Angels…Hou'yi didn't have a great memory of them. They were beautiful—so incredibly beautiful, like something that didn't and shouldn't below in Stone. They would allow you to offer a sacrifice, commit suicide for them, and watch silently, never interfering. Perhaps they enjoyed it, perhaps they didn't. It didn't matter.
Angel of Sky, on the other hand, was incredibly different, although not in terms of appearance. Blond hair nearly white as screen, the normal pale skin of Stone-Dwellers, and black eyes with bright blue rims, Hou'yi had first mistaken the boy for an offspring between an angel and a Stone-Dweller, before realising exactly as the thought crossed his mind that he was not actually an illegal product, but rather one belonging to Sky.
A religion of sorts that worshipped something above the screen, from where all Stone-Dwellers had come from, to a species whose original name had long since been forgotten in the passage of history.
Hou'yi didn't have particularly good memories of them either, although unlike with the creatures of the depths, he didn't care what happened to any of them—except for Angel.
The spellweaver was a genius, and Hou'yi needed as many on his side as possible. He could see that clear as Vinculorum's inky eyes, which reflected all and everything he saw.
He had kept the young man for a while, enjoyed his company, as well as that of Stella's. He'd been introduced to the Two Thrones through them, one which proved a most useful thing, even if they were over-obsessive with what was theirs, and the game Landlord.
His mind started to whirl as memories surfaced, before just as quickly dipping away again.
—————
'Are you sure?' The face was completely still—emotionless; no hint of a feeling could be seen in those cold brown eyes.
'Once the binding process is compete, there will be no problems.'
The other smiled, although the eyes didn't crease, the facial muscles lay still. 'Yes, but are you sure? Once the binding is complete, there shall be no going back.'
The images of a boy flashed through his mind, before he ultimately nodded calmly, a cold determination settling down. 'Yes. He shall be easy enough to convince to join me.'
'Don't be overly reliant on that. Use force if you have to.'
He nodded, smiling calmly—his face an exact replica of the other's: a warm smile with the eyes blank and unfeeling. 'I know. He won't defy me, anyhow. I know him better than his parents or anyone else still alive.'
—————
Fwish. The arrow landed on the stone, making the point he had already sharpened and dug into become more prominent.
Fwish. One, then another arrow all landed on the stone, never stopping.
Slowly, under the barrage of relentless arrows, the Stone bore a small hole, though not yet dug into deeply enough so that one could see through to the other side.
Fwish. The last arrow dug into the stone, before falling to the ground with all the others.
The boy smiled slowly, bending down to take up the stone. Subconsciously, without meaning to, he glanced over to his right, where a smooth stone, round, with a hole through both sides lay, then the arrows on the ground.
Finally he straightened up, one hand tightly holding his bow, and—
—————
The world spun, flipped, seemed to turn around and around, and he could do nothing but reminisce.
—————
High up on the ceiling, a sole window looked, the rays of the screen shining through, causing the threads in the air to twirl and twist, bending under its gaze.
Beneath the many layers and depths of the threads, a creature lay, its head drooped down on its chest, while the hands lay flat on the knees, which were bent in prayer. If not for the mind, which didn't pull dormant threads, the eyelashes, which didn't stir, it could have been mistaken for being in slumber.
As it was—the creature was dead, leaving it for one to wonder: Did it die in prayer? What caused its death? amongst various other questions, many more varying depending on the one at the scene, or witnessed an image similar.
The creature, you see, had died because—
—————
Hou'yi blinked his eyes, the afterimage of the memories fading away—silently commenting on how he could have become demented: the last memory had been rather conscious, no longer merely showing images and scene, but actually allowing thoughts to be possible in that memory.
It was a very useful thing that Vinculorum was near at hand, and still had lingering emotions for their— friendship? Alliance? Well, whatever the mental attachment they had, if Vinculorum had not been nearby, Hou'yi would have likely died, or become mad in his future endeavours because thoughts and consciousness in memories caused backlash to the mind—or at least the memories that had entered from outside his own system.
'I shall have to thank you, Vinculorum,'Hou'yi smiled graciously, inclining his head by the fraction of a degree, 'otherwise I would have become mad.'
Vinculorum's cold black eyes stared at him. 'I don't think I like that name anymore.'
'Ah. A pity.' I am certain that purple is his favourite colour, and my choice of name well-sounding and pleasant to his ears—for what reason defying itself could he have possibly stopped liking the name I bestowed upon him? 'Then what shall I address you by, may I ask?'
The boy in silver armour stared at Hou'yi, his face paler than was normal, inky black eyes reflecting all it saw. 'Orion.'
'Orion,'Hou'yi murmured, before nodding his head and smiling. 'The name you were bestowed upon at birth. I understand.'
The boy that would forever be Vinculorum in Hou'yi's eyes' brows furrowed and cold fury could be seen for the first time in those inky black. 'You do not understand, nor will you ever understand.'
Hou'yi's own eyes narrowed and he took a step forwards, the smile discarded, his expression becoming stiff. 'Do I take that as a sign that you no longer stand alongside me?' Then he smiled again, his face once again seemingly calm. 'Of course, you shall stand alongside me, no matter what you want.'
Vinculorum's fury seemed to dissipate slightly, although the anger still remained. 'Why is he here? You already have Stone!'
The archer raised an eyebrow, bemused. 'Do I? And of what use is she, who follows my dear sister?'
He smiled as Vinculorum's teeth clenched, but didn't give an answer. 'How did you find out that he was here? I was of the opinion that you had discarded your childhood playmate.'