ᴅᴇᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ - ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴛʏ ᴠ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ [ONGOING!]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 6 | ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʀɢᴀɪɴ

Despite his initial reluctance to help them, Leo eventually realized that he had no choice but to do as Y/N asked and lead them to the hunter's manor. The Hell Ember and his daughter had spent so long safeguarding their secret-- they couldn't afford for the O/P to put all of that hard work to waste. There was no telling what would happen if anyone else uncovered the truth...

They walked in agitated silence, Leo taking the lead and Y/N following from behind. Emma had wanted to join and see the O/P off, too, but Leo had firmly told her to stay put. He resolved that it was for her own safety-- that, and he didn't want to have to babysit any more survivors than he needed to. This conniving little O/P was enough for him to handle, and though he loved his daughter, he was feeling too frustrated and impatient at the moment to deal with her irritating optimism.

Eventually, the pair crossed the threshold that marked the two different ends of Oletus Manor-- here was where the survivor's faction ended, and the hunters began. Y/N shuddered, a sudden gust of cold wind pricking their skin. Leo glanced back, unamused. He had made this journey countless times, and the drafty air of the two manors no longer fazed him.

Yet, little did he know that Y/N wasn't shivering just because of the chill in the wind. The O/P was scared-- they had seen the particles of dust shift in the air and the walls glow an unnatural grey colour. They were no longer in the safe sanctum of their home manor. They were going to have to sneak past dozens of cruel, bloodthirsty hunters if they even wanted a chance at making it back alive.

What would they do if they got discovered? Would the hunters jeer at them, torture them-- kill them?

The O/P's face went ghostly white at the thought, and Leo seemed to take notice.

"You don't need to be worried about being seen right away," He grumbled lowly, staring straight ahead. "At this time, the other hunters would be in the hall for dinner. You'll have some time to do whatever you need to before you get out."

Y/N tilted their head, momentarily distracted from their anxiety. Before they could get a chance to ask, Leo snapped his head back.

"And yes. Hunters do eat occasionally. We miss food sometimes. Get over it, O/P."

Stunned, Y/N pressed their mouth into a thin line and continued trailing behind. The two continued their walk in complete silence until they came upon a ladder leading upwards. Leo ascended first, then grunted for Y/N to follow ensuite once he had confirmed that the coast was clear.

Y/N sucked in a breath and seized the ladder rungs tightly. There was no telling what horrid sights would await them once they emerged-- what would they have to face? Ghostly demons that would suck out their soul? Corpses piked onto the walls like paintings? More barbed wire?!

Y/N tightened their grip and inwardly quivered. Ever since they first arrived at this version of the manor, they had developed a particular dislike of barbed wire.

"O/P, you'd better haul your ass up here right now if you don't want me to close the exit on you." Leo hissed from the top of the ladder. Y/N blinked, realizing that they weren't moving. They couldn't bring themselves to move. They had to think-- was all of this really worth it? Risking their life to aimlessly search around somewhere dangerous for some woman they'd never met?

Biting their lip, they decided yes, and hefted themselves up into the hunter's manor. As they emerged from the dank, smelly tunnels, Y/N gritted their teeth and braced themselves for whatever would await them in this parallel residence. Bats? Snakes? Cobwebs and ruin?

Flitting their eyes open, Y/N was taken aback. This room looked identical to the garden back in the survivor's manor, from the large glass windows to the marble frog statue. (The only thing remotely different about this garden was the abundance of scraggly, unkempt plants tucked away in the corner that were never lucky enough to experience Emma's magic touch.) They probably would have been less shocked by corpses on the wall.