#086

Cullen fumbled, wrapping his arms around Kiyen’s neck, using the dire situation as an excuse to hold him. It was the mere thought of it.

“Kiyen, Lord Kiyen…”

Cullen panted, rubbing his forehead against Kiyen’s neck. He couldn’t calm down. The sight of Lasano he had just witnessed, more than the fear of death, had taken over his entire body.

“Are you hurt? Where is the High Priest?”

Unlike his usual self, who wouldn’t even let himself be touched, Kiyen didn’t push him away. He had promised not to bother Kiyen, so he wouldn’t mention Rodiak, but Cullen decided to indulge in this brief contact. Otherwise, he felt he wouldn’t be able to breathe.

“From above… Haa… I fell. We need to find Lasano.”

The fear of being left alone had momentarily subsided, but his heart was pounding as if it would burst. Anxiety washed over him, and Cullen lifted his head. Kiyen gazed intently at his face as Cullen pleaded with reddened eyes.

Soon, his wings unfurled completely. Kiyen, who had been floating majestically, glided down to the ground. As he held Cullen, who was slowing his descent languidly, a warmth began to spread. Akesis’s curse always worked like this. It was only used to disrupt Kiyen in times of crisis.

It was still bearable. If he could just confirm Lasano’s life or death, he would endure it alone in a place where no one could see.

Thinking this, Cullen scanned the ground, unable to even blink. Lasano was nowhere to be seen. He was likely buried under the debris of Kwanu.

Arne, Ulli’s life or death also needed to be confirmed…

Their bloodied forms flashed through his mind for a moment. His body trembled involuntarily. Kiyen narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on Cullen.

After searching the collapsed ruins for a few minutes, they finally discovered Arne and Ulli much later. They too seemed to be searching for their companions, and Arne was the first to spot Kiyen and reach out. Kiyen folded his wings and descended to the ground, landing.

“Are you both alright?”

Arne looked disheveled. Ulli followed up on his question.

“Where is the High Priest?”

Cullen immediately got down from Kiyen’s embrace, which had held him. Kiyen caught him as he leaped from his arms but then let go. Normally, he would have read meaning into every small action, but Cullen deliberately ignored it.

He focused on Lasano’s survival. His condition was indeed what concerned him the most.

“We have to find him. He must be somewhere.”

He had to be. At his words, Ulli asked with a deathly pale face,

“Did he just… fall from there?”

Her words brought on Cullen’s guilt. He should have held on somehow. If he had just been a little stronger, if he had handled it better, this situation wouldn’t have happened. Gale, Cecil, his family, everyone…!

“He will be alive.”

Just as the guilt hit rock bottom, Kiyen tightly gripped Cullen’s wrist. Only after his warmth spread did Cullen realize he wasn’t breathing. As his fingers trembled, Kiyen’s grip strengthened. With the force pulling him back to reality, Cullen slowly exhaled.

“The High Priest rarely gets injured and doesn’t die from ordinary wounds. It’s one of the blessings, along with Magic, that allows him to defend himself. His life will be intact.”

Kiyen’s words sent blood flowing through his chilled body. Arne quickly chimed in.

“We can all look for him. Lord Lasano will surely be alive.”

Arne replied with more composure than expected. Cullen felt pathetic for losing control of himself for a moment. Ulli also stepped forward.

“That’s right, he’s the type to keep his mouth open even in death, so we’ll find him quickly. Let’s split up and search!”

“I’ll check this area again.”

“Then I’ll go over there.”

He felt a bit more clear-headed.

“Then I will check the debris of Kwanu again.”

As he spoke and moved to leave, Cullen realized Kiyen was still holding his wrist. Thanks to that, he regained his senses.

As much as he wanted to stay like this…

Cullen carefully pulled his wrist free. Kiyen’s gaze fell upon him.

“Lord Kiyen…”

Cullen finally looked at Kiyen properly. The golden scales, which had appeared even darker than before, shimmered not only on his white neck but also faintly on the back of the hand that had held him. It was wondrous and beautiful.

But he couldn’t just admire it; he was bothered by the fact that it was the result of Kiyen exerting more effort because of him.

“I think you can rest now.”

Kiyen’s white forehead creased. Instead of answering, he walked past Cullen and began to stride towards the area where Kwanu’s debris lay. His massive wings flapped irritably, as if reflecting his mood. A few feathers brushed past Cullen’s cheek.

“Lord Kiyen.”

He hurried to follow, running after him. Kiyen remained silent, lifting large and small stones into the air with a gesture to clear them away. Cullen, unsure of what to do, spoke.

“You’ve exerted too much strength. I can do it.”

“Is this the first time?”

Kiyen spoke, not looking back. His heart, which felt unusually weary today, was easily agitated. He felt as though he had overtaxed Kiyen, who had saved him and served as his support.

Kiyen’s role was originally singular: to protect him. Yet, Kiyen always did more than that.

“I’m sorry.”

With Cullen’s apology, the stones in front of them were instantly lifted into the air. With a ‘CRASH!’, the stones turned to dust and scattered. Kiyen, who had cleared the debris in an instant, shot Cullen a look with his sharp pupils.

“I don’t want to hear your apologies.”

At his clearly angry voice, Cullen fell silent. Kiyen also turned back and continued clearing the debris. They searched for Lasano in silence until the silence became so suffocating he could no longer bear it.

The long quiet was broken by Anan’s shout from afar.

“Here, here!”

Anan was frantically waving from among the black stones that had been Kwanu’s body. Cullen, who had been tense, immediately ran towards her upon hearing her voice. He passed Kiyen and quickly reached the spot, where he saw Anan, covered in blood.

“Are you injured?”

“No… It’s the High Priest’s… blood.”

Behind Anan were other Elves. All of them looked grave as they gazed at what Anan held in her arms.

Cullen slowly lowered his gaze. There lay Lasano, eyes closed, collapsed. His face was devoid of all color, his neck was stained with blood, and below that, on his chest…

“His bones, many of his bones are broken.”

With those words, Anan looked up at Kiyen, who had silently approached Cullen from behind. Cullen stared blankly at Lasano, his eyes wide open.

A sharp stone pierced Lasano’s chest like a spear. His motionless form was no different from a corpse.

A pungent smell of blood filled the air, mingling with the dry dust. Looking at the stone soaked black with blood, Cullen clenched and unclenched his fists. He tried desperately to keep his mind from freezing.

“He will be alive.”

Repeating Kiyen’s words to himself, Cullen sank to his knees. Anan nodded.

“Yes, he is alive. But…”

“Lasano, wake up. You can heal with divine power. Lasano, Lasano!”

His bothersome mouth wouldn’t open when it was needed. His usually smirking face was now slack and expressionless.

Cullen turned his head. Looking up with reddened eyes once more, Kiyen’s rigid expression softened slightly. Anan spoke from behind.

“The Goddess’s proxies… cannot use healing magic on themselves. The power of healing is only for others.”

Kiyen didn’t deny it, as if it were the truth. Dizziness washed over him.

“Then Lord Kiyen, your magic…”

No, Kiyen couldn’t use magic related to life. He remembered Kiyen saying that. Recalling it, Cullen closed his mouth and looked down at Lasano.

“He will be able to live.”

Cullen, as if brainwashing himself, slowly sat down. For now, he had to take Lasano with him. The bleeding would be immense the moment the stone was removed, but he had no choice but to trust Lasano’s recovery. Stop the bleeding, and then, then…

“Why do you care so much about this one?”

Kiyen asked then. Kneeling beside Cullen on the ground, he stared blankly at Lasano.

“You even tried to kill him once. What has changed?”

As if his answer would determine life or death.

“This one is the High Priest, but not someone important to you. Or…”

Kiyen turned his head to look at Cullen.

“Is he important?”

He couldn’t clearly grasp the intent of the question. Cullen met his golden gaze and slowly organized his thoughts.

Even now, he couldn’t trust Lasano. A man about whom nothing was properly known, whose words’ intentions were unclear. However, since becoming part of the group, Lasano had never caused harm. He was useful, and had many more unpredictable aspects than he had anticipated…

No, he was just…

“Lasano is now…”

Cullen admitted.

“Our comrade, isn’t he?”

Just as he had come to like Kiyen, caring for someone as a comrade was not something he could control. It had become so, before he knew it.

Upon hearing Cullen’s words, Kiyen stood up. He spread his wings and reached out to Lasano. The stone piercing his torso vanished with a crackle, and Kiyen lifted Lasano into the air.

“I can stop the bleeding with magic.”

Kiyen commanded, looking down at Cullen.

“I will take him to the temple. You come there with the others.”

At Kiyen’s words, Cullen belatedly remembered the temple here. He had forgotten one of the places they had tried so hard to protect. If it was the temple in the Duke’s territory, there would be skilled Common Priests. It would be best to call the High Priest, but the Aksha Temple was too far from here.

“Thank you.”

Looking up at him with sincerity, Kiyen closed his mouth. Kiyen, who looked at Cullen with a complicated expression, pulled Lasano closer and spread his wings to ascend.

The Elves bowed their heads at the sacred sight they had never witnessed before. Among them, only Anan pulled Cullen, who was gazing at the rapidly disappearing Kiyen.

“I found something, Lord Cullen.”

At the same time, she held out a small, purplish gem. The intricately carved stone bore a resemblance to Lartrium, said to be the most precious gem.

“Lord Kwanu, before he fell asleep, conveyed his will to me to give this gem to you, Lord Cullen.”

Amidst the jumbled information, Cullen recalled Kwanu’s last words.

“Did he speak to you?”

“No. I couldn’t converse like you, Lord Cullen. I only felt his will.”

Cullen slowly extended his hand. Anan carefully dropped the purplish stone onto Cullen’s palm. The moment the fingernail-sized gem touched his palm, a warm energy, the opposite of what he felt when receiving Aksha’s divine power, surged inward. It was a sensation he was now sickeningly familiar with.

The heat, which had been bearable, began to burn like a flame.