Sequin was completely losing it. What on earth was a charred corpse doing here, in his own apartment, no less? His heart raced as he scanned the room, noticing that none of the other items appeared harmed. However, upon closer inspection, he spotted a trail of ashes leading from his window to the couch. Had someone broken in? Or was this some bizarre scenario he could barely comprehend?

He checked the window's lock, which showed no signs of tampering. Odd... How could this have happened without a breach?

"What the hell is going on…?" he muttered under his breath, his voice barely a whisper against the eerie silence that enveloped the room.

With trepidation, he'd moved the body to his bedroom floor, each step feeling heavier than the last. The burnt skin obscured many features, but Sequin observed that the man wore a suit that looked expensive, now utterly ruined by the flames. There was also a... veil of some kind? It was as if this person had been buried properly but had been unceremoniously discarded here, like some forgotten relic.

A surge of panic clawed at Sequin's chest. Should he call the police? But how could he possibly explain this? A random, burned corpse suddenly appearing in his locked apartment while he was away? They would surely think he was involved, perhaps even complicit in whatever had occurred.

His thoughts raced as he tried to determine his next step. Leaving a dead body on his bed was not an option, but contacting the police seemed precarious. What if they dismissed his account? Having just returned from overseas, would they suspect him in some way? The very notion filled him with dread.

While he weighed his choices, Sequin noticed something peculiar. The burnt body lacked the scent of charred flesh. In fact, it bore no odor at all, which was all the more unsettling. Tentatively, he reached out to touch the blackened skin, driven by a mix of curiosity and horror.

To his astonishment, it disintegrated under his touch, leaving a dark powdery substance on his fingers. This wasn't charred flesh; rather, it was some bizarre ashy material enveloping the man's body. He attempted to dig beneath the layer, but it appeared the entire body was made of this strange substance. Sequin stared in disbelief at the powder on his fingers. This was no ordinary corpse—if it could even be referred to as a corpse.

He had to evaluate the situation and decide what to do next. Contacting the police was no longer an option—how could he possibly explain this?

Was this some cruel prank...? Sequin leaned closer to the body’s face, lifting the veil to examine it more closely. He could barely discern the features, but he could see where the eyes were closed. Against his better judgment, he forced one of the eyelids open.

To his shock, he was met with what appeared to be a glass eye, featuring a striking yellow iris and a dilated pupil, as though he were truly dead… until it suddenly locked onto him with an unsettling intensity.

Sequin recoiled, hitting his head against the wall. What the hell—?! He gaped at the body, its eye closing once more, and considered the chaotic mess he had stumbled into. The reality of his situation was spiraling out of control.

... Was it too late to think about calling the cops?

⋯

Christian had never wanted to know what it felt like to be shot in the eye, but regrettably, he had just gone through it. The sensation was beyond anything he could have imagined. Shortly after the pain throughout his body had faded, he felt an excruciating sensation radiating through the left side of his face. It felt as if a hot iron had pierced through his skin—

He collapsed again in agony, clutching his face and screaming, which caused Oswald and Hitomi to snap their heads to him in alarm, their expressions a mix of concern and irritation.

“Awww, is he giving you a kiss~” Oswald cooed, amusement lacing his tone, clearly enjoying the chaos.

“Eliminate yourself from the census.” Was all Christian could manage after clenching his jaw shut, his voice strained and low.

Christian gritted his teeth, the pain from his eye spreading like wildfire through his skull. He pressed his palm against the gaping wound, attempting to staunch the blood that was soaking through his fingers, feeling the warm slickness seep between them.

“Don’t be such a drama queen,” Oswald chuckled, arms crossed, leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face that only fueled Christian's frustration.

“Quiet!” Christian barked, though it came out more feebly than he intended. The bewilderment of the entire situation threatened to overwhelm him. Had this person seriously started messing with his eye—?? "It's your fault, Oswald, you put me in some stranger's home and now he's desecrating my body."

Hitomi looked back and forth between them, stammering, "W-well at least your eye isn't... bleeding so much anymore—?"

Christian huffed, getting to his feet and stomping away. He paced the expansive field, each step jarring against the pulsing pain in his face, making his heart race in tandem with the frantic thoughts swirling in his mind.

“Damn it!” He pressed a hand against the wall, feeling the rough surface scrape against his palm. “What was that about?”

Oswald laughed, a sharp sound that grated on Christian’s nerves. “Hey, you wanted me to handle your body—”

Christian shot him a glare that could shatter glass. “This isn’t what I agreed to. You don’t just—”

“Hey, lighten up! It’s not like I forced you into anything.” Oswald leaned back, pretending to be innocent, his casual demeanor infuriating Christian further.

“Tell that to my eye!” Christian growled, shaking his head as he tried to suppress the rising tide of anger and confusion. The throbbing pain was becoming unbearable.

Hitomi took a tentative step closer, their brow creased in concern. “Maybe we should get you cleaned up?”

"Don't touch me." Christian huffed, sitting down on the grass, feeling the cool earth beneath him, desperately seeking some semblance of calm.

Christian pressed his palm against the earth, grounding himself in the cool soil, trying to focus on the sensation rather than the pain. The throbbing in his eye pulsed like a cruel reminder of the predicament he found himself in.

“Don’t look so grim,” Oswald remarked, amusement lacing his voice. “You’ll scare off the flowers.”

Christian shot him another glare, teeth clenched. “Hilarious. I can't believe you thought this was a good idea.”

“Thought you wanted me to put your body somewhere saaaaaafe~” Oswald's grin widened, clearly enjoying the torment he was inflicting.

“I wanted you to place it somewhere it wouldn't be disturbed.” Christian dug his fingers into the ground, struggling to resist the urge to snap back. He needed to maintain focus, not allow Oswald to get under his skin. Christian rubbed his temples, feeling the heat emanating from his eye. “I don’t care if you thought it was safe. You can’t just dump me in a random house like that.”

Oswald chuckled, unfazed by the tension, his nonchalance grating on Christian’s nerves. “Random? Please. I chose that place because I knew it was abandoned. Had to ensure no one was home.”

“Yeah? Well, you’re lucky I don't put you somewhere random you heathen.” Christian winced as he leaned back against the rough bark of a tree.

“Aw, come on,” Oswald said, pushing off the wall and sauntering closer, his demeanor too relaxed for Christian's liking. “You know you love a little danger. Keeps things interesting.”

Christian shot him a look, irritation bubbling just beneath the surface. “Interesting? This is a nightmare.” He inhaled deeply, trying to compose himself amidst the chaos.

Hitomi glanced between them, biting their lip, clearly unsure of how to intervene. “Maybe we should—”

“Silence!” Christian snapped, startling Hitomi into taking a step back. He immediately regretted the outburst but couldn’t help it; frustration clawed at him like nails on a chalkboard.

“Chill out, man,” Oswald said, amusement still dancing in his eyes, seemingly unfazed by Christian's anger.

Christian rubbed his temples again, frustration simmering just below the surface, a storm waiting to erupt.

“Listen,” he said, forcing his voice to calm. “We need to figure out what just happened. This is beyond a joke, Oswald.”

Oswald raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by the gravity of the situation. “You’re right, let’s unravel this mystery! Maybe we should head back and see if the guy who has your body will poke your eye out again...” He snickered, clearly reveling in the absurdity of the moment.

“You are not helping!” Christian shot back, fighting the urge to throw himself at Oswald in frustration.

"Well, it's pretty clear Chrissy boy, someone's playing with your body~" Oswald drawled, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Maybe he has a crush on youu—"

"Silence."

Christian glared at Oswald, teeth clenched in irritation. The laughter echoed around them, bouncing off the trees and digging into his already frayed nerves.

“Look, I didn’t sign up for a circus show,” he snapped, hands balled into fists at his sides. “I need to understand what’s going on with this person before it escalates.”

Oswald shrugged, pretending to be indifferent. “Worse? This is quite entertaining, if you ask me.”

Christian tightened his jaw further, fighting the impulse to shove Oswald away. “What do you suggest then? Just sit here and wait for this guy to mess with my body even more?”

"Oh, I'd bet you'd love for your body to be messed with, Chrissy boy—"

"Quiet—just go and move it for real this time!" Christian yelled, prompting Oswald to raise his hands defensively, clearly taken aback.

"Fiiine… if you insist." And with that, Oswald was gone, disappearing into the shadows as quickly as he had appeared.

Christian paced in circles, the grass damp beneath his shoes. Each step sent jolts of pain through his face, but he needed to think. The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the field, darkening his mood even further.

He huffed loudly, exasperated. Why couldn’t Oswald just follow his instructions...? Christian rubbed his face again, feeling the heat radiating from his eye. It didn't hurt as much anymore… he tried to concentrate on what had transpired. Did he see anything through the eye..?

Christian reflected for a moment before visions surged into his thoughts, vivid yet vague. Hues that merged into one another without any boundaries. It resembled trying to derive significance from a Jackson Pollock artwork, chaotic and confusing.

He mentally paused at a single, clear image. An individual Oswald had described... tall, muscular, appearing of African descent... he couldn’t discern any further details beyond that, the memory slipping through his fingers like sand.

Christian silently scolded himself. He despised his poor vision, the way it betrayed him in moments of urgency.

⋯

Oswald carefully moved through the apartment, looking around corners as if on a covert operation, his instincts kicking into high gear. He crept toward the bedroom, cautiously peeking inside to catch sight of Christian's form. He released a soft sigh of relief. Thank goodness he had located it so swiftly; he couldn’t afford to lose track of Christian's body in this unpredictable situation.

Upon hearing a sound, he quickly recoiled from the entrance and caught sight of the person who had been interfering with Christian's body as they emerged from the shadows. Oswald silently berated himself—he simply could not be found. That individual would surely attempt to take him out if given the chance.

Based on the path the individual took, he could distinctly observe Oswald stepping into the bedroom. He would need to either move quickly or postpone it until later... Although Oswald relished in teasing Christian, he wasn’t keen on needing to come back for a third time if he could avoid it.

In the meantime, Sequin remained oblivious to the second intruder in his home as he rummaged through his cabinets, searching for anything still fresh that he could prepare. Oswald leaned in closer, ready to sprint for the room, but Sequin would turn just as he was about to make his move. It was a frustrating loop that continued until Sequin sighed, shut the cabinet, and returned to the bedroom, clearly defeated by his search.

Oswald watched again, seeing Sequin crouch before Christian's body. Oh god, he thought, Please don't mess with him more—

Sequin muttered something under his breath before lifting Christian's body and moving further into his room. Oswald strained his neck to catch a glimpse of what was happening, bewildered to see Sequin putting him… in a chest—!? Sequin piled two thick blankets over the body and shut the lid, sealing it as if it were some sort of macabre treasure.

Oswald returned back to a hiding spot, trying to think over his next course of action. What the hell could he do now?? He really was going to have to come back later if he seriously did need to grab the body…

… But it was in a safe spot now, wasn't it? Sequin seemingly wasn't going to mess with it anymore; he'd covered it with heavy blankets for hell's sake— Oswald seriously weighed his options before deciding on the chaotic option of just lying about moving it at all.

He disappeared from his spot, his presence now a ghost in the apartment, and nobody was any the wiser.