Siege

this beast that you're after will eat you alive (i)

Summary:
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"Then, allow me to explain 'whatever has gotten into me'," she echoed his words meaningfully. "It's a waste of time and resources to investigate the goons when we could directly investigate the mastermind... because I have a clue of who it is."

Every soul in the room listened anxiously.

She met their eyes with nothing but utter seriousness in her face as she spoke, "This might be quite the shock, but we have been betrayed. By a relative, no less."

Notes:
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More will be revealed today.

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The world was a little quieter.

Everyone's hearts were a little heavier, too.

On a gloomy morning in the blanched snowy land of the north, where the cold was more dreadful than usual, a flock of crows flew overhead the manor of the late duke and duchess. 

As a somber cello played on the lounge, its melody solemn and overflowing with sadness, a stoic-faced man looked outside the window. His hands folded over his chest as he watched the townspeople who climbed the cruel paths of the mountain put flowers in front of the manor as a gesture of respect. The white tulips lay almost unnoticeable over the snow-covered earth but still, they sparkle like rough gems under a dirty surface.

Leoric Vincent could not freely shed tears like the others. He cannot. As the eldest, he is now the head of the house. If he breaks, who will his siblings lean onto? Who will the people turn to? He must be stoic and stone-hearted like a rock. But ever so little, he cannot help the small cracks that creep their way to his steeled will. 

After all, he is but a child who has lost the lifelong pillars that hold him steady on the ground. 

However, the cello player in the same room could not fight their tears. 

The warm liquid streamed down endlessly on their cheeks as they mournfully weave the bow to cry a melodious song. Carmilla trusted the cello would express her feelings for her. So, she and her cello cried until sundown, together creating a heart-wrenching masterpiece that aided everyone in the manor who was suffering in silence.

Deep inside the forest trailing behind the manor, Carmilla's twin sat atop a tree branch, fiddling with his fingernails. He nibbled on them, observing the gloomy sky. It was as if the sky was mourning with them, he thought. 

Ellis Gregory was not usually quiet. On normal days, he'd be bickering with his twin, but currently, that twin is drying all liquid in her body to produce tears inside the manor and he is just not ready to see her so broken. His twin is not often this good at cello. She only gets better at playing it when incorporated with her emotions. And now, as she plays so magnificently, Eli is led to believe his sister must be an utter emotional wreck. And he wants to be as far away as possible.

For he was not an empath and he despise strong emotions. He did not even want to shed a tear and it pains him so because it is his parents that died. But he cannot. Else he will explode and end up not only mourning his parents but also his siblings. 

Perhaps also shave the mountain, because he is a ticking time bomb.

A soft whimper to ask her state and a gentle nudge of its nose, its whiskers gently brushing her arm. The king of the jungle lay docile with Lilith, the twelve-year-old Trivith. She stroked its fur, the lion—Yor—grieved with her as they lay on her chambers' cold floor. Tears continued to race down her face as she quietly cried. She never wailed or screamed—not like the others. 

She never does. She never could. 

She was already short of breath after weeping until the sun went down. She had locked themselves in her chambers, her attendants powerless outside as they wait for her to open the door herself. She'll come out when she's ready. But for now... to the best mother and father she could ever ask for... she'll let her heart ache.

Yor nuzzled closer to her, the 10-feet long lion acting anything but as it comforted its master and friend. The two grew up together, Lilith's silence barely a hindrance to their strong bond. The lion curled itself with her and kept her warm on the cold floor. It was quiet and comforting. 

Nobody may hear a thing, but it was the loudest Lilith's ever been.