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“Young Master, your earring.”
“Hm?” Illuga feels the gemstone on his left, carefully caressing it. “Oh, right. Thanks for reminding me. I’ll take it off when I get home and apply moisturizer.”
Flins ignores the thanks, as part of the fae rules. He can do nothing against Illuga’s kindness. “If I remember correctly, you don’t change out of that earring, do you?”
“I don’t. It’s special.” A warm small smile appears on Illuga as he gently looks over at the red gemstone. “Nikita gave it to me around the time I joined the Lightkeepers as a captain. It was a celebratory gift or something, but I found out that he saved up a lot of mora to buy it. Ever since then, I haven’t really taken it off or changed it…”
“It must mean a lot to you then.” Flins states. “That’s great. Red gemstones mean love, strength and courage. Nikita must’ve done his research. It suits you quite well.”
“... What part of those descriptions say about me?” The young man fixes his gaze at the taller one, who then sits down beside him.
“I believe everyone in the Piramida can agree about your strength and courage. Don’t undermine those traits of yours, because they are true.” Flins adds, looking back at the young man. “As for ‘love,’ we can translate that more as ‘compassion.’ You care a lot about your comrades, friends, father, even me.”
“Ah…” A little flustered, Illuga places a hand behind his neck. “Well, of course. Who wouldn’t care about the ones closest to you..?”
“I’m honored that you think we’re close.” The comment from Flins causes Illuga to be taken aback.
“Did you think we weren’t close?” Illuga questions the man, once again threatening his obedience to the rule of fae.
To which Flins breaks it, saying, “Your question seems to confirm that we are close.”
“That’s right.” Illuga stands up from his seat. “Visiting you is always worth it after all.”
“...” And for what felt like a first, even though it isn’t, Flins gives the young man a lovely smile. “I am sincerely glad we have this connection because of your efforts, Young Master.”
And he wouldn’t trade it for the world.
.
.
.
Flins came by to Piramida unexpectedly.
The Oath lantern he set down glows ever-so brightly. His dear Young Master was reported to have been severely injured after fighting against the Wild Hunt on a mission. He briefly talked with Nikita at the Flagship, sitting at a small and cornered spot. It seems that Nikita had grown more white hairs after this incident. Stress has eaten him alive, pacing back and forth in front of his bed.
Flins visited Illuga, who was resting in a regular hospital bed. He seemed eager to talk to Flins and was happy to see him. It wasn’t a lovely look for Flins’ eyes to behold upon. Illuga has bandages covering his head, ear and arm. More stitches had to be sewn on his chest. It seems that he will not be patrolling for a while after this mission. Fortunately for him, this doesn’t seem to deter him at all and he’s eager to be put back in line once more.
After Flins left for home, time runs fast like a hamster on a wheel. He had heard from Nikita through letters that Illuga had quickly recovered. A lot of his friends visited him from the hospital and he was enthusiastic about seeing them and being able to chat again. The squad that was there with him during that patrolling mission visited and sobbed by his bed, thanking Kuutar for keeping him alive.
It had been a long three weeks. Flins often visited Piramida, chatting with some of the squad members that suffered from trauma. Nikita mentioned in his last letter that Illuga was already up and walking around in Nod-Krai again. He mentioned to Flins that he had taken a liking to a new hobby, which was taking walks around the beach. It seems that Illuga’s determination is burning ever-more than before. It was a major loss that hit him straight in the heart and he never wanted to experience losing ever again.
Flins sets Nikita’s letters down as he looks out in the distance. He can see a faint yellow light glowing in the distance amongst the dark. It’s more faint than usual, but he can clearly tell it’s Illuga. He gets up from his seat, repositions his polearm to the side of his couch and prepares some warm water for Illuga as always. Two clean glasses are set down on the table as he pours some from his tea kettle. He doesn’t bother to get the bucket this time.
As per usual, he politely waits until the Young Master gets over here. He’s a bit slower than usual, but he’s always willing to wait for him. Placing hand over hand, he greets the young one as if he hasn’t gotten to in a lifetime.
“Sorry I’m late…” Illuga sighs, exhausted from the trip.
“You really didn’t need to come, Young Master. You’re still recovering.” Flins gives voice.
To which Illuga responds, shaking his head. “Ah, no. It’s fine! Dad told me it’s been a while since I last visited you, so I thought I might as well. I’m feeling better already.”
“... I see.” Flins gives a tiny smile. “Sit down, you must be exhausted. I have your two glasses of water, as always.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Illuga breaks the rules of fae, as always. He’s polite to a fault, but so is Flins and his aristocratic nature. He sits down with the young man once again as he watches him down one glass of water. The two chat about Illuga’s injuries and how he managed to recover. Illuga notes that it felt like hell in that hospital bed and that he wanted to go out around town, but Nikita wouldn’t let him. He also notes that his squad managed to recover with minor injuries, which was reassuring.
Amidst all the chatting, Flins notices a few things about him as well. “Your ear, Illuga.”
“Oh, yes…” The young man brushes his ear with his finger. “It managed to heal, thankfully. I was afraid I tore it or something.”
“Ah, that’s not what I meant.” The taller one shook his head. “I’m glad it’s healed. But what I meant was… your earring.”
“... What about it?”
Flins gets up from his chair, taking light steps outward. “Nevermind.”
Illuga looks puzzled as he finishes his cup of water. The night is still young, so Flins asks if he would like to go inside. It will get colder soon and the temperatures will be nearly hellish. Nervous, Illuga nods and sets his cup down. Flins takes the time to clean up the table as he heads back inside the lighthouse.
“I see you didn’t finish your second glass.” He remarks.
Illuga utters, “I’m not exactly parched…”
“That’s okay.” A friendly intonation could be heard from the man’s voice. “I’m glad I didn’t bring the bucket this time.”
“Uh huh…”
Inside is a seemingly make-do room that Flins is always familiar with. Before Illuga enters, he makes sure to increase the temperature of the fireplace and dusts off any ashes. The room from head to toe is covered with some sort of metal drilled together as the ceiling, along with some stone serving as pillars. Illuga strolls around the room, setting his eyes on Nikita’s letters that were set on a table near the window. He looked over at the words until he heard a voice again.
“It’s not polite to look over someone’s private messages.” Flins adds.
Illuga looks away, placing his hands behind his back. “Oh, no, no. I didn’t mean to, I swear.”
Flins chuckles lightly. “They’re from your father. He was telling me how you were fairing these days.”
“Ah, I see.” Illuga coughs. “He’s a worrywart, I’ll tell you that. I wanted to get better so that he could stop babying me while I was in bed.”
“But I understand where he’s coming from.” Flins expressed. “This was not your first time stuck in a tight situation. You’ve faced many dangerous enemies within the Wild Hunt. You have scars to prove it.”
“I… I know. It won’t happen again.” A simple response from the young man. He sits down with Flins by the fireplace. “Well, thanks for caring about me.”
“...”
Illuga is very caring and kind. He’s determined and always ready to go. He doesn’t want others to take the fall for him, at least, not again. He goes ahead in front so that others have a better chance at survival. He made sure Flins wouldn’t die alone, so he always visited him at the Final Night Cemetery once per week. He accompanied him on many outings, patrols and missions from Piramida. He was a brave soul. He was compassionate, strong and a young man full of love to give.
Flins adores that human.
Flins adored that human.
“Illuga.”
“Yes--”
He places a hand by his cheek, caressing him as strands of his hair entangled with his gloved fingers. Although he can’t tell what Flins is thinking, Flins can tell exactly what’s on his mind. It’s written all over his face. Illuga jumps out from the couch, pulling away from his hand. His eyes are widened and a faint red can be seen on his face. It amuses Flins, the way he jumped so readily.
“Do you dislike it after all?” He dusts off his clothes as he slowly arises. “We’re not being watched. I thought you loved my affection.”
“Ah… I…” Illuga covers the side of his face, sweating.
“Even though you told me you loved me…” Flins reaches out to grab the hand touching Illuga’s face. “You’re getting cold feet?”
“I--”
Flins sensually intertwines his fingers with Illuga’s, grabbing his lower back to ensure there was no escape. As ploddingly as he could, he rocks him into a hug so tight that it couldn’t be taken back. Illuga is nervous, looking up at the taller man who seems to have ulterior motives. His shoulders relax as the light reflecting his eyes shimmer among the dark. Even now, they’re overwhelmingly beautiful.
“Your father doesn’t know of it. Your friends don’t know about it.” Flins declares, still keeping a devious smile on his face. “So why can’t we be a normal couple, even when alone?”
“...” Illuga doesn’t know what to say. “Um… Flins, I…”
“I love you, Illuga.” A confession. A taste of rain sours his mouth. “I love you so much.”
He leans in slowly, a little awkwardly. Their lips brushed against each other softly, before any more was made. Illuga narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze on Flins’ lips. He whispered in a mellowed tone, a bit too quiet for anyone to hear. Anyone but Flins, of course.
“I love you too…” He said.
And when he leaned in as well, Flins made sure to deepen the kiss. It was very clumsy, all the chattering and nerves suddenly striking. Illuga closes his eyes for a second, batting his eyelashes. He flickers them open slightly, his gaze now fixing on Flins’ Oath lantern… that was hiding beneath the couch. Flins made sure that kiss would be unforgettable. He kissed him as if he made a promise, firm, unshakable… And things he couldn’t say out loud.
Because if he did, he would surely regret it.
He should’ve said it earlier.
“Illuga…” He whispers under his breath, right beside his left ear. “No…”
The Oath lantern glows a radiant red.
STAB.
“You’re not Illuga, are you?”
“...” Illuga looks down. “H…”
A polearm is pierced through Illuga’s chest.
As Flins pushes it even further, Illuga shoves himself away from his grasp, pulling his lips apart. A trickle of blood drips from his mouth, pooling on the floor below them. A bright red and pink fire attempts to fix the wound, but Flins roughly thrusts the polearm to the back of the room, propelling the young man into the wall now cracked and beyond repair. He can’t move, no matter how hard he struggles.
“I’m warning you, creature of the night.” The Ratnik stands before ‘Illuga.’ “You will either kill yourself… or I will kill you.”
“Y…” Whatever that is taking over Illuga’s body is almost extremely angry. For some reason, Flins finds whatever face they’re making amusing. “You knew… but you waited to kiss him before stabbing me?”
“Were you even trying to act as him? Your entire game of pretend was an utter disgrace to the Young Master that even I didn't do a good job of pretending not to notice.” Again, a cold gaze is exchanged. “Did you think it was clever to respond to my advances? Illuga would never say ‘I love you’ to someone like me, never mind to someone straight in their face.”
“You’ve… you’ve gotta be one sick pervert to fool me into thinking you two were a couple.” A sinister smile is displayed on the entity’s face. “It’s too bad… your little thing already died during that mission.”
A crack formed on his skin. Without hesitation, Flins takes out the polearm pierced through their chest and stabs it in them again. They gasp, coughing up more blood. It’s still jarring that this entity isn’t seemingly one of the Rächer of Solnari’s fragments. This entity can take over bodies and make them bleed. The thought of stabbing Illuga will forever burn in Flins’ mind.
“You cannot believe how easy it is to fool you.” He almost loses his temper, turning that blue flame into bright orange. His Oath lantern floats by his side, still glowing a dangerous color of red. “Have you even bothered to do research on the man you decided to possess? I can tell you solely relied on his father for information. You took a good look at his scars to see that he’s no weakling either.”
“... Well, considering that your ‘Young Master’ died,” the entity touches on the line. “He must’ve been pretty weak. And that guy’s friends are supposedly weaker than him?”
“Why did you possess him?” The man interrogates. “Answer me. What is your purpose in Nod-Krai?”
“It’s simple...” The entity tells him, still seething on the ground. “I want him. I’m here to fulfill his life. That’s all.”
“...” There’s an unspeakable rage bubbling inside the fae, and he’s trying his hardest not to show it. But how can he not? “Fulfill his life? I apologize for my crudeness, but how could you possibly fulfill his life when you’re already failing to do so?”
“How much did I slip up for you to see right through me anyway?!”
“Illuga loves his comrades deeply. He would not talk about them like that. He also visits me at the cemetery once per week and simply would not forget. I had initially excused it since he was hurt. But you had told his father and everyone else that you ‘recovered quickly.’ So if he did, he wouldn’t forget about his visit.” It kind of scares the entity how much he knows.
“Seriously? You’re way too obsessive over this--”
“You called his father ‘dad,’ but he never calls him that in front of anyone. He uses his name, Nikita.” He informs the entity. “He’s adopted, you see. But Nikita mentioned in his letters that you referred to him as if he was your biological father. He rarely calls me ‘Flins’ either. Also, every time he visits, he drinks two glasses of water.”
“Uh…” The entity doesn’t know what to say anymore other than the fact that they’re creeped out.
“When I first arrived at your bedside, you were awfully cheerful too. Illuga is not like that at all. Perhaps a groan or hiding your emotions would’ve been more suitable if you wanted to try acting as him.” Then, all of a sudden, Flins kneels down with his Oath lantern. It’s still alarmingly red. “When I had gotten near the room you were recovering in, this lantern illuminated a bright red like it is right now. I left it outside of the room just to talk to you. Before I even got to see you, I knew something was wrong.”
“...” The entity furrows their eyebrows. “... Yet, you didn’t kill me right away.”
“Not in front of Nikita. He wouldn’t be able to handle more stress than he already did.” Flins shook his head. “Not to mention, Aedon. That nightingale Illuga treasured so preciously… The one you used to visit me today is not his Oath lantern.”
“That bird died when he died.” The entity sighed, clutching onto their chest. “Solovei’s creations died with him. I can tell he was chosen.”
Flins didn’t want to break the rules of fae. But when it came to Illuga? It gets even harder by the minute. He ignores their unnecessary remarks, as he had known a long time ago. This entity cannot possibly replace Illuga, no matter how you look at it. It is a disrespectful creature that must be known so that they will never possess others ever again.
“... The most damning of all…” The creature looks into Flins’ dead yellow eyes. You almost can’t tell if they’re yellow anymore. A dark shadow casts within them. “The earring he’s wearing right now… it’s not the red gemstone he usually wears.”
“... You’ve gotta be kidding.” It looks up at him with hopeless eyes. “You’re telling me your Young Master can’t change out earrings..?”
“It’s not just that. I went out to where his mission was located to clear out what he couldn’t. That ghastly battlefield managed to cover the grass with pools of blood.” The taller man explains with a terrifying look on his face. “He treasured that red gemstone given to him by his father. Because he said that you lost it, I went out to find it for you.”
“...”
“And I found it.” Flins shows the creature the same red gemstone Illuga used to wear as an earring. There’s blood on the hook and… “Parts of his ear are still attached to it.”
The entity gasps under their breath, reaching for their own ear. “Kh…”
“You can heal Illuga’s body parts. Even though I had found this, your ear was perfectly fine. I asked his squad members who were with him on that day and they said they could've sworn they saw him die…” He closes his palm and keeps the red gemstone. “One of them said they saw his ear get cut off.”
At this point, the creature of the night looks down at the metallic floor. They’re slowly losing strength and the humiliation burns at their borrowed skin. The sharp pain of the spear plunged into their human body lingers like a knife stuck in a ribcage. Even so, they want to laugh. Because even though the pain remains, Illuga is much stronger than they thought. They chose the perfect body.
“... I guess you’re right. I’m really bad at acting.” With what little strength they have, the creature attempts to get up by lifting the polearm off their chest. Flins grabs the polearm, but a fire engulfs his hand, causing him to let go of it slightly. “That’s why you infodumped me before, huh? I’ll just take you out and fulfill his life with the new info I have!”
“Don’t be foolish.” Flins sighs.
Flames engulf the ceiling as the entity charges right for Flins. As swift as a swallow, the man elegantly dodges the attack, holding up his Oath lantern. The entity, still using Illuga’s body, grabs onto his polearm and manages to hit him behind his knees. Strongly, Flins gets up from the stumble and lifts up his lantern to illuminate light. The flames engulfing his home spread until the metal melts. Indeed, the entity is strong. It’s not like what Rerir’s fragments are.
But no matter how strong it may appear, Flins knows that it is still far too foolish. It can’t act as Illuga, it surely can’t beat Flins.
At the very least, that horrible creature got to learn who Illuga really was.
“The night… cometh.” The lantern glows, exploding into fiery flames of dark blue and purple.
Before it knew it, it was already too late. The entity had lunged forward from the ceiling, charging with pink fire. It screams, groaning as the flames overtake him. It’s rage and anger boils up into nothing but explosions.
“You can never fulfill Illuga’s life. You cannot take it either.”
As soon as the entity reaches out, the flames extinguish it, causing it to scream in agony. Strikes of fire and lightning nearly destroy the entire room, crushing everything into ashes. All of those pink and red flames the entity exuded out are now dying themselves in blue and purple. As if everything melts away, so did Illuga’s body. The cold air blows from the outside, fanning out the flames. The crackles turn into little bits of glitter floating in the air. The fireplace is completely out.
Flins looks up from what’s now a broken ceiling. He can see the stars from the opened patch as the glitter floats away. He doesn’t say anything.
It’s gone.
He’ll have to tell Nikita everything that happened today.
He’ll give it to him straightforwardly, but it comes at the risk of him wanting to never see Flins’ face ever again. The fact that his son is no longer here. The fact that his son went to visit Mr. Flins as usual, only to never come back. Because that wasn’t his son in the first place.
Flins has to accept reality. That’s what he has been doing for the past several hundred years. Yet this one… it stings.
“...” He exits the lighthouse, earring still in hand. It’s nasty, rotten even. But Nikita needs proof. “I’ll… go visit Piramida.”
TUG…
Flins felt something as he took one step forward. Someone’s hands are wrapping around his waist. Someone’s head is pressed against his back. He turns around, his eyes wide open.
“... Oh… You’re here, at last.” A choked voice is let out. “I was wondering when I’d see your soul around here… Because it hadn’t, I held onto hope…”
“...” The soul doesn’t move away, still hugging the man.
“What’s wrong, Young Master?” He smiles weakly, gently patting on the soul’s hair. “Ah… I think I know. You don’t want me to see your crying face, right? Don’t worry… I won’t look.”
It doesn’t say anything but quiet sobs. It’s always been this way, trying to suppress its emotions. Although, it is now far too late. It tightens the hug. “...”
“... I’ll say it again for you so that I don’t regret it. Okay?” Flins kneels down slightly, embracing the soul as he still grips onto the bloodied earring. “I love you, Young Master.”