Diamond: I've been considering the options but I don't believe Jaeger will attend Dumstrung- Germany was founded Jan 18, 1871, so I do believe its still the Holy Roman Empire as its dissolution wasn't complete until 1806.- as for now they only accept First and Second Class Purebloods.

Everything else will be up to Bermuda to decided though do keep in mind this was a time period when anyone even considered practicing witchcraft was either imprisoned or killed.

You're right. Chocolate wasn't discovered until the early 1600s... Oops, seems I've set things Five Hundred years ahead of schedule. Unless you count the Mayans and Aztec who lived on the islands the Cocoa beans were native to and therefore had access to them before the 1400s; so to better fit with the timeline I could make it so the beans were lost overseas and somehow found their way to that river Bermuda pulled Jaeger out of- Though that means they would have to be rare- Aztecs would have likely only carried a little deerskin pouch of the beans and it would take time and effort to expand what little they found- highly expensive and only for those of First Class.

As for Allergies They where discovered in 1819 so they really don't belong in this timeline and Unlike Cocoa Beans, I can't very well the reason they existence... Opps. Thank you for pointing that out though and I'll try not to let the timelines mix though it may slip by me like it did here.

Unfortunately, that's just my writing style... I'll take a look into the story and try to curb the issue.

Ah, I understand how the 'soulless' and 'Soulless' can Confuse you but that's not a mistake there. It's something you'll discover later on in the story. Sorry, I tend to forget no one else has my notes and therefore cannot tell where I'm going with the story at times.

As long as it's concerning to the story- and not an unwanted Troll with too much time on their hands and family/friend/ or social issues looking to ruin someone's day- all feedback is welcomed. Otherwise, how would the authors know when someone is confused or how to improve their efforts.

Guest: Soon.

Snarza: Don't worry, Bermuda unnerves a lot of people.

Chapter 8

Was this a joke?

Golden eyes narrowed slightly at the cursive writing on the parchment envelope. What in the Seven Hells was a 'Hogwarts' and why was it named after a pig?

"I didn't know Third Class Servants could read."

Jager could feel his shoulders stiffen slightly as fingers tightened slightly around the parchment as the Menace's voice from the bedroom doorway, "Have you never heard of knocking?"

Much to his own surprise, Jager finds his voice calm and level- soothing even despite the fact he had just been caught breaking one of many laws by a Second Class Heir- as slender fingers carefully folded the parchment once more before shoving it back into the unsealed envelope

"I asked first. "

"I don't see how that is any concern of yours. "

"Seeing as it illegal I believe it would be best you explain yourself least all other options least they find themselves discarded in favor of informing your Lord."

Jager could feel the scowl twisting onto his lips as emerald eyes narrowed in an unspoken challenge, "Do what you must, though be sure to inform My Lord how you waltz into his room without so much as knocking beforehand."

"Idiot! You're not supposed to say that," It was strange watching the disbelief and fury twist onto the rouge's face as he stormed deeper into the room- a part of Jager wondered whether to take this as an insult or pure stupidity on the menace's behalf- as a deep scowl twisted into existence, "Do you know what they would do if anyone found out you actually had a working brain in that thick skull of yours instead of being another mindless puppet waiting for orders?!"

"Just looking at parchment with silly symbols on it does not equal reading, Jack."

"You weren't just looking," The rouge's scowl deepened as crimson eyes narrowed in challenge, "I saw the way your eyes were moving and then there's the fact that even if it wasn't vocal, you're lips were sounding out words."

Jager just scoffed as he shook his head causing dark strands of hair to fall into his face, "You're imagining things. "

"I know what I saw," Frustration colored Jack's tone as his pale hands twitched violently at his side with the barely concealed urge to reach over and strangle the emerald-eyed child.

"Then may I be so bold to suggest you get your eyes checked as they are obviously failing you."

Not for the first time since they've met had, Jack found himself barely resisting the urge to lunge across the already sparse space between himself and Jager to outright strangle the dark-haired servant. Honestly, the first time Jack had to meet the younger, the rouge had found the emerald-eyed child to be pretty- tall and slender with slightly feminine features and those unique emerald eyes that seemed to know everything about the unfortunate soul beneath their gaze- and then the child had talked.

The rouge doesn't have a clue as to what he did to make the emerald-eyed child to loathe his very existence but Jack felt as though he had a good idea on what the issue was- especially when the younger's emerald eyes would change into a mash of violet and gold that anyone within Second or First Class would know to be clear indications of SoulFire- and how to properly deal with the issue though it would take time and effort.

Thankfully he had plenty of both... If Jager didn't tear out his throat first that is.

One could never be too careful with a Cloud- as those with that shade of purple in their SoulFire had recently been labeled as- especially a Cloudy Sun who already had a Soul Bond to the Element the redhead was attempting to forge his own Soul Bond with.

Even if he could have, Bermuda wouldn't have bothered to hide the scowl that twisted onto his face upon reading the 'invitation' meant for Jager.

Did they think him a fool?

In this day and age, a school for magic was little more than a slaughterhouse waiting to happen and even if they could protect their students on school grounds what was to protect them when they were forced to come home? Who was to prevent others from becoming suspicious about a child disappearing for most of the year?
Who was to keep the priest- who Bermuda knew was aware of the Magical's hidden communities due to being born without the 'curse' despite his whole family being 'tainted'- from piecing the puzzle together and burning the younger child at a stake?

"You're not going."

He wouldn't permit it. If Jaeger truly sought to learn magic they would find another- a safe and subtle- way of doing so. Without a second thought, the dark-eyed teenager crumpled the letter before flickering it into the fire within the hearth.

"Yes, Bermuda."

Thud!

If there was a reward for looking like a giant bruise, Jaeger was certain he would have won First Place as he found himself thrown onto the harsh wooden floor once more.

"You've improved," Bermuda commented as he straightened himself out, "But you're still pathetic at fighting. Had I taken this seriously you would have suffered through more than just a couple of aches and bruise."

Though Jaeger knows they weren't spoken out of ill intention but rather Bermuda's blunt- 'crush your soul and dreams'- honestly, the words sting in a way a blade could never hope to achieve. Still...

"Then stop playing around," Jaeger all but demands as he pushes himself back onto his feet, "and take me seriously. "

Silence consumed the room swifter than any shadows could ever hope to as soulless orbs glance away from where they had been staring out the window and lock onto him with an unwavering intensity, "Do you know what you're asking for?"

A part of him wants to say 'no'- to take back his demand and walk away while he had a chance- but he's nothing if not stubborn.

"I do."

For a moment, neither of them dare to speak as golden orbs stayed firmly on the soulless one's across the room, "...Very well. Susan, go fetch the best healer the town has."

"My Lord, you can't mean-"

"Jaeger is old enough to make his own choices," Bermuda interrupted before the maid could continue her protest, "Therefore he's old enough to deal with the consequences of his choices."

"...Yes, My Lord."

The redhead barely makes it out of the room before a loud sickeningly crack fills the air causing her to quicken her pace into a rather brisk walk in an effort to reach the Town Healer sooner rather than later.

If asked, the best way Jaeger could think to describe Bermuda's fighting style was: Fast.

One moment he had been watching Susan- who seemed paler than normal- rush out of the room as though she had the Hounds on Hades on her heels and the next he was barely managing to throw an arm up to protect his head from a leg only for a sickening crack to fill the room. Honestly, the emerald-eyed child wasn't sure what happened- he didn't even see Bermuda move- but all he knew was that he had to keep moving- to keep trying to find an opening- because to stop wasn't an option; not unless he wanted to commit assisted suicide.

Swiftly dropping to the ground, Jaeger found himself barely missing a hit which cracked the wall behind him before his leg lashed out in an attempting to sweep Bermuda's feet out from beneath him. Only to realize he had a miscalculation as the corner of Bermuda's lip twisted upwards in a smile that was more teeth than an actually smile before the other jumped over his leg-

CRACK!

For a moment all he can see is the white flare of pain flashing behind his eyes, but Jaeger swiftly pushes it down- He has to move, he needs to put space between them- yet it's already too late.

"You lose," Bermuda's voice- as icy as the Arctic itself- rings throughout the silent room only moments before another sickening Crack fills the air.

Despite what Bermuda would claim about paperwork, Bedrest- in Jaeger's opinion- was the Source of all Evil. Especially when he was the one confined to the bed for the next 'twenty-one day cycles' with absolutely nothing to do.

"Jaeger, don't take this personally but I think there's something wrong with your head."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The emerald eye child questioned as he glared death at the rouge who refused to eject himself from his and Bermuda's lives.

"Hear me out," Jack spoke swiftly as he held up his hands in mock surrender, "You just got released from bedrest after a fight with Bermuda led to two broken limbs and the other two being broken as a penalty for losing, correct?"

"...Yes."

"And now you want to fight Bermuda again."

"What of it?"

…

"...You honestly don't see the issue, do you?" Jack deadpanned causing emerald eyes to blink slowly in obvious confusion.

"What issue?"

He's twelve the first time Jaeger witnesses a 'Festival' firsthand.

In the beginning it had seemed like every other event: A sea of bodies crowded onto a cobblestone street as far as the eye could see, The countless stalls- ranging from food to games- opened side by side at every corner in attempts to sell their merchandise at a 'discount', the laughter of children as they rushed about in play.

To be honest, the emerald-eyed child doesn't really pay much attention to the events going on around him as he's too busy watching Bermuda- sticking to the other's side like an extra shadow on the ground. He had promised after all- while the elder nimbly slipped through the crowds and towards the center of the Town's Square where the Main Attraction was said to be.

For a brief moment, Jaeger permits his mind to wonder what sort of attraction could draw so many people together- He had never been to a Festival before as Bermuda had forbidden it to the point he wouldn't even permit the other servants to breathe a word of the matter to the younger- and then he sees it. In the center of the Town Square are three wooden poles surrounded by bundles of twigs and hay though more importantly than that:

There are children- the youngest looking to only be six summers while the oldest looked no more than thirteen- all but chained to the poles.

Jaeger finds his feet moving before his mind has even realized it made a decision- He has to get them down. He has to get them down Now- but a firm grip on his wrist stops him before he can even take two steps. The younger child could feel the confusion settling in his bones even as emerald eyes glance backward only to find soulless eyes granting him a firm look before the elder silently shook his head.

Its an unspoken order- a part of the younger child is aware of that- but for the first time since he had met Bermuda; Jaeger found himself conflicted on wither or not to obey. It must show for Bermuda just tightens his grip before speaking in a soft voice, "Jaeger, if you go up there; you'll be leaving my side."

And suddenly the promise Bermuda had extracted from him before permitting him to leave the house no longer seemed as 'cautious' as it did before-

"You knew this was going to happen."

"Yes."

"They're going to kill them."

"I know."

-Instead, it left the other with the feeling of someone twisting his heart despite the fact it was still in his chest.

"I don't want to see this."

"I know," Bermuda admits. To be honest he didn't want to see this either- he never enjoyed being forced to stand by and watch children die for another's superstition- unfortunately...,"You need to though. "

Some lessons had to be taught the hard way for them to be learned.

The emerald-eyed child would spend the next week unable to achieve so much as a wink of sleep. For every time he closed his eyes, Jaeger could feel the heat brushing against his skin as echoes the children's final screams and the Pastor's words about fulfilling 'God's Divine Justice'- Justice? Don't make him laugh. That was nothing short of a slaughter of innocence- rang throughout his mind.

He hates them, Jaeger decides as sharp emerald eyes all but glared at the pearly parchment with Susan's grip: Unnaturally white envelope, golden seal, elegant cursive writing...

Joy, another Marriage Contract.

Honestly, one would believe the First and Second Class Lord's of their society would really have something better to do than constantly harassing a teenager in rather vain attempts to marry him off to their Daughter. Bermuda must have shared sediments as the dark-haired teenager sighs softly while he continues writing the polite rejection letters for the other 'offerings', "Throw it with the rest, Susan."

"My Lord, While I would find great pleasure in helping keep the hearth warm..." the redhead seems hesitant as she nervously nibbled on the corner of her lip before forcing herself to speak, "I'm afraid this Marriage Contract isn't for you."

Wait...

"What?" Two voices questioned in unison as confusion colored their matching tones. After all, the only Marriage Contracts they ever received around was always reserved solely for the newly appointed- and unwed- 'Lord Veckenschtein' so...

If the marriage wasn't for Bermuda then who was it for?

The silence seemed to stretch on forever before Bermuda finally set down his quill and reached a free hand outwards Susan, "Let me see that."

To be honest, its the first time Jaeger has ever seen the older servant ever so hesitant to obey a direct ordering making him ponder whether or not the thing was some sort of threat towards the soulless eyed teen; though the rouge servants hesitation was nothing compared to the thick tension that consumed the room and only grew the more Bermuda read whatever was on the parchment. After what felt like a lifetime, the papers were gently set onto the desktop where dark, soulless eyes attempted to set them ablaze through a glare alone.

No one really wants to speak- as none who had experienced it wished to draw their Lord's ire- but curiosity- and a lack of fear when it concerned the elder- had always been one of Jaeger's main flaws so its no real surprise when he finally locates his voice, "Bermuda-"

The word is barely out of his mouth before he finds the parchment shoved into his face, "It's for you."

Even though he knows the words and what they mean; they sound foreign as they fall from Bermuda's lip. He could accept a marriage proposal for Bermuda- the elder teen was practically an angel in the younger's mind- but one for him?

Why would anyone want to marry him?

"You should accept," Bermuda's voice cut through his thoughts like a hot knife through butter and much to Jaeger's confusion, the moment Bermuda speaks those words it feels as though someone had just plunged a smoldering hot knife repeatedly through the heart inside his chest.

The feeling only gets worse as Bermuda keeps talking about 'advantages'- A Second Class purposing to a Third Class was almost completely unheard of and considered rather unorthodox. Yet, even Bermuda had to admit, it was an opportunity. If Jaeger married a Second Class Heir he would automatically be considered a Second Class himself as women were forbidden from inheriting unless married and when you married everything they were and owned became their husbands- though its nothing compared to the feeling of having his heart be shredded from the inside out at the other's pleasant:

"You should be happy, Jaeger. This is your way out."

Strangely enough, at that moment; happiness is the furthest thing from what he feels. If anything he feels as though he's sinking an abyss; the darkness consuming his vision and despite his best effect he can't breathe even as Bermuda offers him one of those rare- small yet honest- smiles.

There is no real transition: One moment he had been silently suffocating as he stared into Bermuda's smiling face and the next he found himself lying on his back in a familiar bed staring up at the ceiling while faint moonlight illuminated the bedroom.

A dream, His mind whispers even as his hand clutches firmly at the cloth above his heart, It was just a Nightmare. Taking a deep breath, the golden-eyed preteen tried to calm his racing heart as he rolled onto his side and snuggled into the body sleeping soundly next to his own for comfort.

"Just a Nightmare," He mumbles softly to himself.

A horrid, unspeakable Nightmare.

Jack, in Jaeger's opinion, was a Nightmare to live with.

Every morning it was a different routine yet somehow it always held an underline feeling of reality shattering disbelief that never failed to leave the golden-eyed pre-teen with a never-ending headache.

Honestly, would it kill the other to go one day- just twenty-four hours. Nothing more nothing less- without causing some otherworldly disaster?

Unfortunately that day wouldn't be today, Jaeger realized as two sets of eyes watched in horror while a vail- the rouge insisted was some sort of 'Spiritual Potion'- shattered on the hard, wooden floor between them.

If Bermuda was honest, he was aware of the 'little issue' between Jack and Jaeger- It was near impossible not to be when the two couldn't spend five minutes alone in a room without attempting to murder one another- but he had firmly resolved not to interfere with the matter. Wither they like each other or not His SoulFire had chosen them as His so they would have to learn to tolerate each other.

Unfortunately for that idea...

Fate Hated him, Bermuda decided as he stared upon the ruins that had once been his Study or more specifically the large black panther sitting on top of the only desk not toppled over with a sense of guilt shinning within sharp golden eyes.

Though it should be impossible, Bermuda couldn't help but feel as though he's seen that look before.

"Jaeger?" He questions skeptically through the doubts soon vanish as the creature's expression becomes even guiltier only moments before the dark mass swiftly darts across his room to hide beneath his bed with a soft, drawn out whine.

Oh yes, Bermuda grumbles to himself as he crouches down to glance beneath his bed, he knows that expression.

"Jaeger, What did you do?"

The massive creature of stealth and death whined softly as it rested its head on its frontal paws. For a moment, Bermuda finds himself reminded of a kicked puppy begging to be carried out of the rain before he recalls something else, "Jaeger, where's Jack?"

Silence is his only answer as sharp golden eyes- so satisfied yet so guilty- glanced anywhere but towards the soulless eyed teenager causing his frown to deepen, "Jaeger," He repeats the other's name once more; his tone making it clear he would not ask a third time.

Slowly, golden eyes stared upon the elder before purposely darting towards the ceiling as Bermuda's own eyes follow only to find himself staring at a large rouge bird with crimson eyes with ruffled feathers trying to preen what few tailfeathers it had left.

Bermuda blinks once, twice, then thrice before his mind registers what he's seeing, "Did you try eating him?!"

Once more those golden eyes seem to find a rather unnatural interest in the floor beneath its paws as it let out a soft huff causing rouge feathers to spew from its mouth. A moment later, the creature powerful mouth snapped shut as it realized its actions where all but damning itself before sulking further beneath the elder's bed...Alright, so maybe it was time for him to intervene in this 'Little Issue' between the two before it somehow managed to get even more out of hand then it obviously already was.

Seeing as Bermuda lacked any true experience with Potion Making- let alone had a clue as to what had been inside the vail he located and dubbed the source of the issue- Jaeger and Jack found themselves having to wait two long weeks for the potion to wear off.

Unfortunately, while they did gain their original- human- bodies once more; not all 'side effects' faded for Jaeger who found his once emerald eyes had stayed the sharp, unnatural golden shade of his 'Spirit Animal'.

To be honest, while the now golden eyed pre-teen enjoyed watching Jack squirm beneath his Lord's gaze as rouge tried to explain the 'complication' to Bermuda; another part- a part he would never voice even under penalty of the most agonizing death- was silently grateful for the accident.

After all, while he had loved the emerald shade of his natural eyes; Jaeger had dreaded informing Bermuda his vision was slowly but surely being completely eradicated with time- as it was he had barely been capable of seeing anything more than three feet in front of his face and even then everything had been more of a shapeless blur than anything- but now... Now, thanks to Jack's little accident, he no longer hands to be concerned about concealing the issue from Bermuda so the other wouldn't have to worry over him even more than the elder already did.