regnavitque iter rex, yamiojo

6.

After Sebastian had healed Ciaran, Alexandra true to Cletus' words had left immediately but through the door instead of the blind everybody grand manner. Since then Sebastian had found himself a spot against a wall, slumping while continuously gazing at Ciaran. 

And like the stubborn person he was, he stared right back till he could not take it anymore. 

"Are you just going to glare at me till morning comes?" He murmured, still not breaking eye contact. 

"No, but I could." He answered softly. His legs were bent and he was resting an elbow on his knees. His hands, he could see, were bruised, tiny nicks dotting his long fingers. He looked away. 

"Sebastian--" He began only to be cut off by Sebastian suddenly flying across the room and right in front of his face, well, not fly, but it appeared so due to his swiftness. 

"What did I tell you?" He hissed, bearing his teeth, "You do not call me by that name. It's Perl to you. Are you so used to having everything done for you that you never had the chance to use that brain? Are you quite this dumb or is it an act?" Sebastian had pinned him against a wall, and it burned him. 

Despite his pride, he could not help but let out a yelp which seemed to bring Sebastian back to his senses and he pulled Ciaran roughly and set him on his previous perch. He backed off a little, his eyes which had been blazing like the blue of a flame returned the original sky blue. For the millionth time, he wondered if he were simply hallucinating. 

He gathered his courage and stuck his chin out, summoning confidence from a place full of fear, "You cannot harm me. He said so, Sebastian." 

"Oh, really? You think so?" There was a dangerous and dark edge to him now but like the unfairness world showed in every sphere of Ciaran's life, now too, Sebastian looked unfairly beautiful. Perhaps beautiful was not the word, but he could not think of any other. With a sardonic laugh, he thought it would not be so bad if he were to die at the hands of this tragically gorgeous creature. 

And maybe, for the first time, the world listened to him because Sebastian slid out a  knife and with an agility only befitting celestial beings dragged it across Ciaran's chest, and just as the pain set in, healed him. 

He got the message. 

"I cannot kill you, pretty boy, I can, however, hurt you, again, and again. Then heal you, only to bestow more of this torture on you. Get it?"

He did. 

"Do your worse, Sebastian. You think I am stupid? Whatever this magic is, you cannot keep doing it forever without harming yourself, too." He stood up, he would not be in a position of inferiority, metaphorical or literal. 

His companion in that lonely room laughed. Ciaran did not want to try and figure the boy out anymore. Was he even a human? 

"Look, I get it, okay? You've got issues. I'm not the person to take them out on. Cletus said you knew where to take me. Can we just go?" 

At that Sebastian stilled, "You think I want to stay here?" He shook his head. After a minute he appeared to have come to a decision as he again slid to the floor and leaned against the wall. He gestured to a spot in front of him. 

A moment's deliberation later he was sitting down facing the other boy making sure not to touch any part of the wall. 

Sebastian took a breath, "This room, it's designed to keep people in but without the need for using any kind of force. It has its restrictions and we cannot leave for another thirty minutes." 

He gave him a questioning glance. This did not make any sense. 

"We brought you here because we did not know if you'd pull any tricks. The outsiders do not know of this room and its ways, so they cannot escape. It only allows limited magic for short periods. Twice when Cletus used it to come and go. The room is opposing my magic right now because of that. It needs to drain the already present magic before I can take us anywhere."

"Why not just use the door?" 

"Opens after about two hours. Once opened, it needs three hours to reset."

"So, basically, we're stuck. How stupid is that? Do all of you just jump headfirst into things with no planning or whatsoever?" 

He laughed again, "This is Cletus' punishment for me." 

He did not elaborate. 

But Ciaran was not disheartened, he had a billion questions ready to keep the conversation going. 

"And why did the wall almost burn my skin off? Was it your magic? I thought your magic did not work here?" 

"Mazakuin, calm down. It was magic but not mine. Or well, mine in some sense. The walls are enchanted to discourage contact with them. It interferes with the spells carved upon them. It would not have burned your skin. You need to stay in touch with it longer."

"Isn't it burning you?"

"None of your business, is it?" He turned snarky again. 

He held his hands up in surrender, "Okay, okay. What was that then? That word you called me?"

He shook his head, "Not you, it's like saying 'God'"  

After that, silence fell over them. It was somewhat comfortable, and it gave him time to analyze all that had happened. Then one thought struck him like a poisoned arrow. He wondered if he should bleed out the question or keep it in and suffer in silence. But oh well, he was never the most sagacious or patient person. "You tried to kill me." 

 "Yes." 

He was honest, Ciaran noted. 

"Why?" 

Sebastian sighed. He looked pained, barely but the telltale signs were starting to appear. He looked exhausted, and he could pretend to be as strong as he liked but sweat lined his skin and his eyebrows faintly scrunched together. 

"I-Well, you...There are many reasons. Each one more demanding of your elimination than the last." He finally said. 

Instead of focusing on his words, his mind focused on Sebastian's little actions. He could not distract himself. He noticed how he had his eyes shut, and face devoid of any emotion but clenched his fists so tightly he wondered if his hands would somehow snap. His Adam's apple bobbed more frequently that he thought normal. His posture was too stiff but he appeared to cling to the wall as if it were keeping him anchored from whatever pain he was experiencing. 

"It is burning you. Why are you subjecting yourself to that?" 

He rubbed a hand over his face and then his blue eyes found his gray ones, and for a second Ciaran felt that those eyes could burn him, and then he answered so softly that he almost did not catch it, "My punishment."