He stood, his father roughly holding him up, as his brother was taken away by the men in iron.

His mother, bleeding on the floor. His sister, rushing to find bandages in a little wooden box.

His father, glaring at his brother.

Seil wasn't the target of his father's hatred, but he still felt fear shiver up his spine, his skin prickling with anxiety.

Watching Ezri getting taken away served as a warning to him. No one but Ailae could ever find out about his sight. Otherwise that'll happen to me.

Ailae had begun wrapping the bandage around his mother's wound. A sharp, perfect hole that poured out crimson onto the floor.

His father didn't move. He was fuming. He hated Ezri for what he did. Seil watched, still, like a spectator to the world.

But Seil knew one thing: everyone has a reason. Even the most terrible person has some reason to be terrible.

As soon as the iron soldiers had left the building, Seil slid out of his father's grasp and fell to the floor. Ignoring the splinters from torn wood, he crawled to where Ezri had been knocked unconscious by the soldiers, looking for anything that he could use.

Three small droplets of black water, with a tinge of salt, told Seil these were Ezri’s tears.

Slowly, he touched one of them.

Immediately, his head began to throb and his vision went dark. He tried to escape to his room, but only made it out to the hallway before blacking out.

When he opened his eyes again, his hands were not his hands - they weren't even human ones. He couldn't look around or scope the area, trapped in the perspective of this creature. His sight was strange - he was seeing too much around him. A fish swam by, and he realised for certain he was underwater. His - the - claws reached out to the fish, only for it to be frightened and flee. Seil used the opportunity to get a better glimpse of the claws he could see. White claws followed by white, rough scales. They lifted up, clutching a necklace, and finally Seil could hear their thoughts.

Seil took a moment to think, or tried to, through the creature's thoughts.

Seil continued to think. Does he have some connection to this creature? They look nothing alike… Ezri had dark scales on his hands and around his eyes, while this creature has rather pale scales.

Then the creature's thoughts grew stronger and more distressed. I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, I'm sorry… You hate me, don't you? You all hate me! The creature's tail whipped around, stirring up sand which flew up to block its sight.

And just like a kick to the stomach, Seil was thrown out of the vision.

When he came to, he was still in the hallway. He looked around, dazed, to see Ailae sitting next to him.

He coughed, his voice rough and cracked. “How long has it been?” 

Ailae startled slightly and turned. “Two hours, give or take.”

Seil sat up, head spinning.

“What… Did you see?” Ailae asked.

“I didn't see Ezri. Some sea creature, I think, with a necklace. Everything was scared of it, and it was scared…” of being alone.

Ailae sighed. “Well, good riddance. Glad Ezri's finally gone. What a jerk.”

Seil protested. “He's our broth-”

Ailae cut him off. “He's your brother. I don't want anything to do with that freak. At least you look normal.”

Seil flinched. His optimistic view of his sister was trembling before his very eyes. So, he gave up and 

let it shatter.

“Maybe it's your fault this happened. No, it's our fault. Have you ever thought about how he feels? He's hurt and betrayed by our parents, just like you are, yet you treat him like garbage. He didn't start it, he never fought back against your bullying, until eventually it all boiled over and his Irregularity exploded! It's our fault our mother is lying in the kitchen, with a stupid knife in her stomach! Ezri's the victim, not you!”

Ailae looked at him in shock. Her quiet, optimistic brother had finally cracked.

Seil continued. “You know mother treated him differently! She spoke to him so condescendingly it made him want to puke! What did he ever do to deserve it? She called herself his mother without ever putting any real effort into being a mother to him! How would you feel if Ezri's father spoke to you like that? Maybe he'd have a knife in his stomach, knowing your temper! So shut up! Shut up!!”

He gasped for breath. Where had that come from? It was as if his heart had boiled over. Is this how Ezri had felt?

He sighed. Brothers, through and through.

Ailae spoke softly. “Well, he's gone now… probably dead.”

Seil buried his head in his knees, and let a new vision come.