The Sight Beyond The Haze

Chapter 39: Being Different

Based on the path that we were all going to and since I have also walked this path a couple of times before when I was recuperating from various of injuries I have got earlier on the semester, I guessed that we were all headed towards the infirmary.

I did feel guilty of what I did.

I may not their official leader, or the fact that I might be one day, I should not have gotten my head over what I felt like doing like what I did earlier. I did not consider the difference between our stances in this world.

Upon arriving at the infirmary, Zachriel was quickly put into the white standard room. His face was cleaned up by the nurse that just entered with a swab of cotton. The middle-aged nurse, with an amiable smile on her lips, turned to us four.

"Good thing his nose isn't broken," she finally announced. "Who did he fought with to have such an injury though?"

I coughed, Hermes did the same, and Caspian shifted uncomfortably on his feet. It was only Haziel who was amazingly thick skinned that looked directly at the nurse who answered.

"We were playing dodgeball," she responded to the nurse who laugh timidly after wiping Zachriel's face clean.

"He might have a little headache though," the nurse said, "but that should be fine. I could feel a little bump on his forehead, but it won't bruised as long as you put ice over it."

The nurse gave us an ice pack to put over Zachriel's bump on his head. Caspian was the one who immediately jumped into action and got the ice pack to Zachriel's forehead.

"You youngsters are so reckless," the nurse commented. "Good thing it's nothing serious."

Zachriel's bleary eyes tried to open themselves and he even tried to sit up which was contradicted by the nurse, saying that he should only just lie down and rest.

"We still need to run a few test on him if he has a concussion," the nurse informed, "don't be alarmed," she immediately reassured us upon seeing our horrible expression. "It's just for in case, at least we're all good, yeah?"

We all nodded.

"I'll get everything ready and just wait here, alright?" the nurse said and exited the room with some of her things.

As soon as the door closed behind the nurse, I immediately bowed my head and apologized. I do felt as though I took things too far and I should have more ability to control my powers. Besides that, I was trained by teo different Deities, both Deo and Leigh. I have no excuses to just run around and attack anyone with my power. Even those people whom I sort of hated.

"I am sorry what had happened," I said while my head was still bowed low in front of them. "I have a lack of control over my powers and thought that playing with it woild be okay since we were all of the same kind. This would not happen again."

On my peripheral vision, I could see Hermes and Haziel looked at each other.

"You don't have to do that," Hermes finally said. "As a fellow warrior we shouldn't have let Zachriel let you fight by himself either."

I straightened my back to look at them. I saw disappointment on their faces as my expression turned to its old neutral one. I do not understand what was that on their faces but I guess I disappointed them by being irresponsible of the things around us, not thinking about the consequences of my action.

"Besides, we're all fine with the result," Haziel intervened, her face was light, and, for the first time, I was seeing her smile. "You didn't even used you power to boost the shot, did you? Not until that last shot? You did really well."

I only nodded coldly.

"Again, I apologized for being irresponsible," I said again, "but on to the more serious matters, Lady Imbert." I turned my attention to her direction. "Do you have any news about the letter I tild you to investigate the last we saw each other?"

I heard Caspian let out a long sigh.

"You guys," he said while still dabbing Zachriel's forehead with that ice pack that the nurse gave to us. "She's almost human. Y'all have to really just make her feel damn guilty."

Haziel's eyes turned into piercing glare directed at Caspian.

"Your language," she hissed at Caspian eho just snorted rudely at us.

Today, Haziel was as beautiful as ever. Since the arrival of the golden light butterflies though, I did not yearned for Haziel Imbert's green eyes to be the color of silver and did not even longed that she would look at me they way Deo did when he was using her face. She was just a remnant of a memory back then and I guessed it was fine to let go of my longing to thay face.

Because Deo sent some of his butterflies to me, I felt reassured that he would come back.

"Well?" I demanded, ignoring their bickering since it does not seem to include me.

"Lady Alaric... Elliot," Haziel said with hesitation.

The pause between the last two words did not escape from me. They were still wary, of course. As much as I was tied down to the Eirini because of my lineage, the other lineage I have which was, incidentally, from the Haefen organization, also tied me down to that organization. I understood the hesitation and that they were anxious of the consciousness I have now that I do not have before.

Since the formalities have come back, I also regarded thrm formally as to not be impolite.

"I do have news about the letter," Haziel confirmed with the same hesitation that did not dade. "But I'm afraid it would do us no good."

That did not discourage me though. I only nodded for her to go on speaking about her news.

"Anasthasia Adams went missing inside the school premises and every student she mentioned on her letter was confirmed as missing. She also has some places within the academy that she mentioned might be the lair of the culprit." Haziel pursed her lips. "However, we have checked again and again, we found nothing."

"Where are those places?" I asked her.

"Mainly some rooms on the building our classes," Hermes interrupted. "One on the fourth floor, the top floor, and some other classroom. The locations in her list were a mess."

I nodded.

"Just keep on searching," I said and urged to them, "I will try to find out more about the kidnapper."

The four of them looked at each other. That simple gesture held a message and I felt it though I was not part of it. I wondered what it was. Maybe they were questioning my rights to order them around and give commands.

"Not to be rude, my lady," Hermes said with the utmost caution, "but how would you be able to handle everything?"

"Yeah!" Caspian seconded with his free hand raised up above his head. "How would you able to do everything? Haziel told us that you're already handling the borders of the Middle Ground. Then you'll investigate on this one too?"

I nodded.

In reality, I do have help from Cocytus, Leigh, and Eris. I was also certain that Deo's butterflies were keeping everything on iur blindspot on check. That was probably the main reason why the Haefen or the bounty hunters have not gone through this Middle Ground's lax and insufficient security.

For now, we have been holding on, but we cannot just hid behind Academia Amitiel's walls forever. In time, we are bound to get out of this place. I do not know when the right time would be, but I was certain that it was drawing closer.

"We are aware that the Amitiel family has already sided with you even without any official declaration to any of the Thirteen Noble Seats," Zachtiel said. Although there was no accusation on his gentle voice, I knew what he was implying. "But I do think, actually we all think, that their help might not be enough to get you by."

"This fortress will soon break," Haziel said, a gloom expression on her face, "and the Amitiel family's power would reduce into ashes. If they cling to you once their power have been destroyed over the magical lands, they will only bring you down with them."

I knew that.

But it was not the Amitiel family itself that I have bound myself into. It was my uncle, I guess, whom my mother's godfather have taken in as an adoptive son. Really it was complicated even to my ears and a little impossible too. As much as I hate to admit it, Cocytus has become my friend, confidant, and even part of that little make-believe family that Leigh created.

With their points, I knew that they made sense, but it was not as though I could just abandon my safety in exchange of the nearing power struggle that would inevitably happen once this fortress' walls broke. That would happen within months, I was quite certain of that, and though the future was never certain, even Eris have foreseen it happening even with the variables of every aspect and different factors interchanging.

But I have nothing as of now but to cling to this place just a little more.

"Do you think me so foolish?" I asked them coldly. "Or do you think that I am still muddle-headed from the mind manipulation that I was inflicted to?"

I saw the four of them flinched with fright because of the coldness my tone exhibited. My eyes turned into slits, glaring at each and one of them. I do not want them to be any more distant to me, but then should they learn about the Deities' involvement with mine?

Leigh had been very careful about concealing his identity while Eris used her clairvoyance Sight to see anyone who might want or have any intention to harm her. Deo, of course, did not even told me about his real identity until Cocytus told me about it. It was not my right to divulge anything so I kept my mouth shut about the additional help that I got from those extraordinary beings.

"Of course I know of the internal conflicts between this Middle Ground and the Thirteen Noble Families —"

I actually do not know since I have never studied any politics due to the insistence of Deo.

"—and even the royal family. I am aware of the incoming struggles once the Middle Ground has been broken into and compromised."

That though, I was very much aware.

"I would not say that I can do this if I actually cannot," I said with more frost and indifference to them. "Though I have only just regained my memories, it does not mean that I am any less capable than any of you."

Then I turned to Zachriel who was only lying on the bed and watching me with a pained expression.

"I caused you such an inconvenience," I said. "I hope you would forgive me. If you cannot, I will allow you to hit me on the face until my nose also bleed. But since I did not broke your nose according to the nurse's prognosis, then I will break yours if you break mine in the process of avenging yourself against me."

Caspian's eyes widened considerably, he the laughed so hard that he was clutching his stomach. He was still laughing when he started speaking while the other three people were looking at me with the same wide-eyed expression, surprised and confused about my proposition to Zachriel.

"'Ya do know that you sounded like you're threatening him, yeah?" Caspian asked me, wiping at the sides of both of his eyes and still laughing slightly. "No sane dude would grab at that kind of proposal even if you wronged them. Right, Hermes?"

Hermes nodded mindlessly at that statement, agreeing but also not wanting to agree with how foolish Caapian sounded like. I only watched them and turned my back on them. I was out of the door when a voice called out to me.

"Lady Alaric Elliot!" Haziel Imbert looked at me. "We did not mean any offense about whay we said to you. We're inky anxious if you could fulfill everything you promised to do."

I remained standing at the very middle of the hallway, not turning to look at her.

"But if you say that you can, then you can," she continued.

"I did not take any offense on your words," I said indifferently. "Nor did I wanted to, but if you must think that I did then I apologize for making you feel so."

Outside of the infirmary, Cocytus was waiting for me. He was wearing an annoying smirk on his lips, but there was a noticeable cut on the corner of the said lips. The bags under his eyes have also worsened as though he was aging poorly. We only saw each other this morning, but he looked so haggard.

"I heard you knocked Zachriel Legrand out cold?" he asked me in a very mocking tone that I wanted to smack the back of his head with the same amount of the force that I used earlier when I catapulted that ball towards Zachriel.

"I did not," I responded indifferently. Since no one was around, the buttetflies hidden on my pocket and clothes materialized and fluttered around us. They gave Cocytus and me warmth.

It was then that I realized that I was actually only wearing the standard p.e uniform that was provided by the school. I drew the light butterflies closer to my cheeks, almost blinding me with their very bright light. The skies were snowing lightly, but the pathwalk cannot be seen still. Earlier, it was snowing so hard that I thought it would not subside.

I rubbed my left arm with my right hand then rubbed both of my hands together to provide more warmth. Cocytus suddenly put the first layer of his jacket on one side of my shoulder, almost dropping because of the suddenness.

"Thank you," I said and proceeded putting the jacket on.

As always, Cocytus was wearing a very expensive suit to style himself according to the winter season. His long white coat in contrast to the standard black uniform of the academy was mich pleasing to the eyes. His gloves were specially embroidered for him and customized to look pleasing to his long coat's cuff links.

I scoffed at his style.

"He dead yet?" he asked casually.

I shook my head, speaking honestly to him, "I thought he would since the ball almost took his head off but it proved that his head made up of much stronger stuff in there. What about you? You okay? You look like you are at the death's door and are about to die a horrible death."

Cocytus also shook his head to me, but unlike me who gave an explanation, he remained quiet about the matter of his haggard appearance.

"You're going to get a piece of Leigh's mind," Cocytus warned but there was laughter on his tone which irritated me quite a bit. "What they thought the peerless and immaculate Seraphin Alaric Elliot caused a big trouble. You know what happened to the gymnasium that held the epic battle of dodgeball?"

I did have to say anything more that would encourage Cocytus to tell me what indeed happened since I left. Frankly, I did not looked back to the state of the gymnasium after we all left to deliver Zachriel's body in the infirmary. I do hope that I did not cause a large amount of ruin, of course. But based on how hard we were playing earlier, that seemed rather very unlikely to happen or materialize.

"You almost demolished the half of the gymnasium," Cocytus divulged with a laughter that echoed on the whiteness of the outside world. "You and the Dalcanorian bunch took that dodgeball game too seriously. They did not want to get you, nor Zachriel, off the hook."

I winced internally. I was prepared to receive any kind of punishment. I would not even let myself off the hook, but to think that I caused so much trouble bothered and inflicted guilt within me.

"I will receive any punishment," I said timidly, ashamed of what I have dones earlier. "I thought those people..." I paused and pursed my lips.

I do not know if it was fine to talk about what I felt with Cocytus. We might have been part of a family right now, but our relationship as relatives does not really touched the matters of heart. It seemed awkward to randomly tell him so I remained quiet instead lf continuing what I wanted to tell him about.

I heard Cocytus sighed a deep breath before turning his head to me with an incredulous expression on.

"You spit it out, Seraphin," he said rudely. "If you want to say something, the just say it. I never see you as the one who would hesitate in these kinds if matter." There was a mischievous smirk again on the side of his lips.

I nodded at him.

He was right. Why should I hold back anyway?

"Those kids in the Eirini," I finally said, deliberately ignoring the fact that I felt awkward before saying this. "Those kids from the Eirini. Originally, I thought that they can also do what I can. I ahve never had any memories of playing as silly as that sounded. I guess when I was faced off against them, I unintentionally felt as though I have met my match. I never really knew what they think of me."

I paused, seeing their guarded faces when I came around.

"You thought," Cocytus continued for me, understanding was in his eyes. "You thought that they would finally understand you and that they could hold their own against you. I knew that feeling, the feeling of loneliness and peaking too soon in life. As you might have guessed already, Leigh took me in for the incredible amount of power I have. Since being his heir, I never meet children who would like to understand me or have the same experiences. In your case, they were the ones who betrayed you."

"They are disappointed of how I am," I told Cocytus.

I looked up to the skies which rained of soft and wet snow. Each droplet of the snow melted on my warmed skin. It was bright but there was no sun. All the vegetation have withered, the trees were only a dark silhouette in the horizon and not any more of the gree it once was.

"Or they are simply scared of how you are," Cocytus, however, disagreed. "Or maybe you are only overthinking matters."