Read Of Everlasting End :: 03 | crazy; the look in their eyes (part I)

[they want to live at whatever cost]

——xxx——

Family was a difficult and cruel thing.

People craved it, an inherent desire for a home, belonging. Somewhere they could return to. Sometimes, people were born into families that lived with hatred, that yelled and shouted, that were everything that an ideal family should not be.

Lucas Silvius was lucky enough to be blessed with a fortunate family.

The silver ring that hung around his neck was marked in his mother's legacy, a representation of his heart and soul.

But when things were perfect, tragedy hit in such more terrible ways.

Because his world shattered in an event that took mere moments to announce their death, stealing away their life, for good. A forever farewell that he never had the change to say. And everything changed.

Broke.

Mourning could be loud, but it could also be subtle.

He was the former, and his brother was the latter. And perhaps it was that clash of emotions, familiar yet portrayed in such different ways, that drew them apart.

Lucas, always quiet and subtle, a daydreamer whose singular hobby was to doze off and imagine strange scenarios, spontaneously stopped showing up at school.

Getting into fights, rebelling against his class.

He joined a gang, rose to the top and had his name feared among the streets. And then he cut ties with his sole family, a reminder of what he'd lost. A person who wore a matching ring, belonging to their father.

Lucas sighed, stepping back to mix with the crowd of people, tugging his hood further over his cloudless eyes. Weaving through the gaps in between, something gleamed in the corner of his eye and he turned, before following the glass heels that clicked on stone.

He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, miss."

The woman stopped, large green eyes blinking at him, glancing around. "Me?"

Lucas smiled a faint, melancholic smile that seemed to be a mirage.

He lied through his teeth without flinching. "I'm sorry to stop you. You're beautiful, and I had to call out."

He took a page out of one of the gang members terrible flirtation techniques that always seemed to work.

She flushed. "Oh dear, you couldn't possibly be referring to me."

"I'm a shoe designer, and I noticed how beautiful yours are, along with your dress."

"Ah, this? It was something I found stored away, nothing important." Her eyes sparkled with light flattery—Lucas noticed immediately, tilting his head.

"I've been looking for a similar pair for a while now."

"Really? It's really nothing—"

Lucas took a step forward politely, shaking his head as he lowered his relaxed eyes. The glass slippers were necessary to leave, and he would do anything to obtain it—his gaze seemed to sparkle with that greedy thought.

"I hope I can find something similar." Then, he tilted his head to a nearby stall, and gestured towards a delicate, elegant boot. "Won't your feet hurt soon?"

"Ah, really, it already does, but what can I do?" She sighed helplessly. "I need to return soon, so it must do."

He glanced at the shoe seller, raising his hood slightly to show a wisp of his identity. "I don't have money, but if you send a bill to the palace, I can pay you double. Let me buy that boot."

The seller widened his eyes and nodded quickly, pushing the leather to him.

He picked it up and turned to place it at the girl's feet. "If you want, walk around with that instead."

"May I?" A smile bloomed on her lips. "Why, how lovely, thank you! In return, um, perhaps would you like these glass slippers? Although it may be strange to offer when I've worn them myself..."

"I'll accept your gift with gratitude."

They made an exchange, and Lucas carefully wrapped up the conversation before they parted ways. If he remembered correctly, there should be an item description.

Wait... did he have to carry all the shoes by hand?

He shook his head, raising the shoe slightly. A row of text floated in front of his stare.

[Glass Slipper (common)

Description: A regular, useless shoe that isn't comfortable to walk on. Useful for tripping or harming other people's feet.

Additional: Added <foul-smelling> bonus. Stealing a shoe from a maiden whose already worn it? What is that called? Perverseness! However, her feet have added the additional affect of making somebody who smells it pass out temporarily. Good work!]

"....." He tucked it away into his belt loop temporarily.

By the end of the day, when night begun to fall, he already gained fifteen shoes through careful speech and sly flattery. He had to buy a bag to carry it back in, all carrying rather odd additional comments.

It was too easy. Lucas sighed, and approached the area the carriage should've been waiting.

Nothing was there. Only tracks where it should've been, showing that it had already left. In fact, there was something there—a small note, pressed down by a jagged stone.

He crouched down, skimming over the bold strokes.

'I've finished my tasks, so I'm heading back first, Master. I'm sure somebody of your caliber can find another way back. Signed, Your Most Loyal Butler.'

Lucas stood up nonchalantly, before stepping on the paper and rubbing it into the ground with a frown.

That irritating man... should he go back at beat him up?

However, if they were to be living in the same area until the end of the instance, it wouldn't be a good idea. To directly beat him up wasn't a great idea, but...

First, he had to find a way back.

It wasn't difficult when Lucas had a strange skill of convincing and manipulating others despite his indifferent stare, a strange sort of charm that compelled people to him.

When he arrived, the skies were painted in pitch. He stepped off the cart he'd stolen a ride in, and stared at the carriage that innocently stood at the gates.

He stared at it a little longer before crouching down at the wheels in the dead of night, his curled up figure sneakily tinkering with the wheels.

He crudely snapped a few pieces underneath and between with the heel of one of the slippers until he felt like he'd broken enough.

Satisfied, he went to his room and dreamed bountiful dreams.

Well, in fact, Lucas Silvius dreamed of blurry monochrome, of shapes and sights he could not remember. He wasn't even sure if they counted as dreams, when they were more black and white visuals, sometimes pure black that passed in a blink of an eye.

The day started with a sickening greeting.

Lucas groaned, sleeping like the dead. He murmured a soft 'shut up' before comfortably pulling his pillow closer. His eyes remained shut, oblivious to the voice.

He settled further into his blankets (silky-soft, made for a prince) and fell into quiet breathing.

<Hey, hey! I can't continue my ever so important speech if you are not all listening. And I can be very, very grumpy if people don't listen... mn... should I keep my no killing rule...?>

Lucas snored softly. Almost mocking, even in his sleep.

<.....> Cinderella hadn't predicted that a Character would be able to sleep so soundly in this terrible situation where their lives were put at risk.

Then, the door slammed open, kicked by a pair of long legs that calmly strolled in.

The man, hidden by a mask, glanced at the piece of unmoving stone on the bed, raising his eyebrows in amusement. He walked over, staring at the flutter of lashes, then moved down to lift the blanket up.

He grabbed Lucas' ankles with a firm grip.

And dragged the dead-weight off the bed effortlessly.

Lucas slid against the floor, gradually opening his eyes, and yawning indifferently before peering around at the cold, carpeted ground (pretty comfortable, actually) and then up at the man. The impact had no affect to him.

"What the hell do you want?"

His irritating butler stared at him in disbelief before tapping his ears.

<Ahem, ahem. Now that you're all finally up, pay attention!>

Lucas scowled, rolling over. "You woke me up for something meaningless?"

<...I said, pay attention! Now! The ball will occur tomorrow, and this [Story] shall play out the duration as the original tale. Your shoe collecting deadline will be soon! And now, let me tell you a little fun fact,>

A giggling smile laced her voice, excited.

29 dead, in the span of one day.