Chapter Text
“What do you think of their forces, Master?”
Eiden really can’t answer that question. He doesn’t know the first thing about armies or battles or whatever.
Yet here he is. In the middle of all this.
An actual war.
Sitting atop his horse (a beast that is sort-of-almost normal, except it is about twice as large as any horse on Earth, is purple, and has glaring red eyes), Eiden surveys the army below. He and Aster are on a cliff far away from any actual fighting, but he can see the Light Territory forces from here. The army looks like a blot of golden honey. The soldiers are formidable. There must be at least a thousand of them, decked out in knight armor that does not shine underneath the gray sky. They look like toys. Or machines. It would be easy to pretend they are not real people except…
Except their faces are uncovered and they all look frightened. Deathly afraid. They would rather be anywhere else but here.
Eiden can relate.
“They seem okay,” he forces himself to say. “I mean, there’s a lot of them. That counts for something, right?”
Aster sniffs. He’s sitting comfortably on his favorite creature, a three-headed wolf-like monstrosity he calls Momo. “Mm, not really. I’m actually surprised.” His long nails stroke Momo’s fur absentmindedly. “I thought the king would have sent more soldiers. It’s almost like…hmm. Does he even want to win this thing?”
For the sake of the Light Territory, Eiden can only hope the king is smart enough to know that he can’t win. That all of these people are going to be killed. Eiden really hopes it’s over soon because...
He doesn’t know if he’s ready to see what happens next.
“Oh well.” Aster snaps his fingers. Underneath the cliff, Morvay opens the gates holding back their own forces. The Dark Territory forces.
The Dark Territory is vast and full of little except desiccated plants and ever-encroaching dead zone. There are almost no humans, nor sapient beings of any kind. What the Dark Territory does have, though, are monsters. Lots and lots of monsters.
Snarling bears, mutated tigers, horses with six legs and meter-long horns. Rats as big as pigs, with fangs so long their mouths cannot properly close. Carnivorous plants. Dark fairies with black, opaque eyes. These monsters do not kill solely to eat. They kill because they can. Because that’s what they do.
Eiden wraps his hand around the crystal on his neck. The thing that brought him to this dark world. This crystal, along with the many rings decorating his fingers, protect him from becoming the target of these beasts himself. They won’t attack a person with Eiden’s level of essence. It is too strong.
Beyond that, Aster and Morvay can only release the creatures and expect they will do exactly what they always do: Destroy.
As the beasts charge towards the suddenly dwarfed Light Territory army, Eiden makes out a single figure charging back. A man in white armor, sword drawn, running his steed forward at full speed. The tip of his sword gleams despite the lack of efficient sunlight. The sapphires in the hilt shine dangerously. His long, grayish blue hair whips behind him. He is yelling something. A battlecry. His voice stirs the soldiers behind him and they all rush in, moved by such an intense display of bravery.
“Their Vice-Captain is fierce,”Aster remarks. “He certainly rallies the others. How admirable.”
“That man in the front is the Vice-Captain?” Edmond can’t stop watching this guy fight! His sword technique is beautiful and stunning, yet deadly! He’s already killed three beasts single-handedly! White fire burns in his blue eyes. Strong willed and focused.
“Yes. That’s Edmond.” Aster hums. “He’s the talk of the town in the Light Territory. Their strongest knight. A natural-born leader.”
Well, yeah! That’s obvious. This man was born to fight! Even Eiden can see that. Sheesh. In his world, this guy would be the star of a ripped-bodice harlequin novel or something. Eiden’s not above reading that shit. He’d read it just for the cover art, honestly.
Blackish red blood sprays across Edmond’s pearly armor. Droplets land on his cheeks and in his eyes, but he doesn’t stop for a second. He just keeps going.
“Word is that the king himself knighted Edmond, which would make him a Lord Knight by Light Territory custom.” Aster smiles in the way he does when he is really, really pissed off. “And he just decapitated a mutated Arctic bear. Hmph. That knight is a little too keen for my liking.”
Eiden raises his eyebrows. This is the first time he’s seen Aster get upset during a battle. When they fought the Wood Territory, it was over in a snap. Aster drank a glass of blood wine throughout the battle and he didn’t even get to finish before the last Wood Territory spear dropped. Those warriors were not unified, though. They consisted of several tribes that did not appreciate fighting together. They did not have a leader.
It is different when you have someone like Edmond leading the charge. A war hero everyone can get behind.
…Even so.
“It won’t be long,” Aster asserts with a forced laugh. “They’re so outnumbered. Human swords alone cannot beat an army of beasts. The Light Territory is notoriously prohibitive against the use of magic.” He huffs. “That’ll be their downfall in the end.”
As the beasts surround the Light Territory forces on all sides, a stone drops in Eiden’s heart. He knows Aster is right. The beasts are circling the encampment, laying waste to every last defense this poor doomed army had.
Even Edmond takes a step back. He lost his horse a while ago. Now he’s fighting on foot, staring up at the hulking tiger bearing down on him.
Eiden closes his eyes.
He won’t watch anymore. He’ll just stare at his hands.
Until it’s over.
___________________
In this world, everything is solved by violence. And sex.
Eiden realized this the moment he manifested in this strange new world. One moment, he was at work, designing a custom sex toy commissioned by a client. And the next…
As soon as Eiden touched the crystal this client gave him, he was transported to this world. Surrounded by darkness. Purple and black miasma so thick it threatened to overtake him. There were strange mountains in the distance and he had the distinct feeling he was not alone.
He fainted immediately.
When he woke up, Aster and Morvay were there. Using their special techniques to infuse him with ‘essence.’ The problem was, they said, that he didn’t have enough of the master’s essence in his veins when he first manifested. They soon remedied that problem.
Three days of nonstop sex with a cock-hungry incubus and a sadistic vampire. That fixed it.
Once that was done, Eiden discovered he was in a palace. The Grand Sorcerer’s palace, Aster and Morvay explained. It was a creepy, twisted place. Every room was decorated like the bedroom of a teenage goth. All black, pointy edges, bloody paintings. Over the top. Apparently the Grand Sorcerer was a dark lord with immense power who tried to unite the countries of Klein continent under his banner. He resided in the Dark Territory (the place with desolate mountains and miasma) and led an army of horrific beasts. He used sorcery to defeat the forces of the other territories, until one day he disappeared. All his hard work shriveled to nothing and the countries were divided once more.
Aster and Morvay were the Grand Sorcerer’s familiars. They’d been searching for twenty years, attempting various ways to summon him. They finally succeeded in bringing Eiden here.
Eiden tried to tell them he was no sorcerer. No magic user, nothing. They laughed and said he’d grow into it.
In a way, they were right. Eiden did have the Grand Sorcerer’s magic powers, along with his unique essence signature. But he didn’t know how to use it. Through practice, they said, he would learn.
Almost immediately, they were off on a campaign to unite the territories again. Eiden had no way to get back home, so he could only offer a shaky thumbs-up and do as he was told.
Searching the Dark Territory, Eiden found a young man named Garu. The man was some kind of yokai, an animal-like boy with dog ears and a tail. Garu was nice enough, but he had an evil side called Karu that wanted to kill all humans. Aster and Morvay laughed at Karu’s threats. They told Eiden to have sex with him—that would stop the threats!
Eiden thought he heard them wrong. He laughed, thinking they were kidding.
But they were dead serious.
“Yeah, as if I’d do something like that,” Eiden said sarcastically. He was very disturbed by the way Aster was holding Karu down with magic. Trapping him.
“Mm, but Master…” Morvay tugged Eiden’s sleeve. “The best way to subdue an enemy is to conquer their essence through sex. Extract it, like this.” He demonstrated with one hand. “Then we can use it to make a ring.”
“A ring?” Eiden glanced between Karu’s struggling form and Aster’s smiling face.
“Correct.” Aster held up his right hand, indicating the ruby red ring he wore on his pointer finger. “I gave you mine when you first came here. Remember?”
“And mine too!” Morvay tapped his collar, studded with smoky quartz jewels. “The Grand Sorcerer made these for us! One for each of us, imbued with our own essence, and one for him. Whenever he wore the rings, our essence gifted him great power.”
Aster’s ruby shined devilishly in the dim light. “Yes. He said my essence tasted like wine.” He giggled, proud of that. “I think Master got a little drunk when he used my power.”
Eiden rifled through his shirt pocket to find the rings they gave him. These guys indeed gave him a ring each after they had sex, but Eiden thought they were just tokens of affection! Casual gifts between lovers! He didn’t know it was part of some magic ritual!
Curious, a little frightened, Eiden put on Aster’s ring. Right away, a surge of essence flowed through his body that made him hot all over. The essence coagulated at the tip of his dick, where Aster last touched him (he tortured his slit again and again that night). Then, with a hot exhale, the feeling subsided. It wasn’t entirely gone, Eiden could feel Aster’s essence underneath his skin, but it wasn’t overpowering. Quieter. Titillating, but in a strangely reassuring way.
Aster moaned and shivered. “Oh, Master!” He giggled coquettishly. “You bound our souls together so quickly! Without any warning!” He smiled, totally pissed. “I’ll have to punish you for that later.”
“Bound…?” Eiden stared at the ring, unsure what it meant.
“Me next!” Morvay draped himself over Eiden’s back. “Master! It’s not fair if you marry that shitty little vampire and not me! I want to marry Master too!”
“Wait, wait, wait! Marry ?” This was getting out of hand! “What do you mean ‘marry?’”
“In our world, wearing someone’s ring is the same as a wedding ceremony. In the eyes of the whole world, we are husbands now, Master. Til death do us part!” Aster shrugged. “Well. I’m a familiar, so I can’t die unless you do anyway. But this just makes it official, you know?”
“Masterrrr!” Impatient, Morvay licked Eiden’s neck to entice him. Eiden could feel his hard-on pressing through those tight leather pants. “Please! Make us official too!”
“Uh…okay…?” Confused, sort of turned on, and not really seeing another choice, Eiden put on the smoky quartz ring as well. Just like last time, he felt an instant, addictive rush of essence. This time it centered on his dick like a slobbering mouth—fuck, Morvay’s mouth! He literally sucked Eiden’s dick for days! Now Eiden could feel it happening all over again—
“Oooh!” Apparently Morvay was feeling it even more than Eiden. He convulsed with pleasure and dropped to his knees right there. “Master, so good~! I’m so hungry now, no fair giving me a taste and not letting me have the whole thing…”
Shaking, overwhelmed from two streams of essence, one red and one gray, running through him, Eiden could only stand there dumbfounded as Morvay unzipped his pants and started sucking on him—
“Idiot!” With a snap of his fingers, Aster pushed Morvay away with his magic. “You can suck Master later! For now, we still have to deal with this pesky pup.”
Eiden swallowed hard and stuffed his dick back into his pants. What the hell is this world, he thought. What the actual hell.
It would not be the last time he had that thought. Not even in the span of the next several minutes.
“I think you should hurry up and have sex with him, Master,” Aster pontificated. “His essence feels strong enough that he’ll be a nice boon to your abilities. Even if you don’t want to wear his ring, you can just suck the rest of his essence out until it kills him and then you’ll be basically untouchable for the next few days as we continue on—”
“Stop, stop!”
Eiden couldn’t keep listening to this!
He put a hand on Aster’s shoulder. “Let him go, already! Leave him alone.”
Surprised, but obedient as ever, Aster released his spell. “Of course.”
Karu immediately scurried away. Back towards the mountains, or wherever he came from. The dark plain was barren for miles. They were deep in the dead zone.
“There’s no way I’m going to kill anyone,” Eiden said firmly. “Not for power, not for sex, money, anything! That’s just crazy. I don’t know what kind of guy this Grand Sorcerer was, but…” He paused, uncertain if he should insult his familiars’ old master and run the risk of getting on their bad side. “…I’m not him. I won’t use people like that. And I’m definitely not going to rape anybody…”
Shit, the word felt weird just coming out of his mouth! He didn’t like thinking about stuff like that! He saw his share of awfulness growing up in the orphanage. Experienced some first hand. A few of those caretakers had no business being around children! But those experiences only made Eiden even more disgusted at the thought of perpetrating acts like that on his own.
Whatever kind of sick world this was, Eiden refused to do it.
“That’s the first and last time I’ll say it.”
The more he talked, the more he remembered of his shitty childhood, the bolder Eiden became. “If someone wants to give me a magic ring and marry me, then that’s fine. That’s different, it’s their free will.” He eyed the pretty, powerful gems on his fingers. “But anything else is just…”
He shook his head. “No.”
Aster and Morvay exchanged a look. Then, in a flash, their smiles returned. “Whatever you say, Master! We’re here to help you navigate this world however you want! Besides, the ultimate goal is to unite the territories. Then we can combine the energies in the gem altars and you’ll become a god. Nothing else really matters.”
Eiden blinked a few times. “Um. A god?”
That’s when Aster explained. Within each territory was a gem altar, like a powerhouse of elemental essence native to that land. Each altar could be tamed and harnessed, or even absorbed into the body of a person. Ancient tomes and legends passed down from generations all seemed to agree: If someone harnessed the energy of every altar at once and absorbed it, they would become a god.
Just that. A god. No other explanation given.
Because no one had ever accomplished such a thing.
There was a reason all the territories were divided. People feared power like that. Turning a human being into a god meant absolute power would be given to a fallible being…it was foolish and dangerous. Not to mention, everyone wanted such power for themselves!
Thus, a world of war was born.
Eiden could see why Klein continent was the way it was. He really didn’t know how he himself felt about the idea of becoming a so-called god. Did that mean he would lose his sense of self, his consciousness? What the hell was a ‘god,’ anyway?
More importantly, power at the level of godhood meant that Eiden might be able to do the only thing he really wanted. Maybe he’d be able to go home. Get the hell out of dodge.
That’s the best option he’d heard since coming here. Leaving was the highest priority, if he could manage to survive this place at all!
So that was the plan. Become a god. Or whatever.
A few days later, Eiden found Garu skulking around the edge of the palace grounds. He went to talk to him, confused why Garu would follow them home if he was so scared of being absorbed.
“Karu told me what happened,” Garu explained, stealing looks at Eiden as he pawed at the ground self-consciously. “He’s still really mad at you. But I…well, actually, neither of us expected a human would spare us like that. You could have killed us, or worse.”
Garu eyed the rings on Eiden’s fingers. Point taken.
“So I, um…” He inched closer to Eiden. His eyes were round. Beseeching, in a way. “I wanted to…”
Eiden got down on his knees. He didn’t like towering over Garu. It made him feel as if they were on unequal ground, which was too weird. “You wanted to…? What?”
Unexpectedly, Garu buried his face in Eiden’s chest. He sniffed and crooned, clinging to Eiden’s clothes. “If Master wants to make a ring with me, then I don’t mind!”
“W-what?” Eiden held onto Garu’s shaking body. “I’m not your master, man, what are you—?”
“I know, I know.” Garu’s tail twitched excitedly. “You’re not my master…yet. But if you want…” His eyes were suddenly full of hope. “If you want to be my Forever Master, then Garu is okay with it. More than okay. I’d be happy to!”
“I—”
Before Eiden could get a word out, Garu was on top of him. Kissing and licking his mouth, grinding against Eiden’s rapidly hardening cock. In a matter of minutes, they were having sex. Being inside Garu felt so good, Eiden smacked his own head against the ground, nearly giving himself a concussion. While they fucked, Garu encouraged Eiden to try the ring-making technique Morvay showed him. So he did. It took a few tries, but sweet Garu was patient with him.
In the end, he had two beautiful aquamarine rings. Garu’s essence was bright and sparkly. Mesmerizing in its own innocent way.
Garu moved into the palace. Eiden supposed they were husbands now, but he…didn’t love thinking too hard about it. Garu walked on all fours like a dog unless Eiden reminded him not to. It took days for him to wear human clothes. Their relationship was a work in progress, to say the least. But Eiden liked Garu’s upbeat attitude (Karu was a different story, but he was also cute in his own way). He liked how he livened up the palace.
Shortly after that, Eiden met a sly fox demon on the border between the Dark Territory and the Wood Territory. He was ancient, Aster said. He’d lived in the dark woods for centuries. Kuya introduced himself proudly and forced Eiden to undergo a number of ‘tests’ to prove his worth. He knew the original Grand Sorcerer, Kuya explained, and he wasn’t keen on the idea that there would be a replacement. Especially someone as scrawny as Eiden.
Over the course of these ‘tests,’ Kuya fucked the living daylights out of Eiden. His cock was long, proud, and delicious, and it wrecked Eiden to the point that he became a drooling mess. During the sex, Kuya pulled a lavender amethyst gemstone out of Eiden. A ring imbued with Kuya’s essence. Kuya already owned the ring’s pair. It was given to him by the original sorcerer. But he never wore it, he said. Until he properly dicked Eiden down, then he proceeded to wear it all the time.
Now Eiden had four husbands. He supposed.
Prior to the battle with the Wood Territory, Eiden met another hot stud. A hunk who was very much on the quiet side. His name was Quincy. He lived on the outskirts of the Wood Territory and seemed to think it was a great idea for Eiden to conquer them. The woods were getting too unruly, Quincy said. Too noisy. It wasn’t good for the forest and that’s all Quincy cared about. So he helped them win the battle; he showed them secret passages through the trees that would give them an advantageous position during the fight.
Quincy helped them in another way, too. He fucked Eiden inside out with his huge, meaty thing and gifted him yet another ring. Golden topaz and very, very powerful. Wearing that ring made Eiden shiver nonstop—he literally couldn’t stop shaking until Quincy held him in his arms and retaught him how to breathe. That topaz ring was a menace! Eiden was tempted not to wear the thing at first, but Quincy scolded him for being careless. So he learned to get used to it.
There were more rings to come. More husbands.
The next was a strange e-droid who lived in a dilapidated house in the northernmost part of the Dark Territory. Blade kidnapped Eiden outright. He stole him from his bed while he was sleeping. He thought he was doing the Dark Lord a favor by freeing him from imprisonment.
“Huey doesn’t like wearing so many rings at once,” Blade bemoaned, fussing over Eiden while he carried him out in a sack. “They must be tricking him with some kind of magic!”
It took days for Eiden to win Blade over. Day in and day out, he ate his weird food and explained that he was not a prisoner in the dark palace. These rings were given to him by people he considered friends—at the very least! He cared for his husbands and they cared for him too. Eventually, he convinced Blade to come back to the palace and observe their lives for himself.
Once he saw, Blade understood. Eiden was not exactly like the original sorcerer. He lived his life in a different way.
“Darling,” Blade cooed, while he fucked Eiden brainless and extracted a ridiculously large diamond ring out of his body. “You’re just too cute.”
Kuya, Quincy, and Blade were able to extract their rings from Eiden because they’d already had sex with the original Grand Sorcerer. Their rings from those previous marriages already existed, and Eiden had the same essence. Summoning the matching pair was as easy as plucking a tasty mushroom out of the ground, Blade explained (in those words). New partners were different. Eiden would need to create and summon both rings at once, like he had with Garu.
He needed to get better at using magic. Be ready for anything. So, with everyone’s help, he started training.
He got stronger.
The next and most recent husband came from a small village at the border between the Light and Dark Territories. Eiden found Light Territory knights harassing some elderly villagers. A young man named Yakumo ran to protect them. Yakumo’s human-like body housed a very powerful snake form. He really couldn’t keep it under control. Eiden watched Yakumo crunch the heads of the knights between his gaping jaws. Their bones snapped like crackers under his venomous fangs.
To a point, Eiden could excuse Yakumo killing the knights. They had harassed his family, after all. But in his rage, he turned on his fellow villagers as well! Entirely beyond control! That’s when Eiden had to step in. By now he was a decently powerful sorcerer in his own right. The rings boosted his powers in a significant way. He easily overpowered Yakumo.
By the end of that fight, he and Yakumo were kissing each other. Somehow it devolved into wild sex. Yakumo was a beast in the bedroom—even though they weren’t having sex in an actual bedroom, rather in the middle of the forest where the entire town could see. Luckily, Eiden had enough wherewithal to extract two rings from Yakumo. Obsidian black with fiery veins of passion scarring the surface.
After they finished their dirty (very public) deeds, Yakumo was so ashamed he cried and begged the villagers for forgiveness. They didn’t really know how to handle a situation like this, so they just told him to leave and never come back. Sobbing, Yakumo begged for a different punishment. Whippings, beatings, starvation—anything but total abandonment!
Eiden broke through the hysterics to give Yakumo an alternative. He could wear the ring and share his power with Eiden. They could learn how to control the snake form together. He’d be happy to help!
Aghast and deeply moved by such an offer, Yakumo accepted. He left his old life behind with a teary glance. From then on, he would follow Eiden to the ends of the earth.
With seven husbands in total, Eiden’s left hand is totally bejeweled. Rings from thumb to pinky. On his right hand, there is a diamond on his thumb and an obsidian rock on his pointer finger. His hands form a bizarre rainbow when he clasps them together. And his entire body vibrates with power.
Eiden can’t say he’s used to this world yet. It’s too brutal. People are always at each other’s throats, ready to kill. Eiden sometimes feels like a crazy person for extending basic human decency! He’s already seen bloodshed, battles, death, murder. Everything!
He’s learned. Everything in this world can be solved by violence and sex.
He has to keep his eyes on the prize, Eiden tells himself. He has to get those altars and find a way home.
______________________________________________
In a matter of hours, the Light Territory army is decimated. Scattered remains and dismembered limbs litter the battlefield. Some beasts are munching happily on the carnage and some are still fighting. Tearing away at whatever is left of the soldiers who have no choice but to fight to the death.
It’s not shocking when they receive a letter by hawk carrier from the Light Territory camps.
“Ah. The Captain would like to arrange a meeting with us.” Aster sighs. “That took longer than I thought.”
“So can we end it now?” Eiden just wants the fighting to be over!
“Yes. Let’s go.”
Aster descends the cliff on Momo. He whistles and performs several incantations that should make the monsters less bloodthirsty, easier to control. But there’s only so much he can do.
Eiden will have to intervene.
He gallops down to the middle of the battlefield. Sensing his essence, the monsters clear a path for him. At a good distance, he climbs off his horse and begins his own incantation.
He calls on the power of his crystal, which resonates with the essence in his seven rings. By now this incredible amount of energy feels like an old friend. It welcomes him home with a hug. This is the reassuring love from his husbands who genuinely care about him, in their own ways. All that love makes it easy for Eiden to circulate the essence into a giant ball. Dazzling, bright, and iridescent. He brings the energy downward so it can disperse across the field like a cloud of smoke.
All he has to do is whisper. “Stop.”
At once, the monstrosities disperse. They run back to the gate underneath the cliff where Morvay is waiting to round them up. Aster calls a few of his wolves to his side. They will provide back up while Aster and Eiden go to meet with the Captain.
Eiden’s stomach turns as he walks through the carnage. Don’t look at it, he tells himself. Just don’t look. If you don’t look then you won’t have to deal with it later—
He will, though. This nightmarish scene will be in his head for a while.
He can’t begin to think about the fact that his presence is what caused all this. This war is because of him .
It’s his fault. They died because of him. It’s all his fault…
No, no, it takes two armies to fight a war! That’s right! If the Light Territory had just surrendered…why did they do this? Why couldn't they accept that they were outnumbered?
Well, from what Eiden has heard, the Light king is a foolish man. Full of pride. Their correspondences were brief and unproductive. The king refused to allow access to the light altar until after they had a proper battle. Such a foolhardy battle was probably a demonstration to save face in front of the masses. If people saw that the Dark Territory was too strong, that their own forces were overpowered, then they could accept yielding to the new Grand Sorcerer. But they would not accept their king bending the knee without proper cause.
It seems like such a waste, though. All these lives.
He clutches his crystal again. Counts his rings.
He can’t wait to go back to the palace after this. Yakumo will be there with a bowl of hearty soup, Garu will snuggle up to him…his husbands will all be there.
Thank god.
When they reach the Light Territory encampment, Eiden and Aster are ambushed by a blur of white metal. Before he can yelp in terror, a bloody sword swings at his neck. The point is touching his skin!
In front of him are two bloodshot blue eyes. Those eyes are consumed with disgusted rage. Their gaze scalds Eiden’s skin.
Aster hisses. Several wolves run up to snarl in Eiden’s defense. The sword doesn’t retreat but it doesn’t lop off his head either. It seems they have reached a standstill.
“Edmond, that’s enough. Drop your sword. I’m the one who called him here.”
The icy rage in those eyes shatters. Edmond—the man whose bloody rapier is pointing at Eiden’s throat—whirls around to face his superior.
“Captain…” he says. His voice quivers with emotion.
Edmond managed to survive, even though he was the first one to lead the charge! Amazing! He’s been fighting for hours and only has a few scratches! He must be exhausted. His porcelain face is sticky with flecks of mud, blood, and a sheen of sweat.
He’s still hot. Eiden has to admit that. The bulky armor covering Edmond’s obviously slim figure makes him look like a war god. That pearly white armor is unrecognizable from all the filth. Drenched in viscera, noticeably out of breath, Edmond’s undying spirit is as noble as ever.
Damn. How about a pin-up calendar as well? Eiden’s buying!
The captain emerges from the tent. He is a middle-aged man with a rather impressive mustache. He seems battle-hardened. There is a scar on the left-side of his chin. But unlike Edmond, the captain does not have a speck of dirt on him.
It is clear who fought this fight.
Edmond fought as hard as he could. He has a cut above his eyebrow which is dripping blood into his eye, but he doesn’t seem to notice. Instead, he seethes.
He drops his sword. Finally! Eiden was starting to get nervous!
Edmond rushes to the captain’s side. “Did you…?” He has more to ask, but the captain raises his hand to silence him.
“Go round up the survivors. Bring the horses.”
Edmond is stunned. Angry enough to spark lightning from his eyes. But he forces himself to nod. He bows to the captain and turns to leave—with one last scathing look at Eiden.
If it were up to Edmond, he’d run Eiden through with his sword right then and there. That’s for damn sure.
Still, he follows his orders and leaves to gather the remaining soldiers. He mounts a horse in single motion, flashing his blood-stained, wind-whipped hair in his wake. Even under all that armor, Edmond is the picture of grace. So very disciplined.
And his ass, framed by the metal cuisses on his thighs, is as fine as they come. Round, curvy, and neat as it bounces up and down on the horse. Yum.
“Come here, sorcerer,” the captain says to Eiden. “Speak with me for a bit.”
Aster and Eiden follow him inside the tent.
The grizzled captain sits at a makeshift war table. “Your beasts fought well, new Grand Sorcerer,” he opines, taking a grim swig from a flask he pulled out of his armor. “Our forces didn’t stand a chance. But we knew that from the beginning, didn’t we?”
Eiden doesn’t say anything.
“I have authorization from the king to make this offer,” the captain continues. “So I’ll ask you to hear me out. This is the last thing I’ll probably ever say, so I want to make it good. Okay?”
What does he mean? Eiden glances at Aster, silently searching for an explanation. Aster’s eyes are fixed on the captain.
Taking his time swallowing whatever remains in the flask, the captain grunts around a long exhale. He tosses the empty flask to the floor.
In one motion, he drops to his knees in the dirt. “As the commander of the Light Army, in the name of the King and His Royal Subjects, I surrender. Kill me. Kill all of us. Take us hostage if you will. There's really nothing I can do to stop you. Power like yours is…”
He sucks his teeth and shakes his head. “Power like yours is not something regular people can stand up against. So I declare you the victor. You may do whatever you like, but…as a man, as a fellow human, as a person of sound mind…”
There are tears in the captain’s eyes as he gathers his breath. “Please spare my knights. What few remain. Those that you can hear screaming in pain outside this tent.”
Yes. Their cries are relentless, though Eiden tries not to listen.
“Give us a day. One full day is customary for us to settle our affairs. Then you may ride into the heart of our capitol city and have an audience with the royal court. All your demands will be met.”
The captain clasps his hands in front of his chest, as if he’s praying. “Our altar is yours. But please. Spare my men.” He drops his head to beg. “Spare them, oh great sorcerer...please…”
It is clear why the captain sent his vice-captain away. He doesn’t want anyone to see this shameful display, a prideful commander on his knees. He doesn’t want anyone to stop him. Because, as demeaning as it is, what he’s doing is the only way to save the knights under his command. At least that’s what he thinks.
It’s admirable.
Eiden nods. “Yes. We will spare them all. You can have one full day, too. At sunset, when we ride into the capitol, we will not bring any of our creatures. We will speak together calmly about the future of the Light Territory.”
When he’s out in public, especially when he’s in the other territories, Eiden has to put on the persona of the Grand Sorcerer. He doesn’t want to. He’d prefer to be himself and relate to people normally. But in this world, he needs any protection he can get. Any layer of distance. People respect him when he presents himself as an arrogant lord. He even dons the ridiculous black robes the old sorcerer used to wear. With the dark hood and the purple chains around the sleeves. It’s way too much! But people recoil in fear from this getup and that is better than the alternative.
“The only thing we want is unity between our territories. And access to the light altar. That’s really it.” Eiden shrugs. “You’ll see.”
“I see. Well then.” The captain struggles to stand. He might be older than he looks. “You have my thanks.”
That’s all he says. After such a passionate entreaty, Eiden was expecting more. But the captain isn’t looking at them anymore. He is staring into the distance. Lost in thought.
Whatever. Eiden just wants to get the hell out of here.
“Alright,” he says. “Tomorrow, then. I will look for you and your vice captain in the town square.”
The captain laughs dryly. “Don’t look for us, new Grand Sorcerer. You will be greeted by a royal envoy.”
Eiden frowns. He expected to be met by soldiers. But he nods. “Understood.”
Now he has a whole day to work on forgetting this nightmare.
_____________________
As promised, they arrive at the Light capitol the following evening. The setting sun shines on Eiden’s back as he rides in, bathing him in reddish light. Appropriate, considering this city is grieving the loss of many soldiers after a bloody battle. Black sashes hang in the windows of every shop and residence.
“Are those for mourning or to honor us?” Eiden whispers to Aster, who is in his bat form hovering near Eiden’s shoulder. Black would be the color to honor the dark lord, right?
“Hard to tell, Master. Let’s say it’s both.”
Right.
Several pairs of aggrieved eyes watch Eiden’s approach. The mood is dour and distrustful. The townspeople are either crying, scowling, or staring pensively. It’s not the warmest welcome, that’s for sure.
“They don’t seem to hate you though, Master,” Morvay (who is also in his familiar form) points out. “They would be cursing you or throwing stuff.”
“Okay.”
“Yes,” Aster agrees. “The townspeople don’t know what to make of you yet. They’re just curious.”
At that moment, an old man hocks and spits vehemently on the road in front of Eiden.
“Uh-huh. What about that guy?” ‘Curious?’ Eiden is not convinced!
Morvay and Aster are quiet. Then, Morvay pipes up, “Eh. Fuck that guy. Let’s just get to the altar.”
Sounds like a plan.
At the gate of the royal palace, Aster and Morvay change back to their regular forms. Just like the captain said, they are greeted by a royal envoy. Several diplomats arrive in golden white robes bearing the sigil of the Light Territory. They all bow to Eiden, some of them clamor to their knees to knock their foreheads against the ground.
There is obviously a stark contrast between the sentiment of the townspeople and the diplomats. Some serious disconnect in the messaging.
Unless there’s actually no difference at all. Perhaps the townspeople are just more honest. And the diplomats are…
“Welcome, new Grand Sorcerer! Please, right this way!”
Eiden frowns. He exchanges glances with Aster and Morvay, confirming that they sense the same thing.
The palace is brightly decorated, with cathedral ceilings and ornate architecture. Just what you’d expect. But that does nothing to quell the feeling in Eiden’s stomach. These diplomats are leading them to an inner sanctum. A reception hall with too much space. And no throne.
“Where is the king?” Eiden demands.
The diplomats glance at each other warily.
One of them tries to prevaricate. “Y-you see, well, the king has many matters to attend to—”
“Matters? This is outrageous!” Aster stomps his foot. “We just conquered your entire army! Your captain gave us his unconditional surrender! We should be meeting with the king directly. We will not accept any more stalling—”
“Gentlemen, please! Allow me to honor your arrival with the humblest, most gracious welcome!”
They turn around to face the newest envoy. Another small group of white-robed officials has arrived. They are tugging along a cart, upon which lie two curious boxes. One box is small and circular, no bigger than a hatbox. It is lacquered wood with a cherry red finish. Intentionally grand, meant to be put on display. The other box is long and rectangular. Unfinished. There is a crease down the middle for the doors. It could be a cupboard laying on its back.
The man who just spoke stands in front. His face makes the feeling in Eiden’s stomach increase tenfold. He is wearing stark white robes with gold thread woven throughout the garment, similar to the others, but he also has a red sash around his collar. His eyes are…
Well. There’s no other way to say it. His eyes are dead. Yes, he’s human; his irises are a muddy brown color you could find anywhere. But it’s clear that all life left those eyes a long time ago. Which leaves the status of the soul inside very much in doubt.
“I am the Magister of the Light Kingdom,” the man says with a small bow. “It is my deepest honor to welcome the new Grand Sorcerer to our palace. The king wishes he could be here today, but alas, he cannot. So I will be handling the matter of our surrender.”
He smiles. Those dead eyes do not reflect even a hint of light.
So it’s confirmed. These diplomats are insidious. Every last one of them.
Eiden would be more worried about where this is going, except he knows he can rely on his own abilities. He will not allow anything to stand in the way of his goal.
“Take us to see the altar,” he says immediately, ignoring the bullshit. “After that, you can show us the draft for your redrawing of the territorial maps.” Another reason for the war was to make the roads more accessible to caravans traveling between territories. There is a practical purpose to uniting the territories, after all. Expanding trade routes would decrease the amount of districting disputes between the merchant guilds.
The magister’s lips form a straight line, perhaps another kind of smile. He gestures to the cart behind him. “First, let me show you what gifts we have prepared for the new Grand Sorcerer—”
“The gifts can wait,” Eiden insists. “I need to take a look at the altar as soon as possible. Like, right now.”
Something is wrong with the altar, too. That’s part of why this palace feels so eerie.
Another diplomat scurries to the magister and whispers something in his ear. With that, the magister bows again. “As you wish, your majesty. Please. Right this way.”
Morvay growls behind his teeth. Even he—who would devour any guy off the street—can’t stand this guy.
The magister leads them down another hallway and a long staircase. The light altar is kept below ground. For some reason.
He talks all the while, as if afraid to leave any silences. “Are you familiar with the role of magisters in our kingdom? Perhaps not! Well, at the end of the day, there’s nothing special about the position. I’m just a humble scholar. Naturally, my studies include researching essence. Its properties, its uses. Its…mm, eccentricities.”
That’s strange. Aster said people in the Light kingdom were against magic. Yet there is a royal position dedicated to its study.
“Here we are.”
No wonder Eiden had this weird feeling. The light altar is highly unstable! Its essence pulsates in unnatural ways, raising the hair on the back of Eiden’s neck. This altar has not been regulated in a while. For all the ‘studying’ this magister proclaims to do, he and his compatriots have not taken very good care of the altar at all.
Sighing, Eiden gets to work stabilizing the gem. He needs to call on the power of his rings to help him, but in the end the task is not so difficult. His innate strength combined with seven powerful gemstones is a force unlike any other. The light altar is purified in a matter of minutes. It hums and glows a soft golden light, as it should.
“That’s…amazing, Grand Sorcerer,” the magister says. The wonder in his voice is genuine. His eyes are slightly more alive, dazzled by the display of magic. Greedy, maybe. Entranced by a promise of power.
Sure enough, he kneels on the ground and prostrates himself. Prompting the other officials to do the same. “Your majesty is incredible. Please, we are not worthy of your power. Allow us to live and we will be eternally bound to your greatness! Our children and our children’s children will worship you!”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. These idiots are already worshiping Eiden as a god! They understand what his goal is in acquiring all the altars. They are assuming he will succeed. They must want to get on his good side before he turns into an all-powerful deity and descends upon the world.
Like that’s ever going to happen.
“Get up, please, get up.” Eiden scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “There’s no need for all this. Just, um…let’s see the maps you have redrawn.”
There is a moment of silence, then the magister stands up. He is no longer smiling. “Your majesty is too kind. Surely there must be something else you require from us? You have the entire Light Territory treasury at your disposal, along with all our resources. What does your majesty desire?”
“Just the maps, like he said,” Aster cuts in. “We are tired from yesterday’s battle. We would like to return home.”
The diplomats look at each other. Their faces are serious. Clearly, they don’t believe a word of what Aster and Eiden are saying. They must think there is something else they are expected to do.
So the magister leads them back to the inner sanctum. He gestures to the cart again.
“At the very least, please let us gift the Grand Sorcerer with the customary war prizes,” the magister entreats. “Our kingdom must show our gratitude in some way so that you know we are sincere!”
Eiden has a bad feeling about this. If the gifts are in those wooden boxes…
“No prizes are necessary,” Eiden assures them. “We’ll just have the maps and be on our way.”
“Yes, yes the maps. My goodness. This new Grand Sorcerer is very businesslike.” The magister snaps his fingers and a diplomat presents Eiden with several scrolls of redrawn maps.
“You know,” he continues, while Aster and Morvay survey the drawings. “I remember you from your first reign, your majesty. Twenty years ago I had just entered the academy to begin my studies. I was merely a boy, but…” His lips twitch with nostalgia. “…I remember the chaos of that time very well. Very, very well. Indeed.”
It seems he is remembering something horrible. Incongruously, he smirks. “How could one forget an army of mutated beasts laying waste to our homes. The king’s parents, slaughtered by animals in front of the masses. You certainly did not come alone last time. Remember?”
Shit. It sounds like the previous Grand Sorcerer destroyed the towns in the Light Territory after his victory. Just to prove that he could. He believed in total subjugation of the people. All the stories say the same thing.
No wonder the townspeople spit at Eiden when he arrived. This Huey guy was really…
“Well!” The magister claps his hands. “We don’t want a repeat of that, do we? I hope your majesty is pleased with the maps we have drawn.”
“I don’t remember anything from my previous incarnation,” Eiden explains hastily. “So I don’t have any memory of what you’re talking about. But I can promise you, the citizens of the Light Territory will remain untouched under my rule. Your government will be intact. We do not wish to involve ourselves in the day-to-day stuff, as long as the Light Territory borders stay open.”
A dark chuckle passes through the crowd of diplomats. Either they are not pleased with the arrangement, or they still refuse to believe Eiden. It’s impossible to know how they really feel because there are all these layers of subterfuge!
“At any rate, your gifts are waiting, Grand Sorcerer.” The magister beckons the cart closer.
Eiden sighs. It seems he cannot avoid these so-called gifts. “Alright, then. What has the Light Territory prepared?”
A sickening grin fills the magister’s face. “I’m sure your majesty will appreciate our humble offerings. Please, have a look.”
His subordinates carefully remove the lid on the small lacquered box. They present it to Eiden with their heads bowed. Hm, there is a strange smell—
When Eiden looks in the box, he nearly vomits on the spot. No, no, that’s not real! What he’s seeing is not real, it has to be fake!
“As is customary, the captain of our army was executed yesterday. The guillotine was waiting for him upon his shameful return. Please, take his head, your majesty. Display it on the walls of your palace for all to see, so that they may know how our army failed and how yours was so spectacularly triumphant.”
Eiden squeezes his eyes shut and claps a hand over his mouth. He would block his ears too if he could! But nothing would help because…he saw it. He already saw it! The decapitated head of the guy he met yesterday. Eyes unseeing, dried blood at the neck, a swollen tongue. His distinguished mustache, all but untouched…!
“Just…” Eiden clutches his stomach, digging his fingers into his robes to get ahold of himself. “Just, um. You can close the box now.”
“As you wish.”
Holy hell, Eiden does not want to take that thing home! He’s not going to display it—fuck, that’s insane! He feels like he needs to take a long shower. This whole situation is messing with his head!
“We have another gift for you, Grand Sorcerer. May it please you well.”
“No, no, that’s alright! No more gifts—”
Not heeding him, the magister snaps his fingers again and his subordinates open the other box. Eiden doesn’t want to look! But he also can’t bring himself to turn away. The morbid, fearful part of him is operating on overdrive.
They pull out the body of a person. There was a person in there this whole time! Clearly a man, although there is a bag over his head concealing his face. He is naked except for a small scrap of black cloth dangling between his legs. His body is thin yet incredibly toned. Littered with bruises. Bloody slashes across his back, evidence of whipping. And his legs are absolutely wrecked. Bent in unnatural directions. Limp in the shins, where there is supposed to be bone.
They really fucked this guy up.
Unceremoniously, they rip the bag off his head. Silvery blue hair cascades down freely.
Eiden’s jaw drops.
“Allow me to present our defeated vice-captain,” the magister exclaims with excitement. He grabs a fistful of Edmond’s hair and tugs, pulling his head back. Baring his throat. “We have kept him alive for you, Grand Sorcerer.”
Prickly fear tattoos the inside of Eiden’s chest. His mouth is so dry he cannot swallow! This is Edmond—the war god he saw on the battlefield?! What the hell did they do to him! His blue eyes show none of the vehemence they had yesterday. They are vacant and unseeing. Edmond’s mouth is slightly open and his tongue is poking through his lips, as if he doesn’t have control over it. He doesn’t seem to know where he is or what’s happening.
“You…you drugged him,” Eiden stammers. “What exactly did you do?”
The magister hums. “Yes, indeed, he is heavily drugged, your majesty. He has been duly punished for his crimes, make no mistake.”
“What crimes?”
“Treason, of course,” the magister explains. “He lost in battle, disgracing our kingdom. That is a capital offense. So we have tortured him accordingly and broken both his legs in several places. He will surely never walk again.”
Eiden remembers the pearly white warrior holding a sword to his neck. Beautiful, graceful, and strong. He compares that with the broken man on the ground. He can barely even look at Edmond! He feels like he’s seeing something he was never meant to see!
Edmond is skinnier than Eiden thought (it was hard to tell under the armor). His waist is svelte but a bit bony. You can see his ribs and hips. Underneath all the cuts and bruises, the chiseled lines of his muscles do not lie. His arms and chest are godly. He disciplined himself into a body that served him well on the battlefield.
And now that body is broken.
Eiden suddenly wants to cry.
It’s wrong. This is so wrong! What the fuck is wrong with this world? How could Edmond’s own countrymen do this to him?!
“Knowing your, hm…proclivities, your majesty,” the magister says with a knowing sneer. “We thought it would be best if we gave him to you. To do with as you please. Here, allow us to bind him to you.”
An official rushes over, holding out a small black box. The magister opens it to reveal a set of matching sapphire rings.
They didn’t. Did they—
“We have made rings from his essence, your majesty. Following your example.” The magister sounds proud of himself. “He is—or, was—a strong swordsman. I’m sure his essence will be a nice boon for your sorcery.”
Eiden knows he is witnessing a literal crime. The only way to make an essence ring, that he knows of, is through sex. So that means…he really doesn’t want to think of what that means. He shuts out the thought.
The magister grabs one of Edmond’s limp hands and slips the ring on his finger—as if binding someone’s soul is a casual thing. An everyday affair. This is a brutal mockery of the intimate ceremony it is supposed to be. Taking a hammer to the significance of such a moment.
The magister offers Eiden the matching ring. Its sapphire gleams brilliantly. It is indeed strong. “Here. Indulge yourself, Grand Sorcerer. It would be our pleasure.”
Eiden clicks his teeth. He can’t…he looks at Edmond again, whose head keeps falling to the side. The cloth between his legs has shifted, so he is fully exposed. Naked and unaware.
How can Eiden possibly take the guy’s ring when he’s in this state? It would be unthinkable! Inhuman! Seeing the noble spirit of that glorious knight brought to this point is…too evil!
The magister balks at his hesitation. “Ah? Is this not to your liking?” He glances at Edmond. “Hm, yes, well. He is rather broken, isn’t he? I understand. If he’s too useless like this, your majesty, we can just kill him like we did the captain and offer you his head instead—”
“No, stop.”
Eiden snatches the ring out of the magister’s hand.
He knows this is wrong. He knows that putting on Edmond’s ring will bind their souls to each other, marry them together forever without his consent. He promised he would never, ever do something like this. Yet here he is. Doing it.
At this point, killing Edmond might be a mercy. His pride probably cannot withstand the kind of life his kingdom has forced him into. But even so. Eiden cannot tolerate the thought of Edmond being killed! Edmond did nothing wrong! He fought as hard as he could. He defended his people, followed his orders. To the very last moment he was a hero!
He doesn’t deserve to die. The man Eiden met yesterday had so much life. Such a bright, vibrant spirit. Wasting it on this—on nothing —is just…
It’s too cruel. Eiden can’t allow it.
He squeezes the sapphire ring in his palm. I’m sorry, he says in his mind. I’m so, so sorry.
Taking a deep breath, he slides the ring on the middle finger of his right hand. The next slot. A place he had been saving for a future husband that he knew would come someday…but he never thought it would be like this.
A shimmery tickle reverberates through his soul. Because Edmond is in such a poor state, his power is not demonstrating its full capacity. Besides, they haven’t touched yet! Not even a brush of the fingers! Their connection cannot be very strong at all if they have not sealed the deal through any sort of physical intimacy.
Edmond seems to feel it, though. He moans quietly, shivering from head to toe. He blinks a few times. Clarity threatens to spill forth from behind those glassy eyes…but he doesn’t quite manage it. It slips away soon enough.
The diplomats applaud.
“Congratulations on your marriage, Grand Sorcerer,” the magister sings. “I’m sure he’ll make a fine concubine. If you keep him docile, that is. And you.” He turns to Edmond and delivers a swift kick to his ribs. “Crawl to your new master.”
Edmond’s body doesn’t absorb the blow. That kick nearly sends him flying. But he doesn’t yelp in pain or anything. Instead, he puts his shaky hands on the ground and starts crawling towards Eiden. He can only move a centimeter at a time—he really has no strength at all. His maimed legs drag uselessly behind him. More of a hindrance than anything.
Eiden rushes to his side. He kneels down and pulls him into his arms. Without thinking, he takes off his outer robe and drapes it over Edmond’s naked body. He wants to hide him from the cruel eyes of the diplomats. He wraps his robe around him tightly, covering everything he can.
Once again, a little bit of clarity flashes in Edmond’s unseeing eyes. He looks at Eiden and frowns. Confused. Too addled to understand what’s happening. But he doesn’t fight. He grunts softly and falls forward, dropping his head onto Eiden’s shoulder. Maybe his essence is responding to Eiden’s. Maybe he knows intrinsically that he can trust Eiden because of their connection. Hopefully he can feel the warmth from Eiden’s body and know that he is safe…
Or, most likely, he just passed out due to his injuries.
Eiden clutches Edmond to his chest. “It’s alright,” he whispers in his ear, hoping the others cannot hear. “It’s alright now.”
Edmond does not respond. He is unconscious. For now, they need to get him the hell out of here and tend to his wounds!
Pushing down his anger and sadness, Eiden scoops up Edmond and passes him to Morvay. “Take him home,” he tells his familiar. “Clean him, then get him settled in a spare bedroom.”
“Yes, Master.” Morvay takes Edmond and disappears in a cloud of smoke. He and Aster can teleport to the palace when necessary, only in extreme situations. This would certainly qualify!
The officials chuckle, drawing their own conclusions. “Hmm, I see, your majesty,” the magister snickers. “You certainly do work, ah, quickly.”
Eiden could punch this guy in the face. He really, really wants to—
Cracking his knuckles in a clenched fist, he swallows hard and says, “So. If there’s nothing else, then. I’ll be on my way.”
“One more thing.” The magister pulls out a small vial of shiny blue liquid. Essence glitters inside, especially when he shakes the bottle. “Our special love potion, your majesty. Please don’t leave without it.”
Oh, no. What is this now.
Eiden examines the vial closely. Sure enough, the liquid is the same sapphire color as Edmond’s essence. It gives off the same aura, too.
“You seem puzzled. Has the Grand Sorcerer never heard of the Light Territory’s signature love potion?”
Aster stalks forward, arms crossed. Unamused. “Allow me to explain, Master. Many years ago the Light Territory perfected a technique of using someone’s essence to create a very potent aphrodisiac. It is tailored specifically to the person whose essence was used. At certain doses, it will give the person mind-breaking ecstasy that will drive them insane. Permanently.”
He narrows his eyes. “If I remember correctly, magister, the Light king has outlawed the use of such potions because they border on mind control. Which is illegal in all the territories.”
The magister shrugs. “Laws come and go. Perhaps the king did make such a law, but what power does that really have? Especially for the new Grand Sorcerer, who can surely pass his own judgment in these matters! He is the rightful ruler now.”
“Certainly,” Aster replies stonily. “But it makes one wonder what other laws are conveniently disregarded within the Light Territory.”
The magister chuckles and says nothing.
Eiden hangs his head. His first impulse is to throw the potion to the ground and shatter it. Make it unusable. He would never use such a thing on Edmond! That’s disgusting and beyond insane. However, he’s worried that throwing the vial away might piss off these diplomats. He’s already about to start a fistfight in this fucking place, he doesn’t need more of a reason to do it!
Fist fighting is fine in his world, Eiden knows. It’s probably fine in this world too, which is controlled by violence. But he’s trying to spread the message that this new Grand Sorcerer is not like his predecessor. That he is reasonable, unbothered by fits of passion, and approachable.
That’s what he’s trying to do, anyway. It’s damn hard sometimes.
Letting out a puff of hot breath, Eiden puts the vial in his pocket. He’s wearing only his white polo now since he gave Edmond his robe. He probably looks like a weirdo.
That’s fine.
“Thank you for the…” It kills him to say this. “…gifts, magister. I admit it is difficult for me to understand some of the Light Territory’s customs. But given time, I hope to spread more unity between our kingdoms. Perhaps we can all come to appreciate the value of human life.”
That last comment is clearly meant as an insult. The magister perceives it. He bounces his eyebrows, then frowns.
He looks mad. “I never thought I would hear the Grand Sorcerer say such words. You are, without a doubt, unique.” He intentionally does not use any epithets this time.
Eiden brushes past him. Get the hell out of my face, he wants to say.
He doesn’t care about any of this anymore. He needs to get home and check on Edmond.
His husbands will know what to do, Eiden tells himself. He has no idea how to fix whatever the hell they did to Edmond, but his husbands will know. Between the seven of them, they are skilled at a number of different things. They will help.
He can’t wait to see them. His heart sort of aches, actually.
He grabs Aster by the elbow and leads him out. “Let’s go,” he says. He doesn’t bother to bid the diplomats goodbye or make any other comments. He needs to leave.
Now.
_______________________
Eiden’s purple steed is fast as hell. It’s not a regular horse, after all. It is strong enough to cross the breadth of Klein continent in a matter of hours. They can’t use Aster’s teleportation because they have to round up the remaining beasts skulking around the battlefield, including Aster’s precious wolves. They also need to take down their own hastily erected encampment and remove any traceable amount of magic. This way their essence cannot be put into the wrong hands.
Eiden works as fast as he can. When he’s finished, he runs his horse at full speed. Thinking only of Edmond and his husbands.
“That’s a nice sex slave you acquired today,” Aster comments, clutching Eiden’s stomach so he doesn’t fall off the horse. “What do you think you’ll do with him, Master?”
“I don’t know,” Eiden answers honestly. “But I’ll figure it out.”
Aster hums a quiet laugh. “Of course, Master. I’m sure you will.”