Cold. The stone-floored alley that Seth lay sprawled upon was frigid to the touch. Even during the late summer, a time when the sun glistened its brilliance most vividly upon the lower world, its sister, the moon, would cast her cold gaze in the night. She hung over Seth, practically taunting him. Seth could only pitifully curl his limbs as tightly to himself as he could. He felt his back curl forward onto itself against the stone wall behind him. He tucked himself between scraps of wooden planks and an empty barrel.
His fetal positioning was instinctual, comforting. Though, that sense of amniotic solace ultimately did not bring him any form of warmth. However, he refused to wear anything else aside from his musty grey cloak. Any other garment or covering would make his skin feel uncomfortable.
The least Abel could do for him before abandoning him was give him some Valis to rent a hotel room. He silently cursed his brother as his trademark stupid grin flashed in his mind. But what vexed him to no end was imagining his brother sleeping soundly in a warm, cozy bed. It made his blood boil, but at least that anger gave him a tinge of warmth.
He tossed his neck to the left for the fifth time that hour. He had been cocking his neck left and right, alternating and adjusting his posture in a vain attempt to try and catch some winks of sleep.
Left, right; left, right—like a clock ticking and tocking back and forth. But no sheep had yet to show up.
Seth grit his teeth. Finally, he burst out in a small fit of anger and slammed his fist against the street. A loud crackle and crunch rang out as flesh met stone, as the ground quaked and heeded to his authority and split open. However, the crack began to open wider and slithered towards the opposite end of the alley. Seth audibly gulped as it continued to travel, only to sigh in utter relief as it stopped mere inches away from the wall. He looked cautiously to his left, then to his right, before he picked himself up; and quietly fled from the scene. Behind him, from the gaping maw of the ground, vine branches spouted and began to steadily grow.
Seth made his way down the alley; and out towards the hushed, restful streets. He gripped his skull as a headache began slowly seeping into his mind. His other hand grasped the stone wall beside him as he leaned his weight upon it. Barely even a night into staying in the city that never sleeps, and he was already feeling claustrophobic from it all. The packed walls, the twisting alleys, the swirling pitfalls of conversations between strangers and friends alike.
The mask, the mask! It felt so soothing on his face. He could hide in his mask. Nobody would look at him; nobody would notice him.
"Hey there~"
Seth stopped in place. His brow cocked itself underneath his mask. He looked around himself and noticed a figure tucked neatly near the entrance of an alleyway. It was a woman. She waved with her fingers at him playfully as she seductively smiled. Once again, Seth looked around himself to ensure she was not looking at someone else. But much to his discomfort, she was directly looking her golden eyes onto him.
"Wandering around so late at night, hun? Must be looking for a good time."
Seth immediately averted his eyes and attempted to continue his walk down the street. But he only made five paces before he felt a soft hand on his shoulder.
"My, my, off in such a hurry?"
Seth felt his throat swallow a large gulp as she delicately traced the outline of his body through his cloak. She twirled around him, fingers and hands running over his figure, grasping and groping every inch. Every so often, she would give a soft; yet firm squeeze of more delicate parts of his physique.
Finally, she stood in front of him; her posture leaned over to emphasize her bosom. She licked her lips as she placed a finger underneath Seth's chin.
"You know, it's usually the ones that hide their face that are the most handsome. And I certainly liked what I felt underneath. Aren't you feeling a little stuffy from those clothes? Don't you wanna blow some steam~"
Seth looked at the woman. She looked young, but her eyes held a unique sense of feminine maturity to them. Her chestnut hair was tied in a low ponytail that hung in front of her left shoulder. Her lips were glossed over with lipstick, and she smelled faintly of lilac.
A remnant of the entertainment district, of the Ishtar familia's operations. A bit of love, a bit of lust, a bit of sweat, and a night full of ecstasy and pleasure—all for a pouch of coins.
Seth's eyes widened as an epiphany popped into his mind. He stepped back and patted his sides. After dabbing himself up and down, he raised his hands to concede. He had no coins to offer her. For the briefest of moments, Seth silently thanked Abel for his negligence.
"Oh, honey," she tittered. "I'm not looking for money, just a good time. And I'm very curious about what's under that mask."
She licked her lips as she stepped to close the distance between them yet again. Seth weighed the finite amount of options in his mind. They continued to dwindle with each passing, pregnant second. He picked at every corner of his brain in search of a solution. Finally, it flashed in his mind and rang out in his ears. The words of Abel. The words he said to him when they first arrived in the forest.
"Okay Seth, as your older, (better) brother, I will bestow upon you my knowledge and wisdom about Orario! Bottom line: it's full of people, and that means crowds. You and I both know how that sort of thing gets to you. And as it's a big city, you and I may be separated! But don't worry. In case I'm not there to hold your hand, just use your legs for what they were made for. Easy peasy, peachy keen."
Seth turned tail, and immediately bolted from the woman of the night.
Panting heavily, Seth clutched the corner of a closed shop. He lifted his mask slightly upward, allowing his lips to feel the cool air of the night. He leaned his body slightly forward, in case the urge to hack out any mucus came upon him. Thankfully, it never did.
He straightened himself up and placed the mask firmly on his face yet again. He preferred breathing the hollowed shards of bone marrow than the open air. Looking around, he noticed how the walls all noticeably tightened around one another. Sharper corners, tighter corridors, the inability to discern from an adjacent wall to a shop. The whole street had seemingly molded itself into a labyrinth.
Just his luck.
Seth debated if he could just try and backtrack his steps. Though, he immediately shot down the idea as the thought of running into the sun-kissed woman of the night crept into his mind. He could ask for directions, but that would mean people. And even then, no store was open, and the only ones roaming about the streets at this hour were those looking to get drunk on liquor, or pleasure.
The headache that had stifled itself amidst his thoughts of the perverse woman writhed back into his mind. Damnation! He could feel his skull splitting in two as he slouched back against the wall.
Another wall, another place to sit—a place to sleep. Exhausted beyond his mental sanity, Seth let the weight on his knees buckle in on itself as he slid down until he sat flat on the street floor yet again.
Sleep. Rest. Let your mind slip over the bridge between reality and fantasy. Let it mend itself in the dream world. Seth closed his eyes and dreamt.
.
.
.
"Seth. May I come in?"
Seth rolled his eyes as Abel's voice called from the garden gate. His back was turned to his brother, his right hand holding a small pair of scissors, while his left hand gently grasped at the branches of a lilac bush. Seth mentally prepared himself to turn and see his brother. No matter how many times he looked at him, it would trigger an instantaneous neurotic reaction of indignation. He could imagine how looked behind him—his arms folded on top of one another, draped them on top of the gate. His waggish grin plastered on his face as he smiled with his eyes closed.
Seth quickly snipped under the panicles of the bush and turned to his brother. What he saw left him utterly addled. Abel stared at Seth, his eyes were clouded in a distant haze as if anything that crossed into his vision were merely a distant specter. There were hints of darkened bags underneath his eyelids. He wore a frown over his face as he stood upright, his hands idle by his sides as he waited for his brother to unlock the gate.
That's when it hit Seth—the tone that his brother had spoken. It was soft, quiet. He spoke with a hint of estranged regard for Seth's approval.
This wasn't Abel. He was far too civil, polite—sane—than his usual self.
Seth approached the gate door and flicked open the lock. Abel wasn't wearing his trench coat, instead opting for wearing his pairing of a button-up shirt and vest. It barely registered to him that the gate was now opened. He gave a small nod before walking past his brother.
The garden was as luscious as ever. Each pedal from each bush blossomed freshly. The leaves glistened in a spring's dew as the scent of pollen and honey permeated the air. They glinted beautifully on their own as there was no sun hanging high above them. There was no sun, no sky; the plants glowed on their own.
The aroma they gave off was sweet. It was not sharp, causing stinging in the eyes, and leaving a bitter taste in the back of the throat. It was mellow, gracious, and rich. The two men that stood within the garden's confines were in complete contrast to it.
"..."
"Hm? I'm just visiting my brother. Anything wrong with that?"
"..."
"...yeah, guess there's no point in beating around the bush."
Abel turned back to face his younger brother. This was inevitable. They just hoped that perhaps it would take longer. That somehow it would be forgotten through the scars of time, and the indifferent gaze of space. But no, the universe wouldn't allow for it. It seemed that this was all it cared for anymore.
"He's beginning to remember."
"—!"
The scissors that Seth was holding onto slipped from his fingers and fell. Its blades were spread apart as they found themselves being cushioned by the fresh grass.
Him? Them? Now?
Seth's fists clenched till his knuckles turned white, and his nails dug into his palms.
"..."
"Well, don't you think it would be appropriate to go and see him?"
"..."
"Cain was busy. And would you rather the two of us go, or me and him?"
Abel flashed a passing grin, a brief mask of cheeky sass—normality, sanity.
"Besides," Abel lowered his head. "You're probably one of the very few that doesn't hate him for what he did."
Hate? He did once. Or maybe he never did. He honestly could not remember. Hatred was something he couldn't bring himself to do. Be irritated, yes, that was well within his grasp. The brother that stood in front of him was proof of that enough. But hate, he couldn't recall a time where he hated Abel. Or him.
"..."
"Hmm. He's not the one I hate. The one I hated has long since passed on."
Seth's jaw tightened as he remembered the letter, the feud, and the empty seat at the dinner table.
Abel sighed as he turned his back to his brother and began to walk on.
"I'll give you some time to think about it. But we're on borrowed time. The cracks are beginning to show, and the memories of reality are seeping in."
Then the world, the garden around them began to dissolve. It turned into sand, powder; that blew in all directions. The last thing Seth saw was the silhouette of Abel, his face turned slightly to him, a frown bearing heavily on his face, before his body crumbled into dust, and was swallowed by the white void of the waking.
.
.
.
Seth was greeted by darkness still. A nap, no longer than a meager hour. Just his luck. And going off by his luck, he wouldn't be able to fall asleep quickly enough again. He would have to tolerate being sober in the waking world yet again.
"Ah!"
He looked up to see a woman. Not the same one as earlier, no. Instead, this one wore a thin yet kind expression on her face.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't wearing where I was going. Are you alright?"
Seth looked down to his legs to see that she had accidentally stumbled over his shins. But he had not felt it. Dreariness had dulled his senses, much to her relief.
He nodded to her as he slowly rose back onto his feet. There was no point in sitting (or sleeping) on the ground. Her eyes briefly widened as she saw how the ragged figure now tower over her, but she quickly calmed herself.
Seth stared at her, his head slowly tilting as thoughts began to fill his head and tip it to the side. She was not disturbed by him. Just the mask alone was enough to deter many others (or would spark unwanted curiosity), however, she remained calm and looked at him with an aura of mutual respect.
"Again, I'm sorry for disturbing you."
Seth shook his head.
"Do you perhaps need a place to stay?"
Seth immediately raised his head. Shelter? This stranger was offering shelter? It was too good to be true. And yet, Seth could not sense any form of malice in her voice. It was soft, gentle, hospitable, and genial—the traits of a loving mother.
He nodded his head. He did not want to make it seem as though he sought to take advantage of the situation, of her. But he needed a roof over his head.
"Ah, okay. I'm Maria by the way."
Using his jagged nail, Seth scratched his name into the wall behind him.
Left, down, right, down, left. Down, right, right, right. Down, up, left to right. Down, down, left to right. S-E-T-H.
"Seth. What a lovely name," Maria mused. "Follow me, Seth. Oh, and you won't need to worry about money, this is free of charge."
A soft smile curled on Seth's lips as he began to trail behind the woman.
"Oh, would you mind if you take off the mask? I don't mean to pry, but I wouldn't want you to scare the children if they saw you."
Children? He sat upon the thought for a moment as he stifled an oncoming sigh. Children… He already had his fill of such chaotic, fleshy balls of energy. He silently cursed his brother as his trademark stupid grin flashed in his mind.