Chapter Text
Chapter One: Savior?
The blazing fire inside the hollow had spread faster than intended, reaching the rotting corpses of corrupted civilians scattered around the ground in front of a collapsed mansion. Inside the mansion, a man with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail stands in the middle of a stairway; his name is Hugo Vlad. His step-siblings' bodies filled the stairways; blood stained the walls and expensive paintings. In front of him was a man with long, luscious golden hair; his face wasn't recognizable as it had been torn to bits, and some of the shards of a vase got stuck on his face. Hugo's mismatched eyes stared at the corpse blankly; his favorite suit was covered with blood, his pale skin reflecting in the dim lighting of the mansion. He looked up to the ceiling, sighing as his beautiful face was covered with ashes. The smell of metal and dried blood had mixed, reeking of a rotten yet sickening smell that filled his nostrils. He tried to hold himself together, not vomiting from the almost nauseous scent. He didn't know how long he had to stay here. That damn wolf therian named Lycaon—who was his partner? Yeah, he stepped out of the scene, calling him a villain just like everyone else in his life. He had thought Lycaon would try to understand him, listen to his pleas and explanation, but no, he left him here; he left him to rot and suffer, just like everyone else. He didn't break the damn oath they've made; he really didn't.
All of his step-siblings had tried to kill one another while the hollow was spreading alongside the ethereal monsters that came to attack way before he even stepped into this filthy mansion. The man lying in front of him right now? That was his bastard father. He was the one behind it all, not Hugo! Sure, he had tried to kill his father, but he failed; his uncle was the one who killed his father and just ran away from the hollow, being saved by those blind and corrupted PUBSEC officers. He gritted his teeth, gripping his head, letting out all of his frustrations by screeching, hoping that heaven would hear it, to finally free him from the grasp of death or his so-called role as a villain. Yet nothing happened; only the cracking voice of fire greeted him. His desperation was apparent as the fire spread like a parasite. He was trapped; he couldn't escape. He clasped his hands together, and prayers after prayers came out of his mouth like a rush of waterfalls in the mountains. His hoarse voice had run out of steam; he was unable to speak in coherent words, yet he still clung to hope that heaven would hear him, give him some miracle, maybe in the form of an angel or someone, anyone, that would guide him out of the hollow, yet nothing.
Not even a glint of light from above, his eyes widened as he fell to the ground, his starving body shaking like a leaf. The heavens didn't do anything. They got tired of him playing his role, even with restraints, and now left him to rot and die here. What a pathetic ending to someone so miserable like him. So... pitiful.
"God had left me..." He mumbled in a low tone, his lips quivering.
A cackle came out of his mouth as tears trailed down to the ground; he was sobbing. Thank God no one is here to see his suffering and vulnerability. He would be damned if someone saw him. No one was willing to save him; they didn't even want to get close to him. This is just great. He's alone; he will forever be alone and die without anyone to remember him anymore. As the smoke filled the hallway, he coughed; he was at his limit. He doesn't know how much longer he can hold on. He gripped his chest as he closed his eyes. This is it, huh? He's really going to die. He didn't want this, not even one bit. The ceiling above cracked, about to hit him. Suddenly, a golden shield forms on top of him. The clanking sounds filled his ears, almost making them bleed. The ceilings collapsed, and smoke appeared amidst the chaos. Hugo covered his ears with his hands; once the chaos was all over, he slowly opened his eyes. Gambling chips were scattered around his surroundings, covering the corpses; his eyes widened in disbelief.
"What the fuck..." he muttered, confused by it all. How the hell did these gambling chips appear?
"Ah, it seems I've really overdone it." A smooth yet playful voice said from a distance.
Hugo raised his head; a blond-haired man was stepping towards him, putting on a very hollow smile as his magenta eyes scanned his surroundings. His outfit was quite extravagant, similar to a peacock paired with expensive accessories on his hands. Hugo squinted his eyes in suspicion. Is this man one of those higher-ups in TOPS? The way he acted disgusted whenever he stepped onto one of the corpses, muttering about how much it'll ruin his expensive clothing with a currency he had never heard about in his life. The man stood in front of him, giving him a friendly smile and waving at him. The man... was a lot shorter than he thought, not as short as a dwarf, but short enough to make people think he's in high school at first. "A pleasure to meet you, friend. You must be Hugo Vlad, correct?" The man asked, his eyes seemed dull while his cyan pupils glowed slightly as the shield slowly dissipated.
Hugo took his chance and marched towards the man at a quick pace. Smoke came out of his trail. The man's back hit the wall as the side of a dagger was close to his neck. Hugo's height was towering over the man as he gritted his teeth; his heterochromia eyes glared at the man as if he were watching over every man's step. He noticed the man putting his hand behind his back, hiding his shaking hand. It seems the man is scared of death; it makes it easier for Hugo to blackmail him.
"Dear friend, is this how you greeted your savior?" The man asked, still managing to smile despite his life being on a thin line. One wrong move and Hugo could swiftly slice his neck with no problem.
Savior? Is that how this arrogant man sees himself? Hah! Hugo doesn't need any savings from some rich man at TOPS; he can save himself. This man acted exactly like those self-righteous bastards, thinking they're always the savior of people in new Eridu and that they deserve some kind of repayment from them. No matter how good the man was at fooling him, Hugo could see through his facade with no problem.
"One, I am not your friend second, how the hell did you manage to find me in this hollow and not get injured? Not even that useless government could track me and fight those mutations." Hugo inquired; the man only chuckled, as if finding his words a mockery to the man himself.
"Well, you could say that luck was always on my side." The man shrugged.
He took Hugo's hand that was shaking. It seemed that he couldn't kill someone just based on speculation, huh? The man smirked triumphantly as he put the dagger onto his branded neck. The barcode and numbers on it were enough for Hugo to freeze. That signature barcode; it was used to brand slaves in the Ravenlocke family and send them to fight against the Ethereals. The man's situation... is similar to his past. The man's eyes drooped down, showing vulnerability behind them. He put the dagger close to his neck as trails of blood spilled from his neck. Hugo's eyes widened as flashes of his past self appeared in front of him, the same empty eyes of helplessness as the blood kept trailing down his neck. Hugo's breath became ragged, his chest tightening, hurting the lungs inside of him. The dagger dropped to the ground. Hugo gripped his chest. Damn it, of all times. The man held onto his bleeding neck, there was a glint of sympathy beneath them. A frown formed onto the man's face as he snapped his finger. Something big hit Hugo's head, causing him to go unconscious.
A bangboo wearing a black jacket and an orange scarf with the number 01 printed on it appeared behind a collapsed pillar, their digital green eyes widened at the man's bleeding neck as it's wobbly body ran towards him, it's small hands hold onto the man's grey pants.
"Mister Aventurine! Are you alright?!" A boy's voice came out of the bangboo, slightly digitalized.
The man named Aventurine only nodded as he pulled his hand away from his neck; a patch of blood appeared on his neck, and trails of blue cloudhymn magic disappeared from sight. He chuckled slightly as he fell to the ground, his eyes gazed at Hugo. Seeing Hugo hyperventilating due to his trauma, afraid to break the oath he made to Jack, Hugo's parental figure and Aventurine's apprentice. It was too much.
"Jack won't forgive me after this." He muttered quietly, he turned to the bangboo, took off the blood patch from his neck, and threw it to the ground; he put on his usual business smile.
"Well, Mr. Phaethon, I'll pay you double the price once we get out of here." Aventurine stated as he carried Hugo's body in his arms, and the Bangboo nodded as it guided Aventurine through the hollow, calculating the possible exit route.