Their hearts pounded wildly in their chests, loud enough that it almost felt like it could be heard. Sweat slowly trickled down their faces as the air around them grew colder… colder than before.
Olivia tightened her grip instinctively.
She looked at him.
His eyes were glowing.
She couldn't tell… was he human?
Or something else ?
His body was covered in black ash, shadows clinging to him like they belonged there. He seemed to be staring at something, letting out a low, quiet growl.
Then…
He turned.
The moment his gaze fell on them…
He went silent. Too silent.
His eyes moved slowly between the two of them before stopping on Olivia. Their eyes locked for a moment.
Olivia froze, her breath catching in her throat as everything around her seemed to disappear. Those eyes…
they weren't frightening, nor were they monstrous.
They were tired…so painfully tired, as if he had been holding on for far too long with no one left to reach for. Her fingers trembled slightly at her side. There was pain in them, not the kind that screamed, but the kind that had been buried so deep it had already become a part of him. Loneliness. Silence. Something broken beyond repair.
Her chest tightened painfully, her vision blurring for a brief moment.
Why… why does he look like this…?
He didn't look like someone dangerous. He looked like someone who had never been held, never been comforted, never once chosen. And for a split second, Olivia forgot everything…..forgot the fear, forgot where she was, forgot that he could be something terrifying. All she could feel was the unbearable urge to step forward, to hold him, to take away even a fraction of that pain.
Her fingers clenched tightly as she forced herself to stay still, lowering her head slightly as if trying to suppress the ache spreading through her chest, afraid that if she moved even a little… she might not be able to stop herself from reaching out to him.
Javien slowly stepped back.
As if afraid… That he might scare them.
He remained silent, not because he didn't want to speak, but because he already knew how this would end. No one would come closer to him. No one ever did. This… was how it always ended. That was why he had locked the door, why he had used his magic to keep them from seeing it, from seeing him.
His fingers trembled slightly as the faint traces of darkness lingered around his body, something he had long tried to hide, something he had grown to hate. He had learned it the hard way… the moment people saw it, the way they looked at him would change. Disgust. Fear. Distance. In the end, it was always the same.
…cursed.
Avelvion stared at him, his expression turning grim. He had never seen someone with two different eyes before.
The longer he looked, the more disturbed he felt, a hint of disgust creeping into his gaze. Slowly, he shifted his attention toward Olivia. Her hand was trembling, and without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed it tightly, trying to calm her. She must be scared.
But Olivia gave no reaction. She lowered her gaze, staring at the hand gripping hers as if it meant nothing. Her fingers twitched slightly, her chest tightening as a quiet thought crossed her mind.
The one who needs comfort… isn't me. It's him.
She slowly lifted her head and glanced at Avelvion beside her, offering only a faint, unreadable smile. Behind them, Javien's heart shattered. He took a slow step back, lowering his head, his body retreating as if he had already accepted what would come next.
A presence shifted quietly in the darkness behind him. A men stepped forward, his expression calm, almost indifferent, as if nothing in front of him mattered. Without a word, he raised his hand and threw something toward Javien. The liquid splashed onto his head, dripping slowly down his face and into the shadows clinging to his body. For a brief moment, nothing happened. The room fell into an unnatural silence, as if even the air had stopped moving.
Then.....Javien's body stiffened. His fingers curled tightly as his shoulders began to tremble, a low, broken sound escaping from his throat.
The shadows around him started to gather, slowly at first, like something awakening from a long sleep. They moved unnaturally, stretching along the ground and wrapping around his figure as if they belonged to him… or perhaps, as if he belonged to them.
Olivia's breath caught as she stared. Something wasn't right. The shadows weren't just moving, they were responding. Javien staggered slightly, his breathing turning uneven as his eyes flickered, the faint glow within them becoming unstable. For a split second, it felt as though something deeper was stirring beneath the surface, something far more dangerous than the shadows themselves.
No…noo..no
Olivia trembled. She knew what will happen if javien fully awakening.
Avelvion instinctively stepped back, his grip on Olivia tightening as the air around them grew heavier. It felt suffocating, cold, and strangely draining.
The shadows stretched further, creeping outward like living things, brushing against the ground and reaching toward their surroundings. Wherever they touched, a faint weakness lingered, subtle but undeniable, as if something was being slowly taken away.
That men slowly back off to ran. He smiled like he enjoyed it. He pulled the door and slowly disappeared from their eyes. Before he gone his lips say something
"What do you think?,"
While stared and grinned at Olivia inside the room. Olivia startled she gritted her teeth, and grip her hand tightly.
He knew that i was here before
She whispered . After that men gone… without thinking, she ran toward Javien who still growl slowly on the floor. But, Avelvion pulled her back to avoid her to came near Javien . She drop her knee while trembled.
Then-
Javien let out a low growl, his body trembling as he struggled to hold it back. The power was still unstable, still incomplete, as though it had not fully awakened yet but even so, it was enough to make the space around him feel wrong. Like something that should never have existed… had begun to awaken.
Olivia's breath hitched. She couldn't move. She couldn't look away.
"I… it hurts…"
His voice came out weak. Almost like a child.
Tears slipped from his eyes as his fingers clawed weakly at the ground.
Olivia's fingers trembled violently. She couldn't take it anymore.
"Avelvion,let go." Her voice came out low, but firm.
Avelvion's grip tightened instead.
"Are you insane?! He's not stable—"
"I know." She cut him off. Her eyes never left Javien.
"I know… but I can't just stand here and watch him like this."
For a brief moment, Avelvion hesitated.
That was enough. Olivia pulled her hand free and stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
The shadows reacted instantly. They stretched toward her…
Cold.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Avelvion's eyes widened.
"Olivia!!!"
But she didn't stop. Even when the shadows brushed against her skin, cold and draining, she kept moving.
Javien's body trembled violently, his breathing ragged as his glowing eyes snapped toward her.
"Don't....."
His voice cracked.
"…come closer."
But Olivia didn't stop.
Step by step, she closed the distance between them until...
She reached him. For a brief moment, everything felt like it was about to collapse.
Then...
She wrapped her arms around him. Javien froze.
The shadows around him surged violently.
Then suddenly
They stopped.
Everything stopped.
The darkness that had been spreading uncontrollably… stilled, as if something had pressed it down in an instant.
The air no longer felt suffocating. The cold slowly faded.Javien's body stiffened in her arms, his trembling gradually slowing. His breathing hitched.
His eyes....
The glow flickered.Once.Twice.
Then, It disappeared. Returning to normal.
"…what…?"
His voice came out barely as a whisper,Confused.
Uncertain. Like he didn't understand what was happening.
Olivia tightened her hold slightly, her fingers gripping the back of his clothes as if she was afraid he might disappear.
"It's okay…"
Her voice was soft.
Gentle.
"You're okay now…"
Javien's eyes widened slightly.
No one….Had ever said that to him before.
His fingers trembled weakly at his side before slowly… hesitantly… gripping onto her clothes.
Like he was afraid ,
That if he let go…
Everything would go back to how it was.
But, Not far from there, hidden within the dim corridor, a little girl stood frozen in place. Her body trembled slightly as her wide eyes remained fixed on the scene before her. The shadows, the suffocating air… everything felt wrong. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. It was as if something was forcing her to stay and watch.
…monster…"
The word slipped from her lips unconsciously.
"You must learn to look at things like this, Your Highness."
Her body stiffened at the familiar voice behind her.
"You will need it in the future." Her fingers clenched tightly.
"Because that boy…"
A brief pause.
"…will become your pawn one day."
Fear lingered in her eyes as she continued staring at Javien.
Behind her, a faint smile slowly formed on the man's lips.