"Where are they?" Elias asked as Caelum, Alexander, and Matheas walked out of the Ball Room.
"In the resting area," Caelum replied, his voice calm, as he began to lead them toward the room where Aurelius and Aristotle were sleeping.
"Look how peaceful they look," Elias grumbled, his voice laced with annoyance. A scowl twisted his features. "After making us go through so much trouble," he added, the effort they had expended still fresh in his mind.
Caelum offered a small, knowing smile. He walked over to Elias, who grasped Aristotle's arm firmly, and in a swift blur of motion, Elias teleported them both to the entrance of the prison designed specifically for the royals.
Alexander and Matheas materialized beside them, supporting a slumbering Aurelius between them.
Matheas quickly secured both Aurelius and Aristotle to the stone wall with heavy cuffs, ensuring they were completely restrained, before turning and walking out of the area.
"They'll wake up tomorrow," Elias stated, a hint of weariness in his tone. "Just to be on the safer side, the potion I administered is the strongest sleeping draught I can create," he explained.
Alexander nodded in understanding. "We will have Aurelius' manor as well as the Ravenloft manor thoroughly checked," he said, looking at Matheas, who gave a brief, affirmative nod. "Will you two come along with us?" he asked, directing his gaze toward Elias and Caelum.
Caelum glanced at Elias, a silent indication that he would accompany Elias wherever he decided to go.
Elias shook his head gently. "I think I will stay here and begin reading all the books we've already retrieved from Aurelius' manor," he said, his focus already shifting to the immense task ahead.
Alexander accepted his decision with a nod and walked away, Matheas following close behind.
Elias took Caelum's hand, his fingers intertwining with his, and with another flash of energy, they teleported to Emerald Manor. "Stop me when you feel I am pushing myself beyond my limits," he instructed Caelum, his voice serious, before walking immediately into the vast, quiet library.
Caelum sighed softly and shook his head, a mixture of concern and affection in his eyes, as he followed Elias. He knew how determined Elias could be.
After seven hours had passed, Caelum could clearly see the signs of fatigue beginning to etch themselves onto Elias' face, even though he knew Elias' sheer willpower could keep him going. He let out a quiet sigh and decided to make some calming lavender tea.
"Here you are," he said gently, offering the warm cup to Elias. "Drink this, take a moment to relax your mind, and then you can resume your search," he suggested.
Elias looked up, a grateful smile touching his lips. He took the cup in his hands. "Thank you, Caelum," he murmured.
"Did you manage to find anything of note?" Caelum asked, his strong fingers beginning to gently massage the tension from Elias' shoulders.
Elias shook his head slowly. "I am finding ingredients that could potentially be used in the potions, yes, but all of them seem to work against each other, cancelling out any useful effect," he explained, his frustration evident.
"What if you were to consider one ingredient that could act as a solvent, allowing all of them to mix and work together?" Caelum proposed, his eyes thoughtful. "There is almost always something that can be utilized. Either you haven't come across it yet, or the idea skipped your mind because it appears to conflict with one of the other ingredients," he elaborated.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Elias asked, turning his head to look at Caelum, intrigued.
"I may not be able to explain it clearly in terms of potion ingredients, but perhaps I can explain it using the structure of runes?" Caelum offered. "You should be able to connect the principles easily," he assured him.
Elias nodded eagerly.
Caelum sat down beside him on the edge of the large desk. "Consider the enhancer rune and the sealing rune. They only differ by one single, smaller ancient alphabet character," he began. "There is a total of one hundred and thirty five rune combinations that have been incorporated into the enhancer rune. However, the sealer rune only uses one hundred combinations. Half of those one hundred runes inherently oppose the other half," he explained, laying out the complex framework.
"How did you manage to combine them effectively?" Elias asked, leaning in.
"Let's think of one half as section A and the other half as section B," Caelum suggested. "At least twenty smaller runes in section A actively oppose forty of the smaller runes in section B.
"But, the remaining thirty runes in section A, when thoughtfully combined with three or more small runes from section B, instead of creating opposition, actually act as an amplifier or an adjuster, allowing the other runes to function correctly," Caelum explained, illustrating the intricate balance he had discovered.
"So, you are suggesting I check to see if there are any rejected ingredients that possess the same unique properties as those remaining thirty smaller runes in section A?" Elias asked, his mind already beginning to race with possibilities.
Caelum nodded, a soft, encouraging smile gracing his features. "It is possible that it simply slipped past your notice," he said gently. "You are currently viewing the results with a great deal of anxiety," he observed. "Try to calm yourself, take a deep breath, and look over everything again with a fresh perspective," he advised.
Outside the library doors, Matheas and Alexander, who had been standing silently and listening to the entirety of their conversation, smiled warmly at each other before quietly leaving.
"He is absolutely the best person for Elias," Alexander remarked softly. "Just as you are the best for me, Mat," he added, turning to look at Matheas.
Matheas returned the smile. "I am truly glad Elias has found someone he can rely on completely," he said with sincerity. "If he were the one constantly being relied upon by everyone else, all the time, he would eventually collapse under the immense pressure," he said, his voice quiet and filled with understanding.
Alexander nodded in agreement as they both teleported away, reappearing inside the gloomy imperial palace dungeons.
As the day finally came to an end, Caelum watched Elias and could see the growing restlessness in his posture. "Elias," he called out softly.
Elias looked up, his eyes meeting Caelum's.
"It is perfectly alright if we do not manage to find the antidote within this first week," Caelum reassured him. "If you continue to stress yourself to this extent, it will only prolong our difficult search," he said, offering a soft, comforting smile.
Elias seemed hesitant, his lips parting as if to speak, so Caelum simply waited patiently.
Elias let out a deep sigh, walked over to Caelum, and wrapped his arms tightly around him, pulling him into a hug. "I do not want to become any more of a burden to you than I already am," he confessed, his voice muffled against Caelum's shoulder.
Caelum gasped, a sharp, disbelieving sound. "Burden?" he hissed, his composure instantly shattered. He pulled away from the embrace just enough to look directly into Elias' pained face and asked, his voice low and completely murderous, "Who had the utter nerve to say such a thing to you?"
"My brother did," Elias admitted quietly.
"Isn't Aurelius currently locked in prison?" Caelum asked, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Or did he say this to you before we managed to subdue him with the sleeping potion?" he pressed.
Elias sighed again, shaking his head. "It was not Aurelius," he clarified. "It was Arthur, the third prince and my own younger brother," he revealed.
"The one who came to talk with you earlier and then sent me out of the room?" Caelum asked, his fist clenching tightly at the memory.
Elias gave a solemn nod.
"I sensed your trust in him, so I refrained from using any air spells to listen in," Caelum scowled, his previous judgment irritating him. "Perhaps I really should have done so," he groaned in frustration.
Elias shook his head gently. "It is truly alright," he said. "If you had actually heard what he said, I think you would have instantly beheaded him where he stood," he said with a tired sigh.
"What exactly did he say?" Caelum demanded, his eyes intense. "I need to know the words," he insisted. "I absolutely do not like seeing this pained expression on your face," he told him honestly.
Elias offered a weak smile and kissed Caelum's temples, a fleeting gesture of affection. "I honestly do not care about the things he said," Elias insisted. "But please, Caelum, can you tell me that I am not a burden to you, or that I am only using you solely to warm my bed at night?" he asked, his voice trembling, tears welling up in his eyes.
Caelum instantly pulled Elias into a strong, comforting hug. "You are not a burden to me, Elias, you have never been a burden," he stated firmly. "If he says that I am keeping you warm, well, that part is certainly true, but as for you using me only for sex, I would have slapped his head hard enough to send him crashing into the desk for suggesting that," he huffed, genuinely annoyed. "You actually rejected me when I was fully ready and willing to give myself to you. You have never, ever viewed me as just a mere bed warmer. I know that deep down. You have only been worried that I would eventually hate you if our arrangement continued for too long."
"You genuinely would not?" Elias asked softly, his voice thick with emotion, as he kissed the top of Caelum's head.
"No, I would not," Caelum replied immediately, without a hint of hesitation. "I understand completely why we have sex when we do. I think, if it were not you suffering with this poison, I might not have even cared if that person died. But there was something deep inside me that told me I absolutely had to save you. You could call it instinct. But I have never once regretted that decision. I have gained a true friend and a strong support system for my entire life. I know with absolute certainty that you would never betray me, and I would never betray you."
Elias tightened his grip around Caelum's waist, a desperate, anchoring hold, but Caelum did not complain or pull away. "Thank you, Caelum," Elias whispered, his voice full of relief. "Let us go and rest for a little while," he suggested. "I want to return to this task with a clear and well rested mind, so that I do not miss anything important again," he said with renewed determination.
Caelum smiled, pleased with the decision.
What he certainly did not expect was for Elias to immediately teleport them both to his personal bedroom, depositing them directly onto the soft mattress of the bed.
"Elias?" Caelum questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"I am simply used to having you sleeping right by my side now," Elias admitted, pouting slightly like a child. "Please do not deprive me of that comfort tonight," he pleaded.
Caelum chuckled and smiled, his heart feeling warm. They both got up from the bed, changed into comfortable pajamas, and then lay down side by side beneath the covers.
Elias smiled contentedly as he pulled Caelum close to his chest, settling him securely in his arms, and then closed his eyes, finally allowing himself to rest.