Melanie sat beside Alice and played with her soft and slender fingers. It had been weeks since she had arrived at University of the Damned and unlike before, she gained more control with her thoughts and emotions—her purple eyes looked sharper, and her face already lost its brightness. Her eyebrows were lower and almost did not move an inch unless there was something that could potentially crack her.

Ever since her counselling with Ms. Marfori started, her professors also treated her differently. She was completely unfazed, of course, to be treated like an outcast. Not because she was the worst among all her classmates, but because she was different. Melanie knew that and she took advantage of being lonely to sort her thoughts. She needed to confront her life and face her fears and the University gave that chance to her even though the reason behind it was still vague.

"Master, what do you want to do today?" Alice beamed with a cheerful smile. Her knees swayed back and forth, her crimson red eyes were big and excited, waiting for Melanie to give her an order.

Melanie frowned at her. Alice had been clingy to her those past few days. "I don't need anything right now, Alice."

"Okay, master," replied Alice and looked at the sky. "Continue playing with my fingers, then. I'm willing to serve you with everything you need and desire."

"Why are you acting like that?" asked Melanie and gripped her hand tightly, feeling her familiar's cold palms against hers. "You didn't adore me like this before."

"Something in you changed, Master. You are slowly returning to who you were before—I couldn't be happier."

Melanie stared at her for a moment, trying to comprehend Alice's words. She knew that something had changed within her, the way she approached and absorbed things, the wiring of her thoughts, and the very core of her existence—they were not the same as before. However, deep inside, she was still the same Melanie, who was weak and defenseless.

"Suit yourself," said Melanie and crossed her arms. She then stared at her classmates having fun with their familiar, her eyes reflecting distinct colors. There were blasts of lights, fire, ice, smoke, and other matter in the air and they decorated the atmosphere in various places. Screams, grunts, and wheeze resonated in the open field like a mixer, fusing clashing sounds that made Melanie's ears ring.

She rolled her eyes and stood up. "Alice." She glanced at her familiar. "Let's train together."

"I will do happily what you ask of me—"

"Oh please," hissed Melanie and glared at Alice. "Stop with the formalities.

"Yes, master," said Alice and positioned across her. "I won't do—"

"Alice."

"Yes, master."

Melanie rose both of her fingers and inhaled the acidic air. She closed both of her eyes and felt the energy pulsating in her veins. She then imagined it as a flowing river—a part of her own body, an extension of her own hand, and when she opened her eyes, her energy finally reached Alice's consciousness. Without any delay, her familiar arched her own back and mustered a dark energy within her hands. With trembling arms, she released her powers—increasing its size as it travelled closer to her master.

Melanie ran fingers through her hair before pressing her palm to the energy ten times larger than her. It then curtained around her, squelching sounds echoing from the surface as it swallowed her whole. She smirked, shrinking her fingers and pulverizing the energy into fine dust.

Alice attacked again and shot her with bullets of energy. Melanie's jet-black hair danced in the air when her feet moved quickly on the ground as if they were heavily planted but easily withdrawn when needed. Her steps made the sound of calm sea—no waves, no disturbance, no echoes; only ghost-quiet silence.

She dodged every bullet Alice had for her and managed to slide through her defense. She spun in the air, letting her image blur in Alice's vision, and flashed at her back, pointing a dagger covered with menacing aura across her throat.

"Doing good, master," her familiar praised and smirked. "But not good enough."

Alice grabbed both Melanie's arms and threw them into the air. The dragger flew from her master's hands, and she crashed her body towards her, staggering her back. She then took advantage of the chance and placed her palm on her master's guts, planning to blast a hole through her intestines.

But Melanie's thoughts accelerated into thousands in a matter of seconds and instantly foresaw Alice's intentions.

She slammed her palms on her familiar and crashed her pupils with her piercing dark light. Alice stiffened in her touch, black liquids oozing from her eye sockets like mud. Melanie removed her hands and stared at two holes she made into her familiar's head. She placed her two fingers in the space between her familiar's eyebrows and was about to blast a hole there too when Alice finally lost her balance, slipping from Melanie's grasp, and fell to the ground with a thud.

Melanie sighed and sat beside Alice's body. She placed her palms across her familiar's eyes and wrapped them with silver light. Flesh, nerves, tissues, and muscles that were subdued by her powers earlier regenerated below her light, dust of energies gathering inside her palms. When Alice finally wheezed and inhaled sharply, Melanie stopped the healing process and watched her familiar return to life.

"M-master," gasped Alice and smiled widely. "You're getting better every single day."

"I don't know what you mean by better but," said Melanie and rose up. "These powers cost me my life. They're not something I should be happy about."

"You'll reach your potential in no time," said Alice, standing up like nothing happened. "And you'll never think of something absurd like that again."

Melanie scoffed, "Yeah, right."

She then turned her head to the person furthest from her and was glued to her spot. Squinting her eyes, she saw a woman with dark hair and eyes, clothed in a black leather jacket, long cream-colored shirt with several rips at the collar and hem, and raven faux leather short matched with combat boots. Her hand was gripping the handle of her katana, its blade reflecting the rays from the sun and illuminating her orbs. A grey form of a wolf with electric blue eyes hovered behind her, enveloped in dark miasma. There were no words echoing between them—only their gazes and mere presence conversed with each other.

"Axel," hissed Melanie inside her head. "She never talked to me ever since I saw her...weak side. She treats me like a ghost, even in our dormitory."

Stolen story; please report.

"Alice," called Melanie and did not even glance at her familiar. "Go back to my ring and shut your ears. I have something important to do."

Without waiting for her familiar's reply, Melanie took a step forward in Axel's direction. Her steps were heavy and firm, millions of words trying inside her head, uniting to a single knot—a question, a yearning for her presence, and an attachment severed in the gentlest of touch.

Melanie pursed her lips and stopped in front of Axel. The wolf softly growled while gazing at her; its blue eyes staring at her intently. Melanie's hands balled into fists and then eventually unclenched them —reaching for Axel's shoulder.

However, before Melanie could even lay her fingers on her, Axel caught her hands and held them tightly as if giving her a a warning. A warning not to invade her space. A warning not to step in her boundaries again.

"W-why?" Melanie couldn't stop her voice from cracking. "Why are you being so distant from me?"

"Stop."

"Is it because I saw you being..." Melanie gasped. "...vulnerable? Is that it? Do you think I'd look at you differently because of that?"

"I said, stop!"

"I'm not that shallow!" exclaimed Melanie and forced Axel to face her. "I know you're annoying at times and heck, you even tried to hurt me, and you confused me a lot of times, but you were always there. You were always there."

"Shut up."

Melanie cupped Axel's face who was still struggling to look at her. "Your absence makes my heart ache. I have already come out of my shell but you...you are still caged." She ran her hands against Axel's leather sleeves and remembered the scars on her arms. "I am healing, Axel. Is that why you hate me now? Are you drawn to me because I was broken and lost and you wanted to break me mo—"

"Fuck!"

Melanie was cut off when Axel hissed and interlocked their hands together then dragged her towards the rich forests. Melanie gazed at her back. Axel was not saying anything. What was she planning to do to her? Would she beat her up? Would she spit the words she never wanted to hear? Would she end their friendship—a bond that Melanie was uncertain if it really did exist between them or if it's only one-sided, and treat each other like strangers?

Axel slammed Melanie against the trunk of the tree and caged her by placing her hands on either side of Melanie's head. Melanie noticed the cloud in Axel's dark eyes and her quivering lips.

"Don't make it harder for me, Melanie," said Axel, almost a whisper. "Just forget about me, you understand?"

"But why?" Melanie prodded. "If I did something wrong, I'm sorry! I don't like it when you're avoiding me. You made me fond of your presence—you forced me to get used to you and now...you're just acting like we never know each other!"

"It's because that's the right thing!" Axel lashed out and bitterly added, "You don't need me anymore."

"I never needed you, Axel!" shouted Melanie that made Axel step back. "You're not a necessity to me, Axel. You're a friend, even if you don't think about me that way, and I want you in my life no matter how much I denied it."

Axel's eyes darkened and her appearance slowly turned to her male counterpart. "Say that again," her tone transitioning into a deep and hoarse voice of a man, "Melanie."

"I want you in my life—"

Melanie gaped when Axel quickly crossed the distance between their faces; raven and lilac orbs reflecting each other, and kissed the corner of Melanie's lips. Melanie stiffened and her mind went blank. "W-what..."

"You can't return this and that's okay but..." Axel pulled away and sighed. "Seeing your pure concern to me back in the infirmary only made me want to be loved by you." He smiled bitterly. "I don't want you to be attached to me, Melanie. I hate the concern you showed to me that day. I don't deserve that shit, you know? I don't deserve a single shit in this world."

"Axel..." Melanie trailed off and then shook her head. "No, that's wrong. That's wrong! You can be better. You will be better."

"Melanie, I don't know," said Axel. "I'm meant to be like this."

"Can't you see?" Melanie implored and grabbed his arm. She gestured to herself. "You helped me get through my s-shit," she stuttered, that made Axel chuckle softly. She continued, "Your way was not...nice but still, you did your best to guide me and protect me. And it's my turn to return the favor."

Melanie held Axel's hands. "Listen, don't get ahead of yourself. Your feelings towards me, maybe that's not love. Maybe it's true that you just wanted to be cared about and I could give you that as a friend."

"Is that supposed to make me feel unicorns, rainbows, and candies, Melanie?"

"What I mean is!" emphasized Melanie. "It's okay to be honest with me, okay? I won't leave you just because you're the person you think you are. I'm your friend."

Axel smirked and slowly returned to her female self. She grinned, her laughs reaching her ears. "Is that how Sanctified befriends one another? Fucking cringe and gross."

Melanie rolled her eyes while her cheeks reddened. Why was she speaking to Axel again?

"Whatever!" she muttered and placed her hands on her waist then started walking. "Let's just go back."

"Together," teased Axel and followed her tracks. "Let's go back together."

From miles away, a figure hidden in shadows tied a tiny scroll on a snow-white cat's foot and patted it gently to make it saunter. The figure watched it disappear in the bushes. "You'll reunite with Clementine again, brother."

The person gazed at Axel walking back with Melanie. "And I'll eliminate every obstacle hindering her return."

***

The night skies were filled with stars and dominated by the whole image of the moon. Luce squeezed Dahlia's waist as they strolled towards the garden where he prepared their romantic dinner. His fiancé could not stop smiling from ear to ear even though her sight was covered by the blindfold.

"Are you excited?" asked Luce.

Dahlia nodded her head when they finally stopped. "Yes!"

Luce smiled and untied Dahlia's blindfold over her blue eyes. She covered her mouth when she saw the feast in front of her. She glanced at Luce. "I-isn't these too much?"

"Of course, it's not," replied Luce and pulled her closer. His green eyes gazed past the gate of the garden, their lovely home, their kind community, the damned region, then finally, to the world outside the walls.

"Thank you!" Dahlia jumped and wrapped her arms around Luce. He quickly returned the embrace and trapped his fiancé tightly within his grasp.

He venomously sneered, "Everything for you, Luaidh mo chèile."

"L-luce? I-I can't breathe."

"Oh, Dahlia." The girl's eyes widened when she heard his fiancé's sudden malicious laugh. She gasped when she met his gaze—his entire eyes looked like they were painted by black ink, spreading across his nerves and swallowing his entire sockets.

Dahlia pushed him away, fear creeping inside her body as she exclaimed, "T-this is not funny, Luce!"

Luce threw his head high until his back bent like an arc. His roaring laugh echoed through the entire place, sending shivers down Dahlia's spine. Tears fell from her eyes as she saw him straightening his spine to his previous position, cracking and popping every bone.

"N-no...please, don't hurt me...." cried Dahlia. Without thinking twice, she spun around and let her fears drag her away from that place. However, Luce moved quickly and swayed his hands, making darkness chase her fiancé until the end.

"If you love me..." mumbled Luce and balled his fist. The darkness caught Dahlia and choked her in the air. "You should die for me."

"H-help me!" screamed Dahlia, but her moans fell into deaf ears. She raised both hands and struggled to free herself from the grip, but she could never win over the dark energy. Life faded from her eyes and her glowing blonde hair turned brown. Gagging, her neck snapped, and her mouth exhaled her last hope of breath. Her feet scuffled and her head lolled. Luce clapped his hands while slowly shaking his head, amused. "Bravo!"

He walked closer to Dahlia's corpse and leaned over her. He positioned his ear over her nose and grinned when he heard her wheezing. "There's a little bit of life in you, hmm?"

He looked at his fingers and his dark nails grew sharper and longer. He then placed its sharp tip on his palm and sliced himself. Black viscous liquid flowed from the wound, and he aimed it towards Dahlia's mouth. Not long after, the corpse was cloaked with tremors and all her limbs were shivering. Her eyes went up and they were bulging reds. Strands of hair fell down from her head until it revealed her scalp covered with pulsating deoxygenated nerves. Fangs appeared in her mouth and her skin paled until it was colored grey.

"Rise, my child," Luce muttered when the corpse unsteadily stood up. It growled at him, but he quickly tamed it by his sharp penetrating gazes. The monster fell on her knees and wheezed, acidic saliva falling from her mouth. "Infiltrate the City and bless them with my gift. We'll reunite with your brothers and sisters when we're finally outside the walls."

The corpse slowly faced the lights of the City and drooled intensely. She panted, growling like a hound, and ran towards her feeding ground.

"What a lovely evening," mumbled Luce as he poured himself a glass of wine. "Hope you could share this with me, Clementine."