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Reinhard loves the night. Even if night is the time when criminals prefer to do their dirty deeds and witchbeasts come out of their lairs, he still loves the night. Well, maybe not the concept itself, but just some nights when the city is enveloped in silence, crickets chirping and starlight, which is better seen if you're somewhere far away on a mission.
(On such nights Reinhard felt as if he didn't belong to this world.)
Reinhard looked out the window and shifted his gaze to the castle where he had not long ago begun to officially work as part of the Royal Guard. Here he met two amazing people whom he could now call his friends. A luxury he thought he would never be allowed to have.
He smiled and stepped away from the window. He left Dragon Sword lying beside his bed and left the room, his footsteps soundless.Walking through the corridors of the manor he sensed something. Reinhard stopped and tilted his head.
“So this is one of those nights?” Having said that, he appeared a floor below in an instant.
Standing in the shadow he watched as the door opened and someone entered the mansion. This person wore dirty bandages and limped slightly. They closed the door, whispering a curse.
Reinhard stepped forward and a person turned to look at him. It was a man with bright red unwashed hair, an unshaven face, and a bruise on his sharp cheekbone. His bright blue eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. Of course, this was just an optical illusion inherent in the owners of such eyes. Reinhard knew this because he himself along with his Grandmother were same to the man on that matter.
“Welcome home, Father.”
“Ah, it's yo-” That was all the man had time to say with his harsh voice before he was grabbed and instantly dragged into the bathroom in his room.
Reinhard lit the crystals, threw his Father behind the bathroom door and sat on the man's bed, waiting. He loved such nights. A time where there was no hate and no fear. Well, there was no love there either, but that's not a big deal.
On nights like these, he allowed himself to be somewhat like the current version of his Father.
A few minutes later, a now clean man appeared in front of him in spare clothes, his short hair was wet and sticking out in all directions.
“Do you really think it's necessary to grab me like a dog and throw me in the bathroom?! Every fucking time, asshole. I can walk on my own!”
“I'm aware that you can.” Reinhard said calmly, dodging a palm flying at his neck.
Since Heinkel was sober, it was possible to talk to him. Although, many people didn't have enough nerves to maintain such a dialogue. But it wasn't true for Reinhard, who was literally blessed with patience.
“You're hurt.” Said the youth, looking into the man's eyes.
He couldn't see through his pant leg, but he could smell the bloody crust that had been soaked a little by the water.
“Oh, really? I had no idea.” Heinkel said rudely, limping over to the nightstand by his bed.
He pulled out a vial of ointment and bandages from there. He rolled up his pant leg, revealing a large gash the full length of his calf. While he dealt with his leg, Reinhard watched him. He wondered where the wound came from. But he had long ago learned not to ask. He wouldn't like the answer anyway.
“So… how was…”
“Bad. Obviously. Every fucking time it turns out to be nothing!.. But on the way here, I heard another rumor.”
“And you will follow it.” Reinhard didn't ask, he just stated a fact.
After all, his Father always followed the rumors that could lead to Mother's cure. For the last ten years or something his whole life had consisted of nothing but searching for such rumors. Rumors are all he has left. As Reinhard expected, his Father didn't answer. There was no need to answer something like that. Do people comment on the color of the grass or the fact that the sun rises in the morning? Of course not.
After bandaging his leg, man lay back on the bed while his feet were still on the floor. He exhaled long through his nose and relaxed his face. The ointment seemed to cool or anesthetize the wound.
“I made friends.”
“You? Friends? Who are those poor bastards?”
Reinhard rolled his eyes at such an unflattering description of his friends.
“Julius and Fel-” He was interrupted.
“Ah, Juukulius and Argyle. Good company for an Astrea. They're both so fucked up. Just like us.”
“You think so?..” Reinhard asked, not even trying to deny what was said.
“Of course! I don't understand how you can be so blind with all your Protections.”
“I'd say I try to see the good in people.”
“Or you're just dumb. Which is weird, because you're Louanna's son.”
“And also yours.” That line wasn't the safest, but Reinhard only squinted his eyes without recanting. His voice was teasing.
“...Does that mean that in ten or fifteen years Lugunica will know what a miserable Sword Saint, always drowning himself in alcohol, is like?”
“You're pretty self-critical today.”
“I'm pretty sober.” The man said with disappointment. “Now let me sleep. Shoo, shoo.”
Reinhard stood up and walked out the door, waving his hand. Maybe he should go to bed, too.
In the morning his Father was no longer on the estate.
It took a few more months before Heinkel showed up again. He wasn't even badly injured this time! Progress! But he was, in fact, cursed. But it seems that man killed the source so it was fine.
Since then, man has shown up a few more times during nights. In one of them two had a very… important talk, at least it was like that for Reinhard. That night, a tired as fuck Heinkel lay on the cold floor of his room while Reinhard sat on man's bed.
“Fuck, my head hurts.”
“You shouldn't have drunk so much.” He received a raised middle finger as a response.
Reinhard sat motionless for a few seconds and then exhaled and asked a question:
“Father… Did you want to have children?”
Heinkel raised himself on his elbows and looked into Reinhard's blue eyes. He raised an eyebrow, and then a look of realization came over his face.
“You're no longer a minor. Are you already being pressured to breed?”
“No, but this time will come in the near future.”
“Hm… To answer your question, yes, I wanted a child. Louanna did, too. Although, we wouldn't have had you so early if people had fucked off from us.”
“...Oh.”
“Right. Oh.”
Reinhard averted his gaze to the window and spoke quietly:
“...I don't want children. And... A family with me in it is doomed to suffer one way or another. Even if I'll be the kindest and most trustworthy person in the world… like you once were…” Reinhard whispered. “My children won't be able compare to me. The world will not be kind to them. What if I decided to be the last Sword Saint?”
“...Kingdom won't allow it, stupid kid.”
“Not that they can really control me in everything.” Reinhard said in an unaccustomed tone of voice.
Heinkel widened his eyes and smirked.
“Oh, they'd shit themselves if they heard you now.”
“But they can't hear. And they never will, will they?”
Reinhard was right. He himself won't say it to Council and his Father won't say anything either.
Everything that happened in the nights stayed in those nights. It was an unspoken rule they adhered to.
“When they will think of picking a bride for you, all she'll need is one good talk with me and the engagement will be broken off.”
Heinkel shrugged and grinned, showing his fangs.
“I can be good with words, you know that. I also can be very cruel with them.”
“Are you offering your help?” Reinhard said in surprise.
Heinkel laughed hoarsely, cocking his head toward the ceiling.
“Od, of course not! I just feel sorry for the poor woman that will have to be stuck with you.”
Reinhard squinted slightly, wondering how in the world his Father was able to lie and tell the truth at the same time.
…He clenched his teeth, remembering that night a few years ago. He remembered others, too. He didn't deserve them. Lugunica didn't know it yet, but this was its first night without the royal family. They were all dead now. What's the point in being the strongest if he couldn't help them?! He was useless, useless, useless, useless, useless! He was just a fuc-
“Wow, ya looking pretty bad-” The voice belonged to a man who had appeared in the mansion a second ago.
“I failed.” Reinhard interrupted the man. He wasn't in the mood for the usual… whatever it was called.
“You… Failed?”
“I'm sure that you heard it and there is no need for repeating.”
“Failed…” Heinkel started laughing. It was a barking laugh that made him crouch. “Oh, I waited for years to hear something like that! And how is it? Knowing that you killed someone again?”
Reinhard didn't answer. He only hissed and drew air through his teeth.
“Anyway, welcome to the team. I wonder when you're fucked up like that, what people will think? Will they start to disregard their perfect hero? Hate him? Isn't it interesting, huh?”
“You're not helping, vice-captain.” Hissed Reinhard.
“I'm not trying to.”
They sat in silence for a couple of minutes. Until Heinkel broke it.
“So… Why? What in the name of Od could stop someone like you?”
“...Ancient magic. No matter how far you go, the Tower doesn't get any closer.”
“Huh… So I won't be able to get in there either.”
“You were going to…”
“Why are you so surprised? I'm running out of options. The final one is to jump off the Great Waterfall and find the cure behind it. Though I'll only do that when the madness will consume me completely.” Heinkel said, waving his hands. “Anyway... It's not like the country's falling apart. The knights will soon be running around like crazy looking for these candidates.”
“And you?”
“Do you even remember the last time I took orders? I don't care about any of this shit.”
From that conversation, months passed before Reinhard met the black-haired boy who led him to the last living member of the royal family.
Lady Felt was sharp of tongue, harsh in temper, and hated the nobility and the Kingdom as a whole.
When she proclaimed in the castle that she was going to raze the Kingdom to the ground and then rebuild it, he couldn't have been happier.
Reinhard was sitting on his bed in Hakuchuri when he heard sounds outside the window. A second later, just as he expected, his Father was sitting on his windowsill.
“It's been a long time, Father.”
“Around half a year or something, yeah.”
“Five months and twenty days.”
Heinkell tilted his head and looked at him with an interesting expression on his face that was hard to decipher. Reinhard even didn't try to understand.
“I wasn't counting. Just quick calculations.” Youth said.
Heinkel grinned and stretched defiantly on the windowsill.
“I'm now a part of Priscilla camp.”
Reinhard widened his eyes and put a hand to his chin.
“I thought you weren't going to touch the selections.”
“I had the same thoughts. But I almost got my head chopped off, so…”
“You want her to give you the Dragon Blood.”
“...Do you even realize how unpleasant it is to have your mind readen?”
“Yes. But that time I just guessed.”
“Sucker... How is your royal brat doing, huh?”
Reinhard squinted.
“We met at the castle. I was being my usual self, and she tried to kick me. If I cared, I'd say I like that brat.”
Reinhard chuckled.
“My lady sometimes reminds me of you.”
Heinkel looked at him with a blank stare.
“Don't insult her like that, brat. It's your lady after all.”
Reinhard thought for a moment and then spoke again.
“You know… I doubt that lady Felt won't allow me to take some Dragon Blood to cure my Mother.”
“So that's how it is. Two candidates. Forty percent chance.” Heinkel shook his head and grinned. “I'm gonna get you two in a lot of trouble.”
Priscilla wasn't a big fan of Felt. She also loved good performances.
“I know.” Reinhard said calmly.
In fact, his Father was capable of many unpleasant things in regards to their camp. But Reinhard knew that half of the threats wouldn't be carried out. In fact, his Father would probably just cause drama when the opportunity arose, but nothing more.
That was the last time when he saw Father in that year. Watching the man disappear among the night shadows, his son raised his eyes to the moon.
(When morning comes, everything is back to normal and Sword Saint belongs to this world again.)