Hello everyone! I'd like to thank you for your support so far, I personally love reading your reviews! They do inspire me, so thank you!
I'd just like to give you all a heads up that this story takes place after the forbidden boxes, but with slight changes to the main plot- namely I left a certain human king alive. (Please don't tell Conrad, but I actually really like Belar! I know, shame on me.)
I hope you all enjoy what is to come! Hang in there through the tough times of this one!
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It was dark, damp and cold and he was in... an incredible amount of pain.
It had been weeks since Conrad had been imprisoned and by possibly the worst person, considering their past.
King Belar.
Conrad and Yozak had fallen suddenly and mysteriously ill when passing through the bordering forests of Small and Big Cimaron.. where they had been easily ambushed and captured by Belar's men.
Almost too easily.
Only later did they discover that the sudden illness had been set on by a poisonous plant. A plant that Conrad, (while working under Belar to retrieve the Forbidden Boxes) had explained to the human king when he'd noticed them growing around the castle grounds..
"They're poisonous." Conrad walked beside Belar in the garden, their arms locked in companionship.
"They've never bothered me any." Belar sniffed, admiring the plants which looked like any other fern.
"They're not poisonous to you- your majesty, only to those of half-human blood, it causes nausea, loss of focus, loss of balance, paralysis, memory loss- and other health problems.. they're very toxic, actually; just looking at them makes me feel ill."
"Oh.. well.. I'll have them removed." he put an arm around Conrart's waist, drawing his body closer. "For you, don't you worry."
Conrad and Yozak hadn't noticed the plants until it was too late- perhaps because they didn't grow in Small Cimaron naturally; the soil there was too sandy. What a careless misstep.
King Belar didn't like to be made a fool of, and Conrad had done just that in the past.
The first week had been the worst- the scorned human king had inflicted a large variety of torture upon the solider, including claiming one of Lord Weller's eyes to be put in a jar of preservative liquid so he could keep it on his mantel.
It had been three weeks now.. and Conrad felt his body giving in.
He'd been fed less than the bare minimum, had endured whippings, broken bones, 'dental work', burns, his right leg had no skin.. all of it peeled off, and that was only half of it.
He didn't even know if Yozak was still alive.
To top it off, he wasn't granted a cell- instead he was locked inside an iron box about the size of the forbidden boxes, he guessed. It was completely bolted shut. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't lift the lid.
Belar kept burning the toxic plants, filling the air with their smoke.
Every time they opened the box, he was too weak to move- let alone escape.
There was no sleep, even though he was too tired to do anything else- only the burning agonizing pain he felt and the total discomfort of being folded within such a tight space.
"Just come back to me, please."
Yuuri had said that.. it seemed like a distant memory..
Had Yuuri said it before he left-? No.. before he left Yuuri was bawling his eyes out and begging him to stay- ordering him to but..
Conrad could not stay.. Shinou had given him yet another task.
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"He's been time traveling." It was nighttime, and Conrad had been making his rounds when Shinou melted from the shadows to taunt him.
"Excuse me?" He turned to face the spirit.. he didn't like Shinou.. and the dead king knew it.
Shinou owed the Weller family. He hadn't been too kind to them over the years, even though he relied on them heavily. Conrart was still waiting for Shinou to make it up to him for causing Yuuri so much grief.
"Yuuri- he's been leaping through time. I can prove it to you.. but that doesn't matter.. what matters are the consequences."
"He's been... leaping through time?"
"Conrad, what would you do if you could time travel?"
That would explain Yuuri's odd behavior lately and why.. Conrad was having such strange dreams.. dreams where he and Yuuri would repeat the same things over and over.. and over.. and over..
"What do you mean by consequences?" Conrart froze, narrowing his eyes at Shinou.
"He's building up a lot of bad luck because he's using his time-travel selfishly." Shinou smiled at Conrart. "I'm sorry if I sound blunt Lord Weller, but I know of a way to save him from his bad fortune, and I know you do so love to save the Maoh."
"What bad fortune do you mean..?"
"Well, it almost killed him once." Shinou grinned. "But luckily he still had the ability to travel back in time before he died, to save himself. Now he barely has any time left."
"What do you mean! What's going to happen to him, tell me damn you!" Conrart stormed closer, drawing his sword. "If you so much as touch him- I will kill you."
Shinou had to fight the intense urge to laugh. Kill a ghost? Preposterous!
But the look on Lord Weller's face was enough to convince the dead king that the soldier wasn't lying and might just find a way.
"Please, Lawerence-" Conrart stiffened at the name of his ancestor. "Pardon, it's just that.. you look so much like him. Lord Weller, I'm not the one causing him this grief.. it's himself- you'll be saving Yuuri from.. Yuuri. Now, I can not guarantee that you will live, but as I've asked before- are you willing to give up everything for his sake?"
"Of course but.. doesn't he still need me? I would gladly sacrifice my life for him however.. he told me he doesn't want that. I do know what's best- and if it's my life or his I will be the one to make the final decision.. but I.. this is all so sudden. I promised him I wouldn't leave his side again."
He hadn't felt so unsure in a long time.
Finally, he met eyes with the phantom king, his decision solidly made. "Tell me what I have to do to spare him."
Shinou smiled.
"Hold out your hand."
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Conrad was finally dreaming.
Yuuri was soft, skin so fair and fine you'd think he was newly born and.. Eyes black as coal. His hair was thick and rich and Conrad loved combing his fingers through it.
He also loved gripping it- so he could anchor himself deep in that willing body. Yuuri was so beautiful sometimes it hurt just to look at him, his desire aching so strongly he simply HAD to claim him.
"O-ohh mm!" In his dreams, he would hold Yuuri down and take him- screw honor and dignity- screw age gaps and self-control..
In his dreams, Conrad would take- and finally, Yuuri would give, and give and give.
"A-ah! Oh Conrad yes.. oh god yes! H-harder..ah.. please fuck me..!"
And if he was selfish, there was no one there to correct him, and if he was rough- or crude, Yuuri didn't mind, and would only sing louder.. only in his dreams.
"Come back to you, huh?" Conrad chuckled softly. "I do every night."
Conrad awoke to the sound of his box opening- and realized he was.. almost dead.
His body was so weak.. he could feel his organs giving up, as he was dragged from the box and tossed on the ground.
"Why don't you get up and run, Lord Weller?" Belar was there.. smartly dressed in.. pompous kingly garb, pompous little hat included- it was hard to see with one bleary eye, and for that Conrad was thankful.
Belar really was an eyesore.
"Perhaps you'd like to see what's left of your friend?"
Conrad was sure, that even if he wanted to respond he wouldn't have enough breath to do so.
"You know.." the king bent down, getting his garbs dirty just so he could get closer to the soldier.
"I loved you once." he spoke softly, but without emotion. "You came to me like an angel- out of nowhere you solved all of my problems, and brought me to new heights.. you nearly made me king of this world.. before you tore me apart. You had this coming to you."
Conrad just closed his remaining eye, and listened. He wished Belar had stole his hearing as well so he didn't have to hear it.
"All those nights." he trailed a hand softly up Conrad's side, making the soldier want to retch. "Were lies, weren't they."
"..."
"No response? Well.. I'm going to make sure you never utter another lie again. I will be king of this world, and I will use you to capture your dear Maoh, and I'll make sure he never commits another sin. I will purify this world of those demon filth, and it'll be all thanks to you in the end."
"Take him to the ovens." Belar stood up. "Tell the cooks, I want him alive- but well done."