Black Sorrow
Claude’s head felt light after they had taken his blood, eyes trailing the ceiling in an almost bored fashion, his sense of time was gone, especially without natural light, so he couldn't truly gauge how long he had been here now… but he guessed a few days at the latest, Hilda must be going up the walls right now.
Lorenz was probably jumping around in happiness, that asshat. Claude couldn't help but snort at the thought, it was amusing if nothing else… but perhaps he was wrong, and his lightheadedness was making him think in weird ways… either way, Claude was still stuck here…
He jumped slightly as the cell door was unlocked with that unnatural sound again, it was the same mage, or perhaps a different one, considering their face was hidden, that walked in, Claude couldn't see if they were surprised to see him awake or not, but Claude didn't take his chances, and watched the person silently.
Survival was his highest priority at the moment, and he was too stubborn to admit that the situation looked terrible for him. The Mage eventually moved to the side, and two guards moved inside, roughly dragging Claude to his feet.
Claude growled “Careful there buddy, I bite” …his comment was answered with a blank look and being roughly dragged outside the cell he was in, he tried to rip himself out of the guard's arms, but it was a lost cause, he was still to drained from the drugs in his system, not to mention the blood loss and the lack of any food or water he had been given in the last few days, and even in top condition, these guys were unnaturally strong, easily dragging Claude out of his cell like he was a child… so even then it would probably be a challenge for him to get out of their arms.
What he saw outside was… different, he saw giant… things, the humming he had heard coming from the large contraptions he was seeing, far more advanced than anything he'd ever seen before, too complex for him to fully comprehend, it was a lab facility if Claude’s suspicion was right, after all that man, or rather, Thomas had said he was going to be a test subject for an experiment…
Claude felt dread creep back up, sending a shiver through his body, the guards didn't notice, or rather didn't seem to care about it. Claude struggled for a bit longer, before slumping into himself, he wasn't going to get out of this by struggling like a fool, he knew.
He needed to figure out what they wanted to use him for, and that before they had their way with him, otherwise, he might as well be doomed, considering they didn't seem like they would do some harmless experiments on him. He was used to being hated, discriminated and even got assassins sent to get his head before, but this was much worse than any of those things, and Claude was backed into a corner, with no way out for him, even if he had some kind of plan… it would still be a complete dead end for him in his current position.
There were tens, if not hundreds of the weird people there, so even if he did escape the guards, he wouldn't be getting far, especially since he had no idea where he was, since he saw no sunlight, and only that unnatural green light, he had to assume he was in a building, likely even underground, considering the ceiling was made out of rough stone, making it very likely that this whole facility was hidden in a giant cave.
It made sense, these people had advanced machinery he hadn't seen anywhere before… so unless Claude was an uninformed fool, these people hid their tracks extremely well, hiding under the noses of all the nations and even the Church… so his chances of being found might as well have been zero…
They dragged him into a large hall, it was unsettling, to say the least, large chains were lying on the ground, and giant bolts drilled into the ground for some reason, did they build this to trap some giant animal? A wyvern would be way too small, perhaps a demonic beast?... no, even then, those creatures were still too small for the massive chains and bolts present, the thing you could trap in it must at least be double the size of a regular demonic beast, if not bigger.
Claude was roughly chained to the ground, in front of what looked like a giant… chalice? it was large and looked to be out of pure gold, Claude couldn't look inside it, but it seemed to contain an… ugly red liquid if the few droplets that had run down the side of it were of any indication… blood was the imidate thought that entered Claude’s mind, making him shudder slightly.
On the three sides Claude could see of the chalice… he saw something engraved into three red stones… on closer inspection… were those Crests? He couldn't confirm if there was a fourth stone on the back of the chalice, but he assumed so. The original Crests, if they even were crests, different Crests had been carved above the old ones in a crude fashion… it was the Riegan Crest, the Crest of Serios together with… the Crest the professor had… the Crest of Flames if he remembered right, and that only disturbed Claude slightly more, an ugly sense of foreboding entering his mind.
Besides that, the chalice just seemed to be in generally bad condition, with crude modifications, the gold scratched over with dark black runes, drawn in ink… or something else, purple stones that practically pulsated littered its surface, glued or hammered into its gold plating, leaving more dents and scratches, a few cracks pulsating in the same purple light… Claude felt his senses scream at him to get out… and he would be more than glad to do that… if he could, that was.
He struggled against the chains made out of a metal he didn't recognize, it didn't budge an inch. Claude eventually felt his body go still when he finally accepted that his chances of getting out of this now were abysmally low, way too low for him to come up with an escape plan on the fly… he had missed his chance, or perhaps he never had a chance in the first place since they caught him.
He heard a low chuckle, and his head snapped over… it was Thomas… and an unfamiliar man, just as ugly as the former, even if the man was less deformed, a self-serving grin was on the man's face, eyes glaringly lacking pupils.
The man also had a terrible sense of fashion… who still thought feathers were in? but Claude quickly shot the thought down, it really wasn't the time for that, Claude growled slightly as the man smoothly walked in front of him, taking Claude’s chin in his hands, Claude felt the urge to snap at the man, but the small amount of self-preservation still left held him back from making any idiotic moves that would get him in more trouble.
The man seemed to revel in that fact. “Ah… you truly did bring us a good lab rat, Solon, I am sure he will do just fine for this one, and if not… we will just take one of the other Brats at the officers Academy…” Thomas, or rather Solon just bowed to the man's words, Claude decided to ignore that everybody else at the Monastery was in danger… if only for his own sanity.… but he was the boss then, Cluade noted as he glanced at the man with a grimace.
“Of course Lord Thales, I could not miss the chance, I doubt anybody less than him would stand a chance of surviving this one… he's a smart boy, promising in many ways that his peers cannot keep up with… but I must ask, isn't this one a bit…” Solon didn't finish as Thales chuckled once more, seeming amused by the uncertainty in Solon’s tone, Claude felt the pit in his stomach deepen, ambitious? That could only mean more problems for Claude…and he was already in a very, very bad situation, but these guys could seemingly make a bad situation look even worse…
“Oh? This one is certainly ambitious, but think about what would be if we succeed, imagine what we could do, Serios and the church would easily be wiped out, and even if we fail… it will surely lead to some interesting results nonetheless” Claude was trying to catch up, but a lot of the words he was unfamiliar with, he was also missing a concerning amount of context, context he doubted he would be able to acquire.
Claude tried to follow the conversation, but sadly for him, they weren't talking about any details regarding their plans for him. He also didn't miss their words about the church… seems like there was a history there, but Claude was sadly not in the right position to let his mind wander over the possibilities right now.
The boss, Thales let go of Claude's chin, to his relief, the guy's fingers were as ice cold as his demeanour, and he shuddered at the mere thought of being touched by the guy in any form or way again.
Thales moved towards the chalice, turning back to Solon “Let us start, we have wasted enough time diverging the attention of the church away from us” With that the man teleported away… and Claude felt himself tense, there was more than enough context clues pointing towards one singular thing.
They were starting on their experiments right now, whatever they entailed, Claude felt panic overtake him slowly, like a sick disease, slowly eating him from the inside… to his dread, he could do nothing but struggle against his binds as the chalice was carried over by some guards, right towards Claude.
One of the guards injected him with a glowing green substance even as he tried to resist, he could only flinch as the liquid, whatever it was, was sent into his bloodstream.
He tried to throw himself back as much as he could, he had to do… something! The chains not budging in the slightest, he felt somebody grab his head, pulling at his hair roughly, the grip making him wince slightly as the Chalice was brought way too close, red liquid spilling over the edge of the overfilled cup.
Claude struggled as he tried to rip his head out of the person's hand, but it was for naught as the hand roughly pushed his head towards the edge of the cup… the red liquid was warm… like blood, and it radiated the energy of a Crest… he felt it before, during the Battle of the Eagle and Lion… when Edelgard’s Crest activated… the Crest of Serios...
Claude could do little as his teeth were smashed against the golden metal of the cup's edge with way too much force. His lip started bleeding from the sharp edge of the cup, and his teeth might have chipped, but all he could focus on was the liquid that splashed on his face, and in his mouth, he growled at the taste… it was bitter, salty and searingly hot, which made him recoil in pain… at least as much as he could with somebody forcing him to not move away from the chalice.
The person holding his head just smashed him back against the edge of the cup, not caring in the slightest as the red liquid was being forced down his throat even as he tried to close his mouth to no avail, chocking on the boiling liquid, Claude couldn't tell if he was crying from the pain or if it was only the boiling liquid that splashed onto his face, burning it and making tears unrecognizable to him, but the strangled cries between gulps was more than enough proof of his agony.
Claude felt his body convulse as the cup slowly drained, his body was in even more agony the longer the liquid slid down his burned raw throat, burning every part of his insides, he would have screamed more if his mouth wasn't still forced onto the Chalice, the liquid continued being forced down his throat, no end in sight.
He felt his Crest activate repeatedly, trying to heal all of his internal damage as it was getting created, to no avail, as it only heightened his agony as his partially healed body was getting destroyed over and over again, it felt like he was being split apart and burned at the same time, again and again, he only barely registered that insignificant fact, but he saw green strands of hair in his vision… why? there was nobody with green hair in the vicinity last he remembered… but he was in too much pain to think about it for more than a split second.
Though it might have been a mere trick his fracturing mind was making up as the chalice slowly emptied, but more cracks started forming in the golden metal the more was forced down his throat, almost like the liquid was the only thing keeping the chalice from breaking apart. His vision got blurry as the burning and pain increased at a steady rate, making it almost impossible to think straight, was this how dying felt?... no, this was far worse than simple death, this was hell.
The chalice was finally empty, breaking apart, almost seeming to crumble without the liquid holding it together, a small stone formed, pulsating out of the golden remains, Claude only faintly noticed the three Crests slowly morph into an unfamiliar one he had never seen before, and then his mind became occupied by even worse agony, the person grabbing his head left… or had they been gone for longer? Claude couldn't tell anymore as his head felt like it was getting ripped apart, a new hot searing pain entering his mind, much, much worse than the feeling of his insides boiling, if that was even possible.
Claude didn't register anything around himself anymore, but people moved back, shouts barely recognized as he writhed in pure agony, the snapping of chains was all Claude registered as he finally found the sweet release of blacking out fully, unaware of chains that were thrown around something much larger than there had been before.
—
Dimitri shot up in bed with a strangled gasp, body shuddering slightly… he put a hand over his face as his heart raced, breath coming out in laboured short bursts as sweat ran down his face.
It was a common occurrence for him to have nightmares… but this one wasn't an old one, one he was used to about Duscur… he could deal with them well enough by now… but this one was new… and different.
It was about Claude… Dimitri let the hand fall from his face with a deep sigh, Dimitri didn't remember details… but Claude was suffering in that night terror… Dimitri frowned as he tried to push the nightmare out of his mind, it was just a nightmare after all…
Dimitri had to admit, he wasn't as close to his fellow houseleader as he would have liked… and while they weren't pure strangers… for him to have a nightmare about his suffering still… was unusual, he normally got them about his father, Glenn and those that died in the tragedy.
Dimitri pushed the blanket off his body, realising the large sweatstain on the sheets under him… Dimitri frowned at it… he looked at the clock on the wall… it was barely one in the morning… and the Blue Lions also had the day off, so he had no classes to wait out for…
Dimitri sighed as he stood up and pulled the sheets off his blanket and mattress, bundling them up and placing them next to his bed… he was far too rattled to think about going back to sleep…
He found even the dead to be unusually quiet at the moment, more so than they normally were… he should have found that to be a blessing… but it only made him feel more cooped up…
Dimitri pulled on his normal training uniform before leaving his room, closing the door carefully… he didn't need to wake anybody else, especially at such an early time, it would be at least five more hours until sunrise after all.
Dimitri silently walked down the hall, using the stairs to leave the dorm area, a subtle chill in the air, it was more comfort to Dimitri than the unusual silence in his mind, he walked past the greenhouse, only to see a figure sitting next to the pond… fishing.
Dimitri walked over, making sure his steps were heard, the person looked around, Flayn’s face lighting up slightly as she saw Dimitri. “Ah, Prince Dimitri, how nice to see you this night, do take a seat if you so please!” She said in her usual cheery voice.
Dimitri hesitated slightly, but eventually sat down on the pier next to her, legs hovering over the water… anything was better than the agonizing silence he currently witnessed in his mind. Flayn hummed slightly as she held the fishing rod in her hands.
Dimitri looked at the water, small ripples making the reflection of the moon shift ever so slightly… it was a full moon tonight, Dimitri didn't care much about such a things, but it was an observation he couldn't ignore right now, if only to keep his mind off the silence.
Flayn eventually glanced at Dimitri “You seem to be in a foul mood your highness, you can tell me if you so want to, unlike what my brother always says, I am capable of giving advice to everybody” Dimitri opened his mouth to dismiss her but stopped.
He looked back down at the water “It's… about Claude, I suppose, I can’t say I was truly close to him… but hearing of his kidnapping did seem to have rattled me more than I had anticipated” Flynn looked at him, a sad and understanding expression on her face.
She hummed again “I understand… understandably, you feel bad about it, but it wasn't your fault, it was none of our faults, we were way too far away to help him… all we can hope for is that he is alright and that the knights find him soon” Dimitri nodded at her words… perhaps he should have tried… no, he wanted to feel guilty, mad about being unable to help… but even the dead weren't hounding him about it… so it must truly be something he couldn't have changed… how unusual.
Dimitri sighed “... I suppose, but it's already been nearly a week… I wonder if he is even still…” He didn't dare continue his sentence… it would only make it painfully real, Flayn nodded “Indeed, thinking about the possibility makes me shudder as well, but I choose to believe Claude is still alive, he doesn't seem like somebody that lets himself be taken out that easily”
Dimitri didn't speak, but agreed with her, Claude was cunning, a charmer, and undeniably smarter than both him and Edlegard, as much as she would probably deny it, he was a genius in the eyes of most students, competent… against him Dimitri seemed like an unfit leader.
Dimitri expected one of the dead to snarl into his ears, agreeing with his own negative thoughts… but as before, they were still deadly silent… almost like they were truly gone… but Dimitri knew they would return eventually, once Claude returned… perhaps as another spirit that haunted him every second of his days, dead, like everybody at Garreg mach was already dreading, even if nobody dared utter the mere thought.
He was snapped out of his brooding when the fishing line bounced, water rippling aggressively, a fish hooked on the line, a big one at that. Flayn was pulled forward, almost falling into the pond with a gasp, Dimitri luckily grabbed her in time, holding her steady as she pulled the fishing line back, growling slightly as she reeled the fish in.
With Dimitri making sure she didn't end up taking a spontaneous midnight swim in the pond, she eventually pulled it out of the water… a Queen Loach, a giant one at that, Flayn grabbed it with almost Hungry eyes as it flopped onto her lap, struggling without success.
Flayn laughed “Oh my! This is quite the big one, I am sure it will make a fine dinner” She said with a laugh, and even Dimitri couldn't help his smile, a genuine one, it would indeed make a fine dinner, probably enough to feed six people at least.
Flayn stood up, holding the fish in an almost comical way as she gave Dimitri an excited look “Come on, let's go to the dining hall” Dimitri also stood up, looking a bit confused “Flayn? it is barely one in the morning… I don’t think this is the time for dinne-”
Flayn waved him off “Come on your higness! everybody has eaten in the middle of the night before, besides, a few students are always milling around in the dining hall at this time, I'm sure they will also be happy!” Flayn whined, pulling Dimitri along with surprising strength for her small build.
Dimitri hadn't known that, he often woke up around times like this… but as he didn't want to wake anybody else, he normally spent most of the time till morning reading or working on something without leaving his room.
And indeed, a few candles in the dining hall were on, the staff wasn't there, but he could see a few figures sitting around. Four people, all of them students. Dimitri recognized the girl with purple hair as Bernadetta from the Black Eagles, she was drinking a cup of tea at a table, looking more at ease than he had ever seen her before. The form of Linhardt was slumped over next to her, seemingly taking a nap next to an empty cup of tea and an open book. At a different table sat Raphael from the Golden Deer, surprisingly sitting and talking to Dedue.
Everybody except the napping Linhardt looked at the two entering, Flayn giving them a big grin as she held the fish up like a trophy, while Dimitri just stared with wide eyes. Dedue almost immediately stood up.
“Your Highness, what are you doing awake at a time like this? it is not a good habit to keep” Deduce said, voice dipping into concern, Dimitri cleared his throat, trying to think of a valid excuse “Please Dedue… I… simply had a nightmare and needed to clear my mind a bit, it is nothing to concern yourself with” Dimitri said, it was a half-truth, so it would be fine.
Raphael walked up to Flayn and took the Queen Loach, seeming more upbeat almost immediately “Wow, that's seriously a big fella you caught there Flayn! Im sure he will be yummy! Let's prepare him!” Flayn nodded excitedly as she trailed after Raphael into the kitchen.
Dimitri gave Dedue a smile and the white-haired man sighed in dismay, dropping the topic of Dimitri’s sleeping schedule “Then at least have a cup of tea, take a seat your Highness, i insist” Dimitri nodded as he sat down at the table with Bernadetta and a now awake but still drowsy Linhardt.
Bernadetta jumped slightly, giving a squeal, but she didn't run away… she was indeed less anxious at night, it wouldn't surprise Dimitri, as there weren't many people around.
Lindhardt gave a jawn as he looked at the kitchen, where Flayn watched as Raphael, and Dedue were preparing the Loach already, Dimitri wasn't surprised, Dedue loved cooking as much as he did gardening.
Linhardt sat up a bit straighter, giving Dimitri a slightly dubious look before shrugging to himself, seeming to not care, he continued reading in the book he had previously abandoned in favour of taking a nap.
Dimitri felt very out of place in this very mismatched group of students, but it wasn't exactly uncomfortable either… just… new, but at least it made the silence in his mind less unnerving. Deduce eventually returned to the table with an empty cup and canteen of freshly brewed tea, he filled Dimitri’s cup, who gave a grateful thanks, and even filled the cups of Lindhard who gave a hum, and Bernadetta, who stumbled over her words, eventually managing to mutter a small thank you.
Dimitri took a sip of his tea as he watched Dedue return to the kitchen, helping Flayn and Raphael with the fish… he didn't taste any flavour of the tea… but the temperature was just how Dimitri liked it… typical Dedue.
The silence in the Dining hall was different from daytime, only them, and nobody else… only the sound from the kitchen being heard in the quiet hall. He watched as Bernadetta glanced over at the kitchen, seeming a bit more anxious, she looked like she wanted to join in.
Dimitri eventually cleared his throat “...Bernadetta, right?” She jumped and spun back forward, eyes wide as she nodded with a high-pitched shriek. Dimitri grimaced slightly as it made his ears ring slightly “...I am sure Dedue, Flayn and Raphael would have no problem if you joined them in their cooking”
Bernadetta stared at the prince with wide eyes… before turning beet red, staring at the cup with a… pout? “Was it really that obvious?” she muttered but did stand up, walking towards the kitchen… it didn't take long before she was squeezed between Raphales and Flayn, stirring the pot with a smile, it made Dimitri smile too, even Linhardt looked at the scene.
“Huh… would you look at that, she normally doesn't make as much as a peep in these nightly meetings, who would have guessed?” Dimitri’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at Linhardt.
“Nightly? This happens every night?” he asked, shock leaking into his tone. Linhardt gave him a flat, tired look. “Of course, many students have troubles that keep them awake at night, so everybody here has taken up the habit of being in the dining hall to wind down from whatever made them unable to sleep, people like Marianne, Dorothea, Ashe, Lysithea and even Felix are also here more often than not, so don't look so surprised” Linhardt muttered, flipping a page in his book with a yawn, taking another sip from his tea.
Dimitri just stared… he, of course, had assumed some of the students had irregular sleep patterns like himself… but to know so many of them spent their time here or outside in the middle of the night did surprise him… and even Felix?...
Well, it didn't surprise him that much on second thought, if Felix could, he would use his time on training instead of sleeping, but knowing even Felix had more than enough shadows to keep him awake at night made him feel… guilty.
But just like all the times before tonight, where voices would usually taunt him… there was nothing tonight, no Glenn telling him it was his fault Felix was so bitter and distant to everybody, Dimitri took another sip of his tea, trying to suppress the thoughts in his mind, hand shaking ever so slightly, making the liquid in the cup ripple slightly with every subtle shake. Linhardt glanced at him, with eyes that almost seemed to stare through him, but he eventually looked away.
Linhardt hummed and stared at the empty seat next to himself “...Claude was also here almost nightly, looking more awake than all of us together… he was usually the one that stirred conversations between us different houses… even Bernie would contribute to a conversation for more than a few seconds… as you saw… without him… its a lot quieter, which would be good in theory because I am finally able to nap in peace… but I miss it a bit more than i would like to admit. He… is intelligent enough to keep an interesting conversation even with me after all... a shame” Linhardt said, a small frown on his face as he looked away from the seat, burying himself back in his book.
Dimitri frowned into his cup… Claude, it truly always went back to Claude, he was connected to everything… it seemed a lot of students, even outside the Golden Deer were feeling the effects of him not being here… it was an awful sense of comfort, but knowing that others beside himself were also feeling bad did make him feel better, as scummy as it seemed, but no voices were berating him tonight, so he allowed himself that feeling of luxury.
The silence between them stretched until a large plate was placed in the middle of the table… the fish smelled heavenly, Linhardt perked up as plates and sidedishes were placed on the table, Dedue and Flayn sat down next to Dimitri, Raphael sat down next to Bernadetta, who seemed a lot more chipper now.
They didn't speak as everybody filled their plates, but there was nothing to be said. They ate in comfortable silence, even as Linhardt placed one extra plate next to himself… nobody was there to touch it though, everybody knew who it was for, even Dimitri.
But even still, Dimitri felt a smile grace his lips as he took a bite… he might have been imagining it… but he swore he tasted something, even if just for a split second, but one thought stayed in his mind, even through the meal and positive energy.
Dimitri hoped Claude was doing alright… and that his nightmares were truly just that this time, nightmares.