"Elias," Caelum called out, his voice echoing slightly as he walked into the vast, silent space of the library.
He found Elias deep in his work, completely surrounded by towering stacks of ancient tomes and weathered grimoires, a world of forgotten knowledge.
"Last minute of the twenty third hour," Caelum murmured softly, moving quietly to sit down beside Elias at the cluttered work table.
Elias turned his head slowly to look at Caelum, his eyes intense and focused. "I'm close," he declared, his voice filled with a desperate urgency. "I am so incredibly close to figuring out the precise ingredients of the poison and understanding exactly how they react to one another," he explained, gesturing to the complex notes scattered across the table.
Caelum shifted his position, leaning in to wrap his arms around Elias in a comforting embrace. "It's alright," he whispered against Elias's ear, holding him securely. "We can absolutely continue this work after three days have passed."
"But, he'll pull so much magic out of me during the draining process that I will be entirely out of commission for at least one full day afterward. We will be losing one extremely precious day of research," Elias protested, his gaze falling to his own hands, which trembled slightly. "If only I were faster," he scowled, clearly frustrated with his own limitations.
"You are genuinely doing the best you can, Elias, given the circumstances," Caelum reassured him with a soft, soothing tone. "There is a possible way for us to continue working without a delay, but I truly don't know if His Majesty will ever accept the proposal," he admitted, his eyes showing a hint of worry.
"Are you talking about letting them sleep for three days straight?" Elias asked, letting out a heavy, tired sigh, the sound weary in the quiet library.
Caelum nodded his agreement, his expression serious.
"He's completely against it," Elias stated, shaking his head. "We haven't been able to find any suitable nutrition potions to keep them healthy without actual food for three whole days," he elaborated. "All we can manage to do is keep them confined in the same cell, ensuring they are unable to teleport out."
"You already asked His Majesty about this idea?" Caelum questioned, pulling back slightly in surprise to look into Elias's face.
Elias nodded sadly as he pulled Caelum closer once more, resting his chin gently on top of Caelum's head, seeking comfort. "I got that idea right after I gave the neutralizing potion to the knights," he explained, his voice low. "When I asked my father if we could safely put Aurelius and his accomplices to sleep for the upcoming three days, he immediately and outright rejected the concept," Elias said, a lingering bitterness in his tone. "I can logically understand why he would, but don't you honestly think we have both suffered enough because of Aurelius's actions?" he asked, his voice cracking with emotion. "With Aurelius now being able to use magic again, he will undoubtedly make sure to pull on my magic and drain my very life force as revenge," he said with chilling certainty.
Outside the library doors, Alexander and Matheas were standing, and they clearly heard every word Elias said.
Matheas quickly held a hand up, stopping Alexander who was about to rush inside and impulsively explain his recent actions to Elias. "Let's wait and see what Caelum has to say in response," Matheas whispered urgently, his eyes fixed on the door.
"Yes, Aurelius is absolutely planning it," Caelum confirmed gravely. "When I went to see him in the morning earlier today, he was shouting at the top of his lungs about his intention to kill you the very moment he gets to fully wield his magic again," Caelum recounted, remembering the chilling rage in Aurelius's voice.
Elias instinctively held Caelum even tighter, gripping his tunic.
"You do understand the profound reason why His Majesty didn't accept the idea of putting them all to sleep for three days straight, don't you?" Caelum asked gently, seeking confirmation.
Elias simply nodded against Caelum's shoulder.
"Elias, I know exactly what happens to children who are showered with the most attention initially, and then that deep attention is suddenly and abruptly shifted to focus on someone else," Caelum began, his voice taking on a narrative quality. "When you first gained your powerful magic and His Majesty recognized that your magical power was the closest match to his own, he naturally began to concentrate his time and energy on you more, didn't he?" he asked pointedly. "You told me yourself that he did this."
Elias nodded again, confirming the truth.
"The exact same scenario happened to my first elder brother. He was my mother's own biological son," Caelum revealed, his voice steady but carrying a hint of old pain. "Emanuel, the current deputy commander who serves directly under your Uncle Arnold, is my very own elder brother," he explained. "Alaric, our father, always cared for him deeply because my mother was favored by the Duke's family, and Emanuel looked like the perfect, beautiful combination of them both. But when my mother fell gravely ill and her beautiful looks deteriorated drastically, Alaric began to show up less and less frequently. My brother, who was only eleven years old at that time, misunderstood completely and thought that his father wasn't showing enough care because of his sick mother and because of me, a perceived failure of a brother. So, Emanuel chose to leave us both entirely. He told my father he would now call Amanda's mother his own, and that greedy woman immediately accepted him. He cut all ties with us and now he enjoys a high position in society, one that neither Amanda nor Nathaniel can ever hope to grab for themselves.
Because of that history, Alaric's main, overriding focus now is solely on making Emanuel the next Duke.
That is the reason why I purposefully do not react to Amanda's or Nathaniel's petty words or provocations.
They are being completely ignored by Alaric in favor of Emanuel.
The most our father sees in them, frankly, is the potential power of their influence. He could forcibly arrange for Amanda to marry into a powerful ducal household and bring that house under his control. Nathaniel could be forced to marry an heiress of a wealthy house, and that considerable wealth will then be of great use to the House of Valtheron," Caelum finished, the story painting a clear picture of neglect and ambition.
"My father is guilty of similar neglect?" Elias asked, the realization dawning on his face, his expression one of shock.
Caelum nodded slowly, meeting Elias's gaze. "He might be," he conceded. "Just think about it clearly for a moment. If you, at some point in the future, realize with absolute clarity that it was entirely because of your own neglect that your child has chosen to follow a dark, dangerous path just to gain your lost attention, will you genuinely be able to punish them severely?" he asked, letting the heavy question hang in the air between them.
Elias gasped softly, then shook his head in immediate denial, his eyes wide with emotion.
"His Majesty is caught in that very same agonizing situation," Caelum explained, offering a soft, gentle smile as he pulled back to look directly into Elias's tear-filled eyes. "He is trying his very best, with all his heart, to keep both of his children safe from harm," he insisted. "He is absolutely not ignoring your deep pain, Elias; he is merely trying his absolute hardest not to hurt either of you any further," he clarified.
"But I was suffering for a full five years and he did nothing to help me!" Elias suddenly shouted, the sound echoing with five years of pent-up anguish. "He did nothing at all," he then whispered, the strength gone from his voice as he finally broke down and cried, tears streaming down his face.
"Cry it all out," Caelum instructed softly, pulling Elias back into a tight embrace. "Cry your very heart out. It's only me here, and you know perfectly well that I would never, ever judge you for these tears," he said, offering a soft, encouraging smile as he held him.
When Elias's racking cries eventually subsided and turned into quiet sniffs, Caelum gently pulled back and carefully wiped the remaining tears from Elias's wet face with his thumbs. "He is trying his best to find the antidote right now, at this moment," he reminded Elias. "Plus, I honestly don't think that the fault lies entirely and exclusively on His Majesty," he added softly, his eyes thoughtful.
"On me?" Elias asked, looking bewildered.
Caelum immediately shook his head. "No, not you," he corrected him. "You yourself said that Aurelius wasn't previously so power hungry and malicious," he stated, and Elias nodded in confirmation. "There must have been a specific situation, a perfect chance, that someone cunningly exploited," Caelum hypothesized, his mind already working through possibilities.
Elias suddenly gasped, a terrible realization hitting him. "Ravenlofts!" he whispered the name, his voice filled with dread.
"I think so too," Caelum agreed, his expression hardening slightly. "But that conspiracy can definitely come later. We need to get to bed now, or you won't get any rest," he said, standing up and offering his outstretched hand to Elias. Elias took Caelum's hand with a small, grateful smile, stood up from the chair, and together they immediately teleported away to Elias's private room.