II; The Thrill of a Chase.
"the hunter, the one who watches and waits for the
perfect moment to strike – it is he who provokes the
prey to flee, filled with fear and confusion."

This time, he didn't even have to touch her to render her still and nervous against that cold wall, this fact merely made him smile and draw closer to her. Gilded eyes wide and fearful, reflected his pale face until the proximity finally registered and she closed her eyes – squeezing them shut like that was going to suddenly make him disappear from her presence. This just made his smile grow wide, a dark light sparked to life within his eyes, and he touched his icy forehead to her feverish one. She cried out in fear and disgust, a dark entity swirling around within her closed lids and sending shockwaves through her entire body. In her panicked state, she jerked her head to the side and pushed him away with all of the strength that was left in her body, anything to get him away.

Then she stopped, frozen in place as a cold aura swept over her as a memory replayed in her mind. The last time she even dared to touch him, whether it be in anger or worry, didn't end well for her. She tensed up, curling and folding down into a crouched position, preparing her body for the enivitable blow or the whisper in her ear – his breath shaping all of the ways he wanted to kill her. She shuddered, feeling a gross sense of curiosity emanating from the body across the room, and this made the slop they fed her rise in her throat.

That's when he touched her face, crossing the room in a gliding way; softly, gently, fingers gliding over the caked bloodstains he had created only the day before. Underneath the cloud of darkness that seemed to envelop her companion, she could feel raindrops of guilt condensing, growing fatter and fatter as the moments passed – only to be evaporated by rapid heartbeats and flush of heat. She opened her eyes, breath catching in her throat as his eyes met hers. Threadlike fractures of light permeated the ink, sudden rifts of conscious thought shining through the glow of Malpercio.

Hope, fueled by this sudden burst light, began to bud warmly in her heart at seeing this and thoughts of salvation began to run rampant through her mind and hasten her heartbeat as well.

Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the cracks were filled with a fresh coat of tar, and that dark, ominous light was reignited within his eyes. His smile was brighter though, filled with a childish sense of delight as he pressed a crumpled up Magnus into her hand and got up from his crouched position. As she began to smooth out the card, he swooped back down to her left, his lips at her ear and excitement making his breath warm; "Where ever you run, Xelha, I'll find you," he paused, a small chuckle rumbling through his throat, "and I'll kill you where you stand." With that, he left, once more showering her with incandescently pure feathers – slamming and locking the door behind him. She sat there for a few moments, gazing up at the dimming lights as a new resolution hardened within her heart and cut the cords that threatened to strangle it. Her voice, wavering and weak still echoed through her room as she stood up and lifted the Magnus above her head, the light from it activating nearly blinding her; "I-I'll come back for you, Kalas. I'll save you…I promise."

Suddenly, an explosion hissed through her room, the impact making her fly back and fall harshly to the floor, but it effectively destroyed the door that had confined her for so long. The manufactured air swept through her room like a jolt of electricity and rejuvenated her soul as she got back up and bolted out of her cell, leaving the empty Magnus to float down to the floor by itself. A symbol of the emptiness she was leaving behind, willing itself to be found by the guards that were swarming from the elevators to catch her and bring her back to be tortured by the shell of the man she once knew.

With all of the energy she had left, she ran towards the freedom that was required to make her hope bloom into the flower it longed to be. With a smile and a small laugh, she pressed her feet against warm fur of her Dragon, and lifted off – wings flourishing and spreading out to greet the cold breeze in a burst of jubilant feelings and confidence that she was going to do the right thing. That soon, Malpercio would be vanquished, everyone that she loved would be saved and they would bathe in the sunlight together again.

Aaldkjfljd. Sorry for the extra super late and lame-ass chapter guys. School's been a bitch. Ahh, I'd like to thank all of my reviewers, especially TJDork, who wrote a review longer than my actual story. Also, thank you Sticky Wins for being another person in this world that likes to psychoanalyze fiction characters. You're not alone, I promise! Alright, stay tuned for the next installment, which brings up the question; does anyone have the full Ocean Prayer documented? If not, that's ok~ That just means I'll have to kick Dark!Kalas' ass again.

Also, in my mind, I'd rather not have the Guardian Spirit be a part of my fictions. I...I dunno, I just prefer fictions that leave them out of it.