Chapter 27: Options
Frey sensed that something was wrong as soon as the door clicked shut behind him. A man was standing inside, his back towards Frey. Without looking at him, the man said, "Come in. Take a seat."
Frey lingered by the doorway, not quite sure why he was feeling this uneasy.
"Come inside," the man repeated without turning around. "Take a seat."
"Who are you?" Frey asked, an inexplicable sliver of fear inching its way into his heart. "What do you want from me?"
The man sighed. "Not too trusting, are you?"
"Just cautious," said Frey, already shuffling away carefully, intending to get back to the other side where he knew Shinou was waiting. At least he felt safer with the other man.
"Fine," said the mysterious man, finally twisting around to face Frey. "We finally meet, Frey Lombard."
Frey stared. This man was…dead. He just knew it, because there couldn't be any way that a man with a visibly broken neck could be alive… Frey stepped back, repulsed at the sickly color of the man's skin, disgusted at his empty, lifeless eyes…
"So, ready to lose your memories?" the man asked pleasantly, oblivious to Frey's reaction.
Frey swallowed hard. "Are…are you supposed to look like that?"
The man looked down at himself, head flopping uselessly. "Yes, I know what you mean. I look disgusting, don't I?" Then without waiting for a response, he went on, "Not my fault. This guy just wouldn't let me use his body without a struggle, so…" – he mimed choking a person with both hands – "…I didn't have much choice."
"Wait, 'his body'?" Frey clarified. "You're possessing a dead guy's body?"
After everything he'd been through, it was easy enough to ask that question without flinching at how illogical it sounded. He suddenly realized that he was getting used to this bizarre world of the Crypt of Souls far more quickly than he'd previously imagined.
Frey asked, curiosity eclipsing all his fears, "Who are you? Are you even supposed to be here?"
"My name is Weisser," said the man, stepping closer to Frey. "And no, I am not supposed to be here. In fact, I am not allowed. So I'd appreciate it if you would not alert anybody that I'm here."
Frey's first instinct was to get away, but then on second thought, it wasn't as if he had anything more to fear at this point. He was already dead. What harm could the man do to him? He started to relax.
"What do you want then?"
The man who identified himself as Weisser smiled – or at least his facial muscles twitched slightly, showing a row of yellowish teeth. "I come with a message and a warning."
A message? A warning? Frey raised an eyebrow, very much intrigued. "From whom?"
Weisser answered, watching Frey's face intently, "From Ryuu."
Frey's eyes narrowed at the mention of his murderer. "You know Ryuu? How—?"
"He asked me to tell you," the man continued, cutting him short, "that the Crypt lied to you."
"What?"
"The Crypt lied," Weisser repeated somberly. "They all lied."
Water…
That was the first thing that Yuuri became aware of as he slowly ascended into consciousness. He sat up gingerly, liquid sputtering out of his mouth. He was freezing.
He looked up. The sky was dark, save for a few twinkling stars scattered like dust across the black horizon…
Wait a minute. Stars?
Yuuri looked around. He was in a fountain. In the…park.
He blinked, unable to believe what he was seeing. He was…
…back on Earth.
He groaned. How did this happen?
"Yuuri!" Shori materialized out of the dark. "Thank god!"
Beside his brother, Murata appeared, peering anxiously down at him. "Shibuya, are you okay?"
Yuuri stood up, clambering to get out of the freezing water. "I…I guess…What happened?"
Shori reached out to help him. "I'm not quite sure. I remember running after Ryuu and then everything became so bright, then dark…then the next thing I knew, I was on a park bench, over there." He paused, suddenly eyeing Yuuri critically. "And speaking of that, what were you thinking back there? Why the hell did you interfere—?"
"You were out of control," Yuuri replied, trying without much success to squeeze the water out of his clothes. "You could have hit Wolfram—"
"—who deserved it entirely," Shori declared. "You saw everything, Yuuri. He was on the enemy's side."
"He's…he's not…"
"Then how do you explain—?"
"I don't know okay?" Yuuri cried, frustrated. "But there must be an explanation."
Shori wasn't about to drop the matter. "He betrayed you: that was clear to me. For all we know, he might be the reason why we ended back here on Earth." Murata cleared his throat at that point, prompting both Shori and Yuuri to turn to him. "What?"
"Actually," the sage began in a pacifying tone, "I think it was your fault, both of you. With all those maryoku released all at once, I think you created a tear in the portal. And thus, here we are."
Yuuri didn't comment, instead wrapping his arms around his torso to stop himself from shaking. Shori noticed his state and he sighed. "Come on. Let's go home. We'll all get sick at this rate."
"N-No. We need to go back."
Murata shook his head. "Unfortunately, I don't think we can. The portal is still unstable. If we cross now, we might end up somewhere else…or some time else."
Yuuri frowned. "Can't you do something about that? You can at least talk to Shinou…" Both Shori and Murata exchanged grim looks at the mention of the Original King, and Yuuri instantly knew that there was something that he should know about. "What is it?"
It was his brother who answered, "Er…Shinou has defected…"
"What do you mean 'defected'?"
"He meant," answered Murata, his expression suddenly unreadable, "that Shinou is on Ryuu's side."
"What?" Yuuri asked, bewildered. "When did this happen? How? Why?"
"It's…difficult to explain right now," Murata said. "Your brother has a point. We need to go someplace safe to rest. We have a lot of things to tell you."
Yuuri wanted to protest, but Shori headed him off. "Yuuri," his brother said sternly, "we can't do anything today. You heard your friend. If we attempt to cross now, we might end up miles away from Shin Makoku…or worse, years later. And with Shinou watching the portal…well, we have to plan our return carefully. We have to wait."
Yuuri turned to Murata. "For how long exactly?"
The sage answered after a short pause, "Twelve hours should be enough…"
"Twelve? That's half a day! That could mean weeks in Shin Makoku!"
"We don't have a choice!" Murata replied, voice rising. "Look, I don't like this any more than you do, so don't act like you're the only one who wants to return so badly."
"I…" Yuuri hesitated, not entirely used to seeing Murata lose his composure. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about the others…"
"They'll be fine," Shori interceded. "That's settled then. Come on, Yuuri. I'll try to see if I can call home and tell them that we're coming. We need to tell mom that we have guests or we'll have to listen to her complaining all night about the lack of notice—"
"Guests?" Yuuri repeated, confused. "You mean, somebody else came with us?"
"Yes," his brother replied. "Which reminds me, we need to call Dr. Rodriguez. I patched him up as best as I could, but I need somebody to take a second look. We can't bring him to a hospital though. With those wounds, somebody's bound to call the police, and the last thing we need right now is attention."
"Who—?" Yuuri started to ask, but then from a distance, he saw four people standing beneath a street lamp, clothes also soaking wet, looking absolutely out of place in a modern, Japanese park.
He immediately recognized Conrad and Yozak – the former from his bloodstained brown uniform, and the latter from his brightly-colored hair. But between the two men, there were two more familiar faces – definitely the last persons in the world that Yuuri would have brought to Earth with him if given the choice.
Damien Schwarz and Saralegui looked up at him expectantly.
Yuuri had to suppress a groan of frustration. This was going to be the longest twelve hours of his life.
Where her two sons were concerned, Shibuya Miko had gotten used to strange and impossible situations. In fact, she thrived on those bizarre, difficult-to-explain occurrences – the sudden disappearances, the weird calls in the middle of the night, several gorgeous, naked men materializing in the bathroom…
Miko reveled in everything. This was all she had expected and more when she'd married an Earth Mazoku and had given birth to two boys who were meant to be the rulers of the demon race.
Miko waited at the porch, excitement oozing out of her pores. Her first son, Sho-chan, had just called to say that he'd just arrived from the other world with Yuu-chan and some visitors. Miko had actually started to scold her sons for making her worry for the past days. Didn't they realize that both of them were gone for an entire week? And Yuu-chan had broken his promise, too.
Miko wasn't going to forgive them that easily.
But then Sho-chan said the magic words. Visitors. From the other world. Miko was so delighted at the news that she forgot to be mad anymore.
Thirty minutes had passed since that call. Sho-chan, Yuu-chan and their friends should be arriving soon. And right on the dot, she saw a group of people approaching the gate.
"Sho-chan! Yuu-chan!" Miko squealed as her sons emerged, looking both grim and weary. "And Ken-chan too!"
Ken-chan smiled at her. "Sorry for the intrusion, Mama-san."
"Not at all," Miko gushed, turning her eyes to the visitors. Her enthusiasm level skyrocketed when she recognized Conrad. "Conrad-san! I was really hoping to see you too! When Sho-chan said that they were bringing visitors, I hoped that you'd be—"
"Mother," Sho-chan interrupted, placing a restraining hand on her shoulder as she was about to jump and fling her arms around Conrad's neck. "They all need to rest. Have you called Dr. Rodriguez like I asked you too?"
"Yes, of course," said Miko. "But why…?"
Finally, her eyes caught up with her brain. Thrilled as she was at the sight of her sons and the visitors, Miko realized that every single one was wet, injured, and exhausted. They all looked like they had come from a…battle.
"You boys haven't been fighting, have you?" Miko asked reproachfully. "What did Mama tell you about—"
"Relax Mom," said Yuu-chan, speaking for the first time. "We're fine. Can we please go inside now?"
Miko was about to argue, but there was something in her youngest son's eyes that made her hesitate. In the end, she nodded and ushered everybody inside the house.
There were three new faces, Miko noted. Another tall, handsome man with bright orange hair was assisting Conrad, who looked worse than expected under the fluorescent lamps' glare. There was a long-haired, blond boy with a smiling face and curious, cat-like eyes. Then there was another boy with short, brown hair and warm hazel eyes, who looked extremely uncomfortable as he followed everybody else to the sitting room.
Miko watched them all enter, realizing as she did so that she was missing somebody. She asked, "Yuu-chan? Isn't Wolf-chan with you?"
Everybody stopped, exchanging weird glances with one another. Her youngest son seemed to be biting his lip, before answering, "Wolfram is…busy."
"Oh," Miko remarked. "And I was looking forward to showing him those photos I took of everyone the last time they were here…"
"Mother," said Sho-chan quietly. "Can we not talk about that now?"
"But—"
"Mother—!"
"Don't worry, Mom," said Yuu-chan in a placating tone. "I'll bring Wolfram next time. That's a promise."
Miko felt as if there was something more to that promise. At least after uttering that, everybody was gaping at Yuu-chan with varying expressions – Conrad looked like he expected that all along; the orange-haired guy beside him looked relieved; the beautiful, blond boy looked endlessly amused, while the brown-haired one looked a bit envious. Ken-chan was smiling, but Sho-chan looked on with displeasure.
"I'm sorry about this," continued Yuu-chan, seemingly impervious to all the looks that was being directed at him. "Do we have extra clothes, Mom? These guys need to get changed."
"Yes, of course," answered Miko, suddenly realizing that she was being an awful host. "Yes…yes…everybody rest and don't worry about a thing. I'll take care of everything, okay?"
And she rushed off, her mind suddenly filled with a ton of different things that she needed to do for her weird sons and their even weirder guests.
"Everybody's settled," said Shori as he entered Yuuri's room. "Conrad will be fine. Everybody else will live. Pretty Boy wasn't even wounded at all."
From his seat by the study table, Murata smiled. "You sound disappointed. Lord Saralegui is on our side, you know – at least for now."
Shori rolled his eyes. His brother's choice of companions never ceased to confuse and exasperate him. Shori just couldn't understand how his little brother could still stand to be with that Saralegui after everything that that boy had done. Forgiving him was one thing, but remaining friends with him was like treading across a tightrope – dangerous and extremely unwise. Yuuri was just too kind and tolerant for his own good.
"Where is Yuuri?"
Murata gestured with his head towards the bathroom. "In there. Maybe drowning his sorrows in the hot water…"
Shori took his seat on the bed. "He better not be attempting to go back without us…"
"Shibuya's not stupid. And besides, I dropped him a line a while ago that he might never see Lord von Bielefeld again if he messes with the portal before it stabilizes."
At the mention of Wolfram, Shori's brows creased with confusion, remembering Yuuri's declaration a moment back. He asked, "And what do you make of him? You saw what I saw. He defended Ryuu. Do you think Yuuri is right for still trusting that guy?"
"That guy," replied the sage with another smile, "happens to be your brother's fiancé. And I think that Shibuya has very good instincts. If you don't trust Lord von Bielefeld, then at least trust your brother."
Shori snorted at that. "I think he's making a fool out of himself."
"Why do you say that?"
"You saw what I saw," Shori repeated. "The way that Wolfram rushed out to Ryuu's aid. Wolfram has feelings for that guy."
"That is indeed odd," said the sage thoughtfully. "It didn't look like Lord von Bielefeld was being controlled, and he looked genuinely reluctant when he fought Shibuya…but still, that doesn't make sense. For one, when did Lord von Bielefeld meet Ryuu?"
"Ryuu said that Wolfram knew him," a voice answered. Shori and Murata turned to find Yuuri standing by the bathroom door, wiping his head with a towel. The look on his face suggested that he'd been there listening for quite some time.
"Yuuri…"
Yuuri continued as he walked past them to the closet to scrounge for something to wear, "Ryuu said that Wolfram just forgot, but that he must be starting to remember. He said that he'll do everything to get Wolfram back."
"When did he say this?" asked Shori.
"When we interrogated him. He was very nearly bragging about how much he knew about Wolfram." Yuuri paused, taking the moment to put on his clothes, then he added as an afterthought, "And me."
Shori shared a look of perplexity with Murata. "You? What does he know about you?"
Yuuri shrugged. "I don't know. And he wouldn't tell us." He plopped down wearily on the floor. "So…care to explain what has been happening to the both of you? Where have you been?" He suddenly raised his voice, "And you can come in Yozak. There is no need to spy on us."
"What…?" Shori's head swiveled towards the door, which opened and admitted a sheepish Yozak.
"Sorry about that Kiddo," the spy said, scratching the back of his head. "I should have known that you wouldn't start without us."
Conrad, now able to walk on his own, entered too. "We'd also like to know what is going on, Yuuri."
Two more people followed them inside, and it was clear from Saralegui and Damien's faces that they wanted to be included in the discussion too.
"So," said Murata, watching the people file into the room. "Who wants to start?"
Yuuri stared around him. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected to see such a varied collection of people lounging inside his room.
Shori had pulled out some more chairs from outside in order to accommodate Saralegui, who didn't look too keen about sitting on the floor, and Conrad, who looked like he'd collapse any moment soon. His older brother returned to his spot on the bed afterwards, while Damien and Yozak both made themselves comfortable on the floor.
Nobody spoke for a moment. Then growing impatient at the silence, Yuuri said, "Shori, you go first."
Shori obeyed, albeit a bit grudgingly. "It started with a summons from Bob…"
Yuuri listened attentively to his brother's story. He listened as Shori recounted the mission Bob had given him, as he told them about the Earth Mazoku dying at the hands of three mysterious men, as Shori related how he went to Yuuri's school to follow a lead and about meeting Saiga Amane there—
At that Yuuri couldn't help but interrupt, "Saiga-san? So that's the trouble that she was talking about. But why didn't she tell me about meeting you?"
"Maybe because she – oh what am I talking about? – he didn't want you to find out," Shori replied.
"He?" Yuuri asked, mystified. "What do you mean by that?"
It was Murata who answered, "Saiga Amane is gone, Shibuya. The person that you met in Shin Makoku was an impersonator."
"But…that can't be possible," Yuuri protested, glaring at Murata accusingly. "I mean, she knows things that only Saiga-san could possibly know. You even confirmed—"
"I lied," the sage admitted. "I knew that she wasn't Saiga-san. But I just thought that I owe it to Shinou to—"
"Shinou-Heika?" Conrad cut in. "What does Shinou-Heika have to do with this?"
"Okay, we're going off course here," said Yuuri, raising his hands to stop everybody from talking all at once. "So Saiga-san isn't really Saiga-san. Can we settle that first?"
Shori nodded, picking up the thread of his story. "So I met Saiga at your school. She apparently witnessed another student being attacked and I believed her. Then I met her again at the hospital, when I was visiting Sawada…"
Yuuri straightened up, surprised. "Sawada-san? You mean Sawada Reiko-san? Our class representative? She was the student who was attacked?"
Shori nodded. "Last I saw her, she was still alive. Apparently, she heard something that she shouldn't have. Anyway, after we left the hospital, Ryuu and that wrestler guy – Tier – showed themselves, and well…I honestly thought that we were in danger. So we escaped." He paused to take a steadying breath. "I brought Saiga to Bob. And then, she revealed her true colors."
Everybody was silent, waiting for Shori to continue.
"His name is Weisser," Shori went on. "He said that he took control of Saiga's body so that he could gain my trust and eventually take him to Bob, and I was stupid enough to do just that. Ryuu and Tier followed us there. We didn't stand a chance against them." He paused once again, as if the next events were too difficult to verbalize. "We lost. Bob lost to Ryuu. And I accidentally opened a portal to Shin Makoku."
Everyone's eyes were still on Shori, all raptly listening.
"Bob died soon after. He used his last energy to send me to the other world. But when I got there, I found Shinou and Weisser talking. Weisser was telling Shinou that now was the time to prove that he was on their side. He ordered Shinou to send me away."
"And Shinou-Heika did?" asked Yozak incredulously.
Shori nodded. "I landed in Francia. But things were very tense right then, that Leila and Antoine-Heika cannot do much for me. I took Antoine-Heika hostage so that I could get out. Finally, I managed to make my way into a small village. That's where I met your friend."
Everybody turned to Murata.
The sage cleared his throat. "Well, from my end, I already sensed that things were off from that moment that Shibuya and I returned to Shin Makoku. I tried to talk to Shinou about it but he just dismissed my fears. That time that Ryuu and his companions entered the portal from Earth, I actually felt them crossing into the other world, but when I confronted Shinou, he wouldn't tell me anything."
"I thought that he only needed time to sort this out so I let him be," the sage went on. "But then, Weisser appeared. I recognized him even if he was using a different body. He told me that Shinou is actually helping them…" He glanced at Yuuri guiltily. "And I lied to you, Shibuya, because I wanted to give Shinou the opportunity to explain. But that day that I went to face him, he sent me away. And I ended up in that village, with your older brother."
All was silent after that. Yuuri looked around. Everybody seemed to be digesting everything that was said and revealed.
Finally, Yozak asked, "Er…so who is this Weisser exactly?"
Shori and Murata exchanged weary looks. It seemed as if between the two of them, this particular topic had already been milked dry. Still, the sage started to explain – about a place called the Crypt of Souls, about Weisser being a Soul Keeper, and about the rumors that Weisser had stolen a soul from the Crypt.
"We think that Ryuu is the aberrant soul that Weisser stole all those years ago," said the sage. "And with regard to that, we think that this plague that has been happening in the other world was actually Ryuu feeding on the souls of those victims. We also think that the Earth Mazoku who died here were murdered in the same way."
"Lord Greyheim!" Yozak put in suddenly. "I mean, Gisela said that he was dead before he fell to the ground, but there were no traces of injury. Do you think that this Ryuu guy also consumed his soul?"
"It's possible," Conrad said. "Lord Ryuu's room isn't far from where Lord Greyheim was found. But if that is so, then people were in fact being murdered right under our noses, all that time that Lord Ryuu was kept in the castle…"
"You couldn't have had any way of knowing," said Murata reasonably. "And even if you did, there is no way that you could have defeated Ryuu. A creature like him is extremely rare, so much so that there's only one sort of person who could truly defeat him, somebody called a—"
"—Soul Breaker."
Everybody stopped to gape at the person who had spoken. In his corner, Damien Schwarz had his arms around his knees, head turned to the side, eyes focused on a spot outside the window.
"Soul Breaker," intoned Damien with a faraway look on his face. "A being destined to destroy the soul of another being."
"How did you know that?" Yuuri asked suspiciously.
"Because…" Damien turned to meet his eyes, "…I think Wolfram is one."
All eyes were on him now, but Damien couldn't find it inside him to feel afraid or even a bit self-conscious. He sighed in resignation before proceeding to tell everyone – especially the Maou – all that he knew.
"Wolfram had been sick for quite some time now," he began. "The day that I took charge of him, he'd been having persistent nightmares, headaches, nausea…I thought at first that those were aftereffects of his injuries when he fought that first dragon, but then it got worse."
At the other side of the room, the Maou leaned forward, drinking in every word that left his lips.
Damien continued, "Wolf started hallucinating, and I found out later that it was almost always about the same person – Ryuu. I didn't know then what connection they could possibly have, but that night that you both fell out of the balcony, I went to see Ryuu…"
"And what did Ryuu say?" Shori prompted.
"He insinuated that he knew Wolfram. At least he referred to Wolf as an 'old friend.' I was confused then, because I knew perfectly well that Ryuu couldn't have met Wolfram before. But then there was something odd…"
"What's that?" the Maou asked.
"Well, remember that dragon rider who was captured all those weeks ago? I talked to him before he died, and he told me that Ryuu had been looking for someone. I know now that he'd been looking for Wolfram…"
Damien hesitated, not knowing how to push on with his story without sounding mentally incapacitated. It all sounded so plausible when Wolfram had told him…but right now…would the others believe him?
"Damien-san." The Maou was looking straight at him. "Please. I want to know what happened. I know that Wolfram went to you after that…that night. What did he tell you?"
Damien nodded, deciding to take his chances. If anybody would believe his extraordinary story, it would be the young, trusting Maou. "Wolfram told me that he'd been approached by that girl, the one you called Saiga. And this Saiga told Wolf that she could make his nightmares and visions go away. She said that…that those hallucinations were in fact memories – memories of who Wolfram had been in the past…"
"Interesting," remarked the Great Sage. "A past life…"
The Maou, on the other hand, frowned. "And Wolfram believed her?"
"Not at first. He even refused Saiga's offer."
"What offer?"
"Saiga told Wolfram that the only way to stop his hallucinations and nightmares is for him to regain those memories. She said that she'd give them to him, provided that Wolfram accomplishes three tasks for her." Damien paused to let that sink in, then went on, "But like I said, Wolf refused. But I think Saiga said something that pushed him over the edge, because the next time that Wolf came to talk to me, he said that he finally agreed to that girl's conditions."
"And I assume that's the time that Wolf decided to leave?" asked the Maou.
Damien nodded. "The first 'task' was for him to leave Shin Makoku. He asked me to go with him."
"Why you?" the Maou blurted out. "I mean, Wolfram could have asked me. Or anybody else for that matter."
Damien paused to consider a suitable response. How he would have loved to say that Wolfram preferred him more than the Maou, but he knew that that was far from the truth. He then settled on honesty. "Because Wolfram didn't want anything to happen to you. That night at the balcony, Wolf was in fact hallucinating again. He was seeing Ryuu…and he panicked. That was why he attacked you."
The Maou nodded, his eyes lighting up with comprehension. "What happened after you left Shin Makoku?"
"When we reached the boundaries, Wolfram started to regain the memories that Saiga promised."
"His past life?" asked the sage, looking extremely interested. Damien suddenly remembered that this was a person who was also haunted by the memories of the lives he'd led in the past. A person who could understand what Wolfram was currently going through.
"Yes," Damien affirmed. "In the past, Wolfram had apparently been a person named Frey Lombard. Ryuu was his…friend. But…well…from the way that Wolf talked about him, I had the impression that they were something more."
"Lovers?" the sage deduced, and Damien winced. He had long realized that that was a strong possibility but he didn't want to imagine Wolfram being with Ryuu in that manner. From the disturbed expression on the Maou's face, Damien knew that at least they were in agreement in that one thing. The sage continued, unmindful of their reactions, "That would certainly explain a lot of things…"
"And so what happened?" asked the Maou, wanting to change the topic.
Damien was more than willing to do so. "Well, it appears that Ryuu betrayed Frey. He murdered Frey's entire clan, and then went after Frey himself. It was much later that Frey learned of Ryuu's motives. Somebody from this Crypt of Souls that you guys mentioned earlier approached Frey to explain everything. He said the same thing – that Ryuu was an aberration, that he shouldn't continue to exist."
"And what is Wolf's – Frey's – role in this?"
Damien turned a bleak eye towards the Maou. "According to this somebody from the Crypt, Frey was created to destroy Ryuu – utterly and completely."
"In short, Frey was a Soul Breaker," the sage summed up. "Which means that Lord von Bielefeld is also one."
"So Ryuu tracked Frey's soul in this era…" Shori put in. "But…why…?"
"To dispose of him?" proposed Murata.
"Hang on," said the Maou. "Are you saying that Wolfram was meant to…to kill Ryuu? Then why did he save him just now?"
"Because he was ordered to," replied Damien simply. "That was his second task – to rescue Ryuu from the castle."
"I don't get this at all," the Maou argued. "If Wolfram remembered that he was given the duty to kill Ryuu, then why was he departing from that order?"
"Because he also remembered that he loved Ryuu?" Shori suggested dispassionately. "Maybe Wolfram – for whatever reason – retained some feelings for that guy."
"Either that, or he's confused about who he really is right now," said the Great Sage. "I, for one, could attest to how extremely bewildering it is to have somebody else's memories inside your head…even if that somebody was who you once were. It's difficult to reconcile everything with your present self. That's why memories are taken away from a person prior to his or her rebirth." He turned to Damien and asked, "So how did these memories end? How much did Lord von Bielefeld remember?"
"Up until Frey's death. In the end, Frey lost. Ryuu killed him."
"And you expect that there's more?" asked the sage.
"Wolfram believes that there's more," answered Damien. " At least Saiga led him to."
"But what more could he possibly remember after his death?" asked the sage softly, as if speaking to himself. "Nothing happens afterwards. Your soul only returns to the Crypt and…"
"And what, Murata?" the Maou demanded.
"Customarily, nothing else happens after a soul reaches the Crypt. But for Lord von Bielefeld's soul…maybe something did. Maybe something happened upon his return to the Crypt that they wanted him to remember."
"Unfortunately," Shori added, "only Wolfram could tell us that himself. I assume that since he completed his 'second task,' he'd be able to regain those memories?"
The question was directed at Damien, and he nodded to concur. "I guess so."
"But what is Ryuu really planning?" the Maou interjected. "If he killed Wolfram – or Frey or whoever he'd been in the past – is he also planning to do that again?"
That was a fair question, but nobody seemed to want to give an answer to that.
Finally, it was Saralegui who responded. "I think the answer depends on whether or not Lord Ryuu has feelings for Lord von Bielefeld. Assuming that he doesn't, then it would be safe to conclude that he'd certainly attempt to kill Lord von Bielefeld…again." He continued, seeming to enjoy the attention, "But if he does have feelings for him…then perhaps Lord Ryuu has a different motive entirely."
Damien rolled his eyes at Saralegui's pronouncements. "Ryuu doesn't care about anyone. I should know."
"Oh? So you'd prefer to think that your brother intends to murder Lord von Bielefeld?"
Damien seethed. "Don't you even dare suggest that I don't care about what happens to Wolfram—"
"I'm not suggesting anything of that sort," Saralegui replied significantly. "And I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we know exactly how you feel for Lord von Bielefeld. You didn't really make any effort to hide your affections for him."
"Sara…" said the Maou warningly, but Damien didn't know if he should feel relieved or more embarrassed at the demon king's intercession.
"I don't mean to offend anybody, Yuuri," Saralegui said. "I just wanted to tell Lord Damien that caring is overrated." He eyed Damien slyly. "You, for instance, never got far with that."
Damien flushed, all too aware of the meaning behind the Shou Shimaron king's words. He'd cared too much for Wolfram, but it wasn't enough for the boy to love him back.
"Also, I just meant to say that things aren't always what they seem," Saralegui continued. "I just think that there's something more to this story than what meets the eye."
Damien was eerily reminded of Wolfram's own words: 'It's just that…I feel as if there's something more…something that I just have to remember…If I could just remember…'
Something more…could there really be something more?
"If there is something more," the Maou said, breaking the silence, "only Wolfram could answer that now." The boy stood up, eyes glinting with determination. "I want to hear it from him and not from anybody else. I will bring Wolfram back."
The tone in the king's voice clearly indicated that the discussion was over, and the look he gave Damien at that point was a challenging one – one that said that he wouldn't back down.
Damien nearly smiled. At an earlier time, he would have taken the challenge without batting an eyelash – but things have changed. Damien knew that the time to fight had already passed him by. He'd taken his chances, but he'd lost all the same.
It was time to give up.
Time to let go.
Later in the night, Yuuri found himself in the kitchen table, a plate of untouched curry in front of him. After that small "meeting" inside his room, they were all forcibly summoned down to the dining area by his mother for a late meal. Yuuri couldn't decide whether he should be a tad embarrassed about the set-up. Besides, Saralegui and Damien – used to the luxuries of the royal court – might not be accustomed to such…meager…accommodations.
To his slight relief though, the two accepted the food offered to them with good grace. But then again, maybe they were just too hungry to care anymore.
As for Yuuri, his appetite still hadn't returned. Almost everyone had finished eating, and due to the lateness of the hour, had already gone to sleep. Which would explain why Yuuri was seated on the kitchen table all alone, staring into a plate of food which he should have consumed a long while ago.
Yozak had volunteered to keep him company, but as it turned out, the spy was more interested in 'sampling' the contents of the refrigerator – more specifically, the various brands of beer and alcohol that Yuuri's father had stashed there. A few drinks later, Conrad had barged in to haul Yozak away, leaving Yuuri some time alone to brood. But his moment of solitude didn't last for long.
"Couldn't sleep?"
Saralegui waltzed into the kitchen, pulling a chair and sitting opposite him.
Yuuri raised his eyebrows at the other king's appearance. It was odd to see Sara in such drab Earth clothes, so unlike his usual long, luxurious, almost-feminine outfits. He asked back, "Couldn't sleep either?"
Saralegui smiled. "I don't mind sleeping on the floor if that's what you're worried about."
"I'm sorry. I know that it's not what you're used to…"
"It doesn't matter," said Saralegui. "So…how are you holding up?"
It seemed like a century ago when the other king had asked him that same question, and back then, Yuuri had been angry about Wolfram's disappearance. It felt as if nothing had really changed since then. Wolfram was still gone, and if anything else, his fiancé's departure was worse this time around.
Because for the second time, Wolfram chose somebody else. For the second time, Wolfram didn't choose him.
"Yuuri?"
Yuuri gave a start, realizing that he hadn't answered Saralegui's question. "Er…I'm okay. Just…waiting."
"You actually plan to stay like this up until we return to your kingdom?" Saralegui asked. "You need to rest."
"I know," sighed Yuuri. "It's just that I…I can't…I can't stop thinking…"
"About…Lord von Bielefeld…?"
"Him," Yuuri agreed. "And everybody else…" He let out another sigh, pushing his plate away before verbalizing one of the things that was weighing heavily on his mind. "I just couldn't take it if…if I go back there and…and find that I don't have anything left to return to…"
Saralegui chuckled. "That's one thing that you should never worry about. A person like you will always have somebody waiting for him."
Yuuri didn't know exactly what the other king meant by that, but he took it as a compliment nonetheless. "Thank you," he said. "That's a really nice thing to say."
"A very nice thing to say actually," a sarcastic voice piped in. Yuuri turned to the doorway, only to find Damien standing there, arms crossed, face pinched with annoyance. The boy strode in, raising one eyebrow at Saralegui. "I never knew that you could be so sympathetic, my lord."
The formal speech sounded so strange and inappropriate, but then Yuuri guessed that Damien and Saralegui were still practically strangers to each other, and weren't likely to jump from that to being allies or friends just because of their present circumstances.
"Ah, you couldn't sleep either, my lord?" asked Saralegui, smiling. "Care to join us?"
"I was thirsty," said Damien sullenly. "I didn't mean to break into your little midnight rendezvous."
"We don't mind," Saralegui said, unfazed. Then still smiling, he grabbed a bottle from the middle of the table and poured the liquid into a waiting glass.
Halfway through the other king's action, Yuuri realized what the content of the bottle was, and he said, "Sara, that's—"
It was too late. Saralegui was offering the beer-filled glass to Damien. "Have a drink, my lord."
"Er, Damien-san, that's—"
"It's obviously not poisoned," said Saralegui with a challenging look in his eyes.
"I could see that," said Damien.
Yuuri tried once again to interrupt. "That's not water—"
Damien drank the contents in one gulp. But contrary to Yuuri's expectations, the boy didn't look disgusted. Instead, he looked rather…satiated. "This isn't water," Damien commented, plopping onto the seat at the head of the table so that he was facing both Yuuri and Saralegui.
Yuuri rolled his eyes. "That's beer. A sort of…wine in this world. Yozak had been drinking that."
"Wine huh?" said Damien, refilling his glass. "This would help…"
"You couldn't sleep either?" asked Saralegui.
Damien nodded, drinking. "I just couldn't stop thinking…"
Yuuri chuckled despite himself. "Join the club."
The idiom seemed to be lost in translation for the two boys looked at him, uncomprehending. Saralegui asked, "What's a club?"
Yuuri felt strange at the abrupt change of topic, but he answered just the same, "It's a group of people who bond together over something that they share in common, you know, like a sports or activity that they like doing…"
"So what do we have in common?"
Yuuri couldn't think of an answer to that, and from the bemused expression on Sara's face, he guessed that the other king couldn't come up with anything either. It was Damien who eventually replied, "We're all half-breeds. I'm half-Ryuzoku, you're half-Mazoku, and you're half-Shinzoku."
Yuuri gaped at the boy, wondering if the two glasses of beer that he'd consumed was enough to render him drunk. But Damien looked sober enough.
"That's one strange way of putting it."
Damien shrugged. "Well, it's true…"
Sara asked, a pensive look on his face, "So you finally admit it then? That you're a Ryuzoku?"
Damien averted his gaze to the ceiling, but after some thought, he looked back at Yuuri and Saralegui with a decidedly resolute air. "I am," he said. "Our family is one of the last remaining Ryuzoku clans. I had difficulty accepting what I am, especially after I saw what being a Ryuzoku did to my brother…" Damien glanced at Saralegui. "So I guess I owe you an apology. I didn't mean to call you a…a half-breed…before."
"But that is what I am," said Saralegui. "What we are. There is no escaping it."
"You're right," Damien acceded, refilling his glass and downing the contents in a single gulp.
They all fell silent for a moment, all wallowing in their own thoughts. And then without thinking, Yuuri reached out for a glass too. He had never drunk anything stronger than punch before, and he didn't particularly like the taste of alcohol, but what harm could a few glasses do?
"Can I ask you a question Damien-san?" he asked after downing his first glass. "About what happened to your family? I mean, if you don't mind telling us…?"
Damien hesitated, then seeming to make up his mind, he asked, "What do you want to know?"
Yuuri shifted uncomfortably. "Well, when we asked your brother about it, he admitted that he was the one who killed your parents. Is…is that true?"
The answer came quicker than expected. "Yes." Then Damien went on to elaborate how Ryuu had argued with the king and queen, how Damien had witnessed his own brother killing their parents…
Yuuri listened with interest. Then he followed-up with a curious, "But why didn't you tell anybody what really happened?"
"Because of my father," Damien answered. "He loved Ryuu more than he ever did me. Even as he lay there dying in front of me, he ordered me not to say anything…and I obeyed." The boy added defensively, pounding his glass on the table, "I mean, there wasn't anything to be done. It's not like somebody would believe me if I did. The whole kingdom adored Ryuu."
"And then you ran away?" asked Saralegui, also pouring himself a glass of beer.
"I didn't want to be king," replied Damien honestly. "If my uncle hadn't blackmailed me to come with him, I wouldn't have competed against you in the first place."
"But I assume you're back in the race?"
"I…I honestly don't know," said Damien. "I'd decided to retract my candidacy, but then Ryuu showed up. After that, I decided to push through with it. I just wanted to take the throne so that Ryuu wouldn't get it." He sighed miserably, taking another drink. "My uncle was right on this count. I don't have what it takes to run a country. I'm not like either of you."
Yuuri felt a slight bit of pity for the other boy at that self-deprecating comment. Rival or not, he could understand that feeling of worthlessness – the feeling that all your best efforts weren't good enough. "I don't think I'm doing that well, actually," he said, alcohol loosening his tongue, "I mean, look at Shin Makoku. We are nearly at war with three different countries."
"Just two," Saralegui corrected. "I signed the peace treaty, remember?"
"Well, I didn't really think that you were going to keep your word—" Yuuri bit his lip, but the words were already out.
There was a short silence. Then Saralegui started laughing. "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd actually have the sense to be wary of me."
"Er, is that a bad thing?" Yuuri asked sheepishly.
"No," Damien stated, smiling a little. "A little bit of doubt is always necessary. And with someone as ambitious as he is" – he jerked his head in Saralegui's direction – "you would do well to always bear that in mind."
It was Yuuri's turn to laugh. Glancing at Saralegui, he said, "Hey, you told me the same thing, remember?"
Saralegui nodded. "Yes, and you never listened."
"I'm sorry," said Yuuri, grinning. "But I choose to trust people rather than doubt them. That's sort of my thing."
"Then why didn't you trust me?" asked Damien unexpectedly.
Yuuri stopped. For a second, he didn't understand what the boy was talking about. And then he remembered. The night that Ryuu first barged into their lives, Damien had asked him not to let the man stay, but Yuuri hadn't paid any attention to the boy's warning. Now that he thought about it, would things be a lot different if he'd actually listened?
"Well?" Damien was waiting for a response.
Yuuri stammered, "Well…I was…er…you s-see…I was—"
"Jealous," Saralegui finished for him. Then seeing that Yuuri was about to protest, the Shou Shimaron king advised, "Save your breath. Even a child could discern your reactions."
"Fine," Yuuri muttered. "Yes, I was jealous. Happy now?" He sighed after a while and turned to Damien. "I guess I owe you an apology too, Damien-san. You were right. I shouldn't have allowed Ryuu to stay…"
"Maybe I just wasn't convincing enough," Damien said fairly. "And in retrospect, I guess I never gave you a reason to trust me."
"But I should have given you a chance…" said Yuuri, feeling the need to explain. "Sara is right. I was just jealous because you were too close to Wolfram. I mean, Wolf rarely likes anybody, much less be so openly fond of someone. He didn't like me immediately. It took him days to warm up to Greta…and then with you…" He fought hard to suppress the envy and resentment that rose to his throat. "He liked you. And he showed it."
"Well yes, but…you didn't have anything to worry about…" replied Damien, looking a bit confused. "You know that, right?"
"Of course he doesn't," Sara answered. "And what did you expect him to think when you disappeared with his fiancé?"
"But…there's nothing going on between Wolf and me," said Damien, staring Yuuri in the eyes. "It hurts to say this but…I was with him all this time, but he was always thinking of you. You should know that."
Yuuri nodded, throat too tight to speak. At the same time, he couldn't help but think how absolutely bizarre it was to be having this conversation with Damien Schwarz and Saralegui – both his rivals – the former with Wolfram, and the latter with politics. But there they all were – three partly-human beings, similar on one level, but vastly different in terms of everything else. Rivals and enemies at one point, but now seated around a table, talking and drinking like old friends.
"I never thought I'd be talking to the both of you like this," admitted Yuuri, drinking another glass of beer. He was feeling a bit light in the head already.
"Me neither," said Damien, "This is—"
"—surreal?" Sara finished. "It feels odd, doesn't it?"
"Odd but good," decided Yuuri.
Silence reigned for a moment. Then the conversation started once again, this time drifting to less emotionally-loaded topics. They talked about their lives in the royal court, comparing the traditions and customs of Shin Makoku, Dai Shimaron, and Shou Shimaron. Yuuri found that Damien was as astute as Saralegui when it came to political matters. At least the boy could express his ideas eloquently, and could even match Sara in a debate about policies and governance and philosophies…
After a minute, Yuuri was reduced to listening to the two boys discussing the merits of uniting Shou Shimaron and Dai Shimaron into the country that it once was. Unable to contribute anything to the discussion, Yuuri instead drank more and let his thoughts wander off. After a while, he started to feel dizzy. Was it the alcohol? He rested his head upon the table, feeling the exhaustion setting in at last.
Damien's and Saralegui's voices droned on in the background, and Yuuri let them be, feeling no need to insert himself in a conversation that he wasn't interested in. Besides, he felt that the two needed this time in order to at least begin to get to know the other…
"Yuuri?"
Yuuri ignored the voice, not wanting to be drawn back into the discussion.
"Is he asleep?"
Sara's voice came. "I think so. He's tired but he wouldn't admit it."
"He's a really strange one. For a Maou…"
There was a sound of clinking glasses. Then Yuuri heard Saralegui say jestingly, "We should do this more often even when we get back to our world."
"Sure," answered Damien slyly. "If you're not busy plotting of ways to expand your territory…"
"And if you're no longer busy moping about your tremendously tragic past…" Saralegui shot back.
"And if you're not too occupied trying to steal the throne…" Damien retorted.
"And if you're not too busy chasing after somebody else's fiancé…"
"And if you're no longer busy doing the same…"
Yuuri felt the heat rise to his face. He stayed still, pretending to be asleep. Then he heard Sara say silkily, "I don't follow you. What's that supposed to mean?"
"You," came Damien's response, "are a hypocrite."
"What?"
"Why can't you admit it? I've seen you looking at him. You want him."
"Lord von Bielefeld?" asked Saralegui. "Of course I don't."
Damien said, "I meant him. The Maou."
At that, Yuuri felt his face burn even more. He'd felt that sometimes, from the way that Sara looked at him…and for his part, he had – his heart thumped quickly at the memory – actually found Saralegui quite stunning. He was dazzled by the other king's beauty from the start, and once or twice, he had even entertained the idea of—
Yuuri stamped the thought before it could continue. Then he heard Sara ask, "Do I now?"
"Admit it."
Yuuri held his breath. What would Saralegui say to that? It was flattering to think that Sara would like him in a…romantic sort of way…but at the same time, it was also extremely…frightening.
To his relief, Sara replied with neither a yes nor a no. "Assuming that I do," he heard the other king say, "what exactly does that have to do with you?"
Damien's reply came as a complete surprise. "I want you to stop."
"Stop what?" Saralegui asked.
"Chasing after somebody else's fiancé."
Yuuri felt dazed at that, but then Sara's response surprised him even more.
"You sound bitter. Jealous that of the two of us, I get to have a chance?"
Damien snorted. "A chance? You're no better than I am, chasing after somebody who is already in love with someone else."
"That might be the case," replied Saralegui, "but there is a difference, you understand, between your case and mine."
"A difference?"
"The difference is that at least, Yuuri sees me as an option, while Lord von Bielefeld never saw you as one."
'Did I?' Yuuri asked himself internally. Did he really see Saralegui as an – what was the word he used? – option? Sure, he liked him…before. But now…
"The Maou loves Wolfram," said Damien. "And Wolfram loves him back."
Yuuri was hardly breathing at all. The conversation was now becoming too uncomfortable that he felt like he couldn't continue pretending to be asleep any longer.
"If that is true," said Saralegui, "then why does Lord von Bielefeld look at Lord Ryuu – your brother – in that manner? You've seen it too, haven't you, the way they looked at each other? The way he went running to Lord Ryuu when he was hurt? Obviously, Lord von Bielefeld sees your brother," Saralegui paused for effect, "as an option."
His words seemed to pierce Damien, for the boy took a moment to reply. When his voice came, he sounded angry but firm. "Then if Wolfram chooses him, I would have nothing more to say. But for as long as the Maou remains to be an option," – he sneered at the word – "for Wolfram, I don't want you in the way."
"I didn't realize that you've given up on Lord von Bielefeld," answered Sara curiously. "It's quite noble of you to ensure his happiness even after he has rejected you…"
Yuuri couldn't help but agree to that, and for the first time, he understood why Wolfram liked Damien in the first place. He suddenly felt guilty for being less than warm and welcoming to Damien Schwarz when the boy had first arrived in Shin Makoku.
"Because I love him," Damien declared, startling Yuuri from his thoughts. "And if you even profess to have the same feelings for the Maou, do the honorable thing and get out of their way."
Silence. Then Sara said, "I shall keep that in mind…my lord."
Damien huffed. Yuuri heard the sound of wood scraping against the floor, indicating that the boy must have pushed his chair back.
"I'm going to sleep," Damien said.
Sara said softly, "Good night, my lord."
Yuuri listened to the fading sounds of Damien's footsteps. Sara stayed with him for a few more minutes, and then Yuuri heard him standing up and walking away.
Alone now, Yuuri's mind started to whirl, his thoughts dwelling on Damien and Saralegui's recently-concluded conversation. Saralegui's feelings for him. Damien's feelings for Wolfram. Wolfram's feelings for Ryuu…
"Then if Wolfram chooses him, I would have nothing more to say."
Damien had said that. Damien would actually give Wolfram up if Wolfram chooses Ryuu…
Would he do the same? Could he…let Wolfram go?
Yuuri shook the thought off his mind. He had to talk to Wolfram. He had to go back. For the hundredth time, he fervently wished that time would pass quickly. Murata said that they had to wait for twelve hours. Glancing at the clock, Yuuri saw that there were seven hours more. He sighed. Seven more hours, and all he could for now was wait.
He closed his eyes, finally drifting off to sleep, his dreams filled with images of him and Wolfram together…
…always…
…inseparably…
A/N: I meant to include a "Story So Far" portion, but then I thought that it would be redundant, considering that everybody had started to talk about what had happened to them. I also meant to end this chapter with everyone returning to Shin Makoku, but then the marker at the bottom alerted me that this chapter was already 23 pages long, so I had to stop. Just think of this chapter as an interlude – a short rest after that rather heavy chapter, in preparation for the next.
By the way, I love all the reviews I received for the past chapter, so thanks to yuUrAm-.a.-riwOLf, yuuram2fangirl, Devil of My Family, Darkspider, Aella Antiope, Tyoushiro, Captara, ARandomWeirdo, and animekitty421 for sending their comments/reactions/suggestions.
I don't really have a fixed schedule for posting/updating, but I usually post during weekends – at least weekends here in my part of the world. And interesting suggestion – to have everyone see Ryuu and Frey's time together. Hmmm, perhaps something like that could happen… I also LOVE your theories, but I'm not going to say which one is closer to the truth. (Cue: maniacal laughter in the background).
Thanks for reading!
PS: Next chapter – tomorrow.
