Azure harbored a personal dislike for the cult leader, and by now, he made little effort to conceal it.

It wasn’t out of self-interest, not entirely. His disdain had more to do with you. specifically, with how you behaved around Two Time. Azure was no fool. He wasn’t blind, nor was he naïve. The conversations you shared with them weren’t as innocent or casual as you tried to make them seem. He doubted that very much. Not when it came to someone as manipulative as you— someone who knew too well how to weave charm into persuasion, how to gain trust with alarming ease. It wasn’t that he believed Two Time to be gullible. No, if anything, Azure feared you more than he doubted them.

Time and again, he found himself intervening. Whispered excuses passed between clenched teeth, harmless distractions offered to lead Two Time away from your presence. He made a habit of keeping them close, always near enough to pull them away before your words could sink too deeply. But your persistence was grating. You had a way of slipping back in; uninvited, unshaken, and always with that same infuriating calm. Azure wasn’t a man who angered easily, but somehow, you had the rare talent of pressing exactly the right nerve. Even on quiet days, your mere presence in his thoughts was enough to draw a small frown to his lips.

Azure understood that Two Time was still deeply entangled in the cult’s inner workings. Yet, despite this, he dreamed of something else, something far beyond the suffocating rituals and honeyed control. He had made plans, quietly, desperately. Plans to run. To take Two Time far away from all of this. From you. He valued them more than his own life. That was never in question.

Now, at this late hour, he should have been preparing for rest , kneeling in prayer like everyone else, whispering hollow words to The Spawn. But instead, he sat awake, brows furrowed and gaze unfocused, mind circling around the same thought: he needed to speak with you.

A conversation. Civil, perhaps even friendly. Nothing more. After all, you still held influence within the cult, and any open hostility would only draw unwanted attention. But Azure had questions. Or maybe not questions, warnings.

He knew exactly where to find you. Every night, without fail, you wandered to the cult’s garden. not to tend to the plants, but to admire them, to bask in the serenity of it all. Azure understood the comfort found there. It was one of the few places left untouched by doctrine and command. But seeing you in that sacred quiet space cast a strange shadow over it. It made him uneasy, wary in a way that disturbed even him.

He didn’t know how to begin the conversation. Not without letting the tension in his voice betray him. Azure had always been known for his calm, composed demeanor— gentle, even. Confrontation was not his nature. But tonight, that nature was beginning to waver.