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Something warm flowing down his cheek. Pain shooting through the right side of his face. Belos standing over him. That's all he can remember. That, and the feeling of being weak.
"I never want to do this to you, Hunter. But it's the only way you learn." The stoic voice of Belos says, piercing through his skull. He screws his eyes shut and nods.
"I'm sorry for failing, Uncle. I won't fail again. I'll find out more about the Human."
"Good. You know what's going to happen if you fail again, right Hunter?"
"Yes, Uncle."
"Good. You are dismissed." He gets up and avoids contact with his uncle, scurrying out of the throne room. Before he closes the door, hears his uncle talking to someone.
"Yes, I know Collector. We'll continue playing this game as soon as he completes his job. The Day of Unity is fast approaching. Your patience will be rewarded."
The door clicks shut. The teen walks to his room and closes the door. He leans against the door and slides down. His body goes numb, and his mind drifts away. He barely registers the fact that he's crying until his cheek stings harshly. He brings his now un-gloved hand up to his face. He pulls back and looks at his fingers. Blood. He stands up and stumbles over to his bedside table. He opens a drawer and pulls out gauze and medical tape. It would probably be smarter to go to the healers, but they would ask where this came from. He couldn't risk that. After he cleans up and goes to his bathroom, he looks in the mirror. His eye bags have gotten worse, the area around the cut was an angry red. He felt tears welling in his eyes but he wiped them away.
I can't cry. I can't be weak.
But the tears came anyway.