Good Things Never Last

Chapter 71

"Meet me at the front door in five minutes okay?"
I tilted my head as I glanced up at the boy, my eyes furrowed in confusion.
"I don't know where that is..."
The boy became a panicked mess for a couple of seconds as his masked face darted around the room.
"Right yeah, sorry I forgot. Just go down the hall and you'll find the spiral staircase that leads to an open planned room. I'll wait for you there"
He left in a hurry after that, leaving me slightly less confused than I was before.

I guess this was my life now.

It took me a few moments to gather myself, but once I did, I didn't feel like going out the door. My feet actually turned and proceeded in the opposite way, towards the bedside table I'd noticed before. My hand was lingering over the woollen material I'd noticed when I awoke the next thing I knew. I slowly lowered my hand onto the soft cloth cautiously before picking it up. It appeared to be some sort of hat? A beanie maybe? Something drew me to whatever it was, but I couldn't figure out what it was. It seemed as if we were attached, and I wouldn't be myself without it.

I lowered it onto my head slowly, making sure the beanie was perfectly positioned before walking over to the door and creaking it open. I stood at the end of a long corridor that was deafeningly quiet except for the sound of my own breathing. Every stride I took, the wood beneath my feet creaked under my weight, startling me every time. As I moved down the passage, eventually spotting a stone spiral staircase, voices began to echo against the walls. It felt like an eternity.

"I still don't think this is a good idea"
There was a brief silence as I took a step down the stairwell, trying to listen to their conversation.
"It's what needs to be done, she can't be involved with all this"
I froze in my spot. They were talking about me, that's for sure, but what wasn't I meant to be involved with? But what I was more interested in was why both voices sounded exactly the same, just like the masked man who had talked to me minutes before.

"I'm only helping you because I want the best for her, you know that right?"
I heard a huff of agreement as I peeked over the stair railing, catching sight of not one, but two figures. The person with their back to me was dressed in jeans and a bright green hoodie with the hood up, just like my alleged old friend Dream. The other, on the other hand, was wrapped in a green cloak that seemed to float in a breeze that didn't exist. Its hood fitted comfortably on its head, exposing only a few strands of sandy blond hair. He had a mask that was quite similar to the other male's, only this one had an X to my left and a D directly next to it. Both symbols had a dark liquid oozing out of the marks, but it seemingly deteriorated as soon as the liquid flowed down from the mask. A halo-like ring floated above his head, giving him a godlike appearance.

My gaze continued down until it stopped at where his feet were supposed to be, yet there was nothing there. He was floating roughly fifteen inches off the ground with no legs in sight, only the hem of his cloak. The letters just stared in my direction, which confused me as I was barely visible in my now crouched position. As I straightened up and resumed my descent, the entity's lingering eyes seemed to capture the attention of the other slightly more familiar masked boy.

Once my feet reached the ground, I rounded the staircase that sat in the centre of the room to where the two men originally stood, only now there was just one.
"Right we gotta go Y/N, I don't have much time"
I just blinked with confusion as the blond seemed unconcerned with the weird floating male's disappearance.

He then abruptly turned around and walked straight to the door.
"You coming?"
I simply nodded as I rushed over to him, which elicited a chuckle from the taller man. I came to a halt, slightly taken aback, as he held the door open for me and stepped back, allowing me to pass.
"What?"
I locked eyes with the mask briefly before I put my head down and walked out.
"Nothing"

I had missed the cold breeze against my skin as I stared up at the sky of what appeared to be an early winter morning. I was too preoccupied with taking in my surroundings to notice the masked man walking ahead of me, forcing me to speed walk to catch up. We walked in silence for what seemed like an eternity as the sun slowly rose, showering us with gold rays. When a black building appeared in the distance, a powerful arm was placed in front of me.

"You can't go any further, not yet anyway"
I turned to face the male, his figure towering over my own.
"Why?"
"This"
He extended his arm out in front of us, displaying the wall to me.
"Is L'Manburg, a place once part of my lands but separated out of selfishness and delusion. We've been at war against the pathetic excuse of a nation several times, each ending with us victorious in the long run. But a new president has recently come to power and he needs to be put in his place to say the least"

As I examined the wall, I felt his covered eyes scan over me. What he said seemed reasonable from my perspective.
"Why's there a wall there?"
The male muttered something before turning away from me and returning his gaze to the enclosed country.
"That's for me to worry about. Now, as I was saying, during these wars, we sent you in as a spy to befriend the locals. You were the most valued asset of our team, which is why I need to ask you a favour"
I slowly nodded, still processing the load of information he'd just given me in my head.  So I was a traitor for the greater good, but does that justify me betraying those people's trust?
Maybe I was overthinking it, but Dream didn't seem to mind, and they had already abused his trust, so they deserved it.

"I don't really know the intentions of this new president and I was wondering if I could get your help with working out what exactly that is"
I nodded slowly once more, still comprehending what had just been said to me.
"Anything. I practically owe my life to you Dream. You took me in when you didn't need to, so I'll be happy to help with anything"
I briefly smiled up at the boy before my eyes darted back to the tall walls.
"What do you want me to do?"

"I was wondering if you'd do some sneaking around for me, watching over them at nightfall to make sure they do as they're supposed to"
My face lit up at the thought of sneaking around in the darkness, completely invisible to the people around me.
"Now that, sounds like fun"
Dream let out a low chuckle as he turned to face me once again.

"Brilliant, you can start tonight"
His grin could be heard in his voice, and I couldn't help but laugh a little too.
"Now do you remember the way back? I have some unfinished business to tend to"