A few moments of walking slow on the winding road, still far from where they were suppose to go, Tricen noticed that Ester was noticably limping.
"I can walk now..." Tricen took back his hand that was once over Estes' shoulder to support him. Since it was getting quite awkward from the silence and how the taller one was the one leaning on to the smaller one for support, causing an image of a bullying was somehow depicted, it was uncomfortable. However, just when the burden of Tricen's weight on Estes was lifted off, he staggered from the sudden change of balance from his foot. And thus, wavering before he falls to his prosthetic leg. Unfortunately, it was Estes' right leg, and since they were walking from the right side of the road where there is a deep waterway, he was to tumble with a spin. Seeing that, Tricen's body moved on their own and caught Estes' hand as his memory replay the threatening expression of the twin, Shireen and Shireel when they threaten him that a scratch on their youngest sibling is equal to his death. Although it was not because he was scared, but rather, he was taught to be obedient by an old lady that gave him two bulbs of tulips exactly twenty years ago. However, what was even weirder was because it was not even a favor or anything that should make one 'obedient' considering it was a threat. It was caused by him learning to be more human—to have conscience and empathy. Although far from being one, he was progressing quite positively. "Humans are so weak...." Tricen commented. Sadly, Ester could not oppose the devil's words, for he himself is far weaker than others.
"At the very least, I am not stupid." Estes whisphered as though implying that the devil is stupid. "That is rich coming from someone who couldn't fly right and ended up forming an epic landing" Estes said out loud, being half sarcastic.
Tricen, upon hearing the words uttered by the human child, he lifted his hand abruptly, causing Estes to continue his fall. He waved goodbye. And as Estes watch the hands that let go of him slowly move from left to right, he gulped. 'Am I going to die?' Estes thought. "No way." He whispered to himself the answer to his question. His hands that was long enough to grab the hands of Tricen waved back instead of grabbing the hands that let him go and letting the vicious devil the taste of his own medicine —to fall to the deep dark canal. Tricen watched at it all happened, he noticed that Ester hesitated at the very last moment on taking him with the fall, he was slightly confused, but soon convinced himself that humans are just that way—a twisted knot made of glass, both complex and fragile. Ester fell after five seconds passed, he was baffled, the fall was somehow less painful than he had expected. As he felt the sticky sensation and accidentally sniff a slightly fishy, metallic smell on the air, he felt his face loosing heat, his face started to pale as his hands tremble. He thought of looking at his hands to make sure that it was blood, yet it was all in his thoughts, he failed to do so. He was frozen in place, too afraid to look.
A few moments passed and Tricen decided to look for why the human child Ester was taking too long to get back up.
"Are you pooping here or something?" He jumped down as he asked. Landing beside the dead body where he saw Ester using as a seat, the corpse of a fat man in his early forties, blood freshly oozing out as Ester's weight put pressure on seven different stab wounds. Then he look at the human child Ester, motionlessly sitting with his legs crossed. He could feel a different kind of atmosphere from Ester. Tricen grinned in mockery, knowing that the child was scared frozen in place, yet at the same time, feel confused once more. Tricen took a step forward, but stopped when he locked eyes with Estes.
"Whoa... Those eyes sure are something." Tricen commented at the two semi circle that glows in green, depicting the fear of its possessor.
"....Speak for yourself, cat-eyes." Estes retorted. For a moment, he has forgotten his fear, allowing him to get off the corpse.
Then came a rustling sound from a nearby bush. There were two of them. Both looked at the direction of the sound. As Tricen face towards three o'clock, Estes face towards at nine o'clock from them.
"A man." Tricen whisphered to himself after breathing in a whiff of the wind that came from the north which was opposite to where the man ran off to.
"Kyah!" A girl's high voice was heard on the opposite side where Estes was looking.
"A girl.... what? Could it be... They were doing 'stuff' nearby?? I thought they were the killer..." Tricen said after moments of pondering.
"Pfft..." a low restraining laughter has took Tricen's attention, it was Estes.
Estes was standing straight, holding himself on the ground quite well, while his left hand is over his mouth as he hold back his laughter. Since he knew that the girl was his annoying suitor(stalker), that has more likely tripped on an attempt to run away after witnessing him sitting on a corpse before letting out a scream before sobbing. Then he calmed down, his eyes focused on the monster in front, while trying hard not to show even a slightest bit of fear. His eyes glowed, not reflecting what he was looking at, as though implying that what was inside his head right at the moment was everything about him, and not anything around him. Tricen noticed and understood the message on his eyes.
"I'm eating that." Tricen pointed an empty space behind Estes.
Estes. looked behind him, his face darkened. "T-the corpse...?"
"...no." Tricen answered and stood behind Estes. 'What am I, a monster?' he whined internally. He moved his hands strangely on the space behind Estes. He opened his mouth and took everything unseen in one gulped. He flinched before burping. "Well that was a lot." He commented, feeling satisfied with what he ate that made him full. He faced Estes who was wearing a flabbergasted face. "How does it feel?"
"Oof."
Tricen caught Estes' head before he hit the ground. Letting go before Ester wake up, he was about to jump out and flee the scene when he realized that they were already surrounded by many strong men led by a woman, they all look down at them as a girl tremble in the center while pointing at Estes.
"..."
Without further ado, they were sent back to the Baron's estate. The woman who was leading the troops knocked on the giant door, not attempting to open the gate by themselves as it was considered a disrespect to the Baron. A few minutes passed before the gates opened and they were welcomed by Cosmos who blatantly shows no care towards the troops nor the girl in the middle, his full attention was awfully focused only on Estes and Tricen who were both covered in blood.
"Leave the explanation for tomorrow, I shall come personally. For now, you may take your leave." Cosmos said with authority, without looking at the recipients of his words. His son was in a daze, and that's all he care to think about. He wanted to know what's wrong.
The woman, Jezreel bowed before she led the troops outside with the girl. After every last one of them step out of the gate, the gate has closed with a loud creak.
"What happened?" Cosmos asked the two. Estes was not able to answer, he was still in a daze. So Cosmos faced towards Tricen.
"He fell on a corpse, he didn't let it show but he was traumatized, so I sucked-" Tricen stopped. Remembering the words of the old lady, that if he spoke about his ability to suck up and eat the negativity created hidden within people, he may be burned alive publicly. "Ah... Forget what I said." He took back his words. Not knowing that his words may cause slight misunderstandings.
"You sucked what?!" Cosmos angrily grab the shoulders of the child disguise of the devil. He lifted him up and slammed him on the ground.
'What is the problem now..?' Tricen asked internally, seemingly tired of it all, from all the drama. He just wanted to sleep once more and wake up after a few decades or so, just after the annoying humans extinct. Then wake up to see his planted flowers welcome him with their bloom.
"Guards, lock him up!" Cosmos ordered firmly, angrily. With that, Tricen who was even more confused than he was before is now frustrated and hopelessly asking what's wrong with what he said.
'Humans are so unreasonable. Are their brains for show? Might as well decorate my room with them.' the devil thought, and was planning on escaping and terrorizing the whole jurisdiction of the Baron, but to no avail, he was panting from even that slightest struggling. It was no use, unless he realize that the abilities that he once possess can only come back if he resolve to capture and kill the 'mouse' he is as good as an average human being. 'Ah.... FUCK.' He thought, clearly knowing that he is in a quite the troublesome situation. He was dragged to an underground tunnel into a cell where he was chained in all four limbs facing a wall as two men took out thick wooden planks out of a storage box made of metal. The wooden planks then are nailed, the nails are sharp and rusty, with each planks has nailed ten nails aligned. After seeing how the nails pass through the wood quite decently, they started hitting Tricen's back with it. And as each nails pierce and penetrate Tricen's skin, his patience thinned.
'THIS FUCKING HURTS!' He couldn't do anything but whine inside his head, as all the things that exits his mouth are whimpering, sound of gritting teeth, blood, and groans. He was trembling and feeling cold yet warm, painful and numb. He was near his limit, he wanted to lose control and slaughter the two sinner into bits, but he can't. He wanted to kill them so badly, but he can't. He was hopeless and helpless.
"Humans make mistakes, forgive them. You are kind, are you not?" A familiar voice echoed within his head, like an annoying mosquito announcing its presence, the voice of an old woman echoed without rest. "I'm not kind." Tricen in his mid 200th year of life answered as he plant a single seed of basil on the old lady's backyard. The old lady smiled and shook her head. The sound of the old lady's beautiful soft laughter sent him in peace. He was not mad anymore. He was now far from losing his sanity.
A few moments passed, where ten blows from each guys in an alternate manner has been done, he was finally able to breath, but each breath felt like he was in hell, whenever he inhales, he can feel his blood oozing out from his back, and each time he exhales, he felt like his spirit along with air might flow out through either his mouth or nose. Utter pain. He cannot heal his wounds as his hibernation only lasted a mere three years, hardly even enough to keep him moving.
"Don't worry, Nero. I won't kill them, I know how much you hate it when I kill..." he whisphered to himself before starting to reset once more and take a deep long sleep.
•••
In the wooden chair where Cosmos watch his son laid on a comfortable bronze-colored sofa, he was sighing. 'What has gotten into me? Leaving my child to the hands of another child... That thing didn't even look strong nor weak, why did I trust him when we just met... What was it that I saw?' he then remembered the eyes that looked through him like an open book, he was like a written text on clear white paper while the kid he called 'a thing' was simply reading him. 'Just because he looked knowledgeable...?'
Estes jolted, now sitting on the sofa as his eyes wander around the place, knowing and remembering that he was back home without accomplishing his mission. 'Its half passed three in the afternoon... Although late, I still have time.' he said after taking a glance at the old designed clock.
"Where is he?" Estes asked, facing his father that was deep in thoughts. Cosmos was startled but he did not let it show.
"Underground, he was punished." Cosmos answered. "Are you alright, I heard you landed on a corpse and was traumatized." He changed the subject.
"... punished for what?" Estes asked, afraid that his father realized that his cat, Tricen was not human.
"You're well aware that people who are attracted to the same sex as them are punished and killed, no?" Cosmos implicitly said that his son, Estes may be gay.
Estes stood up, 'did I hear him correctly? My own father accusing me as gay? Under what basis?'
"Worry not, we have already killed him before he corrupt you any further." Cosmos said, reassuring.
'I doubt that the cat is dead just as how much you doubt that I am straight.' Estes thought, nearly laughing at the words that came out of his so called 'smart' father. Cosmos was a strategists, just not in front of his beloved family.
"You do know that the one I love is-"
"Is none of my concern?!" Cosmos slammed the table in front of him as he shout his anger, yet still misunderstanding his own child. 'I know that you are seventeen, and will soon become an adult. However, as long as you are under my very roof, you are to follow rules. I would never wish for my children to die in the name of that so called 'love'!' Cosmos does not care anymore whether he will be hated or not.
Estes was slumped on the floor, it was his first time making his father shout and angry, he did not know what to do, especially since the look on his father's eyes were disappointment. He was trembling, he eyes found the floor, and was stuck there. 'Something was amiss.' He thought as he broke through from the shock. 'But I must go, they finally found our missing asset, but I don't know whether it was true or not... I have no time for this.'
Cosmos gasps, he couldn't believe that he shouted on his favourite child. He could not see his son's face, he could only deduct that the trembling form in front was crying. "I... Was doing this for you-"
"NO, I'm sorry... Ah, no... I meant I deeply apologize Baron, the Baron may assign my future wife and I shall dare not refuse. I will forget 'her' if you truly object my choice of women." Estes stood up and look straight at Cosmos with his eyes red under. "However, I will not apologize anymore to anything if you, perhaps accuse me once more of my choice." Estes bowed. Attempting to leave the room and go straight to the underground tunnel where his pet was locked.
"What is 'her' name?" Cosmos asked quietly. Trying to know 'her' name to make sure that his son was truly and hopefully not lying.
"?... Her name was Celeste Frey De Estelle Leanora. " he said and left with a red flushed face.
Cosmos who saw his son's red ears could only stop his misunderstanding. For his son never lies to him. He could tell what Estes said was true, because he himself could not speak the full name of his wife without having his face eaten by reddish color of embarrassment and shame.
"Keke, look sister, someone was hated." Shireen devilishly laughed behind the red fan in her hand.
"Fufu, indeed, I wonder how he's feeling now." Shireel devilishly giggled behind the blue fan in her hand.
Cosmos looked at his twin daughters. 'What was the point of looking so elegant when you both laugh in devilish tones. My beloved flowers of hell, help me.'
"Pfft, look. After making our baby brother cry, he asks for our help to reconcile." Shireen said mockingly, she does not know how to read minds, she just knew because they all would do the same.
"Shameless, we will tell you on mother." Shireel added to the mockery, which made Cosmos feel complete defeat.
'What am I doing....?' Cosmos rubbed his temple, gentle on himself but deep within him, he wanted to disappear. 'Is this how it feels to be truly hated as a father?' He asked.