The Sight Beyond The Haze

Chapter 57: Phlegethon the Deity of Fire

I looked at myself on the mirror, fitting the coat of my suit and making sure it matched with my look.

Beside me was a crying Seer, holding a beautiful red ballgown on her bosom. She was looking at me with resentmet and I was ignoring her with determination. Cocytus, the traitor, told Eris that I would be going to the prom. Although I know we both have ulterior motives, he still had the best of his time teasing me about going though he was actually going himself.

This prom would not just be for bonding with the Eirini children, but also for finding out who was might have the motive to betray me because based on Cocytus' statement it was human nature to take on avenging once injustice was present and the injustice mentioned was actually related to me, Seraphin Alaric Elliot. He said that most of the parents of the Dalcanorian children inside of the academy lost a loved one at the battle in Paris and there was a great possibility that one of them would not hesitate to sell me out.

I knew that of course and he does not to reiterate that to me, but still. The have already lost and now they were going to be scrutinized. Besides that, we were still focusing our efforts on making certain that every students were present. We decided that if we won't be able to catch the culprit taking the students away to a hidden place, then we would just prevent any ofthe students from being taken away.

Cocytus and I installed more cameras all over the premises of the academy so that even when Eris overlooked something, we would be able to see it. Although we were still quite wary of the music rooms in the classroom wing of our building on that certain floor. It was still thick with magical energy and it makes one muddle headed. Although we installed cameras over there, we still avoided it like the plague.

"Don't look at me like that," I told Eris as I took off my sleek coat and hanged it on a hanger. I carefully placed it atop my bed and raised an eyebrow to her. "I'm not going to wear that, Eris. I like my suit the way it is."

Eris' lips pouted more. I walked closer and pinched the said lips down while the golden light butterflies were busy braiding my hair down my back. Prom was drawing near and Leigh, as usual, took it upon himself to dress Cocytus and me. Like what happened before, he spent more time on lecturing Cocytus about his fashion sense. I figure out that, since this was the second time already, occasions like these where we have to dress up fancily was what could trigger the old man.

Meanwhile, Eris was the one who chose the dress for Anasthasia, a heart-shaped tube with a grand gauze like skirt. It looked really good on Anasthasia while Eris also insisted on dressing me up when she found her confidence on making Anasthasia look even better.

Leigh adamantly refused her, shaking his head and fashioning a suit for me. The bickering of them both made me laugh, but the winner was Leigh since I was also supporting him.

"Are you going out for a patrol?" she asked.

"You can see it," I told her with a deadpan expression, "so why still ask?"

"But this is a good dress though," Eris said, waving the ballgown around as though it does not weighed a ton. "I'll tell you a secret, you're going to wear this dress so I specially prepared it for you."

I sighed. Why does she have to take the longest route to get there? Eris could have just told me directly.

"I thought we are not suppose to get in the way of the fate?"

Eris shrugged, placing the dress on my shoulders to see how it fits me. The red was not actually red but was in a majestic maroon, it glimmered and changed colors with the lights. The sleeves were off the shoulder and I do not find it as comfortable as my suit which made me look at the mirror yet again.

"Why would I wear it?"

Eris shrugged again, smiling ever so brightly.

"Are you telling me the truth?"

Eris shrugged again, this time I smiled and shook my head at her.

"It's already fitted for your measurements," Eris said immediately when I reached for the dress.

My forehead knotted while looking at the gown. I felt for my stomach and the soft fats welcomed my hand. I came in this academy looking bones and only skin, now I have more flesh thanks to Eris and Leigh making me eat more than I usually do.

"Now, why don't you go on the patrol with Leigh?" she asked me, almost shooing me out of my own room but I halted with her words.

"I'll be going out on a patrol with Leigh? What happened to Cocytus?" I asked in succession and I saw that there was a glint of mischief on her eyes. "What is it?" I asked, devoid of any expression but cold wrath towards Cocytus who might have been just slacking off.

"Yes, there's this issue? About this girl on the closet?" Eris said, her eyes were slitted whilst remembering what she probably saw.

"Do you know that girl in the closet?" I asked out of curiosity. I have only seen Cocytus with the girl, shoving her right to his closet but I did not actually saw the whole thing or the face of the girl.

"Maybe," Eris said mischievously, no, it was supposed to be mysteriously but her little smirk suggested otherwise. "Or maybe not," she then added.

I just nodded, not asking any thing more since Eris herself does not seem to be that keen on sharing information. I just let it go, unclothing myself from the suit that I was supposed to be my outfit for the prom. Eris helped me with tidying it up, even preparing for my gear as I ready myself to go out.

"You don't seem curious?" she suddenly asked out of nowhere as she sat down on my bed, watching as the butterflies flutter around me, making sure that there was not a loose hair around my face.

"I am curious actually," I contradicted her, putting a knife on my sheath belt just for extra precaution. "But I won't push for it if you mind or if Cocytus minded. Just let him take care of his girl. One patrol isn't that much of a loss anyway."

But I actually do minded that it was not Cocytus coming with me for a patrol. Since the display of Leigh's power that he did on that day before the first day of the new year, I became unsettled. It was like traversing through a ground made of an already cracked glass.

Fragile, it was and with every move, the cracks just kept on spreading. I cannot mend the new perception that I have gained and I knew that it waa my fault for even trying to slander my great uncle righr in front of himself.

I should not have done that, I realized but then I realized that too later too late.

"Leigh," I called out to him as soon as I arrived at the drawing room where we were supposed to meet each other.

His back was in front of me and he seemed to be looking out of the balcony, onwards to the great unknown of the Academia Amitiel's grounds. I shivered from the coldness, it was still the first week of the second month of the year and ice has not melted just yet. The wind blew at us, gentler than it used to be a month ago.

"Leigh?"

He did not budged so I called him out again, but still did not get any response from him.

When I walked over, I realized that he has his eyes closed and he seemed to be asleep. I did not know that Deities like him were in need of any sleep. Like Deo, I assumed that Leigh was also the same.

Deo's magical powers came from the light, just any source of light. Even the moon, the unnatural or the fluorescence, and fire. At night, his golden light butterflies became his source of magical energy. I have studied the Deities while I was under Deo.

I was aware that Leigh's magical power came from the immortality of the humanity. So long as the human race was alive, then so does his power. But soon, the humanity will perished, just like any of the predominant species of this world, and so does his existence.

Unlike any of the Deities, Eris as the Seer and Leigh as the Deity of Immortality were the only ones that have a very finite source of power.

I looked down at Leigh.

And he has never looked so vulnerable to my eyes.

"Sleep well," I said.

My hand reached for a blanket at the side of the couch he was sitting on. I also walked to the doors of the balcony to close it gently. I checked for Leigh's skin and he was as cold as ice, snowflakes have also descended on his long eyelashes.

Since I have always regarded Leigh as an authority figure, first as my great uncle and second as the master of the house, I have never really cared for his face. This was the first time that I would be staring at him with as much liberty as I wanted.

To be quite honest, he was the most beautiful person I have ever seen. Even more beautiful to that vigorous child of his or the delicate countenance of the Seer. His eyes have always been pure red but they were both alluring and easy to catch sight of. There was this youthfulness about him that would always not be present when his eyes were open.

Now that I was looking at him so unguarded, I think he might have only been around my age, if not any younger, when he became a Deity and that must have been a long time ago.

Great Uncle Leigh's hair was in an ebony shade of black, so black it was that it contrasted with his complexion. When I regarded his wrists with my attention, I realized that they looked so... fragile and breakable as though just one tap could pulverize them immediately. He has delicately tipped nose, not high but very defined and the cheekbones were also not as sharp as I initially thought they were.

Only his eyes were not delicate about him and I wonder just how long exactly was he living now? A hundred of years? Two hundreds of years? Maybe even more than that?

"More than that," Eris suddenly said.

I did not know that she was just behind me, following me and regarding my inattention with amusement.

"I could see the future, you know?" she reminded when I looked at her with a quizzical eyes. "The Seers' memories could be pass down from generation to generation as you might have already know and that means I could remember the experiences with Deo, Leigh, and the others vividly despite the time it has endured and the multiple transfer of memories and of the power of the Sight."

"He looks..." I paused while looking at the boy who probably watched both of my parents grow up right in front of his own eyes, at the man who looked not a day older than me. "Great Uncle Leigh looks fragile."

"Since his growth has been stunted when he took on the position, Leigh has looked like that since his time as a mortal. I suppose not withering with the seasons and green have its own charms, but..." Eris stopped, her eyes told me a sad story.

And my heart suddenly became heavy as though she was already telling me through her words when she has not spoken anything yet.

"But it can be tiring, Seraphin," she said, "even I, who has been multiple of people throughout the history, could get exhausted. My persona before Eris was a boy and the emotions could get me disoriented. I've felt that I'm just like him but also that I am not."

Living forever, I thought, living forever and be powerful as long as the time exists were not such a bad concept but it somehow scared me.

"He's sleeping," I then pointed out which made Eris laughed out loud.

"Would you mind going on to the patrol by yourself? I could still call Yto though, if you want."

I shook my head as a response before saying, "There is no need. A night would not make a difference. I would just go around the grounds on our usual route and see any activities from the outside of the Blessing. If anything happens, you could send Cocytus."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Eris." But my eyes were glued to the sleeping form of my great uncle. "Just let him rest if he is tired. I'll head out now."

And then I opened the balcony door to let myself out. After I closed it properly, I jumped down into the darkness.