He couldn't see anything, nor move his body—arms and legs all tied to something, most likely a chair. He also didn't have any idea where he was, since he'd woken up just a few seconds ago. Oh, and he couldn't talk either, since he was gagged as well. So, all in all, a pretty bad situation to wake up in—unless you happened to be into hardcore S&M, which, suffice to say, Azure was not.
"Mmm! Mph! Mm Mm!" he tried to call out, hoping somebody would come in and free him. *But why would anyone free me after what I did?* he thought in a rising panic. *They're probably going to execute me... or experiment on me!*
Suddenly, the sharp creak of a metal door broke the silence.
"Looks like you've woken up," a familiar voice said. *Eirv!* he thought, recognizing the head butler's voice immediately.
"Sorry for this, but we had to ensure the safety of both us and you," he heard another familiar voice say. *Viktor!* he thought, recognizing his new boss's voice as well.
Azure's heart raced as he felt hands working at the knot behind his head, loosening the gag. The moment the cloth fell away, he took a huge gulp of air, his voice trembling as he asked, "Wh-where am I, sirs? And wha-what's going to happen to me?"
"Oh, don't worry, Azure. We're not going to do anything harmful to you," Viktor reassured him. Azure wanted to retort, *Tell that to the assassin who knocked me out cold!* But he was too scared to do so.
Eirv picked up where Viktor left off. "You're in the basement of the mansion. Well... in one of the basements."
*One of the basements?* Azure thought in confusion, but his mind quickly jumped to a more pressing question. "Um, Wha-what happened after I got knocked out? And… is Malissa o-okay?" His voice wavered, betraying his concern for his coworker.
"Not worried about me at all, huh?" Eirv said with a chuckle, but his tone lightened as he added, "Don't worry, Malissa's fine. It'll take more than a little shove to take her down."
*I did more than just shove her!* Azure winced at the memory. *But I'm glad she's okay.* Relief washed over him knowing she was okay. At least one thing wasn't a disaster.
Viktor cleared his throat, bringing the focus back. "After you got knocked out by Valien, Eirv and the others first made sure you were okay and didn't suffer any permanent damage. After confirming you were fine, I ordered them to tie you up in the basement, again for both your safety and ours."
Azure could hear someone moving closer—almost certainly Eirv. "I'm going to take off your blindfold now," Eirv said, his voice steady but firm. "Just make sure to look anywhere other than at us or your restraints."
Azure couldn't help but protest. "But those are the things I'd most likely look at!"
He could hear Viktor take a few steps back, likely retreating from the room. His voice followed, more distant now. "Just look to your side, Azure, and try to stay in control."
*I don't know how to do that, you prick!* Azure thought in frustration. He felt Eirv's hands loosening the knot behind his head, and once the blindfold slipped off, he obediently turned his head to the right, staring at the wall. His breathing was rapid and uneven as he slowly opened his eyes. *Please don't do it again... please don't do it again,* he repeated in his mind, the fear of what his eyes had done last time gripping him.
When his vision cleared, he blinked. He was still staring at a plain wall. "My eyes didn't go off!" he said, relief washing over him. He turned forward, eager to share his excitement. "My eyes didn't—"
He cut himself off as he saw both Viktor and Eirv peeking from behind the door like nervous children.
"Good job, Azure," Viktor said, still hiding. "You kept it under control."
"Yes, but be sure your eyes aren't itching again," Eirv added, more cautious.
*How do you expect me to know that?* Azure thought, exasperated. So, he just tried real fucking hard to see if they itched. *Do they?* Nope, no itch, no pain. But there was definitely something different. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but if he had to describe it… they felt clearer. Sharper, maybe?
"I-I think it's fine now, sirs," he called out. After a few seconds of hesitancy, both Viktor and Eirv finally stepped fully into the room. The storage space wasn't anything special—just a single light and the chair he was still tied to.
"Eirv, get him out of that chair," Viktor ordered. "He's probably stiff from sitting there so long."
"Yes, Master Viktor," Eirv responded, moving to untie Azure's arms and legs. As the ropes fell away, Azure rubbed his wrists, trying to ease the soreness.
"S-so, what happens now?" he asked nervously.
"You help clean up the room you destroyed," Viktor replied bluntly.
Azure blinked. "What? I-I just go back to work?" he asked, stunned as Eirv worked on untying his legs.
"Did you think awakening your eyes would excuse you from your duties?" Eirv said, a authoritative tone in his voice. "No, dear Azure. You're going to work twice as hard to fix the damage you caused."
"Aw-awakened my eyes? What do you mean? Do you know something about me that I don't?" Azure's mind reeled. He felt like a dam of confusion had just burst open.
Viktor shrugged as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "Of course we do. That's why Malvin brought you to me."
Eirv nodded in agreement. "Yes, Master Malvin informed us your eyes would awaken soon. We just didn't know how."
Azure was flabbergasted. He stood up and Viktor was right his body was stiff from sitting down forcefully for goddess knows how long, barely able to process everything they were saying. "But-but how did he know?" he asked, trying to piece together this bewildering revelation.
Viktor shrugged again, entirely unfazed. "I don't know. He wouldn't tell me." He turned toward the door, leaving Azure with more questions than answers. "Now, Eirv will give you your work routine, which will mostly involve cleaning up the mess you made. Don't spend too long pondering this 'revelation' about your eyes."
With that, Viktor left, disappearing through the door, leaving Azure alone with Eirv.
"Alright," Eirv said, pulling out a notebook and pen. "Let's go over your tasks."
Azure stared at him, wide-eyed, thinking to himself, *You guys are taking this way too lightly!*