"What happens? Why do you look so moody today? Did something bad happen at the school?" Seeing Eric's unusual behavior, Aiden concernedly asks.
From the moment, he entered the house Eric keep sighing while being silent. In Aiden's view, he looks like a baby who needs some emotional comfort.
"Nothing happened…
Aiden, am I look like a bad guy?" Slowly opening to Aiden, Eric curiously raises a question that keeps wandering around his mind.
"Cough… cough…" That question was quite surprising in its own way, also Aiden can't answer that question genuinely without any idea how he gonna react after getting an genuine answer. "Why are you asking such a question suddenly? Did anyone say something?"
"No one said anything, I just felt that way because of someone's gaze." Covering his face with the pillow he hugged tightly while sitting on Aiden's bed, Eric spoke in a dim voice.
'So something happened, but what made him look so hurt?' [Aiden]
"I don't know how others feel about you or look at you, at least for me you aren't a bad guy.
At the age of twelve, you stand in front of me as a hero, whom I want to follow all my life. However, there are times when I regret my decisions, but not once, I truly wished to leave you alone." Eric's head slowly come out of the pillow, seeing it Aiden continued.
"Of course, you aren't a good guy… But not a bad one either…
There is a say that, No one can be a hero in everyone's eyes. Whatever we do, someone always found a fault and thinks of us as a villain. So never get entangled with those people, just ignore them and live the way you want."
"Wow…"
"What?"
"I never thought you can give such an excellent speech other than crying and yelling." Hearing such words from Eric, Aiden wants to take back his motivational speech. "Anyway, for a moment, you exactly sound like my mom… She also tries to encourage me like this when I feel down… You know, most of the time it's really hard for me to understand others and please them…"
"Sometimes, I really can't understand you. Are you really the young master I know?" Suspiciously Aiden asks.
"No, I'm someone else who ends up in this body one day." Eric simply tells the truth; Aiden gets shocked by the answer first, then takes it as a stupid joke.
"Stop teasing me!"
"Aiden, you have been with Eric for years, still don't think he have been different these days." Eric continued with a serious face. "Think, am I the Eric you know before? I'm a heartless monster that would kill anyone who seemed to be a threat to me…"
"Do you want me to scream or something? Stop being so scary out of nowhere.
Of course, I know everything from the beginning. Isn't that why I joined black dragons and been your side for all these years." Overturning Eric's expectation, Aiden replied with a normal expression.
Instead of Aiden, Eric been in shock after hearing such reply. In front of him, the real Eric's past become more and more puzzled.
Keith only knew a little about Eric who doesn't have a background story in the novel. Even after living as him, Keith doesn't find anything much interesting about him at all.
In Keith's view, Eric is an unwanted useless child who lives in misery because of the people around him. But for the first time, he got curious to know more about that guy from Aiden's view.
"Young master, I know you are a heartless mon… person, more than anyone in this world. But at the same time, I also know you are a kind and caring person from deep inside from the day we met.
That time you were a little monster, now it grown to become a ruthless heartless monster." Aiden doesn't unfold the past to Keith, but he talks like a person who knew a secret side of Eric that no one else does.
Thinking back about the events that occurred, Aiden's silent support towards the crimes that Eric has done somewhat feels so strange. He always stayed by his side like a loyal dog, also his fear towards Eric never come across their relationship not even once.
However, Keith really wants to ask how he met Eric, but doesn't bring it up. Because he knew, the moment he raises such a question a drift can occur between him and Aiden.
Sometimes, keeping the truth as a lie is much better than building up lies.
"Young master, after being a heartless person how can you be hurt by someone so easily…" In a teasing way, Aiden asks while changing the topic.
"That because I only got hurt by those, whom I care…"
"So, is that person someone you like?"
"Someone I like… mmm… Seem so… But I'm not sure yet." Thinking deeply about the relationship with Abaddon, Eric replied.
"You aren't sure! Who's that? Is she in our class? Did I know her?" Curiously Aiden asks.
"Yeah, it's not a she but a he."
"H-He…" In an unbelievable way, Aiden looks at Eric. "I didn't hear wrong, right? You like a boy?" To confirm what he heard, Aiden anxiously ask again.
"Yeah, a boy." With slight shyness, Eric replied.
"Its hard to accept such a thing that easily. But I understand, love has no gender, and it's your right to love whoever you want.
So who's that person?" In a mature understanding way, Aiden tries to speak.
"It's Abaddon."
"Who?"
"Abaddon."
Hearing the name, Aiden fall to the floor unconsciously because of the shock he just received.