XXX-III

Biringan was never meant to be beautiful and attractive. It was never meant to be colorful and full of life. Biringan was never meant to be lived on by humans and creatures alike. Biringan is the city where lost people were never found their way out. For others, it is a place for comfort and lust. A life that they never would have in the human realm. 

Biringan is known for its skyscrapers and millions of blinking city lights but according to some, the place is just a black urban city filled with spires and cathedrals instead of high buildings. The unparalleled and magnificent architecture is unworldly beautiful. 

The striking view of the black city is the reason why humans want to visit. But according to the legend, those people who want to visit Biringan must have an invite from their president, Ignacio. 

Keres is now hanging at his balcony window, looking at the magnificent view of Biringan. He sighs to himself as his hopes of flying free from the place got turned down by his father, who is as greedy as a donkey's ass. He was a bit pissed that his father prevents him from going anywhere but Biringan. He misses Larius and still wishes that the angel he saw from yesterday will appear again. He sighs for the umpteenth time and watches as the other Sluagh kids play out on the field. 

*I wish I could do that, too,* he thought to himself as he gets down from the balcony and into his room. He walks past his bed and went straight to the door. He held the knob when he suddenly stopped. His lips turn into a thin line and he shakes his head. He lets go of the knob and went to his bed. He sits down with both of his legs folded in front of him. He closes his eyes and breathes in as he concentrates. 

Larius taught him how to call a Living God for help when he needs it, and now, he wants to call the one from yesterday. He imagines what the angel looks like and says the first thing in his mind. 

 "Sartilliane."

He said. He doesn't know why but it's the name that came into his mind the first time he sees the angel. He concentrates more and more until he sees a tiny light piercing into the vastness of the empty space. Out of nowhere, he felt as if a hand touches his head. His eyes open immediately and there he sees the same angel from yesterday. 

"It's you!" he exclaims excitedly as he points at the living God in front of him. Sartilliane is the very first living God he summoned. He felt overjoyed. Sartilliane smiled at him and asks him what service could she offer to the Sluagh prince. Keres thought for a minute before smiling to the living God. 

"I want to see Larius."

He said. Sartilliane thought for a minute before smiling at him again and spread her wings. It's a painless wish so she decides to make it happen. With the use of her powers and her mindless concentration, she transports the Sluagh prince into Larius' room. 

x-x-x-x-x

The news about his treachery has reached Larius' ears and he is not happy about it. Yet, he can't be mad because it was Keres' decision to bring him here. He never expects that the Sluagh prince would do something like this. But he still knows that he is also at fault for this to happen. He should've never let the prince see for what he truly is, a cursed angel; someone who should've never been born to this world. He leans on his windowpane and watches as the creatures that roam the island, play,s and have fun. 

The last time he felt this free was when Queen Anemi was still alive. The Queen gave him his angelic power. Now, here he was, contemplating what he should do about the war that is nearing. Will he fight with the angels and truly betray the prince or will he just cower down and hide away from him? Such a question was cut from his thought when he felt a very dense power coming his way. He looks around the island but he did not see anyone. He knows that the other Angel Gods felt it, too. 

But deep inside him, he wished they didn't because he knows who this power belongs to. 

Keres.

His name is the one who he first thought. He closes his window and locked his door. He looks around his darkroom before sitting on the bed. His wait is not for too long when a tiny light pierces through the wall. He braces himself and when he saw the Sluagh Prince, his mind stops. He looked at the sight and there he was, the magnificent Sluagh Prince in his adult form.

 Sluaghs grew up quicker than humans, but Larius never witness them in their adult form only when they are nearing death. Larius sits up from his bed to welcome the prince when Keres himself launches himself to the man. Larius was taken aback and tries to balanced himself and Keres' big body to no avail. They both crash into the bed and the giant prince snuggle in Larius' neck. Making his mark glows as bright as the sun. Larius closes his eyes as he presents his neck to the Sluagh prince. 

Baring your neck means different in Sluagh's tradition. They use it for telling their partner that they are ready to be bred. As Keres snuggles deeply into his neck, Amihan suddenly burst into the locked door and is shocked by what she saw. 

"Sluagh!" 

She screams, alerting every single Angel Gods around the island. Keres jumps off of Larius as he tries to run away from Amihan's spear. All of the other Angel Gods point their sword at the Sluagh Prince when Larius came forward, spreading his arm, protecting the prince. 

"You kill him, you will kill me also. Now, choose."

He said. Stopping every tiny whisper from the other Angel Gods. Larius opens his bony wings and hides the Sluagh Prince from their sight. Sartilliane appears and chuckles at the sight.

"You, Angel Gods are really tense."

She said as she twirls around her small dagger. "I don't know if the Sluagh prince is the bad guy or you. I believed one of you guys heard what Belevathan had said to Alviary and Salthifer before. Yet, you still decide to call every Angel God that exists on this island," she said, pointing the dagger to Amihan. Amihan puts down her spear and looks at her weakening brother. 

When Larius was about to fall down, Keres catches him and immediately places him on the bed. Gab was about to attack him when Salthifer freezes his tracks, stopping him from killing the Sluagh prince. "Didn't you hear what my sister just said?" Salthifer asks Gab as he looks at him with glaring eyes. "You kill the prince, you will also kill Larius," Salthifer said again, a bit louder this time for everyone to hear. 

Keres sits beside Larius as he holds his hand and chants a magical song; a song that only Zarzagoa knows. 

"In the farthest mountain

There was a little boy

Looking out over the horizon

As he wishes for a new life

The little boy starts singing

His mother's favorite song

His feet dangle down the cliff

As tears fall down once more."

As the others listen to the song, they try to think what the meaning behind the song is. For Salthifer and Sartilliane, it's a song about mending the broken bonds and making them more inseparable. If one breaks the bond, both of them will die and will be reincarnated as a Sluagh. Sartilliane sighs as she watches the prince mending every bond that is broken when she felt the sudden alert from a dark Sage. Salthifer draws his hand immediately and casts a spell on the shadow lurking around the room.

Sartilliane calls for Belevathan's help who immediately came over and sees the shadow. She draws her staff and chants a spell before casting off the shadow. A silent scream of pain and suffering were heard all over the room as the shadow reveals itself. It was indeed the Dark Sage. Belevathan and Salthifer combine their powers and cast a strong spell on the Sage and lock him in an abandoned forest outside of their realm. 

As the shadow vanishes on the room, the prince's spell finally stops and Larius finally wakes up. He looks around the room and was shocked to recognize his sister. "Amihan?" he said before looking around the room and sees Keres. "You're Highness, why are you here?" he asks the little prince. Keres just smiles and bent his head on Larius' lap and falls asleep. Larius looks at the living gods standing next to each other with confusion.

"What is happening?" he asks, only to be answered by silence and tiny whispers of crickets from the outside. Minutes later, other Angel Gods left the room, one by one, living Sartilliane, Alviary, Salthifer, and Belevathan to explain what is going on to Larius. They help him place the Sluagh prince beside Larius as Larius brushes his long brown hair.

He sits down in front of the living gods and stares at them directly. "Now," he starts, looking curiously at them. "Tell me, what is going on?" Larius said with a hint of warning on his tone. Belevathan looks at Salthifer for answers but the young living God is not looking back at her. She sighs and retells the story of how Larius ended up on the island and why everyone is on the edge. Also, why does the Sluagh prince present in the enemy's territory?

After hundreds of questions later, Larius sighs and looks at the prince once again. "He grows up so fast," he said, looking at the disheveled hair of the handsome prince. Keres does not look like the average Sluagh kid. He looks more like a human rather than a monster. Just like Larius, after he got transformed into a Sluagh. Still, on the subject of what is happening, Alviary asks Larius how he got turned into a Sluagh.

"It was before Queen Siyenthera died in the last war. Her minions catch me and surrendered me to her while the others are fighting on this island," he starts, looking at his palm as he remembers every single detail of his treachery towards the Queens he served. "She forced me to surrender my angelic power before throwing me into the deepest part of Voyagerinda. She strips off everything that I have and vanishes me away from the land," he said, making sure not to wake up the prince as he sobs his memories away.

He sobs and sobs as he continues his story of tragedy and bravery. He owns the Sluagh King his new life, but falling for the Sluagh Prince is never an option for a converted soldier like him. 

When the story ends, all four living Gods now think that the war should've never started in the first place. They all need to talk to Zarzagoa about a possible solution to stop the war, but after hearing the reasons of the Sluagh King about starting this war; they aren't now sure what to do to this war.