Chapter 58: Change III
Chapter 58: Change III
The contrast in living conditions could be utterly confounding for anyone moving from the Hollow Stacks and experiencing Skyglass Heights for the first time.That was the case for Damian- even though the hours of the night that passed inside this mansion of an apartment were a blur.
After the attack by the Vagrant Beast Masters and the appearance of Vex Talon, the rest of the night had become twisted. Blurred. Damian had spent it trying to take his mind off the many things weighing him down.
His rage, shame, and guilt from how that day had unfolded never left him.
The fact that he’d frozen in shock and fear while the Drunken Butcher rained down a massacre all around him.
The fact that his wife had to be the one to push him out of harm’s way.
The fact that she died saving him.
That would stay with him for the rest of his life.
That was the fire that burned beneath his skin every night, fueling the nightmares.
Even tonight...after its hours passed and he fell asleep...
"GAH!"
He woke up with a gasp, tangled in silky white sheets ten times softer than the scratchy ones he’d always known.
His upper body, toned and muscular, rose as the sheets slipped down.
The bed he used to sleep on might as well have been metal compared to this one- a wide Glassblood bed that felt like it was made of feathers. But even this couldn’t keep the nightmares at bay.
"Are you okay? You were... shaking..."
To his left, Lyra Veyrin pulled the sheets over her bare figure, gently hugging his arm.
He breathed out without replying.
"It’s okay...I know there’s something that happened to you that you’re not ready to tell me, and that’s fine. Hopefully, one day, you’ll trust me enough."
...!
She said it softly, hugging his hand, and he felt the pang of guilt.
He was here with her tonight- not because he felt anything for her, but because it furthered his plans.
To get closer to Beast Masters.
But... Lyra had done nothing to deserve deceit.
What if his current actions- being with her under false pretenses- ended up hurting her?
"..."
He couldn’t bring himself to look at her as he stared through the glass walls of the bedroom, vision drawn beyond the dark sky, which was just beginning to lighten.
The sun would rise in another hour.
As he stared outward...
"Maybe one day."
He replied softly.
Lyra’s blue eyes sparkled.
"Mmm, that’s a promise!"
She clung tighter to his arm and tried to pull him back down to snuggle, but he gently patted her hands and rose.
"Let me just clear my head for a bit."
As the haze of sleep and emotions began to fade, clarity crept in like morning light. He couldn’t let anyone become too involved. Not now.
He rose and walked into the vast living room. There, Kitsuul was curled up on a plush couch, a Blue Slime happily snoring beside her.
Damian stepped out onto the wide balcony. A sleek infinity pool shimmered beside him. Beyond, the city of Ebonreach Metropolis blinked with neon life.
His body still burned with energy.
He remembered the woman in the hotel- the way she tried to burn through pain by burning through her body.
His eyes dropped to the smooth floor beneath him.
And he dropped down.
Push-ups.
Just like her.
Just like Anastasia.
Far behind him, back in the room of plushies, Lyra sat up. Her mesmerizing blue eyes locked onto his figure, her arms around her knees.
She watched him for a long while- until she shook her head, as if warning herself not to fall too deeply.
And yet, she couldn’t look away.
Not after everything they’d done the night before.
—
The rays of the rising sun broke through.
"5,345... 5,346..."
On a certain balcony in Skyglass Heights, Damian pushed through reps, sweat pooling beneath him. His muscles glistened in the morning sun, silver streaks in his dark hair catching the light.
He didn’t stop until the sound of soft footsteps came behind him.
Lyra had returned, now in white pajamas, holding a mug of hot cocoa.
"Hot cocoa, tea, or coffee?" she asked. "We’ve got to make our way to the ZENTHRA Beast Corporation building soon. Today’s the day... we enter an Entropic Rift for the first time."
Her voice carried both excitement and apprehension, like someone standing on the edge of a cliff- eager and terrified all at once.
Damian stood, muscles taut, breathing controlled as he stared at the city’s lights blinking in the distance.
He shook his head.
"Nothing for me. I’ve got to pick up my ZENTHRA suit first."
The air up here was clearer than the murk of the Hollow Stacks.
Lyra frowned playfully.
"You just sweat an entire pool. You’re not leaving without a shower. Come on."
She set her cup down and extended a hand toward him.
Damian turned to her- those vibrant locks of blue, those shining eyes.
He sighed.
And took her hand.
Her smile widened as she led him through the living room. The TV was on, and a news anchor’s voice cut through the silence.
On-screen, a Beast Master, clearly unhinged- ranted.
[The incident in Club Skyspire last night only proves we need to crack down harder on Vagrant Beast Masters. And I’ll say it plainly- have you ever seen a Glassblood Vagrant? No. It’s always the Stackborn! The dredges of Ebonreach! I say we authorize Martial Law and sweep the Hollow Stacks until every last one is dead!]
...!
Damian flinched.
[Well now, Guardian Vain, I know tensions are high...]
[No! Others dream of harmony. But dreams are for fools. What we need is a cleansing. A cleansing to ensure our peace!]
The TV snapped off.
Lyra had done it.
She didn’t say a word as she led Damian onward- toward a bathroom fifteen times larger than his own.
"Don’t listen to the rotten ones among the Glassbloods," she said softly. "They don’t know anything about the Stackborn..."
The lights flared on automatically.
Hot steam filled the air- unlike the frigid water that passed for a shower in his apartment.
Lyra turned to him with a mischievous glint.
"They don’t know what the Stackborn Beast Master, Therion, did to a Glassblood Beast Master last night...or what he’s about to do this morning..."
Her pajamas slipped off her shoulders as she pulled him deeper into her world, her eyes shining a tremendously vibrant blue.