Chapter Text
It was a heart this time.
***
It all started a couple months ago. Raizel ,as usually, was standing next to the window, his gaze wandering over the tops of the trees, not really focusing on anything particular. The weather outside to everyone else would see gloomy , but Raizel knew how to appreciate its beauty in every form. Raindrops were hitting the window with a loud noise, as the wind began to increase in its speed. A lightning was seen in the distance. That was the moment, when the storm was about to start, but not the one Raizel expected to.
The door behind him creaked. He did not have to turn around to see who the guest was-Lord's cheerful, but powerful aura told him enough.
-Raizel, my boy! It's been such a long time! How have you been?-
-I am fine, my Lord. -Raizel answered, still not turning to face the Lord, who frowned a little bit to Raizel's mundane and predictable answer, but decided not to press the matter.Raizel can be extremely stubborn sometimes. Luckily, he had something else, which could help to lure out some kind of different response from the noble.
-I found something in front of your door. I guess it is for you, Raizel.-
That's when Raizel finally leaved the window to be met with Lord's smiling expression. He had extended his hand, which held a tiny wooden box, decorated with carved roses. And with Raizel's name on it.
-Seems like you have a secret admirer around here! It was about the time that someone comes and swoops you off your feet! What are you looking at? Open it!-Lord was getting more and more eager, curiosity already leaking out of every single pore. If he would be less elegant, he would have started jumping around like an overgrown puppy.
Raizel examined the note on the box. It only had his name on it, yet it was written in such an elegant handwriting that the note itself seemed like a gift to him. He opened the box. Well, it had another note in here, but he noticed it only later. Instead his eyes laid on his "present"...
-Ah, Raizel, you are such a tease! What is it?-Lord came to stand right beside Raizel to see what's inside the mysterious box. He had to do a double take.
-Raizel?! Is...is that an eye?-
-So it seems, my Lord.- Raizel replied not breaking his stare from the gift.
Lord snatched the box from his hand-this poor, innocent noble should not be looking at something so grotesque and amoral. It was a noble's eye-the red iris seemed like a drop of a blood in the first winter snow. It seemed real…it had to be real… Lord was thinking about poking it, but refrained from the idea. Instead of that, he forced his attention towards the note, which laid next to the organ. What was written to it almost made him laugh hysterically-it was ridiculous and insane at the same time.
Raizel seemed to notice Lord's inner conflict and spoke up:
-My Lord, is everything alright?-
The blonde did not trust himself to speak, so he just passed the note to the Raizel. There were only six words on it, but they still managed to distress Lord enough, so he was about to start hyperventilating.
-Raizel...you...you have to come and live with me...-
-I decline.-
-Raizel,I am serious,you are not safe here!-
-My Lord, I can assure you that my life has not been in danger. Such an act is not needed, but I am grateful for the offer.-
Lord sighed heavily and brushed his hair from the lobe. They have been having this conversation for eons, playing this scene like professional actors in a play, no need to rehearse their lines anymore. Lord already could feel the sour loss.
-Fine, but you are not leaving home after the twilight, lock the doors and close the windows, eat a lot of vegetables and don't to drugs! Meanwhile I will look for someone who might have lost his eye, excuse me!- and with that he was gone, leaving dumbfounded Raizel behind him. Thankfully, Lord had taken the box with him-he did not have to think, what he was supposed to do with this ”gift”.
The second note was still at his hands. Raizel could not comprehend the meaning of these words, but it seemed that Lord was quite aware of the real message. He put the note on the table and went back to his window. The storm has reached its maximum, breaking branches and blowing remaining leaves away from the trees. Raizel tried to let the sounds swallow him, embracing him in a cocoon, shielding him from the world outside him. As much as he tried, the words ”I got my eye on you.” kept to flicker behind his eyelids as a warning to make him to focus and not forget...
***
It has been Urokai’s eye. The clan leader was found by Central Order knights, hanging in a tree, missing his left eye, where his eye socket was stuffed with roses. Roses,which once were striking white, but have soaked in the remains and became red like the dead man’s blood. Never turning pure again.
***
He was standing in a field, full of wild flowers around him. It was a lovely afternoon, if not for the corpse sitting by the tree, looking at him. The worst part of it was, that it was not just any dead body laying around here-it was no one else than Zarga Siriana with his pale skin, which had already turned grey and dry. His expression slightly shocked, while his both hands were clutching his abdomen.
Ragar and Gejutel stood next to him, inspecting the body as much as their elegance allowed them, letting lower class nobles to deal with the dirty stuff themselves. Other clan leaders were present too, connected with a silent shock ,which only allowed them to gape with their eyes wide open, watching as knights were taking care of the once so independent noble. Lord was pacing around nervously trying to swallow everything at once, but failing miserably. There has been a note again, addressed to Raizel. He hated the fact that they had to bring him here- Urokai’s death had saddened him just enough, but now Zarga? Who has such a cruelty and , most of all, the strength to take down one of the strongest clan leaders?
He stopped in his tracks and looked at Raizel. He was reading the note. The pretty face had a tiny frown on it, while his eyes had a clear confusion in them. Lord wished, he could have read the note himself, sparing Raizel from this situation, but he did not want to evade his privacy-he has his boundaries after all. The blonde moved closer to the boy.
-What does it say this time?-he asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
-”I feel butterflies in my stomach, when I see you.”- Raizel read the note. The message was not so threatening this time, however it did not make any sense to him. -Do you know what it means?-he asked Raizel, already knowing, that Noblesse also has no idea, what is going on. Raizel shook his head.
-My Lord, if I may…-
-Yes,Gejutel?-
-If I recall correctly ”butterflies in the stomach” is an idiom used to express certain emotions, my Lord.-
Lord was getting more and more irritated each moment. He wanted answers and now!
-What kind of emotions?-
-Love, my Lord.-
-Love? LOVE? HOW DOES ONE EXPRESS LOVE WITH A DEAD CLAN LEADER IN THE FIELD? CAN YOU TELL ME THAT?-the birds stopped chirping, it seemed that even the light breeze was scared away. Lord could feel the pounding starting in his head, as a result from his sudden outburst just now. It has been a while, since he had had them.
-Lord…-
-…Ragar not now…-
-…is it possible that there are butterflies in Zarga?-
Butterflies. Real butterflies. In someone’s stomach. That’s a new kind a crazy to him, but…it seemed..plausible. The notes may not have a secret meaning at all, which means that they were meant to be taken literally. There is only one way to find it out.
-Ragar, cut Zarga open.-Everyone gasped in unison.
-Yes, my Lord.-
Their audience followed Ragar with their eyes. They watched as he took out his Soul Weapon. They saw how he put its blade into Zarga’s flesh, cutting vertically. Blood and other bodily fluids were seeping out of his abdomen. Everyone visible relaxed.No butterf-
A swarm of butterflies darted out of Zarga, their white wings bathed in a dead man’s blood, flying towards the sun.
Their wings were dripping the blood on the faces of observers, who only could watch corpse ”giving birth” to those lively things. Hundreds of lives were made by only one death, all of them baptized in a blood of its creator, who was already forgotten by Raizel, who could not break his stare away from the butterflies, which already were scattered over the field, flying to one flower to another. What a beautiful present...
A hand on his shoulder made him to come back to reality. Lord face was a mixture of a shock, disgust and, possibly, a fear? His emotions were going over Raizel like a wave goes over a fisherman’s both, swallowing and suffocating him.
-Raizel, you are not going to go back to your place.-
Well, Raizel could humor him just this once.
***
It looked like a blood vessel was just about to burst in Lord’s brains. His face turned red from anger, also veins on the side of his face and neck were popping out. Keep calm, they said. You need to keep you head cool, they said. He inhaled slowly and turned toward the guards:
-There is a thing, that I do not understand.-
-What is it, my Lord?- The leader of the guard asked, visibly nervous, fidgeting with his hands behind his back. This is not going to go well.
-Isn’t it funny(it was not funny), that I have hundreds of watchmen and NONE, I repeat, NONE SAW ANYONE WALKING INTO CASTLE, LEAVING A DEAD CLAN LEADER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM?!
-I..am..sorry..don’t know…they must have acted really fast.- The leader blurted out, but immediately regretted his half-ass excuse.
-Oh, but to me it seems that they, how can you say? STILL.HAD.A.TIME.LEFT.TO.SCATTER.ROSE.PETALS.ALL.OVER.THE. FLOOR.-Each word was punctuated by Lord stabbing his finger into the leader’s chest, each shove moving him a step back, while the man was leaning against the wall. Lord sighed heavily, turning his eyes back to the unpleasant scenery.
Roctis Kravei was kneeling on one of his knees, his right arm crossed across the chest, while his left was holding his still hot, but already dead heart. Someone really cares about the presentation. Lord shuddered.
Raizel was standing in front of the former clan leader. Everyone knew, that this was one of his gifts, however there was no note this time. But none was needed; the message was clear as a piece of a glass-someone was giving him his heart.
The offering itself held some kind of unfinished finality to it. The act itself was supposed to be a dialogue- the question was asked and Raizel was meant to give the answer. If only he knew to whom. He felt Lord’ presence, as he stood behind him, his gaze never leaving Raizel.
-I suggest you to return to your room. Ragar will lead you there. Please do not open the door to anyone , but me.-
Raizel nodded, feeling a little bit weary. Some time alone to settle his thoughts won’t hurt anybody. Especially, not Roctis, who was already a dead man.
***
Doors were closed behind him as he took his usual place next to the window. The view was unlike the one, he usually saw from his window-here he could see nobles moving around like ants in and out of the buildings, moving to their next mission. It seemed like there were more of them than usual-probably because of his situation.
Raizel sighed heavily-as much as he appreciated those gifts, he was getting tired of those one-sided conversations. He wanted…no..he ached to meet his admirer. It was the first time he received gifts just because someone loved him and wished to give him some, not because the Lord thought it was his birthday and he was supposed to get him something. His admirer needed a clear invitation and since the Lord didn’t say anything about keeping his windows closed…
Cold wind blew in his face, blowing the locks of his black hair over his eyes. A slight blush appeared on his face. A little smile. He was sending his own message now:
-Come and get me…-