Before Ronin could see what Aurion’s response was….
Cermin fainted and fallen directly on him.
He caught him, but he was far too heavy as they were almost the same height and build. Not to mention Ronin had been tired of fighting off phoenixes all night.
And so he buckled, and ended up falling down as well.
The one he stabbed had long managed to regenerate its wings and flew away into the darkness.
Ronin grumbled and pushed Cermin to the side. He sat up, watching the sleeping prince laying on the floor.
Only the glowing sword served as their light, and he watched the golden prince’s peaceful expression as his chest rose up and down.
Even in this dark expanse of a cave, he still seemed so…. Bright.
“Sunshine.” Ronin muttered..
To think that the ‘Dark Lord’, Fausforus, would give the God of Sun and Light such a bold pet name….. They must be really close friends.
Not to mention the way they talked to one another and how much Fausforus’ influence was affecting Aurion in his daily life. How this ‘proposal’ bothered him enough to raise his voice on the gods…..
Speaking of the gods, Ronin had gained a new information that Abyssal Gods do in fact also gain powers from humans, but instead of their devotion and prayers, they seem to get it out of fear.
‘And for them to point out how Vesuvius was an odd one out for being able to harness the terror that war has over people into prayers…. That really is interesting.’
There was so much little things to unpack about the memory he had just seen, but soon enough, Ronin had heard the pitter-patter of rain outside. If they stayed here near the mouth of the cave, they would soon be affected by the cold wind and possibly leaks.
Ronin had no choice but to lift the sleeping prince up, and drag him deeper into the cave to take shelter for the night, one hand supporting him and the other holding the sword as a light.
Their heavy breaths echoed in the hollow chambers of this large cave, and he eventually let go once he felt that they have went in enough.
He then set out to create a small fire to keep out the cold, putting bits of rocks together and carving runes for ‘spark’ and ‘warmth’.
Once the fire was created, he turned to Cermin again who seemed to have no intention of waking up. The sound of rain was still present but muffled into a much more relaxing ambience.
The bag that they had was still with him, and Ronin used it as a pillow for himself while the prince only rested his head on a rock. He watched the memory of Aurion again in the flames, and could not really decide what he feels about it.
The fact that Aurion and Fausforus were really ‘friends’.
And not to mention that Fausforus sees him as like a younger brother to look after, who needs to listen to his advice about those pesky court of his.
What made them wage war against each other afterwards? Did Aurion decline, and Fausforus got mad about it?
No…. It feels like it must be deeper than that. Fausforus felt like he was somehow betrayed.
Just declining the offer to create a brand new world together from their blood would not be enough for such rage.
“Dechimar Aurin.” Ronin mumbled with his hands behind his head. “Kill the light. And yet, you also asked Diamant for light.”
Like how Adam asked for Eve, so he shall not be alone in this world.
And also how there was darkness first, the dark matter, until chemicals bonded with each other to form light and the stars. The sun was also a star, the nearest to Earth, and therefore the brightest.
But only in our perspective. And the sun doesn’t really ‘die’ or ‘travel’ or ‘come down’ during the night. That was an illusion, the Earth simply rotates and we don’t see the sun when we no longer face it from our perspective.
Perspective was everything. Perspective itself can change reality, the reality that we see, but not the ‘true’ reality.
Ronin was close to sleeping from these constant stream of thoughts. That was how he usually falls asleep, just thinking and thinking and thinking.
But then, he heard sobs beside him, and felt hot tears on his shoulder.
“Ow….. Ow….”
He grumbled, and opened his eyes.
The prince was facing him, his forehead resting on the sharp edge of his shoulders. He was still so dirty from head to toe like a pitiful beggar on the streets.
He was saying ‘Ow’ over and over again while sobbing in his sleep, so Ronin thought he must be in pain.
He would not be able to sleep with this, and so he went over to trace a rune on his forehead….
The rune for ‘peace’. A branch with a few leaves.
Soon, Cermin stopped crying, and his expression calmed a little. Ronin took a handkerchief and wiped the filth and tears from his eyes.
He scoffed. “You cry like a child.”
And in a way, Cermin was like that. A sniveling crybaby, so sensitive. Ronin kept on wiping the dirt off him, when he suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Gege?” He said.
Ronin’s eyebrows furrowed. ‘What? Goo-goo ga-ga? Is he bumbling like a baby now too?’
His eyes were still droopy and half-closed, but upon seeing Ronin’s face, he wore a small smile.
“You’re here… I was so scared to lose you.”
That was all he said, until falling back asleep again.
Ronin observed him for a while. Not feeling anything, not thinking of anything. Just watching.
He felt like he could do it for hours, blankly watching him. Because there was a part of him that begs to feel something, and yet he could never tell what that feeling was because that part of him was muffled like the rain outside.
He couldn’t tell if it was rage. Or misery. Or….
Cermin mumbled again. “I’m so happy that you’re here. I don’t want to be alone.”
Alone in a cave, a golden boy waited and waited for his friend to return.
Alone in a cave, Aurion waited. His happiness was unsettling, more like obsessive anticipation. But somehow, this boy’s happiness….
It did not unsettle Ronin at all.
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