Renatus was blinded by the sunlight peaking beyond the clouds, opening his eyes to a serene blue sky that was much too bright for his liking. This isn’t Kaufernis, he thought to himself. The underworld city that raised him was under a constant veil of darkness, occasionally painted with a reddish-purple gradient like that of an eternal sunset, as a blanket of stars hid within. The nocturnal city was always bustling with business, constantly buzzing with people roaming the streets with occasional fights breaking out at the pubs.

The buildings in Kaufernis were primarily built with sturdy sandstones and concrete with an occasional sighting of marble in the fancier parts of the city, giving the city a rustic yet humble feel to it. In comparison, the structures here in Ylipeste were much more grand and overly reliant on its white marble, with little to no defects or dust to be seen on any of its buildings and overly sacred statues that towered over its citizens. Despite the booming population, it was much more tranquil and quieter here compared to Kaufernis, even in the busiest parts of the city.

Renatus’ wings were dazzling white like fresh snow, and there was not a single scar on his body, especially not the deep vertical scar on his right eye. Of course, how could he forget his time in Ylipeste, the kingdom of the sky and all things good? In the corner of his eye, he noticed the young angel approaching him, her loosely tied hair resembling the radiant sky as the sunlight illuminated her rose pink eyes like jewels. 

Her innocent laugh rang like a gentle chime of bells as she held out her hands. “What do you have for me today, my Renba?” 

She was Vaina, the daughter of Ylipeste’s tyrant ruler, Godric. He’d been created by the hands of Godric, yet…

He tenderly placed a dove’s rotten carcass into them, its putrid deathly scent encasing its melted flesh as its corpse submerged in its own blood. The young girl’s delight was evident in her broadened grin, her white wings slowly becoming stained with the blood. Departed souls from the Mortal Realm came through the Gate all the time, yet death itself was not possible within Ylipeste nor Kaufernis, so it was natural that she would be fascinated too.

Suddenly, everything became pitch black as he continued to fall into the never-ending abyss of darkness. He’d seen it all before, yet he couldn't escape its unrelenting grasp on his soul and for whatever reason, his voice. Screaming was futile here, as there was a restraint with an immense grip on his voice that no sound could escape from him, with only heavy hoarse, husky breaths leaving his lips.

Although it was a tell-tale indicator that nothing before him was real, everything he touched and felt seemed contrary to that fact, as if living through the nightmare of a memory again. His right wing was forcibly stripped from his spine, each individual feather torn from its bones as he continued to plummet deeper into the void. He desperately grasped at the air, hoping to grab onto a ledge, anything, as he fell further away from Ylipeste as Vaina slowly strayed from his vision, eventually disappearing. 

A rush of shadows in the shape of an enormous cat swallowed him whole with sheer force, forcing him awake in cold sweat. A familiar warmth and heaviness that laid on his chest left him voicing a groan, with a playful purr responding back to him. He curled his wings inwards, and they were most certainly as pitch black as the shadow cat before him, with his left wing still that of an angel’s, and his right side bearing two irregularly sized bat wings. He rubbed his eyes and his fingertips grazed over the deep, straight scar that had been carved over his right eye. He was definitely awake in the correct Realm this time, and his eyes took a bit of time to adjust and process the tall silhouette that leaned over him, with the man’s dark jagged hair and sunglasses still spotty in his vision. Had it not been for his ghostly pale skin, he definitely would’ve appeared as a nightmarish blur of darkness waiting to engulf him. 

“Number 42 again?” the deep euphonic voice inquired, with a concerned expression written all over him. 

Renatus nodded, yawning as he petted Mirmir, the shadow cat familiar, as it exposed its belly to him. Rhys sighed, sitting beside him by the edge of the bed as he watched his familiar affectionately plead for someone else’s attention. “It’s the fifth time this week, Ren. Are you sure nothing’s been bothering you?” 

“Well, I can’t run away from my problems whether I’m awake or not,” Renatus replied, slowly lifting himself off the bed as Mirmir followed him along the edges in an upbeat trot. He wrapped his brown waist skirt over his navy pants and adjusted the straps of his leather waist harnesses.

“If you ever want dreams of playing with Mirmir all night instead, I don’t mind asking Alyse to induce them for you,” Rhys cooed in an attempt to get the cat’s attention, only to fail miserably. The cat nuzzled its head against Renatus’ legs, wrapping itself between them as he removed his shirt. He leaned down to briefly scratch its head and just below its chin, and its purrs of contentment vibrated against his hand.  

Rhys stealthily approached him from behind, tickling his now vulnerable abdomen. “Or, we can ask her to induce dreams of us frolicking all together in the Overland meadows, rolling in the grass-”

He let out a loud hearty laugh, as he pleaded to him “Stop, I get it already!” 

Whenever people attempted to touch him with their grimy hands, he’d usually slice them with his Heavenly Blades without warning, but he could always lower his guard around Rhys. They’d grown up together ever since he was brought into their humble home at a young age, and they would often share beds despite having one of their own. They also had their own share of dreadful nightmares that kept them up at night, so they resorted to consoling each other by sleeping beside one another to ward away the terrors that clawed into the depths of their mind, which had provided them with a sense of security ever since, as well as one less headache for Alyse to deal with.   

Rhys held onto him for a moment, feeling the calmness between them settle in once the laughter ceased. “Are you still thinking about her?” 

He silently collected his thoughts, though he already knew the answer. “She’s never left my mind since I was exiled. Even when I’m not trying to.” 

It wasn’t something he’d need to think about since he was used to the constant, nagging reminder of her existence. It was almost like a curse, a voice constantly reminding him to seek her, despite her death being long confirmed by the Higher Authority.
“There’s no use going after someone who can’t actively seek you either, Ren,” Rhys firmly replied, his eyes darkening amongst the prominent black sclera that enveloped his silver irises. After everything he’d seen him go through, he didn’t want him to come into harm’s way again, especially if Godrick was involved. Despite being the god of the angels, he wasn’t as benevolent as most Realm dwellers made him out to be. Rather, he was cruel and calculated from the things he’d seen, and hearing about him always made his stomach drop.

Renatus finished dressing the upper half of his body and paused as he reached for his boots. “I have a feeling that the Higher Authority lied to me about her death. I don’t see why else I’ve been having these dreams more frequently.”
“Nightmares, you mean.”
“Regardless, if that’s the case then I need to settle things for good.”
Rhys let out a dramatic sigh of exhaustion since there was no use reasoning with him. “Well, just don’t come back crying in my arms if things don’t go well for you. Because I’ll kill her again a second time.”
Renatus smirked as he tightened the straps of his boots. “Not unless I do it first.”

***

The clicking of fingernails tapping against the kitchen bench had Rhys’ head turning towards his sister as she read through a pile of letters. Alyse’s dark hair was in a messier, lazier bun than usual, with the red streaks of her hair becoming tangled with the hair sticks that kept it in place. The sleeves of her blazer were not adequately rolled up to suit her general stature as they normally were, and her vest wasn’t properly buttoned up as usual. Her attire made her appear as if she were a shabby salesman rather than a member of the Council, who were of the highest order that overlooked the Realms. 

“They’re still seeking the Death Dealer, you know,” she murmured without lifting her ruby eyes away from the letters, skimming through them one by one at a rapid pace. 

“Do you think they’d force anyone else to do it, if they’re really that desperate?” Rhys asked, looking over her shoulder as she glossed through the letters.

She sighed in exhaustion as her wings collapsed to her sides. “It might get to the point where the Higher Authority will find a way to make Renatus do it, since they did request his audience this morning.” 

She handed him a letter that was personally addressed to Renatus, with the official seal of the Higher Authority prominent on the back of the envelope. The envelope itself was rather hefty as it was made out of a heavy-duty synthetic material, despite only carrying a singular sheet of paper and carried a vaguely smoky scent of tobacco, making his nose shrivel. 

“Wait, they’re actually aware of his existence? He never gets letters,” Rhys puzzledily inquired as he skimmed through the letter’s contents. Although Renatus would occasionally take on random assassination work issued by the Higher Authority, his background was ought to be unknown since he was an undocumented individual in Kaufernis for his own protection.

“He just doesn’t open them. Because if you recall, he can’t read,” Alyse corrected him. “They’ve been aware of him for a while, but they agreed to conceal his status to not cause any further drama for Ylipeste. After all, he’s dead on paper.”

Rhys raised an eyebrow, feeling the scarf around his neck tighten as he swallowed. “What do you mean by ‘further drama’?”

“There seems to be more to Renatus than we’re aware of, considering that the Higher Authority has turned their attention to him. We’re not completely sure yet, but Hiram and I theorise that the Higher Authority’s entanglement with Godric is a lot more complicated than we think, especially given that their precious Death Dealer isn’t there to help them out…and well, for other obvious notorious political reasons,” she replied, fixing up her hair into a tighter bun. “On a lighter note, how did your date with that dweller go?” 

Rhys rolled his eyes at having to force himself to recollect such a mundane thing, even though it was just last night. “They were…nice, I guess? They invited me to bed, which was flattering, but we didn’t go that far. Truthfully there wasn’t anything special about them, so I left after dinner. Even the food was less bland than their personality.” 

Considering that he didn’t need to rely on sustenance like everyone else, eating food wasn’t really a luxury for him, let alone anything special, unless it was with Renatus. Somehow, the cheeky grin that spread across his cheeks whenever he ate his favourite dishes made even the blandest of food taste well-seasoned. 

“You need to move on someday, given how Renatus has been going on about Vaina all these years. He may as well be chasing a ghost,” Alyse said sternly. She carelessly threw the letters into the trash, finally taking a sip out of her now cooled down coffee. “Till death do them part, I guess.”

He deeply sighed at her lecture, his heart still fluttering at the mere recollection of Renatus’ candid smiles. The thought of letting go of someone he’d kept so close to his heart for so long was unbearable to think about, especially considering how he would unconditionally stay by his side for countless nights when no one else would. The reassurance that he provided him without expecting anything in return saved him each and every time, with even the strongest of terrors eventually ceasing with just his presence alone. 

“It just feels wrong to go on a date with someone else when I still harbour feelings for no one but Ren. The only person I could think about during the entire date was him, which I think is unfair for the other person’s expectations,” Rhys muttered beneath his breath.  

For that entire evening, the only thing racing through his mind was Renatus’ cheeky grin and the hearty laughter that he’d make whenever he found something remotely unsightly at the night markets which oddly warmed his heart, and had his face aglow. 

Alyse rolled her eyes whilst downing the rest of her coffee, unsure of what she was really expecting from him. “Goodness, you’re just as hopeless as Ren.” 

He mockingly scoffed at her in disbelief, resting a hand on his hip. “At least for me it won't end the same way as your last love. Oh wait, you’re not over her yet. Boo.” 

Suddenly, the back of his head was hit with a loud WHACK as the back of her palm struck him with lightning speed, and he laughed off the injury. “Just make sure he doesn’t get into more trouble with the Higher Authority…and make sure he comes back with clean clothes. He just received a new set of handmade knits.”

Rhys chuckled as he buttoned up the dark sleeves of his smoky grey coat, masking his displeasure. Handmade knits. There was only one person that could make them sturdy enough to Alyse’s satisfaction for Renatus’ sake, and he didn’t want the thought to linger any more than it already had. He adjusted his sunglasses to sit properly on his nose ridge before he opened the creaky stone door. 

“Of course. No blood-soaked clothes, no tears, no lectures…” 

He closed the door shut, creeping into the wispiness of the silent shadows as they whisked him away into the restless night.