Chapter Text
''There must be another option!'' Mydei snorted, his voice echoing off the walls of Herta's ship.
His fist trembled with rage and helplessness, the heirs at his side loyal to his anger, while the genius, Herta, looked at him with a certain coldness.
''Do you think I'm the kind of person who likes to waste time giving explanations?'' The woman raised her eyebrow in boredom, further angering the blond man.
"Are you telling me that the only way to save Phainon, to... to wake him up, is to find part of his lost soul?
What nonsense is that?'' shouted the prince, furious and stressed.
Cyrene, who was standing next to the genie, intervened delicately in an attempt to calm the raging prince.
''Phainon's condition is completely different from ours. His sacrifice has taken its toll on him and, as a result, on his recovery."
''But now Irontomb is gone! As are all the coreflames he carried inside him for so long! Why haven't we suffered the consequences of all the cycles we've lived through, but he has?''
Cyrene simply shrugged her shoulders sadly, her answer not satisfying Mydei.
"Phainon is still alive, with us. But surely, due to the corruption of his body, that pure and human part of him has been removed from Amphoreus to protect it. It must have been an instinctive act, like a possum mother sacrificing one of her babies to save the rest of the litter." explained Screwllum, in a more empathetic tone than Herta's, despite being a robot.
''What kind of comparison is that?'' grunts Mydei, incredulous. ''What you're telling me is that there's a mini Deliverer roaming the universe... and only he can wake him up!'' he growled, irritated.
Herta shook her hand, just as irritated as he was. ''It's not my fault about the conditions for awakening your beloved from his coma, prince'' All the heirs looked down, sour at the news. ''I don't know why you seem so disappointed. You just have to find a child with the same features as your Deliverer.''
''Across the entire universe!'' snapped Cipher.
''You have the Trailblazers on your side!'' replied the genius.
''And the Xianzhou Alliance. And the architects of Belobog!'' added March 7th.
''Well...'' whispered Stelle, not quite sure ''and I suppose the IPC?''
''I would rule them out. I wouldn't want to involve Phainon with those people.'' snapped Dan Heng, the other members of the Astral Express nodding in agreement.
''Any help would be beneficial, Dan Heng!'' snapped Mydei, Anaxa intervening to calm the agitated prince.
''You should trust our Deliverer more, Prince.'' No one ignored how Mydei tensed at the nickname Anaxa used for Stelle. ''If she and her team don't trust that... group, maybe it's better to take longer to find that child because we have less help than to have hyenas as allies.''
Mydei clenched his jaw but didn't reply.
Not exactly him ''I think we're in a situation where we should accept even Lygus's help.'' Aglaea replies, Mydei sighing with relief at feeling the support of the leader of Okhema. Anaxa twisted his lips into a playful smile, his eyes shining with affectionate mockery towards the blonde. "And put ourselves in danger again?
Risk our happy ending again?''
''What kind of happy ending have we had when Phainon is in a coma, Anaxágoras?" growls the woman, pointing to the room where the sleeping—no, comatose—body of Okhema's hero lay.
The alchemist snorted, rolling his eyes, Hyacine intervening delicately, ''I think we should all calm down. We all want to save Phainon as soon as possible, but we're talking about finding a child across the universe. We... we didn't even know there was life beyond the territory of Aquila. This new mission is completely unknown to us.''
''But I've search information about the IPC, and they literally rule the entire galaxy. They're the best to find mini-Phainon!'' said Cipher, upset.
''And who knows what demands they'll make to us get that child back...'' added Dan Heng bitterly, the entire Astral Express nodding sadly.
''They've put a price on the vaccine for the disease that Irontomb caused with its explosion. Do you really want Phainon's life to depend on an organisation like that?'' added Himeko calmly, with both Aglaea and Cipher calming down at the beautiful pilot's reasoning.
Mydei, however, continued to frown, growling with rage, pacing in circles like a caged lion. ''He doesn't deserve this.''
''No one thinks otherwise, Prince.'' Anaxa hissed, sadly.
''Then... ugh...'' muttered Mydei, finally leaving the meeting and heading for the room where Phainon was.
His eyes glistened with tears he had never shed in his entire life, but which seemed to threaten to fall in the face of the helplessness he felt at seeing his Deliverer... his beloved, in such a vulnerable situation. So unfair.
The door opened again, and Stelle found a miserable Mydei sitting next to the comatose man, stroking his hair.
''We'll find him, Mydei. I promise you by all the stars that we'll find that child.'' Stelle swore.
After a few seconds of tense silence, during which Mydei kept his gaze fixed on the sleeping Phainon, the prince sighed and nodded.
''Where... where should we start looking?''
˚₊‧꒰ა . —————————————————————— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
''Pfff...''
''What's wrong, dear? That's the fourth time you've sighed like that.'' Jade hummed, without looking up from her screen.
''Aaahhh...'' Aventurine mumbled wearily.
The woman simply tapped her fingernail on her desk, waiting patiently for the boy she had saved from the clutches of death to tell her once and for all what the hell was wrong with him.
And finally, knowing him well, Aventurine succumbed. ''This article is rubbish!''
Jade smiled even more, arching her eyebrow amusedly. ''It's full of praise for your beloved doctor.''
''AND THEY DIDN'T PUT ANYTHING HE SAID IN HIS INTERVIEW!''
''Diamond praised him. You should feel relieved that the boss isn't reprimanding your doctor for his words, dear.''
''But Jade—'' Aventurine clenched his jaw when Jade lost her smile.
It was a sign that the woman was losing her patience, and no one wanted to see Jade without patience.
He snorted angrily, crossing his arms, his brow furrowed. He heard Jade sigh, believing that the woman would say no more.
''I'm honestly surprise for your beloved's reaction. What did he expect?''
''He truly believed you weren't going to commercialise something that would save lives!''
''Everything saves lives, kid. Food, any medicine, a roof over your head... and you pay for it.''
"It's not the same, Jade! We're talking about a vaccine for a disease we couldn't prevent! Whether we saved Amphoreus or not, whether we killed that thing or not, the disease that Irontomb was going to cause was impossible to prevent!''
''So?''
''So what? What about the people who couldn't afford that vaccine?''
''It's the fault of the governments that bought it from us. It's their problem to manage it for the most vulnerable population."
''And what about those who didn't get the discount! Or... OR WORSE, DIAMOND DECIDED NOT TO SELL IT TO THEM!?''
''They didn't want to help Amphoreus, so we don't have to help them.''
''I doubt Diamon gives a shit about Amphoreus'' Aventurine growled.
''Oh, he doesn't give a damn what happened to Amphoreus. But that weird planet is an ally of our dear trailblazer friend, and it's in our best interest to get along with her.''
''Stelle is going to be very angry when she finds out what we've done with Ratio's vaccine...'' muttered Aventurine.
Jade shrugged simply. ''Then she's just like you. She still doesn't understand how the IPC works.''
Aventurine did not immediately respond to his superior, rising heavily from his seat. ''I'm going to the loo for a moment.''
''Don't be long.''
Aventurine nodded, walking out the door, but not before adding, ''Ma'am... believe me, although I have a lot of respect for you... I doubt I'll ever forget what the IPC is like.'' muttered the blond man weakly, his right hand going to his left wrist, scratching it hard.
Aventurine took out his mobile phone, looking sadly at his chat with Ratio.
It's been two days since he didn't know anything about his beloved.
Was he angry with him? Did he think Aventurine was involved in the sale of his vaccine?
...
Had he finally grown tired of him?
Aventurine began to write, once again begging for a response, when Jade called him, intense anger growing inside the avgin. ''Ma'am, I just left—''
"Come immediately. I just got a message from Mateo."
Aventurine paled, immediately leaving the Stonehearts' bathroom (relieved not to have run into Sugilite) upon hearing that name, even though he really wanted to use it.
Mateo was a member of an anti-slavery organisation (the same one that had helped free the slaves his former Master had been holding) and always contacted Jade when he heard of a case similar to Aventurine's.
But if Jade had mentioned that message to Aventurine... it meant that the case had something to do with Sigonia.
When he returned to the computer room where he and Jade were finishing some reports, the woman was no longer on the phone.
''What kind of Sigonian are we talking about? You know perfectly well that if he belongs to a clan allied with the Katicans—''
''It's a child'' Jade replied simply. ''A child with strange blue eyes and completely white hair.''
Aventurine blinked, confused. White hair? Blue eyes? IN SIGONIA?
''... It's a slave child... who has been taken to Sigonia to be sold...''
''That may be, my dear child.''
Aventurine nodded, asking permission to leave work, Jade waving her hand with amusement.
''Go save the world, little avgin. Try to be someone's deliverer.''
''That wasn't funny, ma'am.''
▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄ ⛃
When Aventurine set foot in Sigonia, that chill that always ran through him when he felt the dry desert air of his homeland returned. As always.
How he hated that place.
Its climate, its smell, its feel, its colour, its... everything.
Those damn memories...
But there was a child who needed him, and remembering his past, Aventurine made his way to the place Mateo had indicated, making sure his gun was fully loaded and his glasses covering his striking eyes were on.
When he finally spotted the house Mateo had mentioned, his mobile phone wouldn't stop vibrating, Aventurine cursing himself for not remembering to silence it.
He only took it out to silence it, when the screen unlocked itself through facial recognition, Aventurine turning pale as he read the name of his beloved doctor.
The tears kept falling, Aventurine kept writing and erasing, taking a deep breath and wiping away the last tears, promising Ratio in a message that he would save the child and return home safe and sound.
With a rush of feeling invincible, Aventurine headed for that place, ready to blow heads off with his bullets, kicking the door open, pulling out his gun, speaking on behalf of Diamond and his title, demanding that they hand over the child without resistance.
...
But Aventurine did not know how to deal with the scene before him.
The men, who did not look like slave traders at all, were tired and, above all, stressed, leaning exaggeratedly back in their dining room's chairs.
On top of a table was that little boy with white hair, brighter than the light itself, with a radiant smile... talking non-stop.
Aventurine didn't know what to feel when he recognised the boy's language; it was the mother tongue of his beloved doctor!
He approached him slowly, seeing how the adults were asking for his help with their eyes. Aventurine smiled awkwardly at the boy, greeting him in his language.
The boy's eyes widened in shock, and he squealed with joy.
''Do you understand me?''
''A little, so speak slowly, okay?'' Aventurine laughed, the boy nodding enthusiastically. ''These people... have they hurt you?''
''NO! Not at all! I... fell here suddenly! I don't know how, but these good people have saved me and offered me food and water!''
Aventurine scratched his head, uncomfortable, apologising for interrupting their home life and threatening them with a gun.
''We know what the IPC are like...'' spat one of the younger children confidently. ''And you even more so... avgin.''
The mother silenced him with a slap, but did not demand that he apologise to the young Stoneheart.
Aventurine simply laughed, lowering the gun but not putting it away. ''Tell me everything about this child.'' he said in his native language, the white-haired child looking at him confused, not understanding what they were saying.
''What do I know?'' snorted the father, clearly tired of Aventurine's presence and the strange child. "We saw a meteorite fall and thought we could make some good money from it, but we found this child.
He was in perfect condition, just disoriented and a little scared at first, but as soon as my wife gave him food and drink, he started speaking in that strange language.''
''Why did we receive a report from the rescue department about this child's case?" hissed Aventurine, his fingers dancing over his gun.
The father snorted, looking away, as did his children, until a younger woman, whom the Stoneheart assumed was also their daughter, spoke up. ''My parents and siblings wanted to sell him on the black market. Right now, there's a dealer about 43 km away, and they thought that a child who came from a meteorite, with such strange features, might interest them.''
''Are they heading this way then?'' The daughter nodded, the other family members unable to see how Aventurine's pupil dilated menacingly at this new information. ''Paidi'' smiled the avgin, ''Wait for me outside, okay?''
The boy nodded, obeying him, closing the door behind him, and Aventurine loaded the gun.
''WAIT!'' shouted the daughter. ''I TOLD YOU THAT SO YOU WOULD SPARE THEIR LIVES! THEY JUST WANTED MONEY TO KEEP OUR FAMILY GOING!''
Aventurine smiled, wanting to revel in those looks of terror that only minutes before had looked at him with contempt.
That was what Aventurine could achieve, and not Kakavasha. And damn it, let them forgive him if that made him a monster, but after all the scars on his body and mind that would never heal, it felt good to be so powerful.
When he met up with the boy, he looked at him confused, asking what those noises inside the house were.
''Don't you recognise that sound as a firecracker?''
''What's a firecracker?''
Aventurine laughed, taking the boy by the hand. ''It doesn't matter what happened in there, kid. Don't worry about it anymore.''
''Where are we going?''
''Hmmm... I don't know, to be honest. Where are you from?''
The boy opened his mouth, but immediately fell silent, rolling his eyes. ''Aahmm... I don't remember.''
''What do you mean, you don't remember?'' Aventurine asked, worried, letting go of his hand and kneeling in front of him. He brought his hand to his forehead, looking for any injuries, but the boy was completely healthy. At least physically. ''Do you remember anything, no matter how small, before you ended up here?''
The boy twisted his lip, trying to think, shaking his head regretfully. Aventurine clenched his jaw, letting out a regretful sigh.
But he was concerned when he heard the boy say, in a very low voice, that he was sorry.
''What do you have to be sorry for? Whatever happened to you is not your fault.'' smiled Aventurine, taking a handkerchief from his trousers and wiping a smudge of mud from his cheek. ''Don't worry about anything. As long as you're with me, you're safe.''
Aventurine felt relieved and... very warm inside when the boy replied with a big smile, nodding confidently.
It felt good to finally be someone's safe place.
But he couldn't help pulling away when the boy's hands reached for his face, the boy looking confused. "Sir... why do you wear those glasses? Do you have vision problems?''
Aventurine couldn't help but smile sadly, whispering that it didn't matter.
He took the boy's hand again, leading him towards his ship, when the boy spoke again. ''Are you afraid?'' Aventurine froze at that question. ''Afraid of what? The sun?" laughed the avgin, stroking the boy's hair.
''The sun is terrifying!''
Aventurine laughed again, stopping his caresses. ''I just like to hide my eyes. It saves me... a lot of trouble.''
''Why?''
Aventurine sighed, forgetting what it was like to deal with children.
But those children always ran away from him when they saw his vibrant eye colour. And this child... whose name he still did not know, must not run away from him now. He would get lost again in the Sigonia desert; a death sentence.
''It doesn't matter, child,'' he whispered affectionately, the child biting his lip, dissatisfied. ''By the way, what's your name?'' He saw the child raise his eyebrow, Aventurine looking confused. ''What?''
''Do you want to know my name?''
''It would be nice so I don't have to call you infantil adjectives, don't you think?'' laughed Aventurine, taking out the keys to his ship.
The ship opened its door, Aventurine waiting outside to learn the name of that strange boy. But the boy crossed his arms, smiling slyly. ''Take off your glasses and I'll tell you my name.''
''How he dare!?'' Aventurine snorted inwardly, smiling mischievously. ''You don't know what you're asking for.''
''I'm a very curious child.'' he smiled, scratching under his nose.
Aventurine laughed, kneeling in front of him again. ''Don't even think about running away, okay?'' The boy nodded, and Aventurine finally took off his glasses.
The avgin laughed weakly when the boy paled at the revelation, which he had expected (but that didn't mean it hurt any less).
He quickly put his glasses back on, wanting to demand the boy's name, but the boy timidly took his hands, grabbed his glasses and took them off.
He stared at him, Aventurine feeling very small before that penetrating blue gaze, when at last the boy smiled. ''Your eyes... they remind me of home.''
''Home? Do you remember it?''
''Not the name, but I do remember... its wheat fields. Their scent... Your eyes... your eyes remind me of the sky. Of freedom.''
Aventurine couldn't help but laugh bitterly. Freedom. Him. Of course.
But the boy looked at him with such sincere and tender affection that he didn't dare break that fantasy. ''I'm glad they convey that to you. They... they're not eyes that many people like.''
The boy waved his hands amusedly, his smile shining brightly. ''I like them.''
''Then that's enough for me. And now, your name.''
The boy lowered his gaze, looking down, Aventurine concerned. ''You don't remember eith—''
''Khaslana.'' he whispered, Aventurine blinking. ''My name is... Khaslana.''
''Why do you say it as if you had sand in your mouth?'' Aventurine laughed. ''It's a pretty nice name. Strange... but nice.''
''It's just that... I don't know... it doesn't feel like mine. But yes... my parents named me Khaslana.''
Aventurine nodded, stroking his hair again. ''Do you want me to call you Khaslana or by another name?''
''What other choice do I have?'' The boy shrugged, and Aventurine imitated him, agreeing with him.
Khaslana stared at him, following him as they climbed onto the ship. ''And you? What's your name?''
''You can call me Aventu—'' He fell silent, feeling a pang in his heart when he saw the boy's gaze. That innocence, that smile...
Aventurine looked out at the desert horizon, sighing sadly. ''The name my mother gave me is Kakavasha.''
''Kakavasha... what a beautiful name!''
Aventurine smiled, thanking him. ''But like you, I haven't felt at peace with that name for a long time, so call me Aventurine, okay?''
''Aventurine? That's even stranger.''
''Stranger than Kakavasha? Really?''
Khaslana nodded, and the blond decided to let it go, both of them climbing into the ship.
''Tell me, Khaslana, does the name “Veritas Prime” ring a bell?'' Khaslana blinked as if Aventurine had spoken in another language, shaking his head. The avgin chuckled at not guessing one of the boy's possible origins. ''What about A█████?''
''No, that doesn't ring a bell either, but it does remind me more of what my home was called!''
''Oh, yes, in what way?''
''In that it also starts with A!''
Aventurine blinked, feeling a little dizzy. ''Your home starts with A?'' Khaslana nodded, completely sure. ''You... you're not from Amphoreus, are you, Khaslana?''
''Uuuh... no. That's not the name either, but it sounds familiar too!'' Aventurine sighed with relief, because the last thing he needed was to piss Stelle off even more if the IPC found out that citizens of Amphoreus were scattered throughout the universe, under Diamond's command. ''Ugh... what was it... A... Aed? Aod? Aaggghh.''
Aventurine laughed at the child's anger, stroking his hair again. ''You'll remember, don't worry. Anyway, I'd rather take you to a certain doctor first to make sure you're really healthy.''
''And make sure you're not just another victim of slavery running away from it, and you just don't remember anything.'' he said to himself.
Khaslana nodded, his chatter returning to him as he mentioned each of the things he could see on the Aventurine's ship.
The avgin kept his amused smile, feeling a pleasant warmth in his chest as he realised that not only had he saved a child from falling into the same hell he had fallen into years ago, but that child was laughing and running around, safe and happy, in his presence.
Opening the message on his ship's screen, he pressed the microphone button, smiling when he saw that Ratio had replied to his message, assuring him that he was coming home.
To him, to his cats... and to a child whose life he had saved.