Count The Shadows (Prequel to Test the Limits)

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"I didn't think you were going to show up."

"Well you wanted me here, so here I am."

"There isn't room for the both of us here. In this world, only one of us can be king."

"You're weak, just like him!"

"You seem to like to try things that are destined to fail, so why don't you go kill yourself and come back when you're ready."

Anti instinctively winced as the words echoed around his room. Even though he knew that the words weren't directed at him, but at the Anti he was arguing with, it still stung to see someone that looked so much like Dark say the words in his face.

He was curled up in bed watching his phone screen intently as Jack, or "Anti" faced Mark's dark persona, neither of them breaking eye contact as Dark spoke, the argument continuing.

It was around midnight, but Anti couldn't sleep since he knew that at four in the morning he would be boarding a plane with a first class ticket to go to Finland.

What scared him the most wasn't the competition, but the tons of people that would there.

Who knew what they would think of his multicolored eyes.

"This world is mine, these people are mine!"

"You don't belong here. Why don't you finally go home."

"I don't need to go home...I'm already there."

Anti nearly fell out of his bed in surprise when his screen suddenly went black and showed that Dark was face timing him.

"Hey." Anti answered, shifting on his bed so he was laying on his back instead of in his side so he could stare up at Dark, his arm extended in front of his face with his phone.

Dark's room was pitch black, the only thing visible behind Dark's head was part of the pillow his head was resting on.

"Hey, I figured you'd be awake." Dark chuckled quietly, wearily rubbing his eyes.

"I'm surprised you are. You nervous about the competition?" Anti asked, secretly hoping Dark was so he wouldn't look pathetic.

"Not really." Dark shrugged nonchalantly.

Anti could instantly tell he was lying when his gaze quickly averted Anti's.

"It's okay if you are, you can tell me." Anti assured him with a small comforting smile.

"No, I'm fine." Dark shook his head.

More lies.

"Okay." Anti reluctantly let the subject drop, hoping that Dark would eventually tell him at the competition, if not sooner.

"I'm guessing you're nervous?" Dark countered.

"N-yeah." Anti sighed in resignation, knowing that it would be pointless to lie to Dark.

"I'll protect you, no matter what happens there." Dark promised, his dark eyes glittering with fierce determination and another emotion Anti couldn't identify.

"So what have you been up to?" Anti abruptly changed the subject, not wanting to think about the competition.

"Watching YouTube." Dark answered simply.

"Same here." Anti admitted, thinking back to what "Dark" had said in the video he was watching. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget the coldness in "Dark's" eyes.