Tale of life and death

The huge crystal of ice that carried the body of the angel continued to plummet from the heavens. Caleb took me from Peaches as the Reaper was coerced to fulfill my request to save the winged-man.

He seemed like he preferred killing him instead of helping him.

"Are you okay?" Caleb murmured his question, holding me dearly.

I did not know what was holding my eyes from looking directly into his. I did not want to know how he would gaze back at me.

What if his stare had changed? What if instead of finding warmth in his amber-wood eyes, I would find hate, disappointment, and rage? I wished to be spared from bearing witness of their profound disgust.

He cradled me in his arms, pushing his nose against my cheek, nuzzling me like he always did. His usual caring tone, his clingy hands, and his sniffing nose reassured me that nothing had changed between us.

"I am okay. Nothing to worry about," I told him.

He sighed, sneaking his hand around my nape.

"You always worry me."

"There's still time to kill it..." Slade mumbled to Sevor.

"We are not killing anyone, Slade."

The younger twin pouted like a child, crossing his arms in front of him. As the crystal drew closer, so was Slade's pocket-sized patience. The crystal bulked up as it descended. If it proceeds to augment, all of us would be crushed.

"HEY, DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT!"

Peaches gave Slade a second of his blank look. Crowley, concluding that Peaches would let us all die so that he could add us to his collection, gathered the children and looked for some place to hide.

Caleb pushed my body down, housing me in his embrace. A scream erupted from someone's throat and we found Frey in his most disheveled appearance, shielding himself with Segreth's unconscious form.

Slade grabbed the Reaper's cloak at the same time when the ice was about to crush us. Peaches raised his arm and sprouted his index finger which tipped a part of the ice that stopped it from falling. Everyone's gaze pinned at the unmoving iceberg before releasing a breath of relief.

The sound of a loud crack resonated in the area. He tossed the iceberg at the polluted river and it collapsed into tiny perfectly sliced ice cubes.

"Great...so he'll just die now from drowning!" Caleb commented with much humor in his tone.

"I'll get him," Sevor volunteered.

The older twin leaped to the mound of cubes, digging for the body of the angel. We watched the extraction process, seeing him hoist a bloodied angel by his armpits. Sevor leaped back to the dry land and gently laid out the unconscious man.

"What happened to him?" Slade asked.

Crowley and the rest of the group gathered around us. Kox spoke out.

"He must have done something that would warrant him extreme punishment in their divine realm," he explained.

"Oh yeah? I was thinking of giving some divine punishment to some insubordinate kid too," Crowley gritted out, referring to the time when Kox did not lift a finger to help me against XIII.

"I wasn't feeling well. I couldn't see and couldn't hear well," the blind child explained nonchalantly.

The Hanuman's jaw dropped. He was deemed too dumbfounded to speak.

Ziru, Rui, and Buck looked at each other before murmuring in their small group. They were stealing glances at Kox's book.

Don't tell me they were planning on...borrowing it to enrich their knowledge?

The angel shot up, striking surprise to everyone. His finger pointed feebly, crookedly, and without direction.

"Don't. Touch. My. CHARGE!" He screamed and fell back into unconsciousness.

Slade nudged Peaches with his elbow. The latter looked at him as if he was the lowest form of a creature to ever live.

"Is it too early to collect his soul?" The younger twin asked.

The night's cold air bit on our skin, seeping deep into our spent bones. Sevor had started a fire. I helped build small houses that would keep us warm. We placed Frey and Segreth in the same hut—tied down and threatened. Both men were displeased with each other's existence as were us to them.

They could be heard arguing which became some sort of wicked entertainment for those who they had caused unhappiness.

"You are breathing my air!" Segreth yelled.

"You are an Ancient, aren't you? Why don't you just make more air?!" Frey snapped back.

"I can wipe out your existence if I wanted to...." Segreth threatened.

"Then why don't you? Oh, it's because you can't and you're afraid that my companions can't wait to butcher you like a hog!" The Vosredal prince boasted, which was very out of place for him.

Who were these companions that he was referring to?

"Tell me, if you're their compeer then why are you here with me?" XIII clapped back.

"I'm hungry..." Rui groaned.

Slade snorted. "You're free to eat the two schmucks."

The other children were catching some z's while Rui, Buck, and Ziru were still awake, sitting with us in the orbit around the pyram.

Ziru wasn't himself as he was awfully silent. Peaches and Caleb sandwiched me between them. The twins sat by each other, Crowley had Ziru's head on his lap, and Kox distanced himself a little from us.

The angel was resting on the leaf laid out for him. They still didn't trust him and would like to keep a watchful eye. Rui gazed at the obstreperous hut, waving his head in disapproval. He looked like he swallowed his vomit.

"I'll live," he sighed.

My eyes shot on the ground. I slowly reached down to grow a tree that would provide some fruits.

Caleb and Peaches grasped my extended arm, giving me a look of concern and warning. The two men, seeing that they grabbed me all at the same time, glared at each other before reprimanding me.

"Not when you're weak," the werewolf chided.

"I don't want to collect your soul," Peaches murmured.

In the past, I could revive an entire field of dead crops without breaking a sweat, but now, even the slightest use of my powers could strike me with dizziness.

"Don't push yourself too hard or I'll push you to that cliff," Slade warned.

"What did you say to Lucian, you overgrown tadpole?!"

"Who are you calling an overgrown tadpole you, you slobbering mong?!"

The other twin placed his hand on Slade's chest, raising his other hand facing the raging Caleb.

"What he means is that: 'You've done enough, you're worrying me'." Sevor translated, causing his twin to blush and curl a fist at him.

"Oi!"

I flinched at the sensation of my rotting wing that throbbed behind me. The quarreling men, Crowley, and the children gave me a look of worry. They had been ignoring the fact that I could send waves of decay like a normal catastrophe. They never once raised a question. I believe they were waiting for an explanation that I did not have.

"So… I did not want to be the first person to ask this, but we can all agree that we are exceptionally curious," Sevor started, making sure that each of his words was carefully thought of.

"From what I know catastrophes are dead Ancients but you are both of them," Slade added.

"This man has 1001 souls in him," Peaches declared, making everyone's eyes pop out dangerously from their eye sockets.

"What? That's bananas!" Crowley cried out.

"But when Ancients die, their souls rot," Caleb said, trying to piece puzzles that did not fit in his mind.

"When Ancients die, their souls do not leave their bodies and that causes decay, but once their soul is extracted before it rots, it remains pure," Peaches explained.

"So why does Lucian-nii have so much?" Ziru asked.

"Because Lucian-onii is special!" Buck declared happily.

Rui rolled his eyes. "So why does he have a rotting wing then?"

"It's as you said: catastrophes are dead Ancients," Kox drawled.

Caleb embraced me tightly with wobbly lips. "Th–Then you mean that Lucian is—"

"That's bonkers!" Slade snapped.

"The puzzle pieces don't match," Sevor sighed.

I lowered my eyes, placing my hands on my knees.

"My brother Lucius would know," I said.

That man was just too distracted to have the time to tell me.

"I know what happened," the sleeping angel abruptly confessed.

"You're awake and eavesdropping," Slade scoffed.

The angel sat up and looked at me. "I was there when it happened."

...

...

...

Twenty-four blue moons ago, the Ancient race mourned for the death of a prince. It was an unexpected death that brought thousands of ancients in shock and bereavement.

No one knew how he died. Even up until now, it was an unsolved phenomenon.

At that time, I was bewailing the death of my human charge. Heartbroken and angry that God did not permit me to save him from himself, I wandered the earthly realm and met this spirit who possessed the same Godly essence as my Lord God.

He was a tall ethereal creature of pale skin that stretched to accommodate his sculpted form. His silver hair floated without a breeze to sustain it. He roamed the earth with a single leaf to cover his nether regions.

"Greetings, I have seen your grievance and came to you with a proposal!'

'What kind of proposal and how can you see me?'

He smiled, showing no malice in his silver eyes.

'That is not important. What matters is that ten days from now a child will be born of royalty. You need to protect him for he is a savior to all.'

"So you believed a pervert who had an mbolo the size of a needle?" Slade interrupted.

"I was drained of hope. Do understand me," the angel sighed.

'Where's Meria?!' King Lohann demanded.

His voice was filled with excitement. He boomed with the authority of a delighted father and not the king of the land. He just heard from the palace maids that his wife was finally giving birth to their second. They wished for it to be a girl since their first one was a boy, but the Queen had always felt that the child in her womb was a male. He kicked and made ruckus every time she slept.

The Great King stumbled on his way in elation. It was heart-warming for those who saw the usual steely man clumsily shuffling on his feet. He was like a senseless child who did not know his left from right.

'Otou!' Lucius yelled.

He had just returned from his travels on the same day of his sibling's welcoming. Once he heard from the citizens that his mother was giving birth, he rushed his worn pegacorn who was confused with his master's abuse.

'Lucius!'

The king enthusiastically greeted his rebellious yet well-respected child.

'When did you-'

'No time to talk, otou! I am going to finally meet my little brother!' He hooted.

He had wanted a younger brother. He was the only one who wanted another boy as opposed to the king and queen of the Ancient kingdom. He wanted someone to play with him in his rough games and someone who wouldn't take after his mother's moody days.

He sped up ahead of him which left the king to grumble as he trailed after his son. His son surpassed him in every way but the man refused to inherit the kingdom. Lucius never wanted to be locked inside. He was a man who lived under his own rules which earned him both reverence from the citizens and scathing intolerance from those who loathed his compassionate heart.

When they arrived in the bedroom, there were several people already in it: Queen Titia who was his wife's bratty younger sister, King Caspian who was King Lohann's younger brother, and other ancients who knew about childbirth.

I cut off the story of the angel with another question.

"Why are there two queens and two kings?" Wouldn't there be conflict in their ruling?

"It's because of politics. King Genshi divided the Land of Florencia into two: Cael–the city where you met Sevor and Slade's caravan and Cludea–the current Kingdom of Florencia. He had an inkling that the Higher-Order might use the Holy Grail to influence a king's decision. He established the Kingdom of Cael in case the Kingdom of Cludea is taken over by the Higher-Order."

It was no secret that the younger queen could not conceive. It was something that she was ashamed of for she was one of the people who symbolized life, yet she could not provide an offspring of her own. She envied her older sister yet her jealousy never transformed into hate. Merriment was the only emotion seen in her face as the older queen pushed out a gift that the younger queen could never have.

'It's out! He's a boy!'

One of the helpers shouted in merriment. Lucius was popping up and down in the circle of people around the mattress. He waited for a loud and obnoxious cry that would indicate the success of life. He just couldn't wait to have you in his arms.

'Is my baby brother out? Oh let me see him! Let me–'

The aura of joy died down. Everything became stagnant when no cry was heard. A woman screamed, causing the circle of people to scramble out of the room in fear. The crowded room was rapidly deserted except for the royal family who remained.

'Is my baby brother that ugly for you people to rudely leave like that?!' The older prince growled. He'd make sure that a rightful punishment would be brought upon them later.

A rotten smell strongly lingered. The royal family covered their noses in shock. Once their eyes met with the deathly appearance of the newborn, their upper limbs dropped to their side; their lips went ajar.

Queen Meria looked around with bewilderment. Her arms flung above as she searched for her boy.

'Wha-what is happening? What is that awful scent? Is my son safe?' she weakly asked.

Blood resumed to gush out of her . No one was able to attend to her needs.

'Lohann... Lohann where is he? Give him to me!' She demanded.

Lucius slowly walked towards the bed, standing behind his trembling father. His Uncle and Auntie held each other with tears trailing their cheeks.

They stared at you at the foot of the bed. They were lost for words. Tears slipped from King Lohann's eyes as fell on his knees.

'When did he...when did he perish and how? There were no signs...Queen Meria was a healthy pregnant woman…' King Caspian said.

Lucius picked you up. His smile remained yet his eyes were filled with sorrow.

'No...this is...this is a lie,' he told himself. "My brother...my brother is still alive! He's not you!" He cried out.

'What is it, Lucius? Someone tell me what's happening...please...Is he okay? Is my Eros okay?'

He did not have it in him to declare his brother's death to his hopeful and poor mother. He couldn't even believe what he was holding in his hands. His breath stopped when your left eye opened and showed an innocent black eye peeking at him.

He was a great general of one of his grandfather's battalions. He had destroyed armies and lived his days remembering the blood in his hands, yet he just couldn't end you...your dead eyes made him weak.

'But you are my brother, aren't you?' He whispered.

He did not have the heart to hate you. Despite the death that consumed you, he treasured you. He was broken between reality and negation. His legs moved weakly towards the side of the bed. His steps were heavy as he tried to pull himself together.

"Okaa..."

Once he was beside her, he broke into uncontrollable tears and sobs.

'Mother!' He wailed, landing on his knees with you in his hands.

Queen Meria gently took you from him, but instead of spoiling you with words, she screamed in terror.

You did not cry. You were looking at everyone in wonder. You had a set of eyes that was as dark as ink. Your skin had multiple traces of dark veins running along your ghostly white skin. Your stench was horrid yet you look at the world with purity.

It was innocence in its dangerous form. But even as innocent as you, in this world, you had no place and Queen Meria did not accept that.

'No...No...No!' she wailed, rocking her form back and forth while she held the baby against her chest.

She was utterly crushed. No one knew how to fix her because just like the grieving queen, they were all experiencing the sudden intense quiver of hopelessness and despair.

Lucius could not kill you.

King Lohann could not even look at you.

The grave news spread throughout the kingdom and the people mourned. King Caspian and Queen Titia attempted to take you so that they may finally end this, but your mother strongly refused.

She embraced you protectively. Her instincts to protect you as her mother conquered any rational thinking. She loved you despite your death. She loved you despite your threat. It was painful to see even for me who just saw you for the first time.

"Why did I die then?" I asked him.

"It was really baffling. I was there. You suddenly lost your healthy color as soon as you were out," the angel spoke.

Queen Meria locked herself in the room as she protected you. King Lohann, King Caspian, Prince Lucius, and Queen Titia, along with the Higher-Order, called a meeting to decide your fate.

Your existence was not accepted even if you were the prince. You were a threat yet they were afraid that if you were put to rest, their beloved queen's sanity would be executed along with you.

So they agreed to do a ritual that was never done in the history of the Ancients. It was a ritual that would be performed if the last ruler of the Ancient Kingdom was to fall.

The sacrament was performed in the Kingdom of Cael because the Tree of Resurrection inhabited the secret room of the castle.

There were eight coffins connected to the tree to put the sacrifices. You were put inside the core of the tree to receive the souls. They searched for willing Ancients who would die for you. It wasn't hard for them; the royal family was loved. There were six hundred two soldiers, one child who lost his parents during the war, and three hundred ninety-six citizens.

"How did they know that they need one thousand souls?" Peaches asked.

"Their ancestors engraved instructions at one branch of the tree."

"How convenient," Sevor commented, almost in disbelief on how convenient everything seemed to be.

They gathered all nine hundred ninety-nine volunteers into the palace. They had guards around the floating castle to restrain relatives who would protest for their family members. Many remonstrated but most were already blinded by their love for the royal family.

The one who organized the sacrifices was King Caspian. Lucius remained by your side to monitor your rebirth.

'Lucius,' King Caspian greeted in his calm and smooth voice.

Though the man remained dignified in his stance and overall atmosphere, King Caspian could tell that he was exhausted from the preparations.

'Uncle,' Lucius acknowledged with a nod.

There was some silence between them before Lucius spoke again.

'We are sacrificing one thousand people for my brother. Although I want Lucian to be reborn...I can't stop thinking about the sacrifices. I feel like we are being unfair and selfish. We are placing such a heavy guilt on Lucian if he were to ever discover this.'

He understood what he meant. If anyone were to analyze the given situation, they were exchanging one thousand souls for one infant.

'Our people are willing. We did not force them,' King Caspian reasoned out.

'They know what is best for our kingdom. And I can see that you renamed him huh? Lucian…'

Lucius chuckled. 'Eros means: 'to love' and he wasn't welcomed with love so I changed it. Lucian means light. I think it just suits that fake prophecy about the end of the world. It's humorous.'

King Caspian smiled, taking the taller man in his embrace. Lucius was a bit startled by the man's sudden affection but he returned it anyway. His uncle was just touchy.

'I have to tell you something before the last eight people go in,' he whispered.

Lucius let go of his uncle, staring at him curiously.

'About what?'

The older man smiled sadly.

'You'll know.'

The ritual went on for so many days. Dead bodies that were soulless vessels were taken by soldiers to bury them. They were considered heroes who sacrificed their lives for the better good of the kingdom.

The tree and all its glowing ivory stayed active for days. It would make a wavy and resonating sound as it sucked the souls out of people and delivered them to you– to cure you of your death. You were crying that whole time. The whole process was painful and tiring for your confused body that it would make Lucius agonize and cover his ears.

For the last day, your brother had taken a look at the stone tablets where the names of those volunteers were engraved. He thanked them one by one as he read them.

But there was something odd...there were only nine hundred ninety-nine carved in it. Did they forget to carve the name of the last hero?

'We are now sacrificing the last eight...pay witness for the rebirth of Prince Lucian!' Iltut announced.

Lucius straightened his posture, placing the stone tablet down. King Caspian stood in front of him and then the most questionable thing happened. He kissed the man. He placed his lips against his nephew's own. King Caspian tapped Lucius' cheek, smiling.

'Mi amas vin ( I love you).' he murmured. The prince stared at him with wide eyes.

"What?! You must be lying. You're joking right?" Caleb cut off.

"I will not waste my breath to lie," the angel gritted out. "Now let me finish!"

King Caspian entered the coffin without his wife's knowledge. Lucius tried to stop him but Caspian said:

'Do not be cruel to me. I chose this fate so let me live it.'

By the time Queen Titia arrived, her husband was being carried out by the royal knights. She was devastated. She could not speak for days. She refused to eat or drink. She couldn't even celebrate your rebirth.

King Lohann and the Higher-Order decided to lie about Caspian's sacrifice. They did not want the people to hear that the King died for the Prince because that would cause an uproar.

"Why did they even allow that? Sacrificing a king for a prince?" Crowley asked and he had a point.

"The Higher-Order did the approvals for the sacrifices. They did question it but with him out of the picture, they thought they could gain possession of Cael."

To avoid the abhorrence towards Prince Lucian, King Lohann and the Higher-order told a lie.

They told the Kingdom of Cael that King Caspian attempted to attack Lucian upon his rebirth. The knights had to execute him.

"King Caspian the Traitor" was what the people called him.

With her husband gone, with the people despising him, and with no one to trust, Queen Titia lost her reason. She became unloving and uncaring. She became hateful and bitter. She shunned everyone and despised your existence because she knew the truth.

One night, her bereavement finally ended.

You were crying in your room. Instead of Queen Meria attending to you, Queen Titia entered your room. She carried you in her arms and sang to you. Her eyes were red with despair. She was ghostly thin and pale.

'Prince Lucian, why do you cry?' she queried. 'Are you still not satisfied with the deaths that you have caused?' she sweetly asked with the latch of spite in her voice.

You looked at Queen Titia with your bright blue eyes as if you were trying to comprehend what she was saying. She held you tightly, looking at the window.

'I can just throw you out there and be done with it," she breathed heavily as her expression grew more spiteful. "You cursed child. You damn child—you who took everything from me!' She screamed.

Her loud voice startled your pure conscience. You began to cry from the voice scaring you. She tried to console you again before growing a vine at the ceiling and grabbing a chair for her to stand on.

'I am sorry. I scared our little prince, didn't I? Forgive me for I have not forgiven you yet…' she muttered.

Her gaze was affixed to yours. Malice had wrapped around her intention.

'I curse you and this whole race. May death be with you...always,' she murmured, placing a kiss on your forehead.

She put you back in your crib before hooking her neck around the loop of vine she had grown. She stared down at you with pure loath in her eyes. She kicked the chair, taking her life in the process.

She did not struggle with her decision. She remained still while boring her eyes on the innocent infant that was you.

You witnessed the act; you watched her body sway as if it was just another toy that your brother hung for you. You followed her corpse with your eyes until the motion stopped and you became restless once again.

You were too young to understand the hate she had in her heart. You could not appreciate the sacrifices made for you. You did not understand the concept of life and death.

At that time, you were just a baby—given another chance to live and another chance to die.

"That is your tale, Prince Lucian."