Unknowing (A Yogscast Fanfic)

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The duo had woken up early that day to do some more magic, which Zoey was greatly improving at. She could levitate small objects, as well as make a small breeze with the wave of her hand. Rythian could sense, however, that after the hard work, she needed a break. So, he told her to go and trade with some villager alchemists. He knew none of the alchemists' things would be useful, but it would help relax his companion. She seemed willing to go, and after she left, Rythian was doing a few things of his own.

He hated the damn mask, but there was no way around not wearing it. He had gone to Zoey's mirror and stared at it for awhile, looking at his features. Soon, he growled, pulling down his mask. There were scratches there. Black, long, disfigured looking marks covering his lower face. He sighed, and pulled the mask back up. There was no use staring at them, he'd tried for years to clear his face of them. He didn't want people to think he was a monster. Especially not Zoey. Trust was what he needed from her, and if she were to think...

No, Rythian thought, shaking his head. He wasn't a monster, he never had been. Zoey accepted the mask, and he should have been happy with it. But, spells only worked temporarily, and he was fed up of hiding when he ate, or not eating. That was a bad habit of his. He would constantly skip meals with Zoey, not wanting to pull his mask down to eat. Granted, he could use the spell constantly, but magic drained him, though he'd rather not say it out loud. He'd prefer to just keep the mask up, he thought. He walked away from the mirror, grumbling lowly about himself.

The next hour or so for Zoey was an adventure. She had gone to a village not too far from her old home, and tried to find an alchemist of some sort. There was no success of any kind. However, she did find Duncan. He had been in the scientist's hut, trying to trade for some pipes and engines he was too lazy to make. Upon her arriving, his face lit up and he went up to her. "Hullo, Zoey! So why are you here?" Then he looked a bit concerned. "Is everything alright? I haven't seen you in your house for awhile."

Her eyes widened. She had forgotten to tell Duncan about her moving in with Rythian. "Oh no, everything's great. I just moved to Rythian's castle for a bit. See, he said he'd teach me-"

"Rythian's? Why were you there?" Duncan asked, a slight chuckle in his voice. "He wasn't teaching you magic, was he?" When she nodded her head, he laughed. "Never thought I'd see that monster teaching anyone. He's always stuck in his own little world."

"Monster? Duncan why would you ever call him a monster?"

His eyes darkened as he grimaced. "I already told you, remember?"

She glared at the scientist. "No, as a matter of fact, you didn't," she replied bitterly. "So what exactly made him so monstrous besides the fact that he does magic, and you just happen to hate it?"

"I told you about the mask, didn't I? Ever take a look under it?"

Zoey tensed. "As a matter of fact, I did. There's nothing there, which leads me to believe you're a liar."

He looked taken aback as she said this, but he soon recovered. "He's a mage, Zoey. Some little trick could easily make it go away, but it'll come back." He voice rose, "Hell, why don't you just catch him off guard? Pull his mask down. I'll do it for you!"

"I'm not doing that to him," Zoey's voice quivered. "He's shown me enough trust that I don't need to. And you're not going to either!" She called as Duncan stormed out of the hut. She chased after him, afraid of what he might be planning.

"Oh, I'm not planning on it," he bellowed back at her. "I'm going to let you figure out what kind of person he is yourself. But if you want to sit and wait for him to turn on you, fine by me!"

Zoey made a move to grab his arm, but he sensed her and pivoted on his heel. Facing her, his features softened a bit. In a milder tone, he replied, "I don't want you hurt, Zoey. That's the whole reason I'm telling you this."

"Then maybe you shouldn't worry about me," she spat back. "I'm not a child, and I'm definitely not under your protection." In a huff, he turned away, and trudged back the way he came.

He soon turned back around, however, and called to her. "If you want to be that way, fine. But take a look under his mask sometime. Like when he's asleep." Then he turned and kept walking.

The next few days were awkward for both Zoey and Rythian. Zoey was frightened by Duncan's words. She hadn't told Rythian about their "chat", nor what he said. Rythian could sense her tenseness, and would occasionally ask her "You alright?" or "All good?" She'd nod, but he could tell something was bothering her.

Because of this conflict, the duo wouldn't talk much. They went over magic a bit, did the regular chores, but never a casual conversation. Zoey would constantly be off-track, and Rythian couldn't snap her out of it, unlike usual. The mage was confused about her, more than usual. He wasn't sure what to do, so he went along with it; avoided conversation, and let her mind wander.

Zoey, when her mind was away, would debate whether or not to follow Duncan's words. She was curious to determine the truth in his words, but at the same time, wanted to keep her innocence of the mask.

It wasn't until the night that Zoey heard noises. She had been put to bed by Rythian, with the usual goodnights, and she began to fall into slumber. Then, an hour or so later, she heard a thump, and scratching on the floor. Getting up cautiously, she opened her door, and stepped out onto the cold marble floor. Again she heard the scratching, and determined that it was downstairs. She padded down the steps, her bare feet making no noise. She remained quiet, afraid to awaken whatever had found its way into their home. "Maybe I should go get Rythian," she thought. But that thought quickly vanished as she heard more scratching. She determined that the sounds were coming from the kitchen, and tiptoed her way to the room. There was a dim light shining from the place, and when Zoey leaned in to see what it was, her heart stopped.

It was Rythian, which at first made her relax, until she saw him closely. He was bent over, grabbing an apple from the fridge, and biting into it hungrily. He had pulled his mask down, and when she looked more closely, she saw black scratch-like marks across his face. In the dark, they glowed a faint purple, making it seem like he had fluorescent veins. He took another bite into the apple, and she saw his teeth were sharper than a normal person's, and his eyes, in contrast to his normal teal, glowed a dim purple as well. Zoey inhaled sharply as she noticed, and caught the attention of the Mage. He looked towards her, and she ducked out of his view, back behind the open door. Rythian, got up from his kneeling position, not bothering to pull his mask back up, and started towards her. He reached and pulled the door back, revealing an extremely shocked Zoey cowering behind it. "Hello, Zoey. You're up quite late."

"Oh, h-hey Rythian... I was just-"

"Save it Zoey. I know you saw me," he said with a sigh. "Teeth and all, right?" He bared his teeth in a wolfish grin, and Zoey's eyes widened at them, razor-sharp. An awkward silence proceeded, and a few seconds later he said, "Well?"

"Well what?" Zoey replied, obviously confused. Rythian chuckled, and grabbed her hand. He placed her hand gently on his face, and Zoey brushed her fingertips across the scratches. He had a bit of stubble, and the scratches were slightly raised, but they were a part of his skin. "How did this happen?"

"An accident," he said, a hint of sadness in his tone. "A terrible, terrible mistake." He straightened up, and added, "Not a story suitable to tell at such an hour. I think both of us should go back to bed."

Rythian led her up to her room, and let her get under the covers. He moved in, and kissed her on the cheek. "You're not afraid of me, are you? Don't think I'm a monster?" He whispered in her ear.

Zoey smiled, and kissed him on his cheek. "You may be different, but I wouldn't ever consider you a monster.* He smiled at her, and she said "Goodnight, Rythian."