- Oh the old stolen magic, that's the stuff. - Jean chuckled, holding down the roaring one-eyed minotaur with crimson barbed vines that seemingly growing out of his hand. He smirked, tightening the grip on the vines as he backed off, pulling the beast into a circle lined with runes drawn in the middle of the town square. - Cut both way though, whatever magic that does not belong to you will be stripped more easily.
The beast, seemingly understanding its captor's words, cried out in fear and struggled in a desperate attempt to break free, but only managed to get the vines to tightened. Pale human with spears, Bloodsworn vampires, poked the beast's side, searing its hide as the material itself purged the corrupted flesh. Inch by inch, the minotaur was dragged into the circle, shrieking as the magical pull began to strip the magic from its very being and rip its body apart by doing so.
Before long, there was naught but a pile of crimson ash in the middle of circle, remnants, so saturated with magic was the beast, magic stolen from hundreds, if not thousands of soul it's consumed, that there was nothing more to reduce to. Quetz snorted at the gruesome display, paying no heed as the magic extracted was absorbed by the four towers in each corner of the town square. By his side, Lucious watched with no more excitement, his golden eyes drooped down in a worrying fashion than nonchalant.
- So he bargained with you. - The white haired man asked, grimly.
- Yes. - Lucious mumbled an answer, scratching the sleeve of his formal silk tunic as he did.
- Without consulting with me? - Quetz sighed, though knowing full well his son would do something like this, he couldn't help but felt a surge of disappointment every time he thought about it. He turned to his son, who immediately turned away, avoiding those fiery amber eyes, the sight of which made Quetz couldn't help but chuckle. - I'm not angry at you. - He spoke softly, caressing the boy's head with his long, white tail. - I just wish you'd consult with me first before making a decision like that.
- Yes Father. - Lucious nodded, before turning to his father. - But what about the Young Lord? What do we tell him?
- I figure the human boy would do it for us. - The white haired man said with a confident smile.
- I hope so. - The younger male replied. - I…wouldn't forgive myself if anything happens to him.
- Why? - Quetz blinked, curious to why his son, always so clingy and jealous to whomever being to close to him, would tolerate this strange boy.
- I just…want you to be happy. - Lucious forced out an answer, trying to sound not too suspicious.
The older male snorted, reaching for his shoulder to scratch his bandaged wound through the silk tunic much to his son's horror. Lucious looked away, trying to hide a nervous gulp as his father turned his gaze at the top of the cliff, where the Haru's at.
- We should return to the residence. - The older male suggested, smirking as he saw his vampire friend was having a bit too much fun with draining the prisoners. - Let Jean deal with these beasts.
- As you wish Father. - Lucious nodded, slowly following Quetz toward the elevating platform leading to the private living quarters above the valley.
The rush of cold air brushing through his black, shaggy hair made Lucious shiver, not from the cold, he's experienced much worst than this. It was nostalgia he was shivering from, recalling memories of ages passed, when he first experienced the cold above his fathers' Spires. How long has it been since Lucious last felt like this, a feeling that makes him shiver? Decades? Centuries? Millennia? He couldn't tell, ever since that day, time has passed in a blur that chewed at his sanity relentlessly, reminding him of his failure to protect Him.
- Keto-san!
To Quetz's and Lucious' surprise, Haru was waiting for them at the lift, alone, tears streaming down his reddened face. The teen rushed toward the white haired man, diving into the older male's arms and squeezed tightly, letting out a muffled shriek of anguish as Loi, Mitsuki and Ginji ran toward them. Lucious turned to the tanned boy, immediately knowing he's said something as the boy turned to avoid his gaze.
- Sh… Sh… It's ok, I'm here. - Quetz hushed, stroking the boy's head and back to comfort him but to no avail. The man looked at Mitsuki, though she's not crying, the distressed expression on her face's told it all. He gently brushed his lips against the boy's snowy white hair before slowly pulling him up. - Come on, let's get you inside.
- N…no… - The white haired boy shook his head, gripping tighter at his man's shirt, he didn't want to let go, he couldn't, not after all Loi's told him, he needed to be held by him. - No…no…
Quetz didn't protest, he picked the boy up with him, his tail trailed the air, signaling all of them to follow him back to their residence, all except for Loi and Lucious. The tanned boy leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms in a fashion that almost made him seems like he was regretting his action. The black haired man sighed, he didn't feel anything but…relief, having half-expected things to go down this way. Still, he couldn't help the feeling of sadness, seeing Haru like that.
- I told him the chief left with the rest of the villagers. - Before the inquisitor could speak, the boy has spoke out.
- He…didn't seem to take it very well. - Lucious quietly replied, sad, golden eyes still staring at the direction where his father has taken the boy to.
- Yeah? The chief was the only one in the village beside us who was ever been nice to him. - The tanned boy scoffed, turning his face away as he saw the older male leaning at the wall next to him. - I couldn't tell him that…that you killed him. - He continued, quietly, eyes squinting to hold in the tears. - He doesn't deserve to be in any more burden…especially from your kind.
- My kind? - Lucious hissed quietly. - Burden him? No, you are mistaken. It was your kind that's burdened Father. What I did to your chief, it was mercy.
- Mercy?! - Loi bolted from the wall, leaping in front of the older male. - You sentenced him to death! And for what?! To break some ancient "covenant" that…that…
- His name is Quetz Xolotl, and you shall address him as such by his decree, human. - Lucious leaned forward from the wall, slightly slouching toward the boy as he hissed out a warning.
- I will call that monster whatever I want! - Loi shrieked. - We didn't ask for him to protect us! We didn't ask for him to have mercy on us! We didn't need him! Never have! He indebted himse…?!
A backhand slap from the Anacondrai almost sent the tanned boy flying, has it not for Lucious holding back his full force, Loi would have been flying to the wall. Before he could recover, the boy felt a hand seizing his shirt, pulling him up, forcing him to look in Lucious' furious eyes.
- What do you know about monsters? - The man growled, tail dragging across the marble floor angrily. He pressed the human against the wall, dragging him up until he's just above his eye level, just out of his immediate biting range. - You're right, you vermin. - He hissed through his fangs, and immediately, the tanned boy knew that he's staring at Death. - You didn't need him. You wanted him. You saw his power and you envied him. You desired that kind of power under your control.
- Wh…what? - Loi shivered, too horrified to understand what this…beast was telling him.
- Your little chieftain didn't tell you anything, did you? - Lucious grinned, shoving the boy off to the floor, watching the human scrawling to his feet with amusement. - Years after years, generations after generations of chieftains, and they still keep that little secret of theirs. Have you ever wondered why every chieftain-to-be had to join the old chief on a pilgrimage to the Forbidden Forest?
- What are you saying? - Loi stood up, backing off a bit as he tried to comprehend what Lucious was saying about the sacred rite of his tribe. - What do you mean?
- Oh, you poor, ignorant child. - Lucious spoke softly, yet his words were like scalpels made of ice, cutting deep into the boy's mind. - I was there when your first chieftain-to-be broke a bargain with us. You were right, my father indebted himself, but only because you managed to distract the beast before it could kill him long enough for us to slay it. Instead of thanking us for cleaning out their territory for them, they decided to ask for a boon. In exchange for our protection, they'd send their warriors to aid us in safe guarding that patch of ground you call a territory.
- That's not true… - The tanned boy shook his head, it can't be true, their ancestral hunting grounds, their status amongst other tribes, all a cheap bargain using someone else's name? - That's not true! You're lying!
- You offered to keep that piece of land safe, but coincidentally, that place was one of the safest places on that side of the Maw. In return, we gave you our protection, He gave you His protection. - Lucious narrowed his eyes in disgust, before slowly turning away. - Always trying to take advantages of others' kindness, your kind sickens me.
- Then why did you leave him to us then?!
The desperate roar made Lucious stopped in his track, jabbing into his heart like a white hot knife. The Anacondrai gripped his shirt just above his heart, feeling it beating like vile drums, invisible chains tightened around his lungs, squeezing tighter and tighter until he felt the need to gasp for air. He bent over, coughing and gagging, realizing he's been holding his breaths, along with two trails of salty, hot tears dripping down his face. Why? The inquisitor questioned himself as he regained his composure, rubbing at his throbbing throat, he was silent, his mind and conscious were sound when they decided that the boy, Haru, would be better with the human, especially there. So why did he felt this kind of feeling now? This painful feeling. Is it regret?
- So? - He heard the human asked with his shaky voice. - Why then? Why us then?
Lucious took a deep breath, forcing himself to stand still, reminding himself of his status, his ranks, his responsibility, his promise, before slowly turning around to give the boy a death glare as he ushered his reply quietly:
- Because I couldn't risk loose him again.