Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

For him remembering had been slow.
Mydei was just nine years old when his mother died - supposedly of an illness she had shown no signs of before.
He had not believed any of it, until the day of her funeral came and there she lay motionless on the wooden pile that would soon be set ablaze.
He hated being a child at that moment. He wanted to ask why, to understand and to see without a doubt that this really was nothing more than what all of the people around him claimed it to be. Yet he received no answers from anyone.
He followed the ceremony if only for his mother's honour and soon found himself seated at a bench watching the fire paint the night sky an angry red.
It was a beautiful sight, almost mesmerizing as the flames shot up time and again, daring anyone who would come too close while at the same time luring them in. Flickering, playing with lights and colours, illuminating the darkness around them. All the while deadly and dangerous if touched.
Mydei loved and hated it at the same time. He knew this last image he would have of his mother would be burned into his memory that night. It was beautiful, but it was also very sad. He tried his best to rather remember their last breakfast together as she told him an old tale of a hero who saved the world from a big and evil dragon.
He vaguely registered that someone sat down next to him, but paid them no mind. There were too many people here. The queen had died after all, it was a public affair even if only nobility and the kingdom's most influential leaders were allowed this close.
The fire was big on purpose, made for the whole capital to see.
He was all but the forgotten child for the night. That was fine, he did not want to be the centre of attention anyway, but he realised soon that day just how distant his father really was. He had paid him hardly a glance. His mother had always made sure to make some time to see him, even if raising him was mostly left to the teachers and nannies, she had always been there. He had not. And now neither would be.
Despite being this close to the raging fire, he felt strangely cold.
"I'm sorry for your loss," a very quiet voice suddenly said and he almost flinched not having expected to be spoken to.
He turned and saw a girl next to him. There were no other children beside him in the palace and no noblemen had ever brought a daughter to any of the ceremonies that he knew of.
Though her white dress spoke of a young temple maiden. Perhaps she was part of the priests who held the ceremony?
He nodded silently and wanted to turn back to his mother, as their eyes briefly met. And something did happen.
He did not really understand what or how, but somehow, he found himself unable to look away. There was a strange sense of familiarity. Like he had in fact met her before.
She stilled as well, quietly keeping the eye contact, staring back at him.
Her eyes were wide open and Mydei felt like they were desperately trying to tell him something he could not understand. Yet.
"Castorice," he whispered, not knowing where that name had even come from but at least it broke the strange spell and she blinked, then, slowly nodded.
She seemed to hesitate, fidgeting with her fingers and looking down, before she, too, slowly and very softly spoke. Almost too quiet for him to hear. "Lord Mydei?"
And he knew there was more to it. He did not mind the nickname, not at all in fact. But no-one ever dared to call him that. Especially not some maiden he just met.
He nodded again, frowning a little. "Have we met before?"
She seemed as confused as he was when she looked at him again and… shrugged. "I don't think so?"

Remembering was a slow, but steady process. At first he hardly understood any of it, partially because most of the memories came to him in the form of dreams.
It would take him quite a while to figure out that they were very much connected and told a story of days long gone.
He would still not believe until the day he met Castorice again and she asked him about it. So, he was not the only one. It was still vague, a collapsing world, a flame chase, monsters, nothing that really fit into reality.
With one single exception. One he had been told to keep hidden because it was strange and no-one could explain it. His blood was actually still golden.
None of the scholars had ever seen that before, they had no idea what was going on and at first had been very worried that he might carry a defect or illness. But Mydei had always been a healthy child and there were no signs of his blood being anything out of the ordinary. He was still told to keep it under wraps, likely because the king was afraid of rumours of a tainted blood line.
The older he got, the more he remembered. There had been not just one life, but several before. And there had been more people along the way. And with that knowledge came a soft longing. Of meeting them again. He could only see Castorice ever so often, he had no business going to any more funerals and she of course could hardly visit the crown prince as a simple maiden.
But he was sure the others were out there somewhere as well.
In Mydei's teenage years he was finally given a bit more of free reign. And despite the protests of his teachers he befriended some of the soldiers he trained with. Even though their names and faces were familiar, they clearly had no memory of him.
But that was fine, they still made his life a lot better and Mydei actually started to enjoy the time they spent together.
Once he finally came of age, his father sent him off. Not to war, but to the old residence close to the border and shortly after Mydei would learn why. He was supposed to guard it. Again, not from other nations, but something he had hardly even thought possible before. There were actual demons approaching.
He thought their world had no place for such things, but he would soon learn otherwise as he stood on a battlefield. Creatures in front of him, some just black, deformed shadows, some surprisingly humanlike, all of them attacking without hesitation. And, even worse, killing his soldiers without any effort.
Whoever got close would either die on contact or succumb to untreatable symptoms shortly after. Mydei was the only one not affected. He was not willing to sacrifice people and therefore the task fell solely on him.
He reported to his father, but the only answer he ever got was a scholar sent to assist him. It was obvious that the king did not care in the slightest. Neither for the demons nor for his son's nor the soldiers’ lives.

The scholar arrived half a year later, a healer in tow. And that was the first time Mydei met someone else who remembered beside Castorice.
"Hyacine, Professor Anaxa," he said, before any of them even had the chance to introduce themselves.
Anaxa frowned at once. "It's Anaxago…"
"Mydei!" Hyacine interrupted and came closer. "Oh, I hoped it would really be you!"
And soon after he learnt that it was exactly his blood that prevented the demonic effects everyone else was suffering from.
And while Anaxa tried to figure out the how and why and Hyacine did her best to find ways to treat those who still got too close either because of curiosity or bad luck, he fought back the demons whenever they approached. It was a strange kind of normal that went on for several years with little to no changes.

Chapter Text

If he had been aware of the village's existence, he would have arrived sooner. But now they were quite clearly too late.
Aedes had been small and very much hidden from view. Behind the settlement was a huge mountain range spanning far into the distance making travel on foot almost impossible. The only way to get here safely was by boat. There was a landing bridge, but the waters were too shallow for bigger ships to enter.
Mydei stood at the beach looking up to what could only be described as burned ruins. Here and there some dark splatters of a strange, almost but not quite moving mass could be found. Demonic remains.
He sighed and took a step forward, gesturing for the soldiers to spread out. "Look for any survivors," he ordered knowing full well that the chances of finding any would be close to none.
As Mydei walked up the small hill the village set upon, he wondered if this might have been Phainon's home. There was never a guarantee and he was not foolish enough to take it for granted, but names seemed to be consistently similar in all of his memories. It did fit the description Phainon had once given him of his home as well.
What he could still make out looked a lot like fields of crops and a few houses scattered in between. It sure was a lovely, calm place to grow up in, maybe a little too small and detached, but peaceful nonetheless.
And first and foremost, undisturbed. Had it not been for the single merchant who sometimes visited alerting them, he would have never even known of its existence. Which did say a lot considering it was still part of his kingdom.
It also made him wonder just how much the people living here even knew of the world outside - had they even been aware they were a part of Kremnos?
Mydei had seen his fair share of battles by now and enough deaths caused by the demons to not flinch away, but he never really got used to them. Trying not to let his gaze linger on what remained of the corpses, he reached what probably would have been the village's meeting place. It was small, but with so few inhabitants it would probably not even have been crowded.
For him, who grew up in the capital's heart it was a strange concept. There were probably more people living in the palace than here.
An old well was still surprisingly intact and when Mydei got a little closer he could actually still hear the soft sounds of water deep down. It was still working, if the water was still drinkable would be in question, though. They had yet to find out just how much the demon's contact could really taint.
Anaxa had told him to be very cautious when it came to these things. Mydei decided not to try and almost walked away, when a soft breeze moved the ropes and made them clutter. He instinctively looked at them and caught a small movement behind the well.
When he took a second look there was nothing there.
Frowning he walked around the stone structure and crouched down. It was well hidden, but when he felt the ground, it suddenly moved and opened up. And he was now facing a staircase leading down, underground.
That was not something he had expected. He stood again, looked for the nearest soldier and told him, he would investigate downstairs.
The steps were clearly old, but in good condition. The low ceiling forced him to walk in an awkwardly crouched position and he briefly wondered, why it was built this way.
Surely not all of the people here were that short?
But before Mydei could follow up that thought, he reached the ground floor and instantly forgot about everything else.
He inhaled sharply.
There was definitely something going on here and it did not seem good.
On the bottom of the staircase was a cave, probably man-made. It was huge, likely spanning across most of the village's perimeter. Torches on the walls were still burning weakly, illuminating the space in a flickering, unsteady manner.
In the middle of the hall-like structure was a stone table. Chiselled roughly directly into the ground when it was built from the looks of it. Around the table and on some of the edges on top was a circle made entirely of white candles. Most of them had melted completely, only a handful still burning low.
Mydei had no idea how big they once had been, but they definitely gave a hint of someone being here not too long ago.
More important, however, was the person still chained to the table.
It was an adult man, almost naked safe for some shredded remains of what once used to be a white piece of clothing on his lower body. Heavy metal chains holding his wrists and ankles, spanning over his chest and legs.
And he was covered in splashes of a golden liquid. The metal stench of blood that filled the stale air left no doubt what exactly it was.
Mydei inched a bit closer.
On the man's chest something was glowing faintly, a harsh red even against the warm candle light.
Patterns, possibly symbols he did not recognise. They seemed almost burnt into the light skin. His gaze shot upwards.
The head lay to the side, a golden piece of metal running around it, covering his eyes. And on top of it, again, the same red patterns shimmering in harsh contrast to the surroundings.
And still, even with half of his face hidden, Mydei immediately knew who was in front of him and he gulped.
"Phainon."
Just what exactly had those people done to him? What even was this? A cult? Did they sacrifice him to try and stop the destruction?
One of the candles close to Phainon's face flickered, alerting Mydei. He took another step and, standing directly next to the table, he quickly undid one of his gauntlets and extended a now bare hand.
He felt a soft breath of air.
Phainon was still alive! His hand shot up, to his neck - baring his typical sun mark further proving his identity - and he let out air he had not consciously been holding. There was a pulse.
Whatever obscure ritual he had been part of, he had survived. For now. There was no telling if it was still not too late, but he at least had to try and get him out of here.
Suddenly Mydei heard yelling from outside. He didn't quite catch the words, but he was sure the demons were back.
Biting his lip, he quickly put his gauntlet back on and eyed the chains. Pulling out a dagger from his belt he smashed it down on one of the chain links and pushed it open by brute force. He would deal with the cuffs later, there was no time for that now.
Once freed he carefully lifted Phainon - who did not even stir - from the cold stone. His skin felt way too cold against Mydei's chest. Dangerously so, he realised there was a very real chance that Phainon while still alive right now might not survive this.
When Mydei emerged from the hidden chamber, Hephaestion was waiting for him.
"Mydei, what in the..."
He fell silent when he saw the man in his arms. "You found a survivor?" The question was spoken hesitantly, unsure and Mydei could not blame him. Phainon did not exactly look alive.
He gave a sharp nod.
"For now, he's alive. Did you find any more?"
Hephaestion shook his head, his eyes roaming over the golden blood all over Phainon. He frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but before he had the chance to, another loud scream broke though the quiet village.
Mydei growled. They had no time.
"Take him back to the ship, I'll follow as soon as I can."
It did not feel right at all when he handed Phainon over to a very startled Hephaestion. But he knew he could trust him with his life. He would keep Phainon safe, too. "What? But we…!"
"I'll stop the demons, I'm not doing anything stupid. Now go, make sure, he gets back safely."
Hephaestion shot him a very questioning glance, but then slowly nodded. "Alright. Be careful."
And with one last blink, he went back towards the sea.
Mydei watched him for two heartbeats then turned around, slowly stretching his fingers, before clenching them into fists and readying himself for a few punches.

He arrived on the ship shortly after. There had not been many demons luckily and he made quick work of them.
He wasn't sure if more would be in the area, though, and the sooner they got out, the better. There was nothing they could have done for the village anymore anyway. Aedes was no more.
By the time Mydei got into the cabin, Perdikkas was already examining Phainon.
The torn cloth was replaced by a blanket thrown over his legs and most of the golden blood was gone. Perdikkas still held a washcloth in his hand, when Mydei entered, the bucket of water next to him shimmering suspiciously from the amount of blood.
"How is he?"
Perdikkas looked up and grimaced slightly. "I'm not sure," he then admitted. "The cuts I found are all minor, definitely not warranting this amount of blood."
He leaned down and carefully placed the cloth into the bucket, drying his hand on a towel nearby. "Either this isn't his or... I don't know to be honest. It's not dried, it has to be fresh. Maybe I'm missing something, but the only other explanation I can think of would be for him coughing it up before he fell unconscious?"
He sighed heavily. "We'll need a magic healer to make sure, but I felt his chest and abdomen for inner injuries and I could find none."
Mydei's eyes wandered back to the markings on Phainon's chest. The glow had diminished, only a faint echo now. The patterns, however, remained. Just like red tattoos drawn into his skin, an unsettling stark contrast. The light was better now than it had been in the underground hall and the skin was alarmingly pale.
Perdikkas pulled out more blankets from one of the cabinets and placed them on top of the unconscious man.
"His breath and pulse are stable, but very weak. I'm not sure, but he might be in a coma. Mydei, I..." He brushed his hand through his hair with another sigh. "I don't know how else to say this. I'm not sure he will wake up again. He seems stable for now, but I have never seen anything like this, I have no idea what's going on."
Mydei slowly nodded, not trusting his own voice as he stepped closer. The glow on Phainon's face was almost gone, too. But unlike the chest it did not leave red markings on the golden ring… blindfold… whatever that was. Rather there were soft, delicate lines drawn into the metal. Almost invisible unless looked upon closely.
Just what had happened to him and why?
In the last few years demon attacks had become more frequent, but they still were nowhere near a weekly occurrence. The main attacks happened on the eastern border and rumours spread fast once they suffered the first casualties. His father might not care too much, but Mydei did and he had sent out messengers to the surrounding towns and villages to inform people of the threat.
Of course, none were sent here, because of ignorance, but surely the people would have realised something was going on, right?
Had they tried to sacrifice Phainon to the demons to stop them? Had he volunteered to be the one to draw them in, so the others could escape? Mydei smiled wearily. He would not put it past that idiot to do so. Or maybe... had they even done something to awaken the demons? Aedes was now officially the first village completely lost to the approach, had they… called upon them?
Then again, he could hardly believe Phainon would live among people who would do so. No matter how angry or sad he had been in any past life, he would never, ever willingly risk the life of others over his own.

"Call for Anaxa and Hyacine," Mydei ordered as soon as they were on solid ground again. "And get an extra bed into my chambers, I do not want to risk too many people seeing him yet."
Perdikkas eyed him for a moment, then quickly nodded and headed off. Mydei carried Phainon again. He was not too heavy, but still the way back had never felt this long.
"Mydei?" This time Hephaestion had stayed with him and was walking by his side. They were avoiding the main roads, to not attract too much attention.
"Hm?"
He was almost certain what his friend was about to ask, even before he actually did.
"Is he...?"
"Probably." This was not the right place to discuss these things. Not out here in the open, where whoever would happen to pass by could hear them. "Let's talk about that once we're back."
Hephaestion fell silent, but his gaze lingered on him and Phainon.
Of course, Mydei had not been able to hide his golden blood from the very men he trained, spared and fought with on an almost daily basis. While none of them matched his skill in combat, they did occasionally manage to land a hit. It had been just a matter of time.
He had been honest about it from the first time it happened.
He still did not know what exactly that meant, but he sure knew that it kept him safe from the demonic curse that killed others. Anaxa had been insane enough to try that for himself when he deliberately wandered onto a battlefield to touch an injured demon just to see if it had any effect on him.
It did not.
A little more reluctantly Mydei had also told them of his memories of previous lives. He was to this day not sure if or how much of it they believed.
Mydei relaxed slightly when they finally entered his home and the big, iron doors fell shut behind them. He turned left towards his private quarters. Only there could he finally breath normally again.
"I believe his name is Phainon," he finally answered, making his companion blink. "If he is who I think he is, we were… close friends."
For now, that was probably the most general description he could come up with. Their exact relationship had indeed varied across time and lives, but sooner or later they had always ended up becoming close.
Hephaestion sighed at that. "I genuinely hope he will live for us to find out," he almost whispered and Mydei could only agree.

“Interesting,” was the first and pretty much only coherent thing Anaxa said before he leaned over Phainon, silently mumbling to himself.
They had placed him in the bed standing in Mydei’s living room now. Between the white linen and in bright sunlight the unnatural skin colour was even more prominent.
Hyacine had double checked for internal damage, but had confirmed that there was none. Physically Phainon showed no major signs of harm. That did, however, not rule out other possibilities such as magic and curses.
“The good news is, that Phainon’s condition seems to be stable. It’s not getting worse at least,” Hyacine almost whispered not wanting to disturb Anaxa, but she couldn’t really hide the worry in her voice as her eyes never left the bedside. “But I don’t really know how to improve it, either.” She admitted. “For now all we can do is make sure he’s warm and hydrated. We should try and see if he’s able to swallow some water…”
“Mmh…” Anaxa flicked his hand with a rather displeased sound. “Seals,” he said and looked up and over to them, fidgeting with his fingers. “Those are no doubt seals, but I am currently unable to say what exactly they are for. They do not look like anything I have seen so far.”
Mydei raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Seals? Why would anyone place seals on a human?”
Anaxa huffed. “Why indeed.”
He pulled out a small notebook from somewhere and started scribbling, once and again looking back at the signs on Phainon’s body. “I’ll see if I can find something in the archives. I’ll let you know.”
With that he just left, not even sparing them another glance. Hyacine looked after him a little warily before she turned back to Phainon, placing the blankets over him again, making sure, he was well covered.
She sighed and as much as she tried to hide it, Mydei could see the concern on her face. She gently brushed back some of Phainon’s hair and felt the skin on his ears and cheek, probably checking for temperature, before letting go. She turned back to Mydei.
“Let’s see if we can at least make him drink. I don’t want him to suffer or worse die because of dehydration…”
Mydei nodded and grabbed a cup of water from the nearby table.
Don’t you dare die on me, Phainon…

Chapter Text

At least Phainon seemed willing to survive. He did swallow, when Hyacine tried to give him water and, on the second day, some light broth.
Mydei sat by their side, silently watching. He reached for Phainon's hand once Hyacine was done. It was still icy cold and felt so very wrong to not get any kind of response to the touch.
He wondered not for the first time, what they were supposed to do, if this was how it was going to be.
If Phainon remained in this comatose state for as long as they kept him alive. How were the chances? If there was really too much damage for him to heal? Then again, Mydei was jumping to conclusions. Hyacine would probably berate him if she heard his thoughts.
It had just been two days. She had not given up, in fact, it was far too early to even say anything at all. And here he was, already contemplating Phainon's death.
He pulled his mind away from that, letting go of the hand (and making sure to place it underneath the blanket) and turned back to her.
"I'll be back in the evening," Hyacine said with a calm smile. "Try not to worry too much. Whatever happened to him, the Phainon we know would never surrender without a fight."
Was he that easy to read? Or had his facial expression slipped?
He cleared his throat. "Thank you, Hyacine."
She shot him one more glance before she headed towards the door.
Now… what was he supposed to do? Sitting at Phainon's bedside surely would not make him wake up faster, but with his mind and thoughts preoccupied, Mydei found it hard to concentrate on anything else.
Maybe he could at least try and write a letter to Castorice. She still lived in the temple close to the palace and was now a full-fledged priestess. Of course, their friendship would still not have been deemed proper, but they had worked around that. Pretty easily, one might add, as Hephaestion had agreed to have his name as addressee on the letters. Therefore, Mydei officially had no contact with her.
Quite a bit ironic considering Hephaestion himself had yet to meet her, but he didn't mind.
And she probably would be glad to hear they had found Phainon, even given his current state. And maybe it would also help him sort his thoughts.
He went over to his desk, sat down and opened the second drawer from the top. Paper, ink, quills, he kept it all in one place since he had begun to write rather frequently.
Most of his letters were short. He was never one for languish sentences or poetry and preferred notes to the point and compact. And yet, he had never struggled to find words as much as today and ended up spending most of the afternoon writing just this one letter.

"Have you found anything about Aedes?"
It was the fourth day after their return, they were sitting in his living room, Ptolomy with a cup of tea in his hand.
And the look Mydei received as an answer clearly told him that was not exactly the conversation his friend was expecting.
"I have not," he replied after taking a long sip. "The village is never mentioned in the kingdom's history books nor the census."
Mydei frowned, but before he could even as much as open his mouth, Ptolomy sighed.
"That could mean one of three things. One, the village is too young and unknown to the officials, two, it's too isolated and therefore unknown or, three..."
He hesitated, but Mydei was not exactly in a patient mood. "Three?"
A very weird grin. "Three, it's too old."
Mydei snorted. "Too old?"
Ptolomy gestured uncertainly. "Well, while script and knowledge do exist longer than that, it wasn't really commonly used until about 800 years ago. About that time the Kremnoan border was officially established and all of the towns and villages were documented. From what I can tell, only the numbers have been updated, not the actual settlements."
Mydei blinked at that. "But if it's not on the list, wouldn't that still mean it's too young?"
Ptolomy shook his head slightly. "Not necessarily. I mean, if it was unknown back then and no-one had any reason to report a new settlement afterwards..."
That almost amused Mydei. "I guess that is possible. But I'm leaning more towards the theory that they did not want to be known rather than forgot to tell anyone they existed."
At least the comment made his friend smile a little. "If I was involved in some strange possibly sacrificial rituals, I wouldn't want to be known, either," he agreed rather dryly.
Which again brought them back to the topic of the still unconscious patient close by. Mydei's eyes automatically wandered to the bed and its occupant.
Ptolomy let out another sigh at that. "Mydei, I know, you're worried, but don't you think you're overdoing it a little? You've hardly left the room since we came back."
That was a valid point. He had only briefly left to take care of a few things, not wanting Phainon to be alone in case he woke up.
"I'm fine."
Ptolomy had always been sceptical of his past lives, Mydei knew that. To the point where he was pretty sure his friend did not believe a word he had said. Which was actually fine, it was a weird story and Mydei himself was not sure what he would have thought if someone else had told him.
But because of this to Ptolomy it had to look as if Mydei was worried for an unknown stranger, who might possibly never regain consciousness. Quite unbecoming of a crown prince no less, indeed. He smiled in what he hoped would be a reassuring manner.
"I just don't want him to be alone when he comes to. Probably blind and in an unfamiliar place. But you are right, I cannot neglect my duties and training any longer. I'll ask Perdikkas if he is willing to come over for a while."
It was certainly not what Ptolomy had in mind, but he could hardly argue.

When Mydei came back from his spar with Hephaestion he was greeted by soft lyre notes. He smiled as he entered the room to find Peucesta in his armchair singing to himself. Or maybe to Phainon. He could almost hear his friend claim how music could improve the mood and make people feel better.
Mydei was sure, if Phainon did in fact hear any of it, he would enjoy it.
Peucesta looked up when Mydei approached, stringing his instrument a few more times, before letting the music fade softly.
"He has not moved at all, but he also has not complained, I'll count that as a good listener."
Mydei chuckled despite himself.
"I'm sure he'd appreciate that. Thanks for keeping watch."
Peucesta carefully placed his lyre on the small side table and stood, stretching his arms. "No problem. I wish we could find a way to help him, he means a lot to you, doesn't he?"
Mydei sighed.
"He did, yes. If he's the same as before, he probably will again as well."
Peucesta eyed him for a moment, thoughtfully, contemplating. "It must be very strange to think of someone this way," he finally said, looking over to Phainon. "How many times has this happened before?"
Mydei could not help but snort. "I have no idea. Often enough that it does not feel as strange anymore as it probably should." He shook his head. “Although, to be fair, this specifically has never happened before. More often than not we actually met in a fight or competition. Sometimes just along the way. I can’t remember a single time, I’ve found him unconscious or wounded.”
Peucesta gently squeezed his shoulder and made Mydei turn to him. He had that calm, serene look in his eyes.
“It’ll be alright. If he’s a fighter like you, I’m sure he’s battling whatever they did to him right now.” He let go again and reached down for his lyre. “And Ptolomy actually went to the library and got more books to discuss with Anaxa. He might be more worried about you than this man, but he still does want to help, you know.”

“It might be possible that those seals are keeping him unconscious,” Anaxa mumbled as he once again leaned over Phainon’s exposed chest, tracing the red markings with the tip of his finger. “Some of these patterns do seem vaguely similar to seals for containment I have studied before.”
“So… can you do something about them?” Hephaestion asked, but Anaxa seemed too deep in thought to even answer.
Mydei stood at his desk giving them more space and watching silently. Had Anaxa found the key to this mystery he would certainly not be fussing over symbols like this. So no reason to get his hopes up today.
Instead he turned to the letter Hephaestion had brought him – Castorice’s answer no doubt. He opened it with a flick of his finger and quickly read through it.
It almost made him smile. She expressed how glad she was and that she wished to come and visit despite knowing it was impossible. She did send her best wishes and even added some dried herbs from the temple that were supposed to help relax when used in the bathwater. Obviously she was also worried about him.
Unnecessary, but very kind of her.
He placed the letter aside and tried to remember to still use the herbs later in the evening not wanting to waste her gift.
A clanging, almost metal sound alerted him that moment, but when he looked up, he only saw Anaxa frowning deeper, his finger still hovering on the blindfold.
“I still don’t get this part. He was chained, when you found him, right?”
He did not even look up, so instead of just nodding, Mydei gave an affirmative “Hm”.
“I would guess they wanted to prevent him from running away or disturbing the process, but… why this? Is there something in his eyes? Or is it a punishment? Did he see something he was not supposed to see? Or did they want to prevent him from seeing something?”
He was slowly drifting into mumbling to himself again and Mydei let him be, gesturing for Hephaestion to just have dinner with him at the table.

Ten days had passed and routine had set back in. By now Mydei had learnt and taken over the task of making Phainon drink from Hyacine.
He still spent most of his free time in his room – not necessarily what he would usually do, but it did have the advantage of him finally getting to read all the books Castorice had recommended and getting through all the paperwork he rather avoided.
But he had to and would leave now and then as long as someone was here. His friends took turns in staying and turned it into a little game of who could mess with his stuff without him noticing. They were too obvious about it, though. Mydei pretended not to notice that the pictures on the wall had swapped places or his vase now stood on another shelf.
He didn’t mind and actually found it amusing to watch their expectant faces whenever they left.
He sat in his armchair with another book in his hand and a glass of fresh pomegranate juice. It was late afternoon and he had finished his chores for the day.
The story was not exactly one he found captivating and since this happened for the third time now he was starting to question Castorice’s taste in books. Did she really enjoy such explicit…
A noise interrupted him. A very painful intake of breath. At once Mydei’s head shot up - just in time to see slight movement from the bed next to him.
He was on his feet in an instant and couldn’t really believe his eyes when Phainon in fact stirred slightly.
With his eyes covered it was hard to tell if he was actually awake or moving in his sleep, but he was definitely moving.
“Del… Phainon?”
Mydei kept his voice low as not to startle him awake if he was really asleep. Phainon stilled. His head turned to face Mydei and slowly, slowly a hand came out from underneath the blanket to touch his face. There was a slight tremble in the movement, but it stopped shortly after.
“W…what?” Phainon’s voice was weak and rough probably from disuse. And there was fear in it. Mydei had never, ever heard Phainon sound so afraid. It hurt him in ways he had not expected and was not prepared for. Phainon tried to clear his throat and spoke again. “Where… am I? What…” It drifted off as he began to move again. Freeing his other hand and pushing the sheets down.
“You’re safe,” Mydei answered softly. “I don’t know what happened, though.”
Phainon faced him again, silent for a moment. When he spoke his voice was a bit more steady and calmer, but the words made Mydei freeze.
“Who… are you? How do you… know my name?”
He did not remember? Mydei took a deep breath. He had just woken up, was probably confused and maybe did not recognise his voice. No need to be alarmed.
“My name’s Mydei, we know each other from, well, the past. More importantly, are you in pain?”
Phainon remained quiet, moving his head ever so slightly, maybe thinking.
“I’m not in pain, but… tired.”
Phainon’s hand wandered over the bedsheets as if searching for something, before they suddenly came to a halt and he tried to sit up. Mydei wanted to help him, but before his hands made contact, Phainon flinched and pulled away.
He did say nothing, though, obviously straining, but managing to get into a somewhat upright position. Mydei at least pushed another pillow behind his back, carefully keeping an eye on Phainon’s reaction, but none came.
He just settled back a little and groaned lightly, not in pain from the sound of it, which was a relieve. His hands again tucked at his face and the metal around it.
“What is this?”
Mydei exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know either. You had it on you when we found you and we were unable to remove it. Can you tell me what happened?”
Phainon gave up trying to tug it off after a few attempts and let his hands fall down again, absentmindedly fiddling with the sheets again. “I… don’t know,” he replied in slight disbelieve, “I remember… chanting and vaguely something like candles? After that everything is just dark.” Even with parts of his face obscured the frown was very much visible.
He tensed, his fingers clenching the fabric and his lips pressed together into a thin line. Mydei was at a loss on how to help him. And he felt bad for it.
“We’ll figure it out,” was the best he could come up with. “But first you need to regain some of your strength. Do you think you can stomach some water and maybe food?”
Phainon hesitated, then once more turned his face towards Mydei and slowly nodded. “I can… try.”
That was all he could ask for. “Give me a second. I’m not gonna leave, just get some, okay?”
He did not wait for the approval, but kept half an eye on Phainon as he walked over to the table to get a glass of water. He stopped at the door to call for one of the servants to bring a bowl of soup and some bread.
Hyacine and Perdikkas had warned him to take it slow and not give him anything heavy after days of not eating anything substantial.
He returned to the bedside, reaching for Phainon’s hand, but, again it was pulled away. Phainon didn’t grimace, however, in fact he did not react apart from that. Maybe it was an unconscious reflex. Whatever these people had done to him, it must have hurt.
Mydei suppressed a sigh.
“Here, water.” He made sure not to touch his skin as he bumped the glass against Phainon’s knuckles. Phainon actually gave him a small smile as he took the glass and a careful, slow sip.
“Thank you.”

Phainon’s movements were getting better, the slight tremor slowly vanished while he carefully ate most of the stew and a good chunk of the bread as well.
His face seemed to have regained quite a bit of colour after the meal as well, Mydei noted as he took the bowl back – still avoiding skin contact as best as he could as not to startle Phainon unnecessarily.
“Better?” he asked as Phainon sighed almost contently.
He got another smile for that. “Yeah, better. Thank you. How long was I out?”
Mydei sighed as he put the bowl to the side. “At least ten days that I know of. Probably not much longer considering there were still burning candles when I found you, but who knows…”
Phainon tensed again. That had probably not been the most sensitive topic to bring up again.
“Ten days…” he repeated lost in thought. “It feels even longer.” He shook his head and yawned.
Mydei eyed him for a moment. Trying to change the subject he suggested: “How do you feel about a warm bath and some fresh cloths?”
Again, Phainon hesitated. Right, he was probably still quite weak, he could not see and… unconsciously or not, he obviously did not want to be touched. This might have been a bad idea and more difficult than he imagined. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that.
“I’m not sure how,” Phainon said timidly. Another tone he had never heard before. It pulled at his heart and Mydei had to restrain himself from commenting on it. That certainly would not help.
“Look, I know this is not ideal, but I really just want to help you. I won’t touch you unless necessary and I won’t hurt you. You have my word for that.”
Whatever that meant from someone he deemed a total stranger. And that was not even wrong, they were strangers in this life, even if one of them remembered a time when they weren’t.
Phainon took a deep breath. Then another, then he smiled weakly.
“Yes, I’m… sorry. I should be grateful for your help, you’ve been nothing but kind. I don’t know what I’m…” He stopped himself, shook his head again and then opened a hand extending it vaguely in Mydei’s direction.
Afraid of another unvoluntary flinch, Mydei took it, but loosely so that Phainon could still pull back if it was really uncomfortable.
Phainon did jolt at the contact. But he did not pull away. Quite the opposite actually, his grip got tighter and tighter by the minute, his mouth slightly agape as he tried unsuccessfully to form word.
“Phainon?” Mydei worried what exactly was going on again. Phainon’s hand relaxed slightly, still holding his in place. He gulped, facing him again as he slowly asked: “Mydeimos?”

Chapter Text

"Mydeimos?"
He had purposely not mentioned his full name earlier. Mainly because he did not want to add more stress to the situation by revealing himself to be the crown prince to someone unaware of why he might be in his home.
Either Phainon had still connected the dots (although an unassuming citizen would more likely use his title than name) or…
"Yes?"
"Did you... did you feel that, too?"
Mydei slowly exhaled. "The memories? Not right now, but I have seen them quite some time ago, yes."
Phainon's expression shifted into something he could not really discern. It seemed as if he was staring into the distance. Although he probably would have seen nothing either way, too absorbed in the past.
Mydei assumed that instead of slowly one by one as he had remembered, Phainon was probably assaulted by all of the memories at once. That certainly would not help his already confused state.
Carefully as not to startle him further, he gave a soft squeeze to the hand Phainon still hadn't let go of. That seemed to snap him out of it, as he twitched and the face turned back into his direction. Hesitantly a tiny smile formed at the edge of Phainon's lips.
"This is weird," was all Phainon finally said, his voice quivering ever so slightly.
Mydei couldn't help but huff at that. "You don’t say. Took you long enough."
Phainon chuckled. "My bad."
Deeming that it was now okay, Mydei sat on the side of the mattress and waited. He would probably need some time to process all of this.
Phainon slumped back down after a few minutes, placing his free arm over his eyes as if to cover them and gave another strained chuckle.
"Why do we always end up in such messes?"
But before Mydei even got a chance to answer, the hand in his fell limb again. Alarmed his first reflex was to shake Phainon, but as he heard soft, even intakes of breath, he relaxed.
Phainon had fallen back asleep.
That had likely been too much. Careful not to wake him, Mydei tugged him back in and with one last glance, went to call for Hyacine.

Phainon slept through the night and well into the next morning. But at least now he was moving in his sleep, signalling that he was indeed, not back in the comatose state.
Mydei himself hardly slept that night, not that he would willingly admit it.
Too focused on any sounds from the neighbouring room and constantly on high alert, he only ever drifted off into light slumber now and again. But that was fine, nothing he couldn't handle.
When Phainon finally showed signs of waking up, he approached the bed again. He wanted to make sure Phainon knew he was not alone in the unknown space.
"Morning."
Phainon stirred a little, stretching his arms and legs, before rolling over and muttering a sleepy "Morning..." into the pillow. It almost made Mydei chuckle. While Phainon would jump out of his bed and be ready in mere seconds if he had to, he would also very much sleep in and take forever to fully wake up, if there was no reason to hurry.
He had not changed from that it seemed.
"Breakfast? Bath? Tea?"
A yawn. "Sounds good?" Phainon attempted to rub his eyes and froze for a second, when he touched the gold. A sigh followed, before he slowly sat up. His movements looked a little more confident than yesterday. Mydei took that as a good sign.
"Let's try the bath first then. Hyacine will be here in a little while to check on you." And he probably would feel better clean when she examined him. It also piqued Phainon's interest. "Hyacine?"
"Yeah. Anaxa's here as well, but he's trying to figure out how to get that thing off your face right now."
Phainon actually smiled at that and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, before he shook his head.
"Are you feeling well enough to stand?"
Phainon hesitated again, moving his head in somewhat random directions.
"I'm... not sure," he admitted reluctantly and it was clear that actually having to say this had taken him quite a lot. Understandably. Mydei despised admitting weakness himself. Not that it would change anything to voice it or not, but it was never an easy thing to do.
"Let's try then."
He cautiously reached out a hand to touch Phainon's shoulder and to his relieve received no defensive reaction this time. Instead Phainon willingly moved to the side, pushing back the sheets and letting his legs dangle over the edge. He slowly pushed himself upwards and, lo and behold, he did manage to stand up on his own. One hand shot out to grab Mydei's arm, but there was no weight to it, so he either wanted the reassurance or support for balance.
Phainon slowly took a hesitant step, then another and Mydei could almost see some of the tension leave his face.
It was fine. He could walk on his own and that probably made him feel better already. Mydei pushed slightly to get him in the right direction and allowed Phainon to walk at whatever pace he felt comfortable with.
Once they reached the bathroom he had Phainon sit on the edge of the tub while he adjusted the water temperature. "You okay?"
Phainon gave a small nod to that. "That was more strenuous than it should be, but at least I made it."
"Who knows what those people did to you," Mydei mumbled. "You probably will need more rest."
Phainon frowned, but nodded once more. "I still don't remember any of it," he quietly said. "I have memories of a thousand previous lives now, but nothing beyond waking up yesterd… was it even yesterday? What time is it anyway? You said breakfast, right?"
"It was," Mydei confirmed. "And maybe early lunch would be more fitting technically, but, really, whatever you want to eat is fine."
The water was nice and warm now and he looked at Phainon, trying to judge the best way to approach this.
"I trust you can handle a bath yourself?" They had bathed together several times before across multiple lives. But that did not mean it felt normal so shortly after meeting again. This was another time after all. And this was hardly their normal way of interaction or relationship, either.
"I think, I'll manage. Can you hand me some soap?"
Mydei stayed long enough to make sure Phainon was safely placed in the water and had everything in reach, before he exited the bathroom. Luckily Phainon was reasonable enough to call once he was done.

When Hyacine arrived, they were seated at the table. Phainon had allowed Mydei to help him put on some simple, fresh cloths and lead him back to the room. He had asked not to lay down again, though, but didn't even try to argue when Mydei pushed a sandwich into his hand, happily munching it instantly.
His skin still felt cold, but it had lost the iciness from before and especially in the warm sunlight from the window to their right his cheeks definitely had regained some colour.
It was no surprise that Hyacine beamed at them as soon as she entered. Phainon was no doubt still weakened, but he seemed so much more alive already.
"Oh, I'm so glad to see you up!"
Phainon stilled at that, facing her, silent for a moment, before he smiled. "Hyacine?"
She blinked, then cleared her throat, coming closer now. "Yes, sorry, I should have introduced myself."
He was certainly following the sound of her footsteps, Mydei noted, as Phainon's head moved slightly at her approach. It was very calming for his mind to see Phainon responsive to his surroundings again.
"Is it okay, if I examine you again?"
"Of course," Phainon smiled, an honest smile this time. "What do you need me to do?"
Hyacine stopped next to them. "For now, just hold still, I am going to touch your chest, okay?"
Phainon pushed the chair back slightly and let his hands fall to his lap, allowing her easy access.
Her fingers had a soft glow at the tips as they gently hovered over him, until she gave a satisfied hum. "I'll quickly check your pulse, too," she said before one hand went up to his neck, staying for just a bit. "It's definitely stronger than before," she noted happily and pulled back.
Mydei gestured at the chair behind her and after a second or two she sat down. "How do you feel? Does anything hurt? Or feel uncomfortable?"
Phainon gave her a reassuring smile. That one was not quite honest, Mydei thought, but remained silent.
"Nothing hurts, I'm just tired like… I've been running for too long?"
Hyacine frowned slightly, but her tone was still calm when she spoke. "Whatever happened to you placed you in a coma for almost two weeks. It's safe to assume that your body has taken a slight toll from that. But don't worry, I can't find anything wrong, I'm sure you'll recover in no time. Just promise me you'll take your time and rest."
And Phainon chuckled lightly. "You know me far too we..." A yawn interrupted him.
Hyacine crossed her arms. "Thanks for proving my point. Now, please, get back in bed."

Phainon still slept most of the time. But he woke up more often and for longer periods over the next few days. Hyacine visited regularly, mostly early afternoon, to check on him and make sure he did rest enough.
Mydei still spent most of his time in his chambers as well, now even more adverse to leaving then before.
"Mydei, there are rumours that the king is traveling around the country again. What shall we...?"
Mydei huffed. It was one of the rare occasions were all of his friends had decided to drop by at the same time. Since he refused to leave, they were all sitting in his living room, Phainon soundly asleep. At least his sleep was deep; when he had drifted of, he never showed any signs of consciousness even when people were having long conversations almost directly next to him.
"Nothing. My father has never even sat foot into these walls, why would he now?" And even if he did, he would surely insist on being greeted in the official throne and banquet halls. Not in the quarters Mydei had claimed as his own when he moved here. And even if he for whatever strange reason decided to break protocol and do just that, there was no rule against him having anyone sleeping in his rooms.
The residence was so far at the border that the king hardly ever paid it attention. One of the reasons why he was sent here, Mydei was sure of.
His friends fell silent after that, exchanging worried glances between them, that Mydei could not understand. Sure, they probably worried on his behalf, but there really was no reason to. While he agreed that his father would probably disprove of him taking in a stranger from an unknown village, there was nothing illegal about it. He was the crown prince after all and in absence of his father he did have quite a bit of authority.
"One more pressing matter," Leonnius broke the uncomfortable silence. "Inhabitants of Sicyon have reported sightings of demons. They seem to mostly dwell in the surrounding forests but keep getting closer."
Sicyon was a growing city about four hours to the North. Which meant it was possible, but very strenuous to make the trip there and back in a single day and eradicate the demons. Although, to be really thorough with it and ensure that he would not have to come back shortly after, Mydei would probably need more time.
His reluctance must have shown on his face, as Peucesta suddenly suggested: "Mydei, I'll stay here, if you want. I won't be of much help there anyway, I can watch him."
Mydei's eyes flickered over, he felt slightly caught, but there was no way to deny that he didn't like the thought of leaving Phainon in someone else's care.
Even though he was sure, if he'd ask, Hyacine would also gladly step in. When had he become so damn protective? And of Phainon of all people? The one being who had been able to take him in battle or competition every time in the past?
He tried to expel the thought at once, tried his best to stay calm and not reveal himself. "That would be very much appreciated. I'll leave as soon as possible, if we hurry, we'll make it there before dusk and can get those demons sorted out first thing tomorrow."
The reactions were mixed, but no-one dared to object.
Mydei stood with one more glance over to the sleeping man and made a packing list in his mind. They wouldn't stay long, he didn't need much.
"Hey, Mydei, would you feel better, if I stayed as well?"
He flinched when Hephaestion's hand landed on his shoulder, too absorbed in thoughts.
"Why would you think that?" He almost snapped out of instinct, but berated himself. His current temper was hardly Hephaestion's fault.
A soft, knowing smile was the answer. "Exactly because of that." Mydei grumbled.

Phainon would not always fully wake up. Sometimes he just drifted in and out of sleep throughout the day, vaguely aware of people and voices around him.
Sometimes he listened, sometimes he just let the words wash over him without grasping their meaning.
He could not really explain why, but it felt nice to know there were others around.
By now he could easily identify Mydei's footsteps, even in a half-asleep state. They weren't exactly loud, but firm, confident and unmistakably his. Hyacine's, too, were easy. Softer, almost careful and with a bit of a light spring to them.
Nothing he ever paid attention to before.
And, truth to be told, be probably would not have now, either, if it had not been for that strange blindfold keeping his eyes forcefully shut. He did not lie, it didn't hurt, but it still felt weird. He found himself trying to open his eyes more often than he liked to admit.
At least no-one would see that, unlike his fruitless attempts at pushing his finger underneath to lift the metal.
He was very grateful that Mydei was there. That it was him and not someone else who had found him and... saw him like this.
He still felt very tired, sleeping only helped so much. He tried to be patient and well-behaved as Hyacine had requested, but it was hard. Especially with memories of all those lives where he had been constantly in motion and running around fighting. He didn't know if this life had been the same, but he certainly did find no joy in lying around waiting.
When he came to this time, he heard soft tones of music. That was new. But not unpleasant, it was a nice, calm melody he had never heard before. He liked it, contently allowing himself to sink deeper into the pillow and just listen for a while.
"Are you awake?" At some point someone asked, voice very low probably to not disturb him. The music still hung in the air. The voice was unfamiliar, Phainon contemplated pretending to be asleep at first, but then stopped himself. Why would he? Mydei would never allow anyone near who would harm him.
Even if this thought had a somewhat sour touch about needing protection in the first place, at the same time it was quite reassuring. There probably were hardly any safer places in the world than under Mydei's watch.
"Mmh," he confirmed, smiling a little. "The music is nice."
It earned him a chuckle from the unknown man beside him. "It is, isn't it?" Movement, a chair scraping on the ground and suddenly the voice was lower, almost on his level.
"I’m one of Mydei’s friends. He had to leave, but he’ll be back soon.”
That made sense. Although he could have woken him and told him, but then again, Phainon probably wouldn’t have either if he’d been in Mydei’s shoes.
He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position and turned to the person beside him with a smile.
“Nice to meet you, thanks for staying with me. Although I’m afraid I’m not the best company right now. I’m sure you already know, my name’s Phainon.”
Another chuckle. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure everyone here knew, even before you woke up. Mydei wouldn’t shut up about it.” Then more movement, but Phainon wasn’t sure what kind. “I’m Hephaestion. Don’t know if we ever met before in one of your other lives?”
Phainon would have blinked in surprise if he could. “Oh, he told you?” Well, that… probably made things easier. “We never did, but he did tell me about you!” Not always, but several times in fact. It seemed, even though they did not remember, there were more people showing up time and again, now that he thought about it.
“He told you about me and never allowed us to meet?” Hephaestion almost sounded hurt.
Phainon gave him an apologetic smile. “The thing is… you had either moved abroad, disappeared or… ehm… well, died, before we could. I’m actually really glad to finally meet you! Mydei always said you were his closest friend. Or lover, in fact.”
Suddenly the music stopped and another voice made itself known. “Oh, you should see his face right now! It’s hilarious!”
Phainon raised his eyebrows, as Hephaestion shouted back: “Shut it!”
But the laughter continued and felt almost contagious. “Am I wrong?” he asked innocently.
A grumble. “No. We actually were lovers for a while during our late teenage years. Didn’t really work out, but we stayed close friends, nonetheless.” An almost wistful sigh followed. “You know, you should say such things in front of Ptolomy, maybe he’d finally be convinced that Mydei’s not making shit up.”
Footsteps came closer and stopped next to the bed. Still amused the second voice introduced itself: “I’m Peucesta, nice to meet you, Phainon. I can see how you and Mydei would get along, he clearly seems to have a type.”
“I said, shut up!” Hephaestion pouted more than said. And Phainon could not help but chuckle. It was nice to know that Mydei was surrounded by these people, they seemed kind.

When Mydei came back the next day he found his friends on his sofa. Peucesta was rather mindlessly stringing away at his lyre, not really playing a melody, but rather creating a soft background noise.
Phainon was actually up and chatting with Hephaestion. It was a serene sight and one that made Mydei surprisingly happy. He stayed in the doorway for a moment, just watching, enjoying. He could not remember a single time he ever had seen them interact. Due to several different reasons he was almost certain they had never even met.
It was nice to see them get along so well. At least if the smile on Phainon’s face and the joking tone of Hephaestion’s voice were anything to go by. They seemed comfortable around each other and that was more than he could have asked for.
All doubt he had when he left yesterday was instantly gone and he allowed himself to just enjoy the scene for a moment.
“Mydei!” Hephaestion suddenly called. He blinked slightly caught in the moment as he gave a short nod and finally entered the room. Phainon’s face also turned to him, still softly smiling. “Why are you standing around in the door? Afraid to enter you own chambers?”
Mydei huffed, not bothering to answer to that (and definitely not because it was slightly embarrassing to admit). “It’s good to see you up again,” he instead said to which Phainon chuckled lightly.
“Your friends took good care of me. They told me you were out hunting demons?” His expression shifted to something that resembled more worry than before.
“Yes, but they are all taken care of, rest assured. They are no match for me.”
Phainon grinned. “I would have been surprised otherwise. How come you are the only one who can fight them?”
Mydei sighed and sat down in the armchair across from them. “We don’t know. Well, we do know that it has to do with my blood, but we don’t really know why that is.”
And Phainon instantly sobered. “Is it…” he seemed to hesitate. It took Mydei a moment to guess that he was probably not quite sure just how much Hephaestion and Peucesta knew.
“Don’t worry, I don’t keep secrets. They know my blood is golden.”
That did catch the other two’s attention though. “Wait,” Hephaestion cut in. “does that mean that…”
“…it’s not the first time,” Mydei confirmed.
“Have you seen mine?” Phainon asked very quietly.
“Yes, and it is as well.”
Phainon grimaced at that. “That means I should be able to help, if…” His voice faded, but Mydei had a very good idea of what he probably wanted to say. He snorted.
“You focus on getting your strength back first, before you even so much as think about fighting anyone or anything.”
Hephaestion shot him a side-eyed glance, Mydei grumpily brushed off. Those two were way too similar in that regard. They would probably either get along splendidly or not at all once they got to know each other better. Peucesta’s amused glance only confirmed that suspicion, but for whatever reason when his eyes met Mydei’s, he blinked knowingly. Whatever the hell that was supposed to mean?

"Do you guys remember the first time you met?" Hephaestion asked over dinner a while later. He had stayed until then and Mydei allowed himself to enjoy the very first time he ever got in all the lives he could remember to spent time with both of his closest friends at once.
The thought itself still felt foreign, but certainly not unwelcome.
Phainon chuckled at that. "Yes."
He did not elaborate though, probably still too occupied with the task of eating. His movements were significantly less sluggish most of the time, but right now he seemed to be struggling again with his slice of bread. Maybe being up all day was still too much? He did seem a bit exhausted on closer inspection. His hands and fingers dragging slightly and… was that a slight tremble?
Hephaestion turned to him instead and Mydei could not help but also grin. “We spent ten days and nights fighting each other."
Hephaestion's gaze clearly spoke of utter disbelief as he sceptically eyed both of them. Amusing Mydei even more.
"We really did. I was basically leading an enemy army to the front gates of a holy city. Phainon intercepted us and we ended up agreeing on a duel. Neither of us anticipated for it to get that long though."
Phainon finally gave up on the last pieces of his food and set them down. Mydei was not really happy about that, but he had eaten most of the rest and that was a good sign in itself, so he chose not to comment. Especially not with that warm smile on Phainon's face right now.
"Definitely not," he agreed. "I got a very prolonged lecture from both Aglaea and Tribbie after I finally woke up about not indulging in such time-consuming and unnecessary nonsense. They were quite adamant that both of us should have known we were equally matched after the first day." He chuckled again. "If I'm being honest, I pretty much did after the first few blows, but… there was more to that fight than just winning."
Mydei huffed at that. "Yes. I learnt a lot about you." Not to mention that it had been… fun. A lot of fun actually. Neither of them were used to having an opponent who could keep up and allow them to really test their strength at that point. It had been unexpected and thrilling. He had enjoyed it way too much in that moment. And truth to be told, he would not mind to have that back, either. He knew better than to actually voice that thought – Phainon was obviously distressed enough about being pushed to the sidelines.
He felt Hephaestion's eyes on him, but as he turned around, there was just amusement and a rare, almost soft happiness. "That does sound like something you would say," his friend then commented. "Did you end up fighting often in your other lives as well?"
"Define fighting," Mydei answered a bit sullenly, but Phainon just smiled.
"I would say we did. But not in a bad way, we often ended up competing with each other sooner or later. Testing and pushing our limits."
That was true, Mydei nodded in agreement before remembering that Phainon would not be able to tell and making a sound of approval. Hephaestion eyed them a little longer, before leaning back in his seat.
"Well, seems like it would be quite a show to watch the two of you. I would love to see that once Phainon's healed up."
Phainon started to fidget slightly after that, his smile not faltering, but his fingers suddenly picking at the fabric of his tunic. "I don't remember if or what I did learn in this life," he admitted softly. Not exactly what Mydei was expecting to hear. They had instances like this before - where only one of them had trained in martial arts. Usually that resulted in the other one wanting to catch up, not evading the challenge. Then again, Phainon was still quite weak judging from his posture, maybe that made him less willing to think about fighting.
Hephaestion meanwhile blinked in surprise. "You remember that you fought, but not how to?"
The disbelief actually had Mydei laugh a little. "The memories are distant for our minds, and our bodies don't remember at all. We have to train the muscles, if we want to use them. Are you still able to recite those stupid poems we were supposed to learn as a child?"
That has Hephaestion contemplating. Mydei let him and turned back to Phainon.
"Do you want to go to bed?"
Phainon flinched, almost as if caught. "Sorry, was I too absent?"
Not exactly. More of too quiet and not... lively enough. It was hard to put into words, but very obvious that Phainon was not all that present in the conversation, he even did seem to enjoy.
"No, you seem tired." Mydei chose not to press.
Phainon answered with a sigh. "I apologize. What time is it anyway?"
Mydei eyed him for a moment, trying to find an underlying meaning in those words, if there was any.
"It's evening," he then said. "Late enough to go to bed, if you want to sleep."
It was still early evening, the sun just about starting to set, but he had to remind himself again that Phainon was not back to his usual form - and since they had no idea what exactly happened to him in the first place, there was no way of telling if he would be able to at all. Mydei stood, carefully extending a hand to Phainon's shoulder to let him know he was there to guide him back.
Phainon smiled softly, although a tiny bit strained. He did not flinch at all at being touched anymore though and that at least eased Mydei's worry a little. Even more so, not only did Phainon allow the touch, he calmly placed his own hand on top and squeezed a silent thanks before pushing his chair back and getting onto his feet, still letting his hand linger.

"I'm sorry for not informing you sooner. I had to leave on quite a short notice," Mydei explained over breakfast the next day. Or rather early lunch. Phainon had again slept well into the day - a testimony of how draining yesterday must have been for him.
Phainon looked up at that.
"Oh, no, I probably would have done the same," he replied, shaking his head. "Your friends are very kind, I'm happy I finally get to meet them in person," he added with a real smile this time. "I lost count on how many times you told me about them in past tense. It's a nice change to actually have them around."
Mydei had to smile to that as well. "I agree. Although, be warned, not all of them do believe me, I think. Hephaestion has always been the type to listen even if the story sounds absurd. I'm not sure how much the others think I made up, but I'm almost certain at least Ptolomy thinks I'm a little crazy." He chuckled to himself. "Not that I can really blame him. To him I'm fretting over a complete stranger for nothing. Nevertheless, he is a good man and I'm sure you will get along well, even if he doesn't believe a thing we say about past lives. On second thought, maybe let's just not bring that up when he's around."
Phainon nodded, lost in thought.
"I understand that. I don't know how easily I would believe a story of repeated reincarnation if I wasn't living it myself. I still feel like I'm losing my mind every time I remember." His smile grew a bit wry. "Especially now. Having memories of a thousand different lives, but almost none of the one I'm actually in is… for lack of a better word, strange." He leaned his head against a hand with his arm on the table. "When they told me, you were hunting demons I was surprised. I don't know why; this world did not feel like it would have them."
Mydei huffed humourlessly. "I wish that was the case. They started to appear about twenty years ago and have grown in number and frequency ever since. There are no records about them from before that time, though, so maybe you aren't wrong. Although I vaguely remember some childhood fairy-tales that looking back could have been inspired by them. But if that was true, it would also mean that the demons would have had to vanish for hundreds or thousands of years for them to be forgotten. I don't know how likely I would deem that."
Phainon tilted his head. "Professor Anaxa would say that if no written words existed, the stories passed on by word of mouth are the best source we have, but to be taken with caution." He chuckled lightly. "I can almost hear him chide me." He then shook his head. "But there are written words, right? I feel like I remember how to read and write somewhere in the back of my mind."
Mydei thought about that for a moment after stopping himself from instantly handing Phainon one of Castorice's letters to try and read. Obviously, that would do nothing, so instead he reached for Phainon's hand, taking it in his own and slowly spelling his name.
Phainon remained still and silent for long enough that Mydei thought it was a bad idea. Then he suddenly grinned, exchanging their hand positions and - sure enough - Phainon spelled 'Mydeimos' back at him.
That did not rule out too much, because being literate was not exactly a rare skill among people living in the city. Mydei wasn't quite sure how much he could transfer that fact to someone from a small village. Although that very same village seemed to host some kind of cult, that would certainly change things. At least it made it unlikely that Phainon grew up as a designated sacrifice considering it would be a waste of time to teach him how to read if he had.

Hyacine hummed contently after Phainon squeezed her hand at her request at the end of the check-up.
"You've definitely improved since last time," she summarized happily. "I still don't know what even caused this in the first place, so it's hard to predict further progress, but I am glad you seem to have gotten some strength back. It's good to see you smiling again, as well."
Judging from her expression, the last sentence slipped out. Phainon might have caught that despite not being able to see her, though, as he gave her a warm and very honest smile. "Thank you, Hyacine. I'm sorry for worrying you."
She shook her head. "Oh, no, don't you start about that!" She interrupted him quickly. "I did not want to imply any of that. I'm just glad to have you here with us and at least somewhat fine!"
Somewhat fine was actually a good way to describe it. Phainon was responsive, he was able to get out of bed and stay awake for most of the day. But he certainly wasn't fine.
Phainon chuckled, but it did have the low undertone of a masked sigh. If Hyacine noticed, she gave no sign of it.
"I'm glad to have you around as well." Of course, always the gentleman.
Hyacine shot him a slightly worried glance that Mydei was not really sure what to make out of. But she silently shook her head right after and let go of Phainon's hand.
"If you are feeling up for it, I suggest to find something easy to do. To occupy yourself. Being bored might make you even more tired, but, please, stop if it does drain your energy too much! All in consideration."
Mydei had to suppress any amused noises that might escape him. That was the kind of speech only they would get from Hyacine knowing them too well. It did bring a bit of normalcy he was not exactly prepared for.
Phainon's smile crumbled slightly, though. "I... will think of something. Thanks, Hyacine."
Mydei decided it was finally time to say something, before Phainon could lose himself in too many thoughts. "How about we try to get you able to move around here on your own a bit?"
That would surely help him feel better as well and would not take him outside of the room where he could still retreat back to his bed any time he needed.
Sensing Phainon's slight hesitancy, Hyacine said: "That sounds like a good idea, but, both of you, take it slow! I'll take my leave, but please remember to call me, if needed, okay?"
"Yes, thank you, Hyacine," Phainon answered and with a last glance she left.
Mydei waited for the door to close, before he leaned against the bed Phainon had been sitting on, his legs dangling down one side.
"Would you rather not try?" He then asked.
Phainon almost grimaced. If that was no sign, what else would be?
"Look, I don't want to force you, I just thought you would prefer that to me leading you to the bathroom. I don't mind…"
"No, wait, Mydei," to his surprise Phainon cut in. "You are very right and I would prefer that. I'm just not used to this and... kind of at a loss on how to do that."
His face turned down; that had probably not been easy. Phainon was not exactly bad at admitting not being able to do something, but he sure hated admitting defeat. Not that Mydei would call it that just yet. And he probably also felt pretty helpless - something neither of them were used to.
Mydei sat down, closed his eyes for a minute and tried to think it through. Maybe that would have actually been a question to ask Hyacine. Considering she had learnt most of her knowledge while treating soldiers injured on battlefields, she surely had experience with this kind of situation?
But he felt very reluctant to call her back right after she left and made a mental note to ask next time.
"I'm afraid, I don't really know the best way either," he admitted. "But the bathroom is easy to reach from your bed. Maybe let me walk you there and just count your steps as a start?"
The lack of an immediate reaction was more worrisome than anything else. It took Phainon a few heartbeats to slowly nod and slip off the bed onto his feet.
Mydei had been tempted to make a joking bet of how many attempts it would take him to get there on his own, but the words died on his tongue. This was nowhere close to what a normal Phainon behaviour would look like.
Inevitably he asked himself if this was real. Phainon without memories should in theory be his most natural character, right? Then again, he did have his previous memories and he obviously could not deny his tendency to hide things that might worry others. What exactly was he - consciously or maybe even unconsciously - not saying that would lead to this dramatic change?
Phainon held out a hand and Mydei took it, placing it on his own shoulder. "From your bed, you just turn left and walk straight ahead."
He started walking, making sure to walk at a somewhat normal pace, so Phainon's steps would be a normal length as well. Or would it have been better to go slower? Phainon softly mumbled as they walked, once Mydei stopped he reached out with his free hand until he touched the doorframe. "Wanna try yourself?"
Phainon did learn the layout of the room pretty quickly. In just a few hours he was able to move around on his own without too much problem, if he took it slow and counted. His steps were a bit careful and hesitant, but Mydei was not quite certain if that was due to his blindness or the still lingering effects of the coma.
Either way, Phainon did seem a bit more lively that evening, even though he was completely exhausted from walking around the room all day. Normally that would hardly even have counted as moving much to them and – again – proved just how not normal things were... yet. At least that’s what he hoped for.

Chapter Text

At Hyacine’s next visit she was – to Mydei’s surprise – accompanied by Perdikkas. He had been very absorbed in some herbal recipe Ptolomy had found in an old book and successfully managed to translate. Hence Mydei’s had not seen either of them for a few days.
“Good morning!” His friend greeted with a smile before his eyes wandered over to Phainon, who was seated in one of the armchairs next to the sofa and occasionally sipping on the by now surely cold cup of tea in his hands. And then Mydei realised that Perdikkas had not yet seen him awake.
Neither had Leonnius or Ptolomy, now that he thought about that. They knew Phainon was no longer comatose, but he had actually still slept every time they had been here.
“Phainon, that’s Perdikkas. Who gave you the first check-up after we found you.”
Perdikkas snorted softly. “Not that I was able to do much, really. But it’s a relief to see you up. Nice to meet you, Phainon.”
Phainon’s head perked upwards, almost as if startled awake – although Mydei was certain he had not been sleeping. He unknowingly returned the smile. “Nice to meet you, too. Thanks for taking care of me.”
Perdikkas moved closer, critically looking over his former patient, before actually reaching out a hand to touch him. He caught himself, though, and stopped shortly before Phainon’s hand.
“May I check your pulse?”
Phainon had moved to face him, so he was likely aware of the proximity, but still flinched slightly. He gave a nod nonetheless, carefully setting down the half empty cup on the coffee table and offering a hand.
Perdikkas gently took it and stilled for a few minutes. “Last time I checked, it was barely there,” he almost whispered, finally letting go again. “Forgive me, I had to make sure, it’s stronger now.”
Phainon’s smile turned a bit wry, but it did not vanish. “I can imagine. Is it better now?”
Perdikkas stood again, pondering for a moment. Then he sat down next to Mydei. “It is. Still a little slow to be considered normal, but strong and even. Your skin is warmer, too. I won’t lie, I was not sure you would even make it here alive.”
Mydei shot him a glance, that his friend completely missed or ignored. All the times Hephaestion reprimed him of being too careless with his words and honesty and then there was Perdikkas. Speaking like he was stating just a random medical fact and not talking about a life almost lost. Phainon did not seem to mind though. He gave a strange chuckle.
“I can’t blame you. It must have been bad from what I’ve heard. Probably not a loss that I don’t remember any of it.” Then even though she had yet to say anything he turned and smiled at Hyacine. “You did mention this possibly being some kind of protective mechanism, didn’t you?”
She came closer, nodding. “Yes, although given your complete amnesia, I’m not sure it really is. After all we still need to find out what caused this in the first place. You had no head injury or anything that would explain this kind of…”
And suddenly she and Perdikkas were deep in a medical discussion. Even though they were still addressing Phainon as if he were a part of the conversation, he clearly was not. Mydei shook his head and reached for his juice, while Phainon, still smiling, just leaned back and listened. Or maybe he did not, it was hard to tell, but either way he seemed fine.

“Mydei!”
A loud call announced Leonnius seconds before he came rushing through the door. Mydei looked up from another letter he had been writing to Castorice and was on his feet in seconds rushed by the clear urge in his friend’s face.
“The king is approaching! He will likely be here in two or three days!”
Mydei blinked in disbelief. “What?”
He had not seen his father in years and as he had said before, the king very much ignored him and the outer lands of his kingdom. What had brought this on all of a sudden?
“Call in the generals, who are present. We’ll talk about that and…” His eyes fell on Phainon, who was lounging on the sofa and idly playing with the tip of a long wooden cane Hyacine had brought to help him move around more easily. For how happy he had seemed at the suggestion he hardly had tried to use it so far. But he usually kept it close as if he wanted to. Again a rather strange behaviour.
“Go ahead, I’ll be fine on my own for a few hours,” Phainon calmly said as if he had felt the uncertain gaze on him. He had yet to be left alone. Someone had always been there should he need help, but… maybe he was right. Maybe Phainon actually did need some space. Maybe he would feel better about walking around the room if no-one was watching. If no-one could see him stumble or fail.
Leonnius was still waiting in the door, uneasily shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Mydei sighed. “Alright, come on, let’s get you to the window, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the birdsong.”

When Mydei came back three hours later, Phainon was still sitting on the windowsill. A soft breeze coming in, carrying the scent of flowers and soft notes from the birds outside.
Phainon seemed at peace with it, his head leaned back at the wall and a soft smile on his face. And for all Mydei could tell, he had not moved at all. The cane still leaning next to him against the wall, one foot dangling and his hands on his lap.
Mydei completely understood that it was not easy nor comfortable for Phainon to move around much, probably still feeling like he was staggering around. (Although he really wasn’t. He had seen him walk to the bathroom on his own and he had been completely fine.) But he really had hoped that being alone and having gotten some advice from Hyacine would make it somewhat easier.
It felt so wrong to see Phainon so… accepting of doing nothing. Or maybe not being able to do something. It was very unlike him. Honestly he had always been such a sour loser who would train twice as hard after a loss, not willingly accept it. It was slowly, but steadily fraying his nerves and patience. This was not the Phainon he knew. Then again, he could not really blame him.
This was another life. Maybe he was different. And for him this had to be ten times worse, no memories, no sight. Still, there were moments, when Mydei was sure he had the usual Phainon in front of him. Phainon would joke and tease sometimes. He would answer more like his usual self, when spoken to. Why? What was different in these moments?
When Mydei came closer, Phainon shifted, turning his head and smiling in his direction. He wished he could see his eyes, maybe they would tell him more. Phainon had always been terrible at hiding his feeling to those who actually knew him.
Maybe a bit of fresh air would help. It would certainly not solve any problems, but it might clear his head.
“Come with me,” Mydei said and Phainon way too willingly stood and extended a questioning hand, not even asking where to or why.
Mydei almost sighed, but just about managed to refrain from it, as he took the hand and softly pulled. He lead Phainon to the garden doors, opening them and allowing a cold breeze to graze them. Phainon tensed ever so slightly. “Mydei? Where are we going?”
Well, at least finally a more normal reaction.
“Don’t worry, these are my private gardens. No one will see you.”
That obviously did little to ease Phainon’s worry, but he still showed no further signs of resistance apart from lips pressed firmly together as if trying very hard not to say something.
The gardens were indeed private, yet not completely his own. A few other rooms also had direct access to them – but they were all either occupied by his friends who already had seen Phainon anyway, or empty. In fact it were rooms reserved for higher ranking guests. At least in theory, in reality they had hardly ever been used.
Had Phainon been okay when he came here, he might actually have been given one of them to stay. Mydei wondered if he should still offer the option? Would Phainon feel better in his own space? He wasn’t quite sure about that.
Thinking back it never seemed as if Phainon liked to be alone all that much. Even though he had told stories of sitting and hiding in the wheat fields of his home back in their first life, in the city he hardly ever stayed in his room, usually spending his time at the market always surrounded by people. What he called quiet moments back then had either been cuddling with chimeras or sitting on the rooftop still watching what was going on underneath. Had he really wanted to, there would have definitely been calmer areas in the city to retreat to.
They passed a few bushes and flowers heading for a nice spot in the middle with a fountain and some benches next to it to sit and relax. A constant, calming noise of water slowly flowing over the small edges now filled the air.
Phainon relaxed very slightly, not quite allowing himself to sit in a comfortable position. His feet slid over the ground, either restless or testing what it was made of.
“I’m surprised your father is still alive this time,” he suddenly broke the silence making Mydei almost chuckle.
“He’s not as bad as he has been,” he replied a little sullenly. “He just doesn’t care for anything or anyone. Still not a good monarch, if you ask me, but at least not a crazy tyrant so far.”
Phainon gave him a crooked smile. “No patricide traditions?”
Mydei huffed. “Oh, we still do have those. But it’s more of a … frequent occurance not an actual necessity…” He trailed off. That did not really sound good either, he had to admit.
They sat in almost comfortable silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the outside, until Mydei stretched his arms high up into the air. He did feel a bit better. That is, until Phainon suddenly asked: “You’re not going to ask me to spar like this, are you?”
Mydei blinked. Where did that come from?
“Wasn’t planning to, why? You want to?” He gave back slightly confused. And Phainon flinched. And Mydei had enough.
“Okay, come on, Deliverer, spit it out! What is your problem? Are you in pain? Are you afraid of me? Do you actually think I would harm you?”
Phainon tensed at the nickname that definitely did not belong into this world and suddenly he sat straight, leaning away from Mydei and… froze. Then, slowly, slowly, he slumped. And sighed. “I…” He fidgeted with his fingers, then, another sigh and a hand rose to brush through his hair accompanied by a rather strange, almost chocked noise.
“No,” he finally said, voice low. “No, I’m not in pain and I’m not afraid, it’s just… I’m not used to feeling so weak.”
Mydei bit back every possible tease that had been in his mind and stilled at that confession. Before he could reply, however, Phainon spoke again.
“And I’m not even talking about this stupid blindfold – although, trust me, that isn’t helping at all. I… I’m not sick, but my body feels extremely heavy. I can move it, but it’s slow. The only thing I can even remotely compare this to is how exhausted I was after our ten day duel and that isn’t a good comparison, either.”
Mydei just stared at him for a moment. Phainon obviously felt that and started squirming. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Mydei asked in disbelief.
“I was hoping it would go away if I just rest,” Phainon whispered, now hiding his face in his hands.
Mydei could not supress a sigh this time, his patience too worn out on worry. That actually did explain a great deal. Especially why Phainon had been so very avoidant of everything that would challenge or provoke Mydei even in the most mundane and smallest way possible. Mydei had not really been able to name it, but now looking back it felt painfully obvious. Phainon did not feel up to any challenge at all, even a playful one. So instead of saying something he had just tried to stay clear of them?
Honestly, that probably only made it worse for both of them. But actually sounded more like something Phainon would do as opposed to being this strange quiet and docile self these last few days.
And his reaction and the slight tremble in his body spoke volumes of how difficult it must have been to even admit any of it.
Mydei carefully reached over, peeling Phainon’s hands from his face and then pulling him – slowly, so he could stop him if he really wanted to – into a hug.
Phainon’s body tensed for a second, before he more or less crumbled against him. “You are an even bigger idiot than I thought,” Mydei commented dryly. “And that’s saying something.”
He rubbed small circles on Phainon’s back, earning a noise of soft, but not really honest protest. Mydei chuckled.
“Listen, I’ll call Anaxa over again. Maybe that will help him determine what those seals on your body do and how to break them.”
Phainon suddenly lifted his head. “I have seals on my body?”
Oh, right, he wouldn’t know. For whatever reason Mydei had assumed he would feel them.
“Yes, on your chest. There are bright red symbols - when we found you, they were glowing. Just like on this blindfold. Although those have faded, it’s just gold now, with thin engraved lines, if you look closely.”
Phainon frowned, one hand wandering to his chest, coming up empty. “I don’t like this at all…”
And Mydei could only silently agree. He really didn’t either.
“Shall we head back inside? It’s almost time to make diner. As an exception I could even make that beef stew you used to like. Or at least something very similar.”
Phainon did not say anything for a few moments, then he laughed softly. “As an exception? How kind of you.”
At least he was in a bit of a better mood again. Then another sigh followed. “I would like that, though. Have you been cooking my meals all this time? I’m sorry, I never asked.”
Mydei huffed, as he stood and softly nudged Phainon’s arm. The other easily took his and they started walking back.
“Most of them, yes.”
“They were delicious.”
“I know.”
Phainon just shook his head. “I would love to stay with you in the kitchen, but… is it okay, if I rest for a little bit?” He bit his lip, but at least he seemed to have accepted that pretending would not work anymore. Was that the reason for his stillness often throughout the day? Was he actually always napping to be able to even stay awake? Idiot.
“Sure. Bed?”
Phainon hesitantly shook his head. “That makes me feel even worse. Sofa would be a little better at least. I don’t want to sleep, just… doze off a little. I like listening to what’s going on.”
Huh, so he did in fact not like being alone after all. “Alright.”

“I have a message from Anaxagoras. He’ll come tomorrow before noon. And he’s a little… well, upset about not being informed that Phainon is awake.” Ptolemy stood in the doorway, his arms crossed and a slightly annoyed expression on his face, probably from being used as a delivery boy.
It did not help that Phainon could not suppress a snort at the quite obvious understatement. Of course, he would remember Anaxa, having been his student in several lifetimes.
“I apologize,” Phainon quickly said though, maybe he felt the uneasy shift in Ptolemy’s mood. “I can imagine him being… upset.”
Ptolemy frowned at that. Right, was he aware that Phainon had not actually met the scholar?
“Anyway, I don’t think we’ve been introduced yet? I’m Phainon, nice to meet you.”
Another raised eyebrow, then Ptolemy finally gave up the tense stance. “My name’s Ptolemy. You could probably call me the archivist of this residence. Mydei was extremely worried about you, I’m glad you’re better now.”
“I’m sorry,” Phainon said quietly and finally Ptolemy realized how gruff he sounded, taken aback by Phainon’s lack of defiance. Mydei shot him an unwilling glance. It was fine if Ptolemy did not believe him and thought him irrationally worried about a stranger. But Phainon had done nothing to him, he could at least allow for a basic level of politeness.
They stared at each other for almost a minute, until Ptolemy gave in.
With an overly dramatic roll of his eyes, he turned back to Phainon. “No, I’m sorry. None of that is your fault. I’ll head back to the library, Anaxagoras asked me to check for a bit more information in the old books. If time allows, I’ll come back tomorrow.”
He eyed Phainon one more time, but it was at least a little less agitated, before he left.
Mydei sighed. “Don’t think too badly of him. He actually has a good heart, he just thinks mine got deceived. He’ll soon understand that you are not a danger trying to harm me…”
Phainon stilled for a moment, then he slowly shook his head. “I think it’s a good thing you have friends who worry for you. I do remember how you used to be way too nonchalant with yourself because of your immortality. Just because you can come back, does not mean it does not hurt or that others will not worry, you know.” His head suddenly shot up. “Are you immortal this time?”
Mydei shrugged. “Don’t think so. Haven’t tried and am not planning to.” He put the last of his now clean plates away and went back to Phainon at the dining table.
“It’s late. We should head to bed.”
Phainon nodded, but there was still something he obviously did not want to say. All of a sudden he had become easier to read again. Was it because he did not hide as much or had Mydei been just blind all this time?
“You don’t want to?”
Phainon flinched. “I hate how you can tell. Did my facial expression give that away?”
Mydei had to chuckle. “It did.”
Phainon mumbled something, before leaning back and crossing his arms. Grumpily he explained: “I’m always tired and I can’t see the sun rise or set. I feel like I have no sense of time at all. I can sleep most of the time, but sometimes I just lie awake and the room is so… quiet.”
He was obviously still contemplating about if or how to say more, but Mydei cut him short.
“Do you want to sleep in my bed?”
Phainon’s face shot in his direction in an instant. Mydei felt taken aback.
“Sorry, bad idea?” Right. Just because it had been a regular thing before, did not mean it would be again. And Phainon needed his rest. “I wasn’t thinking of anything weird. Just for you not lying alone in silence.”
Phainon’s mouth stood slightly open for a full few seconds, before he closed it and gulped. “That… would that actually be okay?”

Phainon had never left the main room of Mydei’s chambers safe for the bathroom, so Mydei took his arm and lead him to the door at the far end of it.
It was rather simply furnished with just a wardrobe, a chest and a rather big bed. No doubt originally designed to be used by a couple, it would easily fit them without even the need for touching.
He walked Phainon to one end, then closed the curtain to a big window on the right and got in on the other side. He made sure they were comfortable before blowing the single candle that still had been illuminating the room.
“Mmh, this feels nice,” Phainon murmured next to him. “I like your bed.”
Mydei made an affirmative noise as he allowed his eyes to fall shut and his body to settle into the soft blankets.
They whispered a few jokes about past memories, like they were teenagers again having a secret sleepover. It was very amusing. As if anyone might catch them red-handed. As if these weren’t the crown prince’s chambers that no-one would dare to enter without explicit permission and even less at night.
It was very silly.
And yet, he found himself enjoying it. Phainon would often do that to him. Drag him into the most nonsensical situations and still somehow make him like it.
At some point Phainon scratched at the edge of the blindfold. Mydei could hardly make out what he was doing in the low light, but he very well heard the metal sound.
“Does it hurt?” He quietly asked. Phainon stilled.
“No… it feels weird, though. Almost itchy, but not quite. I know it won’t move, but I still can’t stop trying.” His hand disappeared again, probably underneath the blanket. “Probably looks strange as well, doesn’t it?”
That was the first time, Phainon asked. About himself. About how anything looked at all. In fact, he was avoiding that topic as best as he could now that Mydei thought about it. It took him a bit by surprise. “Well, as strange as someone running around with their eyes covered looks like…” he replied. Phainon made a noise to that, he could not quite place. Maybe a sigh? Maybe a yawn?
“It’s not that bad,” Mydei felt the need to add, freeing his hand from the blanket and carefully laying it on Phainon’s cheek, turning his face towards him. “I wished it wasn’t there, but it’s not like it makes you look like a freak.”
Phainon was silent for a moment, then he chuckled lightly, leaning willingly into the touch. “I wish I could see your face. I’m glad I have those past memories to go by. Any major changes I should know? Do you have your tattoos?”
Mydei huffed. “I actually have black hair and red eyes this time.”
The silence that followed was almost deafening, until Mydei started to laugh. He could not believe that actually worked. “Just kidding. I probably look exactly like you remember and, yes, traditional royal markings.”
He carefully reached for Phainon’s hand underneath the sheets, pulling it up and placing it against his face, tracing the mark underneath his eye.
“Bastard.” He could clearly hear the smile in Phainon’s voice as he gently ran his fingers over Mydei’s skin. The other hand soon followed, feathery touches ghosting over his face. Mydei closed his eyes and just savoured the moment. It should have been a reminder of what was wrong, but it felt strangely calming. Phainon’s touches were so light and caressing that it felt more like an intimate way of cuddling than anything else. Mydei found himself relaxing.
Phainon’s hands were still rather cold, but no longer icy as when they had first found him. It was not unpleasant.
“Wait,” Phainon suddenly said. “Do I have my…” One hand was moving away, but Mydei was not happy about it and before his by now very sleepy brain even registered what he was doing, he pulled Phainon back. Not like he would be able to feel the tattoo on his skin anyway.
“Yes, you also have your sun. Now stay,” he grumbled.
Phainon kept quiet for a long minute, then he let out a very soft chuckle. “As you wish.”
And the hands wandered again, following Mydei’s neck down. He half expected those fingers to get very daring and trace the red chest markings as he remembered them, but surprisingly enough that did not seem to be Phainon’s plan at all.
His hands followed Mydei’s body down to his waist, where they settled on his back, almost but not quite pulling him a little closer into a light hug.
Mmh, that felt good. Mydei did not really give himself or Phainon time to think about any of it as his own arm followed suit and he sighed rather contently. Why hadn’t they done this sooner? It felt way better and safer than having Phainon sleep in the living room.
He should get that bed removed again, it always stood out as it obviously did not belong there anyway.
And with that thought in mind he peacefully drifted off.

Chapter Text

“Why did you not call me sooner?” Anaxa did not waste any time with greetings when he marched into the room all of a sudden. It was indeed before noon. Well before noon actually. More like early morning, they had just woken up and started breakfast.
Judging by the look in the scholar’s eyes that would now have to wait a little longer.
“Good morning professor,” Phainon said, “It’s nice to…”
“Yes, yes,” Anaxa interrupted, waving his hand. “Nice to see you, now let me take a look and tell me exactly how that seal is affecting you. We could be already getting rid of it, if you would have opened that stupid mouth of yours and told me.”
Phainon cleared his throat. “Well, you see, that is…”
“I don’t need apologies. I need answers.”
Hyacine rushed into the room, slightly out of breath. “You said you’d wait until after breakfast!”
Anaxa just shrugged. “I did finish mine five minutes ago.”
She shot him a glance, he swiftly ignored. “Now, come on. We’ve wasted enough time, let me see that thing again.”
He grabbed Phainon’s arm and almost dragged him across the room to the still present bed in the corner. Neatly made. Obviously unused. But if anyone noticed, they did not comment.
“Woah, hey, I can walk on my own,” Phainon protested, but was already pretty much pushed onto the mattress.
“I know you can, but you obviously fail to do so.”
Mydei was sure even in this weakened state, he would have had no trouble stopping Anaxa if he had really wanted to. The scholar wasn’t exactly the muscular type and although Mydei had seen him show remarkable strength if deep enough into one of his fixations, he would hardly be able to manhandle someone like Phainon.
In other words, Phainon despite the protests allowed him to.
Which was proven correct, when he willingly shrugged off his cloths to bare his chest and fully lay down so that Anaxa could examine him once more.
Mydei carefully put away the remnants of their breakfast and placed himself nearby. He did not want to hover too close, that would not only be unhelpful, but surely also uncomfortable for Phainon as well.
Hyacine though, moved close to Phainon’s side and hesitantly took his hand. Mydei saw him smile shortly at that.
“Mmh,” Anaxa was already leaning over him, a finger tracing the bright red lines. “So, tell me, what does this do to you?”
Phainon huffed. “I don’t exactly know what that does, either. I did not even know it was there until yesterday, when…”
Anaxa flicked a finger to his skin. “Focus. And don’t play dumb. What effects do you feel?”
Phainon mumbled something to that, Mydei did not catch. Then he took a deep breath and got more serious.
“I’m constantly exhausted. My body feels as if I didn’t sleep in days, it reacts much slower than what I am used to and I need constant breaks to even keep moving at all.”
Anaxa nodded at that and started obviously talking to himself in a low voice. Hyacine next to him sighed.
“Don’t worry, Phainon, he has an idea. He practically yelled at me yesterday and had all of us look for a specific book on ancient seals…”
Phainon gave a small nod, but otherwise did not move, probably as to not disturb Anaxa. The rather harsh words would indicate otherwise, but Hyacine had told him before that Phainon actually had been one of his favourite students and that he did, in fact, care more than he liked to admit.
“Once we know the full structure of the seal, it is possible to open it. Most seals require a certain sequence of mechanics to open correctly and given the fact that you were bleeding when you were found may indicate that…”
Hyacine did her best to talk Phainon through what Anaxa was doing. Either to keep him occupied or help him be more at ease, Mydei wasn’t sure.
“Ha!”
The sudden, loud scream had all of them looking at Anaxa as he quickly moved his hand seemingly through thin air, but the seals started glowing and Phainon groaned in what could only be pain.
Mydei wanted to move, but stopped himself once he caught Hyacine’s eyes and the sharp shake of her head.
Anaxa was mumbling again, either so low and fast that his words became incomprehensible or in a foreign language. And then, suddenly, something even stranger happened.
Because in the middle of it, Phainon suddenly answered in the same way.
That did stop even Anaxa in his tracks.
“What? Did you just…” He frowned and now very clearly spoke in a language Mydei had never heard before.
Phainon was breathing a little heavier, but answered without hesitation in the same slightly guttural tongue. What was that supposed to mean?
Mydei’s eyes wandered from Phainon to Anaxa then to Hyacine who seemed just as much at a loss for words as he was.
Anaxa’s frown deepened. “We will have to talk about why you fluently speak a dead language later. But for now help me decipher this.”
And what followed were about five minutes of both of them talking back and forth about a handful of words in whatever language that was. Five minutes that felt unreal and as if they were dragging on for eternity, until Anaxa finally nodded. “I think I got it.”
That was all the warning they got, before his fingers moved again, a very soft green glow to them now and slowly the red symbols on Phainon’s skin peeled away and hovered in the air above his chest.
Phainon flinched hard, biting his tongue, obviously trying not to scream as more half-suppressed cries of pain escaped him.
Even from the short distance Mydei could see sweat forming on his skin as the red glow grew brighter, pulsing violently, golden blood making its way onto Phainon’s chest right beneath the seal.
Mydei instinctively wanted to get closer, but again Hyacine stopped him. Her hand was being crushed by Phainon and surely that had to hurt as well, but she made no sound.
Anaxa’s fingers moved faster until he pretty much made a movement as if to just bat the seal away and… it vanished. From one blink to the next it was just gone.
Phainon gasped for air, but the tension immediately left his body. He was only slowly calming down as if having a hard time realising that it was actually over.
“Are you still in pain?” Hyacine softly addressed him.
He opened his mouth, but his breathing was still too laboured and he could not quite get the words out. Instead he tried to smile and shook his head.
Mydei could not keep still any longer and moved to stand beside Hyacine, who reached for a piece of cloth and some water. Probably to clean the wounds seeping blood. Mydei almost grimaced.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, cursing once more that the golden blindfold also obscured part of Phainon’s face and therefore expression.
“Like I’ve just run a marathon,” Phainon answered after he managed to catch his breath. “Apart from that, better actually. I might… need a nap, though.”
Mydei looked at Hyacine, but as no objection came he simply said: “Rest. It’s fine.”
“I still need to clean the blood, sorry, if that will wake you up,” Hyacine whispered, but Phainon just smiled and seconds later his breathing calmed enough to indicate he had fallen asleep almost instantly.
And did not even stir as Hyacine washed off the blood. Mysteriously there was nothing underneath. Just perfectly unharmed skin. She blinked in confusion.
“There’s no wound.”
That caught Anaxa’s attention, who had – again – been mumbling to himself while furiously scribbling into the notebook he had pulled out from somewhere.
He leaned over Phainon’s chest again and ignoring the fact that he was sleeping, curiously dragged a finger over untouched skin.
“Interesting. Didn’t you say, he was covered in blood, but only had very minor scratches, when you found him?”
Again a frown and some hastily written notes, while Mydei just nodded.
Anaxa stopped once more and turned to Phainon’s face, his index finger skimming over the blindfold’s engravings.
“This seal used old runes, archaic ones even. They have since then changes and evolved, but in their core, they are still the same. They aren’t too difficult to break if one knows how to.” He paused and leaned in closer, definitely disregarding any kind of personal space had Phainon been awake.
“Had I known sooner that he was feeling so weak, I might have discovered that as well. They are meant to subdue and weaken the body. That definitely changes things. If those were used on his body, the ones on his eyes will likely be similar. I think I can kind of guess two of those. The rest will require more studying. The question still stands, what are they meant to retain? Just what is Phainon capable of doing that these should prevent?”
Mydei grimaced at that. “Or what is he?”
Anaxa turned to him and Mydei definitely did not like the look on his face.

Phainon slept through the rest of the day and the following night. Mydei debated with himself in the evening but eventually decided to carefully carry him over to his bed again to be able to react should Phainon wake up in the middle of the night. After all he pretty much confirmed that his sleep schedule was completely messed up due to the fatigue and his lack of light perception.
Phainon did not even stir when he was lifted from the guest bed and quietly sank into the bed once put down again. Mydei shook his head. Either he was really out or still aware enough to know there was no threat.
Usually he would have expected the later as Phainon often had that uncanny ability of sleeping through everything if it was just people he knew around, but jumping out of bed in a second once a stranger entered. But after that procedure today, Mydei was not quite so sure about that.
He half expected to be woken up in the night and was all the more surprised when that did not happen. Although when he did wake up to some sunlight entering through his drawn curtains he found the space next to him empty.
He was wide awake and on his feet in a blink. Although he told himself, that Phainon was perfectly capable of going to the bathroom by himself, a small bit of worry lingered. He had been to the bedroom only twice and once unconscious. Would he be able to find the door?
Should his movement and attempts not have been loud enough to wake Mydei up?
Mydei quickly went to the living room to … well find Phainon.
It was not like the other was trying to hide. Quite the opposite actually. He was walking around the room, happily smiling to himself, occasionally stopping to touch surfaces and moving on.
Mydei let out a half breath half sigh and crossed his arms. What exactly was Phainon doing?
Suddenly he turned in his direction and – way quicker than before – walked towards him, a big fat grin on his face.
“Mydei! Good morning! Or… is it morning? Did I wake you up?”
Mydei snorted. “It is and you did not. Care to explain what you are doing there?”
Judging from his facial expression Phainon probably would have blinked if he could. But mere moments later, he was grinning again. “Yes. I’m much better, my body moves normally again. And I can… kind of sense things around me. It’s hard to explain and I’m still testing it out, but I know when something’s in front of me. It’s really helpful! I mean, I don’t exactly know what it is, until I touch it, but it’s so much easier to move around. Actually, you know what? I can feel you, too. You…”
Mydei let out a soft sigh and that was enough to stop Phainon’s happy yapping. Not that he really minded, though. Because it did make everything feel so much more normal.
“How about breakfast?”
Phainon’s smile grew even wider. “That sounds wonderful, I’m starving!”

Too impatient to wait any longer, Anaxa had marched into the room shortly after noon. Hyacine had tried to calm him down to no avail and now they were sitting in the garden with a cup of tea.
Anaxa’s stare was almost deadly as he clearly disapproved of the fact that one of the castle’s cats had shown up and Hyacine had just caught it. Well, not that it had put up much resistance. It liked to be petted after all, probably sooner or later one of the others would show up as well, they hardly ever roamed alone.
“Look, Figgy, we have a new friend.”
Mydei blinked. He had not been aware of that nickname. Fig Stew didn’t seem to mind though as he was gently placed on Phainon’s lap and sniffed him, before bumping his head against a hand. Phainon was about to open his mouth, but stopped himself and opened his hand instead. Fig Stew’s head bumping against it once more and he finally seemed to understand and a little hesitantly reached out to stroke the soft fur. It only took a minute, before the cat was curled up and softly purring with Phainon’s fingers scratching it.
Anaxa coughed. Judging from his glare it was a miracle he even had waited for them to settle before speaking.
“Phainon. How come you speak old Kremnoan so well?”
Phainon’s face turned to him. “Do I?” He frowned as if trying to remember what even brought that question on. Obviously taking too long for Anaxa’s liking again as the man sharply said a few words in the same strange tongue from yesterday.
Phainon stilled, but answered likewise after a moment of silence. They exchanged a handful of sentences and even though he could not understand a word that was being said, Mydei did notice quite a difference in how both of them spoke.
Phainon seemed to find it easier, his words strung together naturally. Anaxa’s had breaks in-between and the pronunciation reminded Mydei slightly more of their own tongue.
After about a minute Anaxa fell silent, eyeing Phainon critically.
“This language died a long time ago, some meaning even got completely lost to time and here you are. A native speaker, sitting right in front of us. Who exactly are you, Phainon?” He then said, reaching for his tea for the first time since they had sat down.
Phainon on the other hand seemed taken aback, even shrinking into himself a bit. “I… I don’t know.”
Anaxa’s frown stayed. “When you speak with us, does it feel like you speak a foreign tongue?”
Phainon hesitated for a second, then shook his head. “No.”
“When he first woke up, he used it immediately before I had even said more than his name. Would that not be weird if he was…”
Anaxa waved him off. “Maybe, but not unheard of. So that means he probably grew up with both languages? As far as I know they were never really used at the same time.”
When all of them shot him questioning glances, Anaxa sighed. “That is old Kremnoan. It is in fact the ancestor of what we use today, the language naturally evolved over time into our modern day language. We still know about it, because we have quite a few books and documents that stood the test of time. For quite a while old Kremnoan remained the language of studies before it completely fell out of use. Most historians still study it today just for the sake of being able to read the old scriptures.”
He downed his tea in one swift sip and put the cup away with a bit too much force. “Back then script already existed, but only few scholars could actually read and write. Once Kremnos started trading with Okhema roughly a thousand and two hundred years ago, the Okheman way of writing, which is much easier to learn for most people, began to make its way here as well. And with it the last remnants of actively used old Kremnoan vanished. Which makes if even more peculiar that Phainon seems very used to speaking it. I do wonder what was going on in that tiny village of yours.”
Phainon remained quiet, his face cast downwards, where Fig Stew softly meowed as he stopped petting him and licked his hand, making Phainon almost bold upright.
“I really don’t know,” he almost whispered. “But I cannot remember a single time my home has ever been violent or evil. I cannot even fathom why they would participate in some strange ritual. They usually were normal village people. Farmers for the most part. There must have been a very good reason for them to do this.”
Mydei sighed. “We don’t even know what it was they were doing. For all we know they could have either summoned the demons or tried to sacrifice you to stop them. I do not approve of either, but it’s not like you would protest if it would help them.” He could not help but comment, to which Phainon gave a nervous chuckle. He did not try to deny the allegations though.
A quiet meow broke the silence as another cat suddenly appeared beneath the small coffee table in front of them.
Hyacine bent down and picked it up. “Coco! Are you looking for Figgy?”
Mydei blinked once more. When had she started nicknaming everyone? The cat meowed again and pawed slightly in the air, reaching for his friend still on Phainon’s lap. Hyacine laughed and set him down, where the two cats almost at once bumped their heads several times, before then curling up against one another and laying down, looking expectantly at Phainon, who obviously did not get the message.
“Ah, sorry, I should have warned you,” Hyacine giggled, “Those two love to play fight with each other. They aren’t too wild, though, don’t worry. Just put your hand down again.”
Phainon frowned slightly, but lowered his hand and at once two heads fought for his attention, before they basically guided him in between and onto both of them at once. He seemed confused, then laughed softly.
“Cute,” he murmured, then turned his attention back to the humans present. “Professor, is there any way, I can help find out more?”
Anaxa grumbled. “Maybe. At least you can help us translate some of the old texts we are having blanks in. Can you read the old script as well?”
When Phainon did not answer immediately, Anaxa groaned and placed a hand at his forehead. “Can you try and spell your name? In the air, on the table, I don’t care.”
Phainon still hesitated, but then lifted a hand and… well drew something into the air. Anaxa nodded. “You can. That is far rarer than being able to read nowadays. Maybe that can give us a clue. You also said you can sense things around you now, correct?” On Phainon’s nod he continued. “Maybe you are a scholar. Or a magician. That would also explain at least some exposure to the old tongue. I would not rule out that if your parents were as well, that you could even have grown up surrounded by that language.”
Suddenly Anaxa stilled and his gaze got very critical. “Now that I think about it, didn’t you say when you found him he was also covered in blood without wounds? Just like yesterday? What if… the ritual was not meant to harm, but they were actually trying to undo the seal as well and got interrupted in the process?”
Silence fell over them for a few minutes.
“But even if,” Mydei finally spoke. “Why was he sealed in the first place? And by whom?”
Anaxa suddenly held his notebook in hand, opening it and pulling out a pen. “Considering Phainon’s current amnesia, I’m afraid no-one will be able to tell us. But maybe we can try to find more clues and follow them. The old tongue might very well be one of them. Phainon, do you remember more languages or something of that sort?”
Phainon cleared his throat. “I… was not even aware of this one, before you used it. I’m very sorry, professor.”
Anaxa was clearly very disappointed and not at all happy with that answer, but noted it down nonetheless. “In this case, we might need to run a few experiments to find out, whatever skills you have and see if we can actually link them to something. I’ll make a list to start with and be back in a few days.”
Before anyone could ask what exactly he meant by that, Hephaestion came rushing towards them. “Mydei! The king is at the gates, he will be here in just a few minutes!”
Mydei’s eyes widened. He was not supposed to arrive yet. “I’ll go greet him, Phainon…” He trailed off. He had no real idea if he should introduce him or rather hide him from his father. The king had been so distant, Mydei had no idea how he would handle any kind of news at all.
While he was still pondering, Hephaestion just took action. “Let me take him back to the chambers. We can just pretend he was found injured after a demon’s attack and still has to fully wake up. That will buy time, right?”
Mydei’s lips turned into a very ironical grin. It was not even a lie actually. “Alright, sorry to cut this short, everyone.”

Chapter Text

“Please tell me he did not seriously leave a chaperone behind to watch over you,” Hephaestion commented glaring out of the window in the direction of the guest room at the far end of the garden.
“He did not,” Mydei confirmed. “Krateros chose to stay himself. My father never cared anyway, so I will believe as much. I’m not quite sure what his motives are, though. He has always been very critical of me doing things he did not seem fitting for a crown prince.”
Hephaestion snorted, letting himself fall against the sofa’s backrest and crossing his arms. “Oh, don’t I know that. I remember vividly how much he did not approve our relationship. I think he still doesn’t. I’m far too low to be the prince’s friend after all.”
Mydei supressed a sigh.
“Krateros wishes for something he’ll never find. When my father was younger, he was full of ambition and, so I’ve been told, plans to better the country. No-one was ever able to tell me what happened, but that clearly is not the person he is today. I think he awaits the day I succeed the throne and change things back to how they were before. He values the old ideals a little too much, but he means well for Kremnos as a whole, I believe.”
Hephaestion gestured outside. “So well he’ll spy on the crown prince he is, if anything, supposed to protect?”
Mydei shrugged. He was not going to defend his teacher’s strange ways. “Either way, he may not be here on my father’s orders, but he will surely meddle and report if he finds anything amiss. We need to be careful, what we allow him to see.”
Phainon had been awfully quiet during the conversation and was nervously fiddling with his fingers. He still wore a bandage over his eyes to hide the metal ring, changing the picture in a strange way. It felt more normal, but also more concerning at the same time. Mydei was not sure if he liked it.
The visit had been short and nothing more than a courtesy call, his father not interested into anything at all, neither Mydei, nor the demons, nor his people or soldiers. Looking back it had probably been Krateros all along suggesting this route.
“Phainon, relax, he won’t enter my private quarters without permission. He is fiercely loyal and would never disregard orders. We’ll just have to be careful, when we go outside.” He sighed, allowing his mind to think the scenarios through.
Phainon let out a breath. “Sure, I will just stay inside.”
Mydei eyed him almost amused. “As if.” It had not even been a full day since the seal had been broken and Phainon had woken up again. And yet he had been the one to suggest meeting outdoors. With new energy he would soon go crazy if forced to stay inside. Phainon had never handled that well – not even when he caught a bad cold and had to stay in bed.
“Look, I don’t think Krateros wants to harm us, but until we know his real agenda, we’ll just make sure he knows only, what he needs to. Put some bandages over the gold again and have someone with you when you leave the room – he knows you are an injured victim of the demons. For now, let’s keep it at that. No mentions of magic, seals, languages or past lives and we should be good.”

It was late when Hephaestion left. Mydei felt very tired, it had been a wild day. With quite the curve between the rather happy morning into the too serious evening. And he almost forgot about his duties the next day.
Why had his father not come a day later? He would surely have enjoyed that nonsense more than Mydei did…
“I assume you prefer not to sleep in the living room again?” Just making sure to give Phainon a choice.
The other turned a little away at that question as he softly answered: “If that’s okay with you.”
Mydei just nodded and bumped his hand into Phainon’s to guide him over.
“Oh, I don’t need you to… never mind.”
Phainon smiled gently at him as he took the hand despite his words and held it. Just two steps later Mydei was very aware that Phainon really did not need his guidance. There was no pull on his hand, Phainon easily walking right beside him as opposed to half a step behind. Right, he did say he could sense things, they had yet to find out how and to what extent, but he probably would have been fine following him through a room he had already learnt to navigate blind anyway.
As if to prove just that, Phainon gave his hand a light squeeze before letting go and getting into bed without any problem at all. He did feel for the blanket though, finding it shortly after and pulling it up.
Mydei slipped next to him and with one last look, again, blew out the candle.
“Tomorrow afternoon the new bathhouse down the street will be opened. They want me to officially declare it open and try the private room first. My friends were invited weeks ago to join me, will you be okay on your own for a few hours?”
Phainon chuckled lightly. “Certainly, don’t worry. I promise I’ll be on my best behaviour and actually stay inside.” He hummed softly. “A bathhouse sounds nice, though. Not exactly something I would have expected to find in Kremnos…”
Mydei laughed at that. “Are you aware that you are Kremnoan as well?”
Phainon stilled at that. Only a soft exhale could be heard. “Uhm… no?”
Now it was Mydei’s time to chuckle. “I don’t know the deal of that village of yours, but it is well within Castrum Kremnos’s borders. Which means you are, in fact, Kremnoan.”
Phainon stayed silent for a bit, before he quietly sighed. “Oh, well. I guess, I don’t know a lot of things about this world, I’m just assuming from different lives. I should stop that.” His voice clearly portrayed him grimacing. “Where exactly are we anyway? I had assumed your wing of the palace, but… that makes no sense with your father visiting like that.”
They actually hardly spoke about these things, Mydei realised. For one, because Phainon had been too tired to process too much information at a time. And because it simply had not come up. Because Phainon could assume a lot of things, like he said, most did not require an explanation.
Absentmindedly he reached for Phainon’s hand on the blanket as he felt the other’s discomfort on the topic.
“I should have told you sooner,” he admitted. “We are in one of the outer residencies that my father hardly ever uses. It’s a town surrounding a castle built for war a few centuries ago. It’s close to the eastern border of the kingdom, near the sea. The demons tend to come from the East, which is why I chose it when my father told me to head out to one of his residencies to learn how to handle command. It’s a nice place, you will probably like it. Lively, mostly craftsmen and a few farmers, not too big.”
He could almost make out Phainon’s smile in the dim light. “That does sound like a good place to live in,” he agreed.
He fell silent again, but Mydei knew him well enough to know that he had meant to say more. He just was not sure exactly what.
“Do you want to visit the town?” He guessed.
Phainon made an indistinct noise to that. “I would like that, yes.”
Mydei was not sure if there was more to this or if it was not what was on Phainon’s mind at all. But he let it rest for today. “I think we can arrange that. Let’s just wait until we see, if your energy stays up enough to go outside.”
It would mean revealing Phainon’s presence to the town and all of its people. He was not too worried about that in general, he was no real secret after all. But Mydei was aware of gossip and they would have to be careful in how they did just that. Especially with Krateros around now.
He would need to find an explanation as to why he of all people had taken to this random stranger. A more believable one than the actual truth.
Then again, most people here had only known him for the years he spent in this castle. He could just claim Phainon to be a childhood friend he had lost contact with. The only ones who would really know that was not true would stay quiet.
Again, apart from Krateros. He had not always been there, though. Would he believe the lie? He was aware Mydei had tried to befriend more children, but did he know he never succeeded?

Mydei was just in the process of putting on what he called royal attire (in a way that actually highly amused Phainon, who was more than certain it was what most of nobility would normally wear – he really had to ask Mydei what his daily cloths looked like; surely he would not run around the castle half-naked, would he?), when the door was urgently pulled open.
Phainon sat on the sofa, trying to figure out a small wooden puzzle Peucesta had handed him a few days ago, that required placing a handful of cubes together in the correct order.
His face shot up, but the quick and heavy footsteps meant nothing to him.
He followed them still, as they entered the room.
Only very few people could barge in like this, the guards would stop almost anyone from doing that. Hephaestion and Peucesta had been here often enough for him to be able to tell them apart, Perdikkas had shown up once or twice and while Phainon was not certain he would always recognise him, he knew that his footsteps were way more careful than that.
Which likely left either Leonnius or Ptolomy, unless there were more people allowed here he had yet to meet.
“You know I’m here, don’t you?”
Ah. That answered it. Phainon nodded and adjusted his head a little more in the direction of the voice. “Yes, good morning, Ptolomy. I was just trying to figure out, who you are.”
That was, again, met with silence.
“Do you know where Mydei is? We do have a bit of a problem.”
Phainon frown and nodded once more. “He’s just changing. Mydei?” He called.
“Yes?”
“Demons at the border!” Ptolomy said a little louder and sure enough, seconds later Mydei entered the room with a curse on his lips.
“Guess, the bathhouse has to be opened without me after all,” he mumbled. “I’ll head out at once and…” Phainon could almost feel Mydei’s gaze burning into him.
“I’ll stay,” Ptolomy suddenly offered. “I wanted to ask for help with some ancient texts anyway and considering the invasions are close to Ephyra, Hephaestion will be of more help than me considering he’s lived there for a while.”
Mydei pondered for a moment, before he grumpily agreed. “Very well, take care, I’ll be quick. And please tell the major to handle the opening ceremony.”

Translating the old texts was a slow process. Not because it was difficult per se, but because of the old handwriting.
Ptolomy had studied the old tongue and was able to read it, too, but he had a hard time deciphering the letters. Phainon was of little help and felt pretty useless most of the time. Until Ptolomy suddenly paused.
“May I touch your hand?”
Phainon was quite confused by that request, but did not hesitate to extend it. Long fingers took it, flipped it, so that the inside of his palm was facing up.
“Can you read this?”
And then slowly, but steadily a sign was drawn onto his skin. If they weren’t already closed, Phainon would have shut his eyes as he concentrated on the touch. “Yes, that means… flower bed. Wait, what kind of text is it?”
Ptolomy popped his lips. “Obviously not a helpful one. Probably a poem, we have found a few of those. But if this works, we can try the older ones, they are getting successively harder to read. Let’s take a short break, I’ll get us some water.”
He let go and Phainon followed the sound of his footsteps in his mind to the kitchen and back. A cold glass was bumped wordlessly against his hand and he took it. “Thanks.”
Ptolomy sat down next to him again.
He seemed more tight-lipped than Mydei’s other friends, very focussed, but he was not inattentive. Quite the opposite actually, he easily handled Phainon’s lack of sight when handing him things and so far had not resorted to gestures by accident. At least not that Phainon was aware of.
“Mydei said he remembered you from a previous life,” Ptolomy suddenly broke the silence, much to Phainon’s surprise.
“You don’t believe him,” Phainon answered softly. It was not a question, it was obvious from his tone and what Mydei had said before.
Ptolomy let out a short laugh. “Not really, no. I want to, I know Mydei is not the type to lie and make things up. But he’s not immune to illusions either.” Again a short moment of silence fell between them. “From what I have heard you don’t remember anything before he found you. And yet, you know a lot. Do you draw those from former lives as well?”
Phainon sighed, running a hand through his hair. He had meant to avoid this kind of conversation – especially without Mydei present. And he had not expected Ptolomy to bring it up on his own account. Yet, he really did not want to lie and make things worse. He tried to choose his words carefully. It was unusually hard for him to come up with a good response.
“Some I do, yes. But others are just… buried. Languages never carry over, when I remember them now, I remember the meaning, what was being said, not the language itself. I have to have spoken it in this life. Some things stay more similar than others.”
He again felt eyes on him and tried not to squirm.
“Can you tell me anything that would prove you aren’t lying?”
Phainon’s smile grew a little crooked. “I would. But I can’t really think of what would be convincing. Even if I describe to you what Mydei looks like in my memory – considering I’ve not been able to open my eyes since I woke up – that’s something someone could have easily told me, right?”
Ptolomy gave a low “Hmm…” then he moved slightly, as the weight next to him shifted. “True. Have you asked anyone to describe him?”
Phainon shook his head. “No, there was never any need to. But I could just be lying again, for all you know.”
Ptolomy actually chuckled. “At least you are aware. But let me believe you for a second and suppose really no-one did. What would you call Mydei’s most striking feature?”
Phainon raised his eyebrows. “Are you referring to his red tattoos or his sharp golden eyes?” He softly laughed himself. Probably the first two things people noticed about him. “Unless he still has the tendency to run around with his chest exposed, than it might also be his surely impressive built?”
Ptolomy made a soft noise that did actually sound like Mydei still did. Maybe Phainon should ask more after all? He smiled quite amused.
“Oh, wait,” Phainon almost laughed. “There is one thing surely nobody would have spoken about because most don’t know.” Only once had Mydei actually spoken about it himself, while heavily drunk. Phainon just wasn’t sure if it was something that did carry over to other lives or it had been a one-time only thing.
“The red tetragon underneath his right eye. It’s very slightly elongated on one side. That’s because he has a tiny mole there and it ended up being exactly in one corner. He did not like that and asked for it to be changed.”
“That is oddly specific,” Ptolomy commented. “I have to admit I don’t know. When I first met him, he already had all of his royal markings and we never spoke about them. So, did you grow up together then?”
Phainon shook his head. “I wish, but, no, we never did. He told me that once, when he had too much wine. I think he mixed it up on accident and did not want to be rude. I’m almost certain he thought it was juice.” He chuckled softly. “He was never able to handle liquor too well, now that I think about it. He’s not much fun, drunk, though. He would just fall asleep more often than not.”
Ptomoly hummed softly again. “Yes, that’s definitely true.” He took a sip of his own drink and suddenly the tone of his voice changed. “Say, Phainon, this might not be a very sensitive question, but… are you certain you are not blind beneath that metal? If what you say is true, would you know if you could actually see or just remembered that from before?”
That was… indeed a good question. Phainon had to think about it for a moment.
“I think, I would know. I can tell that the memories are from previous lives, they feel… distant and as if they do not quite fit. And I constantly want to try to open my eyes and look at things,” he admitted, his voice dropping a little lower on its own. “I don’t think I would be doing that if I had actually been blind before. And do you think anyone would have taken the time to teach me script?”
Ptomoly gave a noise of approval. “That is true. As long as this sealing was not meant to do something more. Did you ever have anything noteworthy about your eyes? Special powers?”
Phainon shook his head. “Not that I remember, no.”
A soft sigh next to him.
“It is a hard story to believe, but I can see that you are quite aware of this. Maybe I’ll give it some thought…”
Phainon smiled a little apologetically. “I know it is. I hardly ever told anyone, because I sometimes had trouble believing it myself. I think it says a lot about Mydei’s trust in you, to be honest.”
“Does it?” Phainon was almost sure he heard a smile in those words, but maybe he was imagining things. “Anyway, are you ready to get back to more bad handwriting?”

Mydei easily knocked down three more demons with one punch, glaring at them, before letting his eyes scan the surrounding area.
There were always more than this. It never was just a handful and he certainly was not in the mood to play hide and seek.
Still he could not allow the inhabitants of the nearby city to stay in danger and so he grudgingly started to walk to the small grove to his right, where the trees would provide some hiding spots.
He did not mind the fighting too much, but the walking around and looking for enemies did always feel like a waste of time.
He saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye, but before he could turn around, something else moved and seconds later a severed demon head landed in front of his feet and melted into the strange gooey mass they almost always left behind.
“You seem a little distracted today,” Hephaestion teased, taking a rag from his bag and carefully cleaning of the demon splatters from his blade.
Mydei frowned. “You know very well that you should not get this close,” he reprimand his friend. While Hephaestion was obviously careful not to let anything demonic get in contact with his skin, even being close enough could potentially cause harm. And he should know that well enough.
Hephaestion just shrugged. “And let you have all the fun?”
He shook his head, sheathing his sword again and turning more serious. “You seemed lost in thought.”
Mydei sighed. “I would have handled it fine, but thanks for your concern. I’m just not in the mood to run around and search for them – again.”
Hephaestion eyed him for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll climb up one of these trees. That should keep me at a distance and still allow me to help you locate them.” It was not a question, but Mydei let it pass as they started walking. He now kept a much closer eye on the surroundings.
“Are you worried about Phainon? He’ll be fine in the castle. I don’t particularly like or trust Krateros, but I highly doubt he would harm him intentionally.”
Mydei huffed. “He would not and I’m not worried.”
“Sure.” Hephaestion shot him a glance that clearly contradicted his answer. It was not harsh though, rather amused. “Let’s get those demons, so you can get back to your lover.”
“We are not lovers,” Mydei answered probably too quickly judging from Hephaestion’s laugh.
“You are not? Were you never?”
Mydei chose not to answer, but that itself was likely answer enough. They were not, at least not yet.
But it would be a lie to say they had not been more often than not and surely that was part of why he was reacting this way. Phainon was special to him, there was no denying that.
And he was not used to things being this way, either.
When he first told Phainon he was his equal it had stood true through many years and lifetimes. It had always been a part of just who they were. Apart from temporary injuries or sicknesses there had never been a time when they had not been just that.
Obviously his instinctive reaction to Phainon being out of commission had been a weird protectiveness he was not used to. And yet it still felt better, more natural than trying to ignore it or not reacting at all.
The instinct had settled a bit after seeing Phainon more energetic. Maybe things would go back to how they usually were once that second seal came off.
But even if it would not, Mydei knew it would not matter. He would still want to keep Phainon close and safe for as long as Phainon himself agreed with that.

Chapter Text

Mydei could not believe his bad luck, when he got back two days later and the ceremony to open the new bathhouse had actually been postponed specifically to wait for him.
While it was a kind gesture, it was completely misplaced in his eyes. There were several people who would be more worthy than him to do this. He had done literally nothing. Where were the architects, the planers or even the skilled artists and craftsmen who had actually built this? They deserved the attention and praise, he just happened to live here.
But, no, instead of taking a day off and checking back at the castle, he found himself standing at the big entrance minutes after he entered the gates, not even out of his battle cloths, cutting a red ribbon with a ceremonial sword (that by the way was in urgent need of sharpening) to the cheers and applause of a crowd nearby, while the major gave a very lofty speech.
He tried to find familiar faces in the crowd, expecting his friends somewhere among them (provided they had been informed of his return), but it was too crowded and if they were there, he was unable to locate them.
He just stood there pretty much as a decoration while the major finished and then with exuberant words invited him to try the private bath first, which, of course, he gladly accepted and allowed the owner to lead him there.
Of course, he had known about this before. And at least he did not mind the bath itself. It was nice actually. While it had taken some getting used to the first time around, he started to enjoy a warm soak after a while and he was sure, most people here would as well.
He had just settled into the warm water, when a knock on the door and a call announced the arrival of his friends. He could hear them chatting and laughing before they opened the door and, of course, Hephaestion was the first to enter, waving and grinning wildly. “Mydei! Oh, man, this does look very nice and the smell!”
“It’s a herbal bath,” Perdikkas supplied, following shortly after. “Not quite sure what for, but maybe it will actually calm you down a bit,” he noted with a huff.
Mydei just shook his head and nodded at the two, when the next pair of steps could be heard and… he paused.
Because Leonnius did not enter alone. Phainon was walking beside him, a hand on his arm, bandages over his eyes and a smile on his face, that was surprisingly relaxed and joyful. Mydei just blinked.
“Surprised?” Hephaestion grinned as he sat down next to him and gave a content moan as the hot water engulfed him. “We thought why not bring him along? This room is supposed to fit ten people after all and you surely would enjoy his company as well rather than have him wait back in your chamber, right?” He winked as Leonnius directed Phainon very skilfully into the water and to sit at Mydei’s other side.
“Hi, Mydei,” Phainon greeted. “I hope you don’t mind I came along.”
How exactly Phainon knew it was Mydei next to him, was beyond his understanding, but after a moment of confusion, Mydei had to chuckle. “Not at all. I did not expect it, though.” Truth to be told, he was not sure it that was the best idea to begin with, but he certainly did not mind the company.
“Don’t worry, we had him wear a hooded cape on the way here, just in case,” Ptolomy supplied as he also entered the water. He did not sit down, though, instead coming unusually close and leaning down, studying Mydei with a very strange look in his eyes. Mydei frowned. “Something wrong with my face?”
Ptolomy hovered for a few seconds longer, before shaking his head and finally giving space and sitting down, while Peucesta calmly closed the door and joined as well. What the hell was that?
Mydei felt a bit like he was the only one left out in some kind of conspiracy, but as he watched all of his friends chatting and joking, he could not bring himself to mind. Not at all.
It still was hard to believe, that this was reality right now.
He almost lost himself in the moment, until Hephaestion moved, trying to reach some vials behind him, probably some kind of soap or oils.
He almost knocked him over in the process. Mydei pushed him back with a growl. Hephaestion pouted.
“Hey, Phainon? Can you reach behind you? There are some bottles for us to try, Mydei won’t let me climb over him to get there.”
Phainon laughed and turned around, extending a hand.
“More to the right, about an armlength,” Leonnius offered and Phainon successfully got the first few, pulling them back to the water. He curiously sniffed them and tilted his head. “Is anyone sick? Why did they provide so many herbal oils meant to cure colds?”
“Let me see?” Perdikkas took the vials, reading the labels instead. “He’s right. Either one of you forgot to tell us something or they might have mixed them up?” He then paused. “Wait, I was not aware you are trained in medicines?”
Phainon suddenly froze. “Uhm… I don’t think I am, to be honest?”
Perdikkas frowned. “What would you give someone with a bed cough?”
Phainon hesitated, before slowly answering. The questioning continued for about five minutes, until Perdikkas seemed satisfied and leaned back again, handing two of the vials to the companions next to him.
“So you know herbal usage, but not actual medicine. That is strange… and you could identify at least some of them by their smell alone, which means, it’s something you must have used as opposed to just learnt from a book.”
Ptolomy turned to face him. “And what does that mean exactly? In what circumstances would you expect someone to have that kind of knowledge?”
Perdikkas mumbled something, before he shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t know. Maybe a grandma with a vast knowledge of household remedies?”
Everyone fell silent, just staring either at each other or at Phainon.
“Well, I may have forgotten most things, but I am rather sure I am not a grandma,” Phainon finally broke the awkward silence and after another two seconds, that caused some chuckles and returned the atmosphere back to normal.

The way back was short, but not as uncomfortable as Mydei had expected. Phainon’s hand lay on his shoulder as he walked half a step behind him, his cane unused in the other hand. He had put the cape back on, the hood pulled over his head, but surprisingly enough it did not look too suspiciously off. Especially not with the others walking around them and mostly shielding them from view anyway.
Occasional greetings were called his way, but to his relief, most people hardly shot him a second glance, maybe a hinted bow and just moved on without causing a ruckus. He was aware that most found him too intimidating to approach and while he was not exactly happy about that, today it was quite useful.
Mydei did also note that Phainon’s mind still seemed to drift off now and then, but he did really appear far less sleepy or tired. More distracted as if he had a hard time focussing. But maybe he was just a little overwhelmed with the surely loud assault on his senses, that he was not used to anymore.
The streets were never quiet, filled with all kinds of noise. People shouting, working, hammers and machinery, horses and carriages. Then came the smells from the bakeries, the smiths, the food stalls and the vendors. Phainon’s brain was probably in overdrive – and still he was smiling happily to himself, obviously enjoying all of it.
Maybe it really would be a good idea, to familiarize him with the town. Even if his sight did not return, Mydei was sure, Phainon would eventually learn his way around. And the people would probably like him, as well.
“Hey, Phainon, how about you come with us to the training grounds tomorrow?” Hephaestion suddenly suggested, making Phainon face him with a very confused: “Huh?”
Hephaestion answered with a laugh. “Better than sitting inside all day, right? And we can hand you a weapon to see if you have trained with one? According to Mydei you two…” He stopped himself, looking around and then lowering his voice. “Trained together before, so I do see the possibility?”

True to his word Anaxa showed up unannounced the next day. They were in the middle of a training session. Phainon had joined them for exactly the few minutes it took to realise that he had absolutely no muscle memory of ever holding any weapon. Mydei had lead him to a bench underneath a tree at the side afterwards, as he had asked to still stay and listen.
It was actually nice sitting outside. The air was still rather cool, but Phainon could already feel the rays of sunlight hitting his face getting warmer. Probably the first harbingers of the seasonal change.
He was not quite sure who was sparring with whom or with what weapon, but the sounds of metal hitting metal were almost rhymical, like there was a pulse to it, a dance to some music. This was very clearly not an actual fight, but to him it was almost soothing – that is, apart from the urge to join in.
Holding the sword in his hand had sparked absolutely no recognition whatsoever. No memory, it felt strangely foreign, exactly like doing it for the first time. How peculiar.
He longed to join a fight he had no place to be in. Surely this life had given him another way to participate in battles, but which one, he really did not know.
Footsteps approached and he felt that strange aura or whatever it was that certain people seemed to have now. Or rather everyone had it, some were just more distinct than others.
That alone would have been enough to recognise some people.
So Phainon smiled, turning in Anaxa’s direction and greeted: “Hello, Professor.”
Anaxa gave no indication of surprise, but then sat next to him. “Hello, Phainon. Do you know who’s with me?”
That was actually a good question. While Anaxa felt like a small tempest rushing over everything in its vicinity and clearly making itself know, the person beside him was much more subdued. Phainon had no problem telling that someone was there, but when it came to identifying who it was, the question was much harder, especially with the footsteps dampened by the grass outside. He had heard them before, that much he was sure of.
“No,” he admitted. “I would dare to take a guess and say it’s Ptolomy though.”
He heard the other person inhale sharply, but Anaxa moved, probably gesturing. “Why?”
Phainon had to chuckle. Still in teacher mood, it seemed. Or curious about his sensing ability – he was surprised Anaxa had not asked sooner about it.
“I’ve heard the footsteps before, but not often enough to recognise them. Leonnius is on the training grounds, I know Perdikkas wanted to come, but could not because of some experiment and I am almost certain Peucesta’s footsteps were not quite as firm. Which leaves the most likely option of Ptolomy if I only include those who I have met in Mydei’s quarters before.”
There was a sound of something scraping on paper, before Anaxa hummed. “At least you do pay attention.” Coming from him, that was as good a praise as it would get. So Phainon faced the second aura. “I guess that means I’m right, hello, Ptolomy.”
“Hello.” It was indeed him and he finally moved and joined him on the bench.
“You cannot have heard me walk more often, how could you tell it was me so fast?”
Phainon was very, very tempted to tell him that he limped or dragged his feet, but decided against it in the last second. It would not be helpful if Anaxa got angry or annoyed at him.
“I can feel it’s you,” he said, not sure how to explain. “It’s hard to describe, but whenever you get near enough, I can sense some kind of…” He paused, actually trying to come up with an analogy that would be understandable. “Like you can tell when an autumn tempest it about to come? Or maybe a colour would be easier, although I feel weird using that for a feeling. You are a bluish, dark green? It’s very distinct and... well, staying in colour terms I would say, very bright.”
He definitely felt eyes boring into him now. “Can you do that since – you know?” They had agreed not to mention the seals or anything related to them in public. It was almost a miracle though that Anaxa remembered. Talking about magic on the other hand was no issue, there were magicians of all kinds in the town after all, it was hardly an unusual topic.
Phainon nodded slowly. “I believe so?”
“You obviously could not tell that much for Ptolomy, who else is clearer? Wait… can you tell me where Mydei is right now?” Ohoh, Phainon knew that sudden change of tone far too well. He concentrated on the area in front of him. It was a little far to be completely certain, but he could still make out roughly where he was.
“Over there?” He pointed to what to him felt like a strange bright, but very warm light.
Anaxa’s inhale was again answer enough. “Is there anyone else currently present that is similarly clear to you?”
“No?”
“But you can tell there are more people?”
“Yes, easily, they…”
“Can you describe Mydei as a colour as well?”
“Uh… bright yellow?”
“Interesting…” More scratching on paper. “Do all the other people have no colour then?”
Phainon sighed. “They do, it’s just muddy. As if I’m trying to view it through,” he really tried to come up with a way to make it tangible and wondered whether colour had be his best choice. “Dirty water? It is still there, but it’s by far not as clear. If given enough time, I could probably at least somewhat discern it?”
“Mmh… I have more questions – about objects, too, but we should probably take this somewhere else. Oh, and Ptolomy found something in the ancient texts you helped translate. Nothing big, but at least we do have a mention of your home village now.”

Mydei had very much noted that Anaxa and Ptolomy had approached Phainon and taken him with them. He had not been worried about it, though, until he came back after a quick bath only to find his living room in complete disarray and Anaxa mumbling to himself.
Hephaestion who entered shortly after had been very amused, but had helped put everything back in order, while Mydei prepared a quick diner.
They were now seated on his sofa again. While they had been cleaning up, the door leading to the garden had been slightly open and Fig Stew and Beagle Coconut had snuck in. For now, Mydei allowed it, as both of them were acting very docile. Fig Stew had fallen asleep on Phainon’s lap and Beagle Coconut was softly pawing at a fold in Mydei’s shirt.
“To sum it up,” Anaxa began without any kind of preface what this was all about. “Phainon can sense objects around him in a radius of about three metres, he can very roughly estimate the size, but not tell what it is at all. Humans have a far bigger range, he could still make me out from about fifteen metres, so far he’s really only able to do that with me and Mydei, though. He did easily discern our main natural energy sources, but finds it difficult to do the same with most other people. I would like him to try with a few individuals I have in mind, to confirm, but I think we can definitely conclude that he must have had some kind of magical training. I had him try to light a candle, which he could, but failed to get the flame bigger, giving a possible hint that the remaining seal might be limiting his abilities. Because even a bad mage would be able to do more than that.”
Phainon was about to open his mouth – no doubt in protest, but surprisingly enough, Hephaestion was quicker: “What exactly does natural energy source mean?”
Phainon shut his mouth again, but Mydei could swear he saw a pout flash over his features for a second.
“Basic magic theory,” Anaxa said as if that was supposed to be common knowledge. “Every living being has one or more main energy sources according to the types of magic that surrounds us. For people actually trained those are usually the first ones they master and the easiest to learn. But judging from the way Phainon described them, he either never learnt that theory at all or completely forgot it.” Again Phainon’s almost protest was cut short as Anaxa just kept on talking. “He correctly did identify mine as wind and Mydei’s as light, though. Which means he’s definitely able to gauge them in some way.”
Light? That was… not really what he would have expected.
“How are those usually identified?” Hephaestion asked hesitantly, to which Anaxa huffed.
“A trained mage can detect them by watching the energy flow or poking it softly with his own magic. It is not unheard of, but rather rare for someone to be able to tell without touching or watching people closely, again, hinting that Phainon’s magic at its full potential must be quite strong.” And how exactly did Anaxa know his if it required studying an individual so closely??
Mydei watched Phainon’s expression, but it was guarded. Too neutral, too soft. He was hiding again.
“Depending on how advanced your village was, it is also possible that you were a druid. Those have become very rare with the rise of modern magic and science, but they still exist,” Anaxa concluded, making a vague gesture.
“Speaking of village,” Ptolomy suddenly cut in. “With Phainon’s help in translating we were able to find more clues in three scriptures. I however have to admit that they are quite minor. The first is a traveller’s diary that’s partially preserved. It’s dated back about two thousand years and mentions a small seaside village by the name of Aedes Elys or something like that, the letters were very smudged. It is quite possible the village shortened its name over time. He does not say much, just that it is a nice place full of fish and friendly people, but very difficult to find.” A shrug. “It does likely confirm that the place existed earlier than we suspected. Another report from a ship sailing in the general area notes a strange sighting of flickering light and angellike figures in a small village at the end of the world. The entry from the day before mentions a broken rum barrel, though, so maybe we should read that with… caution.”
Ptolomy exhaled. “Finally we discovered what we think is an old children’s song. Very old, probably, from the writing we would estimate around four thousand years. It tells everyone to be at ease because the angels will come again to protect everyone should the demon army return one day.”
“Angels?” Mydei repeated with a frown.
Anaxa nodded. “Not a term any scholar would use apart from as a metaphor, but so was demon before they started showing up. It is still just a song, it might be a story told to children to keep them at ease. Or it might be an earlier sighting and proof that this has happened before. Raising the question, why they vanished and then showed up again, if that would be the case. We have quite a good documentation about the events concerning at least the last six to eight hundred years and there are no mentions whatsoever of any kind of demons. Nor angels for that matter.”
He sighed dramatically. “But let us assume for one moment that either this was true or at least some people believed it to be. Could Phainon have been intended to be not a sacrifice, but a vessel? Were they maybe trying to summon an angel to help? That would certainly make more sense with his knowledge, but even less with the seals…”