Violet Eyes

78: Demon or Two

Four weeks later

It didn't take very long for Damien and Nyx to recover from their injuries after the little... incident that happened. However, things were much more tense than usual because of the other incident that happened. Every time that Nyx saw Damien, she could feel her lip involuntarily curling in disgust for what he did. Damien noticed too and had ignored it for the most part, until one morning, as Damien walked into Faust's kitchen to get some coffee. He saw Nyx already sitting at the table with her own cup, the look of disgust in her eyes stabbed into him again, this time he couldn't hold back.

"If you have something to say, just say it." Damien said in a tired tone as he poured his coffee with his back to her. He turned around and leaned against the counter before taking a sip.

Nyx exhaled deeply through her nose before she responded. "Fine." She said quietly before she paused. "Why the fuck did you kiss me?" She said with irritation in her voice. She saw Damien look down at the floor before the hint of a smirk creeped onto his lips.

"It broke you out of that crazy state, didn't it?" Damien said casually as he brought the cup to his mouth for another sip.

"Stop avoiding the question." Nyx said in an irritated tone as she locked eyes with him. "Why...did you kiss me?" She repeated her question with her voice slightly louder. Damien leaned his head back and let out a sigh of frustration, he was learning in the moment just how stubborn Nyx can be.

Damien lowered his head as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Look, I did it because...when I was younger, something very similar happened to me." Damien said quietly as he walked towards the table and sat down across from Nyx. "It was during a training session with my father. I was fifteen and-"

"Wait." Nyx interrupted him. "You were fifteen? I thought Gifts don't manifest until you're at least eighteen?" She looked confused.

"Normally yes, but it is possible for a Gift to manifest early if the Gifted individual goes through an intense mental break." Damien responded as he interlocked his hands on the table in front of him. "That's what happened, I was in combat training with my father and things were getting a bit... intense." Damien's eyes stared off into space as he was stuck in the memory for a moment. "He had beaten me down so badly, both physically and mentally, I just...snapped. My powers manifested in full force and exploded in a violent display of rage and madness. I remember...spikes stabbing, tendrils lashing, cutting me open...but my father, he was so calm." Nyx saw Damien's hands tighten slightly before he continued. "I couldn't stop myself and I could feel the raw power erupting out of me while I begged for my fathers help....and I guess he did help me." It was then that Damien finally looked up and into Nyx's eyes. Damien separated his hands and brought one of them down under the table. Nyx's eyes widened when Damien lifted his shirt up, revealing a long and deep scar that stretched across his chest. "He helped by giving me this. He broke me out of the state I was in by slashing me so deep and painfully that it shocked me right out of it." Damien let his shirt fall back down into place and interlocked his fingers on the table again. "So...I knew that in order to get you out of the state you were in, I had to do something shocking enough to break you out of it." Damien looked uncomfortable for a fleeting moment. "I didn't think that a physical shock would even do anything considering that your Gift makes you bulletproof...so yes, I opted for the mental shock, and kissed you." Damien averted his gaze and ran his hand through his hair. "I thought it would shock your mind enough to break you out of it, and I was right. So let's just be glad that it worked, alright?"

Nyx shuffled uncomfortably in her chair before she scoffed softly. "Look, I'm grateful that it worked... I just can't believe I have to live my life knowing Damien Erebus kissed me."