Hybrid: The Mark

The Trance

Sirah felt better day by day, walking alone in the deep forest and breathing the fresh air. It smelled like freedom. Few days had been passed and she didn't run into Malkov or any of the other Warlocks. Sirah had a strange suspicion that they were not Warlocks but something different. Unique and stronger. What attracted her attention to them were the chances of survival for them. Over hundreds of sphere members have set their vision to capture them and put an end to it. Soon it will be over for them.

'Over for me.'  Sirah swallowed.

She erased the thought from her mind and continued her blissful walk. The blissful walk ended as she saw Malkov sitting under a tree. Sleeping. Sirah found her chance. She stopped. Her heart picked its rate.

'What am I going to do?'  her hands reached for her knife.

She cautiously took her steps forward when Malkov snapped his neck at her direction. Sirah immediately withdrew her distance from him. Malkov got up, his cloak shuffling.

For a moment, Malkov looked at her. Her arms and her necks marked and her eyes felt lifeless to him.
He had captured and killed many beings but none of them had such lifeless eyes. Something bothered Malkov inside him and he decided to know about it.

"What's your name?"

Malkov heard her inhale sharply. His eyes peripherally focusing her fingers around her knife.

" Do you always ask people their names before you kill them?" She scowled.

Malkov got instantly surprised by her wits. Something kept making its way inside him.

"You don't want me to know your name?"

"What are you trying to imply?"

"How did you get those marks?" Malkov took a step towards her.

"Stop." She raised her knife.

"Tell me how did you get those marks?" He insisted.

Sirah started to get infuriated by Malkov and walked past him to avoid answering any of his questions. By instinct, Malkov caught Sirah by her arm. Sirah hissed in pain and he let go of her immediately with a surprise.

"Does that hurt  you?"

"Why won't you leave me alone?"  Sirah started walking .

"Because I want to know and I can help."

Sirah stopped. She pressed her lips in annoyance.

"What caused your sudden change of heart?" She tried to put it in a rather sweet tone. "As far as anyone knows, you kill people for no reason."

"That is because you don't know why we do that." Malkov smiled.

His smile made her clench her jaws with annoyance. She exhaled and immediately turned around, walking away from him.

She couldn't  find a reason to answer him back.

A gentle breeze surrounded the forest, swaying the trees. Sirah's senses snapped to the sudden gust of a gentle breeze behind her.

She looked back to see an empty path behind her.

Malkov's presence had faded with the wind.
Without any resonance.

With a panicked breath she ran.