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Chapter Text

                It was a quiet evening.

                Felix was sitting at a bar, drinking a dark Almyran styled beer during his time off from bounty hunting. He was relishing the peace and silence, until another customer entered the bar. Normally Felix did not care about whoever entered or exited the entrance, but this individual’s presence was chilling, which nearly sent shivers down his spine. This stranger wore a black cloak with a hood over their head, and dark armour underneath. Felix attempted to ignore that individual, but the said stranger came to the stool on his left and ordered their drink. They spoke with a friendly masculine voice, and as Felix tried his best to ignore the stranger, they began to speak with him.

                “So, taking a break from bounty hunting, mister Lone Wolf of Fraldarius?”

                “That’s none of your business.” Felix grunted and shifted his back towards the stranger.

                “You’re quite the renowned merc out there. Always able to fight multiple men on your own, strong enough to fight men twice your size, and I heard you took down a demonic beast by yourself.”

                “I just do whatever job is being offered.” Felix replied without facing the speaker.

                “I see, but do you wonder when your luck would ever run out?”

                This question made Felix spin around and glared directly at the stranger’s face. He noticed this individual appeared to be a man not much older than he was, with red, wavy strands underneath the hood.

                “If this is my life, you’re after, then I won’t hesitate to cut you down.” Felix threatened.

                “Geez! Calm down! I’m not here to collect your life!” The stranger held up his arms in defence. “But I’m sure you already know that many people want your head.”

                Felix glared at him in silence until he broke it by asking, “That’s all you have to tell me?”

                “Well, you’re an interesting guy, and I thought I might tell you to watch your back when you have your own bounty on your head.”

                Felix’s scowl deepened before he turned away from the stranger and said, “I don’t need your pity.”

                The dark clad man frowned as he took a swig from his drink, which arrived thirty seconds ago. After a few sips, he got up from his seat and turned towards the exit. Before he could leave the building, he glanced over his shoulder towards Felix and said, “You know, Felix, I’ll be back to collect my debt. It’s just not going to be now.”

                Felix did not face the stranger as he left, but he did take note on what that individual just said.

                Collecting his debt?

                Was this stranger also a bounty hunter?

                Was Felix his next target?

                How did that stranger know his name? Most strangers only knew him from his title, but only a select few knew of Felix’s given name.

                The navy-haired merc shook his head and assumed that the stranger he met was bluffing, and yet he began to watch his back more often after that conversation.

                During his later jobs, Felix continued to collect heads and fended off the assaulters, who wanted his bounty. He eventually came across a massive group of hunters, and among the mix was a knight dressed like death himself, with his skull-like helmet and demonic horns. Felix knew this individual to be the fabled Death Knight, who was high on the bounty list. The one nobody was able to capture or best in battle. A force to be reckoned with some might say, but Felix would never let any fancy description intimidate him.

                He was striving for victory.

                He wanted that head.

                He did not care how many enemies would stand in his way.

                If Felix wanted to challenge the Death Knight, it would be all or nothing.

                The large group of enemies began to charge at the navy-haired mercenary, who began to fight them off as they got close. With their huge numbers, they were all closing in on the merc.

                But this did not stop Felix from fighting back.

                Even when outnumbered, Felix swung his sword rapidly and spun around when an attack came for him. He endured every slash that managed to nick him, but he refused to slow down. With each jump, duck, spin and twirl, Felix danced circles around his enemies. He became more evasive and skilled as fewer numbers disappeared.

                Then came the Death Knight, who was readying his scythe.

                Although Felix was getting exhausted after going against those massive numbers, his determination pushed him to fight the Death Knight. As the merc charged at him, he ducked under the scythe aimed for him and rolled forward. Felix then jumped to slash the Death Knight, but he hardly flinched due to the armour. The merc landed back on his feet, but backflipped as the horseman slashed his scythe at him. Felix drove in for an attack, but his sword collided with the horse’s armour. Felix ducked the blade aimed for him and jumped at any given chance.

                The fight kept going back and forth with the merc charging in or dodging attacks by jumping, spinning, or ducking. He was getting exhausted from each move, but he refused to back down. Felix gave it his all when he went back onto the offensive.

                That was until the Dark Knight parried his last attack.

                Felix lost is balance while he was pushed back, and when he regained his footing, the Death Knight was already charging at him. All the sudden, the horseman swung his scythe before Felix could react.

                There was no time to dodge.

                No time to act.

                All Felix felt was a quick pain across his neck and light began to blur his vision.

                A few minutes passed and his eyesight was returning to normal. He was lying on his back in the dark grass, and above him was gray sky. For some reason, he no longer felt any pain in his neck or anywhere else on his body. He lifted his chest from the grass and looked around for the Death Knight.

                All he saw was fog.

                There was hardly anything that caught his eye, until he spotted a shadow before him in the distance. The figure appeared to be on horseback and even though it was hard to make out the attire, Felix knew they were clad in darkness. He grabbed the hilt of his sword because he was sure this figure was the Death Knight.

                As the shadow got closer, they dismounted their mount and began to walk towards the merc. Felix felt a chilling presence when they drew near, but he refused to let his guard down. As the shadow came into view, Felix noticed it was not the Dark Knight before him. Instead of him, the merc saw the redheaded stranger he met at the bar. He wore a carefree smile and extended his hand towards Felix.

                “I’m so glad I’ve found you.” he said with a wink. “You know, it’s not safe to be lying around here. Please, take my hand and I’ll bring you to a safe place.”

                Felix glared at him suspiciously before scanning the area once again.

                “Where’s the Death Knight?” he asked. “I’m not finished with him!”

                “Oh, he headed south a few minutes ago.” The stranger replied, “And he had already claimed your head as a prize.”

                “What the fuck are you talking about?” Felix glared as he patted his head in different areas. “I still have my head!”

                “Felix… look behind you…” the stranger point towards the ground behind the merc, who turned around to see what it was. There he saw a headless body on grassy ground and the blood from the neck was spilling though the soil. After taking a quick analyze at the teal cape and tunic, white quilted jacket and navy thigh-high boots, Felix realized that was his body. But that could not be possible because he was still standing with his full body intact.

                “I don’t have time for jokes.” He said sternly before he faced south. “I’m going to fight the Death Knight, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

                “Felix, you are in the afterlife! You aren’t alive anymore!” the stranger tried to convince the merc. “Wandering around in this world is more dangerous than facing the Death Knight before your demise.”

                “I’m not going to buy into your bullshit! Stay out of my way, before I cut you down!”

                The redheaded stranger smiled slyly and said, “Well, I still need to collect my debt. How about you swing that sword at me?”

                Felix unsheathed his sword and began to swing at his opponent. The figure was moving smoothly like a ghost as the strikes were aimed at him. Even if the sword contacted the mysterious redhead, it just passed though him without leaving a mark. The stranger managed to spin around behind the merc and grabbed him around the waist with his left arm and covered Felix’s eyes with his right. Suddenly, Felix felt frozen, like the rest of his body failed to respond. He smelt sulphur enter his lungs, and it was making him feel drowsy. The stranger’s face drew closer to Felix’s right ear, who whispered, “Your soul is safe with me.”

                Shivers went down the merc’s spine when he finally put the puzzle pieces together. This man who was holding him may not be the Death Knight, but he was the embodiment of death.

                Felix tried to stay awake, but he eventually passed out due to the stench of sulphur, while the stranger held him into his arms. He possessively hugged the merc close to his chest and said, “I will not let anyone take you from me. Not my father, not Miklan, not any other reaper within the afterlife. You are mine and I’ll make sure you’ll stay in the property of Sylvain Jose Gautier.”

                The reaper now known as Sylvain, wrapped his dark, shrouded cloak over Felix that he was concealed from the world. He began to teleport away and left nothing but the corpse of Felix Hugo Fraldarius.

Chapter Text

Felix was unsure about the events before when he lost consciousness. The first thing he noticed while waking up was he was lying on a soft surface. This was unusual to him because he had not slept in a comfortable bed since he left House Fraldarius five years ago. Not even the beds at any inn were this soft.

Felix slowly cracked open his eyes and the first thing he saw was a black laced canopy above him. He was tucked under a maroon blanket, and the mattress he was lying on was white. There were also red and black rose petals scattered around the bed, which made the mercenary uncomfortable. What made matters worse, he realized there were dark, golden bars caged around the bed.

‘What is this place?’ Felix asked himself, ‘and how did I get here?’

 He began to massage his forehead and tried to remember a time before he came here. He recalled fighting the Death Knight on the Tailtean Plains. Then everything became hazy, and he recalled seeing that stranger from the bar and…

“Ah, you’re awake!” His train of thought was interrupted by the said stranger he was thinking about, who was standing by the cage’s door.

“You!” Felix shot a glare at his captor, “Why did you bring me here?”

“Did I ever tell you what my occupation is?” The dark clad stranger asked in a carefree manner, while casually leaning his left arm against the cage’s door. “I collect souls that cross into the afterlife, and you happened to cross it when the Death Knight killed you.”

“So, you kidnapped me?!” Felix growled at his captor.

“Hey now! Think about it as saving your soul!” The stranger held up his arms, “If the Emperor of the Underworld or any other reaper has taken you, you’re going to wish you were put to eternal sleep. Lucky for you, I took you in before either of them could catch and torture you.”

Felix continued to glare at the entity before him and asked, “How long are you going to keep me here?”

“Oh, Felix… I’m planning to keep you for eternity.” The reaper replied.

“You’re insane!” Felix shouted as he jumped out of the bed and marched to cage door, where the reaper stood. He began to grab the bars, shook them violently and hollered, “Let me out of here! Unless you want me to cut you down! You’re delaying me from searching for the Death Knight!”

The reaper tutted at his captive’s pitiful attempt to break the door and replied, “You’re not in a position to fight him. I can let you fight me again, but the outcome would end up the same.” His caramel eyes met with Felix’s whiskey irises and said, “I warned you that the world in the afterlife is more dangerous than facing the Death Knight on the surface. Reapers and minions won’t show you mercy when they find you, and since I captured you within seconds since we first fought, well… let’s just say you wouldn’t stand a chance against the other reapers. Besides, I don’t plan on letting you go, and I’m not going to let any reaper take you from me.”

Felix continued to shake the door open to no avail, while his captor adorned a crafty smile on his face.

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll let you out of this cage and let you run around for at least an hour, but I guarantee you won’t get very far, and I’ll collect you if anything goes wrong.”

Felix stopped trying to pry the door open, but still fixed his amber glare at his captor.

“Fine. Let me out of this cage, Freak.”

“The name’s Sylvain and that conduct of yours wouldn’t get you out of there.”

Felix let out a low groan and reluctantly said, “Please let me out of this cage, Sylvain…”

The reaper named Sylvain smiled with satisfaction and unlocked the door with a hidden key in his palm. He opened the cage up to let his prisoner out, and Felix wasted no time as he rushed out of his prison and into the dark halls. Sylvain clicked his tongue and shook his head, but he gave his escapee a few minutes to run before he could pursue him.

Felix did not know exactly where he was going. The manor he was in was huge, but it did not take him long to find the exit, which was down the staircase to his right. He was greeted with a foggy mist as he opened the right side of the finely wooden double doors. He then dashed right outside, ran past the garden and made it onto an open field.

Despite the fog and dark sky that hovered above him, Felix began to search his surroundings. The area was wide and open, but it was unfamiliar to him. He could hardly make out to where the Death Knight would be. Then he heard a strong wind whistling through the tall grass, and he sense an eerie presence coming from behind him. He quickly drew his sword and swung it around, but the entity behind him pounced him to the ground. During that tackle, he felt the front of his upper chest being pieced and a hot tingling was burning inside him. He dropped his sword during that time, and as he glared at his attacker, he saw a pasty face of a woman, who had red eyes and dark eyeliner, which was draw as a teardrop shape on her cheeks. She also had light orange hair peaking out of the hood of her dark, dreaded, cloak. The blades she had impaled into Felix’s chest was white like platinum, but it looked shinier compared to the weapons he usually saw. Another odd occurrence he noticed was his body was not spilling a lot of blood. There was only a little bit that peak through the wounds of the blades.

“Hah! You think a pitiful blade like that is going to stop me?” The attacker taunted with a toothily, sharp smile. “I was under orders to take souls back to Lord Thales, but maybe I should have a little fun with you!”

Felix spat in her face, attempted to push her off with his arms, and kick her off, but his attacker managed to stay on him. She was furious after the saliva hit her cheek that she quickly pulled out her right dagger and stabbed Felix’s left wrist to the ground. She then took her second blade and pierced it into her victim’s right bicep. Felix let out grunts of pain as the lady on top of him continued to stab him. She pierced him on his left side and when she pulled her dagger from his right bicep, she flipped the mercenary on his front and stabbed him in the back. The attacker collected Felix’s right wrist and held it behind his back, pinched the tip of his left ear with her ice, cold finger and whispered, “Scream for me. Let me hear you cry throughout the underwor-”

She was cut off when a red glowing blade of a scythe swept her off her captive. As she tumbled over, she scowled at her attacker, who immerged from the fog.

“Back off, Kronya! He’s mine!” Sylvain declared as he glared seriously at the female reaper. He was riding on a dark red skeletal horse with glowing red eyes, and he was holding a scythe with a shiny, platinum blade with a crimson hue surrounding it.

The attacker known as Kronya hissed at the reaper before her and was about to dash over to Felix. Before she could get to her prey, Sylvain brought his scythe up and slashed her across her body. The female reaper split into two and then she turned into a cloud of smoke. With Kronya dealt with, Sylvain turned to Felix and noticed he was pinned to the ground with a dagger in his back. As the reaper reached the merc, he gently pulled out the blades out of Felix’s body, who groaned out of pain. He then gathered the merc in his arms by flipping him on his back and lifting his legs. While he had his prized soul back in his possession, Sylvain smirked down at Felix, who returned the gesture with a glare.

“I warned you it was going to be dangerous here.” The reaper said smugly, “I can’t let her take you away from me.”

“Why…are you obsessed with me?” Felix asked with a groan.

“Don’t know. Normally I go for hot pretty ladies. But you, you interest me, Felix Hugo Fraldarius. I don’t know if it’s your feisty demeanor, or you just look attractive.”

“So, you’re saying you want to keep me as your plaything?”

“Well, I don’t want to keep you caged up, but reapers don’t care about other reapers possessions and would steal any soul when given the opportunity.”

“Maybe you should frame me up to a wall just to keep me out of trouble.” Felix snarked as he rolled his eyes.

“That could be arranged.” Sylvain flirted as he caressed the left side of the merc’s cheek and then tilted his chin upward.

Felix glared up at his captor for that flirtatious remark and thought about bolting out of his arms, but his body was unresponsive. Sylvain’s caramel eyes darted at the black and blue marks past the tears of clothes, as well as the bruises on the merc’s left wrist.

“She really did a number on you…” He said as his fingers traced at the bruises on Felix’s chest, “But I seen worse from my father and brother. I guess I should be relieved she didn’t bring you back to her master, because Lord Thales is not someone you want to come across.”

“What makes this Lord Thales scary?” Felix asked flatly.

“He doesn’t just torture his captive souls… He experiments on them…” Sylvain narrowed his eyes as he said the last sentence quietly.

Felix just stared at his captor blankly and asked, “How long does it take for wounds to heal here?”

“It would take a couple days for those wounds, but I won’t be letting you go after this.”

Felix continued to glare at Sylvain blankly before he broke eye contact and said, “Fine…take me back to that cage you put me in…”

The reaper nodded his head as he brought the merc back to his manor.

Chapter Text

Felix let out an annoyed groan.

He was placed back inside his luxurious cage and laid on the bed with his back on the mattress. He was glaring at the canopy above him, but he was mostly angry at his situation than he was at anything else.
During his stay in the manor, Felix was bored. Normally he would expect horrible things to happen to him while being imprisoned, but Sylvain never did anything to hurt him. Sure, he had that strange obsession for Felix, but the worst thing he did was trap the merc in a cage. Other than that, every time Sylvain came to visit, he was mostly checking up on Felix. The merc was still resistant towards the reaper, but fighting back was out of the question. So far, Sylvain came to check the wounds left by Kronya and tried to indulge in a conversation. He even offered Felix food or tea, but the merc was never thirsty or hungry. Sylvain reminded his captive that hunger, and thirst were no longer applicable in the afterlife, and food and drinks were considered as pleasures than requirements.

The next time Sylvain visited Felix, he noticed the merc was fully healed, but hardly moving. The merc was still glaring at the ceiling above with narrow eyes, like there was hardly any passion left in him.

“You look bored.” Sylvain commented.

“You think?” Felix asked flatly.

“You know, I could let you out of that cage and let you walk around the mansion.” Sylvain offered, “I’ll even give you the grand tour of the place, but I can’t let you go outside because… you know, in case another reaper tries to capture you?”

Felix rolled his head to his left, facing the reaper and asked, “Aren’t you worried that I’ll attempt to kill you?”

“Pff, Nah!” Sylvain snorted and waved a hand, “I’m technically already dead, and even if you find a weapon to pierce me, I’ll regenerate in a matter of minutes in this mansion, and the weapon that can very well pierce me in this place is my very own scythe, but you won’t be able to touch it.”

“Why? Because you carry it around with you all the time?” Felix sardonically asked.

“No. More like ordinary souls wouldn’t be able to touch it properly.” Sylvain held up his scythe with both hands and presented it to his captive, “If you want to try and take my scythe from my hand, go right ahead. I promise I won’t pull it away from you.”

Felix gazed at the scythe like if it were a trap, but he decided to pull up from the bed and walked his way towards his captor. He began to reach through the bars to touch the pole of the weapon, but his hands instantly burned. He still held on to attempt to lift the scythe from Sylvain, but the pain overwhelmed him and made him drop his grip. Felix seethed in pain as he glared up at his captor.

“Like I said, a reaper’s weapon is not made for ordinary souls’ hands.” Sylvain concluded with a chuckle. “A trained and experienced soul could eventually carry a reaper’s weapon without consequents, but it takes them years to get up to that rank, and it all requires a reaper’s help. You-” Sylvain poked Felix’s nose with his cold index finger, but then retracked it as the merc attempted to bite. The reaper let out a small chuckle and said, “You’re awfully cute when you get feisty like that.”

Felix snarled at that comment, baring his teeth.

“As I was saying, souls that recently cross into the afterlife wouldn’t have the training to wield a reaper’s weapon no matter how strong they were before death.” Sylvain explained before he pointed at Felix, “You fit under that same camp, and it’s unheard of for a newly manifested soul to instantly become a reaper.”

“So, you’re saying if I want to fight against reapers, I need to become one?” Felix asked irritably.

“Well, you would start off as an underling to give you a fighting chance, but even so, you would need a reaper’s help.”

“So, you’re saying I have no choice but to ask you to train me…”

“That’s correct, but I’m not ready to train you.” Sylvain slyly smirked, “I only retrieved you in less of a week, and seeing that you’re still hostile towards me, I refuse to train you. I can tell your desires is to escape my mansion and fight against the Death Knight again, but you are not going anywhere with that resolve.”

Felix let out a groan and sat back on the bed.

“Hey now! At least I’m trying to give you more freedom!” Sylvain said as he unlocked the gate to the merc’s cage. “Please, feel free to walk around. I’ll show you around.”

Felix continued to glare at him with his arms crossed.

“Or stay…if you so choose…” Sylvain awkwardly said, “I’ll leave the door open for you, but don’t hesitate to leave your cage every now and then.”

The reaper walked out of the bedroom to give his prisoner time to be alone with his thoughts. Felix glared towards the bedroom door after Sylvain closed it behind him. He still was not sure why that reaper was obsessed with him or why he was being “nice”. Sylvain mentioned Felix was allowed to leave his cell, but he won’t be able to leave the mansion. Although the merc was staring through the unlocked door to his cell, he wanted to challenge the reaper’s security to see if he could escape.

As he waited fifteen minutes to make his decision, Felix walked up to the exit and opened the door cautiously. He did not see Sylvain or any guard within the halls, so he immediately headed straight to the front entrance, where he escaped before. As he arrived, he did not see anyone blocking the doors, but as he reached for the handles, his hands instantaneously burned after touching it. He retreated his hands after the pain and then he heard a familiar chuckle coming behind him.

“I had a feeling you’re going to attempt an escape,” Sylvain laughed cunningly, “So, I soul proofed the exits to prevent you from leaving!”

Felix glared darkly at his captor, who returned the gesture with a crafty smile.

“Now that you’re out, let me show you around.”

“I don’t understand you.” Felix narrowed his eyes, “Am I some kind of pet to you? Is this why you’re being nice to me, but refuse to let me go?”

“I don’t know if I would call you a pet, but if you want me to treat you like that, that could be arranged.” Sylvain teased.

“You’re unbelievable…” Felix groaned. “Fine… show me around this mansion of yours.”

“I thought you’ll never ask.” Sylvain smiled as he waved the merc over before he led the way.

As Felix reluctantly followed the reaper, Sylvain led him through the right corridor beside the staircase. They arrived in a dinning hall, which had a large dining room table stained with red stain, and iron trim on the edges. The chairs around it had burgundy cushions and an iron frame, which showed a circular emblem on the back, which had lines that resembled scythes and a spike on each vertical side of the circle. Above the table was a dark chandelier which was shaped like the same emblem on the chairs. The candles on it were dark red and purple flames were lit on the wicks.

“This is the dining hall.” Sylvain announced as he waved his right arm as admiration. “The place where we dine, hold meetings, have wonderful tea parties and…” He gazed at Felix with alluring eyes, “Have a romantic date.”

Felix scowled back at him, not impressed by that last comment.

Sylvain’s smile faltered at that expression before he led his guest to the door on right.

“And here is the kitchen!” The reaper showed Felix the area as they both entered the room.

The kitchen had counters on each wall. There was also a wood stove at the center of the back wall, and there were shelves with pots and pans. Hooks were nailed to the walls, which held cooking utensils, cabinets that held jars of spices.

“And you said cooking is more of a pleasure than a requirement in hell?” Felix asked sardonically.

“Hey! I call this place the netherworld!” Sylvain retorted in offense, “Hell is much worse! Been there a few times after being killed!”

“Didn’t you say you’ll regenerate after getting killed?” Felix crossed his arms while shooting his captor an unamused glare.

“Not after going through hell first!” Sylvain waved his arms, “And yes. Cooking is more of a pleasure than a requirement in the nether.”

They returned in the dining room and Sylvain led his guest in the righthand corridor, which led them to a stairwell to the basement. As they descend, the stair hall got darker and the purple flames on the torches only radiated the area dimly. There were more torches as they got to the bottom and the area was filled with shelves of bottles.

“Here is the cellar.” Sylvain announced, “Although thirst is no longer a requirement in the nether… well, alcohol was never a thirst quencher to begin with… you can still get drunk from the effects.”

Within the area, Felix could hear yelling and moaning behind the walls.

“What are those?” the merc demanded as he glared suspiciously at Sylvain.

“What are what?” the reaper asked.

“The cries I heard within the walls.”

“Oh, those?” Sylvain asked before he stretched his arms behind his head. “Well, I’m a reaper after all, and collecting souls is part of my job, but…I collect them for… other reasons.”

“What reasons?!” Felix snapped what he waved arms.

“I’ll explain to you in due time, but those souls are not as special as you.”

“Then WHY trap them here?!” Felix waved his arms violently and glared darkly at the reaper. “I still don’t understand your obsession with me. What makes you think that you’ll eventually get bored of me and throw me in that so-called collection?”

“You know, Felix, despite all the souls I’ve taken, even if it’s for a quick fling, you are more valuable for me to ever pass up.”

“Tch! I swear you say that to every soul you stolen.”

“But I’m serious, Felix!” Sylvain’s voice rose gradually before he took a deep breath. “Look, I had my sight on you way before we met at the bar. My father and brother both have a soul who is like you, and they have their own… “special” intentions for them. Since I’m worried that they would eventually snap you up after your death, I had to get to you myself.”

“That doesn’t explain why I’m special. What do I have in common with those souls that made you want to stalk me?”

Sylvain attempted to touch Felix’s face, who stepped back with a growl and said, “Don’t you dare touch me with those cold, lifeless hands!” with venom dripping from his voice.

The reaper let out a laugh, while he retracked his hand and replied, “Well, for starters, your sharp tongue reminded me of Glenn, who my brother has.”

“Glenn?” Felix widened his eyes in surprise before his scowl formed back on his face, “Are you saying my brother is being held captive by your brother?!”

“He is Miklan’s favourite soul, but he treats him roughly.” Sylvain’s eyes narrowed as he spoke, “I would rescue him if I could, but my brother sends me to hell and back the moment I step near his fortress. He’s that aggressive.”

“So, you’re saying it’s pointless to rescue my brother?!” Felix shouted with his eyes burning red and his fists behind him.

“Whoa! Chill! If I find a way to defeat him, I would!” Sylvain held up his arms in defence, “My father would have better odds fighting him, but asking him to do so is a whole different story. He’s as stubborn as a goat and he only goes after Miklan if he steps out of line. I’m surprised he hadn’t stolen Glenn from him yet.”

“Didn’t you say your father was another reaper I should look out for?” Felix asked.

“That’s the OTHER reason I don’t seek father’s help to rescue Glenn!” Sylvain exclaimed, “Not only would he claim Glenn as a trophy, but he’ll also steal you too if we’re not careful.”

Felix recalled the reaper mentioned that his father had a soul like him, but he was beginning to think that other soul was his father. The merc narrowed his eyes while he mentally said, ‘We’re nothing alike’, but that never separated the fact they were family.

“Why is your family obsessed with mine?” Felix asked, “What makes us special.”

“Ah, so you guessed your father is with mine.” Sylvain grinned, “Well, we all know the Fraldarius bloodline had many powerful warriors. Some are loyal, some are valiant, and some are highly attractive. Despite you leaving your noble title behind, I knew I had to have you.”

“This is ridiculous! This hardly explains why my family is special!”

“Maybe we don’t have a real reason. Maybe my family just happened to like Fraldariuses.”

Felix let out an annoyed grown and said, “Alright… Show me the rest of this place of yours.”

Sylvain smiled and showed his guest around the rest of the mansion.

Throughout the building, Sylvain showed Felix around the living room, the library, the multiple guest rooms, the board room, and the stairwell, which led to the dungeons. There was a soul proof door at the bottom of the stairs, and Sylvain would not allow anyone to tour that area, unless he had a reason for it. He also did not show Felix his master bedroom because he wanted to build the merc’s relationship first. The last place Sylvain showed was the training grounds. It was an open area within the center of the mansion. All the training dummies were put away in the northeast corner of the area, along with a couple weapons’ racks along the walls. There was also a couple of ebony doors at the back, which was heavily chained up and locked with a silver padlock.

“Those doors are where I keep my special weapons.” Sylvain explained, “They vary from different skill levels, but they’re all require to defend yourself from netherworld entities like reapers or demonic beasts.”

“Demonic beast?” Felix raised an eyebrow, “I killed plenty of them when I was still alive!”

“Demonic beasts work differently in the nether than they do on the surface, Felix.” Sylvain replied. “If you come across a beast within the nether, they’ll straight up eat you, and souls are hard to retrieve after they been eaten.” His honeyed eyes locked with Felix’s glaring amber irises and said, “Again, I want to be able to trust you before you use any of them. Judging by your posture and hostility towards me, you still want to escape. Tell me, Felix, where would you go after your escape. You won’t be able to claim the Death Knight’s head in the state you’re in and nowhere is safe in the nether.”

“Because of all the beasts and reapers running amuck? Yes, you mentioned that plenty of times already.” Felix rolled his eyes. “And I guess rescuing my brother is out of the question as well.”

“You would need to get through Miklan before you could rescue him.” Sylvain replied, “Seriously, Felix. Even I struggle to get through him, and he’ll capture you if you’re not careful.”

Felix let out an annoyed scoff.

“Well, that’s the whole castle.” Sylvain stated, “Feel free to train on the training grounds if you so choose, grab something to eat. Well… maybe ask me if you want something to eat or go to your room. You’re free to roam anywhere in the house. Just don’t try to escape or free the other souls imprisoned here. They aren’t necessarily a friendly bunch.”
Felix stared blankly at Sylvain before he turned to the training dummies and began to pull one to the center of the field. He unsheathed his personal sword and began to stash at the dummy. The reaper stretched his arms behind his head as he watched his prized soul.

“If you need a sparing partner or someone to talk to, I’m always around.” Sylvain told him, “I’ll even let you roam around freely even when I’m out somewhere, but don’t be answering the door while I’m away.”

Felix rolled his eyes in response and continued slash at the dummy.

“Speaking of which, I suggest you hide if you hear a knock on the door. Some reapers don’t respect privacy and would burst in. Do not try to fight them. They will win and they will capture you.”

Felix paused for a moment and glared directly at his captor.

“How long will it take to start using the special weapons you have locked away?” he asked.

“However long you grown accustomed to this place, and when you completely lose the urge to escape. Freedom is much harder to obtain in the nether than it is on the surface.”

Felix let out a low growl.

“Just try to adapt to the place, and when you start warming up to me, I’ll help you train with those special weapons.” Sylvain said with a hint of flirtation.

Felix sighed and said, “There’s no way around this, is there?”

“You’re in my domain, Felix. I’m keeping you safe from the other reapers as much as possible, and I could lock you up again if I wanted to. But I’m letting you roam around instead of keeping you caged, so would you call that progress?”

Felix did agree that being able to walk around the castle is better than being cooped up in a cage all day, no matter how comfy the bed was. He just refused to admit it to his captor. Sylvain shrugged at merc’s lack of answer and stretched his arms behind his head.

“Like I said. You are free to do whatever you want, aside from escaping or freeing souls. And if you want someone to talk to, I’m right here!” the reaper offered.

Felix rolled his eyes as he focused on the training dummy before him. He took a deep breath to calm his thoughts and slashed directly at his target. Sylvain let out a sigh, disappointed that the merc was ignoring him and said, “Well, I’ll just leave you to your business. I’ll be reading a book in the living room if you’re interested in talking.”

Felix did not respond. He continued to attack the dummy without acknowledging the reaper. Sylvain let out a mental sigh as he began to leave through the south entrance. For another five hours, Felix continued to train, but he was eventually getting bored. He was not exhausted, but he did not feel like he improved. 

Felix felt the same before he started training.

Disappointed with his efforts, Felix sheathed his sword and dragged the dummy back to the northeast corner with the others and began to head to his cage. He unknowingly passed the living room area, where Sylvain was reading a book. The reaper caught him with a short glance and asked, “How has training treated you so far?”

Felix let out a groan, but he retraced his steps to glare at the reaper and replied, “It sucked. I’ve been training for about five hours, and I don’t feel like I’ve improved at all. I don’t even feel exhausted.”

“Exhaustion is also different in the nether than it is in on the surface, Felix.” Sylvain noted as he closed his book. “The only training you’ll gain from using a surface weapon is technique and proper stances. Otherwise, those surface weapons are nothing more than training weapons.”

Felix let out a low growl and said, “And you said you won’t train me unless I grown accustomed to this place?”

“That is correct.”

Felix still glared at the reaper as he stood his ground and said, “I promise I won’t escape and you’re the only one who could train me to use those weapons. Can you teach me how to use them.”

“That’s not how it works, Felix, and I could tell by your tone you aren’t exactly willing to be taught by me.” Sylvain said pragmatically, “This place in general would take some time getting used to. Believe me, it took me nearly a whole moon to adjust to it after I moved into this place. However, you might adjust to it faster than I did because most of my issues were organizing the place and learning how to live alone.”

Felix continued to glare impatiently at the reaper, who waved him off.

“Just give it some time.” Sylvain said, “I’m sure you’ll find something that might spark your interest.”

Felix only let out a low groan before he walked away from the reaper. He went back to his assigned room, entered the cage and laid his back on the bed. Despite his frustration about being trapped in a mansion with limited freedom, Felix was taking a moment to collect his thoughts. He tried to think about an activity he could possibly do while given the minimal freedom. If sparing with his regular weapons was unsatisfactory, he did not know what could give him pleasure. Felix let out a low groan because being in limbo was boring. Although his life among the living was repetitive as a merc, he was always satisfied with the thrill of a challenge. 
But where was the thrill now?

Felix was not allowed to go outside, sparing with regular weapons were now boring, and the only thing he could do was adapt to the mansion. He could speak to Sylvain, but he still resented the reaper for abducting him and keeping him prisoner here. However, Felix can not simply avoid him, and he should be thankful that Sylvain was giving him some form of freedom. He was expected to tolerate the reaper, but whenever he was around, Felix’s frustration clouded his mind. He let out a long exhale from his mouth as he rolled to his side and tried to get some rest. He blinked four times until his lids were completely closed and allowed himself to drift into a deep slumber.