A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

When I am asleep, I always dream.

Dream about scenes from the past.

From a very young age, when he met Heymos for the first time after being reborn, when he was hugged by his brother Wang, Shemuer scolded him with a straight face.

He had countless dreams.

He seemed to be in a dream, re-experienced the whole life again.

Upon waking up, Garlan opened his eyes.

The sunlight came in from the skylight and fell on the golden hair of the knight kneeling beside his bed, reflecting a faint luster.

Garlan narrowed his eyes, raised his body, and wanted to sit up.

As soon as he moved, the knight kneeling below immediately stood up, as if wanting to help him.

However, Garlan raised his hand to block the hand that Kayhos extended, and supported himself with the other hand, sitting up by himself.

Kaihos was taken aback, he looked at Garlan, and the corners of his lips curled slightly.

The smile was very shallow and flashed by.

His eyes fell on Garlan's pale face and that thin figure, his pupils trembled suddenly.

However, when Garlan looked up at him, the pain in his eyes was deeply hidden, but the corners of his eyes were bent, and he looked at Garlan with a smile.

The blond knight's face that became more handsome and charming with the passage of time stretched out, showing a gentle smile to Garlan.

He held Garlan's hand, lowered his head, his eyes flicked over that pale hand.

He closed his eyes and kissed the hand.

"I'm back, Prince."

The knight said, as he has said countless times before.

That's a sentence he would say every time he returned to his prince after an expedition.

No matter where he goes, no matter where he fights, he will never forget the place he must return to, by his prince's side.

The frost that falls on the battlefield can only be dispelled by the warmth of this hand in its fingers.

Only when you see those golden pupils looking at him with a smile, can you feel the reality of your feet on the ground.

That is his forever harbor.

"Kayhors, I just had a dream."

"Is it a good dream?"

Keyhos asked with a smile.

Garlan glanced at Kaihos, his golden eyes curved like the arc of a crescent moon.

"Ah."

He smiled so hard that the corners of his eyes crooked.

"I dreamed that when I was very young, at that time, I said that I didn't want you to follow me, but you just coaxed and lied, and just did it like my guardian knight."

"What are you talking about, even coaxing and deceiving, your Majesty, your words are a bit too much, it is very hurtful."

Keyhors pretended to be dissatisfied.

"Could it be that you have any dissatisfaction with me, the guardian knight?"

He said, in a tone that I am very hurt.

That tone immediately made Garlan laugh.

After laughing, Garlan raised his head and raised his hand to touch the dark eyepatch on Kayhos's face.

The pair of golden eyes looking at him were so bright that Kayhos was dazed for a moment.

Time seemed to go back a long time ago. On that dark night, the young child stood in front of him covered in blood, touched his face with his little hand, and asked him if it hurt.

In the dark night, only a child's eyes are brighter than anything else.

As now.

Time seems to never change anything.

Time has been changing something.

Everything seems to be just yesterday, but it will never return to the original moment.

"Kaihos, thank you for your hard work."

Pressing his fingertips to the pitch-black eyepatch, Garlan said, his eyes fixed on his knight.

"I'm very happy, it's you, Kejos, who has been guarding me until now."

He lifted his head and kissed his guardian knight on the forehead.

"My knight," he said.

My guardian knight.

thank you

Guard me till now.

Kyhos didn't answer, his eyes were downcast, his slightly long blonde hair slanting across his dark eyepatch

The shadow of his forehead covered his eye sockets, and the light in his eyes seemed to go out for a moment, only when he looked at Garlan again, the light that had been extinguished for a moment came back on again.

"...I will protect you until the end."

he answered gently.

"My prince."

The knight replied with a smile.

He was smiling, as usual, it seemed the same as before, nothing had changed.

…………

The moment Keyhos lifted the veil and walked out of the inner room, the smile on his face had completely disappeared.

He stood in the empty hall with one hand resting on the snow-white stone pillar.

He closed his eyes tightly, and clasped the fingers of his left hand firmly on the stone pillar. With the utmost force, his white knuckles rattled and rattled.

His chest heaved violently, like a person about to drown, sinking endlessly in the water, unable to breathe anymore.

[Kayhos, the next thing you have to protect is Aaron Landis. 】

These words seemed to be still echoing in his ears, pressing firmly on his chest.

After taking a few heavy breaths, Kyhos finally felt the gaze staring at him.

He turned his head and saw Taputi standing not far away.

It's just that we haven't seen each other for a short month, and the matriarch's face is no longer radiant, her eyes are dim, and she can hardly see much brilliance.

The eyes of the two met in the air for a moment.

Just a brief moment.

Kyhoes looked away.

Taputi lowered his eyes.

Kayhos walked forward quickly, passing by the female officer who was still standing there.

They seemed to be unwilling to infect the pain in each other's eyes, and avoided looking at each other.

…………

The sun was about to set below the horizon, and under the fiery red sunset, Emma was panting violently, sweat continuously flowing down her cheeks, into her eyes, blurring her vision.

She no longer remembered how long she had been in the training ground, nor did she know how many arrows she had shot.

Her arms were so sore that she could no longer lift them up, and could only hang down limply.

Elson's mission had already left, and the others couldn't resist her, so they could only return with her letter to the queen, leaving her here alone.

What she heard in the palace was always the worst news.

She still went to see Garlan from time to time, and tried to smile as much as possible in front of Garlan, without showing any worried expression.But her heart was so heavy that she could only go to the training ground every day to vent all her anxiety here.

After panting for a while, Emma, ​​who finally calmed down a little, turned and left the archery range.

However, before leaving the training ground, she suddenly heard a strange sound coming from another place.

She followed the reputation and saw the young knight commander in the training ground.

That guy named Novi.

As soon as she took a look, she rushed over a few steps at a time, and when Novi slammed his sword heavily on the training stake in front of her, she raised her bow arm and braced the opponent's sword vigorously.

Immediately afterwards, she snatched Novi's sword and kicked it to the ground.

"That's enough, idiot!" She said angrily, "If you continue, your hand will be useless! Can a general who has lost his hand still be called a general!"

I don't know how long I have been training here, the boy's hands are bloody, and I don't know how much flesh has been worn.

He who was kicked by Emma and fell to the ground seemed to be a little unconscious. He just raised his head and looked at her in a trance.

"King Garlan absolutely doesn't want a disused general!"

The little princess yelled at him.

Novi, who heard that name, seemed to wake up a little bit. He looked at the little princess and slowly lowered his head.

"I said……"

He said, as if muttering to himself.

He buried his head in his arms in his lap.

"I told him that when I grow up, I will dedicate the royal city of the Gastadians to him."

"But there's no time."

He said, "I can't do it anymore..."

The little princess did not speak.

Standing in front of the young knight commander who buried her head in her knees, she raised her head.

The summer was coming to an end, and the scalding wind blew up, stirring up her wavy long brown hair, and a few strands of messy hair passed her eyes.

She silently watched the setting sun that was about to set on the distant horizon.

As the sun set, her face turned red.

The sun is about to sink into the earth and take all the light away.

…………

Falling asleep again, Garlan didn't know how long he had been asleep, all he knew was that when he woke up, it was already late at night.

The starlight in the sky is scattered on the earth from the dark night.

He opened his eyes to see, and the starlight seemed to fall into his pupils, dyeing his eyes with bright starlight.

"The stars are bright."

The person holding him whispered in his ear.

The corner of Garlan's mouth twitched.

He didn't answer, but turned his eyes looking at the starry sky to the face of the person hugging him.

In the warm yellow light, the jet-black hair cast fine shadows on that handsome face.

In the staggered fragments of light and shadow, the golden-red eyes staring at him flickered, and the brown cheeks seemed to be swaying between light and shadow.

Only the eyes that fell on him were always soft.

"Heymos."

Garlan leaned against Heymos' arms, stretched out his hand, and gave a soft cry with a smile.

Heymos stared at him, following his hand and bowing his head, his face close to his.

Garlan closed his eyes and kissed the person in front of him.

This person's lips have always been flexible, with a bit of coolness, and the edges and corners of the lips always give people a sharp feeling.

He kissed him, opened his eyes, and touched his cheek again.

He said, "Heymos, I have something to tell you."

The face of the person in front of him faintly overlapped with the previous few times filled with violent aura.

"There are many things that I have to tell you."

He said with a smile.

"Didn't you ask me before, why did I hate you so much when I was a child? Actually, I..."

Heymos, who was looking at him quietly before, suddenly lowered his head in the middle of his words.

Lips were kissed.

The next words were all back in the throat.

Heymos put his arms around Garlan and kissed him lightly.

Extremely gentle, extremely lingering.

The lips of the two were entangled together for a long time, and Heymos rubbed and licked every inch of Garlan's lips with attachment, almost re-dying the pale lips that had lost all blood to a bright red tone.

He didn't let go until Garlan's breathing became short of breath.

The golden-red eyes seemed to be unable to see the slightest wave, quietly reflecting Garlan's shadow.

He said, "I know."

Garlan was still panting quickly, but when he heard this, he was startled, and looked up at Heymos in astonishment.

Heymos raised his hand and gently smoothed out the strands of long hair that fell on Garlan's cheeks.

"In the royal city of Kanal, that time, when I was dying, I dreamed of many things in a trance."

he whispered,

"When you were young, you didn't have time to find me. Half of my body was burned."

"Also, I killed you with my own hands... several times..."

So, when Garlan came to Kanal King City, he didn't go to see him right away.

Those fragmentary but incomparably real memories overlapped in his mind, causing him a splitting headache and excruciating pain.

He seemed to have personally experienced everything that "him" encountered, and felt "him"'s madness and despair with empathy.

At that time, he was in pain and hesitation.

He felt as if he had split into several people, mixed with chaotic memories, unwillingness, hatred, anger, 'his' deep hatred for Garlan seemed to exist in his body.

At the same time, the feeling of 'his' hands stained with blood from Garlan's body was so real in his memory that it was difficult for him to face it.

That feeling almost made him collapse, so at that time, he didn't go to see Garlan.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Garland asked.

Heymos stared at the person in his arms, and the corners of his lips twitched.

He bowed his head and pressed his forehead against the forehead of the person in his arms.

The loose black hair intertwined with the blonde forehead.

Heymos closed his eyes, feeling the warmth on his forehead.

"Because that doesn't matter," he said with a smile.

At the moment when he saw Garlan fall from a high altitude and almost died, all the struggles and confusion disappeared.

……

At that time, I understood.

Nothing matters but you.

only you.

only you.

…………

The night wind blew from the window, the lights flickered, and the shadows of the night swayed in Garlan's eyes.

His eyes were in a trance for a moment, just for a moment, and immediately became clear again.

The momentary wavering disappeared, and his eyes were determined.

"No, there are still many things you don't know."

He shook his head and said,

"About my past, about why things happened like that, about you killing me."

Without waiting for Heymos to answer, Garlan continued talking.

From the time when Shamir brought himself from the future to the ruins, he came back again and again, until the last time, everything he experienced.

His purpose of coming back again and again, the revival of the gods, everything Kamos did for him and Aaron Landis.

One pile, one piece, he said it all.

Heymos just listened to him quietly at first, until Garlan talked about the meeting with Shamir, told the truth behind it, and told the destined trajectory of fate, his face suddenly tensed.

He stared closely at Garlan who was talking about all this, his gaze was like a knife.

"Why are you telling me this?"

What Heymos said was not in a questioning tone.

As smart as he is, he has already figured out the purpose of Garlan telling him everything.

He just didn't want to admit it.

Gallan smiled.

"It's revenge."

He says,

"I was killed by you four times, so this time, it's my revenge on you."

"........."

"I do not want you."

said Garland, his eyes curled up.

Smiling eyes, like a child.

Even what he said now was like a child's, willful and cruel.

He said, "I don't want you, Heymos."

The bedroom was very quiet, and Heymos didn't speak for a while.

He lowered his head, and most of his face was almost buried in Garlan's neck.

The black hair hanging down blocked his side cheeks, making it difficult to see his expression at the moment, only the traces of his tightly pursed lips that were almost white.

He hugged the person in his arms very tightly, as if as long as he hugged him tightly like now, the person in his arms would not leave his hands.

I don't want you anymore.

So, don't follow me.

The so-called heart-wrenching pain is nothing more than that.

Suddenly, Heymos opened his mouth and bit Garlan's neck hard.

The skin on the side of the neck bitten by him was extremely pale, and traces of light blue blood vessels could be seen under the almost transparent skin.

Heymos bite hard, hard.

Bright red traces ooze from the tips of his teeth, quickly staining his lips red.

He seemed to pour all his madness and despair into it.

His Adam's apple squirmed, swallowing a mouthful of blood into his throat and into his body.

"it is good."

After a long time, he finally spoke.

That short word seemed to exhaust all his strength.

The last lingering sound faintly carried traces of trembling.

He said, good.

…………

Garlan lowered his eyes, and the starlight fell, dancing in his slender eyelashes.

He could feel the side neck being bitten, he could feel the sharp teeth piercing into his body, he could feel the hot blood gushing out and flowing into the other's lips.

But he felt no pain.

Because his body can no longer feel pain anymore.

...except for the one deep in the chest.

He raised his hand and pressed it on the dark hair in front of his eyes.

………………

【Prince, this is the last chance. 】

If this time, the destiny is still unable to lead to the correct track, Aaron Landis will be completely destroyed.

In the wrong fate, the distorted thread of fate will lead everyone to a bleak ending.

Whether it's someone else, or Heymos.