Byakko Monogatari
[Byakko] Chapter 11
Mourning
[Inside of Book]
[—Palace: Dungeon—]
"Listen Lenalee-chan~" Road's sweet voice echoed through the unaware Celestial warrior's minds. "This is your punishment."
Tears flow down to her cheeks while murmuring her brother's name.
She's inside now on a jail in the palace's dungeon; her hands were bound together above her head with shackles that keeping them in place; she's dressed in black blouse, hair loose and bare feet.
Her wounds from her last fight against the three celestial warriors were still visible; as well the trails of bloods from her wounds that already dried.
It's already three days since she was sent there; no medical treatment, so is food, only water.
When she came back to the palace, Road greeted her with Lord Komui standing just behind her and that sight puts a terror in her heart. She failed so now Road will take her brother's life; but for some reason the young—only in appearance—fallen told her that she will be the one who will get punish instead.
She, without hesitation, agreed.
And now here she is—tied, imprison with no power.
Without her dark boots she is only an ordinary girl, a selfish princess; and her time is running out.
[—Palace: Road's Room—]
Tykki who is standing next to the door has been talking with Road that at that time is playing with her white color child-like doll with bloated stomach with a black star on its stomach and a little, closed-ring, "halo-like" oval above its head and wings on its back.
"Ne Road, why did you decide to punish Lenalee instead of her brother?"
"Because~" Road chimes as she continue on ripping her doll "I got an idea how to bring down more worshippers."
"Using her?" Tykki asked with one eyebrow raised in question.
"Yup." Road answered with a nod and smile on her lips.
"What about Lavi?"
"The plan is still on going for him, so we cannot afford to lose him yet. So don't let him in the dungeon yet."
Tykki sighs, he having a difficult time on following this two members of his family; since Road is the one who holding all the details for their current job, she could think up of some random plan; and as for Wisely, that guy can see someone's mind that's why he also aware of the reason why the redhead bookman junior was being kept alive; on the meanwhile there he is, a member and yet being kept into the dark, but still working his ass off just to follow the orders from their great Sovereign one.
[—Palace: Dungeon—]
"Grandpaps? OI GRANDPAPS!"
'That voice… Lavi?' Lenalee quickly recognized the voice that ringing throughout the dungeon
Lavi's loud voice that lace with eagerness has been keep calling for the older bookman, but aren't successful for getting a reply; but he keeps doing it, he continue even though his eye would never ever going to deceive him.
"Hey Grandpaps, answer me!" he beg while holding onto bars that keeping him from approaching his mentor who's in the inside, and just like Lenalee hands, were bound above his head.
[
"Hold your tongue Lavi!" a small old man hit Lavi on the back of his head, strong enough that the redhead meets the ground below them; while Xiu is watching them with sweat drop on his head.
"That's hurt Grandpaps!"
"You must be wary of revealing even the slightest scrap of information. The information the Bookmen hold must only be passed to another Bookman!"
"What's the fuss? Si Xiu is a Celestial Warrior, there's no need to worry about him learning the history of other Celestial Warriors!" Lavi wince as he caresses the bump on his head.
"Stupid!" Bookman yelled at his apprentice, then turn towards the ravenet which makes the lad stiffened while looking at the Bookman's eyes.
"I apologized for this idiot apprentice of mine."
"N-no, there's no need."
Bookman then dragged Lavi by pulling his clothes' collar while the said redhead lad is waving at the still standing young general.
]
"Hey talk to me Grandpaps…" Lavi's voice suddenly become whisper while gripping on the bars and tears started to formed on his one visible eye.
[
"HEY HOW MANY TIMES I GOING TO TELL YOU DON'T PLAY WITH MY HAIR!" -an angry Bookman chasing his successor on the hallway of the palace.
"Wake up Lavi!" –Bookman hitting Lavi on the head with scroll.
"I told you don't tie any feelings with anyone." –Bookman reminded Lavi about their clan's rule.
"Lavi… Lavi… Lavi…"
"I will the one who will succeed Bookman." An eight year-old Lavi declares to the old Bookman
"Yes you will." Bookman responds while wearing a warm smile on his face.
]
"GRANDPAPS!" and tears gradually finally fell down from his eye.
Lenalee knows what his scream means; Bookman, Lavi's mentor has finally takes his final breath—no—it is better to say 'finally Lavi learns about Bookman's dead'.
Yes, Bookman has been dead even before Lenalee was sent in the dungeon.
She knows it, since this isn't the first time that Lenalee was sent here to be punish.
Every time she puts in the jail Bookman would talk to her, keeping her mental stability intact.
Tears started to roll down to her cheeks, as she remembers all the time she cries for help but Bookman even though were bound to his own chains would approached her using words.
Both her and Lavi were banned to visit Bookman, and the last time she hears him is around three months ago.
More tears fell down from both the teens as they mourning for the death of someone really important for them; but Lavi's voice overwhelms the whole place.
But it stops right away after hearing the sing sang voice of one of the fallens.
"Aha~ no good, no good Lavi~" Wisely chimes as he walking down the stairs, pinching the bridge of his nose to ease the—none existing—head ache. "Aren't we ordered you not come here~"
Lavi's eye glares at the incoming fallen; eyeing him full of hatred and anger.
"Hey! Hey! What's up with that look Bookman Junior~" the white haired fallen chimes "You cool though!" he then laughs.
"You! Why did you kill Grandpaps?!" Lavi stood up, not removing his gaze on the man before him.
"Eh? Kill him? We didn't! That old geezer won't eat any food delivered to him, not even taking water—" Wisely shrugged his shoulder, "Well; even I say those you actually wouldn't believe in us anyways," another clanking of heels were heard.
Lavi take out his small version of hammer and by his command it become huge.
"What's the fuss, boy?" Tykki asked, as his whole figure becomes clears to Lavi and Wisely. "Is this what they called 'rebelling'?"
"Oh my, oh my~" Road's giggles rungs into their ears, that sent shivers on both Lavi and Lenalee. "I told you right Lavi? Don't come here~" she says as she show herself from behind of the red head.
"What now, boy? You are going to fight us with that?" Tykki asked as swarm of violet and black colour butterflies flew out from his hands. "Against with my tease?"
Lavi's elemental seal then appeared "Hellfire and Ash…Fire Stamp!"
And fight between the three fallen and a single fighter ensues.
But the fight didn't last even for a mere minute as Tykki in midst of his pets rush to the fighter able to land a strong kick on Lavi's torso; and the single kick followed by many more attacks from the elder fallen.
Road and Wisely don't even needed to make a move and just watch cheerily to the one-sided fight. They know—right from the start—that Lavi has no match against Tykki.
"Tykki~ don't kill him yet." Road pronounce to the elder. "We still need him~"
Tykki smirk while commanding his butterflies called tease to merge into one entity. He grabs Lavi's hair and pulls him up, "Lavi, this would hurt for a little." He chimes as he pushed his tease into Lavi's chest and it enters.
"Lavi? Lavi?" Lenalee's voice rung to their ears; Wisely who is the nearest person on her jail, leaned side to the bars, "What did you do to Lavi?!" Lenalee demanded.
"Tykki has put his tease inside of the Bookman Junior. That tease will eat a portion of one of his internal organs resulting in slow death. Well; like you heard, we still couldn't afford to lose him unlike you, so we will slowly make the death come to him."
"Why? Why are you doing that to him? To us? We obey your orders, we fought Xiu-nii and his fellow warriors, we killed many citizens of Sairo, and I even able to kill one Celestial Warrior, but why? Why you must do this? What we did to deserved this?!"
"Road~" Wisely calls for the youngest sibling, while poking the side of his head; the called fallen gaze to him "Your doll is being noisy and nosy~"
Road shows her sickly mischievous evil grin right after hearing her brother's rant. "It's alright, let her be Wisely. This might be her last time to be nosy and noisy." The female fallen stated, as she walking towards the jail where Lenalee occupied; she stop in front and hold onto the bars still with that creepy grin "Soon, you'll be the reason for the remaining worshippers to lose their entire faith to Byakko."
"What… do you mean?"
[Outside the Book]
[—Hevlaska's House—]
"How is it Hev-sensei? Do we have any way to contact Chiharu?" Luca asked; while his butler is holding the book and flipping its pages.
"Do you have anything that the same to what currently Chiharu-chan carrying?"
"Nothing."
"What about her uniform?" Luca shook his head,
"She's wearing her costume which, you know, old Japanese clothing…"
"What about hair strands? Any left behind?"
Luca sighs, "Nothing…"
"Then we don't have anything that will act as a medium to contact Chiharu-chan."
"What about your mother's heirloom, Master Luca?" for the first time since their arrival at the messy house, Radius finally spoken; Luca turn to him with hopeless on his face.
"Radius?"
"I mean, it was described here about a two finger alloy ring with vines and rose with emerald stone as design right? I remembered that you have the exact same design on your room along with a single ear cuff with flower design."
Hevlaska flicks her two fingers together, agreeing and amazed to the butler. "That might work!"
"Alright then, I will get those so we could communicate with the lady." Radius suggested as he close the book with a thud.
"Wait Radiu—why did you—you actually believing on us?" Luca questioned; it was all absurd things but his butler is willing to help them.
Radius smiles warmly to his master "Of course, I'm believed in you Master Luca. What kind of butler I am if I won't believe in my master, right?" the butler then puts his hands on his chest and bow to Luca, "I swore to myself and to you that I will always believe in you and I'm ready to go to hell if it is needed." He stood straight then gaze to his master's honey brown orbs, he then held out the book towards his master which Luca accepted, "So then I'll go now…" then bow once again.
He straight his back, turns his heel towards the door and left.
"Luca~" Hevlaska chimes that gain the attention of her former student "You're lucky to your butler."
This statement brought smile to Luca; yes, he so lucky to have such a loyal and trusted person next to him.
"So Luca." Hevlaska once again calls for him while rampaging into her mountain of old books, "Does Radius-kun know about the real Luca?"
Luca's smile turns bitter upon realizing his real circumstances; "Wonders~ I actually don't know." Hevlaska shook her head,
"And here I am shipping you two."
"Stop it." Luca said in firm tone "Don't put me on your wild fantasies."
The teacher then giggles while the former student sighs.