With all the planning and preparations going on, Drystan almost failed to notice that two weeks had passed, which meant that it'd already been nearly three months since he's taken to that underground laboratory.
Now, the time to break out is near. It's the evening before he escapes. He was about to get the rest he needed when he heard the door open.
Smiling, Drystan lets out a soft chuckle - something he thought he could never do just some time ago.
"Drystannn~"
Ercilia snuck in again.
She let herself lie under the covers without his permission. Not expecting how bold she's acting, Drystan turned over to look at her.
"Ercilia-"
His eyes went wide then. Their faces are too close to each other, making him blush a little.
Ercilia doesn't seem to mind. She simply smiles at Drystan, staring fondly at his ruby-like eyes that are faintly glowing in the dark.
"Hello, Drystan..." she greeted sweetly.
"Can I join you?"
"What about the cameras...?" he asked, worried and confused.
"Isn't it already too late? They might be watching."
"I already checked. No one's on the watch right now. So, be at ease."
"You sure?"
"Yep!"
Composing himself, Drystan finally returns her smile. He slightly moves to the side and lets Ercilia lie beside him. When he saw that she's already comfortable, he went back to lie down on his side of the bed.
She turns to the side, looking straight at him, and he looks at her too.
"Hey, Drystan," Ercilia whispered.
"Hmmm?" Drystan hummed.
"Did you enjoy spending time with me?"
He's a bit taken aback by her question. That came out of nowhere. Though he doesn't know what's suddenly up with her, he still gives her a sincere answer.
"I did, Ercilia. Thank you for everything you've done for me."
"I'm glad."
She cups both sides of his face, taking a good look at his spellbinding jewel eyes. The sight never fails to enchant her.
"So prettyyy~" Ercilia cooed, grinning all giddily.
"You really love my eyes, don't you...?" Drystan chuckled before sighing.
"Ercilia, may I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"If I didn't have these eyes... would we... still be like this?"
Friends.
Close friends.
He's a little scared as to what she may answer. Ever since he was born, everyone was entranced by his extraordinary features that a thought would always cross his mind. He'd wonder if they'd all be the same if his eyes were normal like theirs - he'd wonder if they'd still treat him like he's so special.
It's kind of childish, he admits.
He's embarrassed to have such thoughts. That's why he always makes sure to bury them deep within. Besides, he didn't only earn a lot admirers from these features. There are also many enemies who're after him because of them.
Still, Drystan feels like Ercilia's thoughts about it matter - surely, even more than most people.
"Yes! Of course...!" Ercilia chirped, pulling Drystan out of his reverie.
"With or without those pretty eyes of yours, I'd still like you."
He blinked rapidly, unsure if he heard that correctly.
She let out a yawn, clearly not realizing what she just confessed. Absentmindedly, she scoots closer to him and settles her head in the crook of his neck, turning him into a blushing mess once again.
'So, she... really likes me?'
Drystan softly sighs, suddenly finding a bit of courage to embrace Ercilia.
She giggles at how coy he's acting, which only makes him more flustered. He's not sure what this feeling is, but whatever it is, he thinks that it'll take a while to get used to it. Until he gets what it is, he's not planning to part ways with her.
So, that leads him to say, "Let's escape together, Ercilia."
She stills then. He sounds so serious. It's almost as if she didn't say anything about escaping with him.
"Well, that's part of the plan. Of course, I'll go with you..." she said then trailed off, her lips curving down into a frown.
"It's not like I'm gonna survive if I decide to be left behind, anyway."
"I'll show you around the city where I live in..." he offered if only to distract her from whatever horrors she's imagining.
"I promise I'll welcome you to my home."
Ercilia can't help but smile at that, patting his head reassuringly. Time and again, Drystan feels soothed by her gentle touch - so soothed that he eventually fell asleep just from her tender caresses alone.
Her eyes narrowed the moment his shut closed.
"Good night, Drystan. Have a sweet dream," Ercilia muttered with a low, breathy tone, her smile dropping and contorting into a scowl.
---
Fire.
They set the whole place in fire.
Bloodcurdling noises blare all around the underground laboratory. Screams of terror and cries for help pierce through the walls, overlapping with the sounds of the fire alarms that burst through every hall. Those who managed not to get caught up in the blast tried to evacuate immediately - in which most were the captives who'd long been locked up in that hellhole.
In a matter of weeks, everything had been prepared, and in a matter of minutes, everything had burnt down.
"Let's keep up with this pace, Ercilia!"
"Great job, Drystan! You've really outdone yourself!"
Now, the two young masterminds are on the run, fleeing from the crime scene.
Through a secret pathway that Ercilia disclosed to Drystan when they're still laying out their plan, they're able to escape the facility before the fire could spread and reach them. The execution had been faultless for the most part, and by that point, the only thing that's left to do was to cross the gates that would lead them outside.
For the past month, while she's been the one who initiates and guides, he analyze and strategizes - a perfectly deadly combination, indisputably.
"I think we've gone far enough, Drystan. Let's take a moment to rest here. We've been running for an hour now..." Ercilia suggested, panting heavily.
"Don't worry. We're in the clear."
Drystan nodded, feeling like taking a break himself.
He's not particularly athletic, so he's not used to all that running. She's even actually way ahead of him the whole time. It's like she'd been trained for this kind of situation. What's more, she's able to knock off several guards along the way - all on her own, that is.
"You're amazing, Ercilia," he found himself blurting out while he sat at the side, grinning to himself as he commended her.
"Says the one who's smart as hell. Blowing up an entire lab isn't something a normal thirteen-year-old can do," she praised him back with a smirk before she took a seat beside him.
"What's the use of being smart if you're always a ball of negativity? If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have escaped. I owe you my life."
Drystan turns slightly to behold Ercilia with overflowing adoration.
He was expecting her to look back - to tell him to snap out of whatever trance he fell in again. But then, she had only kept quiet and stared ahead. Her silence this time is unlike any other. It's strangely too serious. Almost grave.
It went on for a few more minutes, and soon enough, it settled upon him that she's acting odd.
"Ercilia..." Drystan called, concerned.
"What's the matter-"
Then, he froze.
Out of nowhere, he heard footsteps from above them. Since they're in a narrow underground tunnel, it makes sense that there are people up there. What doesn't make sense is that they're there when they're supposed to escape. No one should be around that area at this time.
That's what Ercilia told him.
"I think we need to go, Ercilia..." he muttered urgently, bolting right up from where he's sitting and stepping forward to check their surroundings.
"The pursuers must have caught up to us-"
Right then, he froze once more.
His everything went still the moment he turned around to look at her again. He can't believe what greets him then - he's in utter shock. It took him an agonizing fraction of time before he realized what's going on.
"W-Why, Ercilia?"
Drystan finds himself being threatened by a gun at point-blank, and as if the thought that his life is in danger again is not petrifying enough, Ercilia has to be the one who aims at him with a stone-hearted, cold-blooded look on her face.