Chapter 13

"Lesley," Guinevere calls out and when she looks at her, the mage stared at her green and blue eyes. She has never seen someone before that has two eye color, it amazes her as she gazed at them.

"What?" Lesley asked as she looks away, her bangs covering her left eye.

"Your eyes..." Guinevere stated,  unsure if she should speak or not. She stared at the fire before finishing her sentence. "They're pretty."

The assassin remained quiet, not letting the compliment get into her.

Gusion, who had casted a spell on their drinks, awaits for the time that his teammates would go to sleep before checking his catch that night.

"Why do I feel so sleepy suddenly?" Lesley asks while holding the bridge of her nose. Beside her, Guinevere, who was fully awake just a while ago, is already asleep and seems to be impossible to wake up.

"I'll go rest," Granger says before going in his sleeping quarters for he, too, is feeling sleepy. They have not suspected anything for they thought that their long travel had taken its toll on their bodies.

"You should go rest now. You're probably tired of what had happened when you saw your fears," Gusion tells her while he's trying to keep the fire burning. 

Lesley looks at him and glares. He has witnessed something he should not have and now that he knows of her weakness, Lesley already predicted that he'll tease her for it.

"What?" he teases, acting like he does not know why he's being stared at. What Carmilla had shown them is the true fears of Lesley and he would not let it slide, teasing her is definitely a good go for him.

"Don't even try to mention what you saw," she states with gritted teeth, "Furthermore, do not think I hold a romantic feeling towards you."

"I know, I know," Gusion replies. "Though, I truly am curious why you're scared if I tell you that I like you. Won't you tell me, baby?"

He smirks after winking at her which annoyed Lesley in no time. She stands up and is about to land a punch on him but she gets knocked out by the spell and falls into a deep sleep. Gusion catches her in his arms and and stares at her peaceful sleeping face. 

"That's right, just sleep for now," he whispers as he moves her bangs to the side of her face to see her left eye that was usually covered by the eye patch. He caresses her cheek, remembering the moment he saw the color of her left eye. Unconsciously, a smile slowly curves at the edges of his lips.

Snapping out from his trance, Gusion carries and lets  her sleep beside Guinevere. He lets out a relieved sigh before walking towards the dark corner where he had the male vampire pinned with his daggers.

"Let me go," Cecilion snarls at him while trying to take the daggers off from his flesh. But every time he holds the hilt, his hands burn and it takes a longer time for his wounds to heal. He had lived long enough to witness humans trying to invent things that could kill his kind. So far, they are too slow in progress but Gusion seemed different.

"I just wanted to have a negotiation with you," Gusion replies as he sits across him, watching the vampire struggle. For him, a vampire and a human are the same despite the difference in specie. Yet his blades could hurt the two species, making them similar.

"Why would I trust a human? You are nothing but monsters covered with vulnerable flesh," Cecilion snaps at him. Gusion simply smiles at him and tilts his head as if judging him.

"Then, what do you call yourself?" he asks. "You let Carmilla marry an abusive man, she became a pitiful woman because you left her. You watched her suffer and if she gets to know that, do you think she'll forgive you?"

Gusion actually knows the love story between the two. It has been written by one of his ancestors who had foreseen the future during the time of Carmilla which was a few decades ago. When he read their story, he thought that it was just an illusion that the old Paxley had written but when he saw Carmilla, he started to believe it. And with the shock in Cecilion's eyes, the story makes sense even more.

Cecilion purses his lips for he has been stabbed right where he's feeling guilty the most. He did leave Carmilla when she needed his help the most, but he has a plausible reason for that.

"The fact that you're here means that you're still watching her from the shadows. Let me propose a deal, Cecilion, it'll be a win-win for the both of us," Gusion tempts him. "By the end of the deal, you'll get to be together with Carmilla. I assure you that."

Cecilion has his doubts for he had interacted with humans for a long time and trusting them is like walking on thin ice. They are not trustworthy, they pretend to be like that in the beginning but when they get what they had aimed for, their true dark intentions would surface. They are nothing but sneaky, sly foxes that tempt him to suck their blood until their last breath.

"You're on a neutral ground between the abyssal demons and the humans, but this time I would like you to join the sides of the abyssal demons. That's where Carmilla is working right now and if she continues to serve the prince of the abyss, she'll likely to be killed when the war arises," Gusion states which is starting Cecilion to take interest in his proposal.

"Do you think you would act different?" the vampire scoffed. But Gusion smirked at him.

"Demons and humans are of the same evilness. You have experienced that yourself but so you know what makes a human apart from them?" he asks which Cecilion did not want to answer.

"Humans have conscience, demons are evil through and through," Gusion added which sounds more convincing.

"What happens next if I joined their side?" Cecilion asks. It would do him no wrong if he listens to what he has to say. He would weigh his options after hearing him.

Gusion smirks as he close his fist and the daggers that are pinning down the vampire retreats, freeing Cecilion. The vampire mumbles as he feels his wounds starting to heal. He faces Gusion and decides to trust him, but not fully.

"As I was saying, you should join the abyssal demons' side and be there to protect Carmilla," Gusion repeats as he plays with his dagger.

"But how can I gain the trust of Dyrroth? I know him, he does not trust anybody," he asks him. Though he has not made any direct contact with the abyssal prince, words about him spread like wildfire. He is ruthless and he seldom trusts strangers.

"I can stage a scenario for you to show off your strength to him. I will make it big so you can gain his trust in no time," Gusion replies. With his right hand, he's playing with his dagger which shows his excitement in the upcoming events. He has to play his cards right to get the best result.

"Two days from now, go to the entrance of the Enchanted Forest at dusk. You will soon encounter demons there, maybe one or two. Kill them as mercilessly as you can and for sure, Dyrroth would recruit you to join his side. Pretend you're easily manipulated, do what he says in order to keep your cover and keep Carmilla safe since the prince is aware of your relationship with the guardian of the portals," the mage explains which requires no great effort for Cecilion.

"But what would you give me in return?" he asks, feeling uneasy of what the human is about to speak of.

Gusion smirks at him.

"Just like what I have mentioned before, there will be a war between the demons and our race, no one will be exempted. Do as I say and your survival is assured," he replies which made the vampire unsure if the negotiation would be worth the risk and it makes him wonder if it would truly benefit his side.

"What else should I do after siding with your enemies?" he continues to interrogate. Asking him to take the side of the abyssal demons is more than jusy protecting Carmilla.

Gusion bends down to be of the same level as the vampire. He replies to him with a whisper. Cecilion  suddenly feels the surge of uneasiness and fear inside him. Yes, he is an immortal creature and had long lived for centuries and met conniving humans but Gusion is on another level of being evil.

"Don't be too amazed now, just do it and you can go to a far away place to live peacefully with Carmilla. Your happy ending, my victory," Gusion states as he sees the reaction from the vampire.

Cecilion stands up and turns his back to leave. But he stops on his track and turns his head to give his reply.

"I shall go with your plan, human, but remember that if you go against our deal, then I shall kill you myself in the most horrifying way," he says, he may sound like he has control over the situation but it's just a facade. He doesn't want anyone to think that they are controlling him, he can do things on his own but as of now, in order to reconcile with the woman he holds dear, he shall take risks.

The offer is tempting him, it's been years since he last held Carmilla's hands and if joining Dyrroth's side would only be possible with the help of Gusion, he'll play along. Showing himself suddenly to Carmilla won't be good for he is also being watched by someone he does not know of. Someone stronger and more powerful yet it remains anonymous for it is good at concealing its identity.

"If I get Dyrroth's trust, I can have a reason to be with Carmilla now. It's no use hiding anymore, the war between the two races might involve the beast who's watching my every move," Cecilion thinks as he walks deeper into the forest.

Gusion goes back where the others are and found them still fast asleep.

"The sleeping potion is really effective," he mumbles as he stares down at Guinevere who is sleeping soundly. He caresses her cheek, running the back of his fingers on her porcelain-like skin. No matter how long they had been together, no romantic feelings grew for the mage. Now that he has the Venom squad, he is considering to cancel their engagement.

He heaves out a sigh as his gaze settles on Lesley. A bitter smile slowly curves on the edge of his lips. It was fun teasing her and it was annoying everytime she scratches his pride. Yet unconsciously, he started to feel a weird feeling that was supposed to have never existed. He feels a bit sorry for her upon knowing the person she holds dear but he has to make things perfect. He has to set aside his emotional sympathy and focus on his plans.

He summons his dagger and carved letters on the nearest tree trunk where anyone would be able to notice. Gusion, then, travels back to Magical City alone and it took him one day before reaching the city.

He goes back home and gathers all his important books before heading to Laboratory 1718. For him, it is time to stop his pretense of being the good and obedient third son of the Paxley.

"Whoah, what are you doing here? Coming here without giving us notice is such a disrespect," Dr. Rooney says as he sees Gusion enter their quarters. He puts his books on a table and let the doctors see what he got.

"These would help in the experiment," he tells them, "I can no longer wait so I will help you here. And can I ask for a favor?"

"You're acting on your own, you spoiled brat," Dr. Rooney snarls as he grabs Gusion by the head and hammers him with his other fist.

"Don't treat me like a kid, " Gusion whines. He slaps his hands away from him and clicked his tongue.

"Let him be, he has longed for a son ever since but was unable to marry because of his work. Anyways, what is it that you want?" Dr. Baker asks as he enters with cups of tea on his hands.

"I recommend Harley Vance as the mage. He has an outstanding performance in both magic and strategic techniques. He'd be of great help," Gusion replies, setting aside the possible reaction of the pink-haired assassin if ever she finds out about this.

Mr. Ton suddenly appears as well without giving early notice to the two doctors.

"I agree with your idea, Paxley," he says, "But the thing is that, just this morning, Harley and a bunch of other kids had entered the Enchanted Forest."

Gusion looks at him with his brows almost meeting at the center of his forehead.

"What's wrong with that?" he asks him which kind of offended the CEO for he seems to be looked at as an idiot person.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Ton replies, taken aback by the frank response of the mage. 

"Angela is sent to get the exousia in Ancient Egypt, right? Give her the instruction to follow him and bring him here," the mage replies.

Mr. Ton suddenly bursts into laughter upon realizing his point. He walks towards him and pats his shoulder.

"You're good at this, Paxley. You're an assassin indeed, you should go under the name of Emperor Scorpion," the CEO says.

"He does fit for that one, you could be the leader of the squad in exchange of volunteering to be a part of it," Dr. Baker agrees.

"That doesn't sound bad at all," Gusion replies with a smirk for he got another card to play with.