Oliver
My face hurt, the smile on it stretching to inhuman degrees, leaving me to feel the backlash as muscles tore and joints flexed, but the twisted maw didn't shift or lessen, not even as Asrel's fist trembled in front of it, its form halted by Ms. Thavel.
Her own Hazel gaze didn't hold the same anger as Asrel's; no, it stared at me like a tired mother, whose eyes had grown weary over the winter.
Something about that... just made me pause.
'Why? What are you looking at?' My mind churned, unable to think of anything else.
The sickening grin painted on my visage faultered and twitched before falling, as if struck down by some unseen force, leaving me to look down at its corpse, and my stare slipped away as it fell into the Teal orbs of molten magma, lathered to Asrel's sockets; it was like a bullet to the chest, that stare, that hatred, why did it hurt? I tried to ask, to voice.
Everything just seemed to falter under her gaze, leaving me to do nothing but look away in shame.
I could feel it, the heat of my admission; it burned, like an engine inside my chest, humming with rust. Every beat made my head pound, and every thought made my gut churn in disgust.
'What is this?' I questioned, looking down at my palm, which rose to meet my chest in a futile attempt to quell the growing heat inside me, yet fell to the flames that consumed it.
Turning back, I sighed, somehow just as exhausted as Ms. Thavel looked.
Asrel's gaze of Teal had fallen to the floor as she returned to standing next to the chair in which Ms. Thavel sat, her own gaze remaining blank as she continued to stare at me with that look.
Kevin, for his part, looked mildly curious and largely impartial, as he looked to be holding himself back from speaking, a respite I was starting to starve for, but he never opened his mouth, just watched, and waited.
It took a moment, a long, treacherous moment, but I eventually continued, my bloody gaze awash with foreign feelings.
"After the deed was done, you could say things changed," I glanced over at Engel, briefly freezing at the sight of his Emerald orbs locked to the ceiling, before I pushed forward, "I had wholly given into the idea of owning him, of keeping him at my side no matter how much he fought against it... But he didn't... He just gave in, and I... I was lost."
I sighed.
"For so long, I've had to break people to have them, to make them do what I wanted, but he was different... We talked during the act, and I told him why, gave him something to contemplate, but then he started asking questions, started breaking me, started making me reflect with nothing but a few short questions and a pinch of understanding; and so, I did something different, I made him take the lead, let him grab ahold of my puppet's strings and pull me along," I chuckled, "to say I enjoyed it would be an understatment."
I smiled gently as my gaze locked with Engels's, his orbs of compact forest shining with something new, yet doubtful.
"To say control is overbearing would be correct, but to say the lack of it was comforting wouldn't be far from the truth. To just shut off your mind and let someone else deal with it was like bliss in carnet; there's no need to correct yourself when someone can do it for you, there's no need to deal with morals when someone can make them for you, and there's no need to stress over nothing when someone's there to point everything in the right derection," a blush came to my cheeks, "Engel, could've hated me, stabed me in the back, or just left me to my own hell, and I wouldn't stop him, because dealing with me is already a pain; dealing with what is esentialy two of me would drive the insane sane," I laughed, "but he didn't, and he woke up in my bed asking where the shower was, not the exit, not the door, the shower."
Engel had since looked away with a blush of embarrassment, and the once somber tune painting the room had lightened considerably, leaving Kevin the same, but somewhat lighter, Ms. Thavel with a barely visible grin, and Asrel an awkward mess, but without that dark look.
"And that's really it, that's how he and I became an item, a twisted one, but an item nonetheless."
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Kevin
My Blue gaze never left Oliver as I compiled the story in my head, putting together pieces and problems I could have already surmised with merely a few minor details. Honestly, it was a surprise his body hadn't imploded when he came up with the ludicrous idea of suppressing the Gene-Seed, but then again, he hadn't died to the Succubus Gene-Seed the first time around, why would he the second?
But still, to compress and contain a key part of the Gene-Seed was an accomplishment in itself, one with consequences, but an accomplishment nonetheless.
'Still, I thought that Susano-o wanabe had been killed by my master's master, but from what I just heard, it had lived, and even produced Gene-Seed; could he have lied to me...'
My mind flashed back to a man, his long green hair hung up in a bun as he regaled magic and its history, the topic of said story dancing in his outstretched palm like fireworks in the night sky.
I could recall the glistening in my eyes and the feeling in my chest as it drew me in. It was my first time ever seeing such a thing; it was marvelous and overpowering even, and it gave birth to my love for it, and my dream to one day create my own mana. To be regarded in stories as the only human in existence to create their very own type of mana, no tricks, and no deals, just me, experimentation, and a lot of notes.
I shook my head of the query, as I knew my master better than anyone and he would never lie... Never.
I audibly sighed, my voice becoming animated as I broke the after-silence Oliver created.
"As I said in the beginning, I won't condemn you for the things you did, but that doesn't mean I can't tell you how much of a fucking idiot you are."
My sudden curse drew raised brows as Oliver wretched back, seemingly burned by my words.
"P-pardon?" He questioned.
I rolled my eyes with a smirk thinning my lips.
"Oliver, a Gene-Seed is genetic, something I'm sure you know of, but something you likely don't know is that the urges that come with it are a vital piece to stabilize the seed. They simulate and mimic the original benefactor to get the seed more comfortable with the new and sudden shift in genetic structure, or in short, they are a buffer against critical failure in the seed's long-term stay, just until it synchronizes with your own genetic code and discards the urges to replace it with your own. By getting rid of that buffer, you made the Gene-Seed adapt faster and more violently." I paused for a second, my mind working out how to say this next part in a way that would make sense.
After a moment, I worded out something intelligible, and continued. "That constant pressure you were feeling at the beginning of the school year, that was likely the Gene-Seed putting out pheromones to get you to develop more urges, urges that I assume you shoved into the pit like the original, the results of which you know very well now, don't you, Oliver?" I finished with a raised brow and a small smirk.
The room had gone quite again, though this time it was more with contemplation than gloom, a far better outcome if you asked me.
However, like so many other moments of silence, this one was broken by a snort no less.
Everyone's gaze fell to the side as we witnessed Engels's shaking form struggle to keep in his obvious amusement.
The sight of which seemed to bolster the room's color, leaving it with a warm and somewhat comforting feeling, with none of the disturbing contents weighing it down.
"What's so funny?" Oliver questioned, his own lips painted in a thin yet gentle smirk; it almost hid the look of shocking embarrassment, almost.
Engel struggled to keep himself in check as he tried to speak coherently, an attempt he got in due time after trial and error.
"Sorry, sorry," he said while wiping away some stray tears, "I just wasn't expecting to see the day where the mighty Oliver was called an idiot and proven to be one in the same instant, it's just hilarious, you know."
Oliver, for his part, just rolled his eyes in his own amusement, a pinch of shamed irritation tickling the corners of his ruby orbs. "Hardy har, laugh it up, because I won't let it happen again."
Some faint snickering from behind me told me Asrel was also finding this scene funny, and though the reason for such amusement wasn't found for me, the sound of it made my heart stutter.
My palm came up to my chest at the fact. 'Maybe I should have a look at my heart when I get home, see if anything is messing with its function.'
The thought was washed away when Ms. Thavel spoke up, her own mood largely the same, but with a nice shine to it.
"Ok, brats, I think it's about time we wrap this up; I got work in the morning, and you lot got school." She smiled, "I don't need four students showing up while looking as if they had just crawled out of their own graves; neither do any of my colleagues."
I hummed in response.
"Yes, you're right; there are many things mana can fix, but strangely enough, being sleep deprived isn't one of them, so I shall be the first to take my leave."
Inching my head to the right, I waved, an excited grin overtaking my lips.
"Well, Asrel, I suppose this is the end of our interesting evening; I'll see you in class tomorrow; we'll work on experimentation after things settle down and a break is issued. Until then, minor topics can be explored, such as the magic book I gave you."
There was a hum from her as my body began to light up ever so slightly from the mana starting to encase it.
"Yes, I'll make sure to be a diligent student under you, sensei."
My mind didn't get to register her words fully before my body vanished into nothingness, its form reappearing back in the nigh empty box I called home moments later, the words still fresh in my mind.
I grinned.
"Sensei, huh... I can see the appeal, master," I said, my blue spheres gazing at a portrait that decorated the empty home, its form painted with a gentle figure as their pale face sported a near serene smile.
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Engel
It went well, all things considered, and the day's end was signaled without any violence, or at least, not any that I knew of; hard to be aware of anything when you slept through most of it, but I digress.
'Letting me take the lead, hm...' I pondered.
A blush sprouted on my cheeks as a specific memory came to mind.
'Well, there was that one time...'
I shook my head, subsequently dispelling the embarrassing moment, before refocusing my attention back on the dirt path below me, its muddy layers caking the spare pair of boots I borrowed from Oliver, my own shoes having suffered an unseen accident a bit after the... incident.
Looking over, I found Oliver gazing up into the trees, the canopy of which kept the path we walked barely visible, but enough to get through.
His Ruby orbs shined in the darkness, like a lighthouse to the treacherous sea, except there was something so alluring about them, something that you couldn't help but be captivated by; it drew you in and didn't let you go. The most striking part was the feeling of warmth they gave, as if he were the happiest he could ever be.
His lips remained hidden even as I looked for them, so I couldn't tell if he was smiling. Though, fortunately or not, he caught me in the act, his Bloody gaze tilting his head to the side to show the passive grin he always bore, almost unbothered.
But I could see it, the tension in the corner of his lips, the faint flicker of something rustled in his gaze; all of it painted a picture of him being dazed and unsure.
I didn't know which was worse, and honestly, maybe that's for the best; Oliver was many things, but was he ever really loose, in a sense? He had spoken as if he had stopped being the puppeteer after I came around, but was that really true?
Even now, I could see it, the yearning of his obedience, anger, and control; he kept a tight lid on them, but one that was starting to crack again.
I looked away, unease and reluctant fondness knawing at me like a parasite, but neither of us had broken the silence still, leaving things almost suffocating.
As the world grew darker around us, I couldn't help but wonder, was this worth it?
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Xiezhi
The first thing that came to mind when I woke up was pressure, a weight that bore down on me as if I were an anchor point for its cargo. My mind blanked, silent and unconcerned for a fraction of a moment, before everything came realing back, and the cargo I was holding became too much to bear.
I felt my head split as I shot up in panic, my chest heaving as that face glared at me in my mind. My breath caught in my throat as reality hit me like a brick; I had failed the Mission.
However, like any good problem, it was shoved aside for later, its consequences already spoiling like ageing milk. In its wake was the slender, well-built form of one 'Claire Fauns.' Her singular Silver right eye, peering down at me with apologetic discomfort.
She chuckled a bit while a finger scratched at her cheek.
Her small wave held the same apologetic form as her gaze, poised in a way that wasn't too tense nor too lax, more so of something in between.
"Uh, hi, again," she spoke, her voice holding the same feeling.
There was a pause, as I waved back in chaotic confusion, my own voice mixing in.
"Ya... Hi again, Claire."
After that, it wasn't even quite; it was awkward in a way that left us both uncomfortable for largely different reasons, almost like a blind date but without the date, 'Eko', were those the worst.
The awkward standstill eventually came to an end when someone blissfully walked through the door behind her, subsequently drawing my attention and diverting the situation altogether.
The character in question was a walking color, or lack of really.
His silky, long black hair painted his tan face as his suit and tie held back what I could immediately tell to be something more among my lines, so another Foclor entity.
My horn lit up in instinct as I dragged myself through the past, thankfully, wholly ignored by Alice in his memories, and when I came to a second later, I suddenly felt very cornered, if not just straight up trapped.
Beating them both wouldn't be too hard for me to attain my freedom again, but the real problem came from the fact that they were both very close to the one creature I would prefer to keep off my ass.
So, with a sigh, I resigned myself to the imprisonment, of which I could only hope was gilded with the finest of gold, because I'd be having a nice and unfortunately long stay here if I wanted to keep my life intact.
'Why is it always me?' I wondered as I cursed Richard through the street and back.
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Claire
'Really, Nyx, of all the times?' I tried to convey with my Silver gaze as it bordered a side-eye glare.
Even so, the man remained unfazed, if not curious, as his own Silver gaze rested upon the stranger's figure dressed in sheets and plain clothes, or as plain as one could get when they looked like silk woven by 'Eko' herself.
But all the same, I watched with awkward silence, tying me into a knot; aside from my earlier greetings, I was at a loss on what to do next, and the fact wasn't helped by the fact that I felt so confident back on the roof, as if someone other than Nyx and Alice were enjoying my company, which he seemed to have considering he took an interest in my abilities.
Maybe that was all, or maybe it was my gross lack of socialization. But it just felt so nice to strike up a conversation without needing violence, without needing to take a chunk out of them in hunger, and without them getting killed due to Alice's minor jealousy streak.
It sparked an unexpected yet not unwelcome feeling of kinship in me, one that yearned to interact with anyone, which was odd given I didn't feel that same yearning around Nyx or Alice, so maybe it was just a hoax, or something else along those lines, but either way, I almost desperately wanted to befriend this person.
However, I couldn't think of a single thing to spark something with him, not a jab, a fact, or a question; everything just felt blank in a way that left me lost.
My thoughts were derailed when Nyx spoke up, his dark form leaning to the side in ever-so-slight fascination.
"Well, well, if it isn't the worn lion, I'm honestly shocked you aren't dead with all the meddling you and your idiotic friends get up to."
The man's pretty eyes widened in mild shock before dimming back down, seemingly reaching a silent conclusion in his mind before speaking, his voice slightly hoarse from lack of water.
"Lion's bit much, don't you think. Call me Xiezhi, if you will, and aside from our meddling in quite frankly, troubling cases, I've never been better."
'Xiezhi? Why does that name seem so familiar to me?'
Looking back a bit, the only thing that came to mind when I focused on that familiar feeling was Ms. Circle, and I couldn't figure out why.
Before I could ponder more on the feeling, Nyx went on.
"Right, Xiezhi," Nyx drew out, "What does the Foklore of Justice want with this wayward patch of woods? Better yet, what are you doing in my house?"
I froze at that, a guilty look crossing my face as I spoke up, aiming to cut off any accusations before they began to take root; I kept the Folklore part in the back of my mind for later, though.
"Ah, sorry about that, Nyx. I brought him over after he passed out during a conversation we were having, and I figured you wouldn't mind, so, ya, sorry," I offered weakly.
The man, Xiezhi, seemed somewhat relieved at the reveal, but he still sat up like a pole in winter, and there wasn't much else I could contribute to help calm him down, so I stayed quiet.
Nyx stared at me for a moment before sighing.
"Claire, my naive student, has anyone ever told you the phrase, 'Stranger Danger'?"
I shook my head, not having much of a family to take heed from in the first place.
He sighed again while rubbing the bridge of his nose, a weak and accepting glare at the wall satiating his growing irritation.
"You know what, fine, he's here, that's ok, but first, he has to tell me why he's here, or else we're going to have a problem, one I don't intend to solve alone."
The threat lay in depth, but anyone who had forelorn knowledge of the character the threat pointed to would be pale as a sheet.
However, the man didn't seem bothered by it, which, given the fact that I knew he knew Alice, was a hard sell on his character. If anything, he seemed more annoyed than afraid.
Sighing, Xiezhi spoke.
"Look, I won't sugarcoat it, nor will I bother hiding it; I was sent over to keep an eye on Claire Fauns, and to make sure she doesn't use whatever ability she has that's fucking with the concept bundle."
Nyx blinked with a raised brow while my own had risen in shock and surprise.
"You were sent here to watch me?" I barely whispered, my mind reeling from the implications and, I dared to think, possibilities.
Xiezhi nodded, unbothered by Nyx's quizzical stare; I never liked that stare, because one way or another, it always made my days harder.
Nyx was the first to speak up after the reveal, his own gaze now holding more amusement as something hooked into his brain.
"Right, so a glorified Lifeguard, but with a lot more risk than reward; I must say, you're either really brave or incredibly stupid."
Xiezhi chuckled humourously, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"A bit of both, really, though for my own comfort, I'm leaning toward the braver side."
The statement didn't seem to reach Nyx, his gaze going hazy with thought. Said thought returned a moment later, this time accompanied by a bright spark of clarity, and the near smile made my earlier bad time statement all the more valid.
"Say, Xiezhi, why don't we come to a deal, one that will help us both out during your watch here?"
Xiezhi's form went still in contemplation before he spoke, his bright gaze shining with intrigue and mountains of caution.
"I'm listening."
I didn't know why at the time, but that simple set of words had me going even paler than I already was.
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Abbie
Exhausted would be the word that I'd use to describe my current state, as darkness prickled on the edge of my mind while it fought its way back to consciousness with the help of something foreign.
I could feel it, almost like a crutch, sitting just beside me and stopping me from falling back into the darkness after my mind couldn't go on; it was a checkpoint stapler in all but name, and with its help, I eventually reached the top.
The lids of my eyes fluttered with movement, my Dirty Golden orbs peeked out from under once, and then twice, before finally opening fully in a clean golden hue, the orbs of which quickly dilated in pain.
After being soaked in darkness for so long, the sudden drift in lighting threw my head through the wringer as it struggled briefly to adjust to the new sights, but only for a moment. After fully adjusting moments later, things came into tangible view, and I was left staring at Tanya as she and another near ethereal figure looked down at me,
"Tanya?" I questioned, unbothered by how dry my throat was or how weak my body felt.
She smiled, a soft shark-like smile, before speaking, her tone matching.
"Abbie, how are you?"
I wanted to laugh, but all I could manage at the moment was an amused huff.
"You know, just feeling like I was hit by a few trucks and then slipped on ice right into more ongoing traffic," I huffed again, "nothing new."
The smile slipped from her dazzling face as a frown took its place, and I realized that maybe I should have been a bit more withholding in my answer; unfortunately, the deed was done, and I was left waiting for a further response.
After a moment and more silence, I realized she wasn't actually there, seemingly stuck in her thoughts, so with a quiet and barely noticeable shift in the arm cupping me to her chest, I turned my attention to the translucent figure lying in a cushioned, half-broken circle, its top seemingly having fallen apart under some force I hadn't been awake for.
The beings have Maroon eyes, their lack of pupils seemingly lulling me into a pleasant trance.
Even when I actively tried to look away, my gaze wouldn't break, so I tried to shift my focus, specifically to their grin, which worked a bit, but barely, as even her small shift in lips felt like an intentional trap, one that felt far more dangerous than her eyes.
On instinct, my eyes shifted to her shoulders, their slender yet transparent form covered in hair that seemed to eat away at the light around it, taking on a barely noticeable deeper shade of Silver.
Her very being felt wrong, as if it wasn't supposed to exist, but at the same time, everything in me was roaring at me to bow, to quiver and whimper in hopes of placating something so far above me, something my eyes should relish and fear.
My lungs fell short, and I was left with little breath as my mind tried to signal my body without my conscious command.
Everything was panicked, and I felt like I was a one-man crew trying to keep it together, but slowly falling into the chaos myself.
However, all it took was one little nudge, an accident in all but name, and I was back, my body quiet and my mind ruffled.
My eyes were wide when they finally broke away from the Woman, the Pure Golden orbs visibly shaking in lingering dread as my body shifted back, its form positioned in a way that they were only able to see Tanya's breasts; I didn't want to look away, not because of lust, but because of fear.
There were a few moments in my life where I felt helpless, utterly incapable of living. But here and now, they all seemed like a small pebble in front of an unending avalanche, and the only one there to keep me from being crushed underfoot was Tanya, her right arm firmly tucked around my back and down to the edge of my waist.
But her mind still seemed to be wandering nonetheless, and so, for an unfortunate span of time, I was left to simmer in the events that had happened beforehand, my mind silently churning out prayers to 'Eko' Herself for protection; I pointedly ignored how each silent prayer drew a light chuckle from the Woman.
Eventually, things picked up, and the Woman broke the stale silence.
"You know.... little pup, things won't... work out if you keep..... reciting my name.." she said with a devilish grin as long drawn pauses nestled themselves neatly between random points, as if speaking itself was exhausting.
But I didn't bother even thinking about that, as my entire body went rigid with shock and surprise, my fear having fallen away to make more room for the sheer quantity of both.
Tanya, having finally left her thoughts, turned her attention back to the sudden spout of conversation and words between the woman and me.
Sputtering for words but falling short each time, I eventually managed to stammer out a jumble of what I wanted to say.
"Wha- you- you're- no, but, wait-it-it can't- no- are you- real?"
The Woman smiled in a facade of gentleness, like a mother watching her child try to walk.
"I... am many things, but..... a liar, isn't one of..... them."
My mind wanted to protest, to say that she wasn't her, that she was too dense, too dark, too cold, but my gut felt different; it roiled in a way of familiarity, honesty, and belief that this was who she was claiming to be, and that I was just trying to enforce a stigma that never really held its own weight.
I listened to it for a moment, separate from my rearing mind in some attempts to see what it felt, what it saw, and what it believed, until eventually, things clicked.
My Golden orbs roared with shock, admiration, and hesitancy as I realized that I had all but denied her existence itself, that I had tried to assert my own image of her being over the one sitting before me.
'Could she forgive me for that? Was it too late to apologize? Could reason sway her? No, I mustn't think such things. What reason could sway her? What apology could appease her? No, nothing would, nor should it; she is above me, above humanity. What reason should she need to lower herself to humanity, when we should be lowering ourselves lower than we already were?'
My thoughts were cut short when the Divine being before me chuckled, her laugh slow and highly amused.
"My.... My, how fun you are... little pup.... I never would have thought someone could.... hold such reverence for me," she huffed a slow, playful huff, "It really... strokes.... the ego to hear such, praise.... even if it is from.... your kind."
She smiled, this one warm to the sight, the coldness and rot from before nothing but a figment of the past.
"But, do be careful.... little pup, else my wayward student... gets.... jealous."
At this, Tanya's brow scruched, confusion and mild irritation aimed at the conversation she couldn't hear.
"Come again?"
I felt like I was shrinking as Tanya's arm stayed tucked around me, but with a bit more force than before.
"Oh... yes... your Mate has come to recognize me..... and he had the utmost..... praise.... to think.... but you needn't worry... dear pupil, for I do not yern for the same.... love... You desire from him."
I blushed at her mention, but my heart churned with appreciation because she didn't denounce either of us for the love we held, and if anything, her tone felt somewhat encouraging.
But that was when my mind crashed into a brick wall, and I was left wide-eyed again, as the revelation that Tanya-
"Knew her."
My sudden voice drew the pair's attention, and I was left the sole focus of both their gazes as I finished.
"You know her, you know 'Eko'."