Colourless Skies

56. The Pain We Felt

"Brother?"
The word bounced and reverberated off the walls, ringing in Leah's ears like an echo.  It didn't sound right, no matter how many times she repeated it in her head. It didn't seem to settle well on her tongue and was quite shocked when she realized she was the one who had broken the silence, who had repeated the word.

Comprehending the situation quickly to turn the tables, Sebastian smiled at Alex, who was fuming in anger at this point. Jay wiped the sweat off his forehead, well aware of how Sebastian now had the perfect chance to play his cards and leave the situation unharmed, and how little patience Alex had to keep up with his tricks.

In pretense, Sebastian gasped shortly, playing along with Leah's threads of sanity.
"I am guessing you didn't know."

Silently, he got up and tested the waters, by taking forward a step. But much to his setback, Jay, the only one who hadn't let his guard down, was eyeing his every move and he yelled, infuriated when he saw Sebastian trying to escape.

"Put forward another foot and you'll see what happens.", he spat at Sebastian, who's eyes twinkled with mischief as he winked at Jay.

Jabbing his finger at his own chest, Sebastian spoke.
"Me? I wouldn't, not until Leah knows the huge piece of truth you boys have been keeping from her."

"Sebastian,

Stop."

Everyone froze once his firm and ice-cold voice boomed through the hallway, the following silence so deep, not even a pin drop could be heard, nor a mere rustle of the leaves.

Leah could only turn back to look at him, her legs unable to move as if they had turned into stones. Alex's eyes had relinquished their color, his irises fading into the lightest of blue, traces of dark red outlining them. His face was set straight, but Leah didn't miss the hint of distress and stigma that flashed in his eyes.

"W-why? Are you t-truly hiding s-something?"
Leah reviled herself for stuttering, for building up so powerfully, only to be broken by unspoken words, to be shattered by what Alex had kept from her. Her blaze died down as soon as the questions escaped her lips, the orange in her eyes slowly turning to blue.

"Please..p-please tell me y-you don't."

Instead of receiving a confirming nod, that would reassure her that Sebastian was only pulling strings to dodge his doom, the timid shake of his head in refusal was what she got.

And what made her displace the meaning of her world.

She fell to her knees, the consternation of the situation weighing down on her shoulders like bricks. She was sure all those arduous years of her life would have taught her not to depend blindly, to see through people, and realize whether they are trustworthy or not. But when Alex had walked in, she had almost immediately broken down all such barriers, even when he had been cruel, she let him make her life hell, save her, give her happiness, but all of it only to snatch it away by keeping from her the sickening truth of his brother; the brother that was after her blood like it was his necessity.

They both had torn her apart. Into pieces, she could not put back.

Or that is, what she thought.

Tears pooled in her eyes easily this time and beholding her condition, Sebastian smiled. The revelation of the truth was working to his satisfaction. He thought that by the t8me Leah had come to terms with her harsh reality, and conceivably slaughtered both Alex and Jay, he'd be long gone, planning another of his lures for Leah.

But unfortunately, Alex had other plans for him.

"Yes. Although I loathe to acknowledge it, he is my brother. He is..."

"He is Sebastian Myers."

Alex's bloody red gaze rose and settled on Sebastian, a scowl spectated on his lips.

"The only reason I kept this from you, is because I wanted you to trust me."

His gaze softened and shifted to Leah who was still on the ground, hastily wiping at her tears. Without meeting his sights, Leah spoke up.

"W-Why? Why did I.. have to trust y-you?"

Jay peeked at Alex, only to seem him breaking down as well, ready to trickle out all he had kept in himself all this time, solely for one reason. To not lose someone he loved again between the war of reality.

"I wanted you to put your faith in me, so I could protect you. When we were young, and my mother saw yours die and give you up to the human orphanage to keep you safe, she made me promise to her that when I'd grow up to be who I am, I'd protect you with my life. You were, and are too precious to lose.

And not only because of your blood, but because your mother had sacrificed herself to save you, you who I had grown up with. Even though we may not remember any of the memories we had made, I could not lose you, not after you just fought death and lost your mom to it."

The world around Leah didn't exist anymore, the fact that Sebastian could effortlessly run off given their powerless states didn't seem concerning. What mattered was Alex talking to her, looking so delicate susceptible, now that he was finally attesting to his feelings. The reason why he felt the need to protect Leah, even if it meant going against the rationales of his own bloodborne bother.

Alex's eyes turned a fierce purple, catching Leah off guard as she stood up and turned to look at him.

"If protecting you like that meant I had to fight Sebastian, then so be it. I had lost him anyway when he built his conquest to take down Aiden by using your blood's powers."

A tear slipped from his eye and painted his pale cheek, and that is when Leah discovered why he was broken, why he had wept on her shoulder that day, why he had asked her about that math equation.

As a half-breed, he had been rejected by his own people, and when he lost his family, he had to live as a castaway in The Other Side. Came with it the fact that he also had to watch over her, even from far away, he had to look over her, and when he found out that his own blood was after the one he so impetuously protected, he saw another one of his family members stray away from him, and he did not hold the power to deter it or to grieve over the loss.

He had been suffering alongside her, and now he was ultimately tired of hiding it.

:)