V   Give In To Me

Before Elfric could ask what the hell did he mean by that, the red-headed man was already gone. Leaving Elfric amidst the strong stink of blood, dirt, sweat, and four corpses. As he took another closer look at the scene that parameter by walls on either side, he found himself falling to his knees whatever strength he had regained since that God-forsaken day was now gone.

His mind was screaming in denial while his common sense yelled the opposite. There was no one here other than him, but also, there was no way that he could just kill 4 men double his own weight and run away with it. But from what the red-headed man just said…he did get away with it.

Almost as if all his sense of survival has been awakened, he covered his head again with the white hood that was spotless even with all this blood that coated almost every corner of the alley, yet he was standing there spotless except for his bloody hands.

He dug them deep in his pockets as he dashed off into the half-empty street. He had to get away from here, as far away as he could. From the way that they all dressed, they were nobles…he cursed under his breath. If everything he saw and heard was real then, he just killed a noble, and there was no way he was going to get away with it.

'You are welcome,'

Elfric's head jolted to look behind him, only to see bystanders living their normal lives. 'What the hell was that?' he cursed as he frowned his brows under the hood of his sweater. It seems that he wasn't only hearing one sentence but a bunch of them now. 'Congratulations Elfric, you have officially lost your mind' he thought as he increased his pace. Whatever plans he had to go to school on time was now gone. All he cared about at this point was figure out what the hell did that man mean! Whoever Orathon is, he should stay clear of Elfric.

'I'm him,'

"THEN YOU BETTER STAY THE FUCK AWAY!" Elfric yelled out, anyone who was within range flinched, he brought himself unwanted attention as people took a good look at him. Each two glued to each other murmured loud enough for him to hear.

"He looks young but his hair is all white,"

"Did you see his eyes!"

He bit on his lower lips to somewhat control the anger that was flowing out of him, clenching the strap of his bag – somehow it was still in place after everything that seemed to have happened when he was in dreamland.

'Soon…soon you are going to give in,'

~~~~

Elfric burst open the door to the classroom, gaining everyone's attention. He thanked the fact that his appearance to the whole class was now an old boring story. The moment that he stepped foot inside the class he took of his head and with it, he released a breath that was held in all through the way.

Before his eyes could even take in the people in the class, a loud voice called him at the same time as an arm was wrapped around his neck. Christopher half jumping on Elfric, pulled him under his armpits.

"Bro, shouldn't you be resting after…" Christopher stopped midway as he saw the way Elfric eyed him. Right, the whole class was up and around. If this was to get out that they went clubbing late at night, and the club was lit on fire on top of all of that…Christopher didn't want to even imagine how his end would be.

Chris released Elfric as he took a deep breath, brushing his brown locks off his face giving way to his green eyes to pop out of their sockets. "Anyway," he finally said. "Are you seriously okay?" he tilted his head to take a closer look at Rick. He figured that he is fine since he was up and about, and Rick wasn't exactly the type of person to force himself to go to school if he didn't feel like it.

Rick walked past Chris as he followed behind him, waiting eagrly for a reply. Elfric felt his head about to be smashed to pieces, thank goodness that the creepy voice was quiet somehow, giving him a few minutes of quality time.

"I'm fine, Chris," Elfric finally said his first words as he gestured tiredly for Chris to sit down. "You are making my headache worse, sit down."

Chris blinked a couple of times before deciding to do as he was told and sat down on the desk that was right in front of Elfric by the window side.

"Chris, do you remember what happened exactly?" Elfric spoke out of thin air. Chris turned halfway in his seat to rest his elbow on Elfric's desk as he processed the question. Chris didn't need to ask what he was talking about, it was clear that he meant that night at the nightclub.

"Honestly, I don't know, Rick," he confessed. "I left that basement thinking that you were right behind me. I walked back into the club to realize that you weren't there but by that time everything was lit on fire. I want to ask you what the hell went on down there?"

'He didn't see anything. That means everything was normal up there to some extent.' Rick thought as he stared blankly.

"I-I don't know," Elfric lied – to some extent. He truly had no idea if that Shadow was true or if that voice was actually there, or who that red-headed guy was from this morning…more importantly…if he really killed those men…

The thought brought chills all over his skin, he felt nauseas from the mere thought of it. Chris noticed that way he was gazing into the abyss, but before he could pull his friend of his daze, the teacher was already in class. He gave him one last look before turning back to sit upright in his chair.

Elfric didn't even see his friend move or the teacher's movement. "You monster…" the red-haired man told him, his words were forming a loop in the cells of his brain. Rick had no memory of the moment, all he remembers is the strong smell of blood that still lingers in his nostrils. Not even a drop of blood was on his white hoodie.

"Orathan," he mumbled under his breath, the teacher's loud voice swallowed his own. The name sounded like something from the 17th century or something. Was this Orathan the same shadow that he saw back there? The question couldn't leave his mind, replaying the events over and over again.

Trying to remember the fragments of his memory that he lost but there was helping it. There was nothing in his head to remember about these times, it was almost as if he ceased to exist during these small minutes…as if it wasn't him that was holding the reins, an empty vessel used by whatever was inside him.

'You have finally lost your mind, Rick,' he thought as he scoffed silently. He tried his best to concentrate in class and take his mind off these thoughts, but the attempt only worsened his pain.

'You are soon going to give in to my existence,'