BLEED

Why did he do it. Sephiroth's assumption was right that Sebastian was the cause for the tree and golden bars appearing. He turned his gaze down, but the malice was growing stronger and stronger. This man could not be allowed to walk freely while his family was currently vulnerable.

The back of Sebastian's mind tells him to withdraw. To step back and away, just in case.

Sephiroth lowered the mask from his mouth and put on a pained, pitiful expression. His eyes almost shimmered from the tears threatening to fall. He didn't approach Sebastian for a breath before his feet started to move, a noticeable limp as he walked over to the man.

Perhaps it would have been better if Sebastian had warned Sephiroth that something could happen. At least then he wouldn't have had to witness whatever he had to witness. It wouldn't have mattered whether it was just a glimpse or not.

@occultacarne | kindness deleted

Sephiroth writing to him? It was actually unheard of. He didn't think he'd hear from the boy, but seeing this letter wasn't unwelcome, if maybe a little odd.

Sebastian doesn't need an answer. Lyney's reaction already confirms exactly what he is asking, as does the careful distance Lyney has maintained between them. Once again, he weighs the advantages against the sheer stupidity of trying to disappear from there. His nose remains slightly wrinkled, his expression clearly caught between what he should do and what every instinct is telling him.

Sebastian lowers his arm, which Lyney ignores, and a soft chuckle escapes his parted lips. He doesn't wait to follow Lyney, and surprisingly, he walks a good distance behind him. Not that the distance would protect Lyney should Sebastian have the sudden itch to attack.

❝ Yeah, ❞ Vanth quietly agrees as their fingers touch, ❝ if you didn't come back, you'd never hear the end of it. ❞ He knows Sebastian is trying to lighten the mood—and it helps somewhat—but Vanth tries not to consider a timeline where Sebastian hadn't returned. He'd have left seeking revenge by now. So it was Monkey King that attacked Sebastian, then. Vanth says nothing as Sebastian gets up and disrobes, instead sitting with the deeper implications of their conflict. Aurelius had been vague with Vanth about what had kickstarted this, but his mental state had been more than enough to give Vanth a clue that this was no ordinary clash between Heaven and Hell. More than that, it was enough to spur Monkey King into action—someone who, while having chosen a side, they had never come to blows with.

"No, it would not have changed anything if you had come." Monkey King hadn't had the greatest hold on his abilities. It was definitely the effect of this place.

"Mmn..." Sam looked down, still eating but feeling sad now. He'd been here that long?! Did that mean Sam would be here that long too? What about Kaine and Seamus? They were going to be so worried about him!!

Sebastian catches the brief look of sadness, but doesn't ask about it. He knows that he's around those two. Seamus and Kaine. In fact, Kaine's residual aura is rather strong on Sam. Though it does bring out a certain feeling inside Sebastian, he does not dare let it show. Not in front of this boy at least.

"Sebastian is too many mouth-sounds," she pouts, hanging off the railing again, going back to her annoyed demeanor.

"I suppose I am a Devil, but not the kind that means the same for you. Safely assuming that your Devil from your world and mine mean two entirely different things.

Between the two of them, Vanth was the one who knew the whole game. Sebastian didn't understand it, but he could use the context of it. This place was empty. Just down the street from here was a vendor who enjoyed seeing Morpheus.

We always do.

Lyney lets out a huff that holds very little humor. "At least that" - he remarks, though Sebastian's agreement does little to reassure him. If anything, it only makes Lyney even more suspicious.

"You do not trust me to hold myself back," Sebastian asks curiously. He stops, too. He turns to look at the young man as he creates distance between them.

It's not Sebastian's blood? Vanth's eyes sweep uneasily over his person, at how absolutely drenched in red he is. If it's not his, then… whose is it? It shouldn't belong to Aurelius; Vanth ran into him not long ago. But he remembers the angel's desperation for answers, pleading for any way to help Klaus. Did they fight again while Vanth wasn't around? As Adolin sets aside the bag of food—something Vanth thinks is the least of their worries—and then disappears down the hall, Vanth silently traces his fingers over Sebastian's cheek, then to his ear, missing its tip. For now, the source of the blood doesn't matter. What matters is— ❝ Don't apologize. You kept your promise to me… So thank you, for coming back to us. ❞

Sebastian knows he has some explaining to Do. He isn't dreading it, of course. However, Monkey King could possibly be added as another one of enemy, perhaps.

Andrale's head turns to the speaker. She will not argue with the fact she is called a trespasser. She has just stepped into a place she had not been invited to.

He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to get a gratitude from a man like this. Felt wrong in many ways as if he were the prey and already got caught in their web.

"I suppose," he says, amused. Truth be told he wasn't wrong.every day was a funeral. A golden day for creature like himself.

A healer? Now, no one has called him that in quite a while, one might even say, that was multiple lifetimes ago. It flattered him nonetheless. “Why so? Aren’t healers supposed to appear when they are needed the most?” The Doctor looked down at the corpse, gently tapping it with the tip of his boot, “although, maybe a little too late for this poor fellow.”

"Ah, so you're familiar with this?" Sebastian chuckles. "I tend to leave the corpse once I am done with them, yes." Vanth was the one that made sure to eat every bit of what belonged to someone, and very rarely did Sebastian. He kept sustained pretty well, without fresh meat.

”Unfortunately so,” the Doctor mused, tilting his head gently to the side as he stared at the spot the corpse lay bare moments ago. Something about death in this place was highly odd and unusual. It carried no meaning, and yet people were still afraid of its prospect. The populace feared what it did not understand, maybe it was the same as this? And he was itching to understand the machinations. Studying a deceased person in this world was bound to bring forth valuable data. But alas, he was not granted that luxury.

Sebastian grunts in approval of the other's answer. He's now looking around. Not needed. He knows where a perfect victim is, just waiting. "Normally, it does not end with my victims surviving the night," He answers with a chuckle. "However, for you, I will make an exception for your research."

While eating, he looked at Sebastian with full cheeks and curious eyes. "How long....have you lived here?" His words were a little muffled by all of the food he was stuffing into his face. A habit of his seemed to be talking with his mouth full.

"I do not remember," he answers in a humming tone. "Perhaps two years? Longer? Time seems to blend in while here, with nothing truly to do."

“Of course it surprises me. It seems far too convenient, especially coming from you. No offense” - Lyney shoots back immediately, his tone clearly uncomfortable. There was nothing about Sebastian that put him at ease, and the longer he let him lead the way, the more tense he seemed to become.

"Hm, I cannot fault you for having suspicions toward me." Sebastian knew that he was an unpredictable sort. He could switch with just a snap of his fingers.

❝ I'm telling you, Adolin, something's wrong! ❞ Since getting back to the prince's home, Vanth has done nothing but plead with him that he has to go out there again. As bad as he looks and as weak as he is, Vanth simply can't shake the sense of danger that had bolted through his and Sebastian's bond. To his credit, Adolin tries his best to wrap his mind around it, but he refuses—understandably so—to let Vanth take so much as a single step toward that door again. One scare was enough. His ring finger dully throbs beneath his wedding band and its blood jewel as Vanth's soul searches desperately for a sign of his lover. Restlessly, his touch falls over it, brought briefly to his chest as he pleads some more. ❝ You gotta let me find him! It's been too long, he's still not back, and— ❞ Just then, the front door carefully opens. Vanth's attention snaps to it, his mouth still parted to protest as his eyes fall, thankfully, at last upon his lover. His bloodied, wounded lover. ❝ Sebastian! ❞ Vanth instantly climbs to his feet, crossing the living room with the most strength he's displayed since arriving in the backup city. At first, his hands reach for Sebastian's own, but they pause, unsure if the stains of blood are another's or from injury. Then, one reaches to cup Sebastian's face, as the other helps support him upright. Pushing into his hair, Vanth distantly notes his blunt, chopped locks while he gently yet somewhat frantically examines him.

Both of them rush to his side the moment he steps through the door. Between their worry, Sebastian hands Adolin the fruits and other food he's found. "It is not my own," he answers regarding the blood.