𝚂𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙰𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 [𝚐.𝚒 𝚟𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚡 𝚐𝚗!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛]

XXXIV

Before you could even open your mouth, the pyro mage lector hovering menacingly behind Lumine shot forward and slammed his hand on your mouth. The sudden jerk pressed your head back into your pillow and caused an intense head rush. Pixels of red and green covered your eyes as your body tensed up, your sensitive ribs flaring with pain.

You let out a muffled groan from under the lector's heavy palm and weakly grabbed his wrist in a vain attempt to remove it.

"I wouldn't bother." Lumine spoke casually, but her voice was chilling and detached. "Your body hasn't properly recovered to a point where you could even think of defending yourself at the moment, and we can't have you calling for that pesky yaksha."

One of her legs was crossed over the other, her hands perfectly poised in her lap and her back held straight. "I just wanted to have a little chat with you."

Your breathing was labored, eyes opened wide. You didn't know what to do other than lay there complacently, a dull throbbing in your sides. Your hands clenched around the wrist of the lector though there was no power behind your grip.

Slowly you unclenched your fingers and looked at Lumine. With your hands you gestured like you were writing down on something.

"What?" Lumine asked dully, an eyebrow raised. "Would you like something to write with?"

You gave a shaky thumbs up.

Lumine sighed and waved her hand, opening a small portal. Reaching inside she pulled out a notepad and pencil. She tossed it at you uncaringly, not flinching when you groaned as it hit your side. "I suppose it would be much of a conversation if one party couldn't respond, so there."

You awkwardly grab the notepad, maneuvering your arms to find a somewhat comfortable way of writing while the lector still pushes your head into your pillow, the sharp claws of its armor digging into your cheeks as it keeps your mouth shut.

'What is it you wanted to talk about? And why did you call me sibling?' You turned the notepad towards her.

Lumine puts a hand to her chest in faux hurt, a slight pout to her lips. "Oh, but aren't you? Aether seems to have accepted you into our family. It's only right I should do the same." In her anger her voice had gone from emotionless to a sickly sweet, her teeth grinding on certain words as if they were painful to say.

'Well, it's not as if he'd been getting any familial love from you.' You wrote it in a fit of annoyance, but you couldn't regret it.

Lumine's face twisted for a moment, an ugly curl to her lips and sharp spark in her eyes, before swiftly smoothing it out. "You're bold." Her voice was dull once more. "However, that's what I actually came to speak to you about."

The next words that left the Abyss Princess' mouth had your heart dropping to your stomach. "You're very bold with the conversations you have in public. Almost foolishly so, I'd say."

'What do you mean?' You write shakily.

"Oh, you know what I mean, don't you?" An odd smile crawled on her lips. "Speaking so brazenly about your visions, knowing my identity with such ease, and being so open in a country you knew was infected with my underlings."

You were shaking so badly you didn't know if you could hold the pencil at this point.

"So, you must realize I couldn't just let you go free once it was reported to me of a person with visions. You could prove so incredibly useful." Her smile dropped and her tone was tilted with annoyance. "Of course, waiting for the opportune moment to take you away was tedious, but now we have you here, weak and defenseless."