Capturing the Male Lead: Red String System

ARC 3.7: CHILD OF LIGHT

Zachariah smiled at him and said, "Besides being your fated partner, I am also your guardian."

"What is a guardian?" Auris asked.

Although Auris knew the plot of this world, he didn't know any other than that. His system is not that upgraded to disclose deeper information about the world, even the memory of the original Auris is not clear. So the basic information about this world is not known to Auris. At first, he didn't care about it because the reason he is transmigrating to different worlds is to collect his lover's soul fragments, but it looks like he needs to step up his game and prepare everything properly. Auris thought that after this world he'll stay in space for the meantime and fix his system and train himself.

"Just the word itself, a guardian is a defender, protector, or keeper of a certain individual. They protect them even if it costs their life, in exchange Goddess Idite will bestow a blessing to the guardian. When I came of age, your mother, the Goddess of Light, asked me to be your guardian. At that time, I thought someone was kidding with me. But time passed by, and I started seeing a silhouette in my dreams. I didn't know who it was until I met you and I remembered what Goddess Idite told me." Zachariah patiently explained. From what he learned, Saint Auris was cursed because of his bloodline and fell asleep for a long time. That's why all he could do is help him know the world little by little.

"Did my mother ever inform you who my father is?" Auris eagerly asked.

Seeing the sparkle on the other's golden irises, Zachariah felt guilty. Goddess Idite never told him who Auris's father was.

Zachariah took Auris's slender hands and looked into his eyes, "I'm sorry, she never mentioned your father to me."

Auris perked up, ears drooped as he sadly replied, "Oh...that's okay, maybe there is a reason why mother never told anyone my father's identity."

The two people in the room turned silent. They listened to each other's breathing and didn't bother to speak.

After a while, Auris got tired of sitting. He laid down on the bed and looked at Zachariah.

"Zachariah, how did you get chosen as my guardian?" Auris curiously asked.

Zachariah stared at Auris for a while and stood up. He opened his palm and a blazing red fire appeared on his hand.

Auris watches the other and doesn't ask why he's using magic right now.

Later on, a red book appears on Zachariah's hand. He looked at Auris and sat on the other part of the bed. Zachariah opens the book and starts speaking.

"It's because of my mother's bloodline. You know that my mom is a fire elementalist, right? But her bloodline is not that simple. She came from the royal family of Faybourne Kingdom, a kingdom made of fire elementalist. Just like you, she is also a candidate for the crown, she got chosen, married my father, and had me. But neither of the two of them know that my mom's soul was sold to a demon. The demon's placed a curse on her, and the curse gradually weakened her. She didn't know that she's not supposed to marry a human, especially give birth to one, because the child would be the medium for the demon's awakening. But I was born, and I'm currently the only medium for the demon lord's awakening." Zachariah explained as he stared at Auris' curious golden eyes.

Auris listened quietly as he curiously examined the book on Zachariah's hand, but when he heard about him being the medium, Auris remembered the blessing his mother gave to Zachariah, "You have mother's blessing. Why did you still become the medium?" Auris asked.

Zachariah took a deep breath and shook his head, "I don't know. Other than my mother's curse, I have no idea at all."

Auris tried to recall the plot of this world, but it didn't help him to know more.

[Master, I tried entering the library but something ominous is keeping me away.]

Auris's ears perked up as he replied to his system.

Why are you trying to enter? Is something important placed in the royal library?

[A book that looks like Prince Zachariah's book is hidden deep in the middle of the library!]

A similar book?

Auris looked at the red book that Zachariah's currently holding.

I felt some presence in the book of Zachariah. Does the one in the library have it too?

[Yes, master. A similar presence but it's stronger.]

I understand, observe the surroundings. I'll go there with Zachariah immediately.

[Noted. Be careful on the way, master.]

"Let's try entering the royal library. Maybe we could find something there." Auris uttered.

Zachariah nodded and hid the red book again, "Let's enter through my room."

"A hidden path, huh? Do you always secretly leave, Your Highness?" Auris asked teasingly.

Zachariah's ears reddened as he quickly denied, "No! It's just been there since I was born!" Zachariah truthfully answered. He's scared that the other might misunderstand.

Noticing his lover's panicked face, he couldn't help but tease him more. It's a little revenge for his past self who chased every person who had a hole, "Well, you used it quite nicely. After all, Your Highness had many lovers before."

Zachariah's eyes widened. He froze on the bed thinking what to say, and after a while, he looked at Auris but he saw the other grinning at him. Zachariah realized that he's been played by the other. His ears reddened and glared at Auris, "What lover are you saying! I...I-It's because I need to do it! It's not real!"

Auris chuckles at his lover. He thought that it's fun to tease the other.

When Kuai told him that his lover is a player in this world, he was mad. But when he learned that Zachariah is just following what the empress advised him to do. They planned to ruin Zachariah's image for the 'emperor' to remove him to the throne. It might be foolish to ruin himself but that's the only way for the mother and son to leave the palace. Yet until now, Zachariah is still the crown prince and the demon emperor didn't throw them away.

"Why is it not real?" Auris asked. Even though he knew the reason, he still wanted to hear it from his lover. Well, they are still not lovers but it will happen sooner or later anyway.

"Because of the curse bestowed on my mother, she's weaker than a normal human. When I became the medium, my mother wanted us to leave the palace immediately, but the demon emperor was watching us closely, especially me. So, we planned to leave the empire using my ruined image. Because a crown prince who only knows how to play is not someone the empire will accept. But that demon didn't let us go no matter what we did." Zachariah frustratingly answered.

"Is the empress dying?" Auris asked. He remembered when he first met the empress. She looked fine to him, but when he saw her at the rose palace, she completely changed. Her elegant demeanor in the throne room was gone, instead an anxious and afraid empress appeared in the rose palace.

"She is. The curse is slowly killing her." Zachariah gloomily replied.

Auris didn't speak anymore. He just went towards the other and hugged him. Although Auris didn't have any feelings for the empress, his lover grew up with her. So he hoped that they could leave this place immediately and help her.

[Master, the guard inside the royal library left.]

"Let's enter the palace now." Auris stated.