Leon wore a blank, confused expression, the spectre of doubt lingering in his eyes. Though he had escaped through the crack, he never truly considered what would happen next.
'Yes!' he thought, a surge of relief mixed with disbelief. 'I don't understand how it happened, but thank the gods, it did.' He moved away from the altar, stumbling slightly before steadying himself—after all, he'd been dead.
"Are you finished?" Collins's voice interrupted his fleeting moment of triumph. Leon froze, surprised. He had completely forgotten Collins's presence. "What are you still doing here?"
He set down the tea he had been sipping. "Confirming an experiment," Collins replied casually. "It seems it worked. Now get dressed, we're leaving." He rose from his seat.
'Leaving?' The words baffled Leon. "Why would I follow you? Aren't you among the bastards responsible for my death? Now you want me to leave with you...get lost!" he snapped at Collins, irritation flashing in his eyes. After all, Collins had orchestrated his sacrifice.
'Why does every bastard I encounter think they can treat me like trash?' his mind seethed with fury.
Flora's hand twitched subtly. The gleam of a dagger caught Leon's eye. Before he could react, the cold steel pressed against his back.
"Mind your words, filth," came the icy warning. He felt his heart in his mouth. 'How did she get there?' His remaining words instantly evaporated. It felt like he was seconds away from meeting Raava again.
"Stand down, Flora." Luckily for him, Collins came to his rescue. Collins walked until he was just a step from Leon. Flora had sheathed her blade and moved back.
Leon, after somewhat recovering from Flora's threat, met Collins's gaze with a defiant look. Seeing this, a small smirk appeared on Collins's lips.
*SNAP*
Collins snapped his fingers. Leon fell to his knees, gripping the skin between his nails and his heart as unbearable pain assaulted him. He tried to scream, to speak, but it died in his mouth. What came out instead was a strangled gasp.
But even in pain, he managed to stretch out his hand to grip the hem of Collins's trousers tightly. He was still defiant.
Collins's face made an 'oh' expression. I thought he would roll over. Seems he still has some fight left in him. Good, it would have been a waste if he didn't. Collins was pleased.
He bent down just enough for Leon to hear him. "I am the reason you stand here alive. Your life is in my hands. I can easily send you back to that bitch." Collins whispered into his ear, "I brought you back to fulfil my goals. Try anything else and..."
He snapped his fingers. The pain subsided.
Leon finally could breathe again.
"...the pain will return. And it won't stop until you die." He gripped Leon's hair and raised his head. "P-piss off." Where the words Leon said before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he passed out.
*Sigh*
Collins let go of his hair. Stood up and dusted his clothes. "Take him, Flora. We're leaving." He moved towards the steps that led down the mountain. Flora flicked a finger, and a magic circle formed below Leon. "Float," she commanded.
The air around Leon's body constricted. It rose a few metres and followed Flora, who was already descending the steps after her master.
At the base of the mountain, a carriage stood ready. It was ornate, adorned with an elaborate gold pattern. Collins had already taken his place aboard and was waiting for Flora's arrival. When she arrived, she brusquely threw Leon's body into the carriage and took the reins. The impact of his head hitting the carriage floor jolted Leon awake.
Shit... what happened?" Leon looked around, confused. He blinked rapidly to regain his bearings. "Sit," Collins commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos. Leon hesitated, weighing whether to obey, but the memory of his pain made him decide against it.
Collins observed this silently, choosing not to speak. If he had decided to act, he would have killed him. Leon was crucial to his plans, but he knew he could always find another.
Flora snapped the reins, and they began their journey out of Windfall. Collins and Leon sat in silence, neither speaking to the other. Why would they? One hated the other. One only saw the other as a tool.
Leon's mind was busy. He reflected on the events of the past few days. The betrayal. The sacrifice. Meeting Raava and almost being sent to the Pit, and making a deal with a voice that called him Azazel. Finally returning to life.
'Azazel.' He wondered why it had called him that. He wanted to think it over, but he couldn't. He had more urgent matters—like what Collins wanted from him.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked. "What is so important about me that you made me wait?"
Collins kept his eyes on the carriage window, watching the scenery change. He briefly glanced at Leon. He seemed to be considering how to respond to Leon.
"My mother wants a grandchild." He finally decided to state it plainly. Leon's face displayed a range of expressions before settling on a notably confused look: "What?" he asked again.
"It's as I said. She's been pestering me to give her a grandchild. You just happened to be the solution," Collins replied. However, Leon didn't seem convinced. His mind was working overtime to process Collins's words until eventually, his thoughts shut down. "...that's...something," he uttered among the silence.
"Welcome to House Frostborne." Collins offered a half-hearted congratulations before turning his gaze back to the window.
Silence returned to the carriage, broken only by the occasional neighs of the horses. Leon continued to stare at Collins, seemingly trying to coax answers from him. Collins largely ignored it, but eventually, it became irritating. 'What?' he asked Leon with irritation.
"Just surprised, that's all," Leon shrugged. "From the way you moved on top of the mountain, one would never think you were a Mama's boy." A small smile played on Leon's lips. He knew he could be in a world of pain for what he said.
He thought, 'He deserves it. After all the pain and suffering he put me through, this is the least I can do to him.'
Collins ever stoic expression broke. Slightly, before he fixed it back. But Leon caught it. He considered it a small victory. He managed to break Collins, even a little, and got away with it without suffering any pain.
But it was brief. His brain had rebooted, and now he was pondering what Collins had just said, 'His mother wants a grandchild. Welcome to the family.' The more he reflected on it, the more he slowly began to grasp its meaning.
'Did I just get adopted?!'