"You pissed her off." Zylaorfier lay down on the roof next to his friend. Houvdon paid no mind to his words or actions as he continued to look up at the sky, his arms crossed behind his head. "I told her about your plans to start a war."
He didn't bother to give a response but Zylaorfier wasn't waiting for one. He continued to talk, knowing his friend was listening to every word intently. "I hope you know what you are doing. Even if I'm going to side with you, I hope you know what this will cost you. Who knows what is going to happen. You aren't invincible, today proved that."
"I wasn't the one who got hurt."
"Stop pretending that you didn't rip apart your legs. The only thing I know that has you tear the muscles in your legs in that specific way is your weird 'jumping' technique. I can see that weird dark vapor thing that always comes out of your body."
"𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤."
"Yes, Blink. Doesn't change the fact that you practically crippled yourself after just a single fight. I know you won't be able to move the way you normally move without your legs healing despite you ignoring the pain. What would Luna say about this?"
"She would support me." The Prince of Etherstorm rolled his eyes at the question he deemed trivial.
"She wouldn't support harming yourself."
"I'll heal before I see her again. I don't plan to go back to the school until this matter with the Knights is resolved."
"How long would that take?" Zylaorfier continued to argue. "You make it sound as if it'll be solved quickly, but what if it isn't solved soon? Luna and Kryva will have to leave soon. Who knows if you are chosen too?"
"How does what Luna thinks relate in any way to my decisions?" He turned his head so he looked back at where he had looked before he talked to Kryva. He focused on a specific spot in the night sky where he knew a star of darkness resided.
"I thought you genuinely cared for her."
They fell into silence as Zylaorfier took a step into water he knew he shouldn't be stepping in. He waited patiently, the same way Kryva had waited patiently for his answer to her own questions.
"Luna isn't the center of my world, and neither are you. My decisions will not be made based on your feelings."
"So why start this whole war for Kryva?"
"Who said I was fighting for her? Why does everything I do have to be related to someone?" His voice was calm and low, yet the ice mage knew that the offspring of Archelio was slowly becoming agitated once more.
"Because I know you. You never partake in any affairs involving yourself but you always try to discreetly get into other affairs. You know what the Knights are after but you just don't want to share your findings with us."
"Am I supposed to share everything with you guys?"
"You said that you trust me. You said you trusted Luna. What is the point of 'trust' if you aren't willing to confide in us?"
"I trust you to trust 𝘮𝘦." He gave a menacing glare that would've scared off anyone that wasn't Zylaorfier.
The blue-eyed male let out a small sigh. "Houvdon, I know we haven't been friends as long as you and Luna have, but I still wish you trusted me enough to let me into that head of yours. What are they after that caused you to lash out so violently?"
For the second time, Zylaorfier was forced to wait for Houvdon to sort out his thoughts before voicing them.
"I don't know what exactly they are planning, but Verilius is after Kryva. I don't know why. Kryva is young, Kirva is a much better candidate to choose for a Flame wielder. Not only is he already at an established position, he is also much stronger and asks less questions." The wielder of Light muttered the last few words under his breath.
The Prince of Nihlahim snorted at Houvdon's comment that was unseemly, as well as something nobody would imagine he would say. The Prince of Etherstorm having a sense of humor? Nobody would believe it and it would cost a fortune at the highest of noble markets if one would sell a recording of him actually making a joke.
If only they were able to record it. Nobody knew if there was a magic that allowed a person to practically copy a small fragment of reality into a portable item that allowed one to replay the events of the copied reality.
"Also, Verilius? Is he the commander of the army?"
"No, he announced himself as vice-commander. He was powerful though...I wonder how strong the commander will be."
They basked in the silence that came after Houvdon's rhetorical statement.
"Will you tell Kryva about the situation?"
Houvdon shook his head. "What I do does not concern her. She doesn't need to know that she currently has a target on her back."
"But she would appreciate it."
"I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to have me push my matters onto her. I would tell her if I believe it is of utmost importance. I don't need to tell her every little thing."
Zylaorfier threw his hands up in frustration. "Look, you always ask me for my advice. This is my advice to you. Stop hiding everything from her, me, and anyone else. I understand there are things that you don't want to tell us, but Kryva at least deserves to know that Verilius is after her head. If you can't even tell her that, then it's better to just leave Achen and stop protecting her."
Houvdon frowned. "How does me not telling her about the true goal of Verilius lead to me abandoning her after the effort I put into saving her today?"
"She doesn't need sheltering from you. She can be independent. You say you don't make friends because they only want your power? Kryva doesn't want your power, she wants your help to become a better mage. She knows she is lacking in power compared to both me and you, yet she is willing to learn how to be just like us."
"Haven't I already said it before? You can't learn how to be like me. You can only be gifted to be as strong as I currently am."
"Then why not gift it to her?"
Zylaorfier knew it was a mistake to ask that question. He felt Houvdon's aura practically explode out of him. He felt the pressure as his friend's power completely dwarfed his own.
"I would never give this to anyone else. This is my burden, and mine alone."
Houvdon stood and faced away from Zylaorfier. "I'm done talking about this matter with you. Either you help me or you don't. Either way, I am still fighting Verilius with the help of those in both Etherstorm and Achen. It is your choice if you wish to help us for a sure victory."
-----
He knocked on the door, waiting to hear something coming from inside.
He pursed his lips when he heard nothing.
Houvdon turned away but when he took one step away from the door, he heard the wood open up just slightly. He turned his head to see the door had opened just a sliver, her purple eye peeking out from the small amount of space it had opened.
"Yes?"
Houvdon turned his body again and spoke words true from his heart. "Let's talk."
"Why at this hour?"
He gave a shrug that she was barely able to see considering how the door was almost completely shut. "I didn't want to forget what I was saying after I slept."
Kryva didn't need to know that he never slept, so it was impossible for that to happen.
Houvdon was able to see her eye squint at him. She shut the door in his face after a few seconds of her intense stare. The wielder of Light gave out a light sigh, before speaking through the door. "I'll be at the garden fountain."
He walked to his destination, pondering deeply on what Zylaorfier had said hours ago.
Before he knew it he arrived at the fountain. He sat on the same stone bench that he had sat with Kryva just four days ago.
Had it really only been four days since Kryva had been chosen? It felt so much longer, with each day seemingly growing longer.
What Zylaorfier had said remained in the forefront of his thoughts. How long would it take for Verilius to stop his advances? Until he ran out of knights to use in his army? Until he gave Kryva up? Until the task the Supreme Oracle had bestowed upon the noble world had come to be fulfilled?
They only had less than a month left, about four weeks. Who knew who else would be chosen? Who knew if there were any one else that would be?
What if it was only Luna and Kryva?
"You wanted to talk to me?"
He turned to face her, scanning her. She wore traditional red robes that covered every bit of her body. While it did not cling to her body, her ample curves still showed through the robes.
He felt her tired gaze that was growing exasperated at his lack of communication.
"Sit down first."
She gave him a tired look that was enhanced by her droopy eyes. She catered to his demand, sitting down on the cold stone.
"I know what Verilius is after."
She blinked in confusion at him. "Didn't we already know this? He is after the Sacred Artifact Tempus Vernum Ruptor. I don't see how this is important enough to wake me up at such an ungodly hour."
"He isn't after Dusk Breaker. I figured it out just moments after we were attacked on our way back to your manor."
Kryva assumed that this "Dusk Breaker" was another name for Tempus Vernum Ruptor.
"So...what is it?"
"They are after you specifically."
Her jaw dropped in surprise at the audacity behind his words. To say that such a powerful figure wants her. She didn't want to go into the deeper meaning of his words that lead to forbidden thoughts.
Verilius may be handsome and powerful, but he would definitely not be the one she would choose to spend the rest of her life with.
"W-what? Why would they be after me?"
"I don't know myself. If they wanted a Flame user, they could've gotten Kirva instead. If they wanted an influential person from the Pellemeur family, it would still be Kirva, or even your mother. No, they wanted you specifically."
"If this is what you believe, what makes you think that they aren't after Kirva?"
"Because they came after us while we were returning from Reveria. If they wanted Kirva, they would have done so while we were distracted in the forest. I checked on him after I talked with Zylaorfier, he is in bed sleeping. It looks as if he had been for quite a while. If they wanted me, they would not have been polite and took me while I was heading back to Etherstorm the day after you were chosen." Houvdon paused in his explanation before glancing at her, seeing how she took his words.
She gestured for him to continue. "You saw how Verilius was with me. He cares not for my position. If he wanted to take me, he would simply need to surround me with his army. Yet he didn't. In fact, he decided to surround the Pellemeur manor, but he didn't expect me to return so soon. He came up with a solution to separating you from your home, he knew that I would introduce you to the Council. Even if I did not introduce you to the Council, I would not have returned in time to save you from their clutches. Either way, they would have achieved their objective whether I brought you to Reveria or left you behind."
He gave a small smirk. "They didn't expect me to be so experienced in wielding my magic. That was how I drove them off, with their expectations shaken. Why do you think there was no counterattack after my technique? Do you really think that they would have left us alone after such a short skirmish?"
She felt a sense of awe in Houvdon's rather long explanation. The fact that he had already identified everything within such a short amount of time was simply breathtaking. It clearly showed his intelligence, and raised questions on how he wasn't granted an official seat in the Council yet.
"You figured out all of this?"
He nodded. "At first I was confused, but after the attack yesterday evening, everything connected in my head. It also proves Zylaorfier's theory of these false [DELUSIONAL] Knights having a patron that is on the same level as the Seclusion Church's praise of the Greater Beings. The fact that Verilius knew about Dusk Breaker confirmed his theory. Only those related in the affairs of the Cosmos will know of my ability to wield this. No ordinary person would know unless I directly told them myself, or they are related to the Sacred Artifact."
"You...lost me." Houvdon's second explanation completely puzzled her. Was he talking about "cosmic matters" now, whatever it meant? She didn't understand.
The focused look faded from his amber eyes as he shook his head. "Never mind, it isn't important. The important thing is that you are now being targeted and you must keep yourself protected at all times. I doubt they will attack during mornings and late nights."
"How am I supposed to defend myself if you were barely able to hold them off?"
"Then it means I'll have to be close by with you all the time."
She shook her head at the implied meaning of his words, even if he himself did not realize the meaning of his words. Houvdon clearly lacked any knowledge of anything involving a man and woman.
Two people, especially as young as them, should not live under the same roof.
"I won't allow you to stay here."
"Kirva would."
She threw her arms up in exasperation. "Then what is the point of telling me this if you already decided on your own."
"Zylaorfier told me that you would appreciate knowing these things ahead of time." Houvdon looked genuinely confused, torn between who to listen to. His friend, or the person that was essentially telling him to not tell her.
She closed her eyes as agitation filled her. "Never mind, do as you please."
With the seriousness of the discussion over, and silence falling over the two, she finally noticed the cold of the early morning and shivered. She realized she should have worn one of the fur cloaks over her robes to protect herself from the wind.
Houvdon eyed this, and miraculously figured that he held enough kindness in his heart to bestow his own cloak to her, covering her in warmth as well as his scent.
"Thank you." She felt her face heat up as she looked everywhere but at him. While she no longer felt flustered by everything he had done as she had before, she still felt shy in these sort of interactions where Houvdon would break out of his character and seemingly be a different person.
Had it really only been around 4 days since their reunion?
"It's best if you go back. I'll stay here for a bit longer to admire the garden before heading back."
She cocked her head as she looked at his garments. It was a traditional set of fabric, worn by those that did not hold positions in the hierarchy, yet were not peasants. Lesser nobles, these fabrics belonged to. They were much more comfortable than the formal and elegant clothing that they had to wear to ceremonies and banquets between nobles.
"Don't stay out for too long, it is cold. And you are no longer wearing your cloak." She attempted to give it back to him, as she was already heading back in, but he caught her wrist.
"Not cold." He reassured her with a soft smile, the second that he had given her since the week had started.
"O-oh." She retracted her hand as it grew cold, hiding it underneath the cloak. The wind blew the fur softly as she bowed to Houvdon. "I'll take my leave. Until tomorrow."
The Prince of Etherstorm watched as she walked away, engulfed in the dark colors of his cloak.
He waited a few moments before speaking up again, seemingly to himself. "Are Zylaorfier and I right? Do you really have a patron?"
He cocked his head, seemingly waiting for a response to his question.
"I'm impressed. Who would've expected for two ordinary mages to figure out the truth so quickly?" Almost as if he was already there, the Knight donning the armor that bore the symbol of the Sun stepped forward from behind Houvdon.
The faceless helmet stared directly at the Prince, who turned around to meet where the eyes would have been if there were eye holes in the helmet.
"Vice-Commander." He gave a curt bow.
He can practically feel the mocking smirk on Verilius's face. "Retainer."
"You should know of all people I'm not an ordinary mage. Tell me, is that how you knew about Tempus Vernum Ruptor? Is your master really someone related to the Greater Beings?"
He heard something that sounded similar to steel upon steel. Verilius's body shook underneath the armor, and he knew he was laughing.
Laughing in mockery.
"Retainer, do you really think that I would tell you? You may be intelligent and capable of putting pieces together, but do you really think I would tell you anything about the legion?"
He took a step forward, but Houvdon did not take any back.
They continued their game of silence, waiting for the other to say something.
The wielder of Light finally broke the silence. "Tell me, why did you appear before me?"
-----
𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕰𝖓𝖉