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“You don’t have to do it, Lin,” Leo pleads. “You can fight it! I know you can. You’re stronger than it, Lin.”
Lin pants, sweat drenching his clammy body from his shaky hands to his trembling muscles. The bloodlust is debilitating. He needs to kill someone and Leo is right in front of him. It would be so easy to boil his friend alive right here and now. Leo wouldn’t even be able to put up a fight.
Remember when you killed Oak like that? It was so refreshing, wasn’t it? Don’t you want to feel that again? All you have to do is hold your hands out and bring a burning heat to Leo’s body. Do it.
Lin groans and wraps his arms tight around himself. The whispering in his ears consumes his thoughts, burning into his very soul. It’s terrifying and so, so beautiful. It would be so easy, just like the voices say. Leo isn’t a fighter and he would never hurt Lin. But Lin made that promise, too. No. He won’t hurt Leo.
Lin lets out a shuddering breath and Leo nods. “Yes, yes, Lin! That’s it! You can fight it! I know you can, Lin!”
Lin looks up at Leo, face shimmering with distressed sweat, and weakly smiles. And then, disaster strikes. Disguised within the whispering wind and dark spruce forest surrounding them, the whistling of an arrow, sent forth by its metal tip, comes striking towards them. There isn’t time to do anything other than cry out for Leo to duck.
Leo whirls around and holds his shield up to block the arrow, but it catches him off guard enough to allow Oak to rush out of the bushes to their right and slam into Leo with their shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Leo shouts as he falls, holding his shield over his chest as Oak looms above him. They hold their hand out and use Metal to force the iron lining of the shield to fly away from Leo, disappearing into the shadowed woods. Lin stares, eyes wide, as Oak shoves a sword into Leo’s gut. Lin’s best friend screams and disappears in a puff of smoke.
Leo died.
One life remaining.
Oak straightens and turns to look at Lin, eye gleaming with the tell-tale midnight blue of the Demon; the same colour Lin knows dwells within his own copper eyes. Neither of them says a word for a moment, both contemplating their next move. Lin knows Oak is deciding if they can kill him. Both of them remember what happened last time they were in a fight; the heat waves etched into Lin’s skin will be a permanent reminder.
They killed your best friend! Take revenge! Tear them limb from limb! Rip them to shreds! Destroy them, Lin, do it!
Lin makes a decision. Oak killed Leo. Even though Leo was begging Lin not to give in, this is deserved and will certainly appease the Demon for a little while.
Don’t boil them. Kill them the way they slaughtered Leo. Make them feel the pain they inflicted upon the purest soul you’ve ever known.
Lin narrows his eyes and Oak takes a step back. He pulls his sword out of its sheath and Oak grips their own bloody blade. The chilly breeze turns deadly cold; Oak shivers even with their turtleneck and jacket. The whistling through the branches sings an ominous tune between the two.
And then, Lin attacks with a shout, swinging out wildly at Oak.