Adder stood perfectly still pale as a sheet, his eyes stayed on the old man who just kept smiling, uncaring or ignorant of the boy's obvious terror.
Adder took a sharp breath before speaking.
"Lets go inside, you first."
Erdush gave a kind smile as he led the way to what would be an illuminating and life changing conversation.
…
They both sat in front of each other, Nira sat next to the snake eyed boy.
"What do you know?"
Erdush happily obliged.
"Judgement, the divine ability of the divine serpent Ladon."
"The ability of being able to see through all lies and view anyone's truest potential."
Adder put on a face that Nira had never seen before he started to tremble.
He then put his head in his hands with his elbows on the table, Nira grabbing his shoulder turning to the old man having had it with him.
Erdush himself was confused about the boy's behaviour.
Soon after, Adder burst into laughter.
It was hysterical laughter holding no warmth or joy, just the feeling of abandonment.
"Potential?"
Adder finally croaked out between his bouts of laughter.
"What my judgement showed me, was damnation."
Erdush raised an eyebrow at the boy's breakdown, before finally figuring out what Adder really meant.
"You, you saw the future."
Adder in that moment became truly furious for the first time in his life, he slammed his fist on the table cracking it.
"What I saw was a monster, a monstrous lonely old man who used his power to find every weakness and exploit it."
Adder's breath hitched as he struggled to keep speaking about that damned future.
"I saw the right hand of a conqueror, what potential, what secrets did this divine gift foretell?"
Erdush stayed quiet as the boy raged in front of him.
"Tell me!"
Adder once again slammed his fists against the table, shattering after his second blow.
The boy collapsed into his chair, tears already running down his face.
As Adder continued to sob, Erdush straightened his posture as he raised his hand above the wooden wreckage before him.
"{Mend}"
In a smooth motion the table was put back together, like the serpent's rampage didn't happen.
Adder didn't react, his head still down, tears falling like rain.
"Judgement the divine power of knowing everything, since no herald of judgment has ever appeared before in the mortal realm."
"Theyll of course be gaps in our knowledge, when it comes to your power."
Adder sighed as he tried to think about what Erdush said, but the whole thing made no sense.
He had heard of a herald of justice of course, Sardoll who was Nazeron reborn.
And with his power of justice stopped the Seraphim from becoming the tyrants of the mortal realm.
And after defying the mortal realms damnation, founded the Holy Empire of Salem.
Bannishing them to an unknown corner of the realm, But Adder had never heard of a spirit of judgment.
"Who is Ladon?"
Adder choked out.
Erdush, surprised that he had regained the boy's attention, happily answered him.
"The guardian of the world tree, the divine serpent Ladon."
"The divine failure?!"
Adder yelled in horror.
'This was going to be a long conversation.'
Erdush thought to himself as he sighed.
…
The Saint of War and hero of the holy empire of Salem, Erdush had lived a very eventful life.
So he was of course shocked, when at what should have been his golden years he was given a final mission.
This mission came from the head of the primordial order, Joan Bloodmark.
A seer who had become famous for her two fold demeanor.
One a loving and merciful mother of all, the other a zealot that made even the most devout of her order shudder.
And then came her command that changed the course of Erdush' life forever.
He would leave the empire's walls and raise the young Abner, he had questions of course but all were instantly forgotten when he was told of the newborn's identity.
The newest herald of justice, Erdush would always remember that moment he was told about this great secret.
He had been holding the newborn causally before that moment, which instantly changed when he told the truth of his origins.
What once was a casual hold became a protective grasp.
And that was only the beginning of the shocking news, along with the third coming of Justices herald.
His heart stopped by the fact of the birth of the first herald of judgement who Erdush will have to find.
He would find the first child bearing the soul of Ladon, and raise the brothers together.
And if he failed, Salem would disappear in the fires of the Seraphim's rise to true godhood.
But sadly the child's identity was hidden to Joan, with the only fact that she knew of the Herald of judgement is like the divine beasts themselves.
Abner and his brother were born on the same day, thankfully that wasn't the only thing Erdush had to work with.
For he was given a blank coin, which would help reveal the reborn Ladon.
Joan then left room for the Erdush to ask his questions, yet none came.
Erdush sat there, his shock showing his mouth agape, for what could he say?
How could one even question this, let alone refuse such a request.
He himself knew about the accuracy of Joan's ability to read the future.
So he took on this realm saving mission with little issue or complaint.
He left quietly and without complaint, only after reaching the kingdom of Steamwyne did he find out that he had "passed away" from old injuries.
And so for fourteen years, Erdush raised Abner as his grandson as he searched for the herald of judgement.
And now after all this time, he met face to face with the boy who was crushed after finding out who preceded him.
True, many snide philosophers and smug critics looking for faults, blamed Ladon as the sole reason for the Seraphim's rise.
But for those words to be parroted by the reborn Ladon, was concerning to him.
The fact that the boy was also a bearer, did not help ease Erdush' worry.
He had seen what happened with bearers forced to suffer alone and unwanted.
The rage and cruelty that grew within them dwarfed the beast that they harbor.
But thankfully things seemed to be better for Adder than most like him.
He had a caretaker in Nira, and he did seem healthy for a bearer.
Not exactly what he expected for the first herald of Judgement, but what could he do, complain?
What a needlessly cruel thing to do, Erdush had seen much worse from children raised within Salem's mighty walls.
"Every seer who has seen their future runs away screaming, most of them end up losing themselves to madness trying to defy their horrible fate."
Adder looked to the old man, ready to tell him that he was wrong.
"It takes a will that few have ever possessed, to try and move on and make a new future."
Adder paused, leaving Nira to speak for him.
"Why are you here?"
"To take care of the boy, and raise him alongside his brother."
Erdush spoke with no room for refusal on the matter, which Nira of course had a problem with.
But Adder instead focused on the other part of Erdush' plan.
"My brother?"
"My Brother!"
Adder and another boy said at the same time.
Nira and Adder turned to the golden haired boy who was standing at the opened window as Erdush sighed.
Adder slowly walked over to the window, as Nira and Erdush started a verbal argument.
Adder's mind spiraled as he looked to the boy his age, a brother that was something he had wanted more than anything.
As Adder met face to face with the boy who he had never met before, yet there was something innately familiar about him.
Short golden hair combined with oceanic blue eyes, he had seen this boy in every fairy tale hero.
And from the very moment he appeared, his brother was smiling.
…
Abner watched from the window as the boy smashed the table, with a fury he had never seen in someone his age.
But there was something captivating in that anger, like a burning fire passionately burning bright even in the coldest of winters.
As Erdush used holy power to repair the table, Abner finally found out the boy's name.
"Adder"
Abner smiled as he whispered his name.
The golden-haired boy had traveled all over the world with his grandfather in search of his brother.
None that they had come across before, had all ended with disappointment.
Most of them Abner never even got to meet, but this was different.
Somewhere inside him was screaming for this reunion, that he would no longer be alone.
And when his grandfather finally revealed to Adder that he had a brother, Abner could no longer hold it in.
"My Brother!"
"My brother?"
Of course the people he was spying on, immediately turned to him.
But he couldn't care less, for he had gained his brother's attention.
And as his grandfather started to argue with the woman, Adder started to walk towards him.
Long platinum blonde hair and serpentine eyes that burned a deep crimson.
Yet that didn't even phase Abner and as they finally stood right in front of each other, after spending his entire life searching for him.
And as Abner kept smiling, he watched as Adder gave his best smile and even if it didn't look like one.
Abner knew he wouldnt ever forget it.