66. Naked: Outo

67. Would you kill to save a life?

He remained frozen in one spot for the span of exactly one heartbeat before his claws unsheathed themselves, magic crackling right beneath his skin like a vicious beast just waiting to be unleashed as he raced across the icy floor, turning on his red-eyed companion and relishing in the shock that displayed across the latter's face for just one heartbeat before the man was drawing his sword to defend himself against the spell he sent whipping his way. No one would hurt his king while he was still alive.

68. Devil's Tears

As he gathered the dying body of his king in his arms, he couldn't quite seem to understand why Ashura-ou was smiling at him, and there was this stinging in his eyes that he couldn't quite comprehend and… why was there water flowing down his face? Burning streams of saltine droplets that just wouldn't stop spilling even as sweet, sweet crimson bled from the hole in his sovereign's chest, the rattling breath that shook the older man's chest with every word he spoke making it nearly impossible for him to understand what was going on.