Seraphic Wings

107. Strands of Hair

With a new found purpose from that vision, Lucette quietly left the room. Unsure of exactly where to go, she hoped that someone was around that she could flag down. As she walked the corridors, she actually didn't see anyone, until she walked around one corner and she caught a glimpse of someone walking away from her. Hurrying her footsteps, she caught up to them.

"Excuse me?" She called out to them, and they slowly turned around. She saw that there, staring back at her, with ice blue eyes and white hair, was someone who she had met before. "Oh.. You're.."

"Lucette, isn't it?"

"Ah, yes!... Um.... Somnus, am I right?"

The man smiled gently at her. "That would be right."

"It's been awhile."

"That it has, I only heard of what went on through the grapevine...." Somnus looked away for a moment before turning his attention back to her again. "I'm sorry for your loss...."

"Ah.... Thank you...."

"But anyway, did you need me for something?" He tilted his head.

"Oh.... Have you seen Nocte?"

"Last time I heard, he was in the library."

"Ah...." Lucette then bowed before him. "Thank you very much!"

"No problem, but may I ask why?"

Lucette then lifted her head back up. "Oh.... I wanted to see how he was doing...."

"I see.... Well, I need to go and see my brother-in-law, so I shall bid you adieu." Somnus bowed slightly in return, and started walking in the direction that he was originally heading in.

As Lucette watched Somnus go, she kind of wondered who he was seeing. Wait... She started smiling to herself, since she ended up remembering. Somnus was the older brother of Nirvana, so his brother-in-law was, of course, Caelum. Even when she went by Lucille, she never really interacted with Somnus much, he was sort of there now and then. He just kept to himself a whole bunch of times. So she was a little curious about why he was around but that would be too nosey of her, plus she had something else to do. With new found information though, she turned on her heel and started to head towards where that library was.

Standing outside of the library doors, she recalls that this was the place that Lucien stayed in when he was 'imprisoned' here. She supposed that finding Nocte here wouldn't be that out of the ordinary. Seeing that the door was slightly open, she lightly pushed on it, and it opened. Making her way inside and closing the door a little behind her, she realised that the place was slightly dark, except for near that fireplace. It was lit, and she could just make out a dark shadow further in the room. As she made her way closer to the shadow, she could clearly make out a form hunched over, with their legs up to their chest, on one of the chairs in front of the roaring fireplace. As she got a little closer, the figure still didn't acknowledge her, but she could tell from what they were wearing that it was, in fact, Nocte.

"Nocte?" She quietly called out to him.

Lifting his head up, a forlorn looking Nocte stared back at her. His eyes, once full of life, looked emotionless. In a way, it really tore at her heartstrings. But, as he looked at her, he didn't say anything. Taking the seat nearby, she talked to him again.

"I'm sorry...."

"No need to apologise...." He spoke, but his voice barely had any life to it. "In a way, you've lost more than I have...." He looked away from her, and into the flames. "It was his plan all along...."