In My Hands, Know Suffering

28: To Anomaly And Beyond

The breeze from the window brought a warm greeting into the room. Castellone was staring outside, having a mental break from the materials he was reading. The courtyard's vegetation from the ground, aside from the university's buildings, were its background. The sky loomed all over the country, setting soon, betraying the light and welcoming the darkness slowly. It was a normal evening, a cordial greeting.

As the breeze went cooler, he pulled on his hoodie and closed the windows. He paused for a while, watching as the city lights from beyond had lit up and shared their glow. Some students were already heading out after their classes. Castellone looked at the time, wondering what was taking Abrielle. But then he thought, maybe she ran into one of her bullies again? He had no part in that, but then he felt like he had to make sure, but that was nonsense. He knew they've stopped for the past months now and she was safer.

In the end, he decided to settle back and delve once again in the headache brought about by the lectures written.

Specter sensed his angel closing in. Her aura was getting stronger. Castellone was simply anticipating her arrival while answering a few questions from the reviewer. He was twirling the pen now, trying to think of the possible answer to the question he was working on.

Specter smiled menacingly once again and braced himself to take over once his angel was there.

A knock finally sounded at the door. Llone immediately threw the pen on the desk and went to answer it. The minute he saw the angel, Llone's vision darkened. Specter finally pulled his spirit out to take over the vessel. Llone will have to deal with the abyss for now.

Abrielle offered him a small smile trying her best to hide the demise she just witnessed. "Hi."

Castellone welcomed her inside before closing the door. She looked around the room and thought it was rather organized where not a single thing was misplaced. He kept things tidy and was amazed at that compared to most boys she knew.

She placed her things on the desk and waited for him to join her while she thought of how she could evade the weekly threats the institution did to the children. To her.

"Hey, can I tell you something?" She asked and didn't wait for a reply. "Can you join me in Fort Vyglia this weekend? I want to show you where I grew up from. You see, I'm not who you think I am and I just thought it was time you knew of it."

He didn't reply. He hasn't spoken ever since she got there. When she turned to look at him, he was still standing over the door. His back was facing her. She observed him further and waited for a reply, anything. He wasn't even moving one bit. Then, the lights began to flicker.

"Llone?" She said and approached him. Her gaze shifted to the lighting fixtures by the ceiling. They danced and flickered, until the lights died down, rendering the room in darkness. From the darkness, she reached out a hand to touch him. "Llone, did you hear what-"

As a child, there were times when Abrielle feared the dark and wondered what might pounce from the shadows. She'd suppress a cry every time she imagined bony hands reaching out just to choke the life out of her when she still lived with her parents back at the surface. Her fear had only lost its doubts when her father taught her how to overcome her fear of it by making her read fairy tales with subjects of darkness. It taught her that the dark wasn't always that bad, at least in fairy tales.

Now, she wished those thoughts still worked. But it was a different case when it was something that was physically forced on her.

Castellone grabbed her wrist by surprise. The grip was strong, her brows furrowed at it. It was dark, but by the blessing of what little light that seeped through the window, she could see the traces of Castellone's face. There was a reaction she never saw from him when their gazes met. He had the most maniacal smile on his face like some possessed debauchery. His eyes radiated a faint red from the cerulean hue she always knew them to be.