Chapter 8

At this time they had arrived at the Dorm, where all of Dark's Dorm Mates had already been gathered in the living room by Brain's team members and briefed on what was about to happen.

Brain entered the Dorm first and had Dark go to his room first and unpack, while he and Loquentium would check things out in the living room first. Dark complied with this arrangement and went up the stairs to the top floor where his room was located. Brain (and Loquentium) entered the living room, greeted his team members and walked up to the Teenagers gathered around the table. He sat down at the head of the table and looked at all of them in turn.

"Hello everyone, you can call me Brain and I'm Dark's Handler. You can think of me as the guy that does his best to keep the leash on Dark. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you" he said in a calm voice.

"Hello Brain, my name is Vincent Smith, I'm also known as Snake" the Teenager to his direct left spoke.

"Hello, my name is Feng Yan, also known as Venom" the Teenager beside Snake said.

Howdy, I'm Arnold Rose, also known as Widowmaker" the one beside Venom said with a wave of his hand.

"Nice to meet ya" Brain greeted them and then looked at the remaining four Teenagers, "This means that one of you remaining four kids, is the one known as Killer. Care to show yourself?"

Three of the remaining Teenagers turned to look at the Teenager sitting to Brain's direct right side. The Teenager sighed and said, "The name's Charlies Deveraux, also known as Killer and the three stooges next to me are my cousins, Melvyn Deveraux, also known as Cerberus. Steve Deveraux, also known as Behemoth and Bruce Deveraux, also known as Hell Priest". Each Teenager mentioned, raised a hand in salute.

"Looking at you, you don't look worse for wear despite how hard Dark has been hounding you in The Game" Brain said in a slightly mocking tone.

Everyone, besides Killer and Brain, snickered at the snide comment.

"The one called Killer is giving off a vibe that is similar to that of the Summoner, I am starting to think that he is indeed the Guardian and it is possible that the kill-stealing was done to attract the Summoner's attention" Loquentium suddenly remarked.

"If that was his goal, then I can definitely guarantee that he has succeeded as Dark has been stalking him in The Game for the last year and a half" Brain replied in his mind.

"Killer, Ima get real here okay. You and Dark are gonna be in the same Dorm and this could get nasty real fast. Do you have any idea what kinda shitstorm your little stunt kicked off?" Brain started admonishing Killer.

"I know, Dark ended up getting booted from The Game and I got a Moderator protection detail on me as soon as I enter" Killer replied.

"Well, lemme enlighten you. What you just said, is only about a quarter of the shitstorm that occurred" Brain said while signalling one of his team members, "Lemme show you lot the other three-quarters of the shitstorm that was kicked off"

With this, he directed everyone's attention to the holographic viewing screen on which Brain's team member had started playing the video of Dark flipping out and being transported to the Zerg hotspot and the subsequent massacre that took place.

"This shitstorm did have one silver lining though, the Zerg sued us for a peace treaty afterwards, Dark managed to get them shitting themselves in fear" Brain said in a joking tone, to alleviate the sombre tension present after the Teenagers had watched the video.

"Damn, I never realised he would react so ….." Killer said, gulping down his fear.

"Violently?" Brain asked.

Killer nodded.

"Killer, be honest here. Why would you do something like that? I know for a fact that Dark's reputation in The Game is notorious for being violent" Brain looked at Killer solemnly.

Killer looked at Brain and hesitated to speak.

"This boy should have a valid, yet embarrassing reason to do this. My guess is that he had tried to get the Summoner's attention through other ways first, but failed and did this out of desperation" Loquentium suddenly interjected.

"Did you try to get Dark's attention through other ways first and failed? So you tried this out as a means of last resort? Brain asked Killer directly.

Killer blushed.

"Okay then" Brain sat back, grinning like a madman.

"I recommend testing him with the Soul Stone to get a conclusive answer" Loquentium advised Brain.

"Killer, I'm gonna perform a quick test on you. All you need to do is hold the Stone I am about to give you and I'll get the result straight away" Brain said as he retrieved the Soul Stone and handed it to Killer. Killer took the Stone and held it in one hand.

The Soul Stone started shining in a blood-red light that became stronger and deeper in colour until it was shining brightly in a blackish-red light.

"The results are out, we can hereby confirm that Killer is indeed the Demonic Guardian" Loquentium remarked in pleased tone.

Brain took the Soul Stone back and looked at Killer with pity in his eyes, "Okay, the results are out. And to be honest with you, I'm not sure whether it's good or bad news", "Loquentium, can I ask if it's okay for Dark to imbibe more of that Bloodwine? Coz I want him to be as mellow as possible when we break the news to him"

"We will instruct him to drink another half a litre, to be on the safe side" Loquentium replied after a few seconds of silence.

"So what are the results?" Killer asked nervously.

"All of the people present can be trusted" Loquentium spoke up.

"Killer, my condol… ahem, congratulations. This test has conclusively determined you to be Dark's Guardian, also known as his Destined Mate" Brain said solemnly.

"..." Killer looked dumbfounded.

"Hahahahaha" his cousins had collapsed in laughter, tears rolling over their cheeks.

"Hey, it sounds lively down here" suddenly sounded from a dark corner.

"Fuck! Dark! How many times have I gotta tell ya? Do not use Shadow Jump to sneak up on me and eavesdrop!" Brain yelled from the floor, where he had fallen in fright when Dark had suddenly spoken.

Dark looked at Brain, a small smirk gracing his lips that showed a hint of one of his fangs, that was slightly elongated. Dark glided towards Brain and bent down towards him, "How come you always end up on the floor?".

Brain looked at Dark in terror, "How come you are suddenly acting so, so, so …"

"Nice?" Dark finished the sentence for him, mirth present in his eyes.

Brain nodded, as he gulped down his saliva in fear.

At this moment Loquentium appeared in the living room, his Stealth cancelled, "We might have a slight issue with the Summoner", he said solemnly.

Brain groaned, "I've already found that out. Okay, what happened this time?", he asked the question in a tired sigh.

"The Summoner has overindulged in the Bloodwine" Loquentium replied.

"How much did he drink?" Brain groaned.

"One full jar, which is three litres" was the reply he got.

Brain held his head in his hands and just sat there a while, breathing in and out slowly, as if to calm himself down.

When he was done, he stood up and started giving out orders to his subordinates, "Contact the Moore Family and tell em to get their butts over here ASAP. If they ask why just tell em Dark is drunk"

"Dark, please be a dear and sit down on the couch and do not, I repeat, DO NOT cause any mayhem or mischief. Just turn up the volume on your earbuds and listen to your tunes"

"Loquentium, can you please help me keep an eye on Dark. Just make sure he doesn't get up to any mischief or mayhem"

"Killer, Venom, Snake, Cerberus, Hell Priest, Widowmaker and Behemoth, you guys don't have to worry about Loquentium, nor do you have anything to fear from him. He's a Summoned being and one of Darks Teachers.

He's here because we had to figure somethings out about Killer and he was assisting us in this and now he's gonna help me make sure nothing weird happens while Dark is in this state", he reassured the Teenagers who were on edge since they saw Loquentium appear.

"Can you tell us exactly what is going on?" Killer asked Brain.

"I will do so as soon as the Moore Family arrive, so I don't have to go over everything twice" Brain replied.

"Oh, by the way, Killer, would you do me the favour of contacting your parents or legal guardians and asking them to come over?" Brain suddenly asked Killer.

"It's okay, I'll contact Father and Dad so they can come over" Cerberus replied instead. Killer nodded, while Cerberus stood up and walked to the corner to call his Father.

Brain took this in but did not look into it as he had a much more pressing and important task at hand, figuring out why Dark overindulged.

"Okay Dark, Dark, Dark?", Brain got no response from Dark when he called him. He checked the volume of Darks earbuds and found that they were cranked up hard enough that Dark couldn't hear him, so he turned down the volume. This caused Dark to look up in surprise.

"Yeah sorry about that, I know you don't like me doing that but you couldn't hear me otherwise and I ain't got a death wish to try and touch you without warning" Brain shrugged.

Dark looked at him and replied, "Yeah I understand, whassup?"

"Damn, this is gonna take some getting used to. So, care to give me the lowdown on why you overindulged despite being told not to less than an hour ago?" Brain asked.

"I was unpacking and putting everything away in my room and when I thought about having to meet Killer, I got that strange feeling and instinct again and it was getting stronger by the minute.

So I decided to drink some more Bloodwine to try and tamp it down, as you all told me to not kill or maim him. It helped for a while but then it came back again. So I drank some more and this continued until I drank all of the jar" Dark said with a pout.

"Fine, I get it" Brain sighed while repressing a series of curses in his heart.

"So how do feel you know?" Brain asked after he calmed down a bit.

"Well, I don't wanna maim him so much anymore, if that makes you happy?" Dark said to Brain with a slight whine.

Brain shuddered, 'Damn, I can't figure out which version of him is scarier, him being cute or him going into Hell mode'

"Well, that sounds good to me. You up for meeting your Dorm Mates?" Brain asked Dark.

"Might as well meet them, at least then you'll stop nagging me and I'll be able to finish unpacking" Dark answered with a shrug and a glare.

But for some reason, his glare didn't have its usual menacing feeling. Instead, it felt more seductive. What didn't help was that his eyes were a bit misty due to the Bloodwine.

"Bro, can I get an explanation on why I'm feeling that Dark is seductive at the moment?" Brain asked Loquentium Telepathically.

"It looks like that with his violent nature being suppressed, his seductive traits are becoming more visible" Loquentium replied dryly.

Brain sighed as this was gonna be a pain in the ass to deal with. Dark's subconscious seductive mannerisms were a bitch to deal with when he was acting normal, but they are gonna be more of a hassle if he was actively using them.

Brain looked at Dark was sitting, only to get a major fright. Dark was no longer sitting there. He quickly scanned the entire room, to find out that Dark was not visible at all.

"Guys, has anyone seen where Dark is?" Brain asked everyone present.

He got a negative response after everyone confirmed that Dark was no longer sitting where he had been a few seconds ago.

"Shit, as if the situation wasn't bad enough as it was. Now Dark has gone and disappeared.

Loquentium, can you see if the brat is hiding in the Shadows?"

"I can confirm that he is not" Loquentium replied.

Brain checked his light brain to track Darks location, to find it was still in the living room.

The other Teenagers sitting on the couch were fidgeting and restless as they had seen Dark wink at them and then fade out of sight.

"Brain, Dark just faded out of sight" Venom spoke up.

"He did WHAT? Oi Dark, show yourself and don't cause mayhem okay?" Brain yelled, turning in a full circle to try and pinpoint Darks location.

An eerie and somewhat coquettish giggle was heard in response.

"Oh shit, we're screwed. The last time he did something like this, everyone in the room ended up …" his sentence trailed off as he saw something wrap around Killer.

"Dark, don't do it. I mean it, do NOT …"

"Argh" Killer screamed as he was lifted up in the air.

Dark materialised in front of everyone and now the situation became clear in an instant.

Dark had wrapped his tail around Killers waist and lifted him up into the air with it.

Dark looked at Killer, "So you are the one that's supposedly my Guardian? Tch, too weak. Why was I even worried? Killing you would be too easy and boring", he said full of contempt.

Brain could only express himself by facepalming at what Dark had just said. He then followed it up by rubbing his face, "Dark, play nice. Put Killer down and let me formally introduce you two", he said in a tired sigh.

"Fine", Dark replied. He released Killer while he was still suspended in mid-air, Killer immediately fell back down on the couch.

Dark then used his tail to grab onto an exposed beam on the ceiling and hoisted himself up, hanging upside down to look at everybody in the room.

He unfurled his wings and wrapped them around himself, his behaviour was screaming that he was sulking.

"Killer, you good over there?" Brain asked.

"Yeah, just a little shook up" Killer replied while righting himself on the couch and straightening his clothes.