Atlante had collapsed.
Even when Seianes contaminated the land, even when Zeyaom spread ambiguous prophecies about Cairens, the great god of heaven who had remained still easily stepped forward when it came to humans’ faults.
“……”
Even watching the flames engulf people and countless humans fleeing, Henelion showed no reaction.
Why did they carelessly lay hands on Cairens? He hadn’t known the citizens and king of Atlante would be so foolish.
Henelion didn’t realize that instead of reflecting on his own lack of fairness, he was pushing all the blame onto easy targets—the humans. Perhaps it was difficult for him to realize.
—Henelion, will you hold Seianes and Zeyaom accountable for their sins?
The voice of his whispering lover reached deep into his heart.
“I suppose I should, right? The other children also suffered because of that……”
—His sin will be judged by me and my siblings. So you don’t need to worry about him.
Before Henelion could do anything, his heart advised him first.
His lover was saying he didn’t need to do anything.
—What would happen if you carelessly touched Seianes, one of the most influential beings in this land you rule? You stay still. The rest, my siblings and I will handle.
Reassured by his lover’s whisper, Henelion quietly lay down on the bed.
His head was complicated. Even though he felt this wasn’t right, his lover didn’t spare advice along with love in his ear. And he repeated tasks as the wisdom resonating in his chest commanded.
He must never harbor doubt in what his lover said. Because his words always held the correct answer.
“How exhausting.”
Yet what was this empty feeling in the center of his chest?
How much blood had he seen to ascend to the high heavens? Yet the sky he had been pursuing was blocked by the ceiling wall and couldn’t be seen.
At times like this, vague anxiety would bloom.
Just before ascending to this position, when his eyes met with Ircadeon, his only sibling and now mortal enemy, his eyes had been soaked like crimson blood.
At that time, Henelion had thought of Amina and cried out at the ominous shadow of desire he felt from Ircadeon’s eyes.
[You are cursed.]
White eyes that had distorted helplessly as if seeing something terrible. Swirling anger could be glimpsed.
[We will never forgive you.]
Victory had been seized by Henelion, but even afterward, Henelion often recalled that memory and felt anxiety.
He was afraid at the thought that someday his younger brother might crumble everything he had worked so hard to achieve like a sandcastle.
“I’ve been doing well, haven’t I?”
Henelion asked his heart. More precisely, it was a question directed at his lover whom he had swallowed long ago.
—My beloved Henelion. What are you so afraid of? You simply did what you had to do. So rest assured. No one will say anything about your qualifications.
The heart whispered quickly to reassure him.
He raised his hand toward his heart and felt his lover’s heartbeat pulsing within him. Surprisingly, his sharp mind settled and he felt stable.
“Yes, I understand…… Even though I have everything, I miss you.”
As he whispered toward his chest, the heart stirred again and whispered to him.
—I am here. Your lover is here. It’s okay. Rest assured. My Henelion. You just need to follow my words filled with wisdom.
Feeling a strange sense of stability, he closed his eyes. His beloved was pulsing and whispering to him. Memories of the past he missed kissed him. Long ago, the arrow shot by solitude had stung.
“Still, thank you for not resenting me until the end. I love you.”
Henelion curled his body and whispered toward his heart. At his answer, the heart that had always stirred stopped dead. Not a single answer reached his ears.
* * *
Seianes, who could finally hold the child in his arms after so long, couldn’t sleep for a different reason.
Last time, if he couldn’t sleep because he was searching for the child, this time it was hard to fall asleep in case the reality of finding this child was a dream.
“My Abrisius.”
The child whose eyes were now black, no longer red. Though he was concerned about the part involving the power Amina had given, since he couldn’t carelessly ask Amina about it, he decided to accept the current situation. Because Amina didn’t think highly of Henelion and his children.
“I won’t be separated from you anymore.”
Not knowing what curse had been placed on him, Seianes tightly embraced Abrisius in his arms. Tomorrow, he planned to take this child out to show him the outside for once.
Wouldn’t even things he had already seen be more novel if they saw them together?
“Sleep well, Abrisius. See you tomorrow.”
Seianes kissed sleeping Abrisius’s forehead and whispered. At the familiar and warm touch, a slight smile spread across the lips of Abrisius, who had dozed off.
* * *
Time passed quickly.
Seianes went out with Abrisius every day.
Riding a carriage drawn by deer, in spring they viewed flowers in full bloom, in summer they saw verdant lakes and reeds. In autumn they saw trees dyed red and gleaming grain, and in winter they saw a world frozen white.
Things they already knew, and things they didn’t know—when they were together, everything was novel and enjoyable.
Like that, one day, two days…… a month, a year…… Time passed quickly and slowly. Finally, about thirteen years had passed.
Savoring the spring that had come around again, Abrisius was languidly sprawled out. Seeing the sun had risen to its zenith, it was already afternoon.
“You should get up. How long are you going to stay sprawled out like that?”
A firm voice was heard directed at Abrisius, who was about to close his eyes and sleep again. When he opened his eyes with a slight frown, Seianes was looking down at him from above, blocking the sunlight.
“Get up now.”
“Yawn…… Seianes, I’m so sleepy. Can’t I sleep more?”
“You’re sleepy because you’re lying down like that. How long are you going to act spoiled? Get up now.”
“No. I like this.”
Seianes, who had been looking down as if he couldn’t stop Abrisius from continuing to roll around on the grass, let out a sigh.
“I think I’ve been too indulgent with you.”
“You’re just realizing that now?”
He seemed so innocent when he was young, but should he say he became slightly cheeky as he grew, or should he say slippery? It was truly perplexing whenever he acted like this.
“Pick me up.”
Spreading both arms wide toward Seianes, Abrisius said.
Abrisius’s appearance acting spoiled like a young child was lovable. It was absurd for a fully grown kid to act like a child, but on the other hand, it was cute, so Seianes had no choice but to accept that clinginess.
Then and now, Seianes was weak to Abrisius.
“Okay, fine. You need to get up now.”
To help Abrisius stand up, Seianes bent down and embraced him. The moment he held him, feeling the heavy and solid body, Seianes was newly reminded that he had fully grown. Just as he was about to slowly help him stand, Abrisius exerted strength and pulled Seianes down.
“……Whoa!”
When force was applied near his waist, Seianes’s body tilted sharply forward. His body, having lost its center, soon fell on top of Abrisius.
When he inadvertently buried his face in Abrisius’s nape, he felt a faint scent. The fragrance of moist grass filled with fog after the rain had cleared.
The scent traveling along his nose stimulated his five senses. Forgetting that he should raise his body, Seianes inhaled.
Was it his imagination that lately he felt unfamiliar emotions toward Abrisius? Like a flower that had just bloomed, Abrisius’s appearance was also coming to life. His unique smile and scent sometimes made Seianes feel strange.
Even now, his heart was pounding and racing on its own. He shouldn’t be like this, but Abrisius’s scent piercing his nose was dizzying his reason.
“Do you like it that much?”
A languid voice stabbed at his ear. Only then did Seianes come to his senses and quickly pull away from Abrisius’s nape.
“What are you doing right now?”
“What am I doing? Just come here and play.”
Even though Seianes’s startled face had turned red, Abrisius was smiling mischievously and pretending to know nothing.
The moment Seianes opened his mouth to say something again, Abrisius pulled his arm again.
When the weight shifted to one side again, Seianes’s body swayed and fell.
Taking advantage of that gap, Abrisius lightly turned Seianes’s body to the side. As the center reversed, this time Seianes was in a position covering Abrisius.
