The first part of this chapter is going to be in 3rd person.

It was too late.

Walking away from that house, he could still hear her cries echoing over and over in his mind. Her begging and pleading. Why couldn't he just tell her, just spill everything to her? Everything would be so much easier. But Slenderman wasn't foolish enough to jeopardise their relationship. He had convinced himself that she could never accept that of him. There would be no way she could forgive his actions, would he even be able to explain the full truth before she told him to leave? It would be so simple. Just start with the truth. But the truth was gruesome and unforgiving. How? How could Slenderman tell her why he looked the way he does? How could Slenderman tell her he looked so dreadful because his life was draining away? Will he become nothing but dust in the wind? A skeleton left behind for all those scientists to dissect? The very thought disgusted him. He was already deep into his forest and the silence was comforting but, that could not shake his pain away. The pain he's in, the pain he's brought his only love. How could he have known, how could he have understood that hurting himself, would cause the same amount of pain to Blaye? He had not felt something like this since he was a child. Since his love Elizabeth, whom he left. He believed that staying with Blaye would have the opposite effect. But the reality was that Slenderman was not meant for love. His existence depends on the factor of his heartlessness and cruelty. He had everything. Every forest, every dark corner to dominate the world of fear. Every child's life in his palm to crush. All of this without feeling a single drop of regret. He could have gone on for eternity creating horror and nightmares happily.

He was not allowed to be happy.

That must be what the universe had in store for him, what the universe has only had to give. Then, every moment he has strays from his divine path, death threatens his, once thought, immortal body. The dark throne he has strayed from will crush him. This is all Elizabeth's fault, Slender thought to himself. This is all Blaye's fault. Their existence had tempted him, stopped him from doing what he was meant to do.

Meant to do...?

For a moment he felt puzzled. No, how could he? He loves to takes lives, to create fear. Though... Is all he's really meant to do in life is to kill? To destroy lives? But he enjoys it! He has always enjoyed it, so how can he now be unsure? These morals of his beloved's, these feelings of regret they have created in him. The regret of taking a life to replenish his own. No, no. no. This was never their doing. He did this to himself. They have no control over him. They are innocent. Pure.

Blaye.

He was the one who chose to remain. He was the one to walk into her light. He was the one that... fell in love. She did nothing. Nothing but be herself...

He stood there for a long time. No thoughts left. Only staring into nothing, not a word, not a sound. He listened closely. Felt her. Saw her. All around him, feelings he could not escape. He couldn't leave her. Not now. It would be impossible. He could still sense her dread far off in that house. What pain she was in. This was all his fault, and no one else's.

Courage, then action. Here she comes, wandering into the woods with all of her uncertainty and worry with it. Don't come here, he thought, he's having an existential crisis.

Then just like that, her life may have slipped away. A deep, burning pain he felt, not him though. This was her pain. She screamed out. Without another thought he transported to her, expecting a bad fall from a branch or the bullies back to harm her, but it was none of these. It was as his first thought, a stab in her side. Her body layed infront of him, shaking intensely in pain, hopelessly grasping around her wound, not sure of what to do. She moaned and yelled out in pain, coughing harshly, gasping for breath. He dropped to his knees and pulled her close, tearing his mouth wide, now shaking himself to see her tears already flowing so much. "What happened!?" Almost screaming, he layed his hand over her wound, pressing down. The bleeding was too much, he thought she could truly die. He needed to get her to her parents. He held her head gently bringing her face closer to his. She stared up at him with so much dread and fear, blood now dripping down from the corners of her mouth. The pain now had her vocally stunned. He could not imagine such a pain. This was hell. This was absolute hell. He thought if he lost Blaye, his life would be meaningless.

"Heh." Slender flinched at such a sound, a chuckle from behind him. He realized soon where this disgusting voice came from and as he turned his head to the source, they were laughing maniacally.

"Jeff!" Hand in pocket, the other by his side gripping a knife, smeared with Blaye's blood. His permanently cut smile laughing with joy.

"I'll kill you." Is all Slenderman could bare to express before his tentacles burst out of his back like thorns in Jeff The Killer's direction. He dodged with ease and quickly dashed behind a tree far off from them. Slenderman felt torn as to whether he should tend to Blaye or to devote every moment to ripping Jeff's body apart. Jeff's laughter eased.

"Hahah... Who are you?" Slender turned his body in the direction of the psychopath's voice, with Blaye in his arms, who still whimpering with pain. She held tightly onto him, still trying to manage a sentence. Slender had no time for this, Blaye needed medical attention. "Why are you protecting this girl?" He points at Blaye with his knife. "Isn't Slenderman supposed to be a heartless monster?" He laughed. "I just don't understand. Why haven't you eaten her?" Slenderman hopes she didn't fathom the last part of his sentence. At this point he was too ashamed to look down and see if she understood. Slenderman's greatest secret. The one he has kept from Blaye, the reason Slenderman has become so weak. "You could eat her now so easily, can't you smell her blood, freak? It must smell amazing to a child-eater like you." His tentacles whipped around aggressively, cutting trees in half, in attempt to silence him. "I can't believe you've become so pathetic. You don't actually have feelings for the girl do you?"

"JEFF!" He screamed out monstrously. Was it anger because he knew Jeff was right? Or anger because he had already made up his feelings towards Blaye and would not tolerate anyone questioning them? Jeff laughed louder this time.

"You're telling me that the great Slenderman is in love with a mortal!?" Slenderman should have been more considerate and thought about the possibility of Jeff coming here. Due to Jeff's immorality he is an equal to Slender so Slender cannot sense his presence, which is why there has always been an opening for Jeff to harm her if she wasn't already aware of him. If she had only even looked at Jeff, Slender could have sensed her fear and had been at her aid sooner. "You realize this will be the death of you right!? You'll die you idiot!" Jeff has had a history of interfering with his work, but this was the last time.

"Slender..." Blaye's voice, even at this moment was so soothing to him. He quickly looks down, cupping her face in his hand. Even with her distorted expression and her eyes shut tight, tears still flowed down the sides of her face."I'm scared..." Her voice cracked and her hands shook. He guided her hands over the wound.

"Hold down tight Blaye. You're not allowed to die." Not in his lifetime, he thought. But he might die in hers. He slowly places her down back onto the ground, rising afterwards. "Come out Jeff!" Right after, Jeff takes a step out from behind a tree, one that wasn't destroyed. Though his mouth smiled, his eyes read disappointment.

"What the hell are you doing? Kill her." He says dully. Slender takes a large step over Blaye towards Jeff, coming closer. "Honestly, who are you?" Jeff starts inching backwards. "Are you supposed to be scary now? Huh? What about her!? Come on, let's watch her bleed to death." His tentacles explode out from behind him, diving in Jeffs direction. He turns and sprints off only for Slender to transport infront of him, wrapping him in his shadows.

My eyes open, disillusioned to whether I'm seeing reality or another dream, I found myself in a white room, a t.v. in the upper corner with my face on it. Static overcame it as I look at my arm, a tube ran into my skin, a stinging pain in my side. A distressed voice reaches me, "Blaye..." Then I remember, that there was never a dream to begin with.

Slenderman stood in the corner of the white room. I realize that this is a hospital as I hear blinking noises from heart meter. I remember the events from the night before. But I wonder how long ago that really was. There is a few words that stuck with me from that night. Things that boy had said, replayed in my head like a bad dream for so long. Statements that scare me.

...Why haven't you eaten her...

...a child-eater like you...

...the death of you...

Like a puzzle I've had all the pieces to for a long time, I can suddenly see the big picture. But it's not a nice one. It's not like I wasn't aware of what Slenderman is, but rather I don't believe this is who he is. My body weak and confused with pain, I start to properly take in my surroundings. Once again I still find myself unable to manage words but my desire to speak to him gives me strength.

"Slen...der..." I can barely keep my eyes open but I lift my hand just enough. "Come over... here..." My hand quivers in the air and eventually I give out and lay it back on the bed. He stood stoic and silent, as if he isn't real. Am I imagining him there? A kind looking lady enters the room, a nurse. She's happy to see I've awoken but I care less for her and more for Slender, who still only stood in silence.