In Your Arms

Isen's Lament

"You'll be fine. Remember that no matter what they tell you-."

"I know, Algol."

Farrah stared down at the unusually quiet shelter she had hoped to never see again. She pressed her lips together to muffle a long sigh.

"What should I say when they ask me how I got back?"

Algol shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest, "You'll think of something."

The woman nodded, fumbling with the hem of her shirt as she swayed from side to side. Algol knew she was battling whether to leave or not. He figured Farrah needed a little push.

With his head pressed against her back, Algol began to nudge Farrah down the small hill they were on.

"H-hey! I can walk on my own."

"Doesn't look like it."

Farrah groaned loudly, realizing there was no escaping what awaited her. "Okay, okay. I'll start walking."

And just like that, she began to move her legs. Her guts screamed for her to stop and run away, but she knew she couldn't. Why delay the inevitable?

"Young one." Algol called out one final time. Farrah turned her head, glancing up at the creature's skull. His glowing, blue orbs regarded her with slight sympathy, and with a wave, he added, "You don't have to worry about Isen. I'll take care of him- and I'll try keeping an eye on you as well."

Farrah gave a slight nod of gratitude, "You have to be safe also. Don't come back to Haven to eat people."

"You're worried about me?"

"Why shouldn't I be? It's safe to say we're friends now, right?"

Algol let out a short cackle, digging his claws into the dirt as he leaned closer to Farrah. "As much as I dislike being kind to a human, I can't be cruel to you. Come, give me a hug before you return with the garbage."

Farrah wore a slight smirk, and she walked back towards Algol to give him his hug. The minute they made contact, he grasped on tight to her, sniffing her hair with a slight sneer.

Of course Isen would leave his scent on her, just in case Algol got hungry. With a huff, the being released her. He had to remind himself that Farrah wasn't his dinner or his plaything.

"Be brave, woman. Those tasty humans will try to outsmart you."

"I will try. Goodbye."

And with that, she was gone and out of sight. Algol stayed put for a moment before forcing himself to turn away and teleport back into Isen's cave.

The other wasn't surprised to see his friend pop out of nowhere and sit directly across from him. Silence followed, and with it, Algol's questions.

"You let her leave."

Isen didn't respond, and instead stayed on the floor. He barely moved an inch as he faced the opposite direction.

"You love her. She's important. Why couldn't she stay?"

"That is exactly why I let her go," Isen cut in, his voice unusually weary and exhausted. Algol was caught off guard by how weak the creature had become. "Because I love her and she cannot suffer."

Algol growled, irritation building up inside, "I can't believe this. Isen, the most feared monster in the galaxy and stealer of human hearts...has now gotten one of his own."

Isen didn't respond, but he turned to focus on Algol. With a sigh, he leaned his head back against the rocky walls, "When we came to purify the world, I did not expect this to happen. The humans were nothing in my eyes, and those I was with were merely targets for my experiments." Isen recalled the collection of hearts he had ripped out of the fresh corpses of people he used to know. Before that, he was even more wicked and tore out the organ from living humans.  He was fascinated with the sound the small organ made but was disappointed to find that in death they ceased to amaze him. He had tested his magic on multiple hearts to see whether they would sound once more, but the beat never did sound the same.

"When I first discovered Farrah, alone in her little home, I waited for her demise." Isen muttered, "But when I watched her in secret my thirst for her death began to diminish."

Algol curiously inspected Isen, regarding the once feared creature with nothing but sympathy, "I only care for her because she's the key to the New Beginning. Have you truly fallen in love?"

Isen placed a hand over his chest, where a real heart should have been despite him not ever possessing one. He only pretended to own one, and a beat could be heard in his chest despite nothing residing inside. "I feel strange- almost tingly. It only happens when I think of her. My whole body feels light, yet when she is not around, there is so much weight. Minutes go by and my thoughts are solely occupied on her- her smile, her perfect skin, the way her heart beats so beautifully." Isen felt a deep sadness suddenly settle on his soul, "Despite her being so far, I can still feel her here. In my chest."

The other being didn't know what to say, after all there was nothing he could do.

A monster had fallen in love with a human. There was no changing that.

Algol crawled towards Isen, gently placing a claw on the others shoulder to offer comfort. "Maybe this was meant to happen. You will always be my brother and I support you in everything."

Isen nodded, staring out into the waters beside them. He replayed the last moments he had with Farrah in his head, like a movie. Algol could sense it as well, and though he couldn't see exactly what had occurred between them, he could hear a faint, whispery echo from the past lingering in the cave. It was not perceivable to humans, but higher beings could easily pick it up.

The sounds carried something with them, a certain aura that Algol was familiar with. The more he listened, the more his curiosity grew. With a gaping jaw, he turned to Isen and carefully asked, "I know you bonded with her, Isen, but what else did the two of you do?"