✎ to you, who swallowed a star 「 ed•v 」

1 |

𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖚𝖒 𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖘 𝖉𝖊𝖈𝖔𝖗 𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖚𝖎𝖙 𝖛𝖎𝖗𝖎𝖉𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖒 𝖎𝖚𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖚𝖙𝖎𝖘.

•••

The canary starts to sing at the beginning of April. On a white promenade everyone forgets. The permeating silver blue of the unforgiving frost slowly thaws off, and an assortment of bellflowers and snowdrops start blooming at the seasonʼs wake. The Twenty-fifth Bam, however, could not seem to catch even a wink of sleep knowing it would be his first and hopefully, last post-winter without Khun Aguero Agnis. Today would mark the first year prior to his arrival at the Khun Family Estate, and a whole month without his savior attached to his hip.

When the territory welcomed the midwinters, soldiers have begun to disappear within the southern border and the latter had been given the task to investigate the phenomenon along with his seniors and Eduan's retainers. Aguero had promised to achieve results within three days before the elders could muster enough audacity to intervene. Unfortunately, on the way back they were met with a snowstorm which destroyed the warp gate and most of the soldiers either contracted an epidemic due to poor living conditions, while others wound up severely injured or dead during the crossfire between them and the converted that attacked the fort. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to a month, and a lot had transpired. If they ever send word of delay once the sun rises, Bam had no qualms of using his permit to follow suit.

The last day of winter marked the first year of his second chance at life, but he wasn't feeling festive at all. The peace and tranquility Bam felt almost seemed surreal- like an illusion awaiting its breakage.

"Lord Eduan?"

The brunet was not quite sure, but he heard traces of the ancient tongue added with the voice he was too accustomed with to mistake it for anybody else. The patriarch clad in azure and gray paused then turned to the brunet, a bowl half-full of wine settling dangerously comfortable on the palm of his hand and a flash of recognition painted on his eyes as he smiled in drunken stupor.

"V!"

Khun Eduan exclaimed, prolonging the syllable as his eyes lit in delight when he spotted the supposed brunet approaching him. "You finally came to visit! How dare you take this long to find me! But," the bluenet paused, flashing a lopsided grin. "It's alright. As long as you're beside me, I can pardon anything. Still, I cannot believe it took you several millennia and myself only a few pints of Bloodmadder's gin just for us to cross paths."

"Are you drunk, Lord Eduan?"

'By V, did he mean my father? Wasn't he like, dead? Don't tell me he returned as a ghost?!' Bam, in an inner state of panic, roamed his eyes around frantically then shook his thoughts off before composing himself. Ghost or not, he must prevent the Khun Family Head from sacrificing his dignity over the guilty pleasures of alcohol. Even if it is the last thing he'd live long enough to be able to do.

"Perhaps it would be better if my Lord retires to the main palace?"

"My, my. 'Lord'? I never thought you had your fair share of kinks, V." he snickered which earned a raised brow from the barely eleven-year-old who instinctively staggered a few steps backward from the looming mischief. Much to his despair, the elder pulled the child and forcibly made him settle on the space beside him, sensing his need for escape as he gestured for the latter to pour him the bottle he shoved to his chest with a blissful aure. "Besides, why the rush? This fateful meeting of ours calls for a celebration!"