The Sight Beyond The Haze

Chapter 52: New Year's Eve

"Won't you come with me?" I asked him.

The smooth surface of his mask was just like before, white with all the black half moon slits for eyes and mouth. I knew that he was gazing at me by the fixation of his head on my direction and maybe I should have been embarrassed by making him come with me.

"To the mansion," I clarified, "to celerabte the oncoming new year."

"Celebrate the new year," Deo repeated after me hollowly.

I nodded once, losing hope that Deo actually did not want to involve himself in such a trivial matter. As a Deity, he must have witnessed thousands of beginnings and endings of years. It seemed unlikely that he would stoop down to my level of mortality, but he was already here and I might as well try to get him to come with me.

I only looked at him. I did not know how to persuade anyone, I was awkward with my words and expression. I doubt it if I would be able to persuade him to celebrate with us for new year just by my words so I had to make him see that I was sincere.

"Alright," Deo said and motioned for me to walk beside him. He was already walking ahead of me and I was left, dumbfounded that he was so fast.

Some of the golden light butterflies fluttered around him while he was gliding. His every moves were elegant and precise, the immaculate white robes fluttered behind him, billowing with the unseen wind that I cannot feel.

"I assume that Eris would be the one that will be cooking?" Deo asked. He was already on the door, but unlike me, he easily opened the dilapidated door.

I walked after him, my strides were big and fast but when I finally went inside and faced the harsh coldness of the winter weather, Deo has already changed appearance. He was wearing someone else's face again and the small glimpse of his face that I had a few months ago was slowly vanishing within my mind.

I shivered from the coldness, but on his hand was the shortened white robes he was wearing earlier. He laid it down on my shoulders and I was instantly filled with warmth. His face was the same with Cocytus but his eyes were not blue like my friend's were.

Deo chose to retain his original eye color and I was looking at his silvery eyes.

"Yes," I finally managed to answer him. "It was Eris who will be cooking. In fact, she is already cooking."

He held his hand out for me. I knew it was for courtesy, but I gladly took it without any hesitation. His hand guided me through the thickness of the ice and even the falling snowflakes seemed to have been avoiding us, not a fleck sprinkled atop my black hair and neither does on Cocytus' brunet hair.

Deo's temperature has always been colder than I was used to for a mortal's body, even before and I never thought that it might be because of his immortality. I gripped his hand tighter though it contrasted with the hotness that his robes provided making it futile and useless. I shivered yet again but I tried to swallowed it down.

"How long will you stay here?" I asked him because it was better that I was prepared of what was to come instead of being surprised that he won't show up again because our time was up.

It was better to know that he was going.

"Just this day," Deo answered me. "After taking care of the matters with the royal family and the Thirteen Noble Seats, I must go and take care of the things from the other Deities."

"The other two Deities," I surmised and he nodded as an answer.

"If you are worried that you won't make it or that you doubt your capability, just remember that I will always stand behind you. Always."

I let my head fall on his arm. His face might be of Cocytus', but his oddly indifferent voice that I have found comforting was still the same as before. He was cold but I felt safe. I have never felt safe. In his presence, I found my solace.

I sighed when we both finally reached the mansion, Cocytus' house, and looked at Deo. Since Cocytus was almost the same height as I was and since Deo was using the bastard's face, I was on the same level of height as the usually taller Deo.

"What is it?" he asked me but by the look on his face, I already knew what he wanted to say. A look of exasperation came from me directed to him but he was already refuting even just that. "He won't."

"I think he will, Deo," I told him letting go another sigh. The air from my mouth created a little puff of smoke due to the cold.

"I can imagine him already," we both said.

His eyes held a slight surprise which exactly mirrored mine. I chuckled lowly under my breath, the robes he laid on both of my shoulders was enough to keep me from getting frostbite but the bite of the snow was quite harsh and violent.

In an instant, I wrapped my arms around Deo's neck. I knew that I was small in power compared to him, I was not even worthy of being compared to him but, just for a moment, I wanted us to be equals.

"Do not go," I whispered to him, "wath me grow and grow out of this weakness. My past, help me, won't you do it? Just for me, for me."

I whispered to him and I felt that his hands started patting my back, comforting me.

"You cannot grow while I'm around," he contradicted me, he disagreed with me. "Surely you know that. You will be dependent on me and I won't be able to resist helping you until then moment you realize that you're not growing. You will never..."

His voice never reached the end of his sentence. I already moved out of his embrace. I nodded and I should have been angry for being so outrightly rejected but I was not. Maybe I would be more in rage if he suddenly change his mind.

But he was resolute, cannot be moved even when I told him so sincerely not to go.

I looked back at him, already at the foyer of the house and a smile tugged at my lips. I motioned him to come over and he returned my smile.

"You will be fine," he told me and finally walked towards to me. "Even without me."

I nodded.

"So I see you have brought him with you," a familiar voice resounded and with a snap, the door shut behind Deo who suddenly turned into his masked facade. "What ever for, my Lady Alaric Elliot? To scold me?"

The white robe was lifted off my shoulders and, before I eve knew it, Deo has transformed with the absence of the cold. I flipped my hair and was already walking towards the hallway. With the look on Leigh's face, I knew he was greatly offended by my ignorance.

"Look at that child," I heard Leigh scoffed. "I gave her a lecture to mind her manners around her ancestor. I'm still her great-uncle, I watched Erina, her mother, on her nappies."

"You did too much," I then heard Deo saying, "you scared her."

On the hall, I saw Cocytus welcoming us. He has already showered and that made me jealous as I was still covered in sweat from our training. I was also still wearing the tight black gear that we both wear while in training. Before I could say anything, Cocytus' eyes drifted on my back, looking at something, or maybe at someone, that I could not see.

"I see we have a guest," he stated while still looking behind me then his eyes focused on my face. "Did something happened that I'm not aware of?"

There was a peculiar expression on his face. Red, it was, but there was paleness on the lips and a thin sheen of sweat on the side of his temple.

I shrugged as an answer.

I do not know if it was fine to tell him that Leigh punished me, rather severely, because I accused him of treachery. It was futile and quite embarrassing that even Deo has to come here and reprimand me for doing that. It was for my own sanity I guess that Deo gave me some kind words such as that it was good to be observant and that it was also great that I was already so knowledgeable about magic.

But his eyes lingered on my blood magic marks that were yet to fade.

Using the blood magic form brands the wielder of it but the marks slowly fade away, not unless if I naturally succumb to the use of blood magic then the marks would stay for the repeatedly used of that kind of magic. I still felt guilty about it, but when I thought that that griffin might kill either Eris for she meddled with the flow of fate for Anasthasia, the guilt decreased.

It was to justify myself and I knew that was wrong.

Behind me, Cocytus proceeded on doing the formal greetings to Deo. Though Cocytus was Leigh's foster son, it does not remove any of the formalities between the two and since Deo was not close to him, I felt that every encounter between Cocytus and Deo was awkward.

I would love to just tease him, but I felt Deo's eyes on my nape. He did not want me to do such a thing to Cocytus since I have already embarrassed Leigh earlier. Looking back at them, I told all the three people that I intended to dress up. Deo nodded at me before he was led by Leigh onwards with Cocytus lagging behind them both.

When I went down the dining hall, Deo and Leigh were both nowhere to be found. Cocytus was the only one sitting with the servants buzzing around the hall. The hall has always been expansive but with just Cocytus, Eris, Leigh, and me around it every time, I always felt that there was a certain desolation upon this particular hall. Even when we all tried to fill it with the clatter of our utensils, it was always been kept quiet.

But the hall today was very different from its usual getup. The gold decor made the luxury glint of the overall glitter more, fresh flowers were also placed everywhere. White amaryllis looked delicate against the red ones and poinsettias that I thought were just a bunch of plastics made the whole room so lively that everything that happened earlier has faded and was forgotten.

All around, beautiful foliages were placed with big gold and silver bows. I raised an eyebrow to Cocytus who was only watching as the servants put up a banner that say Happy New Year!

"I thought it's happy new year, but why do I get a vibe a happy Christmas around?" I asked him while I sat down.

My eyes lingered at the shape of the table, a great difference from when it was just the four of us. Although it was curious, I knew that it was Eris that ordered it to be done otherwise Leigh would not know that Deo was actually joining us for this particular day. I did not mention anything on the subject and just waited for Cocytus to speak.

"It's Eris," he sighed, resigned and seemingly exhausted. "She said that today is special and special means decorations."

"I thought so." I nodded at him, my hands touched the extravagant utensils on the table.

It did not take long for Eris to emerge from wherever hole she came from. With a loud bang from the door, the servants filed behind her with platters of foods on their hands. Eris herself was holding an enermous platters of roasted turkey. I have not eaten anything since lunch yet and, after hours of waiting, I felt my stomach grumbled and vibrated from the hunger.

It took hours for Leigh and Deo to finish talking. Since it was already afternoon when I met up with Deo earlier, like I said earlier, I did dresssed myself nicely with another suit. As I was done earlier with dolling myself up, I frequently check on Deo but Cocytus was adamant that I should let them alone.

I sighed as I waited for them both.

"They are exercising their powers," Eris told me suddenly. She was exceptionally pretty today. She discarded the Baroque dress she frequently wore for a red ballroom dress. It was extravagant and suited her blonde curls.

"What for?" I asked her but it was Cocytus who answered me.

"Because apparently Lord Deo is upset about Leigh punishing you." His head turned to me, his eyes were little slits. "What was that about?"

"You mean they are fighting?" I asked Eris, ignoring Cocytus.

"Talking with powers," Eris sugarcoated and just smiled at me.

"I wonder how Lord Deo would eat with that ominous mask on?" Cocytus suddenly asked. "Would food go through the mask or would..." Cocytus straightened his posture, excitement filled his eyes. "Would he remove the mask?"

I doubt that, I thought but did not voice it out for him.

On that moment, Deo and Leigh entered the dining hall. Just as I predicted, Deo only turned his face into someone else. By this case, it was Acheron Amitiel, the young uncle of Cocytus'. Behind them both was Anasthasia, shyly looking down.

I heard Eris chuckled under her breath with Cocytus' disappointment while I stood to greet them all. A few hours later, we celebrated the new year.

And when the morning came, Deo was nowhere to be found.