(Y/n) found it amusing and slightly confusing that the King of Vethela was trailing behind her like a lost child. The blonde had somewhat of a guilty expression on his face as he clung to the younger girl, ignoring his duties to accompany her wherever. He didn't care if she went so much as a foot away from him, he traversed the small distance with a determined need to be near her.

His fragile state of mind was perhaps the reason that she had been overprotective of him. He could become clumsy in that mindset, tripping over even nothing at all. It was as if the blonde had descended back into being a child. Kazuki certainly thought so, gazing with great apprehension at his typically prideful and independent younger brother. He raised an eyebrow at the way that Rei hid behind the (h/c) haired girl as if he believed that his elder brother would harm him.

Ichiro didn't care one way or the other. He simply gazed ahead with a blank look in his eyes. Neither male was acting as what would be classified as normal, prompting the eldest of them to attempt putting what few puzzle pieces he had in his mind together. It didn't help that their great uncle was out of the picture under his suspicious yet undeniably self-inflicted disposal. But no one seemed to be able to answer the enigma of why he had done such a thing. It didn't add up, and neither did the new mindsets both of his younger brothers were taking. Granted, Rei's was likely only temporary, but it was still highly questionable.

"How has your morning been thus far?" Kazuki asked shyly, his cheeks becoming subtly pink as the younger girl's attention was placed on him, "I-I don't mean to intrude, I just - "

"It's been hard."

(Y/n)'s voice was hoarse and barely audible, her lips quivering as she spoke. The very sight broke the blonde's heart, his shoulders feeling heavy for prompting such a fearful expression. He knew she would have been out of sorts for seeing a corpse, but he hoped she would at least act somewhat normal. Perhaps it was a selfish thought, but he couldn't stand to see her like that. It was as if someone had stolen her light and purity from her.

"I," the male frowned, looking down at his lap, "I understand, but I'll be here. Please, feel free to rely on me. It's been too long since I've made myself useful to you."

The younger blonde gave a concerned look at the thought that the younger girl would rather rely on his older brother than him. Granted, he didn't think as he normally did, more concerned with being replaced than boasting off his attributes. It was almost pathetic at the contrast between his confident, capable self and his insecure, needy self. That being said, most people in the castle would have rather seen the latter than the former in him.

Nonetheless, Rei's timid self shuddered at the thought of having the (h/c) haired girl taken away from him. He curled his knees into his chest as he slid down the wall, his eyes occasionally darting up to the younger girl's hand. Truth be told, he didn't have enough confidence to even look at it for more than half a second let alone try and hold it. Thus, he resigned himself to the thoughts of being insignificant, hoping that some part of (Y/n) would cause her to pick him back up.

"That's kind of you," she said softly, still having a downtrodden tone in her voice, "but I just wanted to relax today."

The older male's brow twitched slightly before a frown appeared on his face. He had truly wanted to help her work through her fear. It had been something he was apt at, and he wanted to show her his helpfulness. In a last-minute attempt to stay with her, the male placed his hand on her cheek, staring into the vacant eyes she possessed. They frightened him. He may have enjoyed embracing her when she had first found his great uncle's corpse, but if she never returned to who she truly was, he would have lost another woman he loved. And though Moriko was only a temporary solution for his desire to be needed, it had still stung. He couldn't imagine it happening to someone he was genuinely alike with.

"Then," he paused, racking his mind for ideas, "would you be so kind as to help me?"

Again, the younger male buried his head in his knees. His paranoia wasn't just based off of nothing. He was well aware that the girl he had adored for so long was valuable in the eyes of most men, even some women. She was a beautiful soul that others strived to corrupt. The blonde was no exception. He tried to push her too far into his arms that she bounced back. Her poor heart must have been tormented by what he did.

The guilt had continually poured into his own torn apart heart. He had often wondered if she resented him for what he did or strived to run away from him. It wouldn't have been surprising. In fact, in some ways, he wanted the pain of being rejected by her. His body - even if in death - would have been suffering relentlessly at the thought of being despised by her. It would have been worse than anything else the world had to throw at him.

Even so, his eyes watered at the sight of the younger girl following his brother. But...it was far more painful when she turned back around in an attempt to pick him off of the ground. Her kind eyes softened as her hands locked on to his. His head snapped up with fear. It wasn't the fear that she would abandon him or tell him she loathed him. It was the fear that she would tell him she loved him.

"Let's go, Rei," she spoke softly, extended her hand out to him.

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he stared at her hands. He didn't want to accept he had forced her into loving him. It would have been on par with her rejecting him entirely or loving another. Rei only ever wanted someone to love him for who he was, not because they were forced into it or because they had no other choice. He wanted her to love all sides of him, including the part of him that craved the spilling of others' blood. It was the only reason he had put her through so much strife and hardship.

The blood, torture, and mental suffocation of any who stood in his way was never hidden from her. He had done all he could to ensure every part of him was portrayed to her, brought to light no matter how frightening it was. Despite the tears she shed out of horror for the things he did, he had to push himself to traumatize her. If she still loved him after that, it would be for real. She would never leave him.

There were so many times he wanted to collapse in front of her curled-up form and tell her he was so sorry for putting her through the agony. He wanted to comfort her and promise nothing would ever hurt her again. Whether it would be mentally or physically, even emotionally, he wanted her safe. Everything would be perfect, just as it was supposed to be, but at such a high price. A gamble. An all-or-nothing bet. So then...what was it for the cursed male? Life or death?

"Rei," the younger girl sighed, the blonde's heart racing to either his paradise or his end.

Then he felt it. The sheer confliction of his emotions tearing apart before crashing together into a splendor-filled supernova. It exploded within him, the very concept of overwhelming, paralyzing relief not even beginning to explain the feelings inside of him. Who cared about right and wrong when everything was directly there in front of you? The suffering he'd caused himself and mental torment was child's play.

Her arms weren't around him, comforting him in a manner no one else could. She wasn't kissing him in order to portray her deep feelings towards him. It wasn't a large gesture that made him weep like a child. But as she parted his legs and lifted up his head, guiding his arms around her, the world was different. Her head rested on his chest, her (h/c) locks sprawled across him as it draped down, yearning to reach the floor.

It had been so, so simple, yet it was his everything. She didn't do anything. No, she had him do it, and that was the difference between his life and death. That way, she trusted him, closed her eyes, even showed vulnerability to his cruel form. So capable of death, he could have brought it down upon her at any time, but no semblance of fear lingered in her fragile self. Close to breaking, perhaps, but strong by his side as he was by hers.

Music became plentiful, soaring through the air like pixies dancing on the wind. He saw them. They twisted and turned, dancing joyfully as they followed the song of the tune. The small creatures' wings tingled back and forth, little twitters escaping their small lips. Not quite giggles, not near chuckles, the twitters jingled like bells, only adding to the symphony of emotion rushing past the blonde's ears.

He saw them. They flowed from the now opened windows and to the (h/c) haired girl. They played with her hair, lifting it up and braiding it, intertwining flowers in between its strands. Joyful as a chuberic angel, they danced along her skin. Her eyes were closed, but they were there, tending to her as if she was some higher being. So gentle, they would never hurt her, singing her relaxing songs with the voice of a siren, their small fingers touching every nerve she had and imbuing tranquility as their beautiful eyes peered into everything she was with adoration.

Rei turned the younger girl's head towards himself, pressing a more than grateful kiss on her and tucking her into himself. He was done with the torment. It wasn't necessary. Only she was, and as long as she was with him, he was sated. She was at peace and peace was at her. That was all.

It seemed for the younger blonde that time had stopped, everything coming to fruition and more, but that wasn't the case. (Y/n) might have engaged in a bit of a small slumber, her mind and body halting altogether, but Kazuki witnessed everything with widened eyes. He couldn't move, he couldn't talk, he could barely even think. It was just...unbelievable. There, in front of him, something supernatural, magical, perhaps. He didn't know how to react. In fact, in some ways, it even frightened him.

Never before had he seen such an event occur with Rei, meaning it must have been the (h/c) haired girl who was the cause. But how? A feeling of unease bubbled back inside of him as he thought of his previous theory. It was sickening, and for the life of him, he refused it as harshly as he could. Magic wasn't real, it wasn't! Only the eternal flower could have used such a thing, and even then, she had been gone for thousands of years.

He stumbled back. His eyes shook in confusion and disgust in himself. As soon as he had it in him, he turned tail and ran. He had to figure out everything. From the strange and mysterious circumstances surrounding the younger girl to the scene he had just witnessed, something was clearly amiss. Seeming as Mica was no longer an option for information and Rei was in the middle of some delusional fantasy, the library was the only other option.

Kazuki felt his body become heavy as he ransacked through what he could find. There were plenty of history books, but they all said the same things when it came to the supernatural. Ezdia was a goddess of nature and protected the humans, killing the monsters that all sought to harm them. Sometime along the line, a powerful demon approached her and encased her in ice until the man she eventually had children with rescued her. For the most part, that was it.

There were some extra details or fables about some monsters and demons, but they were scarce and unreliable at best. That being said, the blonde was fearful, both of (Y/n) and what surrounded her. The thought crossed his mind once or twice that she may harm herself unintentionally. It had been said that Ezdia possessed such astounding power that she could hardly control it. Should his theory have been right about the younger girl's origins, it promised catastrophic things.

However, the information regarding Ezdia's powers appeared unlimited. As expected of a goddess, she could do practically anything. Legends spoke of her soothing effects on human beings and the forest, able to heal others or fill them with hope. She also had an affinity for charming animals and growing plants, always surrounded by a plethora of flora and fauna alike. That being said, it was common knowledge.

Since the day he was born, Kazuki had been bombarded with stories of his greatest ancestor's deeds and abilities. Of course, he had been interested in it, especially so when his mother teased he could have had some powers of his own. Rei and Ichiro had certainly loved believing that they were far more special than other people. On the other hand, Orion was never able to accept that. If he possessed great power, why had he been born so sickly? Nonetheless, all of that information had been readily available to the blonde, but it was simply normal, and not at all what he was looking for.

Sighing with immense frustration, the blonde threw another book to the floor, uncaring of the mess he made in the section of the considerably sized library. He had read over dozens of books at that point, all possessing nothing he needed to know. It was the same again and again, wearing down on his nerves. Finding that simply looking through the countless number of books that had Ezdia involved, he paced around in a circle, attempting to come up with some sort of keyword he could work off of.

Truth be told, Ezdia was not the only goddess that the country of Vethela possessed. Rather, there was an abundance of them, but she was, by far, the most prized and valued off all of them combined and multiplied by a hundred. In fact, depending on the origin of Ezdia's story, there were some regions that believed that the mage that rescued the goddess from the ice was the sun god, Khalo. Others thought that in a fit of jealousy over her worship, the god of winter, Rula, had sent a demon to kill her. Clearly, the range in stories didn't help the male find the solution he scoured for.

Over the years, the blonde had read almost every book about his lineage, his royal tutor being keen on showing him the power his bloodline possessed and their responsibility. If Kazuki had not read it, Rei had, far more obsessed with the idea he was a demigod than his older brothers ever were. The pride happened to go straight to his head, leading him to become boastful and overconfident.

The blonde snapped his fingers, an idea appearing in his mind. Much in the same way that certain regions believed different gods and beings were involved in the beginning of Ezdia's bloodline, others believed her reign was not over. The thought that the goddess was still very much alive or that she was destined to reincarnate in another were prominent across the land. As that was what troubled the blonde about the (h/c) haired girl, he would need to find a book about her reincarnation.

Perhaps there were ancient texts about prophecies. They weren't unheard of, but the probability of finding one would have been a challenge. If anything, they would have been under guard at all times of the day in a secure location. They perhaps would have been in the royal castle somewhere. Most likely, they would probably be located in the treasure room or the lineage hall. 

Then again, if it would be anywhere, it would be in Ezdia's shrine, but that was vehemently protected by the sun god's druids. The blonde wondered for a moment if Orion's father - the head of the sect - would have information regarding it. He had heard rumors about the artifacts they held there, so precious that only the truly devoted followers of Ezdia or the sun god could catch a glimpse. Even the royal family wasn't allowed there without proving their loyalty. So going there was completely out of the question. Kazuki shook his head, dismissing the thought from his head, and continued on.

Scanning along the titles of certain books, the blonde found only a few that might have proved to be useful. He scooped them in his arms and left to attempt and find something more historical. His nose was in the books for quite some time, many finding it odd how he seemed almost obsessed with the texts. However, no one said anything. It was only natural to be interested in one's family, past or present.

Again, the search turned up nothing. The books about reincarnation said nothing about Ezdia, herself, and nowhere was there any indication that a goddess could have undergone such a thing. Even the quest for finding historical documents turned up nothing. Perhaps they were in more detail than other books and far more reliable, but it didn't matter if they didn't say anything new.

Sighing, Kazuki threw his head back, laying down in the observatory. It was the only place he felt as if he could be alone with his thoughts. Thinking likely wouldn't do him any good, but if there was a chance, he wouldn't mind taking it. It wasn't as if it cost him anything, and the view was beautiful anyway.

The blonde stared up at the clear night sky. In Athain, he never would have gotten the chance to see it. Unlike Vethela, they did not care for nature nearly as much, their pollution levels over five times the amount. It wasn't that they weren't a clear nation. In comparison to other countries, they were relatively environmentally friendly, but Vethela was even more so. Strict regulations for companies and factories alike paved the way for clean and clear air, allowing such beautiful stars to be seen easily.

Unexpectedly, the sound of footsteps echoed through the empty room. The blonde had expected - or rather, wished - that it was (Y/n), there to see him after his long day of fruitless researching. It would have greatly lifted his mood, but it wasn't so. No, there was a young man that the blonde hadn't seen in his life. He wasn't a servant nor was he a noble, possessing attire that was far from modern. It appeared almost ancient but well-tended to. It placed Kazuki off guard as he studied the male, wondering who he could have been, especially when he began chuckling monotonously, holding his hand to his mouth with dull amusement.

"My, my, my. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes? I haven't seen you since you were a bawling little brat."