Eternal Lifeline

Chapter 6 - Morals and Ambition

He had been awake for a couple of hours by then, and despite how many times he tossed and turned, nothing was working. His eyelids, instead of growing heavier by the minute, fluttered with every creak of the old house and every breeze that moved the trees. He kept remembering that crooked, maniacal smile, tainted with bloodlust and hatred. Something was unsettling about that man, but his looks weren't the only thing that caused this feeling within Sebastian.

Rouge had mentioned being something called a Crimson Lord. Whatever that was, his powers were off the charts insane. Sebastian barely stood a chance against the man. If he were that strong, then what else was out there in the world? Was there something even worse than Rouge, just waiting for a sign that a human civilization existed so that they could seek it out and put an end to it? If this village was the last of humanity, civilization-wise, all of their forces, intel, and abilities would most definitely be focused on finding it. The question was, though, why were they trying to put an end to them? Despite the insanity in the man's eyes, Rouge was human, down to his very last expression. For what reason would he want to alienate his own kind and kill them?

Although his mind had calmed a bit, Sebastian still had a bit of difficulty closing his eyes for a long night's sleep. He wasn't used to staying up past midnight, so this completely threw him off. Usually, especially in the summer, he would drift off to sleep when there was still a bit of light out there, in order to ensure that he got a healthy amount of sleep to fuel his job. Outside was pitch black, aside from the stars, and it was almost impossible for Sebastian to see anything in the room he was trying to sleep. His thoughts finally returned to that dagger, which was placed eerily on his bed minutes before the village went up in flames.

He knew that he planted that thing in the skull of one of those Hellhounds, and he knew that it ran away, so how could someone get close enough to one of those beasts to retrieve it? Did Rouge kill the thing, or was he relying on it to spy on humanity?

"Magic leaves a trail, even after the user is gone, so that's what Rouge did, huh?" Sebastian's thoughts materialized into tangible words, even though his audience was unknown to him. He only wanted to empty the thoughts from his head, fitting in even the slightest amount to sleep, and saying them aloud was the way he planned on doing that.

It was no use——the sleep didn't rush in; rather, it only left him with more questions about magic and its intricacies. He lay there awake for a minute or two more until a blue glow came from the foot of his bed.

"Bash? Are you okay?" Zuri was sitting on the edge of his bed, which he hadn't noticed until she spoke up.

He jumped a bit, for obvious reasons, but his shock eventually reverted to calmness. His eyes, somewhat dead from being tired, but clearly not tired enough, were fixated on her, and their focus was fluctuating between attentiveness and unawareness. He scoffed with a laugh, "Yeah, but I'm having a bit of trouble falling asleep. You wouldn't happen to know any techniques for that, would you?"

She looked a bit disappointed, "Unfortunately, I wouldn't know. I have never had to sleep, but I can stay here if it makes you feel any better. You keep switching to your lucid state. Are you expecting something to come this way?"

How did she know that?

"Oh, don't worry, it isn't anything that someone would notice based on magical output. I can tell when you focus on your magic because your eyes are always closed when you do it, and you tense up a bit. It's kind of cute, actually." She teased.

Sebastian felt exposed, as if his magic could easily be discerned by someone of superior skill. If someone knew he was using his lucid state, then what other things would they know, especially if they were an opponent in battle?