After Princess Elowen was escorted out, the room fell into a brief, heavy silence.
Brother Kaius' eyes swept across the room, scanning every corner. Then his gaze shifted to the open window and immediately to Asvran, who stood at the dark corner of the room, like he had always belonged there.
Without a word, Kaius strode toward the window.
"The moment word reached me that you had saved the princess, I feared her nearness would stir the shadow bound to you," he said. "But to walk in and find the two of you alone? What were you thinking?" He added frustratedly as he reached to shut the window, but stopped half way when Asvran spoke.
"You don't have to, Brother."
Asvran lifted his head and stepped forward, placing his hand directly into the sunlight pouring in. "It doesn't seem to affect me anymore."
Kaius' brow pulled into a deep frown.
"How can that be?" he murmured, eyes narrowing. "Even thou the princess has not yet mastered her gift, her mere presence rouses any fell spirit. And you know well how grievous it becomes when the darkness within you strives to break its chains…"
Kaius' voice trailed as his eyes moved to Asvran's hand, his skin was still normal, no blackening, no sharp claws forming.
Asvran exhaled slowly.
"I… think…" His brow furrowed faintly, confusion flickering across his face. "I think she did something to me."
He glanced down at his own palm, then toward the dark, wavering shadow that lingered beside him.
"She must have taken the curse within me." He said.
Kaius just stayed silent for a moment, simply staring. He didn't look shocked more like someone who had expected this might happen. He always believed Elowen carried more power than she thought, and her trauma had probably awakened even more of it.
But he hadn't expected her to cleanse Asvran so easily, especially after only meeting him a few times. Something that strong could only happen through direct contact.
And that realization tightened his chest.
Elowen had unknowingly placed herself in grave danger. Any demon would have lashed out at her on instinct. Even higher demons struggled to stay calm near her. If not for Asvran's years of harsh training and dicipline, he might not have been able to hold back either.
He let out a slow breath, subtly nodding to himself, then finally turned his attention back to Asvran.
"How do you fare?" he asked.
"Strange," Asvran replied, withdrawing into the darker corner of the room. "As though a piece of me has been torn away." He said as he picked up a piece of broken glass and pressed it into his palm. A thin cut opened instantly, blood sliding down his hand, then he lifted it toward Kaius.
Kaius's face tightened.
"It's not healing?" he asked, stepping forward quickly. He pulled out a small folded cloth and reached for Asvran's hand.
But before he could get any closer, Asvran stepped back, pulling his hand away.
Kaius stilled for a moment, accepting the distance with a quiet nod as he lowered the cloth and took a small step back.
"Why are you here?" Asvran asked, gaze turning aside.
"I wish to ask you something," Kaius began slowly. "On the night of the attack… did you... "
He stopped.
The question hovered in the air.
He already knew the answer. Asvran Saving the princess that night meant losing control. And if he had lost control… then the king's foreign wound made sense.
Asking outright would only drive a deeper fracture between them.
Kaius scratched the back of his neck, the silence turning tight and awkward. At last he sighed.
"I came for Sire Lucian," he said instead. "I've already sent for him." He added as Asvran subtly nodded, eyes drifting toward the window.
Just then, Sire Lucian entered— a tall man with bright blue eyes and short blonde hair, a knight of the Sanctum Order. His features were calm and soft, and his smile came easily, but whispers of his ruthlessness on the battlefield made it clear he was a monster in combat.
"Sire Lucian," Kaius greeted.
"I heard you called for me," Lucian replied, his deep voice calm.
"Indeed. Come, let us walk." Brother Kaius turned to Asvran and gently drop the folded cloth on the table.
"Stay well, brother," he added with a faint softness in his voice.
He left with Lucian, though Lucian paused beside Asvran long enough to tap his shoulder rough__friendly.
"Still refusing to speak to him, hm?" Lucian said with a crooked smile before heading out after Kaius.
Silence settled again.
Asvran stood alone for a long moment, then slowly raised his palm.
The cut was gone... completely healed.
---
Later
The sun had long gone down, leaving the Cathedral quiet at last. Most of the people had already returned to their villages—and after the crowd that flooded in from the neighboring towns, water had been painfully scarce, which was why I'd only just managed to get a bath after two days.
Two days.
Honestly, I dont think can ever get used to this.
I smelled like… like a tired goat that rolled down a field and lost the will to live halfway. Even I wanted to exile myself.
Now freshly bathed... barely, I sat on the floor beside my bed, staring at the blank wall as the entire day replayed in my head.
I'm glad, really glad that Brother Kaius didn't truly report me to the priest. He had lied just to scare me away. I'm grateful, because if the priest found out I sneaked into the Sanctum Knight grounds, I probably would've been locked in prayer confinement through out my whole stay here__or worse, probably assigned extra scripture lesson. I shuddered at the thought.
Then my thoughts drifted back to Asvran.
His face…
I had never felt that kind of pull before.
Was it curiosity? Maybe another layer of curiosity I didn't know I had... Or Something else? His looks maybe? I had never been the type drawn to appearances. I've seen lots of good looking men in the court and never looked twice. But Asvran…
His beauty was different.
Otherworldly.
Even if I hadn't known he was half-breed, one glance at him and I would have suspected he wasn't entirely from our world. His towering height, the strength in his build… his face, sharp, fierce... breathtaking.
He looked like how I imagined an angel, Although with his sharp looks, I couldn't even tell if it was his resting face or if my presence truly irritated him.
Maybe they were right about me all along.
Maybe I really am Aurelen's reincarnation. It's no coincidence that demons always unravel around me, even the ones who hold themselves together for years.
I remembered the royal patrol when I was younger, four people had tried to attack me that day, they were very aggressive towards me as tho i wronged them, Four of them, All living peacefully in the village for ages. Back then, when they had told me those men were demons, I refused to believed it. But now… now everything fits too well. Perhaps that was why the church never gave up on me, even when I failed my tests over and over.
Still, for some reason, my thoughts kept circling back to Asvran.
I hope I get the chance to see him again, just enough to satisfy my curiosity and remind myself that some mysteries are worth pursuing, even if they unsettle the heart and that I am Simply just facinated.
The thought made me smile__grinning ridiculously.
Then a sharp yank dragged my scalp backward.
"Ouch! Berevreth!"
I had bathed myself today for the first time__ A disaster by the way. Sister Dorathy had been too busy tending to the church, leaving me to manage the ordeal alone. The bath itself had been exhausting, but the real trial was my hair. I could not, by any means, tame it on my own. Berevreth, in her good-natured mercy, had offered to assist… though at that moment, I rather wished I had declined.
"Ouch—careful!" I hissed as she dragged the brush through a knot like she was fighting for her life.