Chapter Nineteen: Borderline

When the sky completely went dark, Kai finally arrived at the inn. There is a bit of commotion in the lobby of the first floor but Kai ignored them and he went straight into his room. But when he saw the other room, where Helix was staying, he stopped in front of the door. There was no noise inside but Kai could feel the presence of magic, and it definitely does belong to Helix...

A large amount of magic leaks out from the crevice of the door.

Kai's lips parted slightly and his eyes darkened. The amount of concentration is really too much. So much that his body's own senses are acting up. His ears deafened a bit, he could even smell something sweet that he had never smelled before. His sight right now is more apparent than ever and his skin could feel even when the dust touches him.

'No wonder why there is a commotion down there…'

Kai shook his head and cleared his mind. This amount of magic can also intoxicate someone's mind and heart, it was written in one of the books he had read. He raised his hand and knocked on the door. "Helix?" His voice was gentle but loud enough for the person inside to hear.

Clutching on the bedsheets while gasping heavily all while soaking in his own sweat, Helix barely heard Kai behind the door. He was only half-conscious but when he heard the familiar voice, he tightly held on to his remaining sanity. He raised his head with difficulty as he glared darkly at the other person in the room. There was barely any light but he could clearly see the glowing golden eyes of that person.

"... End this now. I don't need this treatment…" Helix's voice is barely a whisper. The other kept a tempered expression. His fingers moved diligently, stroking glowing letters of the ancient language in Helix's bare chest. Seeing that the other had no intention of moving, Helix gritted his teeth and closed his eyes shut. "Even if you do this, I will not come back to the kingdom…"

The man's eyes softened as he looked at Helix's pitiful situation. "You don't have to come back if you do not want to." He stared at the array he is casting on Helix and frowned slightly. It's not even half complete although he has been doing this for more than six hours… He glanced at the door where the knocks didn't stop and only became more aggressive.

"Helix, are you there? Helix!"

He is very much familiar with the person outside the door. He didn't know that these two actually know each other. "The duke of Zein and the dark mage of the empire…" he whispered.

After a moment of making a decision, the man drew a line after the last letter he wrote. "How unfortunate… After years of searching for you and finally catching you, I have to let you go now…" He stood up and looked at Helix's messy appearance and sighed regretfully. "This is the only thing I can do for you, Helix. Next time, I will make sure that I will undo your curse."

Helix left to be free from political troubles and conflicts. However, even after he left, he was deprived of his freedom because of this dreadful curse he created himself.

This pitiful person he taught, whose wings have been clipped by the world, how could he just ignore him and leave him as he is?

The window opened and a large gust of wind entered forcefully yet again. He made one last glance at Helix who continued to glare at him with abominable hate one can't describe. "I'll make sure that you'll come out of your own shell."

He does not expect gratitude or anything from Helix. Doing this is simply for the sake of the student he cherished from the past.

Like a lofty immortal, the man disappeared into the night with his fluttering robes. The moment he stepped out of the room, the formation he also cast inside that prevented a forceful entry was broken.

Kai, who kept on banging on the door with great restlessness and worry, noticed the dwindling magic leaking out of the room. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed the doorknob that didn't budge a centimeter earlier. Now, he finally made it move. Kai hastily twisted it and was about to push it open when a hoarse voice came from the inside. "Don't enter!"

The hands that held the knob froze.

Kai didn't dare to disobey Helix's words but he still held on. "Helix, what was that? Why won't you let me enter?" He doesn't know what to think about this. He can't even make any hypotheses regarding what happened inside the room. "Nothing… Just, just leave me alone for now." Following the voice was a small groan Kai barely heard behind the door.

Kai was itching to barge inside the room but his remaining sense of mind prevented him from angering the one inside.

His brows furrowed and Kai sighed softly to regain his calm. There is silence for a while between the two of them. However, Kai's patience is rapidly running out. His hand tightened on the doorknob while he opened his lips slightly.

"Just, tell me this one thing."

He cleared his throat as he lowered his head in front of the door before finally asking. "Are you all right?"

Behind the door was very quiet for a while. Helix raised his head and looked toward the direction of the door with his blurry eyes. It's still really painful and his limbs felt like it's being torn apart. Helix clenched his teeth, with his flushed face. The crimson hues on his face looked even brighter in contrast to his deathly pale skin.

But despite this, the pain is slowly numbing down and he could finally keep his composure unlike earlier. Helix controlled his breathing as a streak of sweat dropped from his chin.

Kai could smell the familiar sweet scent of lavender coming from the crevices of the door. His mind blanked out for a while but he made sure to carefully listen to every sound inside the room. His voice was unusually soft and mellow.

And then, he finally heard Helix's voice.

"I am…"

The two words didn't fully give Kai full security that he needed for Helix's condition. However, Helix is also not the type to lie to him either. A raging, yet silent fire in his heart died and Kai's mind finally felt peace.

He lowered his head and breathed softly.

"Mhm. Alright. If you say so…"

Helix stared at the closed door with slightly blurry eyes. His glowing purple eyes were unfocused but his mind was completely stable. "If there's nothing else, then go back to your room…" he took a breath first before adding on, "Don't come for me for a while."

The one on the other side of the door was hesitant about leaving. But he remembered something he had to tell Helix and mentioned it immediately as soon as he came out of his stupor.

"Actually, it seems that I have to attend a banquet at the castle later. The king had personally told me so I have no choice as the Duke." He paused for a moment.

The fact that he met a mysterious girl earlier can be mentioned later. It's not that important anyways since that lady might be just a complete stranger.

He suddenly heard a thump inside the room and Kai immediately forgot the lady from earlier. He heard a weak voice from the person inside, saying with a firm and… angered voice?

"Banquet… castle?"

Kai sucked air sharply and held his breath. 'Of course, this is an awkward topic for him… I shouldn't have mentioned it when he's in this condition…!' His lips really moved faster than his head, unbelievable…

The words just left his lips as soon as he came up with a topic that he forgot about Helix's relationship with the royal family and this kingdom. Although Helix does not disapprove of Kai coming here to the capital and interacting with other nobilities and royalties, he is obviously bound to be more sensitive about this topic when he's unstable like this.

There are no sounds from the other side of the door for a while and Kai is starting to worry. But after a minute, he finally heard Helix's voice. "... Don't talk to suspicious people with obvious bad intentions…" There was a short pause after Kai listened carefully to Helix's words.

Helix clenched his hands tightly and continued, "Don't tell anyone… that you know me…"

The former crown prince, the one who abdicated the throne and left the kingdom just to join the enemy empire…

Anyone who claims to know him has been subjected to unfair contempt just for that fact. Helix furrowed his eyebrows and closed his eyes weakly. With him like this, he won't be able to watch over Kai's situation. And if something were to happen to Kai during the banquet…

"Alright. If it's what you want, then fine. Just… when I come back after, let me come in your room and check on you."

Kai thought of Helix's words and agreed. Publicizing that he has a relationship with Helix would only make matters worse. That's why, until he finds a cure for Helix's curse, it's better to stay low. Kai does not want to stand out either in the banquet. If he acts weirdly and out of character, the king will be suspicious.

Nothing good will come from telling anyone about the fact that he and Helix live under the same roof…

But Helix on the other side of the door heard Kai's last words and hesitated. He didn't want to give a confirmation about that, he doesn't want to show himself to Kai yet. Especially when he's in this state. In the end, he chose silence.

Kai lowered his head and touched the door softly. "Then, I'll be going after I change."

There were no more responses from Helix inside the room.