Chapter Text
Malleus never had any strings in his pinky.
Soulmates, a wonder for all the world.
No one knows who create it, no one knows why did this happen.
But Malleus never had any.
“There are two possible choices,” Lilia once answers him when he asked about the lack of string in his pinky. “Your soulmate already died or your soulmates haven’t been born yet.”
“So there’s no option that you don’t have soulmates?”
Lilia shook his head. “No, there never was.”
“What if some people don’t want soulmates?” Malleus asked again
“Uh, you can cut the ties off, with some forbidden ritual, I guess.”
“....I thought people always want soulmates.”
“The one who had a bad background usually is tired to deal with soulmates.”
“Do you know one who does? I mean, cut ties?”
“Oh, I know a lot.”
“What is the impact on their soulmates?”
“How could I know? I never saw their soulmates….” Lilia stared at Malleus sad face then sighed. “The possibilities are that they feel worthless because their soulmates don’t want them.”
“Do the people that you know regrets doing that to their soulmates?”
Lilia bites his lips but then smiled.
“Never does that, okay? There’s no backing off if you cut ties.”
“Do the people around you regret it?” But Malleus is stubborn, he won’t let go without his question answered.
Lilia sighed.
“Everyone. Every. Single. One.”
Even after 100 years, Malleus never got his string.
“Is it possible that they cut me off when I was sleeping? or I don't have soulmates?”
“Nope, not possible. You have soulmates, Malleus, everyone does.”
“Do you?”
“...Let’s not talk about this.”
“Don’t tell me you cut ties with your soulmates?”
Lilia only smiled.
“...You did? But—”
“No, Of course not! My soulmates are the ones who cut ties with me….”
“Serious—”
“Alright, let’s start the next lesson.”
Malleus sighed.
After 200 hundred years more, Malleus finally got his soulmate.
He stared at his pinky, playing with the string.
“Finally got yours, huh?” Lilia grinned seeing Malleus.
“Do you think I can meet them now?”
Lilia stared horrifiedly.
“What? No! Malleus, your soulmates is still a newborn. Imagine how their parents will react if you came and claim the baby as your soulmates!”
“...You’re right.”
Lilia sighed.
“You’re a prince, you have to be careful about how you act, alright?”
Malleus stared at Lilia and nodded.
As Lilia keep talking, Malleus took a pen and mark the day his soulmates are born.
18th of December.
A year after that, Lilia and Malleus find a baby and decide to take care of him.
A human baby.
Malleus think that this is a perfect chance to learn about human. What other way best to learn them than raising them?
Malleus stared at five years old Silver. What a cute human, he wonders if he has soulmates.
His soulmates are already six years old by now. He wonders if his soulmates are fae, human, or another type.
Why did he wonder about it just now? Well, he also doesn’t know.
“Silver.”
Silver stared at Malleus, his eyes bright.
“Yes, Mawweus-sama?”
Malleus chuckled at the butchered pronunciation. Lilia had already taught him manners, but unfortunately, he still can’t say L properly.
“Do you see a string that tied your pinky?”
“Stwing?” Silver tilts his head.
Oh, he can’t say R either.
“Yes, string, your pinky.”
Silver then stared at his pinky before staring back at Malleus again.
“No, I don’t see one.”
“Ah, alright then.”
“What does it mean with stwing in youw pinky?” Silver asked, curious.
“If there’s a string in your pinky, it led to your soulmates.”
“Souwmates?”
“...A soul that is bound to you forever.”
“Fowever? Even if you died?”
Malleus smiled, human is interesting, why are they so fixated on forever?
"Perhaps.”
“Do you have a souwmates?”
Malleus stared at Silver, then a sudden urge to tease appeared in him.
“...My soulmate died because some organisation tried to kill me and they tried to save me...”
Silver stared horrifiedly while Lilia gasped. Since when Lilia was here anyway?
“Malleus! I didn’t know you have it in you! Look how terrified Silver are!” Lilia hugged Silver, pouting at Malleus for saying things like that.
“...So it’s not twue?”
“Of course not!”
Silver smiled softly.
Lilia sighed in relief before glaring at Malleus.
Malleus only smiled before disappearing.
6 years old…
Malleus fight the urge to visit his soulmates.
...If it’s secretly, it’s alright, right?
just as Malleus let out his wings, Lilia caught him.
“Malleus, where are you going?”
Malleus simply turn to Lilia, hoping that Lilia will allow him.
“I want to visit my soulmate.”
Lilia gasped. “Malleus. Your soulmate is still a child. Aren't they like, the same age as Silver?!”
Malleus frowned. “No, they're older by a year.”
“That’s still unacceptable!”
Malleus breathe slowly, trying to control himself. “I still want to meet them.”
“At least until they're a teen!”
“No.”
Lilia stared at Malleus then sighed, at this state of stubbornness, Malleus is undefeatable. “You can't wait for them to get older?”
Malleus frowned. “No, can I?”
“Fine, but after that, you can’t visit them again. Let fate meet you up naturally… Even though you coming to them is already unnatural…”
“...Alright.”
“Uhh, meeting unnaturally… Make sure you stay hidden, alright? Don’t talk to him.”
“Of course.” Malleus opened his wings.
Lilia sees him off, still worried but trusting him.
And by that, Malleus fly to where his string leads him.
The Isle of Lamentation.
Pretty unexpected, his soulmates is here, in this land.
Carefully, Malleus flapped his wings quietly, landing in a house.
The house is pretty good, so now it’s been revealed that his soulmates is a rich person. Or at least their parents are rich.
As Malleus walk carefully, his strings lead him to a window.
Malleus get close to the window before listening carefully.
Asleep, whoever his soulmates are are asleep.
Malleus finally take a peek.
He finds a pale boy, with blue lips and fiery hair, sleeping peacefully in his bed.
A boy. He did not expect that but it’s not unwelcome.
Malleus stared more, trying to decide should he get close or not.
Fiery hair, that’s means that this boy is a member of the Shroud family. So he is noble, after all.
Of course, if it’s a noble house, that’s mean that they are protected.
Malleus want to touch the boy so badly, though. Should he?
But then the boy shift, Malleus finally look away.
He heard that your string will disappear if they make eye contact, so Malleus sighed.
He can hear that boy started to be awake, starting to sit on his bed, so Malleus cautiously walk away, release his wings and fly away from there.
Anyway, it results in something.
Now he knows that his soulmate are beautiful.
“You can’t go.”
Malleus wanted to pout at what Lilia said, but he reminded himself that he is a prince, so he shouldn’t do that.
“Today is his birthday.”
“No, he is like… 9 years old now? You promised me you won’t go again.”
Malleus bites his lips, then sighed and nodded.
How could he break a promise?
“But I want to give him a present…”
“...Present? He will be suspicious if he got it from you…”
“...Anonymously?”
“A noble, someone must have tried to kill him. Do you think they accept a gift from an unknown person?”
Malleus tap his finger on the table.
“Present disguised from his parents?”
“...More suspicious once he confirms it’s not from his parents" Lilia's answer cause Malleus to sigh, but he knows that it's true. “No other way, Malleus. You have to be patient.”
“...Fine, then. I shall go to the library.” Malleus stood up.
“To read what? You have read every book there.”
“...Another country's library then.”
“You’re not allowed to go.”
“....”
“...”
Lilia smiled while Malleus can only narrow his eyes.
“NRC, huh?” Lilia tilts his head, glancing at Malleus.
Malleus sighed. “It is needed to understand humans more, it’s grandmother request too, I can't refuse.”
“Heh, obviously I gotta join in too, right?” Malleus nodded his head at Lilia's question, and Lilia hummed happily, “Going to school again… Never thought I’ll have to do so in my age."
"..." Malleus ignored it, chosing to stare outside, to the way his strings lead. Lilia notices it, and grinned.
“You still want to meet him?”
Lilia know.
“...He's sixteen now.” Malleus murmured.
“You still can’t meet him. I told you soulmates is better to meet naturally.”
“I have already broken those rules…”
“Better late than never.”
“That isn’t fitting this situation… Anyway, how about Silver?”
“Of course he will be joining us.”
Malleus smiled.
“We will be entering first then.”
“It’s alright, Silver can survive without us.”
Malleus hummed, glancing at the piece of paper on his table.
N R C.
Malleus could say he was surprised when his string suddenly tighten as he came to this school.
Oh. Noble family. Of course.
Shroud, isn’t it? It's more obvious now.
Malleus carefully swept the room with his gaze.
Everyone in the room has the same robe, where could his soulmates be?
Malleus gives up. Now that he thinks about it…
Meeting his soulmates here would be boring, right?
As time pass by, Malleus got busy.
The dorm leader position was given to him by the third years, without any fights, he wonders why…
Anyhow, it works in his favour, so for the first semester, he has been busy maintaining his position.
After that, nothing interesting happens.
All humans… Or should he say, everyone, are scared of him. They all avoid him without a doubt.
How could he learn about humans this way?
Malleus stared at the night sky, walking in the night calm him down, he hopes nobody is chasing after him now.
But then his eyes caught a blue fire. wondering how did a fire appear here, Malleus step closer to it.
He stopped when the string in his pinky tighten so hard that it hurts.
As Malleus notice this, the other person noticed it too and turn to him.
And that’s when Malleus met yellow bright eyes.
“...You remember when we first met?” Idia asked him, soaked in blood.
Malleus grasp on Idia’s hand became tighter, he bites his lips, not caring if it’s bleeding or not. “Yes.”
Idia chuckled, before coughing, blood fell from his blue pale lips.
“I was freaking out because you are my soulmates, I didn’t think that I’m worth it for you, I even hurt your feelings…”
“....”
“But we made it, after all. We manage to get together, but we broke up because the world doesn’t want us together.”
“...I’m sorry.” Malleus can feel the blood in his mouth now. He’s the one who broke up with Idia, wanting to keep Idia save, but how did it end up like this?
“...”
“...Idia?”
“....I don’t regret saving you, you know….” Malleus forced a smile as Idia continued to murmur, “They were trying to gather power to kill you. I don’t regret messing their plans, because you are safe from them now.”
“...If only you said that to me, I could destroy them myself.”
“..Heh, if only…”
“....”
“....”
“....” Malleus bites harder now, he can feel Idia’s life force is fading.
“Malleus.”
“...Yes?”
“...If maybe, someday we could meet again, will you keep me away from you again?”
Malleus hates this, he regrets keeping Idia away from him, he regrets everything. What is the point of staying away from him to keep him safe if he ends up like this?
He regrets all those time he missed with Idia.
“..No, I won’t.”
Tears are threatening to slip from his eyes now, seeing his loved one on a brink of death.
When Idia smiled softly hearing that, Malleus’ tears finally slip, dropped in Idia’s face.
“There’s no happy ending for the villain.” Idia whispered, raising his hand, wiping Malleus’ tears away.
“There’s no happy ending for the villain.” Malleus agreed, still staring at Idia’s face attentively.
“...I love you, Malleus.”
“Idia…”
Idia smiled and closed his eyes.
The sky rumble, rain pouring, Malleus stared as Idia’s hair doesn’t sway anymore.
When Malleus can’t hear any heartbeat again, he stared at the sky, didn’t bother about the water on his face.
The sky is weeping with him, how funny.
Malleus stared at his surroundings, some of his enemies have gotten up, trying to save their lives.
Malleus smiled, with evil raging in his eyes.
He whispered.
“Burn.”