#//xigbar you have a nosy little monster under your bed 👀

[lepussolum]

          @gravitasfatum​​ ━ starter.

          𝙳𝚊𝚢𝚜, 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 ━ time cast aside meaning within this VOID. That vast expanse of nothingness ━ one could no longer discern a moment from the steady march of year. All that remained constant was the numbness which settled in veins like pitch black tar ━ sluggish and stagnant. Paralysis weighed on both body and soul to fixate all that remained in place: a S H E L L. Hollowed out, the husk served as little more than a reminder to what was and what came to be. Neither painful, nor deserved of mourning for such emotions were beyond reach now. AGONY demanded a heart to strangle, SORROW could not dim a light which had already been extinguished. 

          Thus he remained empty.                     A discarded shell.                               A MEANINGLESS existence . . .

          Dull marbles of amber stared idly up at sterile ivory ceilings ━ seeing, though not quite comprehending. Writhing along that monochromatic canvas, SHADOWS shifted to and fro, cast from whatever entities dwelt beyond the bare windows which lined the far wall. Through the glass pane, an endless night twinkled o’erhead, unchanging with the hours. An eerie stillness settled within the sparingly decorated room; lacking in any of the usual staples one would require to find respite. A small white desk adorned with a few drawers stood abandoned by one wall; a matching wardrobe with uniform contents against another. Only a bed served its purpose, bearing the weight of a young boy. 

          Body stiff as a CORPSE, he lay upon pristine sheets with only the subtle rise and fall of his chest to indicate any signs of . . . life? Or merely preservation ━ survival. The answer evaded him, an unfamiliar conclusion to be sure. At a time, the child once craved information, an insatiable thirst in the pursuit of knowledge. He would devour books like a starved hound, a question always just waiting on the tip of his tongue. Now he knew not where to begin. Torn from all he understood to be REAL, the ground had all but crumbled beneath his feet. A newborn to an existence that should not be, trapped in a castle among STRANGERS ━ save for one. 

          . . . Lea A X E L.

          The name rang like a curse upon his mind. An identity erased ━ no longer were they permitted to cling to childhood. Memories still drifted among that churning sea of thought, yet they held little meaning. Recollections of sunshine grew dim and saccharine moments now carried a bitter tinge. The only worth to be found among those distant dreams was a PURPOSE, a singular drive to survive. In the brief periods where the veil over his disconnected mind would flutter and allot some semblance of focus, a plan would gradually take root. Scattered concepts at first, he devised each step little by little to be tucked away for the future. Given the chance, he would confide in the only soul he could TRUST within this barren world, cobbled between light and darkness. Together they would endure and find H E R.

          The first step? Reconnaissance.  

          Fists curled against fine leather from where they rested upon the mattress at his side. With grace he heaved himself upright, legs swinging to the tile floors below. A slight throb to his cranium served as a reminder to the wound which mutilated his brow. Wincing, digits tenderly touched the layer of bandages that obscured the raw laceration beneath. PAIN remained the only sensation to penetrate the void which now resided within his bones. Perhaps that residual physical response ━ nigh primitive, but real ━ was what truly drove him onward, spurred his determination to even stand. 

          Any means, that was what he had vowed, even if it were simply pain.

          Heeled boots clipped along the marbled stone, carrying the youth from the confines of his bedroom to the winding castle halls. The scenery bore little change, identical WHITE wall encompassed him all the same. A winding maze of corridors, it was a miracle he had yet to lose himself within the labyrinth. As he wandered, not a soul crossed his path, save for the occasional Dusk. Just according to plan ━ an opportunity to investigate without interruption. Ideally, he would have called upon a certain pyromancer for assistance, but the SUPERIOR deemed to keep them as separate as possible during their adjustment period. Sever any frail ties to the past that remained, this was his method of instilling absolute servitude. Now was not the time for defiance, though the child swore he would maneuver his way around that small hindrance to reach him.

          An abrupt halt plummeted the hall into silence as he paused a few steps shy of another carbon copy door. Barely ajar, he caught a glimpse of the interior  ━ interest immediately piqued. More or less the Nobody found himself stultified in the company of his fellow members. LOYAL guards or twisted academics, the lot of them! Save for one. And the child had kept an eye on him from their very first encounter, long before the destruction of his heart. Braig ━ No, Xigbar ━ as he now preferred,  was an ENIGMA, an enticing puzzle that posed both a challenge and a threat. Naturally, the former was favored. A chance to delve deeper into that convoluted psyche certainly held its appeal and the crack through which he could slip by had presented itself. Dare he lift the shroud and venture further?

          The door swung without the slightest protest to let him pass. 

          Cautiously, he glanced about the room, a near mirror to his own. Like military barracks it held little more than what was provided to each member. Granted, they had hardly the time to bring a shred of personality into their  private quarters as of yet ━ not that the youth had any intention of doing so. For what was the point in growing comfortable, attached to what he desired to be TEMPORARY and nothing more? Near ready to turn and leave over fruitless endeavors, it was pure happenstance that he came across a subtle flaw to the scene. A single drawer in the otherwise untouched desk dipped slightly with the weight of its contents. In an instant, his swift gait carried him across the vacant room to the anomaly. Not even a hint of hesitation held his hand at bay as common decency was thrown to the abyss in favor of ANSWERS. Slender digits pried the drawer free to expose its contents to gilded eyes.

          ❝ It would appear I win. ❞

          All which could be found was a single book, weathered and frayed at the corners. However that was more than enough to satiate his CURIOSITY. Sparing but a moment to glance over his shoulder and ensure privacy, the youth began to flip through the tattered novel with feverish fingers. In search of what, he could not say. Anything ━ a whisper of TRUTH, a clue as to the intentions of the Superior, or answer to the riddle that was Xigbar himself. Perhaps expectations should have been set a hair shorter as what met his perusal was far from anything conclusive. 

          ❝ What the...? ❞

          Words fell silent, amiss among the scrawling sea that washed ashore before his gaze. Scribbles, almost juvenile in quality, flooded each yellowed page with black ink. Not so much as a letter could be made out among the MADNESS and each page posed the same scene with every flip. Here and there perhaps he could make out a repetitive shape ━ a box? Was that a featureless face? Any attempt to decipher the nonsense before him only caused his head to ache further for a reason entirely separate of his injury. A fool, he should have known that evidence would not be so mundane as a mere diary, given the owner’s peculiar nature. But to say that this degree of gibberish was unexpected would be to put it lightly. With a frustrated huff, the child snapped the book shut ━ HOPES thoroughly dashed.

          And just in time.

          Footsteps bearing an all too recognizable swagger reverberated through the corridor, drawing ever nearer with each moment. Golden hues imperceptibly widened ━ not in PANIC, but in revelation that he could very well be caught. Hastily, he returned the book to its confinement within the drawer, easing it back into place. Mind suddenly far more awake than it had been since before his descent into darkness, the Nobody scanned the room for a means to HIDE. Immediate escape was out of the question, for the footsteps continued to approach at a steady pace. 

         Options limited, the child took his chance with a cliche and slipped beneath the bed’s frame. DARKNESS melded with the heavy cloak enshrouding his person, allotting some means of concealment ━ minimal though it may be. From the gap beneath the frame a pair of black boots waltzed into view, identical to his own. Palms settled over mouth and nose, an attempt to muffle even the slightest indication to his presence. Still as the grave, he waited. Watched and waited for the opportunity to flee.