Chapter Text
The bedroom was quiet save for the miserable sobbing from the human. Naib stood in the shadow of the room, studying the human. The human was long, spanning the complete length of his bed, but terribly thin. Its hair matted together in neglect. Naib rarely saw human, but the ones he saw appeared much healthier than this one. Then again, he had never come this close to any human before. Most of his human sightings had been at the border, a haunted cliff face at the edge of human world. His knowledge of human was limited at best aside from rounded ears and useless round irises.
He pushed himself off the wall and ventured closer. There were tears soaking the human’s torn eye mask; the poison veins had reached its right eye already. He wasn’t sure the human could keep its vision if there wasn’t an antidote soon. Blood leaked out from wound on its abdomen, staining the white sheet a dark black. The smell of decay meat invaded his senses. Naib span on his heels, slamming the window open and took deep gulp of fresh air.
At the highest tower of the castle, with the most immense view of the kingdom, he ran the lesser risk of being found out harboring a human inside his own study. Below, the city shone with life and activities. Festive melody swam upwards with the wind, calling him to join in the fun. Naib tapped his fingers on the sill and did a little sway. Peace was such a treasure. The moon was full today, too. A perfect night to be out in the woods, not cooped up in his study. He wondered why he decided to bring the human back, when he had no intention of giving it antidote.
Amidst floating music, his ears picked up mumbling from the bed. The human was tossing and turning on the bed, whispering something ineligible even to his heightened hearing. Naib spared one last look at the golden moon and trailed towards the bed, only to jump back as the human sprang up from the bed and proceeded to fall right off the bed, landing on the floor in a tangle of blanket and its torn cape.
The human let out a painful cry that grated on his hearing. Gritting his teeth, Naib pounced right over and pressed his claws over the human’s mouth, shutting it up. They were at the highest tower did not mean there were no ears close.
The human clawed weakly at his claws, marking bloody trails on his white gloves. It struggled against his hold but the strength waned fast, given its labored breathing.
“Keep quiet,” he whispered into the human’s stupid round ears, “You’re alive at my mercy.”
The human turned not-stilted blue eyes on him, frowning but did stop struggling. It dropped its arms by its side. Naib distantly noted the broken shackles around the human wrist and ankles as he eased himself off of the human. He regarded the human, noting the human was regarding him too, though with much pain.
“Why—“
The words barely left the human’s mouth when there was a knock on the door. Instinct had him flying. The human let out a strangled choke as Naib pressed it against the closet’s doors, a claw securely placed over its mouth again. He glimpsed
“A feral stray again too?” Fiona called from outside. “If they destroy the room, I’m *not* helping you redo it. Clothes and food are here.”
“Just leave them at the door —!”
Naib hissed. The human had bitten his hand. He knocked his knee against the human’s wound. It let out a chocked yelp. Outside clanking and rustling could be heard as the fae set things down on the floor.
“Lord in the Trees, you are ill-equipped to deal with strays. I’ll give you 10 minutes before I come in, Prince.”
The human struggled harder. Naib grunted, trying to keep it down but the human managed to elbow his side. He fell on his haunch, giving the human enough time to steal his knife from the sheath.
“Ignore that, I’ll come back in 5.” Fiona called, her voice smaller as she walked down the stairs.
Naib ignored her words. His attention was on the human standing by the window as it looked outside for an escape, blood dripping from its wound. It pointed his knife at him, struggling to stand on two legs. If it jumped it wouldn’t survive, but the sight of a human within Netherland would cause chaos. Naib could not let that happen.
His speed never failed him and didn’t fail him now. The human’s eyes widened just in time Naib grabbed its neck and brought it down on the ground. The human coughed up blood, dark as oil under the moonlight. He felt no empathy as he yanked the knife from its slack hold, let the human look at the sharp tip before bringing it down at the human’s neck.
“You die now, human Eli.”
He expected the knife to pierce through soft meat, he expected pool of blood, he expected all the night’s impulsive decisions to cleanly vanish when the human drew its last breath.
He didn’t expect the knife to shatter into glinting fragments and runes to encircle the human—
The runes of a world long gone, of magic of old, of power immeasurable.
Of endless destruction. The Runes of the Ancient.
In his surprise, he got thrown back at full force. His back rammed against the footboard, sending the entire frame shaking. With a choked gasp, the human crawled to all four, and turned to face him. There was suddenly no emotions in its eyes.
“What’s going on?” It rasped and frowned deeply, pressings its hand against the rotten wound at its side. “Who are you? Where am I?”
Naib raised an eyebrow as the human looked around the room, alert but not of a caged animal, only guarded curiosity.
“Who am I?”