The very beats of my heart ached with the heat of detestation.

I did not wish to avenge anyone. I did not desire to rob them of their lives with the sheer satisfaction of doing so.

I just wanted them to stop.

Why won't they stop?

What was the joy of hearing the innocent scream in agony?

What was the pleasure of ending lives that had yet to flourish?

I did not understand.

I can never understand.

My hands trembled in front of me as my mind and heart were thrown in a cyclone of bedlam. I did not wish for anymore deaths, however; how can I be so sure of their surrender under clemency?

I wanted nothing more but to fight for the weak, for the mistreated, and for the people who had lost hope but wasn't there any other way other than ending them?

I shut my eyes tightly to relieve my eyes from the sight of the detained and the tortured.

"I am sorry..." I whispered.

I know how pain can be numbing. I did not want it on anyone else and yet I... What have I done?

I would never want to become the monsters I detest. Perhaps my leniency would cost me of an unsure future. Perhaps mercy was laughable in a world such as this one but I shall not take any offence to it for the world was overrun by fools.

I dismissed the spheres of water robbing the djinns of air but kept the bars of iron afloat and pointed at them. They were visibly weak from the suffocation and they slowly descended to the ground bearing no signs of malevolence. I orchestrated the waters to sweep through the fire relinquishing smoke from the relieved combustions and ended my term above.

The dawn of grieving set upon the village. The fairies that still carried a little bit of mental and emotional capability in them plus the other races that happened to stay used the bars of iron that I molded to contain the djinns inside. I have heard from them that djinns were weak against iron and steel and it was by luck that I happened to use them earlier.

An outbreak of wails came one after another as the living mourned for the dead. One distinct and loud cry magnetized us to the source and we found Ziru beside Guthrie who was visibly being consumed by fire from the inside as he faded slowly into ashes. Crowley was right beside Ziru having burns on his body and no other Sky Hoods were around them.

"Papa, please don't go! Don't leave me...Please... I have no one else to go back to," he whimpered and held tightly on Guthrie's hand.

Their short reunion was fate's way of organizing a final farewell.

"Taking that one baby boy home despite all the chiding I received was one thing I never regretted. It was the best decision I ever made..." Guthrie chuckled and cupped Ziru's cheek which was soaked with tears.

"Papa...Papa..." Ziru sobbed painfully and relentlessly.

"You will grow into a great man Ziru. You are brave and you are strong. Don't let my death stop you from growing. I will always be proud of you. No matter what they say...you'll always be my son," Guthrie continued before shifting his attention to Crowley. "Hey big man...take care of him...please take care of him..." Guthrie requested with a smile before his expression broke down into that of sadness and tears.

"No...You can't make me swear again. You're his father. You have to be there for him. You have to-"

Crowley's protests were severed when Guthrie intervened in a pleading way. "You know I don't have much time. Please promise me...I can't die knowing that I'll leave him alone at a young age..."

The hanuman bit his lip before shaking his head and grabbing the joint hands of Ziru and Guthrie with his own bigger one.

"I swear on my life that I will protect him and a hanuman never breaks a promise. You got the right beast for the job," he assured with his own eyes glistening with emotion yet his lips giving a grin of guarantee.

Guthrie pulled the hiccupping Ziru into one last hug before smiling with ease. "I will always be in the skies...You may not see me but I am there...One of these days we will see each other again and we will soar without falling..."

Ziru sobbed against his father and his body became limp as if he had given up pleading.

"I love you papa... I love you..." he hiccuped.

"I love you too... Ziru..."

With the last of his parts fading, Guthrie closed his eyes to rest and left to be with the skies. Ziru had ceased crying and fell silent while staring where his father once lay. Crowley pulled Ziru against his side to comfort him but the young boy was unresponsive.

"Oh kid...I'm so sorry..." Crowley murmured. "You're going to be fine. I'll take care of you from now on," he added.

Ziru wiped his eyes and stared blankly at the ground. Life was drained from his eyes and his spirits were low.

"My papa was a good man...How come the good gets to die and the bad gets to live?" he asked.

I knew that Ziru's question wasn't meant for me but his inquiry felt like a direct hit for my actions.

The lives of the innocent were not spared yet I became that person who spared the lives of the sordid.

"Fenris, was I wrong to have spared them?" I asked the wolf as we left Crowley and Ziru alone. "I did not desire anymore deaths yet what if my mercy would cost more innocent lives?"

"That is true," a young child spoke from behind us and we turned to see that the child was Kox. "There are two types of killers in this world-the merciless and the merciful. No matter how good your intentions are, you can never avoid hurting people."

"There must be a way to save people without hurting them," I responded and tilted my head in question.

Kox raised his eyes from the book and gazed at me as if he can actually see. "I believe you will do your best to search for that miracle, however; would you like me to tell you a secret?" he asked.

"Tell me," I deadpanned. His secrets seemed to be a premonition.

Kox's eyes went from me to Fenris and then back to his book. "The very last choice you will make will save the world but will cost a price of shattered hearts and broken souls."

I waited for more and hoped that he would elaborate what he had just said but that seemed to be it as he stayed silent.

If I shake him like a rattle would he give me more secrets?

Fenris whined in compaint and Kox shrugged.

"That's all I have. I'm just reading my lines from this book."

His revelation only left another mystery and confusion to the case. How can I know if he was being transparent with everything?

Garrison arrived and interrogated Kox for his knowledge about the djinns' discovery of the village.

"Oh Kox~ Can I have a word with you please? Because dear me I think I am in the mood for another secret..." Garrison chuckled.

"The book suddenly ran out of things to say, perhaps another time," Kox responded and attempted to walk away only to be grabbed and sweetly pulled against Garrison's slim body.

"Let's talk it over a glass of wine, shall we?" Garrison offered.

Kox winced. "Why would you ask a minor to drink with you?"

Garrison gracefully released a giggle and gave Kox back blows which were supposed to be mere friendly pats.

"You really don't expect me to believe that now do you?" Garrison asked and kept the sibylline child secured within his grasp. "Lucian good work. One of the djinns confessed that their families were held hostage by the right-handlers. They promised full surrender," he told us.

I did not know if it was right to feel this way but I was...relieved. If I had taken their lives then more children would had become orphans.

I looked at Fenris and petted the wolf's head. "Then what I did was alright?"

Fenris nodded enthusiastically which comforted my uncertainty and we began to go around in hopes of finding anyone who would need help.

The village was still in the chasm of the aftermath of loss and woe but those who were strong lent a shoulder for those people at the peak of their sorrow and despair.

I rested underneath a tree with Fenris right by my side. This disaster left me with a very heavy heart and the weeping of the grieving ones added another horrific shade to this place we live in.

But at the light of all of this, the world wasn't all conquered by evil and despair. There were still smiles. There was still laughter. People who carry with them the brightest light will shine them on people who were stuck at the very bottom of desolation.

There will be hellos there will be goodbyes and the latter could leave a scar to those who were left behind. But I wonder, how can one say goodbye without leaving a wound? Would people mourn for me if I were to become one with the skies?

"Saying goodbye is the hardest thing isn't it?" I asked Fenris and leaned back against the tree. "I hope there would not be a day where we'll say that to each other..." I murmured.

I feel rather sleepy.

I hope Fenris wouldn't mind if I doze off a bit.

Audible cracking of bones was heard from beside me as my consciousness gradually faded. I felt a hand gently pull me against a shoulder and I felt no threat nor discomfort from this. My eyes opened and worry etched to me when I realized that Fenris wasn't the one beside me anymore.

"Fenris?" I weakly called out.

"Fenris will be back but for now, I will accompany you," he murmured and caressed the side of my head with his warm hand.

"He's okay isn't he?" I persisted.

My voice may sound uncaring but if his fluffy paw even get the slightest of wounds, there will be consequences.

"He is safe..."he reassured and placed a gentle kiss on my head.

He did not seem to be lying...

"But, who are-" my head was firmly yet gently kept down when I attempted to gaze up.

"Don't look!" he hurriedly spoke.

Now that my head was cleared from drowsiness, I was able to get a grasp of the situation.

There was a man sitting beside me.

I did not know him but he seemed to be acquainted with Fenris.

He was naked.

"Why do you refuse?" I asked him.

The man tensed up and... Have I already gone over the fact that he was unclothed?

Should this really be what I should be focusing on when we were surrounded by death and despair?

My eyes trained down from his well-toned abdomen and got stuck at staring at his-

"You ju-just can't. No peeking," he stuttered out.

"Coming from a man who decided to sit beside me without a strip of clothing, that is very bold of you to say..." I deadpanned before pointing at his ling.

The man shrieked in his deep and playfully charming voice before covering his crotch with his hands giving me the opportunity to look at his face.

He had a light brown tousled short hair with defined features of sharpness on his jaw and nose. I drew my face closer to observe the tattoo under his eye. The tattoo was a crescent moon with its body made up of curls of what seemed to be clouds and a single star sat in between the open space.

The man jerked his face to the side and his tanned cheeks darkened when the tip of our noses almost touched. My eyes were then drawn to his golden ones and I had to cup both sides of his squared face to get a steady look.

"You have pretty eyes..." I murmured and drew closer causing his eyes to widen when our lips ghosted against each other.

And his body heat was perfect for cold nights. He would be a great addition to my bed.

"Will you come home with me?" I asked him.

"Wha-what?" he blurted out.

"Come home with me. You may stay on the bed and I'm very sure Fenris won't mind," I deadpanned.

I was determined to bring him home. Aniki won't mind if I brought a man home without his consent would he?

At this point the man in front of me was full-blown red and was only capable of stutters. I grasped both of his hands and sat on my knees.

"Warm my bed...Sleep with me every night," I told him and all of a sudden he lost consciousness.

Was it something I said?

I attempted to lift him up but his weight proved to be too much for my back.

I will just have to drag him back home.

But first... Exhaustion was really taking a toll on me.

I lied on top of the naked man and tucked myself under his chin. Fenris was still a better mattress. He said that he was a temporary replacement for the fluff of wolf but all this man was was a pack of muscles.

I felt two arms embrace me and a soft sigh escaped the man beneath me. Gradually, his soft breathing and racing heart escorted me through the woes of tribulations until I finally met with slumber and left the world for a little while.

Once I was awakened by Garrison, I felt myself hovering on top of Fenris' soft fur. I questioned myself if the man earlier was just a product of my imagination and exhuastion but he seemed so real to be just an illusion.

"What's the matter Lucian?" Garrison asked. I watched Fenris stretch his body and then looked around for the man with the moon on his face.

"I met a man and he had... Pretty eyes." I trailed off sparking Garrison's interest.

"Oh, is this the scent of love that makes my core excited?" he chirped.

Fenris yawned and his golden eyes instantly focused at me as he smiled through his pants. He also possessed the same set of eyes but I was a fool not to pay attention.

"What was he like?" Garrison asked.

I released a sigh in an attempt to relieve the manifesting dark clouds from not noticing the man's disappearance and answered him truthfully.

"Bare and big."

Garrison stumbled back and clenched the front of his shirt while fanning himself with his other hand.

"My heart cannot take this perfervid hit from such passionate and bold intimacy! Oh goodness me I should have known that you were a hotblooded young man. So soon so soon and under the witnessing eyes of this tree with this thick fog being your jury! Lucian you sly man."

I had no idea why Garrison was so high-spirited about this and I believe he had misunderstood something.

I just wanted another warm body.

...

...

...

"We'll keep the iron bars around them," the Chief (now having his chest bandaged) spoke and bowed with gratitude. "Thank you for coming Prince of Ancients. We owe you are life and loyalty."

"Simple Lucian is fine," I deadpanned before bowing down. "Please take care."

"We will send some scums once we arrive at our base," Garrison assured.

I peeked behind the Chief in search of Crowley and Ziru but they were not part of the crowd. Kox will be coming with us and we received no complaints from his side. He did say he wished to join us and his premonitions can be useful if he would just impart them a little earlier.

Since I used up the lake's water the Chief had to transport us himself. We surfaced back to a time of dusk with the pegacorn awaiting patiently with an anticipating Ziru and a displeased Crowley.

Ziru ran up to me and engulfed my lower half with an embrace and Garrison greeted them.

"In which path shall you trace your destiny?" he asked them causing Crowley to let out a rude and confused "Huh?" before stopping himself and shaking his head.

"Oh you mean where we're heading. I planned on going back to Xoba but this kid wants to come with Lucian."

Ziru looked up to me with a pleading gaze.

"Please let me come. You can leave Crowley behind if he's too stubborn to go."

"Hey warugaki!" Crowley snarled.

"We'll be happy to have you with us," Garrison approved.

"Yes, we have plenty of rooms," I deadpanned.

Our travel back home consisted of unending noise not because of the monsters that we had dealt along the way but because of Crowley's and Ziru's bickering.

"Ah... My belt," I suddenly remembered.

"Oh you meant this one?" Crowley drawled and pointed at the belt wrapped around his waist.

"Yes, that one."

How absent-minded of me.

"I found it lying around and thought it was fashionable, " Crowley said as he slammed a goblin's head to a rock.

"Now that it's on you it's pretty lame now..." Ziru drawled to Crowley's utter annoyance. The hanuman charged against Ziru who was agile on his feet.

"Why you little-"

"Now, what happened to a Hanuman's integrity?" Garrison asked.

"I'm not the first Hanuman who'll break it anyway!" Crowley snapped.

As we neared the hill concealing the hideout, Garrison had noticed something that made him stop us from walking any further.

I squinted my eyes and saw black puddles surrounding the hill in which I didn't remember being there before.

The earth rumbled beneath us and our eyes widened when hairy black tentacles shot out from the ground.

"Eyuck! It's hairy just like Crowley!"

"I'd strangle you if I wasn't so shock now..." Crowley whispered in awe.

The suckers of the tentacles projected metallic needles and the sways of the flexible limbs became excessively tumultuous.

"It's XII..." Garrison muttered grimly. "So the Higher Order finally made its move to take the youngest Prince back."

My jaw tightened and my heart pounded hard.

"I belong here," I spoke firmly. "There is no Prince for them to bring back."

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A/N: first part was emotional for me. Short chapter but took me hours. Haha