He had wanted the boy to die.

And he wanted to be the one to kill him.

To feel his body crumble in his hands.

To be the last thing he saw before snuffing out his pathetic excuse of a life.

To have that power over another’s fragile existence.

He knew he should feel some sort of remorse or shame in regard to those precarious thoughts.

But he only felt regret because he couldn’t manage to feel that way.

He knew that made him a monster.

Made him evil.

Made him what others feared.

And it wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d always thought it would be.

He actually quite enjoyed it.

So long as it would assist in getting him what he wanted.

Ren wasn’t ignorant to the fact that the other boys in the villages and town had begun taking notice to Sakura in ways they hadn’t in the past. Where they had once regarded her with hesitance or indifference, they now viewed her in a different light. He wasn’t blind to the way their eyes would follow after her, or deaf to their whispers that revealed only the beginnings of their primal desires.

How they had come to want her.

The same way that he always had.

He could accept that without indignation or envy. After all, how could they not see her in the same way that he did? The girl was alluring, and she radiated with life, naively bounding about, tempting everyone around her effortlessly. She was like fire, mesmerizing and powerful, destroying everything in her path.

She could warm you or burn your flesh.

She could light the way or set the world ablaze.

It’s why he had to follow her.

Watch her closely.

He didn’t mind others watching with him.

But only he could reach out and touch.

Only he could feel her heat.

And when he saw that boy.

His hand wrapped around her arm.

Pulling her closer to him.

Pulling her further from Ren.

He couldn’t allow it.

She was his.

Only his.

And he would unapologetically slaughter all in his way.

Cast the world into the darkness in order to keep her.

But such romantic notions would be foolish.

Because if he did that...

He’d never be able to watch her again.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Feel her touch against his skin.

Awaken to her slumbering beside him.

So, he would have to find another way.

Because that boy in town wasn’t the end.

He was only the beginning.

It was still dark as Ren made his way up the mountain, alone. Earlier, he had silently slipped from bed, making sure not to wake the girl curled next to him, and quickly made his way out of the cottage.

He only had so much time, and he needed to hurry.

Today, he was sixteen.

And he had to be back before she woke.

Raz had tried to teach the boy how to control himself, to keep the darkness lurking within him at bay. A feat that had become increasingly more difficult the older the young angel became and his emotions bigger and more erratic. They had come out to the mountains every day for months, venturing higher towards its looming peaks as Ren was made to exterminate pest after pest, the darkness always returning to his mind, always wanting to stay.

The man would tell him it was something he had to do on his own.

To find a way pull himself from the depths of drowning.

To figure it out.

That no one would do it for him.

But no matter how he tried, Ren couldn’t.

He needed her.

He always had.

He always would.

No matter how his uncle tried to convince him otherwise.

Raz was right though. Sakura wouldn’t always be there with her lovely looks and pretty words and gentle touches to beckon him away from the edge. To delve into and find the lost pieces of himself and put him back together.

But Raz was also wrong.

Ren couldn’t control it on his own.

And he’d never be able to.

Because he liked it.

How being in command and creating the suffering of others made him feel in those moments.

Significant.

Worthy.

Like a god.

But despite the temporary influence it had over him, those fleeting passions were nothing in comparison to her.

She was everything.

Always.

The good, the bad.

The highs, the lows.

The chaos, the calm.

Love.

And if he could chase her.

Then he could escape the darkness.

If he could take her suffering.

Then he didn’t need to create his own.

If he could have her.

Then he didn’t need anything else.

She may not always be there with her looks and voice and touches, but they were imprinted on him, always there, guiding and reminding him that there was so much more beyond.

That he was so much more.

Ren found the beginnings of a pest’s tracks, a wide, smooth path with a translucent ooze that mixed with the soil and followed it until he found the perpetrator that had left it behind. It was nothing special, a burnt orange slug-like creature the length of a wagon but no taller than his knee. It would never cause harm to anything, but the boy could still hear the darkness calling to him, telling him to tear it to shreds, to prolong its suffering, reminding him of the relief it would provide.

The boy closed his eyes and inhaled.

He allowed the darkness in.

And brought her into it.

He saw emeralds.

Cherry red.

Her smile.

He heard her voice.

Felt her touch.

Accepted her comfort.

Her mercy.

Her love.

She was everything.

And he needed nothing more.

His eyes opened, clear ocean blue, and exhaled.

The angel walked to the slow-moving creature and unsheathed his sword, crouching down next to its undecipherable head to observe it carefully. “I’m sorry to do this,” he apologized. “But it’s better to be safe than sorry. Thank you for your sacrifice.” With great care, he sunk the tip of the large blade into the pest’s head and through its brain, watching as it deflated and melted away.

For the first time, there was no darkness.

No mutterings begging for more.

Only the thought of her.

Like a candle in the night.

Bringing him back.

Calling him home.

Ren made his way out of the mountains, down the path, and through the yard just as the sky began to turn. He took off his boots before opening the door and put them back in their exact place. Creeping to the corner, he changed his clothes and snuck back into bed. He peered down at the girl, her face innocent and peaceful, still consumed by dream, and wrapped his arms around her before closing his eyes and following after.

“Ren,” the voice so quiet along with the constant tapping against the boy’s chin.

“What?” Ren grumbled, tilting his face away from the annoying motion.

The girl set her sights to his newly exposed cheek, digging her nail into the soft flesh with every poke. “Don’t resist me. Get up.”

“Why?”

“Cause it’s your birthday. You can’t sleep all day.”

He peeked an eye open, only a little light in the room, still so early. “I don’t think it’s day, yet.” He tilted his head down, greeted by dazzling emeralds and a stunning smile.

“Come on, let’s go do something,” Sakura urged excitedly. “We can go up into the mountains. Or go to the river.”

“It’s my birthday. I’m pretty sure I get to choose.”

“What do you want to do?”

Ren tightened his hold, pulling her closer, and buried his face in her wild, cherry tresses. “I want to stay right here.”