Desmond did the first thing that came to mind.

In other words, spit in her face. The assassin couldn't dodge it, didn't even bother to try. Maybe it was petty, but he found it tremendously satisfying. Too bad it didn't last long. Practically nothing.

Slowly, she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the saliva from her face, then tucked it back in.

Throughout, her expression didn't change one iota.

She showed no disgust, no anger, no nothing.

"How rude. You know, no wonder they hardly consider us human, with such shining examples as yours."

"Did you come here just to gloat?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

It had felt like she had spit back at him, to tell the truth.

"No. I've come for what we should have been doing for the last... half an hour ago. Talking."

"And I don't even know your name. That's not very civilized either."

"Are you mocking me? On the tips of her toes, she leaned forward, studying his face. "It's an attempt to hurt me, as if I meant what I said before, as if it mattered to me. Or am I wrong? No, of course I'm not. We've spent very little time together, but I'm beginning to understand you."

He had been wrong, thinking he was striking back. Nothing was going right for him. It was silly to complain about this, but it still bothered him sincerely.

"Anyway, you're right. My name is Laura. The last name I leave to your imagination. You don't need to introduce yourself.

"Enough of the bullshit. Get to the point."

"As you wish." Laura took the chair and dragged it across the floor, placing it in front of him, but with a prudent distance between them. "We need you, but we have no problem with you. Our real target is the woman who gave you that... unnatural death"defying power."

There it was. Confirmation of what he had suspected. It was nothing new, but it made his blood boil.

"What did you say?"

He had sort of spat it out. He had said it with boiling hatred, despising the woman who had taken everything from him. How dare you talk about her like that? How dare you make that face? What the fuck did she do to you, you sons of bitches?

The answer was, of course, nothing. And those heartless monsters didn't care about that fact at all.

All they cared about was power.

This woman had sold herself for such a crass, shallow reason. That was, in a way, the worst of it.

Do you think human lives are worth so little?

"You may not remember, but you've met her at least once. Look back, a woman who caught your eye. Who, for no reason, seemed special to you. Different from everyone around you. And yourself."

Oh, so she' d misinterpreted his answer. Well, he supposed it was natural, because he hadn't been very clear about it.Her a response confirmed, again, something he already knew.

That special...kind of divine feeling, seeing her, didn't exist only in his head. It was real.

It made him feel better. He wasn't sure why, but it was true.

"Oh, I know very well who you're talking about. But you couldn't get me to cooperate. That's the one thing I wouldn't do to save my life: serve as bait so you can get your filthy hands on her! I'd rather die."

Every word he had uttered was the absolute truth. He had never been so sure of anything in his life.

"This is the second time you've come back to life after dying from a bullet. This one shot left your chest mangled, even. So whatever you prefer... it may be of very little consequence."

This bitch!

"I can't be immortal. So I'll keep trying until I succeed, or until you're forced to kill me with your bare hands, you or one of your own. If I don't get out of here first, of course."

Laura looked into his eyes.

Silently, for a while. And then she smiled like a girl in love, almost. A smile without the slightest trace of evil, completely discordant with the situation and how she really was.

It sent a shiver down his spine. Even before he heard her threatening statement, delivered with the tone matching her expression. Light. Unconcerned.

"You've already lost, Desmond. The sooner you admit it, the better."

He wasted no time.

"Until my heart stops beating, I'll keep fighting."

"If that's the way you prefer to look at it. There's another thing you're wrong about, I'm afraid. It's not impossible. After all, she is immortal."

That was... That was new.

And the most wonderful news he'd ever heard in his life, so he couldn't help but smile more or less as the assassin had a moment ago. He had nowhere to see his reflection, but Desmond was sure of that, he could feel it, he could feel it deep in his chest.

The difference was that there was nothing jarring in that smile.

How could he not smile?

His savior was immortal. In other words, no matter what happened, she would not abandon him and she would not grow old. She would always be by his side, always, always, always! Whatever would happen

No matter what happened. And that was his greatest and only wish.

Desmond felt great. Desmond felt like he was bathing in light.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

But even something so wonderful had its drawbacks. It was how the world worked. The same drawback as always, really.

Before he could be reunited with her and enjoy a life together, or maybe, a whole ETERNITY, he had to get rid of all the enemies. He had to make the bitch in front of him drown in her own blood and burn everything and everyone. Reduce them to ashes.

"And that's why you want her," he said, slowly coming down from that high. Well, sort of.

Actually, that high would most likely last him for the rest of his life.

So the most he could say was that he was now as close to normal as possible.

"Yes. Not for one of the 'blessings' she can deliver as a Witch," Desmond clenched his fists, rattled the chains uselessly, lunging forward, "but for the secret of immortality. Imagine it. A world without death. No pain, no sorrow. Or war."

Laura hadn't even flinched at the sight of him moving. Of course she hadn't. She knew he had placed himself far out of her reach and that he was not yet strong enough to break these chains.

The really strange thing was what she had said.

"What?" he asked for confirmation as if he'd misheard. But he hadn't.

"Don't you understand? A world where there is nothing to lose is also a world where there is no reason to fight."

Desmond burst out laughing. He couldn't help it, nor did he want to.

"You've got to be kidding me. I can't believe you did all this for a rosy dream. Betraying your homeland, helping to kill innocent people, and then.... Then the teachers. My friends. All that for the dream of a child?"

But she wasn't kidding. It was more than obvious. Ah, you crazy bitch.

Laura crossed one leg over the other, rested one of her hands on her chin. That irritating, smug smile wouldn't go away from her face.

"If there's anything worth fighting for in this life, it's a world without war."

She sounded almost rational. Almost like a real person.

Almost, that was the key word.

Desmond frowned.

"We agree. On the objective, not the methods."

"Ah, is that so?"

"I'll end this war by killing you all." Starting with you, he added to himself.

That was not entirely true. After all, he had killed more than enough Empire dogs only a few days ago. However, while he had had the feeling that that massacre of both sides had been the first step, perhaps this was the first step.

Now that he knew more about himself and his savior, and since he was alone in the face of danger.

At least, this could be the first step not of Desmond, the soldier, but of Desmond Orosco.

"Will you spare none of them?"

"Not a single one! It's the only way to end this."

"You should think... Who's the real monster? You disgust me. But I'll tell you something. For your sake and mine. I didn't kill anyone. I left there in a hurry, carrying your body."

"You're lying."

"Why would I lie?"

Because something so convenient couldn't be true. She had a good reason to kidnap him instead of slitting his throat, but none of that applied to everyone who had been with him then.

If she really had spared their lives, it had to have been out of kindness. Or out of mercy.

So that wasn't impossible.

Not unless there was a hidden reason he couldn't see.

Laura rose from her chair. Instantly Desmond tensed like a bow, ready for a battle, ready for anything. As if that would do any good.

He was trapped, he couldn't do anything about anything. If she wanted to kill him, it would be so easy....

Laura approached him, unafraid.

She ran her hands over his cheeks and moved even closer, until he felt her breath on his face. To the point where their lips were almost brushing.

Desmond froze, unable to react, only returning her gaze.

"Fear of loss is the root of all evil. And now you know you have something to lose. Much more than loyalty to a ghost from your past."

She pressed her lips to his ear.

He should do something. He should take advantage of the small distance to attack. He couldn't punch or kick her, even now. But he could sink his teeth into her neck and not let go. But what good would that do?

Even if he killed her, he would still be trapped in this tiny cell. So dark, so claustrophobic, even though he didn't suffer from that problem. And Laura wasn't the only enemy. The guards would gang up on him, who knows, maybe they would choose to kill him, accept the result and cut their losses.

No, it was too risky to make any move now. As much as he hated it, he had to wait, gather his strength.

"They almost make you feel normal, don't they?"

Oh no, he hadn't been frozen before. But now he was. Even his heartbeat slowed, as if it would stop altogether at any moment.

But, thank the gods, thanks, that feeling that was worse than lying on the ground, bleeding out, went away leaving a hole that his old friend, anger, eagerly filled. He could always count on it. That was one of the reasons he had come so far.

That he was full of rage, and couldn't let anything be. Nothing.

"Get out of my sight."

To his surprise, Laura didn't follow through with whatever she was trying to do. Instead, she obediently backed away, albeit one step at a time, very quietly. And without taking her eyes off him.

She wondered what he was trying to find.

Or lose sight of.

The door opened again, letting in the light from the hallway, which was only a nuisance to his eyes. Even though he'd been trapped in a circle of light all this time, the contrast was enough to hurt his eyes.

"I said I was not to be disturbed." Laura reminded him of that without turning around. Without deigning to look at him.

"Except in an emergency, ma'am, and this is an emergency."

The soldier's voice trembled.

What could have happened now? And, while he was at it, how long had it been since he'd fallen unconscious, under the effect of that green gas?

Hours? Or maybe days?

"What is it now?"

"I... I wish I knew. It's chaos, again. Some of us have killed each other and .... I've seen things in the dark.... You'd think I was going crazy, but..."

Darkness.

It wasn't a sure thing, but, still, hearing it made his heart rise to his throat.

He didn't want to believe it.

He didn't want anything bad to happen to them.

On second thought, though, the truly unbelievable thing would be if another shadow magic user was here, for him or not. It had to be Christina. And Amy, in the worst case scenario, would be tagging along with her.

"No. You're not crazy," Lucy said. And she had noticed it too. Of course, how could they not think of the same thing, the same person? " See, Desmond? There are the things you can lose. Your lady in shining armor."

"If you so much as lay a finger on her...!"

"Then what? Your threats are nothing but empty words. You don't have the power to change anything."

Worst of all, Laura was right.

Yes, of course she was right. And, just when he had gained hope that at least the two of them would be all right, that at least something good would come out of all this, it was going to be cruelly ripped out of his hands.

If it hadn't been born out of a simple misunderstanding, he was sure of that, he would wonder if she hadn't done it on purpose, planning this.

But it wasn't possible. It wasn't possible, but that was the least of it.

"Farewell," she said with all the authority of a judge sentencing someone to death.

"Come back here! Damn it, come back!"

And he rebelled against his chains, of course. Trembling from head to toe, howling, completely out of his mind, he threw himself forward, trying to tear the chains from the floor and walls.

But he only succeeded in shaking them a little, irritating his ears with that screeching sound.

It was like a leaf in the wind.

Not the eye of the storm that would tear it all away.

"We'll soon see what you value most, Desmond. Soon enough."

The door closed with the finality and weight of the slab of a coffin.