(Jonah's P.O.V)
God damnit.
When the hell did I become the keeper of all these stupid men?
Having left the confused and childish Ray and the half dead Sirius together on the ground in the foyer, I twirled around and began stomping down the hallway towards the dining room.
As I did, I glanced my pocket watch at my hip. It read 1pm.
If I knew anything about Kyle, it's that he'd probably just begun his after-lunch drink session. Which meant -
I had to give up my plans to find out more about that sealed document, and head straight there.
....Ugh.
With heavy footsteps, I sauntered towards my destination, unable to quell my fuming anger.
Why did I always have to deal with them? Those stupid Spades always got their men in trouble, and everytime something happened, it always felt like I was the one who had to deal with it.
Like when they all decided to go out drinking for a night, then broke into the Hearts' Castle kitchen through the window, drunk as ever and unable to discern that they weren't anywhere near their home. I just happened to be in the kitchen when they broke the window.
Then it became my duty to order the new glass pane and contract a worker to fix it the next day.
So much work.
Even when I had been talking to Alice in the cafe the afternoon Levie attacked the Civic Center, it was the Spades who found us and caused a ruckus.
It's like...they just refused to do anything but cause me trouble.
I turned left and stomped into the dining room, hardly able to contain how annoyed I felt. Without a single moment of hesitation, I spoke -
"Kyle, I have two half dead Spades on the floor in the entranceway. "
I trained my eyes on the curly haired redhead, whom was sitting across the table from Zero; both nursing a beer of their own.
Kyle Ashe was about to sip his drink, when his bright eyes paused. He glanced my way -
Then tipped the glass back and took a big gulp.
"And?"
I instantly rolled my eyes.
Why did everyone seem to think I would just deal with it.
"This is your job to treat them!!" My tone rose in volume as I shook my head at the drunk medic.
"They are bleeding all over Lancelot's plush red carpet. Won't you treat them like your job description tells you too!?"
Kyle put down his drink with a heavy sigh, but didn't respond. Zero however, whom sat across from him, stared at me with concern.
"What happened to them? Why are they so injured?" He stood up, pushing the chair out from behind him in worry.
I shrugged meekly.
"Like I care. They probably broke into another house again while drunk or something." I sassed, before turning my focus back on Kyle.
"Kyle, they aren't getting anymore alive while you nurse that stupid beer of yours."
The medic heaved another sigh, then pulled the glass to his lips, chugged the contents, then slammed it down.
"Alright, alright. You don't need to heckle me like that." He growled back, before getting to his feet and running a hand through his hair.
That familiar pout of dissapointment across his lips is what said it all.
"I'll treat the Spades. But when it comes time for them to leave, you're arranging their carriage back. I refused to deal with any more paperwork besides their emergency fees." Kyle walked past me and out of the dining room, heading straight for the entrance.
"Whatever. You're as lazy as always." I snapped back. With the doctor striding straight towards the front entrance, I was in the clear. Finally, I could continue the task that I'd been so brutally sidetracked from:
Firstly, questioning Lancelot about the newly sealed envelope I'd found with Levie's paperwork.
I whirled around and strode out of the kitchen -
"JONAH!!"
I froze as Kyle's voice yelled from down the hallway.
Crap.
Stiffly, I turned around to face him, watching him stand there angrily at the other end of the corridor.
"Where do you're think your going!?"
I blinked, before glaring at him.
"To do my work." I muttered.
Kyle all of a sudden broke into amused laughter.
"HA HA HA HA!" I could tell he was making fun of me because he bent over in furious, mocking chuckles.
Then he straightened up fast, with a deadpan look on his face.
"You found them. So you're going to help me deal with them."
I wanted so badly to walk away, but I knew if I did, Kyle would never treat my still-broken arm again.
Or he would, but he'd put me through an immense amount of pain out of spite.
I sighed heavily. His evilly snide eyes showed me I had no other choice.
"God damnit." I snapped, before sauntering down the hallway towards him.
"....let's just make this quick."
--------
(20 minutes later)
Why...
Why did I have to get myself dragged into this?
"Would you stop complaining and just get me the bandages!!??"
Kyle Ashe, the medic of the Hearts Castle, was a revered doctor who, though lazy, was probably one of the best in Cradle, if not the best.
I have never, ever refuted that fact.
I turned towards him and scoffed, before residing to head to the corner of the room to grab his items from the cabinet.
But honestly, as great of a doctor as he was...
Did he really have to be so pushy all the time?
"Ray.....Hey, Ray. Over here."
I could hear the faint snapping of his fingers as the 7 of Hearts tried desperately to get the King of Spade's attention.
Ray, now finally being formally treated, had been diagnosed with a concussion and severe amnesia from head trauma. The cause of the incident was still under investigation, so while some of the Hearts troops scoured the castle grounds for clues, Kyle had the Spades' King sitting on the medic table and was trying to hold his focus so he could check his eyes.
So far though, it was proving to be a trying task.
"Blackwell, look at me." I glanced over my shoulder to watch as Kyle brought his finger up infront of Ray's eyes, but the King could hardly control his stare.
From what the doctor had told me, head trauma could be diagnosed by the ability, or lack of, to focus on a single thing. If the patient couldn't keep their eyes still to stare at something, it was more than likely that they were suffering from a head or brain injury.
So far, every attempt Kyle made only seemed to test his patience more and more. Ray's eyes were constantly teetering back and forth, unable to fixate on a single object in the room.
"I...don't like it here." Ray's stare swooned left and right. As I turned around to bring the tray of bandages back, I saw Blackwell cross his arms feebly and begin to pout.
"This place is boring."
The medic sighed heavily and turned on his flashlight again.
"I know, I know." He growled, alike a parent who was growing tired of dealing with their own child.
He flicked on the flashlight to attract Ray's attention.
"But.....if you're a good boy, I'll give you some candy."
I had to stifle a laugh. I could see Kyle was already running out of idea's.
"So it seems concussions can regress your personality?" I sneered mockingly as I placed the tray of bandages beside Kyle on his medic table.
"I've never seen that bratty Blackwell act so childish before..." I sassed, watching the doctor glare at me before leaning down to Ray's eye level to shine the flashlight into his eyes.
Only to have the King shake his head and cover his face with his hands.
"OUCH! I don't like that!!!" He yelped.
The medic straightened up and sighed.
"Amnesia can cause a patient to regress temporarily."
The doctor leant down once more and placed the stethoscope into his ears, looping his arms carefully around Ray and placing the hearing-piece of the scope on Rays back.
"H-hey!!! Don't get so close to me!!" The childish King barked.
"It's a coping mechanism. Their brain recedes into itself to protect the connections within. This defence ensures that should another threat pose a risk, that the person will be able to immediately respond to the danger."
"By acting like a child?" I blinked stupidly as I folded my arms together. What the heck was this guy talking about?
"The less information you can think about, the faster you can focus and spring into action. Dammnit Ray, hold still!!!"
Despite Kyle having his arms around Ray, he still couldn't get a legitimate listen to his heart beat. The amnesiac King was flailing and shifting wildly, refusing to be of any help to the doctor.
"I don't want a hug!! I want to get out of he-"
BANG!!!!!
The door to the medic room burst open so fast and hard, the draft from the very gravity of the action swayed my hair in the breeze.
I straightened up fast as a manic human dashed into the room. Kyle tried to straighten up as well, but by now, Ray had his arms looped around the doctors neck, searching for comfort from the loud sound.
"AHHH!! I-I'm scared!!!!"
"D-DOCTOR!"
The Red Army soldier that entered was panting wildly. As he stepped further into the office, I could see that his shirt collar was covered in sweat. His eyes were wide and fearful, and he was carrying something that looked like a -
"A scarf." I spoke the words, but my heart stopped at the first syllable.
"There there, I'll protect you..." Kyle softly uttered to Ray as he hugged the King, hoping to ease the small-minded man so he would hopefully become a better patient.
"Oscar, what is the-"
"Where did you get that scarf?"
I interrupted Kyle purposely, stepping forward and getting abnormally close to the solider. Whatever that scarf was, it was causing my heart to ache profusely.
It was black and purple. It was identical to Luka's.
And it was covered in blood.
"S--Sir, it's bad. In the wine cellar... we found him. He.....he....-"
Oscar paused in his words and turned over his shoulder to gaze into the hallway. Without thinking, I shoved the man aside and clambered roughly into the corridor -
Only to pause in front of the next troop as he carried a lifeless, bloody body in his arms.
"He's hardly breathing!" The second soldier cried out, tearful and stressed beyond words.
The man kept speaking, surely beginning to explain what had happened as Kyle shoved off Ray and dashed past me to begin assessing the body. My eyes looked down at the bloody heap of black clothing, red blood and pale skin -
I couldn't even see his face amongst his hair.
And I couldn't hear a single thing they were saying as I stood in front of them, with the doctor panicking to carry Luka into the room and get him on a stretcher.
My ears were ringing.
Tears were flooding my eyes.
And sinister, volatile hatred was filling my chest.
"His ribs! One set of ribs is completely shattered!"
I could barely understand Kyles' words. I was alone again in the hallway.
"No punctures to the skin! Not even a burn mark! How is it.... How is it even possible!?"
My mind was racing so fast, I couldn't move. I couldn't speak, and I could hardly think.
My brother...
Only you.
Only you could hurt him.
The face of the culprit suddenly burned itself into my brain.
I see.
So you're sending me a message.
Flames of sinister hatred lit up inside of me, burning every vein inside my body.
I blinked once, twice, three times. By then, I was already rushing down the hallway and down the stairs.
I turned a corner and passed by the kitchen, unable to hear the soft calls of Alice as she yelled to me from inside. I dashed through the last corridor and threw open the front door, running into the snow and snagging a white stallion from the nearby barn.
All I could see was red.
And all I could feel was hate; fury; despair.
You hurt my brother.
You hurt your brother.
In seconds I was bucking the horses' sides, rushing into Central so fast, I was sure I'd gotten there in a matter of minutes. I came upon the Civic Center, to which some Black and Red troops were still investigating the scene; having roped off the area and were looking about in the snow outside.
I jumped off the horse and stomped past the barriers.
"H-hey!! " One soldier called out as I shoved past him.
"That's a crime scene!! You can't go in there!!"
With a single useable arm, I ignored the man, then shoved another as he tried to get in my way.
"KUH!" He yelped as my elbow buried itself in his chest.
THWAM!!!!
I threw open the Civic Center door then ascended the stairs.
"Mark my words, Castell." There was so much pent up fury in my body, I could hardly recognize my voice as it spoke.
"If he dies, you'll die."
If not today, then soon.
You'll know the pain I'm feeling right now.
I opened the door to the small off-limits room and passed by the antique furniture that housed both layers of dust and old, shodden blankets. Within the middle of the small circular room was a vintage mirror that was both fragile and degrading.
I came to pause my steps at its exterior.
His only true weakness.
"COME OUT!" I beckoned so loud, I was sure all of Cradle could hear it.
I threw my good hand forward, readying to smash the mirror to pieces with my fist.
"FACE ME! END THIS CENTURIES-LONG FEUD, AND BRING THE CLEMENCE NAME TO IT'S KNEE'S!!"
I was yelling into the silence. But with his powers, I was sure he was hearing me.
This is all you want.
Hatred. Fury. Pain. Suffering.
You want me to feel what you feel, right?
You want me to hurt, and you want Luka to hurt -
Just like you did, all those years ago-
Right?
I brought my hand back once more, then, with the pain and torture in my chest, I sent my hand thrusting forward with all of my might
SMASH!!!!!!!!!
I shattered the mirror.
Broken glass, and shards of transparent reflection sprayed everywhere, cutting up and brutally savaging my pale white skin in sorrowful red.
You want me to bleed too?
Fine.
I'll smother you in the pain that you've brought me.
My heartbeat was thundering so loudly in my chest, I could feel my skin vibrating.
Levie Castell, the criminal and once-sibling of mine's one true home was now in tatters as blood poured from my fist.
"Come and get me." I muttered bitterly, with each syllable stinging my tongue in misery.
"If you want the Clemence name to pay that badly.... Take me out. Just like you did Luka."
A single, hatred-filled tear rolled down my cheek as I stared at the shattered mirror.
Silence filled the room.
.......
............
But then.
"I taught Luka a lesson."
I didn't turn around as I heard that disgusting voice waft towards me from the doorway.
"And it got your attention. So it was worth it."
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((Merry Christmas everyone! Happy Holidays to all of you, and thank you so much for sticking out this longer-than-anticipated break. As a present to all of you, I am releasing this chapter tonight, and a new one tomorrow! I appreciate all of you who read. Thank you so much! <3
Now, onto the real issue here.
Jonah is SO MAD.
And he just destroyed the one mirror that Levie was banished to....
P.S: Kyle hugging a childish Ray is so cute lol))