by Dr. D
“Dezi ...” Acheron shook and finally had the courage to look up at Dezi. Dezi was still here, and he didn’t look at him with disgust, hatred or fear.
“Dezi.” Acheron grinned faintly, nudged forward, and buried his face in Dezi’s chest.
Chapter 22
“I will fight him!” Andrew volunteered and jumped on the stage despite the Queen's disapproval.
Dezi clenched his fist and looked at Acheron, who was on the stage.
It was the first day of the magic contest. All the influential families from all the corners of the kingdom filled the entire arena, and it wasn’t just limited to the nobles.
“Call him back; their magic ratings don’t match,” the queen said with suppressed anger.
“I don’t see any problem, your majesty. This is just a friendly practice,” Lord Marcel replied coldly.
Dezi shot a worried glance at the elevated seats above him. Duke Marcel was also the one who insisted that Acheron would participate.
“Dezi, my friend.”
“Bartolo?” Dezi raised his eyebrows.
Technically, he was in the section for nobles, and Bartolo wasn't supposed to be able to enter. But Bartolo was from the most powerful merchant family in the city, Dezi assumed that he had his ways and didn’t think too much of it.
“Can I have a word with you?”
Dezi hesitated and glanced back at the stage. It seemed that Andrew couldn’t really get near Acheron.
“Um, sure ...” Dezi pursed his lips, but he still followed Bartolo to the outer circle of the arena.
Dezi assumed that Bartolo had something important to tell him, but once Dezi followed him out, Bartolo was only making small talk. Dezi smiled and nodded, waiting for him to get into the actual matter while someone approached him from behind and called out, “Dezi.”
“Stacey?” Dezi turned and saw Bartolo’s cousin.
“Are you taking your leave already?” Bartolo asked.
“Yes. I do not feel well.” Stacey rubbed her forehead lightly and turned to Dezi. “It is so good to see you. Would you accompany me, please?”
“Um.” Dezi glanced back at the arena, but the stage wasn’t visible from where he was. “Sure.”
“I appreciate it, my friend.” Bartolo patted Dezi’s arm and went back inside.
Dezi started to get an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He wanted to say something, but Stacy held onto his arm and nudged him toward the exit. “I am so glad you are here.”
Dezi had no choice but to help Stacey exit the arena, and they both got onto her coach.
Stacey’s soft body leaned on Dezi. “Take me to cousin Bartolo’s place. I need to lie down and rest a bit.”
“Are you sure you don’t need to see a healer?” Dezi didn’t move his arm.
“No.” Stacey rested her head on Dezi’s shoulder. “I feel better already. Being with you.”
“All right.” Dezi smiled lightly.
It seemed like that she had finally stopped playing games, but Dezi wasn’t as happy as he thought he might be.
He had woken up with a hangover this morning, and last night’s memory was rather hazy. But he remembered enough to know that the next legitimate successor to the throne wasn’t as straightforward as the royal family had made the outside to believe. He had managed to avoid Ronan so far, but he couldn’t figure out what he wanted to do.
The more Dezi thought about it, the more questions he had. There was a rational voice telling him that the water of the royal palace was too deep and it would be wise for him to simply get out of the way. But having Acheron to be the next king, judging by how dependent the prince was to him now, would bring him unimaginable power and wealth. The idea of it was too tempting for Dezi to let go.
Also, Dezi found himself pondering what was going to happen to Acheron if he just left.
“Dezi.”
“Yes?” Dezi raised his eyes and realized that he was spacing out.
“What is on your mind?” Stacey said.
Dezi paused a bit when he realized that he had been thinking about Acheron the whole ride. “It is nothing.” He smiled.
“Shouldn’t you think about me?”
Stacey pulled Dezi’s head down for a kiss. Dezi’s eyes widened, but he didn’t pull away until he felt that there was a pill on the tip of her tongue. It melted in Dezi’s mouth before he could spit it out. “What is it?”
“I want to make it special.” Stacy pressed her warm breast on Dezi’s chest. “Don’t you want me, Dezi?”
Chapter 23
“Where did you learn those moves?” Andrew narrowed his eyes and swung his cudgel, which Acheron bend back and dodged. “Pay attention to me!” he snarled when he noticed that Acheron had time to check on the audience seats under his full-on attacks.
But Acheron veered out of the way and continued to survey the audience. He lost all interest in Andrew when he saw Dezi’s seat become empty.
Where did he go?
Andrew was enraged by Acheron’s attitude and struck him from behind. Acheron swiveled aside, but the burning stick brushed past his torso and interrupted his balance.
Andrew immediately twisted his wrist to thrust again and finally jabbed the sharp end right into Acheron’s chest.
Acheron furrowed his brow, and he grabbed onto the burning iron with his bare hand.
Andrew sensed the energy in the cudgel undulated violently, and it almost shocked his hand.
“Stop!” The queen’s command came from the distance, but Andrew ignored it fully.
He shouted excitedly and jabbed the cudgel forward. “That is right. Show me what you got!”
But Acheron gritted his teeth, pulled the metal out of his chest and staggered backward.
“What?” Andrew stared, wide-eyed. From the energy he felt a second ago, he was sure Acheron had started a spell.
“Andrew!” the queen said again.
“Fight back!” Andrew shouted and strengthened his power to the best of his abilities. The iron glowed red under his hand.
Pain hindered Acheron’s movements, and he had no choice but to grab onto it again. The smell of burning flesh quickly filled the air.
For an instant, Andrew felt like the air was charged with something powerful, but Acheron groaned and still managed to force it down.
Acheron’s face was red and contorted with pain. Cold sweat covered his skin and veins throbbed in his forehead. It was not the iron bar in his hand that was hurting him, but a powerful pressure from within. Acheron felt like it was busting him open and was determined to crack every inch of his bones and tear through every piece of his muscles on its way out.
“Stop immediately!” The queen stood up and almost screamed. One could hear the fear in her voice.
Andrew pulled back and looked at Acheron with disbelief.
Acheron collapsed down to the ground. It took a while until his hard breathing came down a bit and the agonizing pressure in his veins fell back under control.
No one in the audience moved for a long time. Then chatter and whispers broke out.
“Did the royal family has a prince with no magic power?”
“How was that even possible?”
Eventually, Princess Tatiana came up to Acheron. “I see that you are determined more than ever to keep it in.”
Acheron raised his head to glance again at where Dezi’s seat was, but didn’t acknowledge the princess.
“Come with me, I know where Dezi is.” Tatiana said it with a light frown, like she didn’t like the fact that she had to say those words.
Tatiana had Acheron’s wound treated and brought him to Bartolo’s mansion on a bone craft. The coach was still outside, and Acheron went in on his own like a bloodhound that had caught a scent of his target.
“Where are all the servants?”
Acheron heard Dezi’s voice as soon as he went in the door. His expression softened and walked faster towards the voice, only to find that Dezi was not alone. A woman was clinging ont
o his arm and whispering into his ear.
“Let me get you some water …” Dezi said to Stacy but suddenly was yanked back on the arm and turned around.
“Acheron?” Dezi’s eyes widened. “Why are you here?”
The prince didn’t respond, he stared at Stacey and kept pulling Dezi back.
“Were you hurt?” Dezi noticed the bandage on the prince’s hand.
“Dezi, who is this?” Stacey stepped forward and took back Dezi’s arm. Acheron’s chest rose rapidly and stared at where she touched Dezi.
“Acheron!” Dezi shoved Acheron back when he saw the prince was going to grab Stacey’s hand.
Acheron quivered and stumbled back. Dezi shoved him right at the deep burn on his chest
The prince drew in a deep breath and looked up at Dezi, but Dezi had turned to face Stacey.
“Sorry. He …” Dezi clicked his tongue and gave up explaining. “Give me a second.”
Dezi pushed Acheron back into a room. “How did you get here?”
Acheron just stared at Dezi.
Dezi signed and waved his hand. “Never mind. Just stay in here for now.” He paused and frowned at Acheron’s face. “You are injured. You look so pale. I will be back and take you back to the palace. All right?” Dezi softened his tone and left.
The door was shut in Acheron face before he could follow him out.
Dezi ...
Acheron parted his lips and stared at the door, but nothing came through. A lump formed in his throat. He felt his chest tighten and his eyes were sore. He felt like he wanted to tell Dezi something, but Dezi wasn’t even here to listen. The still-irritated monstrous energy within him swirled with impatience, and Acheron wouldn’t even find the strength to control it this time.
“I am sorry, I need to take my leave.” Dezi walked Stacey to a bedroom and started to step away before he even walked in the door.
“Dezi.” Stacy pulled him back.
“Stacy, it is not a good time …” Dezi said but then felt weak on the knees as he was hit with a strong fragrance in the room. His brain suddenly throbbed and swelled in his skull and he lost the words that were on his tongue.
Dezi wobbled to the wall to support himself and rubbed his head. “What exactly was in that pill?”
“Today is your lucky day,” Stacy sneered. “I usually never take in commoners.”
Dezi’s hand was pulled down from his head and pressed on a soft and warm breast. Dezi drew in a breath, and his face started to blush. All his blood was rushing to his crotch, leaving his vision blurring and his head cloudy.
“What is ... what is going on?” Dezi grabbed Stacey’s hand that was taking off his pants. But as soon as his raging erection was stroked, the waves of unusually strong pleasure made his body trembled with desire. Dezi screwed his eyes shut. “Ah ... shit!”
Breathing rapidly, he pushed Stacey beneath him and pulled up her long dress.
At the other end of the hallway, Acheron stepped out of the room.
“Dezi?” The prince stared wide-eyed at the source of the noise. Slowly, he took a step forward, and then another.
The hallway darkened and pressed down on him. The air turned thick and dense with a taste of iron. The pain in his chest peeled opened his wound and drilled deeper into his flesh.
His ears hummed with the roar of dragons again, and he saw the never-ending darkness that was condensed and pressed down by miles of ice-cold stones above him.
Chaotic energies oozed out of his poles and leaked into the air. The metal candle holders in the hallways buzzed with a light purple glow as the prince passed through.
Acheron stopped at the bedroom door and turned his head like a clock’s hand.
His eyes were dark like bottomless void as his face was as pale as a snow frost.
The door in front of him was half closed, and the woman who stole his only treasure was moaning with pleasure.
But Acheron only saw red.
Chapter 24
“Your highness.” Bartolo kneeled down.
“Well done.” Tatiana glanced at the mansion, which was slowly being consumed by fire, and walked past him. “Send my regards to your father. Your family will be amply rewarded.”
Bartolo thanked the princess carefully and bowed again.
He had heard a sharp scream coming from the mansion. The scream was high pitched and acute, but it was cut off very abruptly the second after it had started.
He couldn’t help but wondered what had sealed off her throat in that instant, but at the same time, he hoped he would never find out.
The princess put out small flames on her way as she walked into the mansion. The black burns marks on the wall and the floor lead her way to the source of the accident.
The room was covered in black dust, smoke, and small sparks of flames. Dezi lay on the ground unconscious, his blonde head rolled to the side like a doll. Light rosy burns wounded through his chest like tree branches.
Acheron was kneeling beside him, tracing Dezi’s features in the air, but then clenched his fingers in and was too afraid to actually touch him. Frustrated like a boy who couldn’t figure out how to carry his precious sand castle home without it falling apart.
“I am sorry ...” Acheron covered his eyes and said with a withering voice as Tatiana approached him.
The princess glanced at the female body in the corner and kneed down to examine her.
Still alive.
The princess frowned a little, as if something didn’t quite make sense.
Tatiana reached down to Stacey’s throat and gently took her life. Saving her a couple mouth of misery.
“It is not your fault,” Tatiana said.
Acheron had been suppressing his power for too long. The smallest crack in the dam could cause an eruption. In fact, she was more surprised that he managed to hold it in for this long.
“Dezi …” Acheron murmured. He bowed down and pressed his forehead to the ground.
Tatiana looked down at the prince and asked half-jokingly.
“Why him? I am that one who took you out of the dungeon, after all.”
Acheron was sent into a dark dungeon room after the accident that killed Diamant. The queen had not only deprived his privileges as a prince, but also the basic right as a human. He was caged in like a dangerous animal and had nothing in that utter darkness but a cheap little doll that his father secretly sneaked in for him.
Tatiana didn’t know how long it took Acheron to learn that it was pointless to cry, but by the time she got him back to the palace, he had abandoned speech and expressions altogether.
Of course, the princess didn’t take him out of that dungeon out of charity. She had been carefully observing her new chess piece and pondering the best ways that she could take advantage of this underground prince.
Over the years, Tatiana had slowly come to realize that how much pain and suffering Acheron had got used to tolerating in order to survive his tragic childhood, but the only bottom line he would defend no matter what was that little doll.
At least he wanted--no, he desperately needed--one thing to be his own.
Now that thing was Dezi.
“I know you don’t care for many things.” She crouched down and placed a dry cotton sheet over Dezi’s naked body and delivered him to Acheron’s arms. “But you don’t want to lose your ‘Baba,' don’t you?”
Acheron tentatively took Dezi over and held him tight in his arms once he realized that his touch didn’t hurt Dezi again.
“You see, Dezi likes women.” The princess carefully withdrew the trap she had set out. “She was not the first one he fell in love with, and she won’t be the last one.” The princess paused. “But he will never choose you.”
Acheron tensed up as if the Tatiana had just stabbed a spear through his heart. For the first time, he looked up and stared straight into her eyes. Tatiana almost quivered at how dark those eyes were, and she had to look away.
Mathew told her that he could never forget the
first time when he saw Acheron deep in the dragon dungeon. What could have been a common sight--a little kid holding his doll--ended up being the most frightening and woeful thing he had ever experienced.
At that moment, Tatiana understood what he meant. Those eyes were darker than the cold and piercing air of the dungeon that had never seen the sunlight.
There was a moment where she had hesitated, feeling sorry for the prince’s fate, but she proceeded nevertheless.
“Besides, he had seen what you did today.” Tatiana said, “How do you think he will react? What do you think he would say?”
Acheron’s shoulder trembled. He buried his face in Dezi’s chest and held Dezi so tight that his knuckles turned pale.
Tatiana looked down at her prey and knew that she had got him.
A killer. A monster. A curse that needed to be locked up under stones. The queen had raised him with hatred and filled his spine with shame. But the princess yearned after the untapped potential of his power.
“He is going to leave you.” She approached Acheron, braiding her words into an invisible chain and sealed into Acheron’s flesh. “And he will never come back.”
“But it doesn’t have to be that way. Acheron.” The princess smiled sweetly. “I will help you.”
Chapter 25
Dezi frowned and struggled to wake up.
In his dreams, he saw a red-haired woman sobbing on the floor. “Please, he is just a child …”
“Mother?” Dezi stepped out of the shadow, but everything seemed so big. He looked down and saw his little hands. Those were hands of a small boy.
“That brat still eats my food and sleep under my roof,” a bony man with bad teeth yelled to the woman. “Get him to work, or both of you can get out of here.”
The woman cried with desperation. “There are nowhere we can go.” The tears ran down her cheeks, and her eyes were widened in fear and helplessness. “I don’t have any money ...”
“Mom.” Dezi saw the little version of himself ran to her crying, but someone behind him grabbed his wrist and pulled him back into a room.
Ice-cold fear clung onto Dezi’s skin. “No ...”