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Chapter Text

When preparing for the battle Fluixion obviously thought about the possibility of losing but after seeing the army of Infernus and the covenant plus the caution measures his team made he quickly discarded the possibility of failure. 

Not to mention he is Fluixion of Lumminara, The Architect of the conspiracy that shocked both Islands, Prince of the Aculon Empire, he isn't known for losing. 

But now, in the middle of the war, he realized a little problem, they are losing… really badly.

There are more people they accounted for and they were pretty well geared, even with the best army and the best traps they couldn't possibly win. 

While hiding on the final floor of the castle he tries to find a way to survive and while he is on the verge of giving up, a voice breaks his thoughts. 

“Flux!” Thomas shouts at him and runs up to him “I finally found you” He says while catching his breath 

“Thomas” He looks at his friend, his brown usually well styled hair is now all messed up and covered with ashes, he's pretty sure he has blood on his face and he isn't sure if it isn't his. “Before you ask, no I don't have more ideas on how to get out of this one” He says guessing that's what he came to ask and goes back to looking at the war that's happening below them “I guess we don't have much more time left” 

“But I'm glad you are still alive now,” Flux says quietly but loud enough for Thomas to hear 

“I'm glad you are still alive too” Thomas gives him a small smile “And since I intend to keep it that way, I have a way to keep you keep

“What?” Flux looks at him confused and shocked 

“Flux, I need you to take this” He passes him a glass bottle with a weird orange liquid and Flux's confusion grows “It's called a fire resistance potion” 

“Where-” Before Fluixion could continue his sentence Thomas interrupted him

“Dont ask where I got it from cause I don't have time to answer” Thomas frowns “Look Flux out of all of us you have ambitions and a brain that could keep you going, no one else on our side is gonna be able to survive after this war, so I need to use this to escape” at this Flux's mind goes racing “Also I was never the one with the plans and couldn't possibly think a way to escape this mess” he half jokes 

After all this time Flux knows there isn't a way to stop Thomas when he looks at him so determined so after a beat of silence he asks

“How long does this last?” signaling the bottle 

“8 minutes” Thomas smiles knowing that Fluixion is formulating a plan, before either of them either say something else the shouting of guards stops them.

“You better start running Sir,” Thomas says 

And something neither of them expected to ever happen, happens… 

Fluixion goes and hugs him, a genuine, full of emotion, a silent goodbye. “Thank you, you were the best right-hand man a mastermind could ever ask for” and runs off 

»»-----------¤-----------««

Even though Thomas wanted only Fluixion to survive, he knew that he couldn't leave his sister to die since she never did that to him, so he made his way to find Cynikka.

He was lucky enough to find her alive in a type of meeting room, he rapidly approached her moving past all the people panicking around her.

“Sister.” He says

“Brother?” Cynikka looks at him a bit confused since he shouldn't be there 

“We need to go. Now.” He grabs her wrist and tries to move but the other stops him

“What? No!” She tries to escape his grasp but that only makes Fluixion tighten his grip 

“Yes, if we want to live we need to go now before it's too late!” Fluixion says with a slight sign of desperation in his voice 

“Fluixion I can't leave now, my people need me, the volcano needs me-” Cynikka tries to rationalize but Flux doesn't let her

“I don't care about your fucking volcano Cynikka! I care about being alive and my sister not leaving me to survive completely alone” Now the desperation in his tone is very evident. Please i don't want to lose you again goes un-said

Suddenly he feels like he is 13 years old again running away from the people trying to kill the remaining members of the Aculon empire, and something tells him Cynikka feels the same way since she looks at him and breathes out “Do you even have a plan? The other party's army is more dangerous than it looks…”

“I do but I need you to trust me…” He says relieved is hearing him out.

»»-----------¤-----------««

As far as his escape plans go, this wasn't his best work. 

Maybe jumping into the lava while people were shooting arrows wasn't the optimal way to escape a war but it worked somehow

They ran far away into a snow biome where they found a tower and after making sure it was completely abandoned they decided to hide there for the time being.

It was accommodating enough for both of them and it had a few supplies to keep them going until they figured out a new plan. 

Now Fluixion was sitting in an awkward silence since neither of them knew what to say but while thinking about everything that had happened the last week, Fluixion was interrupted by his sister entering the room with a medkit in hand

“Let me see your arm,” The former queen asks him in a demanding tone 

“Why? Nothing is wrong with it” He lies and looks at her

“I'm your older sister I know how you act when you are hurt and try to pretend nothing is wrong” Cynikka frowns 

“I don't know what you are talking about” Fluixion tries to deny while looking away

“Fluixion I swear by my volcano that if you don't show me your wound I will throw you to the snow to die” She threatens and while both of them knew that was an empty threat and that Cynikka would never hurt her brother intentionally, Flux was too tired to keep arguing.

He took off one of the sleeves of his jacket exposing a nasty wound on the side of his arm 

“How did you even get such an ugly thing?” His sister asks, concerned while looking at it “This will hurt by the way” before starting to clean it

“I think one of the guards of some nation in Pandora did it but I don't even remember at this point “ He sighs and Cynikka hums focused on her work “Snowbird stitched it at some point but I guess they broke while we were escaping the castle,” Flux says sadly at the idea of his late teammate 

“Well it needs new ones, do you mind if I do it?” She asks

“Do I even have a choice Cyn?” He looks at her sarcastically 

“Nope!” She giggles which made Fluixion smirk 

»»-----------¤-----------««

After checking for any more wounds they realized how exhausted both of them were, thankfully the tower had enough bedding to share between both of them since sharing wasn't something new to them.

Maybe it was the snow falling or the fact he had her sister beside him sleeping or how this situation feels so familiar but whatever it was gave him a sense of security. 

His last thought before falling asleep is when was the last time he saw snow falling from the sky… 

Chapter Text

Blood 

Dead bodies 

Weapons on the floor 

Shouting men 

People in agony 

That's what the empire has become to…

Her feet hurt from running 

Her lungs hurt from the cold

Her heart hurts from panicking 

Her eyes hurt from crying 

But she needs to keep going. 

They need to escape this place. 

Ender's last wish was for them to survive, she can't disappoint him, not now that he is gone.

She needs to find Fluixion and leave this hell immediately…

She has lived all her life in this castle but suddenly none of these hallways feels familiar. 

She needs to find Fluixion, She promised Ender she would protect him and keep him alive 

‘Where is he?’ Is the only question she can afford to ask in her brain 

She is growing really tired of pushing soldiers out of her way but she needs to find him 

Every step feels heavier than the last one and the rooms keep getting larger and larger

And suddenly she hears a familiar crying ‘Flux…’ she realizes but before she can reach him a loud agonizing scream follow by a 'BANG' are heard and everything goes black….

»»-----------¤-----------««

Cynikka wakes up with her heart racing and her body shaking, 

She looks at her surroundings and remembers her current situation. ‘Right, I'm not running from the anti-Aculon soldiers, I'm running from the anti-Infernus people’ 

She could hear a groan from the body next to her 

“Did you have to wake up so aggressively?” A clearly irritated Fluixion asks her 

“Sorry, you should go back to sleep, I'll go find something to eat,” Cynikka tells him while standing up and cleaning the dust off her clothes. 

“I couldn't go back to sleep even if I wanted to, plus we need a plan to survive from now on” He answers

“Let's eat something first my little mastermind” She ruffles Fluixion's black hair earning a noise of complaint 

»»-----------¤-----------««

Being royalty of an empire meant they had to take a lot of different classes that growing up seemed useless but once she started the Infernus kingdom, she became thankful her paranoid father made her take them. 

Cartography was especially useful right now since she managed to make a perfect map of Yggdrasil and Pandora. 

Looking at the maps they both agreed that it was better to stay in the snow biome. They were refugees at the moment, it was easier to hide and most people don't know how to travel or survive in it.  

For a moment she tunes out of their conversation and looks at her surroundings, a big map made of different pages of Flux's sketchbook, a few other papers full of crucial information for their survival, a candlelight close enough to illuminate the room but far enough to not make everything catch on fire and finally her younger brother completely focused trying to figure out every outcome.

She does have to admit that 24 years old Fluixion is much more helpful than 13 years old Fluixion. 

Back when they escaped the fallen empire, she was the one in charge of all the planning and making sure they survive another day but now after everything that's happened the child she traveled with now is a man full of knowledge.

Cynikka has to give a bit of credit to herself, her improvement from her 18 year old self is very notable, becoming a queen has helped her way of thinking which has proven to be extremely helpful in their current situation.

After hours and hours they managed to create a plan, it isn't flawless but as long as they work together it is gonna work. 

'At the end of the day, two geniuses are better than just one.' Ender's words resonates in her head 

»»-----------¤-----------««

They were so distracted with the strategies that they didn't realise night had fallen. 

The former queen looks at her brother concerned since he was very clearly about to pass out. 

“Flux” Cynikka shakes her brother's shoulder while standing up

“Hmmm?” Is the only answer she got from her brother 

“I think we need some sleep after all of this planning” She offers her hand so he can also stand up

Without any verbal acknowledgement Fluixion stands up and goes to the place they slept last night, she couldn't call it a bed since it was 2 pillows and some blankets but it's better than nothing she guesses. 

“Goodnight dear sister” Fluixion mumbles and imitately passes out 

“Goodnight dear brother” Cynikka smiles at him and falls asleep shortly after.

We will survive this. 

Chapter Text

Winning the war should've felt good, Saparata supposes, at least both islands felt like that.

And Saps was happy they were happy with the end of the battle but he couldn't experience the same happiness.

He didn't get to confront Flux Fluixion. 

He didn't get to see the man who framed him and ruined his life for 1 whole year.

He didn't get to see the guy who broke his heart 

Cass and Schpood were the only people who kinda understood what he was feeling, 

“I wish I had gotten to stab the bastard so I could see his arrogant ass completely defeated,” Cass said

“Yeah, I wish I saw Cynikka's face when she realizes all her little cult is completely wiped,” Schpood continued.

But they would never get that closure since multiple soldiers from both sides saw the queen of Infernus and the leader of the conspiracy jump directly into the lava, completely burning their bodies. 

No one really knows why they did it or why they jumped together,

“Probably their ego didn't let them die by their enemy's hand and they jumped together cause they had the same idea” Is what Legacy told him with clear bitterness in his voice.

Saparata couldn't shake the feeling that wasn't the complete truth, but then again he would never get the answer to that since dead people can't speak. 

»»-----------¤-----------««

Saparata really needed time alone, which is crazy considering that he spent a year running with no one by his side, but these past months have been completely hectic and he has become really overwhelmed with the interactions during the war. 

So after saying his goodbyes to Cass and Schpood, who didn't exactly comprehend the reason for wanting to be alone again, and offered him a place in their respective nations (which he refused) he parted ways. 

He didn't really want to go back to his vacation house (which is probably still bloody and with intact evidence of the massacre) so he went to the only other place he knew he could be isolated from any society, his snow tower. 

Even though it had bad memories with it, it was also the place he realized he wanted to keep living and prove his innocence to the world at all costs, so it wasn't a bad option. 

So he took a bunch of materials and food for his survival, his new netherite sword (a gift from Zynn before the battle of Infernus), and started making his journey to the snow biome.

»»-----------¤-----------««

One would think that the “white boy” would like the snow but the truth was that Saparata wasn't a fan of the cold biome so he was very glad when he saw his tower appear in his line of vision.

Except that something was really wrong.

When he approached the door ready to unlock it, he realized it was already unlocked.

Saps remembers very distinctly that he locked the tower since he didn't want anyone to enter.

He entered the tower very slowly making sure not to make any noise. 

Looking around inside the tower he could clearly see someone had been there. There were a few papers with sketches of replicas of the islands around the table he used to eat at, and on top of said table, there was a big map of both Yggdrasil and Pandora. Inspecting the rest of the room he could see that the food cabinet was empty and the candles were definitely more used than he had left them, a few other things were out of place. 

Analysing the room further he realised… someone was there right now.

In all honesty, he probably shouldn't try to investigate alone in a situation like this but after training the covenant people who didn't hate him, he was confident in his ability to fight more than one person, especially if he had the advantage of them not knowing Saps was there. 

So he unveiled his sword and made his way to the second floor.

»»-----------¤-----------««

Out of all the scenes he was thinking of when he made his way to the second floor this was not it. 

In front of Saparata was the evil queen of Infernus, Cynikka, and the cruel mastermind of Lumminara, Fluixion, both alive and next to each other with Fluixion’s head resting on Cynikka's shoulder, covered in blankets sleeping on the floor. 

Looking at them, they looked so small and defenseless which he found oddly endearing. 

But then he remembered that these two are war criminals and that they were supposed to be dead. 

“What the actual fuck?” Saps says out loud

Chapter Text

A very familiar voice wakes Fluixion and his sister.

“Cynikka please tell me that wasn't who I think it is,” Flux says refusing to open his eyes in case he is wrong and gets to go back to sleep 

“If you are thinking of the white guy you hate, then I'm sorry to tell you he is standing in front of us with a netherite sword in his hand” An annoyed Cynikka answers him

He opens his eyes to realize the former queen wasn't lying.

The last man he wanted to see was in front of them, armed, while they were very much defenseless. 

Flux sits up and hears Cynikka tapping the ground with her finger. Morse code, one of the essentials for the Aculon Empire royalty. 

.-- .... .- - / -.. --- / .-- . / -.. --- ..--.. (What do we do?) She asks him 

Fluixion realizes that there is nothing he has no other option but to try to talk his way out of this one. 

- .- .-.. -.- / .- -. -.. / .... --- .--. . / .... . / -.. --- . ... -. .----. - / -.- .. .-.. .-.. ... / ..- … (Talk and hope he doesn't kills us) He answers her using the same method 

“What do you want, Saparata?” Fluixion asks very displeased 

“What do I want?” Saparata scoffed in disbelief at Flux's tone “I want to know what you are doing in my tower and alive nonetheless” 

“This is your tower?” Cynikka asks surprised "Is a very nice tower" her tone is patronizing 

“Yes, it is” Saparata answers her with a frown “Now answer Fluixion” He points at him with the sword 

Flux ignores the pain that it brought hearing his full name coming out of Saparata's mouth.

“I'm trying to survive the whole battle that was happening, obviously” Fluixion shrugs 

“Of course, your cowardly ass would flee the scene instead of accepting the consequences of your actions,” The white haired man says with venom “What are you doing though?” He now signals Cynikka “From what I've been told Queen Cynikka would never leave her dear volcano and never for some pathetic rat” Saparata tells her which made the woman frown.

“I'm protecting the only thing I have left” Cynikka answers very simply with slight anger in her voice, Saparata though was left very confused at her statement

“What-” The ex-convict tries to question her statement but Flux interrupts him before he can finish his sentence “Well now you know, now what Mr. War Hero” He asks mockingly 

“hero?” Saparata mumbles before stopping for a minute to think of what to do now he has both of the most wanted people infront of him

.. ..-. / .... . / .- - - .- -.-. -.- ... / -.-- --- ..- / ... - .- -. -.. / -... . .... .. -. -.. / -- . / .. .----. .-.. .-.. / -- .- -.- . / ... ..- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / .-.. .. ...- . (If he attacks you stand behind me I'll make sure you live) Cynikka tells Flux. 

He looks at her in shock and before he could refuse his sister's request Saparata stops thinking and decides the course of action 

“You two are prisoners for now” Now that made both Cynikka and Fluixion stare at him “I'm still more armed than both of you and I know neither of you is are fighter so while I contact Cass you two are my prisoners” Saparata smirks at their angry faces  

Fluixion goes to stand up and shout at him about this being an outrage but he immediately feels Cynikka's grasp pulling him down 

“Keep your shit together Flux” She whispers to him,  only loud enough for him to hear.

And even though he wants to shout at the swordsman in front of them he figures it wouldn't really help so he stays sitting by Cynikka's side.

»»-----------¤-----------««

Saparata left the room for a brief moment but before they could try to scheme a plan, he came back and out of all people Flux never thought Saparata would be the one to be able to make handcuffs out of chains but he did. 

Now they are sitting on the other side of the room with their backs against each other and their wrists tied. 

Honestly, even though his wrist hurt it was better than being dead or at least that's what he is trying to convince himself while he waits for the ex-convict to send his letter through his owl. 

After a while filled with fruitless attempts at making a plan with Cynikka through Morse code, Saparata finally finished. 

“Okay! Letter sent!” The other man says cheerfully 

“Fucking finally,” Flux says quietly 

“Yay!!!” Cynikka celebrates sarcastically 

“Now what, genius?” Fluixion looks him in the eyes 

“Now I go to bed cause I don't want to speak to you and haven't slept in days” Saparata shrugs 

“Are you that confident we wouldn't escape while you sleep?” Cynikka asks confused about the white haired man's confidence.

“The way the chains are tied on your wrist is the way The Peacemakers captured their prisoners, there isn't a way you could possibly set free from that mess of knots, unless you wanna cut your arms of course” Saparata answers yawning, both of the siblings were physically surprised at the mention of The Peacemakers “Now shush both of you, only wake me up if something actually important happens” 

And with that, the white haired man falls in a deep slumber, leaving the siblings in silence.

.-- . .-.. .-.. --..-- / - .... .- - / .-- . -. - / -... . - - . .-. / - .... .- -. / .-- .... .- - / .. / - .... --- ..- --. .... - / .-- .- ... / --. --- -. -. .- / --. — (Well, that went better than what I thought was gonna go) Cynikka taps 

Fluixion sighs before answering 

-.-- . .- .... --..-- / -. --- .-- / .-- . / .-- .- .. - / .- -. -.. / .... --- .--. . / -.-. .- ... ... / -.. --- . ... -. .----. - / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. ... / -- . / --- -. / ... .. --. .... - (Yeah, now we wait and hope Cass doesn't murders me on sight) He tells her which made Cynikka chuckle.

.... --- .-- / -.. .. -.. / .-- . / . ...- . -. / --. . - / .. -. - --- / - .... .. ... / ... .. - ..- .- - .. --- -. / -... .-. --- - .... . .-. / -.. . .- .-. . ... - ..--.. (How did we even get into this situation brother dearest?) She questions looking at the ceiling. 

He could tell that was a rhetorical question, because they both knew exactly what led them to this situation. 

»»-----------¤-----------««

After what felt like an eternity Saparata's owl appeared in the windows begging to be let in but its owner was peacefully sleeping unfazed by the bird.

“Saparata” Cynikka tries to wake him up since Fluixion couldn't bother to try to do it himself. 

“Saparata!” She tries again and again until after too many attempts Flux gets tired and shouts at Saparata in annoyance. 

“SAPS!” and the guy finally wakes up. 

“Don't call me that” Saparata mumbles waking up and again he felt that weird pain in his heart but decides to ignore it once again.

“Cry about it later, your bird has been waiting outside for way too long for a small being who isnt prepared for snow,” Fluixion tells him. 

Saparata gets up to open the window and lets in his owl before closing it again. 

He pets his bird before grabbing and reading the letter that was brought with it.

“So? What did she say, Sir Saparata?” Cynikka asks him, tired of waiting for him to finish reading. 

“Well I have good news for me and bad news for all of us” Saparata answers her, he didn't wait for either of the siblings to say anything before continuing “The good news is that she is coming as fast as possible” 

“And the bad ones?” Flux asks since that was the only part that concerned him 

“We are stuck here for two more days” Saparata sighs 

Lovely. Just what I needed. 

»»-----------¤-----------««

The last time he felt 60 hours were so infinitely long was back on The Aculon Empire.

Fluixion was freshly 12 years old which meant he was old enough to start making diplomatic travels without any of his siblings by his side. 

It was always exciting going out of the palace and being useful to the empire made him feel less than a disappointment, so it wasn't a bad trip. 

That's of course until the journey back to the castle they encountered a huge snowstorm that made the Aculon crew stop in a nearby village. 

The soldiers that were with him decided that it was better for his safety to stay hidden, so “”logically”” they locked him in a hotel room for two days only letting him out for human necessities. 

When he finally arrived home and told Ender crying what the soldiers did he personally ordered for the guards to be executed for treason to the royal bloodline. 

But at least then he had a bit more freedom and stuff to do. Now he is sitting on the floor in an uncomfortable position and his hands are tied so he can't even draw or write in his sketchbook. 

He has Cynikka to talk to but there is so much they can say without letting Saparata gain any information about them or their plans.

But after the longest two days in his whole life, finally, while they were sleeping they heard Cass shouting at Saparata to let “them” in.

(He supposes that “them” was Cass and her guards)

And shortly after Cass entered the second floor seeing the siblings. 

“Holy shit,” Cass says looking at them and then her vision focuses on him “The asshole is alive”

“Great! Now you are here” Flux says in annoyance.

Cass was always an annoying factor in Fluixion's plans. 

Out of nowhere Cass burst out laughing.

.. .----. -- / ... --- / -.-. --- -. ..-. ..- ... . -.. (I'm so confused) Cynikka tells him 

“Uhhh Cass?” Saparata was also confused by the woman's reaction 

“Sorry Saps, it's just that-” Cass cleans a tear from her eye trying to explain herself “Look at them, both of the biggest war criminals of each island now all weak and pathetic ” She looks directly at Fluixion's eyes when speaking 

Yeah,  definitely annoying. 

“Ha ha very funny,” Flux says rolling his eyes

“Hillarious even” Cynikka adds with the same level of sarcasm 

“So what are we doing with them, Cass?” Saparata asks the question that all of them were waiting for the answer. 

“Well, you said you wanted them to be alive for now, right?” She asks Saparata and he nods, Flux didn't have time to process the fact that his former best friend wanted him alive before she continued “That means Westhleem and all of the Pandora are not an option, so I was planning to send them to Elysium for the time being while you and I set up a meeting to figure out with both islands what to do with them for real” Cass finishes suggesting.

“Honestly sounds like a good plan” Saparata says in response “But do you think Benji and his council will be fine with it?” 

“I don't completely know for sure but is the only place where they won't kill them on sight,” Cass says 

“I guess so” For a split second Flux could see a hint of worry in Saparata's face “Then you should go to Elysium and use your magic leader of a nation convincing powers to talk to them, while I babysit these two pieces of garbage” He completely switches his tone making Cass giggle. 

“Well, I suppose I'll get going then” She says and both of them disappear out of his line of vision leaving the siblings in silence once again 

“At least she didn't kill you the moment she saw you” Cynikka breaks the silence first 

“Yeah but she looked down at me which is probably worse” Fluixion answers annoyed at the idea of being seem as less or weak “Do you think Elysium would take us?” He asks her 

“Benji and his council are very weird case if I'm honest, one day they are all for peace and quiet and the next day Benji authorizes the kill on Linguini. But he still my friend and I think if the pretty woman-” Flux rolls his eyes at that “Convinces the council that it is for the greater good then they'll probably take us” Cynikka answers him and he hums.

I guess they'll have to keep waiting for an answer.

Chapter Text

⪼ To: CallMeCass ⪼ From: saparata

Hello Cass,

I'm not in any imminent danger (I feel like I should start with that) but I did find myself in a predicament…

I'm going to start from the beginning to make it easier, 

I was peacefully walking to my new place of residence (the tower on the snow I told you about, remember?) but when I arrived at the entrance I realized that the front door was unlocked.

(Cass. I'm so fucking sure that before I left the tower for the last time I locked the door to make sure no one could enter and use the tower against me)

And well I didn't know how long the door had been unlocked, for all I know it could be like this for months, right? But I still enter the tower with caution. 

Seeing the state of the first floor I could tell that not only someone had been here but that someone was there right at the moment. 

And even though it wasn't the best idea to keep investigating the tower, I needed to know who was in my tower. So I grabbed my sword, activated stealth mode, and went up to the second floor.

(For context the tower has 3 floors, 

The 1st floor is the kitchen and living space, the 2nd floor is the bedroom and bathroom and the 3rd floor is a balcony.) 

And Cass, nothing and I mean nothing could prepare me for what I saw when I entered the bedroom.

(This is the reason I ask you to keep this letter completely secret by the way) 

In front of me was Queen Cynikka and Fluixion peacefully sleeping on the floor next to each other. (Both very alive let me tell you)

Apparently, they found a way to survive the lava and manage to escape the battle, and now they were hiding in what they thought was a random tower. 

Now, I'm not surprised that Fluixion was a coward and fled the scene (I'm sure you aren't either) but what I'm surprised about is finding Cynikka there. 

It doesn't make sense that the same woman who worshipped and even killed for the volcano is now abandoning it but what makes even less sense is how she was almost...defensive... of Fluixion. 

During my interrogation, I asked her why she would leave her people and the volcano for a random bastard like Fluixion, and not only did she seem angry at my words but she answered (and I quote) “I'm protecting the only thing I have left” and refused to elaborate further. 

Do you know what that was about? Because I'm really confused.

Anyways moving to the present, 

Right now the both of them are completely defenseless and have no possibility of escaping. 

I honestly don't know what to do with them for the long run (that's why I'm writing you) 

I just know I want them alive.

You must think I'm insane for this and I know how much you want them dead but I have 2 main reasons.

Firstly, Fluixion's disbelieving face at being the one in weakness is pretty satisfactory.

Second, I think dying is the easy way out of this, they need a bigger punishment, something that makes them regret everything they have done.

And finally, I still have questions for both of them and if they are dead I won't know the answers.

Please help me here, you are the only person I can trust with this. 

If you aren't too busy with post-war paperwork I ask you to come to my location 

⊹ Here are the coordinates to my tower: 

‎ ‎‎ ‎ＸＸ ＊ＹＹ ＊ＺＺ

Please bring the least amount of guards possible, since we don't want this getting out of proportion. 

Sincerely, 

ᏕᕱᎵᏕ.

══════ ∘◦ ✉︎ ◦∘ ═══════

⪼ To: saparata ⪼ From: CallMeCass 

Greetings Saps,

Firstly, don't worry I am not showing this letter to anyone, this matter will not leave these letters. 

Now… what the fuck?.

Out of all of the things I thought could possibly happen while you were alone, finding Queen Cynikka and Fluixion alive was not on my list. 

I have to agree with you that it is not completely surprising that Fluixion escaped and I'm also really confused at Queen Cynikka's actions. 

I ask discreetly about her relationship with Fluixion, but no one seems to know much, just that Fluixion and his team managed to convince Infernus to hide them in exchange for making defenses for the castle.

There's obviously more to it but all the people who know the answer are either dead, waiting to be executed or rotting in different Yggdrasil dungeons. 

Also, you are right. I do think you are crazy for wanting them to be alive but at the same time, I understand and respect your reasoning. And I think we could reach an understanding.

I have a few ideas on what to do from here but I feel we'll need to speak in person before making a decision. (Fear not I will only bring two of my best guards and they won't know any of the details) 

I do regret to inform you that the trip between The Cass Coalition and your tower is two days so I hope your mental health can handle that. 

Best of luck,

Your friend ᏣᏗ𐒡𐒡 ❁

Chapter Text

Growing up, her father always taught her that being attached to people was a HUGE weakness and having friends was completely prohibited (which led her siblings and her to treat each other coldly or meanly when they were in front of her father and other government officials) 

So every friendly interaction she had with people wasn't genuine, she didn't actually like most people she talked to. 

There were a few exceptions, like her. 

Cynikka remembers the first time visiting Elysium, a nation built in what the rest of Yggdrasil considered a paradise. 

An oasis full of life.

They didn't have to survive extreme weather or intense dryness in their crops, they even had water that didn't boil you alive. 

It was considered the closest thing all of their island had to Pandora's privileges. 

Elysium and Infernus were two very different nations. 

Elysium called itself a neutral nation (but that's a debatable statement) and her kingdom was very much not.

During the island meetings, the Elysium council representatives and Cynikka would always disagree. 

But despite their differences between their nations, Benji and Cynikka actually became good friends.

Maybe it was the fact that Benji was naturally friendly or the fact that he had morals and stood for them, making Cynikka value him more as a human but they just clicked and she started enjoying his company.

Every decision she took as the queen of Infernus he understood it, maybe he didn't agree with it but he never questioned her or made her feel ashamed for it. 

When Linguini betrayed her and the rest of Yggdrasil turned their back on her, Benji went behind his council and supported the killing of the mafia. 

He was what normal people considered a best friend and she was grateful for it.

So when Cass came back with a bunch of guards and a prisoner carriage, announcing that they would be moved to a type of prison in Elysium, Cynikka couldn't help to feel a little bit of happiness that she would see her friend again. 

She had given up any hope of seeing Benji again. Just like she did with her

»»-----------¤-----------««

The trip to Elysium was awfully boring, since they were traveling in a carriage made for criminals there was no way to see the outside or even have any type of light enter their moving cell. 

The only way she had the idea of where they were was through the temperature changes and the mental map of Yggdrasil she had. 

During the entire journey, Flux was mumbling how outrageous and how pathetic the whole situation was. 

She didn't need to see his face to look past the anger in his tone; she could tell that his real feelings were the frustration of having to accept how he failed and the sadness that disappointment of the people who believed in him brought him. 

And Cynikka knew this was the case not only because she knows her brother more than she knows anyone in the world but because she was feeling the exact same way.

Failure was one of the many things that were prohibited growing up, failing and making mistakes made you weak and useless to the empire. 

“What's the point of even being alive if you aren't on the top?” Elanulo's words were engraved on her memory. 

The rest of the trip she spent reminiscing about the things she had learned over the years, seeing if she could find a way out of the situation with Fluixion by her side. 

But she didn't find anything. 

»»-----------¤-----------««

They arrived at Elysium during the night.

The guards put on a cape on top of their bodies to disguise their presence in case anyone who isn't allowed to see them appears and messes up the whole operation.

The place where they'll be staying until the island's leaders say otherwise is very…unique.

The outside was a normal Elysium residence and the inside decoration was nothing different from any other house but one of the guards activated some redstone, opening the entrance to a secret basement. 

Cynikka and Fluixion were dragged downstairs where they were thrown aggressively into the one singular cell by the guards. 

The cell was exactly how she imagined it would be. 

An empty room made of cold stone without any natural light.

Just a tiny little candlelight across the iron bars near the staircase. 

Saparata (who apparently never left their side) entered the cell and changed their chains/handcuffs moving their wrist to the front instead of their back like they had been since the tower. 

"How confident is this man that we won't use this to our advantage?" She questioned in her mind

Sapara gets out and signals the guard to lock the cell from the outside, trapping the siblings inside. 

“You two will stay here until all of us decide what to do with you,” The white haired man says with his arms crossed “The only way out is from the staircase we entered from, and upstairs is plagued with Cass Coalition and Elysium military guards who won't hesitate once they see you outside, so I recommend not trying to escape since you'll get killed” 

“Thanks for the advice,” Flux says with sarcasm and anger in his voice 

“No problem,” Saparata says in a monotone tone “I'm going to leave now, a guard will come twice a day, one to move you to the other room so you can fulfil any human necessities, and another to give you food so you don't die of starvation” 

“Wait so no one will stay down here supervising or something?” Cynikka is very confused at the lack of supervision downstairs.

“No one deserves the punishment of staying with you two in a place like this, so every guard is upstairs” Saparata answers her “And in your current position I doubt any plan you make to try to escape is even possible” 

Flux makes an angry sound looking away. 

“You might be smart but you need to be a fighter to survive that amount of guards, and neither of you is so…” He isn't incorrect but his tone still annoyed her a lot. 

“Please don't do anything stupid,” Saparata says with sincerity before leaving with the guards that were accompanying him, leaving the siblings completely alone. 

She sighs and looks at Flux, the figure in front of her is just the shell of her brother. 

The man who approached seeking refuge back in Infernus, the man who had fire of determination in his eyes is now gone. 

Maybe he finally accepted that he lost.  

And she wouldn't blame him, as Saparata said there is no way out of this one. 

And if she learned one thing about the leaders of this world is that they will not hesitate to order their execution for people like them. 

The former queen doesn't understand why Saparata wants to slow their inevitable fate. 

Does he want a public execution where everyone can see that they failed or does he pity them and want to give them a few more days alive?

She looks back at Flux realizing he had fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position. 

Cynikka sighs and makes her way next to him and puts his head on her shoulder to give him more comfort. 

She brushes the hair falling into his face and Fluixion's face becomes more peaceful. 

The scene is so familiar it hurts but she doesn't have to experience it for much longer since she felt her eyes grow tired too and also passes out.

What would she think of me now? 

»»-----------¤-----------««

Flux wakes her up to tell her someone is coming downstairs. 

And when she opens her eyes she sees none other than the Archon of Elysium looking at her in surprise.

“Oh my goodness, she is truly alive!” Benji exclaimed, failing to disguise the clear happiness in his voice. 

But immediately clears his throat going back to what she called ““Benji's leader mode””

“Can you give us a tiny bit of privacy, please? I need to interrogate Queen Cynikka” Benji switches to his more serious voice when asking the guard. 

“But Archon Benji-” The guard tries to argue until they realise that Benji wasn't asking he was giving an order “Yes sir, I'll be waiting upstairs you know how to notify us when you want to leave” The guard finally complies leaving the three of them alone. 

“You are alive Cyn!!!” Benji says, now showing his real happiness. 

“Yeah, I am” She nods “You know what they say bad seeds never die” that made Benji giggle and Cynikka smile. 

“Girl I have so many questions” Benji sits down on the cold floor, not caring at all how uncomfortable it is.

“I'll try to answer the best I can then,” She says, still smiling.

"I can tell the whole truth but he deserves answers before I die, no?" She ask herself 

“First of all, how have you been? This has probably been one heck of a week for you two” Benji asks worriedly, making her smile soften. 

(She could tell Fluixion was confused with that being Benji's first question) 

“As well one could be when being in my position” A pause from her “I miss the commodities of my kingdom but not being dead is nice I suppose,” She tells her friend.

“Oh yeah, the downgrade of the fancy queen chambers to this must suck, huh? I wish I could give you a most comfortable place but you know how the council would react…” Benji sighs, they both know she doesn't mean only the castle when she says that. “How did you even survive the fall? I know so many people who saw you jump from so high into lava” 

“My good friend, that's a secret we will keep only between war criminals” She winks, making him laugh.

They talk casually a little bit more, like they used to talk back in the boring parties they were invited as leaders, she complained about Saparata attitude and him complained about the post-war work. 

“What about him? Is he okay?” Benji asks in concern, signaling her brother.

Fluxion during this whole conversation has been silently observing the two friends, not daring to say a word or acknowledge Benji in any form. 

Cynikka has to think a bit before answering, she doesn't want to say anything that would prejudice Flux. 

“He is probably doing the same as me, maybe a tiny bit angrier but at the end of the day we are still trapped here with nothing left so I think it is fair” She decides to say. 

Her voice came out a little more grim than she wished though.

“I see… Well, at least both of you are alive together!” He tries to cheer her up by lightly punching her shoulder through the iron bars.

Not for long probably. 

But she is thankful for the sentiment, Benji always knew that there was more history between her and Flux apart from just one guy from Pandora that appeared in her doorstep looking for help, and knew Cynikka cared a lot more about Fluixion than she showed.

“Well, I should probably go now, don't want anyone getting suspicious and thinking I'm betraying” Benji gets up from the floor, shaking the dust off his robes.

“That's a good idea” Cynikka agrees “Plus you still have paperwork to do, Archon” She teases him

“Ugh don't remind me,” Benji says, moving his hands to his face in despair making Cynikka giggle. 

“On a more serious note, Cyn” Benji looks at her friend

“Yeah?” She tilts her head curiously 

“Take care, don't give up now,” He says softly “I'll root for the two of you in the next Blue Cross meeting, I'll do my best to keep you guys alive, so keep pushing please” Benji confesses looking at Cynikka, then he focuses on Fluixion, and then back to Cynikka. 

“Thank Benji,” she says sadly. “I'll try my best” 

“Your best is always amazing Cyn” He smiles at her. 

A genuine smile that gives her a tiny bit of hope. 

“Okay, I should really get going” Benji breaks the atmosphere bringing back the unserious tone.

Benji presses a part of the wall that she can't see very well through the awful illumination, which makes a bell ring, and shortly after the entrance opens bringing two guards downstairs.

“Are you done, Sir?” One of them asks. 

“Yes, I collected crucial information I can use in the next Blue Cross meeting” Leader Benji's voice answers. 

“Great, I'll escort you to the Elysium HQ,” The guard says 

“Very well” Benji nods “Goodbye” He waves at them before disappearing into the upper floor.  

The other guard that is left stares at the siblings for a solid minute, completely in silence, with a mix of surprise and judgment. 

“Um hello? If you stare for much longer your eyes will grow tired and you'll fail at your job” Cynikka tries to bring back the guard's attention.

The guard flustered gains back composure and clears their throat before speaking.

“We will use this time to bring you your meal of the day, don't expect anything tasty, you are criminals and criminals don't deserve any good,” The guard says, trying to sound intimidating and failing miserably. 

“Whoa, that's the least intimidating voice I have ever heard coming from an Elysium militar” She mocks the guard “Kid you made a new achievement for Yggdrasil history just now” 

The guard left offended, going back upstairs to get their meals. 

»»-----------¤-----------«« 

The non-intimidating guard was right.

The meal was nothing good. 

Bread that was harder than a rock and a suspicious stew that tasted like dirt and sand.

They obviously had had worse meals back when they were on the run as teenagers, but still, the taste of dirt in the soup wasn't very pleasant. 

“I didn't think you were actually friends with Archon Benji” Fluixion finally breaks his silence. 

“What do you mean?” She takes away her vision from the stew to look at her brother. “You didn't trust my social skills?” 

“Is not that, is just-” Flux stops to recollect his thoughts “It didn't cross my mind that the friendship you told me was genuine, but seeing you talk to him I realized that there was an actual sentiment there” He finishes and looks at the ceiling. 

“Well it wasn't at first, I was faking every interaction but sometime midway I realized it wasn't just me pretending for the sake of my nation it was me enjoying his company as a friend and I started caring for him” She confesses 

“Don't you think that's dangerous? Remember what Father said-” Fluixion looks back at her and tries to talk but is immediately cut off by Cynikka 

“Father thought and said a lot of things and look where it got him,” She says with spite “If we were to follow every lesson he gave us we would've died 11 years ago back in the Aculon castle” And that made him shut up.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence after that, they didn't talk about their Father's ending.

Fluixion is the first one to speak again. 

“Do you think he will manage to convince the world not to kill us?” He changes the topic back to the present. 

“I'm not going to lie , I have no clue.” She tells him sadly “But I know that when Benji actually speaks his mind he will make sure he is heard so there is a bit of hope there” 

And Flux nods in response and goes back to thinking. 

“Hey, wanna play that game we played in the castle?” Cynikka suggests 

“What?” Fluixion looks at her confused 

“That one-word game brother taught us for when we were bored while he was in meetings, remember?” She questions 

“Yes, I remember but why? And aren't we too old for that?” The Architect says still in confusion 

“'Cause we don't have anything else to do and maybe we are too old for it but who's gonna judge us for it?” She shrugs 

“You know what? Sure. Let's play” He finally complies “But don't be mad when I kick your ass my dear sister” he smirks

“Oh brother dearest you will regret that smug attitude” She laughs. 

Would she be happy to see me smiling? 

Chapter Text

Saps left Cynikka and Fluixion in the cell that Elysium made for them, it felt inhumane to leave them there but at least they were alive like he wanted he supposes, so he ignored the voice in his head telling him how wrong it was to leave them there. 

He left the prison (if you can call it that) quickly, so he didn't have to think longer about it.

The Elysium people told him they prepared a place for him to rest, and even though he was leaning to decline it, he realized how tired he was after the 2 days of “babysitting” (as he called it) the two villains of the islands. 

The place wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but it was comfortable nonetheless. 

He took the opportunity of taking a warm bath before making his way to the bed, where he planned to sleep but even though he felt all of his energy drained his brain decided to spiral and keep him awake.  

Saps had a lot of thoughts after living in the same roof with Cynikka and Fluixion. 

The image of when he found them was engraved in Saparata's memory.

Cynikka before the war was the definition of royalty with her attire and hair always perfect and Fluixion was the body image of elegance, clothes always ironed and not a hair out of place but at that moment with their hair messy and both covered in ash, they looked like completely different people.

It is weird to think that at some point they were one of the most powerful people in both Islands, and now they were reduced to being shadows of their past selves. 

One of the things he was more confused about was the reactions one of them had when Saps interacted with the other one. 

For example, Cynikka would get really angry when he insulted Fluixion, and Fluixion would visibly panic every time he got too close to Cynikka. 

There were moments where their actions showed that there was some kind of deeper relationship than just being allies in war times, like the time he grabbed Fluixion's arm and he hissed in pain, Cynikka imitately jumped and started scolding him for touching such a delicate fresh wound (not like Saps knew it was there) or like when he was checking Cynikka's chains and Fluixion kicked him in the feet when she flinched at the sudden contact. 

“What’s going on between them?” Saps asked himself but couldn't figure it out.

»»-----------¤-----------««

It was only when the morning sun woke him that he realized he had fallen asleep in the middle of thinking.

He also realized he was very hungry.

After his morning routine, Saps decided to go to the Merchant Market to find something to eat. 

Elysium was known to have the best crops in Yggdrasil, so it was always a joy to eat there. 

Being a “war hero” (like Fluixion had called him) came with different perks and even though he despises the term he is thankful for the people's gratitude, and well the free watermelon slices were also nice. 

He walked through Elysium for a while trying to decipher what to do next, Cass had told him to go look for her at the Cass coalition after he was done with his business in Yggdrasil so they could organize the meeting. 

But he really didn't want to confront that issue, so he decided to visit Schpood first and then leave for Pandora, he is one of Saparata's closest friends after all, and leaving Yggdrasil without saying bye would really mean. 

He knows the Emperor is very busy with the post-war business, especially since Westhelem was one of the main nations involved in the conflict, so he wrote him a letter asking if he could stop by. 

Shortly after, the Emperor wrote back saying that he could come by whenever he wanted, but if he started traveling now, Saps would make it in time for a very special event they were having. 

So Saparata wasted no time and made his way to Westhelm.

»»-----------¤-----------««

When Schpood said there was going to be a “very special” event in Westhelm he should've known it was a coliseum trial, also known as a fight to the death between criminals to gain freedom and be absolved of all of their crimes. 

Saps wasn't a big fan of these “trials” but Schpood loved them, it was almost a sport in his eyes so he wasn't surprised he didn't miss the opportunity of holding one with a war criminal.

But to give the emperor some credit this wasn't any war criminal this was Zynn, the leader of The Peacemakers, and since she was such a strong individual, Emperor Schpood decided that she would need to fight multiple people at once, so yes- this was a special event. 

“I thought the Peacemakers were either dead or rotting in a dungeon,” Saps said once he arrived at the viewing platform Schpood had in the coliseum. 

“And you'll be correct, my friend, hello to you too by the way” Schpood answered without taking his eyes out of the fight, Saps sat next to him. 

“Then why is she here? Shouldn't she have the same fate?” Saparata is confused. He didn't want Zynn to die or suffer, she was always nice to him but it was a confusing situation. 

“I decided to show mercy since I'm such a benevolent emperor-” Schpood answers making Saps laugh “and she is the only Peacemaker who still has honor within themselves” Schpood looks into his eyes with a serious tone but goes back to the fight in a second “Plus! it makes an incredible show!” Saps rolls his eyes at the enthusiasm of his friend. 

“So what happens when she wins? Both of us know the other fighters don't stand a chance” The white haired guy says, confident in the woman's abilities.

He remembers during his stay in the covenant how the high officials made both of them spar and how she wiped the dust of the floor with his bodyevery single time. 

Saps was convinced they knew he couldn't win but still made him fight her to test his determination (and because the soldiers found it hilarious every time she won without breaking a sweat)

“She'll be free, of course. That's the whole point of these fights, Saps. At first, she will be under intense supervision by my soldiers, but she'll become a normal Westhelm citizen if she behaves” Schpood answers him while taking a sip of his wine and enjoying the fight.

“How did you even capture her? She is probably the strongest fighter in both Islands right now and I doubt normal Westhelm soldiers did it” Saps eats the popcorn sitting on the table between chairs while asking.

“After the battle she turned herself in, saying that it wasn't worth fighting if the reason she was fighting was dead” After Schpood said that, Saps immediately realized who Zynn was talking about. 

“Now shhhh, with your boring question, it's getting good” Schpood brought a finger to his lips before he could say something else.

After Zynn inevitably wins, Saparata and his friend go to the Emperor's palace to eat dinner. 

They ate while chatting about the changes in the nation and meaningless things. 

It was a good time, but he needed to go to the Cass coalition as soon as possible, so he stayed the night at the palace and left at dawn. 

»»-----------¤-----------««

The boat ride to the Cass coalition was awfully boring, but after 12 hours of the same blue ocean, he finally arrived. 

The Cass Coalition has always been a beautiful nation, which was known for the citizens’ happiness being contagious.

Saps made his way through the Capitol district to Cass’s office. Once he arrived, he was greeted by the secretary who made him wait a minute before making him enter the leader's office. 

“My favorite white boy is here!” Cass greeted him with a hug and a huge smile. 

“Hi Cass” Saps hugged her back “How have you been?” he separated from the hug and sat in one of the couches 

“Incredibly bored,” Cass says in fake distress “Now I get why Schpood fucking hates meetings” She shakes her head 

“I can imagine tedious it must be” Saps nods 

“What about you? How was your stay in Yggdrasil?” She says while sitting next to him on the couch

“I'm…. fine,” He said unsure making Cass frown in response. 

“Saps you know we don't have to call the meeting, right?” Cass tried suggesting 

“Cass, I appreciate you caring for me but I feel this is a big enough problem to get everyone in the Blue Cross Alliance involved, not something we can keep under the rug,” Saps says seriously 

“I mean we could always kill them and stop having this problem” Cass shrugged but Saps shot her a deadly glare.

“Okay Okay! I understand! We aren't killing them!” Cass told him “But we could” she tried to joke to lighten the tension but it caused the opposite effect. 

“Cass.” Saparata's tone became so much more serious than before and he looked at her in the eyes “As much as I hate Fluixion and disagree with Cynikka's life choices I don't want them dead” 

“Yeah but this is hurting you Saps, I can tell.” She puts a hand on his shoulder “The emotional baggage he brings you is too big, eventually, it's going to destroy you” 

“I think I'm already destroyed,” He says quietly unsure if the woman next to him heard it but not caring enough to confirm it “I'm not changing my mind Cass” This time loud enough for her to hear without a doubt. 

“Okay, then… we have a letter to write to the Blue Cross people, no?” She smiles and makes her way to her desk grabbing the stuff for the letter and they begin formulating the best letter they could to explain a situation like this. 

»»-----------¤-----------««

The meeting was arranged to happen three days later so Saps stayed in the Cass Coalition for the time being.

Cass soon realized the reason why Saps hadn't gone back to his former home and arranged a group of people to go clean it, while he stayed in her nation. 

Saparata tried to decline it but Cass kept insisting it was fine and before he knew it it was too late to refuse because she had already sent the people to work. 

Saps helped the citizens with their problems, as a way to occupy their time (like when helped the bakers transport their materials from one location to another or when he helped the fishermen clean their docks) and when Cass had free time they hung out and laughed at the stupid actions of some of the government officials of the Islands. 

It was a good way for his mind not to spiral.

The night before the meeting Cass told him to meet her at her place for a “serious talk” and even though Saps hated the idea, he knew that it was needed and he couldn't avoid it. 

Cass's house was very simple but very cozy so it wasn't the worst place to be in for an uncomfortable situation.

“Okay, Saps we need to talk,” Cass says once they sat in her living room.

“Do we?” Saps tried knowing it was fruitless.

“Yes, we do.” She crossed her arms “Tomorrow is the meeting and I want to know what you're gonna say during it” 

“What do you mean?” Saps asks not because he didn't understand Cass’s question but because he didn't understand her true motives with it.

“Saparata everyone wants the both of them dead and gone forever except for you, one of the people more affected by their actions and that's weird even for you. 

As your friend I want to know why you think that way but mainly as a leader who cares for her people I want to know before the meeting what your justifications are so I know if I'll stand with you or follow everyone else's wishes” She deadpans.

“I already told you-” He tries to lie but gets immediately interrupted 

“Saps both of us know that what you told me before is bullshit and that there's more to it than the reasons you told me in that letter,” Cass says annoyed

“I'm going to tell you but I need you to hear me out” He sighs 

“That's the whole point of this conversation silly” She gives him a small smile relieved he is willing to talk 

“I believe there's still a human being in their souls” Cass looks at him confused “When I found them in the tower all powerless and weak I could see something I hadn't seen before” He confesses 

“What?” Cass’s confusion didn't leave her face 

“They care for each other, in a way normal allies don't, not even in a way you and I care for each other ” Saps looks at her

“How do you know that?” Cass questions him

“If they were only allies Fluxion wouldn't give her the bigger part of the bread I gave them and Cynikka wouldn't tell me to be careful with his wounds,” Saps tells her

“They did that?” Cass was even more confused than before

“Yes! And there a more instances where I could tell there's more than what we thought about them” Saps exclaimed

“So what? What's your plan or how are you going to prove to the rest that this is a real thing?”

“I figured out a way to see if they are really too far gone but you'll have to wait to the meeting to know” He gives a determined look “I contacted the main soldiers who are guarding them in Elysium and they will report their attitude and actions, which from what they told me are the same ones I saw in the tower or even more clear, in front of the meeting attendees" 

“I see- you really thought of this, huh?… well I trust you then” Cass’s words shocked Saps and his reaction made her giggle “You heard me, dummy, you made a good point so I'll stand by you in the meeting” And without thinking Saps moved fast and hugged her making her laugh even more but returning the hug

“But I can't make any promises if everyone else decides as a final decision to go against you, okay?” Cass says softly separating from the hug

“Of course” he nods “Thanks Cass” he smiles softly 

“Okay we should go to sleep now, we are leaving early tomorrow” Cass yawns and pats him in the head. 

»»-----------¤-----------««

When they arrived at the Blue Cross base the representatives from Tricolor were already there, (probably because they were the ones closer to that base) Cass made her way to do small talk with them but Saps decided to use the time to review his bullet points. 

He didn't know how much time had passed but after what felt like an eternity, a Blue Cross staff member told everyone that they were starting. 

Saparata took a deep breath and made his way to the meeting table. 

Everyone sat in an awkward silence around the meeting table, until they started the meeting when a young woman with black and pink hair sat at the head of the table.

“Hello, leaders and representatives of each nation, and thanks for joining us in a last-minute emergency meeting. My name is Metzli, and I’m your neutral mediator from The Blue Cross.” The young woman, Metzli, started talking. 

“The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the future of ex-Quenn Cynikka and Fluixion who were thought to be deceased but a week ago Sir Saparata found them alive” After finishing her sentence, everyone broke the silence, some whispering things and some elevating their voices but everyone shared the same sentiment of disbelief. 

“I understand these news are really shocking but I need everyone to keep quiet and not speak unless you are given the word” Metzli didn't like the fact that the silence was broken and decided to speak louder this time, and surprisingly she managed to bring back the silence.

“Sir Saparata.” She looked at him directly “Please state your side of the story” 

“It all began a few days after the war was declared to end, I decided to move back into a tower I used to live in in the snow tundra in Yggdrasil. But when I arrived I could tell something was off and when I entered the tower I realized someone was there and I decided to investigate it.

I managed to find Cynikka and Fluixion alive and sleeping in the bedroom of the tower. 

I immobilised them without difficulty and wrote Cass a letter telling her the situation, she arrived shortly to the scene. 

In the end, we decided to send them to a prison in Elysium, where they are being held right now” Saps finished speaking and started analyzing everyone's faces, some were visibly angry and others were still processing the information. 

“Why didn't you just kill them?” A representative of Aperion asks

(Metzli looked at them very displeased for not following her rules)

“I can answer that,” Cass told them “May I?” She looks at the mediator 

“You may,” Metzli said 

“We, that's Sir Saparata, Archon Benji, his council, and me, decided that it was best to not act selfishly and instead decide between everyone under the blue cross alliance what to do” Cass answered 

“Didn't they kill a bunch of innocent people? Or did we forget that?” CrazyGojo from Al Qarasina asked her. 

“I mean do you really want to put yourself at the same level of a cold hearted murderer, Mr. Gojo?” She looked at him and he immediately embarrased looked away from her eyes. 

“We need to be back on topic, please” Metzli brought back the attention “Now everyone is aware of the situation, we need to figure out what we do from here?” 

“I say we do a public double execution and we clown their life choices while throwing tomatoes,” Schpood suggested. 

“I agree with killing them part but I feel Pandora deserves to execute Fluixion separately” Tempolt from Tricolor suggests instead.

“I say we kill two birds with one stone and kill them both on a common ground” a representative from Yggdrasil that Saps didn't recognize said. 

“What? No! Fluixion deserves to be killed by himself in Lumminara grounds” Legacy from Lumminara disagrees. 

And quickly a huge argument developed over where and how the criminals should be killed, every time someone spoke raising their voice to be heard the volume of the other voices grew larger. 

“Um… excuse me, everyone? I have something to say” Saps said but it was futile since everyone else was too focused on the argument to hear him or so he thought. 

Fortunately, Benji reached a breaking point after hearing them argue over each other for five minutes straight.  

“EVERYONE! SHUT THE HELL UP!” The normally quiet leader shouts making everyone who was arguing stop speaking “Sir Saparata wants to say something”

(You could tell Metzli was frustrated at the disrespect of the simple rules) 

“Since we can't reach an agreement I have a plan B but I need everyone to hear me out,” Saps says nervously now that all eyes are on him. 

“What do you propose Sir?” The mediator looked at him

“I say we let them live,” Saps says seriously 

“WHAT?!” Schpood shouted and regretted it milliseconds after seeing the angry glare Metzli gave him “I mean- why do you say that Sir Saps?”

“I believe they aren't too far gone and aren't the heartless monsters we all thought they were, back when I found them in the tower, I realized that there's still humanity in them and killing them would put us on their same level” he made a signal with his hand to stop everyone from interrupting him “These two people demonstrated that they care for someone apart from their own person” 

“That's literally not true,” A member of Starlyn said clicking their tongue

“It is. During the time I spent with them, I could tell they care for each other in a way that someone who only cares for their own interests wouldn't” He looks again to the people around him before continuing “And I have a way to prove it, can I?” Saps looked at Metzli asking for authorization and when she nodded he signaled for someone in the crowd around them to come near. 

Two Elysium military members stood next to Saparata.

“These are the two main soldiers who are guarding and interacting constantly with ex-Queen Cynikka and Fluixion in their prison in Elysium, who will give a report about their actions” He nods at them as a way to tell them to speak

“Well, as Sir Saparata said, it is clear there is some kind of huge attachment between the prisoners.” One of the guards starts speaking.

“There have been multiple instances during the interactions we have had with the prisoners where we could see this. These instances vary from small things that could be just a coincidence like insulting us when we talk down to one of them to more clear things like standing between us and one of them when they feel they are in danger” The first guard reports.

“You could also tell they care for the other's well-being when they argue over who should get the bigger portion of food or when they complain about us hurting the other person but not caring when it comes to themselves” 

The second guard adds. 

Everyone is in silence thanks to being in shock, no one ever thought of the possibility of being an attachment but…

“How do we know if this ““attachment”” is a real thing? and not another one of their schemes?” Tempolt asks frowning 

“With all respect Lord Tempolt, as someone who fought in the battle of Infernus, the people who were fighting against and the people imprisoned right now are not the same, we can tell very clearly that both of them have completely lost their will to keep going and their determination to fight. They don't have the energy to plan something this deep” The second guard answers.

“I fail to see how any of this is even relevant to deciding if they should live or die,” Schpood said bitterly.

Saps goes to answer but Benji answers for him

“We as emotional beings can't in good conscience kill someone who still has a human in their soul, how could we claim we are better than them if we completely ignore this fact?” The interruption surprised Saps, he didn't think Benji out of all people would get his exact line of process. 

The statement was convincing to most of the people there but some of them weren't convinced yet, seeing this Cass decided to take action and approached them from the other side of this point of view.  

“Plus what's the worst punishment a person who doesn't want to keep going can receive?” She points out. 

“Forcing them to keep going?” A tricolor official answered unsure. 

“Bingo” Cass smirks leaning back in her chair, now seeing more convince faces pop out. 

“Okay, so in the hypothetical case we do let them live, what do we do with them then?” One Al Qarasina member asked. 

“The plan is to put them on house arrest under my watch,” Saps says making everyone confused, Cass included. 

“Elaborate please Sir Saparata” Metzli who had given up on controlling the speaking privileges tells him. 

“Well- I'm the neutral party here, I don't belong in any nation, no? and I also live alone on a small island by myself so I believe if I have the help of some of you, we could keep them there and force them to live in isolation. ” Saps suggests “Also I think it's not a good idea to separate them after everything we know now, so both of them would be moved” 

“That's actually not a bad plan, a crazy one? Yes. But not a bad one” Benji says “And I completely agree is not a good idea to separate them” 

Tense conversations through whispers between nations began and after a minute Metzli grew tired and broke the atmosphere.

“Who is in favor of Saparata's idea? Please raise your hand” The mediator asks, and almost everyone raises their hand, except for Tempolt and Schpood 

“The majority has agreed to go with Sir Saparata's idea” Metzli announces and Saps smiles at the results “We need to organize the details for this plan to not risk the citizens’ safety” 

“If we are doing this- I think Lumminara's engineers and investors can make a security system to make sure they don't escape since Sir Saparata's eyes won't be enough” Legacy suggests. 

“Barbieland has a great therapist who can come and do daily check-ups to make sure they don't unlive themselves” GingerLuna, the prime minister of Barbieland offers.

“Elysium promises to escort safely and discreetly both prisoners to Sir Saparata's island” Benji adds 

“I promise to guard perfectly both of them and make sure they don't hurt anyone” Saps promises 

“But if someone sees them out of your island, they will be immediately killed, okay?” Schpood says, looking at Saps

“If no one has any more to add, the final plan of action would be first Lumminara will prepare a security system for the prisoners and once that's finished Elysium will escort them secretly to Sir Saparata's island. From there, Sir Saparata will manage and guard them until we say so, Barbieland will assist with a therapist who will make sure they don't take the easy way out. And if they escape, it becomes kill on sight” Metzli recaps “Is anyone in disagreement with this plan?” She looks around, and no one says a word. 

“Then that is all, thank you everyone for coming and hearing from each other, I remind you that for the severity of this topic, these can not reach the public and needs to stay between government officials.” Metzli says seriously “That being said, I hope every plan discussed today goes well and we don't have to do another emergency meeting” Everyone claps “You are free to go”

And just like that, the meeting was done. 

Chapter Text

“I have amazing news and news that Fluixion will hate!” Benji's voice was the first thing he heard when he woke up on day 7 of living in the underground cell (or at least he thought it was the seventh day, it's not like he had a sun to tell the time with) 

“Hello to you too Benji. How are you? I'm glad you are fine, I'm doing fantastic thanks for asking!” Says Cynikka sarcastically making the leader laugh 

“I guess your visit has to do with the result of the meeting with the Blue Cross Alliance about our future, right?” She changes her tone and sighs 

“Yes, it does!” Benji is weirdly cheerful, considering he is about to tell his best friend she is going to die. 

“When and where are we getting executed?” Fluixion says without any emotion, they had already accepted they weren't going to live so it was only a matter of the details.

“That's the thing, you guys aren't dying!” Benji says happily.

“WHAT?!” Both siblings said really loudly, probably louder than it's been in a while. 

“Yep! That's the good news! The consensus of the meeting was to let you guys live!” Benji sat down and the siblings sat in front of him.  

“Apparently Sir Saparata had a change of heart once he saw you being miserable back at the tower where he found you and used his white boy magic to convince most leaders and representatives that you two aren't heartless monsters” Benji explains.

“Why the fuck would he do that?” Flux muttered to himself confused. 

“If that's the good news, what is the news that Flux will hate? Because I think it has to do with what is going to happen to us now that we'll live and believe me nothing is worse for him than this” Cynikka asks intrigued and that peaks Flux's attention. 

And while Flux should be offended by her sister's comment, it wasn't wrong per se, this place was horrible for someone like him. 

“So about that…” Benji chuckles nervously “They declared that- you know- umm…” He puts a hand in his neck trying to explain. 

“Spit it out already it Archon, it can be that bad” Flux rolls his eyes at the guy.

“You two are going to be under house arrest-” Benji starts to answer

“Oh that's not bad at all” Cynikka replied in relief 

“-At Saparata's island, with him as your only guard…” Benji finishes his sentence 

“WHAT THE HELL?!” Fluixion immediately stood up in disbelief and started walking in circles while rambling in rage. 

“Yeah..that's the reaction I was expecting” Benji sighs

It took Cynikka 10 minutes to calm down Flux so Benji could continue speaking.

“So we are just going to live there, alone with him?” Flux asks frowning and Benji nods. 

“How is that going to work though? Is two against one” Cynikka made a good point, Saparata is a good fighter but he can't take Cynikka and Fluixion when they'll have the resources to put a fight or escape. 

“Lumminara was assigned to create a security system that will help with that” Benji explains to her “I'm not part of that so I couldn't tell you how said security system is going to work” 

“Wait-” Flux realized something “Are they actually keeping us together?” He managed to put his rage aside and ask Benji. 

“Yes, no one is separating you two in future plans” Benji says with a soft tone in his voice. 

And that made him feel a bit more at ease, if they were to be separated now they probably wouldn't ever see each other ever again and what would even be the point of being alive then? 

Afterwards, Benji explained a few more things about the arrangement (like the fact they'll get psychiatric check-ups constantly or that they are going to travel to Saparata's island with Benji and Elysium soldiers) and after a little chatter between her sister and Benji, the leader had to leave to attend to his responsibilities, leaving them alone once again. 

“If you ask me, that was not the outcome I was expecting at all from that meeting," Cynikka told him while sitting next to him.

“Tell me about it,” Flux says leaning into the cold wall still in disbelief. 

»»-----------¤-----------««

The time passed slowly while they were waiting for any update about their situation, but after 2 long weeks of playing childhood games with Cynikka to keep his mind distracted from his reality, thankfully one random day Benji and Saparata entered the basement.  

“It's time we transport you to Sir Saparata's island” Benji informs them in his serious tone he uses when he remembers he is a leader of an important nation. 

“I need to change your handcuffs’ position before leaving for security measures, please stay still and don't try anything” Saparata warned them before entering the cell.

Flux held his breath subconsciously when Saparata got close to them and tried to avoid the other man's gaze at all costs. 

Once their hands were in the back they were directed to the surface, the tension in the ambience was sharp, the guards around them were clearly not happy to see them leaving and whispers were all the noise that was there. 

He stayed close to Cynikka the whole time trying to ignore the words of disgust coming from the Elysium soldiers. 

When they stepped outside of the building, he could tell it was hours before dawn, Flux supposes that they don't want anyone to see the biggest war criminals being escorted from their nation. 

The Elysium soldiers dragged the prisoners into’ carriage (probably the same one they arrived on) the whole time no one directed a word at the siblings, the only words spoken were instructions to the soldiers or gossip between guards. 

In all honesty, Fluixion dissociated his mind completely during the ride to the docks so he wouldn't know what happened there but once his brain decided to work once again he realized they were in a room, sitting on something he could barely consider a bed, the rest of the room was completely empty, he could also tell they were inside a boat thanks to the movement of the floor and the sound of waves coming from outside. 

The trip to Pandora was equally as boring as every boat ride he has been on, Cynikka managed to fall asleep during it but Flux wasn't as lucky, his mind kept racing with thoughts involving the future ahead of them. 

He sat next to his sister's sleeping body considering everything about his current position, there were too many possibilities and way too few certainties, he had no idea what Saparata could do once they arrived on his island.

Is he going to lock them up and not let them see the light of day? Is he going to make them work themselves to death? Is he going to ask questions about the past? Is he going to torture them? Or is he just letting them be and ignore their presence?

Hours passed by where nothing happened at all, just him sitting on an uncomfortable surface with nothing else but his thoughts and a former Queen sleeping by his side, but in the end, they managed to arrive at Saparata's island. 

Saparata entered the room informing them that a Lumminara's workers team would come and install an artifact that was going to be part of the security system, and true to his word shortly after 2 women and one man entered the room. 

The women were wearing the official Luminarian Engineers uniform (The same one Thomas used to wear) and the man was wearing the official Luminarian medic one, he also seemed younger and more scared than the women accompanying him. 

The older one of the women approached him carefully (pretending not to be scared of them) with the two others following behind her.

“We are going to use this device to implant a chip that will display your location at all times to Sir Saparata” The older woman informed them. 

“This system would also notify every nation under the Blue Cross alliance if you were to leave the perimeter allowed aka Sir Saparata's island” The other girl added. 

“Who should we install first, Sir?” The same girl asked, looking at Saparata, who was standing near the door watching them. 

“Let's do Ex-Queen Cynikka first, I feel she'll be easier for you, she is more composed than him” Saparata answers her, sensing the nerves coming from the Luminarians. 

The medic made his way to Cynikka and started disinfecting a part of her neck. 

“Is this going to hurt her?” Fluixion asked the team, showing more concern in his voice than he would've liked to show but he genuinely was uncomfortable with these strangers touching and hurting his sister. 

The medic got taken aback at the question, clearly not expecting it “It shouldn't hurt, is going to be uncomfortable for a second and maybe it would sting a little but nothing unbearable” he answered before getting to work.

To the guy's credit, he seemed very skilled when inserting the chip into Cynikka's neck, making the process very quick. 

“How do you feel, Miss?” The medic asked her once he was done. 

“Like I was stabbed with a syringe in my neck and implanted a foreign device in it” Cynikka answered him. “But it doesn't hurts” 

Flux was relieved that the process didn't actually hurt her. 

“Now I need to do the same process with you Mister Fluixion” The medic addressed him nervously.

“Just get on it quickly kid” Flux instructed him. 

The application went exactly as Cynikka's, Flux could see from his peripheral view how tense the Luminarian Engineers were when the medic got near him. 

“Done?” Saparata asked once the syringe left Fluixion's neck and the medic nodded “Okay, thank you for your service let me walk you to your boat” 

And with that, they left the room. 

The next person to enter the room with Saparata was Benji, informing them that it was finally time to leave the boat and set foot in Saparata's land. 

»»-----------¤-----------««

Cynikka and Fluixion said their goodbyes to Benji and made their way out of the docks, now they were waiting for Saparata to finish speaking with the soldiers and Benji in private so they could go up the hill into their new base with him. 

As the Aculon descendants that they were, they were analyzing their surroundings, taking in as many details as they could just in case they would need them in the future.  

The island was as different as the rest of Pandora, with lots of greenery and pleasant weather.

As far as the terrain went, it was a big hill surrounded by a beach, there was a staircase that led to the top where you could find the Acropolis. 

Saparata's Acropolis was almost the same as he left it years ago, just with a few more additions.

“You designed this, right?” Cynikka asked him while pointing at the building.

“Yeah, I did” He nodded “At least the original design” 

“Damn, I'm glad all my hours of harassing Duke Turkey so he could add architecture to your studies were worth it” She gave him a slight push in the arm making him smile a little. 

They kept absorbing information about the place in silence, when they heard footsteps approaching them.

“Okay you everything is ready, let's go up and I'll talk you through my plans for the future and give you a tour of the place” Saparata signaled them to follow him up and that's what they did. 

(The staircase was pretty and all but it was such a burden to go up) 

Once they reached the top, they entered the building carefully and unsure, they were walking right into the house of their enemy so they couldn't really be calm about the situation. 

“Please sit over here, first we talk and then I'll show you around.” The white haired man told them, they followed his instructions and sat next to each other but making sure to maintain their distance from Saparata. 

“Well, as you know you are going to live here with me from now on.” The house owner started speaking “And the only way this is going to work is by you two following simple rules I thought of;

The first one is really obvious: Not leaving the island by any means. You'll be free to roam around this island but the moment you leave it you'll be killed on sight. 

Second: You won't be able to use any sharp objects for the time being. Maybe in the future, if you prove yourself to be trustworthy enough not to hurt anyone with it we can discuss it, but for now, you can't. 

Third: You'll need to help with house chores and take care of the place. You two are obviously spoiled rich kids who never did any chores growing up but I refuse to do everything by myself. 

Fourth: Communication with the outside world is prohibited unless I authorize it. This one is mainly for Cynikka, cause I know she'll probably want to keep in contact with Archon Benji or some of the Infernus survivors, but I'll need to make sure you don't plot anything. 

And finally, when the therapist that Mattel comes to do their sessions you'll need to be trustful of them by all means. If you decide to lie and they realize it they'll inform the alliance and I might not be able to help you with the consequences there.

Any questions?” Saparata finished speaking and stared at them.

“How much free will do we have?” Flux asks him emotionless still avoiding eye contact. 

“I'll free you from the handcuffs in a second and as long as you follow the rules you are free to do whatever” Saparata answers him 

“Do we need to refer to you by title, Sir?” Cynikka asks next 

“You can just call me Saparata and please don't need to use that formal tone with me, it's going to make me age much faster” Saparata chuckles “Anything else?” 

The siblings shook their heads “Awesome! Let me free your wrist and I'll show you your room” Saparata said, way too happy for someone with two war criminals in front. 

»»-----------¤-----------««

The room was nothing special, two beds in parallel positions (one with purple bedclothes and the other with red ones) and two dresses, also in parallel with each other.  

Nothing like the Aculon or Infernus castles but after sleeping for weeks on the cold floor, Flux wasn't complaining. 

“There are clothes in the dressers for you, I don't think you'll love them but I don't think you'll hate them either” Saparata informed them.

“How do you know they'll fit?” Cynikka asked raising a brow at him

“There are records of your measurements made by the tailors you used to attend to, I just used that and went shopping at the Cass Coalition” Saparata shrugs 

“You went shopping? You hate shopping for clothes-” Flux questions 

“I wasn't going to let you go around with ashy and bloody clothes, Fluixion” He interrupts him with a venomous tone when pronouncing his name (Flux pretends it doesn't hurt him) “Anyways, my room is just in front of this one so if you need something there it is” 

“Is there anything else important we should know there is?” Cynikka asks intrigued 

“Oh! Yeah, there is!” Saparata claps his hands “In the original blueprints for this island there was a spot made for a bathhouse, but it never got complicated for the reason you already know-” He says the last part with a toxic voice tone 

Guilt came through Fluixion’s body 

“But the lovely workers from the Cass Coalition made it a reality! Come, I'll show you it” Saparata went back to his normal tone and left the room and the siblings followed 

Looking at the bathhouse he could immediately tell that it was the design he once made for Saparata. 

Fluixion didn't know how he should feel about the fact that all these additions to the island followed his original sketches. 

From the additions to the finished house to the paths connecting each part of the island, everything was just how he planned it many years ago.

Memories he did not want appeared in his mind.

“Flux you should really go to sleep now, these blueprints will still be here by tomorrow morning,” Saps said softly interrupting his thinking process 

“But I'm inspired, Saps! If I go to sleep now I'm going to lose my inspiration!” Sleepy Flux protested 

“Really? You are inspired?” Saps questions him and he nods furiously “Cause to me it looks like you've been staring at that poor piece of paper for half an hour without doing anything” He smirks 

“I-” Flux gets embarrassed at the fact that Saps was looking at him “Shut up,” He says while blushing 

“Come on, let's go to bed” Saps smiles, grabbing his hand and dragging Flux to sleep. 

It was really overwhelming how everything here reminded him of his biggest mistake and the happiest moments of his life the past.

After the bathhouse, Saparata showed them a few more things. 

Like a greenhouse (which made Cynikka curious since she didn't understand why an island with perfect weather would need one of those) or the barn where the farm animals were being kept. 

“That would be everything, go clean yourselves up and come to the kitchen since it's almost dinner time and we need to cook” Saparata dismissed them and left for the kitchen.

“How ugly do you think the clothes are going to be?” Cynikka asked him whispering 

“Nothing worse than that time Duke Turkey decided he would choose your outfit for the day, worry not” Flux sighed, making his sister laugh. 

»»-----------¤-----------«« 

“Cyn I swear to any mighty being watching us right now that if you add eggplant to that salad-” Flux looked horrified at the salad Cynikka was making 

“You need to stop being such a picky eater, Flux! Plus it's purple, you love the color purple!” Cynikka defended herself

“I'm not a picky eater, I just have fine taste buds! Not my fault you like that cardboard-tasting excuse of a vegetable” Flux argued back 

“Can you guys stop arguing about the food? It's not that serious” Saparata complained “Cynikka please put the eggplant in a separate bowl and add it to your portion of the salad later” 

“Finner taste buds he says” Cynikka murmurs mocking Flux 

“I swear you two argue like siblings” Saparata rubs his nose bridge with his fingers 

Cynikka and Fluixion freeze immediately and go completely silent. 

Shit. 

He hears Cynikka tapping quietly on the surface where they were cooking. 

.. ... / .... . / --- -. / - --- / ..- ... ..--.. (Is he on to us?) She asks him 

Before he could respond, Saparata looked at them confused. “Uh, you guys okay?” 

“Yes, is just that I thought Cynikka here was sneaking around and adding the eggplants into the salad while I was turned around” Flux lied quickly 

“He is paranoid, don't mind him” Cynikka followed. 

--. --- --- -.. / ... .- ...- . --..-- / -... ..- - / . --. --. .--. .-.. .- -. - ... / .- .-. . / ... - .. .-.. .-.. / ... ..- .--. . .-. .. --- .-. .-.-.- (good save, but eggplants are still superior.) She tells him and in response, he rolls his eyes 

They ended up eating dinner shortly after with an uncomfortable silence that all three of them hated but none of them knew how to break. 

After dinner Saparata instructed Fluixion to wash and dry the dishes, and even though he complained Flux still did it since he didn't have anything else to do. 

He really hated washing the dishes for the main reason that the feeling of the water on his mechanical arm was really uncomfortable but he would rather do that than go back to the endless memories that this place brought him. 

»»-----------¤-----------««

After finishing his task Saparata informed them that he was heading to bed and they should go too and left them alone. 

“I'll go take a bath, are you going to be okay if I leave you alone for 15 minutes?” Cynikka asks him concerned 

“Yeah, I'll be fine Cyn” He answers sincerely “Not a child anymore silly” he offers a small smile 

“Never said you were” She ruffles his hair and leaves too.

With nothing to do next, Flux decides to head outside to watch the night sky and breathe fresh air since the building was sophisticating him. 

The sky view from Pandora always amazed him, he remembers the endless nights of work in his office back in Lumminara where his only company was the constellations. 

He used to get lost watching them shine so brightly no matter how difficult the times were. 

Fluixion was never an astronomy guy and actually used to hate the astronomy classes their father made them take, it was mainly because the professors explained everything in such a boring way that made the Aculon prince lose interest. 

The only reason he didn't fail those classes was that his older brother explained the materials to him through mythology and folklore. 

Maybe the reason he liked to see the stars was because it reminded him of the kindness his older brother gave him. 

At this particular thought he felt his vision become blurry and before he realized it, Fluixion was crying. 

He didn't know why but an overwhelming feeling of sadness took over him. 

Negative memories of the last years and all the horrible decisions that he has been making trapped him and made his crying worse. 

He doesn't know how long he was left sobbing on the staircase of the Acropolis but he knew it wasn't a short amount of time. 

Suddenly he feels warm arms pulling him into a hug.

“Shhh it's okay, I got you” He hears the soft voice of Cynikka telling but Flux couldn't stop, so she changed strategies “Let's try regulating your breathing, okay?”

He nods softly and separates from her embrace and Cynikka holds his hands tightly instead. 

“Inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and exhale through your mouth for eight seconds. Can you do that, Flux?” 

He nods softly again and follows the instructions she gave him.

“Very well, let's do it once more” She praises him and repeats the same instructions 

“Wanna talk about it?” She asks him once she could tell he felt calmer and he nods once again

“Do you think I deserved to survive, Cyn?” His voice barely comes through and avoids eye contact. 

“What-” Cynikka panics 

“Is just that- Out of all of the people around me I was the least deserving to live, no?” He doesn't wait for her answer “I'm just a pathetic coward who only-” 

“Shut up” Cynikka holds him close once again making him stop speaking “Please don't say that about yourself” She pleads

“Sorry” He apologizes and feeling guilty for making her cry 

“You are the best thing that has happened to me and I'm really glad we are alive together,” She says between sobs

“I'm glad you haven't left me, Cyn” Flux tightens the hug 

“As long as you don't leave me first, I'm not going anywhere” She separates from the hug looking him directly in the eyes “I promise you” 

Flux hugs her once again. “Sorry for making you cry”

They stay there in each other's arms for an unknown amount of time. 

“Let's go to bed now” She says after she gets too tired to keep crying and stands up and offers him a hand so he can do the same “Please”

“‘Kay” He was too tired to formulate a better answer and took her hand and stood up too.

They fall asleep immediately after lying down in their respective beds.