And Then, There Was Fire.

twenty one.

2 1   Y E A R S   A G O

He stood there idly on the dark marble floor, slipping a hand in the pocket of his black slacks, eyeing the large ballroom in the large estate that he once called home. His eyes finally fell back on the cousin that called him back to the large mansion he now stands in, having been years since he's last been there.

"Surprised you showed up." His cousin spoke first from across the room as he slowly paced the floor looking out of the wall-to-ceiling arched window.

Neveredes placed his fingers from his free hand on the button of his black dress jacket to his suit, unbuttoning it as he began to pace slowly while keeping his eyes on his cousin.

"Did I have a choice?" He replied, relaxing his arm to his side as his suit's blazer now exposed the rest of his white button-up underneath.

His cousin turned around, beginning to pace down the end of the long room. He smirked while eyeing Neveredes as they slowly kept their distance far away from each other while walking along the 45-chaired dining table on the opposite of each other.

"Nev, stop it." He sung out with a smirk. "You always had a choice."

Neveredes returned his sarcastic grin while tilting his head in his direction, stepping slowly. "Did I, Luci?"

Luciferedes' smile faded, turning again as he paced back down his side of the room. "Staying in that God-awful universe with mortal beings was definitely a choice."

"Not when you're planning genocide if I hadn't returned here." Neveredes replied.

Luciferedes slowly turned to face his direction with an opened, yet shocked, smile. "Genocide?" He touched his chest referring to himself in sarcasm. "Me? That's a bold accusation."

"I know what you've been up to. You can cut the act." Neveredes acknowledged calmly as he continued to pace the floors, his eyes moving from the floor for a moment of time, and back to Luciferedes.

"If that's the case," He began before pausing, turning on his heels as he now faced the direction of the ballroom, gazing at Neveredes who was now at the opposite end of the room. "Why did you return........ here?"

Neveredes stopped in his steps as he stared at Luciferedes, now placing his other hand into his pocket as he sighed, leaving Luciferedes to answer his own question.

"Oh, you're here to stop me?" He almost scuffed as a smirk pulled on one side of his mouth again.

Neveredes still refused to respond, staring down the ballroom at his cousin.

"And here I was, thinking you came back to your responsibilities-"

"What happened to my brothers, Luci?" Neveredes interrupted him, asking calmly with both hands in his pockets still.

Luciferedes nervously scuffed, looking from both sides of the room and back to Neveredes.

"I'm not sure I follow-"

Within an instant, he watched a blur from Neveredes' speed rush away from his position within a blink of an eye. He rolled his eyes as he felt Neveredes behind him already, his arms wrapped around to lock one arm behind his back and Neveredes' other arm around his neck with the back of his hand tightly placed behind his head.

Unable to move in his grip, Luciferedes remained calm, expecting his visit to go this route.

"Don't fucking play with my time." Neveredes whispered closely in his ear. "What happened," He almost struggled in his whisper as he fought Luciferedes' strength subtly, but was clear his abnormal strength overpowered Luciferedes'. "to my brothers?"