Crimson nodded, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face, but he stayed silent, letting Sebastian continue.
Finally, Sebastian stopped walking and lowered Nox gently from his shoulder, setting her down on her feet. She dusted herself off with exaggerated annoyance but avoided looking at him.
Sebastian stepped closer to her, his gaze locking onto hers. "When you asked me to take you to Willow Haven," he began, his voice quieter but no less intense, "you told me it was for research. You said you wouldn't do anything but study the artefacts there. That's all it was supposed to be, right? Research."
Nox stiffened, her body betraying a tension she tried to hide. She avoided his piercing gaze, instead coiling a strand of her pink hair around her finger with sudden, feigned nonchalance. "Erm… I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered, her tone unconvincingly casual.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by her evasiveness. "Don't play dumb with me, Nox," he said, crossing his arms. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You were the one who—"
Nox cut him off abruptly, her voice rising with a sharp edge as she spun away from him. "I don't want us getting into an argument—especially not because of those idiots, Gale and Lilith!" Her words spilled out in frustration, and then, with an exasperated huff, she added, "They're in the storage unit, okay?"
Sebastian led Crimson down a narrow, dimly lit corridor toward the storage unit, the air thick with tension and the faint scent of rust. He stopped in front of a heavy iron door, his hand gripping the latch as he turned to glance at Nox. She crossed her arms, her expression unreadable, but the faint glow in her eyes betrayed her unease.
With a swift motion, Sebastian threw open the door, the metal groaning as it swung wide. Light from the corridor spilled into the cramped storage unit, illuminating Gale and Lilith. Their eyes blinked open, squinting at the sudden brightness.
"Sebastian? Nox?" Gale stammered, his voice cracking with disbelief. Lilith's eyes widened, her mouth opening in shock as if words had momentarily abandoned her.
Crimson stepped inside without hesitation, his expression hard but his movements swift. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a blade, its sharp edge humming faintly. "Hold still," he said briskly, slicing through the binds that held them captive.
As the last of the restraints fell away, Gale and Lilith stumbled forward, relief washing over their faces. They rushed toward Sebastian, throwing their arms around him in a fierce embrace. "Sebastian!" Gale exclaimed, his voice thick with emotion. "We thought we'd never see you again!"
Sebastian smiled, the rare warmth in his expression softening his usually sharp features. "It's good to see you both," he said, his deep voice steady. He hugged them back, patting their backs reassuringly.
Turning to Nox, Gale and Lilith moved toward her, their faces alight with gratitude. But Nox raised her palm sharply, stopping them in their tracks. "Don't even think about it," she said coolly, her tone flat and unforgiving.
Their smiles faltered, guilt clouding their features. Lilith looked down, fiddling nervously with the hem of her shirt. Gale scratched the back of his neck, glancing at Nox as if searching for a hint of forgiveness.
Sebastian cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence. "Well," he began, let's gather around the table and eat together as we did in the old days Sebastian ended with a smile.
Nox immediately turned to him and exclaimed angrily What the hell do you mean? These guys are she scoffs forget about it, she leaves the room.
Sebastian is about to go after her, but Lilith stops him and exclaims, I know she doesn't want to see any of us, but let me go after her.
Lilith follows after Nox and finds her sitting on a stone staring at the moonlight. Hey, Nox, she turns to Lilith and scoffs. So who sent the Lightwood bitch, Nox exclaims with disdain.
Nox scoffed again, though the sharp edge in her voice softened. Her eyes, catching the faint glimmer of moonlight, betrayed an emotion she couldn't quite suppress.
"You think Sebastian's happy to see you?" she said, her tone laced with bitterness. "He's the most broken of all of us. When he took El's blood… he lost his mind. Sure, he came back, but not without scars."
Lilith's breath hitched. "I remember that," she murmured. "But it wasn't long after that my name came up, and I got out. I promised to come back for you. I—"
"You never did!" Nox snapped, her voice breaking. She turned away, her shoulders trembling. "Sorry, won't fix this, Lilith."
Lilith hesitated, then gently placed her hands on Nox's shoulders. "I know I failed you all, but what about Gale? How did he escape without you?"
At the mention of his name, Nox's body stiffened, her fists clenching. "Gale…" she said through gritted teeth. "He had a plan for us to escape, but it failed. And when it did, he told Sebastian to take the blame. Sebastian did. He was punished—denied food for a month. I tried to share mine with him, but he refused. He didn't want me to starve, too."
Nox's voice wavered, but she pressed on, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. "Then, one day, Gale vanished. He escaped. Left a note saying we'd only slow him down. That same day, Sebastian was blamed again. They beat him so badly he couldn't stand."
She choked on her words but forced herself to continue. "And when I got sick—when I was on my deathbed—Sebastian sold the last thing he had of his mother to buy my medicine. The prison hospital wouldn't lift a finger for me. He gave up everything for me, Lilith. Everything."
Tears spilled down her cheeks, her voice breaking as she looked Lilith dead in the eye. "Sebastian doesn't show it, but he's desperate now. Desperate to be the best, to keep anyone from abandoning him like you—and Gale—did."
Lilith tightened her grip on Nox's shoulders as she wept openly, raw and broken beneath the weight of her memories.