Chapter 54 - Between You And I : Part 3

The air was thicker than ever as two different beings who wore the same faces stood across each other. The moon bathed the forest with its stolen light, letting the pair of counterparts face each other.

"I knew you would follow me sooner or later, demon. I'm impressed that you managed to get here that fast. It wasn't going as I planned." The mercenary started first, laid-back.

"Though you are technically me, so it makes sense that you'll overcome my original plan." He continued, blue eyes glinting dangerously under the moonlight as he stared at the red ones.

"I believe you have something of mine." The anarchist replied, raising his eyebrows as he tilted his head at his counterpart.

Human Kiaran followed his movement as he tilted his head too, taunting. "Ah, you meant, mine? Because I'm pretty sure he was stolen from me."

"He is mine." Demon Kiaran bit back as his red eyes became dangerous too, copying the glint of the human.

"Oh? Possessive, I see." The human chuckled as if everything was just a joke. "Though, it's the wrong brother. You can clearly see he has my eyes." He pointed his chin at Axel who was standing behind a tree, hiding.

"Where are yours?" The mercenary taunted even more, slowly getting on his counterpart's nerve.

The demon clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "He is here, and he is mine."

The mercenary raised an eyebrow. "Be careful, Kiaran. Your emotions are showing. I can see all your weakness from here." Said him, hauntingly.

There was a wind that went past right them, blowing their identical messy hair and swaying them. They stood there as if they were looking at a mirror as they let the air adorn their surroundings.

"Mortem Obire." The demon stated, slowly folding his wings open in between the breeze of night. The moon was giving him a free spotlight, letting his red eyes glaze under the dark sky.

The human's lips tugged up a little at the statement. "Still in your Latin phase, Kiaran?" His hand silently went over the hidden gun inside his pocket.

When he managed to get a grasp of the weapon, he quickly pointed it at the counterpart in a swift move. "Optimum est pati quod emendare non possis." Said the human, letting the moon give him a spotlight as his blue eyes gazed down in between the silent forest.

"You can't change the fact that your sweet little toy is dead, dear imposter." Uttered the mercenary, completely ignoring how Axel was listening to his sentence too.

How the boy suck his breath at the mention that he was a toy.

"He is not a toy." Said the anarchist with his chin up, not letting his other self look down on him with a mere weapon.

"Is he? Really?" Human Kiaran hummed melodically, sweetly. "Did you really care about him? Or was it guilt?"

"Was it the guilt for your brother who is actually dead because you can't use your toy properly?"

The mercenary spat with more venom than the anarchist thought possible, considering how Axel was still there, hearing all of their conversations. The boy in mention flinched back at the remark but still remained silent.

"What a shame. I thought we should have been a counterpart. Turns out you're just a failure version of me." The blue-eyed Kiaran snarled, glancing up and down as a sign of insult.

The demon was having enough of the conversation and opened his mouth in a wave of calm anger. "Or maybe you are the failure version of me, human."

The trees rumbled a little alongside the ground when the anarchist's eyes slowly shined bright, getting even more red than possible. His voice morphed in his throat as he pierced his eyes at his counterpart.

"Stay down and kill yours-"

"No!" Axel suddenly came out of his hiding spot and spread his hand to protect his real brother. The boy stood in the middle of the two counterparts, trembling. His hand was shaking as sweat ran down from the side of his forehead.

"Please don't kill him! I'll-" The boy's lips quivered, looking at the red eyes with two shuddering blue eyes.

"I'll hate you forever if you kill him!"

The yell went across the forest, echoing slightly. The birds that were watching flew away from the scene, chirping alongside their flocks.

Demon Kiaran's eyes darkened from how defensive the boy was. "Axel, he is clearly using you. Come with me. There is no point in protecting him."

"I know he is using me! I'm aware of that." Axel spoke like he was out of breath in a haze of adrenaline and fear. "You are using me too, demon." He continued his words, only causing the demon's eyes to go a shade darker.

"You are using me to relief your guilt because your Axel's dead." The young murderer spat, protecting his mercenary like he always did.

Like he was always told to do because he was his toy.

The mercenary popped his head beside Axel to show his masked face to the counterpart. Kiaran's grin turned into biting behind his mask, just a bit. The way he got when he knew he had won.

"What are you going to do? Still going to kill me? Control me with your voice?" Said human Kiaran, ridiculing.

"You want to do that in front of your beloved so-called brother that you are desperately trying to gain a trust to?" He continued with a word that turned like a frozen lave that melted inside the anarchist.

It was a funny scene to see from the mercenary's point of view. His stupidly loyal brother stood for him without him asking too. His murderer was alive, unlike his counterpart.

He was a better Kiaran. A better brother.

And he found that he really liked how that sounded.

"Just stay down, Kiaran."

Then suddenly, everything became white in the human's vision right after the demon thralled him. He froze there in his place with a gun in his hand. Everything felt so heavy, and he could not do anything besides stand and wait.

The demon moved his gaze to Axel. He took his time walking toward him as he offered his hand. The black blouse morphed with the darkness of the forest while he got closer to the boy.

"Axel, let's get out of here." Demon Kiaran stated rather than asked. It was as if the young murderer was not given any choice in the matter.

"No." Axel tried to keep his voice calm and unwavering. God, he needed a plan. What would Kiaran do if he were in his situation?

"I'm afraid that's not an option, brother." The demon glanced from Axel to the frozen counterpart that was still staring at him, challenging.

"You're not my brother." Axel gritted his teeth. Hands still spreading to protect his real brother behind him against his pseudo brother.

The said pseudo brother fell into a heavy silence. He just stood there looking at Axel with his two red eyes, masking his emotions just like his real brother did. They both were good at manipulating their own emotions, staging what would happen and what wouldn't happen.

And then the anarchist diverted his gaze to the mercenary, staring at him as if they were fighting with their eyes.

Axel took the chance to study the demon. The wings were folded down and relaxed. He took a quick glance at his Kiaran who did not panic at all, looking like he was not going to die.

That meant he had a plan, or maybe not. Maybe he was actually scared for all Axel knew. Maybe he was counting on him to save himself.

What should he do? What would Kiaran do?

Axel had his thought. Slowly he shifted his feet so he was standing sideways facing his pseudo brother. Casually, he folded his far hand behind his back, out of the demon's view.

His fingertips desperately tried to reach the hidden gun in the mercenary's pocket. When he finally managed to get a grip on the tip of the revolver, he painstakingly tried to hide the relief that spread across his face.

At the young murderer's long bout of silence, demon Kiaran glanced towards him again. And Axel glared back.

"No need to look at me like that." The anarchist tilted his head. "Now I want you to follow me home-" A wave of coldness spread across Axel's body at the sudden command, causing him to breath rapidly.

"-and drop the gun in your hand."

Axel widened his blue eyes as he dropped the revolver, making a soft thump sound from the fall.

Of course, the demon version of Kiaran would know. It always happened. Kiaran would always be more steps further than the boy was.

The anarchist was the one who made a move first and turned his back on the two. He started to walk as Axel followed his steps without his consent and control of his own body.

A cold heavy thing was suddenly glued on the back of the demon's head. The anarchist froze and moved his eyes to see the shadow of his human counterpart on the corner.

The mercenary moved his masked mouth to the anarchist's left ear with a revolver that remained pointing at the back of his head. He opened his mask with his left hand as he grinned madly.

"Three minutes of your thrall has ended, demon.. It's time for your death."