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The world was crumbling and dying around them.
The Black Tide had consumed everything in its path, leaving nothing behind. The world had died as they knew it, as the prophecy foretold. It was the death of a planet on an infinite loop.
But, this time, there was a change. Even as the world around them died.
Two people stood at the edge of the universe.
A Lord Ravager and the holder of Remembrance.
The tragic story of death and loss would be changed.
But, with what grave cost?
“It’s finally time.”
Phainon closed his eyes.
Yes… it was really time.
Time itself was being twisted and rewound as they were speaking.
The Trailblazing path not only allowed for the cosmos to be explored, but for fate to be rewritten from the past to the future, above and beyond. If only he could thank them for all their contributions, he would make sure their names are never forgotten within this world in time.
If the Trailblazer was successful in their journey, the world would not end in empty darkness. The world would not be reborn out of sickening wrath, but in the purest colors of wonders alike.
His body would crumble. Not just his flesh and bones, but the very soul that made up who he was.
Was he truly ready to die?
He wasn’t sure.
Did he want to die?
Phainon took the time to breathe, to take in the air around them as the world continued to die and collapse. The wings that had become a part of his body once he ripped his heart out moved with the harrowing wind, the shell of what he used to be emitting light as the sun he was supposed to be.
He held his head up high.
“Cyrene…”
He turned over to her, looking at her in the eyes.
“Thank you… for being my friend for all these years.”
He could sense something in Cyrene’s eyes shift as he spoke those words, looking at him amid the deafening silence before giving a smile. A soft, gentle smile, nothing more than undoubtful love.
“Of course, Phainon… no need to ever say thank you.”
He nodded slowly with closed eyes once she finished her sentence, taking in one final breath before staring at the wide, demolished world before them.
He would not allow any of this to repeat again.
Never would he allow his parents to die for their useless child, a child who had done nothing for his home when it was wiped away by the Black Tide.
Never would he allow his hometown and several other villages to suffer under the oppression of monsters that craved for blood, tearing apart all people that stood in their way and spreading havoc wherever they went.
Never would he allow Tribbie, Trianne, and Trinnon to break down again and again until there were no more of them left when they used to be a thousand. Never would Aglaea have to be backstabbed by the very people she protected all her life. Never would Anaxa have to be condemned to death for his blasphemy, for trying to seek the pure truth of the world. Never would Castorice have to suffer from the touch of death, not being able to hold the Chimeras in the courtyard with happiness and delight. Never would Cipher have to be outcast by the people for her lies that she spoke as true for the sake of the flame-chasing journey. Never would Hyacine have to treat hundreds of patients in her young lifetime continuously from all the bloodshed and enemies they had to endure.
And never would he allow Mydei to suffer thousands upon thousands of deaths, all torturous and unbearable for a single man to have to go through. Never would Mydei have to live through the violence and continous fury again, for the world can be kind to him for once in their life. Never would he be betrayed by the very person that swore to protect him, leaving him to die alone and still love the dawn till his very last breath. He could live the life he always wanted in Crastum Kremnos, in the lands of Amphoreus where unneeded strife would not follow him everywhere he went. There could be peace in his heart, happiness that he always deserved, everything.
He took the time as he beat his wings, hovering over the broken ground.
Raising his hand up high, dark matter started to form where he stood, the feeling of the hottest fire itself burning through his whole system. Blood dripped out from where his heart once was, a new kind of pain searing heavily.
He looked back, gazing over to Cyrene who watched on, standing tall.
And then he smiled.
Both of them smiled. Filled to the brim with tears and unspoken words that stretched far and wide.
One last smile shared between the two friends.
“May this world never have need for a Deliverer.”
Back then, all he had done was laugh in return, seeing the way Cyrene smiled and followed him.
He never noticed the sadness that was clear in her eyes, the way it told a hundred bittersweet things all at the same time.
Now, he understood.
As the cube expanded more and more in his hand, he felt himself slowly start to rise. To the skies high above and into the air, all the while Cyrene’s powers accumulated from her own fingers.
Memories started to swirl around with his overflowing thoughts as his breathing hitched.
The magic wrapped around his very being as he felt pieces of himself start to waver from the energy. A sense of cold swept through his hollow body as the cracks grew, the essence that made up his body starting to break down. He could feel himself breaking apart.
Parts of his face chipped off, golden blood flowing around beside him.
The pain became more agonizing by the second, tearing him apart as he held on. His hand shook under the pressure, but he didn’t let go. Darkness started to envelop him, wrapping around his form as the pain became too much to bear, too much to hold together properly.
But even then, he did not allow himself to falter. He would never falter.
He let out a shout, a cry that reverberated inside of the cocoon he made for himself.
With a final crush of his hand, the cube dissipated in a snap.
And it all burst into white.
. . .
In the dead of night, Phainon woke up from his light slumber.
He rubbed his eyes, letting himself drift away from his thoughts for a moment as he looked at the ceiling above him. His head was heavy with thoughts, even after the night he had just spent in loving, devoted intimacy.
His body was sore, marks of their quarrel still apparent under the moonlight.
Marks that he was more than happier to hold if it meant he can be Mydei’s and Mydei can be his, even for this one single night.
The blanket dipped over his bare body as he slid away, trying to sit up and wincing because of his aching body. He quietly smiled to himself, looking over to the other still seemingly resting beside him.
His finger grazed over one mark in particular, still clearly lost in thought. Phainon felt himself slowly starting to slip, eyes half-closed as he put a hand over to his forehead. He was trying his best to not wake the other, for he was still resting. Right?
“Deliverer.”
He would’ve jumped out of his skin if it weren’t for the arms that wrapped around his waist, pulling him back into the covers.
His breathing hitched as the arms got more tighter, taking a moment before his own hand grazed the other’s own, turning his head over just a bit to look at each other in the eyes.
“You think too much, Deliverer.”
Mydei’s voice was rough with sleep, and Phainon couldn’t help but weakly chuckle in response.
“Perhaps my mind has a mouth of its own… talking all day and all night…” he spoke, his own voice hoarse as he continued to brush his fingers against his arm. He then brought the hand to his lips, kissing him by his knuckles.
The Crown Prince did not initially answer, though a quiet intake of air went through his lips from the light kiss to his knuckles. Mydei, in response, pressed his nose against the sun tattoo on his neck, breathing in and out carefully, and then nuzzling into the tenderness, feeling him all the more fondly. Phainon leaned into the warmth, sighing longingly as their legs tangled together.
“Then make it rest,” Mydei continued on, his voice soon becoming a tad bit softer than before, “Let yourself rest before the sun decides to rise for today.”
He felt his heart skip a beat, all the while it continued to ache upon the answer that his lover gave. A soft, breathy sound scarcely escaped from Phainon as he let Mydei give a slow, dutiful kiss to the side of his neck before twisting his body to face him properly.
Phainon let his hand trace the tattoo markings across his face, letting it flutter around before he leaned into kiss Mydei by the lips. Mydei pressed in closer, getting only a tad bit deep as they parted their lips together, lost in the haze before they carefully broke apart and let their foreheads touch.
If only this night can last longer.
If only they could stay in the warm, encompassing embrace together.
Phainon let out a soothed exhale, finally leaning against the other’s bare chest, moving his arms underneath and over to hug him by the lower back, all the while Mydei himself moved to hold him as well. They pressed into each other, flesh and skin melding in two bodies… leaning each other, supporting each other, as the noises of the night continued on aimlessly.
Several sentences from all the poems he’s read, the stories of romance that he daydreamed about to himself, circled inside his mind as he wondered what he could say.
You complete me.
I need you.
My heart belongs to you.
I’m head over heels for you.
I’m truly nothing without you.
But, in the end, he whispered what his heart clearly knew.
"I love you, Mydei…”
Underneath the chin resting against the top of his head, Phainon felt Mydei smile.
And as he started to drift off to sleep, he was able to barely hear the words that his love spoke silently for no one else to hear but them.
“You are the whole world to me… Phainon.”
. . .
Everything burned.
It was as if every part of his body had been enveloped by the sun itself, his broken body scorched from the inside out, burning away into nothing more than ashes and glowing starlight.
He was breaking apart, shattering, disintegrating under the very force he made with his hands.
It hurt.
It hurt so much.
He was falling, falling off the face of the world itself as his wings burned away, leaving nothing else but feathers that dissolved instantly under the fiery hellfire.
Even as he tried to hold in the affliction, the way his flesh cracked and broke off from his withering bones made everything all the more painful, splintered from his dying self. Golden ichor flowed away into the air alongside the pieces of who he was, the hollow body that offered nothing else but to be the cage that held the soul. The soul that was the core to all suffering in this wonderful world for so many time loops.
The world that would soon forget about who the Deliverer ever was.
Phainon could not help the scream that escaped his throat.
It strangled away from his callous lips, a hoarse voice with no sound echoing silently throughout the dark space while he tried to move his limbs.
A quiet melody, forever unheard.
He reached out for nothing in particular. He wanted to grasp onto something, anything that can help with the agony that tore him apart.
But, no. There was nothing.
Nothing at all.
No one to help him. No words to ease his wails.
The pain was blinding, feeling every second of the torment going through his system,
More pieces broke off and he cried out more with the silent tears that never had the chance to fall.
It burns. It hurts.
I’m drowning. I’m dying.
Let the pain stop.
I beg of you, let the pain stop.
I want to die. I don’t want to die.
I don’t want to live. I want to live.
I want all my friends back.
Why must life be so cruel?
Why does fate have to be this wicked?
Will they be safe?
Will they get the ending they deserve?
What about my ending?
Can they be happy now?
Please let them all stay happy for the rest of their lives.
Even though he had condemned himself for this to happen, it didn’t mean getting ripped apart wasn’t any less agonizing,
The ashes flowed like snow in the midst of an ordinary winter day, when the harvest in the wheat field would come to a halt for the kids to come out and play. It swept into the air through the void, shining pure white, glowing in the darkness.
He could no longer breathe. No longer talk.
In the darkness where no one would ever know, Phainon allowed himself to break apart completely.
His soundless words and choked out sobs were gone as his mouth cracked away and he stopped trying, blood spewing away further. It dribbled down the cracks left behind of what used to be his chin, and droplets cascaded down.
Phainon stared at the darkness before him. He watched as his arm splintered right in front of his eyes, crumbling away as his whole body did, turning into dust, getting further and further away.
His face furrowed, feeling the vestiges of what remained of him dying away slowly.
Time seemed to slow down in these final moments. He could feel the darkness tear him apart and break him down, the wisps of Cyrene’s power surrounding him being barely felt against the heat.
How many times had he died in the past? How many people suffered and laid their lives for him to carry onto paradise, only for him to fail and leave them to the next cycle instead?
How many times had he burned away, falling to his shortcomings as his bones broke and made the world the way it was?
How many times had he screamed, cursed, cried, grieved for no one to hear, only to pick himself back up in his death to keep on going?
How long had this gone on for?
How long had this suffering lasted?
For how long did he dream of the day where the people of Okhema all smiled and cheered, dancing and singing in their joyous celebration for the peaceful world they obtained in harmony? Seeing the people of various villages and small homes join in on the grand festival as they thanked the Chrysos Heirs for all that they had done?
What exactly did he think when he thought of his beloved friends’ faces? How had he imagined them, the face they gave when they saw him for what he did? For all of them?
Would they have been able to see who he really was?
The weak boy that always failed in his duty in the end… the man that held many heedless thoughts, a destroyer of worlds that hungered for revenge and forgotten fantasies... the flawed person that he was, every mistake carved into the very marrow itself.
Or had they all already known that?
Did they all know how broken he was, yet still loved him for who he was?
He wanted to see. He wanted to understand. He wanted to know.
The cacophony of voices, filled with their hopes, their wishes, the dreams that everyone held to their hearts rang inside his collapsing mind.
“Snowy! See you tomorrow!” Tribbie’s voice called out to him, his teacher’s joyful tone bouncing in clear glee before she soon turned to fly away alongside the other two, giggling away in the blissful moment as he waved her a farewell, and she turned to give her own wave of goodbye one last time.
“Try not to get as hurt as you often do, Phainon… we still need you!” Hyacine spoke in a worried tone. However, there was no real bite as she slowly wrapped the bandages around his wounded arm. Even as he tried to joke it off, what he got in return was a light smack to the top of his head, more akin to a gentle pat than anything.
Cipher let out a resounding cackle, chuckling as her tail swished back and forth. “You’ve grown a lot now, haven’t you, little hero?” She taunted, though the tease in her voice was as clear as day, and he couldn’t help but laugh along as well… and that brought a smirk to her face.
Despite the silence of what she exuded, he would never forget the little moments where Castorice giggled from the reckless antics he always made, laughing at every single dumb joke. The corners of her eyes crinkled before simply sighing, speaking like a soft breeze, “Thank you, Lord Phainon… your words always touch my heart.”
“My dear student truly has become the bane of my existence…” Anaxa spoke, clearly exasperated as he scoffed out loud. Anyone here would think the mentor despised their mentee. But, Phainon knew even as he didn’t see his professor after giving a speech everyone clapped for, there was a well-pleased glint in his eye. Even if his smile was hidden away, that was enough for the student alone.
The Goldweaver looked at him, the bare traces of a proud smile twinkling in her eyes as she shook her head. Crossing her arms with a hand to her lips, Aglaea looked at him one last time before speaking out loud for everyone to hear, “Go be the dawn of Amphoreus… Phainon of Aedes Elysiae.”
All he could do was watch as the demigod started to make his way back down the path to Castrum Kremnos. The road where no one else can follow, where Strife would reside for all eternity unless the prophecy was fulfilled. But if he thought for just a moment longer and let his feelings wander on, he could feel the hand that grazed his face, cupping his cheek as they stared into each other’s yearning gazes. Wishing and hoping that the moment can last for longer, that fate would give them this short time even when it was all for naught.
That was when the crown prince stopped.
His heavy steps came to a slow pause, the bit of hesitation telling everything between them, what they longed for, what could be, even if it was never meant to be.
His heart stuttered as Mydei turned his head to look at him in the eyes.
Those golden, amber eyes that held deep longing, shown to no others in his life but him.
Phainon would do anything to share those spars they would have together again, share neverending banter that eased their moods. To hold him as Mydei held him, how Mydei’s callous hands ran over his face in gentle reverence like no other, touching him as if he was the most precious, priceless treasure in the world despite only being a damaged good, broken and unworthy of any care at all.
He wanted to see his face one more time. Hear his rough, ragged voice that turned impossibly soft whenever they held each other at night, embracing their shared warmth and bathing in the worship, as he forgot about all troubles, aches, and wrath that plagued his mind. Feel the lips that pressed against his own and his skin in devotion. To tell him, to say to him one last time–
"Deliverer… remember to stay alive till the final act.”
He felt himself choke up internally.
Can you say my name for the last time?
Memories plagued his mind, overwhelming him in all its ardor. If he could laugh, his laughter would make the cosmos thunder in his agony, all bitterness and grief poured into a sound so inhumane and monstrous.
His laugh would’ve most definitely turned into sobs. Perhaps he would’ve been able to make a never ending river flowing off the ends of the planet if that was the case.
Phainon was a selfish man. A very selfish man.
Selfish for wanting a happy ending, for all this pain to stop, for the suffering to end.
But if his selfishness meant that the people he loved could be happy, he would grasp onto those wants and never let go. If it meant his hatred could bring glory to his homes that had been tormented for far too long, he would destroy everything and himself in the process.
He would become the dawn that all citizens awaited for their entire lives, the blazing sun destined to rise before setting for the calamity to die down. He would put himself forward for the nova era.
Even if it meant he would become nothing.
The blazing star, gone in an instant, as if it never existed to begin with.
And as the Lord Ravager lost all form and self, his soul felt something akin to peace.
With a final breath, closing his eyes in his bittersweet acceptance, he was swallowed by the golden, sweltering sun.
A single tear escaped by.
The last bits of the husk crumbled away completely, and the universe exploded in a bright light.
. . .
All shall bid farewell to one, and that person alone will witness the miracle.
In the end, the chains of the prophecy had been broken, and the witness died alone. He gave the world one last chance, one last miracle, to live on happily with the ending to a book that went on for too long.
He heard no goodbyes, no regards for the next life, as he broke apart, and he was no more.
The Deliverer was truly no more.
All that remained were the ashes left behind.
The fragments of a man, once revered as the chosen one of the prophecy… now laid waste to a barren fate. After all, no one could grieve for something forgotten in time.
A nameless face, lost to oblivion forevermore.
. . .
Within his dreams, he opened his eyes.
There was a person.
A man that exuded warmth like no other.
He wore a pristine outfit, clean and daresay perfect, the cloth flowing gracefully along with the wind that passed by. He stayed rooted to where he stood, looking toward a place far beyond.
The person stood still, his white, sky-sprinkled hair similar to the clouds above them. It looked soft, so delicately silky, as the lower parts clung to his neck, close to the sun tattoo on the side. When the man tilted his head a bit, a slow smile rose to his ample, smooth lips.
He didn’t know who this man was. He had never seen a person with such posture or appearance.
And yet, looking at him, seeing him just standing there… it made his heart ache.
As if a thousand swords had arched into his very chest, collapsing his lungs as they screamed no.
No.
He started to run.
You can’t go.
He ran for his life.
Don’t go. Don’t leave.
Where have you gone?
He tried to speak, open his mouth and shout as he reached out a hand, so close but so very far.
You were the only one that could hold up against me in our spars together. The only one that helped me smile and laugh, despite the heavy burdens that you bore on your shoulders. You took care of me even when I told you to leave me. You never did. You never left me, so why now?
The long strands of wheat brushed against his legs, scarcely tickling his skin, the sensation of the sun blazing down upon him nothing compared to the continuous ache in his heart beating on and on.
I would do anything to see that face again. To hear your voice. To hold you in my arms one last time, to never let go, to shield you from what destiny threw at us, to revere you as you always did with me, kiss you endlessly with all the love I can offer up to you, the amount I can never give enough of. To give you everything and feel you as you always deserved to be felt in life, to tell you, to say to you one last time –
“Who are you?”
The man glowed like the sun, the rays around him forming wings like an angel itself.
And when the man turned around… even as his eyes were hidden away, even as he never got to see his face and only saw the bare glimpse of a smile… love like no other bloomed inside of his whole being.
Deliverer.
“Don’t just stand there and stay silent.”
Why do you feel so much like home?
“HKS…"
Phainon.
"Answer me!”
Why do you keep plaguing my dreams?
But in the end, as all broken memories did, he was given no answer, no respite.
He was left with unanswered questions, left reeling in a sense of agonizing hopelessness, as the dream faded away into darkness.
Back to the waking realm where he would forget it all.
. . .
Mydeimos woke up slowly, his senses delirious from sleep still as he stayed where he was for a few more seconds.
He had woken with a sharp inhale, his heart racing for reasons he couldn't place. The daylight streamed into his room from the balcony, and it didn’t take long for him to let out a deep exhale in return. He pressed his fingers over the bridge of his nose then to his closed eyes.
What was he dreaming of?
It was… a person, a man, someone with… no.
What was it again? He couldn’t remember anything.
He tried to ponder upon the thought, trying to grasp onto the strands of the dream he just had. Frustratingly, nothing came to mind, and it soon became apparent he wouldn’t be able to remember anything at all.
Mydei let out a groan, rubbing his hand over his face before grasping onto his hair, sitting up slowly.
“Not again…”
This had been happening for far too long. He would fall asleep at the highest peak of night after a day’s worth of fighting and serving as the Crown Prince of Castrum Kremnos, only to be left feeling as if something was still missing on the tip of his tongue.
Why did it feel as if he was committing a grave sin? For not knowing what he was forgetting?
He would’ve scoffed at such a bizarre idea if it wasn’t for the fact that he was actually bothered.
His jaw tightened as he grit his teeth in the discontentment. He looked around, half-expecting something to look out of place, some leftover trace of the dream world bleeding into reality. But, everything was still. Normal. Undisturbed.
It gnawed at him, raking over his brain not knowing why this was happening. The sensation of having known something so real, and losing it the second his eyes opened.
A Kremnoan would not feel disappointed over such meager things.
It was best to shrug it off than think on it more, not unless he wanted to overthink it all.
He was just starting to stretch the muscles in his arms when he heard a knock on the door. It didn’t take long for him to say, “Enter.”
Soon enough, the door opened, revealing a woman bearing a flowy tunic and light armor meshed together to create something fearsome yet beautiful all at the same time. Despite the wrinkles on her face, there was still strength that came from her features as she smiled at her very own son.
Immediately, his eyes softened from the sight of the other, making space for her to rest alongside him.
“Mother…” he spoke, his tone gentle and filled with respect. “Are you alright?”
“That I am. Just checking up on my son,” Gorgo responded, giving another teasing smile as Mydei flustered from the motherly affection. “Am I not allowed to make sure he is alright?”
He let out a sigh but relented either way, giving a quick smile before crossing his arms together.
“What is it that you want from me today? Am I needed for battle?”
From the mere idea of his words out loud, he furrowed his brows. He hadn’t been assigned to go fight today, but if he had to, he wouldn’t hesitate a single second right now. Though… that didn’t seem to be the case.
Gorgo chuckled, shaking her head to the side as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
“No, not today,” she responded as she continued to explain. “Your father and I were going to go visit Okhema today, since our forces haven’t been attacked in a long while and peace has been maintained for so long. However, he had to go work on a diplomatic matter out of nowhere, and I’m still planning on going to Okhema. Would you like to go with me in your father’s stead?”
Okhema… the kingdom that was well known for their great environment and people as a whole, where travel was fast and they did whatever they pleased.
For a brief second, his nose crinkled, and his mother let out a soft laugh.
“I know you’re not the biggest fan of such small pleasantries like these… and especially with the upcoming event that’s going to come around there, it is bound to get boisterous with the citizens. But, when else would you be able to experience something like this in years? You need to go out more and help yourself. Relax a bit more. Even warriors do need rest from time to time.”
“And plus, I really want to see those smile lines on my boy!” She gave a gentle tease soon afterward, reaching to give a little squeeze to his cheeks, which Mydei immediately felt embarrassment over.
“Mother!”
“I’m just saying! My strong little baby has grown so much… but, he needs to smile more!”
He growled in flustered annoyance, but nevertheless, smiled again as he went back to his thoughts.
Okhema wasn’t all that bad. There were people that he knew there, and everyone was generally friendly. Even the Council of Elders, despite their cranky selves and never ending complaints that he despised, were efficient in their duties. The city itself was a good place.
It wasn’t his personal preference, but he wouldn’t feel obliged to go there with his mother either.
He thought to himself for a few more seconds, looking out at the balcony out toward the skies.
Perhaps, for this month, he would go to the city with her.
“I’ll go with you, mother.”
. . .
The streets of Okhema were busy with the new day with several people making way for the upcoming celebration in the next few entry hours.
Mydei watched silently as kids ran around in glee, laughing amongst themselves while nearby adults amused themselves in the news they were telling each other. A salesperson was shouting out the items they were selling in the marketplace at their stand, the smell of food wafting around the place.
A part of him was glad that the city was faring well, as it always did. The other part of him was starting to get irritated from the amount of people there were around him, too loud for his ears to bear more than he had to.
By now, a man would be carefully dragging him through the crowd and make sure he was doing well, all the while promising Mydei that they would go get pomegranate juice with milk sooner than later with the brightest smile ever on his face.
He placed a hand over his face curtly with a little sigh.
His mother was right. He was never a fan of big crowds such as these.
He continued to stay along the shade, waiting patiently as he continued to watch and walk on.
Queen Gorgo often stayed long hours at the Goldweaver’s shop, Aglaea’s place, in her free-time. They liked to often talk long hours of their different tastes in fashion as his mother listened to her speak highly of the designs she made on a daily basis. All elegant and alluring in their own ways.
Though, sometimes, their conversation would be interrupted by a certain cat thief who intruded for the sake of finding news about any particular goods nearby.
As a person who did respect clothes but preferred not to wear ones that completely covered his body with its uncomfortable texture, Mydei left the time spent between the women alone.
Perhaps he should go on to somewhere else and try to have fun. A restaurant with dishes that he hadn’t yet tried sounded nice. He could go to a nearby temple and meet Tribios, the very kind lady who always made sure to give him a greeting whenever they passed by each other.
He could even go to where the Grove Of Epiphany was where hundreds of various scholars went on with their days to work on different experiments. He remembered a particular professor there as well as a healer that seemed fairly close as a student and teacher. He should try to get close with some others…
He walked on a few more moments, looking around with not much interest piquing around.
He wasn’t the one to often wander and just do anything. Most of the time, he didn’t take the stands into consideration. After all, none ever had what he wanted, if he wanted anything to begin with.
That was, until a cheerful voice of a young woman rang in his ears, the sound of bells following along.
“Come right up! Don’t be shy! Here are the best relics and antiques you won’t find anywhere else in the entirety of Amphoreus, right here~!”
Mydei paused, listening to the person’s ramblings for a few more seconds before turning around to see who it was.
With a moving stand that held a variety of things, there was a pink-haired girl waving her hand around enthusiastically, a bright, beaming grin on her face as she greeted everyone passing by. The white streak of hair to the side of her face was a contrast against the rest of her hair, wearing clothes that he didn’t recognize from any of the cities or towns he’s been to.
What caught him most off-guard, however, were the bluest eyes known to mankind, shining under the sun as its sparkles seemed to dance around in the light.
Though, something inside of him screamed. They weren’t the most beautiful blues he had seen in his life before.
He stood still as his eyes then wandered over to the items that she was showing. A nice array of accessories, books, carved wooden figurines, and trinkets of all kinds were there, displayed for everyone to see. There were even weapons like daggers that he didn’t recognize anywhere else, made of materials he couldn’t exactly name.
But what caught his eye the most weren’t the intricate munitions, nor the old books with unique titles he hadn’t heard about, despite the library back in his palace.
It was a necklace with a single ornament in the middle.
A golden crystal, shaped just like what a teardrop would be.
Mydei took a few more steps toward the stand, careful of the children that ran past by him as his hand hesitantly wavered over the necklace before placing it down. It wasn’t anything special, but the heat that emitted from it briefly made a chill go down his spine.
He grazed his fingers over it for a moment longer, then finally picking it up, letting the crystal spin around in the air as he tilted his head to the side.
It glowed beautifully underneath the blazing sun, so very delicate yet well-made underneath his rough hand.
“Are you perhaps interested in the necklace, Crown Prince?”
The voice snapped him out of his thoughts, sharply turning his gaze over to where he felt called from in that instant. He couldn’t help the surprise that went through his chest seeing the way the girl from before was now staring at him, the smile still bubbly as ever.
“I was just looking around…” he responded warily, turning his eyes back to the necklace instead. He didn’t bother asking how she knew he was the Crown Prince of Castrum Kremnos. Almost everyone knew either way.
The girl let out a delighted hum in response. “Alright! If you insist. Though, you have to admit, it’s the most wondrous shade of gold, isn’t it? I’ve had it with me for years now!”
Wasn't the color of his blood once...?
All he did was grunt, feeling slightly more uncomfortable than before.
He wasn’t a man of many words. Even with his comrades, he would barely do any of the talking there.
The only other person who could get him to freely talk was…
“Well… what’s your name?”
All of a sudden, out of nowhere, he was asked that question right then and there.
The miffed disbelief couldn’t be shielded as he momentarily put down the necklace to the side, looking at the girl incredulously before asking, “Didn’t you just call me Crown Prince?”
“Yeah, I did!” She giggled, snapping her fingers and then putting her hand against her hip. “But, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear it from you! Introductions are meant to be self-said... respectfully.”
“This is our first time meeting,” he murmured, unamused.
“That’s why we have to introduce ourselves to each other, no?”
He stayed where he was, looking at her deadpanned as she continued to smile. There was only the background noise of people chattering on behind them before he finally let out a silent sigh.
“Mydeimos. My name is Mydeimos.”
Satisfied with the response she got, the girl nodded. “Mydeimos! There you go, wasn’t that hard right? Now, it’s only fair if I introduce myself to you too!”
She bowed her head down, her hair dipping alongside her as the bells on her clothes as accessories jingled. Bringing her head back up, she spoke with another laugh.
“My name is Cyrene!”
Cyrene…
Has he ever heard of that name before?
In another life, a white-haired man would tell his woes to him as they grieved together in the moment of silence, shared between the two of them when time was slipping on by, the end of the prophecy looming over their heads... and even then, would they be content in each other’s presences.
He didn’t give another response once her introduction was finished. He simply looked at her once and blinked, muttering something under his language.
His eyes finally went back to the necklace again as he stared at it, bringing it up in front of him once more. Something about the crystal itself was all that he could be fixated on.
Mydei didn’t know why in particular. He didn’t know if it was the crystal itself… but he felt enamored.
A sense of longing, throbbing in his chest like never before.
He couldn’t understand. Why was this happening to him?
“That necklace holds a tragic tale.”
He didn’t know if he was more surprised by the fact that the young woman was still here, lingering on despite his clear disinterest in any more conversations, or the fact that his gleeful voice had toned down into something much more… wistful.
That caught his attention more than anything else.
How could such a small thing preserve so much sorrow?
When their eyes met again, she was still smiling. But it wasn’t the same smile as it was a few seconds prior. She looked back at the necklace as well... and for a moment, she, too, seemed lost in her thoughts.
Cyrene closed her eyes, pressing a hand to her chest.
“Perhaps you can call it a romantic tale like no other. It may hold a thousand bitter things all at once, for the story doesn’t end all that happy. It is a tragic tale for a reason. But… at the end of the saga, everything finally ended well enough.”
When she opened her eyes up again, Mydei could see the profound sadness now.
He felt his throat constrict tightly in answer to the sudden shift in the mood.
As the citizens of Okhema talked and went on about their day, blissfully unaware of what was happening, no one saw the way the Crown Prince held the necklace in his hand tighter than before.
The feeling of forgetting something so grand, so precious, came back to his mind again. This time, it was stronger. Much stronger than how they were in the mornings whenever he woke up, tired and wondering for more.
Why…
Why was it starting to hurt?
Why did his heart continue to ache so much?
Finally, the tension between them stopped as the young woman’s voice rang in his head again.
“Mydei… tell me.”
Cyrene turned her head over to him one more time.
A man with beautiful blue eyes, like the stars, smiled.
“Have you ever heard about Phainon of Aedes Elysiae?”