Chapter Text
Kalim Al-Asim was but a young child when love was first etched upon his skin—this love came in the form of a thin spine of white edelweiss stretching over his left eye, from his eyebrow to his cheek. It was of a delicate design, contrasting daintily against his umber skin, adding more emphasis upon his garnet red eyes and silver hair. Truly, it was nothing short of beautiful…but Kalim could tell even then that these sorts of marks were rarely ever located at such a place. It was just odd, as well as mildly concerning…
The people around him didn’t share the same sentiments, though. When news of the bejeweled one’s mark had spread all throughout the Scalding Sands, he received many congratulations for receiving a soulmate mark at a relatively early age. Well wishes of meeting his match soon filled the Asim Palace with merriment and glee, and the onslaught of gifts that came his way lasted for months on end. As such, it occurred to him thus: to bear a soulmate mark was a blessing beyond blessings, and it was something to be grateful for.
“—But still, don’t you think it’s strange, Jamil?” the young heir worried anyway, eyebrows furrowing as a boy around his age hovered in front of him. “These marks appear wherever the one fated for you is scarred, right? So does that mean my soulmate just got injured…” He gingerly pressed a hand over his left eye as he pursed his lips. “…here? If that’s the case, I hope that they’re not too hurt right now…”
The servant boy standing in front of him sighed. “Kalim,” he called after a few beats had passed, “please stop doing things like this while I’m doing your makeup. You’re just making it harder for me.”
“Oh, sorry, sorry!”
Kalim stilled himself obediently, closing his eyes. The kid named Jamil thus proceeded to tilt his chin up as he began to apply kohl eyeliner onto his visage, starting with his right, and moving onto his left…
Jamil’s calloused hand then traced the heir’s edelweiss-adorned mark, his gaze lingering there for a moment before shifting towards the nearest mirror. He stared at his own, unblemished and scarless face for a solid two minutes before his expression soured.
“…I agree that it’s an odd place for a mark,” he later said in a subtly pissed-off tone, still continuing to apply the eyeliner despite his displeasure. “It makes me wonder what sort of person your soulmate is, to have a scar on a place like this. Maybe he’s a delinquent.”
“A nice one?” Kalim says hopefully.
“There is no such thing as a nice delinquent.”
“But that’s impossible! I’m sure my soulmate is a good person!” the white-haired boy huffed as Jamil pulled away, making him open his eyes; he was now pouting at his friend, clearly unamused by the kid’s unprompted theory. “You shouldn’t say that about someone you haven’t met yet, Jamil! That’s rude!”
The black-haired of the two simply rolled his eyes in response to that. Ugh, Kalim supposed he always did have a mean streak… It’s a good thing he was his best friend…!
“Yeah, yeah,” the servant boy murmured sarcastically while he packed up the makeup tools he was using. Kalim made a motion to help him, like always…only to be waved off, like always. Jamil never let him assist even with small tasks like that. “But I’d rather be skeptical than be overly positive. It will lessen the disdain that will eventually arrive. You should try that sometime.”
“I won’t be disappointed with my soulmate,” the bejeweled boy replied without missing a beat. His garnet eyes twinkled with so much sincerity and determination that Jamil couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact. “I’ll accept them no matter what.”
“…Good for them then.” The gray-eyed boy turned away from him, marching off towards the door. “The head servant will come to escort you to the banquet later, so just wait here.”
Kalim wasn’t even able to utter a goodbye when Jamil quickly exited and shut the door on him, leaving him all alone in his room. At that, he couldn’t stop the frown forming on his face—he already knew that Jamil was busy and that he had to take care of him on top of all his other responsibilities, but he still couldn’t help but feel like he’d become more distant ever since he received his soulmate mark. Did he not like it?
Thoughtlessly, the boy began to trace the flowery line on his face again. He sighed.
“I should stop worrying… I’ll meet you someday, anyway,” he whispered softly to his soulmate that wasn’t there. Slowly but surely, a hopeful smile began to grace his features as he closed his eyes. “And when I do, I promise I’ll love you.”
(Little did he know that it would take him six years to fulfill that promise.)
“JAMIIIIL, SURPRISE!”
“K-Kalim?!”
Jamil sat frozen at the school cafeteria, his mouth hanging open in shock, a spoonful of curry suspended in mid-air, halted by Kalim's unexpected greeting. Meanwhile, the bejeweled heir savored the look of astonishment on his best friend’s face now that they had met again after such a long time.
“I missed you so much!” Kalim exclaimed, wrapping his arms around the ebony-haired student in a tight embrace “I don’t know why, but my letter arrived really late and I only managed to enroll after two months! But at least I’m here now, right? You’re happy to see me, right?”
“—W-wait, Kalim…” Jamil hesitated, his hands hovering uncertainly before returning the hug. Confusion laced his voice. “I don’t understand, please explain what’s going on…”
“Sure, sure! But let’s eat first, I’m starving!”
The garnet-eyed student quickly settled into the seat beside Jamil, his infectious energy filling the space between them. It took him a few moments to realize that he hadn’t ordered his food yet, though, and when it finally dawned upon him, he laughed richly, his smile as bright as day.
“Silly me, I forgot to order!” he said as he stood up, slightly excited to try lining up for cafeteria food. “Wait here for a sec, Jamil, I’ll be right ba—”
“Wait, no!” A hand grabbed onto his wrist just before Kalim could get out of his seat. He stilled.
“…I’ll do it,” Jamil insisted, getting up and making the gold-adorned boy promptly sit down again. He patted his shoulders twice before he walked towards the cafeteria servers. And like always, he was so quick about it that Kalim couldn’t even get a word in…
He’s always like that, the white-haired student thought as he absent-mindedly glanced at the curry Jamil was eating before he’d disturbed him. The very sight of it made his stomach churn.
(So he still liked curry, huh…)
(That made him feel…)
“Hey, brat. S’there anyone else sitting here?”
Just as Kalim’s thoughts had begun to drift towards more unpleasant memories, a low, gruff voice broke through his fragile reverie. He blinked not a minute after, feeling as though he'd been pulled from the depths of a dream.
That was close.
“Oh, uh, sorry, I didn’t catch that just now,” he replied after a moment, raising his sights to look at the person who was talking to him. He willed himself to smile. “Could you kindly…repeat that…”
The heir’s voice trailed off as his eyes met a pair of emerald green orbs, enigmatic and dazzling in the way the rarest of gems usually were. A scar traced over his left eye, spanning from his eyebrow to his cheek—and the sight of that alone was enough to make Kalim’s breath hitch against his throat.
Standing before him was a lion beastman hailing from the Savanaclaw dorm, dark brown hair framing his frowning face, effortlessly exuding a rugged charm just from the mere act of standing. One of his hands were placed atop his left hip whereas the other held a tray of food… Was he asking if he could sit with him? But…wait…
Huh? Kalim reflexively went to touch the mark that snaked over his eye; he gulped. Could it be that…
The stranger’s eyebrows furrowed at the Scarabian’s odd behavior. “What’s the matter? Why are you gaping at me like that?” he said, ruggedly charming despite his utter rudeness. “Cat got your tongue?”
“N-no, just…er… Your scar…”
“My what?” The displeasure began to spread across the beastman’s face all the more because of that statement. He opened his mouth, almost like he was going to say an insulting retort of sorts, when his gaze fell upon the line of fate etched over the white-haired boy’s left eye. His own eyes widened. “…Shit.”
And with that, he turned away from Kalim with just one swish of his tail, speed-walking away as if his life was being put on the line. A hyena-like first-year met his path not long after.
“Huh, Leona-san?” the freshman queried, his tone of voice quizzical. “I thought you were gonna find us some seats?”
“No. Like hell we’re eating here.”
“But there are no other—”
“Shut up. We’re leaving.”
As the Savanaclaw student stormed away, Kalim could feel his heart pounding in his chest, a mix of confusion, curiosity, and…something else swirling within him. He couldn’t believe what happened just now.
(After six, long years, he finally—)
“Sorry for taking so long. I had to explain the situation to the chefs first.”
Jamil’s voice interrupted Kalim’s thoughts, bringing him back to the present moment. He blinked, trying to shake off the whirlwind of emotions that had gripped him just moments ago.
“It's alright, Jamil,” the heir said as he failed to suppress an upbeat smile anyway. He swayed from where he was seated, making his earrings swing to and fro. “Thanks for taking care of it. Hehe~”
The ebony-haired Scarabian’s left eyebrow raised at the slight shift in Kalim’s demeanor. He was always happy, but this time he seemed…giddy? Did something happen while he was away?
“…Is everything okay?” he asked cautiously. The white-haired boy stopped swaying at this point, but he giggled in glee for what seemed like three minutes before he managed a reply.
“I met someone,” he finally said, still smiling. “Say, do you know a lion beastman with a scar on their left eye?”
Jamil hummed whilst falling into deep thought. “...Well,” he began. “I can think of one person who fits that description… Leona Kingscholar of the Savanaclaw dorm, second prince of—wait.” His gray eyes widened in horror as he shot a disbelieving look at his companion. He floundered, “Are…are you saying that…you met him just now and…”
Kalim nodded resolutely. “Yes! So listen—” he said as he proceeded to relay everything that happened just now to an increasingly despairing Jamil. The look on his face was priceless.
Seriously, why does he look so bothered? the heir quietly thought to himself, still smiling. It’s kind of funny…
“No way...” Jamil muttered after a few moments, disbelief and denial laced in his voice. “There’s just no way…”
“Yes way!” Kalim beamed in contrast, bumping a fist against his own chest. “I can feel it in my heart! And…the way he reacted meant that he felt it, too!”
After all, Leona ran away after seeing his soulmate mark, right? There was no other explanation!
“…Surely this must be some sort of nightmare…” Jamil began to murmur to himself. He was now staring into nothingness as he prattled on in a soliloquy that he often had whenever his stress levels got too high. “I’m going to wake up right now… Any minute now…”
“Well, for me, this is a dream come true!” Kalim cheered in spite of his friend’s plight, cupping his face with his hands as he smiled like a kid in love. “I hope I…I hope I never wake up!”
Getting to attend school like a normal person. Being able to be in the same dormitory as his best friend. Finally meeting his soulmate in person… Today was the best day of Kalim’s life!
“I’m super looking forward to getting to know him,” he prattled on dreamily, completely oblivious to the fact that the school bell had rung and that lunchtime was now over. Fastforward to a few minutes later, he and Jamil were now eating their lunch as they rushed towards their next class, multi-tasking in true Scarabian fashion.