Beyond His Evil

Eighteen

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I lifted the boy into my arms, feeling the weight of his body as he clung onto my neck. He was much heavier than I had anticipated, but I managed to hold him. Seeking assistance, I approached a man standing near a cart.

"Excuse me, sir. Good evening," I greeted as I closed the distance between us.

He turned to face me, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"Well hello, my dear. Can I help you with something?"

Returning his smile, I replied, "I need to find the market, but I'm not familiar with this area. Could you please assist me?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "You must be new here, there is no market."

Confused, I frowned. "Are you sure, sir?"

He smiled again. "I've been here for quite some time, dear. I believe I know what I'm talking about."

"Thank you for your time, sir."

"No problem, child. Take care." He walked away.

Gently placing the boy back on the ground, I asked, "Where did you say your mom was?"

He fought with words. "She's at... She's at the... the..."

"Didn't you mention she was at the market?"

"She wanted to go to a place that was big and had lots of things in front of it," he explained.

Oh no...

"Do you know the name of this place?"

He shook his head.

I let out a sigh.

"I really want to find my mommy," he said, tears welling up in his eyes.

Being inexperienced with children, I didn't know how to handle his crying. I silently prayed that he wouldn't cry.

"Don't worry, we'll find your mommy soon."

Tears were already streaming down his cheeks.

I opened my mouth to comfort him, but someone interrupted me.

"Is there a problem, miss?"

I turned to face the person.

Her eyes widened with recognition, then excitement.

"Oh my God, Kira!" Evelyn half-screamed. We hadn't seen each other in a while, so I was glad to see her. She closed the gap between us and enveloped me in a hug.

I returned the embrace.

"I've missed you so much, Kira. It's been weeks since we last saw each other," she said when she pulled away.

"Same," I replied.

"So, what brings you here?"

"I haven't visited the village yet, so I thought I'd check it out," I explained.

She smiled. "That's great timing because...," she lowered her voice, "Safe Land's anniversary is coming up, and there's going to be a huge celebration. I wanted to get a dress made for the occasion. And now that you're here, we can both do that. It'll be so much fun. We can even match."

I had a feeling that stepping out of my room was a mistake.

Her eyes sparkled with joy. "And you won't believe who I've been with all day," she squealed like a little girl.

Oh my god... The little boy.

I turned to look at him. His cheeks were now wet with tears, and I felt terrible.

"Evelyn, please, he's lost," I said, drawing her attention to the boy. "He told me his mom is at the market, but... I don't know... You're more familiar with this place. Can you help him?"

"Of course," she assured me, then turned to the boy. "Stop crying, sweetheart, we'll find your mom soon, okay?"

He nodded and wiped his tears with the back of his hands.

"Devon would be able to find his mom faster," she suggested.

Just hearing his name made my heart skip a beat.

"I don't know where he is, he even canceled our training today," I informed Evelyn.

Because he regretted kissing me yesterday.

To my surprise, she giggled.

"I'm so sorry, Kira, I think it's all my fault," she confessed.

I was confused. How was it...

Her eyes sparkled. "He canceled your training because he's been with me all day. Kira, he's absolutely amazing. We're having so much fun. Can you believe he..." She lowered her voice again, "He took me to this magical garden outside the walls. It was so enchanting, Kira. I wish you could have been there!"

Something inside me shattered.

"Really?"

Her smile widened, if that was even possible at this point. "I really wish you were there, Kira."

No need, Evelyn. He already took me there, and I thought it was something special.

She giggled. "Actually, no, I don't wish you were there because if you were, we wouldn't have done what we did."

It felt like someone was slowly tearing my chest apart.

"What did you guys do?" I couldn't stop my voice from breaking.

She was too happy to notice.

"He... We... We kissed, Kira. Oh my god, he's such a great kisser."

My chest was now wide open, and my heart was being ripped out. The pain was unbearable.

"Kira, it was incredible. He was a bit rough and grabbed me everywhere, but..." She bit her lip, "I really enjoyed it," she confessed.

Tears filled my eyes, and breathing became difficult.

"Are... Are you alright, Kira?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

I wasn't. My head throbbed, I couldn't breathe, and I felt like I was breaking into a million pieces.

"Of course, I am," I managed to say.

She wasn't convinced.

"Kira?"
He called my name, surprised that I was there. His voice weakened me even more.

Evelyn walked over to him.

"Devon, thank goodness you're back. This child..." The sound of my heart breaking drowned out everything else; it was all I could hear.

But somehow, I turned to look at him, and I found him already gazing at me.

Our eyes locked.

Crimson met brown.

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