Embers of the Holy War

Seeking For Answers

Since Jin did not outrightly scold him about his conduct with Lord Janus, Guang thought that Jin had forgotten about the entire incident. Unfortunately, unlike him, his brother was quite meticulous about things like social conduct - something that Guang severely lacked.

Normally, Jin would lecture Guang for around thirty minutes at most, but today, Guang might have crossed some sort of line. The lecture lasted for a total of two hours, and Guang had to sit in a seiza the entire time. Despite his feet and leg aching, he couldn't help but wonder if Jin was alright. The lecture today felt close to Jin venting, and his frown seemed more strained than usual. Feeling guilty about inflicting immense stress onto his brother, Guang was extremely amenable, even when his brother chided him for having no shame and tarnishing the Long family name.

Not even the sun could withstand Jin's lecture. By the time Jin had finished, night had already fallen. With everything on his mind already said, Jin finally let Guang go. Guang nearly whooped with joy, but was careful to not let his relief show too much in case he got lectured again.

Guang hopped into the shower, sighing pleasantly as the warm, refreshing water hit his skin. It washed away his exhaustion, lulling him into a state of unperturbed tranquillity. It had been a long day. While Guang had expected some difficulty to occur during his appointment with Janus, he hadn't expected such an adventure in Twilight Tower. He met a playful little boy, the smooth-talking Saturn, His Irksome Lord Janus, and got to experience the various breathtaking facilities of Twilight Tower.

Warm and clean, Guang got out of the shower. He stood before the foggy mirror at the sink. Leaning closer, he used a hand to wipe away the fog. A pair of bright, shining golden eyes stared right back at him. His red curly hair, often puffy, was slightly flattened because of its dampness, its ends dripping with water. Guang bundled his wet hair up, moving them aside.

Nothing. There was nothing on the nape of his neck except for perfectly clear, tan skin.

Guang halted. What was he doing? Hadn't he been told that whatever those two intelligence officers had said were false? If so, why was he still checking his neck? Was some part of him still stuck on their words?

When Guang came out of the bathroom fully dressed, he was surprised to find the entire room rather dark. The only light source was the bedside lamp beside Jin's bed.

The dim, orange glow of the lamp illuminated his brother sitting against the bed frame, his head lolled to the side. With his glasses still on his face and a phone in his hand, it wasn't hard to conclude that Jin had accidentally fallen asleep.

Guang shook his head, smiling. He was about to wake Jin up when he noticed Jin's expression contorting and his eyebrows furrowing. Jin only did that when he was super stressed, and considering how he accidentally fell asleep despite being an extremely attentive person, he must be really fatigued as well.

Guang wasn't playing much of his role as an older brother, is he? To be so carefree while his younger brother suffered this much. Gently, he rubbed Jin's head. Just like how he had done many years ago, whenever Jin had nightmares. Guang did it until Jin's expression eased. Satisfied, he removed Jin's glasses, slowly and carefully. Squirming both his hands under Jin's back, Guang adjusted Jin's position so that he was properly laying down on the bed. Ah, the blanket too, so that he won't get cold.

Tucked nicely into his bed and sleeping soundly, Jin looked less uptight, more younger, like an actual teenager. The realisation of it was depressing. Because he tagged along with Guang on his journey, being wrapped up in all sorts of trouble, he was going to miss out on his youth. It's not that Guang didn't appreciate his presence alongside his journey - he was sure it would be lonely, difficult and demotivating for him if he had travelled alone. Without Jin, he wouldn't have managed to get this far.

On the other hand, as Jin's older brother, he should provide the best for his younger brother. He was still a growing teenager and should enjoy life as it is, not worry about some Demon King and his older brother causing trouble.

That's it, Guang had decided. To get to the truth of things, he will ask Lord Janus about the tattoo. Since they had to leave Notitia City tomorrow afternoon, he only had the morning to confront Lord Janus. This time, he will do it alone. No more worrying Jin about these trivial matters; this was Guang's own problem to solve.

When Guang awoke the next morning, he was surprised to find his brother still deeply asleep. Usually Jin would be out of bed by now or buying breakfast in town - Guang supposed he underestimated just how exhausted his brother was.

However, this was also the perfect opportunity. He could go visit Lord Janus without Jin noticing. He hadn't exactly thought up of a plan on how to shake Jin off, so he was extremely grateful that Jin still hadn't awoken. Jin might get mad at him later for disappearing without notice, so Guang made a mental note to buy some steamed potatoes - Jin's favourite food - on the way back. Being the older brother, he should be buying breakfast instead (definitely not as insurance in the case of an angry Jin).

Luckily, with their last visit rather fresh on his mind, Guang didn't get lost on his way to Twilight Tower. The morning was bitterly cold and the fog was particularly thick - so much that Guang could barely see a few metres ahead of him. To keep himself from freezing to death, Guang had to put in twice the effort to warm his body up from his inside - an extremely physically draining process.

After suffering out in the cold for fifteen minutes, the warmth of Twilight Tower was like entering heaven. Finally, he doesn't feel like he was on the verge of turning into a human popsicle.

Inside his head, he heard Jin nagging, "Didn't I tell you? You should have worn some warmer clothes."

Guang hated to admit it, but the Jin living in his head was right.

As much as he wanted to rush to meet Lord Janus, Guang figured he would be better off with a cup of hot chocolate. Considering the freezing hell he had just gone through, he felt like it was a good reward for him.

"Order for Guang!" the barista at the counter called.

Eagerly, Guang ran towards the counter like a puppy towards its owner. He showed the barista his receipt. "That's me!"

"Here's your hot chocolate."

On the spot, Guang gulped down the hot chocolate in one-go and returned the cup, much to the barista's utter and complete bafflement. He was feeling better already, with the sweet chocolatey taste in his mouth and warmth in his stomach.

With zest, he said, "Thanks for the drink!"

Hesitantly, the barista bowed, but it seemed more like an automated response, if anything.

With chocolatey goodness running in his veins, Guang felt like he could fight against Lord Janus and win, right here, right now. Along with the crowd, he marched deeper into Twilight Tower in search of the reception centre, where the elevator that would bring him up to Lord Janus' office was.

However, it wasn't even a few minutes later when Guang realised he was lost. Again.

Frustrated, Guang ruffled his already bushy hair and cursed, "Damn it!"

His shout startled a few passer-bys. They gave him some odd looks, but otherwise did not care. For the nth time, Guang wondered why his sense of direction was so terrible. He was literally here yesterday! The one person he could rely on to guide him was not here. Does that mean that he had to walk up to strangers and ask for their help? But considering his previous experiences communicating with strangers...

That was when, through the crowd, he caught a flash of green. He instantly perked up. Surely, that wasn't-?