"How are you feeling?" Oboros asked as the he and Eli arrived back into the alley, much to the confusion of nearby guards.
A few of them, including the captain tensed slightly, seeing Eli and his current state.
Black veins slithered and moved beneath his skin, as if skinny obsidian colored snakes slithered under his flesh.
Both eyes were now on display, sending a shudder through some of the men who gazes met Eli's.
Oboros took note of this, curious as to why those vile images no longer invaded one's mind when meeting Eli's unobstructed gaze.
It must have been connected to his altered state of being and mind. This was something he would have to look into further.
"What were we doing in there?" Eli asked, genuine curiosity on his face.
"Ahem," Oboros coughed, unsure if he should be honest on or not. Deciding to probe his reaction, Oboros didn't lie, "We were investigating a potential hide out of Andras-" Oboros was cut off by Eli's demeanor changing.
"Did we find him?" Eli asked, the crimson in his eye burning brighter.
Oboros shook his head, and the anger displayed on Eli's face only grew. The vein in his temple bulged as he he clenched his jaw.
"That slimy piece of shit," Eli cursed.
"And what you have done if he was there? Freeze up again?" The other Eli asked as he appeared from thin air beside him.
"No you dumb fuck," Eli snapped as the anger within him boiled.
"Who are you talking to?" Oboros asked with a puzzled look.
"Nobody," Eli said bluntly, not wishing to continue with the topic.
"Captain," Cain said as he arrived to the top of the steps, carrying the unconscious young woman wrapped in a mix of Eli's and his own jackets and tops. Trish trailed behind, her eyes blood red as she stared at the ground.
The Captain, now significantly less pale, stood at attention for the city masters arrival.
"Send for a doctor and a healer. Also continue cordoning off this area and see if you and your men could try to identify those within the basement below. I'd prefer to locate their loved ones and notify them sooner rather than later."
The Captain saluted, appearing not to be thrilled with the thought of going back down there, "Of course Sir, I'll get to it right away."
"Oboros," Lori announced as she arrived near the group, coming back from her breather outside of the alleyway.
Eli turned, causing the tall woman's eye to shoot downward to avoid his gaze.
"It's fine, Lori. Nothing will happen," Oboros said calmly.
Reluctantly, the tall woman's eyes met Eli's eyes. Her reluctance turn into relief as Oboros was proven correct.
Then her relief morphed into confusion as she observed Eli's torso on display, his veins, and the young woman Cain currently held in his arms.
"Perhaps we should regather at my estate," Cain announced, "There is much we do not know. For now it would be best to at see that this one is attended to at the very least."
Cain nodded downwards towards the human girl. Everyone agreed except for Eli and Trish, who both remained silent during the brief exchange.
Eventually they made their way back to the center of the city and into Cain's large home.
The city master was the first to excuse himself from the group once they had arrived, immediately calling for multiple maids to help tend to the unconscious girl.
Trish had pulled Lori away next, the two of them heading off towards a different wing of the building.
Eli stopped as he looked around, his eyes narrow as he tried to remember if he had ever been here before.
"You can follow me," Oboros said as he took the lead.
Eli stayed silent yet followed.
A passing butler had started to stare too long at the odd appearance of Eli, who snapped "What the fuck are you looking at geezer."
The older demon scurried off as Eli stared the man down.
Oboros remained wordless as he continued forward, eventually entering a random door.
Once inside, Eli observed the room, not failing to notice a pile of broken glass in the corner.
"This your room for now Eli. Do you remember that?" Oboros stopped in the center, turning to face the young man.
"No I don't," Eli shrugged. Nothing in the room rung a bell for him, but he did feel an odd tingle when looking at the broken mirror.
"Do you know who I am?" Oboros asked.
"Well duh," Eli laughed. "I've known you for years Oboros. Why wouldn't I?"
The man's expression remained still, "What happened in the basement?"
Eli's laughter ceased at the question. He remembered wanting something with every fiber of his being. Something that required the odd power that Andras and others like him used. But what was it?
"I needed more power," Eli responded simply.
"Why?"
"I-" Sli started, but he just couldn't remember why. He remembered the vision of Andras and that girl.
'Wait, that was the same girl the big guy was carrying,' Eli thought. But she wasn't as…put together within his vision, yet she seemed perfectly fine while in the large man's arms. Was he a healer like Eli? Why did he have a vision of her?
"Eli," Oboros said, trying to get the boys attention.
"I don't remember," Eli grumbled. He did remember his short conversation with the other him, but he didn't feel as if it was worth bringing up. It was just a figment of his imagination after all.
"And what about Trish?"
"Who?" Eli's brow rose, "Would you happen to be talking about that cat-girl? I mean she's pretty cute but I don't-"
"You've known her for years as well," Oboros stated bluntly.
"But why would," Eli started but was cut off.
"You can't even remember why you where in that basement and what all happened there. Is it so outside of the realm of possibilities that you may not remember someone you've known as well. You did something when you used that power, and now it's affected you in ways that I can't grasp the full extent of."
Eli listened as Oboros spoke, not fully thinking the man was correct, but still being open to what his senior was saying.
It could make sense, but the idea of him forgetting someone close enough to him as he was with Oboros was a hard concept to grasp.
"Try to get some rest. I'll be here first thing in the morning to see if we can find out more about your power and how it's effecting you."
Without speaking any further, Oboros left the room, leaving Eli to try to gather his own thoughts and trying to recoup his lost memory.