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It started with quick glances.
Luslec was a curious person and he wanted to know about the other people that V called his friends, specifically his friend that had completely white hair and dressed strictly in white. Even his skin was as pale as the moon. It kind of irritated him.
Luslec knew that he noticed the stares he gave his way but seemed to have no reaction to them. His face was constantly a blank slate, only faltering the tiniest bit when he was with his friends.
He wanted to know what was up with Hon, but he didn't know how. Sure it was his master's friends, but he didn't want to bother V with something small as the itching under his skin over someone he wanted to know about.
So, when Hon and Eduan would fight, he'd start watching from a distance. Watched as they exchanged blows, Hon's sword gracefully and with quick yet precise slashes fighting against Eduan's Lightning and Ice or whatever he would throw at him. It seemed like he was just throwing everything that he had, but with time he realized that everything was a thought-out move that would benefit him.
Eduan used a lot of tricks and countless different attacks but to Luslec it seemed like Hon used nothing more than his sword, surely he had other attacks he could use? It was already getting dark and the two ceased their fighting, Hon offering Eduan a hand from when he purposefully fell down in a weak attempt to catch him off guard.
Luslec left before they would notice him, even though he was pretty sure they both knew he had been watching them.
The fire was already lit and the others were already gathered around it, sitting on the logs that were ripped chopped up earlier.
Arlene was nice enough to bring him some food when she realized he sneaked away into his tent.
The next time he visited the same spot he did the other day to watch Eduan and Hon fight, he found only Hon. Sitting on a bigger stone, the sun shining right on him through the leaves, his back turned to Luslec. Was he meditating?
“Have you been spying on me?” Hon turned around but stayed on the stone.
Although he was a little embarrassed, it was nothing too horrible.
“I'm not spying on you. Just watching you.”
He walked closer, keeping a good distance between them.
“Is that not the same? Whatever the case, is there something you want from me?” Hon dropped down from his stone, walking a bit closer and to Luslec’s quiet horror, he realized Hon still wasn't wearing shoes. But he kept that thought to himself.
“Well, I'm pretty curious about you, but I'm also pretty interested in how you fight. You know, you only ever use a sword and I haven't seen you use anything else or any specific techniques.”
Hon stood there for a moment, thinking.
“You're one of V's correct? You should have different fighting styles from the rest of us.”
Luslec crossed his arms. “Well, to be exact I'm one of V's best. I'm focused more on hand-to-hand combat, V told me I have pretty good physical abilities and I fight mostly with knives.”
“I see. Are you interested in fighting me? Is that why you kept staring at me?” Hon sounded genuine and slightly oblivious to Luslec's embarrassment.
“I wasn't staring at you! I was just… observing you from a distance!” He turned his head away and although he was more interested in Hon himself, the mysterious, aloof and one of the strongest on their group, he didn't want to say that. He was interested in sparring with him anyway, it would be good practice and give him a good idea of how strong exactly an Irregular is aside from V and Arlene.
“Well, I wouldn't mind some sparring.”
“I see, then how about hand-to-hand combat? I usually only use my sword and it would be a good opportunity to see how strong V's fighters are.”
Luslec agreed and they shook hands in respect before they started exchanging blows. Admittedly, Luslec didn't last long. It was embarrassing actually.
Before he knew it, he was on the ground, eyes blinking in surprise because of how easily he was overpowered.
Hon offered him a hand and he hesitated to take it out of sheer embarrassment. But after shutting his eyes for a few seconds he decided not to be a baby and just take his hand.
“I apologize. Did I go too hard?”
‘Going hard’ was an understatement when he barely even had to use any strength. He let himself be pulled up and even though he let go of his hand immediately, the warmth of his hand lingered a little.
They kept sparring and Hon kept beating him. It wasn't a question of when he would get through to Hon, but more the question of when he would give up. Nonetheless, he did manage to hold his own against him to some extent, he was able to recover pretty quickly, which Hon pointed out. Even though he knew it wasn't as great as Hon's he at least knew he did acknowledge his strengths and it did make him a little proud, knowing that one of the strongest had recognized one of his strengths, even if said strongest was so much more stronger than he was.
It had become something of a silent agreement after that. Luslec would come to that little spot where he would find Hon, they would fight and even though Hon never pointed out his flaws, he managed to somehow find them out himself during their fights. It was nice, something simple during a time of chaos.
They kept climbing, but their little sessions never ended.
On the 93th floor, there was a brief moment of peace before they would continue to the next floor.
Somehow, Hon had found him in the forest he hid, lying on a patch of grass, the sun shining on him warmly with his eyes closed and his hands under his head as a make-shift pillow.
A shadow over him made him open his eyes, only to find someone hovering over him. His other eye actually visible now, and the rare change of clothes to a pale blue in-between his white robes.
“Do you not have training with V?”
He stared at him for a few seconds before closing his eyes again, making himself more comfortable on the uncomfortable ground.
“I got a break today. We did a lot yesterday.”
His response was a hum and the quiet hustling of clothes and the sun went back to staring him into his closed eyes, he had to get used to it for a few seconds before relaxing his eyes again. The hustling stopped and he opened an eye to check what was happening, only to find Hon sitting on what he assumed was his jacket. His legs were crossed and his arms were holding his weight from behind him.
Luslec closed his eyes again. The sun was warm on his skin and the presence of Hon felt comforting in an odd way.
They simply sat like this, enjoying the warmth without having to say or do anything.
Luslec must have fallen asleep as he slowly opened his eyes, the sun already starting to set. He hoisted himself into a sitting position and looked around. Hon was already gone, but there was a little container with food inside. There was no note, but he knew who had brought this to him.
He didn't think he was that hungry until his stomach let out a loud growl. The food was simple, nothing too complicated and his stomach thanked him for the food, God knows how long he's been laying here.
When he was done he started making his way back, through the thick forest and when he was half-way through, he saw Hon walking towards him.
"Ah, you're awake. I was worried if something happened so I came to check on you.” Luslec walked towards him until they were right in front of each other.
“Oh please, I'm strong enough to defend myself!” He didn't miss that Hon told him he was worried about him, even though he thought that they were simply…acquaintances? Teammates? He would allow himself to think they were friends.
“I don't doubt your strength, Luslec, I know what you're capable of.”
Together, they made their way back to the massive house that had been made available to them. Even though it had more than enough space, a lot of the people climbing with them spent a lot of time outside, including V's group. Their paths split and Hon left, doing whatever he wanted.
Luslec had noticed that Hon didn't seem to spend as much time with the others, but it didn't seem to bother the rest, they were probably used to it by now. As much as he wanted to pester him, he felt that they weren't close enough for him to do that comfortably.
The next time they had a chance to talk, was after they had fought again. Luslec was out of breath again — like he always was — laying on the ground while Hon made himself comfortable on a bigger stone.
“You know…” he slowly started, still panting. “Arlene started teaching me spells.” He proped himself up with his hands, his clothes were already dirty anyway, no reason to keep sparing them. He gave Hon a certain look, like he was supposed to know what he wanted to tell him.
“Are you asking if you can use them when we fight?”
“Yeah, I've been practicing and she said that I've been getting better, but I haven't really had a chance to use them in a fight.” He looked up to the sky, the sun wasn't as burning as the days before.
“Am I correct in hearing that you wish to use your spells on me because you want to see how much damage they'd do.”
Luslec frowned and spun his head in Hon's direction. “I just want to try them out! I'm not trying to actually hurt you. Besides, I'm pretty sure they're barely able to damage you anyway.”
If he looked a little closer he could delude himself into believing Hon was giving him the smallest smile.
“I was joking. Of course you can, I'm eager to see what else you've learned.” He got off the rock, unsheathing his sword from its place on his hip. Luslec immediately jumped up, a grin on his face as his hands clasped together to start the spell.
He managed to fight with Hon longer than usual, Luslec used both spells and his knives, even going as far as using his Hook, he had been getting better and better at handling it.
He managed to get Hon to put in more effort than he usually did and even catching him off-guard, although it didn't result in Luslec managing to get a proper hit on him.
When they were finally done, Luslec dropped down on the ground again. His side had suffered a cut from Hon, barely managing to avoid it and from the look on his face, Hon hadn't expected it to hit him either. His shirt was ruined now, but it was dirty beyond repair anyway.
A hand reached out to him and he heaved out a sigh as he stood straight again. Hon was slowly retracting it, but Luslec had other ideas. Instead, he squeezed it tighter so he couldn't escape and his hand stopped trying to wiggle its way out with Hon looking at him confused.
“Arie Hon.” Luslec puffed his chest out, like he was about to announce something very important.
“Tell me, are we friends?” He looked at him seriously, awaiting the moment that he would potentially be humbled.
“I was under the impression that we have been for quite some time now, no?”
Luslec beamed at that and he let go of his hand and instead put both of them on Hon's shoulders, leaning closer. He thanked the gods in his head for not utterly embarrassing him.
“Great! Does that mean I get to call you Hon now?”
“If you want to, it's not my place to police your behavior.”
“Awesome!” He let go of his shoulders and his hands went behind his head walking towards the house. Hon simply followed him.
Once the 100th floor was conquered, they were able to rest. Everyone was exhausted, both mentally and physically. The worst was that this time, there were no houses available, meaning they had to put up tents and survive in the wild. Everyone wanted to rest before the next floor, even if it meant sleeping in the wild. They had done so countless times already anyway, it wouldn't be too annoying, simply routine.
Despite his exhaustion, Luslec couldn't sleep. He quietly left his tent and up a smaller hill. The sight beneath him was gorgeous. He sat down and crossed his legs, looking down at the beautiful land below. A big lake in the middle, the moon reflecting like glass on the water, a lot of land and a forest surrounding it, flowers visible even from back here.
Footsteps made him turn his head, only to find Hon next to him. Before he could say anything, he mimicked his seating position and just like him, looked down at the beautiful land.
“I think…once we finish climbing, I will come back and settle down here.” Luslec hadn't turned his head away from him and from the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes, he had already made his mind up, he was going to come back and live here.
He eventually turned his head back below. It truly looked like a land perfect to build, and from what he would guess, he'd settle down with his followers, build civilization and start a family. It was an odd feeling, knowing that they would eventually stop climbing one day. He looked at Hon again and he wondered what he himself would do once they stopped climbing.
“Where do you plan on going after we finish climbing?”
His eyes went to his lap, staring down because he honestly had no idea.
“I'll probably keep following V, no idea what I'll do after that.”
He received a hum in response. He looked up, the sky was clear tonight. No clouds, only the fake sky and stars and the shinsu with them. It was cool, shinsu creating small gusts of wind that went through his hair, it felt nice.
He had long realized that something had been growing in his chest, something similar to affection, but it wasn't like he would ever actually acknowledge them, that was far too dangerous. This was enough, for whatever had been brewing in his heart that he can't put a pin on. Sitting together like this, enjoying the presence of each other without having to say anything, that was so much more than enough than he could ever ask for.
Their days would continue like this, the only company they would have were the birds and the only witness to their ‘secret’ meetings would be the Administrator.
It was something like an unspoken promise, to return here after the day. Sitting there and talking from time to time. Luslec would sometimes bring food with him, they were out there for a few hours at least every time, he was bound to get hungry.
Every time, he would nudge the little container towards Hon, just enough that he would understand. With time, Luslec would scoot a little bit closer each time and he was sure that Hon noticed. But it seemed he didn't mind, given that he hadn't said anything about it. Eventually, Hon himself decided to sit closer to him, as close as Luslec would bring himself every night.
Tonight was their last night, tomorrow they will leave for the next floor. All of their things were already packed and they planned to leave early, so this was a much needed break after all the hustle of the day.
Tonight, Hon was there first, already sitting on their little designated spot, his arms supporting his body and he didn't even need to turn his head at the sound of footsteps — he had already recognized them.
“Hello there.” Luslec sat down, crossing his legs over each other and looked at Hon, a smile naturally formed on his lips.
“Last night here.” He whispered, though he was sure Hon heard it. The other gave a quiet hum in response and he turned to look at Luslec. He sat up properly and stared right back at him.
“You look tired, you don't need to come here if you need to sleep.” Luslec hummed and turned his head back towards the land below them.
“It's not too bad. I can stay awake for a bit longer.” Hon copied him and looked down, it truly was good land. He already had ideas.
“I’ll definitely come visit you once we've settled down.” Hon looked up at that but Luslec kept his eyes down.
“I assumed you would. Besides, the others will definitely visit as well, I imagine you'll come with them naturally.” Luslec meant it more as him coming out of his own volition and without the others, but he was sure Hon knew what he meant. At least he hoped so.
His eyes not-so-sneakily went back to Hon, trying to read the expression on his face. It was practically impossible, but you just had to pay extra attention to the little twitches and the smallest of movements.
“I'll miss this. Sitting here at night, it's quiet and nothing or no one is bothering us.”
It made something stir inside him, how he said that nothing is bothering us, as if this is something exclusive — it probably is — something that no one else knows and it feels nice, better than he’d like. It was odd, hearing Hon talk about how he feels, but he found that he was pretty open if you asked him. Not to mention blunt, he wouldn’t lie to make you feel better or worse, and Luslec found himself appreciating his honesty.
It made him feel warm knowing that Hon would miss this, he can’t remember the last time he truly felt like he had a close friend, and maybe this would be nothing more than friends, but Luslec likes to believe that at least this, whatever it’s supposed to be, is something the others didn’t get to see with Hon (although he knows they did, he can’t even count the amount of times he watched them sitting idly by the fire, enjoying themselves and being closer friends than he would ever be with Hon.)
Hon looked at him and he barely realized he was staring and his eyes immediately went back to staring down at the grass. He heard hustling behind him and he could make out Hon moving closer from the corner of his eye. An arm lightly pressed against his and the warmth of another body next to him let the cold leave him at least a little.
He was getting more and more tired, his eyes almost closing but he forced them to stay open. He wouldn't want to fall asleep out in the open like this, even less with Hon right there. A hand lightly pressed down on his head, guiding him to rest on his shoulder and Luslec couldn't fight it anymore, he truly was exhausted. He let his head fall down on Hon’s shoulder, his hand stroking his head before immediately retreating. His eyes fell shut and he let himself be taken to sleep by the quiet sound of the shinsu around him and the steady breaths next to him. It was peaceful, and for once it felt like he could rest for just a little longer than usual.
The day they completed the 134th floor, it was like he knew something was going to be wrong. It was just a quiet, barely there feeling drumming in his chest, but he could feel it. Maybe they all did, because when Zahard opened his mouth and spoke, he knew exactly that neither V or Arlene liked it.
He followed them, and there was war. Arlene did not accept Zahard's proposal because her heart was already with V, and it just got worse and worse. V and Arlene wanted to keep climbing, and of course Luslec stayed with them, although there were risks, he himself found it ridiculous as well that they should stop because Zahard told them to.
But of course, nothing was ever so easy. Zahard didn't want anyone to keep climbing. He remembers blood, anger and so much death. They managed to get away but they knew they couldn't keep running forever.
Arlene got pregnant and it felt like it would simply add more problems, he wasn't going to say that. He followed them, so he was going to support their decisions as best as he could.
The last time he remembers seeing Hon, was on the 134th floor, his stoic expression hard on his face and not changing. Although he would lie if he didn't see the tiniest of sadness in his eyes as he watched his friends make the decision to part themselves from them.
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His feet jumped from the crane and collided with the hard floor, landing directly on the railing. He has to be fast if he doesn't want to be discovered, so he runs as quietly yet fast as he can. Something smashes in front of him and he jumps up, stumbling backwards and just managing to balance himself back on the now destroyed railing. He met with someone he hadn't seen for a long time and he couldn't help the smirk sneaking onto his face.
“Long time no see. Arie Hon.” It was weird, seeing him again and a wave of anger flooded through him, knowing what they did and chose to do.
“Arie Hon.” The name felt foreign yet familiar and he hated it. “I didn't expect to see you here in person.” He thought he'd simply watch him behind windows, staying undetected because he wouldn't be able to stop himself from taking one last glance. His inventory became visible and he was getting ready. Hon already had his sword out and it made him wonder if he knew he was coming, if he was watching him or if he went out to take a breather.
“Tell me…How has Arlene been?” His face darkened, there was no need for him to know anything about Arlene. (He definitely didn't hope for Hon to ask how he has been, that would be ridiculous.)
“What does it matter to you?” Why would he care? They were the ones that turned their backs, they are the ones that refuse to go further and they are the ones that have hurt them beyond repair.
“However she's doing…” His hand grabbed one of his knives, flinging it around to get a good grip.
I have to sneak in there before Hon unleashes his full power.
He knew he couldn't beat him, but he could at least do his best to pretend to fight and sneak away before he had a chance to catch him, Amizu was waiting for him.
“...is none of your business!” He lunged his body forward, his knife in front and it clashed with his sword, the same way it did all those years ago and it felt way too familiar, only this time there was no underlying understanding of a friendly spar.
Luslec jumps above and behind him, reinforcing his knife with shinsu but just as he's about to stab him right in the back, the platform under him cracks and he falls back. He manages to recover quickly, jumping forward again but being met with a strong hand around his throat and getting thrown right onto the ground, breaking it in the process.
“Urgh!” It didn't hurt a lot but the impact was strong enough for him to stumble as he got up again.
“You’ve come to take Amizu away, haven't you?” Hon drops down, his face still staying in that annoyingly stone-cold expression, like he doesn't care about any of this, but his voice tells otherwise.
“I'm not sure who your accomplice is, but how could you even think to try breaking in by yourself with all of us here?” He felt a drop of sweat dripping down the side of his face. He doesn't have an accomplice, just that crane she sent.
“You're still as reckless as ever, I see.” That made his heart swell just the tiniest bit, that little reminder that they still knew each other so well, that they used to be something like friends.
“That's none of your concern–!” Because Hon, or anyone here for that matter, can't know he's here alone.
“Go on then.”
“What?!” Hon sheaths his sword back, barely a few feet away from him and Luslec is still in a fighting position.
“Go ahead and take Amizu.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I thought you came out here to stop me.” His hands dropped slightly and he allowed himself to relax the tiniest bit.
“Amizu is free to do as she pleases. If she wishes to leave this place, there's no reason for me to stop her. I only came out here…because I wanted to say goodbye before she left.” Hon turned his back to him, walking away from him and he ignored the desperate want for him to look back at him.
“But seeing that she summoned you here to get her, I'm guessing she doesn't want to see me again before she leaves.” Hon keeps walking and Luslec fights the tiny urge in him that wants to follow him.
“It saddens me, you know. One by one, all my dearest friends are leaving me.” Luslec knows that Arlene and V are part of those he considers his dearest friends, but he wants to, needs to, know if he used to be one of those dearest friends of his, if he can be considered a dear friend of his.
“Give my regards to Arlene and V. Although they might not wish to hear from me.” Of course they don't. Why would they?
“Ha…! What are you talking about? You people are the ones…who chose to leave.” He squeezed his knife because he can't begin to tell him how angry he is at him and the others. But it's not his place nor the time.
“Or have you forgotten?! What did you expect to happen…After what you did?!” Hon stopped and Luslec hoped he could hear the anger and frustration in his voice because as much as he wouldn't trade their time for anything in the world, he feels stupid for feeling that way in the first place. Because no amount of apologies can ever make up for the things they did.
“The night shinsu is cold. Go on now.” And he hates how he always manages to seem aloof, like he doesn't care at all but too much at the same time, it irritates him. He hates how he lets him go even though he's not supposed to and it makes him think that he shouldn't have done that, that the others would've detained him on the spot. It plays with him in ways he hates.
“Damn it…” He forces himself to turn around, to run into that massive place and search for Amizu because that's the reason he came here in the first place.
The hallways are long and annoying. He hears footsteps all around him as he tries to run as fast as he can because he can't mess this up.
“Hurry up and find him!”
Shit…I must've made too much noise.
He silently curses Hon.
I'd better hurry. Amizu told me which room she'd be waiting in. I just want to get out of this awful place as soon as possible.
Somehow, he doesn't realize there is something behind him until a snake yanks him down and he passes out.
He hates those weird animals of Traumerei.
Luslec never finds out why he wasn't killed or why he was able to leave with nothing more than a headache, but both Arlene and V say nothing as he gets checked for any other injuries because there's a silent understanding that they all know the reason.
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The tea was warm on his tongue as he drank, his seat soft and comfortable. He stared at the cup, half-empty and waiting to have nothing left in it. He closed his eyes, taking a moment.
His Pocket was floating next to him, the chat open, waiting for something to happen. The last message was simple, one he didn't answer.
“‘God of the Devils’? An impressive name you've made for yourself.”
He stared at the message, then the sender.
Arie Hon
It had been countless years since he received that message. He would open it sometimes, in the safety of his own home, so no one would be able to see, not that many people get to see him personally.
He often wonders if Hon knows that Luslec never deleted his Pocket information. He also wonders whether Hon had deleted his and if he did decide to take a risk and send a message, if it would ever arrive.
He puts his drink down, and his hands fold on his lap. Jinsung is currently trapped, taken by Machenny. He knows what's coming. Today, he decides to take that small yet ridiculous risk.
“Please tell your daughter not to go too hard on us, I prefer staying alive. I wouldn't oppose one last fight with you.”
He doesn't wait to see if the message went through before closing the chat and putting his Pocket in invisible mode. Standing up, he leaves his seat, going anywhere but staying still.
This stupid and ridiculous feeling never faded. He's often left thinking that nothing of it was ever more than friends. That he was just someone Hon enjoyed being with, nothing serious, simply someone he befriended on their way up the Tower. He never allows himself to think further than that, whenever he does, he does his best to ignore whatever his mind manages to conjure up.
But he often can't help himself when he realizes how ridiculous this is, because he's still thinking about things that happened tens of thousands of years before and he's sure that Hon must've already forgotten about those memories, or at the very least they slipped his mind. He feels ridiculous for it but there are more important things that he has to pay attention to.
Maybe one day, he will be able to look at that heavenly white glow again and he’s allowed to make the excuse that they fight to be able to feel that closeness one last time.
His Pocket notifies him that he received a message. An unfamiliar feeling of the slightest bit of nervousness overcomes him as he opens the message, staring at it before he truly realizes what the words written mean and his breath stutters just slightly.
“She'll be my messenger. I look forward to a future where we will cross blades once more.”