3. United concern
Arganan kept his good eye closed at first. He was in a sitting position, his back against a wall, and he didn't hear anything else except for the tick-tock of a clock and his own breathing.
He slowly opened his one good eye, taking a look around. He could barely believe what he was seeing.
He was in his chambers. In Lazulis Castle. Looking down, he put his right hand to his neck, feeling for a pulse.
Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump...
He was alive. He had a physical flesh form. He was alive again—!
That was when he heard voices from outside the room.
"General Asthar is alive!?" Calista could be heard gasping.
"Yes, Lady Calista." That was Therius, his voice solemn. "I've sent him to the hospital wing after explaining what happened with the rest of the war between the Gurak and Lazulis. He's resting right now, I believe. You and Zael can visit him in the morning..."
"I-I—" Calista shuddered. "I can't believe it. He just literally woke up in his coffin and started banging against the lid, trying to get out!?"
"Yes. That is what happened. I'm still in shock myself, I admit!"
Arganan blinked, slowly getting to his feet and regaining his balance. He cursed the lack of a cane with him, but he leaned against the wall to stay standing. His legs felt like jelly for the moment and he needed to get used to his surroundings.
Another thought crossed his mind.
Mitra...
Looking around, he realized the Sentinel Beast was not with him.
Where is he—she—it?
He felt his chest burn, and he put his flesh hand to his chest. He then undid the buttons of his shirt just a bit, tracing what felt like a scar. He frowned. He didn't remember getting this at the time of his previous death. He looked into a mirror...
...and soon realized what it was.
There was a mark on his chest, a scar on his chest, glowing with a bluish-white light temporarily before it faded. It was in the shape of an M, but the ends of the M seemed to curl up slightly, and the texture of the scar didn't feel like any regular scar. If anything, it felt like dragon scales, but softer, like feathers and fur.
He thought back to when he was talking to Mitra, leaning against him and nuzzling into its fur...
"Oh shit." He whispered to himself, his good eye wide.
Mitra was literally inside him, in spirit form at least. Or that was what Arganan guessed.
How else could Mitra still be with him forever and ever? Was this what it meant to be Mitra's bride—that even in a physical, human form he would still feel the bond he had with Mitra? That must be part of it.
That was when Calista opened the door, gasp tearing from her throat.
"U-Uncle!?"
He gasped, quickly rebuttoning his shirt as he looked to her.
"C-Ca..Calista." He managed softly, realizing that his voice was actually quite hoarse. He wasn't sure what to say, let alone what to do.
What was he supposed to do?
All that was answered for Arganan once Zael then walked in on him and Calista, and then three just tried to calm down and talk.
Zael explained everything. Zangurak was dead, Zepha was dead, Lazulis gained victory over the Gurak...
And Arganan spoke of what happened to him after he was absorbed by the Outsider, of his punishment of being Mitra's Bride.
Calista frowned as she heard about the Mitra's Bride part. "Mitra's Bride? So, uncle..." She blushed slightly. "You're married to a Sentinel Beast—Mitra?"
Arganan felt his face heat up slightly. "Well, not exactly the type of marriage like in this world. I think the Outsider meant it in a different way. That I'm supposed to be bound to Mitra forever. And—" He undid his shirt a little, showing them the scar he saw earlier. "I think this is supposed to be a symbol of my 'marriage.' I don't completely know what my role really means, to be honest."
Zael nodded, trying to think. "Maybe it means you have the Power of the outsider like I do. Or maybe not. Mitra's Bride might be similar, I'm guessing."
Arganan blinked. Power of the Outsider? That made sense, since Mitra was connected to the Outsider...
But then again he wasn't entirely sure.
"Calista—" He looked to his niece, "I heard you and Zael speak earlier about General Asthar being alive again?"
Calista nodded. "Yes, uncle. He woke up in his coffin. Had it not been for Therius being there, he might have suffocated and died again."
"And this only happened today?"
"Yes...only moments before we found you."
Arganan winced. Perhaps...perhaps others were resurrected simply because of the fact that Arganan gained a physical form again?
He looked up at Zael. "Who else has died?"
Zael winced. "Dagran died. Same with Jirall, and Zangurak and his right-hand man Zepha..."
"Shit." The word escaped Arganan faster than he thoguht. He'd all interacted with them in some way, yes? Maybe not the Gurak so much, but indirectly through battle, yes...
Did they all come back to life because of me coming back to life?
...Well shit.
Zesha paced about his guest room, unsure of what to think, say, do.
He'd come to Lazulis, having taken over as King of the Gurak. Peace treaties and such were done ages ago, but the real issue was now this.
The Gurak people wanted to see him happy.
And now all the Gurak nobles were ganging up on him, pressuring him to marry.
Marriage. It brought a sour taste to his senses. Thinking about it didn't feel right to him. He didn't want to marry. Not now at least. He'd rather see his people be happy through their land being restored, being reunited with their families, having enough to eat...
So why were they having their happiness so dependent on him? He understood that as King of the Gurak he needed to be strong for his people because it was good for morale and all that, but still. They should be able to be happy on their own with what they have too.
It almost felt like, for him at least, things were better during the war against Lazulis.
Because back then his brother was there with him. But no longer...Zepha died during the war.
His thoughts would be cut by the sound of Zepha's voice.
"Brother?"
Zesha's eyes widened. It couldn't be possible. He looked up, seeing none other than his brother, standing in front of him. The King of the Gurak stood, hesitantly, shakily, extending a hand to touch his brother's face. sensing his heartbeat, feeling him breathe.
"I-Impossible." Zesha let that word escape him.
Zepha shook his head. "No, brother. It's really me. I'm not an illusion. I am right here, standing in front of you..."
Zesha didn't let him finish, and instead embraced him tightly, nearly wanting to cry but tried his damned hardest to hold back. "B-brother...how?" He managed. "Y-you died. I could sense it! I went to avenge you, but they overpowered me..." He looked down. "I feel pathetic to have let them beat me."
Zepha hugged him in return, noticing his brother's change of clothing. He still looked like he was wearing armor, but it was more elaborately designed, and there was gold crown nestled on his head, twisted into a circlet that looked simple at the front, but trailed into his long locks of whitish-blond hair at the back, decorated with reddish-amber jewels, draped over the back of his head similarly to a spider web.
Zepha soon realized the implication. "Brother..." He felt his breath hitch. "Did Lord Zangurak...?"
His brother looked down, hesitation and fear lacing his demeanor as he spoke. "He was killed by the other user of the Outsider, Zael. I'm sorry I could not stop him."
Zepha wasn't sure how to feel. He was entirely sure that none of it was truly Zesha's fault (for how could he blame his brother? Surely his own death must have shaken Zesha hugely for the human mercenaries to defeat him). But if Lord Zangurak was defeated—he looked to Zesha.
Zesha had taken over as King of the Gurak.
Zepha hugged him even tighter. "Brother. I'm not angry at you that this happened. This was not your fault." He whispered. "They cut you down when they knew you were at your weakest. Had I not died, you would be strong enough to defeat them single handedly, surely—"
"Brother, they beat us once previously and they injured you." Zesha responded, looking into his eyes.
They would have beat us either way.
Zepha felt sick to his stomach at that. They were supposed to be nearly unstoppable, to lead their fellow Gurak into victory.
And instead utter defeat happened at the hands of the humans from Lazulis.
Zepha kept embracing his brother quietly, gently. "What happened afterwards?" He whispered.
Zesha seemed to flinch, but then relaxed. "There were peace treaties. Lazulis and the Gurak will no longer be at war with each other. And I am now King of the Gurak, as you may have noticed. And—" He sighed. "Though the conditions of our Continent and our people fare much better now, they are pressuring me to marry."
Zepha stared at him. "Marry?" He repeated.
Zesha groaned, nodding in response as he pulled back a bit to look him in the eye. "It's to continue the lineage that I was forced to take over...for the sake of having a future King or Queen. But I have no desire to marry. At all. Nobles come flocking to me day by day and it irritates me. I have no interest in any of them. Why—" He winced, "A few of said nobles attempted to proposition me already. I turned them down. I even once had to get my guards to escort one away as she would not leave it behind her."
Zepha just hugged him. "Surely they will stop talking to you about it. Have you tried to tell them up straight about it?"
"Yes. But it made things worse." He sighed. "I'd be more happy if our people were completely at peace and everyone's basic needs were fulfilled than me being married. I don't care about my own well-being at the moment, save for preventing myself from being married."
Zepha nodded. "I understand what you're thinking. It would be far better for the people to have basic needs fulfilled. It would help them immensely. But you getting married would certainly raise morale also among our people. They want a monarchy that will be stable, and marrying seems to be the only way to keep it stable, unfortunately..."
Zesha nodded. The two sat down on the bed beside each other, and Zepha let his brother bury his face into his neck.
"Brother?" Zesha spoke up after some silence.
Zepha gently ran a hand through his brother's hair. "Yes, Zesha?"
"Be my advisor. Stay with me." He looked up at him. "Don't ever leave me again, please."
Zepha could see it now.
Everything after his death had broken his brother.
Zepha kissed his brother's forehead, embracing him tightly. "I won't ever leave you again." He whispered. "I swear it. I will stay with you forever."
Zesha nearly cried, but held it back as he embraced him tightly in return.
Zepha, as he consoled his brother, thought quickly, frustration rising his his chest.
Whoever had a hand in breaking his brother would never do it again. He would not allow it.
And he would be the one who would help his brother get back to normal, to the old Zesha, to the Zesha that could stand on both feet and not be weak in the knees no matter what hit him.