10. A Brother’s Bond

Fully opening the door, Asher finally let Kio in the room. The sight of the poor and barren room left Kio speechless! Has his little brother always lived in such poor conditions? Where are the games a child his age should have? Such a monotone life... no wonder Asher grew up to become such an uninteresting and quiet person. There was nothing here that would allow the young boy to find and explore new passions!

In contrast to Asher's boring room, Kio's room is filled with several books containing the complex history of magic and its origins and information regarding Zatheusyl and other countries. There is also a secret room hidden beneath the walls containing different types of swords that complement his fighting techniques and his magical abilities.

After staring at the lifeless room in surprise, Kio regained his composure and asked Asher to be let in and Asher obeyed. Pithos, who was on the bed, narrowed his eyes towards the unexpected visitor. Will he also make fun of or try to hurt his human? He won't allow that!

Standing on the bed on his four legs, Pithos glared at Kio menacingly. Its fluffy tail was erect, his back was arched, and his hair was upright. This clearly displayed the fact that Pithos felt threatened by Kio. The hateful glare didn't escape past his senses and Kio's emerald eyes met Pithos' ruby ones in a ferocious battle of dominance.

"Brother, why are you here?"

Finally, after calming himself down to some degree, Asher stared up at his brother questioningly. He noticed the silver platter in Kio's hands but decided against questioning him about it. Kio tore his eyes away from Pithos with a sigh and looked at his younger brother with a strange glint in his eyes. He carried the silver plater with one hand and lifted his other hand to ruffle Asher's dark hair.

"The food you were given was not up to standards. The juice wasn't fresh. This was Ian's doing," Kio stated blatantly while moving towards the small table. "You'll starve yourself if you don't eat. So, I brought you breakfast."

Removing the lid from the platter, Asher's eyes were met with an exquisite site. This reminded him of when he first came to this world, how Zara brought him food from the kitchen when he was distressed about the sudden change of scenery (though that was not what she believed). However, despite being presented with such good looking food, Asher was hesitant. What if Kio tricked him and only intended to hurt him?

Noticing the hesitance in his little brother's eyes, Kio frowned slightly. Their father's sudden and unexplained attack certainly shook the young boy to his core. Asher was the one that first approached Kio without a care in the world, trusting him completely. Now, after the whole fiasco, Asher was now unsure if he should trust him. This fact unexplainably caused a pang of hurt in Kio's stone heart.

"Eat. It tastes good," said Kio after eating a mouthful of scrambled eggs and taking a sip from the orange juice. Seeing his elder brother's sincere action caused Asher's heart to warm up. A bright smile blossomed as his cheeks turned slightly rosy.

"Thank you, Kio."

Kio didn't dare to smile back. It was much too soon-- too soon for him to show his true colors. Maybe one day in the near future, when he is absolutely certain that his little brother has changed for the better. What if Asher decided to go to school and pursue magic? Even if he is a few years late, Kio would gladly help him catch up in no time!

A small, genuine smile appeared on Kio's face as he began to think about all the things he could do by Asher's side. Just training with Ian has become boring and quite bothersome. While he did enjoy his elder brother's fiery attitude during a spar, it has become quite dull, to say the least. Kio hasn't been gaining any experience for quite a while. Maybe if he began to teach Asher the basics he could review and better understand the fundaments of what it means to become a magical swordsman. Also, he is still far too ignorant in the concept of magic. Magic in general, its uses, and in what other ways it can be used, it is still a mystery for Kio.

Unaware of Kio's plans for the future, Asher simply enjoyed the food he was brought and gazed at Kio's happy expression. Pithos, who had been on edge thinking about the ways he could protect his little human without revealing his true form, had finally calmed down and was now seated beside Asher while licking its paw. Kio had made no attempts to hurt his younger brother, and if he indeed wanted to hurt him, Pithos would know.

Finally snapping out of his daydream, Kio lowered his head to look at Asher to find him already staring at him. Asher unabashedly smiled, the fork still in his mouth. Kio felt embarrassed by his younger brother's fixed staring. For him to be able to shake away this feeling, he coughed and turned his head away, a slight blush forming in his cheeks.

"So, does it taste okay? I can fire the cooks if it is not up to your tastes."

Hearing this, Asher chocked on a piece of bacon, making Kio's eyes double in size as he frantically kneeled beside Asher.

"W-wait! Are you okay? I'll fire the cooks right away. No, I'll fire the whole kitchen staff, so please don't choke!"

Asher immediately grabbed the orange juice and downed it down. Lives were at stake! He couldn't handle the burden of a whole group of people losing their jobs because of a foolish mistake!

Just as Kio was about to stand up and head towards the kitchen, Asher's small hand grabbed his sleeve and forcefully pulled him towards him. The force Asher used was too much and coupled with the fact that Kio wasn't aware of what was happening, Kio toppled over Asher. The plate was, unfortunately, smashed onto the ground, making Asher frown. He wasn't done with his food yet...

In contrast to Asher's reaction (which was solely about the spilled food), Kio was left in a shock. How could his training have failed him? He was always hyper-aware of his surroundings because of his father's harsh and unexpected teachings. He would always cast powerful magic spells randomly to up their defense and their reaction time. This time, however, he wasn't prepared at all and had fallen victim to the sudden attack. Thankfully, the consequences were not horrible burns, but rather, a heart-warming and adorable sight.

Asher, who was sprawled beneath him, had been gazing at the spilled food with a disappointed look on his face. His dark hair was all over the place while his red bangs messily covered up his translucent dark blue eyes. His cheeks were dusted with a blush of pink because of his frustration. Finally, after attempting to blow on his red hair to make it go away but ultimately failing, Asher pouted and looked at Kio.

Asher had already realized their indecent position as sons of a noble family, but it didn't matter all that much. They were both bounded by blood, anyways. What did matter was saving the poor people who were about to get fired because of him accidentally choking on a piece of bacon.

"Big brother, you mustn't fire the staff. It was my fault that I choked, so leave them out of this, please?" Asher explained hurriedly while hoping Kio would understand. However, despite his pleading, Kio didn't change his mind. He did, however, compromise.

"I will not fire the staff. I will demote them. They will keep their jobs. That is all," he said, the tone of his voice indicating that there is no more room for pleading.

Now that everything was said and done, it was expected of Kio to get off of Asher. Nevertheless, the elder brother didn't move. Asher looked up at him in a confused manner. Why wasn't Kio moving? Did he hurt his back?

Asher, being the kind of person he was, decided not to move or push Kio away. He decided to observe his brother and see just what was wrong with him. Kio's eyes shone in a strange light unknown to Asher. Isolating himself from all life forms didn't help him decipher what could be wrong. Despite this, the feelings hidden beneath the cold layer of Kio's eyes was something Asher himself was deeply familiar with.

Still, he knew just how much embarrassment it would cause Kio to speak up. Bearing this in mind, Asher took the best course of action.

"Big brother? Can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?" Kio's indifferent voice concealed the bit of helplessness he was feeling deep within.

Hearing his answer, Asher smiled bashfully. "I woke up earlier than usual and I feel tired. Would you accompany me until I fall asleep?"

Hearing Asher's request, Kio was left stunned. It was as if Asher had known what he had truly felt and instead of bearing it out in the open, he decided to satisfy Kio's selfish wish in silence, not wanting to embarrass him. In order to keep up the charade of indifference, Kio said nothing for the first few seconds before nodding.

That one nod was enough to brighten up Asher's horrible morning. Asher smiled brightly, causing his eyes to form into a crescent shape as Kio finally got off of him. Covering himself up with the fluffy white sheets, he frowned when he saw Kio sit on the edge of the bed while watching over him.

Shaking his head, Asher took Kio's hand and tugged it towards him. "I won't be able to sleep if you stay there. Come here to me. I promise the sheets are as comfortable as your own. You won't be able to notice the difference!"

As if in a trance, Kio heeded Asher's order and covered both himself and his little brother with the covers. Asher sighed in contentment as he snuggled against Kio's chest and closed his eyes, slowly falling into a deep slumber. Contrarily, Kio didn't know what to do. This is what he had wanted for such a long time.

The love of his father? It was all mostly reserved for Ian and his 'greatness'. He is the heir, after all. The love of his mother? While Nikola tried her best to equally divide her love, it was clear that she favored the unwanted duckling of the family. The love of his siblings? Ian would rather not have any competition for the position of the head of the family while Asher was always after Ian's attention. But what about him? When would he receive his share of love?

Well, now he has it. Asher was comfortably lying against his chest, breathing heavily. This was it. The love he had always been missing; the love he had always longed for. A lone tear trickled its way out of his eye and into the soft pillow, erasing its existence. A smile bloomed on Kio's face-- a real and genuine smile as he wrapped his arms around Asher and brought him closer to him.

This was it. What he had always wished for. No one is taking this away from him. Not his mother, not his elder brother, and most importantly, not his father. He won't cave into his family's wishes. Starting now, he will live his own life free from his father's expectations. Finally, finally, he has a reason to fight against his meaningless destiny. He will protect his brother, his beloved brother Asher, and protect both of them against the storm that will soon brew. He can feel it. However, this won't stop him from fighting.

Finally, after all of his thoughts and emotions were sorted, he fell asleep alongside Asher. Pithos, who had been silently watching over the pair of brothers, couldn't help but feel his heart warm-up at the scene. Without even realizing it, his little human had severely shaken up the stone heart of this seemingly cold man. There was no doubt now, Asher couldn't be working for any spy. Not when he possessed such warm feelings towards his family.

Pithos' blood-red eyes shone against the sun's rays as he gazed upon the vast blue sky. Kio will help protect his human, so he doesn't have to worry. He can go scout the area for any strange movements and report to the little lord about what had happened during Archer's absence. If the little lord knows any compassion, then maybe he can take this as evidence that Asher isn't the type of person to work with someone that harbors ill intentions towards his family.