Dream [王] 002 [these babies were put to good use]
The bored and haughty-looking blond was in an interior chapel courtyard. It was sunny out, yet he stood in front of a narrow staircase built in an arc, leading underground.
He looked down, and frowned lightly in annoyance. The man with dark hair clad in a priest’s robe, however, merely smiled.
“I promise that this will not be an inconvenience - I merely seek your approval.”
“I am following, Kirei. I shall judge whether that will be a waste of my time or not.”
Smiling a not-so-holy smile, the priest began to descend into the darkness below. The blond followed.
Any ordinary human going down these stairs would feel a chill, or a light nausea. It’s unexplainable, but what is below there is clearly unholy and evil. Nevertheless, he plodded on, completely unfazed.
…It was beginning to get lightly damp, and the floor, lightly slimy. How long has it been since Kirei set this up? It must be a few months at best, yet this place feels years old. It is oddly reminiscent of the air, near a swamp.
There was a smell, as well. He picked it up already at the top of the staircase - it is ongoing. It's not the smell of meat; perhaps a drug of some kind. It is, however, definitely medicine - maybe formalin, or some sort of powerful depressant.
There was nothing dead down there, yet one can’t help but feel as if they are in a hospital ward holding a bunch of people with terminal disease. …Except that none of this felt natural - it is artificial, sickeningly so. None of the two descending these stairs, however, seemed to care in the least. To them, it was nothing but a stroll.
[AT THIS POINT - if your character is a compassionate being with straight morals and yada yada, they will be STRONGLY tempted to just shut their Dreamberry and look away. If you’re more crooked/is way too curious for your own good, then by all means scroll on. o/]
Finally, the darkness began to fade - to reveal a crypt of some sort.
…No, it felt more like a dungeon, except that even with the lack of any visible torture device, the air still felt indescribably more vile.
Two rows of coffins are stacked against the wall. They each held a small and naked body - none taller than four feet. Several of them are missing a limb, if not several limbs, and some have nasty burn marks on their bodies. Their skin is otherwise pale, holding an almost porcelain-like quality. Strangely enough, they seem to be stuck to the coffin - as if it was a part of them, naturally so. They all looked lifeless - the only signs that these things were alive were the pathetic fluttering of their chests, the weakly quivering purple lips, and the glazed but confused, and sometimes frantic darting of eyes, eyes that did not understand, eyes that were pleading, and eyes whose pleads went unheard.
They were all children, age ranging from three to seven.
The blond raised an eyebrow while the priest looked at him expectantly.
It was odd. It almost felt as if this was supposed to be shocking, but that strange sentiment failed to reach him. Or rather, it was overshadowed by his understanding of why this room existed.
He laughed - uncaring, lightly surprised, but not unpleasantly so. The echo bounced off of the sinister walls - the eyes stop moving, and for a moment, everything grew still.
“Is this how you plan to sustain me, Kirei? You certainly have unique ideas.”
“They were at the orphanage for four months. Emiya Kiritsugu has not been heard of since the end of the last War, and he was the only one to have adopted anyone. Most of these children are crippled anyway - it would seem a waste, to care for them for any other purpose,” Kirei pleasantly replied.
“They are young. Their bodies are damaged, but their souls are bountiful. I suppose that this shall last for a few years - they will do for now,” he crossed his arms and briskly declared.
“You have no objections, then?” The priest perked up.
“I have answered you already, Kirei. As long as you provide me with what I need to do what I want, I shall remain with you. How you choose to provide me with prana is left to your own devices - as long as you manage to fulfill your end of the bargain, I will do the same,” he smirked, giving the room another quick sweep with his cold, crimson eyes. Kirei must have given all these children enough medicine to have damaged their brain tissues forever, but their physical state was not important: as long as they are not killed, their soul will continuously be sucked for nutrition.
“That is good to hear, but I would also humbly request for you to not use your abilities in excess. They will live while their bodies rot until only skin, bone and heart remain, though these orphans shall still be capable of lasting you for a decade if you moderate.” His tone was smooth, and he was smiling.
“Feh. I make you no promises, but I shall consider it,” the blond grinned.
“I am glad that you understand,” Kirei cheerfully clapped his hands together.
“And I as well. Now let us leave this forsaken place - you have already proven me its use.”
Decidedly amused, both men began making their way back up.
[He wakes up, a blank look on his face. Again, he was not the least bit concerned by the flashing Dreamberry - more busy wondering why that got suddenly brought up.
…Speaking of which, he didn’t need to consume souls to stay alive here. Huh, interesting - may make things easier in the long run.]