Chapter 56: Flawed Reaction
{SUNNY POV}
Giving the broken statue a last glance, I caught up with the group. Following behind the same trio of hunters, I noticed one of them give me a glance.
I returned one of my own, and an angry expression slowly built on his face.
"Hell you lookin' at, shrimp?!" he yelled, turning his whole body toward me.
Confused by his outburst, it took me a moment to shake off my confusion. "What?" I said, which earned me a few furious stomps from the hunter.
Towering over me, the man gave me a dirty look. "I don't got no idea why the lady's got ya with us, but I sure as hell won't be tolerating you continuing to be such a nuisance."
'What…? I don't understand. What did I do? I was just looking, damn it!'
Feeling the pressure of my flaw building, I averted my gaze to the floor and released a weak response. "I… I'm sorry, but I don't see why I should care what you think."
Contorting my face, I wanted to slap myself. I really had to get the flaw under control. 'He won't be madder, will he…?'
Looking up, I saw the man gnashing his teeth and balling his fists in fury. 'Well, a guy can dream.'
Reeling his fist back, the man was about to punch me. Wondering whether I should dodge or retaliate, I didn't have to decide—as a strong hand grasped the man's forearm, stopping it mid-swing.
Turning to my rescuer, I frowned at the sight of Caster. His eyes were calm, his expression composed. "Liarus, I hope you don't forget that all of us have a role in this cohort."
The hunter eyed the young Legacy and, surprisingly, didn't falter in his fury. "Role? Role?! This vermin can't even climb! The little lady had to help him halfway up the damn statue. The only thing he's doing is weighing us down."
His fury seemed only to grow, and now everyone had stopped to watch the commotion. 'Am I playing the weakling too well?'
I was ready to speak up, but Caster sighed and spoke first. "My friend, I understand that you can't control yourself because of your flaw, but I'd rather you try your best than take it out on one of our members."
Confusion sprung up as I looked between the two. 'Flaw? How does Caster know what it is, oh, well i can guess that it's him being an impulsive imbecile.'
Slightly sympathizing with the hunter, as I also had a flaw that was difficult to control, I felt slightly less annoyed—only slightly, of course.
The fury in the man's eyes was still there, but he retracted his hand and gave me one last furious look. Even as the confrontation ended, he spat at my feet and mumbled a curse under his breath.
Caster watched the man depart, and after a moment, the group began moving forward again. I noticed Effie giving the hunter an annoyed glare.
Shifting his gaze from the hunter to me, Caster showed a bright smile. "I hope you don't mind. His flaw makes him easily irritable."
Aware of this already, I simply shook my head, but then my flaw kicked in. "I do mind. But that's just because I'm a petty person."
Opening my mouth slightly, I frowned and sighed.
Ready to follow behind the group, I felt a little bothered by Caster walking right beside me. Noticing my look, the young Legacy smiled again, that same infuriatingly practiced smile.
"Would you mind if I stick with you? I think he won't try that again if I'm here."
Without stopping my pace, I glanced at the cohort ahead and responded, "Well, I'd prefer you not sticking by me every step of the way. It's very unnerving."
Chastising myself for not softening the harshness of my flaw, I kept walking.
While walking, I didn't want to say anything else or even look at him. Switching to Gloomy's sight, I saw his expression.
That smile was gone, replaced by a neutral look with a hint of confusion behind it. He seemed perplexed that I didn't fall for his charade.
His pace faltered for a moment before he caught up behind me, his face carrying the confusion safely hidden behind that smile.
"Ahhh, well, why is that, Sunny?"
Sighing at his persistence, I responded as nicely as I could. "Well, I don't really trust you th…"
Halfway through speaking, I noticed the words I wanted to say weren't coming out—something was blocking me from speaking.
[Okay, I think that's enough of you showing how suspicious you are of him] Pleiades sent over.
Grasping my throat, I tried to say something, but I couldn't. The pressure of my flaw piled on, so I compromised.
(I… I don't trust him because he's suspicious, and I know he's scheming,) I hurriedly sent to Pleiades, earning a chuckle in response.
[Really! I never knew.]
Rolling my eyes, I looked at Caster and waved a dismissive hand, hoping he'd leave me alone—but he didn't.
"Now, Sunny, I'd love to know so our friendship can deepen. Please, do tell me, and I'll try my hardest to earn your trust."
[Want me to take control?]
(What will you do?)
[…Trust.]
(Wha… Just that? No pun, no jab, no insult, no teasing?) Though I expected at least some humor, he just said "trust.", which made me even more cautious.
[Okay, Sunny, now you make me sound like an abuser. Don't worry, that's what I meant—just trust. It's kind of like old-time slang.]
Raising an eyebrow, I ignored Caster's continuous pestering. (And you're using slang that's gods know how old with me?)
[Alright, I get it. I'll rephrase it so you can understand.]
'I have a bad feeling about this.' As expected, I was correct.
[For spell's sake, Sunny, gods know I'm the most trustworthy person in the world… two worlds, actually!]
(Why do I even bother?)
Not willing to hear more, I let go of control. That familiar sensation of losing the hold on my body took over, and i was met with only wiegthlesness.
Caster noticed the shift almost immediately. His ever-present smile faltered for a moment before he plastered it back on, polished and perfect.
"Sunny? You were saying?"
Pleiades—borrowing my body—rolled a shoulder casually, giving Caster a look that was both disarmingly friendly and chillingly sharp.
"Oh, you know, Caster. Trust's a funny thing. People think it's earned, but I've always believed it's lent until someone screws it up."
'His accent's almost unnoticable.' i noted.
The statement lingered in the air. Caster's practiced smile twitched as he analyzed every word, trying to discern whether it was a subtle jab or a genuine olive branch.
"You're quite philosophical today" Caster said, his tone smooth but slightly guarded.
Pleiades let out a low chuckle, crossing his arms as he fell a step beside the Legacy. "Philosophical? Nah, just realistic. Everyone's got a flaw, right? It's what makes this little expedition of ours so… unpredictable."
Caster raised an eyebrow, his tone even. "Flaws do make people interesting, don't they? Even yours, Sunny. Though, I admit, I'm not quite sure I've pinned yours down just yet."
Pleiades tilted his head, the smirk deepening. "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that. People spend years trying to figure me out. Most give up."
The words carried an edge, but the tone was casual enough to blur whether it was a veiled warning or simple banter.
Pleiades seemed to relish the ambiguity, watching as Caster's calculating gaze searched for a crack in the façade.
Ahead, the group had mostly lost interest in the confrontation. Effie occasionally glanced back to make sure things didn't escalate again, while Liarus trudged with barely suppressed hostility, muttering curses under his breath.
"You're deflecting" Caster said finally, his voice just loud enough for only the two of them to hear.
Pleiades shrugged. "And you're probing. We're both playing the same game here, Legacy."
Caster's smile faltered again. The title had clearly not gone unnoticed.
Watching the exchange from within, I couldn't help but feel uneasy. Pleiades wasn't being outright antagonistic, but his presence was definitely making Caster suspicious.
"Well," Caster said after a beat, his smile returning to its polished form, "I do hope we're on the same team in this game of ours. Trust can be fragile, but it's also necessary. Wouldn't you agree?"
Pleiades gave a mock salute, the smirk never leaving his face. "Couldn't have said it better myself. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go check on our good pal Liarus. He looks like he could use some company."
With that, Pleiades veered off, leaving Caster standing there, his composed expression masking whatever thoughts churned beneath.
I could feel faint amusement radiating from Pleiades as he approached Liarus, who stiffened at the sight.
(You've got a real way with people) I muttered through our shared connection.
[Oh, Sunny, don't sell yourself short. You'd be amazed what a little confidence can do] Pleiades replied, his tone dripping with amusement.
(…I wasn't selling myself short.)
Pleiades ignored this and approached Liarus.
The hunter turned to glare at the approaching figure, but there was a flicker of hesitation when he met Pleiades' piercing gaze.
"Hey, Liarus," Pleiades said smoothly. "You looked a little lonely back here. Thought I'd keep you company."
The man's face twisted into a scowl, but he didn't say anything immediately.
Then, just for a moment, I saw a strange, worm-like creature slither from Pleiades' forearm. The worm disappeared into the hunter and went unnoticed by everyone else—except me.
For the first time since the journey began, Liarus seemed unsure of himself. I couldn't help but feel a pang of both worry and curiosity about what Pleiades intended now that he'd released one of his nefarious worms of spirit.
Next Chapter: Footprints
A/N: Hi everyone, Hopefully this chapter was a good read and i hope you all are having a great day.
To keep this short, next week we're finally going into the Slayer's Rest, i know this was never mentioned in the Story but i think it might add a nicle little bit of spice to the story.
So keep on commenting to motivate me to write even more.
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