The cement top of the building is slick with rain. You’ve nearly lost your footing multiple times, barely managing to dodge right as Daelan delivers a fatal blow. The blade of his sickle digs into the wooden door where you were stood not two seconds ago.

As he’s trying to pull it out of the wood, you take the opportunity to land a few hits on him. You nearly manage to wrench him away from the weapon, but he yanks the blade from the wood and swings it right for your neck. You dodge just in time, eliciting a groan of frustration from Daelan’s lips.

The two of you have been fighting for what feels like hours. Long enough that the rain has come and gone, leaving each of you soaked with both water and blood.

“Is it really so hard to see things the way I do?” Daelan shouts even though there’s no excess noise that would be blocking out his voice.

He’s always been trying to make you ‘see things his way.’ That’s all he talks about anymore. The way Daelan sees it, you both are special because of your powers. It automatically makes you better than everybody else. He believes that conforming to society’s laws is useless when you have such power right at your fingertips.

He swings his arm out as you lunge at him, the sickle in his hand slicing the skin of your leg. He had two sickles, but you had knocked his other one off the side of the building, leaving him with one.

You stumble, clutching your bleeding leg. Just as you're about to right yourself, Daelan whacks the side of your head with the flat of his blade, sending you to the ground.

Your eyes squeeze shut for a moment, your thoughts spinning. When you open them again, you’re surrounded by thick, dark smoke, a product of Daelan’s ability. It’s suffocating, making you cough and choke as you try to stand.

A boot connects with your stomach, then again with your temple, only this time it’s not a kick. His boot presses against your skull, slowly forcing you back down to the ground. Once you’re down, Daelan crouches in front of you, unaffected by his own smoke as you choke and your eyes begin to water. You try to hold your breath, to stop breathing it in, but that only works for so long.

Daelan holds your jaw in a surprisingly gentle grip, leaning closer so you can hear his words through your coughs.

“Just join me and I’ll stop. You were made for more than this. Surely you know that.”

His gaze is soft, almost pleading. For a moment, he looks like the boy you were attached to at the hip for years. But he’s not. He’s changed. Both of you have.