"Open your eyes, I see. Your eyes are open"
Julius was laying down in peaceful darkness. Where he could stay within the corridors of darkness. He wasn't exactly in the afterlife, and he was half alive in this possessed state despite having no control over himself. He had gotten used to this, it was dark, peaceful, warm, and calming.
While he could see exactly what was going on within the perspective of Loptyr. He didn't want to look at everything around him. He wanted to fall into an eternal sleep. Where nothing and no one could bother him. Luckily for him, he always closed his eyes to see nothing but eternal darkness.
Although. He heard the voices of Seliph and Julia both fighting together to defeat the dark god. It made him calm, reassured, relieved, yet he wasn't sure why. He heard everything, and he was sure that Loptyr would be defeated once and for all.
'Naga..you brought ruin to me…yet again' The treacherous voice of Loptyr cried out as he felt this feeling of freedom appear within him.
'My lord brother. At long last Loptyr has been defeated.' he heard Julia cheer. 'Now you and I will be safe.'
Julius smiled. And opened his eyes, to see a glimpse of his sister's face once more. He was happy.
He felt the feeling of sleep go through him and took it in welcomely. Tired of the past, the present, and just wanting to whisk the future away. He closed his tired eyes as he felt the endless darkness envelop him.
He slept for a long while. But it felt so fast, time was fast-forwarding to him. He felt at peace. When he finally opened his eyes, a blinding light came over him. He was confused about what was going on. He squinted his eyes at the light before he felt himself losing consciousness again.
Can I still start anew?
Julius regained consciousness but everything was still dark to him. He felt trapped yet he wasn't sure why. But he started hearing things, voices.
"Do you think it worked?" The voice of a young man asked.
"I am sure it did. But he has yet to wake up." Said another man.
What was happening? Julius was confused, why could he hear people? He felt trapped again, he needed to see what was going on. All he could do was hear, and his eyes refused to open.
Wait.
He realized he could feel his body again. Which made him more bewildered. How was that even possible? He could feel everything happening within him. And it felt horrible, the position that his being must've been in upon his death.
It was then that he heard the voice of a young woman. She sounded soft and had a worrisome tome. That voice sounded so familiar until he recognized it all too well.
"Brother! Wake up please! I need to know if it worked!" The voice said. That was when he opened his eyes. He wished to see her again. He needed to see her again. When his vision finally returned he let out a raspy breath and coughed. He wasn't able to breathe this whole time, his oxygen ran low. He kept taking breaths, before he looked up and saw his sister, Julia.
It seemed that he had been resurrected, from what has to be the Valkyrie staff. But why? he thought. Why should I be the one to be resurrected? It's not right?. He shook his head
"Am I…alive again?" He asked with a low and tired voice. He looked at himself to make sure Loptyr wasn't possessing him. Before he looked up at Julia and said. "Julia, I…"
He was cut off from his own words by his sister hugging him, he felt her tears on his shoulder. "Welcome back my brother!" She cheers as she looks back into his eyes. "After all these years. I finally get to see you again." She smiles widely at him.
"Ah! Dear sister…I missed you so much.." He replies, tears welling up as he smiles back at her. Oh, how he longed to see her again, as himself.
He looks up to see a familiar figure. The one who fought off The Dark God and made sure it would never return. It was Seliph, the Scion of Light. Julius was not sure what to say to him, as he feels ashamed and regretful of his actions despite them not being under his control.
Julia seemed to already have introduced him. "Ah! Julius, this is our dear half brother Seliph. I am sure you two know each other already but. I felt like you guys needed a proper introduction, with the real you finally here and alive." She giggled. Her voice is as soft and sweet as always he thought.
"I… don't know what to say," Julius said to Seliph. "I guess… Thank you for defeating Loptyr? Or maybe thank you for bringing me back? I simply don't know."
Seliph nodded "I understand. You did kind of just came back from the dead after all. And I know that most of what you did to me was Loptyr's doing, so please, take all the time you need."
All he could do was nod and smile, he wasn't much of a talker, to begin with. Was Seliph always this understanding? He thought to himself. I'm glad I have a brother like that. He sighed happily, at least some people were supportive of him.
After some moments he tried his best to stand up, his legs were shaking as he did so. Before he ended up falling back to his knees, "A little help here?" He asked his sister. She nodded "Hehe of course!" and grabbed his hand so he could stand up.
As he stood up he saw two others. One holding a broken staff. That just has to be the broken Valkirye Staff. he thought before seeing the other person next to him who was talking to the other. They both caught a glance of Julius, the one with the staff showed relief and the other awkwardly smiled.
All he could do was wave at the two as he held on to Julia's hand. He wanted to walk over to them but was worried he might fall over again. So he stayed for a while before he got a hold of standing again.
Time had passed so quickly before she realized it was nightfall. Had it been night already? He couldn't even tell the time of day it was when he first came back.
"Julius. I think you need some rest" Julia said as she touched his cheek. "You're getting pale."
Julius looked over at Julia, now that he thought about it he was feeling lightheaded and dizzy after standing up. "Yes, I think that is the best option right now."
"Let me help you get to Belhalla. We have a few rooms to spare." She said with urgency.
"Please. Take me." He responded in between breaths, he was feeling like he was about to pass out at any moment. He was desperate to get some rest.
As soon as he said that he was immediately transported to Bellhala. He felt himself drop to the soft fluffy beds as Julia let go of him. It was so relaxing and he felt happiness and tranquility. And before he could even tell his sister goodnight - he fell right to sleep.
He awoke to the bright heat of the summer sun. He opened his eyes and looked around the room. So he was indeed alive. Seeing the nearby mirror he looked at himself, he looked the same as he did just as he died. His hair was messed up and in tangles, and his clothes were torn. Gods he needed to clean up, a shower and a fresh change of clothes should do the trick.
As he went into the bathroom he felt his head going numb. He was still not used to being awakened from the dead, and if he was being honest he didn't necessarily like being alive. Ishtar wasn't there with him so he asked himself. What's the point in being alive when nobody here will support except what is left of my family.
He sighed, and stepped into the shower, feeling the warm water on himself he felt at ease almost instantly. It made him forget his worries and focused his mind on other things. Closing his eyes he washed his hair and he breathed in the steam that was gathering.
As he was cleaning himself a thought came into his head. He still had the mark of Loptyr. That made all of his anxieties build up again as he felt the mark on his forehead. Fuck. He told himself.
Leaving the shower he dried himself off, wiped off the foggy mirror, and looked at his face. He saw that mark on his forehead, he always had it and he always preferred to cover it with his hair.
Looking around he saw a pair of scissors. He took them and decided to cut his hair short, not too short but just enough to make his hair not look so messy. It was now at a good shoulder length, if he cut it even shorter he'd end up looking like his elder brother Saias.
He grabbed the strands of hair and threw them away, before getting dressed and opening the bathroom door. Steam releasing into the guest room, he piled up his dirty clothes and put them down the laundry chute.
Sighing, he grabbed the handle and opened the door. Seeing a somewhat familiar face in the doorway. It was one of the men he saw yesterday. "Hello!" He said. "I believe we may not have properly met before." The man said.
Why would someone be willing to talk to him despite his actions? Did they know that he was possessed with a lack of control? Or are they just feeling bad? Especially, someone who looked to be part of the Friege family, they knew exactly what he did to the children.
"N-no I believe we have not" He was stuttering, he was nervous about who this man was, but he may as well introduce himself. "I'm Julius," He said bowing a little "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, who might you be?"
"Ah. I am Arthur, the king of Silesse, ruling in my father's name. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Julius." Arthur replied.
Silesse? That's a new one, he could've sworn from that lilac hair that he'd be a noble of Friege. Perhaps he does have Thrud blood in him, but he didn't wish to take any chances. "And you too, Arthur." He said before Julia rushed up to him.
"Pardon me- ah brother! You cut your hair." She exclaimed looking at the dark crimson strands. "Hehe, you look like our elder brother Saias with that look." She said softly.
"Yeah, I did. I needed to look different so others wouldn't recognize me," He explained. "But someone figured out who I was." Looking at Arthur, he chuckled lightly.
"All we need now is some high priest clothes and you'll look exactly like Saias" She giggled "I'm just kidding. But I am surprised you cut your hair, it was so wavy when it was long."
"I honestly enjoy it being cut short," He replied, "Perhaps people will see me as some sort of priest though. I'd like that." If he was being honest, he wished to be more of a priest than this dark prince he became.
Julia said nothing, only smiled, and looked over at Arthur. "I see you finally got the courage to talk to my brother!" She said as if she knew Arthur to be interested in talking to him.
"Yes, from what you told me awhile ago, he seems like a kind person." He replied as he turned back to Julius. "Which reminds me, Julius, do you think perhaps tonight we could talk more? If you have the time that is."
Julius felt his heart drop at hearing this. He wasn't busy or anything at all it was just, why would someone want to be his friend despite being against him for who knows how long. Anxiety was filling him up to the brim because he was still insecure about going out into the world after his 'defeat'.
He took a deep breath, calming his nerves a little, and nodded. "Yes, I would enjoy that. Perhaps we could become closer." He gave a nervous smile, but it looked like Arthur was happy so it made him happy too.
The day went by like normal. Or as normal as it was for him, with his sister ruling Velthomer and Seliph ruling Belhalla. He was basically like a normal citizen. He never felt like this before, he was trained all his life to be a good king, but Manfroy had to ruin it.
What did he do that day? Nothing. Nothing at all. He was too excited for the night that he didn't focus on anything other than how he looked. He even made sure to cover up his Lopto mark with his bangs.
Why was he so prepared for just someone wanting to hang out? He wasn't sure why he was just anxious that's all. But his anxiety tends to get the best of him, and it makes his emotions go wild.
"Curse my lineage. Curse my dark blood." He told himself, "Why are people so sensitive. I am not a worshiper of Loptyr." He put his fist on the desk looking at the mirror, an angry scowl was shown before him.
Covering his face with his hands he started crying. He just wanted to make Arthur happy, he didn't want him to fear the former vessel of Loptyr. The only person he had with him at that time was Ishtar, but now she's dead, so he had nothing but guilt within him. How could he have been so cruel?
He heard someone knock on the door. 'Oh gods please don't let it be Arthur, I'm not ready yet' he told himself as he tried to calm himself down by breathing in and out. Before he heard a voice "Julius? Are you in there?"
'Oh thank Naga' He thought. It was only Julia from what he heard, perhaps she heard him crying. So he opened the door, seeing his one and only sister in front of him. "Do you need anything?" He asks oh so casually.
Julia made a face. "Julius, let me get to the point at hand. You're anxious, aren't you? The blood of Loptyr flows within you. So it was only a matter of time before it got to your head."
Wow, that was fast, he thought. But he couldn't make any more excuses so he just nodded and said. "Yes I… That's exactly it."
"Well, please don't think that. I've talked to Arthur many times and told him that you were a kind and caring individual before that night. He's convinced you are truly a good person inside." She replied
Julius felt her delicate hand on his chest, most likely to implicate that he's a good person at heart. I hope she's right about this he thought. "Well, I-I hope so" He muttered.
"Hm, don't worry. Now go! Arthur might be waiting for you outside!" Julia nodded and chuckled as she slightly pushed him out of the bedroom door.
"Wait! I'm not read-" He was cut off as fast as he started speaking.
"No no you look fine, please do not worry brother!" She ensured him.
All he could do was smile and wave as he left Belhalla as quickly as he could. As he rushed down the stairs before he saw Arthur waiting for him.
"Ah, I...I hope I didn't take too long." Julius stuttered. "I was kind of distracted."
"No need to worry. I just got here heh." Arthur replied. "Now let us go! I want to show you a place you might like." He extended his hand and Julius took it. Then they both went off.
It was late afternoon the summer sun shone down a golden yellow. The two were walking in the Belhalla city as Arthur kept asking Julius basic questions such as 'how are you holding up?' Or 'are you faring alright?'
If he were being honest; he was anxious, paranoid, and insecure. He had a hard time going out for the first time in a while.
"I think we're here now," Arthur said, as he pointed at a building that seemed to be a shop.
"What is this place?" He asked like he didn't know what he was looking at.
"You'll see." Arthur simply stated as he opened the door.
As Arthur opened the door to the tea shop Julius felt amazed, happy, content. He loved how bright and roomy the place was.
"I must admit it's been some time since I've been out somewhere," Julius said before Arthur took both of his hands.
"Me neither…Its been some time actually, I just thought this would be a good place to start you know?" Arthur looked to be anxious as well, so maybe he wasn't the only one feeling so nervous.
Julius nodded "Yes I… I guess so." He agreed and showed a slight smile.
"Anyway, what kind of tea do you like?" Arthur asked.
Tea? Nobody's ever asked me about my favorite before. He immediately thought. But then he simply replied "Lily of the Valley."
"I don't think I've ever heard of that flower, where does it grow?" Arthur asked.
"It grows all the way in Verdane, I am not sure if they have that kind of tea here though." He said.
"I see well, perhaps I- could try it I-" Arthur stopped nervously, and Julius wasn't sure why.
"Of course." He smiled slightly.
There was a table with two chairs that Arthur found. "Would you like to sit down for a bit?" He asked with a hopeful tone.
"Ah! Yes, I would love that!" He replied he needed to sit down and relax to get away from all the stress that had been building up just hours ago.
Arthur then pulled Julius a seat and said "I'm going to order both of us some tea."
Julius only nodded and looked down at the table out of nervousness. He started tapping his index finger on the table apprehensively. This feels different and I do not know why he thought. Lord his uneasiness was coming back to him again, but before he could stress out; Arthur sat down again and he was given a teacup.
"Ah! Arthur, that was quick." He slightly stuttered.
"Yeah heh I guess it was. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something." Arthur said.
"Oh? What is it?" Julius asked curiously.
"How do you feel about, you know- being revived and all? I've been wondering as to what it feels like being revived from the dead." He showed a little bit of innocence and curiosity in his eyes, as a child would have.
"Oh I- it feels weird if I'm being honest like, given the position I was in when I died, it's very uncomfortable." He replied before having this spiking urge to say "Why do you ask?"
"My friend is the wielder of the valkyrie staff, his name is Ced and I went to accompany him when you were revived and stuff."
This gave Julius more questions, "What's he like? I remember seeing him. I'm pretty sure, his staff was broken so it had to have been him."
"I admit he was pretty nervous as he had never actually used it before, heck it never was used for a long time even when Father Claud was alive!" He replied, "But I helped him out and decided to be with him when it all happened."
"Well, that was sweet of you. It seems like you're a nice person around your friends." Julius replied cheerfully.
"Actually I kind of used to be a different person when the war was still going on, it was only recently I've had a change of heart." He said.
"I understand, you were probably very angry and just full of emotions." Julius nodded.
"Yeah. Given how my sister was taken away from me when I was just a boy, on top of the fact my father never returned to save my mother. It was a lot to withstand." Arthur paused for a moment and took a sip of his tea. "But when the war ended I talked with my father, and he told me he was the one who taught me wind magic and that he wanted me to become a fitting king for Silesse."
Julius just hummed a bit, he wasn't sure what to say, Arthur was just so interesting to him. To think that his childhood was without parents or siblings, he felt terrible.
"I-I kind of got emotional there," Arthur said suddenly, the tone in his voice was full of nervousness and embarrassment. "I just- don't like to remember it, it was so long ago back when I was so unhappy. I'm just so glad my sister is safe and well and that Hilda and Blume are dead."
"Yeah, I just feel bad for you, you grew up without parents. You didn't even know that your father helped teach you magic it's-" He was starting to trail off.
"Please don't worry Julius." He gestured his hand as if he were shooing Julius away. "I just never told people about it other than some of my friends. But I guess I just told you so quickly I-"
Julius cut him off and assured him, "You're such an interesting person you know that?"
"Ah- well, yes I guess I am." Arthur was now covering his face with his hands.
"Hehe, why don't we go?" Julius asked, changing the subject. "I want to keep exploring the city with you before night falls."
Arthur nodded and then stood. "Yes let's."
And so they did, and before they knew it time went by.
The evening had come and the two wrapped up their time together to go back to their respective places. Julius enjoyed the time he had with Arthur and asked if they could hang out more often.
"Of course! This day was amazing Julius! You are an amazing person!" He looked so excited for the next time they could hang out. "I can't wait to talk to you again! Do you think we could write letters to each other?" He then asked.
"Yes, that would be lovely! I think it would even help us be closer." Julius replied, a wave of happiness washed over him and he almost forgot about his mental breakdown a while ago.
Arthur looked to be shaking with excitement. "Then I guess I'll see you around!" He said before Julius then teleported to Silesse with Arthur and dropped him off.
Julius now knew that he and Arthur would be friends forever.
A couple of months had passed since that day and the two have been writing letters since. Within these months the two have updated each other about their lives and their countries. Julius was feeling better about himself and was now helping out Julia and Seliph with Grannvale. Arthur meanwhile was keeping Silesse as a neutral, peaceful country like his father once wished it to be.
One night Arthur had asked Julius if they could meet up again since all the countries were starting to fall back into place again. And so Julius agreed and they planned out when they would meet up.
But the thing was, they were going to go to Friege, and that made him anxious because he was extremely sure that they hate him. They had every right to after all.
"So Julius I- do you feel okay about this?" He asked he must've known about it, of course, he did.
All Julius could do was nod nervously; he must have been noticeably shaking, he could practically feel that bad things would happen once he stepped into the city.
"I wanted you to uh- meet my sister. So that's why I brought you into Friege." Arthur admitted, holding onto Julius's hands.
"I-I see. I would l-like to meet your sister." He nervously said. Oh, boy, was he terrified. His stomach was in knots.
"Just stand by me Julius," Arthur said hoping to ensure him. "I'm sure nobody will recognize you. You are a changed man." He smiled at him as he took his hand. The warmth he felt made him happy, Arthur's presence made him content.
Yet as he walked through the town he got weird looks, they recognized and knew exactly who he was. They would never forgive him for all the children he sacrificed, even though it was all Manfroy's idea.
"Oh, Arthur I…" But Arthur was not with him, he was alone, he didn't know where he went and it made his heart, ache.
Anxiety crawled through him like spiders crawling all over. People were judging him, they knew what he did. And they despised him. He squinted his eyes shut just wanting to leave and go back.
"Arthur…Arthur…" He whispered trying his best to not cry. "Where are you right now…" He felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he did his best to hold them in as long as possible.
"Julius? Oh, gods Julius…" He heard him say. "I'm right here, just hold on."
Julius fell to his knees, feeling the rough pavement on his fingers as he collapsed. His head was filled with overwhelming pain, sharp and getting more irritating by the second. "I…I can't take it…" He sobbed. "They all hate me…"
Arthur knelt and grabbed his hand. He very bluntly said, "Yes. They do. However, there are people like me who give you a second chance."
Arthur was right. Why was Arthur always right? Maybe some people will give him a second chance. He took some deep breaths, feeling shaky in his breath, and he stood. "Yes, I…" He made himself stutter.
"We can talk about this later if you'd like." Arthur simply replied as he stood up again. He made a quick look around to make sure no one was giving them strange looks, then looked back at Julius again.
Julius nodded, "I would appreciate that. We can talk about it tonight…" He gave a slight smile "Now where were we?" He asked excitingly.
"Heh. I was going to take you into town, and for you to meet my sister too! Cmon let's get going!" He replied before he enthusiastically grabbed Julius's hand.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Julius said laughing. Happiness and joy were finally present within him, he didn't feel any anxiety, he was content.
He was finally feeling hopeful.
Julius found himself running, trying to catch up to Arthur. As he seemed to be very excited for him to be introduced to Tinni. Even though he knew Tinni before, if only just from vague memories of them being in the Belhalla gardens.
Running as fast as he could the two made it to House Friege. He stopped as he faced the door, Arthur placed his hand on the door and asked: "Are you sure you're ready?"
He wasn't sure what Arthur meant by saying that but regardless he nodded. If he was being honest he was kind of excited, shaking nervously, and just wanting to stay with Arthur, he felt so safe and secure with him around.
Arthur pushed the door open and the two both went in. Right off the bat, Julius saw the immense size of the castle, and while it wasn't as huge as Belhalla, he was easily amazed by it from the floor to the ceiling. Though he was not sure why he was so impressed, maybe it was because he never really got a good look at it and never took the time to notice all the details.
They were both in the main hall, it was busy and full of servants that were clearing up laundry or doing other chores. Wow even after The Holy War everyone is so busy he thought. He felt a tug on his left arm as he looked over.
"Julius, are you coming?" He asked before he realized Julius was looking at him. "You were zoned out for a second there."
"Oh! Yes of course!" Julius replied, surprised, and caught off guard as he then started walking with Arthur.
"Tinni should be just in this room," Arthur said pointing at the door to the throne room. "I told her you were going to be coming over here so she might be ready to talk to you."
Julius had multiple questions in his mind such as Why do you want me to meet your sister so badly? and How do you think she will feel about me now? However, he put all of those questions to the back of his mind and simply said "Let's go then"
The door opened and the two walked in. And the moment they walk in they're greeted with Tinni tightly hugging the both of them.
"Hey, my brother! So this is Julius! He looks so different why I hardly recognized him." She said cheerfully. As she looked over at Julius.
All Julius could see was Arthur looking stressed, he was fidgeting his hands and looked kind of flustered. Julius was concerned about him so he said "Arthur. Are you doing alright? You look anxious."
"I...Julius-you and Tinni can both talk. I'll be outside if you need anything." He sounded very hesitant from his uncertainty in his voice. Julius was going to ask why but before he could do so, Arthur left.
Wow, he was in a rush. Julius thought before he shifted his focus on Tinni and asked. "Is he always like this around people?"
"Yes, he tends to get shy around people but only recently though." She said.
"I see, he was so confident just a few hours ago. But maybe only around me?" Now it got him thinking. Maybe that's why he was so nervous to talk when we first met? "Why would he be nervous around you though?"
Tinni nodded "He's been acting differently since you came back, he tells me a lot about you and he's very happy you're with him."
Julius felt himself burning up, he was kind of happy to know how much Arthur enjoys his company and even more so than he thought.
"Ah! I see you're all embarrassed, I think you might like him as someone closer than a friend." Tinni giggled.
"Wh-I-" Naga, I'm such a flustered mess right now. But then he realized, did he like Arthur as someone he loved? Wanted to stay with him forever? He always kind of felt his heart rapidly beating when he was around him but he never took notice of these feelings.
"Don't worry hehe, I'll keep it a secret," Tinni replied.
Julius was not sure what to say, his thoughts circled him as he tried to figure out a good excuse to leave. Then he remembered Arthur "I should check on how Arthur is doing, I apologize for cutting this short." He said before he dashed away.
When he pushed open the door to the outside. He stopped to take a breath before he dashed outside; feeling the crunching of soft snow on his boots as he ran in hopes to find Arthur.
Where was Arthur? He thought, he knew he went outside but he needed to know where. His eyes darted around until he saw his flowy lilac hair blowing in the wind. "Arthur!" He called out.
Arthur jumped up and looked over at him "Oh! Julius!" He said. "H-how was my sister?"
"That's the thing, she told me you enjoy my company more and I just wanted to say that makes me so happy!" He said cheerfully as he then seeing Arthur get all flustered again.
"Y-yeah I- I don't know what to say I-" He stuttered before covering his face with his scarf, "Why don't we go back? It's starting to get cold."
"Yes, let's" Julius nodded.
It was now late evening, the two walked back to Belhalla. They walked through the soft snow and they were both happy. The golden sun shined on them as they walked back. Both of them were silent, but it was an enjoyable silence. Arthur and Julius were holding hands. He felt at peace, he hadn't felt so warm and fuzzy in so long he forgot how amazing it felt.
Arthur then broke the silence "Hey, Julius? Do you think you're ready to talk about what happened this morning? I feel like you need to open up about it."
When Arthur asked he felt a pang of guilt. Right, he completely forgot about the breakdown he had hours ago. Should I tell him all that has been on my mind these past weeks? he constantly asked himself before finally saying "Yes. I think so."
He took a long, slow breath; he knew Arthur needed to know the truth, how he has been feeling towards him. "I…I question myself. I question whether or not I deserved to be resurrected."
Arthur looked at him sincerely and said "Of course you deserved to. As I and others have said, you were not yourself, you were someone different and much more horrible to the people."
"Yes…but…I miss her, my Ishtar…" He explained, finding himself about to cry as he said the name Ishtar. Not having said it out loud before now. "Ishtar is gone…she was the only reason I was kept sane back when I was under possession." Has he not admitted this to anyone? Well his sister yes but not to anybody else, not even to Seliph.
"Ah. Ishtar" Arthur said. His tone sounded disappointed when he said that name, yet Julius wasn't so sure as to why he sounded like that. He was about to say something to break the silence but Arthur continued. "I heard Ishtar was…a sweet person. As I've been told from Tinni and many others from Friege."
Julius wasn't sure what to say. Yes, Ishtar was very much a sweet and caring person, but he also manipulated her and made her commit suicide so the Loptyr bloodline wouldn't continue. Maybe Ishtar wasn't into him since then, or maybe she realized that the person she fell in love with was no longer with her. Regardless he sighed. "Yes. She was such a sweet person. But she's gone now and cannot be brought back. So I have to live through this grief but… I have seemed to move on from it."
Arthur smiled. "Yeah, I may not understand as much as anyone else but. I will do what I can to make you happy."
Julius stopped and hugged him tightly, "Thank you…" He felt himself smile. Wow, I think I really do love him.
"Oh yeah, by the way, I…can we meet up at the balcony tonight in Belhalla. I- need to tell you something that's been on my mind these past months." Arthur sounded hesitant, as oblivious Julius was, he seemed to understand why he was so hesitant, and yet he wasn't sure why exactly.
"Of course! I'd be happy to!" He answered cheerfully.
"Good good…I'll- See you later then." Arthur said nervously before saying "I'll just walk there later."
Julius was confused "Don't you want me to take you to Belhalla too?"
"No no, I'll be alright, thank you though," Arthur replied awkwardly. He buried his face with his scarf and walked away.
Does he perhaps…? No that's not likely
Night had fallen, he felt better than he had before. He was not sure why, but he was excited to see Arthur again. He needed to see Arthur again, he would do anything at this point. Sitting on the edge of the balcony he filled his lungs with fresh air, nothing could give him anxiety now, not with Arthur around.
He wondered why he was so ecstatic. Perhaps it was because he opened about his feelings to Arthur and he felt the weight lift from his shoulders. Or maybe it was because he understood so well and didn't seem to mind the fact he had dark god blood.
Whatever it was, he couldn't control his delight as he saw Arthur peek through the door. He didn't even need to force himself to smile, he felt himself smiling so wide he couldn't even remember why he was smiling so much. "Ah! Arthur, you're here!" He said with such a cheerful voice.
"I wanted to meet you here for something. There's… something I've been meaning to tell you for months now." Arthur admitted, he seemed to look anxious as well.
"By all means say it," Julius replied eagerly. He kicked his dangling legs in utter excitement.
Arthur looked hesitant he was shaking even more than beforehand, but he took a breath and spoke. "J-Julius. I-I want you to be by my side. I want to be the person you hold dear. I want to stay with you forever."
He…What?
Before Julius had any time to respond, Arthur pressed his lips onto his own making his cheeks burn up. Then he closed his eyes and kissed him back. He wanted to make him know that he loves him just as much.
Arthur pulled away and smiled he looked happy yet also so anxious.
"I love you, Julius. I have for a while now."
Those words 'I love you. were words he hadn't heard in such a long time
He didn't know how to respond, he felt so ecstatic like nothing before. That's when he recognized these feelings of love, he hasn't felt them since his feelings for Ishtar. And he realized he adored Arthur and wished to be with him till the end of time.
"I…love you too" He replied, he never realized he did until now, but it all made sense after that. He was happy, he didn't care about his bloodline nor his past actions. He had Arthur, and that was all he needed at that moment.
"I may not be like Ishtar but- I want to make you happy, and no I am not doing this out of pity. I do want to be with you, and that may stop my Forseti bloodline but that doesn't mean anything to me. To me, it's you."
"Arthur!- I-. Yes!" He felt his face burning up, his heart beat at an extremely fast pace. "Arthur. I do love you."
And he closed his eyes and kissed him once more. Then in an instant, the years went by, with Arthur by his side.