"Poor human…" the elf mumbled under his breath with genuine pity.
He could relate to what this human was going through—the pain inflicted on him as they forced the cells in his body to change into something else. He was only a test subject; they wanted his cells as they were. But that boy… he couldn't imagine the pain.
The dark chuckle that escaped Shaw's lips broke the elf's sulking. The look of pity and hurt on his face instantly changed to hate and rage.
"You are still as pathetic as you were decades ago," Shaw mocked, the corner of his mouth turning up into a cruel smile. "That's why you never survived, don't you know?"
Shaw took hold of the elf's jaw firmly in his palm, forcing him to look at him despite the chains on his neck pulling him back down. "Still so pathetic," he repeated.
The elf hissed through gritted teeth, his arms fighting against the chains, making them rattle harshly. He was only this weak because he was intoxicated by the drug. Shaw knew that if he were in his actual state… not even this safe could contain him.
"If you are so well-educated about our kind, then you would have known that it was us who decided to disappear," the elf said through his firmly held jaw. He was already tearing this man apart in his mind in a hundred and one different ways.
"You mean forsaken humanity?"
"Forsaken?" the elf repeated in disbelief. "We knew that human greed would lead them to their doom! We wanted to take no part in it."
He felt Shaw's grip tighten on his jaw, almost crushing his teeth. "Well, it's only logical that you would coward away as you saw humans rise to power," he said, finally turning around to leave.
"His sedatives," said Shaw. "Double them."
"But my Lord, that would—"
"Do it if you don't want to lose your job."
"Y-Yes, My Lord."
'You could've kept the suit.'
"I can't walk through the slums in a suit that's more expensive than the people's apartments, Orathan," Elfric stated, allowing himself to sink into the comfort of his hoodie.
Orathan hummed in agreement. He had been obedient lately—no useless quarrels. Elfric wondered why.
By the time Elfric got home, his family was already asleep. They knew that he stayed out all night, either working or studying. Tonight was different, though—he had been at a banquet. He pictured his sister's reaction; she would probably be upset that he didn't take her along.
The apartment was lit by the dim light of the TV that Joanna forgot to switch off before she went to bed… or not. Rick spotted his sister sound asleep on the sofa.
His heart warmed at the feeling of being home—the smell of his sister's shampoo in the air and freshly washed laundry. He looked at his sister, her thin arms under her head as a pillow, bending her knees in an attempt to seek warmth from her own body.
He sighed, seeing his sister so helpless. He spotted the blanket on the ground. She probably gave in halfway while watching a movie, he thought, as he gathered the blanket and gently placed it over her before turning off the TV.
'Shouldn't you carry her to bed?' Orathan asked, leaving Elfric dumbfounded.
"She will wake up if I try to move her," said Elfric. "But why do you even care? I mean, how did you even know that I should do that?" He didn't bother to hide his disgust.
Hearing the devil talk about lovely gestures was indeed the second most disgusting thing Elfric had seen in his life. Oh, the first most disgusting… what else?! Nobles.
'What? I saw your sister watching something called a drama, and that's what I saw there.'
Elfric was utterly stunned that he came to a halt.
"A-A drama…" he mumbled under his breath.
The cringing feeling that went down his spine made him shrug the topic, along with the feeling, away. He shut the door to his room as he got inside and sat down on the bed with a loud thud.
Finally, he could say that it was over. At least for now.
'Now that you have made sure of things, what are you going to do?' said Orathan. 'And that Jake, what are you going to do about him?'
Elfric took a deep breath. "Well, I'm sure that he is wherever Shaw is," said Elfric. "Though there is one thing that I don't understand. Jake returned to Shaw probably before I burned the tower."
'True.'
"Then why doesn't Shaw know me?" he added.
They were both silent as they processed what they were realizing. They both witnessed Jake as he took a good look at his face, though Elfric wasn't sure if he knew his name. His description would have been enough for Shaw to spot Rick out from a crowd with ease.
If Jake was just quiet about it, then why? It's that—or he was in a situation where he couldn't say. One or the other. If it's the first, then Jake would definitely surface sometime soon to state his demands.
If it's the latter, then… well, Elfric hoped that he remained in this situation forever. A lot easier than coming up with a plan especially to finish him off.
"We will soon know everything," Elfric stated. "The fact that Shaw doesn't know—let's cling to that hope for now."
'And what is it that you are planning to do?'
"We need to wait and see what the Rebels have to do first," said Elfric. "As you said, I can't win alone. So, I will start with building my own army."
Elfric allowed his muscles to give in and fall to the bed. There was that rush of excitement in his veins.
He wondered if Orathan could hear the pumping blood in his heart from excitement. Though he didn't quite know why he was the way he was.
Maybe because he was confident that if he didn't win, then at least…
He would leave an impact.