Mother of Pearl: A Floyd Leech x OC Fanfiction

Chapter 85

I couldn't stop the rush of Scarabia members running out of the lounge to confront Jamil. Floyd was quiet as he followed them. A sharp smile was all he had on his face. I stayed with Kalim, worried about the boy who was still trying to smile, although the storm clouds covered his eyes. "Come on, Kalim. We should go too."

I held out a hand to him. He looked up at me. Kalim took my hand and let me guide him down the hall to meet the others. We stood in the back, watching things unfold.

"Vice Prefect Jamil, please tell us this isn't true!"

"So, this whole time, you've been lying to the Prefect and all of us!?"

"Trying to play all innocent, when you were the bad guy!" Grim spat in Jamil's flabbergasted face. "You liar!"

"You are a freaking snake!" Yuu chimed in.

"That's...no, I..." Jamil fumbled to save face.

"You can't run away anymore. You trying to brainwash Azul was all the evidence we needed," Jade put the final nails in the coffin. "Jamil. You are the culprit that's been manipulating Kalim with magic and caused mayhem in Scarabia!"

Jamil backed up. "I didn't want it to come down to this...but you leave me no choice," Jamil said in a low voice. "Azul! This is an order! Grab them and restrain them!"

"...Yes, Master..." Azul replied. I rolled my eyes.

Jade looked on desperately at his old friend. "Azul! Don't do this! Come back to your senses, please!"

"There is no use!" Jamil claimed.

"Yes, for I am Jamil's faithful servant," Azul scoffed. He threw his hands up and waved the air like a bad stench wafted in. "Like that'll ever happen." His eyes were back to being a clear blue. Jamil was frozen in surprise.

"Haha!" I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my mouth. I slapped a hand over my own mouth in the tense atmosphere.

"Jamil, let me return something you said to me back at you," Azul had a sly smile. "Did you really let your guard down in front of a 'creepy magician'? How is anyone going to trust the Vice Prefect of Scarabia?"

Jamil had no composure as he demanded, "What's going on?! You looked right into my eyes! You should be hypnotized!"

"I'm a very attentive magician that takes note of all possibilities before I make a move," Azul quickly explained. "Right, Floyd?"

Floyd stepped up to stand in the main circle. When he spoke, I was stunned. A deep, husky voice bellowed out, "You got a little cocky too quick, Sea Snake!"

Oh. This...I don't like this...

Grim startled on Yuu's shoulder, "Fnya!?! What's up with your voice?!"

"I signed a contract with Azul to get a lower voice. How is it? Pretty gruff, huh?" Floyd looked so proud of himself.

I knew he signed a contract for the plan...but why this?! Where's my dolphin-cackled Pool Noodle?!

"In exchange, I gave Azul my unique magic, 'Bind the Heart'."

"Floyd's unique magic, 'Bind the Heart', interferes with an opponent's magic and deflects the attack to go a different direction," Azul explained.

"That's the magic that made us miss when we were at the Coral Sea!" Yuu connected. "So, Azul used 'Bind the Heart' to deflect Jamil's brainwashing magic!"

"That is right, Yuu. I ripped it off from Floyd... basically." Azul confirmed with a wry smile. "I used Floyd's unique magic to deflect Jamil's magic so I wouldn't get brainwashed. Then, I pretended to be brainwashed, until Jamil revealed the truth. That was our plan."

Grim jumped off Yuu to climb up Azul, "As expected from Azul! Only someone with a twisted personality would think of such a plan."

Azul sighed a buried his face in his hand. "Couldn't you just call me smart?"

"Remember, Jamil? I told you I saw more than others," I remarked. Jamil looked over at me with narrow eyes. "I saw you use magic on my Prefect. Twice! I just didn't have a way to prove it."

"Because of what Abiba shared, I constructed this deliberate masterplan."

"Ja...mil..?" Kalim walked to the front where we all confronted Jamil. He had a weak smile as confusion clouded his eyes. "What's...going on?"

"K-Kalim..." Jamil croaked.

"They're lying right? ...You'd never do that to me...right?" Kalim's voice dripped in desperation, but he still had a sad smile. "I know I've been zoning out a lot lately and losing track of time but...but that's just me dozing off, or anemia, right? I can fall asleep anywhere and you'd even scold me for it."

Kalim got closer to Jamil, in almost a begging manor. "Come on...that's it, right? I've just been dozing off, right?" Jamil was silent. "You wouldn't try to control me? You wouldn't try to kick me out, right?"

Kalim grabbed Jamil's shoulders. His voice cracked as he swallowed back tears. "Jamil, you're the only one...you're the only one who'd never betray me, right? Because, we're best friends, right?!"

"...Haha..." Jamil chuckled. It grew unhinged. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

I clenched my fist and bit back a snarl. You...you laugh?! You little piece of a poop canoe! He honest to goodness considered you a fluffernutter friend!!

As he laughed on, Kalim shook his shoulders. "W-What's wrong?!"