#I think he knows i've been reading too much Sylus smut

[hyaaqque]

YOURS

[zolass]

Oh!!! Uhhh how about OC x bttm! Reader where reader is a much soft spoken/passive guy and OC is the one who teases him a lot? Bonus points if Reader takes a second to process suggestive jokes & is significantly taller than OC (because I've never read a taller bttm b4 LMAO)

MY MUSE ···─Tease! Rafayel x Taller! bttm Male Reader

Summary: Where you find yourself in the grasps of an famous artist, who simply asked you to be his muse and even paying you for it. But why does it feel like that there's more behind all the teasing from Rafayel. wc: 1.2k

tags: fluff, teasing, taller shy reader (reader is as tall as sylus), nudity, mentions of sex and multiple rounds, (pls tell me if I forgot smt) Note: I'm sorry if you wanted smut with this one, or a different character. Hope it's still enjoyable. But ngl I like the dynamic T_T

You were sitting at the coast, your shoes dug in the sand as you squatted down. The waves barely missed the tip of your shoes, while you simply stared at the mesmerizing display of the ocean. Your fingers were playing with the sand absentmindedly.

So you didn’t hear the approaching footsteps in the sand, until a hand landed on your shoulder. Looking up surprised, you came face to face with the handsome male that you had been working with for a few months, Rafayel. 

“Hey, beautiful.” Rafayel said, it was a common thing he called you by. At first it was a rather big surprise for you, but it made sense as he hired you as his muse. “Hey Raf,” you greeted him back with a small smile on your lips before you stood up. Now it was Rafayel’s time to look slightly up at you. “I made breakfast and coffee– so the sooner we are there, the more time we have!” Rafayel said, while he grabbed your hand and pulled you along the shore towards the place you call your home since the last few months.

Many would question why you lived with the painter, all the while you’re ‘just a muse’ as some would like to call it. You didn’t have to pay for basically anything, freeloading off of the other. Of course at the beginning you wanted to know why he did it, just as confused as others would be, even going as far as not accepting the payment he gave you. But his words at the beginning simply were “creativity doesn’t wait around, so I have to grasp it while it’s simply there.”

Quickly you found yourself in the open kitchen, with a steaming coffee mug in front of you, and the simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. As you were enjoying your breakfast in silence, Rafayel’s eyes were trained on your figure. Tall, even taller than him, soft locks framing your face. Your eyes that always held warmth in them, even when others would say he was annoying and too much when he wanted to paint another piece, you simply sat there in your own bubble, going along with his orders without speaking up about it. 

After the first three days, Rafayel started to relax more, speaking more with you, having conversations while on and off ‘work’, soon he also started to make suggestive jokes, he loved to see the halt in movement of whatever you’re doing, taking a few seconds to take in his words before a beautiful reddish color would adorn your cheeks, that you would try to hide.

Maybe that was it, what made him slowly develop this warmth in his chest whenever he thought of you, was seeing you or was simply close to you. 

The clearing of your throat brought Rafayel out of his thoughts, “You alright Raf? You didn’t touch your breakfast yet,” you asked with concern, lacing your voice. Rafayel couldn’t help the flutter in his stomach because of your concern for him, he quickly cleared his throat before he looked at you with a playful smile on his lips. “Just thinking about something– you know.. I don’t mind looking up at you, but I bet you would look better under me.” 

It took a few seconds for the words to register in your brain, and as they did he watched as your eyes widened and face heated up, adorning your cheeks in a slightly reddish shade. You didn’t know what to say, your mouth opening and closing. A chuckle left Rafayel as he watched your reaction, “Okay if you’re done let’s start,” Rafayel started, as he cleaned up the table. 

As he walked to the empty canvas, he couldn’t help but halt in his movement, a sudden idea in his head. “[name] you said– you would do anything as my muse right?” The sudden question surprised you. But you took a few seconds to think of how you should answer, so after a bit you nodded, before adding a yes. 

Rafayel couldn’t help the giddy feeling in his stomach, it might be rather risky but he decided to do it anyway, who knew if he had the chance ever again. “Then– strip,” he said loud enough for both of you to hear. 

You stared at him wide-eyed, “Pardon?” 

“Only your shirt,” Rafayel quickly added, backing out half way. Yet he wanted to see your slightly toned chest, without a shirt blocking most of the sight. You were still kinda shocked, before you gave a short okay. 

Soon you were seated on a small chair with a translucent cloth layered across your naked torso, your eyes sometimes looking at the concentrated face of Rafayel, his words still lingering in your head, before the silence was interrupted by a young woman with dark brown hair walking in. 

Quickly you crossed your arms over your chest, trying to hide your exposed body, which was clearly a failure. Both of you stared at each other with wide eyes, a rose color dusting the woman's cheeks. 

The clearing of a throat was heard, both your heads focused on Rafayel, yet his expression changed. “Didn’t think you would come by so early..” he said, with a slightly annoyed undertone which surprised you and apparently the woman too, “should I come back some other time-” Rafayel quickly spoke a sharp yes, before his eyes landed back on you.

Shortly after you both were back alone, a blush still coating your cheeks, your one arm trying to hide your chest, while you held yourself on the chair with the other. Suddenly Rafayel stood up and walked towards you, before standing still in front of you.

As he leaned down, you didn’t know what to expect but certainly not, that he would push a strand out of your face, with a charming smile on his lips, “You know darling, I love that you’re so tall– more room for me to leave marks,” he said. It didn’t take long for you to blush in embarrassment, biting your lip.

“Then why don’t you show me?” you asked in a whisper, first you thought he didn’t hear what you said, but instead you heard a chuckle and a hand reached out towards you. Looking at the hand and then at Rafayel, you could see the way he looked at you. Still rather playful but there seemed to be more of a seriousness hiding behind the exterior, “Sure, anything for my mesmerizing darling,” he spoke.

And so you found yourself that day in multiple rounds of passionate sex, different positions, all the while Rafayel fucked you into the mattress and filling your hole with one load after another and the sweet words were uttered from Rafayel’s lips. Lovebites and hickeys littering your skin, while you were held tightly in the other’s arm at the end of the day.

You both watching as the sun slowly dropped below the waves, a kiss was placed on your shoulder, “Like I thought, you look so fucking beautiful beneath me,” Rafayel teased. A chuckle leaving him as you hid your face, before he turned serious, “I want to take you out on a date, [name].” 

It surprised you, but there you were already having slept with the man, so a date couldn’t be that awful right? 

Rafayel waited for your answer, and as you said yes, he couldn’t help but feel oh so giddy. He hugged you close to his chest, “Then we go when you can walk without pain, hm?” and all you did was huff, as your ears also turned red, “sure,” were the only things you uttered before both of you watched the sunset, before you slowly drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

[kyndredravenstories]

Eyes of Infinity: Delirium Chapter 8

Hello, I have been posting my work on AO3 and recently decided to venture here to Tumblr. Please note: This story is 18+. No minors. Please read tags carefully. Link to AO3 below but I will also be posting the chapters here.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53564641/chapters/149000791#workskin

Pairing: Sylus/Female MC with some elements of Xavier/Female MC

Genre: Romance, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Angst, Adventure, Smut, Porn with Big Plot and Big Feelings

Content Warning (For the entire fic): Explicit sexual content, spoilers and alterations to existing lore and cards/memories/tender moments/secret times, size kink, size difference, vaginal sex, cunnilingus, anal sex, fingering, all kinds of fingering, elements of consensual somno, dom!Sylus, jealousy, possessive!Sylus, Mephisto stalking, typical game violence, battle and combat

Summary: To love him meant stepping over the threshold and crossing into darkness. To be with him meant accepting the lure of the shadows. And to protect him from betrayal meant sacrifice. I knew not how, only that I would not let time sever our paths ever again.

Previous Chapters: Ch 1 / Ch 2 / Ch 3 / Ch 4 / Ch 5 / Ch 6 / Ch 7

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"You should know that I adore you," Sylus murmurs, the red in his eyes languid and his voice a tender caress. "There is no love purer than mine."

In the wake of the words, I'm left stupefied.

I could have expected a whole nebula of variations to how he perceived our current -- whatever this was -- but...love?

My heart lurches in my chest. Sylus's answer matches my deepest darkest yearning, but I hesitate. I grab his forearms and pull him closer. My hands settle on his cheeks, and I search his face. He looks back at me without a mask or filter. His gaze remains soft and open, his lips tipped up in a gentle smile.

"Sylus," I breathe slowly, "how can you say something like that so easily?"

"Speaking truth is never difficult," he huffs.

I reach down and pinch myself, suddenly wondering if I've passed out in the mansion somewhere and have indulged too much in dreams. It hurts, which means I'm here and this is as real as real gets. I think.

"Is there a reason I should hide it?"

Only a few! The primary one being that he is the Sylus of N109. Isn't he concerned that admitting something like this is going to make things much more dangerous for him? That caring for someone might make him vulnerable? Again, I search his face. And again, I see no hesitation. I realize, then, that he is truly, absolutely, unequivocally unafraid. I stare at him in wonder. Truly, I have never known anyone like him. A man who is not afraid of anything. A man with enough power to shape his own reality. 

When I don't answer his question, he takes his turn to search my face -- maybe even my thoughts -- with those hyper-perceptive eyes and intellect. Apparently, his rummaging yields more than mine. He raises a brow.

"Why so anxious? Don't worry. I'm not in the mood to reveal our relationship to anyone anytime soon."

Relationship. Adoration. Love. The words repeat in my head over and over, but they might as well be in a foreign language. I stare at him like he's grown another head. Of course, it's not so terribly far fetched that he might care for me after the closeness we've shared, but how? Why? When did this happen? How did all of this go from some crazy sex in a hotel to the start of an entanglement? Still reeling, I give Sylus a critical look. Is this man even capable of having a normal bond with someone? What does normal even mean for him, and do our definitions of the word match up?

This is a man who sits on the throne of N109, owns a jet, a yacht, and an armory bigger than the Association's. I've seen him go to shootouts for breakfast then stop by a café for brunch. He's overthrown other rulers. His organization is at the heart of all of the most controversial, dangerous, and unethical research I have ever heard or read about. He's blown up buildings and torn down mountains of organized crime. He's quite possibly the most powerful and most unpredictable man I'll ever meet in my lifetime.

Yet he's telling me he loves me.

And that we're in a relationship.

I'm silent as I try to gather the scattered marbles of my thoughts back into their jar. All the while, Sylus doesn't say a word. He doesn't rush me or press me for an answer. When his cell phone rings, he picks it up and steps some distance away, giving me the space I need to figure out where exactly I stand in all of this. Somehow, I don't think that will happen quickly or easily. We've just met. I hardly know him. There are times he terrifies me, and there are times when I can't breathe around him. I've learned nothing of his past or who he really is. I know even less about his powers and their true nature. I don't know why he wanted to Resonate with me so much in the beginning. I don't know why he's taken such an interest in me, either.

He's a complete enigma.

But, you love him.

And suddenly, I know that I do.

Absolutely. Unequivocally.

Denying it would be pointless.

My heart as heavy as a sinking anchor, I look at his rugged profile as he speaks over the phone. Straightening my legs, I hop off the bike and start walking towards him, dragging that same heart on my sleeve right behind me. As I do, snow begins to fall from the sky above. It settles in his silver hair and dusts his jacket. His voice drifts to me on the wind. Familiar now, like a favorite cup of hot chocolate on a freezing winter night. The hue of his eyes shimmers in the flickering of the metropolis around us, and I finally admit that his eyes are the most beautiful crimson that I've ever seen. 

I admit that adore him, too.

His arrogance, his confidence, his gentleness, and -- yes -- even his controlled savagery.

I clutch at the jacket over my heart.

When did this happen?

How did this happen?

At last, my journey ends at his side. With a click, Sylus hangs up his call. I reach out my hand to him as he turns to face me. He glances at my outstretched hand then at me.

"What is it?" he asks, reaching out to join our hands together.

The moment I feel his palm against mine, I thread our fingers and yank him forward towards me. His eyes widen, but he lets me pull on him. He even stumbles. This King, who trusts no one and can cause devastation with the snap of his fingers, let's me do as I please.

Mildly overwhelmed, I brush strands of snow-dusted hair from his temple. With my other hand, I reach up and touch his cheek, my thumb stroking from right to left along his parted lips. That devilish mouth quirks up into an impish smirk. But, I'm not done yet. I want to keep touching him. Feathery soft, my hand smoothes against his chin. He closes his eyes, leaning into my touch as if it's the most pleasurable thing in this world. My heart thunders in my ears, faster and faster. Adoration, was it? Yes. That's what this feels like.

Reverently touching something I fear will vanish if I take too long to blink.

It's easy for him to disappear. So far, he's reappeared right at my side every time, but will it always be so? Or will he one day turn to mist and never come to me again? My jaw clenches tight. I let the fear surge through me and don't shy away from it this time. It's par for course, I suppose. A natural part of loving and adoring this man.

And I'm too far gone to go back now.

The moment I stop struggling against the shackles of this feeling, something shifts between us. It's like he senses it. Knows that I've finally given in. The corner of his mouth twitches and he grabs my wrist. With his eyes still alight with mirth and levity, he brings my hand to his mouth and softly bites my palm. I shiver, electricity bursting from my wrist to my shoulder. Without breaking eye contact, he kisses it and says "So? Have you and your pride come to a consensus?"

"We have," I humor him.

"And what's the verdict?" He pulls me forward this time by our joined hands, and I fall into his arms. "If it has anything to do with me letting you escape, you're out of luck. Whatever I hold in my hand is mine, sweetie. That includes you."

Our lips meet in a fevered kiss, and as the snow falls around us, I surrender to his passion. Escape is the last thing on my mind. My fear lingers in the ambience. Something as wonderful as this can't be destined for destruction, can it? I've seen enough darkness and tragedy in my life. Surely, it's time to see some happiness. If I have to fight for it -- if I have to bleed for it -- then I will. It's as simple as that. No other option exists because there is no way in hell that I will let this man disappear to a place that I can't follow.

We break away, and I wrap my arms around his waist. "I love you," I tell him, the words turning into white mist along with my breath. "It's completely insane. We haven't even gone on a date."

"If you want to do something mundane, we can," Sylus says, chuckling when I give him a frustrated glare. He hugs me just a little tighter. "But first, you need to go back to the light and recover. Heal. You can't do that here in the darkness."

"Is that why you're sending me away?" I pout.

He tilts his head. "Servants and fools are sent away. You are neither."

"Then, I want to stay."

"No."

I pull back, my hands sliding to my hips. "Sylus."

"Ellara."

We stare each other down.

"I can help you," I insist. "I know I'm not as strong as you, but I'm far from useless in a fight. My Resonance can help."

Something about that particular phrase triggers his impatience. He frowns and rubs a spot between his brows with a sigh.

"Go home with your knight, Ellara. Lick your wounds. Fight your Wanderers. Stay away from all this."

He starts to turn his back to me, and my anger flares. I grab a handful of his jacket and pull as hard as I can. "Don't you dismiss me like I'm one of your underlings," I growl at him. "If I want to stay, I damn well will."

When I turn him around, my temper loses its steam. The look on his face stops me in my tracks. It's not anger. Or frustration. It's something more, but I can't quite--

"I almost lost you," he murmurs, his fingers falling to my shoulder like the snow, gliding across my jacket and settling on my arm. "I don't...ever..." A muscle clenches in his jaw, and he stops speaking. His phone rings again, the sound breaking me out of my trance. He takes the call, leaving me to stew in a mess of emotions.

"Boss, he's here," a familiar voice says. Kieran?

"Early, as expected," Sylus nods. His tone is all business again, his eyes empty.

"He ripped through the first two waves in a single go. You sure he's got a Limiter?"

"Send in the Altered units."

"How many, Boss-man?" a more muffled voice asks. Luke this time.

"All of them."

"Yes, Boss."

"If that doesn't push him, we'll have to take more drastic measures." Those empty eyes slide to me. Inadvertently, I take a step back, realizing that they must be talking about Xavier. "We'll be there soon. Keep him busy until we arrive."

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The Lost Isles in Sector 354XF-N1 is a place lost to time. Even with the overpopulation in N109, this ten or so acres of wasteland is as barren as a desert. Only blackened rusty ruins remain after a series of particularly nasty Metaflux storms and Wanderer attacks. In the center stands the skeleton of a sprawling research facility, now twisted into a hideous sculpture of shattered glass, mold, dust, and filth.

Once, a massive lab stood here, a radiant beacon of success and progressive thinking. At least, on the outside. Within, Ever Group hoarded some of its deadliest projects. After it was destroyed in the storms, a cloud of toxins and chemical waste spilled forth, killing hundreds and turning the others into monsters and Abominations. The trees died; the rivers dried up, and the soil was poisoned for the foreseeable future. 

No human could live here, and after the tragedy that befell the citizens of this place, no one wanted to try. 

It's the perfect kind of place to stage a battle without collateral damage. 

Nearly a week past, the Boss had given clear direction. Take the samples of LUMINIS currently in the Vault, go to the Lost Isles, and attract all the Wanderers possible to these coordinates. Prepare the Altered Wanderer units as backup. Then, do anything and everything to push the Target to his limits. Pain, mutilation, mind-breaking illusions -- anything was fair game except taking his life. As long as the twins could break his Limiter, the means and methods are up to their discretion.

This night, Kieran and Luke thrill at the prospect. It's been ages, it seems, since the Boss let them loose. Thus far, the instructions are not a challenge to follow.

LUMINIS.

Truly, it's a wondrous concoction.

When Kieran takes the onyx vial out of its long glass case and pours it on the ground in the Lost Isles in various places and altitudes, he roughly knows what to expect.

Don't touch it, first and foremost.

Second, each location it is used in will summon a Dominante level or above Wanderer. Keep spraying and eventually the Metaflux build-up will summon Subservants to go with it. In a few hours, the place will be teaming with Wanderers and Abominations. Eventually, a Protofield will generate and dump the whole area into an even larger shell of chaos. It will take the Target all of his skill to escape.

Kieran was thorough, if nothing else. After using three full philters of LUMINIS and saturating the Lost Isles with the toxin, he jumps to the tallest ruin of a radio tower and watches the proceedings from above. Luke joins him shortly, having completed his own task. They lean against each other as Mephisto comes flying out of the darkness.

"It's done, Boss," Luke tells the crow. Their target will arrive soon, and the entertainment will begin. "Your hands are clean, right?" Luke asks his twin.

Kieran holds them up. "They are. But, I'm kinda curious what it feels like."

"You're demented," Luke chuckles, though Kieran senses he is curious as well. "You saw what it can do," he reminds his twin. Kieran nods. He still remembers that girl and her screaming in the shower with the Boss. The stuff had spilled all over her, slipping past the skin and snaking into her nerves and Evol channels. Miracle she wasn't dead, really, though she'd screamed loud enough to make him think she'd surely kick the bucket.

Poor naïve little bird trapped in a golden cage. Does she know yet that her Evol has been paralyzed? Does she know she might never Resonate again? Has the Boss told her?

"If a weak little thing like her can survive that much of it, then..." Luke plays with a philter, popping open the lid. Kieran catches his wrist to stop him.

"Not now, Luke. After we're done here."

They don't have to loiter long in boredom. The Target shows up several hours earlier than instructed just in time for the LUMINIS to start taking effect. The ground shakes as though multiple earthquakes are happening simultaneously. Roars, growls, and unearthly shrieks fill the air. Wanderers of all shapes and sizes materialize from thin air, their glowing red eyes hungering for blood. Some amble around on two legs, some on four. Some have arms. Others have webbing, fins, or claws. Each glows with its own aura from its Protocore, illuminating the viscous darkness ever present in the N109. But, none can compare to the moment when the Target reaches his destination and unleashes his own golden brilliance.

With flashes, arcs, and spectacular bursts of light more blinding than the sun, the Target eliminates his enemies. The more he cuts down, the more appear. The farther he moves into the bowels of the Lost Isles, the more he is surrounded by monsters. Yet, he is undaunted. He breaks through all the ranks, laying waste to Dominantes as though they are nothing but the weakest obstacle. Over the phone, the Boss instructs to release the Altered, and Luke and Kieran have no choice but to obey. They unleash the experimental units, and it seems that all hell breaks loose. The Altered have no concept of hierarchy. They do not see themselves as Subservants or Dominantes. They only yearn to watch the world burn and to feast on all the lives they encounter along their path.

There's four. No, five, if Luke counts the newest unit the Boss recently acquired. They amble towards the light like moths, sensing the Target's powerful Evol and moaning in hunger. Luke and Kieran watch their progress eagerly, curious to see how this powerful Hunter will fare against these engineered abominations. The Limiter is glowing red around his neck, but he isn't desperate enough. Not yet.

Behind them, the air explodes with heat and Evol as the Boss appears with the girl by his side. Luke notes her pallor and the way she still favors her right leg over her left. The way she moves her left arm is awkward still. He recalls how she worried for him, the experience still mystifying him entirely.

"Report," the Boss demands.

"He can still be pushed," Kieran says. "The Limiter is activated, but not broken."

"Sylus," the girl says, growing even paler as she walks to the edge of the building. "Why are you doing this to him?" She turns an angry glare to the Boss. "Please, let him go."

"He is free to come or go," the Boss grins. "Nothing is holding him here."

"Does he know where I am?" she cuts in. When she's about to say something else, the building rumbles beneath them.

"The Altered have reached the Target," Luke observes. The battle below explodes in light and Metaflux. The Target jumps from one Wanderer to the next, executing a flurry of blinding slashes, cuts, and twists. Stabbing, knifing, burning, eviscerating. He moves with the same speed as the Boss; when he needs to dodge or ambush, he shifts his body to different locations using his Evol. The Altered howl and throw blast after blast of Metaflux towards him. He flickers past every single one. Using a lull to his advantage, he runs up the side of one of their massive bodies and rams his blade into its head. With a haunting cry of fury which echoes through the ruins, the first Altered falls to the Target's skill.  

"Altered?" the girl's eyes grow wide in her small face. She reminds Kieran of an owl like this. "Not the thing you had me try to fight when we first met..." She turns to the Boss. "Sylus, please stop this."

The Boss remains stoic. "No, Ellara. That collar must break."

The second Altered falls. Then the third and fourth. The fifth puts up the biggest fight and causes the most destruction. With its deadly breath of fire, it sets everything around ablaze like a spray of napalm. Ruins burn and boil in the flames. Glass squeals and melts. And still, the Target fights on without stopping. He parries the monster's clumsy swings and jumps over the fireballs flying from its maw. As soon as he can manage it, the Target lunges forward and summons a long spear made of light. With a mighty swing, he stabs it into the monster's heart. 

Luke steadies the girl when the building shakes again. Kieran tilts his head at his twin, struggling to understand why he would do so without explicit orders. His attention is quickly diverted, though, when a series of deafening explosions blast through several blocks below. Ruins of buildings and homes collapse into rubble as colossal fulminations of light blind all of them. Luke, Kieran, the girl, and even the Boss have to shield their eyes as the darkness of the N109 is burned away momentarily.

Silence.

And then a voice followed by a razor sharp blade at Kieran's throat.

"Move," is the low decree, given in a voice that hardly sounds human.

Kieran opens his eyes to see the Target standing before him and Luke, his blade a whisper from slitting open flesh. Golden hair spills over glowing bright blue eyes. The Target is wearing a pitch black Hunter's uniform. Around his neck, the Limiter is cracked and shuddering, flickering with red and blue light. A beat, and then the collar shatters, falling to pieces with a dying gasp.

"Xavier!" the girl calls, her voice filled to the brim with relief.

"I won't ask again," the Target threatens.

"Let him through," the Boss commands. With that, Luke and Kieran's chains are lifted. They move aside, allowing the Target to pass by them.

The girl limps towards her Knight. When she is close enough, he pulls her against him, cradling her head with his hand as he embraces her. Blood blooms on his sleeve and around his waist. There's a large spot of it on his back. His clothes are tattered and singed; even some of his golden hair is covered in red. Yet his balance and posture are unaffected. He stands firm.

"Xavier, are you alright? Are you hurt? I'm so sorry."

When he pulls back to look at her, the Target's face has changed. The madness has receeded, along with his murderous intent. His bright eyes take in her body, checking for injuries or damage. When he's satisfied, he guides her to stand behind him and raises his blade. Immediately, Luke and Kieran prepare for combat. It's the girl's voice that stops them from lunging.

"Wait! Sylus, please...this is enough."

The Boss stands still, his eyes observing the girl and the Target. He isn't pleased. There's a shadow looming over his expression, and the air around him drops in temperature. 

"Take her and get out," he says with razor sharp finality. "Before I change my mind."

"Wait, what?" the girl starts to protest, but the Target cuts her off. He lifts her into his arms even as she struggles. "Wait, Sylus!"

A final azure glare at the Boss with eyes that promise death before -- in a single blinding flash -- both the girl and the Target vanish into the night.