Arthur's sleep was haunted by dreams of the dead. The voices that had assaulted him as he closed his eyes now manifested as shadowy figures in his dreams, reaching for him with gnarled fingers made of withered stems. They whispered promises and threats in equal measure, their words seeping into his subconscious like poison. He stirred restlessly among the dead roses, his body twisting as if trying to escape invisible bonds.
He moaned and groaned, face contorted in distress as the nightmares took hold. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cool air, his hands clenching and unclenching as he fought enemies only he could see.
Aziel noticed his troubled sleep and moved closer. He began shaking Arthur gently, calling out his name to pierce through the veil of nightmares. "Arthur... Arthur," he repeated, his voice calm but insistent.
Arthur popped up gasping for air, covered in a cold sweat that made his clothes stick to his skin. His eyes were wild, unfocused, still seeing the horrors of his dreams rather than the reality before him. He looked around panicked, head swiveling rapidly before finally landing his eyes on Aziel. Recognition slowly dawned on his face, replacing fear with confusion.
"W-what's wrong?" he managed to stammer, heart still racing in his chest.
Aziel raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconcerned by Arthur's distress. The sun was high in the sky now, casting harsh light upon them. "You've been asleep for 2 hours. It's my turn." His matter-of-fact tone suggested that nightmares were simply an expected part of existence in this cursed place.
Arthur gulped, still trying to clear his mind of all its clutter. The remnants of the nightmare clung to him like cobwebs, difficult to brush away completely. "Oh, um, y-yeah. My bad. Go ahead." He wiped the sweat from his brow with a trembling hand, trying to compose himself.
Aziel yawned deeply, the fatigue of days without proper rest evident in the dark circles under his eyes. Without ceremony, he let himself fall into the bed of roses and closed his eyes, apparently unconcerned about the dangers that had so troubled Arthur's sleep.
Arthur suddenly remembered a worry he had been harboring before going to sleep, and determined it was better to voice it now to be safe rather than sorry. "Hey..." he began hesitantly, "are you gonna be okay falling asleep in the roses?"
Aziel popped one eye open, regarding Arthur with mild annoyance at having his rest delayed. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he said dismissively. "These roses prey on people with weak mentals... that's not me." The confidence in his voice was absolute, leaving no room for doubt.
Arthur nodded, accepting the explanation. 'Of course, that makes sense.' He turned around, preparing to take up his watch when Aziel spoke up again, his voice carrying unexpected curiosity.
"Speaking of which..." Aziel's words caused Arthur to pause. "How have you been avoiding the roses' temptation? I mean, maybe you have fortified your mind by now, but when I found you, you were in a rather pathetic state... so how?" The question hung in the air between them, loaded with implications.
Arthur stayed silent for a moment, avoiding eye contact with Aziel. 'Should I just tell him the truth?' he wondered, weighing his options. 'Well, I don't know what else I'd tell him, so might as well.'
"No..." he finally admitted, "I feel the temptation. It's just the roses' corruption doesn't work on me. Even if I ate them, they would have no effect." He stared down at one of the withered blooms near his feet. "And the fact that I know they're harmless to me in and of itself makes it easier to avoid the temptation."
The revelation had an immediate effect. Aziel, who had been just laying down with one eye popped open, was now sat up with both eyes wide and his jaw hanging low in disbelief. "What?!" The word escaped him almost involuntarily, a rare break in his usually controlled demeanor.
Arthur turned around to meet Aziel's gaze, somewhat startled by the intensity of his reaction. "They don't work on you?" Aziel continued, his voice rising slightly. "T-that's impossible. Corruption is corruption—it works on everyone... how is that possible?" Genuine confusion replaced his usual confidence.
Arthur looked down at the ground, not sure what to say. The withered petals crumbled beneath his boots as he shifted uncomfortably. "I-I don't know. I've just been chalking it up to my ability somehow." He shrugged, unable to provide a better explanation.
The surprise and confusion on Aziel's face grew the more he heard. He ran a hand through his hair, processing this unexpected information. "Well..." he began thoughtfully, "I guess you do have darkness-based powers, and corruption and the void monsters seem to be made of some sort of darkness." He seemed to be working through the implications as he spoke. "So I guess it wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that your darkness powers may be much more than meets the eye..."
Silence grew between them as Arthur was now the one staring in surprise and confusion. This was the most Aziel had ever theorized about Arthur's abilities, and the implications were both exciting and terrifying.
When Aziel spoke again, his voice was much more serious, almost grim. "Listen..." he leaned forward slightly, emphasizing the importance of his words. "Don't tell anybody about that part of your ability. As far as anybody else is concerned, darkness-based powers is the extent of your abilities, and they have nothing to do with the corruption or void monsters." His eyes were intense, boring into Arthur's with unusual urgency.
Arthur's face was filled with confusion at the sudden warning. "Why?" he asked simply, not understanding the shift in Aziel's demeanor.
Aziel's gaze lifted and grew stern, frustration evident in the set of his jaw. "Are you stupid? Corruption and the void monsters are the things destroying our world. If people find out your powers are connected to corruption in any way, you'll be persecuted. They'll be scared of you." His words were harsh but carried genuine concern, a rare glimpse of something almost like protectiveness.
Arthur finally understood, the realization spreading across his features. 'He's right... I guess I never thought about it like that.' The implications of his unique ability suddenly seemed more dangerous than advantageous.
"Well, are you scared of me?" Arthur asked after a moment, his voice quieter than before, vulnerable in a way he rarely allowed himself to be.
Aziel's face coiled back in surprise at the question before it quickly disappeared and was replaced by a smile and a cocky look. "Me? No," he scoffed, his usual bravado returning. "I'm not scared of anything." The statement was so characteristically Aziel that it broke the tension that had built between them.
Aziel suddenly let out another yawn, the momentary excitement of their conversation giving way once more to his exhaustion. "Alright, well, I'm gonna go to sleep, so keep an eye out." He settled back down among the dead roses, apparently confident that they could do him no harm.
Arthur nodded and then turned back around, taking up his position as watchman. As Aziel's breathing gradually slowed into the rhythm of sleep, Arthur contemplated their conversation. The connection between his powers and the corruption was something he had suspected but never fully acknowledged. Now that it was out in the open—at least between the two of them—he wondered what other secrets his abilities might hold.