uoıʇıɹɐdsıᗡ

ᴄɪɴQᴜᴀɴᴛᴀᴅᴜᴇ - ᴘᴀꜱᴛ

Valentinia:

Past (2 years and ten months ago)

Recap:

I didn't know whether to cry alone or upon his shoulder and it looked like he was going through the same battle. He was hurt too, just like me. But, what neither of us knew was. How deep did the wound go?

***

Elia and I gazed into each other's eyes, not quite sure whether to surrender to our loss or to fight until we hold the victory within our grasps. It appeared as if he and I didn't know what to do next, but I knew, and he knew too that we had to keep going somehow, someway, we had to hold our heads up above the water and survive this turmoil.

Inhaling a deep breath our air, I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to shake myself of this disastrous situation.

"We need to decide what we do and where we go from here." Elia voiced, sounding drained.

My eyes snapped up to him at the word 'we', I could feel confusion seeping through my body.

"We?" I repeated, creasing my eyebrows in bemusement.

"Yes, we." He answered, strongly.

Exhaling in frustration, I reply.

"Elia, I don't think you fully understand the situation we- I am in here, this isn't some game, but you know that. There cannot be any 'we', it would be too dangerous, you would die and that is all that there is to it. You need to understand that I will be on the run, for quite frankly, the remainder of my life.

I can't expect you to just drop your perfectly secure and safe life, or expect you to leave your family, or put them or you in any danger just so you could help me. And you would be, you would be in danger for the rest of your life too, along with your family. You will be a walking target, he will hunt you, just like he will hunt me like a predator hunts his prey.

And he will find me, you. He will. And he will kill you. It's only a matter of time before he comes marching through these doors, which reminds me that I must leave soon." I could guarantee that my face was a flustered mess.

I was becoming frustrated with his need to help me, this is my problem. My mess. Nobody else's. Only mine.

"Vei, I don't think you understand the situation, I came to you because I knew you needed help-"

"I don't need help, I'm not a charity case." I cut him off, annoyed with his excuses.

He gave me a pointed look for interrupting him, but I just shrugged it off by rolling my eyes.

"I knew you needed help Vei, anybody could see it, you were like a deer caught in the headlights. Your face was a white as a ghost and you were skittish, you were lucky that it was me that confronted you about it, otherwise, you would be with Valentin right now.

I assure you, the population of this place are like his little servants, pleasers, they will do anything to please their master. " He said, his face pulling into a snarl at the word 'master'.

"They wouldn't have-" I began, but his cut me off fiercely.

"Yes, yes they would. You don't know them Vei, I've lived here my whole life, I was here when Valentin begun his apocalypse. I watched him ruin everything within his path, they bowed down to his like fucking cowards. Surrendering to his ways, his demands.

But, not me, I refuse to do that. I will never become one of his puppets, just like you I won't obey him like a fucking dog. But, Vei, you need to open your eyes, you are too naive. -"