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Something was wrong. Seam could tell just from the look in Jevil’s eyes.
It had been weeks since they’d seen him last. These days, with the war raging like an inferno, it was rare Seam could sneak away from their duties. Especially when said duties pitted them against monster kind, in a war they wanted no part of, but found themselves embroiled in anyways.
Only by the grace of sympathetic colleagues, some of which found themselves in similar situations, did Seam get a chance to sneak away for these meetings. And even then, they had to be careful.
For Jevil, it was different. There were monsters that would judge him for seeking companionship with a human. But the real problem lay in taking a capable fighter away from the front lines, especially as casualties on the monster side climbed ever-higher.
Even in normal times, any change in Jevil’s demeanor would concern Seam. But the circumstances as they were only made them worry more.
Seam’s immediate thought was that the strange look on Jevil’s face had something to do with the state of things on the monster side. Bells jingled as he dropped down from the tree he’d been waiting in, tail twitching and eyes distant, the slightest of frowns on his face. He was quiet. Abnormally so.
“Jevil?” Seam began, dropping to their knees to be closer to eye level. They opened their arms to offer an embrace. Sometimes the jester took it, sometimes he did not. But they knew from experience that Jevil always wanted to be the one to initiate contact. “Is everything alright?”
A beat of silence followed, then Jevil’s gaze finally seemed to focus on them, his frown twisting to the slightest of grins. “OF COURSE, OF COURSE, NO TROUBLE AT ALL. NOTHING MORE THAN THE USUAL. EXCEPT, PERHAPS, A MATTER MOST QUEER THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE KNOWEDGE OF.”
The jester rocked on his heels, back and forth, but made no motion to move, so Seam shifted to sit in the grass, giving the clearing one quick glance before returning their attention fully to Jevil. “Well then, tell me about it, my dear. I am all ears.”
Jevil took a seat in front of them, sitting cross-legged. He tilted his head, the bells dangling from his horns jingling. “IT STARTED WITH A DREAM, A DREAM, THE SOUND OF A VOICE UNSEEN. MANY A MONSTER, IN AN ALL-ENCOMPASING DARK. THE HUMANS HUDDLE IN THE LIGHT. THEY THINK THEMSELVES SAFE, SAFE. THE MONSTERS TRAPPED, TRAPPED. BUT I WONDER. WHO IS THE TRAPPED AND WHO IS THE FREE?” He leaned forward, his smile faltering and gaze serious. “AND WHAT DOES IT SAY OF YOU AND ME, ME?”
Seam was not sure how to respond at first. They reached over for their staff, sitting it over their lap, then draped their arms over it, clasping their hands together. “Is this a riddle of some sort?” they began slowly.
“NO RIDDLE, RIDDLE, TRULY SOMETHING I'VE SEEN. BUT ONLY IN MY DREAMS.”
Well, that eliminated the least concerning reason. “Does it have to mean anything? Perhaps it is just a bad dream, a troubling side effect of the war we find ourselves in. I imagine it is… difficult, involved in the fight as you are.”
It was an extreme understatement. Seam wished they could take Jevil away from the fight. He was an entertainer. They both were! Meant to bring joy to human and monster alike! But instead they were trapped in this conflict, trapped on opposing sides. Seam swore an oath to protect the kingdom, a vow not easily broken. But for Jevil and the monsters, this was a matter of life or death. For now, they had not been called to war, only called to use their magic for healing. But who knew when that would change?
“PERHAPS, PERHAPS.” Jevil pulled back, his expression troubled. “BUT THERE WERE MORE. MORE DREAMS OF THE DARK, AND THAT BECKONING VOICE. A BECKONING VOICE THAT OFFERS A CHOICE. THE TRUTH AT A COST. FREEDOM TO SEE, SEE. WHAT WAS AND IS AND WILL BE, BE. THE END OF THE WAR OR, PERHAPS, MORE.”
Seam frowned, reaching for Jevil’s hand. “Dearest, these are dreams and nothing more. Does the fighting trouble you?” They shook their head quickly. How could they ask that? They already knew it did. “If it is so troubling, perhaps there’s another position you could fill?”
Jevil shook his head. “IT IS TOO LATE, LATE FOR THAT. THE VOICE CAME MORE AND MORE UNTIL I ACCEPTED ITS LITTLE FREEDOM. AND IN DOING SO, IT GIFTED ME MINE. I SEE NOW WHAT IS TO PASS IF MONSTERKIND IS TO BE SAFE.”
Unease prickled along Seam’s spine. They humored Jevil anyways. “What do you mean?”
“TWO WORLDS, DIVIDED BY LIGHT. A KINGDOM OF MONSTERS AND A KINGDOM OF MEN SEPARATED INTO LIGHT AND DARK, NEVER TO MEET AGAIN WITHOUT THE ANGEL’S WILL. BUT NOT WITHOUT COST. UEE HEE HEE! THE HUMANS LOSE MUCH IN A WAR OF DISTRUST.”
“Jevil… Are you sure you should be trusting these dreams of yours? Seam’s brow knit together. “Does it not all sound a bit farfetched to you. There’s no guarantee that any of this will happen. And I wouldn’t want you working yourself up over it.”
“BUT IT MUST, MUST. IT WILL, WILL. THE ECHOES OF FATE DRIFT EVER CLOSER.” He faltered, drooping with a sigh. He took a few steps forward, tossing aside Seam’s staff so that he could settle into their lap.
“I DO NOT WISH IT TO BE SO. HOW LONELY, LONELY I WILL BE WITHOUT YOU.”
“You won’t be,” Seam said sternly. They reached up to wrap their arms around Jevil. He closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. “Because I will do everything in my power to ensure it doesn’t come to pass. There has to be a way to end this war and still be together. There must be.”
“YOU ARE BUT ONE VOICE, A WHISPER IN THE WIND,” Jevil countered, tail swishing from side to side. “PERHAPS YOU CAN CHANGE FATE, PERHAPS NOT. YOU HAVE A CHOICE, CHOICE TO MAKE. TO ARGUE AGAINST THE SEALING, OR TO PLAY A PART. OR PERHAPS NOTHING, NOTHING AT ALL. BUT, MY DEAREST SEAM, YOU MUST REMEMBER.”
He paused and, with a flourish of his hand, made a handful of diamond-shaped bullets appear before tossing them aside. Then he smiled a pained smile, a rare moment of fear that Seam had never seen before. “WHAT HAPPENS COULD BE A FATE MOST WORSE.”