Along the warm pavement, two hooded figures were walking towards the setting sun.

  One looked tall and muscular while the other looked slender and feminine. Both didn’t mind nor care about the curious gazes they’re getting from the bystanders and pedestrians because of their hideous scars or their peculiar outfits.

  “Never took you for one to lose your cool.”

  " Sigh. Me, neither.”

  “What came?”

  Deckard slowed down in his tracks, deep in thoughts.

  “I... I... hmm... perhaps, I didn’t want to falter under that condescending black mutt. And that, they were judging our lives. Our lives! These mere mutts even dared... and one thing led to another and –”

  “Look, Deckard. Compromising today’s mission was bad but still tolerable because, luckily nothing huge happened. It's merely abducting some unfortunate mutt and with superb luck, we might even break them with minimal efforts, getting the information we need. And, perhaps just put their lives out of their misery but now...”

  Revella took a breath,

  “You almost jeopardized our whole mission here. Other times, you can just challenge anyone you deem worthy, win or lose your life in the dirty corner for all I care. But this... this is different. This is important, you understand? This is a lot more than just us. You being here has its own purpose than just blindly murdering mutts. What if this destroyed everything? Everything we had done, every sacrifice we’d made, gone. Poof. Just like that. How many years would it take for us to come back here again? Decades? Hundreds?”

  She took a sharp breath, her deep eyes saddened.

  “We are losing. We are losing bad. Which is why we are here in the first place, to strike at their heart. Laying low until she appeared in Brownmourn is not difficult at all. How much sacrifice we had to make, our comrades had to make, just to learn this particular information. If you exposed us prematurely, what would he say –”

  “OF COURSE, I KNOW!”

  Deckard snapped but the next moment, his distant eyes softened.

  “I know, Rev.”

  “It’s Revella...”

  Deckard interrupted her again,

  “It’s just that memories of my past came to haunt me at the wrong moment, I guess. And that black mutt reminds me of our leader, that wicked man. After being suppressed and taking his... orders for so many years, perhaps, part of me let lose.”

  He further said with a sad smile,

  “Also, you could have cut me loose and just get away from there, you know. You should have. I deserved it because it’s my responsibility.”

  Revella rolled her eyes and snorted,

  “Silly. Hey, you haven’t been a leader for years now. Get this out of your head. You know we couldn’t have come this far if not for him. And no, he’s nothing but fresh grass compared to our Reaver. Also...”

  Without looking at him, Revella said, her voice a tinge of hesitation.

  “I need you, Deckard. I need you here with me for this. And, not just you, I don’t want to lose any of my comrades more. So, don’t go and get yourself killed, you hear me? At least, not yet.”

  The words lingered in the breeze for a moment, to which Deckard couldn’t help but smile in pleasant surprise. Before he could say anything though, Revella said with frown,

  “But, I’ll admit, something’s off with him. I cannot explain what’s what, but the moment you mentioned about the gun, I felt something from him –something unfathomable, something unfamiliar and awful, something primordial. I get the feeling as if a pale, cold hand is constantly clutching at my neck – as if, I was being taken away and never to return. So, yes, if you meant that way, they kinda are similar, the Reaver and him.”

  Deckard hesitated his words,

  “Don’t you think we could have controlled the whole situation, back then? You, the half-faced Reaper , the right-hand woman of Reaver and I, the Render ?”

  “Don’t call me that. And, as much as I’d like to think that way, it’s too much of uncertainties and risks. As much as I’d like to consider you a splendid fighter and which you are, your expertise lies in crafting and reading, is it not? Not mindless murders. That’s... for me.”

  She playfully threw her ivory-colored dagger, the same color as her hair, onto the air and caught it sharply.

  “Let’s say I’m quick enough and at the top of my games, even then, it’s too risky. You know why?”

  Deckard answered,

  “Let me guess. The smirking mutt.”

  Revella nodded in approval,

  “Yes, the smirking mutt. If the black mutt hid his murderous intent carefully, that guy’s, was leaking out like a lurking, venomous viper would. And I felt something ancient to him, but different to the black mutt though.”

  “Didn’t even notice.”

  “I doubt even his friend would, because he hid it so perfectly, I even almost mistook it for his perverted affection, but beneath those layers of bore and smiles, there laid a huge killer and a ravenous one at that.”

  Revella paused to take in the view atop a bridge to gaze at the sun crawling its way into the embrace of the forgiving ocean. She closed her eyes, feeling the breeze caressing her skin. Then, she said,

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “But, I’ll still take him over the black mutt.”

  “That much?”

  “That much.”

  Deckard laughed lightly, his shoulders feeling light for a breather, admiring the scenery.

  “Well, then. The world indeed is huge. Let’s just say we’re lucky those ghouls came to our rescue.”

  He laughed and added,

  “With these ghouls appearing, it does seem the ruin is upon us as they say. Upon them... I mean. It’s just that their lack of faces baffles me.”

  “You are right. It does seem odd – they're different from the ones we usually see. Perhaps, some power plays are at hand, not just ours. It’s getting way more complicated. Worse, when our world is running on a timer.”

  Deckard let out a breath and said,

  “These ghouls are easy enough to deal with, but I say let’s just hope we don’t run into those mutts until we finish our mission.”

  “Yes, the world is huge, Deckard and there are all kinds of experts, geniuses, murderers, strategists, makers, whatever. We will definitely run into them, even deadlier than ones we already faced. Our mission comes first so, we're not going to do the same mistake. We'll hide till she’s here, till the Songstress of Light is here in Brownmourn. So, while I would hate to face such odd creatures as much as you do, I crave to face them.”

  Deckard eyes widened with suppressed emotions. After seeing the twisted smile on his peculiarly alluring comrade, shivers in his spine once again reminded him of her extreme bloodthirsty nature just as the day he first met her.

  With the afterglow, her smiles looked darkened, sadistic, enchanting and even insane.

  “I want to crush them, ravage them with these daggers of mine until they beg for their lives. Show them our might and show them how they are just a bunch of pathetic mutts hopelessly clinging onto false lies they consider as peace, different from us, children of war. Especially that black mutt. I want to pluck those arrogance from his eyes. Then, perhaps I’ll wear them as necklaces.”

  ________________________________________________________________________

  Merik was baffled, lying in his bed. The night sky with its illustrious constellations, his friend in solitude.

  Rather than baffled, it would be better to say he was anxious, somewhat scared, even. Not at his inability to help people but the helplessness that crawled into his heart during the game with those odd duos this evening and the way it escalated towards the end.

  And how he reacted a second late, almost costing another innocent life. If it weren’t for Soran...

  He recalled their conversations.

  “You won, Soran. Take it, take the money. You deserve it. And thank you for saving these people. You have proved yourself a trusted ally of Overseers again. I couldn’t do it without you.”

  “’Course you couldn’t. Only yours truly could do it that flawlessly.”

  Soran paused, not taking the money from Merik’s hand while staring at it. Then, he forced a smile, one that seemed so awkward and awful one might think he inhaled a foul stench. Then, he mumbled under his breath,

  “...I will not take your money. I will help you...”

  “What? Come again?”

  “I said I will help you like you want. I will not take your money either.”

  “You don’t want the money? Goodness. Are you really the Soran I know? The same Soran who will split a penny to get two pennies?”

  “Forget it.”

  “Haha, I’m joking. What changed?”

  Soran looked around the bar which looked barren now – not a single person present and these drinks, tables, chairs fumbling around in mess. Then, he stared at Merik’s face with a sigh but didn’t look in his eyes.

  “Times are changing, Merik. Whether I like it or not. So, to keep savoring such peace, to keep gambling as I love, I still need to swing my hands occasionally, so these trashes don’t come and disturb these safe havens of mine. Besides, what’re you offering is not a bad idea, me being an external Overseer, considering they keep their promise.”

  “We keep our promise. We’ll let you roam freely even under the sunlight if you want, if you withhold your end of the promise. At least I promise.”

  “Promises are just beautiful chains meant to shackle people, Merik. But I’m no mere people. I’m a vampire, a beautiful one at that. So, let’s speak with our actions, shall we? After all, we will never disgrace our Sanguine kind with mere broking promises. Will you, mortals?”

  “No.”

  “Good.”

  He added with his usual smirk,

  “Besides, you really do need my help with how clunky you are with your aim.”

  “I... I’m not clunky.”

  Soran chuckled and extended his hand towards Merik. Merik shook his head and smiled, receiving his hand.

  “Oh, hey, I almost forgot. I want to add another condition.”

  Merik tilted his head. But the words from Soran made his smile and hand to froze in their tracks.

  “I will help you only if ladies are involved.”

  __________________________________________________________________

  He chuckled to himself but at the same time, was solemnly once reminded again that his blackish flames were just liabilities, a mere torturous murder weapon, gnawing at his own well-being.

  When it came to it, he would have to use the flames but would end up losing more than he saved all his life. That would destroy his life own purpose. Being pitched into the situation and fearing similar predicaments were inevitable, anxiety creeping his mind and heart pouring out onto his face.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have just challenged them.

  Getting sentimental and rash over a mere life-less object of a gun was in no way how a professional would act.

  But again, who knew what would happen, then. And if these hadn’t turned out this way who knew what the duos would have done or that, he wouldn’t gain Soran’s help and trust, their game ending just as a mere friendly game.

  However, they disappeared just as mysterious as wind, leaving only their odd memories behind with Merik.

  And those abominations… zombies. Describing them as mere abominations didn’t do them justice because the terror emitted and the way they inflicted… was just beyond reason.

  Reading about them was one thing but encountering them was another feverish nightmare altogether.

  In fact, even Albert didn’t know what they feed on or whether they have faces or not. Only that they craved for living beings with such horrifying frenzy.

  Now, Merik learned they were contagious.

  He sat up in a grimace. He hadn’t slept a wink.

  Hands pulling strings behind were more than he expected and more than he thought he could endure.

  Gods, abominations, higher agents, zombies and now, this.

  He needed a rather gentler power than ones he already wielded – one that could subdue such uncertainties swiftly. And he felt idiotic over not being able to utilize the power he had already been favorably granted with.

  Dream.

  Easier said than done. Just because he ventured into the abyss of another realm which he couldn’t even control, once, didn’t mean he could will it. And even if so, just peeking at the tragedies and darkest secrets of people wouldn’t help him in any way.

  Well, they would, but not the way Merik wanted. He wasn’t so fond of peeking at other’s vulnerabilities after all. Seemed perverted.

  Dreams were a lot more than just watching inexplicable, distorted stories unfold in your eyes when you fell asleep. No, all in all, dreams were unfathomable threads weaved together with people’s ambitions, fears, desires, regrets and every piece of their vulnerabilities.

  After his first encounter with Mallory, Merik believed he could one way or another, influence people’s dreams, then their minds, lest he himself didn’t fall.

  A mere idea could temper with a person’s subconscious, from then, their whole.

  If someone were to say, ‘Don’t think of your favorite food.”, their favorite food already appeared in their mind. Something like that.

  Affinities towards Beliefs were raised with one’s understanding towards related matters and subjects, hence existed the books, scrolls and instructors to provide them with. Regrettably so, there weren’t any information regarding dreams that could help Merik. Since, forbidden.

  Nonetheless, he lied down and refocused, letting his conscious wander towards the abyssal realm again.

  “Dreaming dreams unfulfilled. Ambitions die, Sorrow cries while Lies play heartily with their Smiles. Dreaming dreams gratified. Regrets, guilts and all that solemn are just Fate’s underhanded Ploys.”

  Chanting his Belief in heart, finally his vision ventured and ventured until he reached a distant dream.

  It was Stella’s, his attractive neighbor’s.