So You Might be Soulless (Season 2)

3|| Deadened

Sebastian had always been of the firm impression that every being on the planet was interesting and that no one could be completely boring.

However, that was before he met Recruit Tanner.

The man was so dull. There was no other word for it. Sebastian was used to Elementalists of the fire disposition having hot tempers, being loud, and often borderline rude. But Tanner seemed to defy all the odds.

He made a joke about lead. Lead.

It wasn't even a good one.

Sebastian's lips twitched into a grin as he remembered something funny Diya had told him yesterday. Well, he couldn't quite remember what she'd said but rather the way she'd said it- eyes rolling, mouth curled into the you-are-an-idiot scowl he knew so well and the sunlight catching on her brown eyes and causing them to glitter like opals. He stared out of the window with an almost wistful sigh.

"Your Highness?" Tanner asked in a flat monotone. "Is there something not to your liking?"

If Diya was here she would have told me to get a grip and move on. "No, everything is perfectly alright, thank you for your concern, Recruit."

"Are you sure, Your Highness?"

"Quite."

"Would you like me to request for some tea to help with stressful thoughts?"

"I am perfectly capable of ordering my own tea, thank you." Sebastian didn't mean for his tone to be so sharp, but he wasn't used to this sudden kindness and obedience from a person by his side.

At least Tanner got the hint and kept quiet.

Sebastian pulled the stack of parchment towards him and started reading more witness statements about Wrymdust. It seemed that the culprit was getting bolder by the day and had started leaving the mysterious boxes closer and closer to the bustling Capital. He wasn't sure how long he could keep this a secret from the suspicious Nobles, but he intended to find out.

For the briefest of seconds, he blinked and the scene was replaced by withered, calloused hands- his hands- scratching illegible words on a paper. He tipped his head back and was jolted back into his own study with a tired groan.

The visions- both his and Diya's- had gotten much worse in the last few weeks. They would occur without warning, and were more mundane than the previous ones. Yet the duo had gotten no closer to discovering the source, but at least Caspian was almost done with translating the first chapter of the skin book. They'd agreed to keep the discovery of the ancient books a secret, at least until they could determine what they were about.

"Actually, I might have that tea, thank you, Recruit." Sebastian put his pen down for the tenth time and pushed away from the desk as if trying to put physical distance between him and work.

Tanner nodded and left the room to ring for a servant. "Yes, Your Highness."

Sebastian leaned back in his chair and let out a deep breath, grateful for the smallest amount of alone time. However the silence quickly turned uncomfortable and a strange feeling knotted into a tangled mess in his stomach.

Tanner reappeared, holding a cup of steaming brown liquid, perfectly brewed to suit his palate, on a tray. Sebastian took it with a grateful smile and raised it to his lips.

Do not drink the tea. It is poisoned.

The thought hit him with sudden clarity as if an unseen force had spoken directly into his mind. He froze and pulled it away from his mouth.