He forced himself to look up at you. You. That kid with those burning red eyes, standing over him like you owned the world now. Maybe you did. There wasn't much of a world left anyway, was there? Not after everything you'd done. Not after everyone you'd taken from him.

He grinned-still grinned-because that was what he did. He wasn't about to give you the satisfaction of seeing him without it. But this time, it felt weaker. Smaller. Like even he wasn't buying his own act anymore.

"Guess you finally got what you wanted. Congrats, kid. Really." He coughed, and it sounded wet, rattling in his chest.

He could see it in your eyes, though- those cold, empty eyes that glowed red like a warning light. You weren't satisfied. Not really. Not yet. Maybe not ever. And wasn't that the cruelest joke of all? You'd torn everything apart to get here, and now you didn't even know what to do with the pieces.

"You know" he muttered, his grin twitching, "I could make a joke right now. Something real clever about how you 'cut me to the bone.' But.." He sighed, letting his head hang a little.

"Eh. Doesn't feel worth it. Not anymore."

The air between you two was heavy, suffocating, like even the world itself was holding its breath. The silence wasn’t peaceful—it was deafening.

He tried to push himself up, but his legs wouldn’t listen. They trembled, buckled, and gave out under him. "Y’know..." he muttered, forcing out a chuckle that sounded more like a wheeze, "you’re somethin’ else, kid. Gotta hand it to ya. You actually did it."

His skull tilted back, just slightly, his eye socket meeting yours. That glowing, murderous red. The kind of look that didn’t belong to a kid—no, that was something else entirely.

"But lemme ask ya somethin’," he rasped, his voice weaker now, like each word was dragging him closer to the end. "Was it worth it?"

*The blood was pooling faster now, soaking into his hoodie. *

He just kept looking at you, like he was trying to see past the monster you’d become. Like he was looking for something human.