Alright I'm finally back, in the eleventh hour, with a new chapter! I know it's been a long wait, and it's been a lotta work on my end, so I hope you guys are all nice enough to leave a review and tell me what you think! :)

Next chapter should be up two weeks from now, on Sunday December 6th.

Thanks go to WhoWritesThisCrap, Wingah, Zack Frost, Acoolnamme, Doctah Sawbones, Chara Moonstone, 10burgers, GMLxAwesome, Nabzif, moonlightsonatina2, NBoss01, and istic.

I'm glad you've been enjoying the story Nabzif, I'm always happy to see a new face in the reviews!

And moonlightsonatina2, I'm sorry for making you cry, but thanks for calling me brilliant! I hope you keep reading and enjoying my writing. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale. Max and Mako belong to XRabbit14.

"Hi!" Mako greeted with a polite smile, shutting her magenta eyes to emphasis the trust in her grin. That confused and confounded Anarchy. He was a Killer, after all. How did she not know? Did she not smell the blood on him, did she not see The Dark in his eyes?

"Uhh..." He supposed he must not have looked like much of a Killer right now, sitting on a stump with eyes so wide one would have thought he'd been electrocuted, giving her the slow wave. He stammered, "... Hi?"

"Sorry about staring! And interrupting your song!" Mako apologized hastily, her grin turning sheepish. She reached up, scratching the back of her head anxiously. But then, suddenly, she bent both her elbows and held her hands out in front of her, clenching them into excited little fists. Her pupils took the shape of stars, "It's just, I've never seen a human like you before! You're really pretty!"

"P-pretty?!" Anarchy recoiled instantaneously, his red eyes widening and his white cheeks reddening. He'd been called a lot of things based on his appearance, and pretty was certainly not one of them. In fact, though he hadn't thought about it in a very long time, Anarchy didn't receive a lot of compliments. That was probably why something as simple as a 'you're pretty' totally threw him off of his already poor social game. The man hadn't spoken to anyone in months, and now he was met with... Whoever this was.

"Yeah!" Mako nodded quickly, doubling down on her compliment. She fearlessly marched forward, closing the distance between the two of them. She got close, but never invaded his personal space. He knew it wasn't out of fear, so perhaps it was out of respect? Either way, Anarchy could see on her face how badly she wanted to reach out and touch his snow white hair or his ivory skin. She looked like she wanted to stare into his red eyes with a magnifying glass, just to get the best look at their color that she could. "I mean, the long white hair, the shiny red eyes... You're so unique!"

"Well, I guess that's... One way to put it..." Anarchy murmured while he leaned back away from possibly the least threatening creature he'd ever encountered. He couldn't help but arch one white eyebrow at her; talk about a screwball. Nothing about this monster made much sense to him, and when she finally recognized the discomfort, she threw him for one more loop.

"Oh! I'm sorry." She apologized swiftly, retracting her grabby hands behind her back and taking two long steps backwards. Again she smiled, an embarrassed red appearing on her cheek bones while she shut her eyes. "I'm just, really excited to meet you! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable..."

"No, I'm... I'm fine." Anarchy waved one hand in hopes of brushing her concerns away. He slowly sat up some on his stump, straightened his back. She was so strange. Excited to meet him? Was she not repulsed by him? Was she not afraid? And now, fearing that her sudden entrance into his life had made him uncomfortable, she was saying sorry? Not out of fear, but out of KINDNESS? Anarchy did not understand, he could not understand. So, he didn't bother trying. Instead, he got a handle on himself and his emotions, relaxed himself before he spoke again. "... How did you get here?"

"Huh?" Mako perked up, opening her eyes and arching a brow bone at him. Her pupils turned to question marks, "Get where?"

"..?" Anarchy slowly furrowed his eyebrows at her, lifting one scarred hand. He gestured in a slow circular motion out to the world around him, and her eyes followed his hand. Her sockets widened, and the shape of her pupils changed to that of exclamation points.

"Ooooh!" Mako nodded to herself a few times, letting her eyes scan the forest around them. Her pupils returned to their usual shape, and she smiled to herself at the scenery. At the beautiful oranges and reds that lined the trees, and the dark greens of the pines. The deep brown of the forest floor, the light blue of the sky overhead. She took in the beauty of this place for a few moments longer, before she looked back to Anthony The Anarchist. She smiled genuinely,

"I have no idea!"

Chapter 53: Meet Me In The Woods

Or: Three Years as The Anarchist (Part 2)

Their shared footsteps crunched across the leaves, along with the dull rumble of the trailer that Anarchy dragged. Two metal bars jutted out from the front of the contraption, and he reached back, holding each bar and dragging the trailer behind himself like it was some lowly wheel barrel. Beside him, Mako swung her arms with each step, casually bouncing her head from one shoulder to the other on a tilting neck.

"And you're sure you don't want any help with that?" Mako turned her magenta eyes to The Anarchist, who looked to her from the corner of his own eye. He raised a curious brow, and she beamed confidently, raising one arm like she was flexing her nonexistent bicep. "I'm pretty tough, you know!"

"I bet." Anarchy spoke in a less than expressive tone. He turned his eyes forward once more, and he pondered her words. She certainly didn't look to possess much power, if any at all. But, she was the only person to ever approach Anarchy so boldly. Even not knowing who Anarchy was, approaching some stranger with an axe in the woods was either a powerful level of bravery or a debilitating level of stupidity. But Anarchy did not think this monster was stupid, she did not have that aura about her. That had to have meant she was brave. "... I don't believe I got your name, stranger."

"I'm Mako!" She perked up, like she was glad he wanted to learn more about her. There was a unique energy about her, a feeling her smile inflicted upon Anarchy that he could not quite place. "What's your name?"

"..." Anarchy remained silent for a few moments. He stared ahead, and he pondered something, but Mako did not know what. Eventually though, he spoke up again. "Anthony."

"Anthony, huh? That's a nice name." Carelessly Mako turned her smile his way. And he did not look to see it, but she thought he might have felt it, because his ever tense expression lightened just a little. With that in mind, the short skeleton turned her eyes forward, and she continued to swing her arms in sync with each step.

"So, you don't know how you got out here?" Anarchy questioned, opting to not respond to her compliment. She didn't take it personally; she really didn't even notice.

"No idea! Last thing I remember, I was going to bed last night. Then suddenly I'm walking through the forest this morning." Mako shrugged exaggeratedly while she turned her magenta eyes his way. Then, she laughed a little, shutting her eyes and reaching one hand up to scratch nervously at her cheek. "I don't even remember waking up. It's kinda spooky, now that I think about it."

"Mm. Very spooky." Anarchy agreed, leaning forward some. His trailer creaked and groaned some as he dragged it behind him, but he didn't mind. He just continued down the path he had cleared months ago, grass trimmed and rocks shoved aside. In truth he wasn't particularly confounded by her dilemma; it had Badster written all over it. And if his doctor had something to do with it, that meant this skeletal woman held some kind of importance. But, Anarchy had already pieced that together.

"What about you? How'd you get out here?" She turned her head curiously his way, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her too-big leather jacket. The glowing pupils within her sockets pondered him quietly, but Anthony was a simple man. There was not much to learn.

"I live here." Anarchy answered with ease. He didn't look back at her, his eyes were busy scanning the thinning tree line. Wouldn't be long now until they broke through to the wide open fields, and he would set down his burden. But what would he do then? He had to do something with this guest of his, whether it be entertain her or throw her out. The forests were wide and winding, an undecipherable mess. Without his assistance, she would certainly wander for the rest of time.

"In the woods?" Mako's pitch rose with disbelief, her brow bones furrowing up at her new albino friend.

"No." As Anarchy spoke, the twisting green opened around them. And Mako's pupils turned to stars as she looked out over the swaying fields, the endless weeds that danced in the winds, surrounded by the looming trees. "Here."

"Whoaaa..." Mako scrambled ahead of Anthony on her little legs, lifting one hand to her forehead and shielding her eyes from the sun over head. The Anarchist payed her no mind as she scanned the beautiful scenery however. His eyes remained forward, and his feet continued to move. And after a few moments, when he dragged his trailer by her, she jumped with surprise, and quickly raced after him.

"I had no idea there was this big field between the trees!" Mako smiled up at him the moment she caught up to him, excitement shining in her star eyes.

"Up until you got here, I was the only person who did." Anarchy stated casually, dragging his trailer down the beaten path. "'Least, that I know of."

"So you really live out here?" Her smile lost some of its joy, her browbones drawing near one another curiously. She frowned with something that Anarchy might have thought was concern, if he'd been looking. "Without anyone else?"

"..." Anarchy's eyes narrowed just a tad, and his beard caught the chill of the breeze before it slapped him in the face. For a brief moment, his thoughts drifted back to the twisted faces of the kids that used to torment him. Their features were blurry now, he hardly remembered them. Their actions didn't really hurt him anymore. "... I've never been too good with other people."

"Well, you seem nice to me!" Mako grinned in a way that was so friendly and welcoming, Anarchy had to peer at her from the corner of his eye. And he didn't speak, but he did let the corner of his mouth curl only slightly. That was all she needed though, that was all it took to reassure her that her words had reached him.

So, some things I learned.

Anarchy and Mako stood atop the trailer that The Anarchist had filled with wood, tossing logs over the side and into a larger pile. Mako had insisted upon helping, and Anarchy didn't have the heart to tell her she was slowing him down. For every ten to fifteen chunks of wood he'd hucked over the side, she'd managed to shove over one. It wasn't really her fault; the logs Anthony collected were two steps from being tree trunks.

Apparently, the public around this forest'a mine had taken note of how quiet it was. Pretty quickly spooky ghost stories were spread about the dead quiet forest. The forest where, if you listen closely, you might just hear a distant song, echoing through the trees... Eee, gives me the hebe-jeebies!

Really, it amazed him that she managed to will any of the massive wood chunks from the trailer in the first place. It took her scrambling from side to side, grunting and groaning as she put all of her nonexistent muscles into shoving the log. Until finally, she'd get her whole back under it, and slowly straighten her spine, shoving it over the trailer's guard rail and sending it tumbling to the ground.

I thanked her for helping me, because I thought she deserved something for lending me a hand. It was weird; I couldn't really remember the last time somebody helped me without anything to gain from it. Maybe Mako did have something to gain though, because her kindness convinced me to lead her back towards the city.

"So I'm some kinda ghost story, huh?" Anarchy's medicated red eyes glossed over to Mako. The two of them waded through the tall weeds and towards the road at the edge of Anarchy's property. The grass was so tall and the skeleton so short that Anthony could only see Mako because of the arms she lifted up over her head. "The scary singer in the woods?"

"Something like that." Mako giggled some, and Anthony wasn't sure if it was from his words or the blades of grass tickling her. He didn't ask, and just assumed it was the latter. She turned her magenta eyes up towards him from within the mess of grass that rolled over her, "I never really thought the story was scary, though. In fact, I thought it would be kinda neat to meet the singer in the forest!"

"... Well, here I am." Anarchy shrugged harmlessly, turning his eyes forward again. They were just about through the fields, and half his mind was consumed by plans to cut out a path in the grass in case he ever had to walk his way back out here again. "Hope I didn't disappoint."

"Not at all!" Mako assured brightly, those magenta ovals turning to stars within her sockets. "You're way more interesting then I thought the singer would be, really!"

"Ah." Anarchy waved a passive hand to dismiss her compliment, his quiet voice just barely reaching through the weeds to her. He was so subdued, she thought. So reserved and pacified. But she knew there was more to him, she had heard the noise he could make. She had heard him sing so loud that the entire forest reverberated with his sound. He knew this too, and yet he still assured her. "I'm nothing special."

"Are you kidding?" Mako asked, like she really was confounded. Her pupils were molded into question marks to confirm this confusion, and she squinted her sockets up at him. "You're like nothing I've ever seen!"

"... Mako, you've known me for twenty minutes." Anarchy looked to her from his eye's corner, cocking a brow.

"And in that time I've heard you sing, seen you lift big heavy stuff, and talked to you!" While Mako made her points, she flung her arms around in wild gestures to further her argument. And though Anarchy could hardly decipher what these wild swings were supposed to mean, he could respect the passion they displayed. Then, suddenly, Mako pointed up at him like she was making her grand conclusion. "Plus you're pretty!"

"..." There it was, that word again. Anthony had heard many words to describe his appearance in his years, and pretty had not been one of them until today. And though he told himself he didn't care, he couldn't help but refute her statement, which sounded so fundamentally wrong in his ears. "I'm a hulking, ghostly white man with glowing red eyes. That doesn't sound very 'pretty' to me."

"..." Mako didn't say anything, and that surprised Anarchy. She was always quick to flap her nonexistent gums, the young lady always seemed to have something to say. So her silence jarred him enough to turn his eyes down towards her, and he almost recoiled when he saw her frowning and almost pouting up at him. Her pupils were the shape of sad little teardrops, and Anthony was so moved by her sadness and her concern that he was forced to ask... "... What?"

"Be! Nice! To! Yourself!" Again her boney digit was aimed up at his face, her free hand resting with a good measure of sass on her hip. She had quickly ran ahead of him and gotten in his path to point at him like this, like she needed to make sure she had his attention. "I like you, and you should like you too!"

"..." Anarchy stared down at her with wide eyes, blinking twice as a clear display of his bewilderment. But then, for the first time, Mako saw his expression really change. His lips curled up so far into his face, a smile displaying sharp fangs. Mako thought this grin was special too, something unique to this odd man and no one else.

And then, displaying more of who he truly was, The Anarchist began laughing. It was the loudest he'd been since his singing upon their first encounter; Mako didn't think his expression could change so much. He'd been almost completely deadpan the whole half hour she'd known him, totally reserved and quiet. And now he was cackling, grinning ear to ear. He reached up, placed his calloused hand over his face and shook his head. And she hadn't noticed it until now, but she realized the back of his hand was littered with scars. She was far too encapsulated by his unique smile and his intriguing laugh to question him about these markings however, and before she knew it, he was speaking again.

"Ahh... You're a weird one, you know that?" Smile dulling on his features, Anarchy still wore a slight smirk while he carelessly pushed his hand up his forehead, brushing his long white hair back with his fingers. He shoved his free hand in his pocket, tilting his head only slightly. "Thanks; I haven't laughed like that in awhile."

Not since I last saw Angel.

"Uhm... You're welcome?" Mako furrowed her brow bones, her pupils turning to confused question marks within her eyes.

"C'mon, I'll getcha home." Anarchy hardly noticed her confusion. Or, if he did notice, he hardly minded it. He stepped by her instead, and she followed after him, until the two reached the old road.

The squish of overgrown grass became the crunch of gravel, and the both of them made it into the clearing that the road provided. That's where Anarchy paused, resting his free hand in his pocket as well while he looked around. He'd never gone out this far before, he certainly didn't know what direction the city was in. But, he knew how to figure it out.

"... Anthony?" Mako asked with some concern, unable to understand Anarchy's sudden silence. She watched as he took a step towards the ditch, which was overgrown with cattails and other looming weeds. Her browbones drew near one another as he knelt down, removing one hand from his pocket and reaching into the grass.

After a moment or two, he pulled his hand back from the shadowy muck, and her eyes widened some. In his palm was a little black larvae, no bigger than the tip of her pinky bone. He stood back up, lifting his palm closer to his face and getting a better look at this little bug that he held. And for a few moments, both Anthony and Mako were completely silent.

... And then, finally, Anarchy lowered his hand, and he turned his head to his left. He spoke simply, "City's this way."

Once again curiosity overtook Mako's expression, and without a word, she stepped towards Anthony. He was so busy turning and getting ready to walk down this path with her, he didn't realize she'd moved until her bony hand gently grabbed up at his. Anarchy looked over his shoulder at her, and he watched curiously as she slowly pulled his hand down so that she could see the dark worm that still rested in his hand. It was odd, her body was comprised of bone, and yet her skeletal hands were warm and smooth.

Anarchy watched with his own curiosity as she tilted her skull some, watching the vantablack creature that rested in his pale white palm. She didn't look disgusted or disturbed by the larvae's presence, in fact she appeared to be intrigued. She carefully reached up then, her pupils changing to question marks as she slowly pushed her index finger towards the creature.

She poked it's tiny form, and it reacted immediately. It curled, tumbled and rolled over itself, making Mako fearfully pull her finger away. Her eyes turned to exclamation points, before becoming worried tear drops. Anarchy didn't say a word to condemn or reassure her actions, he just narrowed his eyes with deepened curiosity while he watched his darkness react to her touch.

And, though at first the both of them thought the larvae was dying, they soon realized something very different was happening. It curled itself into a little coil, and it was still for a moment or two while a grey shell rapidly hardened across it's dark flesh. Another moment or two passed after it was completely cocooned, before the shell cracked. It split open slowly, and a different bug gradually pulled itself out of the broken grey.

It was less a worm now, and more some kind of dragon fly. Its body was still long and dark, but four white wings spread from its back. And after it took a moment to shake off its brand new wings, the black and white dragonfly beat its little wings and burst off into the sky, carrying both Anarchy and Mako's gaze with it.

It was right about then that I was sure of it.

"... Huh!" Mako spoke after the little bug disappeared into the sky, her mouth curling up into her usual happy smile. She turned her star shaped eyes to Anthony The Anarchist, "That was pretty neat, huh? I've never seen something like that happen before."

"Yeah..." Anthony mumbled, and his scarlet eyes narrowed into the bright blue sky. He slowly lowered his hand, and he just stood there, trying to perceive the meaning of what he'd just seen. "... Me neither."

Mako was way more important than she knew.

It was weird bein' around people.

Anthony shrunk into his shirt some, keeping his head low. He wasn't a fan of big crowds, never had been. Granted, he hadn't been faced with one in a few years now; serial killers as obvious as him tend to hide away from the populace. And yet, here he was, walking Mako through the busy streets. Because he was invested in this weird little skeleton now, he wanted to know from whence she came.

Mako lead the way now; she knew the way down the busy streets. She'd never been bothered by Anarchy continuing on with her, in fact she had asked him to. Said she wanted him to meet her brother. Anthony wasn't really too curious about any siblings, he was only curious about Mako. So, even though the passing glances of the surrounding strangers made him uneasy and a little itchy, he continued on with her.

But, now that they were surrounded by others, Mako had shrunken some as well. Anthony found this odd as he looked down at her, watched her put up the hood of that oversized jacket and hide herself away within the leather. She was so much less bubbly than before, didn't shine the light of her smile half as often here.

Anthony turned his scarlet eyes from her to the couple walking towards the two of them at the other end of the block. His expression didn't change when he watched them cross the road quickly, avoiding being close to the two of them. These side eyes and disturbed glances were nothing new to him, he'd been shunned by society his entire life. But, he figured Mako must not have understood. That must have been why she hid herself away, she felt the shame these passing glances would thrust upon any individual on the receiving end. When he realized this, Anarchy opened his mouth to apologize for his presence and its consequences. But, Mako spoke first.

"... Hey, Anthony? Thank you." Her voice was quieter than usual, less enthused. She did not look up at him when she spoke. "For, being nice to me, I mean. Most humans... Well, most humans aren't as open minded as you are."

"Hm?" Anthony furrowed his ivory brows down at her because he didn't understand. It was him, wasn't it? Only his strange appearance would warrant these prejudiced stares, there wasn't one unsettling thing about his short skeleton companion. He made his confusion known, "Of course I'm nice to you; you're nice to me. I don't think that makes me 'open minded'."

"Well, it's not that." Mako turned her bright magenta pupils in the opposite direction, rubbing her arm like she was embarrassed. "It's been... Hard. For Monsterkind, I mean."

"Those of us like me, that have moved away from Ebbot City, well..." Mako paused, her pupils turning to sad tear drops. She let her eyes lower to the sidewalk they wandered down, and her sockets narrowed. "... It's, taking humanity time to adjust to us."

What a polite way to say "Humans don't think we're worth as much as they are".

"..." Anthony turned his eyes forward, and again he scanned the swollen crowd that moved around them, never daring to get within arms reach. Prejudice was hardly a new concept to him. It had defined his childhood and the world around him in his youth. He'd been beaten within an inch of his life because of the way he looks, he'd seen others murdered for the color of their skin or the people they loved or gods they worshipped. That was life in the slums and the ghettos. Really, that was just life in general. The majority would always feel the desire to prosecute the minority. Humans are petty creatures, after all. Whatever excuse they could use to believe they were above their fellow man, they would take.

Of course, as a man shunned and removed from society, he hardly paid much attention to its struggles and injustices these days. Humans would always have each other, monsters would always have each other, and Anarchy would always be alone. Because he wasn't like other humans and he wasn't like monsters, he didn't look, feel, or think like them. Didn't even bleed like they did.

... But Mako had accepted him regardless. So he guessed that he owed it to her to try and say something worthwhile.

"It doesn't matter that you're a monster. It doesn't matter that they're human." Anarchy stated suddenly, catching Mako's attention. She finally looked up at him, her pupils shifting to question marks within her sockets. Carelessly, The Anarchist rolled his shoulders, a bland frown on his face. "You're all people, and that's how I judge you."

"So of course I was nice to you, Mako." His ruby orbs drifted down to her, and they displayed no understanding of the real gravity behind his words. To him there wasn't kindness or malice in his statement, he was just giving the facts on how he judged others. "You're a good person."

Anarchy didn't think there was too much to those words, but Mako's eyes turned to stars, and the rims of her sockets filled with tears. This made Anarchy recoil some, as tears that were not a product of despair were very unusual to him. Mako smiled despite his confusion though, opening her mouth to speak. "Tha-"

"Mako!"

Before she could get out her words, a third voice interjected. The both of them looked ahead to see a human rushing towards them. He was a few inches shorter than Anthony, maybe about 5'10 or 5'11, with a head of dark hair. In the left side of his bottom lip was a single piercing, a lip ring. His clothing wasn't particularly extravagant, a black pair of jeans with a grey long sleeve shirt that sloped down in a V at his collar. Occasionally, when he moved more frantically, one could see the chain of a necklace hidden beneath his shirt.

And he sure was moving frantically right now. From the end of the sidewalk he sprinted towards them, and just as Anarchy lifted his foot to step between Mako and this dashing stranger, she ran right by him. "Max!"

The two collided at the middle point of the sidewalk, the taller of the two kneeling down to catch Mako properly in his arms. Then, he stood, picking her right up with him and continuing to hold her tight to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, clinging to him without hesitation. And Anthony stood a ways back, hands in his pockets, watching with minor curiosity. He noted that between the fingers of his right hand Max held a smoldering cigarette, looking to have already been half smoked.

"Where were you?" Max asked suddenly, pulling Mako away from himself and gently setting her down. The initial relief of finding her had left him now, and he took up a tone that was almost scolding. He took her by the shoulders, once more crouching some to be at eye level. "You know it's not safe for you to wander off on your own!"

"But I wasn't on my own!" Mako was quick to object, gesturing back towards Anthony, who had wandered a few steps closer. "I had my new friend Anthony!"

"New frie-? OooOOH MY GOD-!" Max followed Mako's fingers with his eyes, and the moment he spotted Anarchy looming there, he recoiled. A looming man, over six feet tall. With saw dust in his long white hair and mud staining his jeans, his red striped black shirt was pulled tight to his muscular frame. Max thought the shirt might be a size too small; perhaps the scruffy albino before him hadn't realized he'd outgrown it. Protectively Max pulled Mako a little closer, sweat appearing on his brow as he stared into the haunting red eyes of The Anarchist.

"S'up?" Anthony greeted innocuously, lifting one hand and giving a two fingered wave. Max's reaction to his sudden presence was appropriate, Mako had been the weird one of the two. At least, that's how Anarchy interpreted things.

"N-... Not much..?" Max slowly lifted his hand, not breaking eye contact as he returned Anarchy's wave. Then, he leaned over to Mako, whispering through a tightened jaw. "Mako, where did you find an albino lumberjack..?!"

"In the woods." Mako answered with an honest smile. If she did sense Max's unease, she didn't seem to think it was too big a deal.

"The woods?!" Max's voice cracked as he reeled back for a second time. Mako took this chance to gracefully spin out of his grasp, her oversized jacket twirling with her. She stopped between the two of them, and gestured up to Anthony dramatically, like some showman would gesture to their final trick.

"You'll never believe it Max - he's the singer in the forest!" Mako exclaimed excitedly, standing up straight. Then, she suddenly spun around to face Anthony, turning her bright smile up to him. "This is my big brother, Max!"

"... You two uh... Look a lot alike." Anthony struggled to say something nice, scratching absentmindedly at his overgrown beard. Mako giggled at his words however, so he figured he must have said something right.

"We get that a lot." Mako joked, grinning as she took a step back to her still kneeling brother. She pressed her boney cheek to his, like she was showing how similar their faces were. Of course, the two actually looked nothing alike, but anyone with eyes could understand that. Still, Max smiled at her antics, before standing up. He placed one hand atop her head, ruffling her blue wig lovingly.

"Mako is my adoptive sister. I take care of her." Max explained, seeming to have gotten more comfortable with Anarchy's presence through his sister's comforting energy. He was even bold enough to reach one hand out to him for a handshake. "I'm not sure how she got out there into the forest, but I really can't thank you enough for bringing her back."

"Uh, sorry about, freaking out when I first saw you." After Anthony took Max's hand and shook it, Max's eyes darted to the side, a nervous smile curling his lips. "I-I was just, really flustered with Mako going missing like that. I-it wasn't you, or anything!"

"It's fine." Anarchy assured without a care, waving his free hand to dismiss Max's anxieties. "I know I'm not exactly a regular lookin' dude."

"Isn't he pretty, Max?" Mako interjected, grinning up at her elder brother while the two let go of one another's hands. "I've never seen somebody like him before!"

"U-uhh..." Max stammered awkwardly, his gaze drifting from Mako's giddy smile to Anarchy's similarly awkward expression. The Anarchist let his eyes drift to the right, a light red shade hidden beneath the white hairs of his beard. He still hardly knew how to handle a compliment based on his appearance. "Yeah he's uh, he's very pretty."

Would it kill somebody to throw in a "handsome" every now and again? Geez...

"And he can sing, and he's super strong, and he's nice too!" Excitedly Mako clenched her hands into fists in front of her, her pupils morphing into stars. More positivity that Anthony hardly knew how to handle. He just stood there, fidgeting a little awkwardly while Mako introduced him.

Mako went on to start explaining her exciting morning to her brother, and Anarchy only stood there for another few moments before turning on his heel. Fact of the matter was, he had a full workday ahead of him, and he'd used enough of his time on this little side quest. He lifted his hand over his shoulder, waving absentmindedly. "Nice meeting you two."

"H-huh?" Mako perked up, her eyes turning to exclamation points before they became sad raindrops. She quickly raced a few steps after The Anarchist, "Hey! Wait!"

"Hm?" Anthony paused, glancing over his shoulder at her as she quickly caught up with him. "What is it?"

"Are you sure you wanna leave so soon?" Mako frowned, lowering her head some but keeping up eye contact. "I thought maybe we could all get breakfast together..?"

"..." Anthony paused for a moment or two, rolled his eyes back to think this suggestion over. But, ultimately, he decided his work was more important. He didn't want to spend anymore time in public, and though he did have a massive stack of gold hidden away within his inventory from all the timelines he'd destroyed, he was hardly in the mood to spend his blood money. "I appreciate the offer, but no. I've got too much work to do."

"Aw..." Mako lowered her head, and Anthony winced some. It almost made him feel guilty to see her so sad over his departure, but guilt had never been enough to pull him away from his work before. That wouldn't change. She looked back up to him, almost pouting. "Will I ever see you again..?"

"..." Another confusing line from his skeleton friend. It was hard to wrap his head around, that someone would want to see him again for no reason other than to see him. It was enough to curl the corner of his mouth into a little smirk, and he gave the closest thing to an invitation that he could.

"You know where to find me."

That night, I had a strange dream.

Gold light shinned in through the bay window of the living room. It was so bright that it rendered the stained white curtains completely useless. Golden rays gleamed on the scratched wood floor, reflected on the box TV's dark screen and tried desperately to add beauty to the sunken cushions of old furniture.

It was so bright that Anthony had to squint to try and perceive this familiar room. He blinked his tired eyes, tilted his head to his left and looked into the blank TV screen in an attempt to see his reflection. But the glare was too bright, the powerful shine burned his eyes. So he blinked his eyes shut from where he lay on the couch, and he looked straight up.

That was when he saw her. His mother, just as pale and emaciated as the last day that he saw her. His head lay in her lap, his long hair being smoothed by the gentle caress of her hand. She smiled down at him, and he wondered if he had ever seen her smile before. Now that he got a good look at it, he thought it looked a lot like his own. Not the wicked grin he often wore in his adulthood, but the loving smile he wore when he was a boy.

Her frizzy grey hair dangled around her face, and as tears filled her eyes, her lips began to move. But there was no sound. No, no noise at all. Whatever words she spoke he did not hear, and when a single tear dropped from her cheek it landed upon his own. He felt its warmth curl down his face, cup his cheek in its regretful grasp.

Anthony's eyes snapped open, and he was awake. He laid upon the cool grass, and the only light was the embers of his smoldering bonfire. That, and the light blue streaks that formed in the corner of the sky. The sun was rising, and that meant it was early enough to get back to work.

So Anthony The Anarchist sat up, running one hand up his face and pushing his hair out of his eyes. But then, his brows furrowed, and he touched his cheek a second time to be certain. Yes, he was right. Down his right cheek, a single tear stain remained, punctuated by the tear that dangled on his chin.

When he stood up to get back to work, this cold droplet fell off into the dirt, and it disappeared within the earth.

... I tried not to think too much of it.

Spent the next few months working like normal. Finished up the barn just in time for Winter.

Anthony stood before a brand new barn, and a proud smile curled his lips. His clothing had its first change in a few years; he now wore a grey hoodie to combat the bitter cold. Upon the front of this hoodie was a sloppily drawn red A, circled by an equally sloppy red ring. Each point of the A reached out past the circle. It was the symbol for anarchy, and it was on Anarchy's sweatshirt because he'd asked Badster for "Clothes he thought would suit him". And though this sweatshirt's on the nose design had prompted Anthony to call Badster a smartass, he wore it regardless.

I liked how it turned out. I still like it a lot. It was the first thing I'd created with my own two hands.

Outside of the hoodie, Anarchy's clothing hadn't changed much. His jeans were now carpenter jeans, and they were a lighter shade of blue. He'd traded out his old tennis shoes for a pair of brown steel toed boots, and he'd even trimmed up his facial hair. It was no longer an overgrown, curling mess, and was now a well managed beard.

I liked a lot of things about my life then, and I don't think that had ever been the case before. Some days I didn't even think about Angel, or my mother or my father or Lexi or Xander. Some days I just worked mindlessly, and was glad to see the progress I had made by the time I went to bed.

Now, Anthony dragged his trailer down that dirt road and towards the city. He hummed to himself along the way, swaying his head gently from side to side with the tune of his song. It was a brisk morning, a few snowflakes fell here and there. There's wasn't enough of them to last on the ground for too long, however.

And a few minutes after I finished the barn, I had to ask myself a big question. "What now?"

When dirt road turned to pavement, and cars began to pass Anthony on the road side, he could feel the baffled stares of complete strangers. He must have been quite a sight, an albino man dragging a trailer with his bare hands and not breaking a sweat while he does it.

I decided I was gonna build a house next. But that required a little more than what I used to put the barn together. That meant I would have to go shopping.

Anthony dragged his trailer into a parking spot, before turning his gaze to the Home Depot that he stood in front of.

Luckily, murder pays pretty good. Though I hadn't been paying much attention to it, all those people I killed the first six months I spent in this reality were dropping gold. Gaster'd been gathering it for me; guess he thought it might be useful to have all that cash.

The cashier gawked up at the mounds of supplies Anthony had stacked onto the two rolling pallets that he dragged behind him. Then, he jumped when Anarchy lifted his hands over the counter, and a massive pile of gold coins appeared from his inventory. The cold hard cash thumped loudly to the table as one solid mass.

Hardly put a dent in my funds.

And with that Anarchy was off, his trailer now completely loaded with a mass of different supplies. Bags of cement, piles of tile, pipes, more tools, wires, insulation... The list went on and on. Now, he dragged it down the road towards his forest home once again. He kept half the trailer on the sidewalk to let cars pass him with ease, and he ignored the gawking strangers as well as the fingers and phones they pointed at him. He was just glad he was intimidating enough to keep any of them from approaching him.

"Anthony? Hey, Anthony!"

Well, at least, the normal ones.

Anthony turned his head to spot Mako on the second floor of some inn, sticking her head out the window and waving frantically down at him. The corner of his mouth curled up some at the sight of her, and he did not know if it was because he was happy to see her or simply because she looked so goofy in that window. Regardless, she pushed her hands out to him urgently. "Wait right there!"

She pulled her body from the window, and she closed it. Anarchy turned his body towards the inn, furrowing his ivory brows with curiosity. Moments later, the front door was thrown open, and Mako scrambled excitedly down the steps. In an instant she was right in front of Anthony, grinning wide and planting her fists on her hips. "Hi!"

"Uhm, hi." Anarchy lifted one hand, giving her the same slow wave he gave when he first met her. Her presence wasn't quite as jarring now, but it was certainly still a surprise.

I hadn't seen Mako in a few months, so I guess we had a lot of catching up to do. Just like when we first met, she walked side by side with me while I dragged my baggage towards my next destination. She made idle chatter all the way, like she was just glad to be talking to me.

After awhile, I kinda forgot what I was doing. I kept walking down the right path, but I didn't remember everything I was dragging behind me. I guess I was glad to be talking to her, too.

"So what else have you been up to?" Mako looked over to Anthony while pavement became gravel below them. "I know you like to stay busy!"

"I think we've talked enough about me, Mako." Anthony gave a small, modest smile. It felt natural enough. "Why don't you tell me what's been going on with you instead?"

"Oh! Well, uhh..." Mako perked up, but then hesitated. She shrunk some, bringing one skeletal finger to her jaws and nervously taking its tip between her teeth. Then, she smiled nervously up at Anthony. "S-so... What else have you been up to?"

"Mako." Anarchy frowned with displeasure, furrowing his brows down at her. "What's goin' on? Why don't you want to tell me how things have been?"

"... Because things have been... Bad." Mako's giddy smile faded to a rare somber frown, and this made some concern appear in Anarchy's expression. "Max is trying his best to keep us both safe and fed, and the innkeeper - CaroLynn - is really sweet and doesn't charge us even half of regular rent."

"But?" Anthony inquired, arching a brow over at his undead companion.

"... But." Mako's sockets narrowed regretfully, her tear drop shaped eyes glossing to the side. "Things aren't getting any better. I spend most of my time cooped up in the inn - it's not really safe for me to be outside. Tensions between humans and monsters just, keep getting higher."

"... There was another hate crime last week." Some of the light in Mako's eyes faded, and it made Anarchy wince. She held her hands in front of her chest, and she stared down into them, like she was trying to gauge the worth of her own soul. "Humans don't understand how fragile us monsters really are. They treat us like toys, think they can just 'rough one of us up a bit', and then..."

The hands she held to her chest curled inward, and her eyes narrowed painfully. "... Dust."

"..." A cold gust of wind blew by, and it knocked Anarchy's bangs into his eyes, shadowing them from view. He understood prosecution, though he didn't quite relate to fragility. Ever since he was a boy, every beating he ever received had made him stronger. Monsters weren't made of what Anthony was made of though; if they were, humanity would really have something to fear.

"... Max has been trying to save up enough money to get us to Ebbot City. That's the only place monsters and humans really coexist all that well." Mako lifted her head then, and she stared straight ahead. Her eyes narrowed with something; Anarchy didn't know if it was certainty or pain. "Our ambassador and our king and queen work day and night to try and get things under control, but... It's a process. And it's gonna take a long time to get a whole planet to understand that monsters are people, too."

"I try my hardest to stay positive, but I know Max is exhausted. And, our future just feels so far away..." As the two reached the driveway that Anarchy had crafted with his bare hands, Mako paused. She stared out at the fields Anarchy had cleared, the barn he had built, the ground he had leveled for his next project. "... I guess I kinda envy you, Anthony."

"Me?" Anthony had to question, glancing over to her with some surprise. He, too, paused at the end of the driveway. This wasn't like last time, her words meant more to him than his mindless work.

"You found this safe and quiet place out here, all for yourself." Mako smiled lightly, but it didn't seem as happy as usual. In fact, Anthony thought it looked a little sad. "You don't have to worry about the outside world, or about what other people think and do."

"... No I, I suppose I don't." Anthony had come to this place for peace and quiet, and that he had received. And though he thought he both needed and deserved this solitude, the sad soul of his skeleton friend put unusual thoughts in his mind. So he stood there, and he stared out at his massive property while he contemplated.

"... Hey, Anthony? Can I ask you something?"

Another chilly wind blew between the two of them, but neither of them flinched. As usual, the forest dared not make a sound. Anarchy turned his head, furrowed his brows at Mako. But she did not look at him. She stared straight ahead, fearlessly into a cold world.

"What is it, Mako?"

"... Almost a year ago, in the inn, something appeared on the TV while Max was at work." Mako folded her boney hands together over her lap, and she let her eyes drift down to them. "The TV just, turned on suddenly, and... It showed me things like I'd never seen before. Terrible things."

"..." Anarchy's eyes narrowed down at Mako then, immediately catching on to what she was saying. He hardly objected though, wanting to hear her question first.

"Two people, fighting with power that I just couldn't understand." Mako's sockets narrowed around her distant eyes while she recalled what she'd seen, her expression still impossible for Anarchy to read. "One of them... He was like an angel. He had four wings, and could bring down this... This red light. Red light that was so powerful, it burned a mountain top flat."

Anarchy's jaw tightened as he remembered the scorching heat of Angel's Massive Beat Dome. How pretentious his old best friend had been, to try and pass judgement upon him with his seven halos. Just the memory of it made Anarchy's blood boil in a way that it had not in quite some time. But, he withheld his rage. He took a deep breath as silently as he could, and he continued to listen.

"The other was... Nothing like the first." Mako shook her head slowly, gradually bringing one hand up to her face and resting a knuckle against her chin. At times, her voice cut out, like describing the horrors she'd seen choked her. "He was, covered in blood... And he fought this angel and all his special powers with brute force. Well, brute force, and these... Creatures that obeyed him."

It was at this point that Anthony looked away from Mako, his eyes narrowing with pain. Shame, and guilt that she had seen him that day. That she had been forced to look into The Dark like that. Of course, Anarchy had been told about Badster's display. In fact, he knew Badster was going to do it before hand. It was displayed to just about every timeline in one way or another, usually appearing in the sky over Ebbot City or the entire Underground. In the case of people who were special beyond their timeline, it was displayed to them directly, usually upon a television screen or something like that. When Anarchy thought about it, it made sense that Mako had gotten his battle shown to her directly. She was important beyond anyone else's understanding.

"But, what stuck with me about that man was not how vicious he was. It wasn't the way he swung his crowbar, or the giggling of his horrible creatures." Mako's fingers curled inward, her hands tightened into fists. Her jaw clenched, a cold sweat forming on her brow. "... It was the way he screamed."

Anarchy's expression lightened some at this, guilt becoming confusion and curiosity. He glanced back over to Mako, and he watched as she shook her head.

"He was so angry, it was like I could feel it." One of her hands unclenched, and she placed it gently over her chest. Then, her fingers curled into her pink shirt. "The more upset he got, and the more I heard him shout about how horribly he felt..."

"... I started to cry." Mako spoke, and she was too invested in her own story to notice the way it made Anarchy recoil. "Because, I understood how much they both were hurting. I-I don't know how, I just... I could feel it."

"And they just kept yelling at each other... The bloody one s-said so many awful things..." As Mako started to stammer, Anthony realized her voice was cracking and breaking. "He talked about h-how he wouldn't have a purpose, how all he feels is h-hate... He asked, h-he wanted to know why he wasn't good enough, he-"

"Mako."

When she felt his heavy hand on her shoulder, she looked up to him with teary eyes. She saw his somber expression, and she watched as he nodded his head slowly. In barely a whisper, he answered. "... Yeah. That was me."

Faster than an unprepared Anthony could react to, Mako darted forward. And he braced himself for an attack, some preemptive strike to kill him and keep her world safe. But nothing came. All he felt were her boney arms wrap tight around him. She clung to him, buried her face in his abdomen. She was so much smaller than him, but she tried her best to give him the biggest hug she could.

And that left Anarchy baffled. his arms still lifted out in front of him, his entire body frozen. None of this added up. She'd seen him rip and tear, seen the abominations of his Darkness. And still, she hugged him? Did she not know that his touch could crumble her to dust if he willed it so? Did she somehow not understand that she was hugging the most dangerous man alive or dead?

"I-I'm so sorry..!" Mako sobbed into the anarchist symbol upon his sweatshirt, her fingers curled into the fabric covering his back. She had seen all of the scars that were hidden beneath his clothes, and she cried like it was tearing her apart inside that she couldn't heal them.

"W-what..? Why..?!" Anarchy realized that this question may have been shrewd, but he was so baffled that he hardly cared. He shook his head, refusing to lower his hands down to her. Because unlike her, he understood what his touch could do. "You... Didn't even know me! You still don't know me! Why do you care?!"

"It doesn't matter if I know you or not!" Mako shouted, louder than he'd ever heard her. He felt her grip tighten on him, and he heard her choke on another sob just before speaking right from her soul. "Nobody deserves to feel that way!"

"..!" That made Anarchy recoil. His initial anger and disbelief began to fade, and as Mako sobbed against him, his expression started to soften. Slowly, he lowered his hands, and he gently wrapped his arms around her. He was gentle, because he was terrified that his red soul might lash out and turn her to ash. But it did not, and she remained safe in his powerful arms as she tried to comfort him. "..."

"A-... Anny..." Angel sniffled, his weak legs giving out and making him lean against The Anarchist's chest. Anarchy tilted his head to the side, like he really didn't understand. "I... I don't wanna lose you..."

"..." Anthony furrowed his brows, slowly wrapping his arms around Angel to keep him from falling. His expression was soft with genuine confusion.

"... Please..." Angel's voice was choked, tears streaming down his face as he clung to his best friend. "... Please don't go..."

"... Angel, you're the one who's..." Anarchy trailed off, lifting his hand from Angel's back and examining the blood it was covered in.

Anthony's thoughts drifted back to the last hug he'd received. To the dream he'd destroyed to get ahead. To get to Angel. To get to the forest. To get to this moment, right here. And this was not a dream, this was not a lie. This was the reality he truly existed in, and in this reality, someone he did not know was hugging him and crying with empathy.

And Anthony did not understand. How could he? His entire life he'd been met with apathy. Betrayal, hatred, disgust. These were the feelings he evoked from those he met. There was nothing sympathetic about him, not anymore. He was a Killer, an abomination. And yet... Here he was. Getting a hug and not murdering the person who was subjecting him to it. In fact, when he relaxed some, this even felt... Sort of nice.

"... I don't understand." Anthony spoke honestly, distant ruby eyes staring down the long, untraveled road beyond. "Why are you doing this..? Why aren't you afraid of me..?"

"Because..." Slowly, Mako pulled away from him. And even though tear stains were clear on her face, she managed a smile. It was odd; Anthony thought it might have been even brighter than usual. Like the tears of her empathy added to the genuine kindness in her eyes. "You aren't evil, Anthony. You're just in pain."

"..." Anthony's scarlet orbs glossed to the side, and they narrowed painfully. "... You can't prove that."

"No, I can't." Mako agreed, taking a step back away from him. He arched a brow at her, a little confused by how easily she agreed with him. And he watched as she took his scarred hand in both of hers, lifting it up to her chest. Within that chest, Anthony could see the pure white glow of a Monster Soul. And it did not shatter, it did not even quiver from his touch.

"Only you can."

After that, I asked Gaster to open a portal to take Mako home. Apparently she'd left a note for Max so that he wouldn't worry, but I was almost certain it had to have been completely illegible with how quickly she went from window to front door after seeing me.

Then, I had some thinking to do. I knew that I had the money to send Mako and Max away to Ebbot City, no questions asked. But then I would never see her again, and I didn't like that thought. I consulted Jevil on the topic - he told me to do whatever I wanted. Big shocker.

So, I took some time to think on it. All of winter, in fact, while Gaster and I put an entire house together. By the time the snow thawed everything was wired, furnished, and uhh... Plumbed? Gaster even put together a way smaller version of that CORE thing he's so proud of - thing keeps the house running on free electricity.

But, honestly, I didn't really build the house for me. In fact, I kinda liked sleeping on a mattress in the rafters of the barn. Made me feel close to nature and the world n' all that shit, even when I was freezing my ass off in the winter.

So, I had a nice, hand made house with no one living in it. And I had a friend who needed a safe place to live. So, out of the kindness of my heart, I made Max and Mako an offer.

Anarchy lifted his fist to the numbered door of the inn, and he tapped his knuckles against the wood. He'd had to learn how to find a medium between 'knocking strength' and 'door smashing strength', but it wasn't much harder than the rest of the self control he employed.

The door opened, and Anthony found a surprised Max standing in the doorway. Behind him, sitting in a chair in the living room, Mako perked up. She flashed him a smile, and Anthony returned it as best he could before he took a step inside.

I told them I had the money to send them away, and I told them I also had a place to live rent free out of town. They were both baffled by this offer of mine; Mako even gave me another hug. Max was skeptical, but not because he thought I was lying. His soul was blue with INTEGRITY - I take it he wasn't the type who enjoyed accepting hand outs.

He said he wasn't comfortable taking that much money, and he didn't want to live like a freeloader. I told him I didn't have any use for rent money, or the money I'd be giving him to send the two to a safer place. It took some haggling, but eventually we settled on some things.

Turns out, Mako wanted to stay around me, too. She said it was important to her that I didn't feel alone. I didn't know how to respond to that. So, we decided that they'd move into the farm house, and Max would pay for the food. Boring financial slice of life nonsense, I know. But, that about catches us up with all the big questions.

... Huh? You wanna know why I wanna keep Mako around? Listen, all you need to know is that Angel survived last time because I was out of control. I was off balance, I was miserable. So if I'm gonna kill him next time, I need to ready. I need to be... Balanced. And I think Mako can help me get there, even if she doesn't know it.

Now, with that exposition outta the way... There's just, one more thing that I think we should go over.

"..." Silently Anthony stood at the center of the barn. In this exact spot, nearly a year ago he had stood. A rundown shack this was then, but he had rebuilt it with his own hands. He had used his power to fix something, to create something. Now he peered upwards, to the rafters where he slept and the roof he had shingled. Where there was once a massive hole, a spotlight upon him, there was nothing.

Under his left arm, he held a box. It was rectangular, much longer than it was wide. An oaken cast, sanded to to be smooth and shined to be beautiful. Anthony lowered his head, looked forward, and began walking towards the ladder that lead to his bunk. And as he did so, something within the box sloshed and shifted in rhythm with his step.

Anarchy wandered through the darkness until he reached the ladder, and with one hand he climbed. He held that box with care beneath his arm, his grip on it firm. He could not afford to drop it, it was far too important.

From the circular window at the barn's peak, the full moon's blue light shined. It was a chilly night, but the sky was without clouds. Anthony's head rose into the beam of blue that glimmered with a few dust particles as he climbed onto the wood floor of his bunk. It was a simple room, just a flat wood floor in front of the barn's peak window. The only furniture was the mattress Anthony had bought with blood money and the bedframe it rested upon, which Anarchy had built with his own two hands. Beside this bed was a prescription bottle, half full of pills.

The whole world held it's breath. All was silent as Anthony The Anarchist approached his bedside, now holding that box evenly in front of him with both hands. When he reached his bed, he knelt down in front of it. Then, he lowered his hands, and gently rested that box upon the floor.

"You sure you wanna do this, Anny?"

Calmly, the eyes of The Anarchist drifted over to the window. There in the moonlight a familiar little boy stood, his green eyes glowing in the night. Little Angel stood directly in front of the window. His body was so small, but his massive shadow cast across the floor, covering Anthony completely.

"..." Anthony didn't answer Angel's question, however. He merely turned the bright red glow of his ruby orbs back to the box, and lifted his pale fingers to reach for the two bronze latches. With a quiet flip, he flicked the latches upwards, before carefully raising the lid.

"If you stop right now, who's to say you'll ever continue?" By the ladder behind Anarchy, The Hacker crossed his arms. His lips curled in a mocking smirk as he shifted his weight onto his right foot, tilting his head. "And if you don't ever come kill me, then it was all for nothing. All that work you put in didn't mean shit, and I got away with everything."

Still Anarchy did not speak. He lowered his eyes to the glimmering darkness that lurked within the box. It was the vantablack rain of his madness, now completely still within its confinement. It nearly reached the brim of the wood, if it were tipped one way or the other it would surely spill. But it did not, because Anarchy didn't move it. Instead, he reached up his left sleeve with his right hand, taking hold of something and slowly pulling it free. In just a few seconds his crowbar was revealed, and he loomed the cursed metal over the infinite darkness of its cage.

"And really, who will you be to judge me then?" Cter leaned forward from where he sat at the foot of Anthony's bed, resting his chin in his palm while he loomed over The Anarchist. Red glowing in his eyes, Cter shook his head with disappointment. "If you trade in that crowbar for the cushy, happy life, then you'll be doing exactly what I did. You'll be a hypocrite, Anny."

"... I'm still gonna kill you, Angel." Finally, Anthony's voice echoed in the barn. He turned his head upwards, his lips curling into a vicious snarl as he glared up into Cter's eyes. But as he spoke, he lowered his crowbar carefully into the waters of his darkness. It sunk into the fluid effortlessly, disappearing into the chest while Anarchy growled. "And I'll do it when I'm ready."

"Hmph." Cter leaned back onto his hands, continuing to shake his head. As he faded away into the shadows, the bright red light of his scarred arm and the scarlet glow of his disappointed glare were the last things to go. "You say that now."

"... I haven't lied before, Angel." Anarchy spoke into an empty room as he lowered his eyes back to the motionless dark hidden within this box. Carefully, his scarred fingers wrapped around the leaned back lid, before slowly flipping it shut. The hinges of the box creaked from this motion, but Anthony heeded not their warning. With a much more powerful thunk! the locks of the box were closed, and a moment later, darkness overflowed from its single crack. Inky fluid poured down the bottom of this chest, and unnaturally up its lid. After a few moments, the shiny wood was now an obsidian shade, and both the locks as well as the crease in the center of the box were completely hidden away.

"I'm not gonna start now."

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