Two small eyes watched worriedly, hinting care. Another cough echoed faintly, and it made those feathers bristle, again.

Bastian frowned and looked down, smiling sadly. The crow had kept coming back, each day less wary of him. His leg was nudged again, perhaps in question, for his sitting position did not look very stable. Even if he doubted he would be understood, he reassured the animal, chuckling quietly.

“Don’t give me that look, Nadiya…” He let his head rest back against the wall, looking up and away from her. “I’m fine.”

There was a faint caw, as if the small crow was arguing against his word. He was never a good liar, and it seemed that even animals knew it, somehow.

Nadiya could only curl by him, brushing her feathers against his hand, resting on the ground. She was smart enough to notice the paleness of his skin, the black circles around his eyes, and his weak condition. There were shudders and small coughs.

The crow stayed still, not having moved for hours. She seemed to have grown attached to him, perhaps because he had been giving her food, every time she crept into his cell through that hole.

Bastian tried to fall asleep again, in order to ignore his headache. He felt dazed, due to the cold that always flowed through the window and the recent bite. The marks on his neck still hurt slightly.

He just sat there, trying to not think at all. But eventually, he had to. His eyes opened slightly, hearing Nadiya let out a faint scared croak. A frown grew on his face when she flapped towards the hole, quickly hiding into it, going away at last.

It disappointed him to be alone once more, but he could not blame her. He too could hear the distant steps, which echoed from the corridors outside the cell.

The bird feared the vampires that lived in the castle, a lot. Every time the jailor began his patrol, the little thing would flee, without fail. She would only come back once she had calmed down, her nest surely out there in the green fields.

I wish I could follow you.

Bastian sat there, expecting the guard to spend an hour or so patrolling. It was never something to worry about. But slowly, his calm and sad expression faded; a small hint of concern began to show on his face. With every second that passed, the steps echoed closer.

He sat up a little, tense. His gaze soon wandered to the door, dreadfully. Now he knew it was not the guard who was walking through the dungeon. The steps were too fast, too strong. They echoed surely, approaching adamantly. It was Nerys.

His body trembled, his mind confused. He looked down at his neck, in a slight trance. Her approach made no sense to him, not today. She had fed very recently, and she always waited at least a week before doing so again.

But she is coming back now…

A sudden fear gripped him, which only made him take a slow shaky breath. A million thoughts blared in his mind, a thousand questions pounding, which he would not be able to answer until she stepped into the cell.

It was something that would happen soon. And there could only be one reason for it, it was clear. He would not withstand another bite, not now. The fact stabbed deep, dazing him even more. It hurt more than anything else. He felt so lost, that when he raised his haunted gaze again, he was not alone anymore.

Nerys growled, standing at the open door, seeing Bastian raise his head slowly to look at her. Both of his eyes displayed pure fear, tearing up slightly as he dawned on what she held in a claw. Her hold on the dagger tightened, her heart twisting in doubt as he cowered. He cried, realization sinking in. His voice came out broken, echoing quietly.

“N-nerys?”

She could see how his skin paled, even more, with a sick tone to it. Tears were falling from his eyes, as he gave her a questioning and weak look, his heartbeat fast as ever. All that only made her snarl, because it was what she hated to see. He was terrified, wide-eyed, like if he was seeing a monster. She was being stared at like if she was death itself, the beast she kept refuting she was.

Bastian hugged himself, seeing those green eyes sharpen and narrow. Nerys was glaring down at him silently, with a flaming angered gaze. He was sure that she had grown tired of him, that she was unable to stand his presence anymore. She surely was here because she wanted to be done with it, finally take him out.

She is going to-

He could not keep on thinking, because she acted, in order to silence her own thoughts. A pained gasp escaped him when a claw latched around his collar, fast and strong. He could only cry out in fear as he was pulled to his feet, her grip fierce.

Her clasp was forceful, like when she preyed on him for the first time. His feet barely brushed the ground while he was held up with a single claw, far too easily. He reached for it with his hands, blindly, grasping it in fear. She felt her blood boil, because he cried between scared breaths, tears falling as he begged.

“P-please! Nerys, don’t!“

She let out a long exhale, her eyes darkening. He closed his eyes strongly, imploring repeatedly with the same word, like a mantra. He kept saying it like if she could not understand him, like if nothing would halt her hand. His distress only hinted that he did not see the woman she once was, at all. He shivered like if he was upon a beast that would kill in cold blood, a terrifying sight. She could not take it… she could not be wrong.

Bastian winced when she swung her claw suddenly, slashing fast and fiercely, downwards. It was not his flesh what was torn, but the chains that dangled from his shackles. His arms were freed… but that did not mean he felt any respite. His eyes shot open, his whole body freezing under her hold, feeling something sharp brushing his neck. He shivered, because even if it was not her fangs what touched him, he could be pierced all the same.

His gaze clouded, realizing that Nerys was holding the dagger against his neck. Her sharp eyes were glaring deeply into his, unmoving. He just trembled in silence, waiting for the cold slice, for it to end.

He was not ready to die. And he did not. He had been holding his breath, and now he finally exhaled; he watched in shock as the dagger moved, but not to cut his throat. The blade was leaned away from him, slowly.

Bastian did not dare move while Nerys laid her claws over his hands, watching in a horrified trance as she gripped them tightly, growling.

“I’m tired, Bastian.”

He cried silently, for his hands were forced to hold the dagger. She pulled at them, making him lay the sharp blade against her neck, keeping his grip firm under her nails. Her sharp eyes showed pure bitterness and resignation.

She was holding his hands close, even if they now wielded a weapon that could end her. All vampires could die like humans did, for they were as mortal. They were not different in that. And it seemed to haunt him, his mind screaming as she whispered harshly.

“I will never be human again.” His breathing was uneven, as hurtful as her words, all let out sharply. “Thanks to you, I will never live in peace.”

She could not stand the beast anymore, or the thought that she could be in the wrong. There was no way for her to endure this, not for much longer. So she would prove that she was right, that she still had a soul. Her voice struck fear in both of them, fierce and direct.

“You want me dead. So…” Bastian quivered, because Nerys forced him to pressure the dagger, causing a small trail of blood to pour from her neck. “Go ahead, kill another monster. Do us both a favour.”

She would die with a clean conscience, keeping her sanity and past humanity. There was no way she could go back to her, so it was best that she faded from her memory, without it ever being tainted. She would die knowing he hated her, that there was no real guilt or regret in him, and that she was right to make him pay.

Bastian now had a chance to escape, for she had broken the chains, and the jailor had been told to rest. The gates were open outside, she made sure of it. He would have the chance to flee, perhaps cross multiple vampiric borders, in hopes of reaching those distant human lands.

She was presenting him all that, willfully. He had the chance to end her, right now, as he had wished. Even more, he could do so directly, with no tricks or ploys needed. It was something she wanted, even if in a resigned manner.

Nerys waited for Bastian to react, stop trembling and finally move his hands below her claws. He had it easy to slice her throat with the dagger… and that was why her eyes widened when his expression twisted and hinted horror. He snarled and suddenly began to struggle, after having stared at her frozen, in shock. She shivered when he yelled, trying to free his hands, drop the dagger for dear life.

“I d-don’t want you dead!” Nerys huffed when Bastian managed to free one of his hands, only to throw the dagger to the ground, away from both. His frame jolted with each sobbed word he let out next, panicked. “When I sent you there, I never imagined you would end like this!”

He shook his head, bowing it painfully, refusing to even think of killing her. It made her hold weaken, her green eyes opening in dismay. Every word felt like a stake through her heart, because they were tainted by guilt and remorse, things she had denied he felt. But it was clear he did, because he kept crying and trying to free his other hand, alarmed by her allegations.

“I’m s-sorry! I am! Y-you are not a monster; I was the one who led you to-!”

She let go of him, abruptly. He gasped, feeling himself fall back, her claws no longer impeding his frantic leans and pulls. He dropped onto a sitting position, his arms fast to rise over him, in a vain attempt at shielding himself. A whimper escaped him, expecting a beating or worse.

He braced himself, keeping his head low. By doing so, he was unable to see her eyes, and the horror in them. Realization finally struck her, painfully. She was tormenting someone who was truly remorseful. Even if his crime was horrible, the penitence was there.

Bastian, you…

He shuddered, because he heard fast steps, dashing away from him. Tears kept falling from his eyes as he raised his gaze fearfully, only to see her run out the cell. She did so in a hurry, without looking back, not even bothering to retrieve the dagger or close the door.

Bastian panted there, staring at nothing. His heart was beating impossibly fast, while his head pounded painfully. All ever slowly, he looked down at the chains at his sides, cut and broken. They were no longer interconnected, and so, he was not bound to the wall.

He was free to move, the door was wide open. Yet the only thing he did was recoil backwards, refusing to even try for it. He laid a hand over his chest, gulping and gasping as he tried to process what had happened. His thoughts were chaotic, for he could not understand why he was alive. He was sure he was going to die, for he saw pure rage and grief in her eyes.

Why?

No answers would be given, for she was gone. And so, he just hugged himself, sitting as small as possible in a dark corner. He kept himself far from the door, unable to bring himself to stand and run.

There was silence for a while. It took the jailor a few minutes to decide to investigate what had happened, having seen his sire dash away, in a manner that was unsettling. His jade eyes could see well in the dark, and he swore he saw tears in her green ones.

The guard soon blinked in surprise, finding the cell’s door open. He bolted in, his eyes widening as he saw the dagger on the ground and the broken chain on the wall. The blade had blood on it, and he recognized it was hers, the scent unmistakable. He was about to run off, thinking that the prisoner had wounded her and escaped; but he halted instead, frowning, hearing a faint sob.

He looked warily towards the far corner, near the patch of earth. The human was there, curled in the dark, trying to hide perhaps. Even though his face was buried against his knees and arms, it was obvious he was crying.

The vampire moved slowly and cautiously, setting a foot on top of the dagger, to then drag it out the door with a calculated kick. He took it away, even if he knew that the prisoner did not intend to reach for it.

Bastian did not move at all, and so, the door was closed and locked shut once more. His chance had been there, and he did not take it.

I couldn’t do it…