Chapter 8

Shadow has a chance to shot one of the members of The Nightfall, but the dark memories of the past don't let him finish his plan. Back at the headquarters, Faye finally sees his true appearance.

"Alright, I need some help." Asher said, looking in the small medicine book he was always carring. 

"What do you want?" Blake asked him curiously.

"I must prepare a remedy for Edra. She has terrible pains again. Looks like the poison has side effects which manifest gradually."

"I know that."

"Would you go in the forest and search some plants?"

"Are you crazy? What if the assassins find us?" the grey-haired male asked in protest.

"You can use your ability to defend yourself. Don't be so scared."

"We still didn't find Faye, so I guess I should sacrifice myself. Maybe I'm lucky enough to find something useful."

"Thanks for the help, man. Good luck" his red-haired friend said.

Asher shook Blake's hand and patted him friendly on the shoulder. He gave him a list with the plants he needed. As his friend was going further, the water wielder said a prayer, hoping that the team won't lose another team member.

Blake began make burn marks on the trees, so that he could find his way back easier. He was scared and kept looking around in case he saw someone dubious. The Forest of Venom was considered a "dead place". There was always silence, there were no animals and the trees were oddly shaped. The only thing that could be found were some rare medicinal plants, but nodoby was willing to risk their life. Suddenly, Blake had the sensation that someone touched his shoulder. It was a gentle one, just like Faye's. 

"Thank God!" he shouted happily. "You managed to..."

WHen he turned around, he was expecting to see Faye, but there was nobody. He was just imaginating things.

"Escape... and come back..." the fire wielder finished the sentence.

The only thing that could be heard were Blake's sobs. He regretted what he did and couldn't stop thinking that the worst might have already happening. After all, Faye was his friend and a very important part of The Nightfall team. She was always kind to him and never hesitated to help him. Not only him, but everyone. Even if he was getting angry for no reasone and shouted at her or he just wanted to mock her for every mistake, the girl never talked back. She accepted what he said and tried hard to improve as fast as she could. She was underestimating her powers and was very harsh to herself because of him. The image of her smile came in his mind and the fire wielder couldn't stop his tears.

"God, forgive me! I'm begging you to forgive me!" he screamed, looking at the sky. "I want to switch places with her! I'm the on who deserves to have this fate! She did nothing wrong, yet she's suffering the most. Lord, take care of her! I want her back alive."

What Blake didn't know, was that someone was watching him.

"I wonder... what should I do?" Shadow whispered to himself, playing with his gun, sitting on the brach of a tall tree so that he couldn't be seen.

The assassin loaded his weapon slowly and pointed it at Blake.

"I want her back! I want her back!" the filarian kept screaming.

"Such an easy pray... It's gonna be funny."

Shadow noticed that his hand was shaking uncontrollably and couldn't give a hold of himself to pull the trigger. He was hesitating. 

"What's happening to me? I mustn't hesitate!" he said to himself.

The image of his younger self crying in the forest crossed his mind. In the day she found out his sister died, he ran in the exact same spot where Blake was now and screamed. He wanted to be together with her again. While he was watching the fire wielder, Shadow remembered the pain he felt back then.  He felt like his heart was torn off.

"Why... why..."

As the assassin said these words, he lowered the gun and went back to the headquarters.

Faye woke up with terrible pains. She felt like her back was burning from the lashes she received and her temples were throbbing. She noticed she was in a strange room, lying in a warm bed and covered with a soft blanket. The girl rubbed her eyes slowly and saw that her arms were bandaged.

"What the..." she whispered in shock.

The purple-haired girl tried to get out of the bed, but the pain was too strong. Even the slightest movement made her grit her teeth. She raised her blanket a little and saw that her torso was also bandaged.

"How am I supposed to escape in this state?" she thought desperate. "More important, how did I get here?"

The sound of a key twisting in the lock brought Faye back to reality. She tried to ask who it was, but she lost all her courage when the door opened. She closed her eyes and heard a pair of footsteps coming closer.

"Child, I know you're awake." the person said.

The voice was calm, not rough as she expected. Her eyes fluttered open and saw a man standing in front of her worried. She could swear on her life that he wasn't an assassin because of his looks, but as the proverb says, don't judge a book by its cover. He seemed to be around fifty, his face was tranquil with black eyes and his hair was slightly turned white.

"You were injured very bad. You were lucky that Shadow saved you. He shot Seth and brought you in his room."

"I remember the sound of a gunshot and... wait a second! I'm in his room now?"

"Don't shout like that! You're worsening your condition."

"You're telling me this, old man?" Faye shouted enraged. "It's been three weeks since I was kidnapped. I don't know if my friends are alright and I'm standing here, waiting to die. At least, I'll be reunited with my family. My life is amazing, don't you think? In fact, why are you even here? Your leader sent you here so that you can see if I'm able to give you information, right?"

"Calm down, child! It's not like that."

"You just want to get rid of me and my friends, but I assure you this is not gonna happen."

"Stubborn, brave, caring, dedicated... you're just like Andrew."

"Hold on! How do you know my father's name?"

"I still remember my old friend. I'm so sorry I couldn't be able to see him one last time. When I heard about his passage, I thought it was a stupid joke, but turned out to be the truth."

"How did you meet him? It's impossible for him to have had any connection with such monsters like you and your teammates."

"I'm afraid I can't tell you now. I don't have time. He's coming back."

"You mean... Shadow?"

"Yes."

"I must leave now. I know it's a bit difficult for you to find out such things, but I can tell that you have many other questions in your mind. I believe that Shadow has the answers you're looking for. When the time comes, you'll find answers about your family, too."

"I don't understand."

"At the right time, child, you will."

The man put his ear on the door. He waited a few seconds and when he concluded that the way was clear, he ran as fast as he could.

"What's going on here? That's just..."

Her hand reached her neck, but she realised that her necklace wasn't at his place.

"No! Where is it?" 

The weather wielder decided to cope with the pain and got out of bed. Her lips curled into a triumphant smile when she managed to stay on her feet. Despite her wounds and the stagger, she still wanted her jewel back. Faye couldn't imagine the most precious thing left from her mother being destroyed. The girl looked around the room and saw something shining on a small table. 

"There it was. If those idiots think they can take it away from me, they are wrong." she said satisfied.

Faye dashed towards the table, but to her misfortune, she tripped up and fell. The impact with the floor made her cry in pain. 

"Why is this happening to me?" she shouted. 

"Quiet!" a penetrating voice said.

The girl looked up to see Shadow, standing in front of her with the gun in his hand. The young assassin just threw the weapon on the table and grabbed her in bridal style.

"Why did you get out of the bed?" he asked her angrily

"I want my necklace back! Give it to me right now!" Faye ordered, struggling to escape. 

The most deafening scream filled the air when Faye made sudden moves. Tears welled in her eyes as she realised how helpless she was. Surprisingly, Shadow didn't even flinch. He layed her back in the bed and kept staring at the table where the necklace was.

"Thank you." the purple-haired girl said shaking.

"Tch, whatever. I couldn't afford losing you. You're the key to our success. In fact, don't even think that I forgot what you did in the dungeon."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

Shadow ran his fingers on his mask, recalling the moment when Faye took it off. He was able to see her much better than through the small holes of the mask. She was fragile, but so strong at the same time. She endured the torment with bravery, even being able to give up her life for the people she cared about. Then, he remembered when he saw Blake in the forest, screaming pained that he wanted his friend back. So that was how friends were acting. The word sounded very strange in his mind. He never had one, but he had the chance to see what the friendship really meant. 

"What's the matter?" Faye asked worried.

"Tell me something, but be honest."

"Alright."

"Do you really want to see my face? That's what I understood in the dungeon when you passed out, taking off my mask."

"That's true. If I was going to die then, at least I wanted to see the one who tried to save me. Just once would've been enough. You don't have to do this if it's not alright for you. Forget it. I'm your prisoner and you don't receive orders from me, am I right?"

It was silence for a moment. Faye slowly got up, scared that she probably angered him. How reckless I was, she thought. But, she had a surprise. The sound of the mask being thrown on the floor echoed in the room. Slowly, Shadow removed his cape, revealing his true appearance. 

"I hope I answered to your question." he said looking away.