[Lukiyo is here!]
Hello! I've seen a few people don't remember Lux in the comments, and I realized it may just be easier to leave a note here for any others LOL but he made a very brief introduction in chapter 9, and has appeared once or twice since, and will continue appearing in the future!
Motives unknown, he's a prince of an unmentioned kingdom who has relations to Reed.
With that said, I hope you have a wonderful time reading, and an even more wonderful week! Until next time!
———xxx———
Kaden got caught by a malicious evil before he could make his way back to town, in the dead of night. He thought he would be safe from running into anybody, considering the time, but anybody didn't include outliers.
The strange, terrifying creatures that roamed the halls.
Lux squinted his eyes, smiling lazily. "Why do I feel like you're slandering me in your head?"
"Because I am." smiled Kaden, sighing. "I have a page of slander for you."
"Ah, I see that's how you display your adoration."
"I treat people I like with a respectable amount of kindness, mind you." Kaden glanced at him through his pale green gaze. "I have neither respect nor kindness for you."
He intended to commit the deed tonight, when children slept safely in their comfortable beds, and the townsfolk tucked away into bars or their own homes. When nobody could catch him.
A murder with the moon as its only witness. Expected, of course, but there was a reason people chose to kill in the dark.
Additionally, killers didn't want to get caught. They weren't proud of what they did, usually; they were ashamed and guilty. They lurked around like mice, cowering away from everything.
No, the correct comparison wouldn't be mice. Humans cowered away like humans, depicting the vivid terribleness of their kind.
The outfit he dressed in was cloaked in a scattered robe, its trailing ends like the a wisping black flame, following his movements. It wasn't a convenient robe, but he couldn't walk out of the school dressed in what he wore underneath.
A slim-fit black outfit, outlining the lines of his body and strapped with a belt at his waist, carrying two silver daggers. Boots that helped him grip onto the crooked roofs, and a scarf that's sole purpose was to hide his face.
Reed had provided the outfit when Kaden agreed to become his killing dog.
Kaden scowled at the thought. No matter what life, he couldn't run away from this fate. He was bound to Reed through that curse—but that didn't mean he couldn't change things.
Imagine, his most loyal and obedient dog, tearing his neck off.
'What a joke.'
A laugh slipped past Kaden's lips, and Lux glanced at him curiously. "Did you think of something funny?"
"I don't have to think of anything when you're in front of me." replied Kaden, striding ahead with a seemingly pleasant smile. Lux almost took it as a compliment—before he repeated the words in his head and paused.
Lux continued to follow closely behind, and Kaden realized that the man had no intention of leaving. He twisted around the corners, through the school gardens, before ending the silly game of tag.
Kaden stopped abruptly and Lux skidded to not bump into him.
"I'm going to town."
"That sounds like a perfect place for some fun."
"You're not invited." stated Kaden.
Lux meandered around him, leaning over in front. "The question is whether you think that will stop me?"
Unfortunately not.
Kaden frowned, slightly irritated to have his plans thrown out of order. It was a free night, and he didn't want to waste time—lest Yoser turn to some other wicked noble, and Arlo's safety was jeopardized.
He glanced down at his hands, covered in black gloves. Killing... he could do it, but taking a life, regardless of their crimes, was not something easy to do.
How could somebody look into a person's eyes, realize the fear they felt and the life that they lived, the innocence that they once had in their youth, and kill them remorselessly?
What was murder? A means of vengeance, a way of excitement for some.
And for some, it was punishing the guilty and simultaneously punishing oneself. That was what it meant to reap a life, in Kaden's vision.
And in the past, it had been pure torture, when not all the proclaimed guilty had been guilty. His crimes, his sins—he would be judged for it, one day. Just as Reed would be, by his own hands.
As for his judge...
...perhaps it would lie in those warm, inked hands of the dragon's son.
Lux peeked at the contemplation, a silent thoughtfulness on the other's face, downcast eyes casting shadows with his dense eyelashes. There was no time to feel sympathy for those in Reed's chains.
He, himself, was bound in thorny vines that wouldn't let go.
"Are you going on a mission for your master?"
Kaden snapped his head over, narrowing his eyes. He scanned Lux's face, before loosening the tension in his shoulders, scoffing. "Have you allied yourself with that picture perfect prince?"
"At least I'm not a dog at his feet." Lux remarked, raising his chin.
"Are you delusional to believe that you're standing on equal levels?"
"Oh, trust me, I know exactly where I stand."
Kaden's gaze sharpened, before he shook his head. If Lux was working with Reed, then it didn't matter if the man discovered what he was intending to do. He shuffled slightly to reveal the glint of metal.
"I'm following through with my task. Do you still want to follow me?"
Lux lowered his eyes to the sharpened metal, swaying innocently on the man's hips. He let out a laugh of surprise.
"What a dangerous game you're playing."
Kaden's lips curled up into a chilling smile, like that of a whispering siren, speaking lies into your ears. "Dangerous?"
Killing a hypocritical father that was willing to sell his own child?
Of course, Lux didn't know of the details, and he didn't need to either. Kaden spun around, walking to the carriage prepared by Reed. It was an old, broken mess of a carriage, wobbling and threatening to collapse.
That's why, if it were to be found, nobody would be able to locate where it'd come from. No noble would dare to ride such a dangerous object.
He swung his legs over the front seat, pulling his scarf up to cover his mouth. Before he could hurry away, Lux jumped over the front, sliding beside him.
Kaden spared him a glance, before pulling at the reigns.
The carriage rumbled to a start.
They remained silent throughout the ride, Lux seeming to be lost in his own thoughts. Kaden didn't mind; he preferred the silence at times like this.
It wasn't a happy occasion, or a celebration. Though he would rejoice, taking Arlo away from those dirty hands. He wouldn't show mercy, he wouldn't shed tears. He wouldn't tremble in his room like he did in his youth, so unaccustomed to blood.
But there was a side effect to killing, regardless of the target. Endless days of sleepless nights. His insomnia always peeked after such events.
He could deal with it, cover the dark circles with makeup if necessary.
But he didn't know if his roommate would sit idle—and Kaden didn't want to disturb Noah.
They clattered to a stop, perched at the edge of the streets. Other than the few drunkards wandering, hiccuping and laughing along the road, there was nobody else. Kaden slipped from his seat, and turned into the alley smoothly.
He remembered the twisted path Arlo took, and followed the same routine. Stopping in front of the vine-covered cottage, he paused.
He turned to the man beside him, holding out his robe.
Lux raised an eyebrow. "What, relying on me now?"
"Make yourself useful if you're here." said Kaden sweetly, still holding the coat in the air. The man was already causing trouble—he could at least act as a human coat hanger.
Despite complaining, Kaden ultimately tossed his robe in an arrogant manner over the other man, and sauntered off. His clothes blended in with the shadows, and he disappeared.
A certain human coat hanger grabbed the cloth over his face, hanging it over his shoulder with a light laugh. He approached, moving to a location he could peek into the windows where a dim light flickered.
The door was left ajar, and Kaden chuckled lightly to himself. A fool's lack of caution would be the end of them.
Or, perhaps it was because Yoser expected him.
And while Kaden certainly intended to make his appearance, it wouldn't be for the wishes of Yoser.
He creaked open the door, squeezing past. His footsteps were light, careful from years of practice. Like a ghost, haunting the poor souls of the living.
He strolled in like a regal noble, acting without shame.
Yoser was sleeping on a worn out couch, blinking hazily. He had just woken up, by unfortunate chance, before he saw the shadow approaching him. He jumped up in an instant, clumsy movements making him stumble as he scrambled.
Arlo wasn't home yet.
Kaden smiled. It was a pity. It would've been a more merciful death if he'd remained asleep.
Tugging at his scarf lightly, he revealed his face. "I'm here, as promised, Yoser."
The man went wide-eyed, sleepiness disappearing in moments as he rushed to stand up. His movements were awkward as he cleared his throat.
"Y-yes. I didn't expect you to arrive so early."
Kaden looked at him in amusement, cocking his head. "This is early?"
"I meant, you see, not the time of day but so soon after out conversation—"
"Were you intending to back out?"
"No, sir!"
"Then, there' s no problem, is there?" Kaden searched for any signs of guilt in Yoser's face, any hesitation. It was there, blatantly painted over with a darting gaze, and trembling body, malnourished and skinny.
Had he not been born in the slums, or met the unfortunate circumstances that he did, he could've lived a brilliant life.
He was young, thought Kaden, indifferently. Young enough to make foolish decisions, young enough to be manipulated by the malicious opinions of others.
But not young enough to deny responsibility.
Kaden swayed, like a frail tree subtly moving in the winter's breeze, glancing around coolly. Except the fragility was the fine edge to a thin blade, and a single touch would leave a weeping wound.
Yoser gulped. He was scared of being swallowed by the other's aura, the overbearing atmosphere of danger, mixing with the night.
"Where's the boy?"
"H-he should be home soon."
Kaden wouldn't wait for Arlo to arrive home. He didn't need the boy to witness the act, the bloodied scene of his father's death.
A scene that would make him an orphan.
Outside within the creaking trees, Lux leaned closer, his body on a high from anticipation. He didn't dare blink, lest the shadows in the window move without his knowledge.
Snap.
The quiet crunch of a branch cut through the air. Lux slowly turned his head, seeing a small figure approach the house.
It stopped at the door, one hand raised.
Lux froze. The head had turned in his direction, staring dead straight at where he stood. The amber of the boy's innocent eyes glowed under the moonlight gleam. Only, Lux saw no innocence in the unsmiling lips, the empty stare.
A child of the slums was subject to many horrors of reality. But Arlo had never envied other families—being born in riches didn't guarantee happiness.
The boy hadn't wanted more than he had; he learned to live what he had.
And he adapted, using his own strengths to find success in this world that denied him, in a family that had forsaken him.
Arlo smiled.
And his age was a weapon of its own, wasn't it?
He pushed the door open quietly; and one of the shadows in the window moved in a blink of an eye, rushing forwards. The other figure crumpled, bending over itself.
Kaden felt the warm brush of blood on his fingertips as soon as his blade hit, felt the pulse that vibrated on the tip of his dagger. The dying beat of life. He didn't remove his gaze from the startled stare of the man.
Therefore he knew.
Knew the relaxing shoulders, the flicker of relief that appeared in the man's expression. Knew the calm that didn't reject his own death despite his fear.
Yoser clutched Kaden's steady hand, and his eyes bent, curved in a silent smile.
"....." Kaden looked past the dying body, and to the unlit corner of the room. There were several packed bags, bulging with items.
As if somebody had intended to go traveling, or wanted to run away.
Something dropped onto the ground, and Kaden jerked his head backwards. The wide-eyed child stared at him, trembling. A paper bag had fallen to the ground, and a browned apple rolled across the floor.
Kaden felt his throat go dry and called out tentatively. "Arlo."
Arlo simply stared blankly, blinking slowly, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His expression seemed to distort for a moment, and the small boy gulped.
Kaden repeated, "Arlo."
"He's dead, isn't he?"
There was a twisted sound that escaped the dry lips of the child, a mixture of delight and despair, wrapped in its own contrasting gasp.
Death.
The ending of something that was once alive.
An inevitable fate.
Kaden stared at the boy, before flipping his blades over and sliding them back into their sheath. He lowered Yoser's limp body, hesitating before moving a hand to shut the open eyes.
"Arlo, you have three options." said Kaden after taking a breath, turning around to approach the boy. He stopped several meters away, not wanting to get too close.
"One. You find a way to live on your own, to survive as you have been all this time. Without your family—as another lonely dweller of the slums."
Kaden spoke slowly, and concisely.
It wasn't a lie when he said he saw a part of himself in Arlo. And that part was one that could survive in such filth, no matter what means.
"Two. I'll help you enter an orphanage, one that will provide you with enough food and shelter until you reach a reasonable age. You'll live a normal life."
Arlo blinked in a daze. His eyes lowered to the fallen body on the ground, and then to the bruises that lined his own limbs, ugly and purple. The child's mind spun, round and round.
He felt an unnerving emptiness at seeing his father, lifeless on the ground. Unable to muster the tears he could fake, to sob and play a pitiful act.
Instead of cries, what left his mouth was a quiet, muttered question. "Will I not be able to see you again?"
Children, by instinct, relied on those who gave them affection.
However slight.
Kaden was taken aback by the question, spoken as if scared of the response it might give. There was blood on his hands, a splatter of death that marked his skin.
He sighed, and smiled helplessly.
"Three. You remain by my side—but I cannot guarantee you anything more than food to eat, and a place to sleep.
He crouched down onto one knee, so that he could be on the same eye level as the boy, instead of looking down.
"I might not be able to give you affection, or attention. I might not be able to give you company all the time, or anything you desire. You may have your own freedom locked away, as long as you remain by my side."
It was a terrible choice, concluded Kaden as the words left his lips. But it was the only offer he could give, involving himself.
But Arlo didn't hesitate, running up to him.
The round, amber eyes blinked up and smiled happily.
"Three, I choose you."