Jonathan sits with his arms crossed over his chest and an exhausted look on his face.

"One would think that creatures as old as time would be a tad less childish." He calls out to his brothers. No one pays him any attention, forcing his scowl to settle deeper. In a large hall of Esdith there is a room with an old dining table. The brothers use to it to discuss things amongst themselves and that's where they are now. Jonathan sighs dramatically then rests his head on the table, while Allen and Tucker continue to bicker. Xavier sits at one of the two ends of the table. Lord First and Lord Twelfth are meant to be seated at the ends. While Tucker and Allen bicker about irrelevant things, Lord Seventh, Colton the architect forms miniature designs with his Gemind smoke. Xavier watches him intently and Tristan sits far too stiffly, agitating Jonathan.

"I am afraid you are one number too late Allen, I am stronger." Tucker announces. He wears his regular formal shirt rolled up to his elbows with a black vest on top.

"Lies! You remain limited with your Identity Mark, I am stronger." Allen says, his black curls bouncing on his head.

"Cole, please, that's just ridiculous." Jonathan whines, eyeing the black flowers of smoke floating in the air. Colton scowls, letting the flowers turn into a frowning face. Jonathan rolls his eyes.

"How long does it take to bring Josiah here?" Tristan mumbles rigidly.

"It speaks!" Jokes Tucker. The hair tie keeping his golden hair tied up suddenly snaps, letting all his hair fall into his face. Allen bursts out into laughter. Tucker growls, running his hand though his hair.

"He never uses his smoke for battle, but he does so that he can mess up his brother's hair." Tucker mocks. Allen shrugs. The doors to the hall open and in comes Josiah and Zachariah.

"Praise the Lord!" Exclaims Jonathan. Josiah sits opposite to Xavier, while Zachariah rests in front of Jonathan. Allen cringes.

"I do not miss this." He says, looking between Xavier and Josiah. "Does anyone else find it disturbing that our brothers are exact replicas?" He asks. Tucker nods, leaning on his elbow to look at them. Xavier turns tense under all the attention.

"Enough!" Jonathan bursts. "You're like a bunch of children!" A few awkward moments later, a line of servants walk in, setting plates on the table.

Xavier looks down at the cooked meat in his plate and tries not to laugh.

"Technically Geminds feed on dead flesh. And well, dead meat." Colton explains to Xavier, wearing a humors grin. "Esdith humor." Xavier chuckles.

"Right."

"Aw Allen! Please don't, that's not right!" Tucker covers his eyes as Allen calls over a girl from the corner of the room where the aeternuses sit. She stands behind him with her arm extended. He takes it and puts it into his open mouth. His eyes flutter shut, taking a long breath through his nose.

"Allen." Calls Zachariah. Allen opens his now completely black eyes and moves his mouth away from her. He rests his head on his chair as he takes a deep breath. His teeth are different, dozens of them, pointy and sharp.

"Aeternus are not food." Zachariah points out as Allen's eyes retract into their normal look and his teeth become human again.

"Poor Allen, he devours all his aeternuses. It must really hurt, having to go through their deaths all the time." Tucker says sarcastically, leaning his elbows onto the table. Allen reaches for the handkerchief Tristan holds out for him and wipes his mouth clean.

"I don't think it hurts as much as the release of an aeternus. Say, brother, was it really as bad as it looked?" Allen teases Zachariah. Zachariah looks Allen dead in the eye, making him shrink his bravado back into place.

"Easy on my kid brother, Zachariah, that look could freeze lava." Tucker announces. Jonathan eyes him carefully.

"Your kid brother who is stronger than you." Allen begins again.

"Allen-." Begins Tucker. Jonathan slams his fist down onto the table, rattling the plates.

"Enough! We are here because we wish to be put an end to the Tick Tock who in case any of you have forgotten killed three of our brothers!" Jonathan exclaims loudly, his eyes wide and tired. Tucker's face falls into a shadow while Allen's grin falters for a second.

"Michael, Samuel, and Gabriel all died at her hands! So stop this nonsense. Tucker, Allen, I forbid you to speak without being addressed at this table. Do I make myself clear?!" Jonathan shouts.

"Yes, broth-." Allen begins, but is interrupted by Tucker's flustered figure as he too slams a fist down onto the table.

"No! You act as if we care not, mourn not our brothers." Grits out Tucker. Jonathan laughs sourly.

"And what of Christopher? Do you mourn him? After all, the Tick Tock did not kill him, you are the one who ki-." Jonathan's fierce speech halts all of a sudden as blood cascades out of his mouth.

"Josiah." Colton breathes. In turn, everyone looks at their brother whose nonliving gaze lingers on Jonathan. Tucker continues to aim his burning stare at Jonathan. He stands up, knocking his chair over in the process.

"Tucker." A smooth cold voice breathes. "Sit." Tucker looks towards the owner of the cool voice and fumes inside.

"He-he dares- Christopher-." Tucker begins, completely and utterly flustered.

"Must I repeat myself?" Zachariah speaks again. Tucker shuts his eyes, calming himself and sits. Zachariah then turns to Jonathan.

"Your words have distressed Josiah, Jonathan. Shredding your tongue was mercifully pale in comparison to what would have erupted had you kept speaking. The matter of the dead is to be left behind, let alone the matter of Christopher. Tucker's punishment was served greatly by the both of us, and so I ask of you to leave the matter behind." Zachariah says coolly, watching Jonathan as his tongue begins to regenerate. Tucker covers his face with his hands and takes in deep breaths.

The thrones of Esdith were occupied on a cold winter morning. Just as the sun was rising, letting the white world covered in frost shine with an unearthly beauty.

However, one could beg to differ with the day.

The throne room was occupied by Lord First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth. Lord Twelfth had abandoned Esdith while Lords Sixth, Eighth, and Eleventh long gone were now accompanied by Lord Tenth.

Esdith was in chaos. Lord Tenth, Lord Christopher's head was sitting on the front gates of Esdith. The only way to kill a Gemind is to decapitate them. It may have been as simple as it sounded if Lord Tenth wasn't a Major Gemind, a Lord of Esdith, or generally a very skilled individual. The culprit must have been strong, unearthly, his power infernal.

His love even more so...

"It was not I! Christoph, Christoph is my brother! Brothers, I implore you, cease this nonsense!" Tucker yells from his throne.

"You spent the day with him in Esdith, the city. Many saw you covered in his blood, drenched in it. You are Lord Fourth, he Lord Tenth, you could've easily overpowered him." Jonathan shouts back.

"Yes, I- I found him in that manner by the forests-." Tucker begins.

"By the forests? He was discovered by the gates of the castle. Why would you leave his body behind if you weren't trying to mask it?" Zachariah asks calmly.

"I panicked! I was drenched in his blood; I- I- I did not murder my brother!" He yells out loudly, standing to his feet. Overpowered with emotion, the white of his eyes turn black and smoke begins to circle him.

"And yet your anger contradicts you!" Jonathan yells, standing to his feet. "How dare you? How dare you murder my brother?!" Jonathan bellows. Tucker grits his teeth and disappears, He reappears with his hands gripping the front of Jonathan's robe. Cracks begin to go down Tucker's face.

"I did not hurt Christopher." He hisses. Jonathan twists his body away and raises his foot, launching it onto Tucker's side, sending him crashing into a wall.

"Johnat-." Colton calls out timidly.

"Silence!" Zachariah takes a deep breath as Tucker stalks towards Jonathan. He rises to his feet and stealthily approaches Tucker from behind. When he reaches him, he rests a hand onto his cheek. Jonathan does the same onto his other cheek. Suddenly, Esdith shakes with the intensity of Tucker's screams. Colton, who happened to be standing, staggers on his feet and grabs onto his throne to steady himself. Thick black blood flows out of Tucker's nose and into his mouth, dirtying his teeth. A layer of blood covers his eyes and sails down his cheeks. He falls to his knees, but Zachariah and Jonathan remain. Each with a hand on his cheek. Allen and Tristan's eyes quake with fear. Slowly, Lord Second meets Lord Third's eyes in understanding and without hesitation, their simple touch onto Tucker's face turns into a grip. In a single moment, they jerk their hands, snapping his neck. He crumples to the ground in a heaped mess.

Xavier shuts his eyes, having remembered his fallen brothers. Christopher had died in his absence. He never found out why.

"As for the Tick Tock; Xavier." Tristan calls out. Xavier opens his eyes lazily.

"She cannot be gifted nor marked. Her mark refuses to be in the possession of Esdith. For one, as each and every one if you saw, we cannot read her mark. Secondly, imparting my number as Lord Twelfth onto her skin has been unsuccessful. For now, I suggest we silently watch her. She remains in her chambers, frightened. Nothing can ease her but Julian's presence." Xavier reports in a monotone. Allen raises both eyebrows in question.

"Nothing but Julian and your presence. Say, baby brother, what was your relationship with her anyways?" Allen inquires with a smug grin. Xavier looks around at his brothers' expectant faces and scowls. He remains silent.

"You were asked a question Xavier." Zachariah says with a gaze that could freeze lava.

"I am not too inclined to answer, brother." Xavier spits with a mocking tone.

"And what is it exactly that deceives you into believing your inclinations matter?" Zachariah replies smoothly.

"You know what? You're right. I should only voice myself when you vouchsafe me to. Other than that, I am to remain a silent nuisance." Xavier says defensively.

"Xavier please desist from launching your paroxysms of defiance to Zachariah." Colton pleads sincerely. Xavier growls at him then points at Zachariah.

"Why must he who wears the most grandiloquent of miens try to abash me for all my actions?" He demands. Colton's eyebrows dip sympathetically.

"Xavier-." Colton tries.

"Put down your finger." Each word said even more slowly coldly and threateningly. Even Josiah turns his head a little towards Zachariah, having detected the emotion in his voice. Anger.

"Or what? You'll kill me? You've tried that before, haven't you? A year ago I would have died at your hands had my brothers not stopped you. You are feared for your overwhelming sense of justice yet you would kill your own brother for a petty aeternus? For a boy you raised a thousand years ago? For Niklaus?" Xavier says almost sadly. His facial expression portrays nothing but disgust.

"Xavier, don't." Tucker warns him off. Zachariah looks behind Xavier and at the corner where the aeternuses sit.

"Odd enough too, for I was not the only one who abandoned you. He did too. Don't get me wrong brothers, I am not a foolish mortal like our Elites, I do not find myself jealous of Niklaus. I am but angry at our traitorous brother. Let this sink in and rethink your truths, Lord Second." And with that final blow, Xavier dismiss himself. Slowly Tucker stands up, leaving, followed by Allen and Tristan. With a respectful nod, Colton follows them. Jonathan, leaning back in his chair finally speaks again.

"My oh my, Zachariah. This is proof after all." He begins. Zachariah looks at him slowly. With a grim smile and an elbow draped over his eyes, he whispers.

"We've fallen."