Ten Years Later (After Phobos and Jiri's First Meeting)…

"Jiri!" Jezebel called out. "Jiri, Jiri! I need to tell you something." Jezebel lifted her skirt so the hem of her dress wouldn't drag across the steps. She scurried up the spiraled staircase until she arrived in Jiri's room.

"Hello, Jezebel."

Jezebel stopped in her tracks. On the velvet couch was her twin sister in her white chemise staring at her with that eerie, yet nonetheless friendly expression of hers.

"J-Jiri. Hi."

Jezebel had not planned on her sudden loss of words in front of Jiri. But the figure that was leaning against the corner of the room nerved her.

"Good morning, Jezebel!" he peeped.

Jezebel's cheeks flushed red and she hitched her shoulders, easily showing her dismay. "H-Hello, Judal."

The black haired man gave her a large grin. "Well," he began. "I'll leave the twins alone." He strode out of the circular room. Jezebel waited until he shut the door before speaking. Then she relaxed.

"Jiri!" Jezebel began excitedly. "I went to a ball with brother Himerish the other night in Meridian," she began.

"How was it?" Jiri asked her, staring at Jezebel in the face. She remembered a time when they felt awkward staring at each other, due to how alike and how different they looked. Their facial structures and skin color were exactly the same, except for the fact Jiri had black hair and red eyes, whereas Jezebel's hair was an ivory white along with purple eyes.

"I met a friend there!" Jezebel exclaimed happily. "He was really nice."

Jiri gave Jezebel a sly look. "Oh. He's a man? Is he courting you?"

Jezebel shook her head. "No! Of course not!"

Jiri giggled. "Do you like him?"

Jezebel shrugged. "I don't know. I don't believe so. He seemed like a child, rather than a man who was actually trying to look for someone."

Jiri laughed. "Well, alright. What are you so excited about?"

Jezebel blushed. "I want you to meet him! You hardly come out of this tower. All you do most of the time is stare out the window. And it's been raining a lot lately too, so the setting isn't even that nice."

Jiri smirked. "I love the rain."

Jezebel began to fidget with her fingers. "Well, umm… I did want you to come join us. I invited him, and Himerish has yet to meet him. He didn't really get a chance to talk to the man at the ball since he was so busy hiding out in a corner." Both the twins laughed at the recurring joke about their introverted brother. "Did uh… Did Judal give you permission to leave your tower today?"

Jiri sighed. "He did. So long as I don't run off and stay on estate grounds. I'm allowed to enter the manor for today."

Jezebel clasped her hands happily. "Great! Will you come join us?"

Jiri shrugged. "I'll think about it. I've been meaning to visit Lamia today."

Jezebel tilted her head in confusion. "Who's Lamia? Wait… did you give it a name?"

Jiri nodded, smiling brightly as if she had received a reward. "I think it's better suited to give 'it' a name. I believe it to have feelings of some sort."

Jezebel's eyes glistened with fear for a moment. Regardless of the fact they were twins, it was so difficult for her to connect with her older sibling. Her way of thinking was something she could never comprehend.

"Well… when you finish visiting 'Lamia', you should see if you have time to drop by. I'd really love to see you there. And Jiri…."

"Yes?"

"You really should come out. You're wasting time," she whispered sadly. She walked out the door, closing it gently behind her, leaving Jiri to herself.

Jiri smirked. "Wasting time, huh?"

-xxx-

Jiri sighed, opening the door to the dinner hall. 'Lamia' didn't interact with her as much as she liked, but she left a cute little trinket for it in case it had nothing else to do but marvel at items from their world.

"Jezebel, I'm here," Jiri called out. Just another rainy day… she thought to herself. She sighed. Maybe her sister was right. Maybe she was wasting time.

Jezebel walked into the hall from the other end of the room, followed by the visitor whose identity was concealed with a black cloak.

"I can't believe you walked all the way over here!" Jezebel exclaimed at the guest. "It's raining really hard."

The guest chuckled. "Well… My carriage couldn't go through the forest surrounding your magnificent home. But… I do love rainy days." He held out his arms. "Here. I brought some sweet cakes as a gift. All the way from Meridian."

Jiri slowly approached the duo. The cloaked figure looked up. Although his large hood managed to cover his whole head, it was obvious he was staring at her. For quite a while too. Suddenly, Jiri flinched as the man dropped the plate of sweet cakes on the floor. She heard the plate shatter on the stone, before witnessing the cloaked man lunged towards her. As he did, his hood flew off, revealing a handsome young man, with long platinum hair that was tied into a loose braid. His arms wrapped around Jiri's body he buried his face on her shoulder.

"After ten whole years…" he announced happily. "I finally found you…Jiri!"

Jiri and Jezebel's eyes both widened. The man pulled away, but kept his hands on her shoulders as he stared at Jiri. "To think that I'd find you on a rainy day… just like the day we first met."

Jiri stared at him for a moment, her red eyes wide with surprise.

"D-Do you two know each other?" Jezebel questioned.

Before the guest could answer, another figure swooped in, shooting a beam of light towards the guest's head. The guest collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

The figure turned to Jiri. "Do you know this man?"

Jiri stared at the blond haired man for a little longer, trying to see if she recognized him. Then she shook her head. "I do not."

The figure nodded. "I'm taking him to Judal."

-xxx-

"His name is Prince Phobos."

Phobos looked up at the figure who had knocked him out earlier, surprised that he knew his name off the bat. Phobos found himself sitting in front of a desk, across from a bizarrely dressed young man with shaggy black hair.

"He's the love child of Prince Zayden and a lowly prostitute woman."

The black haired man raised his eyebrow. "Consort Zayden of Meridian is having an affair?"

The figure shook his head, pulling the hood of his cloak over his nose to ensure his identity was conealed. "This happened eleven years before Consort Zayden met Queen Weira."

Phobos found himself clenching his fists, but maintained a friendly smile. "Do excuse me," he began cheerfully. "But is Jiri around? I hope I haven't scared her off. I was just so happy to see her again."

The black haired man raised his eyebrow. Then he started laughing. "Ah I see, I see!" he announced. "You're one of Jiri's little 'pets'." He sighed. "I don't want to disappoint you, but Jiri is a very fickle girl. She likes to play around with others out of boredom. If you're trying to court her, you'll get nothing."

Phobos shook her head. "I just wanted to see her, that is all. I'm not trying to court her. She doesn't even remember who I am, does she?" He blushed, scratching the side of his cheek. "I'm so glad to hear that she's still rambunctious and lively."

The black haired man raised his eyebrow. "Oh. You're an interesting fellow. Do you have any idea who I am?"

Phobos shook his head. "No. Please introduce yourself."

"My name is Judal," he said. "I'm the current Oracle of Kandrakar and I'm the head of this household. My apprentice over there—the one that knocked you out earlier—is Himerish." He grinned, resting his chin against the palm of his hand. "You know... My orders in this estate are absolute. I can request for your torture and murder right now. And as the all knowing Oracle, I can easily evade getting caught."

Phobos smiled. "Is that so? Well… if you are going to kill me, pardon me for being so bold, but.. May I see Jiri one more time?"

Himerish removed the cloak from his head, revealing his identity. He glowered at Phobos. "What should we do with him, Judal? He doesn't look like one to be trusted."

Judal smirked. "Phobos," he began, pointing at Himerish. "That man over there is the older brother of Jezebel and your precious little Jiri. And you know… you are quite an interesting fellow. I wonder what made you become so weird."

Phobos just shrugged. "I was born like this."

Judal shook his head. "I don't think that's the case. Children are born with live curiosity when they enter this world. You on the other hand. You look like a living corpse. It makes me wonder if there's anything inside of you at all." He grinned. "I can see all of it in those empty blue eyes of yours."

Phobos clenched his teeth. "What a thoughtful inquiry from you," Phobos said. "I am truly flattered. So… will you let me see Jiri?"

Unbeknownst to them, Jiri was listening to the conversation from the doorway. Phobos saw from the corner of his eye and smiled.

"You all must think I'm really creepy."

And then he heard it. Jiri's flighty footsteps drawing closer and closer to him, until he felt her touch on his shoulder.

"Excuse us," Jiri said flatly, dragging him out of the room.

"Jiri…" Himerish began. "What are you doing?"

"Not now, brother!" Jiri called out.

Judal met Jiri's eyes for a moment, giving her a sinister grin. Jiri glowered at him, as she left the room with Phobos.

-xxx-

"Jiri…" Phobos peeped innocently. "What are you doing?"

Jiri let go of him, letting him sit beside a small cherry blossom tree that grew on the estate grounds. She placed her hands on her knees, leaning towards him.

"I finally remember," Jiri began. "And after all these years, you're still my cute, creepy little Phobos."

Phobos's eyes widened for a moment. He blinked once. Twice. The third time he blinked, tears began to fall down his cheeks.

"Jiri…." Phobos began. "I-I'm so glad you remembered me! To think someone like you… could remember someone like me…. It's truly heartwarming!"

Jiri cupped his face in her hands, caressing it gently as she wiped away his tears. Then she smiled, hoping her words hit him harshly. "So, Phobos. What are you going to do now after finding me again?" She thought to herself, surely he wasn't hoping to stay with her and begin a romantic relationship.

Phobos scratched the side of his cheek. "I don't know. Maybe I'll go back to living my life as an Escanor." He sighed happily. "I can't even think about what I'm going to do next. I'm just so glad to see you again." He smiled, his blue eyes glistening with joy. "Jiri… Now that I've seen you, there's nothing more I seek in my life."

Jiri pouted, crossing her arms. She opened her mouth to speak, to clarify that it wasn't a good idea to see her in a romantic way, when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her.

"Are you sure about that?" a taunting voice whispered behind her.

Jiri turned around, a bead of sweat trailing down her forehead as Judal grinned at her, before turning to Phobos. "Are you really sure about that?" Judal asked again, looking over at Phobos.

"W-What do you mean?" Phobos asked him.

Judal rested his chin against Jiri's shoulder. "What if I gave you something else to seek?" His devious smile grew wider. "Such as giving you the privilege of visiting us again? Of seeing your precious Jiri again?" He handed Phobos a slip of paper. "This is a written permission for you to step foot upon this estate."

He let go of Jiri, only to take her wrists, dragging her further and further away from Phobos. "Come visit us again… before this girl becomes nothing more than a passing memory to you."

Phobos forced a smile, despite the sudden eeriness of the situation. "Jiri will always be more than a memory to me." Phobos turned to Jiri, who's eyes were wide with fear, although she tried her best to relax herself. She gave him one final glance before turning around to follow Judal away.

Phobos clenched the sheet of paper against his chest. "Jiri… What's going on?" he asked himself.

-xxx-

When Phobos was finally out of side, Jiri pulled away from Judal's grasp, slapping his hand away from her.

"Judal…" she began. "Why did you do that?"

Judal grinned. "That fellow is strange. He'd make a good source of entertainment, don't you think? And who knows… a loyal pet following you after ten years? You might end up developing feelings for him."

Jiri feigned a smile, leaning closer to Judal. "Now…" she began. "Why would I do that." Her smile grew wider. "After all, it won't be long before you kill me… and I'll disappear from this world."