31 | disappear; a dull metal ring

The last conversation Lucas Silvius had with his distant older brother had come at a time far too late for reconciliation.

Lucas, the troublemaker, always skipped classes and rebelled against the very thing his mother had always insisted he become. Because perfection wasn't suited for him, and good grades were something he never cared for.

Since the accident, where he and his older brother, who was still a child himself, were left to fend for themselves, no relatives willing to take him in.

And Lucas heard all the scorn that surrounded him, judging.

Kane, the perfect man of every brilliant novel, the one who would be idolized and respected naturally, as if his god-given right.

Lucas never hated Kane for being that sort of person, never hated him for the comparison that had always been brought up. He knew his brother worked hard, striving for a reality Lucas had never tried to achieve.

How could he be jealous of something he never worked for?

But after the death of their parents, Kane had sacrificed his future for the sake of Lucas. And the latter, the youngest, had never asked for such a thing.

Those sorts of decisions, shouldn't they've been made by two people?

Lucas despised Kane for dropping out of school to work in multiple jobs, that were difficult on their own, yes, but a path his older brother never sought.

He'd rebelled in hopes of making Kane decide to go back, rebelled to prove that he didn't care for school. Lucas didn't have any hopes or dreams, his future was lackluster and if any of them should've remained in school—it wasn't him.

Kane disagreed.

It was a terrible thing, disagreements between two people who only wanted the best for the other person.

Because all sorts of feelings rose, despise lingering with love, desperation with desperate acts, and then hopelessness. Guilt.

The day Lucas had rested his hand on the door of their old, run-down apartment that could barely be afforded with Kane's measly paychecks, the other had returned early from work.

A cake in hand, and a gentle smile that never wore down, despite everything.

"Lu." Kane was never a man of too many words. "You're home. I've bought cake to eat tonight."

Lucas wanted to throw up, and turn back on his heels to erase any resolution he had in leaving that night. But the other's eyes had slowly strayed down to the bag slung over Lucas' back and turned frigid, a frost gradually crossing his features.

The rare smile left Kane's face. "Where are you going?"

A hard swallow. "I'm leaving."

"...how long will you be gone? Let me know where you're going in case—"

"I," Lucas took an unsteady breath, before looking up impassively. "I'm not coming back, big brother."

Kane furled his fingers tightly around the cake box, but didn't make any exaggerated emotions. He knew his youngest sibling—knew that behind the constant expression of calm were many thoughts he didn't know.

But Kane was still a teenager himself, barely understanding where he stood in the world. He wondered if he wasn't good enough after all these years, if he couldn't replace his parents.

His shoulders hunched slightly in self-doubt, but it wasn't the time for him to dwell on his mistakes. Kane took a shaky breath, staring ahead with as much calm as he could.

"You have school." said the man simply, as if that would prevent anything. "Do you need a break? I can call your teachers and—"

"Kane. Go back to school."

"What?"

Lucas stared ahead, pressing his lips together before repeating, "Go back to school. I won't be, so use the money for yourself instead."

"That's nonsense." The man's voice stern, and slowly rising with a rumble of anger. "Is this because of your grades? Are you stressed? I'll help you in any way that you can, Lucas, you're smart enough to—"

"I don't care about being smart. I don't care about school."

Lucas sighed, exhaustion weighing dark bags under his blank eyes. They'd both changed when their parents died, and he knew that.

But Kane had become like his mother, reinforcing perfection and expecting great things from Lucas—but Lucas never wanted to be great. He was a child who didn't know what he wanted, as many children were, but it was his choice to regret in the future.

All the young boy knew at that moment was that Kane wanted to become something. And he didn't.

Although he knew, heard everybody telling him to be grateful, to shape up. That he would regret it when he was older, that it wasn't worth it.

And maybe that was true.

But Lucas, young as he was, felt as if he were walking on a shaking bridge ready to snap at any moment. Even if he couldn't fully understand things, even if he would undoubtedly make foolish choices, all his feelings were valid.

Kane furrowed his brows angrily, ready to reach out and slam the door behind him—but then he recognized the stubbornness in Lucas' eyes.

The firm, unyielding determination that couldn't be stopped, even if Kane locked all the doors, found enough money to ship them away to another country, or did absolutely anything.

He couldn't do anything.

And that thought made the helpless older brother wilt.

Kane closed his eyes with a tremble, before it opened again to reveal a penetrating stare, closed off and devoid of emotion. The pair of siblings were fools who only knew how to pretend to not care.

"Is this your choice, Lucas?"

The younger scowled, turning away his gaze. "Yes."

It would be hard to survive; Lucas had always admired Kane for being able to do what he did. But Lucas wasn't completely unprepared, even if no amount of preparation would make things easy.

And maybe he would starve, maybe he would want to run back to where he knew he was safe. That didn't change his present choice.

Kane sighed deeply, raking his gaze over the avoidance expression on the other, and nodded solemnly. His throat felt dry and he wondered where he'd failed.

Nevertheless, his words felt foreign on the tip of his tongue as he said, "Very well. Do not regret your choice later."

"I won't."

"....." Lucas turned his head down and pushed past the other, turning to walk further away—to a place that nobody could reach.

Kane stared blankly into the now empty apartment before spinning around. His mouth flailed pathetically with a lack of words to speak, and he could only swallow back any complaints. What a failure of an older brother he turned to be.

Finally, he called out, foolishly hoping the other would turn. "Take care of yourself, Lu."

Lucas didn't. And just like that, he disappeared.

———xxx———

Lucas rubbed his temples, feeling a protruding bruise that had started to sprout. He accusingly eyed the glass perpetrator, feeling as if he had a long dream.

Though the man never dreamed, and he couldn't remember it either.

Elias looked with interest at the bruising area, especially vibrant against Lucas' pale—rarely seeing sunlight—skin. "How does somebody sleep peacefully while hitting their head into a window at an almost rhythmic pace?"

"Do you want to know?"

"Yes, actually."

"I close my eyes," said Lucas slowly, shuffling in the seat as the car rolled forward. "And then I don't open then again."

"What a shame, I rather like your eyes open." said Elias, tiding over the sarcastic response. "Additionally, I like the lights on too."

"I like the lights off."

"Oh? Is there any particular reason?"

"So I wouldn't have to look at your face."

The smile on Elias' face spread further. "It's confirmed that it's me that you won't be looking at then?"

"Who else should I kill in the dark?" wondered Lucas calmly.

A blink, and an amused smile greeted him in return. Lucas stared with the gaze of a dead fish, before turning away, paying no mind to the nuisance beside him.

It was earlier than expected, but they'd found a car—or more accurately, Elias had smashed the window of a large minivan and somehow found a way to start it.

Now,  the unhappy gathering of people were going on a vacation.

Lucas felt at unease leaving Julian behind to deal with the aftermath—but he'd found, surprisingly, that the people there trusted that cowardly youth.

For somebody so timid at times, he was social and easily put those whose minds had been corrupted at ease. Julian had slipped his number into Lucas' hands, as well as a paper containing his home address, where he intended to return to eventually.

The youth's hands had been cold, complexion poor after all the events that occured, but a twitch of new confidence entered his steely eyes. Lucas decided to put his faith in that gaze.

Whether there paths would cross again or not was up to life to decide.

Lucas glanced back at the unconscious man, slumped over in the seat with the belt strapping him down. Elliot had awakened once, though displaying the conscious of a dazed corpse, before falling back to sleep.

They'd made a deal, so Lucas had forced—asked Elias to drag him down to the car and throw him in.

Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any grave injuries. Regardless, Elliot had made the decision to act with such risk, evidently unprepared for the cult that was August's followers.

Nora's gaze flickered to the mirror, watching the group in the back interact. Rome had been placed beside her, because of his allergy to Elias, and Wren had been sacrificed instead to sit next to that man.

Shen was sleeping in the back, powers and abilities still undetermined. Nora's gaze lingered longingly on him for a second longer. Soon, she forced herself to pay attention on the road.

Lucas felt his nerves bubbling in his chest—was this what it felt like when meeting a celebrity of some sorts? Fiddling with his phone, he looked through his previous messages with Kane.

Then, he recalled a certain reader of this that hadn't messaged in a long time.

Closing the app, he pulled up the chat app that she insisted on using, before opening their conversation. She hadn't messaged in a long time—rare for the youth who had found a friend in him, surprisingly.

He wondered if she still lived.

Or had she fallen prey to the many Stories in this apocalypse?

Thinking about it, that girl would've had a better time than most, because she always saw the bright side of even the most terrible situations.

Stuck in the world of a Story, she might lament on how she wanted to discover more about the history, and figure out even the unnecessary details.

Actually... wasn't it a little dangerous?

He wasn't sure if that girl would want to leave a Story.

Of course, with the undoubted presence of murder and gore following every tale... she would work hard to leave right?

A hand suddenly reached over and uncurled his fists, a habit of his when he was busy thinking. Lucas frowned up at Elias as the other flashed another sly smile, casual.

Honestly, the man didn't know why he reached out either—subconsciously, when he saw the clean nails digging firmly into flesh, he'd been naturally inclined to prevent it.

It wasn't that he'd panic at the sight of injury to Lucas' already scar-covered skin, but it was a little different. Seeing the man cause harm to himself wasn't in Elias' interest.

Not in the slightest.

"You're so cold." said Elias, relaxed as he decided to bother this thinking sponge out of sheer boredom.

Lucas paused, before snatching his hand away. "Am I your damn ice-pack?"

"Would you like to be?"

"...cool down on your own."

"Rather, I think it's more accurate to say you heat me up."

Lucas blinked, before turning sideways in utter exasperation while Elias elegantly sat in his seat, calmly smiling. Not an inkling of shame or embarrassment on his features.

"Do you ever shut up?"

"I can, in fact, elaborate." offered Elias.

Lucas shook his head quickly. "Don't."

A silence passed between them, though the conversation throughout the car continued. Nora and Wren had been discussing the previous events in hushed whispers, with the latter leaning forward to talk.

The brief mention of a mutual hatred of men vaguely crossed Lucas' ears, but he decided not to listen in to their passionate speech.

Then, Elias opened his mouth again, but the expected vulgar jokes hadn't come. "Would you prefer that we don't meet that dear character of yours?"

Streetlights painted his jaw in a silver hue, flickering in and out of darkness as they drove. His expression was unreadable, save for the amused smile that permanently graced his face despite his inner thoughts.

Beneath the facade of teasing calm was a man who didn't have the faculty of care of humans. One who could hardly understand that idea of emotions.

One who didn't care to learn.

Lucas didn't know why Elias had asked a question so unlike him. The Ace King only asked questions that would torment others, to save him from his boring life. Never out of genuine curiosity.

Lucas faced the window, closing his eyes. "I made a promise. It's too late to turn back, so I don't care either way."

"It's too late to turn back, I suppose. But we can delay the inevitable."

"Enough with your ridiculous speech."

"Do you want to run away?" A trickle of faint laughter laced his low tone. "We can make a detour."

Lucas sighed grumpily, irritation revealing in his furrowed eyebrows. "Is there any point to you asking these questions?"

"I'm simply worried about your well-being, darling."

At this point, the irritated man turned around glaringly. His head was beginning to throb again. "Is this a new game to amuse you, Elias?"

Elias lowered his head quietly, a fathomless gleam glazed over cerulean eyes. "No, I'm genuinely curious about something."

"It's not my job to satisfy your curiosity."

"Ah, but," A patter sounded on the windows—the rain had started once again. "You're the reason I've been dying of curiosity."

"About?"

"How a person can care for another to the extent of sacrificing everything they have." said the man. "Humans are inherently selfish, and even when showing kindness to others, it is often done for sheer self-satisfaction. The feeling of being 'good'."

"More of your negative beliefs?"

Elias smiled. "But you believe in them too."

"I'm a naturally negative person."

"That I believe."

"Anyway, how am I the reason for your wonder?" grumbled Lucas, slumping further back into his seat. "If you want to observe somebody, observe the relationship between two siblings. It's more reliable."

"Aren't I?"

Sheer, excruciating pain rumbled through Lucas' head. The droplets that splashed against the window seemed to piece through and drum against his throbbing skull.

Lucas blinked away the haze in his vision, warily looking sideways.

"What do you mean?"

But when he looked at the man, all he could see was a silver ring, twirling between slender fingers. His eyes were naturally drawn to the dull metal moving back and forth.

Lucas stared, hypnotized.

"I wonder if you don't want this back anymore."

Elias hummed lightly, before throwing it up into the air—

—and then he was gone.

Lucas snapped out of his daze, shaking away any lingering pain and jolted in his seat, slamming his hand against the window.

"Stop the car!"

Nora startled in surprise, but quickly slammed her feet onto the brakes, swerving off to the side and running into a grassy path. She turned back, worried. "Lucas? What happened?"

"Where is he?" Lucas didn't know why, but he needed that ring back.

"Elias?" Nora frowned. "He stepped out earlier, said he had an errand to run and asked to meet up with us later."

"How long ago was that?"

"Around five minutes ago?"

God dammit. Lucas cursed, before pausing after realizing Rome's large gaze was staring straight at him. He cleared his throat, and continued muttering profanities in his head.

He pushed the door open, ignoring the calls behind, and stumbled into the darkness. There was a lack of streetlights in this area, so Nora had been driving slowly.

That stupid weed had used his ability. The puppeteer skill, one that allowed him to manipulate thought and in turn, make a person do as he pleased.

Complete mental control.

It'd hardly been a full day since they'd made their deal, and Elias was already messing around.

His feet splashed against the shallow puddles on the ground before he heard the faint tinkle of metal in the distance. Lucas glanced back at the car momentarily.

They were ahead of schedule, and would make it to Kane with time to spare.

Thinking that, there was nothing holding him back and Lucas completely fell prey to his instincts. As Nora's calls yelled out behind him, the man stepped into the shadows.