"This didn't go according to plan. At all."
"What should we do now, sir?", Irena asked carefully, not wanting to anger her boss.
Wolfgang turned to his assistant, a scowl on his face.
"Irena. You know that I hate doing things myself. I'd rather have everything work on its own. But... As much as I hate to say it, I think this time we must act."
Irena's eyes widened. Then she looked to the side.
"If I'm being honest, I think we should have acted a long time ago."
Wolfgang curled his gloved hands into fists. Irena noticed.
"We shouldn't have reached out to Vyko in the first place. That was a mistake on our part."
"I still don't understand why we did so at all," Irena said earnestly.
Wolfgang chuckled. There was no humor in it.
"Oh Irena, did I not tell you? You trust me so easily, you don't even question my decisions. I am truly blessed to have an assistant like you. Either way, the reason I got in touch with them is because of two reasons. Firstly, I want to control what isn't easy to predict. In other words, the cult. The easiest way to do that is by getting a hand on the unpredictable. Or so I thought. And secondly, Vyko is a well known manipulator of beliefs. I figured they'd brainwash the ability thief, so it'd be easier for us to convince him to join. I was wrong."
Irena shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"And what would Vyko get out of this deal?"
Wolfgang sat down in the chair by his desk, his hands folding in front of him.
"They said they'd do it in exchange for protection from our organization, but now I'm convinced they actually did it to get the boy themselves."
"Why would they need him, though?"
Wolfgang stayed quiet for a minute, thinking.
"I assume they want to test his beliefs. As an experiment, so to speak. He is a rather special case after all."
"Ah I think I understand now. Forgive me for asking so many questions, but what should we do?", Irena asked again.
Wolfgang closed his eyes for a moment.
"Oh that is simple..."
"... We need to stop Vyko. At all costs."
The walk to wherever this cult leader was heading to was uncomfortable and unnecessarily silent.
Akio was just following mindlessly behind them, not daring to say a word.
"My my, you seem quite tense. Are you alright, my dear?"
Akio stayed silent.
"No need to be so shy, I don't bite."
Akio felt his annoyance rising. But not without a hint of fear.
He was so stuck in his own mind that he didn't even realize they finally arrived at their destination. It was a beautiful, big house with a small garden.
Vyko pulled some keys out of their sleeve and opened the door.
"Here we are. You'll live in this place from now on. Don't worry, I'll pay for your stay."
"Very reassuring...", Akio finally said.
"Oh, the boy can speak. What a surprise."
"Where are my friends?", Akio inquired.
Vyko laughed softly.
"Your friends? You mean Katsuko? Or that stoat boy?"
"Both."
Vyko shrugged.
"Ah well, the boy never left the base. I simply made sure he was locked up in a room, so he can't interfere."
"And Katsuko?"
"She's already out and about. For a day now."
Akio's eyes widened.
"What do you mean, for a day? How long was she with you for? How old is that photograph you showed me earlier?"
"I abducted her about three days ago and released her just yesterday. It seems you haven't seen her yet, so I don't know where she's at, either."
Akio stayed silent for a moment before continuing his questioning.
"So she actually went missing...? Then what would I get from obeying you? You don't have any blackmail material anymore."
"Thats not entirely true. I have easy access to the base. I could easily abduct someone a second time. And maybe even kill them. If you choose to disobey, I will make sure that turns out to be the case."
Akio felt a shiver run down his spine at how casually Vyko said that.
*Maybe it's best if I just do as they say. I've got nothing to lose anyway.*
"Based on your expression I assume you've already decided. Good boy," Vyko said in a calm tone that almost borders on mockery. "Now come inside."
Akio did as he was told and entered the house.
The interior was just as clean and beautiful as the exterior. The furniture was made of high quality wood, yet the whole place felt rather old-fashioned. A single unlit candle was put on the table in the living room.
Vyko approached the table and took a matchbox out of their sleeve.
*Seriously, how much stuff do they have in there?*
Vyko lit the candle and put the burnt match stick in a bin near the door. Then they turned around to Akio, and gestured to a chair.
"Please take a seat."
Akio hesitated but eventually did so and waited.
Vyko sat across from him and folded their hands in front of themselves, staring deep into Akio's eyes from behind the mask
"Do you want to know why I find you so interesting?"
Akio stayed quiet, waiting for them to continue.
"It's not your ability I find so intriguing. It's your mind."
Akio furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but still didn't say a word.
"I haven't met anyone like you before. Your mental state is unstable. But your resolve... Your determination, the hope buried deep inside you is still flickering. Like the flame of a lit candle refusing to be extinguished. And I... I will be the one to put it out."
Akio frowned but kept quiet.
"I want to see what happens when the light gets consumed by darkness."
Akio looked rather unimpressed now.
"The more darkness there is, the stronger the light shines. And what is light without a few shadows?"
Vyko didn't expect him to talk back, but they would be lying if they said they didn't love a good surprise.
"Cant argue with you there. But what happens when just a tiny bit of wind makes it tremble until it's blown out completely?"
Akio's indifferent stare turned into a glare.
"But you are not wind. You are not storm. Nor is Wolfgang. I don't fear you."
Vyko chuckled softly.
"You don't fear me? Are you sure? What if I let something happen to your dear comrades? Would you still say you don't fear me?"
Akio's thoughts were running wild, yet he kept a calm exterior.
"My point still stands. I don't fear you. I fear what you're capable of."
Now Vyko's chuckles turn into quiet laughter.
"I see. And what if I do something you're dreading? What if I kill them? Or... What if I kill your family instead?", Vyko paused.
"Oh right, I already did."
Akio narrowed his eyes at them.
"You did not. You don't have any proof. And I won't believe a single word you say."
Vyko kept chuckling like they were insane. They found this incredibly funny, it seemed.
"I knew you'd say that. The more a person lies, the less likely it is they'll be trusted again. But that's not necessarily a disadvantage. I could tell you the truth and you still wouldn't accept it as one. Would that be considered distrust or... denial?"
Akio was confused. What was this person even trying to say?
"If you give me valid proof this time, I might believe you."
Vyko hummed.
"I still hear some doubt in your voice. If you were actually willing to believe me, you would've been bursting into tears by now."
They got up from their seat and walked to the front door.
"Come on, I'll show you."
Akio felt dread building in his chest.
*Did this person actually kill them? No, there's no way. They don't even know where my family lives... Right?*
Akio got up as well and followed Vyko out the house.
They didn't exchange any words with each other. The walk was filled with tension once again.
The longer they walked, the more familiar the area felt to Akio.
They got closer to his hometown.
Akio felt even more fear build up.
Eventually they arrived at a doorstep.
This was Akio's home.
And if that wasn't proof enough, Vyko opened the door with keys they shouldn't have access to.
A horrible stench filled the air.
Akio closed his eyes and put a hand to his mouth, so he wouldn't throw up. The smell was terrible. But not only that. As soon as he opened his eyes again he saw exactly what he had dreaded to see.
"I told you I'd be the one to extinguish your light."