Dysfunctional family

Chapter 1 || cold

Innocent Zero smiled eerily at Mash, while Domina was at the side. Watching the interaction unfold.

"Domina, where did you find him?" Domina perks up at his father's question, snapping out of his inner turmoil. "In the forest near the border, father.." he answered.

He made eye contact with Mash for a brief moment. Before avoiding his gaze in guilt, knowing he couldn't do anything to help.

"Let go of me" Mash states firmly, squirming in Innocent Zero's lap. He sighed at Mash's antics. Deciding to let go of the child. He expected Mash to be more obedient, more naive. So he could twist and bend him like Domina.

He let's Mash off his lap, still with that disturbing smile of his. "Domina, take your brother to his room, he needs rest."

"He must be not used to us, afterall.. he was taken from us."

{•••}

The two walked down the maze-like halls in silence, the tension obvious. "I want to go home.." Mash says, breaking the still air.

"This is your home.. brother"

"No, it's not. Stop calling me brother, it's creepy."

Mash looked down at the robes that was provided to him. Feeling slightly hot and uncomfortable. Plus, it was much more harder to move in. He couldn't even swing his fist properly.

"I don't like these clothes."

"You can get used to it." Domina assures him. "You can't even escape. There's guards guarding everywhere. A magic barrier was also placed. So you can't get out beyond the gate..." He looks Mash over his shoulder. Before staring ahead.

Mash didn't listen to anything he said, more focused on the uncomfortable robe that he wore, irked by how it was dragging through the floor.

"What was that you said?.."

Mash finally looks at his direction, finding the pink-haired child looking around. As if looking out for something. "What's wrong?" Domina glanced at him, before looking ahead. "It's nothing.."

{•••}

Mash followed Domina down the huge stairs, the temperature drastically changing. Domina held out his hand, and summons a lamp. Feeling the warmth from the flame.

"Over here.."

He pushes the dark door. Mash could only describe the room as one thing, dark. He didn't like any of this.

"This is where I stay?"

"Yes, my room is only across from yours." He gestured to the room that was across.

Click, click, click

Mash stares at where the source of the noise was at, hearing shoes tap against the floor. He squints his eyes, trying to see though the dark.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. There are... servants nereby, they walk around these halls." Domina said, unfazed.

When the unknown person walked in the vicinity of Domina's lamp light, though it took awhile for them to reach Mash and Domina, that was when Mash took a good look at them.

The nurse's.. face was covered in bandages that had dried blood. Wrapped around the entirety of her head. Her uniform was a basic scrub. Mash could see bruises around her arms. Multiple needles glinted at her pocket.

Mash recoiled slightly out of shock. As the nurse limp away, as if her leg was broken.

"Are you okay?" Mash snapped out of it when he hears Domina's voice.

"yeah.."

Domina offers a sympathetic gaze, "Don't worry.. they aren't really human.."

"What do you mean?" Mash confusedly looked at him.

"They aren't alive, they're more like machine." He explains.

Mash didn't question further, walking in the room. "It's cold" Mash rubbed his hands together.