He was in town the entire day as he had multiple errands to run, and by the time he was done with everything the sun had already started to go down. He began to slowly make his way through the town and back to the direction his home was in, midway through the entrance of the forest he stopped. Everything went cold and silent. The forest itself was normally so lively with animals, the wind would blow and make sounds throughout the trees. But not now. Now it was eerily silent. It was then that he heard a faint whisper among the trees. Spriggans and TreeFolk all alike were hidden throughout the woods, which was what made the forest such a fantastical, yet horrifying place. If one wasn't any wiser they could end up as some fertilizer for one of them.

Markus' hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he couldn't tell what it was, not until it was too late. Screams were heard coming from town, and that it when it hit him. Hunters. They were here, again. The church bell went off soon enough, alerting the people in the town of what was happening, as everyone knew if the church bells went off, it was to signal the arrival of danger. Markus began to make a bee-line for the town when a sharp and searing pain shot through his leg. Looking down, a large arrow had embedded itself into his right calf. He groaned in pain as he took a moment to collect his thoughts, they were hiding in the woods. It only made sense. Quickly he turned, grabbing one by the throat as he went for a sneak attack from the shadows. Markus simply grinned, and in an instant a crescent of red sprayed through the air as the Hunter was dropped to the floor, a fresh and gnarled wound bled out from the neck. Markus looked around for more, ducking behind a tree as he pulled the arrow out from his leg, seeing the wound heal within seconds. A chuckle erupted from his throat as he witnessed two more Hunters peer out from within the trees, "If you're going to fight, at least make it fair." he said with a low growl, his eyes twinkled with some mischief before lunging forward with inhuman speed. He already had his hand wrapped around another Hunter's throat, squeezing tightly until he heard a satisfying crunch and the Hunter's body went limp. Markus dropped the fresh corpse and slowly stalked his way through the woods, hearing a twig snap behind him he ducked behind a tree.

Familiar voices came from the entrance of the woods, seeing a group of children and then an all too familiar face appear quickly behind them. Rosie had been ushering a group of her students to safety. A small smile appeared on his face as he went to greet them, but yet again a searing pain shot through his side as he fell to his knee. A deep growl erupted from deep within his chest as he flashed Rosie a look. He looked down at his side, yet again another arrow. With a groan he removed the arrow, snapping it in half with ease. This wound seemed to take slightly longer to heal, but within a minute it had already healed over. He turned to where the arrow came from, seeing another Hunter hiding behind the trees in the back. Markus helped move the students and Rosie hide behind some trees themselves. He knew what he had to do, he wasn't as useful as he could have been otherwise. He quickly tossed off his shoes, removing his shirt and tossed them to the side, "You may want to look away." he said softly. the transformation was quick, but too slow for his liking. It always was. His bones having to break and crack, reform from human and into that of a wild beast's. His muscles and tendons, and every fiber of his being shifted from his human form, to that of an overly large wolf. A low, gravelly growl escaped the beast's mouth as it looked around for a moment. It had always been something he hated, and used for last resorts, but this time it was the only option he had if he wanted to ensure the safety of his friends. The wolf slowly lowered itself close to the ground as it peered around the side, staring into the darkness. Picking up on the scent of the Hunter, Markus slowly slinked from where he had been hiding with the others and made a straight bolt and out of sight as he chased the Hunter. A pained, human scream sounded as the sound of snapping and growling, bones breaking and flesh tearing and all went silent within seconds. After a few moments of nothing, no sound or movement a figure slowly exited from the darkness. The figure slowly made its way from the darkness, blood-covered dark matted fur, dark blue eyes scanned the area as a howl escaped its lips. A triumphant howl sounded but was quickly silenced as the trees themselves seemed to stir to life. Roots began uprooting themselves, gaps, where there were trees prior now existed as the treefolk, had been awoken from their slumber, ready to defend their home and the people within it.

The following days had been hell on earth. From locking herself away after the night she had spent with everyone, to spending long nights and mornings in the local library. Violet had been studying everything she could to try to learn something, anything about herself. Anything about what she had become, but there was nothing. Nothing about someone having been a ghost that had become what she was now. There were no answers, and maybe there never would be. But as the days went on, it only grew more painful. The mark on her wrist had grown from a simple numbing throbbing pain, to at times an immobilizing sharp ache. She never understood why it would randomly cause her pain, nevermind where it came from or why. All she knew now was that she was different from before, not just shunned to the outside and made to look on as an outsider, but now she could do things. She always could move things around or summon things to her will if she so desired, but this was different. She spent the following days researching and practicing her newfound abilities. It was now that she was in the woods, northside of the town. She sat beside a tree, reading a few of the books that she had borrowed from the library. She hadn't planned to have been there as long as she did, but it was like something else was calling out to her from afar. Always out of reach, both literally and figuratively.

It was only when the sun began to go down that she decided it would be best for her to get her things and head home. Markus made it a point for her to never be out by herself when it got dark. She took a detour, though a pathway she hadn't been to in years. A place she avoided at all costs since the accident. Since she became a ghost, and whatever it is that she is now. The all too hauntingly familiar scene and smell laid before her eyes through the treeline. Violet slowly walked through the trees, keeping her backpack close by as she shuffled into view of the lake. She felt a large lump form in her throat, it was the first time she had been there since, wanting to reject the reality the best she could. But with everything having gone to shit already, she had to face the facts, even if she didn't want to. Violet set her things down along the treeline next to a birch tree and walked to the water's edge. Sitting down, and gently tracing the water's surface with her fingertip. But, the moment her finger touched the water, frost gathered and quickly began to spread out over a small patch of the lake. Violet quickly scrambled backward from the water. She blinked, but the moment her eyes landed on the lake she gave out a heavy sigh. The rippling water was just as it was, no ice, no frost. Nothing. She hadn't had visions or memories of the event in years, and now...Now it happened for the first time in over a decade. Quickly getting to her feet she mumbled to herself, "I knew I shouldn't have come here..." she mumbled. The sound of a twig snapped alerted her, causing her to pause for a moment. Looking around she didn't see anything of importance, that was until a voice spoke out from behind the tree line. "You're right about that." a deep, yet oddly calm voice called. Violet snapped her attention to where the figure sat, his face was blocked from view as he was looking away from her. "Who...Who are you?" she questioned, an eyebrow quirked.

The man smirked, turning his head to look at Violet, his face still obstructed from view due to the cloak he was wearing. The only defining features that could be seen were a very squared jawline, brown gote, and beard. The man slowly stood, rising to his full height which easily towered over Violet. "In time, my dear. But for now, I think the real important thing is your friends. Remember?" he mused. Violet took a step back when the man spoke, something was familiar about him, but she didn't understand why. Not yet anyway. A lump formed in her throat at the mention of her friends, and how they were more important than anything at the moment. She was going to ask what that meant but then a scream was heard far off in the distance, which caused her to look away. Violet snapped her head back to where the man had stood, and when her eyes landed back there he was gone. Without a trace. There was no sound of him leaving, nor was there even a sound before he made his presence known. Violet didn't know what to do, she couldn't move as she tried to figure out what to do. Does she go to help whoever screamed, or simply ignore it? It was only when what sounded like several people running along with the trees that caused her heart to race, as well as sink. They were all dressed in black and were running at high speeds to the direction of the town. She immediately understood what was happening, she began to make her way from the lake, that was until three figures stepped out from the treeline. They had to crouch down from the upper branches of the trees as they exited and entered the clearing. Violet knew that Spriggans and treefolk had existed in the town before, but these...These were far too large to be normal ones, nevermind how old they looked. Ancient moss and foliage had spread across the majority of their bodies as they stretched. Violet watched in silence as they looked at her, before looking at each other and then back at her before walking past her and towards the direction of the town. The fact that the ancient treefolk started to awaken caused her heart to race even more as her palms began to sweat. She didn't know what point she'd serve in trying to help, but if what was happening was what she thought, then she had to do something. Anything to help those she cared about, and that's what she would do.

The ensuing days had been nothing but preparations and over paranoia. Neden had always been one for being over the top in everything they did and always seemed to be paranoid about something or someone. But those days were an entirely different kind. With the way patrols were being pushed towards and adding new people, making the rules be harder and the guidelines of what to do in case of an emergency or attack. They spent days without sleep, choosing to stay up most nights, hard at work even if they weren't patrolling. With the events that transpired between Travis and the Branded, Neden had to take matters into their own hands. They stayed up later and longer, ate less, slept less, but trained more. Trained harder, and longer than they ever had. They knew something bad was coming and it would be coming soon, but Neden didn't know when or why. But just that something dark was coming their way, and there was nothing to do to stop it. All they could do was help the others prepare and that is what they did. While on one of those days, Alex approached them and asked for some help. That he'd need someone in the next few days to come with him to the graveyard so he could do a special thing for him to be able to have a proper vision? Something along those lines, Alex hadn't been exactly very clear on what he wanted from them, but they obliged. What was the worse thing that could happen? It could backfire and he could end up hurting himself? Which, would be oddly amusing. The day finally came when Alex came to them and said it was time to go, taking a few things with them just in case if things went south, not like they needed this to happen for them to bring their things with them anyway. A few knives, their main choice of weapon and a few other things that they kept hidden in their overcoat.

Neden followed Alex to the graveyard and kept a small distance between them as they walked, keeping their eyes on anything and everything. Neden silently followed Alex as he tried to find the perfect spot that he wanted to set his things up. When he finally chose a spot Neden helped him set everything up and took what he didn't need, placing it on the side of the gravestone. They gave him a few feet of distance in case anything backfired or went horribly wrong and simply watched. Neden nodded as he told them to just sit tight and not to worry, and that he wasn't sure what was going to happen exactly or what they possibly could witness. Neden simply shrugged as he began whatever he was doing, as Neden didn't really have the biggest interest in Necromancy or things along the things that pertained to death. Whether it was still the angel part in them or not they weren't sure. All they knew was that it made them uncomfortable, but not because it went against nature itself, but because they were dealing with someone who wasn't even entirely sure if he was doing it right. Neden simply stood there watching as it all unfolded, when nothing seemed to be working as even Alex said he wasn't sure if he was doing it right, "Look, if this doesn't work any time soon I'm gonna go. I have more important things to-" they started but were silenced as a dark mist began to form around their feet. Neden dug in their pockets for a moment, but stopped as suddenly dozens of spirits formed around Alex. Their eyes widened for a moment as their heart raced, but took a deep breath as they spirits moved in closer to Alex and formed a semi-circle. [i]Holy shit...He actually did it..., they thought to themselves as Alex's otherwise stupid idea of a summoning actually worked.

They watched in silence and awe as it only lasted a few short seconds, but it was enough to take in. Alex sat there in silence, in a daze as who they presumed to be past necromancers themselves, or some other witches gathered around Alex. Everything happened so quickly, as the spirits quickly faded away, as did the mist and they were left alone once more. Neden blinked back into reality as Alex began to tip over, clearly still in his daze. Neden reacted on instinct and helped keep him from slamming his head into anything and helped lower him to the ground, backing away a bit to give him room to breathe. Neden looked away as Alex quickly scrambled to his feet and emptied his stomach. Patting him on the back awkwardly as he did so, seeing as that it could be the only thing they could do to comfort him. Neden didn't know what he saw, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. All they knew was that Alex was incredibly panicked and speratic, more so than usual. It was then that Nedne heard screaming coming from the town. their heart sank, it happened. It was happening again. Another attack. "Alex we need to get out of here now! It's not safe." they said as they shook him by the shoulders. Neden looked at him as he gestured to the town, obviously telling them to go and help. Neden shook their head, "Not leaving you behind, you idiot." they said as they helped Alex to his feet, but watched as he took off like a rocket. Shaking their head they quickly followed after him, and watched as another figure came running into the graveyard, but was stopped by a cloaked figure. Neden didn't see what happened exactly, as it happened too quickly. All that they knew was that Phoenix went down, and the Hunter was ensnared in vines and was quickly silenced.

"No!!" they exclaimed as they ran towards the direction Phoenix was in. As Neden ran, they stopped by Alex and forced him to his feet, "Get to your fucking feet you idiot!" they said coldly as they helped him as they made their way to Phoenix. Thankfully Alex was easy to help over to where Phoenix was laying down in the grass, obviously losing blood all too quickly. Neden placed Alex down next to him, quickly turning their head behind them seeing more figures emerge from their hiding spots. Hunters, and lots of them. "Fanfuckingtastic" Neden muttered out loud. Looking back at Phoenix and Alex for a moment they spoke, "Do what you can, wrap this around his wound for now." they said as they tossed him a wrap of gauze they had stowed in their pocket. Turning to face the encroaching Hunters, Neden dug into their pockets and retrieved something that glinted in the moonlight. Whistling softly into the wind for a moment, Neden smirked. They'd have back up soon enough, but until then they'd have to do what they could. Turning the end of the pen, in a flash it changed its appearance from a normal household pen into that of a sword. With a deep breath, Neden brandished their weapon as a Hunter rushed them with two plain steel daggers.

Neden dodged the first strike of their blades, twirling the sword around as they engaged in combat with the Hunter. The Hunter went for a single strike, easily dodged with Neden's speed and agility. "'What even are you?" the Hunter hissed between her teeth. A smirk spread across their face, "Pissed off, darling." they quipped, quickly going in for a lunge of their own, the Hunter got in a quick slice along Neden's left arm as the Hunter blocked the blade with their other dagger. Neden hissed at the Hunter for a moment, but smirked as not even a drop of blood seeped through the coat. The Hunter went into for another jab, but was forcefully yanked backward by what appeared to be vines and branches. A smirk appeared on Neden's face as they looked around, Spriggans and treefolk of all kinds finally arrived and had made quick work of some of the Hunters. "Head into town, the town's people need your help more than us." Neden called out to the dozen of Spriggans, who simply nodded and left for the town. Neden took another quick look around and ran back to Alex and Phoenix, who were still laying on the ground, "You both need to get out of here, now. Find someplace safe and you'll be fine. Got it?" they questioned. Neden took two steps away from them and stopped before they made their way back into the town. Stopping as something didn't feel right, it was too quiet. The Hunters had been picked off far too easily and it just didn't sit right with them. Neden knew more were out there, hiding among the trees. Before they turned back to speak to Alex and Phoenix, the slightest sound of a twig snapping along the treeline caught their attention.

Without even thinking, Neden stepped in front of Alex in a split second, and a moment later the crackling of a gunshot went off. Neden slowly looked up at Alex as they turned to look at him. A small smile creased their lips for only a second as they collapsed to their knees, holding their side. Everything went silent, except for the doll sound of static and ever so quiet ringing sound in their ears. Neden didn't even have a second to think of a better option than getting in the way of Alex and blocking him from being hit. A chuckle sounded for a moment before Nedne let out a soft groan as blood came spurting from their lips. Neden bent over and coughed, blood splattered across the old stone and grass. Looking down at their hand finally, they saw that it was coated in blood and a large mess of flesh and blood covered their jacket. "I'm sorry...I wasn't much help...I wish I could have done more..." they muttered, their breathing became heavy and labored. Neden was losing blood and strength at an all too fast rate and their vision began to blur. Sitting back against one of the headstones they let out a chuckle, "You did good though, Alex...Don't let them tell you otherwise..." they said softly. There was nothing left to say or do, and after a bit of silence, all went quiet. Not even the sound of wind or animals chirping. A figure slowly stepped out from the treeline and slowly began to make its way over to Alex and Phoenix. As the figure grew closer they slowly raised their weapon and went to open fire.

In what seemed like a blink of an eye, and an unknown figure rushed at the Hunter, knocking them off their feet. The weapon scattered across the cold stone below and out of sight. The Hunter looked up at his assailant in confusion. After a brief moment of silence, the Hunter brandished a large, curved knife and went for a quick strike. The other figure dodged out of the way with incredible speed, grabbing the Hunter by the shoulder and flipped over them. Now standing behind the Hunter, the figure gave a quick few jabs along the back and kicked at the lower lumbar, causing the Hunter to crash to the ground. "What...What are you?" the Hunter questioned, looking up at the figure with dark, jet black wings that seemingly blended in with their attire, as they spread out more. No smile or chuckle, but an icy cold tone came forth as the figure spoke, "Death." the figure said simply. In a blink of an eye, a dagger was logged into the Hunter's forehead, burying deep within the skull, and the Hunter went still. The winged figure slowly stood up, wiping the blood from their weapon as they put it back into their cloak's pocket. As the figure slowly walked over to Phoenix and Alex, an all too familiar face gave a small and friendly smile, "I'll explain later, but we need to get out of here. Now. Can you carry him or should I?"