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The first thing Pantalone noticed was the wamth…something was wrong…..Snezhnaya….Sumeru..… war..…desert.. gunshots..
… his head was spinning and he couldnt move……
Move.. move..! He said to himself as he felt losing his consciousness again..
…some days ago.
Pantalone was currently in the harbinger meeting now…Pierro was speaking about some war against Sumeru. The only thing he was thinking of however those premium Dawn winery wines that he saved for today.. maybe drinking wasnt going to solve his problems.. but temporarly it could help.. or he thought so…
He was so tired…his dream was to be rich.. he reached his dream now.. he was living in a big mansion with 3 bathrooms 5 bedrooms and maids for every room to clean.. yet it was alone… he felt lonely.. not that he would ever admit it..
he reached his dream yet.. he wasnt happy he felt empty…
-Regrator?- Pierros voice pulled him back to the reality.. ah. He was in the middle of the meeting and now everyone looking at him.
-Yes. I will accept the role of leading the third squad in the desert againts Sumeru.
-Very well then its settled. Because of the heatweave your going to travel in the night. Around the Aaru village you will meet with The Captain’s squad and lead the army towards the city. The others already know their places
Now then if everything settled. Tomorrow we will begin the attack. All hail our majesty… with that everyone bowed and left the room…
After arriving to his mansion the first thing pantalone did to pour himself a whole bottle of the wine… he didnt want this.. he always hated the war.
When he was little.. his father died in a revolution and after it his mother became a widow she started hallucinating her lover. She became an alcoholic and often beat his dear child, Feofan.
Feofan Sergeyevich Veksel.. a name that nobody knows in the fatui. After his mother sold him to the fatui he was rather quickly recognized by his talent there and after a year he soon became the 8th harbinger and overseen the wholes fatuis finances and managed the norhtland bank. Some hated him others feared him.. but there was no one who actually cared about him.. but its not like he needed that right..…?
He didnt have a choice only to accept to lead the squad againts Sumeru.. he didnt want this.. its not like he couldnt fight.. he could but the reason he was selected for this job by Pierro because of his mind. He is the one who usually make strategies in the war…sometimes he wonder if this was the right path…but its not like he has a word in this anymore. After all Pierro would never let him go. Nobody leaves the fatui. Nobody can.
He feels his head spinning… ugh.. did he really drink this much again..?.. whatever a little bit of rest wont hurt….
.. back in the present.
-oh..? Are you awake now….?
the first thing he noticed was a pair of red eyes…staring at him…
-Like crimson…..
-What…? Are you hallucinating? The guy stood close infront of him. Hmm.There was no poison in the bullets
-Your eyes…beautiful.
Pantalone himself didnt understand what was happening to him.. why did he say this out loud.
-maybe you have gone crazy in the desert. It happens to some people..
As pantalone started to be more consious he also noticed the guys teal hair. It reminded him of the Ice flower that grows in Snezhnaya.. at home.. Wait. Where was he..? As he sat up he noticed the warmth.. god it was really warm. Then he is still in sumeru..? He wasnt sold again-..?
-You do not look like a real soldier.. weak..did you know that you have serious medical conditions? Oh. And before you ask. I checked it.Blame my curiousity.
The person loosened the restrains around Pantalones body but still strong enough that he couldnt escape
-Apologies. For safety reasons i had to do this. We are enemies after all..
Ah. Right. Now Pantalone remembers….
He was leading the squad when suddenly an ambush happened… how could he let that happen? But that was the only thing he remember before he felt a gunshots.. then.. he fell down to a canyon as he lost his consiousnes.
-My name is Zandik… Ah.. He dozed off again. Zandik.. what a weird name… but after all this guy gave off weird vibes. Teal hair.. those beautiful red eyes.. and.. wait… this place.. it looked like an abandoned laboratory.. and does he smell blood…?
-You broke your leg.. your arm.. your collarbones.. and you got shot in the head and also in your stomach. I got to say its a miracle that your even alive.. tell me do they give something elixir of immortality to the fatui soldiers? You fell 20 meters in a canyon and survived. In the desert moreover.. How unfortunate that i was the one who found you.
-How lucky for me that a charming guy like you found me no..? Pantalone tried to hide his fear and tiredness by joking. This guy looked more and more dangerous the more minutes he spends with him.
-Ah… joking in this situation… what a weird person you are my little experiment.
Zandik looked at the guy.. he was pale.. not as much when he found him. Zandik was just walking in the desert looking for some animal that he can experiment on. Thats when he found a hald dead soldier on the ground. After checking him Zandik realised he must be a snezhnayan soldier who fall down while fighting. Because of this shitty war now Zandik cant roam freely in the desert. After being expelled from the akademiya he escaped to the desert where he found the abandoned laboratory where he lives now.
He grabbed the guy and brought him to his laboratory where he tented his injuries.. his first ever human that he can experiment on. He was working on a formula that can make people act as puppets. He needs a whole army to take revenge on his family and of course on the akademiya who didnt believe in him.
-Tell me…soldier. Will you be my first mindless puppet..?
…Zandik looked at pantalone with an innocent smile… what was this guy even talking about Pantalone thought. Puppet..? What does that meant..? But before he could answer Zandik injected him with some blue liquid…
Hmm.. now lets see if you behave.
-Specimen 01. Whats your name..? zandik asks hesinantly.. curiously if the formula worked..
-Pantalone.
-Pantalone.? How interesting.
-Who are you really..?
Meanwhile…in Pantalones head:…he.. felt the pain of being injected but he didnt feel anything happening.. the only thing changed that Zandik was smiling at him.. how weird.. was something about to happen..? Zandik started to ask me weird questions. Wait…he said mindless puppet. Ah.. so he was supossed to became a doll who loses his humanity..wait.. does that mean whatever Zandik injected in him didnt work.. ah.. still he should play along tho..
-And tell me Pantalone. Who are you..?
-I am a soldier in the squad three.. it looks like lying is working. Zandik doesnt suspect him not being affected.
-Hm.. weird. Then Pantalone. I realy want to see if my elixir works. So here is a knife. Stab your hand. ..zandik now was smiling creepily carefully looking at pantalones expression that didnt change when he stabbed himself. It really worked then? It didnt work on animals but maybe because This guy was a human after all..
-Good. Zandik gave him the second injection.. cant risk you waking up right haha?
…fuck it hurt.. thought Pantalone… for the sake of this sick playing he really stabbed his hand.. ugh…he is disgusted by this guy.. by zandik.. but then why does his heart beat faster when zandik closes the distance and cleans and bandages his palm up…?
It has been a month since pantalone woke up at zandiks laboratory.. he has been recovering well.. also he started getting closer to Zandik. Observing him. The way he tilts his head when Pantalone says a word in shneznayan what zandik doesnt understand or the way Zandik acts cruelly but at the same time with care as if he was a real doll.
Because Zandik didnt notice his act he trusted him enough to unrestrain Pantalone and became an assistant to Zandik.
While yes Zandik didnt think of him as a human Pantalone still felt cared.. the way nobody did before.. he didnt feel lonely…
But when he went outside with Zandik to find food.. he saw the explosions in the far towards the city. Ah. How he almost forgot. The war. He was a harbinger after all.. what happened to the soldiers who were with him that time.. shame but he will have to escape from Zandik…
It was nighttime when pantalone woke up. He needs to move. To go.. yet… he couldnt really when Zandik was sleeping next to him like that. No. No. He is the 8th harbinger damn it. He has to move.. pantalone grabbed Zandik’s sword and moved towards the door.
-And where do you think your going. Stop right now.
zandik was woken up by some noise when he saw pantalone leaving
-Ah…. Zandik. I am sorry but i have duties. I would love to stay here with you and act as your puppet for the rest of my life, but as a man i have a reputation to save. Goodbye my sumerian rose.
With that Pantalone left the door and quickyl ran in the desert towards Snezhnaya.. his home