Ashes to Ashes | ✓

7 || It Stokes the Fires of the Soul

A full day passed before Cinere showed herself to him again. Felix spent that time resting; he slept well into the morning of the day following his visit to the inner wall, and remained off his feet for an extra hour before he could finally convince himself to be productive. He wandered around the city for the remainder of the day, making a mental map of its layout as he familiarized himself with Crocea. Although, ultimately, his best course of action would be to find out where the hole in the inner wall was from the outside and sneak in that way, his concern was the "barrier" Cinere spoke of. Her explanations were vague and full of holes, yet the seed of worry had sprouted anyway.

But if the solution was her bracelets, perhaps if he befriended her and played along with her request, he could get his hands on one of them. She seemed willing to give up whatever he wanted in order to get him close to Aiko, though he couldn't understand her reasoning. Did she not care what he did to Aiko? Or did she want him to carry out his original task?

He cursed her solid blank that smiled back at him eerily when he tried to pick it apart. Everything about her was contradictory and twisted his heart painfully, and yet he continually walked the line beside her. If he could make use of her, he could increase his chance of success with Aiko's assassination. He would avoid the mistakes he had made as a kid, and would make his master's spirit proud. If he could just make use of Cinere's twisted ways.

When night fell again, he returned to his room. Though he planned to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, he found that the empty static of his mind was too loud and rest never came. He lay awake, staring blankly at the ceiling above him.

Am I doing the right thing? he asked himself, desperately hoping that someone would answer this time. If I do this, I won't have to kill anymore, right?

He lifted his hand above his face, tracing the scars across the back with his eyes. Tonight, the blood stains did not appear as he looked at his hands, but he could almost feel the stickiness against his skin, the resistance of his knife as he sliced through flesh. He clenched his teeth, swallowing hard against the dizziness that slammed into him and the sour taste that coated his tongue.

If I commit to this dance with Cinere and accept this task from Dinah, if I stain my hands with Aiko's blood, I will be free, right?

Sighing, he closed his fingers into a fist. In the dark, he could barely make out the shape of his hands to project the blood onto. Maybe it was better that way. Was that not freedom in some way?

Dimly, he thought back to the lights he had seen in the castle windows. The flames flickered as they looked over the sleeping city of Crocea. They cast their warm light upon him, illuminating his hands so that the blood would show again.

Somewhere behind those stone walls, safe in the presence of that candlelight, Aiko slept soundly through the night. Like any victim, she was oblivious to him and what he had come to do.

And yet, the light of her palace fell upon him, pinning him beneath it with the image of his bloodstained hands.

As he laid his fist against his chest, he let his eyes flutter shut. His thoughts blurred into silence. This time, sleep sunk its claws into his subconscious and pulled him into the depths.

⇠⭑⭒⭑⇢

The moment Felix stepped out the door into the bright, morning sunshine, his gaze landed on Mae, sitting gracefully on the cobblestone in front of him. He was easy to spot against the stone—brilliant white against dull gray. The cat dragged his head upwards, his piercing blue eyes landing on Felix's. He rose to his feet, lashing his tail irritably. Without waiting for Felix to follow, Mae scampered away, turning down an alley and vanishing from sight.