Dark Divide ✓ [WLW]

Chapter Ten - Immortal Closure

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"𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐌𝐘 𝐅𝐀𝐔𝐋𝐓," Vareia whispered into Evylyn's dress, hands tightly clutching fistfuls of the fabric. She was squeezing Evylyn so tightly she felt as though she was going to pop. But Vareia's touch sent warmth shooting throughout her body in a frigid, dark forest.

With others, she'd shrug them off, push them away, insult them if they dared to touch her. She'd never willingly touched anyone; she'd averted it for as long as she could remember. And now, not only was she touching Vareia, she was practically seeking it out. Any time someone had touched her in the past, it had sent unpleasant, cold chills up her spine. Vareia was the opposite.

And Evylyn wasn't sure she wanted to let go.

So she strengthened her hold on Vareia, unsure of what to do besides close her eyes and hope the rhythmic rise and fall of her own chest would help calm Vareia's uneven pants.

"It's not your fault," she said. She wasn't sure what else to say.

"If I hadn't trusted that Qhelmite, Eki'na would be alive, Evylyn," Vareia replied, voice wobbling. "I..."

And instead of lending more words of comfort, Evylyn lifted her lavender gaze to the trees. In all the commotion, she'd completely forgotten about the 'Qhelmite'. It seemed Vareia hadn't noticed the concealment stone looped around the 'Qhelmite''s neck, but Evylyn wasn't about to tell her when she could barely say a full sentence.

"Wait here," she said, standing. It didn't quite feel like she had control of her motions anymore. She felt like a puppet being pulled by the strings, pushed to do something she wasn't sure she should do.

"Wha... wait, Evylyn. Don't leave me," Vareia said, though Evylyn barely heard it, between the hushed volume and the blood that was rushing to her ears in hot rage.

It only took a minute of searching with a pitiful flame in the palm of her hand to find the so-called Qhelmite. They were hiding behind a tree, but one of their arms had been completely visible.

Evylyn yanked them by the collar of their shirt, dragging them to the clearing and practically throwing them to the ground. They landed with a pained groan, chest rapidly rising as their skin gleamed with slick sweat. With a swift yank, Evylyn snatched the concealment stone from their neck, breaking it with ease.

The feathers adorning their skin fluttered to the ground before vanishing; all part of the illusion. In front of her sat a Llisocean, dark blue skin flushed as their cerulean eyes met Evylyn's. She recognized them. They'd been sitting in Judge's Underover when he'd brought her there.

Rage flooded her bloodstream, rendering her mind clouded and vision blinded as she knelt down, grabbing the Llisocean and pulling them close. Though she hated looking people in the eye, she was determined to make this Llisocean squirm. And squirm they did, as their eyes rapidly fluttered.

"Why?" she seethed, skin burning as hot as her words as she struggled to keep her temper from sparking. While she knew she wasn't quick to real anger, once someone had gotten a rise out of her, she could hardly contain herself. And this... monster had been the reason Vareia's friend had died.

"You're going to need to be more specific than that," they said, laughing a bit, though their clammy skin revealed they were still nervous. "Why what?"

"Why did you do it?" she said, voice nearly a yell. Her hands started to shake, though she did not relent on her ironclad hold.

"Ah, well, that's what the big boss told me to do. He told me I'd get a handsome share of the bounty placed on your pretty little head," the Llisocean said, a sliver of a taunting smile dancing on their lips.