It was the aroma of lilac Yuma smelt before he lay unconscious. It triggered memories in him that he had never ever before experienced. He could see flashes of images before him as if he were dying. He lay there breathless, weak and helpless. He didn't know what attacked him, everything happened so fast that before he knew it, he was already lying on the hard ground. The beating of his heart rang in his ears and as darkness slowly enveloped him he caught the sight of a thick blond hair shining against the rays of the sun. He couldn't see his face. It was all a blur. The rays of the sun that glistened behind the person pierced his eyes. Slowly but surely his consciousness was fading, yet the scent of lilac lingered and a soft voice whispered into his ear, the words that he never thought he would ever hear again.

"Edgar.."

He swallowed a lump on his throat and an image of his mother came to him. Her smile, oh so sweet, haunted him. And all at once all the emotions he bottled up inside came in an outburst. And then everything went dark.

The hands of the clock were making its usual round, it ticks as the second pass by and when it finally struck twelve the grand father's clock began to wail, its gears grinding against each other,

Dong dong dong

It made such an unearthly sound. It sounded more like a eulogy more than anything else that the birds aggressively flew away. The flapping of their wings for flight signified fear. The loud sound coming from the grandfather's clock reverberated through the hollow structures of the room pestering Yuuma to open his eyes. Its sound penetrated through his skin, to his muscles and then to the marrows of his bones. While his mind wandered about, it was still caged by the sound of the ancient clock. He woke up breathless. His brown eyes searched the room, his head hurt, he didn't know how he end up in such a luxurious place, with its high chandeliers and oaken furnitures. The curlicues engraved on the wooden couch and the tables were extravagant, he has never seen anything like it before. But despite such a splendid view, he felt nervous.

Yuuma tried to think about what had happened before he got there. He tried to recall what had happened before he were unconscious. What he can remember was that he entered the forbidden forest and tried to go to the abandoned castle where an elixir was said to be hidden. That elixir was a medical potion that could cure his mother's disease. The doctors were of no help, they did everything and what's left was this elixir. It was his only hope.

He went out of the room and tried to find the exit. But as he was walking through the hallways and checking the rooms, he felt that something was odd. Something was terribly odd. The ambiance inside the place was getting darker and darker, he felt that something lurked in the shadows. He hastened his pace and hoped with all his heart that he would be able to find the exit as soon as possible. While he was walking he saw a light coming through the door. He walked quickly and went inside the room thinking that maybe this could lead him to the exit. But to his surprise what he entered was someone's private chambers. Candles illuminated the room, some of them already half melted and some were already put out, the wicks were not taken out but just left there haphazardly. He saw someone sleeping on a bed and sauntered towards the sleeping figure. He sat beside him.

The aroma of lilac penetrated the room. It was the same scent he smelt before he passed out. The person lying there had thick blond hair. The same one he saw before everything went dark. But the sleeping figure had long lustrous blond hair that he wasn't sure if indeed the person was the same figure he saw just before he closed his eyes. The person's lashes were long and matted, his figure was lanky and his face gaunt. Yet despite of it all, his features were fine that it was no mistake that this person was comely if he could only open his eyes. His skin was as pallid as the statues he would usually pass by on the way home. He reached out to the person and touched his face. He was astonished at how cold the skin of the person was, that he couldn't help but hold his hand in his. But despite this astonishment at body temperature and the presence of the person he felt a deep kind of affection for him, an affection that he couldn't pin down. Yuuma sighed and withdrew his hand from the other's, leaving it to fall lifelessly against the blankets. He checked the latter's pulse and was mortified to find out that the blonde didn't have one. He was horrified and immediately withdrew himself from the bed. He turned on his heel and went for the door but to his utter disappointment, it was locked. He twisted the knob violently but it was no use. He was stuck there with the corpse. He went back to his place beside the corpse dejectedly and stared at the figure. The person was beautiful, that is a fact he couldn't deny. He was so handsome. He pondered on the possible time of death of the blond and decided that he should shout for help. It was impossible that there wouldn't be anyone there in the house since the rooms looked well maintained. He screamed at the top of his lungs but no one came, he didn't even hear something that would make him believe someone would be coming to his aid.

Yet with all the emotions bustling inside of him, his need to find the elixir, his need to find the exit and go back home safely fought inside his mind. The most important of which was to find the elixir, but first he needed to find the exit. He remembered one of the stories of his mother. It was odd but then he couldn't help but remember it, the tiny details of which seemed to haunt him and oppress him at the moment.

"She keeps on waiting forever doom to wait for all eternity for someone that will never return to her. And for that reason she has receded into a deep slumber.

The tale says that she will never again open her eyes to the morning light until that person comes to find her this time around.

Edgar, Edgar, Edgar, the only sweet name her lips would utter til the end of time."

Say his name. Bring him to life darling.

Yuuma stood there dumbfounded. He couldn't understand what was happening to him. There was something that whispers in his ear to say "his" name. But who was "he"? He was getting dizzy and his head was hurting like crazy but still the voice wouldn't stop. The voice lisped and echoed through his ears.

Say his name. Bring him to life darling.

He's been waiting for so long.

He covered his ears to stop drown out the voice. But still nothing, it wouldn't leave him be.

Edgar come to me.

The whispering of the all these voices that called out to him and the voice of his mother telling him the story were a cacophony in his ears. It echoed and echoed. It hurt him that he felt like his head was breaking. It was driving him crazy. He screamed because he could no longer take it and as a result of utter desperation he went to where the sleeping figure lay and then an irresistible force compelled him to remember all the memories he recalled when he was in the woods. He was heaving and sweat ran down his aghast face. Life faded from his cheeks. His world felt like it was spinning. The scent of lilac was strong. That he was able to focus his mind to it and get a grip of himself. Through concentrating all his energy to the scent he felt calm, the voices slowly faded away. The person who was before him became some sort of salvation. But then when he opened his eyes, and found himself leaning down the corpse, he was gripped by grief so strong that he felt his chest ache, tears filled his eyes. He felt the affection he felt towards the corpse before overwhelm him. The affection he felt for this person became something incomprehensible that he doesn't know what's happening to him any longer. He gazed at the sleeping figure and then the voices came to harass him again. His tears fell down the cheeks of the latter.

Come to me.

He caught a glimpse of the latter's lips and was gripped by an impulse to place his lips against the latter's thin ones. He closed his eyes and leaned in closer to kiss the person. He felt as if he was hypnotized, he had no control of his actions nor his mind. The strength of his emotions and the impulse to kiss the sleeping person was so strong that he couldn't fight it. Yet, the truth is deep in his heart he wanted this, he wanted to kiss him and say his name. For all along this what was raving in his heart the whole time he left his home village was to feel these lips, to touch these cold hands and hold this body. He forgot about the elixir, it was as if his mother's disease did not exist. He was meant to be in this place, he was meant to be with this person. Edgar... His mother's voice resonated through the depths of his soul saying the name "Edgar" over and over again. The name left a mark inside of him the moment it left his mother's lips. His mother always told him, it was a special name. It meant fortunate and powerful, it was a lovely name she said and he always felt more like "Edgar" than "Yuuma". The voices subsided, it was replaced by the sweet pounding of his heart. He felt like a child again resting against the bosom of his mother. But this kind of feeling he was experiencing was more than his affection for his mother, this was something greater. And more than anything else he wanted to plunge into this feeling and drown himself, it was that magnetic and seductive. The aroma of lilac filled his nostrils, he took in and allowed himself to be drawn in much closer. This scent always reminded him of autumn. It always reminded him of home.

"Shuu.."

His lips uttered a name he has never heard of before. It sounded right from his lips. It sounded sweet and precious. He exhaled and then kissed the sleeping figure. Nothing no longer mattered, it was as if an invisible force was guiding him to kiss the sleeping person. But what was more important was that he wanted this more than anything else. Just before their lips locked the blond opened his blue eyes. Those blue orbs gazed at Yumma in a stare that weighed centuries old. He closed it again savoring the reunion he has been waiting for all eternity, sealing it with a deep kiss.