Shadowed Stars

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"In time, yes." Keene agreed quietly as he opened the door to the Waterlily and the hybrid made his way into the cockpit, saying nothing more as he used the sensors to make sure Raxiel and Dorene were inside before shutting the door and the sky-opening above Nyteek's room, and starting the ship up. It didn't take long before they broke atmosphere and Keene sent the ship speeding away from the small planet. He didn't jump, biting back a whimper at the very thought, but he did cloak them before standing unsteadily from the chair. Blood coated the thing, some his and some not, but the black-haired male didn't even seem to notice.

His mind was in a haze as he made his way past his companions and down the corridor to the showers. He washed the blood off in a routine-like way and dressed carefully, dully assessing the wounds all over his body, healing, leaving no marks. Keene didn't look himself in the mirror, didn't dare to and he left the showers with his hair dripping, dressed loosely and without shoes. In short, he looked almost like the child-like version of himself in Tessa dream.

Just an older, hurt, numb, exhausted version.

The hybrid wasn't really aware of where the others were as he made his way to Nyteek's room. They could have been following him or in a different part of the ship entirely. He didn't know and he didn't care as the Aislon greeted him with a soft croon and Keene moved to her side, laying down and curling himself there. The creature settled her body around him, curling protectively and she nuzzled and breathed into his wet hair as Keene started to cry.

He wasn't loud, he didn't sob or wail....he just cried. The pressure in his chest had only been abated slightly by killing, the pain numbed temporarily, but it wasn't enough and now the horror and the guilt, the pain and sadness escaped in bitter, salty lines down his face, reminding him that he'd failed the people that had been killed. Keene cried and he only did so because he had faith that Nyteek would keep people away.

What he wasn't really aware of yet was that Nyteek LIKED these three new people in a way she'd never liked anyone but Keene himself. If one of them came in now, she wouldn't hinder them in the slightest.
 
Keene's general unresponsiveness was cue enough for the three that they should give Keene his space. Dorene eyed the dark-haired male with some concern but she said nothing and she retreated back to her room - no doubt to decompress from the events of the day and record her observations. Raxiel too, left Keene to go elsewhere on the ship. Tessa was the last to leave, finding it difficult to tear her thoughts away from the hybrid. She wanted to say something, to do something, to help the man but she didn't know what.

When Keene left to take a shower then, Tessa decided it would be best if she did the same. Unlike the male, Tessa had no blood on her but she showered all the same to cleanse the sweat and dirt from her. With no wounds to tend to, Tessa emerged from her room before Keene did and she was making her way down the hallway to find something to eat when she spotted Keene.

Instantly, Tessa froze in her spot, watching the dark-haired man as he made his way to Nyteek's room. She probably wouldn't have bothered with him at all but the way he looked now, so tired and defeated, struck a chord. He was not so different from the child she had seen in her dreams and like she had done with the child, Tessa now chose to follow Keene again.

She assumed the man was aware of her presence but when Keene entered Nyteek's room and settled against the Aislon, it dawned on Tessa that she was not supposed to be witnessing this side of him. Tessa paused outside of the doorway, mentally debating whether or not to proceed. The white-haired female was never one for caution though, and it didn't take long before Tessa made up her mind. She slowly entered the room then, her attention on Nyteek as she did so; after all, the Aislon would be aware of Keene's current vulnerability and Tessa wanted to make sure she wouldn't be snapped at or something while approaching.
 
The Aislon lifted her head a little, not enough to alert Keene that they had visitors, but enough to show Tessa that she'd seen her. Gold eyes studied the white-haired female, nostrils flaring just a little to really take in her scent and Nyteek finally crooned softly even as she lowered her head back down to Keene, rubbing her now-marked muzzle against his head. The comfort the creature showed made the hybrid's tears flow a little faster, but he reached up and caressed Nyteek's head in a grateful way. The Aislon nuzzled at him again, almost as if she were trying to draw his attention slowly to the fact that Tessa was here.

It took a long moment for the male to understand Nyteek's message and when he did, Keene froze, his head snapping away from his chest, still resting on the floor but this time straightened. His pale green eyes caught on Tessa's soft-lit aurora ones and the hybrid found that his mind wanted to pull him in two entirely different directions. He wanted to retreat, to close off and act like nothing was wrong, maybe even get angry and tell her to leave - basically make another fight between them.

And another part of him, equally as strong now, simply wanted to remain as he was, to let his emotions come as they wanted to and trust that Tessa wouldn't think less of him for them. And if there was anyone who might fit that description, it was Nimue's heir. It had always been that way.

Keene tentatively decided on a medium, sitting up slowly and wiping his eyes, keeping himself against Nyteek's side. His arms came around his legs, protective and his tail wrapped around his legs and the rest of his body, instinctively making himself smaller than he was - which wasn't exactly easy, but he seemed to do it rather well.

The hybrid's voice was rough from crying, slightly defensive, but he wasn't outright attacking or even mean. Merely uncomfortable. "Do you need something?"
 
Tessa hesitated a little when Nyteek raised her head but when the Aislon showed no signs of hostility, Tessa's uncertainty lessened some. Nyteek had demonstrated a good grasp of knowing what Keene needed in the past and the fact that she was letting Tessa approach now was a good indication that perhaps interacting with Keene wouldn't end in complete disaster. The thought emboldened the white haired female and she only paused again when Keene finally looked up at her.

Tessa tensed marginally, part of her expecting Keene to lash out or snap at her. When the black haired male merely regarded with her caution though, Tessa exhaled lightly in relief.

"No, I... I just wanted to check on you. Do you... want to talk about what happened?"

Tessa had no idea how Keene would handle her request and she highly doubted he would take her up on the offer. Still, it would at least let the hybrid know that he wasn't alone and Tessa hoped that would provide some sort of comfort for him.
 
The hybrid stared at Tessa for a long minute, his pale jade eyes blank, nothing but his tense body and the way he curled in on himself giving away the fact that he was not okay. A myriad of thoughts whirled through his mind, not foresight, but mere thoughts and Keene found he didn't know what to do. Not this time and he didn't like it, wasn't used to it. The guilt he felt was overwhelming and the pain...if he thought about it, he wouldn't be able to breathe.

All those people...

Tears were making their way down his face again before he fully realized it and Keene didn't stop them this time, unable to muster the energy to care anymore. His walls were crumbling rapidly, the coldness thawing out with the sheer overwhelming grief and anger he felt and the black-haired male spoke hoarsely. "I don't know." He didn't know what he wanted, hell, he didn't even know what he needed anymore. It was all becoming blurred or maybe it had been for a while and he'd just not realized it.

There was so much pain and rejection inside Keene that he'd started to believe that was all that he was capable of feeling anymore, but Tessa - and even Dorene - had been trying in their own ways to reach him and...Tessa especially was someone instinct told him he could trust. Nimue's heir. She was connected to him, part of him in a way and Keene was finding it extremely difficult to keep pushing that away.

"I don't know. I don't....I can't...I..."

The hybrid broke, starting to sob, his body shaking as he tried to curl into himself even more tightly, trying to contain the hurt and protect himself all at the same time.
 
Tessa remained silent as she waited for Keene's response and the concerned thought trickled into her mind that the male might choose that moment to fortify his walls and withdraw into himself. She was a little surprised then, when Keene spoke next. Watching the man's defenses crack and eventually fall apart gripped Tessa more than she had expected. She frowned, instinctively moving towards the dark haired male. She knelt down in front of Keene and without even thinking about it, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her.

"I know it's hard. It's not fair for you - it never has been. But what you did today... you helped those people and once they come to their senses, they'll be grateful. And for the ones we couldn't save... that was Rasheel's fault, not yours."

Tessa pulled back slightly then, so that if Keene happened to look up, she could catch his jade eyes with her violet ones. "Things will be different from now on. You have me, Dorene, and Raxiel to help you. We'll find a way to stop Rasheel for good and then you won't have to deal with this anymore."
 
He didn't expect the touch.

No one touched him unless it was to cause pain and Keene flinched instinctively when he felt her arms come around him, pulling him close. His sobs choked off, as he grew uncertain and therefore wary, but no harm came and Nyteek crooned gently at him, nudging his back softly, telling him all was well. And then Tessa's words were telling him that she understood and while he didn't know HOW she could know what he'd been through, all the pain and...and he didn't even want to think about it. She knew, though. Her words were so right in that moment, so comforting that he couldn't help but relax in her hold.

So Keene gave up and he let himself cry, he let himself feel the sadness because he'd already felt the anger. He'd already killed with the anger. Now there was nothing left but the sorrow and the crushing guilt.

It was a guilt that Tessa's words tried to absolve him of, but the hybrid knew better and as she pulled back, he shook his head, jade eyes meeting her insistent violet ones briefly before Keene shut his own, denial in their depths. No. No she was wrong.

The hybrid took a deep breath, a shaky one that he used to try to steady himself and it was clear he was trying to reerect his walls again, looking for any way to push away because it was safer that way - or so he thought - but Keene was floundering more than he wanted to admit. His eyes opened, meeting Tessa's again and his expression struggled between blank and pained. "It WAS my fault. She killed them because of me. They're dead because of me. She's stronger than me, she won't stop. We can't stop her."

He brought his hands up, effectively breaking the white-haired female's hold on him. He immediately missed her touch afterward, but didn't know how to express that or even if he should as he cradled his head, fingers curling into his wet hair, the ends still dripping. "I'm broken. Maybe...if I was..was pure, untainted then....maybe with you I would have had a chance, but....I'm broken. I'm nothing but death and pain to all that I touch and....I can't stop her." he whispered, finding that saying the words aloud lifted something from him even as he was entirely unsure why he said them at all.
 
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Tessa stubbornly held onto Keene even after he initially flinched; she knew Keene's reaction was only because of his unfamiliarity with friendly touch and she wanted to break past that barrier, even if she sympathized with the reaction. When the male finally relaxed in her arms and let himself cry then, Tessa pulled him closer and gently rested her head against his. It felt strange to be so close to the hybrid; she could feel the muscle and power that rested just beneath the surface in the man and her senses were filled with a scent that was both pleasantly foreign and unmistakeably male.

The closeness momentarily distracted Tessa and when Keene finally pulled away, her violet eyes met his jade ones questioningly. Keene's insistence on denial focused Tessa again though, and she frowned slightly.

"Stop it. You're not broken. You always help people the best that you can. Just because Rasheel succeeded this once doesn't mean it has to happen again. You can't give up - if you give up, nobody else stands a chance. Besides, you're not alone now. We're going to help you defeat Rasheel. You don't have to do it alone."

Tessa's expression softened a little then and a faint smile formed on her lips. "We all believe in you, Keene. You're the only one here that thinks you can't do it."
 
He didn't understand.

She'd seen what he'd done just in their time together. He'd killed a Galactic General, threatened an Emperor, had caused the deaths of an entire planet - even if she wanted to insist otherwise - and now he'd slaughtered a whole port full of people. Would she say it didn't count because they were slavers? How could she look at him and say she believed in him? Believed what, that he could stop the killing?

She didn't understand.

She didn't know, not really, what he was and Keene didn't know how to tell her or even if he wanted to and his jade eyes met her soft ones with a withdrawn expression. His gaze was becoming like glass again, blanking out and his tone was slipping back into the neutral territory he'd maintained for most of the trip. The haze in the hybrid's eyes was not caused by his power, though, but from memories, past experience.

"Rasheel has succeeded in this way for years, Tessa. I haven't given up else she would stop tormenting me. You can be reassured by that." He shook his head slowly and made his way to his feet, clearly unsteady and damp, and Nyteek rumbled in a worried way, hovering over him with concerned gold eyes, sensing the turmoil inside that he was trying so hard to hide. "She WILL be defeated someday, but you're wrong. It's not going to be me that does it. I'm supposed to...to be of the Light and I'm not, but neither am I of the Dark. I am a very dark gray and I was shattered long ago. I can't fight her because she will always win if I am involved. It's safer for me to be alone, to guide where I can, and to leave those who are filled with the Light, untarnished, to fight this battle."

The belief he felt about these words, the sheer lack of self-worth he placed on himself was clear to hear and Keene didn't wait for a response. He just left as tired, hurt and numb as when he'd come in and the Aislon whined softly after him before looking down at Tessa and nudging her body gently, probably meant both to comfort and to seek comfort.
 
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Tessa had hoped her words might have more of an impact on the dark haired male but Keene was becoming increasingly withdrawn instead. He was utterly convinced that he was too broken to be a real help and even though Tessa knew that wasn't true, she also wasn't sure how she could convince him otherwise.

She said nothing as Keene walked away, her violet eyes watching the man with both frustration and sympathy. When Nyteek nudged her though, Tessa turned around to face the Aislon. She forced a smile and began to pet the Aislon's nose.

"It's okay. He'll come around one of these days."

Tessa wasn't even sure she believed that herself but she felt obligated to say something to the concerned creature. She pet Nyteek for a few more moments before turning to leave as well, deciding to give up for the night. She figured Keene obviously wasn't budging anytime soon and pushing him further may only encourage him to withdraw more. Tessa decided then that it would be more productive to get some sleep now and deal with the broody male later.
 
Keene's mind found Tessa's easily this time and the child came into her head in the same way he had before. Jade eyes contained happy laughter and this time the black-haired child didn't hesitate to come to the white-haired woman's side and wrap his arms around her, grinning up at her when he pulled back a little.

He was genuinely glad to see her, trying to show her that there WAS a part of Keene that wanted her around, and he took her hand when he pulled back, smile enticing her to follow him. His clothes hung off him and once more he was barefoot, but this time he looked like he'd been playing in the trees, twigs and leaves in his hair and his skin dirtied from the mud and bark of trees. His black tail, waving gently was streaked with the same mud that adorned his face.

He led Tessa back into the tunnels and through the traps once more, quicker this time as, though the obstacles were new, the white-haired woman now knew he'd get her through everything without harm. He did, easily, and the two came back to the frothing ocean and the turbulent, lightning-charged sky soon enough. The child seemed to sigh as he looked out at the black water, hating coming here, and then up at Tessa. His expression seemed to warn her that she probably would not like what she saw and then he pointed out to the water, bringing a water-mirror up and the images inside started...

Keene cried out in pain as the knife plunged into his shoulder and his opponent grinned, looking as deranged as many a person the hybrid had been paired against and the other man laughed in a breathless way, taunting. "Oh, ya gonna git it now! Them tell ya not ta scream." He continued to cackle and Keene bared his teeth, feeling anger rise up in him. He hated it. He hated that it was becoming more like routine than choice to lash out at people, but using the last of his strength, he snapped the other male's neck.

He breathed out shakily then, the guilt just as swift as the anger and the horror just as strong as that first day, his first kill. He willed himself not to cry, backing up and then collapsing against the fence behind him, feeling bile rise in his throat.

His clothes were torn and bloodied, dirty beyond recognition of color and his black hair was long, hanging in his face now, matted. Sweat clung to his body and his jade eyes were dulled, scared and he was much too thin, bruised up badly. His tail lay limp beside him, covered in cuts and deep gashes that had barely begun to heal, dirty and some wounds even infected. The pain was overwhelming above all else, that and the fear, the fear that never left.

He was allowed only a few moments to even catch his breath after the fight before the gate was opening and the Kiskar who owned him was walking toward him with a thunderous expression. Keene knew it and knew what it meant and he tried to scramble back, but he had nowhere to go as the whip descended on his already trembling form. "You are not to scream! No reaction to pain! No tears!"

The pain seared like fire through his body just as the words burned into his mind, but the hybrid had stopped moving, stopped trying to escape. He merely curled in on himself and he didn't make a sound. He'd been here two years. He was being trained, conditioned for the arenas, to fight without remorse.

The image shattered back into the sea, but the child didn't leave yet and for the first time he spoke, very softly. "There is more." He was merely waiting for permission to show her.
 
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Tessa was surprised when she saw the young boy again, having given up on ever seeing him again. The black-haired boy was as charming as she remembered though, and she easily followed him through the same path he had led her before. Stopping in front of the water, Tessa glanced down at the boy and frowned slightly, his warning not lost on her. She didn't expect what she saw to be a happy memory - people like Keene weren't shaped through happy memories - but the scene still disturbed her all the same.

Seeing Keene bloodied and weak, obviously abused, sent a shock of anger through Tessa and her violet eyes darkened and narrowed. She said nothing as she watched though, mainly because there was nothing to say; she knew that what she was seeing was in the past and nothing she felt or said would change the fact that it had already happened. Even so, when the Kiskar struck Keene with the whip, a growl sprung to Tessa's throat before she forcibly silenced it.

As the scene vanished into the water, Tessa drew in a deep breath through her nose, willing herself to calm. The boy's voice startled her, and Tessa looked down at him.

More...?

Tessa didn't know if she wanted to see more. She felt like she had seen enough; it was no wonder Keene was so cold, so passively ruthless, after what happened to him. It angered Tessa to see but at the same time, it made her heart clench in sympathy. Still, if the boy said there was more, then surely there was a reason why he wanted to show it to her. With that in mind, Tessa nodded at him.

"Show me."
 
The child looked relieved that she'd agreed, but sad all the same and he looked back at the water, motioning another memory forward. This time he spoke before the image came and the boy's voice contained a very deep wisdom, but an innocence that was almost surprising. It showed that somewhere in Keene, these traits still existed and they were a lot closer than one might think. His was quiet, as if he couldn't get much louder than he already was and in fact, it seemed that his talking made the environment around them more hostile as the power overhead crackled dangerously and the sea tossed bigger waves, but the boy seemed determined.

"I show you this so you will understand why I believe that I am broken. Why I believe that no light can come from me anymore. I show you what I became so you know what I am now, why I think I am a monster. Why I do not accept being absolved of things I cannot control."

With that the image started to swirl in the disk mirror.

Chula Six.

That was what they called him. It was the highest 'honor' a slave of the Arena could acquire. It meant that every Kiskar wanted you, every slave hated you and everyone wanted to see you fall even as they cheered when you won. Six. The most honored number in Kiskar culture. They skipped anything that had to do with it. No six, no sixteen, no twenty-six or thirty-six and so on. Slaves were given names of six when they had survived the Arena for a year. Two million and thirty-six. Eight hundred thousand and sixteen. He'd fought them. Keene had even met an Eighty-six, but he was the only Six.

He'd survived the Arena for ten years. There was no counting how many he'd killed.

They'd broken him four years ago, six years into his captivity. Maybe there was a significance in that. Keene was beyond caring if there was. He didn't care about anything. He slept, he ate when they decided to feed him, he trained, he endured the beatings, he fought. He always fought even when he wanted to die and each face, each life he took burned itself into his memory.

They'd taught him to ignore pain. To not cry or scream.

But they couldn't teach him not see their lives, to feel their agony as the slaves he fought died at his hands.

They couldn't erase the faces he saw at night.

---

Keene felt the blood splatter, hot and thick on his face as he brought the club down. He hated the club, but the Kiskar loved it, loved the violence of it and the mess it made. The hybrid didn't get to choose his weapons. He stood straight then, the cheering of the crowd meaning nothing to his ears as he looked around at the carnage. Ten. Ten people dead and all at his hand. His foresight had helped with each and every one of them and Keene felt a brief moment of nausea before it passed as swiftly as everything else did.

Including life.

They hybrid met his captors as they came to retrieve him, looking blankly ahead as his wrists were shackled and a lead clip attached to his collar. They led him out like a prized wolf and Keene couldn't help thinking sarcastically that such a creature was what he'd become. He said nothing, though, as he was led to a place he'd not expected; a Buyer's Room.

He was being sold. Again.

---

"You will be trained. You are good, Chula, but I expect excellence."

The voice of his new master was cold, edged in steel and Keene didn't react, staying exactly where he'd been left, standing in the middle of a room. He had been cleaned for the first time in...he didn't want to think how long it had been. His hair was cut short, very short and his shackles had been removed. Every activity had served to wake Keened a little bit more, stir a long-lost interest in him as he watched his new master with calculating eyes.

The man watched him in the same way and finally smiled just a little, the expression dangerous. "You are free to speak, Chula."

There was silence for a long few minutes before Keene got up the courage and the will to speak. "I won't kill people for you. I am not an assassin." His green eyes rose then to meet the other male's blue eyes, the first hints of defiance sparking in Keene's expression. The man grinned then, seeing it and Keene suddenly found himself falling to his knees, an intense pain spiking through his body originating from his neck. He'd had a new collar placed on him today and Keene had thought nothing of it.

Now he realized how wrong he'd been as his vision swam and fire streaked through every nerve, setting his body ablaze. Keene worked to hold back a scream for the first time in years and his master moved toward him at a slow pace, watching as he clawed at the tight metal ring against his skin. "It's an obedience collar, Chula. You do as I say and the pain will stay way. You will also be able to access your lovely, unique gift of Foresight for my purposes. Defy me, though, go anywhere I don't want, haven't ordered you, and the pain will be relentless. It won't stop, Chula, not until I command it."

Keene was on the floor now, writhing, his body spasming with the pain, eyes rolling back in his head as his mouth opened. A choked scream ripped itself from his throat, strangled as he tried to fight it and that was when the pain stopped. When he was granted relief and the man who now owned him looked down, smug expression on his face. "You will be my assassin, Chula, or I will make your pain endless. I am very skilled at keeping people alive so they may suffer."

Keene didn't respond as for the first time in years, he struggled not to cry.

He'd spend the next three years in brutal training and the last two killing whoever he was ordered to go after.

The memory ended and the child looked very tired, very dejected as he looked up at Tessa and spoke softly for the last time. "It's time for you to go."
 
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If Tessa thought the previous scene had been difficult to watch, this one was near impossible. The brutality Keene inflicted onto others was unnerving, but that's not what got Tessa riled up. She knew Keene was only doing what he had to, that he didn't enjoy any of it, and so even though the violence was disconcerting, she watched impassively.

As soon as Keene had finished fighting however, and he was shackled and collared again, Tessa felt her blood begin to boil. She wanted to hurt them - to tear apart every one of the Kiskar that took pleasure in Keene's fights and pain. She said nothing though, her hands clenching into fists as the hybrid was introduced to his new master. Tessa already hated the blue-eyed man and so when he activated the collar that seared Keene with pain, it took everything in her power not to snap then, to tell the young boy to cease the vision and walk away before her anger escalated.

There was no need though, as the scene ended quickly afterwards and when the boy spoke next, Tessa didn't even answer, her mind occupied with what she had just seen.

-------

Tessa woke with a start and with the dream and anger still fresh in her mind, she growled and snatched her pillow, throwing it across the room in frustration. It hit the opposite wall with a soft thump and fell to the ground. Tessa hardly seemed to notice though, her mind racing through the dream she had just had.

F***, it's no wonder Keene thinks he is broken. Nobody could escape that unscathed. Hell, it's a miracle he isn't worse than he already is. Still, even knowing that... what do I do? How can I convince Keene of his worth when he has been through so much? What could I possibly say that could change what years of abuse have taught him?

Tessa growled softly in frustration and shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She wasn't sure what she was going to do but she knew she had to do SOMETHING. In the meantime though, she would think; she would ponder over what she had seen and act none the wiser in front of Keene. She knew she had been privy to sensitive information and the very last thing she wanted to do was use that information poorly to anger Keene or worse, make him feel even worse about himself.
 
Keene woke in a sweat, with a scream caught in his throat and the hybrid shook, adrenaline and fear racing through his system. He stared at the far wall, confused and shaken. He hadn't dreamed like that in years. He hadn't dreamed at all actually and his Foresight was spinning about in his mind angrily, sporadic bursts of images coming to him, retreating faster than he could grasp. For the last few years, his power had taken the place of dreams and wasn't happy at being pushed aside now.

The hybrid didn't know how to fix it, though. He didn't know what was going on, what was wrong with him. He was cracking, about ready to shatter all over again and Keene knew it, feared it as he moved from his bed, just reaching the bathroom and the toilet there before he was forced to empty the contents of his stomach.

Death. So much death and pain. He didn't want to remember! He couldn't forget the training or the way it had changed him, he used the coldness he'd learned to not get personal, not get involved in any real way, but the faces, the memories...he didn't want to see them! Why was he seeing them?!

He was crying by this point, unable to stop the reaction for the first time in a long, long time and Keene didn't even understand why. He was supposed to be stronger than this. He'd been trained not to cry, not to... No. Wait. Why was he thinking about that? About them? He didn't want to think about them! He hated them! They'd done this to him! He was broken and worthless because of them!

Anger, swift and relentless burst inside his chest then and Keene didn't know when he'd started screaming, when the deep roars of anger and pain, bitterness and hurt had started to break free for the first time in years. He didn't know and he didn't care as his Foresight buzzed with angry power around him, turning his eyes gray, threatening to envelope anyone who came in. His power was out of control and so was the hybrid, the dream having crashed through the last of his defenses. He'd suppressed the active memory of it so deeply that it had dredged up plenty more when it came to light.

His inner mind, inner child was tired of waiting, was desperate to reach out to those who wanted to help, but in order to do that....it had to break its older self. It had to make the current Keene desperate and truly broken before the pieces could be put back together in a better order than they had been before.

It was time for that now.

And now the consequences were rearing their head in the form of enraged, heartbreaking wails and powerful, lethal energy that crackled like lightning through the air.
 
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Tessa sat in the darkness of her room, merely pondering over the dream she had just experienced when Keene's screams startled her from her thoughts. Anything Tessa had been thinking about was forgotten immediately and without hesitation, she leaped up from the bed and ran down the hall to Keene's room.

She didn't bother to knock before she burst open the door, stepping inside quickly with her right arm already frosting in anticipation of an attack. There was no assailant however, only Keene, breaking before her eyes.

"Keene!? F***, what's wrong??"

Tessa could feel the raw power radiating from the man and even though the tendril under her arm had stopped glowing and frosting, she still remained tense, panicked and unsure on what to do.
 
He stopped screaming the minute she entered the room, the cries breaking off as if someone had slammed a soundproof door shut. The hybrid stared at Tessa with clouded, gray eyes as if he couldn't quite remember who she was, his body curled into the corner of the bathroom and for a moment, a fragile, precious moment, everything seemed to still. The air went silent, the power went quiet and then Keene gave a low moan, his hands finding his head as he started to sob, mumbled, choked words audible through his heaving breaths.

"....it hurts....faces, so many faces....I killed them...I killed them....make it stop...please, make it stop...it hurts so much...please..."

His Foresight seemed to shriek, a great cloud of crackling energy, only confined by the four walls around it and barely stopped by that. It surged at Tessa, seeming to trail over her skin like an electric charge, something about it wanting to tear into her, harm her if it could....but it didn't. It couldn't and so it merely made itself known, told her how unhappy it was with the state of it's vessel.

It sensed that somehow, she was involved in whatever had caused this change.
 
As badly startled as Tessa had been by Keene's screaming, the sudden silence unnerved her even more. When Keene's soft pleads broke the silence, Tessa opened her mouth to say something, though that was quickly forgotten as the hybrid's foresight flared again and swept through the room. Even as it wasn't hurting her, the sensation of danger made Tessa's skin crawl and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise in response.

Tessa swallowed hard, trying her best to focus her thoughts even as Keene's lethal power radiated throughout the room. She moved forward then, stopping in front of Keene and crouching down. She grabbed onto the male's shoulder then, trying to get his attention.

"Keene! I need you to listen to me. What happened is in the past. You can't do anything about it now. You didn't have a choice back then - now you do. You never have to do those things again. It's over, Keene. It happened years ago. You need to let go."
 
She knew.

Something in Keene snapped to attention at her words, at what they meant and he looked at her with stricken expression, searching her aurora-hued eyes for something, for hate or judgement, anger, disgust...but he found none of it. Nothing but worry and sympathy, nothing but light and Keene's eyes slipped closed in relief so profound that it shuddered its way through him and his breathing hitched for several moments before it started to regulate into a slower rhythm.

She knew. She knew what he was, what he'd been. She knew.

And Tessa didn't reject him for it.

Something tightly coiled started to unwind slowly inside Keene and the power around him didn't lessen, but it gentled, more curious now than angry as it brushed against Tessa. Keene's eyes opened then, perfectly jade again, worn, torn, hurt...but steady in a way she would have never seen....because the wall wasn't there anymore.

"Thank you, Tessa...Nimue's Heir."
 
Tessa waited with bated breath as Keene's eyes met hers and when the male's foresight eased and the atmosphere of the room shifted to a more curious one, Tessa felt a glimmer of hope. She hadn't expected Keene to calm so easily and while she wasn't entirely sure why her words had such an impact on the man, she was immensely grateful that Keene seemed to be stabilized now.

Keene's eyes especially, gave Tessa a moment of pause. They were steady, more vulnerable, and not quite as guarded as before. Even as the sight was refreshing, it was also foreign and Tessa wasn't sure what to make of it.

She didn't have too much time to think about it though, before Keene spoke again and this time Tessa frowned slightly.

Nimue's Heir...why do I keep hearing that?

"...Who is Nimue? Rasheel said I was Nimue's heir as well. What does that mean?"
 
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