ㅤㅤNeo trailed down the hallway, rubbing the back of his neck. His glove felt cold on his pale skin, making him look at his hand curiously. It was probably due to helping Christopher up, but at least there wasn't any frost on it. What was all the Tainted business about? He wondered why Daileth seemed so nervous about it.
ㅤㅤOn his way to Quilliene's bedroom, he passed a maid coming out of a side hall. She squeezed her way by, uttering an "Excuse me" politely and plugging a vacuum into the wall. She set the vacuum down, ready to clean the carpet on the floor before she shivered for just a moment. Her head cocked back in Neo's direction as she sniffed the air.
ㅤㅤ"Mister Neo," She hummed, making him stop and look back. "You smell positively dreadful… and familiar. Something about you is-"
ㅤㅤShe sniffed once more, taking a few steps back as he sniffed under his raised arm. No, he smelled quite fine… despite not having taken a shower for a couple days. His eyes turned back to the girl, about to say something before her entire demeanour changed, her stance more offensive and her aura much more aggressive. He stepped back, holding out his hands low. She snapped in another language, quite literally hissing.
ㅤㅤ"What?" He asked, not recognising the Latin.
ㅤㅤShe looked at Neo, almost concerned, before her eyes shifted past him. Directly over his head with utter disgust and disdain. She shouted, cursing in Latin aggressively as a dagger slipped from her sleeve. "If you will not leave him, I will have to cut you out, diaboli!"
ㅤㅤNeo flinched at the sight of the blade. "Hey, now," He said, trying to take the calmer approach. "Let's not cut anything out of me. I like my organs where they are, y'know?"
ㅤㅤ"It is alright, Mister Neo," She huffed, a somehow sweet smile coming to her face as she looked at him again. "That thing does not know its place, but it will soon understand. A blade blessed by the Gods will set everything just right." Then she hissed again like a cat, her facial features growing harsh.
ㅤㅤWith that, she had seemingly tiptoed forward without him noticing, and her blade - glimmering a bright white - lashed out and set a cut on his cheek. Neo's hand went up to the slash on his face, stumbling back a little before he instinctively reached out and grabbed the woman's arm. He pulled her wrist behind her back and put her in a hold, fumbling to get the blade from her as she gasped. However, his face was burning, as if someone splashed acid across his cheek, and it was spreading.
ㅤㅤ"Mister Neo, please!" She shouted, struggling. "You must let me continue with the process - why are you resisting?"
ㅤㅤNeo flinched as his eyes started to burn then, letting go of her as he leaned against the wall and held his head. "Listen," He said, trying to keep her at bay with a held out hand - he couldn't see at that moment. "I don't know what crazy you're talking, but I have more important things to worry about than you trying to cut out whatever you're so fixated on!"
ㅤㅤ"I'm not talking crazy, Mister Neo," He could hear her argue. "A blade from the divine shall expel any devil, with just a few cuts."
ㅤㅤThen he felt another slice on his palm, flinching away while he stumbled. Leaning against the wall, he gripped the new cut, finding it also burning. He felt a dribble of blood down his cheek, his vision growing even more blurry as he panted. He felt feverish symptoms as he collapsed to the ground,hot everywhere as if something was set on fire inside of him. A feminine voice speaking Latin enveloped his mind, and he was too mixed up in the confusion to even register it wasn't supposed to be there.
ㅤㅤ"That is enough, Delphini!" Another tone came from his left, and he was barely able to tell it was Quilliene's. "I can understand your frustrations, but please… not today. Another time, when I'm positive the result isn't going to kill him, do you understand me?"
ㅤㅤQuilliene stood in the hallway, glaring deeply into the demonic servant. The demon looked up, mouth open to protest, but the queen denied any of her attempted squabbles. Quilliene rushed to Neo's side, where he was wincing and struggling to figure out how to breathe. She crouched down next to him, forcibly dismissing the demon's arguments.
ㅤㅤ"Liene?" Neo murmured, squinting in her direction. "You… You shouldn't be up. Not without help… and there's crazy demon ladies out here."
ㅤㅤAs he mumbled incoherently to her, he winced as the burning filled into his chest and spread across his ribcage. A cry of pain was in his head that he wasn't even sure who it came from. Was it him? Or someone, something, else? Leaning back against the wall, another voice entered his ears, but it wasn't speaking in Latin.
ㅤㅤ"I knew this would happen!" Daileth squeaked, flying about Quilliene's head. He had been the one to fetch her in desperation and fear. "I knew if I didn't tell him- but- your majesty, I didn't think it would be this serious!"
ㅤㅤ"It is alright, Daileth…" Quilliene cooed, muttering an incantation to ease Neo's pain. "I didn't want to tell him, either, but we will have to address our mistakes at a later time. Delphine, help me get him to his room."
ㅤㅤThe demon maid dispersed the blade back into her sleeve at the use of her human name instead of her demon name, sighing heavily as she begrudgingly helped Quilliene lift Neo up by either arm. He stumbled and tried to stay on his feet as they led him further down the hall - not too far, but far enough to make it a journey. Once they reached his bedroom, Daileth popped open the door with a bit of magick and let the two women plop Neo on the bed.
ㅤㅤAs Quilliene dismissed the maid, who left in a rather upset manner but not disrespectfully to the queen, she whispered soothingly to Neo to calm him. He tried to speak again, but the woman in Latin had returned, plaguing his mind and making him flinch. His back arched involuntarily, the sensation coming from his chest completely and no longer the blade's infliction. He covered his ears as the voice grew louder, and it was soon all he could hear.
ㅤㅤQuilliene looked him over, her gaze filled with that of worry. She whispered a word in Latin, somno, and held a hand just above his head. Allowing dark wisps to flow over his face and into his mind, her glowing gold eyes faded after he started to relax. His excessive gasps turned into slow and steady breaths, his hands falling to the bed. He had no desire to fight the sleep that overtook him.
ㅤㅤ"We need to tell him, your majesty," Daileth whispered to the queen. "He has a right to know. Christopher has already mentioned it…"
ㅤㅤ"I know," She sighed. "But we have no way of knowing how he will react once we tell him. Once he wakes up and he's recuperated, can you explain it all to him?" When he nodded carefully, she returned her eyes to Neo. "He seems to be struggling, almost. That poison inside of him is infecting him, and I assumed from my miracle of revival that I must have gotten rid of it, but… it seems that there is so much more to it than just healing the host's wounds."
ㅤㅤDaileth floated forward towards Neo, sitting down on his knees in front of his friend's face as he watched the larger male sleep soundly. The pixie seemed disappointed almost as he reached out a small green hand, as if to touch him. Alas, he let out a puff of air, lowering his hand as he looked up at Quilliene sadly.
ㅤㅤ"I regret not saying something sooner," He said solemnly. "He has always been kind to me and the other pixies. He even saved my life, and I repaid him with lies."
ㅤㅤShe watched Neo and frowned before glancing at the pixie. "You are right. My judgement has been incorrect numerous times, and I cannot keep hiding his own secrets from him."
ㅤㅤ"I…" Daileth paused, taking a deep breath. "I will take care of him, your majesty. You should rest before you drain your magick completely."
ㅤㅤQuilliene put a hand to her head, sighing rather lightly as she continued to watch Neo with a pained expression. Perhaps he is right, she thought to herself as she nodded and stood up. Her body wasn't ready for her to start using her abilities to their full extent with how destructive they seemed to be. Afterall, she knew… something was wrong. Not with just her, but with both herself and Neo, and she had to find a way to fix it.