= - Mature Content Warning - =
Footsteps. A sudden sound that shocks Lucille as she had grown used to the monotone silent hum in the air as she sat in the fetal position against the cold stone wall. Her head practically shot up, and she stared towards the doorway with mean eyes, the suspension killing her as they take their time approaching, slow step after step, a figure finally appears. A figure that makes Lucille take an involuntary deep gasp as the hatred within her heart reignites.
Before her lies a familiar man in a torn up, brown yukata, one that is covered in blood in most places, now dried up and coats his clothes in a dark crimson hue.
[Lucille]: "Miura!"
Her voice is low and husky, sure enough proof that she had been crying, so much to the point that it had been lost to a degree, something she had done a lot in private since childhood, but this time it felt far more genuine and painful.
The man simply gave a small smirk in return to her hate filled voice and sharp glare. She hated him, and anyone in the room would be able to feel it, the tension in the air was suffocating.
[Miura]: "Don't give me those eyes, love. I'm just here to take you to lord Envy."
Lucille's eyes narrow even further, staring daggers into Miura. She stood up, which took a particularly embarrassing amount of effort because of the weight of the restraints, and the unfamiliar weakness of her normal strength.
Miura reaches into one of his sleeves, and pulls out a set of keys. After fumbling around by inserting the many keys into the lock, he finally gets it right, a small smile appearing on his face as he bares the satisfaction of his small victory. Small victory to him being-- overcoming a minor inconvenience.
Lucille takes several steps back until she hits the wall behind her, watching as Miura opens the heavy metal door to the cell, and stepping inside.
[Lucille]: "GET BACK!"
She grunts as she raises the heavy wrist cuffs up in front of her, trying her best to put anything but air in between the two. An action that proves insignificant as Miura approaches and grabs the middle of the stone cuffs, yanking her closer to him.
[Lucille]: "GAH! G-GET OFF!"
Lucille thrashes around, desperately trying to escape his grasp, but all attempts of hers are futile, as large scales quickly spread down Miura's arms, and his hands turn to claws. His sudden boost in strength and her unfamiliar lack of aspects overpowers her easily.
He begins to drag her out of the cell, having to force her closer every few steps as she resists. His patience shrinks with every passing second, an infuriated look covering his face.
[Miura]: "It's just down the hall, If you don't stop fightin' with me I'll just have to pick you up again and force you to come with me."
Her body jolts and she pauses as she processes his words. The feeling of being helpless in his arms sent shivers down her spine, and an icy look on her face, She couldn't bare to be in that position again, so she stopped resisting, as reluctantly as it was.
She had a strong look of defeat as she started to walk beside him, their footsteps slow and heavy, a sound that echoed within the stone halls with every movement. The only difference in decor were the lanterns that occasionally hung from the wall, and a long, red carpet that led directly to a large door at the end of the hallway that they were currently walking down.
As they reach the door, Lucille keeps her head down, specifically at the restraints that were being tightly held by a bird-like claw. Miura stands at the door, just watching it with an expressionless face, which confuses Lucille, until she hears a voice come from within.
[???]: "Coooooome in Miuuuuuuuuura~"
The voice sends a painful shock through Lucille's body. The voice was a high pitched male's, but the underlying evil tone within it was deafening. A hidden tension that plagued every word he spoke.
Miura pushes firmly on the door, and the room opens up to a large dining table, with a man already sitting down at the head of the table, opposite the door. Lucille stares at the man with parted lips, watching how he just observes the two as they walk in.
[???]: "Pleeeeeease, Take a seeeat~"
[Lucille]: "- - -"
He speaks with a wide grin on his face, one that conveys a strange feeling of discomfort and unnerve to Lucille. Miura pushes her forward, a small grunt coming out of her as she almost trips forwards. The sight of her being handled so roughly causes the man's eye to twitch slightly. As if a silent feeling of fear hits Miura, he never shoves her again, instead just gently guiding her to a seat just a few down from the man, which allows her to see him up close.
Miura slides her seat out from the table, which is long and covered in a white cloth, and littered with closed dishes and trays, along with baskets with assorted fruits. She reluctantly takes a seat, fearing what will happen if she disobeys them, and once she makes contact with the hard wooden chair, Miura pushes it in, and with one of the keys, he unlocks her cuffs, but the aspect dampening power of the collar was still in strong effect. Miura then walked around the table, stopping next to the man.
Lucille takes in his features. He wears a loose, black yukata, which can clearly be seen with some torn fabric at the end of its sleeves. Over top of it, is a black and gold haori, and his hair was a dark shade of green. His face was soft, and somewhat feminine, but his wide grin was the most definitive part of his features. It was pure evil, even if the words he spoke were kind and caring, the only way to describe his look and tone was that they were filled with pure Malice.
[???]: "Yooooou look tense, Luciiiiiiille."
She jumps slightly when he speaks, she looks directly down at the ceramic plate in front of her, and very slowly, tilts her head up to look at him. Staring back at her with the same unchanging grin, she feels a sharp pain in her heart, a strong unease filling her by just locking eyes with him.
[???]: "Very, Tense. Woooould it be better If i introduuuuuced myseeeeelf~?"
Her eyes flicker between her plate and the man, her breathing is starting to speed up, a strong sense of panic starting to take over, but she tries her best to control it. What scared her more than the man, was the fact that she was afraid of him in the first place. She had no reason to feel terror just by looking at him, but she did. His gaze was possessive, and given by the fancy chandeliers that filled the ceilings, and engraved silver cutlery that littered the table, she could tell he was a very greedy man, one that got whatever he wanted, when he wanted it.
From her previous understanding, she wondered if she was something that he had wanted like that. And clearly, he got it. She forces her breathing back into place, and locks her eyes on the man, lifting her chin confidently as she took a deep breath before continuing.
[Lucille]: "Yes. Tell me who you are, so i can scream your name when i kill you."
Lucille's words were sharp, but all they did was get a small chuckle out of the man, he found her playful resistance amusing. She felt a pang of defeat and his laugh made her uneasy again.
[???]: "I wooooont punish you for saying thaaaat, your new here after aaaaall."
[Lucille]: "- - -"
She was again taken back by his words, another wave of nervousness washing over her, but she continued to hold the painful eye contact with him.
[???]: "Lucille, My naaaame is Hiroshi. I aaaaaaam the Owner of this heeeere Home, and the ooooone you will be seeerving from nooow on~"
Hearing his name only added another layer of Malice into the air, she could already feel the hatred within her body clinging to that name.
[Lucille]: "I'll be serving? Who the fuck do you think you are to decide that!?"
She forces the confidence to rise up again, even if she only had a tiny bit to conjure. The way the man spoke was starting to get on her nerves, his annoying speech quirk that lengthened certain parts of every other word pissed her off, adding to her energy.
Although he hated when people spoke out of line to him, his expression didn't budge, if anything, his grin just grew wider.
[Hiroshi]: "Whooooo do I think I aaaaam? Is that nooooot obvious, deeear?"
[Lucille]: "- - -"
She stares at him. Hiroshi clearly had a power high, a delusion, a superiority complex. She stayed silent, almost uncontrollably, just waiting for him to say something else.
[Hiroshi]: "haagh-.... I'll taaaake that as a noooo then. I guess I shoooouln't be surpriiiiiised, I'm not as ooooutgoing as the other threeeee."
Everything he said just filled her with confusion, what was he talking about? He clearly held a lot of power, But why her? Why did he want her? Her mind raced with questions such as these.
[Hiroshi]: "Lucille, doooooll~ I aaam Hiroshi~ The Embodiment of Envy~~"
Her breath started to falter once more. She had only heard of 'Embodiment's' from Muriel and Isshin, when they were still together. They had always refused to tell her what they meant, she assumed because the information related to her childhood. All she knew, was that the title held incredible power, one that most would refuse to mention at all.
[Lucille]: "Why-..... Why me?"
Her voice was uncertain, and trembled. But she looked at him with genuine confusion, she needed to know.
[Hiroshi]: "Just taaaaaaake a good look at yourseeeeeelf, Luuucille~ From the things I've heeeeeeeard about you, You woooould be an eeeeeexcellent addition to my teaaaam of wives and servants~ A well eeeeeeducated maid, with twooooooo aspects! Oooooh~~ It reaaaally is a dream coooooome true~!"
She looked back down at her plate halfway through his sentence. Once he finished, she gripped the cloth in frustration, her emotions started to take control of her, something that happened easily, its a miracle it hadn't already consumed her.
She starts to tear up at his reasons, staring down at her plate and the sharp knife and fork that sat beside it. Her body trembles as her eyes fill with sadness and anger.
[Lucille]: "Just because i have aspects. Just because I'm a useful servant. Is that all everyone cares about?"
A few drops of liquid hit her plate as her tears run down her face, falling down onto the table below her, which she still stares at.
[Hiroshi]: "Yooooou should be proooooud of your aspects Luuuuucille~ They are caaaaalled blessings for a reaaaason. Besides, I've been aaaaaafter you for a looooooooong time now, It would hurt meeeeee too much if you were too sad to wooork~"
She snapped her gaze to him, her face in pure shock now reliving the memories of her childhood, specifically that attack on her home. She recognized the familiar outfit that Miura wore in an instant. The torn, brown yukata that had been burned into her memories for so long, and it had only just now clicked within her.
[Lucille]: "What did you just say? Did you-... Were you the one that-..."
She stares at him in disbelief, refusing to accept that he was behind the slaughtering of her parents. But he does the opposite of reject her claims.
[Hiroshi]: "Yooooour referring to the attaaaack on your hometown, riiiiiight? Yes. I'm afraaaaid that horriiiific display was caused by one of my Abominatiooooons."
Her breathing stopped, and her eyes widened as far as they good as she took a deep gasp for air. Her expression quickly shifted to one of complete and utter hatred, and fury. The one responsible for the worst event in her life was sitting right in front of her, and to have admitted so all too easily.
She grabs the knife with her right hand, her grip powerful and tight as she grits her teeth. But right after she grabs it, she is hit with a strong sense of fear, and she is frozen. Her face shoots back to a shocked expression, unable to move. She has an overwhelming sense that if she does, she would be killed on the spot.
Hiroshi's gaze was now sharp, and his grin had shrunk. He stared at her with slight anger in his eyes, making the gap in power painfully clear, and she begun to cry even more.
Lucille began to hyperventilate, and her tears flowed strongly as she became increasingly careless about the sensation of death just a few movements away. With all these emotions flooding through her, she made a choice.
[Lucille]: "My 'blessings' have caused countless to die. Countless people close to me to die and get hurt, even now. All because of me. And I'm supposed to feel lucky for it!? FUCK NO! I'M TIRED OF IT! I'M TIRED OF EVERYONE GETTING HURT AND DYING JUST BECAUSE I HAVE SPECIAL ABILITIES! NOT A SINGLE PERSON SEES ME AS AN EQUAL, OR EVEN A HUMAN BEING! I-..... IF THAT'S ALL PEOPLE WANT ME FOR..... THEN I WONT LET THEM HAVE ME AT ALL!!!"
Her voice cracks and shakes as she yells, her words echoing throughout the large room. Her grip on the sharp knife below her tightens, and she quickly brings it upwards, hovering just in front of her throat. She tilts her head up, taking one last look at Hiroshi.
[Miura]: "H-HAGGH! LUCILLE! WAIT!"
Miura's face turns to shock and terror as she holds the knife up to her throat, as if about to pierce into it. Hiroshi's face remains neutral. He brings his arms up onto the table, and rests his chin on his hands, staring at her with a blank face, and narrowing eyes.
She closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath.
[Miura]: "LU- N- STO-"
Miura yells out to her, but she cant make out anything he says, her hearing has gone silent, the only sound audible to her right now, is her own rapid heartbeat, as she is reminded of her parents one last time.
Holding hands. Laughing faces. Delicious home cooked dinners. Loving family. Happiness. She pulls the knife back slightly, allowing the tears to fall down her face elegantly, before plunging it straight into her throat.
{It Hurts}
The pain is searing and immense, stronger than anything she had ever felt before.
{It Hurts}
It was almost too much to bare, but knowing that all the suffering will end soon, was enough to remedy it, albeit only slightly.
{It hurts}
[Lucille]: "G-GYAAAGGHHHHHH!"
{It Hurts So Much}
Her blood spilled out onto her lap and the table in front of her, a look of horror and emotion distraught covering Miura's face.
{Make It Stop!}
She keeps her grip tight on the knife that pierces her throat, and her vision starts to fade to black.
But suddenly, as if something within herself and the air, had snapped, her vision returns. Within the fraction of a second, her vision and hearing returned, and the pain had disappeared completely.
She stares upwards in confusion, her scream of pain being cut off, unable to speak. She slowly tilts her head back down, and her eyes widen again in shock as she sees the knife, still hovering just in front of her neck, and the blood that had flooded the table and her lap, was gone.
[Miura]: "Hah- ah-.... What-...."
Miura had the same look, one of complete surprise and confusion. She could have sworn she had done it. She felt all the pain, some of it was even still lingering, even if it was just her brain still confused. She looked over at Miura, who started to calm down, as if he knew what had happened, but still looked terrified for her safety.
She knew it wasn't some trick that her body was playing on her, Miura's reaction told her that clearly, but that only confused her more. She turned her gaze to Hiroshi, who continued to stare at her with his chin lying on his hands, covering his mouth.
[Lucille]: "I-...."
[Hiroshi]: "Lucille. Please don't try and do thaaaaat again."
His words sent chills through her body, and a shiver down her spine. She lowered the knife hesitantly, still staring at him in disbelief. He closed his eyes and sighed.
[Hiroshi]: "Miura. Pleeeeease take her back to her cell. We are done heeeere."
She lets the knife fall out of her hand, clattering on the plate. She cant speak, she just stares ahead, her body still in shock from the sudden pain of stabbing herself.
[Miura]: "Yes, Lord Envy."
He bows, before walking over and pulling Lucille's chair out, and placing the cuffs back on her. He gently pulls her up, still with a saddened look on his face from the disturbing scene that had just occurred.
Lucille knew that he was strong, but, she wondered, what even was that? What had happened? I was sure I had stabbed myself? I can't even die...
Lucille begins to cry again as she walks out of the large room, not bothering to look back at Hiroshi as the door closes behind her, and Miura gently guides her back to her room. She stays silent. So does Miura, who takes several glances at her by his side every while or so. The air is heavy with emotion, and the only sound available to them, is the soft sobbing that emanates from Lucille.
{I want to die}
Through everything...
{I want to die}
Through her whole life...
{I want to die}
Those same words kept appearing in her head, repeating, haunting her-- I want to die...
-
-
-
[Lawrence]: "I'm not doubting you yet, young Julius. But do you really think this plan of yours can work?"
[Julius]: "Mmh. I do. So long as Muriel Holds up her end, this should work out well in our favor. I'm not sure what to do if it doesn't"
The wind blows peacefully through the night as the three ride slowly on the path towards the village where they think Lucille is being held. Lawrence pilots the cart that is pulled by a secondary drake, one less experienced than Kurasache, Mainly used for work around the manor.
The cart they rode in was used for light hauling that had been in storage for the small occasions that it was needed, and they had to use it along with the less experienced drake as Muriel took the main carriage into the capital, Accompanied by Yuri, who wouldn't stop asking question once he had arrived. When Muriel had told him about Lucille, he nearly died on the spot, the group were sure that his scream had reached the kingdom itself.
Julius and Lisa remain in the back of the cart, with Lisa cuddled up to him. She has been nervous and worried ever since they left, not having smiled in hours, which for someone as joyful as Lisa was, would cause great concern for Julius and Lawrence, who would glance back every couple minutes to silently check on her.
Julius held her close and tight, providing as much comfort as he could. He looked down at her and smiled, but she could sense the nervousness and uncertainty hiding behind it.
[Julius]: "Dont worry, Lisa. We're gonna get her back."
She looks back up at him, his smile forces a small grin out of her, despite the sad mood she was in. The wind blows her hand back as the cart travels, revealing her full face, which just conveyed even more concern.
[Lisa]: "You don't know that. We don't even know if she is even still-"
[Julius]: "Don't say that!"
Lisa's eyes widen slightly as she glances up at him, understanding that she shouldn't think so negatively.
[Julius]: "My plan will work, I'm sure of it, Lisa. We will get her back, I promise."
Her face slowly changes to one of hope. Julius was not great with cheering people up, after all, he himself was always sad most of the time. But he understood peoples emotions better than anyone, he knew what to say when the time was right, and when it was needed.
She smiled back up at Julius, nuzzling herself closer to him, relishing in his warm and ever comforting embrace, one of the few qualities that Julius actually liked about himself.
[Lisa]: "Okay. I'll hold you to that."
She giggles softly, an action that Julius responds to by petting her head. She leans into his touch, feeling another layer of warmth wash over her.
[Lawrence]: "The village is in the distance now. Do you have everything ready, you two?"
[Lisa]: "Mmh! We're ready!"
Lisa recalls her fond memories of Lucille as she responds, and her worry turns to hope, and determination. Fueled by the ones around her, and her desire to rescue Lucille. Her thoughts are cut short when they reach the front of the village, and the cart stops.
Lawrence turns around to face them, tossing a small, glowing stone towards Julius, which he only just catches before it hits his face, tripping backwards slightly, holding himself up with his free hand.
[Lawrence]: "This is where we leave you to do your thing, young Julius. Just. Again, are you sure you want to be the one to do this part?"
Julius responds by giving him a fiery look, smiling confidently, but Lisa can sense that he is definitely terrified right now, even if he is good at hiding it.
[Julius]: "One hundred percent! I was completely hopeless at the manor. If i had been able to do something, to just move, even if it meant shielding Muriel with my body, i might have been able to stop someone from getting hurt. But now. I want to make up for it, not just for my own selfish needs, but because I care about every single one of you. Even if Lucille has never been nice to me, I know she means a lot to all of you, and she has grown onto me as well."
Lisa looks at him with an open mouth and a face of admiration, shocked that he has rooted himself within her family in such little time. Lawrence simply listens to him, when Julius speaks once more.
[Julius]: "I wont let her be ripped away from you like this, from US like this. I will... save her."
Lisa wraps her arms around him suddenly, something that causes a slight shock through his body, but he quickly relaxes into it, and returns the hug.
[Lisa]: "That's so kind of you J. Thank you."
Julius smiles down at her as she hugs him tightly, when he sees the incredibly rare sight of Lawrence smiling, which even gets Lisa to look over too.
[Lawrence]: "You really know how to pull at our heart strings, Julius. I wish you the best of luck on your journey. Please come back to us alive."
Julius smiles, but doesn't say anything. His look of determination returns to him.
[Julius]: "Mmh!"
[Lawrence]: "As we discussed at the manor, that stone i gave you will glow brighter if it detects Lucille's mana emissions. The closer you are to her, the brighter it will glow."
He looks down at the rough stone in his hand in awe, letting out an impressed 'oooh' sound. The rock already has a very faint orange glow to it, which brings more hope to Julius and Lisa, who observes the stone in his hand with great interest.
[Lisa]: "Oh! And you will need these too, just like we discussed."
She takes a small pouch out of her kimono, one that clacks as it moves and emits an ominous deep red glow. The sight of her pulling out the pouch seems to surprise Lawrence, who raises his voice out of concern.
[Lawrence]: "Ah- Young Lisa! Those are dangerous! Don't just carry those around on you!"
Lawrence brings his hand up to his face, with a worried look, as if shielding it as Lisa gently sways the pouch back and forth in front of her as she apologizes.
[Lisa]: "Ah- right. Sorry Lawrence, I forgot to take them out when we got in the cart."
She has a playfully apologetic face, and stops swaying the pouch, handing it to Julius. Lawrence pinches the bridge of his nose as he lets out a sigh.
[Julius]: "So these... Explode?"
Lisa giggles and smiles as she explains the stones to him, pointing her finger up as she does so.
[Lisa]: "That's right. All you gotta do is throw it. Just remember to only throw one though, They are really super duper powerful!"
[Julius]: "A-ah, right."
He carefully places them with his sleeve, making good sure not to thrash them around too much, knowing their volatile nature.
After giving one last hug to Lisa, he hops out of the cart, and takes a few steps towards the village. He pauses for a moment, looking back at the two as the cart turns around. He sees Lisa on the back, waving at him with a worried look on her face.
[Lisa]: "Please don't die Julius! If you do I'll be really really really super mad!"
Julius chuckles at her words, waving back to her with a smile.
[Julius]: "Don't worry Lisa, I'll come out of this just fine. Hey, when this is all over, and i see you again... Lets talk, okay? I've got some things i need to say to you in private. Something to look forward to!"
Her face lights up hearing his words, her heart flutters as she wonders what he might want to tell her in private. She laughs and continues to wave as the cart starts to move. Julius can see Lawrence waving goodbye behind her as well, a smile on his face.
Julius waves back, before turning around, and walking into the village...
-
The streets were dark, and lonely. He couldn't see a single sign of life anywhere, it was a ghost town, and it gave him a very unsettling feeling. He wanders the streets, changing course when he needs to, following the stones glow closely.
The village was large, and had many huge buildings. It was built next to a large mountain, one that was sheer, and a lot of buildings were built into the flat wall of it. One of these buildings raised an interest in Julius, as the stone's glow seemed to flicker and brighten at an extreme rate as he approached it.
He silently approaches the front of the building, almost surprised that there were no guards, if this really was the place she was being held. He makes his way around it, trying not to trip over in the dark, but the soft glow of the stone was enough to let him see where he was going.
The building went on for a long time, he was getting somewhat tired of it, until he reached a sharp turn, a corner, that had a barred window at the top.
-
Footsteps. The second time that they had interrupted the silence that Lucille had bathed in, the only soothing noise to her, was none at all. But this time, the footsteps came from the window, something she didn't pay too much attention too, thinking it was just one of Hiroshi's wives or servants, if there was even a difference between them. It was only when she heard a voice, that the footsteps meant something to her.
"L-.. Lucille? Are you in there?"
Her eyes slowly widened, she turned her tear dried face sluggishly towards the barred window. The voice was trembling, and uncertain to say the least, but it was familiar. The first familiar voice that didn't hold any malice behind it, nor bad memories.
"Damn, maybe a different room?", he muttered to himself as he firmly taps the side of the stone, that now glows brightly. Right as he turns on his heel to continue down the building, he heard a woman's voice come from the window. A voice that is faint, and husky, one that he can only just recognize.
[Lucille]: "J-... Julius? Is that you?"
His face shines with joy and pride that he had found her, he almost shouts back from excitement, but contains himself, scared of getting caught.
[Julius]: "Lucille! I'm so happy to hear that your okay? You are, okay? Right?"
[Lucille]: "I'm... I'm fine."
Her voice is hesitant, and he knows that something is wrong, but right now he only has one thing on his mind, getting her out.
[Julius]: "This may sound a little crazy, but I'm going to blow up this wall, okay?"
He can hear her audibly gasp from behind the wall, It really did sound crazy. Doing so would alert everyone in the village, especially the Embodiment Of Envy, and Miura.
[Lucille]: "What!? That sounds like a terrible idea! You'll get us killed!"
[Julius]: "It's okay, we have a plan. Just, once this walls down, we need to get running as fast as we can."
He hears the deafening silence that proceeds his words, to her, it sounded more like a desperate attempt at hope from an insane person. But what choice did she have. She couldn't bare another interaction with that wretched man, she reluctantly, and very slowly, considered his idea, and gave her answer.
[Lucille]: "Alright, fine. I'll go with you."
[Julius]: "Hah hah, that's so good to hear, Lucille. I'm glad, just, stand as far back from this wall as you can, okay?"
He can hear footsteps from the other side of the wall, signifying that she had moved back, so he reaches his hand into his sleeve, and removes one of the stones from the pouch Lisa had given him. He pulls out a spiky crystal-like rock, that glows brightly with a deep red.
[Julius]: "Jeez, I really don't feel safe holding onto these."
He steps back a few times, and reels his arm back, before throwing it at the wall with full force.
"Don't kill anyone!" He mutters, as the crystal hits the wall. What follows is an extremely large explosion, rubble and debris fly everywhere, and the whole area is clouded with black smoke.
He enters Lucille's cell through the large hole in the wall, the both of them coughing up their lungs.
[Lucille]: "Holy shit, Julius!"
[Julius]: "I... Didn't expect it to be that strong!"
She struggles to get up, with the heavy wrist constraints weighing her down, her body has grown weak over the time that passed since meeting Hiroshi.
[Lucille]: "Where's Lisa? Or Lawrence?"
[Julius]: "It's just me, all part of the plan, don't worry. If you'll let me, I think I can do something about that."
She looks up at him with confusion as he approaches her and kneels down. He looks at her with a smile on his face, one that goes un-reciprocated as she just stares at him.
[Julius]: "Lisa poured her heart and soul into teaching me this on the way here, so lets hope it wasn't all for nothing"
Lucille continues to watch in confusion as he directs his palms at the stone collar on her neck, she stares at him, un-amused as he closes his eyes and breaths deeply and slowly.
"Just focus on it. Come on. Come on! Crack! Break! Just BREAK!" He mumbled in his head, pouring more focus into the action than anything else he had ever done before. He hated to admit that Lisa's instructions were anything but amazing, but being honest with himself, they weren't exactly clear.
Lucille's face lifts with surprise as she hears a crack from the collar, and small dust particles fall of of it, and onto her hands. Before she could think anymore, the tiny, almost invisible blue aura, had fully broken her collar.
This sight was enough to send Julius into a craze, his first real display of mana manipulation. His eyes lit up like fireworks, but he knew he had no time to accept any praise from Lucille, not that she planned to give him any in the first place.
[Lucille]: "You-... You actually..."
[Julius]: "I know. I know!"
His voice gets higher with the second 'I know!', barely able to contain his excitement, but he notices that her strength hasn't come back.
[Julius]: "These cuffs must also have that magic stuff that dampen your aspect. I'll get those too!"
She jolts in shock at hearing him say those words. She didn't expect him to know about it, slightly angry at Muriel for telling him since she knew it had to be her, but it quickly fades, relieved to just be getting freed.
[Julius]: "Sorry, Muriel told me about it. Don't you dare think that knowledge changes anything though, you're still the same, cold and mean Lucille that i know and love!"
[Lucille]: "Tsk, Whatever."
Once again focusing everything he has in him into the cuffs, he gets excited again at the sound of cracking coming from them, this time Lucille actively shows her relief. But the positive energy is short lived, as before the cuffs break, Julius feels sharp pain hit his body.
[Julius]: "AAGH!"
Lucille looks at him in slight shock as he suddenly stops and freaks out. Before any more words can be said, he suddenly starts to vomit up an excessive amount of blood. He looks down at his hands with blurry vision, seeing the slimy red essence that covers them, he is consumed with confusion, and his head starts to spin as he tries to get up, but falling from weakness.
Lucille catches him, and drags him outside through the hole in the wall, placing him on the ground, with a look of subtle concern, but a lot of confusion.
[Lucille]: "Julius!? What happened!?"
[Julius]: "I-... I don't know...."
[Lucille]: "Can you stand? Can you walk? I really don't want to have to carry your ass out of here!"
His vision stops spinning, and the weakness dies down, just a little bit, enough for him to get back on his feet. The sudden pain and negative effects dazed him, he had no idea why he threw up blood out of nowhere, the first time he used mana it went fine.
[Julius]: "Yeah... I think so."
She lets go of him, allowing him to stand up on his own. Happy to see that she wont need to carry Julius around, she starts to walk back around to the front of the building, where the road that leads to the exit seems to be.
[Julius]: "W- wait up, Lucy', Your leaving me behind here."
[Lucille]: "Do NOT call me Lucy'! I hate that name, and fine, I'll slow down for your slow ass!"
He catches up to her, and she starts to walk at a slower pace next to him, she glances over at Julius, who looks like hell. Blood covers the front of his clothes, and his hands, along with being barely able to run and his face shows that he is physically weak. But still, he pushes on, for the sake of Lucille.
She opens her mouth, about to speak, her eyes softening slightly, but she is cut off by the loud sound of the front door to the building slamming open. They both snap their head back to see what caused it, and they see Miura, standing in the doorway with a furious look on his face.
[Miura]: "LUCILLE!!!"
Julius takes a moment for his vision to focus that far away, but panics when he sees that Miura had found them. Julius was on the verge of passing out from weakness, and Lucille still had her cuffs on. Even if they had been damaged by Julius's mana, their effects were still strong and active.
[Lucille]: "AH- SHIT!"
Miura's arm mutates, black scales and hardened flesh cover his enlarged, feathery arm as he charges forwards, reeling his arms back, aiming for Julius, who stares back in fear, not being able to move at the approaching danger in his current state.
[Lucille]: "G-HAGH!"
Lucille shoves Julius out of the way right before Miura swings at the area he used to inhabit, slicing it up and leaving a cloud of dust in its place.
When the dust clears, the pair see a large claw mark, deeply engraved into the stone path, an attack that easily would have torn through Julius's flesh if it had hit him, a sight that etched even more fear into him.
[Miura]: "Tch! You infuriating bastard! TRYING TO TAKE MY LOVE AWAY FROM ME!"
Lucille grits her teeth, and charges towards him with the arms above her head, aiming for a downwards strike with the heavy cuffs. He doesn't even let her get close to him, a large, scaly tail flying out from behind him, and whipping her away, she gets the breath taken away from her as she hits the wall of one of the houses.
[Lucille]: "GAH!-"
His attention immediately turns back to Julius, whose face shifts to that of pure fear as Miura lifts his palm up to him, watching as it swells up, and explodes into blood. Julius shields his face, getting even more blood on his hands, and looking back over them to see a similar creature to the one that he summoned at the mansion. This one looked weaker, he assumed because the swelling wasn't as large, only mutilating his hand in the process, whereas the one at the mansion took his whole arm with it.
The creature snarls at Julius, a deep clicking noise emitting from it. Julius stared at it in horror, feeling powerless against Miura, whose hand had already started to regenerate, observing how he can see every individual muscle fiber and bone slowly wrap around itself to form his hand.
[Julius]: "What-... What kind of magic even is this! What are you!"
Miura chuckled, amused at how clueless he really was. But stared down at him, with a wide smile.
[Miura]: "Does that even matter when your about to die? Oh well, I guess I at least owe ya' a real introduction."
Julius watches him, his eyes flickering between Miura, and the strange, dark purple haired fiend that slowly approaches him.
[Miura]: "My full name is Miura Yasuo. I am the second Abomination Of Greed, and I bare the Commandment Of The Beast."
Lucille's eyes shoot back open at the mention of an Abomination Of Greed, the last time hearing that title was when her parents were killed by one. She painstakingly heaves herself off the ground, remaining unnoticed by Miura.
"Abominations? Commandments?" He questioned in his head. The creature let out another low, clicking noise with its jaw, that tore at the hinges. Before he knew it, the creature lunged at him, but was blocked before hitting him. Blocked by Lucille, who slammed her stone cuffs down on its head, right where one of the bone-like appendages stuck out, finally shattering in the middle, thanks to Julius's efforts.
Despite hitting it with normal strength, it was enough to bring an end to the hound. Julius shuffled back as Miura watched in shock that she had gotten up so quickly. Lucille looked down at the ground as if to hide her face, with small rings of stone still covering each of her wrists, but no longer glowing their usual blue hue.
Miura clenches his teeth together, grinding them painfully as he gets ready to charge forward with his regenerated claw again, until he stops, frozen in shock as he sees a red aura, emanating from Lucille, who still stands in her wide, face-hidden pose.
[Miura]: "What is-... Don't tell me that you..."
Julius shuffles away further as he tries comprehend what is even going on. The fiery red aura that emanates from Lucille was filled with hatred, and pure rage. Julius knew that Lucille couldn't use mana, so he knew that it couldn't be a form of magic. And he was right.
The suffocating aura that covers the area around Lucille, was not her body manipulating mana, but instead, eating it up whole, burning it at the core. Her hatred and returning strength combining, to make the usual invisible force that constantly radiates from everyone, visible, and intimidating. A display that reminded Julius of his encounter with Alcard, the aura was the same, but this one lacks pride and empathy, this one was pure chaos.
She finally moves, adopting a stance as if she was about to run, about to charge, straight forward at Miura. His body responds quickly, forcing out his palm towards her, which swells up, larger than last time, and explodes into a mass of blood, covering the area in front of him.\
As she takes her first step, the ground below her crumbles and stone fly up, out of the ground and around Julius, sending her forward with extreme force. Emerging from the blood, is a horrific, large winged creature with 5 eyes. It's skin is a mixture of feathers and hardened, human flesh, and would have to be at least double the size of Julius.
Reaching it before it can fully emerge, she throws a punch that looks as if its in slow motion, and the second it touches the creature, a wave ripples through its body, and it explodes into a giant tsunami of blood, the air itself contorting around her powerful punch, the sound of her attack alone is enough to severely injure someone, if they were that close to it.
[Miura]: "GH- HYAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!"
Miura is sent flying with her attack, crashing into a building behind them, the shockwave of her singular punch sends forth a cylinder of pure destruction, blowing away walls and buildings, and releasing an incredibly strong gust of air that nearly blows Julius away, who watches in awe and shock at the fight that unfolds before him.
[Lucille]: "Pfft- haaaaaahhh."
Lucille lets out a long breath, the white puff of smoke visible as it exits her mouth, dissipating as it hits the air.
She stands up straight, puffing out her chest, and screams into the sky, releasing the pent up anger and emotions that had been building within her.
[Lucille]: "HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
[Julius]: "GH!-"
Julius is caught off guard by her sudden deafening and demonic scream, but he understands fully why she had to let it out. What surprises him even more, is when he sees a large tail fly out of the debris and dust clouds, scraping along the ground as it does, ripping up stone and bricks as it finally reaches her.
The sudden impact creates a distortion of air, along with her red aura, as it hits her in the chest. But instead of flying backwards, she holds onto it, her grip tightening on it as the aura grows stronger, and more white puffs of air flow out of her mouth with every, heavy breath. The tail pushes her back, her feet gliding along the ground as she bores her heels into the ground to keep herself down.
Her eyes are wide, and crazy. She hated this side of her, but at times, she thinks it is necessary to her survival to release it.
[Lucille]: "GGGGHHHHHHHH!"
She growls as the audible tightening on his tail increases, forming large cracks and indents in its scales, until eventually, with one strong twist and a large grunt, she rips it off, severing it.
[Lucille]: "GHHHAAAAAAAGHH!"
[Miura]: "AAAAAAAAGGHHHHH!"
She throws the end of his tail behind her, starting to run forwards again as the dust cloud clears up, revealing to Julius the sight of Miura, who had been mutilated to beyond repair by Lucille's punch. His face was only a half, and there was a large hole where his shoulder used to be. The fact that he was still alive and standing with injuries such as those, was a sheer display... of an Abomination.
Miura once again throws up his hand, the only one left, and forces it to swell into a large, scaled and feathery mass, exploding into blood, and allowing several of the earlier hounds to flow out and surround Lucille, one of them even turning around to face Julius.
[Julius]: "GHH!"
[Lucille]: "H-HAAAAAHHH. HAAAAAAH."
Lucille's eyes don't leave Miura, her breaths are slow and heavy, a puff of white smoke flowing out of her mouth with every one. The hounds start to approach Lucille and Julius, making their usual low clicking noises and growls. Every hound is differently shaped, and in a different size, all with different amounts of eyes and bony appendages. Some have four eyes, some have 7, some have none at all.
In unison, they all lunge at Lucille, who quickly retaliates, jumping and dancing around, wiping out every single one of them one by one, letting out a heavy grunt with every punch, and picking up dust with every attack. She jumps from rooftop to rooftop, dancing around the beautiful fight as she sprays blood around her like a demented ribbon dancer, while also evading the tail of Miura, which has its end cut off, so it launches blood everywhere with its movements.
Julius would love to have seen such an up close display of raw power, but he is busy dodging and running away from the hound that chases him, narrowly escaping its maws time and time again.
After running for so long, he eventually gets cornered near the mountain side, falling back trying to shuffle away, but his back hits the wall, and the hound only approaches closer, taking its time to savor the hunt.
[Julius]: "HNNG! STOP! GET-.. GET BACK!"
Julius throws his hand forward in a panic, his heartbeat rising as it encroaches closer. The wind around him picks up, somewhat forming around his body, and suddenly, he is sent into a coughing fit.
Looking down at the hand he used to cover his mouth as he coughed roughly, he sees a bunch of fresh blood, as some of it ran down from his mouth.
He had nearly given up, accepted his death, when an angel of death, as he had seen it, came from the sky, crushing the beast with an axe kick, obliterating the ground, and sending a shockwave of air in all directions, drying out Julius's eyes.
[Lucille]: "GYAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!"
Looking to his right, he sees countless pools of blood, accompanied by the quickly decaying bodies of the hounds, all of which are severely mutilated. The man that quickly approaches watches in horror as his last beast is crushed to death, all that remains of its existence, a pool of blood, that soaks into the dirt beneath Lucille.
Both of his arms had fully healed, and his head was starting to heal too, a look of hopelessness fills Julius, and an expression of rage fills Lucille, more so than before.
[Miura]: "Heh, hahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!! KEEP TRYING TO KILL ME LITTLE LAMB! KEEP TRYIN' IT!"
The man took step after step, slowly getting closer as Lucille charges forth again, kicking him in his side, creating an incredibly loud cracking as nearly all of his right ribs were shattered in an instant, and he is sent straight into the wall of the mountain, producing a thundering boom sound that resonates throughout miles of land.
The man still stood tall, and still, with a smile on his face. A sight that sent another feeling of anger and hatred through Lucille's veins, and with a scream, she charges forth once more, the distinct red aura of her burning mana following close by.
[Lucille]: "AAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
[Miura]: "HHHHAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Miura is struck directly in the abdomen, his body slamming against the mountain, which creates a large crater in it, and cracks that form all the way to the top of the flat mountain side.
With the last punch taken place, and the dust clears, Miura, laughs softly, and falls to his knees, followed by falling to the ground fully with a thud.
[Lucille]: "HHYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Lucille, puffing out her chest once more, lets out another deafening scream, before coughing up blood, which covers the front of her dress, and her red aura disappears, allowing her to fall back faintly.
[Julius]: "A-AGH!"
Julius rushes in to catch her before she falls backwards and hits the ground as she passes out. She falls into his arms, something that she probably wouldn't be too happy about if she were awake right now. But her sudden state of weakness that resembles his concerns him, so he tries his best to pick her up, holding her in a princess carry.
[Julius]: "H- Hyaagh! I'm so sorry, Lucille. I'm really not that strong, but I'll try to carry you, okay?"
His words go unanswered as she lies unconscious in his arms. A silence that shakes him to his core. He runs out of the village with her in his arms. Less of a run, more of a limp, grunting with every few steps as he has never had to carry someone before, let alone a fully grown woman.
He struggles his way down the dirt path that leads to the forest. The plan hadn't gone fully right so far, but it was good enough, they had gotten Lucille back.
"GHYYAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A scream that sends shivers down Julius's body, and every hair on his neck sticks up. Turning around to see its origin, his eyes widen and his jaw drops, seeing Miura, in the sky.
[Julius]: "What-.... This dude cant be human."
The man smiles with a wide, open mouth, laughing as much as his body will allow it to. He had grown two large, scaly wings, with feathers in some patches, and hardened flesh, in the other.
[Julius]: "Gah-... Shit... The forest... It's right there..."
Julius stumbles over every second step, but forces himself to keep upright, and continues to run. But Miura quickly catches up, soaring through the sky.
-
[Lawrence]: "I'd say that's him, there, in the sky."
[Lisa]: "Eeeh? That... Thing? Is Miura?"
[Lawrence]: "Afraid so, Young Astoria."
Lawrence sighs, before taking a few steps forward, standing on a rocky mound that breaches the treetops.
[Lawrence]: "It's our turn to play our part of the plan, Young Lisa. If you don't mind, I'll need to borrow your flames for a second, Please use that new move I have been teaching you."
Lisa clenches her fists together, holding them up besides her chest, her face full of determination and energy.
-
Miura prepares to perform a dive on Julius, who looks back up at him in terror as he runs deeper into the forest.
-
A forming of intense blue light between his hands, expanding. Flames. The combined power of mana, blowing away the very air that surrounds them.
-
But right before he leans into it, he spots something in his peripheral vision. A glint of light. He takes a closer look, his eyes focusing in on the light, and when he sees it, his breath catches in his throat.
Down on the ground, is a green haired man, holding a large bow that dwarfs his own body. One made of pure blue, light. A colossal bow made of condensed mana, and the arrow that the man draws back is even more impressive. An arrow that lights up the night sky itself, one made of fire, expanding to a point at the tip of the bow, both of the mana's, releasing an obscene amount of energy, creating strong winds that blow the young girls hair wildly, along with the long hair of the man wielding the impressive display of magic.
Before Miura could think about dodging or blocking, the man releases the arrow. A shockwave emitting from it as it flies, almost knocking down several trees. A flash of light flies into the man, a second delay, before exploding, lighting up the sky as if it were day time, a loud scream being heard from the smoke.
[Miura]: "AAAAGGHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Julius's face lights up in awe. Compared to the display of power that Lucille had demonstrated to him just moments prior, Lawrence's was almost... Beautiful. "Beautiful", he thought, as the millions of stray embers fall from the sky as a sort of flaming rain, far more visually appealing than the fireworks than he had seen back in his own world.
The mass of flesh that bares the name 'Miura' falls from the sky, with his right shoulder, disintegrated. He lands on the ground behind Julius, creating a large explosion of dust and debris, along with a large, echoing boom that resonates within the forest.
-
[Lisa]: "Ooooohhhh. OOOHHHH! THAT WAS SO AWESOME LAWRENCE. YOUR SO STRONG!!"
She looked up at him with sparkling eyes, deeply admiring the mans finesse for manipulating mana like no other she had seen before. A proud smile appears on the mans face, an unfamiliar feeling, but one that he welcomes warmly.
[Lawrence]: "I-.. Hmh!"
-
Julius pauses, looking back at the crater that the man lied in, covered in a cloud of black smoke and dust. But his pupils shrink, and he takes a sharp gasp of air as he sees Miura, still standing.
The man was unrecognizable as a human at this point. His face contorted into metallic scales that shined in the embers light, his tail had fully regenerated, and a second smaller tail grew out of the top of the previous one. His right wing was burned down to its core, the still burning flame preventing the regeneration factor of his commandment from working. He had bone-like appendages that sprouted from his body in random places, the main one being a horn that came out of the side of his face, taking up the space where his left eye would be. This man... Was an Abomination.
[Julius]: "You've gotta be kidding! Theres- theres no way!"
Julius starts to run again. His breathing is heavy and restless, he ran out of breath a long time ago, but he kept going, on the verge of passing out. And he continued to run, as Miura slowly chased after him. He was still standing, but his injuries had clearly affected his physical state, as well as his mental state.
Julius seems to regain his breath when he sees something up ahead of him. A sight that brings sanctity to his very being. A sight, that lets him know Muriel, had succeeded in her part of the plan.
In front of him, walking slowly down the dirt path towards them, was a man. One that had been clearly taken from his free time, given the annoyed look on his face, and casual clothing. He wears a loose, black kimono, with the pattern of red spider lilies covering it.
Julius smiles as he approaches the man, passing him, and locking eyes with him as he continues to run past down the path. The man returns the look, but his face is expressionless, as he has no idea who Julius is. This man had long black hair, and deep, red eyes. He was tall, and stern, and just the sight of him bore the very epitome of the word 'Hope' into Julius's soul. And it also bore the word 'Fear', into Miura's.
Miura's breath caught in his throat and he stopped chasing Julius. His mouth was wide open, and his eyes couldn't close, he was too afraid to close them. Because, before him.... Was Alcard Castellan.
Alcard locked eyes with the man, and Miura saw nothing in them, but disgust. Complete, and pure, disgust.
[Alcard]: "Tell me, Freak. What's your name?"
[Miura]: "- - -"
He was speechless. What could he do. Should he run? No, A man like Alcard would catch him within a second. Should he fight? NO! What was he thinking? What could he do? His mind was racing with thoughts and questions, but he couldn't act upon a single one of them.
Miura began to shake violently, trembling in fear as the dark aura of the man took hold of him, as if it were hugging him so tightly it would crush him. And this condition only worsened, when he saw Alcard grab a small tree branch from above him, and snap it off, with some leaves still attached to it.
[Alcard]: "I take it your the one I was dragged out here for? My father is really lucky i respect him enough to do what he says, It was meant to be my day off with Camilla today!"
Alcard tightens his grip on the branch, cracking it, and grits his teeth as an expression of frustration washes over his face.
[Miura]: "AGH!"
Alcard takes a single step forwards. A single step that horrifies Miura, so much so that his body moved on its own, a defense mechanism that tries to attack Alcard, something that had always worked out well for Miura.
He raised his palm towards the long haired man, Swelling up large and exploding into a giant wolf maw that stretched out and shot towards Alcard.
[Alcard]: "Tch! What a disgusting Commandment. I'm glad i came now, I love stomping out filth like you from our world."
Alcard stretched the branch out to the side, everything moving in slow motion to him, and with one very light and small swing, a loud ringing sound is heard, and a small delay of peace, before a large blue light fades into Miura's view, consuming it, and wiping out half of the forest behind him, along with the ground that sat below it, with a tremendous gust of force, even reaching Lawrence and Lisa, who had already left the scene, blowing them back slightly. All members of the Muriel party aligned their heads to the direction of the sound, and sudden cloud of dust that covered the entire forest, the bright, intense blue light that emitted from Alcards branch, had faded, and all that remained, was a man, that had used his ultimate move to defend against Alcard.
Both of Miura's arms had been completely turned to dust in the clash, and he kneeled down, as his intestines fell out of the large wound that sliced across his whole abdomen.
[Miura]: "Ah- gahhhh, ah-..."
Alcard slowly approaches, still with the small tree branch in his hand, stopping right in front of Miura, who looks up at him in terror.
[Miura]: "Alcard... Castellan... You.... Y- You are the real... Monster here..... Hah, haha, tell me, Alcard... Wha--"
He is cut short when Alcard swings his free hand horizontally, stopping Miura's sentence, a high pitched ringing noise is heard throughout the forest as he does so. With a look of pure admiration and terror in his single eye, Miura's head, gently rolled off of his neck, and landed on the ground with a thud, followed by the rest of his body. All with just Alcards bare hand... The Second Abomination Of Greed.... Has Fallen.
-
[Lisa]: "JULIUS! Lawrence! Quickly, Come over here!"
Julius finally falls from his running, completely out of breath, and Lawrence rushes over to take Lucille out of his arms, picking her up and placing her in the cart.
[Lisa]: "This-... This is so much blood... I this all-....."
[Julius]: "Not all of it. I'm sorry to worry you, Lisa."
Julius's face is weak, and his voice was soft, barely above a whisper. Lisa's heart dropped at seeing him like this, so she fell to his side on her knees, and wrapped her arms around his, wetting herself with his blood as she started to tear up.
[Julius]: "I'm okay, Lisa. I'm okay. And I'm here."
Looking ahead as she nuzzles into his chest, he sees a second carriage, next to the cart. The one that Muriel took. Both Muriel and Yuri come out of the carriage, and sprint over to the sight of Julius and Lucille. They say a lot, but he cant hear them, he was too weak to understand much. From behind Julius, Everyone watches in awe as Alcard emerges from the forest.
[Lawrence]: "So you really did pull through, Lady Astoria. I always believed in you."
A proud smile appears on Muriel's face.
[Muriel]: "Of course darling, I always do, hmhmhm!"
She pulls out a fan from her kimono's sleeve, and starts fanning her face with it, her hair blowing gently as she does so.
[Alcard]: "Looks like they are both suffering from mana exertion. I can have Camilla heal them, If you'll allow her to visit your manor, Miss Astoria."
The words 'mana exertion' reverberate through Julius's mind. Is that what happened. It does make a lot of sense. That was Julius's first time actually using magic in his life, It's no wonder he burnt out so quickly.
And for Lucille, even if she cant use it, her body burnt up so much in her fit of rage that she couldn't keep conscious anymore. Lisa had to him said that our bodies run off of mana, in a way, so if you are completely drained of it, you could die.
[Muriel]: "Oh my! Having two whole royal guard members in my home would be an absolute delight, dear! I'd be happy to have her."
Alcard smiles as he walks closer to Muriel, inviting her into a handshake, one that she accepts eagerly, and with sparkling eyes as she feels his firm hand. Lawrence blushes at the sight, a slight look of annoyance on his face.
Lisa helps Julius over to the cart that Lucille lied in, still sleeping, he looks at her with a worried face.
[Lawrence]: "She will be out for a while. Probably until Camilla can heal her and restore her mana."
Lawrence hops in the front seat of the cart, as Lisa and Julius sit down in the back, obviously holding each other closely. Lisa still has a worried look on her face, with teary eyes that don't leave Julius for one second.
[Julius]: "Who is Camilla? Sorry if that's another one of my stupid questions."
Lawrence Smiles, glancing back at the two, and at how close they are.
[Alcard]: "Camilla is one of my squad mates. Me and her are quite close."
Julius and Lisa jump at the powerful voice that emanates from Alcard, a loud thud being heard as he hops into the cart, and sits across from the pair, taking an obvious look at how physically close the two were, a slight smirk appearing on his face.
[Alcard]: "She's the best healer in the whole damn capital. You have my word on that. As well as being my best friend, She's the only one who doesn't get scared of me, even when all I'm doing is talking."
The trembling of Lisa and Julius stop in unison, both of them not wanting to prove his point.
[Julius]: "I see. Well, um... Thank you, Alcard. For your help. I don't think we could have beaten that guy if it wasn't for you."
Alcard smiles proudly, but genuinely, a small chuckle emitting from deep within his chest.
[Alcard]: "Ah. It's no problem. I'll admit, i was pretty pissed when i was dragged out here by my dad, talking about some favor or some shit. But then i saw the dude, and I was happy to stomp him out. Commandments like that shouldn't exist. Such disgusting plagues."
Julius's head turns in confusion again, after hearing the term 'Commandment' several times in the night.
[Lisa]: "Oh! Right! J, Commandments are sort of like, unique forms of magic that are incredibly rare, rarer than aspects in fact. They are very powerful, and super diverse!"
She adopts a prideful smile and point her finger up at Julius as she explains what a Commandment is, something that he wraps his head around pretty quickly, even if only slightly.
[Julius]: "A-ah. I see. I really need to sit down and read a book about this stuff, hahah."
Julius rubs the back of his neck and smiles down at Lisa, who clings to his arm, and blushes slightly as she smiles back, laughing along with him.
Alcard looks at Julius in confusion, something that Julius notices and locks eyes with him.
[Alcard]: "After tonight kid, I have respect for you. You put in a lot of work and bravery for this girl here. Tell me you name."
Julius's eyes widen, Alcard had asked for his name, and was waiting patiently for it, with a smile on his face." Does he really not remember me? Is it because of my new clothes? No. It's because i no longer 'reek of death'. After Lawrence had healed me, that scent that Alcard could sense probably disappeared too." --All thoughts in his head.
[Julius]: "My name is Julius. We've actually met before, i doubt you remember me though."
The cart starts to move, alongside the carriage that Muriel resides in.
Alcard thinks deeply, but cant seem to remember him, looking back at him, he asks again.
[Alcard]: "Julius? I haven't heard that name before, but yeah, you do look familiar."
Julius rubs the back of his neck with his free hand again, nervously chuckling alongside Lisa, who has her gaze averted to the ground.
[Julius]: "Yeah. In the street a few days ago. You said i reeked of death... And then... Well... Knocked me out.. Or... Something...
Alcard takes a long look up and down Julius, his face signifying that it had all clicked together, and his brain takes time to process the information, resulting in a long, five second long gap, before he finally recognizes Julius.
[Alcard]: "Eh?"
---