The Ghosts of Me

5

Perhaps Alain was not so much Fang for Philip, as Philip was part of a Fang for Alain? After all, Fang was known for being two parts of a whole. Alain had saved him, but now here he was, going to save Alain. The Prince was stuck with his abusive brother. It was obvious enough to notice, with the fevor of the two humans trying to find their way back. Philip was determined to help, after all, Alain had been nothing but kind to him, and had even stood up against his brother to help him, when Philip had foolishly gone running into things he should have stopped and waited for. 

"Do we know where he is being held?" Philip questioned softly, glancing at the other two as they snuck through the red planet. Personally, Philip preferred the blues of the one that he had been on. All the red was just...unnerving really. He was not really sure what to think of it. It did have its own charm, its own certain vibe of beauty, but it just did not compare. At first, Philip had thought it beautiful, but now he was just worried about the state Alain would be in, and whether he would be as covered in red as the sky was. 

"The dungeons, specifically a punishment dungeon that Adel had built for Alain. He took him there several times, but I was always ushered away by their sister." Philip seemed surprised that they would...be so cruel, these siblings. Still, it did not matter, because they had other things to do as they snuck through the palace. Three hearts beating hastily, rapidly, and three sets of breathing quiet, but coming in at a rapid pace. They were all anxious, having no idea how they were even going to manage to get Alain out of the planet, let alone what sort of position he was going to be in. Could he walk? If not it was going to be much more difficult to get him out of the place. 

Philip knew they were nearing the right place from the screams and pleas. IT was morbid, but Philip knew it was Alain due to the pitch. He had never heard Alain scream, but he knew that the boy's screams would be a certain level, and though he was not sure how he did, it didn't matter, because there was only one person screaming through the entire dungeon, and it was in the deepest corner. 

They huddled in a corner, Makoto shifting, tears streaming as he heard Alain's desperate please for mercy and grace, and Adel's dark malicious laughter streaming through the halls. Philip felt his own fingers curl into fists in anger at the mistreatment. IT was not right, and it most certainly was not okay. 

It took a while for it to be done, and this was long after Alain's voice had finally cut out. Philip did not know which was worse, hearing Alain's sobbing cries for mercy that was never going to come, or hearing whatever implement was being used slapping against flesh when the cries stopped coming. 

They did not have too much time to dwell, as not long later, there was a huff, a throw of something, and angry yanking sound, and then the taletale sound of a metal door opening before footfalls stormed down the hallway. Philip pressing himself and the other two against the wall as Adel stormed passed, not even noticing the three huddling close to the wall. Philip let out a soft sigh of relief once Adel had passed, and then left the dungeons. It did not take much longer for them to confirm he was not going to return, and they crept around the corner. 

It was a...a very unsightly scene. Alain was, in fact, covered in whipping marks, his clothes were all but ripped to shreds, and could hardly even be called clothes for what little strips of skin they covered. The boy was bound by shackles, around his wrists, ankles, and most disturbingly around his neck like a collar. Philip felt himself freeze, a fresh fear flooding over him as faded foggy memories tried to press themselves to the fore of his mind, but he shoved them back, because right now, there were more important things to worry about, like Alain laying prone on the floor at the mercy of chains and a psychotic brother. 

It did not take much to lift Alain, it was much harder to try and escape with him, but luckily it did not take too much effort, the biggest effort was having to hold Alain the entire time, not that the human was too much weight. Obviously he had not been eating well, and that was before Adel had even taken him. 

They rushed from the Palace, through the courtyard, and back through the sigil with heaving breaths and an unconscious prince. Once back in the lab, Makoto wasted no time in ushering everyone out, demanding privacy. Philip knew why, Alain would have to be stripped of what little scraps of clothing he did have and examined in terms of his injuries, with them being tended to and wrapped. It was definitely not something that Alain would be happy about, and Makoto seemed to be the closest one to everyone, and therefore the best one to do it. 

Philip was glad that they had managed to get Alain back, but something surprised him even more. Typically, when in danger, he froze, fear flooded over his veins and he found himself unable to move. This time, though, he had not only managed to move, but he had even managed to shove the fear to the side and help someone. Save...someone. He was not sure why or how he ended up here, but perhaps there was a reason for it, and maybe he had gotten his initial assessments wrong. Perhaps it was not Alain who came to Philip when he was needed, but perhaps Philip needed to learn to go to Alain instead.