Labyrinth | ✓

f o r t y - f i f t h ♂️

Tensed.

Even if the four of them had different postures, each of their faces bore nearly the exact tensed expression. Their forehead creased, their mouth was closed shut and they were all staring down at their feet. Even from a certain distance, I could tell that they were ill at ease, and it made me shift my legs, which felt unusually heavy for no reason.

I tried not to lock eyes with Raphael, immediately throwing my gaze away whenever it encountered him. He wasn't looking directly at me, but I knew he had sensed my presence and just pretended to not see me. I shouldn't be so focused on him, regardless, since the one responsible for all of this was Seb.

Speaking of him, he was now staring straight at me, though his hands were still hidden. When he slowly approached me, I finally had the guts to step out of Rena's shadow. However, I never thought of standing impulsively in front of her, as if I was shielding her from him. I wasn't planning on doing this, and I didn't even know why. It was purely out of instinct.

"Seb, what's going on?" I found myself questioning him instantly, causing his frown to quickly deepen.

He said nothing, and the scrunching of his nose was his sole response. The silent, soothing breeze crept its way through the group, lifting up both of my and Seb's bangs into the air. He lowered his head, trying his best to hide his hardened eyes. Seeing that he won't answer in any minute, I glanced at the others for support, but they had the same responses.

Flames began to spark inside, causing strong feelings to emerge. It was to the point where I wanted to shout words containing excessive profanity.

"Let me give you some tips. Next time you arrange a stupid meeting like this, you should have told me at the first place. Second, don't plan it out of nowhere." I kissed my teeth, digging my nails against my palms. "Third-"

"It's not stupid, Ed." Seb interrupted, cutting off my words as he threw me a dirty look. "Did you think I called everyone here just to mess around? Open up your mind."

"Then tell all of us why are we all here!" I demanded, raising my tone and storming closer towards Seb. He didn't even tell me in the first place, so I just assumed he wanted us to hang out.

...but what the hell is with him...?! A few days ago, he was completely normal. Now he was acting like I just did something wrong. The thing was that, I couldn't remember what kind of things I did that upsetted Seb.

Before I got too close, though, I felt a hand tugging on my hoodie, stopping me from going further. Apparently, it belonged to Rena, whose her glittering eyes told me that shouting at him won't get me anywhere. She gently shook her head, further telling me that I shouldn't be falling into the temptation of wrath that easily consumed me.

Right... I shouldn't lose my temper easily... Violence won't solve anything... Realization slowly seeped into my brain. Despite some complications, I still have to hear what Seb had to say. I didn't stop myself from gritting my teeth though, as I forced myself to step back. Upon seeing this, Rena's body relaxed, but she kept her guard high.

"Thanks for the tips, anyway. It's well appreciated." Seb sneered, infusing sarcasm into his tone. It just triggered the spread of the fire inside, but I knew I have to control myself. While so, I sensed Alyssa's eyes boring down on me, but when I drew my attention towards her, she quickly turned away.

"Um... s-so what did you call everyone for?" Rena initiated, and from the corner of my vision, I could see her moving and standing beside me. She pulled her eyebrows together, accompanied by a balled hand on her chest.

"A lot of reasons, Ren." He trailed his gaze at her, and the warmth that he always had in his eyes slightly returned. His sharp features slowly soften at the sight of her.