Skyfall Chapter 24 -I'M SO SORRY FOR THE UPLOAD SPAM. UPDATE SCREWED ME OVER.
24 I woke from an uneasy sleep early in the morning. The sun had barely started to rise, and most of the world outside was still black. I tossed and turned in my bed a few times and tried to become comfortable again, but I wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep. Drowsy, I sat up and stretched out my sore muscles. I still felt exhausted, but my mind was growing restless. I stood and searched for some warm clothes in my room. I found a pair of pants and layered a shirt underneath a jacket this time. I wanted to be sure I was warm today; it looked quite cold outside in the dark. I thought about my dagger, and I turned and stared at the drawer beside my bed for a moment. Slowly, I opened it. There it was, the blade of my dagger, shimmering in the faint light. I carefully picked it up and examined it. The violet blade looked flawless when I searched for any chips or cracks, and the blue veins within the violet seemed to be glowing. I placed the dagger in my pocket in case I needed it. The blade felt more like a symbol than it did a weapon, and it made me feel like the goddess was close by. I had a feeling I might need her guidance today. My mind wandered back to Misha, and I tried to focus on my downloaded information. There were many creatures here I still knew nothing about, and I had to find out what Misha was. My mind focused on nymph momentarily as I remembered Fleur.Woodland creatures, a type of fairy...they have an intricate knowledge of nature and plants. They are skilled healers because of this knowledge. I sighed as I walked out of my room. That must be what got Fleur trapped in here... I continued towards the dining hall. My mind ran through the other types of creatures that I was aware of via downloaded information, but none of them seemed to have fitting attributes to Misha. Misha did know a lot about herbs and plants...but I couldn't see the other attributes of a nymph fitting him. What were his attributes? I knew he could heal back to perfect condition even if it didn't happen right away, but the only other thing I could think of was his obsession with sex. Could that be a hint? What about the fact that my hatred towards him had melted back into a deep curiosity? Was that just me being foolish...or was there something more to it? I suppose that could also be due to the magic compulsion...But even before that had happened, I was obsessed with him for reasons I never understood. "Two-fifty-seven?" I jumped at the voice, and looked over to the information desk attendant. "I have a note for you." I wandered over to the desk absent-mindedly. "Thanks." I mumbled as I took the sheet of paper from the man. With a sigh, I glanced down at the paper. The note said to meet in Hale's office at a specific time later this afternoon. There were no other details, and my stomach twisted as I became nervous at the idea. I only had a few days left...I was suddenly afraid Hale somehow knew of my plans, but I quickly dismissed my fears. I tossed the paper in the trash can as I tried to clear my mind, and then continued down the stairs. I made my way to the dining hall and sat at an empty table. Only a few other guards were up and eating, and it looked like they had just put the food out. I wasn't particularly hungry, but I decided to wander over and get some anyways before my thoughts made me lose my appetite. One of the guards glanced over at me suspiciously as I picked out some fruits and eggs. I recognized his scent from yesterday, and wondered what he thought of me. I was too exhausted to engage in conversation, though, so I ignored him. I sat back at my empty table and ate my food while my thoughts began to stir. My mind couldn't resist thinking about Misha and what he was. Maybe I can get information out of Hale today. I thought to myself. That's probably a really, really bad idea... I finished eating but remained at the table, quietly fumbling with the blade in my pocket in case it would offer me any wisdom. The energy in the blade felt still and quiet, and I couldn't seem to get a reaction from it. I wondered where I could find the information I was seeking. The control center. My ears pricked forwards. I could gain access to Misha's file, and also maybe learn how to control the system. That information could be helpful during my escape. I glanced around nervously. People were filing in the dining hall now, mostly guards and a few doctors who I didn't recognize. I would have to wait until I visited Hale to have an excuse to walk past the control center, though. Finally, I stood up as the dining hall became crowded. I cleared my space and let others sit as I wandered out towards the lounge. I stopped walking and stared towards the medical wing. I watched a few doctors come in and out. For a moment, I wondered if Misha was still in there, or if he had healed already. My eyes wandered to the hallway next to the medical wing. There was a library over there that Misha had told me about when he gave me my first tour of the facility. I had never had the chance to explore the library before, but it seemed like the perfect place to learn more about this world. I headed down that hallway for the first time, cursing myself for not thinking of this sooner. The hallway was dim; most of the lights were still turned off. I walked through the glass doors with the letters "LIBRARY" printed on the front and entered the dark room. The room was large and looked empty in the darkness. "Can I help you?" A voice to my right asked. I jumped and looked over to see a man sitting behind a desk with a dim light illuminating his workspace. "I just came to read up on some things." I said nervously. The man clapped his hands and some lights flickered on to reveal tall bookshelves in rows across the entire room. "Sure thing, go right ahead." He said, gesturing towards the books. "Have you been here before?" I shook my head and stared out towards all the books, wishing I had more time to explore the sea of knowledge before me. "Is there anything I can help you find?" He asked. "Oh." I paused, wondering how to phrase what I was looking for. "Magical creatures...I need to learn more about them. Perhaps a bestiary of some kind?" The man nodded. "Sure thing." He said as he stood up. "Follow me." We wandered into the vast rows of paper and wood, and my jaw dropped at the vast collection of books upon the shelves. "You're an assassin, right?" The man said with a smirk. "Need to learn how to kill your victims?" I swallowed hard. "Right." I said. I hadn't thought about that. I don't know that killing Misha is even possible, what if he's some kind of immortal creature? I paused for a moment and considered the other creatures I had encountered. But...I've seen two werewolves die, one by my own hands. They must have weakened them. Werewolves aren't supposed to die so easily, right? I scanned my downloaded information, which assured me that was correct. Other werewolves have the potential to kill werewolves. It's more about strength. I glanced at the tall shelves around me as I thought. Immortal just means age does not affect them, and usually they have the ability to heal rapidly...So there's probably a way to kill Misha. That last thought made me feel a bit ill. We arrived in a quiet corner of the library, where the man pointed to the shelves. "Here's the section you'll want, then." He said as he pointed out a few books. "These describe the best methods for killing canine types like yourself." He winked at me. "And here are some typical bestiaries." "Thanks." I mumbled, glancing at the rest of the books. I don't want to kill Misha, though. My mind seemed irritated with me. But I suppose I might have to. "If you want to take any with you, just come see me at the front desk." The man said as he walked away. Once he was gone, I pulled out one of the bestiaries. The front cover was illustrated with a large snake that appeared to be transforming. It must have been a slithurm. The book was large and heavy, and I had a difficult time holding it up and flipping the pages at the same time. In the corner of the room I saw a few chairs and a table. I picked up a second bestiary and headed towards the table. Once I reached the table, I sat the books down. They slammed against the wooden table with a loud thud that echoed through the empty library. I cringed and slowly sank into the chair. I traced my fingers along the thick, leather cover for a few moments as I delayed opening the book. There was an intricate design around the cover...swirling and dancing to create a border of deep emerald green. With a groan, I shook my head. No more stalling. I told myself as I flipped through the pages. The creatures I saw in the bestiary intrigued me. I saw beautiful drawings of unicorns, griffins, and werewolves. I stopped and read through some of the information quickly, taking note of the fact that certain herbs and metals were toxic to werewolves. It also mentioned vampire venom as a potential threat to werewolves. I flipped the pages and looked for the section on vampires. My search ended abruptly when I froze on a magnificent phoenix drawing. I stared at the blackened page that had a flaming bird painted across it. The bird was flying off the page as it ascended to the skies. I carefully took my eyes off of the drawing and read through the text. Susceptible to cold...extremely skilled with fire energy...form very exclusive social groups. I paused there. Perhaps that was why Kato was so afraid of leaving on his own...maybe he did not think his kind would accept him again. I wondered how young he had been when his life was stolen from him. My mind wandered back to the text as I searched for the next thing I was curious about... Lifespan. "Contrary to popular belief, many phoenixes never live through their first rebirth." I read the text in a whisper, shocked. "It is extremely difficult for a phoenix to journey through the reincarnation process. If they do not have a strong enough will, they will be consumed by the ashes and burn to nothing. If they succeed, they will retain their memories and their physical body will reform to its peak age. Reincarnation can potentially happen any time a phoenix dies, not just from old age. But the older they are, the greater chance of survival." I looked up from the book as I finished reading and stared off into space for a moment... Kato seemed much more vulnerable now. When I tried to turn the page, I realized my hands were shaking, and that I was afraid. I quickly turned the page and kept looking through creatures. I put the thought out of my mind as I focused on Misha again. I was having difficulty concentrating as I glanced at the different creatures on the many pages, and I knew I would never be able to make it through the entire book. I flipped to the back pages in case it had an index. There was no index in this book, so I pushed it aside and moved onto the next book. This book's cover was a man spearing a werewolf through the chest with a bright blade, and the leather was embroidered with the title "Creatures of the Night: Powers and Weaknesses". The images were much more violent in this book; they all focused on the creature either dying or killing something else. I swallowed hard as I looked at the table of contents. The creatures were categorized by "how they feed on their victims". I took my eyes off of the book and glanced around. Was I crazy for looking this up? I decided I had to look for sexual desire. That was the only thing I knew Misha did to others...so I scanned the list. Under "lustful desires", there was one creature listed...Succubus. I clawed at the pages quickly as I searched for the page it was on. My heart raced despite my pathetic attempt to calm myself. Finally, I reached the page. "Succubi are dark, female spirits that feed on sexual energy." My eyes slowly moved across the words, and a sick feeling filled my body. I forced myself to continue. "Typically they do not pose much of a threat. A succubus will take the form of an attractive woman, seduce a man, have intercourse, and move on. Males are the primary victims. Because most supernatural creatures carry stronger energy than regular humans, succubi seem to prefer werewolves and other shifters. Vampires and other "undead" creatures are not typically preferred because their energy is harder to harvest and utilize. Typically these creatures are also able to sense subtle changes in their energy, making them more dangerous to feed on." My mind raced as I read the pages. I thought about the image of Hale and Misha together for a second, and then forced myself to keep reading. "Succubi can lure their victims in various ways. They commonly manipulate emotions, use attraction, and create a mysterious aura about them that compels the victim to approach them. Succubi are only known to have a human form, and have never been seen transforming into anything. They can make their victim's see different features in their faces or body to appeal to them more, but the illusion does not last forever. The only consistent physical feature is dark eyes. Many have reported them to have brown to black eyes that darken when the situation is emotionally intense." The image of Misha's black eyes against his pale skin flashed in my mind...his eyes were black when I saw him in the snow. I cautiously continued to read. "After the encounter ends, the victim often feels disoriented and exhausted, but does not have any serious side effects. This is what makes succubi incredibly hard to track and study. As far as lifespan goes, all that is known about them is that they have regenerative abilities, and can heal themselves from most injuries as long as they have enough energy stored. There is no known way to kill them. They may or may not be immortal." I shivered and took my eyes off of the book. I hesitated to keep reading, but forced myself to do so. "There has never been evidence of an incubus, but these are the male counterparts. Because women often release far less energy during intercourse than males do, it is theorized that Incubi also target males. Males are easier to harvest energy from. Support for this theory can be found in reports of men who claim to have been assaulted by Incubi, but there is no solid proof. As far as supernatural powers go, it is unknown exactly what they can do. If they do exist, they are even less common than succubi." My head snapped upwards at the sound of footsteps. A few other people were wandering around the library now. With my eyes squeezed shut, I took a few deep breaths and tried to soothe my nauseous body and mind. I took a few moments to recollect myself. "These might not even be real." I whispered with shaking breath. "Calm down." I shut the books and carried them back to their shelf before quickly walking out of the library. The bookkeeper said something, but I felt too ill to respond. I shoved the glass doors open and began to walk down the hallway towards the main entrance. When I passed by the medical wing, I thought about whether or not I should see if Misha was around, but my thoughts were interrupted by another source of fear. My body froze when I saw Hale walking towards the medical wing. His cold, liquid eyes washed right over me as he flashed me a smirk. My hand clutched my stomach as the urge to vomit intensified with my terror. "See you this afternoon, two-fifty-seven." He said as he passed right by me. I turned and began to walk far away from the medical wing, still fighting the nausea. I staggered for a few steps before stopping at the main entrance doors. Fresh snow had masked the pits Misha and I had left in the courtyard, and I took a moment to absorb the perfected image. The sun had risen, and it was late morning by now. "Hey!" A sharp voice called after me. I jumped and turned to face Kato. "Where have you been?" He asked, looking agitated. "I've been looking all over for you!" "Kato!" I said in a hushed voice, still shaken from my newfound knowledge, as well as Hale passing by. "I need to sit down...I need to talk to you." "Is everything alright?" Kato asked, any hint of irritation now gone and replaced with concern. I nodded as he led me over to the lounge area. We sat down on at a table and I attempted to calm my mind. I still felt like vomiting, and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to say anything. "Hey, what happened?" Kato pressed, staring into my void eyes. "I have to meet with Hale later today." I sighed. I decided to start with that issue first. "I have no idea what I'm going to say to him...what if he finds out?" "Decipher, you have to calm down. Everything is going to be okay." Kato whispered. "Did something happen to you? What's wrong? You look like you're going to puke..." I swallowed hard again. "Let's just focus on Hale." "You're clearly bothered by something. What is it?" "I went searching for information about Misha!" I confessed loudly. "...and I think I found out what he is." "This is about Misha again?" Kato asked. "What he is? He's an ASSHOLE, Decipher!" "No, Kato...I-" I stuttered, afraid that I had upset him. "I was reading a bestiary...I came across something called a succubus and-" "And what?" Kato yelled with a look of betrayal. "Not only are those extremely rare, they're also always female. Why are you looking for excuses, Decipher?" "I'm not looking for excuses, but Kato!" I pleaded with him, "I don't know...I've met with the Goddess several times now, I just can't help but feel I need to do something for him...I can't seem to escape him." "Stop, Decipher." Kato said as he glared at me. "Misha is a terrible person, but that's it. If you can't escape him, that's something YOU need to work out. The Goddess couldn't have asked you to try and help him! He can only help himself, Decipher!" Kato rubbed his head in frustration and furrowed his brows. "I'm willing to help you escape Misha, but you need to meet me halfway and at least try and focus. Misha is responsible for everything he does. Even if he somehow was a succubus, why does it matter? He still made those choices!" Kato paused for a brief moment and panted. His angry expression softened into fear. "Do you even want to escape him?" "Of course!" I whimpered. "I just want to understand why..." "WHY?" Kato snapped. "There is no 'why'! His past turned him into an awful man, but he still chose to take that path! I want to know why you can't just focus on getting out instead. Forget about Misha, you'll never have to see him again. Fuck, you can even kill him before we go if you want...I don't care!" "I don't want him to die!" "You can't save him!" Kato yelled as he stood up, "I have to go. Get yourself together. We'll talk at lunch." "Wait, don't go!" "I have to. Try not to act so suspicious Kato snapped as he walked away. Kato deserved to walk away from me, and I knew that, but that didn't ease the pain of the situation. My body began to shake as I watched him storm off. I felt horrible for saying anything.
I wasn't sure what to do with myself now. I took the dagger out of my pocket and glanced down at it. Suddenly, I felt exhausted and weak. I coughed a few times and came close to vomiting. I glanced over at the hallway that led to the medical wing. Despite my fear of running into Misha or Hale, I decided I should ask a doctor for something to soothe my stomach. I wandered through the doors absent-mindedly. I approached the desk and leaned over it. "I need to see a doctor." I said. The receptionist looked up at me and smiled. "Sure. What seems to be the problem?" "Nausea, fatigue..." I mumbled as I clutched my dagger. "I think I'm going to pass out." The receptionist typed a few things into her computer, and waved down a nurse behind me. I turned to her as the receptionist handed her some paperwork. "You can come with me." She said. "I can give you a few things to help you relax." I nodded and followed her into one of the empty rooms, placing my dagger safely inside my jacket. The room didn't have a bed, but I wished it did. I sat down on the paper-covered, cushioned table instead. The nurse flipped through the papers and glanced up at me. "I'll need to check with someone before I administer any treatment." She said. "Just relax here." She left, and I laid back on the table and closed my eyes. I tried to take steady breaths, but my body felt horrible. I closed my eyes, and fell asleep for a few moments before my nausea intensified. I jerked upright and found myself facing Hale. "Two. Fifty. Seven." He smirked as he said the numbers, slowly and evenly. "You seem surprised to see me here." My ears laid flat against my skull. I didn't have a response. Anger and fear clouded any sort of rational thinking. "You're feeling sick, I hear." Hale said, glancing down at the paperwork. "I think I have a solution to that." I was suspicious, and confused. I sat up and looked into his eyes. "What do you want from me?" I asked, trying to mask the rage I felt. Hale's dark, crimson eyes were looking past me, and his smile remained. I had no idea how to interpret his facial expression. "You're an all or nothing kind of guy, aren't you?" He asked, folding his arms and looking down at me. "You just keep finding ways to exhaust all your resources. But I need you up and alert for the eclipse, dog!" "What do you expect me to do during the eclipse?" I asked, wondering why he would want me to be alert during the eclipse...maybe he really had no idea that I wanted to escape. "I want you to die." "Then kill me." We both fell silent. The lack of emotion in our words made the air tense. At this point, I was happy to hear that Hale wanted me dead. Death was far better than the other options...and maybe if I played along I could figure out what he was up to. "In due time." Hale laughed. "I see you're done with this planet." His laugh made me ill. He leaned closer to me. I breathed out as steadily as I could. "What do you want from me?" I repeated my question. "I got what I needed from you." He said, his liquid eyes shimmering. "The Goddess loves you, doesn't she? Expects big things from you...But of course, we all have a choice. Play her game, or start your own." My chest tightened at the mention of the Goddess. I gripped the dagger blade in my pocket. It remained still and quiet. "You think you can rebel against her by destroying something she favors? That's your game?" I asked in disbelief. It was difficult believing Hale was that petty; he seemed too powerful to be that foolish. "You're right. I am playing my own game." His grin vanished. "If you don't want to play my game, then why should I bother keeping you around?" Before I could respond, he grabbed my arm and swiped the dagger from my jacket. He brought it close to my face and slid the blade down my cheek, over my eyes. I resisted flinching away from him. He stepped closer to me and touched my neck with the dagger blade. I shivered; it felt so icy in his hands.
"Say I tell you to stab yourself in the eye," He said with a flash of his wicked teeth. "Would you?" I pulled my lips back. "What point are you trying to make?" "Of course you wouldn't...Unless I added something to the equation." My ears flicked in annoyance. I wasn't sure what he was trying to tell me. "Like Kato! If I said, 'Two-fifty-seven, stab yourself in the eye right now or else I will kill your phoenix.', you might change your mind!" "What's your point?" I growled. "My point is nothing stands in your way except for you." Hale said. The words would have normally been encouraging, but his bloody eyes made me sick and I didn't want to hear anything he was saying. Why was he telling me this? He moved the dagger down to my forearm. He slipped my jacket sleeve up, and sliced the flesh over the black markings. The black markings did not glow this time, and deep, red blood streaked out of the incision. He dropped the dagger at my side and grabbed my face. "You," he smiled again, "are no longer scientifically intriguing. You've become no more interesting than a child of the Goddess...and we can always find some of those to study now and then. The only problem is, we would never dare sacrifice one of them." Hale must have been confident of his plan to reveal any details to me. I swallowed hard and listened as my blood flowed from the wound. He wants to sacrifice me. I thought, more annoyed than afraid. "You, however, are probably far less important to the Goddess. I have a higher chance of not inducing wrath on myself if I kill you." He laughed again. "I mean, look at what she let us do to you! She doesn't care about an alien, you aren't her child." "So you want me to just sit quietly and accept my death?" "Of course I wouldn't expect that from you." Hale winked. "You're a fighter. Sure, you're fucking terrified of everything, but you have this built-up rage within you that finds the worst moments to escape." He laughed. "I like that about you. I'm not too concerned; your poor timing is often quite convenient for me." The wound throbbed. I carefully brought my hand up in attempt to stop the bleeding. He shoved my hand away from the wound and gripped onto the side of my arm. My eyes went wide as I felt his energy wrap inside my markings. My body became paralyzed as his energy moved through my blood. What is he searching for? I asked myself against the struggle. I felt my muscles tense and relax as different emotions flooded my mind. After a few moments, I decided he was trying to ensure the magic compulsion he and Misha had over me still intact. With a scream of pain, my mind locked onto his thoughts involuntarily. I was tempted to pull away, but I realized now was the only chance I'd ever have to search his memories. I focused onto his mind and felt his unguarded thoughts dance around in my head while he was preoccupied. I searched for the most emotionally intense memory involving Misha, and the image filled my mind instantly. There was blood everywhere. Misha was covered in lacerations that his blood rained from. Hale violently bit and sucked at his blood, draining him. Misha leaned against Hale in response, clutching onto his body tightly as he whined in pain. I began to regret focusing on the memory, but now I couldn't escape it. I had to watch. Misha's face was desperate and began to grow weak. When he collapsed on the floor, Hale shoved him over and crawled on top of him...Hale removed his own pants and... I closed my eyes and avoiding the thought the best I could as Misha began to suck on Hale's dick. As he did so, his wounds began to heal underneath his red-painted skin. My mind wandered back to the first time Misha had violated me...he had been wounded. Sheila had sliced his neck open, but it was gone the next day. How had I not noticed that? My mind snapped back to the memory as I heard Misha groan in pain. "You take too much energy..." Misha's voice sputtered as he coughed. His body seemed to struggle to heal itself. Hale moved off of the top of him, wiping the blood from his black coat. "There are plenty of other options. Go suck someone else's dick." Misha rolled over and tried to push himself up. "I don't understand why it's so hard to use your energy." He mumbled. I became more curious...did Misha not even understand what he was? "It's because I'm powerful." Hale laughed as he lifted Misha's limp body upwards. "And you are not. Our energy just isn't compatible." My mind raced. Was Hale keeping Misha in the dark about what he was, somehow? Surely Misha had to know by now...when had this occurred? When I looked at Misha, he resembled the young doctor I had seen in the memory before. But how young was younger? "But, Hale-" "Stop talking." Hale demanded. "The deal is off." "Wait! Why?" Misha seemed desperate. "You said my blood was potent." Hale smirked and looked down at Misha's shivering figure. "You said I take too much." "I didn't mean it!" Misha pleaded. "I was just exhausted." "You're such a desperate little whore." Hale laughed before driving his fangs into Misha's flesh once more. I tore myself away from the memory, trying to avoid reacting too violently as I returned to my own mind. Between Misha being an incubus, and Hale being a vampire, I had no idea what feelings were real and what was superficial in this scenario. Was it possible that Misha was confused by his own emotions? Why was he so desperate for Hale's approval? Hale's energy was difficult for him to use, and Hale certainly wasn't willing to make it easy. It was clear Hale enjoyed playing with Misha. I wondered if Misha's blood really was potent, or if Hale had just lied to Misha to try and justify his actions to him. Misha's reactions to Hale seemed hauntingly familiar to how I had reacted to Misha's advances...too pathetic to stop him from taking advantage. I opened my eyes to see Hale still focusing on my arm rather intently. I couldn't feel my body, or move. I felt numb and disconnected as he worked through my energy. How long was I in the memory? It felt like no time had passed. After a few moments, Hale removed his hand from my bleeding arm and stared back at me. Slowly, the feeling began to return to my body. I twitched the muscles in my face as I regained control. "How are you feeling?" He asked, licking the blood from his fingers nonchalantly. I tried to not look surprised, but I couldn't help but remain silent as I wondered if he even realized what I saw. I assumed he would have known, but his stoic expression revealed nothing. "Nauseous." I eventually replied. Even though it had dulled, I did still had the faint desire to vomit. Hale turned and dug around in the counters. I watched him pull out a vial and draw the liquid into a syringe. He turned back to me and injected it into my arm. The icy needle stung, and he seemed less practiced with injections. My lip twitched from the pain as he tugged the needle out rather roughly. "Go to your room and rest for the day." Hale demanded. "You are still recovering from yesterday." I carefully stood up as the injection soothed my stomach and cleared my mind a bit. I was suspicious of Hale, but there was nothing more I could do. I wiped the dagger blade against the white sheets to clean it off, but didn't bother cleaning my arm off. I slid my jacket back into place, and took a step towards the door. Hale's eyes were locked with mine as we stared at each other in cold silence. Finally, I gave up on deciphering his emotions, and I headed towards my room. Once again, my mind flooded with concerns. Hale had mentioned some sort of sacrifice during the eclipse, and my poor timing helping him accomplish his goals. I had to find a way to act completely out of character and surprise him. Honestly, I had changed. The fear I felt no longer controlled me. If anything, it motivated me. Then Misha appeared in my mind. Misha...what was that all about? He was a fool. There was no saving Misha, but still I felt a longing to try. This time, I had wandered into a memory without the Goddess's help, and I had seen another instance of Misha allowing himself to be abused. Was that all he was? The only explanation for the monster he had become? I shook my head. If he couldn't be saved, I needed to kill him. I didn't want the temptation of returning to him. He was a terrible person, and I couldn't let myself be controlled by him...why was this so hard? Even if I could escape him, he wasn't going to change. I couldn't let others be hurt by him. How else was I going to stop him? Misha would have to die.