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[Can you hear me?]
Standing alone in the green, luxurious forest in the midst of night, I heard a familiar voice echoing from the red gem in my pocket. Hearing the familiar tone… I quickly reached out to my pocket and bought the red gem close to my mouth. "... Father, is there anything else you wish to address?"
A momentary pause passed by before I heard his voice again. [... Are you sure that you want to proceed? It's not too late to turn back.]
I stared emptily at the red gem, slowly letting out a smile before responding calmly to ease his worry. "Don't worry father. If I'm truly in dire need, I'll make sure to contact you first."
I could see the defeated sigh burst from the red gem. [Okay, I'll stop pestering you now. In ten minutes, we'll initiate our plan. But please… don't forget that your safety is your top priority. Defeating the enemy is your second.]
I let out a small chuckle as I continued to hear father's worried words. "Okay. I'll make sure to keep myself safe."
[Thank you, Lysander. I'll leave you be now.]
The red gem dimmed before I placed it back into my pocket. I carefully gazed around the forest, feeling the cold air breezing around the space despite being in the midst of spring.
The longer I stayed quiet, the more uneasy I felt before slowly closing my eyes and whispering their name. "... Azar."
Hearing my whisper, Azar quickly appeared before me with their usual red color. The moment I laid eyes on them, the uncertainty filling my head etched out of me into words. "That person... Do you think he took the bait?"
They took their usual moment of silence before responding. "... Perhaps. Thankfully, you were able to sense their innate talent to perceive mana. Aside from people with the Blessing of the Mana, that is something most people are not born with, unless they... sacrifice something for it."
I slowly stroked my chin, thinking deeply about what Azar said. "I see… It was a gamble." I secretly gazed at the nearby tree. "A seventh ring magician... The first time I showed up here, I didn't try to hide my mana, which made them aware of my presence. Despite that, they didn't try to go after me. It's like they are only observing..."
I quickly glanced back at the abandoned manor. "I made up several possible outcomes if I were to engage in battle with him. The only thing that I can rely on is my abundant mana. Once you achieve your seventh ring, an awakening occurs... increasing the properties of your magic."
"You're worried, huh? Well... if you're in any danger, I can always take over your body."
I glanced back at Azar. "After achieving my fourth ring, you mentioned that I could let you... possess my body for ten minutes, right? I highly doubt it's safe."
Hearing my response, they couldn't help but let out a mischievous laugh. "Maybe... But I've been in this form for so long that I miss having a vessel. Of course, I promise not to do anything extreme."
I stood there silent, ignoring his earlier remark. "... Do you think I have a chance of winning?"
"Asking for my thoughts... Don't you already have your own percentage calculated? What do you think?"
I looked up into the sky with dismay, slowly closing my eyes before letting out a deep sigh. "... At most, five percent. Most of the outcomes I've planned have ended in either a draw near death or having myself get killed in exchange for defeating them."
They floated there in silence, probably baffled, after hearing my response. "Do you... not care about your own life?"
I coldly looked back at him. "I do, but I cannot ignore the worst possible situations. Nevertheless, my death is nineteen percent of the likely outcome. The deadly draw is fifty percent. Twenty-six percent is a win with me being in a near-death state."
I looked dimly at the ground. "I can't be optimistic. If father were to have taken him on, he would undoubtedly win. But they may also have something with them..."
"The pill?"
I nodded. "If he indeed has the pill, he could rival father and possibly kill him. Furthermore... I've found a way to dispel the curse."
After saying those words, the color of their flame quickly changed to orange, an unfamiliar color that I have never seen from them. "You did?!"
Startled, I looked back at them. This is one of those few times that I've felt them express actual emotions... "Yes. Is it that surprising?"
They stayed silent for a long moment before turning to their usual red color. "... Well, yes. From what I've seen, the curse has a complicated structure that not only delves into forbidden magic, but even ancient magic. Both of them are limited and can only be found in certain books available in the royal library... Wait, don't tell me–"
"Yes. That time I stayed in the palace when the empress was sick... I took the initiative to secretly enter the library and read about the topics."
"Ha... I never saw you as a sly person–"
"Don't be mistaken. At the time, I had to find a way to save the Empress, even if it meant doing something bad. But I never thought that I would have to use such knowledge again."
Ten seconds.
Azar slowly turned green once again. "How disappointing. I thought you were one of those people who hide their true face under a facade."
Hearing those words, I felt a deep sting enveloping my heart. I quickly looked back at them with a cold glare. "... Your words sting. Did you say that on purpose?"
They chuckled once more. "Maybe... But I guess in the name of love, you'll do something out of character once in a while."
I flinched before looking away sheepishly. "... Who knows. I'm still growing after all."
Three... Two... One...
The red gem in my pocket quickly brightened up before I heard father's voice emerge. [Commence the subjugation.]
In that single moment, I quickly turned around before freezing the small area of trees that I glanced at before. I stared at the frozen spot before quickly looking behind me from the corner of my eyes.
"... How surprising... Talking to yourself... Were you trying to catch me off-guard...?"
A silver haired man with a dark blue cloak stood far away from me. From the very beginning, I could sense their mana even as they tried to hide away their presence using magic.
Just like before... He's only been observing me without taking any action.
I quickly turned around, looking at him coldly. "I'm guessing you're one of the saintess's people."
He stood there in silence, his fingers slightly twitching, before gazing away. "... Not really... Just helping... I guess..."
"That was vague. But his words highly suggest that he doesn't possess the cursed pill. I can be slightly at ease now."
The silver-haired man quickly looked back at the white-haired boy before immediately flicking up his hand and casting spikes made from the earth underneath the boy. The white-haired boy quickly used wind magic to lift himself into the air and out of the premise of his magic.
Even though blind, the silver-haired man was able to follow the movements of the white-haired boy up in the air before stroking his chin. "... Silent casting... The more I fight you... the more amazed I feel..."
"Silent casting...?"
He tilted his head. "You don't know...? Well... Someone with the Blessing of the Mana... wouldn't be affected by such a restriction... after all..."
As he continued talking, a sudden burst of vines from the nearby trees secretly emerged and tied me up and violently slammed me back to the ground, forcing me to cough out the pain.
I quickly glanced back at the man, who slowly began walking up to me. "Silent casting is an advanced technique… that most mages can't fathom using... Only mages of the sixth ring can begin… to practice such a technique..."
But as he continued to talk slowly, two wind blades finally emerged from his sides and quickly began to reach me. Staring at the motion of the wind blade, I calmly gazed at the vines that immobilized me before freezing them and breaking free before teleporting behind him.
I quickly summoned an icicle to try and pierce his heart, but he managed to dodge and create some distance.
As he got farther away, I flung my arms forwards and summoned forth two spikes of ice underneath him. Unfortunately, he was able to quickly dodge into the air using wind magic. But once he got to a safe place, an insignia quickly emerged above him before a loud explosion occurred.
Under the smoke, the silver-haired man was surrounded by a mana shield, and as he reached the ground, another spike of ice emerged and pierced his shield, scratching his cheek before he swiftly dashed back.
Once he created distance between the white-haired boy, he suddenly felt the ground he was standing in morph into mud, immobilizing him before an immediate strike of lightning hit him directly.
I quickly covered my eyes as a cloud of dust covered the area before quickly looking at my surroundings after the man hid his presence once again. "The lightning did strike him, so there's no doubt that he's injured. But I mustn't let my guard down–"
But before I knew it, multitudes of water beams pierced my body.
I coughed out blood, keeling to the ground before trying to heal myself with light magic. "I prepared a mana shield beforehand, but the magic was strong enough to pierce it? I need to put more mana on the shield..."
"You're strong... but you lack experience..."
I quickly looked up as I felt a surge of mana appear.
Seven magic spears made of wind settled behind him, aimed towards me before they quickly began to descend.
I managed to summon an ice wall before flying away. Looking behind me, there were still three wind spears following on my trail. In the midst of it all, a sudden robe of vine tried to stop me. Thankfully, I predicted their appearances and burned them down before flying up higher into the air.
I flew up into the air before abruptly stopping, facing the wind spears head on before quickly summoning forth a surge of water onto them, dispersing their pressured form and dissipating them along the current.
Countless beams of water soon appeared before me like before. I managed to evade them one after another while flying back to the ground. Once I was within range, I quickly cast a wave of ice towards the man.
He quickly dodges but is soon cast in a trap I set up a while ago. The surrounding tree branches expanded and quickly immobilized him before the ice magic was able to pierce him. Suddenly, cracks began to emerge from his body before the man turned to earth and crumbled into pieces.
A spike made of earth emerged underneath me once again. I dodge it via a flip before landing back at the ground.
"... Impressive... You have the physical capabilities... that most mages lack..."
I gasped for air. "... I've trained my body at least."
Thankfully, I was able to train my body with August these last four years, so my stamina and physical capabilities have definitely improved significantly. I was also able to gain some muscle mass to add shape to my unnaturally thin body, somewhat lessening my insecurities.
The surrounding was suddenly engulfed in mist. As I continued to look around, I felt a sudden migraine. The ringing in my ears continued on as my vision slowly blurred.
Finally, the man's form slowly condensed from the mist, exposing themselves as they stood motionlessly. "Feeling disoriented...?"
As I suddenly heard his voice echoing through the space, the same wind spears appeared above me once again before quickly striking down from the air.
The area was soon covered in a cloud of dust, hiding the young boy's condition. The red crystal gem that the Duke gave to the white-haired boy appeared in the ground, broken into many pieces. The man stood there in the silence once again before tilting his head with slight confusion.
"You still haven't shown me all your capabilities... Please... I implore you to fight me... to your fullest..."
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"Kuh...!"
The sound of metal clashing against one another in a fast tempo echoed through the space.
In an isolated lot of the forest, a long black-haired man clashed their two swords against the midnight-haired boy, who was easily responding and deflecting his attacks.
As sparks from their fight continued to form, the boy quickly dashed towards the man with incredible speed, slashing through his armor and injuring his core.
The black-haired man quickly sucked in his breath, gazing confoundedly at the boy. "I can't believe such a strong person appeared...!"
Unable to keep up with the boy's speed, he continued to get slashed all over his body before finally clashing with his swords once again and kicking him to the ground.
August quickly regained his balance mid-air and landed on his feet before swinging his sword with great force, removing the blood from his opponent off his sword while staring dead at the man.
Seeing the cold and dead stare from the young boy, the black-haired man flinched before defensively positioning his sword in front of him. "What the hell are you?!"
Staying silent for a long, eerie moment, August just scoffed in response before scratching his hair in annoyance. "Ah… I'm really pissed now."
After ending his sentence, the prince quickly dashed towards the black-haired man and stabbed him in the abdomen. The man coughed blood before hitting the floor, gasping desperately for air. Even in this deadly moment, he couldn't help but stare at the midnight sky that shimmered in response to his wishful call,
August slowly walked up to the man, crouching down to meet his eyes as he continued to look coldly at him. "Don't worry, you're not going to die yet. You need to stay alive a little longer."
After hearing those cruel words, the man's vision quickly deteriorated before passing out. Austin continued to look at the unconscious man before letting out a deep sigh, quickly standing up before grabbing the red gem from his pocket.
"Qadir, I've finished apprehending the current threat. It seems that most of the weaker mobs are inside the fortress, unaware of our presence."
A moment of silence passed before a voice ranged out from the gem. [It seems that Veda will have her hands full. I've also finished apprehending the enemy here. Her assassin skill seemed dull, so it was fairly easy to defeat her.]
August let out a small chuckle "You always spar with Nilo, so it's not a surprising matter that you found her skills lacking. I suspect you'll join Veda?"
[Indeed. You can rejoin with his grace and the young master if you'd like.]
"Okay. Tell me if you need any more assistance."
The red gem dimmed down before August quickly looked at the direction from where the Duke said he was going to be: North and East of the manor.
"... Hopefully, Lys is not in any trouble."
Thinking that to himself, August quickly heads north, where the Duke was in, unaware of the danger the white-haired boy was in.
In another location stands a clear rift between the black-haired woman and the Duke, eyeing emotionlessly at each other.
The Duke sighs before sheathing his sword. "... I may not look like it, but I have a keen eye when it comes to judging people."
He drew his sword in front of him before looking serious at the woman. "Your expression... Are you being forced to do this?"
The woman bitterly smiles at his cold words. She then looks up into the full moon, slowly closing her eyes and breathing in a fresh breath of air before gazing back at him. "It's a personal matter."
Only silence filled the air as she uttered those words, none of them making any single move.
She slowly looks at the sword in her hand, bringing closer to her before bitterly smiling. "Say... can I ask you something?"
The Duke glances at her with skepticism. "Trying to buy time? I'm afraid I can't–"
"I'm not as young as I look out to be... I think I'm forty? It's been awhile since I last recalled my age after they forcefully regained my youth..."
Interrupting his words, the woman clenches the hilt of the sword before laughing out loud hysterically. "They slaved me. They separated my children from me. They experimented with me. Now I am nothing but a meager puppet with some power."
She painfully breathes in one last time before quickly dashing to the Duke, her eyes enveloped with anger and despair as their swords clashed against one another. "Why—WHY?! Just why do I have to suffer like this...?"
She drew her blade back, trying to slash him yet being parried once again in a shape akin to a crescent moon. Continuously trying to slash and stab, yet not even one of them reaching the Duke.
Feeling so powerless, she couldn't help but continue on with her tantrum as their swords continued to clash. "Do you think I wanted to enslave more people? If I don't do as I am ordered, they can immediately dispose of me with a flick of their fingers. That's the curse they gave me in exchange for power."
Her aura slowly covered the blade of her sword, a reminiscent pink aura that the Duke had seen before. His eyes widened at the sight before he parried the heavy strike once again. "You... You had two daughters, didn't you?"
The woman flinched before stammering, her grip weakening. "H-How do you know? How do you know!"
As she kept swinging her sword like a mad person, the Duke looked closely at her physical appearance. The pink eyes from the pink-haired girl and the jet-black hair from the doctor.
She stopped, looking desperately and hysterically at him. "If you know... If you know, then please tell me where–"
"They're dead."
She froze, her eyes quivering as she tried to process those words. All of the built up emotions she bottled up inside suddenly began bursting out. Heavy tears, cold laughter, sad madness, and happy nostalgia.
She couldn't help but laugh for a while before calming herself down. Her pink eyes were now completely dead and tired as she facepalmed the side of her face. "... Were you the one who killed them?"
The cold air stood in silence for a long moment before the Duke finally nodded. The woman's eye quickly widened once again with madness before she covered her whole body with the pink-aura. She quickly dashed towards him, trying once again to slash and stab him.
Even in this desperate struggle, she still couldn't lay a single hit on him no matter what tactics she uses. The remnants of aura dispersing in the air with each new strike began to create a spectacle akin to an aurora.
The dark blue-black aura from the Duke made that spectacle even more mystical. He continued to defend without attacking her even once. After a long struggle, the woman got into her knees, gasping for air as she tired herself down.
"... Death was the only thing I could give to them."
Indeed. For the doctor, she accepted her death as a means of release from this cruel world, even if it meant leaving her sister behind. For the pink-haired girl, it was the only release before her mind was consumed by the madness of the black pill, making her the thing she hated the most.
The woman gazed up at him, her mad, yet tired, expression still vivid on her face. The Duke knelt before her, trying his best to finally grant peace to her. "I do not ask for your forgiveness. But please... know that hurting anymore will not bring the peace you were seeking."
His dark black and blue aura slowly began to surround the woman. Her consciousness began to dwindle away before passing out on the tattered forest floor. Just before she passed out, the Duke couldn't help but utter one last thing.
"... In a world where evil is gone, I truly wished that you could have been together with your daughters. As a family."
Her eyes started tearing up as she heard to words before she finally passed out. A subtle memory lingered in her mind, showing the two girls as children, reading a picture book together. Smiling, laughing and holding on to each other just like any other family would.
"Just why... Are humans so cruel...?"
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August quickly approached the tattered space from the recent battle, finding the Duke just finishing up. The Duke let out a deep sigh as he continued to gaze at the woman before looking at the approaching August.
"Did your fight end well?"
The Duke nodded. "For now, she's incapacitated."
The prince looked at the unconscious body before looking back at the Duke. "How marvelous... You didn't inflict any injuries on her. Did she lose her will to fight?"
"... You could say that."
The Duke placed his hand on his pocket before getting the red gem that connected with the one he gave to his son.
The prince took a glance at it before commenting. "Are you contacting Lys–"
But before he could finish his sentence, a sudden shiver ran down his spine. An absurd amount of aura began oozing out from the Duke. The supposed red gem from before turned pure black as it tried to connect to the one the white-haired boy had.
When it turns black, it only means one thing: The connection was forcefully destroyed.
The Duke's eyes blazed with killing rage, his red eyes constricting, as if going into madness. He stood there in the eerie silence without moving a single finger. "I knew it... I shouldn't have let him come."
His voice was so quiet, close to a whisper, yet filled with pure bloodlust. He slowly glanced over at the east of the manor from where he last saw his son before separating. His eyes are still frigid, his vision more narrow and inconclusive as single thought continues to echo through his mind. "I'll make sure to kill the person who hurt him... If he's dead–"
His eyes widened hysterically at the thought. Remembering the last time he saw his son injured in the room from which it exploded. Remembering his body cold and lifeless that he couldn't protect. Remembering the many moments he already failed as a father. "... Ah... If he's dead... Then..."
Then what?
Torture the person before killing him in the most painful and gruesome way? Kill himself for not being able to protect, nor even save, his own son and dragging him into a place that he knew wasn't safe?
In the frenzied moment, the Duke couldn't think straight for a long moment. After a while of staying motionless, he immediately dashed towards the area with the most amount of mana fluctuation. Following behind was the prince who could barely keep up with his inhumane speed.
The prince continued to call out to the Duke, but all voices were being blocked out.
He doesn't want the same thing to happen once again when his parents were cruelly murdered and was unable to protect them when he was just a weak and feeble boy.
Even with such power in his disposal, what can it even do when it can't even protect his people?
His family?
In a subtle sense, it is ironic. The same feeling that the woman displayed just earlier was now possessed by the Duke.
Can it be called retribution, even in its own cruel way?
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The white-haired boy coughed out an unnatural amount of blood as he slowly stood up. A wind spear managed to pierce his mana shield and impale his abdomen and other parts of his body. He quickly clenched the most severe wound to stop the bleeding.
"This mist…. I can't think straight. I also can't feel his presence anymore…"
I glanced all around the surroundings, trying to find the man before catching a shift in the mana surrounding us. I quickly looked at the area where the mana changed before immediately freezing the area.
The man dodged and flew up into the sky. I snapped my finger, calling forth a surge of water and instantly freezing it at the same time, following in his pursuit.
"How fascinating. Removing the maneuver limitations from ice using water and then freezing it. But I just have to–"
I quickly summoned a cyclone of wind, dispersing the mist around me. The man clicked his tongue before summoning the same spear like magic but this time with water.
Not letting him have any chance, I quickly froze them once they were about to be launched, catching him off guard. "So water is your strongest element. Following is wind, earth, and nature."
The man quickly glanced at the boy feeling the sudden shift of momentum. Before, only one of his irises were purely white, as if blind. But now, both irises are eerily white.
"After achieving my fifth ring, I unlocked the ability to forcefully exhibit a ring greater than mine. But it takes a heavy toll on my mind and body the longer I use it…"
Forcefully a sixth ring, I can finally fight on par with him. The reasoning as to why my probabilities to winning were even in the single digits was because of this. If I didn't have this, my chances of winning would've been in the decimals at most.
It's weird… It actually feels like I'm blind but at the same time, I could vividly see the shape of his mana and the space around me. I could easily tell what type of magic he's planning on using and where it would go.
Everything feels so… slow.
Carrying on this momentum, I quickly snapped my finger.
As the sound of my fingers snapping echoed through the space, the man suddenly coughed out blood while a trickle of blood ran down his ears before collapsing to the ground, creating a cloud of dust. As the dust hid his whereabouts, the same spear made of water tried to hit me, but I quickly froze them in place before reversing the direction to him.
"Sound…? You can only use that magic once you achieve your seventh ring…" Muttering through his breath, he quickly stood up. From the looks of it, the spears were blocked by his mana shield. "And to think you forcefully took over my magic… What the hell are you?"
Wind evolves into sound once you achieve your seventh ring as like water evolves to become mist. But I used simple displacement to concentrate the sound of my fingers snapping into different parts of his body and interfered with them among each with wind as an enhancement.
The underlying mechanism is quite potent and abstinent in this world, so it makes sense for him to misunderstand.
But I'll use his misconception to my advantage.
As I quickly snapped my finger once again, the burst of sound exploded in his vicinity and flung him to a nearby tree.
"... Seeing his magic, I can confidently copy them again."
I'm still banned, in a sense, from learning any magic aside from what mother, father, and Leo personally taught me. So the amount of spells I have is limited, decreasing my chances of winning once again.
A mixture of different types of elemental spears appeared behind me, quickly traveling to the man before piercing his shield and injuring him.
Unable to confirm his current condition, a sudden ring deafened my ears alongside a painful migraine.
"The toll is catching up to me now. I have to end this–"
A spike of earth suddenly pierced my heart, immobilizing me before my consciousness began to dwindle.
"Crap… I shouldn't have let my guard down…"
In that single moment, the only being that I could call out to help me is them.
"... Azar!"
"You don't have to tell me!"
Azar quickly appeared before their flame flew towards me. As my consciousness slowly faded, I could only place my hope on him.
Even if he's trustworthy, he's someone that I know I can depend on…
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The silver-haired man quickly gasped for air, his ears ringing over and over from the explosion of sound with his vision blurring profoundly, yet his hands stretched out from the magic he just cast.
"... I didn't anticipate him being this strong… With that attack, he should–"
"Dead?"
The man's eyes widened as he heard the familiar voice suddenly emerging from behind him before quickly flying away..
"My mana has reached its limit. I can't continue fighting–"
In the midst of his thoughts, a sudden spike of ice quickly pierced his abdomen and nailed him down at the ground, making him cough out blood.
"He was able to cast that instantly?!"
A few more spikes quickly pierced his body, causing him to scream in agony.
The white-haired boy slowly began walking towards him with his eyes cold and dead. Even as the boy's body continued to bleed, he ignored the pain. He knelt down at him before looking straight into his eyes.
Once their eyes connected. The young boy couldn't help but smile so sadistically. "Ah… I forgot I can't kill you." He yanks him up from his hair, worsening the man's injuries. "Hmm…. I guess this is enough. Just go to sleep."
After uttering those words, the man's body went limp. The ice that impaled him quickly shattered.
Letting out a disappointed sigh, the white-haired boy quickly got up before glossing over his injuries. "... Tsk, Tsk. This boy may be smart but he still doesn't know how to apply his magic during battle. Still, he did well despite clearly being at a disadvantage."
White light began to cover the severe injuries, slowly, but steadily, healing them. "You said that your chances of you winning were slim. What was it…? Three? Four? Ah, but you did mention you will win in a near-death state, just like now. Wow, just how far ahead did you plan?"
As the boy chuckled to himself, the Duke quickly approached him in a mad state. Even the flame within the body can feel the surge of killing-intent spreading out of the Duke's body before quickly imitating what the original white-haired boy would do.
As the Duke finally approached the boy, he quickly knelt to his level of sight. "Lysander are you–" His eyes widened at the locations where his clothes were torn and bored holes, especially around his heart.
The Duke immediately went mad once again and looked at the unconscious man on the floor. His killing intent grew bigger and fiercer before the young boy placed his hand on the Duke's shoulder, putting up his facade. "Father, don't worry! I'm okay! I was able to heal my injuries. Remember, we need to apprehend and question–"
"It's okay if one of them dies–"
"Father!"
The Duke quickly regained his sanity before looking back at the white-haired boy before gazing away with shame. "... I'm sorry, Lysander. I couldn't protect you…"
The young boy sighed before hugging the Duke. "It's alright. I told you that I could handle myself. This amount of pain is nothing to me."
As the father and son continued on with their reunion, the prince finally managed to arrive.
Panting out of breath, he quickly looked up to see the situation. "Is Lys alright–"
But before he could finish, his eyes widened, appalled at the familiar being standing in front of him. He clenched his hand and gritted his teeth before standing straight up again, remaining vigilant of the situation without disturbing.
The white-haired boy quickly broke free from the hug. "Father, this isn't the time to check on my current situation. We need to get the people safe." He then looks at August. "Since I am injured, is it alright if I stay here with August?"
The Duke quickly flinched before standing up on his feet, nodding along with the boy's words. "Yes, rest here for the time being then. I'll notify Qadir to take you both to the estate." He quickly looked at the prince, his eyes as if pleading. "Your Highness… can you please stay by his side and keep him safe?"
The prince glanced at the Duke, looking dimly at him before sighing and nodding. "Don't worry. I'll keep him safe."
The Duke let out a grateful nod, checking on the young boy's condition once more before heading towards the manor.
As the Duke quickly disappeared from the boy's view, the prince slowly walked up to him, looking displeased.
They boys stood there in the utter silence of the night. A hint of sunlight quietly emerged from the sky as a new day came forth.
The white-haired boy slowly glanced at August before smiling just how the original body would. "What's wrong. August?"
The prince clicked his tongue before looking the other way with displeasure. "Cut the facade. You know acting like that won't fool me."
The young boy acted surprised by those words. Shortly after, his surprised face before a playful smile quickly emerged from his mouth with his once warm eyes narrowing eerily. "It's been awhile, August~"
August couldn't help but sigh in response before looking back at the white-haired boy. "I assumed you saved him again like last time?"
The white-haired boy nodded playfully. "Yep. Don't worry, I won't remain for long."
He then walked quickly towards August, standing face to face with him. August tilted his head, confused as to what the being in front of him could possibly be trying to do.
The white-haired boy quickly looked at him from head to toe before smirking to himself. "My… You've improved. Both physically and appearance wise."
"Ha…?" Even with a voice tinged with displeasure, the white-haired boy quickly snatched the prince's arms and extended them forward, as if ready to carry someone.
"What are you doing–"
But before he could finish, the white-haired boy quickly jumped into his arms before snuggling into his arms with a calm expression, trying so hard to find the best comfortable position that he could find.
But no matter what, the prince continued to look dumbfounded by the action this being is doing in the body of someone he truly cares about. His temper quickly reached the roof as the being continued to snuggle into his arms.
"Just how much do you plan on embarrassing Lys?"
The white-haired boy let out a small chuckle before closing his eyes, finally finding the most comfortable position. "Relax. I'm just helping you out a bit."
"What do you mean by–"
A shimmer of light suddenly sparked out from the young boy's body. His body went limp for a moment before quickly regaining its life.
As the white-haired boy slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw after being in a deep sleep was August.
His sleepy expression quickly broke into one filled with confusion, glancing at the surroundings before looking at August once again. "August? What are you doing here?"
As August quickly realized that the original owner of the body returned, his cold eyes lit up with utter warmth as he brought him closer. "Lys, are you feeling okay? You must've lost a lot of blood. Just relax, I'll hold you…"
A moment of awkward silence passed between them before they both looked up and down at what the situation entailed.
One is being carried appropriately and effectively while the other is enacting the carry.
As they finally realized just what type of situation they're in, both their faces immediately turned red.
"Curse that dang being…!"
"What did Azar do when I was unconscious…?!"
With internal screaming strong enough for the whole forest to hear, August quickly looked away with embarrassment. "Sorry, I'll put you down if you feel uncomfortable–"
"I-It's fine! I don't mind this at all…"
August flinched nervously as he heard those words, slowly turning his gaze back at the white-haired boy whose face is also bright red.
Despite feeling embarrassed, the white-haired boy put his arms around his neck before smiling endearingly at August. "This… feels nice. I hope you don't mind staying like this…"
Seeing such a smile, August's heart skipped a beat before looking away once again. "I-If you don't mind…. Then let me continue carrying you…"
As the sunrise slowly covered the night sky, the bashful faces of the two young children were even more visible as they continued to hold on to each other.
But even then, the white-haired boy couldn't help but smile to himself, feeling the warmth of this person pressing through his body.
"I guess I do love you, August…"
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