"It still hurts." I said, wincing as Miyako rubbed the alcohol swab over the jagged cut on my arm. Her touch was gentle, deliberate, but the sting was sharp, burning against my skin. She put the swab back into the small, organized medical bag at her side. "Of course it does. You don’t heal overnight." she said, her voice steady, though I could sense her concern beneath the matter-of-fact tone. "It’s only been a few days. You’re going to need at least a whole month to fully recover." I clenched my teeth, a wave of frustration rising inside me. A month? I didn’t have that kind of luxury. "I don’t have that much time," I muttered, the words coming out more harshly than I intended. Miyako sighed softly and reached for a bandage, the sound of the fabric unrolling strangely comforting in the quiet room. She began wrapping the cut with practiced ease, though every pull and tug made me grimace in discomfort.

As she worked, she spoke, her eyes focused on her task. "If you barely won against Allison, how are you going to beat Olly? He’s supposed to be much stronger, and unlike Allison, he actually uses weapons." Her voice was calm, but the weight of her words pressed heavily on me. She finished wrapping the bandage, her fingers smoothing it out carefully before stepping back to assess her work. I couldn’t answer her. I knew the truth. I couldn’t beat Olly, not like this. Not with the injuries I still carried. If I was really lucky, maybe, just maybe, I could scrape by with a win. But right now? In this condition? I’d lose for sure. Miyako zipped up the medical bag as I sat up, the tightness in my chest making it hard to think straight.

"I can’t make it fair to him at all," I said, my voice low, almost to myself. "I might need to use a gun." The words hung in the air, thick with desperation. Miyako froze, her hand midway through zipping the bag, her expression hardening instantly. "Fuck no," she snapped, her eyes locking onto mine, full of anger and disbelief. "the reason you haven’t used a gun so far is that you’d be caught in an instant. Why the hell would you even consider it now?" I rubbed the fresh bandage absentmindedly, trying to push away the fear gnawing at me. "Because I’d lose," I whispered, the truth bitter on my tongue. "that’s why."

Her eyes spiraled, like some kind of hypnotic illusion, pulling me in with an unsettling intensity. "That's no good," she murmured, her voice soft yet firm, each word laced with something I couldn't quite place—fear? Control? "I can't have you do that. You need to stay with me." I swallowed hard, feeling small under her gaze. "I told you," I said, my voice weaker than I wanted it to be, "this path won’t be easy. But you still wanted to go through with it." My words felt hollow, almost like I was trying to convince myself as much as her.

Without warning, Miyako shoved me onto the bed. In my condition, still battered and aching, it wasn’t worth the struggle to fight back. The sudden movement sent a jolt of pain through my body, but I stayed silent, watching her with wary eyes as she hovered over me. "I let you go through with that stupid plan with Allison," she spat, her voice tightening, "because I thought it was going to work. Even if it hurt like hell to see you with another woman." Her eyes darkened, her fingers twitching at her sides as if she were holding something back. "Now, you want to leave me again? Just like my brother did?" I shook my head quickly, trying to diffuse the situation before it escalated further. "Calm down, Miyako." I said, my voice shaky but earnest. "I don’t want to do that. You know I don’t. I just… I don’t know what else to do." I hated admitting it, the helplessness gnawing at me like a constant reminder of how stuck I really was. She moved to the side of the bed, her presence still looming. "Then think of a better way." she said coldly.

I continued to lie down, staring at the ceilinge. "What’s going on at ECLIPSE right now?" I asked, my voice low, trying to push the looming dread out of my mind for just a second. Miyako glanced up, following my gaze toward the ceiling, her expression distant. "Chaos." she said simply. "A Prophet was just killed. They're going insane, scrambling to figure out who did it. As you know, the police don’t have a clue yet." She turned her head back to me, her eyes sharp, calculating. "Of course, they’re already asking questions about where you went. Give it a few more days, and they’ll assume it was you. I mean, you disappeared right after she died."

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I swallowed hard, the knot in my chest tightening. She’s right. If I don’t go back, they’ll pin it on me, especially since I was close to her… somewhat close. The timing, the disappearance—it all pointed in my direction. This was bad. Miyako’s hand slipped into mine, her fingers warm and reassuring. "Don’t worry, Damon. I’m here for you. We still have some time to figure things out." she said softly, her voice a rare mix of comfort and certainty. "I’ll vouch for you. I’ll tell them I got in touch, and that you’re busy with ‘familial matters.’ It might buy you a little more time." I squeezed her hand tightly, gratitude and a faint sense of relief mingling with the anxiety. "Thanks. I appreciate your help, I really do. I’m going to need you more from now on."

Her expression softened further as she cupped her cheek with her free hand, her fingers brushing her skin lightly. "Like I said, I'm here." she said, her voice taking on a sultry undertone. She shifted closer, leaning in until her face was only inches from mine, her breath warm against my skin. "In regards to now… can I have a reward?" Her expression changed, darkening, an eerie smile curling her lips. It was almost demonic. My heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t deny her. Not now. Not with everything hanging in the balance. It felt too dangerous to refuse. I nodded nervously, swallowing hard. "What would you like?" Her eyes stayed locked on mine, unblinking, still holding that unsettling look. "I’m tired of this vague relationship we have." she began.

I placed my hand over her mouth, stopping her mid-sentence. I knew exactly what she wanted. She didn’t have to say it. Meeting her gaze with equal intensity, I spoke firmly, "Same here. Let’s make this official. It’s clear we both like each other. We’ve grown closer over these last few months. Instead of just talking about it, I’ll prove it to you." I slowly removed my hand from her mouth and leaned in, pressing my lips to hers. She responded immediately, her eyes fluttering closed as she leaned into the kiss, and I followed suit. Her hands slid up, cupping my face as she pulled me deeper into the moment, her tongue darting into my mouth with a ravenous intensity. This isn't so bad.

We kissed for what felt like a solid half-minute. Her lips lingered on mine, and when we finally pulled apart. Miyako licked her lips, her eyes still filled with that hungry, almost predatory look. My heart was racing, both from the kiss and the tension in the room, when suddenly, my phone buzzed on the nightstand, cutting through the moment like a knife. I glanced at the screen. Oren? What the hell? My pulse quickened for a different reason now. I hadn’t heard from Oren in ages, not since he’d blocked my number, cutting ties with me completely. And now, out of the blue, he was calling? I snatched up the phone, answering immediately, "Is this Oren?" The silence on the other end stretched for a second before I heard a voice that I hadn’t heard in what felt like a lifetime. "Yes, it’s me." His tone was curt, no warmth, no time wasted. "I’m not here to chat. Tony’s in a coma."

My body went rigid, the words hitting me like a punch to the gut. "What?!" I asked, my voice barely steady. Tony? In a coma? How? I could feel Miyako’s eyes on me, her expression shifting from curiosity to concern as my intensity grew. My skin prickled as sweat started to form on my brow. Oren paused, as if gathering his thoughts before dropping the bomb. "ECLIPSE. Olly, who I’m pretty sure is one of your targets, did it." Olly. Of course. This was personal. I steadied my breath, swallowing down the whirlwind of emotions rising inside me, and asked the question I dreaded the answer to. "What are we going to do?" Oren’s voice dropped to a low, almost menacing tone, each word sharp as a blade. "We are going to kill them all. What do you think?"