I'm So Sorry

Chapter Sixty-Two- And He Fell

 Anti had been sleeping for days. 

His vitals were okay, so he wasn't dead. That's something they could be thankful for. 

But he wasn't waking up, and it was worrying them. Henrik especially. But what could they do? Nothing but wait.

The heroes were kept out of the situation and didn't even know that Dark was gone. This was for their own sake, of course, they would never believe it about Mark unless they saw for themselves just how crazy that man they called a leader was.

And then came news from The Court. The dark and light kingdoms would be going to war... Naturally, the egos had offered their aid, which was gratefully accepted. 

On The Court's end, everything was set and ready. They were just waiting for Dara to return with information on where Dark was being held.

Speaking of the beast-man...

Dara decided to stop in a small coffee shop, a great place for gossip. If nobody here knew anything, his next stop was the bar. And nobody said that he couldn't have a little fun while he was out... But that was only if there was nothing in the cafe.

Ding.

He walked up to the counter, seeing a short, mixed lady with bright yellow eyes manning it. "Hello there, ma'am, could I have a... A Frappuccino... And a slice of strawberry cheesecake, please!" Dara made his order, bouncing on his heels slightly. "Coming right up!" Dara nodded and waited patiently, straining his dog ears to hear every conversation in the place. Nobody was talking about their king or Dark. 

"Sir, your order." The lady returned, handing Dara his food before moving on to another customer. 

Dara looked around, his ears perking and trying to find the best source of information... Of course, there was still nothing useful, but his eyes fell on a scrawny young man with a noble appearance. He was an albino with white eyes and a pure white robe. He had a necklace and a crown made from pure, white magic. He obviously wasn't the king, but he was certainly a noble. If anybody here knew about the king, it would be him.

The young man was beautiful and delicate, and Dara couldn't help but let his tail wag a little as he neared the creature. But Dara wouldn't be fooled by this man's charm! He was an angel, an evil and despicable being!... Or perhaps another creature of light? No, this was definitely an angel. It didn't matter anyway, because Dara's heart belonged to one creature and only her!

Dara sat across from the noble, flashing him a smile. "Hey, love, what's your name?" The noble looked up from his tea, raising a brow. "...I am Lustre Luvlin, the youngest of the Luvlin brothers." "Nice to meet you, Mr. Luvlin! The name's Dara, I hope you won't forget it!" Dara grinned at Lustre.

"...How odd. You aren't running for the hills yet..." Lustre blinked, his long, white eyelashes fluttering as he finally fixed his gaze on Dara fully. The noble's slightly flushed features drew Dara in even more, "huh? Am I supposed to? Damn, you don't like me already. Sorry about that!" "...That's not it. Do not apologize. But most people run when they see one of the Luvlin family, for we are a family of warriors. Serving directly under the king. I am a priest-level mage, so that just gives people more of a reason to stay away. Tell me, do you have business with me? Or did you just not know?" Lustre rested his head on his hand, keeping his gaze fixed on Dara.

"Nope, didn't know that! Interesting! You must be super strong! And you serve directly under the king? What's he like?" Dara inquired, fearless- or, more than likely, foolish. "I don't know. We've never met him. He's usually out doing hero work, but... As of late, he has been spending most of the time he's in this world in the castle. But even then, he doesn't allow anybody in. The only things we really know for certain about him are that he's powerful and paranoid over the captive." Lustre sipped at his tea again, but his eyes never left Dara.

Dara, however, was a clueless moron as always. He was munching on his cake cheerily when he finally noticed the gaze. "Huh?... Oh, you must want some! Here!" Dara leaned forward and put a forkful of cake in the noble's open mouth. Lustre's eyes widened and he reeled back, but Dara was- once again- not paying attention.

"Anyways... I'm new to the area, but I was sort of hoping to see what the castle looked like. This is the city where it resides, correct? Why can't I see it anywhere? Sorry, I'm a bit of an idiot!" Dara's tail wagged to show friendliness, but the noble seemed distracted. He had his hand over his mouth like a schoolgirl who just had her first kiss. "...I... I can see that." Lustre chuckled a bit, righting himself and taking a deep breath before continuing. "The castle is here, but it's hidden with illusion magic. Nobody knows where it is because only two people have ever been. The king and his angel." 

"Oh. Well, thanks anyway! You're really nice, you know that? I didn't think you would talk to me at first, but you're really fucking chill! I like you!" Dara took a swig of his Frappuccino, "well, I gotta..." Lustre looked up with those heavy eyes, and Dara couldn't help but sigh. "Eh, never mind. I can stay a bit longer... Oh, you seemed like you liked the cake. Here, we can share the rest." 

Dara split up the rest of the cake and leaned forward to feed a forkful to the smaller, when he had a thought. 'Wait. Why am I doing this? He's an angel, I shouldn't be getting all chummy with him... But... He doesn't seem that bad...' 

After Dara fed him, Lustre seemed to flush a bit more. Dara quickly finished his food, standing up and getting ready to leave. "Well, it's been really nice! I hope to see you soon, friend! Try not to forget me too soon~!" 

But Lustre just smiled, getting to his feet. "...Your name is Dara, correct?... I think I will remember that name. You are interesting... Yes, yes, I will. In fact..." 

With a graceful glide, he reached Dara and put a hand on the taller's chest. 

 "I think I'll keep you."

------------

"Not~ So~ Fast~"

Dark didn't know where the voice came from, but he knew that he was in danger. If only Rev could go a little faster... 

The wolf was running through the air, trying desperately to get away from the castle. But he wasn't fast enough. Dark felt it before he could see it- a spell, coming their way. Rev was able to dodge in time, but the spell curved alongside them and herded them like a dog on sheep back in the castle's direction. 

So, they went down a bit- not onto the ground- and headed away from the castle again, letting the spell fall behind them. But they didn't see the spear of light shooting out from the side and making its way into Rev's shoulder.

The wolf gave a howl as they fell, and Dark flailed to put himself below the creature so that the other wouldn't get more injured by the fall. They had successfully escaped, and they had gotten so far... But not far enough.

And nonetheless, the raven fell.