Goldhaven.
The largest and busiest district in Luxaelis, serving as the kingdom's main port. Ships, merchants, traders, and tourists all passed through here before anywhere else.
It had always been one of Ezra's favorite districts.
He loved food, and Goldhaven was overflowing with it, especially in the Tide Market where they now stood. Ezra remembered the scent of freshly baked bread, sizzling meat, and his favorite Luxaelis delicacy, pastillas. Soft, chewy milk-based confections, sweet and indulgent.
Ezra could eat twenty pieces in one sitting. That's how much he loved them.
However—
"What the…?" Ezra tightened his grip on Lior's hand.
The familiar warmth of food and spice was gone, replaced by the sharp smell of oil and something else he couldn't quite identify.
"Maman… food?" Lior looked up at him, confused.
Of course he was.
This wasn't the food capital Ezra had promised him.
"Let's… walk a bit more, little one. Maybe some of the shops are still closed because it's early," Ezra said, though his voice lacked confidence as he continued forward, eyes scanning the streets.
The sailor had warned him that much had changed in Luxaelis, but this much?
'What… happened?' Ezra thought, his brow furrowing.
A rise in crime was one thing, but this was Goldhaven. The heart of trade, the kingdom's busiest district.
'All the stalls are closed. Some of them look like they haven't opened in years,' he thought, unease settling deeper in his chest.
His frown deepened when he spotted a familiar storefront, one that had stood longer than his twenty-four years of life.
The pastillas shop.
"Seriously?" Ezra muttered under his breath.
He remembered the kind old woman who owned it, Teresita. She had once told him the history of the shop, how it had been passed down through generations.
A place like that didn't simply close.
'Is this why Helios kept writing to me?' Ezra wondered. 'Something big is happening in Luxaelis. But why didn't he tell me?'
Ezra had returned because Helios De Luxaelian Sunthyr had sent him letter after letter, each more urgent than the last.
Helios had always been respectful. He had given Ezra all the time he needed, no matter how long that was.
Which meant those letters mattered.
Despite everything, despite wanting to stay away for as long as he could, Ezra had come back.
Because he could never say no to Helios.
"Maman—"
So instead of ignoring the letters and refusing to return to Luxaelis to protect his son's identity, Ezra had been forced to think of alternatives.
Ways to keep Lior safe.
And to keep his identity hidden.
Especially now, when the risks were far greater than before.
"Maman!"
Ezra was pulled from his thoughts by the distress in Lior's voice. "Lior, what's wrong—oh no."
Tears streamed down Lior's cheeks, and the bright orange of his eyes was beginning to shift. Flecks of gold surfaced beneath the color.
"Already?" Ezra muttered. "It hasn't even been a week."
Lior tugged at his hand.
"Maman, it hurts… it hurts," Lior cried, rubbing his eyes. "Maman…"
Ezra's chest tightened. He immediately crouched and gathered Lior into his arms, scanning their surroundings. "Shh. It's okay, little one. I've got you."
"It hurts…" Lior buried his face against Ezra's chest.
'I knew that quack said it would hurt when it faded, but…' Ezra moved quickly, eyes searching for somewhere private to give Lior his 'medicine.'
"Lior," Ezra said softly, trying to distract him, "remember how I taught you to count?"
"Mhm hm," Lior replied weakly, still rubbing his eyes as Ezra soothed him with gentle strokes along his back.
"One to ten," Ezra continued. "Ten's the biggest number you can count to now, right?"
"T-Twenty."
Ezra blinked. "Wow. Twenty? Since when?"
No answer.
Lior's quiet sobs only grew harder, and panic began to creep into Ezra's chest. Then he spotted a narrow alley just ahead.
'There,' Ezra thought, immediately changing direction.
"One to ten, little one," he murmured as they hurried. "How much does it hurt?"
"T-Ten," Lior whispered.
Ezra's heart broke all over again. He stopped speaking and focused solely on reaching the secluded alley, clutching his son tightly against him.
'Please, Aurethys. Let there be no people,' Ezra prayed silently.
When he reached the alley, he quickly checked the space. Empty. Only old barrels and stacked crates.
'Praise Aurethys,' Ezra thought, relief flooding through him.
He gently set Lior down on one of the barrels. Tears streamed down the boy's face as he continued rubbing his eyes.
"Maman…"
"Lior, sweetheart, please don't rub your eyes. Let me see so I can…" Ezra reached for his satchel, rummaging through it. "I need to put in your eye medicine."
"B-But… but…"
"It'll be okay. I promise." Ezra pressed a soft kiss to the top of Lior's head as soon as he found the vial. "Just a drop, sweetheart. Only a drop."
Lior's hands trembled as he lowered them. It was clear he was scared.
This was the first time he had ever felt pain like this.
Guilt clawed at Ezra's chest.
"You can do it, Lior. My brave boy," Ezra whispered. Lior slowly lowered his hands, though his eyes remained tightly shut. "Now open your eyes, little one. Let me see those beautiful—"
Lior opened his eyes.
There they were.
Bright golden eyes, shining even more through the tears.
Ezra's breath caught, as it always did when he looked into them. They reminded him of another pair of golden eyes, ones that had looked down at him on the night Lior was conceived.
"Maman…"
Lior's small voice snapped him out of it.
"Sorry, little one." Ezra moved closer, uncorking the vial. "Keep your eyes open, okay? Just two drops. One in each eye."
Lior nodded, and Ezra smiled.
"My brave boy," he murmured.
He gently cupped Lior's left cheek, using his thumb to keep the eye open. With practiced precision, Ezra tipped the vial and let the drop fall directly where it needed to go.
Lior flinched.
"Are you okay, sweetheart? Did it hurt?"
Lior shook his head. "N-No."
"Good," Ezra said, watching closely as the golden hue faded back to orange. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
'So it works. Completely… but,' Ezra thought, knowing the downside all too well. When the medicine wore off, the burning always came first.
He had to be careful. He had to apply it on time.
"Other eye," Ezra said softly, repeating the process.
Moments later, both of Lior's eyes had returned to their familiar orange.
'I still wish it could change them to an entirely different color,' Ezra thought as he sealed the vial and tucked it back into his satchel. 'But this is the best anyone could manage, given Lior's lineage.'
Lior's sobs slowly faded, his breathing evening out at last.
"Are you okay, my little brave boy?" Ezra asked once everything had settled.
"Y-Yes," Lior replied. But despite his words, his head remained lowered, his usual smile nowhere to be found.
Ezra noticed immediately. He always did.
"What's wrong?" He gently cupped Lior's face, encouraging him to look up.
"Maman, why… um… why do I need to change my eyes?" Lior struggled to put the question into words, but Ezra understood him perfectly.
He had been expecting this.
That was why he already had an answer.
"Remember when I told you we had to come back here, where I grew up?" Ezra asked softly. Lior nodded. "This place is very beautiful, but it isn't very safe for children with golden eyes. If people see them, they might take you away from me, and I—"
Ezra pulled Lior into his arms again, holding him close. "I don't want to be separated from you. Do you?"
Lior frowned deeply and shook his head. "No! I don't wanna!"
"That's why no one can know about your golden eyes, okay?" Ezra said gently. "It has to be our secret. Just between the two of us, so we can always stay together."
"O-Okay, Maman! I promise. I'll keep it a secret!"
"Good boy." Ezra pressed another kiss to Lior's forehead. Lior giggled, his smile returning.
'He looks determined now,' Ezra thought, smiling back.
But guilt twisted in his chest, because that wasn't the whole truth.
Ezra had to make sure no one ever saw Lior's golden eyes.
Because in this kingdom, golden eyes did not merely symbolize power.
They symbolized direct ties to the family blessed by Aurethys, the Sun God.
The De Luxaelian Sunthyr family.
The royal family.
'If anyone here saw his eyes, they'd know immediately that he's…'
Ezra couldn't finish the thought.
The idea of someone discovering Lior's identity, of someone taking him away, filled him with dread.
Not only that, but the identity of Lior's father alone was—
"Well, well… what do we have here?"
A voice spoke from behind them.
It wasn't friendly.
"What's a clean-looking fella like ya doing in our alley?"