Click-clacking against the floor were pitch black shoes, belonging to a tall pale man whose hair was as dark as the night sky. Panic was painted all over his face, sweat beads at his forehead as he rushes through the harrowed halls of a rotting mansion by a sea whose water seemed to be nothing more than liquid darkness.
"Shul'Ka, that brat…" he said under his breath. He took note of the hidden eyes that watched his every move. "Camille." He grumbled, then sighed. "Camille, meet me by the roundtable. Shul'Ka's done something stupid again. I'm sure you already know what I'm talking about." The man fixed up his attire, consisting of a dapper black suit and tie, and black pants. The eyes that hid in the walls, in the nooks and crannies that were spread throughout the dark hall, all simultaneously disappeared in a flurry of butterflies that went up in a black flame.
But before the man could take another breath, space warped around him, his eyes narrowed and his fists balled up. He took a deep breath and watched with crossed arms, his feet tapped in rhythm to the pulsating mana that the spatial anomaly was emitting.
With a bright flash, the space around the man finally stabilized, the wind around him was that of the outside world, the world beyond the Abyssal Trenches. His suspicions were correct, Shul'Ka had punched a hole through the barrier around the Black Sea and went on another one of his 'adventures', a euphemism for a mass genocide to gather up food to sate his appetite.
"Sh-Oh. It's you. Where is your master?" The man's voice was full of disappointment.
In front of him was a pillar of writhing limbs that had trouble fitting in the hallway, fins were present along the limbs that made it up, eyes can be seen in the spaces in-between limbs. While mouths can be seen forming from the random slits that would appear and disappear on each of the limbs.
"I am here." The mouths opened to convey the words being spoken from within it. The voice was a horrible cacophony of tortured souls in agony. An orchestra of the damned, of those devoured by Shul'Ka, the Glutton.
The limbs unravelled and dissolved into the ground, revealing a little boy of 8. Though it looked human, on closer inspection, it would be glaringly clear that it was far from one. Hands that reached down to its knees, eyes that had no soul or thought behind them despite it being a colourful gradient of pinks and blues, and razor sharp teeth that seemed too straight, too perfect, to be normal. Stitches can also be seen scattered throughout its body, the most obvious one being the ones that held its face together.
It wore an attire that looked a lot like a prince's, a plain white shirt, a navy blue jacket adorned with golden buttons, black leather belt and plain black pants. Though, it looked aged, damaged, and dirty, as if it hadn't been taken off and washed or mended in decades.
Before the little "boy" could greet the man, a fist was already sent flying his way. But a limb-like appendage sprouted from his chest and stopped it quite easily. Shockwaves powerful enough to shake the walls of the hall emanated from the effortless block.
"Do you have any idea what you have done!? How many people did you devour this time? If the church of that hypocritical goddess catches wind of this, then we'll have even more trouble sneaking in, and out, of this place!" The man yelled.
"Relax, Bee, I didn't go out to feed. Funny story, actually. I was summoned!" The little monster retracted the appendage that shot out from its chest and smiled at the man, apparently named Bee.
"Quit your bullshit! And stop calling me that. Who would be braindead stupid enough to summon you? The only summoners capable of even contacting you, are all smart enough not to."
"Well, it was a child. He was so cool! His mana was so delicious. It was so addicting, but I knew that I'd get yelled at again if I left any witnesses alive, so I used my magic and poofed him to a random forest to die. I do not think that a child of three years old has the capacity to live in the wild. After that tiny encounter I just strolled around different places for sight-seeing and immediately went back home. Which is right here."
"...Tsk, my skill says that you are not lying. Well, as long as you didn't do anything to catch the attention of the church, I guess it is fine." Bee sighed heavily, when a swarm of fiery butterflies came flying in from behind him. The butterflies formed the small form of a little girl, around the same age as Shul'Ka.
"It seems that you have found him. I told you, it is fine. Shul'Ka may not be any smarter than a rock, but he wouldn't do anything that would hinder the Lady's resurrection." The little girl voiced out.
"You didn't say anything of the sort." Bee took a deep breath to compose himself.
"Ah, I must've forgotten to use the telepathy skill. Apologies." The girl, made up of flaming butterflies, bowed.
"Why are you using your butterflies, Camille? Can't you run over here yourself? It's really rude, you know, to speak to others in that form." Shul'Ka expressed its opinion about Camille's form of communication, it wasn't that big of a stickler for manners, but Lilianna always urged Camille to show herself personally. So now that she is gone, at least for now, it's the one that urges her to show herself.
"Ah, I have a valid reason to not move from my room. I am currently observing the migration of the current generation of Diancias. The ones displaced by the church's attack. It seems they want to move away from the Forest of Illusions to protect Lilianna's tomb and keep it hidden."
"Oh? Well what about their youngest child? The candidate? Is he fine?" Bee asked Camille.
"He's dead. Apparently. I do not know the cause of death yet, I have to go on-site to find out. My eyes can only see so much, after all."
"Such a shame, he was such a bright little star. Well, there are other candidates anyway, just a bit disappointing as he was the most promising one."
A comfortable silence filled the hallway, a way to respect the death of the Diancias' youngest child.
"Anyway, I have to go! My limb monster needs a bit more tweaking to be a better vessel for me to hide in." Shul'Ka distorted the space around him, and disappeared in a flash of light.
"That child… I can't believe Lilianna ever allowed him to become an Eye. He won't ever be mature enough for the job." Bee mumbled, he didn't exactly know why Lilianna ever gave such a big responsibility to Shul'Ka. He always questioned it, but he knew Lilianna was always ten steps ahead of others, so he never really complained.
"Well, if we're done here. I will be dissolving this body." Bee nodded, and continued walking at a calmer, and more relaxed pace. Patrolling the harrowed halls. While Camille's body of butterflies turned into mouths, ears, and eyes, then hid themselves in the hallway.
"So, Shul'Ka. You have something to say, don’t you." Camille said, not moving an inch from her bed, where she conducts her daily task of observing the outside world and spying on people of interest. Her black eyes let out a sinister aura, and her hair, that seemed to be made out of threads of gold with how shiny and yellow it was, cascaded into pretty curls.
"Yes." Shul'Ka wore a serious expression. "The child I met… the one that summoned me. His mana, and the way he reacted… he's my younger brother, isn't he? The one Lilianna kept telling us about before we lost contact with her because of the Arks…" he fidgeted, "he looked so weak…but even then he was able to withstand Car'Charuth's [TERRIFY] aura…and well, you know what that means. I had to give him my blessing and teleport him near a random city in the West, just in case. Please don't report me."
"Mmm, interesting… do not worry, I will make sure this stays between the two of us. I wouldn't know until I see him myself, if he truly is the child that Lilianna keeps on blabbing about. It's been a bit of a while since I last did some personal scouting, so please, accompany me." Camille stood up from her bed, and summoned a magic ball to record everything that her eyes could see while she was out and about.
"Aah, are you sure? If Bee finds out about this, we'll both be punished. We're not supposed to go outside after all. I don't want to be locked up again, I'll get way too hungry…" Shul'ka voiced his concerns.
"Well, we'll have to go either way. They found out that you slipped out of the heavenly barrier put in place by the church. The kid described you and they realised he was talking about you. You'll have to take down the messengers, and I'll handle the rest. I'll make them forget about you. Do not worry."
"I'm really sorry Lady Camille. I messed up again. But me being summoned wasn't a lie at all! But yeah, everything else is my fault..." Shul'Ka sulked, and twiddled his fingers.
"It is fine, you are still a child after all. You are prone to mistakes, that is not something to be ashamed of, it is a minor one after all, one that can be fixed easily. Do not fret. Lilianna would hate to see you all nervous like this."
"Thank you, Lady Camille. I hope one day I can be as dependable and mature as you." Shul'Ka timidly smiled, his teeth as sharp as knives showed, it was adorable in a grotesque kind of way.
"Ah, you flatter me, Shul'Ka. I am one of Lilianna's older subjects, after all. My age comes with wisdom, maturity, and knowledge. Maybe when you're a bit older, you'll be able to break through the constraints put on your mind by those evil bastards, and you'll be exactly like the rest of us." Camille pat Shul'Ka's head with a smile that didn't fit her youthful look, it was a smile that only those centuries old could pull off. It was a solemn, and kind one.
"Thank you, Lady Camille. But I've accepted that I won't ever be as mature or smart as any of the other Eyes, I'll just compensate with my power." Shul'Ka smiled back, his was an innocent and immature one, one that someone would expect from a child as old as he looked.
"Eugh, don't ever give up. Lilianna never gave up on her goals, never called quits even when she was outnumbered and threatened by the gods themselves, she pushed back." Camille turned away from Shul'Ka and gathered crimson butterflies around herself, attempting to transform her body. "It's unbecoming for an Eye to give up and settle for less. Remember, Shul'Ka, greed is good. It runs the world. I'm not saying this as an Eye, but as a wiser, and older individual. Do not settle for less in this world full of ravenous sharks."
"Uh, excuse me, Lady Camille. But what are sharks?" Shul'Ka asked, as he watched Camille transform into an older lady, wearing noblewoman clothing. Her outfit was pink in color and resembled something you'd see in a ball. She now looked like a woman in her early 30's.
"You needn't know now, I'll tell you later. Time is against us, we must intercept that message no matter the cost. Or else the Black Sea might get fully closed off from the outside world. Transport us. I've given Bee a lot of work today, it should keep him busy as we fix the little mistakes that you've made here and there.” She turned once more to face the child, looking down at him with a confident smile. “With the hole made by your summoning, I’m sure that passing through would be a breeze now. I haven’t seen the sun in quite some time, I’d love to feel its heat once more.”
It's always fine to take your time with uploads. Hope you stay safe!
Thank you for understanding!