Sophia was running, branches and dying leaves whipping her face as she stumbled through the darkness, the heavy tread of hellbeasts behind her. There was a tightness in her chest- fear, grief, and panic all mixing together until she felt as if she couldn't breathe.

The forest was pitch black, save for the scattering of moonlight that had managed to penetrate the heavy cover of leaves on the trees. The leaves themselves were unusually still; no wind blew through the woods and no sound emanated through the trees. A tree root emerged from the shadows and Sophia felt her foot catch on it, her body flying through the air and tumbling across the ground. Great puffs of dirt and dust seemed to rise, choking coughs racking her body. She picked herself up, continuing to run.

Suddenly, her surroundings seemed to shift, and she found herself in an open clearing. The same trees encircled it, the same dark sky trapping her beneath it though the moonlight was brighter here now, with no leaves to block its path. Sophia paused, hearing her own heartbeat pulsing in her ears and adrenaline rushing through her bloodstream. The grass around her was swaying, rustling like snakes though no wind moved it.

A man appeared from the shadows of the trees, a dark figure whose features sharpened as he came into the light. There was something familiar about him, yet the cruelty etched into the lines of his face spoke of no malice she had ever remembered seeing. But his eyes were what bothered her most; they were no solid color, only a kaleidoscope of them all thrown together in chaos. They resembled opals, the colors shimmering and shifting depending on which way you looked at them.

He didn't speak; only raised his baton- white like human bones- and met her gaze with his own. Deep fear instilled itself into Sophia, and she wanted so badly to cringe away, rip her gaze from his, but she couldn't move. She stood, frozen to the spot as his lips formed words and a flash of bright light erupted from the tip of his baton, rushing towards her and yet she still couldn't move, rooted to the spot as if stuck in quicksand-

Sophia awoke with a gasp, bolting upright in her bed, chest heaving as if she had been running. Sweat plastered her hair to her temples, a sheen of it coating her skin. Her palms were clammy, and she wiped it on the fabric of her sweatpants with disgust. Her heart still pounded from the residue fear and panic from her dream, the forest and the man as real to her as the walls of her room were at the moment.

Shivering, Sophia slipped out of bed, pulling a soft sweatshirt over her head. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, not after that. The only pair of shoes she could find was her sneakers, the white of them glowing slightly in the darkness. Slipping them on, she padded out of the room.

The rest of the hallway was dark, no light emanating out from under doorways or through cracks in the doors. But as she made her way into the center of the floor, bright light from the lobby flooded through, slapping her in the face like a wave. Blinking, Sophia waited for her eyes to adjust, stuffing her hands into the pocket of her hoodie and gazing around the lobby. It was mostly empty, only a scattering of Elementales striding across the floor down below. All around, the floors lining the dome were dark, the dim light from the chandelier up above the only source of illumination.

Sophia began to walk around aimlessly, attempting to clear her head of the images from her dream. It left an unsettling feeling within her, a feeling that she knew the man in the clearing, and yet she didn't. She pushed it from her mind, her heartbeat finally beginning to slow in her chest.

Somehow, Sophia found herself in what she was fairly certain was the infirmary. It was a large room, dimly lit by pale white sconces from which soft light was filtering through. Rows and rows of neatly made white beds lined both sides of the room, leaving a wide aisle in between through which to walk through.

A real fire was blazing in the hearth, the heat of it growing stronger as Sophia made her way past the rows of beds, her footsteps silent on the floor. She found Valentino laying in the bed nearest the fireplace, eyes closed, breathing regular. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt, all soft lines and vulnerability. Sinking into the chair beside his bed, she found herself staring at him, at the way his lashes brushed his cheek as he slept, and the way curls of black hair brushed against his forehead. He seemed so peaceful, so innocent like this.

As she sat there, watching his chest rise and fall, his eyes blinked open slowly, narrowing as he focused on her. "Sophia?" his voice was soft, muffled with sleep.

She got out of her chair, kneeling beside him so that they were level. His eyes were impossibly gold, the dancing flames of the fire reflected in them. "How are you feeling?" she whispered, unsure of whether or not to touch him.

He shifted, pulling himself upright and leaning back against the wall. "Like shit." She laughed, the sound unnaturally loud in the quiet.

She covered her mouth quickly, though she was still smiling. "Don't curse."

A corner of his mouth lifted. "You sound like Samantha."

Sophia shrugged. "She rubbed off on me." Looking at him, she asked, "Do you need anything? I can get James-"

"No." Valentino's voice was soft, but his gaze was steady when he turned to look at her. "I'll talk to James tomorrow." He sounded exhausted, weariness lining his face.

"Were you really willing to die back there?" she asked softly, watching him.

He let out a sigh, tilting his head up and resting it against the wall. "Yes." His voice was quiet.

"Why?" It came out as a whisper, but the vulnerability in Valentino's eyes when he raised his head to look at her made her heart ache. She wanted so much to reach out and touch his cheek, push the strand of hair away from his face, but she forced herself to be still.

He looked away, gaze resting on his hands, interlocked in front of him. The light from the fire paled the color of his eyes until they held no color at all, only flickering flames and distant burning sparks. "'The sins of the father are to be laid on the children,'" he said softly, staring into the fire.

"What?"

He looked away, glancing at her with the corners of his mouth quirking up. "Shakespeare."

Sophia lifted an eyebrow, eyes narrowing in mock incredulity. "You're quoting Shakespeare to me right now?"

Valentino smiled, but then he tilted his head, eyes turning serious. "What would you have done, Sophia, if you were in my position?"

Her name on his lips made her shiver, and she sat back in the chair, looping her arms around her knees. "I was in your position, Valentino. I could've done the same thing you did." But I didn't. Her gaze was locked on his, trained on his.

Valentino shook his head. "No. If you weren't the one holding the Gateway open, if you were the one standing yards away with two options." His gaze held hers, the gold all encompassing. "Try to get past the hellbeasts and maybe making it to the Gateway, or do whatever you could to stop the Viperi- no matter the consequences- from getting the one thing they've been searching for, the thing so dangerous it was hidden away from humanity centuries ago, what would you do?"

Sophia looked away, gazing unseeingly at her fingers, wrapped around her knee. "Stop the Viperi," she said softly, her voice barely a whisper.

Valentino's gaze didn't waver. "Then you should understand why I did it."

Sophia inclined her head, hesitating. "I guess."

He gave her a I-told-you-so look and then jerked his chin towards the nightstand behind her. "Can you hand me that container over there? The orange one." She twisted, reaching behind her and giving it to him. It looked like a small pill bottle, made with tinted orange plastic and a filled with thin white tablets. Valentino popped two into his mouth, washing it down with water with a disgusted look on his face. "It's supposed to counteract the poison from the blade or something," he explained when he caught Sophia staring at him.

"Poison?"

"You didn't think a Viperus blade wouldn't have side effects on Elementales, did you?" His grin was lightly mocking, but his eyelids were beginning to flutter shut.

Sophia rose to her feet. "I should go."

She had only made it a few steps when she heard him say, "Stay." Turning around, she saw him looking at her under heavy lids. He shrugged. "If you want."

Sophia hated it when people said "If you want"; she was never good at making decisions when both decisions had equally appealing parts. Valentino's eyes had already closed again, his chest rising and falling gently. Returning to her seat as quietly as she could, she curled up on the chair and watched the flickering fire.

A/N: school ended early today so here's an early update!! hope you guys enjoyed and let me know your thoughts on soph and valentino!! don't forget to vote and comment xx

dedication: goes to AugustReverie!! thank you so much for your comments and for keeping up with this story! i appreciate it so much :)