07-06-2012, 02:06 AM
A pained smile flitted across Ken's face. Sophy was so innocent, so naive, and yet he had dragged her into this impending bloodshed with only half the details. He had told her they were going to have an adventure, searching for a valuable item, and in her excitement she had readily agreed. Her youth was just what he needed right now to take his mind off things, although her dream seemed troubling, to say the least.
"I don't bother myself with dreams," he said instead. "Falling, flying, what difference does it make? It's the here and now of reality that matters. Reality's the only thing that matters." Ken's last words were tainted with bitterness, and he hoped Sophy hadn't caught the edge in his voice.
He turned his head up at the mention of shooting stars and gave a small smile when Sophy made a wish. What was he getting her into? "If there were more stars, that wouldn't make the first one too special, would it?" he said simply.
"What would you wish for?" she asked, and for a second Ken was caught off guard. Revenge was the first thought that came to mind, but he couldn't ruin the moment right now by dragging it down into darkness. Not when she was looking at him with such eager eyes.
"I can't tell you," he said instead. "If I did, it wouldn't come true."
Ken flexed his inner muscles and focused some of his energy into the shadow of the tree. Tentatively, he stretched out, one limb at a time, until he was one with the shadows. He expanded his grasp then and searched the perimeter. All was clear, save for the wolves howling in the distance. Wait a second. Ken's brows furrowed as he realized it was too empty. Where three bodies should have been, there were only two. Snapping himself back together, he opened his eyes.
"Sophy," he said in a voice that had reverted to its original calm coolness. "Liore is gone. Can you go find him? Dumb kid should've stayed at the hotel, this is too close to home for him."
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