The day had just started but Keito could already tell that it was not a good day. The shock of the guardian deity's identity had made him numb to everything around himself. Not to mention, the way his grandfather had treated Noah, he did not like it.
There had been a time he himself had treated Noah with such cruelty but that was so long ago, but the reason had been personal then. He was willing to bet that his grandfather was doing it just because he could and that did not sit right with Keito.
Since he had been dismissed early from the meeting, he quickly followed his daily routine.
The nice thing about having a fixed routine was that he did not have to think as everything followed the same routine every day. Of course, he had to pay attention to what he was doing but that required only a fraction of his mental power.
Overall, his brain was still in a shutdown mode over everything that happened today.
The family car dropped him at his school and somehow, today seemed to be dragging itself. The classes felt longer than before and the voices around him irritated his ears.
Even Jess's absence got on his nerves and Keito could feel his temper rise in a fast manner. This had never happened before, never like this. He was a mild-mannered child in this life, unlike his previous one.
But somehow seeing Noah again was the key to all the emotions he had locked by as negative and harmful. His carefully crafted mask was falling apart and the dragging of the time just made it worse.
Several times in the day he wondered if this was all but a dream if the morning even happened but the simple image that flashed behind his eyes and the sweet smell still clogging his throat reminded him otherwise.
This just brought the anger to a new high point all over again.
As soon as the school was over, he dashed out of his class and toward his home.
He needed to see for himself, needed to confirm if the fox deity he saw was Noah or not. After all, his grandfather had never called out his name, just addressed him as an object - so there was a chance that the other was a completely different being.
He might not be Noah at all.
But somehow he doubted it. His senses all pointed out to the tired, defeated figure as the once-proud friend he had. But if he really was Noah, then he needed to make amends and fast.
He ditched his maids as soon as he could and made his way inside the mansion. His steps were silent and he did not change from the clothes he wore to his school.
He made his way toward the back building which held the deity and quickly checked the perimeters. There was no one there at that time and Keito easily made his way inside the complex.
"You should not be here young master" the low, sweet voice caused him to shiver, his senses tingled at that voice and he watched the white shadow of the person come out from the side courtyard.
He hadn't even noticed the other who stood in such an obvious spot. How careless of him to not notice at all.
"I-I was just looking around. I-Is grandfather here?" Keito asked, his voice unnecessarily nervous and he knew that it was not a good sign. The white-haired one just narrowed his blue eyes at him and he noticed something rise on top of his head.
"Master is not here at the moment. Perhaps you should visit some other time, young master?" the other's voice hinted that he should perhaps leave right now but he could not make himself move at all.
He was stuck here, right in front of this creature.
"Ah, I see. Maybe I'll come back later" Keito was sure that his voice betrayed his nervousness and the other cloaked his head to a side in confusion.
"As you wish. Please take care while going out" the voice and now the smell, both were getting stronger every second and Keito could feel himself react. But he did not want to leave too because this was his chance to ask the questions.
It was rare for his grandfather to be away and he was not sure if he would get another chance like this anytime soon.
"You're not going back?" Noah, no, the deity asked once again, now his attention fully focused on Keito and all Keito could do was to turn his head away in embarrassment. Then his attention fell toward the fluffy stuff that seemed to be moving.
They were tails, several of them and he could not tell where they began and ended. His hands itched to touch but he should not because it would be rude.
"Young master" his attention snapped up, only to see a white hand a little further away from his face and he panicked as he backed away. A shadow of something passed over that lovely face in front of him before it was masked in a polite imitation.
"Ah, yes. N-no, I'll go. M-my name is K-Keito, remember that" He wanted to ask a lot but somehow the words would not leave his throat. They were stuck inside him, unwilling to come out.
"Ah, I see. Then I'll see you in practice tomorrow Master Keito" Keito turned back, only to see that the fox was gone but his heart gave a thump at those last soft words and he was sure that this fox was Noah.
No one else called out his name like that, so softly and with that tone. Only Noah had, perhaps and he had never stopped, even when Keito had not been good to him.
The more he looked back, the more he was sure that perhaps he had made the final decision in a rash manner because his lovely Jess had survived long enough to give him an heir so maybe Noah was not the one to betray him.
But how had his once friends ended up here and in such a situation? Who's fault was it and could Keito help him at all? After all, it was his family Noah was bound too and it did not feel right to see the other in such a state.
It really made Keito itch to help, but if only he knew how. But maybe he had a chance now because he would be the next 'master' of Noah and would have control over him.
All he had to do now was to make sure he had enough power to overpower everyone else in the family and become the family head as fast as he could, even if it meant to overthrow his grandfather.
And maybe, Jess would once again agree to marry him, even if she did not have any of her precious memories.
Keito did not pay attention to the feeling he got as he thought about marrying Jess because that had something that had happened in a past life too, the doubt and uncertainty that it was right but in the end, he had been content, if not happy.
He would make sure this time around, everything goes right and he would not make any mistakes. This was, perhaps, a second chance given to him by the gods and he would cherish it with everything he had.
Even if it meant to abandon everything and start anew with nothing in his grapes, to begin with.
And it would start with the training his grandfather assigned to him tomorrow and get close to Noah as a result.
Keito was not proud to say it, but he had fled the place as soon as he had come to the realisation that it was Noah he was facing. In all his memories, he could see him as an imposing figure, not in size but in aura and actions.
Especially in his last moments, all he could see was the imposing and unbreakable figure of a person he thought had betrayed him and he had been angry - even to the point of cursing and he felt everything become overwhelming faster than he could make it out to be.
The night arrived with a solemn air but sleep was not so kind. All Keito could do was to dream of the past, his mind repeating things that had already come to pass and things that had yet to come to pass.
One second he was in front of his soldiers ready to repel the rebels and the other times he was back in the royal academy, Noah accompanying him. Then his dream flashed to the time he had met Jess for the first time and to the one he had met Noah for the first time.
The first time he had met Noah, he had been a similar age, the other barely ten and the situation had even been similar - a slave market.
Somehow, when his eyes had met the slave, something had clicked inside his mind and he had bought him. Of course, he freed him and even gave him a job. And that's why the betrayal had stung him so much at that time.
Someone he trusted had betrayed his trust and he had acted so rashly.
Would someone else have done something different in his stead? He was not sure but he wanted the assurance so badly that Noah in his dreams told him repeatedly that 'it was not his fault'. Keito did not agree and it was torture all on its own.
When he woke up, he could feel his body ache and he knew that he had not had a good sleep at all. He wanted to go back asleep but just the thought of missing the meeting with Noah made his body act up.
He knew it was more contributed by the fact that his body saw Noah as a potential Omega and perhaps 'mate' rather than anything else but he did not have much control over that aspect. Would it have behaved similarly in the past had he known? He was not sure.
What he did know was that he had a direction to move in now.
Somehow, his body cooperated with him when he dragged it out of the bed and made his way toward the outside. The day was sunny but he didn't feel it as such. It felt as if every second was dragging longer than the last one and he was tired overall.
Soon he arrived at the courtyard he had seen Noah yesterday but the other was not here yet. Did that mean that he had to face his grandfather alone today? He was not mentally prepared to have such a day.
"Young master, please make your way here" Noah's voice calmed down his nerves as he finally saw the fluffy head of the other. Once again, the other had appeared from who knows where and had given him an almost scare with his presence.
But soon he toon in the other and he could tell that something was not right. It was nothing big or glaring like a red bruise on his skin but the way the other was handling himself - how he preferred one side to the other or leaned toward his right leg more than the left.
Was he hurt?
"Ah, you're finally here Keito. Come here and I'll teach you the basics" his grandfather's bombing voice and aura descended upon him all of a sudden which caused him to almost choke on it.
His grandfather passed him an unamused look as he walked past him and Keito let out a bitter smile at that.
"I'm sorry for getting distracted" Keito finally forced out when the glaring eyes did not leave his person. His grandfather finally let out a satisfied humm and turned around. The fox also did the same but gave him a lookout of the corner of his eyes.
"Please hurry up this way" Keito followed the pair through the garden and soon they stood in the clearing which he was getting incredibly familiar with.
"You, get my grandson his equipment" the voice was cold as if talking with someone not way below his status and Keito watched with wide eyes as the fox hurried up to carry out the order.
He found it fascinating and disturbing at the same time because as much as the other had been ready to not confront others, he had never been submissive in life. But here Noah was, carrying out orders as if he had followed them throughout his life.
And perhaps he had been and longer than a lifetime too.
The fox soon came back with a pile of junk in his arms, the pile even higher than the fox himself. His grandfather just looked at the pile before he took the sword at the bottom causing the whole pile to get disturbed and fall apart.
The sound the swords and the equipment made as they fell was loud and clashing. The frown on his grandfather's face was more telling than anything else that a mistake had been made.
"Can I have the sword now? I would like to start early" Keito did not know why he did this, called attention to himself but he instantly regretted it as those eyes turned toward him and there was a strange light in them.
"I guess we can start and you" his grandfather pointed to the fox at his side, "I'll deal with you later" the words were a promise rather than a threat and Kaito felt himself shivering at the tone. It promised nothing good to the listener.
The fox himself looked shaken but Kaito could not help and his heart sank at the realisation. But soon the thought left his mind as the sword practice started.
His grandfather taught him the basics and talked about the power his blood had and something about dragon ancestors but Keito could not pay attention at all, his mind focused on the omega right in front of him.
The omega was looking at him with wide, wary eyes and Kaito knew that he had to tone his play down or his secret would be out before he wanted it to be.
The day had ended with Kaito's body aching terribly due to fatigue. Throughout the day, his mind and body had been in constant motion and he could not move it as he wanted it to move.
Whatever his grandfather taught him, he already knew in theory but to apply it practically was a different matter altogether. His new body was not used to such a vigorous activity and thus the pains.
But his mind was clear as a result and he could actually think now. Thinking back on everything that he had experienced in the past two days and it was only after exhausting his body that he could feel like he saw it all in connection with each other.
So, the first thing that he knew was that he had died in a fire that was started by someone whom he had trusted. It may or may not have been Noah, he could not be sure.
He had killed Noah or at least been a part of it because he had thought that Jess had died but she had been alive. He had only come to know the truth in the mere moments after his death before he had to depart again and his regrets sometimes overwhelmed him, but he had somewhat come to terms with it all.