921 It's Not The Pity
It was only when the smile disappeared from Skullius' face that the casual atmosphere around the room disappeared.
Darwel, Sevill and Maxim were once again flung into thoughts they had had about Skullius when they first saw him. For Maxim, it was merely fleeting, as she only knew the Hybrid Luman from the Royale – a tense battleground where they had to cooperate to survive – but for Sevill and Darwel, it was different.
It went without saying that the Sif duo had noticed the odd bit of change in the current Skullius much more because they witnessed the heaviest sense of it. When they began conversing with him, however, the suspicions had died down temporarily.
Now, they rose again.
Vali was only a little curious about the superficial change in Skullius' choice of attire as she knew him the least among the people here. Thus, she was the first to answer his inquiry.
"Erlton is a Herald. Apparently, the Deities appointed several people like him; people they bestowed upon a portion of their power in order to monitor and protect the world," she explained while setting one tantalising thigh on top of the other.
Darwel kept a close eye on Skullius' face. When she first mentioned Erlton in the corridor, the Hybrid Luman hadn't shown any interest in asking who he was. Now he was curious.
When Vali explained, he didn't show much of a reaction. He simply nodded.
She found that strange.
"I see..." Skullius said as evenly as possible.
Vali tilted her head.
"That's as bland a reaction as I've ever seen," she said with an unintentionally seductive smile. "I expected the concept to make you ask a follow up question at the very least."
Skullius gave a small smile.
"Well, my latest battle desensitised me to surprise when dealing with anything of the same level," he said calmly.
...!
Maxim was the first to lunge slightly closer to Skullius from her end of the table, her eyes livid with curiosity.
"You mean... you remember everything you did? You remember fighting that man who was summoned by that necromancer?"
Darwel, Sevill and Vali were the same, albeit more restrained.
"Is it true? You remember?" Darwel said, a hint of desperation in her voice. "You remember... what you became?"
Skullius remained silent for a while. Something about his white eyes staring at nothing in particular made everyone a little anxious.
"You could say that," he finally responded, knowing full well this wouldn't satisfy the group's nigh palpable greed for information. "I suppose this Erlton isn't all knowing, is he?" he continued, adding no substance whatsoever. "Now. Continue. What did you tell you?"
While slightly irritated by Skullius', the four women shared quick glances.
It was Maxim who then spoke.
"He told us that you're not from this world. From Aigas. I admit, that took a lot of time to process when he said it," she breathed the latter end of her sentence while taking another swig at her juice, hoping it would turn into something bitter instead.
Her face turned stern as she continued.
"The only way that that became easier to digest, was when he told us you were an enslaved skeleton that happened to escape and find itself here with a bit of fortune. He said you were human once, and that part of you exists in the body we see now, and another is trapped elsewhere. That it's the longing for this other half of you that drives you, changing you, leading you back towards it... through any... means... it can..."
A cold silence pervaded.
The four ladies didn't dare flinch or speak when it oozed its way from the Hybrid Luman, but they did all seem to share something as they looked at Skullius, not with fright, but a sort of serious consideration.
Skullius' face seemed to be made of stone at this moment.
"A part of me, is it?" he said in a sharp voice that made the souls of Maxim, Darwel and Vali quiver. "He said that?"
Skullius emitted a rough sigh.
"Makes it seem so... touching, like I'm some lost idiot searching for a long lost love who completes me. Lies. It's the opposite," he said and looked to the four women.
They all showed subtle degrees of surprise and concern.
"But then again that doesn't change how the story goes, does it? I suppose you pity me now? The story you've heard follows my hurdles, does it? Obstacles I've had to overcome, the challenges that have pressed me down and the loneliness I've had to endure? That makes me appear feeble to you, does it?"
No one answered.
But it was clear to Skullius already.
Only a sob story of his life telling the tragic parts would have made man and Sif accept what he was.
Was that Erlton's angle? To use his status to draw the sympathy of these people for his sake?
Skullius didn't need to hear anything else. He confirmed where the tale the Herald told began and where it ended. Its limits.
Honestly, he wasn't too fond of him.
His thoughts began to skew in a bloody direction.
"You've got it all wrong," Vali suddenly spoke up.
Skullius turned to her.
"You've never struck me as someone who entertains weakness. It was fascinating to see an Advancement Stager show more grit and ingenuity than Masters. I was drawn to you because of that and believe me... I've been fed up with weak fellows with no spine; content with selling their Families to me in order to survive the Royale and bed my sisters and cousins," she said with a smile that, for a moment, showed disgust.
"You're misunderstanding our views. I for one am looking to repay my debt to you with something meaningful. Something personal. So forgive me if Erlton's storytelling gave me the impression that I'd found the perfect problem to help you solve in exchange for my life."
Skullius narrowed his eyes.
Right.
He looked at Maxim who nodded with a sigh.
"I did as you told me. I gave her the Supreme Potion, which ended up saving her life," she said. "And on the note of not having our souls stolen, I also owe you. If it weren't for the Glass Units you gave me, I would have died too back then. But even before that, I considered you a comrade in arms. We fought side by side; I suppose Tallo as qualified as well. It's only natural that I put in some effort to understand you."
Skullius hummed.
Darwel immediately chimed in despite her conflicting emotions.
"You and I had an arrangement. I'll admit, I did pity you, but I also felt better knowing that even if you are someone else, you're still the person I know as well. You're the Luminant whom I found, and you are important to me and my people. In that, there's no pity, only love and care. You said it yourself. The Sif are your people as well, and none of us care if you acquired the Luminant blood halfway through this life," she said. "Even my parents have processed that much."
...
Skullius said nothing.
Moments passed as he looked blankly forward and then he raised his glass and finished the juice within it.
Goodness.
"I see," he said.
Deep within, he felt a contradiction that overwhelmed the emotions he should be feeling right now.
In another time, another eventuality to what occurred in THAT place this time, he would have felt his soul churn at the prospect of having more boons post UNCoddled.
He would been touched.
Perhaps he was, a little bit, even now.
"Good. I suppose something good did come out of that mess that day," he said and smiled, his lips having an unsettling curve to them which Darwel noticed more than anyone else. "I will be looking forward to some favours then, friends."
A lighter atmosphere bloomed, carrying away its heavy predecessor.
As that occurred, Darwel immediately took the opportunity to ask:
"Also, as friends, I think you should do us the favour of explaining how exactly it was that you survived. You probably don't know this, but your body and soul were in shambles after your battle with whoever that man you fought was. Something strange had started to happen to your soul when... well... we all got distracted."
"Erlton assured us you would live, but aside from that, we didn't know anything about your state," Maxim's intense gaze fixed on Skullius, almost threatening him to answer lest she supplex him to the ground.
"Ah, that..." Skullius said, his smile growing more radiant.
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