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A/N: Sorry this took a while to upload, but it’s the turning point of the story and it was really hard to try and get all this down to the spot – I hope the length is satisfying. But after this, some things should make more sense, and from here onwards, you’ll see more of the Fiaro Clan’s history and it’ll be a lot more fun. At least I’m hoping so.
The “past” in this chapter was written by me, Rionell and Ayu Min. Enjoy and please review!
Storm could feel himself shaking silently as he walked further and further away from her. He didn’t even bother looking out for her now. Who was she to want to take Lorei’s place like that? Was she somehow destined to take Lorei’s place, and make his life more of a misery? Wasn’t it enough that because he couldn’t save Lady Rahzel, he had to say goodbye to Lorei? Why would he need Lorei replaced and lose Rowen, again?
Storm clenched his fists together. Of course he wanted to move on. But he had had enough, all hopes lost, and if he was co-operating with Rowen to reveal the secrets of the mansion, that was purely to allow Rionell and the rest leave. As for himself, he was far too tired now. Did he really deserve all this?
It was night. Valentine's Night. William stood beside Lorei and crossed his arms, his eyes very gentle but also concerned. She seemed thoughtful again. "Something wrong, Lorei?" he asked curiously.
Lorei looked towards him and smiled, shaking her head, "Nope... I was just wondering what else there was to do today!" she smiled, hugging one of his arms and leaning against him a bit, rather relaxed.
William smiled at her. Taking her hand, he pulled her close and led her to the end of the room where a piano sat. "Can you sing?" he asked with a small twinkle in his eyes.
Lorei smiled, nodding. It was pretty much the only thing she excelled at, besides cooking and housework. "Yes, of course. Are you going to play?"
With a small smile, William nodded to her and led them both to the piano. "Name a song," he smiled.
Lorei smiled, shaking her head slightly as she ran her fingers along the edge of the piano. "I'll sing any song you want me to, William. And if it's a song I don't know, I'll just make up the lyrics," she smiled, looking at him expectantly, and slightly excited since she's never seen anyone play the piano before.
Taking her latter offer, William raised the wooden cover of the piano and started playing a small tune with the keys. He gave her a small smile as he did so, switching it to a recognisable Moonlight Sonata tune.
Lorei breathed, closing her eyes and soaking in the song. She picked up the melody quickly and started to sing, although if this song had lyrics this probably wouldn't be it. She felt the music start to take over her mind, and seemed to be pouring out her thoughts into the lyrics itself:
"Old, torn page that was found lying alone
Though I never
Had read the book where it was from
Nor knew what the content was about
The faded, wood-colored words
The artificial face of nature
Still releases memory from the very edges of its existence
One needs not readable text to feel emotions
Touch the mirror on one side
Can you feel my heart from the other?
A humming bird from a near-by ancient tree
Though I never
Had wings behind my back to fly through the skies
Nor had gills to breathe through bodies of water
The aging, sepia-colored strands
The natural face of nature
Still releases memory from the very edges of its existence
One does not need visible limbs to feel emotions
Touch the mirror on one side
Can you feel my heart from the other?"
Not paying attention to his surroundings, Storm turned sharply and bumped into another ghost and he shook his head, muttering a strained “Sorry”. The ghost didn’t respond, and Storm looked at it and nearly groaned again.
It was Rionell.
“What happened?” Rionell asked quietly, but firmly.
This was just great. Storm’s eyes narrowed at the silver-haired ghost and he stared back. They stayed that way for quite a long time, until finally, Storm heaved a deep sigh. He had played that staring game with Rionell before, and lost miserably. Sensing his win, Rionell grinned knowingly.
“Rowen wanted to help me with my life,” Storm said simply. He didn’t need to explain his feelings to one like Rionell. That ghost would know better than anyone around here. Better than Sei even, the mind-reader.
Indeed, he did know. The smile never left his face – instead, it grew wider. “Don’t you think it’s time already?”
“I’m tired.”
“Well, of course. But don’t you think it’s time already?” he repeated.
Storm rolled his eyes. “It’s past time. Time was ages ago. But I really don’t care anymore, Rionell.”
“Lorei does,” he said. Storm looked at him and realised that the pain in his eyes were reflected in Rionell’s. He sighed again. Rionell’s smile disappeared. “Trust Rowen. She’s so close to success – even she doesn’t know it. Am I right?” Storm didn’t answer. “Where is she?”
“I left her in her room.”
“Nobody is taking care of her?” Rionell’s voice was disapproving.
Storm shrugged. “Sei should be keeping tabs on her mind.”
Rionell’s face turned appalled and he immediately pulled Storm back to where Rowen was. “Today was supposed to be the day they’ve gotten everything ready,” he said worriedly as they both quickly dashed from room to room. Storm was confused, but he hurried back to where Rowen’s room was. How long had it been since he left her? Hours, he knew, but long hours? Or short hours?
Both Rionell and Storm burst into Rowen’s room, only to find her shivering on the floor, looking deathly pale. Beads of sweat covered her forehead and her breathing was shallow. A horrified gasp escaped Storm’s lips and he rushed towards her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Through his worry, he had not noticed that she felt solid under his translucent figure.
“Rowen? Rowen?” Storm called, a sudden pang of fear and sheer guilt squeezing his chest. “Rowen, what’s wrong with you? Wake up, please.”
“Kyithios, Takashi, Heilr! We need you here!” Rionell called out, rushing over to Storm’s side. “Storm, it’s okay, don’t worry. She’ll be fine. Look,” he demonstrated, placing his hand on her forehead. “Solid.”
Storm’s eyes flashed in surprise. “How?” The question was simple.
“You were supposed to take care of her,” Kyithios’ voice was murderously angry. Storm turned and saw the leader of the Fiaro Clan glaring at him with his deep blue eyes.
“What happens, happens. She’s alright. We released a spirit her way to see if she could be possessed by it, much like what happened to Lorei,” Takashi explained.
Storm stood up slowly. This time, he felt murderously angry. He was aware of Heilr and Rionell shifting Rowen onto a bed. “What did you do?” he hissed.
Takashi held a hand up, signalling peace. “We knew she could handle it. She’s stronger than Lorei. We wouldn’t have taken such a risk if she would possibly get hurt over it. I promise,” he explained, his voice sincere.
“But you should have taken care of her, notice what was happening, and get the spirit out from her before she shock weakens her,” Kyithios added. His voice was less angry now, leaning slowly toward the playful leader Storm had always knew him by.
“It’s no harm,” Rionell said quietly. As Storm turned to look, he could just see Heilr guiding the spirit out of her figure, leaving her lying motionless on the bed. “She should be fine now. But sit down, Storm. There’s something we need to talk about. Sei? Laniel?”
“Here,” Sei’s soft-spoken voice answered. The Fiaro Clan was complete, once again. He swept past Storm, his long white hair billowing with his movements, making him seem more like a woman than a man. At the corner of the room, silent and motionless as ever, was the golden-haired Laniel.
Storm sat down. “What is it?” he asked.
They all exchanged glances with each other, and Rionell shrugged. “Sei has been keeping a secret from us all this time. Do you remember what happened when Argos attacked Lorei? The betrayal?” he asked, and Storm nodded. He would never forget that day. “Sei was the one who had to deal with Lorei’s body, and guarded it in the attic to make sure that her body remained unscathed. He was there for months, but he never told us one thing. Lorei, as we suspected, was really alive. Not a ghost, but a lingering spirit. And Sei always knew where she had been.
“He never told us, not until we find someone who could replace her and do the job with her. That was why we had to see if Rowen could handle the condition with a spirit inside her. But what we didn’t expect was you to have a fight, leaving her nerves shaken, and when the spirit entered her body, the shock was enough to send her weak,” he finished.
Storm stared at him, and the room fell silent. It took him a long time before he could finally choke out, “Lorei is… here?”
“Not yet,” Kyithios answered, “But we will need to allow her spirit to enter Rowen’s body. Just so they would be able to work together. Lorei herself is gone. I don’t know how to explain the medium of her that she left with us… but it’ll be a good idea to combine them both,” he answered.
Storm’s eyes turned to Sei and they stared at each other for a while. Eventually, the white-haired ghost managed a single nod and Storm looked at Rowen again. “I’ll show her what she needs to find out.”
“What happened?” she asked hesitantly. She wondered if he was still angry at her.
But Storm’s eyes softened. “I’m glad you’re coherent again. You were mumbling all sorts of…” he shook his head with a small smile. “Are you alright? Do you want to take a bath first?”
“No, I’m fine,” Rowen protested. “But I think I passed out earlier. I knew I felt dizzy, and then suddenly, very cold. I could hear voices around me, at times even see things I’ve never seen before. It was strange,” she said quietly.
Storm nodded. “You were possessed by a spirit of sorts. I’m sorry – I was supposed to take care of you,” he apologised, but Rowen’s eyes were confused. Storm inhaled, and addressed the room. “Rionell, help me out?”
“No problem,” the warm-hearted ghost strolled inside casually. “I’ll fill in the blanks.”
Storm looked at Rowen again. “As you know already, Lorei had a tie with this mansion. That tie was a spirit who somehow managed to possess her – we don’t know for sure how that happened, but it wouldn’t be surprising if that spirit did everything herself without the help of the Fiaro Clan. The spirit’s name is Chiyaku, and she, like the rest of us, knew Lady Rahzel and Kyllian. And admittedly, Sei had feelings for her… but I don’t know what it was,” he hesitated.
“Quite a few of us had our ladies with us at the time,” Rionell said softly. “It was a private party when they attacked, after all. But that’s unnecessary,” he admitted, grinning. “You’ll learn everything soon.”
Storm rolled his eyes. “So this Chiyaku was already in Lorei. Lorei used to tell me that she felt as if she was being stalked. As if someone was following her around, watching what she was doing, analysing everything. What she didn’t realise was that the someone was inside her. Lorei was weak – her emotions were usually out of control at the time. Even Kyi, when he first saw her, thought she was Chiyaku.
“Because Lorei was weak, Chiyaku was naturally stronger. She could take over her body at times and speak to the Fiaro Clan on her behalf. In the medium she was in, we couldn’t communicate, because Chiyaku wasn't a ghost. Only Sei ever knew, I would dare say – he could, after all, read the minds around him. Lorei never met Sei, or most of the Fiaro Clan, and Chiyaku gained total control over her body, but everything went wrong.
“Lorei is here, in that medium. And we need to combine you both together, like what happened with her and Chiyaku,” Storm finished quietly.
Rowen’s eyes were out of focus. Lorei, inside her body? And with that, she could communicate? She supposed it would be a good idea, of course. Her eyes moved back to Storm. “Anything for you,” she said softly.
Rionell exchanged a glance with Storm. “In that case… let us both show you what happened the night Lorei disappeared.”
“We had known that Argos was coming at the time. Myself and Storm… we were to approach him after he had his word with Chiyaku. That was what was supposed to happen. We were to talk, attack if we need to, and the Fiaro Clan would come and ambush us. Your father – I know we haven’t mentioned him much – had the duty of taking care of his sister and stay inside the mansion to keep an eye on lookout and report to Laniel as soon as possible when he received my signal,” Rionell whispered softly to her as she watched.
Now, Rowen could spot William and Storm at the entrance of the study. The door was only very slightly ajar and they were peeking inside, right after Argos came inside. Lorei was inside, slumped over in the seat she was in, a faraway look in her eyes. She was as pretty as Rowen had remembered her to be, and she tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. She looked thoughtful.
Storm pressed his lips together. “Should we go?”
Rionell frowned slightly, looking at Storm for a while. "...Yes, I believe we should go to the study. However... We'll need to do so discretely; I don't want him to know that we're there. Chiyaku or Lorei will notice right away, yet Argos is rather weak in the 6th sense area. Shall we go?"
Storm shrugged lightly. "If necessary," he smiled, then nodded. "Come on then," he said, leading them both to the direction of the study.
Argos scanned the room, peering behind a couch to find Lorei huddled over a piece of paper, happily drawing, as she didn't notice him yet, though her eyes were absent. "What do we have here… Hello, my little servant," he looked at her, looking rather amused at finally finding her, and as to what she was doing.
Lorei looked up, rather surprised and shivered slightly, noticing Argos. Sitting up properly, she stared into his eyes for a few minutes, not saying a single thing. "...What do you want?" she trembled slightly, remembering what he did last time. The fear seemed to claw its way through her chest into her heart, grasping it firmly.
Argos tilted his head to the side slightly, thinking about something. "...I don't like your attitude. I might need to condemn you soon to teach you who your master really is, and no one will be allowed to see you. But don't worry my dear, I, of course, will still come see you. Because you see, I love you truly. No one else can offer this kind of love," he said this rather loud, so it could even be heard from the outside. All the while, he gave her a smile after saying this, yet his smile was completely cold. There was not a single trace of passion or kindness in it at all, completely ice.
Storm stopped in his tracks with his hand on the doorknob, blinking in surprise. For once, Argos' voice was loud and clear - not at all like the usual whispery-tone which chilled someone to the bone. Leaning slightly, he decided to listen rather than enter though. With his worry already increasing and Rionell beside him, Storm doubted that they'll keep at it for long. Releasing the doorknob, Storm gave Rionell a hard look but his eyes told him that he could already sense what was going on inside. Deciding to follow Rionell's lead, Storm grabbed the doorknob and turned it delicately, ready to fling the door open when the time arrived.
Lorei's eyes seemed to open wide, completely caught off guard by what he said. She felt as though she had been sucked into a black hole, feeling all of herself being pulled out of her. Slowly closing her eyes, Lorei decided not to open them again... until this was over. It was that big of a shock.
Argos noticed her reaction, his own feelings getting fuelled up as he laughed with that maniac flair once again. "Coming to your senses? Good... maybe I don't need to kill you yet. Chiyaku should be out soon... take your time. I'm not in any rush," he smiled, still not noticing the two boys outside the door.
Shocked, Storm bit his lips slowly and stared at the door from the corner of his eye. It might be best to just find out what Argos wanted with Chiyaku, but the fact that doing so might hurt Lorei made him angry. He bit his lips and tried to calm himself down, almost pushing the door open to attack if not for Rionell's hand which suddenly seized his wrist. "Don't be foolish," the other ghost whispered, making Storm roll his eyes in anger. Deciding that he was being quite, as Rionell had so nicely placed it - foolish - Storm kept silent and held the doorknob still. They had to stick to the plan.
Suddenly, the moment they were waiting for happened. Lorei seemed to fall forwards, and her eyes closed and her breath escaped from her lips. Rowen nearly gasped, as slowly, Lorei's face seemed to change, yet only by a little. It was as if she placed two semi-transparent faces on top of each other. Both could be seen. The other, the one that looked so much like Lorei but with the darker complexion, must be Chiyaku.
“The plan was to lure out Chiyaku and Argos together. You see… Chiyaku wasn’t either on our side or Argos’. We had to try and take over Argos, right on the signal, and trap Chiyaku in her medium where she wouldn’t be able to escape from Sei’s mind-reading. All this time, she hid behind Lorei’s thoughts so that he couldn’t hear her…” Rionell explained.
Chiyaku slowly opened her eyes, ignoring Argos for a moment to stare outside the door. "...William, Rionell, you can come out now. Nothing will happen to Lorei if you listen... so feel free. Besides, this might be convenient if you do," she said it loud enough for them to hear, then slowly turned to Argos, smirking as she saw his surprised expression at hearing they were eavesdropping. "Now... what is it that you want? Mentally torturing my host isn't very nice, you know... Argos…" She stood up, placing one hand on her hip, the other hanging limply by her side.
“That was one of the first mistakes, but we misjudged the severity because we were promised Lorei would be safe… We weren’t supposed to be discovered yet,” Storm added.
Argos slowly turned his attention back to Chiyaku, his expression completely different; he didn't seem as confident anymore after seeing her face. "...You haven't changed. Looking at you still makes me feel like I'm under a searchlight, caught and going to be executed... Maybe it's that expression of yours. I will repeat my offer; if you join me, then no one will be able to stop us. Your wits and amazing abilities... and my strength, we'll be invincible." He smiled, trying to regain his composure yet for some reason, he was nervous.
Storm allowed a small sigh of relief and received a nod from Rionell, eventually trusting Chiyaku's judgment. He opened the door and allowed Rionell to slip in first, following him afterwards and then closed the door behind him.
Rionell smirked at Argos, apparently still having fun with him despite the fact that Chiyaku was there, but he remained silent in hope that their presence wouldn't do much change to what would have happened had they not been there. Storm crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, watching Argos carefully - almost as if daring for him to make a move. Still, he did notice Rionell watching them intently even though he seemed to be interested, but also amused by the situation.
Argos turned around, frowning completely and putting that ice cold wall back up as he saw Rionell once more. "...You... if Chiyaku didn't say it was okay, I would have torn you apart the second that you entered..." he spat in their direction, his eyes getting rather narrow with hate.
Chiyaku started laughing, yet it was a gentle laugh, as well as a teasing edge to it. "And what will you do once they're dead? You know that I'm still wavering... if you kill Rionell I will most certainly never consider joining you. Especially Lorei... she won't really like it if you terminate William. Anyway... Argos."
Argos slightly jumped at hearing his name being called, scowling as he realized that the first few sentences was directed at him also. "W-what?"
"...Do you want to keep me quiet that much? I won't fall for your 'We will be a good team' crap... I know your true intentions. Will it really be okay if I just blurt out your weakness right at this moment? Or will you 'Shred me to pieces' before I get the chance? I wonder... Heh…" she seemed to be toying with him, looking at Argos with a superiority glance. Chiyaku always seemed to be thinking, and never really said anything without thinking it through first. That's probably why she never revealed anything, and was quite a hard opponent in any battle of wits.
“I don’t think you have any idea how frustrating it was. We were so close to getting the answers… and then so far away again…” Rowen wasn’t sure whether it was Rionell or Storm who spoke. The voice was too low.
Rionell deliberately gave Argos a look which suggested that he might as well just try it. After all, they have fought many times before and though he swore to it, Argos had never really managed to beat him just yet. Still, it was entertaining enough to him and he would have replied to the challenge if not for Chiyaku's sudden laugh which prevented him from doing so. Instead, Rionell just shifted slightly and shot Argos a very cold look - as though trying to torture him with his eyes only.
Storm looked at the scene with interest - it seemed as though Argos was quite under Chiyaku's control. Being against Argos, without a doubt, Storm respected Chiyaku for managing to keep her cool even though she seemed to be quite like Rionell in the sense that they could both manage to face Argos and both seemed to enjoy taunting him. Still, Chiyaku was more open than Rionell and that Argos seemed to hate Rionell more. Shaking his thoughts out, Storm gazed at them with an almost bored expression, waiting for something to happen - yet, he hid his feeling of excitement with the new information.
Argos looked at the floor for a while, slowly looking back at Chiyaku with a defiant smirk. "No matter how sassy you are, Chiyaku, I still have Lorei under my control. I can make you keep quiet about my weakness." His eyes got wide once more as he twisted his lips up into his usual insane grin. Snapping his fingers once, he looked on with amusement, waiting until it took effect.
Chiyaku simply looked at him for a moment before she suddenly felt a tremendous force hitting her from behind, yet it wasn't a physical hit. The wound seemed to be sapping her out of the body, causing Lorei to resurface even if it wasn't time yet. Dropping to her hands and knees, Chiyaku closed her eyes in pain as her eyes seemed to waver between green and yellow, eventually settling for yellow as Lorei emerged once again. Yet something was... wrong. She looked up, smirking at Argos, yet it was a rather worried type of smirk. "You fool... to go that far... I'd be surprised if Lorei's soul ever makes it back again, with what you did. What the hell were you thinking?" she staggered upwards, one hand on the wall for support, yet she remained rather calm except for her eyes shining with resentment.
“That was the second mistake. This time, it was inexcusable. But we weren’t too late – we still had time, ten minutes at most, to get Lorei back to how she was before. Yet…” Storm’s anguished voice made Rowen inhale slowly as she tried to keep herself focused on what was happening.
Argos merely smiled, leaning back a little as he examined the beautiful sight. It was Lorei's features, alright. However the voice and mind belonged to Chiyaku... in other words, he basically merged them somehow. Body and spirit. The soul disappeared.
"I admit I didn't want to do it... it would hinder my control over Lorei as well as having you out all the time could completely raise the risks of you revealing everything. But now that I think about it... I placed Lorei's body under the spell, not her soul. As long as you're like that, you're basically my servant," he laughed, looking back at Storm with his usual expression, completely free of all the panic he had when Chiyaku was standing in front of him earlier. "How do you like that? It'll be quite hard talking to her now, won't it?” He gave one of the most maniacal laughs Storm had ever heard.
“The plan failed. We need the rest here!” Storm realised with horror.
Rionell braced himself and something changed with his medium. It seemed to lose its colour, yet something came out and exited the room. Argos didn't notice, for he was still admiring what he had done, but Chiyaku's eyes flashed.
“Spirit away from the soul. I called my medium Kain. It loses its colour in a matter of just seconds, but the distance is enough to alert your father that we need the Fiaro Clan. That was the second warning sign I’d use, one to say that danger is too great and we needed them for reinforcements. Never in my life, I’d thought that your father would be so shaken with the sign, he’d run away from us, dragging his sister with him,” Rionell whispered. “Argos, at the time, never knew the existence of the Fiaro Clan. We needed the advantage of surprise on our side.”
Storm shook in anger. The only thing preventing him from charging forward would, of course, be the fact that Argos had control over Lorei's body. They needed Kyithios and Sei here above all the other ghosts. Still, showing his anger might be the best thing to do still - if Rionell's words were correct, then Argos would definitely not know a thing about what any of them were thinking or planning to do.
Storm decided to step back slightly, examining Argos carefully with his eyes to see if there was something else which might help - after all, with an angered face and narrowed eyes still, nobody would expect Storm to be observant on things.
Seeing that Storm didn't make the foolish move of advancing forward, Rionell stayed put with an obvious sign of slight relief. It was wise, of course, to observe rather than move even though he himself never had considered such things. With Argos’ sixth sense weak, it made it a lot easier to learn from him, but he knew that Lorei and Chiyaku were both in trouble. Instead of showing his concern however, Rionell merely tilted his head slightly and tried to provoke him; "Sure, it's easy enough for you to control them anytime, but you would be the same person regardless," Rionell smirked. "Always losing - you'll never win," he said coldly, yet in a manner which is quite intimidating.
“Provoking him might prove to be a bad idea. But if we stayed silent, he would guess our plan,” Storm whispered.
Chiyaku slowly looked over at Storm and Rionell, clenching her fists slightly as she fell to the floor, completely unconscious from the pressure being placed on her.
Argos looked down at Chiyaku, smirking as he leaned down and picked her up in his arms, turning towards the other two. "Well, I came for my prize... whether or not I always lost to you, Rionell, it stops now. With this I can easily defeat you anytime now," he smirked, slowly making his way to the wall, intending on running away.
Rionell simply watched, feeling that it was now safe to move. Slowly walking towards Argos, yet at a distance, he smirked and placed one hand on his hip. "So, you plan to take her? What would that accomplish now that it's Lorei's body? I wonder if it'll be able to handle Chiyaku's intense soul for very long... you might end up tearing it," he sounded quite cold and carefree, however, deep inside he was deeply disturbed, thinking of a way to separate them once more. Where are they? Something’s wrong…
Rionell suddenly smiled, thinking up something. Turning to Storm, he gave him a look that told him to stall for time as Rionell jumped upwards, escaping the same way Kyithios always seemed to do.
Argos frowned as he heard this, looking down at Lorei's body and slowly realizing it himself. "...Doesn't matter if she dies to me, as long as I get to keep Chiyaku's soul. Lorei is of no importance except for a servant that I was to hide away later on, anyway." He looked towards the ceiling from where Rionell disappeared to, lost in thought as he stopped moving.
"And should Chiyaku's soul then escape from Lorei's dead body, I wouldn't be surprised if she decides to choose to stay in heaven, leaving you, without a doubt, in loss again," Storm replied in a casual tone, his eyes flickering slightly to where Rionell had left. Deciding that provoking Argos was the only thing he could do just yet, Storm then crossed his arms and leaned back, still ready for an attack. "After all... you did somehow merged them together. Destroying Lorei's body will give the chance for both their souls to escape - unlike you, they both still have a body and both have the chance to escape," He said, realising that his position and Argos' doesn't hold much of a difference. But he knew that if Lorei’s body was destroyed… she might remain here as a ghost. The thought frightened him.
Argos eyed him for a moment, then slowly started to smirk, realizing that there were others outside as well from the voices he heard. "...You're wrong. Lorei's soul might be able to leave, but Chiyaku won't. She's bound here, you know... just like you are. I doubt she'll be able to leave," he gently placed her down on the couch, leaning against the arm part of it as he stared at Storm.
“You’re wrong,” Storm insisted.
-- Somewhere off where the location is unknown --
“There’s trouble. You didn’t get the warning. We need to move. Now.”
“I can’t believe…”
"…Chiyaku needs you, you know. I suggest the Fiaro Clan starts moving some more... we've done enough research, Argos' de-seal-ment is up to his shoulders... The other man should be able to move around soon too."
"...Rionell, I agree with you slightly however moving all of us will be hazardous. I suggest we stick to what we've been doing... you should come back soon, too."
"I concur. Rionell, your moving around is starting to make one worry. Are you sure you're alright? We might need to switch you with one of us soon, as it is starting to get worse."
"...Rionell. I understand your point... how many of us do you suggest show ourselves?"
"...All of us. If not at once, one at a time. The other residents of this mansion have a right to know, you know. We shouldn't keep hiding forever... We owe Lorei this much."
"...I understand. We will go at once."
"Will it make much of a difference?" Storm added tiredly, diverting his eyes from gazing at Lorei's body. "Sure, if Lorei does leave this place and her body is destroyed, that should make it easier for Chiyaku in some ways. After all, you're only controlling their body, not their souls. I have no doubt that she's stronger than what she seems to be now. You know that," Storm said coldly.
Chiyaku's body was still in the attic, which meant that there must be something they could do to escape. In fact, since the tragedy, all their bodies were still there. Yet some escaped and left themselves only as spirits – not all were ghosts. He stared blankly at Argos, giving him a look which is both cold and intimidating - something which he had never done before. Storm just stared at him, saying nothing as he tried to see something deeper than those eyes, yet also just staring at him to make sure his eyes didn't wander to Lorei.
He was worried that if he looked at her, the urge to fight would be too much and that would definitely make Rionell's plans - whatever they were - disappear into thin air. From his posture, Storm looked bored - lazy even - but a look in his eyes should tell more than enough on his true feelings regarding the matter in hand.
Argos thought for a moment about what Storm said. His words did hold an element of truth somewhat, yet then again... he didn't really consider capturing Chiyaku would be this easy, so he didn't think past this point. Suddenly, he froze as something brushed past him, yet it was so fast he couldn't see what it was. Looking down at the couch, his eyes widened in anger as he realized that Chiyaku was gone.
Kyithios had suddenly appeared, standing firmly a little ways away from Argos, holding an unconscious Chiyaku in his arms. He didn't say anything at all, and his face was firm and cold as he stared at Argos with such intensity, holding her closer to him.
Two more boys swooped down from the ceiling, each grabbed one of Argos' arms. One of the boys had dark black and messy hair, as well as deep dark eyes - Heilr. The other boy had indigo-colored hair with crimson eyes as red as blood, but almost purple, as well as a normal long T-shirt and jeans that were ripped in certain places - Takashi. The black haired one had no trouble holding down Argos, and he seemed to put forth no effort at all while the other struggled a bit more.
Laniel appeared suddenly next to Kyithios with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, his head facing downwards. From behind Argos, yet another boy appeared alongside with Rionell, yet this boy seemed almost like a girl. He had long white hair with a tint of yellow that went up to his knees, as well as two braids that rested on his shoulders that went all the way down to his waist. He had deep blue eyes, and a delicate grace, yet his smirk made him seem abnormally cold, almost like a killer. This, Rowen knew, was Sei.
Rionell smiled, leaning backwards a little, one arm on the shoulder of the long-haired boy. "Reeeeeeeinforcements have arrived, heh. Argos, I would like you to meet the Fiaro Clan. Starting from who you know, there's me and Kythios. The black haired boy is Hielr, the indigo haired boy is Takashi... and this lovely specimen of a pretty boy right next to me is Sei. Kyithios, Laniel. We'll be taking you for now if you don't mind..." he smirked, lightly pecking Sei on the cheek before he walked towards Argos' restrained body, coming in between Storm and the captured killer.
Knowing Rionell, the act wasn't at all that unexpected, but to have the whole group helping them was impressive enough to surprise him. Storm gave out a small sigh of relief and nodded as his eyes gazed at the members of the Fiaro Clan, one by one, examining them and also taking in their appearances. The fact that Argos didn't reply to his words earlier was enough to make Storm knew that his words held the truth no matter how painful it was to admit it. Still, what his feelings are for Lorei wouldn't matter for now - Rionell seemed to know what to do and that was enough. With a small nod to Rionell, he stepped back slightly from Argos and crossed his arms. "Take him if you want - it's not as if I have him," he smiled intimidatingly, still keeping his eyes rather coldly focused on Argos.
“The Fiaro Clan, at that time, were only worried about escaping. That was our downfall. We should have taken care of Lorei…” Rionell said quietly. Rowen noticed that Storn had fallen silent.
Rionell smiled, nodding. Simply looking their way, the members of the clan acted at once, as if they'd done this a hundred times. Takashi and Hielr took away a scowling and struggling Argos upwards from where they came from, Sei merely leaned back against the wall, and Laniel disappeared once more. All that could be heard was Argos' shouts of 'LET GO OF ME' or 'I'LL KILL YOU ALL!', only to be drowned out when he was taken up into the ceiling. Kyithios stepped forward with Chiyaku in his arms and frowned slightly, unwilling to put her down. “We’re too late. Sei?”
“I can’t sense Lorei anywhere,” he confirmed.
Looking towards Kyithios, Rionell's face hardened slightly, yet it was still soft. "Kyi... you know you can't hold on to her forever... no matter what your feelings are, she's still Lorei as much as she is Chiyaku."
Kyi stared hard down at her face before slowly nodding, sighing and gently placing her back on the couch, looking back towards Storm with an odd look that didn't seem as if it could be read. Hopping off, he too disappeared as fast as he came so that the only ones left in the room were Rionell, Sei, Storm, and Chiyaku.
Sei closed his eyes for a moment before slowly opening them, looking up at Rionell with an odd type of intensity. However, he didn't say a single thing, simply remained looking on and playing with the loose fleece sweater on his shoulders, his jeans billowing in the wind from the force of their departure.
Rionell sighed, rubbing the side of his neck and offering his arm to Sei, who walked forward and yawned, taking it. "Well, since for now it's Sei's turn to stay out... he'll be staying with me for a few days. I guess you could say... you'll be seeing a lot more of us these days. But before we get into that... was there any other damage while I was away?"
Completely ignoring the echoed shouts from Argos, Storm was, at first, slightly taken aback by the odd look Kyi gave him but he shrugged it off as his eyes went back to Lorei's body. He ignored Rionell and Sei for the moment and only turned his eyes to them once Rionell had finished his small speech. With a slight shrug, Storm shook his head. "I don't believe so…" he answered quite confidently, yet with a voice which was slightly above a whisper, barely inaudible. Shock made him speechless. Lorei..? ...Lorei..?
