Zein's Point of View
The woods. A thicket. They dragged me behind the HU campus, deep into the forest, and tied me to a lone chair in the middle of the clearing. It was late afternoon; the sun was beginning to dip, casting long, skeletal shadows across the ground.
A cloth was tied tightly over my mouth. I didn't bother trying to scream. I knew no one would hear me, and even if they did, the mere mention of the Devil God Warriors (DGW) would keep them from helping.
The two men who had snatched me—still hidden behind their red masks—were whispering nearby.
"He actually hurt the Queen. What do you think the Boss is going to do to her?"
"Death. That's probably the only place she's headed now."
I listened to their whispers with a strange detachment. Why wasn't I afraid? Is it true what they say—that I've become so used to the idea of dying that the fear has simply vanished? I'd accepted my fate a long time ago, ever since I stumbled upon the dark secrets of this university.
I bowed my head, and despite my resolve, tears began to fall. Not because of the men, but because I was thinking of Vanessa's words.
"Why are you so selfish, Zein? You don't even think about how we'll feel if you're gone!"
She was right. I've made so many mistakes. If I die now, I'll never be able to make it up to them. I can't die yet. Not until I've earned my place by their side again.
I saw a pair of shoes enter my line of vision. I looked up. Standing before me was a man who looked like a total wreck. He was covered in earrings and tattoos, his eyes bloodshot and wild. Is this Raze Silvenia? For real?
"Is this her?" he asked.
I narrowed my eyes. Something was off. His voice lacked that soul-crushing weight I expected. Where was the demonic aura? Where was the terror?
"Yes, Boss," one of the kidnappers replied.
He grinned at me and ripped the cloth from my mouth. He grabbed my jaw so hard I thought it might snap, his hand trembling slightly against my skin.
"Bitch."
He slapped me. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. It hurt—it hurt like hell—but I didn't flinch.
"How dare you!" he screamed, slapping me again. My cheek went numb from the force. "You're just a newbie! I am the King here! I am Death itself!"
I did something I didn't expect. I laughed.
Death and I have been allies for a long time. He can't take me because we're on the same side. We'll kill each other before one of us truly wins.
"What's so funny?!" His face turned a deeper shade of red, a vein throbbing in his forehead. He was gritting his teeth, trying so hard to look like a monster. But I couldn't see the demon. Where was it?
"Raze Silvenia," I whispered his name.
He froze. His entire body went stiff. I laughed again, louder this time. Confirmed. I knew it.
"Shut up!"
He raised his hand to strike me again, but I cut him off. "Slap me one more time, and your two friends here will find out your little secret." I gestured to the masked men.
"What secret?" he asked, looking genuinely confused.
"The secret that if I reveal it, you're a dead man. The secret of a fake death."
He stiffened again, then motioned for his men to leave us. Coward.
"What do you know?" he demanded once we were alone.
I licked the blood from my lip and grinned. My suspicions were right. People might believe his act, but not me. He was a great pretender, but he was pathetic.
"Tell me your name," I challenged.
"What are you talking about?! I am Raze Silvenia!" he screamed, grabbing my jaw again.
I just shook my head, pushing his face away from mine. "You can't fool me, Mr. Whoever-You-Are. You are not him. You are not Raze Silvenia."
His face crumpled. He had the tattoos and the red eyes, but he didn't have the soul of a killer. He was trying to look scary, but he couldn't fool himself.
"Stop it! You aren't him! Raze Silvenia doesn't need to scream to be terrifying. I saw the real Raze once. Just his presence made my hair stand on end. But you? There's nothing in you to fear."
"Shit! How did you know?!" He collapsed onto a tree root, running his hands through his hair in frustration.
"Because no one can copy the original. Even you—when I mentioned his name, you froze. You're scared of him, too."
He let out a soft laugh, the "demon" persona completely vanishing. This was the man behind the mask—a proxy. "You're right," he admitted. "I saw Raze once, too. He was wearing a mask. He asked for my help... he told me I had to pretend to be him."
"But why?"
"I don't know. All I know is that no one has seen his real face. He could be anyone. He could be someone we walk past every day."
So, the real Raze Silvenia was a ghost, hidden in plain sight.
"Can I ask a favor?" He looked like he was about to kneel and beg. "Don't tell anyone. If he finds out the secret is out, he'll kill me."
"Let me go," I ordered.
He untied me, and the moment I was free, I slapped him—hard. He didn't fight back; he just took it, hunched over in shame. I leaned into his ear. "A secret is a secret," I whispered, then turned and walked away.
His two companions were standing further back, their eyes wide. They had just seen a "newbie" slap their Boss, and they didn't know what to do.
My cheek was throbbing as I walked back to the dormitory.
"What happened to your face?" Matt asked the moment I stepped through the door.
I looked at Vanessa. She was sitting on the sofa, her eyes red from crying. She wouldn't look at me.
"I'm sorry," I said.
The room went silent. "What are you saying, Zein?" Mia asked.
"I've done a lot of things wrong," I said, bowing my head as the tears started again. I might be physically strong, but emotionally, I was a wreck. "I was selfish. I didn't think about your feelings. I'm so sorry."
I felt them rush toward me, pulling me into a massive group hug.
"Shh, it's okay," Dave said, rubbing my back. "We're friends. We were just worried, that's all. It's not your fault."
"Friends forever," Mia added. "No one gets left behind."
I pulled away and looked at Vanessa, who was still sulking on the sofa. "Is there a hug for me over there, or are you still mad?" I joked.
She suddenly lunged at me, knocking me back onto the sofa as she sobbed like a child. "I hate you! I was so worried! I wasn't even going to talk to you!"
I laughed, squeezing her cheeks. She was always like this—dramatic and loyal. I remembered when I didn't tell her about my crush on Matt back in high school; she unfriended and blocked me on Facebook for a week!
"Thank you," I whispered.
I looked at my friends—Dave, Mia, Jerome, Vanessa, and Matt. In a place where everyone is a demon, they are my only light. I hope nothing ever tears us apart.
I really hope so.