Staggering back, Lauri tripped over his own feet.
'H- How did I not see her c- coming'
The reason why Lauri was taken by surprise by the Indebted's sudden appearance was due to Lauri having restricted his light sense to the confines of his room. It felt wrong to spy on Ashley and Gareth.
The Indebted took a step into the room. Lauri raised his hand, and a comically shaped blade of light appeared between his fingers.
"Stay back!"
The Indebted stopped.
"Please, just do as he says. Things may get… Complicated, if you were to call for help."
The woman's voice was solemn, almost sorrowful. Unlike the last time he had faced one of these people, Lauri now knew they were as much a prisoner as he was. People whose souls had fallen into the hands of Yang, their actions were not their own.
Lauri's eyes shook as he stared back at the faceless helmet of the Indebted's suit of grey armour. Taking a deep breath, Lauri loosened his grip on the sword, dismissing it. Still shaking, Lauri tried his best to stand up without immediately falling down again.
"O- Ok, ok. I'll come quietly."
The Indebted made room for Lauri to step past. Throwing a glance at the communicator lying on his bed desk, Lauri sighed.
'As if there's anyone who would notice me going missing in the middle of the night.'
His door sliding shut, Lauri anxiously turned to the Indebted.
"So, which way to Yang's office, then?"
Remaining silent for a moment, the Indebted turned around, walking in the direction of the stairs.
"This way."
Following a few steps behind, Lauri reached a hand up to rub his face. About to think something, they walked past the door to Gareth's room, and at the same time, the door slid open.
'Oh no, no, no.'
Poking his head into the hallway, Gareth's usual cold demeanour when dealing with Lauri was gone for the moment as he saw the Indebted's grey armour. His eyes narrowed, and he turned to Lauri.
"Hey, are you okay, Lauri? I heard a shout, has something happened?"
Frozen, Lauri slightly looked to the Indebted.
The words she had said to him were still fresh in his mind.
'Things might get complicated if I call for help.'
A knot forming in his throat, Lauri swallowed, trying to push it down. Turning back to Gareth, Lauri put on the most uninterested expression he could pull.
Scowling at Gareth, Lauri he rolled his eyes.
"It's nothing for you to be worried about, just go back to your beauty sleep."
Without waiting for Gareth to say anything more, Lauri walked away, leaving the turquoise-haired boy with a seemingly hurt expression on his face.
Hearing the door to Gareth's room slide shut, Lauri let out a deep breath.
'That did not feel nice…'
As Lauri reached up to rub his face, the Indebted spoke. She spoke with a slight softness.
"You did good. If the young Legacy attempted to intervene in the Shadowman's deeds, he would not hesitate to add the boy's soul to his collection. The consequences be damned. This life is a fate worse than death… I am sorry, young one. You are the next generation, this should not be your destiny."
Falling silent, the Indebted continued to walk in silence. Not knowing what to say, Lauri kept his own silence, and so the two of them continued in this silence.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Lauri noticed how quiet it was. Unlike during the day, Compound Thirty-Four was less active. The men and women who had been running to and fro were nowhere to be seen.
'Obviously asleep… Lucky bastards.'
Lauri's eyes moved to look out the large windows. The large walls that were the boundary of Compound Thirty-Four were bathed in darkness, Lauri was unsurprised to see stationary figures still remained at the top of the walls.
A question crossed Lauri's mind.
'Where actually are we? Where is Compound Thirty-Four, surely if we were in a city like in A Story of Loss, Love and a Lifetime of Finding It Again, there would be no need for these walls, the big guns and the defenders… Right?'
Looking at the back of the Indebted who had been sent to bring him to Yang, Lauri shook his head.
'I think I'd rather wait till I can ask Nama.'
Shaking his head Lauri stared at the white tiled floor. Despite his situation, Lauri found it kind of funny that the entirety of Compound Thirty-Four was white. White rooms, giant white walls that stretched around the circumference of the Compound. Looking up, Lauri studied the Indebted's armour.
'What a difference when compared to Yang's appearance… And his minions…'
As they reached a staircase, a familiar sensation began to creep into Lauri's skin as they ascended the levels.
Reaching the first floor, Lauri's ability to detect the light vanished. His light sense was blocked entirely. Although Lauri had only started to get used to this new sensation, having it ripped away was, disconcerting.
'To think I was almost starting to have a nice time here, I thought he might have left me to my own devices… You fool Lauri.'
As they ascended the stairs, Lauri couldn't quite tell, but it felt as if the shadows around them began to grow… Deeper. The shadow that followed Yang weighed heavily on Lauri's mind. Immediately he began to think about the shadow hiding behind Yang's eyes.
'If I'm right, and Yang has a Primordial Title like I do. Is that his Divinity, whatever power hides within him, could I wield a power like that one day? Like how he borrows from the God of Shade, Darkness and Shadow. Could I one day harness the power given to me by the Lady? Ugh, why do I suddenly feel so sick.'
Lauri was starting to feel sick, but not due to his body. The presence of the unnatural darkness that followed Yang everywhere he went began to weigh heavily upon the light of Lauri's soul.
Staggering to the side, Lauri grabbed onto the railing to stop himself from tumbling backwards. The Indebted turned around in time to see Lauri clutch his head. Lauri's face had gone entirely pale. He felt as if he might throw up at any moment.
The Indebted remained silent for a couple of seconds and then raised her head.
"My lord, if you intend to kill the boy… There are more direct ways of going about it."
Lauri looked over to the woman, confusion panting his white face.
'What… What is she talking about…'
And then suddenly, Lauri heard a strange noise. Turning to look at the closest shadow, Lauri's expression changed. Sickness mixed with fright as he realised the shadows were laughing.
Every shadow in the stairwell was creating a low hum, a low repetitive noise, they were all laughing at Lauri.
The Indebted gestured for them to continue.
The pain that had suddenly assaulted Lauri's being stopped, but the remnants of its pain remained within Lauri's body and mind. Left with no other alternative Lauri continued after them.
'Again, it happened again… I don't know how, but that was another soul attack, the same as when I looked at the watchers, the same as when Yang tried to dominate my soul, is he… Is he weakening my soul in advance?'
Suddenly any positivity Lauri held vanished. He had been in this position once before.
Wounded and weak, pushing his body so that he could reach his destination.
'No, Light Stealer was laughing as I bled out, and yet I got the last laugh in the end. This is no different.'
Gritting his teeth, Lauri held his head up high.
'I've got no friends this time, no Caretaker to fight for me. I just… I just need to survive.'
Lauri and his guide reached the highest of Compound Thirty-Four. The fifth floor was smaller than all other floors for one simple reason, it had only one room. A small plaque was attached to the door ahead of them.
The office of Yang. Director of Compound Thirty-Four.
Taking a few steps to the door, she stood next to it. Turning around she remained still, just like all the Indebted manning the Compound's white wall. Perfect suits of armour.
Lauri didn't have to wait for her to tell him what to do. Walking up to the door, Lauri was about to hold the door handle when it opened on its own.
Dread built up inside his throat, Lauri swallowed it.
Looking to the Indebted, Lauri gave her a small nod before walking inside.
The door slammed shut behind him.
"I was worried about you for a minute Lauri. I thought you were actually going to fall down the stairs."
Yang's dark voice felt like an insidious whisper. The pain within Lauri's body started again, it was almost insignificant in comparison to the pain he felt on the stairs. But pain was still pain.
Gritting his teeth, Lauri put on a small smile as he turned to face Yang.
"Oh thank you, Director, your concern… Warms my heart."