Neither of them had woken up. It had been a week since the group had returned to Pandora from Yura's mansion, and since anyone last saw Break and Reim conscious.
After all these years with him, Alexis never thought she'd see the day she would see him like this: defenseless, weak. She sighed and left the note on the bedside table. She glanced at his sleeping face once more before leaving, closing the door quietly behind her.
She looked at the grandfather clock in the hallway. It was about time to go meet up with Oz, Gilbert, and Alice.
"Hey, don't treat me like a little kid!"
"I'm not I just thought you were cute."
"You're doing it again!"
Alexis walked around the corner and saw Gilbert ruffling Oz's hair. "Yelling isn't the best way to start today," she commented with a smile pulling at her lips.
"Ah, good morning, Alexis!" Oz ran over to the woman, "Something is off with Gil today." She laughed, "Well, it's probably the first time in a while we've seen him relaxed, especially since for the first time in a long time we have a day off!" Oz hummed. "It's still odd that Duke Barma gave us the day off in the first place," he thought aloud.
"Although did he really have to call off the bodyguards and surveillance?" Gilbert asked a little worried. "Come on, Gil, he said to have as much fun as possible," Oz took the lead, "so stop worrying and let's do just that!"
"Where did they go?!"
Gilbert was looking around frantically for Oz and Alice. The two had run off as soon as they had reached the festival in town.
Alexis giggled. "They'll be alright. We'll find them soon." She popped a few more roasted almonds in her mouth. He kept looking around anyway. She sighed and looked up at him; he was getting way too wound up for a day off. She grabbed a nut from the small paper bag in her hand. "Hey, Gilbert."
The man turned around. "Yeah—"
Alexis popped the nut into his mouth. "Relax, they'll be fine. You know just as much as I do how smart Oz is." Gilbert started to chew. She smiled and ate some more almonds herself. Her raven-haired companion stared at her wondering how she wasn't more worried. "Gilbert, look." He snapped his gaze up realizing how long he had been staring. "Oz and Alice are right over there."
The two teens were at a food stand. Alice was munching on some sweet bread while Oz was waving at them waiting for what looked like a crepe. Alexis waved back and started to walk over to them, while Gilbert followed at a more hurried pace. "Having fun so far?" asked Alexis when they reached them. A huge grin made its way over Oz's face. "Of course!" the boy turned and accepted his crepe paying for it. The group walked away from the stall and started down the road.
"So, Alexis," Oz started, "have you figured how Reim will take the news?" His friend chewed her roasted almonds thoughtfully before answering. Alexis had waited a few days after telling Gilbert to take Oz aside one afternoon for a walk in the gardens to tell him. The boy didn't seem that shocked at finding out about the Blue Monarch. She wasn't sure how to accept that. "Right now I'm more concerned about him getting better," she answered.
The two heard Gilbert arguing with Alice over something. Alexis glanced at Gilbert and back at Oz. He nodded understanding what she was thinking. The two started to lead them to a more solitary part of the street without Gilbert and Alice realizing it. Her contract wasn't the only thing they had talked about.
"Gilbert, I have something to tell you," started Oz. Turning away from the young chain, Gilbert focused on the blonde. "Yes, Oz?" The boy sighed.
"The hand of the seal has advanced."
The group was in total silence as they let Gilbert absorb what he had just said.
"What did you just say, Oz!?"
"I said that the hand of the seal has advanced."
"How can you say something so important so casually?! Let me see it!"
"What?! I'm not going to undress here! Now stop making a scene and calm down!"
After Gilbert calmed down, Oz continued. "The hand of the seal advanced after I used the power of B-Rabbit in Sablier, and the same happened at Yura's mansion."
"Oz…"
"I'm alright; you're the one who should try to relax a bit."
"How can I?! I can't stand seeing you smile like that!"
"But I'm fine!"
"No you're not!"
The two turned to the other two girls. "Who's being unreasonable?!" they asked. "Uhh…" Alexis wasn't sure if she wanted to get involved. "But you're both saying the exact same thing," said Alice. She decided to take matters into her own hands. "Day in, day out, as soon as one of you looks at the other you get all gloomy." Oz and Gilbert stared at her, and then glanced at each other.
Oz walked over to a table and sat down. Both of them thought over what the chain had just said.
"Hahaha! You've got a point!" laughed Oz, "Fighting because each of us is worried about the other—it's really pointless!" The boy rested his head in his arms, "I see, I was worried about you, Gil, and that made you worry about me." He buried his head further into his arms. Alice was about to go over to Oz, but Alexis grabbed her and shook her head.
"Gil, are you sad about Elliot?" Gilbert cast his gaze down,"…yeah."
"Me too, but I still don't know exactly how I feel about it. I can only feel this vague sense of loss. But for the time being I think I have to carry on with the things I must do," Oz was barely audible with his head still in his arms. Gilbert walked over and patted his head, "I feel exactly the same." He pulled away, "That's all… I needed to know." He turned to look at the girls and frowned at something above Alexis. She looked up, confused at first, but then sighed. "Alice, what are you doing up there?" The young chain had made her way to the top of the wall and was sitting comfortably. "Nothing," she bit off a piece of her sweetbread. "Get down from there, stupid rabbit," ordered Gilbert. She glared down at him, "Why should I?"
Alexis looked back at Oz at that moment; she didn't know why but she felt like she had to.
"Hello, Oz-kun."
The brunette took a step forward surprised at how different the boy who sat back to back with Oz looked. "Leo," she whispered. Gilbert and Alice also looked over as the two boys started to talk.
"Sorry for interrupting your conversation."
"Don't worry, it's fine."
"It's been a long time hasn't it?"
That's right."
Leo tilted his head curiously. "You don't seem surprised to see me here." Oz smiled sadly. "Sadly no, so far whenever we've been allowed to go about freely we were actually being used at bait to lure someone."
"I see, so that's why you were wandering around without an escort. Well, I came to talk to you." Oz turned around in his chair. "Talk to me?" Leo followed suit and also turned around, "Yes, Oz-kun, you see I've come for you." Alexis and Gilbert came closer to the two as the wind started to pick up. However Alexis stopped as soon as she saw who was by the now shorter haired boy. Gilbert stepped protectively next to Oz.
"I'm a little confused," started Oz, "coming out with that all of a sudden." Leo smiled, "Oh, really? I thought you would appreciate me getting straight to the point." Oz also smiled, "Well, how am I supposed to understand you if you don't explain yourself?" The two teens looked like they used to, like when they were at a certain tea party laughing and talking with all of their friends. But something was very different.
"Explain you say?" Leo rose from the table and walked over to the young blonde, "Oz-kun, why don't we go for a walk, just the two of us? Give me a chance to persuade you." Oz was silent for a moment before standing up. "Let's see what you have to say."
Gilbert was staring after the two teens terribly worried. They had only been walking and talking for a few minutes with Gilbert, Vincent, Alexis, Alice and Echo following a good distance behind.
"Are you worried about the two of them?" asked Vincent. The younger brother was the emotional opposite of his older brother: calm. "Don't worry, he's not going to attack him out of the blue… well I think," he smiled, "Despite his mild mannered appearance, he can be pretty brutal, my master that is." Gilbert turned to his brother. "Vince, you—"
"Duke Barma must have figured out by now," Vincent looked at Alexis who was on the opposite side of Gilbert, "that he carries Glen Baskerville's soul." He started to walk over to the woman. "Haven't you ever wondered about the pull towards him? Why you two seemed to establish a friendship the very day you met?" Alexis started to slowly move further away from him. Gilbert looked between the two of them not sure what was going on. "Vincent, what are you doing?" he asked.
She looked away from the advancing blonde. "Don't explain what I already understand." He stopped, "Do you now? I'm curious, what exactly do you know?" She turned her sapphire eyes towards his wine and gold eyes, a frown on her lips. "That doesn't concern you."
"I see," was Vincent's response before he turned back to the young teens. Alexis quietly sighed when he did and also turned her gaze towards them, catching Gilbert's golden eyes when she did. "Alexis, what's going on?" he asked. She stepped closer to him, "I can't tell you right now." She gave a sideways glance at Vincent. He followed her gaze and looked back at her. "Is everything alright?"
"Don't worry, everything is fine," she reassured him. The group looked to the teens that were on a bridge. Leo stepped up onto the ledge of the bridge. "If I had told Elliot about Isla Yura maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this." Oz stared up at the boy. "I am a despicable person, Oz-kun, because everything that has happened is because of me!"
"Leo!"
"Well me and the Intention of the Abyss," Leo looked back at Oz, "You see, Oz-kun, I want to erase her existence. That is my goal and the goal of the Baskervilles." Everyone but Vincent and Echo looked at Leo shocked. "But…" Oz took a step forward, "Jack said your goal was to obtain the Intention of the Abyss!" Leo smiled as he leaned against a light post. "That's right, to obtain in order to destroy."
"Isn't that what the previous Glen was trying to do when he caused the Tragedy of Sablier?"
"Those people are all useless they don't know the important things. So I'm going to ask him directly. I'll break the seals binding Glen's soul and ask him how she can be disposed of once and for all."
Vincent walked a few steps forward as he looked over his shoulder explaining. "Gil, Alexis, the Baskervilles are trying to restore the Abyss to the way it was. Protecting the order of the Abyss, that is the mission of the chosen ones. They aren't just lusting after power for their own selfish ends like Pandora."
"What?" Alexis muttered. This wasn't anything like what she had been told by the Blue Monarch.
"Oz-kun, join me. Justice is on our side, you are aware of that aren't you?" Oz looked at Leo with a serious gaze. "I don't really like people who go around brandishing the banner of justice. No matter the reason, where humans are involved there is no black or white, no justice or evil. There is only our will. Leo, are you planning to bring about another Tragedy of Sablier in the name of your justice?" Leo gazed down at him, "Probably, if it turns out to be the only way to destroy the Intention of the Abyss."
"Then I cannot join you. I do not want to witness that horror ever again!"
There was a rumbling that started to shake the ground. And then they saw it appear behind Leo.
The Jabberwock