I welcomed the scent of blood as though I was a barbarian merely living for savage reasons. I wanted to keep inhaling blood's coppery scent and let it cascade down my throat as though it was an aromatic scent of herbs for treating one's soreness in the throat. I needed it to soothe me along with the darkness confined in this penitentiary because these elements kept me from my destructive thoughts.

A rough chuckle cracked out from my prisoner breaking the solemn membrane enveloping me. He rolled his limbless body in order to lie on his back and continuously mocked me with his joy.

"You remind me of myself..." he croaked out.

I winced from his comment and roughly threw the bar of metal on his face. If he didn't turn out to be this disgusting piece of waste I would have beem flattered by his comment.

"I am nothing like you."

Instead of groaning in pain like he usually did; he simply stared up with a smile on his lips.

"You know the one thing I regret not doing Lucius?" he asked me but I refused to participate in his game of questions.

He was just a screw up of a God.

When he realized that I wasn't going to answer his dying request for cooperation, he continued.

"It's not fighting for my right to claim my title to be your father—" he spoke and ended with a harsh cough.

I snorted and leaned against the bars of metal behind me. "Has dying so many times made you come up with this garbage of lies?"

Iltut scoffed and his eyes closed shut.

"I don't care if you believe me or not. I just thought that it was a waste. I wouldn't be experiencing this now if I just trained you under my belt," he stated before his smile became wider. "We could have enjoyed your brother...together."

A new wave of anger washed over me and four sharp metal poles pierced through his shoulders and waist. Iltut released a scream that wasn't even enough compensation from the pulsating rage running up and down my body. He raised his head to look at me with that sinister smile on him.

"You are a bastard child. Meria kept you away from me and because of that I swore revenge. So what's a better revenge than taking it up on your sweet little brother?"

His laughter pushed me into a void and I stared off with overwhelming emotions.

"Blood and flesh we are the same. I am proud of the man you have become, son."

I will never become like him.

I swear on my life.

"Váyasea la Mierda (Go fuck yourself!)" I snarled.

A longer and thicker pole emerged from the ceiling and ended his stories of detritus with one piercing drop.

Did he think that revealing our blood relation would change things? The only thing I feel about it was disbelief. My own mother let herself be used by this monster.

I did not notice my cessation of breathing which went along the line of silence given from his death until Aramatus appeared behind me.

"Master Lucius, Garrison and Lettuce just arrived. They would like to speak with you," he notified me.

I looked down upon Iltut's mangled body in disgust before turning away and walking out of the cell. Aramastus stared at the corpse and an amused hum came out of him.

"That looks great. What a work of art."

I lightly hit his temple with the side of my fist and shivers ran down my spine when his pupils narrowed into a red slit.

"Death is so beguiling, don't you think so too master?" he asked me.

I scowled at Aramastus and tapped his cheek with my knuckles. "Stop it, you creep me the fuck out."

His pupils returned to normal and he bowed at me. "Mi sori," he apologized.

I released a sigh and placed my hand on top of his head as I remembered how he was before he joined in with the Scums. It was selfish of me to take him away from what he desired the most but I couldn't bear to see his life end when he hadn't even lived it up to the fullest.

"Aramastus...Are you happy?" I asked him.

I had always shouted at him, ridiculed him, and was always harsh with my ways with him. There were occasions when it made me over think my actions and scolded myself for handling him so rudely because he frequently ended up doing what he knew best—taking lives.

"Why do you ask?"

I let my hand drop to my side and shrugged my shoulders. "I'm just curious if you ever regretted following me here," I replied.

"Master I didn't follow you here...you actually dragged me and forced me to treatment," he reminded causing me to feel embarrassed.

"Ah right...That's just because you're a dumbass," I scoffed.

"Of course, whatever you say," he responded causing me to glare at him.

"Are you mocking me?"

My conversation with Aramastus went on until we reached the meeting room with Laeroth, Ikesha, Garrison and Lettice already on their chairs.

"Yohoo Lucius!" Lettice greeted in her usual drunkenly way and waved at us. "Oh Aramastus, won't you date me?" she questioned and batted her eyes at him.

"I'm not interested in green leafy vegetables such as you," my subordinate responded causing the stentorian woman to pout.

"Hello to the both of you and welcome back," I greeted.

"It is so nice to be back indeed but with some gruesome news that we carry I doubt that you'd be very enthusiastic to welcome us," Garrison spoke.

"Speak," Ikesha commanded.

"The right-handlers have been engaging in nefarious activities to feed their parched lands. They have  succumbed in rapacity as they use the blood of the fairies as fertilizers to increase the rate of growth of their crops," Garrison informed us.

"That's nonsense. I have never heard of fairy blood that's able to accelerate crop growth," Laeroth commented.

"The right-handlers are still in alliance with the vampires aren't they?" Aramastus asked.

"You are correct," Ikesha answered.

"Regardless of that alliance, what are they doing in vampire territory slaughtering people who are under Vosredal rule?" Aramastus brought up and had us all intrigued for he had a rational point there. "Unless..." he trailed off.

All of us waited for the continuation and when a minute already passed by, I was at breaking point.

"Hey aren't you going to continue?!" I roared.

"Ah please wait a moment, my thought got stuck," he responded and made me hook my arm around his neck to strangle him.

"Don't start something you can't finish!" I scolded.

Ikesha snapped her fingers. "I can see where Aramastus is heading," she supported.

I let go of the idiot and focused my attention on Ikesha, who then, let another minute pass by without saying anything.

"Hey what is it?!" I asked giving her confusion.

"Oh, were you all waiting for me to speak up?"

"Obviously!" Lettice groaned.

"I'm sorry; I thought it would be rude of me to steal the words out of Aramastus' mouth."

"This is no time to be polite, out with it you two!" Laeroth urged.

"There is a God worshipped by the Vosredal Empire named Akros and it is said that a person's wish can be granted if you offer him blood," Aramastus said.

"But why fairies?" I asked.

"Akros' lover was a fairy but she left Akros for a vampire nobleman," Garrison spoke.

"A nobleman over a God well isn't she unwise?" Laeroth laughed.

"Akros' took in the form of a lumberjack and decided to test her loyalty to him. When she chose the nobleman over him, he became vengeful and put a curse on the entire vampire race and killed her."

"Aw..." Lettice cooed. "That's such a sweet and sappy romance!"

I was at awe at how ruthless things come out from these people's mouths.

"So let me get this straight: right-handlers are in Vosredal territory to sacrifice fairies to a God named Akros for food and the Vosredal Empire is permitting this. What's in it for the vampires?" I asked.

"We don't know. That's all the information we could gather," Garrison sighed.

"Whatever it is both Kingdoms need to be stopped," Ikesha sternly said.

"What do we do?" Lettice excitedly bounced on her seat.

"Tomorrow we evacuate the villages and give them a safe place to stay in," I told them. "I would assume that the villages are guarded so we do this operation first thing in the morning. We wouldn't want to face vampires at night where they can move freely."

"Good plan," Laeroth approved. "Let's spread the word. Gather the members Aramastus."

"Will do," he responded and disappeared.

"Oh Lucius, may I interact harmlessly with your brother?" Garrison asked. "I would like to test out the new colors I have created on his face. It would look marvelously on him!"

Shivers of worry caused the hairs on my arm to go up. "Those colors aren't from your victims' right?"

Garrison laughed elegantly. "Silly man, of course not! These are especially made for beauty and for the divine."

I sighed in relief. "Okay but don't force him to do things he doesn't want."

Lucian had become increasingly responsive today with the help of Fenris. Caleb didn't show himself and immediately withdrew to his wolf form once my brother awakened from his sleep. Lucian began to accept food and he started moving more. I have yet to hear his voice again but I was pleased that he was showing movements of affection towards his werewolf mate.

A huge part of me was envious that he was more amenable and responsive to Fenris. I guess there were just things that can be done more with a bond between mates.

Ah...I was honestly not ready to let him go. This was just too sudden. Maybe I should invite Caleb for a drink halfway across the world and leave him there until I was ready to surrender my brother to him.

After imparting the plan to the rest of the Scums, I walked back to my room with Lucian excited to see how Garrison colored his face. Lettice popped out beside me and planted a playful kiss on my cheek before shoving me against the wall and running off towards my room.

I swayed my head at her childish antics and decided to take a peek at them.

"Kindly please hand me that smaller brush?" Garrison asked and I found it funny that he made a huge and menacing werewolf to be his assistant in his hobby. I couldn't see much of Lucian because Garrison was in the way so I settled by just hearing them.

"You're so handsome!" Lettice cooed. "All the men in the neighborhood would be fawning over you."

Only if they survive before they could even lay their eyes on him.

"Oh I am very certain that no man can resist him in his enchanting spell," Garrison approved.

How can they show resistance if they will wound up dead?

"Any man would proudly introduce you as his other half," Lettice added.

The dead cannot show pride especially if they were on pieces.

"Lucius why don't you stop looking like an upset duck at the corner and come over here!" Lettice snorted and waved at me.

Shit I was caught.

I rubbed the back of my neck and entered the room with my head held high. I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Are you done?" I asked. Fenris was  assisting Garrison but he was facing the other way and wasn't allowed to peek.

"Just a moment and... there!" Garrison concluded before moving away to let us see.

A smile spread across my lips when I saw the additional colors he added on Lucian's face. He colored his eyelids with a matte blue shade with his cheeks mildly shaded with light pink. Fenris was pleased with the results as he wagged his tail rather eagerly and my brother stared at himself at the mirror showing no reaction.

I sauntered towards him, sat at the edge of the bed and admired his face. Garrison cleaned up his materials and Lettice got off the bed.

"Well then, if you excuse us. Lettice, it's your turn," Garrison said.

"Make my eyes look like they're on fire!" Lettice cheered.

"Let me torch them for you then."

As their voices faded I inched myself closer away from the edge and cleared my throat. "How are you feeling?" I asked him.

A few moments passed by and Lucian placed the mirror beside him before raising his eyes to meet mine.

"I want...out," he murmured.

"What?"

Lucian placed his hand on his chest and swiped his tongue in between his lips. "This room...I don't want to be here."

I grew increasingly worried for his discomfort. "Do you want to switch rooms?"

He swayed his head and leaned slightly forward. "No...I want to be outside," he spoke.

His voice showed no indication of any struggle and his face was always a blank page for me. I had no idea what was going through his head and I wished I understood him more so that I can do more for him.

"What are you feeling?" I asked him.

Lucian glided his hands to opposite shoulders and he embraced himself.

"Trapped...I feel trapped."

An immense pressure blew up inside of me but I kept it confined and managed to whisper a calm "Alright" to him.

"We will do that...You won't feel that appalling feeling anymore," I murmured and gently embraced him.

I kept swallowing down the abhorrence I felt for everything that had happened that I was incapable of preventing and I clenched my hands in a tight fist before opposing my rage with a gentle rise and a gentle smile.

"I'll be back. Keep resting," I told him.

I gave Fenris a nod and walked out of the room. When I was finally free from his senses, I stormed in the hallway and headed towards the prison ground to relieve what I was feeling. To my quick surprise, Ikesha was waiting for me in front of the stairs with a knowing look of disappointment.

"Stop this because nothing beneficial will come out of it," she scolded me.

"Get out of my way," I seethed.

"Let him go Lucius. The past can never be rewritten and you're only worsening things not only for you but also for your brother."

I slammed my fist at the wall and glared hard at her. "To forgive him would be a sin."

She crossed her arms in front of her and showed no sign of deterring. "We sin all the time but I'm not telling you to commit one just because you turned away. A Knight must know when the battle is over. He must know when to lay his sword so that no one else will get hurt by it."

The resistance in my chest grew. "I do this not because I'm a Knight fighting in a war, Ikesha. I stand before you not as a man who has a Knighthood to protect but as a man whose brother was wronged in ways unimaginable. So stop saying that this is war..." I trailed. "Because this is personal vengeance," I finished with a shaky smile on me which made Ikesha stare at me with wide eyes.

I brushed passed her but she stopped me again with one last statement. "If you continue to chase the past you are letting it play more roles in the present and because of that, how can you truly move on?"

"The past will always be a part of us, Ikesha. It follows us wherever we go and we carry it with us to our graves. In the end, as we use up our last breaths, the past is all we have to either make us crave for more time in the world or just accept death as it is."

I steeled my heart to any regrets and descended to my haven of relief. I sat at the bench in front of the cell which had the corpse of Iltut. He was already removed from the bars of metal and was surely done by Aramastus.

I leaned forward and rested my arms on my legs. My subordinate appeared beside me and he held out the wicket and the coin.

"Ikesha didn't seem very pleased with you Master," Aramastus commented.

"So you were eavesdropping again I see," I snorted.

"I will always be wherever Master is," he responded.

"Ah...creep," I chuckled. I didn't even have the energy to scold him.

"What you said made me think..." he confessed.

"About what?"

"What I was thinking when I attempted to end it all," he replied.

I leaned against the wall and crossed my leg over the other. "What were you thinking at that time?"

Aramastus tilted his head at the wicket as he stared at it. "No memory was worth occupying my mind at that time. I just kept on asking myself if I've really reached the end point of life and once I do it there's no turning back."

"So you were going to do it no matter what?" I asked him.

"I fantasized dying because she embraced death and chose it over me. She wanted death more than anything and because of that I was encouraged to follow her once the war ended."

Losing the purpose to live was a lethal thing. His sister was all he had left.

"So you were an idiot even before we met," I sighed. I knew that he loved his older sister a lot.

The Higher Order was to blame for all of this but his sister shouldn't have made that choice just to bring out the ruthlessness out of him.

"Are you still thinking of taking your own life?"

Aramastus handed me the wicket. "I still do but your little speech earlier had me thinking that I wasn't ready yet."

This got me alarmed. I had to keep a closer watch on this idiot from now on.

"Why so?"

"I'm still collecting memories to reminisce so until then please put my funeral on hold."

My lips slightly curled and I gave him strong pats to the back. "Who told you that we'll hold a funeral? We'll just throw you in the ocean and let the sea monsters deal with you."

"My master will put such effort for me? I don't think I can repay—"

"Shut up!" I growled and attempted to hit him but my fist met with air when the coward vanished and left the coin rolling towards the cell.

My mood dampened once I was left alone and I stood and walked inside. I picked up the coin that stopped right in front of Iltut and held it close to the wicket.

As I stared long and hard at his corpse and the wicket the more I realized that I shouldn't be doing this.

The wicket wasn't given to me for this purpose and I doubt that I would want to remember how I tortured Iltut before I die.

Doing all this was pointless. Instead of spending all my energy to make up for the lost time with my brother and giving him the care and love he missed out, I chose to stay cooped up in this place to reheat water that was no longer drinkable.

How can I be so stupid?

"Yamete Kudasai (Please stop)."

My eyes widened and I twirled around when I heard Lucian spoke behind me. He was holding against the bars of the cell as he stood on his wounded feet.

"What are you doing here?!" I yelled out of concern.

Lucian winced as the pain on his feet became unbearable and Fenris caught him as he fell backwards. I hurried out of the cell and lifted him up before placing him on the bench.

"How can you let him come here Fenris?" I scolded the wolf.

"It was not his fault. I forced myself to come here because I wanted to say goodbye," Lucian monotonously defended.

I knelt in front of him and questioned him. "Say goodbye to whom?"

Lucian raised his gaze and looked past me. He was referring to Iltut. Confusion rampaged inside of me and all I could ask him was:

"Why? Why would you risk seeing him again after all he has done to you?"

I didn't understand. I can never understand him.

Lucian pursed his lips. "Because I am tired of letting fear rule me. It is time for a new monarchy."

Comprehension and a profound realization pushed me to the boundary of control over my heart and mind again.

This was the same brat I busted out of the castle.

This was the same brat who barred himself from the world and kept himself in a void.

No... I guess it was foolish of me to say that he was the same brat.

He had grown even more.

If Lucian was ready then I had no right to be stuck. I should apologize to Ikesha later. I was inconsiderate and insensitive. I let myself get carried away.

I supported Lucian as he stood and bowed to his deceased past. I frankly did not know what Iltut's reaction would be but I wouldn't dare revive him just for that.

"Onii-chan, I am hungry," Lucian suddenly expressed out of nowhere.

"Hai hai, (Yes yes) I can't believe you have an appetite after seeing what's in here," I sighed.

My little brother was maturing so fast and I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to keep up.

"Fenris is very hungry too," he notified. "He specifically asked for a broccoli," he deadpanned causing the wolf to howl in agony.

"I doubt he can even articulate that vegetable..."

But even if he had the qualities of an adult now, he had his childish sides that I had the responsibility to spoil.

===================================================

A/N: Halu sorry for the late update. Let me now what you think.