Nefarious

C184 - Death certificate?

Later that day I realized that we'd left Xavier behind, and that's what Alex was hinting at. We'd drawn the attention away from him, allowing him to sneak around up on the third floor while Alex and I faced stares from everyone else. Apparently, Vera and Rain were discussing something with Xylan as well, making sure it was Xavier versus Cohen and no one else.

I'd made sure to discreetly tell Alex about Xylan's dirty way of winning the election, but Alex didn't act surprised. As he shifted from looking at me and whatever book lay in his hand, he nodded, seemingly keeping up with my words. "Blaze helped him, I can guarantee it. Mother's not the type for injustice, but my father's not bothered by it. Morals are nothing but a joke to him," Alex said, almost mumbling. "How come you seem so calm about this? Xylan threatened the people you were supposed to lead. I-" I started. Alex deeply inhaled as he put the book away and peeked over at me with an unreadable facial expression. "I'm relieved that I got my suspicion confirmed. It'll make the process easier," he said vaguely. I frowned immediately, attempting to question his answer when he shrugged his shoulders and turned away from me again.

Only seconds after Alex had turned around, the door opened in a rush, exposing a stressed Vera. "It's not in the head library, Alex. We have to go further down the castle, not up," she blurted out. Alex approached her, whispering something which I was unable to hear due to the unclarity in his voice. It surprised me that Alex agreed to go with Vera at once, and so, I had to question the fact that we were leaving Xavier behind. Alex said Vera and Rain were supposed to distract Xylan, but now that Vera's here, who's distracting Xylan? "Rain's working with him, though discreetly, of course. We managed to start a heated argument, and now Rain's carrying it alone," Vera said. I never thought I'd hear that sentence, ever. Two people who hate each other's gut suddenly agreeing to work together? I suppose we all meet at a middle point in this whole crisis in hopes of changes, and that central point has turned out to be Jace himself.

Following Vera, I chose to ignore the stares of despair this time around. I looked down, for the most part, probably making myself look both fragile and unwelcoming. I tried focusing on the quest itself, but I kept worrying about Xavier. Everyone knew at this point that Xavier had become a means for Xylan to release the tension connected to Jace. The least safe place Xavier could be at this point was the third floor, and I couldn't just ignore that fact despite Rain being up there. Our plans to go against Xylan are all so unsure and delicate that one mistake could ruin everything. However, we ought to do something as none of us could ever be at ease here, not with Xylan in charge of our lives.

-Eugene's point of view-

After the elections, I hadn't heard much from Alexander. I knew he was disappointed beyond explainable, and that he'd placed all the guilt on himself, yet I hoped to hear from him now and then. Valerie had gone relatively silent as well, spending a suspicious amount to time to answer despite not having a formal role in their castle anymore. The general silence from the other castle made it all the more surprising to see Kai entering our castle to bring forward information to Dane.

The echoing sound of Kai's footsteps brought sound to the normally quiet entrance of the castle. "What's this?" Dane asked simply. Kai handed over a paper which looked like a death certificate of some kind. "I need to speak to you about Zane Leclair. It's urgent," Kai said determinately.