Ripples

Balance X

Mentions of homicidal thoughts, parasitic souls, death, and alcoholism.

~~~•~~~

A slender finger tapped the cube made of faint sapphire, oceanic eyes watching as a blob of dark fog bounced off of random corners of the prison. With a soft sigh, Athanasia leaned her head back, relishing in her lover's embrace as he clung to her. Repulsed by the touch of that dark mist, and even more repulsed after realizing who was existing as that shade, the mage had latched onto her as soon as they got to her room.

To think that the child had become a sociopath, Lucas wanted to smash the prison just so he could kill Aethernitas, but it seemed that his lover already had plans for it. And when he saw the tempestuous waves within her eyes, he knew that he did not have to worry about the shadow escaping again.

"What should we do about Anastasius?" Lucas blinked, lifting his head from leaning against their bed frame. He turned to look at Anastasius, who was lying unconscious on a lounge chair, only because the mage hadn't been willing to let anyone else rest on their bed. "What about him?"

"Well, don't you think that Jennet and Papa will panic if they find him? Also... is he ok?" Just as Athanasia asked the question, a knock came from the door. However, before she could even say anything, Jennet had already rushed into the room with a basket of chocolate truffles. "Sister! I made your favorite sweets and- Athanasia de Alger Obelia! By the mercy of Obelia, that's Anastasius!"

"Like that?" Fate's favorite tore her eyes away from Jennet, peeking a glance at her lover as he snickered. Amused rubies simply stared at her sister, and Athanasia turned back to the eldest female with equal amounts of amusement. "Yes, exactly like that. Lily!"

For a moment, there was silence. And then, out of nowhere, the frantic maid rushed into the room, only to scream as soon as she saw the unconscious woman on the floor. Although Lily wanted to ask questions, the princess simply waved them away with a smile, and she knew then that this was another incident to keep silent about.

"It would be fortunate if your father also visits. It would be a touching reunion, don't you think so?" Athanasia shook her head, a small smile upon her face as her lover laughed at his own joke. She could only imagine what kind of mess her father could possibly bring if he ever found his brother resting in her room. So her eyes sought the cube again, leaning closer to the bedside table to tap it. "What is this? And, you haven't answered my question. Is my uncle okay? Before that, should we do something to hide him lest my father finds him?"

Lucas lifted himself from lounging on their bed, leaving the warmth of their embrace and walking to the man that they had just saved. Not that there was much to save, "nobody can just come back from the dead. The voice that he was talking about wasn't just a malignant force. It was a soul, a cursed soul filled with the perverse desires and regrets of one of your ancestors. It seems that he latched onto Anastasius and twisted his thoughts so that he would be easier to control. And, when your uncle died- well, what's there to control. A dead man shouldn't have any thoughts at all."

"Uncle did! Uncle could still remember his memories, and he favored me! He fought against the voice, and that's how he found me!" Athanasia rambled loudly, slamming a hand upon the bed as she tried to gather her thoughts. Her companion frowned. "I don't have an answer for that. Perhaps, that man inside of him, Aethernitas, brought your uncle back to life since he could not latch onto a dead host. Perhaps, your uncle was strong enough to defy death while dealing with that cursed soul."

"Is there a way that you can find out?" Athanasia asked, crumpling her silken sheets within her clenched fists. It was evident that her uncle was not the man in the stories, that he wasn't some villain, some tyrant of black magic. Her eyes glared at the soul bouncing excitedly against the prison walls, the desire to kill crackling within her veins. "What if we killed Aethernitas?"

Lucas didn't want to say it; he couldn't bear it if she cried. The only ending to this tragedy was not something that Athanasia would like, so he simply said, "I'm not sure, but I'll look into it. For now, we should figure out how to hide him-"

"What happened? One of the knights heard a scream from your room and... is that who I think it is?" The door opened again, this time revealing Felix and Claude. Felix's eyes instantly traveled to the lounge chair when Claude's gaze fell upon it, molten silvers trembling beneath the dawning moon.

The bosom brother of Claude could still remember the late emperor, from the kind and genteel Anastasius to the brother that called Claude dirt. He had always thought it rather odd that the child suddenly turned so cold, not when he had been so protective and caring, but he had brushed it off as the influence of their toxic home. As if that made the situation any easier to swallow, but what could he do? What was he now supposed to do? Felix placed a hand upon his honorary brother's shoulder, lowering his head when he felt the man tremble.

Rage was a word far too simple for what Claude felt at that moment. His ears were stuffed with cotton, and his throat was clenched tight. His vision was also becoming blurry, along with his hold on his mana. There was nothing that could have prepared him for seeing his brother again, the same one that had stolen everything that he had ever had. It wasn't the fact that he had slept with Claude's fiance, but the feeling of betrayal when Anastasius had changed, taking with him the warmth that the youngest of the two had come to rely upon.

But that brother that he knew was also a man who mocked him and was used to being the superior one. Anastasius had never forgotten to push Claude aside, stepping upon his pride as if it brought him the greatest joy, the greatest achievement. It was a brother with glaciers in his eyes and acid in his words, a brother that was nothing like the man laying on that sofa.

He had never thought that he would ever see his brother like that, supine on the lounge chair with his face calm. This was the man that had tried to kill him, that had killed his daughter so many times, and this man with "immortality" in his name was sleeping as if death had already claimed him, and he didn't seem to mind.

"It's uncle," Athanasia simply confirmed with a nod. Bright sapphires curiously watched her father rest a hand upon Anastasius's head, and even Felix and Lucas could not help but pay attention. For a moment, as Claude lifted his fist, she wondered if the emperor was going to punch the unconscious man. In the end, however, he only tapped his knuckles against his brother's forehead. "What happened?"

The princess lifted an eyebrow as if to question what was going on. She had expected... more from Claude, and it was a little unsettling for him to be so banal with his expressions. She didn't want a tantrum nor a war, but a little shouting would have been respectable. Despite her slight disappointment, however, Athanasia began to explain about meeting her uncle on the streets, having the fight with him, and imprisoning the mist.

"For how long?" Claude was numb. Perhaps it was from the shock of seeing his brother unconscious, softly breathing but looking far too much like he was dead. Still, it had already been far too long since he felt numb to the core. It was cold, foreign even, and his eyes immediately sought out his daughter.

He wondered too what he should have felt. Shame for never helping his brother through such a difficult time, or perhaps some guilt? Should he have felt relieved for finally having an explanation, if not joy to have him back? Nothing was ringing a bell, but he felt that he should have felt something. "Perhaps remorse, like when I found out that I killed Athanasia."

"He never mentioned exactly how long it had been, but I'd wager that the voice first appeared in his childhood." The youngest brother's eyes closed, and his hand rose to rub his temple. His bones felt heavy, weighed by his confusion and exhaustion. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to hide in his room and drown himself in alcohol.

"Tell me when he's awake." Athanasia watched her father leave, only to wave a simple goodbye to Felix when the man bowed. She felt Lucas embrace her, but he didn't say a word. Claude and Felix left a silence that was cold and uncomfortable.

"He looked like he was in shock, or overwhelmed by his emotions." Lucas eventually remarked, and the princess nodded after thinking about her father. His eyes had been blank, but they were not cold. They had not been bitter and mocking, useless like before. However, no matter how much she wondered, she couldn't figure out what had gone through his mind.

She had so many questions and no answers, though that was no surprise.