Sugar - Vessel / SleepToken ff

~ 27~

A/N

D I S C L A M E R

Mentions of SH and stuff

.<<• Jade •>>.

The screams shattered the night, echoing through the walls of my silent cabin like the crack of thunder in a storm. I jolted upright, heart pounding, a phantom weight pressing down on my chest. I knew something happened. My thoughts became a blur as I stood up a d rushed towards the door. As I went to open it I hear the words that broke me. " III's gone, he's dead".

My brother II stood at my door, pale and shaken, swaying slightly as if struggling against an unseen force. His eyes were wide, haunted. "I- I killed him... I- I didn't mean to I just-"

The words hung heavy in the air, thick with the weight of dread. "You did it?" I choked out, disbelief clawing at my throat.

He shook his head frantically, but what came out in a rush of breath was a confession, "I didn’t want to! It just happened! Please, you have to believe me!"

But fear gripped me tighter than my brother's grasp. Somewhere, deep down, a flicker of doubt ignited. Kaine had always been one to deny things he's not proud of, but this I could understand. He  clearly couldn't believe that it had happened.  What reason would II have to hurt III?

Before I could ponder longer, figures emerged from the shadows. Sleep has heard word of this already, and he came to retrieve us. Vessel and IV came and grabbed my brother in a firm grip, he struggles to get free but it was no use.

As he was dragged away from me, I felt his panic surge. "You must tell them, please—" But the others pulled him into the pathways outside, leaving me alone with Sleep.

"You stand accused of harboring a murderer," Sleep intoned, voice smooth yet sharp as a blade. "You know the consequence of lies, child. Speak the truth, and you may save your own life."

Panic gripped me like iron chains; sweat drenched my cloths and my palms. "He didn’t mean to!" I gasped, desperation flooding my words. "II didn’t kill him, he—"

Sleep leaned in, his breath cold against my skin. "You’ve been given one last chance, dear child. If your brother truly took III's life, and you deceive me to protect him, I will ensure you both face a fate worse than death. But if you tell me the truth, he will be punished, yes, but you will live."

"Please," I stumbled over my words, "he’s my brother! He couldn’t have—"

Vessel, standing in the corner, appearing out of this air as he does, shook his head slowly. The look in his eyes was a mixture of pity and admonishment. He understood the web we had woven, and the consequences of the threads I was hesitating to cut. I imagined him as a reflection of my soul, witnessing the truth I've been too frightened to face.

This was the moment of reckoning—self-preservation versus brotherly love. I closed my eyes, grappling with the truth that unfurled inside my mind. What would happen to II if I betrayed him? But then, what would happen to us both if I lied? The weight of the choice bore down on my shoulders, a suffocating burden.

"I... I want to tell the truth," my voice came out barely above a whisper, wobbling like a fragile leaf. My heart raced as I opened my eyes to meet Sleep’s unyielding gaze.

"Speak now," he commanded, every syllable resonating like the tolling of a bell.

I inhaled deeply, steeling myself for the inevitable fallout. "It was II," I confessed, each word dancing on the edge of a knife. My voice trembled as I fought against the tears that threatened to spill.