feral | sting eucliffe

XLVIII | DD

Episode 48: Domum Dolorem!

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"YOU'RE LIKE A LOVESICK PUPPY," Rogue commented, leaning against the door frame and giving his best friend a pointed look. Sting looked up from his slightly sleepy state, cobalt clashing against red. A bitter scowl shaped the blond's lips, "Oh, shut up." He dropped his head again, forehead hitting the rim of Y/n's infirmary bed.

After bringing her back to the guild, she was quickly ushered to the infirmary along with Sting. His arm was bandaged and she was resting, small bruises and cuts from when she was knocked back already taken care of properly. "I'm honestly surprised you haven't kissed yet." He teased, a small smile on his face as he quirked a brow at Sting.

Sting rolled his eyes, flipping the bird at his companion. Rogue snorted at that, approaching him anyways and sitting on the other side of her bed. "I talked to Kagura and Jura since I ran into them on my way back from the mission. Apparently, Akane and Chase had their own episodes as well. Chase burned lots of tables before Lyon encased him in ice and Kagura had to use her gravity."

Sting sat up, blue eyes widening. "Meaning," Rogue sighed. "It's somehow linked to their past, and we won't know until one of them speaks up about it. However, you're the closest to Y/n, so it's best if you get it out of her." He emphasized. A hint of anger ran through Sting as he gritted his teeth. Was his relationship with her supposed to be some way to gain information?!

He opened his mouth to say something, but Rogue stopped him. "Go on, say a better plan," He said with a challenging glare, obviously expecting Sting's reaction. The man closed his mouth, plopping back into his seat and not saying a word. There is no better plan. Rogue looked over at him, "Exactly, there's nothing else. So, we'll just deal with the hand we're dealt."

Sting's gaze turned solemn as he looked over at his potential girlfriend, nodding silently at the shadow dragon slayer. "Okay, but I won't push her on anything. Got it?" Rogue nodded, seeming slightly desperate as he glanced from her to Sting. "Alright, but try to get at least something out of her." He emphasized, the blond nodding again.

A sigh escaped his mouth as he walked out of the infirmary, closing the door behind him quietly. Sting ran a hand through Y/n's h/c hair as the girl slept peacefully, recovering from the incident. Her hand twitched all of a sudden, fingers moving involuntary as Sting caught the movement, blue eyes trailing to her face, hoping for her eyes to open.

Just as he thought that, her eyes fluttered open. She let out a soft moan, reaching up both hands to rub her tired eyes. She turned her head right, still not noticing Sting's presence as she blinked at the sunlight pooling in from the uncovered windows. "Stupid sun, I hope you die," She hissed, eyes narrowing as Sting chuckled at her irritated state(which he still found adorable).

Her head whirled to him instantly as she blinked wildly. For a second, she just seemed shocked before a look of devastation and guilt masked her features. Sting understood quickly, grasping her free hand and smiling warmly. "Hey, it isn't your fault, okay? I'm okay, you're okay. Besides, it'll take more than this small scratch to get rid of me." He winked at her.

Y/n's cheeks pinked at the action as she slowly nodded. Even then, it was clear that she wasn't fully convinced, eyes trailing to the bandage on her forearm. "Look," His tone suddenly turned serious as he stared at her. "Apparently, what happened to you happened to the rest of the Kyuuseishu." He watched her give him a worried look.

A sigh left his lips, "My point is," He paused again, irked. Geez, this makes it harder than I thought! He sharply inhaled. "We think it has something to do with your pasts and it would really help if you told me yours." Sting cleared up quickly, closing his eyes and fearing the worst. Instead, she squeezed his hand in reassurance.

Her head hung downwards and she mumbled, "Okay, I will. I'm sorry if I start crying in the middle of it—" She was cut off as he looked at her. "—don't apologize, okay?" The blond gave her a valiant smile, one that she was immensely grateful for. "I'm here for you every step of the way, got that?" Y/n nodded, beaming lightly back at him.

He stared at her, "So, are you ready to start?"

She nodded, starting to talk. "We don't really know our origins. Growing up together was a big part of our lives since we raised each other. We were raised at a place called Domum Dolorem and it was a fairly big space. There were cells and there multiple large hallways that led to what they called practice rooms and the typical 'cafeteria'."

She continued as he watched her, "There were a lot of us. I don't remember how many, but I was in my own cell for a while. After I learned a spell, I was thrown into a cell with Nikos and Akane. She was four, I was six, and he was seven. For a while, it was just us until Chase joined the mix about half a year later. A year after that, Galena was introduced."

"I had been with her before, but that was only for a brief moment. That same day, I was punished for doing so. We raised each other, all in all. If we didn't listen to the guards or our headmaster, we were punished severely and starved. It was the same thing every day: cells, food, our magic lessons, and back to cells. It was a dark cycle."

Y/n took in a breath, "However, that was until Chase was thrown into a rage. They had abused Galena—who was four years old—and bruised her up almost everywhere. Back then, her healing magic was weak, so she could barely heal herself without overexerting herself. He burnt all the cell bars but also melted some beams. The entire thing collapsed and we got out."

He sent her a skeptical look, "We were the only survivors because of Akane. Ever since, we've been on the run and in our own tiny group." Sting blinked at her oddly, confused. "Why didn't you ever try to break out before? I mean, you all knew magic, so I'd assume—" Y/n shook her head, muttering. 

"They had this thing they called 'technology'. It would absorb most of our magic attacks and it was made up of wiring and this odd metal," She looked over at him, taking in a breath. "How do you think Akane got that phone? She stole it."