47 | grin; the lonely forgotten

The morning sun rose over the children's hospital, barely grazing over the glass panes and spilling light into the room from between the gaps of drawn curtains.

Elias, at the first glimpse of light, was the first to wake after having such an ill time the previous night.

Merely thinking about it made his head spike with a burst of constant pain, little threads threatening to break through his skin again as they wriggled like worms. Elias pressed his hands to his temples, trying to calm down as he recalled the droning and insulting voice from yesterday.

Suddenly, with his mind filled with Lucas' steady and unwavering voice that was slightly softer, and a little hoarse, the strings squirmed and disappeared once again.

Lucas woke up in that moment, sensing a stir of danger in the air before it dissipated. He breathed softly, rolling over as he glared at the intrusive sunlight.

Too early to wake up...

One shouldn't leave bed until being forced out, he concluded as he rolled over again on the hard mattress, finding a comfortable spot.

Elias spoke as he began to drift away again. "Thank you."

Lucas ignored the thanks and squeezed his eyes shut. Honestly, if he hadn't helped, Elias would've remained an odd, glowing and disturbing sight that bothered his rest. Therefore, he didn't think it mattered.

Not once had the thought of leaving to another room crossed his mind.

Elias heard the stirrings of the sleepy sponge on the bed, and said nothing more as he closed his eyes, leaning back on the sofa.

His eyes flickered open, hearing something move outside the door, before he calmly stood up.

"Where are you going?"

Elias turned to the bed and laughed. "Can't bear to part ways with me, darling?"

"You're still useful." grumbled Lucas, voice slightly muffled. "I can't have my things dying on me early on."

"How domineering."

A hand poked out from under the blankets, waving him off irritably. Elias chuckled, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him carefully.

A slender man stood outside, wearing a black pair of jeans and a black turtleneck. His arms were crossed, but his leaning posture was straight as he raised his pitch black eyes indifferently. A pair of rounded glasses perched on his high nose, displaying a scholarly air.

Elias raised an eyebrow with a pleasant smile that didn't reach his eyes. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Let's speak in my office." said Kane bluntly, nodding towards the end of the hall. The two men didn't discuss further, both glancing at the closed door where Lucas was daydreaming.

When the door closed with a thud, Elias walked over confidently to a seat and sat down. Seeing this, Kane narrowed his gaze and walked to the opposite side of the desk, sitting in front of him.

They remained motionless for a few minutes.

Finally, with an air of threats and suspicion, Kane spoke first. "Who are you to my little brother?"

"Little brother? I recall him saying he's never met you before." retorted Elias coolly, the sly of a smile curling his lips.

Kane stilled, his frown deepening with dislike. It seemed that Elias had a brilliant talent in making the Silvius brothers hate him.

"His memories are in a disorder. I cannot confirm whether you have a part to play in that or not."

"I can confirm that he chose to forget."

The mood soured, dropping to the ground with Elias' few words. It was true that Lucas had made his decision, although that choice had been for the sake of saving his dearest older siblings. Not that Elias cared to elaborate.

Kane's expression almost collapsed, noticeably shaken up as his fingers curled against the wooden table, digging into it.

Would Lucas really wish to forget...?

Self doubt ran rampant in his mind. What if he was the only one searching and hoping, the only one who lost sleep and despaired?

What if he was the only one feeling lonely after all this time?

Although such thoughts rushed through his mind like a tornado, flooding everything else away, he maintained his expression.

Elias sighed internally—this was why the other brother was much more interesting, with such volatile reactions and clear displays of displeasure. He didn't stop to consider if it was simply only Lucas that he attempted to understand.

"Under what circumstances did he make that choice?"

"After he died." replied Elias plainly, almost mocking. "After he died in a Story purposely, with torture wounds and the most terrible pain."

Kane jerked his body, jumping up in his seat before sitting back down. "Explain."

Elias smiled lazily. "Am I obligated to? Why don't you ask him yourself, see what he has to say? Although he would probably dismiss his pain, claim that it was nothing, right?"

Kane would ask; he wanted to ask about every moment, boring or exciting, that happened in Lucas' life without him in it. Whether he had friends, a lover, even. What feelings he experienced. What sort of life he lived.

But Lucas would share nothing with a stranger.

And that was all Kane was to him now.

"...is there any way for him to regain his memory?"

"I don't know. If there's an ability capable of such a feat, it may be able to break down the mental blocks in his memory. Do you hope that it's not completely gone, but just buried? Momentarily forgotten?"

Elias didn't care whether he read Kane's feelings correct or not, choosing to state the things that would hurt the most.

Kane gritted his teeth, glaring at Elias through cold, slanted eyes. To think such a character was, in fact, a hopelessly doting older brother.

"Mental ability..." muttered Kane to himself with a frown. He had something like that, a passive ability from his Title [Belle] from a Beauty and the Beast Story, which allowed him to ease mental aliments of the tortured or unease.

But since Lucas hadn't been cured, it wasn't enough. He either had to get stronger from more Stories, and subsequently improve his abilities, or wait and see what other methods there may be.

He'd waited for a decade. What was a few more?

Kane's turbulent emotions from before calmed down, settling. 'That's right.' Thought the man with a soft gait. 'I don't mind waiting longer.'

No matter how long, he wouldn't give up on his family.

Elias, though poor at understanding emotions and not wanting anything to do with them unless they were amusing, sensed the obvious change in the air.

"Since you've gotten sorted, am I free to leave? I don't want to leave my precious companion for too long."

"Are you using him?" Kane asked before Elias could stand up.

Elias blinked in surprise, before throwing his head back to laugh loudly. Kane was taken aback, almost jumping out of his seat.

"Using him? On the contrary, dear big brother. I'm the one being used."

The man strolled to the door casually, pulling it open and glancing back calmly. "Willingly, might I add."

He disappeared out of view as Kane stared in a daze ahead before his lips curled down in displeasure. The relationship between that man and his younger brother was certainly suspicious... did Lucas have a preference for the same sex? Or both?

Of course, he had no issues with the gender of Lucas' future partner, but was such a character really okay?

Conflicted, he slumped back in his chair sullenly.

Elsewhere, Elias pushed the room door open without hesitation, meeting the awake gaze of a certain sponge. A deep and pure white, so clear it seemed to reflect the depths of the watcher.

Raven hair falling over the calm face, in messy, disorganized layers, and an expression that was cautious and still with remnants of sleepiness.

"Don't tell me my parting startled you wide awake?"

Lucas seethed. "Your death would only give me good dreams, boss."

Since when had the title Elias carried previously as the leader of that gang become a derogatory phrase? The other members had spoken that word with trembling arms and fearful gazes.

"The person you just spoke to.... what did he want?"

"Do you want to guess?" smiled Elias, falling back onto the sofa as he raised his chin questioningly. "Did he come to threaten me, hope to whisk you away, or apologize for mistaking you as somebody else?"

"No games, Elias."

"How unfortunate. I love playing with you the most."

Lucas shook his head, still curled up in the bed, though he'd propped himself up and leaned against the wall. "There's something I've forgotten, isn't there? You know what it is."

"That's a dangerous assumption to make, darling."

Lucas raised his head, and Elias stared back with an infuriating smile playing on his lips, angling it as if daring Lucas to question his words.

"You know." repeated Lucas slowly.

"If I do, I don't have any intentions of telling you."

"Why?"

Elias fell silent before rising from the sofa and taking several steps towards the bed. He lowered his eyes, the fathomless blue unsettling and dangerous. "The first reason would be because that'd ruin the fun, but the second..."

"Lucas, can you bear to remember the existence called Kane Sil—"

Lucas' head pounded violently, a raging storm that crashed angrily against his skull. A gasp escaped his mouth as he lurched forward, clutching his head in agony as dizzy sparks of black appeared in his vision.

Elias watched silently, letting the last 'vius' drop from his sentence. It was evident that trying to forcefully remember what had been given up wouldn't do anything.

He moved forward, pressing a hand over Lucas' eyes, blanketing the man's vision in darkness. Lucas lowered his hands in a daze, letting them fall limp at his side.

"Breathe, darling. You'll remember what you need to when the time's necessary."

The voice devoid of its natural tease startled Lucas, washing over him like the lull of waves, or the soothing warmth brought by moonlight in the dead of night. His shoulders relaxed, and the chaos of thoughts melted away.

"Have you calmed down?"

When had Elias' quiet voice become something comforting, or slightly less irritating? It seemed to be an after affect brought by the headache.

"I'm fine." mumbled Lucas, pulling the fingers away from his face as he peered at the other man, blinking slowly. "Thank you."

Elias stared at his hand for a moment, before curling his fingers in and smiling carelessly once again. "You're searching for the four Kings, aren't you? As you already have two at your disposal, it's a matter of finding the other two."

"How did you—"

"It seems that you underestimate me too much, darling. I'm offended."

"...then do you know the locations of the others?"

Elias shook his head, taking a seat at the end of the bed. He lowered his head, resting it in the curve of his palm as he looked sideways at Lucas. "The four Kings will ultimately be drawn to one another due to the clause of the Forsaken Throne."

That implied that even if Lucas didn't seek the other person out, the two unknown Kings would eventually find him.

No, they would find Rome and Elias—soon, Kane.

Thinking this, Lucas nodded in understanding as he lapsed into a silence of his thoughts. Rome would be in danger if that were the case, with his ability far too lacking to survive an attack from one of the Kings.

The Sleeping Beauty Story that soon would occur in this hospital would be a good place for him to develop.

He would have to inform Kane immediately, uncertain of what the exact time the Story opened. It'd slipped his mind with his peculiar mood the previous night, but there was no time to waste.

When he walked over to the door and pulled it open, Kane was striding towards him with a neatly worn doctor's coat. "Lucas. I thought I would inform you of a recent case in the nearby area that you should be warned of."

A sheen of light happiness flickered in his dark pupils, making Lucas hesitate to reply. "...what case?"

"There have been investigations for humans who have 'lost their face'. There's a face stealer who takes away a person's identity, although they can't mimic the victim's ability. Be careful."

"I see. That's useful to know. Thanks for telling me."

"It's my pleasure."

The pair shuffled awkwardly in the doorway, unspoken words floating in the background as they were left hanging. Meanwhile, Lucas deliberated over Kane's words solemnly.

It was natural to expect humans to act out and cause problems outside of the scheme of Stories.

A face stealer fell into this line of thought. They could do it out of amusement or drowned in the delight of power and fear that they instilled in others, or for a ritual of some sorts. It was impossible to pinpoint the precise reason.

Lucas frowned. He'd have to deal with that after the Sleeping Beauty Story, moved by an inclination to get rid of all troubles around this hospital.

Because Kane was a character he greatly admired and cared for.

He rubbed his temples, easing the throb in his head. A shadow appeared behind him, resting an arm on the door frame as he smiled pleasantly at Kane, who narrowed his eyes.

However, Elias' smile only lasted a minute before disappearing and he swung his head towards the end of the hallway.

"...there's something strange occurring."

———XXX———

Wren rolled over in the blankets, a leg sticking out from under the covers as her face planted into the pillows, suffocating herself in her sleep. She groaned before something pricked in her mind, a foreboding or a warning.

A benefit of becoming a Teller was her intuition of apocalypse-related matters. Kings and Tellers, or the extremely powerful, could notice when something odd occurred.

She pushed herself up, ignoring the tangled waves of hair that sat atop her head as she blinked away her tears, frowning. Turning around, she looked towards the doorway. They had chosen a ward with separate beds for them all to remain together in.

However, now a small figure stood at the door, staring outside blankly.

Wren stepped out of bed, rubbing her sore body. "Hey kid, what're you looking at? Don't be all creepy when I've just woken up."

Rome's large eyes didn't move. "...I'm scared."

"What?"

"They're all staring at me."

"Excuse me?"

The muttered and drained voice of Rome paired with his childish and blank expression was more scary. Who was the person who should be scared at that moment?

She had reasons to believe he was possessed!

Wren calmed her heart, walking over to wake up Nora gently by shaking the woman's shoulders and calling out her name. There was a small boy curled up in the blankets in a bed beside hers, wearing a bed of white hair.

Wren frowned, having recalled leaving the strange dragon in the backseat of the car in case of any issues. It seemed that Nora wanted to take care of the teenager that resembled her dead brother.

When Nora blearily opened her eyes with a confused smile, Wren walked over to the strange youth, Elliot.

Raising a hand, she whisked the blankets off and tossed them onto the ground before snatching the pillow from under his head.

"Wake up!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Elliot threw himself into a sitting position, huffing as he stared around with wide eyes. Wren stared back and snickered.

"You have such a way of waking up."

Elliot, having confirmed that there was nothing out of order, seethed. "Can't you even let me enjoy my nightmares in peace? There was a beautiful and handsome ghost in there!"

"I really didn't need to know that." said Wren, before nodding at the door. "There's something happening outside. We'll have to investigate and meet up with Lucas."

Rome shook his head when everybody looked at him. "The children... I... I went to the bathroom and..."

His voice trembled, and Nora got out of bed in a perfect state, as if she hadn't just been sleeping, and ruffled his hair. "It's alright, we'll go outside and take a look together, okay?"

Rome stopped trying to explain and nodded.

Wren crossed her arms, taking the lead. After all, with her powers as a Teller, she had the best chance of surviving if anything attacked. A shiver ran up her spine as her hand rested on the door.

It was early in the morning, so at this time of the day, there might be a few children playing in the halls or getting treatment.

She pushed the door open and heard the sounds of childish laughter around the corner inside one of the larger wards. As she approached, she made out the small children laughing and playing games with building blocks.

There was a group of four playing on the mat, and then two older boys reading a book on the bed with their legs swinging.

Nora stood beside her before walking ahead with a polite smile that made any child feel at ease, even if they were scared of strangers.

However, her expression rapidly paled when she stood in front of the door.

The four children on the ground continued to play with the blocks, giggling. But their heads had twisted around, wearing a stretched out smile on their lips that showed their bright white teeth.

The two boys on the bed continued to flip through pages, but at some point had lifted their heads to smile largely at Nora.

The washroom flushed behind them, and she turned her head slowly as a little girl with pigtails skipped out.

And on her face was a wide, toothy smile.

———XXX———

[ding! message from lukiyo...]

HELLOOOOO, I'm sorry for missing last night's update!! The weather was pretty stormy, and granted I'm at fault for always posting later in the night (rip) but my wifi ended up being rude and refusing to load T^T

But, here we are~ hope you're enjoying the novel so far! Stay warm and cozy (for those in winter right now) or cool and comfortable (for the summer folks!)