A Grim Confrontation

“What the hell, I didn't even do anything bad this time! Why did I lose points?!”

Xeran heard a loud voice boom from the screen that popped up to the side of him, this time, displaying all of the Council members. “No no no no no! No! You can't do that!”

“What the fu- how are you showing up on the screen?!”

Selene pushed up their glasses (why would they even have glasses, it's not like they need them). “We made some modifications to the Grim System. We added a new 'face video' feature that humans have been using for years! Is it not exciting?”

“No, it's not.” Xeran deadpanned.

Elara huffed. “Don't be a prick. This allows for better and more effective communication between us so that you don't screw up the experiment more than you have been already.”

“…You know,” Xeran spoke after a few seconds, “an experiment isn't really something you're supposed to mess with…it's an experiment for a reason…”

“We don't care—it's our experiment, we can do whatever we want with it.”

Xeran rolled his eyes. “Can you just let me finish my business with this human? I was in the middle of doing something.”

“Nope!” Lyra shouted, their voice as painfully high as ever. “You have to try again!”

“Try again? Excuse me? What are you talk—”

“Your Highness!” This was the seventeenth human to call him in the past several hours since he was rudely awakened early this morning. “Why are you still wearing your morning robes in the afternoon?! You need to be fitted for the banquet tonight! Go see Camellia in the dressing room immediately!” The human didn't stay long enough to check if he was going, whipping by him in a frenzy.

Xeran blinked. What is this, Groundhog Day? He glanced around and noticed that the staff were running in a frenzy…exactly like what had happened earlier this morning…

It only took a few seconds before Xeran calmed himself down enough to not act like a lunatic in front of everyone and risk being smitten for making Prince Adrian's reputation plummet. He forced the Council members to show up on the screen again by fervently swiping at the system like a feisty cat and gritting out the stupid “Death Has a Date with Destiny” bullshit. “Did you fucking send me back in time?!”

“Yes, why?”

“Why?! I should be the one asking you that!”

“We did it because you were supposed to talk to and eventually dance with this human,” a picture of Mirabelle flashed on the screen, “not whoever you were just with.”

Xeran had finally snapped. “I literally talked to her for a few minutes, how did you not notice that? Anyway, who cares?! This is my dumb, human life now, I should be able to do what I want! You haven't let me do one thing on my own until recently! You've been treating me like a damned puppet or one of those human dolls! And now that I suddenly have the ability to live the way I want to, you pull this crap! Why are you being so intrusive?!”

“Because this experiment has to work perfectly!” Lyra screeched, shaking her arms like she was trying to signal one of the human flying contraptions.

“Again, it's not much of an experiment if you're controlling everything!” Xeran huffed. “Unfreeze time and do not redo this encounter or else I will…find a way to get myself killed!” He heard a collective gasp. “Or find a way to kill myself!” Another collective gasp and a cry sounded out. “And you know how oh-so fragile these human bodies are!”

“You wouldn't dare!” Kael yelled.

It was almost amusing watching the stone-cold Council that doomed him to an eternity (or however long humans lived) as a human fall to pieces because he threatened their little “experiment”.

“How would you know what I would or wouldn't do, huh?! You all threw me into this experiment without consulting me first or getting my opinion on it or even asking me in general, and now you expect me to go along with everything that you want me to do?! Forget it! Send me back to the human I was just talking to!”

After a few tense moments where Xeran was catching his breath, Selene threw her arms up in exasperation. “Fine! Have it your way, but don't expect us to be so generous next time…”

The world suddenly spun, making Xeran's head feel like it was about to explode from sheer pain, but once the world right itself, he could see a blurry outline of Cedric leaning over him with what looked to be extreme concern etched into his face.

“Oh my goodness, you're finally awake. Are you alright? You suddenly fainted in the middle of our dance…”

“Isss nice ya cared 'bout me sooo much, Cedric,” Xeran slurred, his mouth not mimicking his thoughts perfectly well.

Humph, humans really were “oh-so fragile” if a little time travel was causing them to act like this.

“Oh my, you might have a concussion.” Cedric appeared panicky, as if dealing with concussed strangers was something completely out of the ordinary for him (did this not happen often to humans?). Cedric reached his arms under Xeran's and lifted him up, one arm wrapping around his waist and the other balancing him on his shoulder. “Here, I'll bring you to one of your nurses, they will be able to help you better than I could.”

Xeran must have mustered enough strength to give Cedric a baleful look, one that could make those weak humans shrink back in utter fear, since he retracted his former statement. “Okay, no nurses, understood. Let's see…” Cedric trailed off, still holding Xeran around the waist. It was quite embarrassing being embraced like this, but he didn't have the ability to shove the man off (and he wasn't sure if he really wanted to in the first place—it was almost…nice…). “Ahem, if you don't mind, I have a bit of practice with first aid—I could try helping you a bit. Though I think you should lie down as well, so if it's okay with you…do you mind if I bring you to your personal quarters?”

“Ma whaa?”

Cedric stifled a laugh at the slurred speech. “Your room.”

Xeran didn't really care if people came into his room back in the Afterlife—why would it matter here?

Seeing Xeran's slight nod, Cedric released the breath he was holding and gripped his waist and shoulders tighter before dragging them both past the noisiness of the banquet and the dim hallways that led to Xeran's—Adrian's—room.