Nearly There Nicely 75

Silence.

Nothingness.

Then, through his dulled senses, Will felt the realization of his chest moving– he was breathing. Something was on his back covering him, whilst he lay on his stomach with his face to the side. The fabric felt soft and smooth beneath his cheek.

Slowly his senses began to click on, starting with the feeling of gravity holding his body still against something soft; warmed by his body laying there a while, Will could only guess that it was a bed. The scent of something fresh tingled his nose. Tensing his brows, Will tried to pinpoint what that smell was.

Cookies? Vanilla? Pastries? Is Isaac around? Then the smell became clearer as time passed as Will was becoming conscious.

The room felt muggy, with a tint of warm air hanging around his body.

A wispy vanilla clean scent... Crow? Will furrowed his brows, struggling to open his eyes.

What he saw was a dim room, lit by the glow of the Threshold's light cascading in from the window. Although he was laying on his stomach, Will was able to recognize the space as something Crow had lived in.

Crow's room at Phyte's. He answered himself.

He tried to slip his left arm up so he could sit up. The motion didn't happen. Confused, Will tried moving just his fingers. Although his senses were dulled, he felt the tips of his fingers move slightly.

“You okay?” asked a soft male's voice above him a short distance away. It sounded concerned, but also as if it knew the answer.

Will scanned his eyes around without moving his head since it felt far too heavy at that moment. “Isaac?”

“You're in Crow's room.” was the answer. “Do you remember what happened?”

Will stared straight ahead at the dresser, looking at a pair of pants hanging haphazardly out of a drawer that had been shut cockeyed. The weight and pain of his arm was traveling up his nerves, and it connected to his spine like a river. The pain spread, making Will realize that all of his senses were dulled for a reason.

“If that was Phyte's idea of 'not painful', I have to have a talk with him.” Will replied, shutting his eyes. A different voice echoed in the room, chuckling in response to Will's statement. For a moment there was silence again. Then, Will just had to ask. “Did I die?”

“No.” came Isaac's voice, soft, but immediate.

“Phyte examined your soul, as much as he could before you lost consciousness.” added the second voice.

Oh, that's Akiio. Will thought, trying to see if he could open his eyes again to look at the two. It took some effort, but when Will's eyes opened, he moved his shoulders unconsciously to sit up. That's when the pain hit.

An immense shock of pain bolted through Will's shoulders straight down his spine and then straight up to his brain in the matter of a second. Will's eyes clamped shut as he screamed in pain. Confused and terrified, Will gasped and whimpered in horror as his brain desperately tried to process the pain out again.

Isaac stood up from his chair so quickly, it fell backward, startled by the sudden shout out of Will. Before he could move to try and comfort Will, Akiio had stepped forward and yanked the blanket off of Will. Shirtless and laying on his stomach, Will was stuck with his mouth hanging open as tears welled in his eyes. Akiio reached his hand forward and pushed his open out-stretched palm against the center of Will's back between his shoulder blades. He applied even force until Will quieted down a moment later.

Gasping for breath, but no longer in pain, Will stopped trying to sit up. He relaxed all of his muscles and resigned to laying still on the bed. “Wh-what...?”

“A touch of a wisp.” Akiio clarified, lifting his hand from Will's skin. A glowing cyan handprint of his palm remained on Will's skin for a brief second, then it dissipated.

“You shouldn't try to move.” Isaac said, shifting down to his knees. He spoke softly, scuttling forward quietly until his jaw was just at the edge of the mattress. Curious, Will opened his eyes to look at the blond. His visual was blurred, but he could make out the worry on Isaac's countenance.

“I can't stay here.” Will answered. He frowned, blinking his eyes a few times until his vision cleared.

“It's okay to be afraid of him, Will.” Isaac replied, reaching up to stroke Will's hair out of his eyes. “But if you try to move with your body like this, it'll just cause more damage.”

“Your brain is grasping at processing the pain your soul endured through your nerves.” Akiio crossed his arms, then started to walk away from the bedside. “It wasn't natural, what Phyte did.” Will watched as Isaac glanced over to Akiio with a depressed, worried look on his face.

The silence that followed didn't last. Something broke down the hall. The distinct sound of wood shattering followed by glass clinking around as it broke crashed into the room. Without a word, Akiio opened the bedroom door and slipped out, shutting it behind him.

“That was probably Phyte just now.” Isaac said after another moment of silence. He returned his attention to Will, but his smile didn't come back. “Matéas and him were talking before.”

Will relaxed his eyes down to Isaac's chest. He didn't want to see that confused and depressed look in those blue eyes that usually had nothing but a cheerful clueless happiness in them. “Oh.” was all he could utter.

“You know – he – He really isn't bad.” Isaac tried to say, his words jolting around as he tried to clear his sentence. “I – When I was alive, my life was agony.” Will lifted his eyes up to meet Isaac's. When they met, Isaac noticed and smiled at him. “To me, Neo's always been someone I really adore. Since my life was so … terrifying.” Isaac cast his eyes down to the bed. He straightened up, reaching back to pull the blanket up over Will's body again. “I don't remember it, but I know the gist of it. I was born during a time when blonds were unfavored by humans– we were an ill omen.” He paused, tucking the blanket delicately around the edges of Will's arms. Then he shifted and sat back down on the floor so he could look at Will's face again. “I was a bad omen, but they didn't believe in murder. I was beaten, cut, and bruised. Many times were the bones in my body cracked and broken.”

Isaac trailed off for a moment, lifting his hand to look at his forearm. Will took in a breath steadily, then said with great care and gentleness, “You're always so cheerful now.”

“Mm,” Isaac nodded his head. He lifted his blue eyes up again to meet Will's, but didn't smile. “Because Neo took away all of them– every memory I had. He showed them to me a while later on fast-forward, only glimpses of what it was. Beatings, attempting to starve myself, followed by rapes, and attempting to slice my stomach and arms with anything I could...” Isaac trailed off again, looking down to his lap. “I'm not angry at the humans who did those things to me, but I am eternally grateful to Neo. I'm in a Bind under him, but to me, it's a Blessing. I get to stay here in the Threshold. I never have to remember what happened.”

“You can live like that?”

“Yes.” Isaac nodded again. He stretched his arms up with a yawn, then relaxed so his shoulder was leaning against the mattress. “It's different for Crow and Akiio, they're alive. I've already died.”

“But you said.”

“I succeeded.” Isaac cut in. “I cut everything until there was no possibility they could heal me. If I could've torn my soul out then, I would have.”

Will shut his eyes. How sad. I... I had no idea that Isaac had gone through such a terrible life.

“When you die, you're expected to cross over. You pick up all of your memories and live with them. Then you die and cross over back to life again. And again you die, and cross over and remember everything.” Isaac sighed, hanging his head down. “With no memories of my past and only Neo to guide me, I am satisfied with how I am now. Can you say you're satisfied with your life?”

“Huh?” Will opened his eyes. He studied the serious look on Isaac's face.

“Your mother died. Your father forgot you. You've been kidnapped and tricked multiple times, and taken advantage of.” Akiio clarified, stepping into the room from the hall. “That pacifist nature of yours will get you killed.”

“We saw it when Crow took out the memories.” Isaac continued. “Your parents were conspiring to raise you to become King regardless of anything else.”

“The impregnable shield for the young kingdom, built out of relics.”

“Shut up!” Will snapped. Isaac shifted his torso back, startled by the outburst. “I'm not a shield! I'm not a prince. I'm not a marquis. I'm not anything now.”

Akiio chuckled, turning around toward the door. “Well, then, I guess it's sad that Crow and Matéas continue to fight for a shadow. C'mon Isaac. He's not going to listen to us.”

Without a word, Isaac stood up and follow Akiio out of the room. As they shut the door behind them, Will was left in the silent vanilla-smelling space alone. Although it had a hint of Crow's presence, it felt unused and haunted now.

It didn't feel safe.

Nervousness crept in around Will. He looked above him toward the ceiling, then toward the door where the two had disappeared.

What was that crash? Will pondered. Why did Akiio say Matéas was fighting for me? Was that sound … Matéas?

“Shit.” Will cursed.

He clamped his eyes tight, rolled his head until his forehead was shoved against the mattress beneath it. With a deep breath, gritting his teeth, Will yanked both of his arms up until his hands were underneath his shoulders. The pain hit immediately, once more shooting up his arms and into his spine, straight into his brain.

Will's eyes went wide as his jaw flung open to gasp. He pushed his chest up. Farther, farther, until he was sitting up on his haunches. Will moved all of his weight to his right arm, pushing the mattress down significantly. He swung his legs out to the left straight until they bent at the knee over the edge. His hips followed, then his torso. As Will's body jerked forward in the leap, his hand pushed off of the bed's surface and his feet landed a second later on the ground. Stumbling forward in his shoes clumsily, Will went straight toward the wall in front of him. He braced his body from the impact by turning so his right shoulder and hip hit the wall.

“Sh – shit.” came another curse out of the edge of his lips. Will's eyes glared up toward the door. As if I'm going to lay around when I can go home.

Will struggled forward to the door. The handle rattled the shook as he tried to jerk at it to open. Once it opened, Will collapsed out into the hall. He barely had enough strength to grab his hand on the opposite wall so he only fell to his knees.

Here. A familiar voice echoed inside Will's head as he stood up, leaning against the wall with all of his weight. Over here.

Will scanned his eyes ahead of him, then back behind. The hall was dim, but not dark. There was no one else there though.

This way.

Will started forward. Nope. Ignore it. Go home. Without a Blessing, Phyte can just eat my soul. But... Why didn't he? What was he looking for?

As he moved, Will felt nausea starting. His head felt hot, his ears stung, and his vision began to haze. Will tried his best to keep his sight on the doorway a little ways down the hall, spotting stairs down it. His hands shook as they guided Will down the cool wall, stepping forward on wobbly legs.

Will blinked once. Then twice. The urge to shut his eyes was building. His breathing was becoming labored. The pain in his spine wasn't stopping. Forget moving, everything hurts. Will cursed to himself as his eyes fell shut.

With no warning, Will's knees gave out and he slid down the wall, falling forward into a crumpled mess.

Laying there for a moment, Will tried to force his eyes open. Strange. I feel like my hands are pushing me up, but I can also tell they're as heavy as lead. I'm not moving.

A cool hand brushed Will's bangs from his eyes soothingly. Then the voice spoke again to him. “Will, where is your heart?”

Huh? I've heard that phrase before. Will squinted, looking above him. In the darkness that was closing in on his vision, Will could hardly make out the glum expression on the man's face.

“I've got you, honey-bear.” Matéas said soothingly. He circled one arm underneath Will's knees and the other around his shoulders, then lifted the young man up effortlessly.

“Hn...” Will murmured, shutting his eyes. Matéas … came. Why not Crow? Didn't he look for me?

“Hey!” Phyte barked from down the stairs, rushing up them with loud footsteps. “I found that! He's mine!”

Matéas turned to Phyte with a plain look on his face. “As I just said, I'll be taking care of him.”

“He don'ent want your stinking Blessing!” Phyte argued, stepping forward, reaching out to grab Will from Matéas's grip. “I was so close to finding out why I can't–”

Matéas side-stepped Phyte and started down the stairs instantly.

“H-Hey!” Phyte shouted, turning after him. “Don't ignore me!”

“I'm sorry, Neo.” Matéas stated. “But right now, your lack of morals and kindness towards humans would drive me to violence against you.”

Something's hot and... liquid against my arm. Will thought, feeling something thicker than water seeping against his arm and torso. Dazed, he lifted his eyes to look up to Matéas's stern face above him. He looked so tall and distant.

As Matéas stepped into the next hall and through the door to Nocturne, Will heard the distinct sound of glass clinking around under the god's robes. Phyte wasn't following now. It was silent again. The echoes of the pendulum clock that should be surrounding them wasn't happening.

Matéas. Are you, hurt? Did you get hurt? For me? Will kept his eyes on the god's face as the warm golden glow of the light in Nocturne lit up his features.

The feeling was surreal. Will was sure he was asking Matéas these things aloud, but he wasn't responding. Was he ignoring Will, or could he just not hear him? Will's eyes fell shut as he tried to apologize. His jaw moved slightly as he struggled his word out.

“Sorry.”

~*~

“It's nice to see you haven't died yet.” came a voice suddenly.

Will squinted open his eyes. He was laying on something soft that embraced him: a sofa. In a living room with a tall ceiling, warm lights and air. My home?

“Death alludes all of us.” Matéas's voice answered.

Confused, Will scanned his eyes to see through the daze. Pain racked his body, his head throbbed. The voices became muted and blurred. The language slipped into something foreign as Will shut his eyes again to fall back to sleep.

“𐐏𐐭'𐑂𐐯 𐑊𐐫𐑅𐐻 𐐿𐐶𐐴𐐻 𐐩 𐐺𐐮𐐻 𐐲𐑂 𐐺𐑊𐐲𐐼…”

“You've lost quite a bit of blood,” Arluin repeated to Matéas.

Sitting on the floor of Will's sitting room was Matéas. He'd stopped just underneath the archway connected to the foyer. Arluin had taken Will from his arms and rested him on the sofa before turning back to the god.

Matéas chuckled at the young man's concern for him. He sat with his arm wrapped around his robes by his ribs. They were stained with blood, pooling down to his knee. His hand was starting to turn red as he applied pressure to the wound. “If you waste your time as a spectator, your whole life will vanish.”

Arluin let out a huff of air. “Fair. I'll go fetch the little bird. Make sure Will doesn't follow.” He straightened upright, stepped past the god, then stopped short. “Do you want any bandages?”

“Neo's hurt me worse than this before and I've lived.”

“That's not what I asked, Matéas.”

Matéas didn't answer for a moment, staring ahead at Will's sleeping figure. “I'll do it. You go ahead. If he does have Tengyi's power, that'd be best.”

Arluin glanced back at Will, then once more at Matéas. “Did Phyte really grab his soul?”

“Yanked it around, too.” Matéas supplied after wincing through his teeth. He turned his green eyes up at the young man with irritation. “Go, or I'll eat your soul.”

Arluin took an uneasy step away from Matéas instantly. That look in the god's eye sent a chill of fright down his back until his hair stood on end. Matéas meant it.

As soon as Arluin was gone and the door shut, Matéas let out a heavy sigh. He rested his head back against the archway behind his back, then sighed again. “A few hundred years and his morals have decayed this much. To think he'd attack with that stupid cirrus blade – right at my stomach.” Although a smile came onto Matéas's lips, he shut his eyes and sighed again. A moment later, he murmured to Will's sleeping figure, “I cannot tell if these tears are from the pain or out of sorrow.”