Lunar's POV
Aiden's eyebrows furrowed at Castian's words, but he remained silent. I wanted to ask my questions, but I matched him. I left myself to drown in my thoughts as we seemed to walk for what felt like forever.
A pit was in my stomach. The questions I had were piling up, especially the ones about his mother. When looking at Aiden, he looked grim. It seemed to answer that something bad happened to Castian's mother.
I grew startled at Ozora flicking my forehead, "Earth to Lunar, ya there? Just cause you're space themed it doesn't mean ya gotta go out there."
"I-I'm here," I flushed at him as he wiped the dried blood off my hands. He was gentle with it, making sure to clean it all from my skin and nails, "Wh-What are we doing?"
"Well, first we've gotta get rid of all this blood," Cast seemed different... He seemed like he was in a state of denial. He seemed euphoric. It broke my heart to hear him do a hollow laugh like he was trying to pretend everything was fine, "I don't want to die twice tonight. But I think you'll like what we'll be doing once we're done."
"You say that every time we are going to do stupid shit that could get us killed," I narrowed my eyes at him, a grin forming on his lips as he stripped out of his bloody shirt. As much as I wanted to be concerned, I knew better. He was acting this way for a reason and I need to respect it... As long as he doesn't get us killed... Then, I may kill him.
"And have you ever hated these times?" His head tilted towards me, similar to the way Mr. Lincoln does when he's being Dominant and cocky. He had a spark in his eye that made my heart throb and my stomach flutter, "Be honest, 'Pet,' I won't play nice if ya lie."
"Alright, this is what we're doing tonight, hm?" The air grew tense as my body straightened, the realization of Mr. Lincoln being amused from behind me. With all this, I'd forgotten his presence. I wiggled my jaw as I flattened my hoodie, fixing my sleeves as I mocked his tone. He wanted to play stupid games so I huffed Lethal Injection by Tom Macdonald, settling my nerves as well as insulting him.
"Awe, is this what we're going to do?" Castian teased with a fake pout, a chuckle leaving his throat, "You just going to insult me with your cute little raps? If I wanted a pathetic bitch to play with I'd go get Anth--"
"If I wanted to hear a pathetic bitch talk I'd hang out with Jax. Are you just going to talk all big and bad? Is that what we're doing?" I shot my hand up to his face, snatching his shirt as I pushed passed him, "Besides, who's the one wanting to get rid of all the blood before we go into the building? You claim you're a Rogue? More like a Stray Pussy Cat. Next, please."
He was quick to follow as I turned on a flashlight and looked around, Castian's hand ripping the shirt out of my hands and throwing it over his shoulder, "Alright, Kid, but I'd rather be the one they go after if shit goes down."
"Don't bother, I have a better idea," I waved him off when he reached for a rock, placing my thumb and middle finger into my mouth and doing a deafening whistle.
You'd think he shat himself with how fast he pulled out his pocket knife, glaring at me as he growled, "And y'all say I have a death wish. I was going to take this shit slow."
Shrugging, I strolled further in and looked around. My eyes only found stupid egg sacks, disappointment slipping through my voice, "Are you sure she's even in here?"
"I'm so positive I could be having triplets. Something's up," Cast joked from the doorway, kicking some things around. Of course, we had only checked one room so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm wrong... Part of me just hoped to be right.
Aiden hollered from another room, drawing our attention as we followed his call. Upon entering his domain, the horrid smell of rotting flesh overpowered my nostrils. My challenging composure towards Castian faltered as my stomach turned itself inside out, and I hurled.
Piles and piles of carcasses. Humans, animals, and even some of those creatures. Some fresh, some old. Some were in multiple pieces, but even rats were dead. Ozora looked around without a flashlight, using his abilities, unphased as he stepped forward and his voice low, "Feeding room."
It was like suddenly the atmosphere became twisted and otherworldly. Like we'd abandoned everything to be here, sacrificing our existence to the horrors beneath our Gods.
Mr. Lincoln's hand rested on my back. Us being in this building made me forget he and Mr. Hayes were with us again. His fingertips rubbed circles on my spine as I tried to keep myself from vomiting, watching Castian as he kicked a few corpses. He seemed to have gone into his own little planet, his head shaking back and forth as he kept looking for something. Forcing myself together, I stepped towards him, slowly poking his shoulder blade, "C-Castian, what are you looking for?"
He was so deep in his head that my existence spooked him, his body jumping as his head turned to me. He quickly shook his head at me, wiping his cheeks but acting as if he was simply fixing his mask, "J-Just something that belongs to Mama."
"Well, tell me what it is and I can help you find it," I murmured, observing him. His eyes were in pain. This whole thing made it seem like he was having the Five Stages of Grief. Earlier he seemed in a state of Denial. Soon he's going to be angry...
You could tell he wanted to snap at me, but he couldn't muster up the ability. Caving with a sigh, he brushed his fingers through his hair and fixed his bandana, "...H-Her wings. I-I want to bring them home."
"Al-Alright, you look in that pile and I'll look in this one. If we don't find them in here, we'll look elsewhere," I reassured before daring myself to give him a delicate hug, "We won't leave without them."
I began looking, ignoring the churning of my stomach. I looked back at Castian when he grabbed my wrist, his voice hushed and vulnerable, "...Th-Thank you."
We all split into rooms, Mr. Lincoln remaining with me to make sure I was alright. Our pile mostly had dead animals. I was growing numb to the sight, but it seemed Mr. Lincoln fell soft. Mr. Hayes told me once that Fangs worship animals like Gods. That they even believed that our Gods had animal forms. Due to that, they looked at each and every creature as if it were a God.
At first, I thought it seemed kind of silly, but Mr. Lincoln has told me such wonderful stories... I feel bad for the way I first treated their beliefs...
"Do you see that Crane, Kitten?" I followed his finger to a bird feeding in the pond, "Her aura dances with violets, she sings her praises for the seeds and berries within Abaddon. She will then bring them to her Goddess, who will gift her a child."
"You can't possibly know that, Mr. Lincoln," I laughed with a shake of my head, "It's just a bird. Gods are just stories. We have no proof they exist. None of us have any special meaning on this planet. We're just a rock in space. Just like that planet named Earth. We're nothing."
"Everything has meaning, My Love. Let me show you something," He tsked before taking a stand and doing a piper's tune with his hands and mouth, humming sweetly, "By the beauties of Elysium and the horrors of Apollyon, I plea for the songs of the birds. I pray for the winds of the clouds and the touch of the blooms... Where are we in our lifetime? Please, will you remind me?"
I rolled my eyes, I thought he was playing some joke with me. Then suddenly the wind picked up all the blossoms, rain poured and then froze, and the flowers collided with the droplets. Upon their contact, birds sang and the crane called with the chorus, "We remind you, My Dear...we are within Elysium's Prayers for this is Abaddon."
"Our animals have the will of the Gods. They are our connection to them because they are our Gods," Mr. Lincoln smiled at me, "We have many Gods, My Prince. They appear as animals. We worship each creature within our world."
"I still think to do that seems kind of silly," I frowned, "Abaddon has thousands of species. Millions of creatures. Not every single one can be a God."
"I think you may be misinterpreting my words, My Sweet Kitten," Mr. Lincoln chuckled, taking a seat. As soon as he sat, everything returned as if his song didn't happen, a smile still on his lips as he held my hand, "We don't believe all creatures are Gods. We treat them as such. The reason for that is because we have Gods for each Species. For instance, we have many species of bird, but only one God for them. A Crane is the Goddess. Are you understanding, now?"
My nod was hesitant. I still found this goofy, but I was going to respect it. I just had questions, being humorous, "I respect it, but I'm just not going to convert."
Since then, I've learned so much about their beliefs. I don't believe in them, but I have gained respect like no other. Many would say they're religious, but they personally do not define themselves as such. Mr. Hayes has even mentioned that not all Fangs share the beliefs, it's just a majority. It's more just having respect for the life around them, worshipping what they have been given.
It made me wonder what Castian believed in. Though I was lost in thought, I was still paying attention to him. He'd been silent this whole time. He seemed hollow and empty, not even reacting to something moving in the next room. Aiden gave me a sad grin, bobbing towards Ozora, "I'll deal with it, stay with him."
"H-Hey, Cast ---"
"You're going to ask if I believe in Gods, aren't you?" He chuckled quietly, my cheeks growing cherries as I froze next to him, "Your aura tells me what you're thinking about. You were also mumbling a little to yourself about Ryker telling you about the Crane Goddess."
"I-I-I don't do that," I pursed my lips together, folding my arms, "B-But what do you believe in?"
"I believe you're a pain in my ass, does that count?" He leaned against the wall, shaking his hair. I gave him a cold stare, causing him to laugh, "In all honesty, Kid... I'm not worried about what I believe in. I'm more focused on trying to figure my shit out. Why should I worry about the 'what ifs' or some shit like that when I have my existence to worry about first? You only get one life. You get one chance. Ya shouldn't worry about other life when you have only started yours. You really want to know my belief? I believe we're all put on here for one thing; to live."
His words hit deep. Made me realize why he's so nuts with dangerous things; he's living his life to the fullest. He's doing what everyone is so afraid to do; experiencing the moment where life and death connect. He's living. He's dying. He's in between. He's doing what our lives are meant for; living once.
But I couldn't help the question in the back of my mind that rose, "Then why the rituals? From what I witnessed, you've done several. You've died seven times. You say "you live once," but by my count; you've lived more than once."
"I knew you'd catch onto that," He tsked, "I'm afraid I don't have a proper answer on that. I'm not saying I don't, though. It's currently just a hunch. However, when I have the answer confirmed... I promise you'll know."
His promise made my heart flutter, especially with the warm expression he had, "Y-Y-You don't have to promise me anything."
"You're right," He ruffled my hair, pushing himself off the wall and strolling down the hallway. His tone threatened a hidden meaning, my cheeks hotter than lava. I huffed and ran after him, only to run into him with a loud oomph. His body was stiffer than a brick wall, his veins bulging with purple. You could see every muscle tightened, his arm shooting up when I tried to go around him, a hushed order, "Don't move. Don't. Fucking. Move."
My brows furrowed, and then I noticed he was staring at the wooden floor, my pupils trailing down as my flashlight followed. The wooden planks were cracked and bulging, pulsing with glowing veins. They flowed with strange red fluid. That gut-wrenching feeling swelled up again, "Th-That's not blood, is it?"
"Point your flashlight in front of us," Castian whispered, "It's cutting off my abilities. I can't see in front of us."
Part of me wanted to keep the light pointed at the ground. I didn't want to know what was ahead of us. Swallowing, I obeyed. I didn't dare to look past Cast's face. It became colorless and pained, spiking my curiosity as much as I tried to fight it, his voice falling apart, "...M-Mama."
I took a deep breath and dared to look where his irises were glued, my pupils draping upon a woman plastered to the wall. Her head leaned forward, her face to the ground and her body pale blueish-purple. Veins poured from her body and lined the wall, trapping her against it.
She had blood-stained white cloth caked to her, ripped in regions that were violated. That's when I noticed the vines looked like hands groping her breasts, genitalia, thighs, throat, and wrists.
As soon as Castian's words seemed to reach the corpse, the woman's head snapped up, the bones cracking and echoing throughout the hallway. It had Ozora's body tenser than before, his arms reaching for me and holding me behind him. Her voice came through as a chime, "Castian, Darling."
She sounded barren, yet happy. It was like she couldn't feel anything, but her voice entranced you into a false sense of security. It terrified me. It petrified me as I watched Cast's eyes sparkle at her voice. My heart ached. This couldn't be his mother. He shouldn't see or hear her this way, nobody should ever see their parent this way. Even if they were the most awful thing, nobody deserves this.
I felt his body fighting itself. It wanted to relax. It wanted to cower before her. It wanted to fight her. It wanted to kill her. It couldn't pick. It didn't want to pick.
"M-Mama, ar-are you alright?" He finally managed to speak, his hand fumbling with his pocket, "H-How are you feeling?"
That felt like a trick question. He's never asked that. He never cares to ask because he doesn't need to. He just knows.
"I'm better than ever, Sweetheart," Her head tilted towards him but her expression didn't change, her eyes glued to him. It clicked on why he asked, he needed to keep seeing and hearing her responses. It wasn't to be serious. It was to confirm her mentality. The more hollow her words, the more likely she's not his mother. He was going to kill her, but he needed to make sure it was out of mercy. I watched as the vines started to change color, seeming to fade as they removed themselves from the floor, "Come give Mama a hug."
"I-I'd rather not, Mama. I'm not here to hug you," He murmured, not breaking eye contact. His next sentence was towards me, his wrist lifting with a throwing knife, "Get ready to run."
"Why won't you come here, Darling? Don't you miss me?"
"I-I miss you lots, Mama," His voice broke, like that question shattered him into a billion pieces. Only a sick person would ask such a thing knowing full well what the damn answer was. He had tears in his eyes, but his jaw clenching gave away he was pissed at the question, "I-I'm sorry."
There's the anger...
His eyes shut forcefully, the knife being thrown. Its contact with the veins had her releasing a screech that trembled the house, Ozora rushing me to the exit as the ground vibrated. Aiden's eyes were wide as he rushed from one of the rooms, "Th-The corpses are moving."
"Ignore everything in this place and just get to the exit," Castian growled, Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Hayes patiently waiting at the opening. The jutting out of the wooden planks made me stumble and trip, Cast catching me and picking me up, chuckling with a shake of his head, "Sometimes I forget you're human."
I didn't know whether to be insulted or honored. Insulted that he thought he had to carry me or honored that he forgets I'm not some magical creature.
"Darling, why did you throw a knife at me?" My face turned white as paper, my hands digging into Ozora's skin as I stared behind us. We were rushing, and she was walking. How the fuck was she just two feet behind us. How was she not on the wall anymore? Her skin was no longer dead, and her eyes sparkled the Castian's had when she spoke to him. She didn't look like a corpse anymore. Her hair was all put together and healthy, and her clothes looked like she'd just bought. My reaction drew Cast's focus, his body still moving as he turned to face her. He didn't let it falter our escape, his expression growing just as astonished as mine, "Castian-Dear, don't ignore your mother."
Us backing up into the sunlight seemed to calm him down, his body exhaling in relief, "I-I'm not ignoring you, Mama. I-I'm right here. I'd never ignore you."
"Mummy wants a hug. Please, give mummy a hug," He was peaceful in setting me down, the grip of his knife relaxing as I stayed behind him. He didn't dare to put the blade away, his irises cemented to her feet halting at the door frame. She was inches from the rays of light, remaining in the dark as she smiled. He responded with a shake of his head, guarding me. That answer made her form a frown, her eyes fading black entirely as the skin around her mouth cracked. Her jaw snapped, and her veins crawled out from her wounds, mutating into chelicerae as small eyes formed under her regular ones. Her voice became more of an echo, "Mummy wants a hug."
This seemed to pain Castian drastically. His legs seemed to quiver as his throat whined, "I-I'm not here to give you a hug, Mama."
"Mummy. Wants. A. Hug," Her tone became threatening in a twisted loving way, her body stepping into the light and approaching us with each word. We were both more frozen than ice cubes in a freezer, Aiden being the only one capable of movement as he backed up. She was unphased by the sunlight, "Don't. Be. Rude."
Cast's body was shaking violently as her arms snaked around his neck and pulled him into a hug, his hand on my wrist so tight my skin purpled. I was petrified and wanted to hide, but something told me he was doing this to make sure I was still with him. Hesitantly, I brought my other hand to his and did a soft squeeze. I felt his body relax, my eyes tied to his mother as her face morphed back to normal, her body releasing him as her smile returned, "Good Boy. Now, help Mummy find her wings, and then we can go home, yes?"