Three years.

It had been three years since she had last seen him.

She had run away from him,hid,moved to places and places and places-

And here he was.

He was still the same.of course he was.he never aged,after all.

The same black ponytail,with that sickeningly familiar silver clasp.

Black silk attire that clung to his frame,accentuating the muscles beneath.

Pale,almost white,skin.The same utterly cold features,and oh,those eyes.

Simmering pools of scarlet,currently a deep shade of burgundy,drenched in possessiveness.

Lucia swallowed.

She should have known.she should have realized he had been just letting her hide,letting her run away from him.

".....hello."

She mumbled,not knowing how to greet someone she had been running away from for three years yet missed every night.

His lips curved into a small smile.

"....lucia.how long has it been?"

He drawled,arching a perfect eyebrow.lucia bit her lip.he knew.he always knew.he was just asking her so that she could say the words out loud.

"....three years.and five days."

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

She murmured,slowly taking a step back.missing him every night didn't mean she wanted to meet him back in reality.she did not want to meet him.she knew his possessiveness would strangle her if she wasn't careful.

If she just managed to run,just to where the vita barrier was on,then-then she might just have a chance.she knew it was just a flimsy barrier compared to him,but she also knew he wouldn't dare break the barrier if she was within it.

Just a few hundred meters away.if she just ran-

He came a step closer.

His scent,that scent of metal and blood and soil intensified.

She smally smiled."i,uh,i've got to go,i was just on a short break,you see."She managed to murmur.

he smirked.

."...you have been collecting those noxia for two hours.quite a 'short' break you have,hmm?"he drawled,coming another step closer.

she took a step back,securing the pouch securely at her waist.she knew he was volatile,that he could just turn those painstakingly collected noxia to ashes with just a flick of his wrist.her gaze flickered to the barrier again.could she run-?

He came right in front of her.with just three long strides.his gaze raked over her form.she flinched,knowing it had been three years for him.the same pale blue hair.the same deep blue eyes.yet thinner.more broken.his eyes seemed to turn into molten lava.she took a step back-and met a wall.a tree.oh.

"Look,i know it had been a while,but-"she started,but he cut her off.

"A while,my dear lucia?three years.you had been running away from me for three years-"-the words came out,seething-"-and still managed to break yourself more,i might add.you're being ridiculous.you know the sole reason i had not been tearing those pathetic barriers down.and what are you doing,here?collecting noxia for your sleepless nights."his eyes were a burning inferno now,cupping her chin.kissing her forehead.it felt more like a brand then a kiss.she closed her eyes,trembling.

Solia.ruled by a strict religious doctrine,worshipping life with a fanatic fervor that grated on her nerves as well as his.but he had tolerated it with an apathy that came from an endless existence.had.

Three years ago,solia had made a mistake.a bad one.

He had gotten furious,unleashing the undiluted nox that had been residing witthin noxida.

78% of solia had been contaminated badly.only the capital,with its vita dome,was able to survive.barely.

He knew she was the one who made the dome.

He knew she was the one who maintained it.

He knew he was the only one who knew the dome would fail if not for her.

She knew he could easily break it.

She knew she was the reason he wasn't breaking it.

Because he was Death.

And he wanted her.