— THE EYE OF ZAUN.

The reason I have been M.I.A. for the past couple of weeks on both Tumblr and Discord is because of mental and physical health. My ex has tried to contact me on Instagram and my phone number. Plus, I found out that the anon that was harassing me a few months ago was my ex, since it were detailed things only he knows. I thought my anxiety got the best of me, guess I was damn right.

Welp, perhaps time to dip from this blog and make another. Not sure yet, though.

you were there at the beginning. now you get to see how it ends.

deep down, i knew war was coming. i was just waiting for someone to pull the trigger.

just so we're on the same page here, i fully, fully intend to kill you. but first, we're gonna make you suffer.

something's changed. you're different.

can you remember when it was simple?

you don't need to worry about us, or feel responsible.

we're fighting with you, not for you, okay?

how many lives will you destroy in pursuit of what you call justice?

you are the product of everything you fear: violence, darkness, helplessness.

what have i got to be afraid of?

you're afraid of being ashes. you're afraid of being forgotten. and you will be forgotten. because of me.

you are under my protection.

i have already won.

go to hell.

i've got nothing to say to you.

talk, or i will crush every bone in your body.

some things you can't do alone.

call if you need me.

turn around.

you really have no idea, do you?

this is who you are. it's not the face you're given, it's the face you choose.

don't call me that! that's not who i am!

you don't scare me.

what's the matter? lost for words? i expected more.

don't you dare lie to me!

i trusted you, and you just left me to die!

you can't hide from me! i will hunt you down!

i may never get the chance to tell you this, to say sorry.

we're the same. we'd do anything for our family.

are you hurt?

it's all personal. very personal.

oh, what's the matter? touched a nerve?

you still haven't apologized.

sorry for making criminals think less of you.

hey, have i ever hurt anyone? i'm not one of the bad guys. i'm freelance.

you should pick a side.

aren't you in prison?

if you want him dead, why come to me? you seem capable.

he's better off dead.

he's gone. did he hurt you?

you're wrong.

look me in the eye and say that.

come on, you need to do this.

you're doing the right thing. trust me.

look after them all.

you've been a good friend. the best i could ask for.

looks like the secret's out.

what happened, [name]? you used to put up a fight.

you're coming with me.

you're trapped. there's nowhere to run.

please be careful with the car.

this is the end. this is the last time we meet.

don't talk like that, okay? this won't stop you. nothing stops you.

where am i? what's happening to me?

keep your guns trained on him.

the world should see you for the worthless thing you are. but i already know, and i'm not waiting anymore.

some secrets i kept to myself.

it's the only way, [name].

when they find out who you are, there'll be no hiding.

i hope whatever they paid you was worth it.

you're a psychotic killer. you belong behind bars.

what matters is we never give up. we keep fighting.

you need to see this.

this is all your fault.

i never should have trusted you.

i'll do this on my own.

stay away from my family.

looking for someone?

Wake up. Why can't you...? And face me. Come on now... Don't play dead. Don't play dead... 'Cause maybe. Because maybe... Someday. Someday I'll... I will walk away and say: "you fucking disappoint me." Maybe you're better off this way...

And where his former brother-in-arms had been, a being beyond words emerged, sending a chill of horror racing up Vander's spine, leading him to shudder. Pupils dilated as eyes widened, and he found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look away, couldn't bring himself to. This was a monster of his own creation, he was sure of it; what more poetic end could there be than being killed by a monster that he had made?

Then it clicked, when the thrashing being was dragged back under, the ruckus from its fighting eventually giving way to an eerie silence.

"Silco."

The man that emerged next was not the friend he had once known. It was a man he had met only once, that very last day; it was the man who had been there, watching, as Vander's children had tried so hard, only for death to be their reward. The man who had stabbed Vander in the back, literally -- then stabbed him in the front for good measure. The real monster that Vander had created, and oh, how he wished he had been able to finish the job he'd started back then, purely so that his kids would have been spared from the crossfire.

With the initial shock and fear having ebbed, the cold gaze of Silco's was met with a fiery rage as the other approached, and there it remained even as he moved behind him. Vander's "good" hand curled into a tight fist, knuckles turning white, and eventually traces of blood dripped to the floor -- only for the small wounds from his nails to immediately heal. In the same way that Silco's whispering voice gave an impression of friendliness, Vander's own low, rumbling words held a note of teasing to them -- punctuated by a grin. "This the worst you can do? You're losing your touch, brother."

Of course, the warmth of his words was contradicted by the fury that pooled and churned within his heterochromatic eyes. He turned his head as far as he could to try and follow the other man's movements, a feat made all the more difficult by his warped anatomy. Then his head turned the other way at that whisper and subsequent chuckle into his elongated, animal-like ear. He may have been unrecognizable as the man he had been, but the massive being was, fortunately, still passable as a Vastaya. There was some strain to his voice courtesy of his vocal chords, but he still managed to pseudo-tease in spite of the occasional wince from the efforts: "Let me show you. All you have to do ... is let me free, and we'll have a real party. How about it?"

"Hm," A low, condescending chuckle escaped the man as the corner of his lips faintly curled up. Ice and fire glanced to the side, watching Vander, if he even could call him that still.

"Oh, but you still take me for a fool, don't you?" Stepping to the side, hands were clasped behind his back and he watched how the chains restrained the other. "We both know I cannot take you on in a brawl. You have proven that back then in the river." Reaching, fingers traced his scarred side, smudging the make-up away, and revealing the rot underneath it.

The air began to thicken as Silco's gaze grew colder. "Tell me," He whispered, lifting his chin ever so slightly. "Do you hate yourself? For what you have done? For the death of those children?" He paused, tilting his head from one side to the other. "You left them all alone. Vi, Powder."

Lowering his head whilst his eye fell shut, soft laughter began to grow. "You still do not understand, do you?" He said between his laughs. "I'm not here to physically torment you, no~" Reaching, he took a firm grip of the other's jaw. Firmer than one might imagine. Leaning in, his damaged eye beamed brighter in the dark, and a twisted expression grew. "I'm here to torment you mentally. Singed has already done the physical part for me."

His grip tightened even more as he leaned in to the beast's ear. "I'm not going anywhere." He hissed like a serpent ready to sink its fangs into its prey. "You're mine."