He walked the hallway without a sound. Every step he took made him realize what he was about to do.
The wind swished through out the huge casements, each hush whispered one thing in his ears.
Jebreel.
Ages passed by and he could only remember him in pieces.
His voice which echoes in his dreams. His smile which his eyes never saw.
His name.
"You are his shield, —"
Glitch!
The word hiccupped and lost in his tides of thoughts.
Why can't I remember anything?
Why?
Facade suddenly halted and grabbed his head, compressing his throbbing temples. It felt like somebody had hit him with a metal bat but, he knew it was just an illusion of his mind.
No questions Facade, No questions....
It had always been like that. Every time he raise a question, his mind malfunctioned, glitches echoing his senses even when they were his own thoughts. As if, asking 'why' meant a great deal to his sharp brain.
And every time that happens, Facade try to completely ignore one of his sense.
The sense of pain.
Once the throbbing stopped to a certain degree, Facade took a deep breath. In and out. "I don't get it." He continued to mount the stairs, focus barely attentive as the drifting questions made him feel uncomfortable.
"You are his shield, Facade." While advancing gradually on the sleek marbles, he refabricated the same thought, cancelling out the one that glitches.
It was the same line Facade often hear in his dreams, the same that he wanted to recollect from the depths of his memories. He was sure he had listened to it somewhere, from someone. Five years passed by and he couldn't remember who said that to him.
But being unsettled was a common trait for Facade. His memories were never his friend. Even now, when he was finally about to achieve what he longed for, he can't feel but confused.
Facade was about to ask himself again, 'why is he here, in this mansion?' but he had already reached the desired doorstep, hand rotating the ornate doorknob.
"Oh, welcome back, Facad—."
"—I've done what you asked for." Facade cut the formal conversation. Instead, he stood at attention, hands locked on the back and head stiffened straight.
"Then?" The man seated behind the clean desk asked. "I want you to get Jebreel out of the way. We can't delay our mission." Facade demanded, his voice hoarse as always.
"Hmm..."
The masked man stood slowly while letting out a deep sigh. "Oh, man..." His eyes dug keenly at Facade, a sharp knife ready in his hands. "You're a real drag." he started swinging it around his gloved palms.
Even if the man's movement brought specks of danger and doubt to Facade, he still remained calm, as if every threat given to him was a part of his unfortunate life.
Swish! Slash!
The blade tore the air with each rotation but Facade had grown attuned to the sound of blades. Some rusted, barely grazing outer skin while others soaked in wine red, thirsty for more blood.
"I smell eagerness here." The man continued. "Well, you're really good at making your image or, should I say, 'Improving your image?" He finally flicked his fingers, throwing the dagger deep inside his table.
"Image is a fragile piece of reality. And every fragile thing is worthless to me."
"Aye...that's a dramatic line coming from you."
"...You wish it's dramatic, Mister Dan." Facade narrowed his eyes on him, giving an impression that he meant every last word.
"Yup, I know its not." Dan exited his still position, reaching for the coat rack placed a feet beside. A sudden concern covered his mixed thoughts when he realized why Facade was present before him.
"An advise Facade, don't offend Hood more then he could bear. If you really care for your life, that is."
Dan had been in charge of confidential matters since before Facade's appearance in the mansion. He had always been Hood's support, standing by his side even when he was wrong.
Even so, he regretted being his flatterer, unable to know who 'Hood' really was. A forced bond? That would likely explain their current relation.
But when Facade had joined the system, it rapidly changed their jarring flow into a smoother one.
His inflexibility towards Hood's command shone upon Dan's unyielding ideology, making him realize that 'Rivalry was as mighty as friendship'.
From then onwards, he had considered Facade, the one who had cleared his hesitation from his acts, as one of his true pioneers,
"Oh, I don't care." But unlike Dan, Facade wasn't interested in anything. Being someone's pioneer or not, he turns a blind eye to everything that wasn't his concern.
"...Thought so." Dan expected his answer, knowing that he 'didn't care about a thing' when it comes to his cousin.
It was indeed the truth. What spins inside his head was...rescuing Jebreel.
He believed that saving his cousin was what his fate decided for him. After reaching it, there was no reason to continue his baseless journey.
Why? He didn't know either.
But, he knew one thing.
All the love and care he had forged as his guardian, won't return the same way as he gave to Jebreel. He would hate him even more.
Like he had before. And would, forever.
"Man, that's rude to say. Well, you would have my deepest grief if you die because of your stupidity. "
"I just needed to be sure of my cousin's safety. And, I'm not in a hurry. I wanted the operation to begin as soon as possible. That's all." Facade again elaborated his reason to visit Dan's office, completely ignoring his mocking tone.
Ugh...you're taking forever to answer me! Say yes or no, damn it!
He complained to himself when he found Dan lounging and loitering in circles, loafing around on purpose.
"Thought so..." Dan was utterly disappointed when he found no results from Facade. He had attempted yet again to revive Facade's sunken soul, rubbing him enough to act on his wits for once, but it was of no use.
"You're so stern alright."
It wasn't only Dan, everybody among the societies perceived Facade as a stern one, shaping himself as though the mansion's appendix were his uniform. While he abided to polite hostility, most of his colleagues were a complete pack of jokers.
Yet his true form was restricted to the surface, the one unknown to the world. Deep inside his rigid words lay a mocking tone, criticizing each and every person in silence.
...
Heh?
What the heck do you mean by stern!? Just tell me if you deployed Jebreel already, you jerk!
He inwardly imagined how it would feel like to throw those lines directly to his senior's face. But still, he didn't let those words slip through his lips.
"Oh, Jebreel yes? That's your cousin name?" Dan finally reached for his seat, pulling out a pile of paper from the drawer to usher Facade on his way.
"Yes, its Jebreel." He mumbled in response.
There were several pages slipping out of Dan's grip when he went through each bannered name, most of them scribed and stamped with the golden ink.
It was the same used for any other legal document, consisting of wiggling lines equidistant to one another, each end connected to an average sized spiral, giving it a form of an ancient symbol of a sun.
One of them shimmered on the jumbled document, attested under a bold name.
'Zick_Wallway'
Age: Unknown
Status: Unknown
Experience: Unknown
Classification: Deceased