The Sight Beyond The Haze

Chapter 25: Dancing on the Stairs on the Wind

"Good for footwork."

Despite myself, I almost laugh out loud with their reason. I looked up to the sudden brightness up ahead and smiled tenderly. The golden light butterflies were lining up on the air, creating a beautiful spiral staircase of golden light.

"May I?" Deo asked me though my hands were already on theirs.

I nodded, my eyes were filled wit tranquility. Their hands were cold to the touch as usual, but instead of giving me a chill, it only provided comfort. When I suddenly sought comfort in the coldness of their skin, I was not able to tell how and when it started.

I drew Deo closer to me, our steps were not as synchronous as we both thought it would and that put a small smile on the side of my lips, urging it to move upwards. I felt Deo fumbled for something; what it was, I was not certain at all, but with their robes gliding along the earth, I felt them stumble and clasped their hands on mine ever so tightly.

We started slowly, so painfully slow that I thought we would never move. I only closed my eyes and let my head lie on their chest. The noise that could only be heard were those pairs of wings of the light butterflies, going about the air.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Then left.

Deo and I both swung from only those two directions. Not really as awkward as I initially thought it would be, but there was still an unsaid hesitation on each step we were both taking. Deo's robes were billowing because of the invisible air that I could not feel as we dance, it was enveloping me in the warmest and gentlest way possible without suffocating me.

I was only quietly revelling their warmth, when all of a sudden, Deo transformed into Haziel Imbert's guise. Their body became smaller and, without really being conscious of it, I have taken the lead for this dance. Leading the smaller version of Deo to where the butterflies were fluttering about. Because of Deo's new form, they became lighter and I was able to get their feet to step on my feet.

"Seraphim," Deo said in a small voice, but I only shook my head, "I would not be able to teach properly if you—"

"Shall we skip training today then?" I asked in a lighter tone, deciding that I would not pretend if Deo would still refuse and play this charade. "Just turn your head at the butterflies and how distracting they look. It was too much for me anyways, let us take a break."

I was not certain if Deo nodded their head, but I felt a vague movement that I took as an agreement. When I led them towards the spire of butterflies that was beautifully carved out of the wind, Deo only stared at me with their silver gray eyes.

I took a step on a butterfly that was prepared to take on our weight, then another butterfly was already on our left foot, delicately providing a foothold for me. Even without any of my orders, the butterflies seemed to have known what they were supposed to do and that quite pleased me.

Was I a good dancer? I cannot remember to be frank, but what I do remember was Deo's rough hands on mine and their silver gray eyes, each of the pair was gentle and tender on the stranger's guise. Their waist was soft against my hand and when I placed my hand on their lower back, Deo accidentally went closer to me.

The light was golden and I used to think everything was only in the shades of black and white, but it was on a delicate gold.

"I want to see you," I whispered to Deo who was still wearing Haziel Imbert's face. I lightly touched their face with one of my hands while the other was still holding on to the small of their back.

The golden light butterflies were still holding us both, shifting to the rhythm of our songless dance and carrying us with care. My eyes directed below us and saw how high up we were, our heads almost touching the glass dome ceiling of the garden. Below were the golden light butterflies and above us, with only the thin glass of the dome, was the sun.

The sun casted light that directed to the glass and the white light passed through that glass, it scattered around the whole room. On Haziel Imbert's face was the different colors of the white light, falling gently on their delicate skin.

It was Deo and I was well-aware of that, but this face has become too familiar to me that I could not distinguish Deo and this girl whose face they always wore.

Still, we both danced with the accompaniment of the hundreds of butterflies flying around the garden and the faint wind that enveloped us both.

"You have to go," Deo said in a deadpan tone but their hands were still seeking own which were quite busy on supporting them, "it is getting late."

"Will you be there later?" I asked them, their silver gray eyes falling to mine.

"Do you want me to be?" Deo asked gently and I nodded.

I want you where ever I was, I thought fervently, I want you to for ever stay by my side. No other shade of gold could bring more light on my life than what Deo brought about. It was not blinding, but it, they rather, made me grasp those slivers of light they gave to me.

There was a faint smile that appeared on my lips, a smile that I could not help on having until I let go of Deo's back and face. The wind was making my hair flutter around me, a black ink of curtain that veiled my face. Up, above was Haziel Imbert's stunned small face, looking down at the falling body that was mine.

I smiled.

"Deo," I mouthed at them, both of my hands were reaching to them, coaxing them not to be angry and let me in to their embrace hey again. "Come and catch me," I whispered to Deo.

The butterflies, gleaming and radiating a certain warmth, were still supporting Deo's foot. A whole lot of them became blurry on my vision as I fall down. Before I knew it, Deo has also lept towards me, their appearance quickly changing from the innocent girl from earlier to their original masked form with a swish of the golden light butterflies.

White robes gracefully billowing with the wind and their arms also stretched out to me. The next second was my body was already being held by those comfortable and gentle arms. Within their expansive robes, my whole body was completely concealed. Again, I let my head fell on their chest. Though I could not feel not a beat of where their heart was supposed to be, I felt safe and warmed.

"What if I was not able to catch you?" Deo scoled at me, but I smiled at them gently.

My hand reached for the white smiling mask on their face. Their lips, which were uncovered from that mask that was askew from the sudden fall from not even a moment ago, pursed quite a bit and I found it was actually cute. A small gasp escaped from them as our skin touched, but the only thing I did was to put it back on properly.

I felt Deo stiffened by my touch.

"You are so cold," I told them while my hand was still arranging their mask on their hidden face, "but I won't be as shameful as to force you or coerce you. I am not as cruel as you," I said, my face coming close to the smooth texture of their mask.

Before I was even fully aware of what I was doing, my lips already touched where the lips of the mask were.

I slept that night, forcing myself to only think of the coolness of Deo's skin and the fluttering of their white robes as they lept down to catch me as I fell. The peaceful sleep I was hoping for never came though.

The dreams that appeared once I closed my eyes were as vivid as what happened earlier.

"Zachriel!" I shouted at the boy, there was a distinguished anger on my tone, but, most of all, there was an accusatory touch on it.

And I was crying. My eyes were blurred with the tears as I endured being naked in front of a person I barely knew. It was the worst kind of being stripped bare, all of your thoughts and memories were being played around. I felt violated and I felt touched without being so.

"Please," I whispered and reached my hands to oblivion without even knowing if there was someone, even anyone, to hold my hands. Was there a person who would ever catch me?

I slowly opened my wet eyes and a pair of gray silver eyes greeted me through the haziness of the golden light butterflies' brightness. Besides my blanket, there was a the same familiar weight of the white robes on my body.

"I do not know what that was," I told Deo and reached my hand without knowing if they will ever take it. "I'm... I—I... I'm actually scared."

I just happened to saw Deo putting on their mask, the gray silver eyes were only now a part of a distant memory. Instead of catching my waiting hand, Deo lifted me up from my bed, wrapping me within their arms. They kept on embracing me, carrying me off the ground and the surface of my bed. I cried harder and the coolness of their body seemed to have caused me to become sober from the drunkenness of the dream.

"If you say..." Deo whispered to me, "if you say you want to get out, I will take you away. I will steal you away from everyone again, just say it. I won't return you to the people who have hurt you."

I did not answer Deo, but I wrapped my arms around their broad shoulder. With that simple gesture, I felt their hands tightened on both sides of my waist. I closed my eyes and in the silence that we both partook on, with that simple gesture, it was clear what I wanted.

I wanted Deo to take me away from here.

But I do not know if I won't ever regret that.

Though I was tall, I only reach as high up as Deo's chin.

"Why are you being nice to me, Deo?" I asked with curiosity. "I do not have any money to compensate you with. I am not even that pretty, at least not conventional, no. So I kept on wondering."

Deo put both of my feet on theirs, similiar to how I did it earlier when we were in the garden.

"Don't turn to other's face," I told them and I felt the slight nod of their mask, "I want to see you as you are."

A few minutes of silence, Deo started to sway us. The golden light butterflies provided just enough illuminatiom for us both to see each other. Actually, even without the light provided by those creatures, Deo's immaculately white robes could still be seen.

Deo spun us on a slow circle, my head on their chest and both of their hands were on my waist while mine were feeling every contours of their muscles. Fine and lean muscles lept beneath where I touched them. Even with the white robe on, I could feel the ice cold body of Deo.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Deo spun us again on a circle. With dazed eyes, I looked up to them and placed one of my hands on one of theirs. I slowly guided to where my heart lies, feeling that even my own muscles were leaping under their touch.

"Am I real?" I asked Deo.

If there was a beating heart inside me, will that really mean that I was alive and actually exisiting? I watched Deo and saw that they were as real as I am, with a corporeal body as solid as I have.

"I do not know what is happening to me," I whispered to Deo, but they just kept on holding me, swaying around. "Help me."

Deo did not answer me, but there was that tightening of their fingers on mine.

I have a splitting headache when I woke up. My face and the pillows were quite dry already, and there was Deo's usual service of breakfast. As I was eating what they brought to me, I cannot help but wonder about certain things.

And the topic that was most pressing inside my head was the reason why Deo would stay by my side since I cannot think of a single reason why they would.

"What do you think?" I rhetorically asked the butterfly that perched in front of my part of the table. "Why would Deo stay by my side?"

Every night, Deo would stay to make certain that I sleep soundly or if I had a nightmare, I would have someone to turn to. Every morning though, Deo would be gone like the wind but there would always be steaming hot meal on the table.

Today it was omelette and a cup of coffee.

"Where does Deo even get these?" I wonder out loud, but sipped on the slightly bitter espresso.

Oddly, Bianca still have not return from her trip. It was actually getting me worried to be quite honest, but that kept on being pushed at the back of my mind as I faced Academia Amitiel. Per the teacher's routine, there would always be a roll call, but even I could see how empty the lecture hall felt.

What used to be the three dozen or so students of this class before was reduced into just a handful of us.

"What is happening to you guys?" the teacher asked us, but I do not know if they were actually waiting for an answer. "There's so many late! There's so many absent!"

Bianca's friend went to check in on Bianca's status again. This time, I made sure that I finally asked for her name though, and I learned that it was Tansy. Just like before, we exchanged few words and all were about Bianca.

But there was one thing that deviated from our previous meeting.

"Did you notice?" Tansy asked in a small voice, the pair of peach blossom eyes were sweeping the whole lecture room and her lips slightly trembled.

That was the moment that I also swept a glance off, not just the lecture hall, but also to my very surroundings.

"There seems to be so few of us here," Tansy continued on her small voice.

She bid her farewell to me after that rather odd statement. As I observe and scrutinize my surroundings though, I could relate to what the girl was saying. The hallways were not as packed any longer. Before, I could hardly pass through but it was quite different now.

I was on my way to the dinning hall, not until I saw Caspian Cashel from afar. As usual, Zachriel Legrand, Hermes Run, Layla Gwen, and Haziel Imbert, or at least the real Haziel Imbert this time, were all following him.

There was a certain gloom on their faces, and it was quite distinct and noticeable. Bags were lining up under their eyes, a sign of obvious fatigue. Besides that, there was this slump on their shoulders. Something must not have went with their plan.

I was, again, reminded of what happened just the other day. Hermes and Zachriel dealing with people with questionable backgrounds. Was it connected to that? Or was there something else afoot?

I was quite curious that I was not even aware when I have already stepped forward. A massive wall suddenly bumped to me, causing me to staggered forward. There was a hand that caught my arm and steadied me.

When I look to thank the person that steadied but also bumped to me which caused me to stagger in the first place, I was taken aback.

"Sir Apollyon," I greeted politely, "I'm sorry, I was not aware of your presence being there."

"You do seemed to be out of it," Sir Apollyon remarked, there were some posters in his hands and as he looked down on it, I can't help but also do so. "Will you be attending?"

I furrowed my eyebrows at him, confused of what ever it was he was asking and shook my head.

"Attending?" I asked.

Sir Apollyon just laughed off my awkwardness and stuffed on one of my hands one of the posters he was holding. His lips, which were back to their normal allure, were moving upwards. Not quite a smile, almost a sneer even, but it was not something that would induce fright to people.

"Prom, what else?" Sir Apollyon asked in return. "I do hope that you get to attend. You're always going around, being alone."

My head nodded unconsciously.

Prom.

I never really thought about that. It sounded silly and frivolous, but even if I wanted to attend, I don't think there was someone out there who would think it such a good idea to ask me.

"Are you busy, Miss Griyego?" Sir Apollyon asked yet again, and, like before, I also shook my head rather unconsciously. "Would you mind helping me to arrange some files inside the faculty office?"

My eyelids turned heavy and I could just lie here, in the middle of the hallway where hundreds of students were stepping on every minute. I felt sleepy, but then I remembered that I should not be.

My mind's gears started working— preventing me to sleep and coming up with an excuse to go.

"I just got reminded that I have something to do, Sir," I said hastily, "it is just such a pity that Bianca is not here, Sir. Was she not one of the student assistants?"

I saw Sir Apollyon blinked his pretty eyes at me. For a moment, I saw a flash of anger on those eyes before they turned into smiling slits on his face.

"Why, of course," he said, barely audible through the throngs of people strolling about. "Such a pity, Miss Griyego. But I'd really appreciate it if you could help me. It won't take that long, come?"

I started to nod to him. My eyes were starting to close by themselves even how much I tried to fight it off. I felt groggy.

"Go!" I heard someone roared at the background, but it did nothing to wake my mind that was almosy dozing off.

"Let's go, Miss Griyego," Sir Apollyon told me and started walking. Unconsciously, I started to walk behind him. It seemed natural that I'll just go along with him.

"Sera! Seraphim!"

"Quickly," Sir Apollyon hissed at me, his strides were long and quick, my own did not disappoint me and also started to walk as fast.

"Seraphim!"

Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed on my arm and turned me. Caspian waved his hand in front of my face, a glitter of gold trailing on his fingers. That was what woke me up. I blinked slowly and my breathing hitched then I started to breathe slowly; heavy with each heave of air.

"Seraphim, Sera," I heard a deep sonorous voice in the midst of my dozing mind.

It was Deo.

"Mr. Cashel!" I heard Sir Apollyon exclaimed, a clapped completely snapped me out of my daze and my expression almost slipped out of its neutrality. "What is it?"

"I have something to tell Seraphim," Deo, who was under Caspian's face again, told him. Caspian's hazel brown eyes seeped to mine, there was anxiety within those.

"What is it—" my voice abruptly hitched, almost saying Deo's name instead of Caspian, "C-Caspian... Caspian?"

"Can't that wait?" Sir Apollyon also asked to Deo.

"It cannot," Deo, however, answered firmly, their words were like the law marked with finality, but their tone and words have become theirs, not Caspian's.

And it showed when Sir Apollyon raised a brow at Deo.

"Go to the prom with me," Deo said seriously, "Seraphim."