Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you for all the favorites and follows, I really appreciate it! In this chapter, it goes more in depth to who Elena surrounds herself with and what her home life is. This chapter does introduce some new characters to the story that will reappear in the future also! Anyways, enjoy!
O He gives to us His joy,
That our grief He may destroy:
Till our grief is fled and gone
He doth sit by us and moan.
- On Another's Sorrow, Stanza 17, William Blake
"Where were you?"
The question caused her to tense up as he continued to glare down at her with dark gray disapproved eyes, clearly not happy with her disappearance. Her gaze was locked down at the ground and she clutched her bag tightly tp her own side, trying to ignore the pressure he was placing upon her. She bit her lip as she tried to come up with a reasonable explanation behind her misplacement yet nothing seemed to be coming to her mind.
"Elena," He said her name and her gaze snapped back up to him. He stood taller than most of the men in Fortuna specially when he did not slouch, his black hair was thick and slightly curly but cut as a quiff and his beard was groomed well and did not stand out too far from his face but did give depth to his features. His nose, much like her own, was aquiline and stood out to others. He wore a long black coat with small buttons stitched onto it with black pants, slightly dirty from probably going to find her, and high brown boots that rose just below his knees.
"Yes, brother?" She asked him and he continued to look down at her, eyes trying to focus on her yet they seemed to flickering around.
"…We will discuss more of this once we arrive back." He answered and turned in the direction of their home. She followed him as they headed back yet she could not help but turn back to the alleyway and hoped she would not spot Vergil observing the interaction she had between her brother. She released a small breath of relief that he wasn't there and she quickened her pace to match closer to her brother's as he seemed to walking briskly past others, his expression full of annoyance.
She clearly did something that made him annoyed at her.
Perhaps it was a vision that left him in such a state?
He stopped for a second and she froze place before he turned to her. He reached over and grabbed her, which his grip was cold and tight on her wrist. He looked around like paranoia was forcing its way into her or his mind seemed to be playing tricks with him.
"Stay close to me, Elena. I do not want to lose you." He spoke and she nodded at this, reframing from talking to him.
"Of course." She stated and he dragged her along, set in motion to their home until unknown to the both of them, Vergil cautiously observed the two as they made off on the top of a house roof.
She trended behind him with her face hung low, slightly ashamed that he had caught her but she also thought how exactly she was going to be able to avoid him so she could slip out to talk with Vergil the following day.
She had never meet someone like him before.
She released a breath and glanced back up to see her brother not looking at her and only paying attention in front of him. She decided to initiate a conversation with him to try and calm down his nerves and picked up her pace, walking side by side to him. She gave him a small smile and gripped her fists tight.
"I managed to get many sketches done today." She said softly and his stern expression eased up but he still had his eyes narrowed in disapproval, "I plan on making a couple of them into paintings and perhaps maybe one charcoal piece. I believe that I can complete them soon enough to help decorate the manor although I'll need to go to the store soon to get the supplies though."
His eyes narrowed at his and he snapped his head to her before grabbing her arm, pulling her close to him.
"You are not leaving the manor alone, Elena." He hissed and she frowned at his transgression, "You broke my trust again and because of that, you'll need someone to go with you."
Her eyes narrowed at this and she ripped her arm from his grip, annoyed at how aggressive he was being about the issue when in the past he had been fine with her going on her on to find some form of subject matter to capture for her work. She bit her lip slightly before moving away from him to give herself more thoughts on how to approach him better.
"…I understand." She mumbled and his eyes dropped down to the road, rubbed his face and sighed.
"…Listen, Elena," He began again and his eyebrows twitched, "I'm only trying to keep you safe. This accident that happened today only made me more nervous than I was before." He told her and she scoffed at this, clearly not buying it.
"Then why didn't you have someone else with me today?" She hissed and he stared at her for a second before his eyes began to look cloudy. She frowned in worry at this before grabbing his arm and looped it with her own, sighing as she kept pace with him.
"I can lead us back." She mumbled and he looked over to her, eyes swirling around and not focusing on her.
"Thank you." He told her and she gave a small nod at this, understanding that he could not control the visions he received. His visions, unlike many of her own, appeared at random and left him weakened. He closed his eyes and let her lead the way, knowing that even though they had their issues and complications he could trust her to bring him home since he would do the same for her. She pulled him away, guiding him with her and she noticed the few odd glances at them but ignored them the best she could. She struggled a little to keep moving but no one offered to help her.
"I understand that you were concerned," She mumbled and continued to pull him along, knowing he wasn't exactly listening, "But I've been without any protection in the past and got along just fine and safe. Something you must have saw pushed you into this state of mind."
She thought about her own statement just now before sighing as she continued to drag him along, noting how still his whole body acted like he was just a doll being dragged around.
Something definitely put him on edge and that threw everything into chaos.
She noticed the familiar town center and knew was drawing near their manor soon enough but before he made it further, someone approached her. She blinked at the familiar face of one of the many servants in the household. The man stood just a little taller than her with short black hair cut just above his neck with a kippah on his head and dark eyes stared down at her, a simple small on his very angular face. He wore a kittel and dark pants underneath it while a tallit hung loose on his shoulders and drew down to his knees. He carried a small basket full of items like food and tools for the manor.
"Good evening, Mistress Elena. May I help you with carrying Lord Nero?" He questioned and she released a sigh from this. She nodded at the offer of his help and he approached the other side of her brother, easily able to carry his weight than her.
"Thank you, Immanuel." She said and he nodded at this, eyes blank at her statement. Her brother looked limp in the other man's arms and she bit her lip, trying to figure out a way to escape tomorrow to visit Vergil.
"Mistress, are you concerned?" The voice of the servant Immanuel brought her back to the present and she gave him a fake smile, which he did not know it was.
"Of course since he is my precious older brother." She said and the man hummed at this, walking in the direction of the manor.
"Is there something else on your mind, Mistress?" The servant asked and she blinked at this, shocked that he had even noticed her own thoughts drifting in many directions.
"Of course," She responded and folds her hands behind her, walking with much confidence in the air, "When do I not have a second thought crossing in my mind? I'm thinking of the next piece to complete since I have many subjects in my mind to choose from."
"…Interesting. Would you mind sharing some of your thoughts on your next piece?" The servant requested and she sighed at this.
"Well, I do not want my creative process to be ruined by informing you of my possible subjects matters and making an influence on me about what to do." She told him and he simply nodded at this, accepting it as is.
"That is fine, Mistress. I was simply curious." He said and she brushed some of her hair back from her face. They continued past many people who simply stared at them but they made no mind at them and walked into the town's center, seeing the marvelous mansion before them. Its style of Romanesque was far older looking than the Renaissance styled architecture of the rest of town, where its Roman rounded arches were balancing the side of the manor. Its doors which was different from the rest of the manor's architecture were large and wide, engraved into the wood were figures and scenes from the Bible such as David and Goliath, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Moses and the Burning Bush. The wood roof was barrel vaulted and the walls were thick, prohibiting others from even getting a glimpse of the inside of the manor.
"I shall get the door." The servant spoke and she walked up to the door before he could move, knocking on it. The door open and they came face to face with another servant. This one had long brown hair that reached down to the back of their neck and dark brown eyes stared at them. They bore a black suit that clung to their skin while a smile was displayed on their thin lips.
"Ah, hello, Mistress Elena and Immanuel." The servant said and Elena gave a slight nod of approval at them.
"Hello, Leor. Thank you for answering the door. Could you help Immanuel bring Nero to his room?" Elena said as she passed by them and the servant, Leor, nodded at this, brandishing more of a smile as walked over to Immanuel and helped even out of the weight of her brother on their shoulders.
"Of course, Mistress." They said and brought him inside the manor while she closed the door behind them. Her eyes did not want to stare into the large family portrait that was part of the entrance way, where a family of three stared down at her in disgust. She scowled and began to storm away until she heard a groan from behind her. She turned to face the two servants and saw as her brother's clouded eyes began to peal away and his body regained from being so slack.
"Hello Master Nero." The two servants spoke to the now responding man who looked between the two, heavy bags appearing under his eyes.
"Thank you, Immanuel and Leor. You are both excused. I need to talk with Elena alone." He said exhausted and she frowned at this, knowing his vision must have also prompted him to continue their conservation now. She crossed her arms over her chest and the two servants walked away without any other discussions.
"Must we talk now?" She questioned him and he glared at her for suggesting to change the time they would talk.
"Yes." He hissed and she slightly flinched at his harsh tone towards her, "We need to right now."
She stayed still before dropping her arms to her side, knowing she would not win against him, and he approached her. His eyes were full of emotion and she could not tell what they meant since he rubbed his own face at this, seemingly trying to keep himself together.
"Please, Elena." He begged her and she simply stared at him, "It concerns your life."
Her own eyes grew wide at the statement, shock coursing through her system at his statement, before multiple thoughts swirled around in her head.
Her own life?
What was so concerting that involved her own life?
"Fine, but may we talk about it elsewhere?" She suggested and he nodded, gesturing to the dinning room which she followed him. She glad that they were no longer near the infuriating family portrait but still she was concerned at what he had saw that issued this display of worry and anger.
"…You had no plans belong near the attack are correct?" Her brother asked as she was walked into the room, knowing she would be questioned about that.
"Of course not. I was unfortunately near a Demon when it sensed my ability and it wanted to find the source of it to feast on." She replied casually and her brother looked at her with disbelief, sensing her partial truth but he remained calm, "I was lucky enough that someone stopped the Demon before it got to me."
That phrase unfortunately was not the words he wanted to hear.
"Who stopped the Demon?" He snarled at her and she looked at him with wide eyes, realizing her mistake, "Elena, tell me who killed the Demon!"
His tone changed to anger once she mentioned being saved and she backed away from him, clenching her fist as he approached her.
"Nero," She tried to calm hime down but he stalked closer to her, "Please, calm down."
"Tell me now, Elena." He hissed and she felt her heart beat faster in nervousness, "Do not lie to me!"
"It was a strange man with white hair." She told him, trying to make him ease away, but his eyes grew immensely large and terror seemed to form their way into them.
"Do not see that man again, Elena." He spoke in a much softer tone and she stared at him in confusion at the change of tone he now had. She frowned at this and she simply sighed, brushing back some of her hair away form her face.
"Why?" She questioned him and he looked away, horror glistening in his stormy gray eyes. He remained still before he stared at her in what looked like sorrow and terror, then stated, "I fear what he will do to you in the future."
She sighed at this, now understanding that her brother saw Vergil with her in the future, most likely knowing that he was partial Demon.
"I can take care of myself, Nero. I will stay away from him if that makes you happy." She lied and his eyes simply looked into her own, clearly troubled with her response, thinking that she was lying to him.
"…I know you do not like to think of my ability as helpful, Elena, but at least take this as a warning." He said and confidence returned, "I will do anything to make sure that you are safe."
She did smile at the last comment, knowing he would keep his word on that.
"Alright, brother. I will try to distance myself from him if I can." She spoke and he nodded at this, his gaze looking towards the table in the center of the room.
"Good. You are dismissed now. Do what you please." He excused her and she nodded at this, turning away and walked towards her studio. She sighed and felt her pulse quiet down but confusion wove its way into her mind as to why he was now so concerned about someone she just briefly met.
Perhaps Vergil would eventually kill her.
She shook her head at this but the thought lingered in her head at this, knowing that was the most likely option that would happen.
She just prayed that Nero would not pull something foolish to stop events that were destined to happen.
Notes:
Kippah - a brimless cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfill the customary requirement that the head be covered. It is worn by men in Orthodox communities at all times.
Kittel - a white linen or cotton robe worn by religious Jews on holidays, in the synagogue or at home when leading the Passover seder. Kittels are sometimes worn by grooms. It is also customary for Jews to be buried in one.
Tallit - a fringed garment, traditionally worn as a prayer shawl by religious Jews. The tallit has special twined and knotted fringes known as tzitzit attached to its four corners. The cloth part is known as the "beged" (lit. garment) and is usually made from wool or cotton, although silk is sometimes used for a tallit gadol.
