#infloraforest

They feel dizzy; the room is spinning in every kind of direction. Focus shifts in and out, but they manage to process the room is dark and the lights keeping everything lit are dirty and dim-- Were they underground the castle somewhere? They didn't remember coming down here at all for some reason... Though the room still felt as it was swaying, they finally blinked a few times to get a grip of their surroundings, attempting to move, only for the clank of chains keeping them in place. (And fuck, were they in pain. It felt like even lifting their head was putting them in pain.)

"Wha...?"

"Yooo, Commander! Are you finally awake?" 

This voice was loud and cheerful enough to hit the blonde's ears from down the hallway where the only exit door was open, followed by the hollow thump of boots. Brows furrowed intensely, body shifting a bit more-- Or as much as they could when their hands seemed to be rendered useless and tied over their head with chains linking to the low ceiling.

"Gillard--...?" That was his voice, wasn't it? That annoying cheerful tone accompanied by that silhouette standing in the doorway... It felt as if that grin he showed in the darkness was the only real thing to see; everything else blended, like the Cheshire Cat in that famed children's movie.

"Your one and only! Who else would I be?" Rail chirped, walking up to stand before the Commander, a hand resting so casually on his hip. "You sure did take a while to wake up, you know, buuuut I supposed you needed to get your beauty sleep before this." All the while continuing to speak, the raven bent down, taking a needle out of the pocket of his jacket and sticking it into the other's neck to inject something.

"Wh-- What is that?! What am I doing here, Rail!? ANSWER ME!" There was that familiar anger again, which in turn only brought up a soft laugh from the programmer's throat as he stood up and took a step back. 

"To the point as always, Haven? You just can't feel the mood at all~" The younger sang. "First of all, stop yelling. No one can hear you down here, and you're only going to hurt yourself in the end with that nonsense anyway."

"What do you mean?!"

"That stuff I just injected into you? It's a chemical mixture that makes the body all the more sensitive to their surroundings." An index finger lifted then, as he often ended up doing while explaining things. "It puts you in pain. The wind hurts, screaming hurts, and most importantly-- Getting hurt by others hurts, only at a much larger intensity depending on how much is in your system!" There was a pause then, but of course, knowing that the older would end up questioning him, the boy found it best to add in what they would inquire. "Ah, by the way, that was the third one. You can feel it now I'm sure, right?"

And right he was.

After they actually processed his words, they paid more attention to their body then; the hurting when they woke up had an explanation. Every shift of their hands where they were bound hurt, leaving his body nearly shaking because of it. (Originally the assumption was that they were just cold, but this was far worse, wasn't it? It was actually warm in this room.) Though they didn't want to admit it, there was a faint sense of panic in their system. That wasn't normal, that wasn't good at all.

Especially in front of Rail Gillard of all people, who they shouldn't of feared in the slightest. He was just some idiot!

Wasn't he?

"-- Haven? Are you listening?"

Lost in their thoughts, of course said person didn't, eyes merely wide and unblinking as they stared at the floor-- But this could only go on for another few seconds before a hand soon grabbed at their ponytail and jerked it so hard a yelp erupted from their throat, Rail's other hand moving to roughly grab their chin and force them to meet his gaze.

"Come now, Haven darling, you need to pay attention when I'm speaking~"

It hurt, it hurt, it fucking hurt--

Digits twitched from overhead, touching the metal that bound them lightly as if hoping to find somewhere to release them, all the while feeling Rail so gently twirling the strands of the end of their long ponytail between his fingers. It felt so disgustingly kind when they were both aware that this would not be kind even in the slightest.

"You know, Haven, you've always been my favorite out of everyone here. I always felt so special when you visited me all the time, you knowww?" Rail continued, seeming to not even be phased by the entire situation. Not that Haven was shaking out of literal anguish just sitting there on his knees before him, not that he was the cause of it, not that he had every intention of making it ten times more painful. "It's just thanks for how kind you've been to me!"

Rail's free hand shifted to his belt, pulling away one of those strange rectangles off his belt and moving it to the Commander's back. Honestly, a part of them always wondered what they were, but they seemed like accessories. Was there some sort of use to them?

(They shouldn't of thought that statement.)

Soon enough, there was a sharp surging pain against their back, registering that it was a BLADE that was suddenly jabbing into the skin, followed by a surge of electricity that left their back arching out of sheer pain, a loud scream erupting from their throat. Rail, on the other hand, merely took steps back, a hand lifting to barely hide the wicked, disgusting grin tugging at his lips as he watched the older's body convulse from the electric shock.

"Ahh, that looks so great. Commander, you make such a pretty face when you're screaming--" So great that the male couldn't resist taking the spare retractable dagger he had at his belt, twirling it in his hand and giving the blonde enough time to notice it and babble some attempt to get him to stop before the next was jabbed into the front of their other shoulder. The beautiful scream that resounded off the walls left him shuddering, twisting it even so to make the older wail out more in utter pain and despair.

Ahh, it was so perfect! It was so great! Rail was honestly jealous Haven was the only one feeling such wonderful pain! But alas... It was only fair to return all of this before everything came crumbling down.

"St-st-stop, please..." Haven's body was shaking violently at this point, hands desperately moving from where they were bound to free themself, but shockingly enough-- Soon Rail walked up to pull out the blades from their body, loosening how high the chains were tied to the ceiling so to kick them onto their back and grind his steel toed boot into their stomach.

"Ahh--? You're crying, Commander! That's so unlike you!" Rail laughed, head canting in mock altruism. "Or can you even register it anymore? The pain must be so overwhelming to even notice! I'm so jealous~!"

The older could only blink rapidly, seeming to only then notice such a thing, followed by a pathetic whimper that seemed to contrast all they were seen as by their followers and Solomon. "Rail, s-stop, pleas-se, I'll stop everything I've done to you, I-I--"

"Stop?" The younger interjected with a curious stare, bringing his foot away from Haven's stomach to move and sit on top of them. "Oh no, I enjoyed all of it! It was always the highlight of my day! ♥"

                      "Then why...?"

Silence fell over the two then, bright emerald green hues staring down into frightened silver that stared right back up at him despite the pained tears. Rail exhaled softly, smiling in the most gentlest of manners as he extended a hand to cup one of Haven's cheek and brush some of the tears away with his thumb. "Mm... I just got bored, you know. When that happens, I have to start fresh. You're a determined person, so if I let you live, you'd hunt me to the ends of the earth. It'd be a pain to have the past hunting you when you have a new identity, yanno?"

What was he going on about? THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND!

They could barely understand anything right now. The only thing Haven could register was the pain still coursing through their body, trying their hardest to suppress their shudders to not seem weak before this terrible person before him. How could Solomon of hired someone like this? HOW?

"Man, I'm really going to miss you, though..." The raven continued, seeming to muse to himself more rather than actually talking to the other. "You always were my favorite, actually... I should take a memento, don't you think?"

Momento?

"W-What do you mean--?"

The programmer lifted up one of his daggers and shifted even closer on top of Haven, one hand purposely pressing into the bleeding wound of their right shoulder which caused them to scream out in pain, all the while Rail held his dagger inches away from one of those bright silver eyes. "Ｉ＇ｖｅ  ａｌｗａｙｓ  ｌｏｖｅｄ  ｙｏｕｒ  ｂｅａｕｔｉｆｕｌ  ｅｙｅｓ，Ｃｏｍｍａｎｄｅｒ♫"

A shocked moment of silence overtook the beaten, bloodied Commander before fear finally returned, fearful and pained screaming being the only thing that slipped their lips. No no no, please don't, PLEASE-- Those were the only thoughts that ran through their mind as Rail forced them to keep one of their eyes open and their head still, one of those dirty, bloodied daggers hanging precariously over their eye.

"RAIL PLEASE, STOP THIS, PLEASE PLEASE--"

His hand reeled back, Haven still pleading at the top of their lungs. "TIME TO CLAIM MY REWARD~!"

"Rail."

Perhaps luck was on Haven's side then, for Rail seemed to pause right before the Commander's eye, sitting back and turning his head to glance behind him, bright green optics meeting violet that gleamed in the darkness that the dim lighting couldn't reach. "Ah. Vaiyon."

Vaiyon? It was Vaiyon Luce? 

"VAIYON--!! PLEASE HELP ME, YOUR STUPID COMMANDER HAS GONE COMPLETELY--"

"We've rendered the rest of The Protectors immobile. Kortus is taking care of Mister Lockheart. Alecia requires you for other matters regarding some..." What...? That boy was helping him? And The Protectors were--? What had happened?!

"... I see." There was a childish sigh then, Rail pushing himself to his feet after giving one last look at Haven and turning to head over to Vaiyon. "Finish off dear Commander, will you?" And just before he was out the door, he paused, bringing one of his bloodied daggers to his lips to lick off the claret liquid from the steel. "-- And by the way, rip out one of their pretty eyes out for me, will you? Make sure they're alive while you do it."

"Understood."

Again, perhaps Commander Haven was stunned, but as soon as Vaiyon started closing in, there was panicked screaming coming from that small room again, the clinking of chained and thumping of boots against the metal floor in some feeble attempt to flee. "No!! No! No, no-- NOOOO--!!!"

And all the while their screams echoed down the empty hallway, all Rail cold do was hum a cheerful tune as he kissed what was left of the blood on his blade.