Hayde clenched his jaw—Kinzer presumed to maintain the rigid look that made him appear unshaken. But Kinzer knew that one who tried so hard to maintain such a look was one who was rapidly feeling something far from the strength and confidence that such a front suggests.
“Are you jealous,” Hayde said through ground teeth, “that a disgusting creature like me could attract so much attention from Janka?”
Fucking bastard.
Just as Kinzer had effectively found Hayde’s weakness, Hayde had found his. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to beat the shit out of Hayde for his cruel, vindictive remark. But he only let a hint of vulnerability rush across his face, so Hayde could see his pain, his weakness—to know what was about to fuel his rage.
“That’s just going to make this experience that much more pleasurable. Because I have something far worse than death.”
Kinzer brushed his sword along Hayde’s flesh, passing through freckles and moles, caressing it through his eyebrows.
“I’ll leave these bushy, untamed hairs alone. They’re a brilliant reminder of your origins.”
He traced along the grooves in Hayde’s face, till he was at the edge of his nose.
“But I’ll slice this freckled nose off and leave you with two bloody holes. A pig will be more attractive than you’ll be.”
He continued tracing as he spoke of the various mutations he would inflict upon Hayde’s body.
“These ears, you don’t really need them to hear. And this frown, defiant as it is, will be more pronounced, fixed down to your jaw. And this scar… this scar that must be the mockery of so many immortals will stretch from this side of your face to the other.”
Kinzer slid his sword down Hayde’s chest, to the bottom button of his shirt. Rushing the blade through the slit beneath the button, he slipped through the button threads till the shirt was undone, revealing Hayde’s bare chest. Kinzer pushed the sides of the shirt open, exposing Hayde’s nipples.
“These will go. And then I guess I’ll just make some arbitrary pattern of zigzags across this body. After that, who knows where my inspiration will carry me?”
Kinzer’s sword vibrated as Hayde’s chest shook. His nostril twitched. Kinzer knew he’d succeeded with his threat.
He pulled the sword back and outlined Hayde's cock with the tip of his blade.
“And your cock. You’ll wish I’d have taken it. But I won’t. I won’t do a damn thing to your cock and ass… just so that you’ll have to live in constant, unbearable, unquenchable lust for the rest of your immortal existence. You think you’ve had challenges as a flit, but just wait till I’m done with you. It must be hard enough to find higherlings who want to be in your presence, let alone one that will fuck your unbearable image.”
“The Almighty will restore me,” Hayde said, the rigid muscles in his jaw loosening just long enough to get his words out before returning to rock-solid form.
“Yes, ’cause surely He cares so much about a flit. No. Even all Janka and Veylo’s pull won’t grant you a moment with the Almighty, let alone His effort. And why would He even permit His eyes to be offended by one of His most haphazard, unimpressive creations? You have no bluff, Hayde. You know the way out of this, so if you refuse to help me, you’re going to have to live the rest of your immortal existence knowing that you chose to be a monster.”
Hayde didn’t speak, didn’t move. He just stared into Kinzer’s eyes, as if trying to determine how serious his threat was.
Kinzer felt guilty. All he had said was true. The vanity of higherlings—even fallens—was already against flits, and disfiguring him further would make him even less desirable. The cruelty he would be inflicting upon this young immortal was a nightmare to any immortal—one that he couldn’t even conceive of living with himself. The very thought of what he was about to do made his stomach ache and droplets form at the edges of his eyes. But he couldn’t give Hayde a moment to doubt his sincerity. He gripped Hayde’s jaw and held it still as he reared his sword back.
He imagined this boy fucking Janka. Cocky, conceited, arrogant. He knew it was the only thought that would give him the strength to damage this ignorant creature’s body.
“Last chance,” he said with dead eyes.
Hayde’s body convulsed.
Kinzer fought back tears as he snarled and—SLICE—severed through the side of Hayde’s nose.
Hayde screamed out.
Kinzer’s blade caught on bone. He gripped the end of Hayde’s nose with his free hand as he wiggled and twisted his sword with the other. A warm rush of blood tickled his fingertips as his sword slid out the other side of Hayde’s nostrils.
Hayde’s cry caught in his throat as he choked on the blood that now oozed into his mouth.
Kinzer tucked his sword behind Hayde’s ear, facing the blade up.
Tears rushed from Hayde’s eyes. He wailed and hollered.
Tugging Hayde’s earlobe with one hand, Kinzer sawed through the flesh with his sword. Red coated Hayde’s neck and the back of Kinzer’s hand.
