Whose in Charge?

The knight walked in after he had gotten the 'permission' he needed. He could sense it, that familiar presence.

He walked and a few thoughts clouded his mind. Now..what should he do once that awaited moment happens?

Ezekiel opened the door and looked inside the room, immediately making eye contact with Kai who sat on the bed with a book in his hands.

They both stared at each other for a while. Figuring things out. 

"You've grown quite a lot since the last time I saw you." Ezekiel started with a smile. Looking behind and closing the door before the other boy could get in. 

Kai stopped and lowered the book, he wished he had forgotten this person."I'm not quite sure we've ever met." 

"You're a great liar. But I see it, you know, your smile wavering. Afterall, I know you quite well." Ezekiel leaned in closer.

"Open the door! You didn't say anything about locking it!" Claude yelled, slamming on the door with his fist and kicking it. 

Ezekiel smiled and looked over his shoulder. And raised his hands, the moment he did, a high pitched sound screamed and stopped. "That should be it then." He confirmed.

Sound magic. Kai figured. But he still can never know what Ezekiel is ever thinking. If the knight wanted to, he could drag him back to his father with no difficulty whatsoever.

"So, Huxley sent you here? Isn't he wasting a precious knight's time?" Kai queried.

"You've changed plenty. The way you're not afraid to look someone in the eyes, you've gained some wits." Ezekiel ignored the questions, he reached out his hand.

"Don't touch me." Kai warned.

Ezekiel's eyes widened as he eyed all the bandages. "You've finally gotten some common sense. Didn't know it needed to be gained through some trauma. How was it with Lord Bellaire? Filthy, isn't he?"

Kai stayed silent but his hands unconsciously formed a fist to hold back his impulsive decisions. 

"Don't you..wanna go back?" Ezekiel said in a soft tone, bending down and looking more serious now.

"If I did. What would change?" Kai murmured. "And why would you care?"

Frowning, Ezekiel looked out the window. His bright blue eyes turned into a dull hue. He fought the urge to rub his eyes.

The reunion was supposed to start on a lighter note. Afterall, they used to be quite close. Ezekiel didn't mean to come off this harsh. It must've been from all the stress.

Whenever Victoria and Huxley went out to hunt in the different dimensions, they would often not be home for at least a week or so.

Huxley would often secretly deploy Ezekiel who was the youngest out of his own knights to his son for protection and some company.

Rather than being a strict and tough guard, Ezekiel acted more like a brother. Teaching Kai, giving him sweets and moral support like a reliable brother would. But that all stopped when Kai turned 5.

Victoria found out and wasted no time sending Ezekiel away on a 3 year trip to the North where the monster's spawn rate spiked.

"Sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there." Ezekiel dropped his head down low. "I'm sorry." 

"Aren't you here to take me back?" Kai asked, wanting to lift Ezekiel's head up but he was scared.

"I could never do that to you. I just..felt your presence in this house. I wanted to see how you were doing." Ezekiel refused, trembling. 

Staring, Kai glanced at the door for a while. "How is..father doing..?" He whispered even though there was no need to.

"He's doing well. Adjusting. Though, he seems to have trouble sleeping when you are gone. Insomnia and everything. After all, you were taken away when he was asleep." 

The room fell silent.

"If he is fine, that's all I need to know." Kai coldly said, not wanting to ask for more.

"Don't you want to see him again? It doesn't have to be now! You can go see him when you're-" Ezekiel was getting more hyper now. 

"Don't worry. I will." Kai said. "How have..you been doing?" He asked solemnly.

"Of course I've been doing well. I rose up in ranks. I graduated." Ezekiel started, trying to state more events that were major. "Hey. Are you sure you're fine like this? I have the capacity to send you away.. safely."

"One moment you're asking me to go back now you're suggesting to send me away. Make up your mind." 

Ezekiel froze and whimpered. "I don't want to see you or the commander suffering anymore. I dislike this. A lot. He wants to see you so badly he has been up nights looking for any clues. He dispatched all his knights and risked his own personal safety. But I can't send you back to him! If I did, what would become of you if you met with her again?!" He ranted.

"Enough." Kai yelled. "Please."

Ezekiel looked up at Kai. "Please, for the sake of my commander. At least a letter to ease his mind." He begged. "One word is more than enough."

Without saying anything, Kai looked at the door. Slowly opening his mouth and deciding on his choice of words, "Won't he be better off thinking I'm dead?"

"What?" Ezekiel blurted out in disbelief. He tried to find words to refuse Kai's stand but he realized this topic couldn't be discussed any further. It had reached its end.

If this was the old Kai, simple words and a pat on the back could convince him. But seeing him now, it was clear he was not in a good state of mind to handle anything more major than his father doing just 'fine'.

Hesitantly, Ezekiel stood up and snapped his fingers. And the surrounding sounds persisted on. However, despite the screams and yells of the kid outside, he still felt an awkward silence in the room.

"Kai. Whenever you're free, you should take some time to visit the estate. I think you and your brother will click well." Ezekiel offered his advice and walked towards the door.

Swiftly, Ezekiel opened the door and felt his body being pushed by Claude. He watched as the boy struggled with his legs while running towards Kai.

"And one last thing, Kai. You should take a closer look at the people around you. Are they really that reliable?" Ezekiel pointed to Claude with a sly smile and disappeared without a sound.

"What's wrong with that knight?!" Claude yelled, tapping on the ground with his feet angrily.

Kai looked at the open door and didn't keep his eyes off it no matter how many questions Claude asked. He gritted his teeth and breathed out heavily. 

'Like someone who resembles Victoria? It's never going to happen.' Kai thought, his hands shaking.

Walking away from the house with muddy steps, Ezekiel held his hand up to the sky as he watched a shimmer of yellow burst through the clouds.

There's two things Kai must know. He had to tell him, but he couldn't bring his heart to. It'll be fine to tell him on a later date, right? Ezekiel convinced himself.

Constantly pondering over his decisions that could change one's fate. It was too much of a burden for him to bear. 

"Where did you go for the night?" A Knight asked, watching Ezekiel step into the inn with an unusually tired expression.

"We should head back tomorrow." Ezekiel said, fixing his shirt.

"But the commander said we should go back unless we find the child!" The knight exclaimed in a frantic whisper.

Ezekiel tapped on the counter and looked up. "I'm the one in charge. Are you disobeying my commands by any chance?" He asked in a friendly tone.

"No, sir." The knights gulped. Ezekiel was much younger than him but of a much higher rank. It hurt the knight's pride to address him and obey his commands.

"We'll return. Tell the others that." Ezekiel stated again.

"What about the wishes of the commander?!" The knight exclaimed.

"He stepped down due to health reasons, Blaine. And when he is gone, I'm in charge." His bright blue eyes glowed menacingly. He was in no mood to entertain all these pawns. He glanced at the empty envelope with the royal stamp on it.