Chapter 29 - Cassius

The Andire manor was simultaneously both easy and difficult to hide in. Easy for its wide halls, its winding corridors and its rooms upon rooms. In Elysium, there was no such thing as excess.

It was difficult because those same spaces were constructed with open gaps, pockets and windows for anyone to peer into. Even in the quietest hours of solitude, there was always the understanding that anyone could walk up and see you.

For Lazar, his small height made it a little easier. He tried not to hide, but that day, perhaps in a frenzied panic or a lapse of judgement, it felt as though there was no other option. And so, he huddled closer to the blooming hydrangea bush sprawling across the courtyard, its blossoms a shining snow white, and kept his breaths as quiet as possible.

He heard footsteps approaching and pressed closer to the blossoms. He didn’t register the sharp scratches of branches digging into his skin. It was difficult to feel anything when his back still stung with fresh wounds.

Grey eyes darted between petals and leaves, and he bit down on his hand to avoid making a noise. Foolish, he kept telling himself. Foolish to make Lord Andire so angry in the first place, foolish to run, and especially foolish to have cried in front of the former guardian. He knew it would make things worse. It always made things worse.

The boy berated himself between harsh, ragged breaths. He should have better self control. He should’ve learned by now.

When at last the footsteps passed, Lazar exhaled, but his muscles remained tense. Eventually, someone would find him here. He couldn’t hide forever.

His gaze slipped between the marble pillars, landing on the waving grasses of the field lying beyond the manor. There was a soft wind that day, one that he would normally find soothing if each rustle it created didn’t cause him to flinch and jerk around, waiting for the appearance of a looming figure. In that breeze, the fields looked like waves, rocking back and forth in a hypnotic rhythm.

Lazar glanced around the empty courtyard again, then back at the fields.

Maybe it was because he didn’t think things could get any worse. Maybe the pain was clouding his thoughts. Maybe he was simply tired.

Whatever the reason, in a split second decision, the boy crept out from behind the hydrangeas and darted forward, across pristine white marble floors, and ran for those open fields.

—

When Lazar opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the blue tinged light. It originated from the ceiling and walls, which held the shape of a standard cave, but the stones were translucent. They looked almost like glass, and any light that hit them turned a soft azure once it reached the other side.

The second thing he noticed was the strange energy thrumming through his body. Gone was the sluggishness, the dull aches and numbness. He shifted his shoulder, and he felt no pain or resistance.

He was lying on a cot, he realized. His fingers brushed against worn, but soft blankets.

The seraph shot forward. A startled yelp made him stop.

A few feet away, Leon stared up at him like he’d seen a ghost. The boy quickly crossed his arms, wiping the surprise from his features, and put on his best scowl. He didn’t look injured, Lazar noted carefully, though there were bags under his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

Rumbling earth. A spear of stone hurtling straight at them.

Grey eyes widened. The seraph jerked around, feeling for his halberd, but there was nothing but the fabric of the cot.

“If you’re searching for your weapon, it’s here.”

Lazar turned, and he came face to face with an unfamiliar figure.

Seated near the cot on the other side of Leon was a man with pale skin and long dark hair. Vivid blue eyes studied him keenly, but his most notable feature was the horns.

Around his ear, multiple smaller horns jutted straight outwards, fanning around in a circular formation. They looked almost like sun rays or fins, and they were made of the exact same glassy, translucent substance that the rest of the chamber was constructed of. Across the man’s lap lay the silver halberd, the metal cleaned and shining in the light.

A demon, Lazar’s mind informed him. The most humanoid one he’d seen so far, even more so than Ciel. He was on edge almost immediately, but refrained from doing anything until he had more information.

“You were unconscious for quite some time,” the demon said. His voice was calm and smooth like running water. “Leon was rather concerned.”

“Was not,” the boy immediately mumbled.

“I must have imagined you staying up this whole time, then,” the demon continued easily. His voice was just a little lighter, a little softer when he addressed the boy.

Leon looked horrified. “You said you wouldn’t tell!”

“I don’t recall making such a promise.”

As the two bantered, Lazar took the opportunity to study the demon more closely. His posture was relaxed, and he couldn’t detect any aggression behind those calm blue eyes. But at the same time, whenever he moved, the seraph couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

“Are you Cassius?” He needed to confirm this first.

“I am.” The demon turned to him, and Lazar could see he was watching him just as closely. “I suppose you may be a bit confused. Allow me to explain.”

He nodded at the seraph and gestured to the cot and open chamber. “You were attacked by another demon while crossing the ravine. Leon ran here asking for help while your…companion distracted the other demon.” A flash of disgust passed through his eyes when he mentioned Ciel, but he continued just as smoothly. “Fortunately I arrived in time, and we brought you back here to treat your wounds. This is my home.”

Lazar glanced down at his arm. The bandage had been removed, and there were no traces of blood left. The skin was perfectly smooth, the limb’s movement fluid when he turned it.

Healing of this caliber in such a short time span was only possible with magic. Which meant that the demon in front of him was more than powerful enough to ascend.

“Thank you for helping me,” Lazar said carefully. He was acutely aware of how dangerous the demon was. His eyes darted down to his halberd, then back up. “Could I ask where Ciel is?”

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Cassius’s lips thinned, and it was Leon who answered.

“She’s gone right now. She said she was gonna look around or something.”

“Correction,” a familiar voice drawled. Lazar turned, and the flesh eater, as though summoned by their words, now stood by the chamber entrance, an eyebrow raised. Her posture was relaxed, and the seraph could see a few fresh streaks of blood around her hands. Her golden eyes were completely unaffected by the blue light, their hue as vivid and uncanny as ever.

The flesh eater strode forward, movements languid, until she came to a stop in front of the cot. Cassius tensed as she approached, posture stiffening, and Lazar kept a careful eye on the other demon.

“I said I was going hunting” Ciel corrected the boy, who scowled.

“Close enough,” he said.

“Whatever you say, kid.” The flesh eater plopped down on a nearby stone and studied the seraph keenly.

“You’re looking a little less shitty,” she remarked. Lazar felt oddly relieved to hear the familiar flippant tone. It made him a little less uneasy, though he still didn’t lower his guard.

“I certainly feel better,” he said.

She raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? I’d hope so, or this guy’d be a fraud.” She jabbed a thumb at Cassius, whose jaw had tightened. Did Ciel not notice the other demon’s aggression? No, Lazar thought. She was fully aware, and she was purposefully testing its limits.

The flesh eater leaned forward. “You know, I knew you had no self preservation skills, but it’d be nice if you could try a little harder to stay alive. I do need you breathing to open that gate.”

Lazar blinked, drawn out of his thoughts. “I wasn’t aware the other demon was in the ravine.”

Ciel snorted. “I’m not talking about that.”

“You had quite a few improperly healed old wounds.” Cassius used the opportunity to cut in, frowning slightly. “There was a significant amount of internal damage as well. In the future, I would recommend giving yourself more time to rest and heal fully.”

Leon nodded vigorously.

“That means no training and shit while wounded too,” Ciel added. She shrugged. “Or at least be more careful about it.”

Lazar’s eyes flicked between the two demons and Leon, and he slowly nodded.

“I’ll keep that in mind. My apologies, I wasn’t aware the wounds were so serious.”

“How could you not know?” Leon looked genuinely flabbergasted.

The seraph tried to think of an answer, but before he could, Cassius turned to the boy. Any lingering wariness bled away from the man’s gaze, and he spoke softly.

“Leon, now that you know he’s alright, why don’t you rest? It’s unhealthy to stay awake for so long.”

“But—”

The demon raised a hand, lightly cutting him off. “Leon.” His voice was stern, but remained even and oddly soothing.

The boy glanced between them, and Lazar could practically see him mentally debating with himself.

“We can talk later, if you’d like,” the seraph added.

After some more thought, the boy nodded, albeit reluctantly. “Okay,” he said, the frown back in full force. “But you’d better keep your promise.”

With those last words, he turned and trudged away, dragging his feet and glancing back every few seconds. It was only after he’d delayed himself for as long as possible that the boy finally disappeared through the chamber exit. The sound of his footsteps soon faded.

Now that Leon was no longer present, that left only Lazar, Ciel, and Cassius in the room.

A heavy silence hung over them. Lazar’s muscles stiffened, eyes once again flitting to his halberd still resting in Cassius’s lap. The tension was thick enough to cut, reinforced with mutual suspicion and supported with unease.

Finally, to Lazar’s surprise, Cassius broke the silence first.

He rose from his seat and handed the halberd to Lazar, who blinked and carefully took it. The metal was cool against his skin, its weight still a little heavier than he remembered. His grip tightened, and he inspected it more closely. He couldn’t find anything wrong with it.

Standing in front of them, Cassius eyed them both with piercing blue eyes.

“Now that you’re awake, I suppose it’s time to converse.” He gestured at the exit. “Why don’t we move to my chambers? It’s a bit more…private. Leon will not be able to eavesdrop there.”

It wasn’t a question, not really. Lazar met eyes with Ciel, and after another brief silence, he carefully slid off the cot. His legs were a little shaky at first, taking a moment to adjust to the weight, but they steadied soon enough. Ciel stood as well, and with a nod, the two exited the chamber.

Cassius walked in front, and those glass-like stones continued to line the branching tunnels forming the demon’s home. If Lazar looked closely, he could just barely make out regular black stones on the other side. The material appeared unique to this place.

The seraph kept his eyes on the demon as he strode in front of them, dark hair streaming behind him. Walking like this, the earlier sense of wrongness was all the more apparent. It was subtle, but the demon’s movements weren’t quite right. His center of gravity appeared just a bit higher, sometimes he took a step and the weight distribution was uneven. More than that, every motion he made was careful, too careful for something as simple as walking.

His movements reminded Lazar of himself when he’d first woken from falling without his wings, he realized. They were the movements of someone unaccustomed to their body.

Cassius came to a stop.

Up ahead, the tunnel widened into a massive chamber constructed entirely of the translucent stone. Shining walls gleamed like ice, coiling in curling patterns lining the chamber. Tall clusters of crystals gleamed like snowy trees, stretching up towards a ceiling that seemed to reach endlessly upwards. It was difficult to see from their current position, but a circular gap at the very top seemed to cut into the mountain itself. Red light, the wine red of the stormy sky, streamed downwards, mixing with blue and teal until the entire area bore an iridescent sheen.

The ground beneath them was smooth, so smooth that Lazar could see their reflections in it when he peered down. The entire space was motionless, frozen in time, and yet the colors and light changed every time he shifted. It was beautiful, he thought. Beautiful in the way that ice was—transient and fragile in its perfect stillness.

Lazar and Ciel both stopped just outside that cavern, and the seraph noted the winding tunnels behind them, mentally running through their path again in case they needed to run.

Cassius gestured around at the massive chamber.

“There’s no need for courtesy. You’re welcome inside.”

Ciel raised an eyebrow. “You do know how suspicious this looks, right?”

The other demon slowly lowered his arms. Those blue eyes looked even brighter in the refracted light. “I suppose healing your wounds and returning your weapon is not enough for you to trust me.” This he addressed to Lazar. The seraph met his gaze steadily.

“As grateful as I am to you,” he said slowly, scanning the demon with every word, “I’ll admit I find it difficult to trust someone who won’t show us their true form.”

Silence fell across the chamber. Lazar’s fingers tensed around the halberd, waiting with bated breath.

Finally, when he could no longer bear the quiet, Cassius smiled.

“You’re rather perceptive.”

And then the demon took a step back, curled in on himself, and shifted.

Skin peeled away, shedding in ribbon-like strips as muscles bulged and bubbled. Limbs expanded, rising until they overtook the size of his body, before the rest followed in lopsided bursts of growth.

The flesh around his face warped over, all his features sinking away from view. Bone snapped and combined. Those translucent horns stretched and stretched, gleaming like the crystals within the cavern.

The chamber shook, the shadows in the floor distorting with every twist and crack of movement. It felt as if the air itself shifted to make room.

This warping continued without pause until, at last, everything stilled.

Standing in the center of the chamber was a massive demon. A coiling, serpentine body circled the floor, the body gleaming frost white. Four massive wings stretched behind him, each one rippling and waving like caged water.

Those horns, once half circles, now extended all around his head like a sharp crown, surrounded by a mane of white hair.

The demon easily filled the massive chamber, and when the creature stared down at them, only the blue of those eyes was unchanged. He opened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and a cloud of steam rose upwards.

His voice reverberated around the space, the same smooth, even tone now overlapped with layers of echoes.

“Now,” said Cassius. “Let us talk.”