Kai’s ears were ringing so much that he almost didn’t catch the next words the child spoke.

  "Well, it was fun talking, but that’s my cue."

  Kai looked towards the child once again, only to find an expression heavy with pity.

  "I would invite you along, but I don’t know if you took from the universe or not. Can’t risk the reapers coming for us. Especially given their track record with us, sanguine."

  The child seemed to shudder at the memory.

  "Honestly, out of all the things they chose to do with their strange power, they decided their first course of action should have been to exterminate our entire population.

  The child brushed dust from his shoulder, glancing toward Kai once more, his smile revealing two sharp, front teeth, as he listened to the heavy footsteps approaching.

  "Wish you luck with those freaks who chained us up, though."

  And just like that, the child shattered the restraints around his limbs and vanished in a gust of freezing wind.

  Kai was left alone, chained to the wall, the cold from outside already seeping into his bones.

  He was about to stew in his rage at the child when the door burst open. Two figures stepped through, their faces hidden behind theater masks—one with a strange half-smile, the other a frown.

  "The vampire left him. How come?"

  Kai heard the first speaker.

  "Maybe he didn’t know about the trap beforehand?" the other mused.

  That was odd—how could he say that when it was clearly the opposite?

  Kai’s thoughts lingered on it briefly until the child’s last warning came to mind. Reapers.

  He shuddered at the thought.

  Finally, fear overtaking him, he spoke.

  "What are the reapers?"

  Instantly, the masked men’s heads snapped 180 degrees toward him—literally snapped—while their bodies stayed perfectly still. The sight was horrifying.

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  "You shouldn’t know that word."

  "You should know that word."

  They spoke in perfect unison. The strangeness of their agreement sent chills down his spine.

  Before he could process it, adrenaline surged through him as the two synchronized their steps, slowly advancing.

  "You did a great job as bait," the frowning one said.

  Both snapped Kai’s arms up and dragged him toward the door they had entered through, seemingly forgetting the chain tethering him.

  It wasn’t until the chain reached its limit, ripping him from their grasp, that they noticed it.

  "I forgot to take off the chain…"

  "I took off the chain…"

  Again, they spoke simultaneously. Shivers ran down his spine.

  They approached the chain in perfect sync. One moved to a brick column on his right, the other to one on his left. Both pressed a hand against a brick at the same time, sliding it free.

  In response, the chain around Kai’s foot retracted.

  And as it did, he ran.

  He had obviously messed up by mentioning the reapers. And given the actions of the two figures, he didn't think anything good would come if he stuck around.

  So he didn't.

  He burst through the door, winding through hallways, where paintings and maids alike seemed to stare at him as he moved.

  The sight only pushed his adrenaline further, causing his footsteps to hasten to a point where he had thought they wouldn't be able to move any faster. At least that was until he noticed that for every maid he saw, an extra pair of footsteps joined in on the chase. Each adding up until he heard a flurry of stomps behind him.

  Each step felt like hell. And for each person he saw along the corridor, seemingly already ready for his arrival, Kais dread only grew.

  And before he knew it, Kai had been surrounded by hundreds of silhouettes masked with the same uncanny two-theatre masks.

  "Why must you run?"

  They all asked at the same time, voices compiling into a head-splitting screech.

  "Life is better as part of the whole."

  Kai couldn't take it anymore; he could feel blood running down his ears as pain throbbed through his temple.

  He searched for a way out, any one he could find.

  Nothing, just a glass window overlooking a town from what looked like the second story of a castle.

  That was a survivable jump, right?

  Probably.

  He ran towards the window, passing by a couple of the things on the way, one gripping at his arm tight enough to rip the top layer of skin off.

  However, the momentum Kai had built up couldn't be stopped, as he was already in the air, soaring towards the glass pane, which gave way to his force, easily, causing glass shards pierce his skin all over.

  The rush of free fall was pure bliss, the wind in his hair blew it haphazardly in kais face, which caused him to notice its hazel color. He would need to find a mirror later to see his appearance.

  But nothing felt worse than the realization that came before him as he landed, noticing the city where citizens bustled about, some selling wares, with others buying them, and children running about.

  The scene would have been almost calming.

  Would have.

  Each citizen, who had all been too busy to possibly notice Kai, especially in the cacophony of the square, suddenly froze, snapping their heads toward Kai, some too far for their bodies to handle, as the sickening cracks of their necks seemed to pollute the air, and corpses fell, unnoticed.

  Worse, they all shared the same cursed, two-faced mask.

  The same mask that those in the palace had been wearing as they chased Kai endlessly.

  And the same masks that he felt would be chasing him soon.