Eyes of our Minds

3 - Sylvia/Dorian

Forcing myself to my feet, I shoved myself in front of Dorian. He stumbled slightly, pressing himself into the back corner of the cell. I balled my hands into fists. I couldn't use my power, but I could at least put up a fight.

A figure appeared in front of me, a hood pulled over their hair and a mask covering their face. I dug my nails into my palms to keep myself from panicking. They had a knife, they had their power. They could easily overpower me.

The figure scanned me, stepping back slightly and muttering something under their breath. I couldn't make out what they said.

They waved their hand, the door swinging open. Before I could move to grab Dorian and run, the figure grabbed my hand and tugged. Dorian looked terrified, a panicked whimper escaping his lips when I was dragged out and the door was locked behind me.

He backed himself even further up against the wall, trembling slightly. The figure let out a dark chuckle before dragging me away from the cell.

~~~~~

I knew better than to struggle, but I couldn't fight the rising panic and nausea in my chest.

The figure tugged me down a deserted corridor, flicking their gaze sideways to make sure that no-one was approaching us.

They turned to face me, dropping my wrist.

"...Via?"

I blinked. I had been so careful to keep everything about me secret, the only person I had ever truly spoken to in years had been Dorian.

But... I knew that voice.

"Is that—It is you, right?"

I didn't move. It couldn't possibly be him.

He sighed, glancing along the corridor again quickly before slipping his mask off of his face.

His eyes were a vibrant red, his face older than how I remembered. But there was no doubt about who he was.

"Kaye?" He nodded.

"How are you..." I trailed off, not wanting to voice the last part of that sentence.

"Still alive?" A harsh, mirthless laugh. "Luck, I suppose. I got hired as a guard after I escaped the Light Realm. We don't have much time, they'll be expecting me to bring you up soon. I...I'm sorry, I'd try to get you out if I could, but—"

"It's fine, it doesn't matter. Gods, I can't believe..."

He nodded, understanding what I meant without having to hear it. He fixed his mask back onto his face, hugging me quickly before grabbing my wrist and taking off in the direction of a flight of stairs.

~~~~~

He was alive. My childhood best friend. Alive.

He had been my only friend, the only person to have stuck by my side through everything. He had been forced to run away when he received his eye colour, his parents had passed him off as dead.

I kept my head down, kept a mask of indifference on my face. On the inside, despite everything, I was almost... Happy. I knew that he would be different, that's he had changed, but... I couldn't help but hope that he was still the person I had known, that he would still want to be my friend after all these years.

He shoved me in front of a door, whispering a quiet sorry into my ear as I tripped slightly.

He raised his fist, hesitating slightly before knocking sharply.