Work Text:
Ever since Seth was young he had heard all about soulmates. How when you meet your soulmate’s eyes for the first time you would finally see their eye color thus letting you see the color you could not see before. Finding your soulmate and seeing that missing color was like the last piece to a puzzle. Your vision would be complete and your soulmate would make you whole.
He would always hear the children around him fantasize about how they wanted to meet their soulmate. He would hear teens gush about their other half and how they had the most beautiful eyes. Adults would retell their stories of how they met their soulmate while wearing the most fondest look. All their stories would end the same with them saying, “The color of my soulmate’s eyes are my favorite color.”
As a child Seth was not as obsessed with soulmates like the other kids his age. He was by no means the romantic type. Despite that, he could not help but be curious about his soulmate as well.
What were they like? Were they as kind as his mom? Did they like winter or summer more? Were they quiet like him or would they be the complete opposite?
However, the question that ran through his head the most was: what color were their eyes?
He could not do a simple process of elimination, because he could not see any colors. His world was entirely made up of grayscale. He had yet to tell his mom, simply thinking nothing of it
Seth’s younger and more naive self believed that his soulmate’s eyes had all the colors within them. He had only been four at the time, but the idea was ridiculous. At the time he was not sure if it was possible for someone to have rainbow colored eyes or for him to see only black and white, so he had decided to finally ask his mom about it.
She usually sat by the window seat, always holding a framed picture. Seth had gotten a peek at the photo and saw his mom with a man, his dad. He had never met his dad, but from the photo he could tell he made his mom extremely happy. Seth did not need to be told what happened to the man, he already knew. His absence was clearly the reason for why his mom was always so sad. Despite his mom’s loss, she still smiled and took great care of him.
So, when he had asked why he could only see in monochrome; it was the first time he saw her face twist into fear and dread. She had asked Seth when he started to see only in black and white. His response was, “I’ve always only been able to see black and white.”
She had dropped the picture frame in her horror, the glass shattering loudly. He reflexively looked down at the broken frame and glass. He wondered what colors were in the photo. What color were their outfits? What color was the bench that they were sitting on? Were his mom’s eyes brighter than they were now?
His mom had broken from her frozen state and scooped Seth up. She dashed outside to her car. She buckled him in the back seat and took off faster than she normally would. Seth had been frightened by his mom’s panicked state. He told himself it would be ok, everything would be alright.
Before he knew it he was sitting in the room with a soulmate expert. She had pulled down a color chart and asked him basic questions like, “Which one color can you not see?” and, “Which colors can you see?”
He had responded, “I can’t see any of them” to both questions.
She still tried to get him to identify some of the colors, but they were all just different shades of gray to him. Throughout the session he could see his mom biting her nails. The doctor was also failing to force a smile through her continuously growing troubled expression.
After the evaluation was over the doctor gave her condolences. She had explained that Seth’s soulmate must have passed away when he was young, explaining why he could only see in monochrome. His mom had held his hand tighter and struggled to muffle her sobs.
Seth was not sure what to think. His soulmate was dead? But he never even got to meet them. He never got to learn what their favorite season was. He would never get to learn about them. He would never get to love them and be loved in the way only a soulmate ever could.
The ride home was full of tears from his mom and Seth’s head running rampant trying to comprehend everything. Once inside the house his mom dropped to the floor and held Seth tightly. She had sobbed into his hair, muttering out apologies whenever she could catch her breath.
Why was she apologizing? It was not her fault, so why was she sorry?
Oh, she had lost her soulmate too, had she not? She understood the pain of losing a soulmate and losing all color in life.
However, they were different. Seth would never get to meet his soulmate. Yes, it did hurt knowing he had lost them but he did not get a chance to love them. It was not like his mom and dad where they got married and had a child. Based on how young they looked in the photo his mom always held, they had been together for a long time.
Yes, it did hurt knowing that he would never get to see colors for himself. He would have to live being told that the sky was blue and the grass was green, but never get to see it for himself. However, his mom had gotten to experience all those colors, including the one hidden in her soulmate’s eyes. Unlike him who had only ever known black and white, his mom had seen all those vivid colors, and sadly lost sight of them when her soulmate passed.
Seth held his mom back, grabbing hold as much as his tiny arms could reach. His mom went through a bigger loss than he ever would. He had lived his whole life with monochrome vision, he would be fine. After all, how could he mourn the loss of what could have been if he never got to experience it in the first place?
Seth had made it a habit of going to the restroom’s mirror. He would get up on the stool and stare intently at himself, specifically at his eyes. It was one of the few things that he knew were actually gray.
Many of his peers and teachers mentioned that his eyes were gray. They did not have to say it was weird; the looks they gave him said it all. They would whisper about how he did not have a soulmate since everyone could already see gray. He had not believed them, but after finding out his soulmate was dead? The idea of it bounced around in his head.
He had also believed that his eyes were not truly gray, but his mom herself confirmed that they were. Before she lost all color, she saw Seth with gray eyes ever since he was a baby. Two years after they found out his soulmate was dead; she had offhandedly mentioned that his eyes were one of the few things that stayed the exact same color after her soulmate passed.
He poked at his cheek, just below his left eye. Maybe he really did not have a soulmate simply because his eyes were gray? It was impossible to not be able to see gray after all, so what would change in his soulmate’s vision?
Seth continued to stare at his eyes, perhaps it was better this way. If he believed that he never had a soulmate in the first place it would be easier to move on from what-ifs.
That next night, unbeknownst to him at the time, he would meet the Princess of the Night Blade. He had promised to free her from her curse and from that day on he would train to get stronger.
Seven years later he was much faster and stronger than he was back then. He had moved away from his mom as well, not wanting to involve her in the Night Blade or the Hollow Night.
At school he spent his days keeping a low profile from his peers. He did not want them getting involved in the Night Blade either. His main focus was solely on his Night Blade duties and getting stronger to fulfill his promise to the princess.
Seth had also made it a habit to avoid making eye contact with others. Everytime he accidentally met eyes with someone and his vision remained the same it felt like a stab to his heart. It was stupid to give himself hope that if he made enough eye contact he would finally be able to see color and meet his soulmate.
He was torturing himself by looking into anyones eyes that would meet his back, just to continue living in monochrome. It was misery that he still hoped that he could meet his soulmate someday.
Seth had believed he was over this, but his eyes kept searching for their nonexistent missing piece. So, he trained himself to stare at anything that was not someone’s eyes. If he had to make eye contact he would stare at their nose or forehead instead.
Seth tried to tell himself that he did not need the love of a soulmate. However, staring at the happy couples holding hands, staring fondly at each other, or just smiling. He knew it was childish but it made him want to experience it too.
He scoffed, he did not have a soulmate, they did not exist; It was as simple as that. Seth would continue to repeat those words like a mantra until he could finally believe them.
Seth could not help but smile as he held the Eliminators. With these he was finally close to fulfilling his decade old promise. He would have to work for Chaos as his assassin, but it was worth it for one of the Indulgence weapons.
However, he would still need to get his hands on the Insulator. It had been missing for years but he heard it had reappeared. Its current wielder was known as the Unknown Actor, who was also accompanied by the Princess.
Seth discovered that the Unknown Actor’s name was Hyde Kido. Although, it did not matter what his name was. By the next Hollow Night Seth would have broken his vessel and taken the Insulator to finally unbind his chains and free the Princess. They would all be free from the Hollow Night and he would have atoned for their past sins.
However, even after it is all said and done, his world would still continue to remain in black and white. No amount of atonement would fix that.
Seth kept his EXS low so as to not alert the Insulator’s wielder. He looked lost, running and frantically looking around the Night. Despite being the wielder of a powerful weapon he was still a fledgling, completely new to the Hollow Night.
The assassin stayed low to the ground and hid among the few shadows. The Riverside area did not have many good hiding places, but Hyde had yet to notice him. Seth continued to wait for the perfect moment to strike.
Hyde stopped and put his hands on his knees, clearly out of breath. “ Now,” Seth jumped from the shadows and aimed to strike from the other’s blind spot.
He barely missed as Hyde noticed him last second and quickly dodged. Seth tsked, he was so close.
The Insulator's wielder looked at him wide eyed, “Who are you?!” His expression turned angry, “And what the hell was that for you asshole?!” He exhaled and held a hand to his heart, “Damn, that was way too close…”
Seth ignored his questions and aimed one of the Eliminators at him, “The companion of the Princess of the Night Blade, the ‘Wild Card’. And the abominable Insulator.” Seth refused to meet his eyes, “There's no mistaking it.”
Hyde frowned as he tilted his head to the side, “Princess…? Do you know Linne?” He grit his teeth in frustration and narrowed his eyes, “Just who the hell are you?! And why are you so interested in my sword?”
The assassin’s eyes narrowed, “Why introduce myself to someone who is about to become a corpse?”
“Guess I’ll just have to ‘persuade’ you to cough it up, then,” Hyde smirked cockily, but Seth could see his hands slightly shaking. “And I can be very persuasive,” He summoned the Insulator from his hand, “Especially with this, which you seem to hate!”
Seth rolled his eyes, he was loud, “You may have an Indulgence weapon, but you are little more than a fledgling first discovering their EXS powers.” He readjusted the Eliminators into a reverse grip, “Know your place. Mewling children like you are the reason assassins like me even exist.”
Hyde narrowed his eyes, “That's supposed to be my line. You're the one causing trouble here.” He readjusted the Insulator in his grip and held it in a hanging stance. “That's why, on behalf of the Night Blade…and Linne, I’m going to stop you!”
His voice held a determined tone. Seth did not have to make eye contact to know that his eyes were most likely glinting in resolve as well. He could not stop himself from wondering what color they shined in.
Seth continued to stare anywhere that was not the other’s eyes, “The Night Blade…I never thought I’d hear that name again.” He kept his gaze away from the other’s eyes, “As for that being ‘your line’, I’m afraid I have to disagree.”
The assassin closed his eyes, “For I, too, am descended from the Night Blade, and carry the burden of our sins.”
With that last thing being said Seth rushed furrowed in a blur of shadows. Hyde’s eyes widened in alarm and scrambled to block the upcoming barrage of slashes. Seth kept the pressure up by slashing and setting up his orbs.
The Eliminators draw sparks along the Insulators edge. The screeching sound of steel on steel as Seth continues his assault.
Seth jumps back, and curses himself, when Hyde manages to find an opening in his attacks. Hyde slices in a large horizontal slash, meeting air. It left behind a heavy trail of EXS, reminding him of how powerful the Insulator was.
“ I need to keep him on the defensive.” Seth narrowed his eyes in thought. One hit from the Insulator could be deadly.
The orb from early on activated and shot out at Hyde like an arrow. “Black Orbiter!” Hyde shouted as he shot out a disk like projectile to combat the orb. The projectiles met and exploded, leaving behind only smoke.
Hyde shot out another orbitor towards Seth, but the assassin quickly dodged it by jumping and vanishing into the shadows. Hyde let out a surprised noise at the assassin’s sudden disappearing act. He looked around cautiously for the other, preparing for the inevitable attack.
Seth reappeared behind him striking forward. Hyde turned around, teeth gritted. He managed to block the strike in time, but Seth could see Hyde was struggling to hold him back, now holding the Insulator with both hands. Each slash against the Insulator pushing Hyde further back, making him falter more and more.
He was so close, he just needed to stay on the offensive until he could break through Hyde’s defenses.
Suddenly Hyde did a low sweep with his foot. It did not hit Seth as he dodged it, but he realized too late that that was what Hyde was looking for - an opening.
Seth’s eyes widen as Hyde pulls the Insulator back forcefully making Seth reel forward from how hard he was pushing the Eliminators against the Insulator.
The assassin could not help but startle at the sudden increase of EXS. Hyde channeled all his EXS into the Insulator then stabbed the sword into the ground. Hyde opened his mouth, face exhausted yet full of resolve, and yelled, “Gyre Vortex!”
Seth grit his teeth as he jumped back swiftly so as to not get caught in the storm of EXS. The raging power looked like a thunderstorm and Hyde was in the eye of it. Seth perched on top of a nearby streetlamp, feeling frozen. He had not expected the boy to pull off such a move. However, this was his chance, with the amount of EXS he had used he was sure to be exhausted after.
The vortex ends and he sees Hyde gripping the Insulator tightly and struggling to catch his breath. He almost feels bad for striking him when he's already down, but this was finally his chance.
Hyde heaves, a mix of exhaustion and annoyance, “Look, can we just talk-” The assassin dashes forward but Hyde manages to just barely dodge ushering out a curse. Seth turns around but does not expect it when Hyde dismisses the Insulator in favor of tackling him.
Seth falls to the ground with a thud losing his grip on the Eliminators. The knives clanging against the floor, away from his reach. Hyde is on top of him, sitting on his waist and pinning his arms to the floor just above his head.
“Will you stop already?! I don’t want to fight you ok? I’m already dead exhausted so can we please just talk?” Seth tunes Hyde out trying to struggle against his hold, desperate, he was so close . If he could just grab one of the Eliminators and tear into Hyde’s vessel the Insulator would be his and he could finally put an end to everything.
“We’re both in the Night Blade aren’t we? We should be working together so why are we fighting? ” Hyde continues to reason. Despite being exhausted Hyde refuses to loosen his grip on the assassin.
Once Seth accepts the fact that he's pinned he feels shame swell up. This was humiliating, how could he lose to someone who relied solely on the Insulators power? He saw how Hyde fought, the Insulator was doing most of the work. His technique was sluggish and unrefined.
He hears Hyde still trying to reason with him and trying to understand everything. Honestly, he is surprised Linne has yet to explain everything to Hyde. Seth has enough of Hyde blabbering on and on that he looks up to tell the other to shut up.
Hyde stops talking, but not because Seth told him too. In that moment he realizes that he looked up to see Hyde’s eyes. They were making eye contact, and Seth freezes when he sees his vision begin to change.
What looks like a drop, splashes against his vision, turning Hyde’s eyes into something not gray. He blinks, thinking it’ll go away but when he opens his eyes it's still there; Hyde’s eyes have color.
His breath catches in his throat when he realizes what's happening. Slowly the single drop turns into a drizzle, then into a downpour. His vision was like an empty canvas as watercolors brushed and splashed against it, filling it with color.
Seth’s eyes widened in shock and awe when his vision was completely filled with vibrant colors. His world was no longer stuck in monochrome. The fact of that has him startling and gasping shakily. He crawled away from Hyde, who had already let go when their eyes met.
His back meets a streetlight and he looks around. The trees, the sky, the benches, the colored lights reflecting off the water, the buildings in the distance, even his Eliminators on the ground; they all had color .
Seth quickly shuts his eyes, overwhelmed by all the different hues. He shoved his palms into his eyes, hard enough that he began to see spots. “ This was not happening.” He brought his knees to his chest, “ I don’t have a soulmate, they don’t exist.”
Sixteen years without ever seeing color. A decade of living a pointless existence to fulfill Linne’s wish and to atone for the sins of the past. All of that, for his soulmate to be the Insulator’s wielder. His soulmate weidling the very weapon he needed to accomplish his goals. He huffs under his breath, “What a twisted joke.”
He does not notice Hyde approaching him until he feels hesitant hands grabbing his wrists. He was startled by the sudden contact, but did not try to shake them off. The hands gently pried his palms away from his eyes.
“Hey, it's ok,” Hyde held his hands gently, “I’m assuming you’re like me? Based on your reaction I mean.” Seth kept his eyes closed. “I was told I didn’t have a soulmate because I could already see all the colors.”
At that Seth opened his eyes slowly as he was still adjusting to all the colors. He wished he could give a name to them but he never learned which colors were which. He never needed to after all.
Seth looked up into Hyde’s eyes and he was in awe. Out of all the colors he had seen, so far Hyde’s eyes were the most captivating to look at. He wished he knew the name of them because it was becoming his favorite to look at.
Based on how Hyde stared into Seth’s eyes, his face in complete awe, a similar thought was most likely going through the other’s head.
Seth remembered what Hyde said, “You could already see every color?” They were polar opposites in that sense, but yet they were both told they did not have a soulmate.
Hyde snapped out of his staring, “I-uh yeah! Everyone believed I didn’t have a soulmate, even the doctors told me the same thing.” He looked out towards the river, “But I didn’t listen to them, I just knew I had a soulmate.” Hyde’s gaze fell back onto Seth, “And I was right, even if we had an…interesting first meeting.” That was an understatement.
Seth flicked his gaze to the ground, noticing some of the tiles were different colors. “I was told the same thing except…I couldn't see any colors.” He never thought he would ever use past tense when referring to not being able to see colors.
The other held Seth’s hands tighter, shocked, “Wait, you only saw in black and white?” Hyde speaks softly under his breath, “So, all this time you must have thought your soulmate-” he corrects himself, “That I was…” He holds his hand a little tighter. Seth enjoying the warmth they emitted.
Seth nods, “I was told my soulmate must have died at a young age since I was always only able to see in grayscale ever since I could remember.” Seth continues, “Others said I simply did not have one because my eyes are gray.”
Hyde tilts his head to the side, confused, “Gray? They aren't gray, they're…I actually don’t know what that color is called but it’s breathtaking.”
“ What?” Seth looked into the surface of the water to stare at his eyes but they were still gray. Oh, he understood now. He had heard that things in gray are just colors people can’t see due to the lack of photoreceptors.
After finding out about that it solidified that he did not have a soulmate as humans did not have enough photoreceptors. Yet, here was Hyde saying his eyes were not gray. He could be lying, but Seth could tell straight away that the boy was not capable of fooling anyone.
Seth looks back at the other boy who remained confused. Hyde was the only one who would be able to see and appreciate Seth’s true eye color. Hyde filled Seth’s world with color and Seth gave Hyde the ability to see colors beyond what a normal human could only ever dream to witness.
He never heard of a soulmate phenomenon like this before. One could not see any colors, while the other could see them all. It was certainly an interesting duo.
Hyde let go of Seth’s hands suddenly, most likely realizing he was holding them the whole time. “So, since we’re not trying to kill each other anymore and are soulmates, let's forget about the fight and start over, yeah?”
Seth huffed, “I was never going to kill you, I was only going to break your vessel.”
Hyde looked blankly at him, “Wow, how nice of you to spare me.”
Seth rolled his eyes fondly, “My name is Seth.”
Hyde quickly smiled, big and bright, “Seth…” He tested the name in his mouth. “Nice to meet you! I’m Hyde Kido. You can just call me Hyde though.”
Hyde stood up and offered his hand to Seth. He stared at it for a second before taking it. Hyde helped him to his feet and they just stared at each other for a bit, admiring the color of each other’s eyes.
The realization hit him all over again. This was his soulmate . His missing piece, the one that would complete him. His soulmate was the Insulator’s wielder, and he himself wielded the Eliminators. It was a fitting match.
Seth also realized that he would not be able to take the Insulator from Hyde, not with him being his soulmate. He had been so desperate to take it but it all flipped on his head when their eyes met. Seth would deal with that later, right now he just wanted to get to know the person in front of him.
He had so many questions to ask Hyde. So far they seemed like opposites as Hyde was loud and brighter. He looked like a summer guy, but looks could always be deceiving. However, he decided to ask the one question that had always ran laps around his mind when he was younger.
He broke the silence, “Hyde,” The boy hummed, “What color are your eyes?”
“You don’t-right, sorry, you couldn’t see color.” Hyde rubs the back of his neck and looks at Seth with a kind smile, “My eyes are red.”
“ Red,” Seth smiled softly in awe. Seth reached out to cup Hyde’s cheek, to which Hyde put his hand over his. Even with the few colors he has seen so far; he knew without a doubt that red would forever be his favorite.