Thorn didn't move, didn't laugh, and didn't speak as Shintaro took another step away from him, toward the density of the trees behind him. If Thorn was here, other Darks could be close behind. Shintaro wasn't sure who's loyalty remained with Thorn, but he didn't want to stick around to find out. 

Finally, Thorn spoke again, the voice coming from the area where his mouth would be, but no mouth opening; but it didn't have anything to do with Shintaro's suspicions. "I'll ask you again, Shintaro. What do you want?" He said it with another tired sigh, as if he didn't want to have to deal with Shintaro at the moment. 

Which was weird, because if the Thorn Shintaro recalled had the Light and Gatekeeper in his clutches, he would have been bragging, possibly even battling Shintaro. 

Shintaro narrowed his eyes at the Shadow Spirit in front of him, his suspicions of other Darks being close behind fading away. If there were Darks nearby, Thorn would have mentioned it by now in a happy, arrogant demeanor that suggested that he was the winning player.

The Thorn Shintaro was looking at just looked... empty, defeated. Almost sad. 

Shintaro mentally snorted at himself for feeling even the smallest bit of pity for the monster that stood in front of him. He was nowhere near as bad as Brethren, but that didn't mean Shintaro liked him at all, nor did he want to feel pity for that creature. 

Whatever had happened to Thorn, it wasn't Shintaro's problem. 

"I want to get out of here," Shintaro snapped gruffly, but Thorn didn't flinch back, his shadowy face almost looking like he wanted to just lie down and sleep. "What is this place, anyway?" He expected it to be some place that Thorn guarded with his Dark Magic, which was why it looked so... haunted.

Thorn's shoulders lifted a fraction of an inch, then dropped again. "It's nowhere special. It's only the part of the forest that no one wanders into. Except you, apparently," he added without emotion. 

"Why are you here?" Shintaro asked sharply, crossing his arms across his chest, finding that he was mimicking exactly what Thorn was doing, and uncrossed his arms again. He stared directly into Thorn's fire red eyes, but the Shadow Spirit didn't waver.

He simply shrugged again. "To be as far away from people as I can. Though, it appears it isn't working so well." His red eyes traveled up and down Shintaro, then settled back onto his face. 

Shintaro stared at him, dumbfounded. Thorn wanted to get as far away from people as he could? In what world did Thorn retreat away from the many "playthings" he could have had? In what world was Thorn this... Emotionless? 

There was never even a hint of arrogance behind Thorn's words, and it was beginning to creep Shintaro out. 

"You," Shintaro said flatly, pointing a finger at Thorn, "want to get away from people? Seriously? Is that some kind of joke?" 

Thorn sighed again, making Shintaro want to poke a stick up his nose to get him to stop doing that. 

"No," Thorn said softly, not gently, but not firmly either. "It's not a joke, Shintaro." He shook his head solemnly, once, twice. His red eyes dropped to the grass in between them, and he shook his head one more time. "I'm not going back to the Darks. I'm not going to The Dark Lord. I'm done. So if I tell you how to get out of this place, will you leave me be?" 

"What?" was all Shintaro managed.

"You heard me," Thorn said, sharply this time. "I'm done. Let me remain here in as much peace as a Shadow Spirit can even get." He uncrossed his arms and touched one hand to his face, sighing again. "Just leave me alone. Go away, Shintaro."

Shintaro frowned skeptically at Thorn, deciding to remain alert for the time being, in case Thorn was tricking him. He would have to stay vigilant until he was sure Thorn didn't follow him back to Amy's house.

But first he would have to find Amy's house. 

"I don't understand," Shintaro said roughly. "You decided to place yourself in the most secluded area you could find because you're 'done'? What game are you playing?" 

Thorn took a sharp breath like he was going to snap at Shintaro, but he breathed it out as another long sigh and closed his red eyes, his shoulders slumping from their tension. "I'm not playing any game, Shintaro. I'm not working under the Darks, let alone The Dark Lord. I'm going to be completely honest with you, Shin. The only reason I was doing those things was out of terror of your father." 

Shintaro bit his tongue to keep a "HA!" down his throat. Like I'm going to believe that, he thought with a scoff through his nose. Thorn had been getting his playtime, and now that he wasn't in control, he had retreated away from the greater power so he wouldn't have to be told what to do. 

"You really expect me to believe that?" Shintaro said flatly, crossing his arms across his chest and narrowing his eyes at Thorn. "That you captured, tortured, and killed all those innocent people - including my children, and Kai - just because you were scared of something that wasn't there?" Hist chest was burning with anger as he stared Thorn down with fiery hatred.

Thorn sighed again with a small shake of his head. (Shintaro was really getting tired of the sighing.) "I can't tell you to believe me, and frankly, I don't care if you do or do not. I just know that I'm done being the bad guy, so I'm staying here until you defeat your father. Maybe then, if I don't perish with him, I'll have become presentable. As of now, however, I don't want to be around people." 

Shintaro was too dumbfounded to speak for a few moments, blinking in confusion and suspicion. He was aware that his mouth was hanging open in a puckered frown, but he didn't close it as he and Thorn stared at each other. 

"I'm not going to believe you," Shintaro finally said cautiously, "but I will take my leave. If I find out that you follow me, it's not going to be pretty." He began walking sideways, hoping that it was the direction he'd come from. As he shuffled across the grass warily, he kept his eyes on Thorn, who was staring at him unblinkingly. 

Shintaro nearly jumped out of his skin when Thorn raised a hand, thinking he was about to attack with Dark Magic. 

But Thorn simply pointed behind Shintaro dully. "That's the way you want to go if you want to get out of here quickly." He sighed and lowered his hand, rocking back on his heels and looking away from Shintaro. 

Shintaro huffed in annoyance and started walking backwards, switching from looking behind him to looking back at Thorn. Even if Thorn wasn't messing around, Shintaro didn't trust him at all. 

As Shintaro sidestepped around a tree and out of the small clearing they'd been conversing in, Thorn's shadowy body vanished into the darkness around him.

WITH ANOTHER SIGH.

~

Man, Shintaro really hates it when people sigh a lot.

I mean, I kind of do too. I think I'd be very close to poking a stick up Thorn's nose if I were in that situation. 

I'd also very seriously infuriated! Like, 

THORN WAS A BUTT!

And it was kind of my fault since I made him that way, but if I were Shintaro, Thorn would be crippled for life.

Just sayin'. 

XD

Well, thanks for reading! 

I'm kinda happy I gave an "ending" for Thorn.

Though I might bring him back later in the book, but I'm not entirely sure yet. 

That's one of the things I love about publishing one chapter at a time. 

You can figure out how the book goes as you go along, and you have the help of your followers if you are ever stuck!!

I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS BOOK. 

Anywho, 

P3ac3!!~~~