The loud metallic door creeked open, casting stretches of elongated shadows over the prison hall.
The sounds of the footsteps drew closer with every echoing splatter rippling over the wet slippery floors.
He drew closer and closer, melodically dragging his fingers through the metal bars of each cell as he approached the one he intended.
The mysterious silhouette ambled in a dark feathery coat, perfectly masking his face under the swallowing darkness of his hood.
Arriving at Zayn's cell, he took a defiant pause, gathering a shimmer of piquing attention before pivoting through his heels to face Max.
He glared in disappointment, noticing the unfazed frown of his face, guessing his intentions of haunting Zayn had terribly failed. But actually, the dark stranger was someone Zayn had already met and it seemed like he took was willing and ready to reveal his identity.
"I just can't believe it was that easy. Come on men," his voice ridiculed, cackling victoriously over the deserted frame that sat before him.
"Wasn't expecting seeing you here", Zayn greeted unsurprised and almost indifferently to his smug mock.
Even before he'd began spouting, Zayn already had a strong guess on who this 'mysterious figure' was.
"You don't seem surprised," he asked a bit intrigued, as his grin dimmed down in subtle stun.
"Surprised?", he questioned. He thought within him. 'Is this guy for real? How could I be?'
"What's the point?", he replied rhetorically, an puerile idea helming his words.
"You'll soon be getting one yourself so why bother with me", he challenged, making Xavier flinch backwards.
"You already think you succeeded. Why not let you? I don't see a reason to lord my awareness over you," Zayn slyed, with an effectively nonchalant but frightening disposition backing him up.
Xavier had never seen his brother so bold and firm before.
The brother he grew up with, unlike other humans, terribly lacked the possession of nous, an misfortune that Xavier manged to tame to his advantage.
He was suppose to be the one taunting him but instead the reverse played out, instantly realizing this, he smiled out of his momentary shudder frolicking:
"But you see. I already have", he smirked pointing towards the bars with a mask of control and security. "You've always been easy to fool. That was literally all I had to do to win."
Obviously, Zayn didn't have anything on him. The only thing he firmed in fact was that Xavier very much disliked and such wasn't just enough to order his bail.
He just thought maybe taunting him a little was a sweet way to get some fun. Then again, a more refined thought pushed through, though a bit shaky in success.
He devised maybe he could play Xavier into spilling most of what he wasn't aware of and without him even knowing it.
He was so into flaunting. Why not use it?
The only down side was that he had to condone with a mouthful of insults to attain what he thought was his ticket out of here.
"Easy to fool, huh. Enlighten me", he requested leaning closer onto sinister smile.
From his short encounters with Xavier, he well knew what his achilles heel was and knocking there, he considered, was a crime void of offence especially after his own scheme.
"Of course. I'll generously shine on your naivety", he replied, signalling Zayn to come closer.
"Remember two nights ago?", he asked with a flair of pride and accomplishment.
"Looking so miserable and crumbling under the weight of your insecurities. Who would have guessed that my enjoyment would be laced around you never awakening?"
"Father's Orb was the only thing he loved more than his riches and his family. I hated that so I decided to use that too in a commence of my master plan, strategically taking out two birds with a single stone."
'Orb?!', his mind instantly transported back to when he purged. 'Shards?! But how?'
"Making you do the work for me was the fun part. Just a few words in and boom you're on the ground, burnt with a belly full of powdered orbs."
"Did I ever tell you that you amuse me more than I give you credit for? Thank you for that by the way."
Zayn just leaned listening as he pierced with narrow eyes, processing every word he had just said.
Every detail he explained brought painful flashes of memory in a distorted arrangement, confirming the truth of his words.
Xavier probably thought he was enjoyably getting under his brother's skin but in actuality he was doing him a big favour.
"Here's a trick", he concluded with a dubious attempt lurking behind his words.
"Don't try. Just die," he finished, landing a blinding punch merged with a lightning attack into Zayn's torso.
"Pathetic", he said in bitter disgust and walked out unnoticed by anyone else in the mansion.
Meanwhile, Zayn was floored with a belly full of excruciating pain. "Die. Just like you already are ," he returned silently buried in an ocean of sparks and pain while he laid defeated, pondering unbearably over what Xavier had said.
Though he hadn't extracted all he needed from the entire matter, the much he had would suffice for now and just a bit over what he anticipated, had paid in excess for it.
From what Xavier said, it seemed like he took played a role in his own death.
'Eating orbs? How much of a prat was that guy, anyways?' He groaned in pain.
At least that explains why the system arrived later than it was suppose to as well as all that had happened so far, though many other uncertainties lingered between.
Now that he had this knowledge, the question was how such could benefit him in his current situation.
Had he had just gone through all these trouble for absolutely nothing or maybe that wasn't majorly his entire hold to hope but was part of what he needed pieced into his simple plan.
Laying still and defenseless on the ground, barely moving, the door to the prison hall echoed creepily once more but this time it wasn't Xavier who threaded those halls.
Whoever it was now, wasn't here for jokes. He sauntered in a demeanor of seriousness, dragging along a sharp weapon ready to hand it down to his intended target.