Better Off Alone

It had been a month. A month since she had ran away... she guesstimated it had been that long, at least. She didn't care, she didn't care about anything. She felt so empty... she could barely keep her feet moving as she dragged them across the concrete sidewalk that night. She had her hood on as far as it could go, to hide her face with its protective shadows. It had began raining that day, and had only gotten worse into the afternoon, now it was late, people had already gone home. nobody was around, she didn't care. nothing mattered, she didn't matter, she had come to terms with that the very day she walked out that door.

Her hood was not water proof as she walked through the heavy rain. her shoes were soaked, and her hood was struggling to keep the rain from getting her wet. she still didn't care how wet she was, or how she hadn't eaten anything for two days. before that she had only had a piece of bread she found on the ground. She didn't have any money, not a single cent, she didn't want to burden others by asking for any, either. As she walked along, the only sound she could hear was the falling rain and her feet rustling the water underneath her. she'd probably sleep in this alleyway coming up, she was sleepy, and what little motivation she had to keep herself alive was running out.

before she could get to the alleyway though, she could see a group of about... 8 guys underneath a streetlight. she froze her feet in place, as they looked up from their conversation to look at her. they elbowed each other raising eyebrows before walking towards her. She knew they were probably going to hurt her, but she didn't care... she was already slowly killing herself, they could make it just end faster.

They formed a circle around her tossing comments around, "Oy pretty girl, why don't you take off that hood of yours? bet there's a nice body hiding under there!" he said, making his buddies laugh. "then why don't we take a look!" another one said, before forcefully ripping Rei's hood off of her. The only thing that protected her from prying eyes... gone.

She felt naked, the rain began to pour down on her bare skin... the men began to cat call and throw comments at her. "man, that's a pretty damn fine ass!" "too bad she's thinner than a toothpick, I could play her rips like an xylophone!" "seems like any lil' fat she had went into her tits though" They rolled on and on, wanting a reaction from their perverted comments. But she didn't move, she didn't look up. This seemed to make the leader of the bunch snap, his perverted expression turning into an angry snarl. He grabbed her arm roughly and as tightly as he could, pushing her back with his force. "listen, bitch. we're gunna do some pretty horrible things to you, aren't you scared?" He spat on her face. Rei didn't move, she shook her head back and forth, she was ready to just die already. She didn't have the motivation to stay alive any longer.

Her res ponce however infuriated the gang leader, he grabbed her by her hair with his other hand and started dragging her away into the alleyway that was right next to them. Rei clenched her teeth as she was dragged on her heels by her hair away from the light.

Norva walked through the streets of Motor City. After he returned from his long journey away from Fiore, he had nowhere to go, nothing to do. The journey did, however, reward him with a wealthy amount of jewels. Using this stash of money, Norva would constantly traverse through the country. Why? Was there really a purpose?

No, there wasn't. He did it only to hunt down any and all criminals... Norva didn't know why he was doing it. Was it an apology to her? Was it his repayment? Truth be told, he didn't know. There wasn't any real point to what he was doing. It all started as a search for her... now he's just doing it as a pass time. Any real reason that he traveled around was dissipated. But he didn't have a reason to settle down and stop. His home was probably taken away in the time that he was gone, and all those who knew him believed he was dead. Perhaps this was just his purpose now: becoming a criminal to stop a criminal.

Norva walked between the endless rows of body shops and tattoo parlors, his entire being concealed by a black hood. The raindrops dripped down and onto the paved ground beneath him. It was his purpose to kill those who harmed others... at least until he was proven different. He prowled through the streets, searching for any sign of trouble. Motor City was notorious for the crime that went on behind the scenes, in the long shadows of the night. Fortunately for Norva, and unfortunate for the night denizens, he preferred the night.

Beneath his hood, Norva's eyes roamed around the street. He could sense so many people... he could sense their blood as they moved around their apartments and their stores. No one on the street... perhaps the crime has finally driven people off the streets. At least... that's what he initially believed. Norva turned the corned, barely spotting a gang dragging someone off into an alleyway, and on the ground behind them: a soaked hood.

Norva walked down the street as his hood slowly fell back. Raindrops fell onto his iron mask, dripping down the sides. Whatever those men were doing wasn't good, and he knew that. Norva made his way towards the alleyway, picking up the hood on his way. It was small, and absolutely soaked through. Whoever was wearing it was most likely suffering serious hypothermia. Norva snarled under his mask. Mugging someone was one thing, but someone who was already suffering... that was weak. That was absolutely despicable. Norva dropped the hood and peered around the corner. Ten or so men were surrounding another person, their sudden and jerky movements making it obvious they were harming whoever was there. The ignorant thugs were laughing among themselves, making snarky remarks and degrading comments. However, Norva couldn't see who was taking the force.

He backed away one step, barely out of sight, then began climbing the building at his side. Window by window, he made his way up until he was standing on the roof. The vantage point from there was certainly sure to give him a view of the victim. Norva walked over to the edge and looked down at the scene, noticing a dark and wet head of long, pink hair... as well as the pale skin of a girl. And what was worse? That the woman was barren. Norva growled deep in his throat. That means that the hood was the only thing she had... and these... these bastards had the audacity to take advantage of her, ripping her only protection against the cold off of her. Had the armor on Norva's palm been rigid, it would have broken in that instant. His fists clenched as he reached for the weapons at his hips.

Norva studied each and every man, taking in what little information he could as he developed an attack plan. No matter how much he hated it, Norva knew that he couldn't jump in without knowing what he was getting into. Underneath his armor, Norva's knuckles turned white.

Ten seconds... that's all he needed... all he needed to kill them all.

Rei took the pain, her body was already feeling numb from the cold. She didn't have the motivation in her to fight back. Not like she even could if she wanted to...

Every comment, every shove, everything they threw at her added to the deep void that was resting inside her soul. It ripped itself open wider, making Rei feel even closer to her demise. They all stood in a circle, and were slowly closing in on her. A few had pocket knives, and they'd toss her around like a rag doll. She often stumbled from how harsh they were shoving her, She would fall onto the muddy pavement only to be forcefully picked up by her only arm and thrown at someone else who would cut punch or molest her before she was thrown to the next person. She had lost track of time... but all the pain, all the remarks, they had finally gotten her to start shivering. Realizing how cold, wet, and starving she was. After being shoved to the ground by a gang member, she was tossed back to the leader. Who proceeded to put her in a headlock, all the men getting closer around her. His laugh was deep and sadistic, and reminded her of someone she knew... 

Whatever part of herself that wasn't consumed by darkness was clouded with fear. though she wanted to die, it was going to hurt a lot trying to get there. 

"I'll make you SCREAM if it's the last thing I DO!" The brute behind him yelled at her in his raspy voice, taking up the knife and shoving it into her thigh. Rei finally let out a screech of pain, her own scream sounded hoarse, and the man gave a satisfied smile as he knee'd her in the stomach and punched her back to the ground. lifting the knife up in the air... 

Rei braced for the blade to shove deep into her chest, but it never did... in the matter of only a few blinks, all the men seemed to be dead. What happened...? Rei was too emotionally distrought to care, she was too cold... too broken. She curled into a fetal position sitting in the middle of all that rain, shivering, bleeding... her body was bruised head to toe, her figure was deathy skinny... she would most likely die of starvation before her wounds killed her. She saw a shadow coming up behind her, and pulled herself tighter into her herself. Bracing again for more torture.

Norva watched as a man stabbed the poor girl in her leg, then slammed her to the ground. All of them just laughed and grinned as he did this. These men were brutes... animals... It made Norva's skin crawl. He gritted his teeth behind the mask. His purpose... this was his purpose... Norva's fists unclenched, if only for a second to grab his hookswords. They shimmered in the dark light of the lamp posts, even up on top of the roof in the cold rain. Norva took a deep breath in... calming himself... finding his mind again. He had been through colder storms... he had fought madder beasts... these men... these brutes... they were nothing in Norva's eyes. Just another target to kill... another virus to eradicate, because this was his purpose.

Ten seconds... no... five seconds... all he needed to kill them all.

Norva leaped down from the roof, his weapons at his sides. The ring leader's arm was in the air, a blade in his hand. He planned to kill the woman... but he never would. The metal shadow landed on the ground with a thunderous crack as the ground shattered beneath him.

Five

Norva swung his right Shang Gou up, slicing the leader's hand clean off. The onslaught had only begun, as the hit-man sliced his left weapon through the man's neck, completely severing the spinal cords connection to its body. The blade, head, and hand fell onto the ground.

Four

The other seven thugs were in shock, only one or two of them quick enough to react. However, the quickest reactors were the quickest to die as their heads fell to the floor.

Three

Three of the thugs ran forward, putting knives and metal bats into their hands. However, their weapons just fell to the floor with their heads.

Two

The last two men tried to run away, making a break for the street. "Quippon, War Shot." Norva's right hand flashed with a green aura, the glow suddenly disappearing to reveal a jet black revolver in his hands.

One

Norva pulled the dark hand cannon up, taking two swift shots. Both runners fell to the floor, dead.

Zero

Norva stood up tall, the black revolver flashing green before disappearing from his hands. Nine bodies around him, all of them dead... all except one.

The metallic hit-man walked over to the woman. She had curled up on the ground. She was barren, bruised, and broken. It was terrible to look at...

Norva knelt down, unbuttoning the front of his cloak. The rain was still coming down hard, and the woman was shivering terribly. What had happened to this girl for her to be here? She was deathly skinny, and she only had one arm... Norva's eyes began to sting.

What was this girl doing here? What had she done to deserve such a terrible result? Norva didn't know, and he didn't care. The deadly killer hooked his weapons to his sides and spread his cloak over the injured woman. Gently tucking the cloak around her to block the rain out, Norva lifted her up and carried her from the alleyway.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" he asked in a gentle voice, never diverting his eyes from the street.

Rei felt as if the man she knew standing behind her was studying her... probably thinking about how horrible and worthless she looked, like a skinned, broken animal beaten for the fun of it. She felt so vulnerable... she was curled up with her left side on the ground, much to her dismay as she could not see him at all, and her most noticeable scars were visible... she reached her scrawny arm up to cover the stub of what used to be her right shoulder. As if hiding it would make it seem like she actually still had the limb. But by the way she could hear him stepping closer, and his strong aura, she knew he was a very powerful mage. Whatever he had in store for her would be much more agonizing than anything those street rats did to her. Rei finally let a tear fall from her face. She knew she was the most pitiful, pathetic, sad sack of scrawny meat this man had probably ever seen. He got closer, making Rei's breaking heart suddenly wretch with fear and close herself up tighter. She gritted her teeth at what would probably be coming next. 

But it never came

Instead of some sort of violence towards her she had expected, Rei suddenly felt something glaze its way across her body. It was some sort of cloth, it was long, warm, and soft... it may have been a little thin, since it seemed like it was a hooded jacket similar to her own, but.. It..it was dry, and blocked out the rain perfectly, not a single raindrop could penetrate it. But then, she suddenly felt the man's hands reach up underneath her. The sudden connection made her jump with fright. but.. he never actually touched her. He lifted her a few inches off the ground, and curled the long cloak around her completely. It was so long and large that it almost wrapped itself around her small frame twice, and was a foot or so longer than how tall she was. Rei was still shaking, more from trauma than the cold weather now. but, he didn't just leave her there. he proceeded to pick her up, and hold her close. the only thing he could probably see was her face. Rei felt so confused... did... this man show her kindness? he.. he saved her. why would he do such a thing? what sort of benefit did he have to gain from saving her, one person, in this entire world. He found her, at the exact right time, in order to stop them minutes from her possible death. She was so confused...

She had been in this exact situation before... many years ago, when she was only a child. She could still remember it. They had plans to kidnap or kill her, when Neyvahn had jumped in to her rescue. The memory made her stomach turn it knots. 

He wished he hadn't saved her, that she should've been left to die. 

This time wasn't any different. 

Soon enough, he'd realize his heroic act was in vain, a mistake. He'd leave her on the side of the street, take his cloak back, and she would never see him again. He would be better off, better off without her. 

She was better off alone. 

"Are you okay, ma'am?"

The sudden response other than the silence of the rain, made Rei jump slightly once again. She felt too weak to hold her head up... so she cradled herself into a small nook, her head leaning into his chest. her mouth hung open ever so slightly so she could get air into her lungs. She looked up at his helmet, as he didn't look down at her. His eyes stayed fixed on the road they were walking on. Rei felt a tear fall from her eye... she felt sorry for him. She wanted to get away, to leave him be, so she wouldn't end up ruining his life too. Her eye began to sting, and tears began to fall from it. His voice was so soft and gentle... she could not recall ever hearing a voice so soothing in her life. But... she couldn't let this overcome her. if she let him hold her, he'd take her away, probably somewhere safe... and she would somehow manage to screw everything up. "I..." She stuttered out, licking her dry lips. "I-I'm... sorry..." she choked the words out biting her lip as more tears fell down her face, blending in with the falling raindrops. "Ill...only hurt you too...p..please.." her words were quiet and hoarse, like she was struggling to even speak. She knew she would have to crawl in order to go back and get her hood. But she would do exactly that if it meant sparing this man's life. "You...n..need to put me down." "n-no one else...needs to get hurt... you...you should have.."


"you should have let me die..."

Norva stopped walking, his feet still against the rain-covered concrete.

'You should have let me die.'

The words stunned him... 'You should have let me die...' Why? What reason did Norva have to just let this woman die? He looked down at her... starving, bruised, cut, and broken, but despite all that, she really was beautiful. Her eye was dull, it was grey... Norva looked into it. There was no way that was always how it was... it just didn't fit. "Let you die?" he repeated. Behind his mask, his eyes stung almost unbearably. Norva squeezed his eyes closed for a second before opening them up to look at the girl curled up in his arms.

"If you were meant to die, then I would have failed and you would have been killed..." Norva shook his head. "You have not done anything to be denied of life, one look in your eye tells me that."

The dark hit-man squeezed the girl's shoulder with his hand, doing his best to reassure her. Even if the mask was covering any trace of emotion on his face, his voice said it all.

"You deserve to live."

"If you were meant to die, then I would have failed and you would have been killed..." 

 "You have not done anything to be denied of life, one look in your eye tells me that."

"You deserve to live."

Rei could barely keep herself awake, but... everything he had just told her... what did that mean? She'd never heard something such as what was said, in her entire life. She couldn't recall any time that she was told...she deserved to live.

Was it true? it was so hard to believe... but she could feel that his words were very sincere, the most sincere, loving, caring words that had ever hit her ears. and he barely knew her.... maybe... it was just like he said, maybe it was fate, because if it wasn't... she'd be dead. She still felt so confused, but why? she didn't have a purpose to live, she was never useful, she never made a difference. Why would he help her? there must've been some sort of secret gain he was receiving... no one just did anything just to be nice.. the world was selfish and cruel, there was no such thing as kindness without gaining something.

She seemed to curl up tighter into a ball again, her eye squinting in confusion and pain, and the sudden glimmer of hope trying to fight its way into the void without also being lost in it. Her lips curled as she bit into them. Getting to her mental breaking point, she crumbled, right in front of a stranger... she was already broken, but the shattered parts of her soul felt like they'd been grind into dust. warm tears heated from what little warmth was left in her body there was streamed from her face one after another. She squeezed her eye shut, gritted her teeth and leaned her head against him as he kept walking. "bu..but..." She sniffled again, her sniffles turning into crying whines as she didn't have enough voice to cry as loud as she felt like she wanted to. "Why w-would you... save me? what do you have to gain from this?" her voice was quiet and was full of distraught as she choked out the words, swallowing hard. The crying was giving her a headache on top of all the pain. someone must have paid him to find and kill that specific gang.. regardless if they were hurting someone or not. He'd leave her somewhere, collect his reward, and leave. like everyone else. but, she asked to know if what she'd been taught through the people she interacted with her whole life, that what she thought was true. It had to be, there was no other reason for him to save her.

Norva saw a motel up ahead, and continued walking. Why did he save her? Was it because he felt sorry for her? Or was it simply because he wanted to kill the criminals?

The question was thoughtful... or mindless and led by depression. Norva got to the door of the motel and paused in front of the door. "It's not about what I have to gain. The world is much more than that..." He opened the door, revealing a lavish lobby. Surprising, considering the fact that this was in Motor City. "I don't gain from this, but I don't need to. Personal gain is only the start of life, but you must quickly move passed that if you want to progress. It takes vision to look passed personal gain, but once you do, your eyes will be opened to an entirely new world." Norva carried the girl over to the fireplace and pulled a chair close, gently placing her in it with the jacket around her. Carefully keeping her covered up, the metal hit-man brushed the water off of the jacket. Once he was done with that, Norva stood up and began walking to the front desk. "Just because I don't gain anything doesn't change the fact that you were meant to live passed this."

Now that the girl was warm next to the fire, Norva went to the attendant at the front desk, who was frightened by his mask. However, the lady became a little less unsettled when he pulled out a sum of jewels. "Overnight stay, one room."

The woman nodded in understanding, taking the jewels and handing him a room key. "Of course, sir. Do you need anything else?"

"A small towel..." Norva looked over to the pink-haired girl, starving underneath that jacket. "And can one of your staff bring a meal? Anything will work."

In response to this, the woman made a confused face. "I'm sorry. We don't supply that kind of service-"

Norva thumped another pile of jewels onto the table. "For a higher price, I'm sure you can arrange something."

The woman looked down at the jewels, then up at the masked man. "Uhh... R-right away, sir." Norva nodded to her in thanks, then went back to the girl at the fireplace. Within a few minutes, they should have a towel to dry the girl off, and some food for her. Norva stood next to the girl, looking into the fire, his armor reflecting the warm colors of the flames.

Rei Listened to the words he had to say as they were finally able to find shelter from the rain in a small motel. Again, his words still felt very sincere, but it was still hard to believe... Her heart wanted to believe them, but her mind refused to think that anything he was saying was logical in the situation she was in at this current moment..

This man that had saved her laid her in a chair next to the fireplace they had in the lobby. She shivered against the cold, she herself felt freezing despite now feeling much drier than she did being in her own hood. Rei continued to shiver trying to let the warmth of the fire work its magic. she was beginning to be able to take a few deep breaths between her shivers in an attempt to calm herself down. She let her head fall onto her shoulder, she was so tired... but the shiver's were keeping her from being able to be still and calm enough to get some decent rest. She shut her eyes, listening to him making arrangements in the background at the front desk. some food sounded nice... she wasn't sure if she'd be able to keep it down though.. 

Now that she thought of it, she didn't know this young man's name yet. she was curious, she wanted to know at least what his name was.. She could hear as he began to walk back over to her. hopefully he didn't spend too much.. 

He stood next to her right behind the chair she was sitting in, the room must've not been quite ready yet. She just wanted to sit by the fire a little longer... 

She took in a shaky breath, her head couldn't turn all the way back far enough to see him. "S-so..." she shakily shook out, a bit nervous. even though it was a simple question. "Whats Y-your name?" She asked, and if she was going to ask for his, it was only complimentary to let him know hers. "I-I'm Rei.." she said quietly. "and also... T-thanks for.. saving me" She was grateful for what he was willing to do when other's weren't. she went quiet again, looking at the warm colors of the fire.

Norva looked down at the girl, who had just revealed her name to be Rei. She thanked him for rescuing her before looking back into the fire. This girl... Rei... she really was an interesting one, and he hadn't noticed it before, but Rei was a mage. A mage with an aura stronger than his. Norva mentally punched himself for never noticing that. With the hood on his armor still over his mask, Norva walked forward and sat down next to Rei's chair. "Norva... and don't worry about it."

Truth be told, he didn't know what else to say... he could only hope that Rei would be able to recover after the gang fiasco. Fortunately, one of the motel staff finally showed up with a dry towel and what looked like a warm soup. Norva sat up and took the tray from the man, bowing his head respectfully. Nonetheless, the man seemed frightened. Perhaps Norva could create an under-armor mask beneath his helmet that was a little less intimidating.

After finishing that thought, Norva brought the tray over to Rei and pulled a side-table close. He placed the tray down on it, and wiped Rei's hair and shoulders down with the towel, even if she resisted. Once he was done with that, he held the towel out to her for the rest of her body, and prepared the soup. Once the soup was all stirred up and slightly cooled, Norva took the tray and rested it on Rei's lap. "Take your time."

Norva... that's a nice name. 

Rei thought to herself as the armored mage took a seat next to her. She wished she could see his face, but she didn't ask. Thinking it might be impolite or rude, He might have scars just like she did and wanted to hide them just the same... 

Rei shy'd back as Norva tried to dry off her face with the towel they had brought for them. but... it felt nice... so she let him finish, and took the towel when she handed it to her and hugged it inside the hood. It was very large for her, and it was dry, so she gently rubbed it around where she was wet. 

She could smell the soup as they were bringing it out, she hadn't had a warm well prepared meal for who knows how long... she refused to ask people for money, since she knew they probably worked hard to obtain it only to give it away to a lowlife like herself. But that sudden smell of fresh food made her stomach churn desperately for it. she leaned over and held her stomach at the burst of hunger pain that surged through her. they brought the soup over, and Norva handed it to her on a tray with  a spoon. She stared at it for a moment, before picking up the spoon with some broth and taking a gulp of it. It was really warm... she didn't really care about the flavor. She took her time to fully eat everything she could, though it was a normal proportion of food her stomach had shrunk from being so malnourished that after she was done, the hunger pains were gone, but now she was just overwhelmed by a sudden wave of nausea. She leaned against the side of the chair with a small slightly sickly groan, as a housemaid approached them. "sorry for the wait, sir! y-your room is ready now!" she bowed at Norva respectively and apologetically and slightly scared due to his intimidating armor. Rei shut her eyes, she just wanted to sleep...

Norva nodded to the housemaid. "Thank you for your hospitality," he softly thanked the woman as she hurriedly walked off. Rei didn't seem to be doing very well, so he bent down to her level and looked her over. The problem wasn't in any physical injuries, but rather it was that her body wasn't reacting well to the unusual amount of food compared to her last few days, or at least that was Norva's guess. He had seen the situation many times, and it has become relatively familiar to him alongside other things. The best solution was to ease her back into a regular eating habit.

Carefully and gently as to not cause her stomach more agony, Norva picked up Rei and left the towel and tray. Someone would come to pick it up anyways. The two of them made their way up the stairs to the room they were given the key to: Room 27. Norva stopped in front of it, noticing the corresponding iron numbers on the oak door. He took the key and placed it in the lock, turning it with a click. He opened the door to see a decent room. Two queen-sized beds, each one with clean comforters, sheets, and numerous feather pillows. Next to both beds, a pair of polished night stands held lamps and pamphlets advertising the rest of the city. Norva dropped the room key on the bedside table and rested Rei on the bed beneath the covers. "Get some rest. Your wounds are scabbed over and you should be good by the morning."

Once Rei was asleep, Norva would make a quick trip to the nearest late-night market and grab some supplies. A backpack, necessary clothes for travel and weather, and a first-aid kit. Once he got those supplies, he'd make sure to leave Rei with good amount of jewels for food.

Soon enough, Rei fell asleep and Norva was good to go make a supply run. It only took a few minutes to grab the supplies, and he was back shortly after he left. Norva unzipped the bag and placed the clothes inside the main compartment, neatly folded, then placed the first aid kit and jewels in the front pocket. Once Rei woke up, her wounds would be healed enough for her to make her way along and she'd have the things she needed to keep herself healthy. Norva walked over to a chair in the corner of the room and removed his helmet.

He looked at the hunk of iron in his hands, the skull on the front staring him in the eye. It was the first time in a while he had looked at the helmet. Its green lenses reflected showing his own face in the reflection. Norva didn't want to see it. He lifted the helmet up and placed it back onto his head, latching it in place and throwing the hood over.

Rei could barely hear anything Norva said as they walked up the small staircase to the room. she just kept her eyes shut, trying to keep herself from vomiting. She swallowed a few times resisting the urge to gag as she felt herself neatly tucked under the covers. The bed sheets smelled freshly washed and were soft, the sheets tucked under the bed neatly. she practically sank into the mattress... the softest thing she had slept on since she left was grass... but grass wasn't always available, and she was often kicked out of parks for just looking the way she did. Scaring the children with their parents, as they covered their children's eyes as they looked shocked. some of the smaller ones would even start crying, but who wouldn't? seeing a bone skinny person with missing limbs, countless scars and a missing eye. 

She fell asleep practically instantly over the warm covers... though her body didn't have much to make body heat with, she was still an okay temperature. but as she began to be emerged in her subconscious thoughts, she had flashbacks, flashbacks of her mistakes, and of horrid events she remembered clear as day. though her subconscious mixed these memories with fictional things, things that never happened... but seemed so real at the same time, as if that's exactly how it went. it was the same nightmare she had most nights... She was in her fight with Neyvahn, she screamed harsh things at him, and he did the same for her. the comments got more and more diminishing back and forth... until ney snapped, he didn't even let her leave. He always turned into a horrid mutant beast, and would always burst through their home, chasing her down the street. yelling his words of hatred, before he finally got a hold of her in his claws. 

It was like a game of cat and mouse 

It always ended the same.... with ney's vicious fangs closing around her throat. 

From the outside, Rei had only fallen asleep soundly, until the pillow she was loosely hugging turned into her digging her nails into the fluffy object. she didn't scream, but she appeared to be tense, suddenly curling into a fetal position, hugging the pillow under the covers, with only a few tears streaming down her cheeks.

Despite how tired Norva was, he could sense the sudden change in Rei's sleeping state. She suddenly became tense and curled around the pillow. It was about three in the morning by now, but Norva got up nonetheless. Once he made his way over to the bed, he looked down to see that Rei was having a nightmare. She was shaking ever so slightly with her nails digging into the pillow and her face buried halfway underneath the covers. It was dark, so Norva unlatched his helmet and held it in his hands. There were tears running down her cheeks, and a suffering expression on her face.

What was she dreaming of? Was it of the gang of bandits, or was it from something before hand? A nightmare this extreme couldn't just be caused by a thought, it had to be invoked by a memory. Thoughts don't burn into the brain harsh enough to create nightmares like this.

Norva turned around and gently placed his iron helmet on the adjacent bed, then sat down next to Rei. He took off his glove as well and rested a warm hand on the girl's shoulder. "Shhh, it's okay," he hummed in a hushed voice. "Don't worry."

Norva could only hope his words got through to her. If they did and Rei calmed down, Norva would stay for a few more minutes before finally getting up and placing his glove and helmet back on. However, if Rei continued to whimper in her sleep, Norva would stay, doing everything he could to comfort her and stop the nightmares.

The nightmare repeated over and over again, it had the same ending... the only difference was her death was different everytime. Neyvahn acted like a wild animal that was hunting down its prey... her mind would restart the dream before he would begin to devour whatever was left of her after she was dead, much to her relief, she didn't want to watch her body be torn apart and eaten... 

The dream started itself over, except this time... she wasn't standing in her own shoes. it was like she was spectating her own memories as a different person... she could hear the argument, it was as horrible as she remembered it. except it was the way it was the first time... nothing fictional was being added, the raw memory, exactly the way it happened. she was standing on the sidelines, she felt like her voice had been taken from her, she mouthed words she wished she could speak, but nothing came out... 

she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder... it made her flinch. she looked back to see the lit outline of a being... she couldn't make out any facial features or hair, probably because their outline looked rather zig zagged, as if they might be wearing armor, of some sort. "don't worry..." she heard it say, in a tone she did not recognize, the scene continued to play out before them like a movie scene. 

The being had their hand on her shoulder through the entire scene... even when Neyvahn spat those words at her, the ones she could never seem to get out of her mind... 

"I should have left you to die"

...

She floated outside through the walls of the house and watched herself as she grabbed a cloak off the hook, not caring to grab anything she might need, and running away, running away from him, and the guild, and everything she had ever known. 

the dream ended there, leaving her in her own thoughts... but... despite this, she felt more at peace afterwards.. to the naked eye, rei had calmed down again, her tense position had loosened as she kept her eyes closed loosely sleeping soundly...

To Norva's slight surprise, Rei calmed and settled down. She was no longer tense, digging her nails into the pillow. Instead, her expression was relaxed, her body seeping into the mattress. Norva quietly sighed, taking his hand off the sleeping girl's shoulder and putting his glove back on.

Behind the drawn curtains, the moon shone brightly, its light dully casting across both sides of the fabric. Norva gently pushed off of the bed and walked over to the window. He wanted to see the moon tonight. The curtains receded to show a bright blue moon peeking behind the thin grey clouds as they wandered across the sky like a herd of black sheep. The moon stared down at Norva for a few minutes before another cloud came along to surround its soft light.

The iron-clad hit-man closed the thin curtains and looked back at Rei in the dim light. He worried about the girl... but why? He had come across many depressed people going through rough times, some of them beyond helping. Rarely did he ever feel the need to go through such measures to assure their survival. Yes, he did help them so that they could do the rest, but what about this time? Going into a hotel and then preparing a survival pack? Why?

Norva leaned against the wall and held his head in his thick gloved hands. What made Rei different from the others? With his mind still trying to understand its own motives, Norva walked over to the girl and knelt down, studying her sleeping expression.

"...Why?" he whispered to himself quietly. His eyes drifted across her hair, then her face, still trying to figure it out. Then a familiar memory pinged at Norva. He froze... then he slowly backed up, taking a final look at Rei's face.

It looked exactly like her's. It looked exactly like her face... all those years ago. Norva's breathing became shaky as all the buried memories peaked their heads out of their graves, hidden away for what felt like a decade. Norva stared at Rei's expression, the hint of nostalgia biting at his tear ducts. It wasn't her, but it looked almost exactly like her.

Norva turned away, facing his helmet instead... but... he wanted to look again... he wanted to see the face of the woman he had not seen for several years.

He turned around, studying the calm expression on Rei's face. The nostalgia stung his eyes as he continued to look. Then Rei shifted a little, causing Norva to quickly turn away. After a few unsure seconds of thinking and pondering, Norva finally turned around again. He nodded his head in affirmed resolve, and knelt down next to Rei.

He knew it was for selfish reasons, but he didn't want Rei to disappear entirely. Norva leaned forward and suckled on the skin of Rei's shoulders. He felt terrible, disgusted by himself as he invaded this girl's space. However, it was necessary for him if he wanted to keep Rei safe. He only needed a taste, enough to cause a sort of hunger. After only a quick second, Norva lifted himself off of Rei. No longer than a second afterwards, he could sharply sense Rei's blood, setting it aside from every other body of blood within 100 meters. Now her presence was printed, burned into Norva's blood vision.

The hit-man looked down at Rei and quietly apologized, gently rubbing off her shoulder. Norva scolded himself for his actions, picking his helmet up and placing it back on his head. He's had enough for one night and it would be best if he got some rest. The armored mage sighed, closing his eyes as he receded back into the chair, allowing himself to rest his body... but his mind would still continue to run.

Rei's body naturally tensed up though she was unconscious when Norva dug his pointed canines just under the skin, only enough to draw out a small trickle of blood, about as deep as a typical paper cut. her blood was rather thick however due to her malnutrition, but it was slightly better after she was able to eat that night. everything in her vision was dark, in the deepest state of sleep that is nearly impossible to wake up from. she continued sleeping peacefully, though she did shift every once in a while.

The morning came quick. Norva woke up before Rei and checked to see that everything was still there. The backpack with its contents was in order, where it was when Norva put it there. However, Rei was still sound asleep in bed.

Norva walked over to the desk opposite of the beds and ripped a page off of the legal pad. He grabbed a pen and started writing on the paper. "Checkout is at noon. The backpack is full with clothes in the main compartment, as well as a first aid kit and some jewels in the front compartment. Motor City is notorious for its crime, so I suggest trying a nice place like Oshibana. And keep your head up, your chance isn't gone.

-Norva"

After writing the note and leaving it next to the backpack on the empty bed, Norva left the room.

Rei was awoken to rays of warm sunshine shining through the small window of the motel, she groaned as the bed was so perfectly warm, she didn't want to get up... but she didn't know what time it was, check out might be soon...

She rolled over her stump of a shoulder so she was looking to her left, over by the nightstand. there was a note, and she noticed a large backpack on the other bed. she lifted the covers up off of herself, sitting up before she looked over at the note on the bed, reaching over with her arm and picking it up with her left hand to read it, over and over...

Rei dropped the note, standing up and walking over to the backpack. opening it up, she saw fresh... wonderful dry clothes, a first aid kit to help with any wounds, and extra jewels for food... Rei clasped her hand over her mouth, she was eternally grateful to this man who had saved her life... right when she didn't think she could last any longer...

"keep your head up, your chance isn't gone."

The first uplifting thing someone had said to her since she'd left... as if a small spark had just started up some weak embers inside her soul.

Rei wiped her eye with a small reassuring smile on her face. She hugged the packpack, and just before noon... left the room, headed for Oshibana.