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Part I - Fated Meeting
"Miss Hunter, you have a good eye."
Clad in her Hunter's uniform, she made no effort to blend into the crowd of glittering dresses and perfectly fit tuxedos. On a mission to keep an eye out for certain attendees.
Rafayel wondered if he was on that list of sticky criminals, or if his exhibition was an excuse for the Association to dig deeper into the corruption that ran amok. Surely they had to be aware of how closely Rafayel danced to the line that divided the merely shady from the scoundrels who did their dirty work in the dark. Either way, he much preferred if they kept their noses out of his business. He had no time for a silly girl playing detective.
"Rafayel Qi," she replied, breaking her attention away from the oil painting in front of her. "You must be proud."
Oh, but she would be so fun to play with. Wide eyes and a charming smile that begged to be loved. Skin that wanted, no, needed to be touched. A slicked-back ponytail that called for him to ruin. She was perfect.
This was not the first time he met her, although it was the first time she met him. He wondered if she would be awestruck by his iridescent eyes and playful banter. He had that kind of effect on people. A presence that demanded both admiration and jealousy.
In this life, he first saw her as he watched from behind the caution tape that blocked off the messy scene. A freak Wanderer attack that left innocent civilians frightened and discombulated. She handled herself flawlessly, but he could still spot the trembling of her right hand and the frazzled look in her eyes. A heart that felt the emotions of others so deeply that all she could do was absorb. Rafayel knew then that she had a heart capable of bringing back what was once lost.
It wasn't hard for him to make her fall in love. Beyond shamelessly flirting, Rafayel lent both an ear and shoulder before the cracks in her resolve broke open. He was doting with the right amount of teasing. Sensual without going too far. Loving without smothering.
As he held her in his arms, he wondered if she ever had someone to care for her. If there was someone in her life that she could turn to when it got too hard, Rafayel reminded himself that it didn't matter. She was already sinking further into the bottomless depths with no one around to save her.
Her naivety made it all too easy to pretend. Effortless, even. Once her love was proven to be true, he would take her out to sea. Watch her as she helplessly drowned, the currents taking her away until she begged. He would wait until she ran out of options. Not until then would he offer her a life of being his devout follower.
His sacrifice.
Part II - The Tempest
The sea roared as the tempest approached the empty shoreline, waves crashing against the jagged rocks only to return with more fervor. An artificial night covered Linkon, urging the beach-goers to abandon their umbrellas to seek out shelter.
Letting the gauze curtain fall back into place, Rafayel paced the moon-lit living room. The moon rose above the horizon as the sun plunged beneath the waves. She was late. He already checked his phone once. Twice. There were no calls that he purposefully ignored, no, not this time. There wasn't even a single text telling him that she was held up at work.
Something grotesque brewed inside his rib cage as the minutes grew into hours. How could she be the one to stand him up? The unseasoned hunter who saw nothing but good intentions. An impressionable woman who never questioned why she was drawn to the over-the-top version of Rafayel he’d meticulously crafted just for her. A rose-colored veil placed over her eyes that only he could take off.
There was always a chance she could've seen the truth in between the glittering, silk threads. It would only take a glimpse for her to see the monstrous creature he had been this whole time.
When the ugly feeling became too large for his ribs to contain, a piece suddenly snapped and lodged in his heart. Rafayel gripped his chest instinctively. His time was running out. She could've been miles away by now, catching the last train out of the city. Far away from him. If she were to fall out of his grasp, he would have nothing.
There was one else but her.
Part III - Coming Home
There she was, crouched down on his doorstep. Bruised and bloodied. Gripping onto her abdomen as if she was trying to keep all of the suffering from falling out.
Rafayel didn't second guess himself. There was no more pretending as he rushed to her side, scooping her in his arms and guiding her onto his couch.
“Stay with me, cutie.”
Struggling to keep her eyes open, she gave him a weak smile. “Where else would I go?”
Silly girl. Too headstrong for her own good. No matter how far he managed to knock down her walls, it would always be her first instinct to push her own pain aside so she wouldn't have to confront it. What one would considered selfless, Rafayel thought was foolish. Foolish for seeking comfort in him. Foolish for trusting her heart in his hands.
If she was a fool, then what did that make him?
“You humans are too trusting,” he whispered into her palm before leaving a kiss on the dried blood on each finger tip. Too weak to respond, she finally gave in to sleep.
After tending to her wounds, Rafayel didn't move an inch as he stayed by her side for the entire night. Shadows danced around him as the sunlight followed its path. He only listened to her pulse, watched the rise and fall of her chest, and sang her ancient Lemurian lullabies. Not until she awoke would he finally return back to the waves.