Kaan Mabuz
The morning sun spilled through the tall windows, its warmth landing directly across Kaan Mabuz's closed eyes. Even that gentle light felt unbearable against the throbbing ache in his skull.
The cheers outside—far too loud for his current state—echoed through the walls of the room.
The people's cheers did not dim even with the beating hot summer sun.
"Stop the noise already…" Kaan growled as he buried deeper into the soft pillow. "Millard, ask them to settle down, please…"
Kann waited for an answer from his butler, but none came. The cheers were getting louder, and so was the pain in his head.
"Hmmm, what are they so cheerful about?" Kaan murmurs against the pillow in his half-asleep state but decides to check it out himself.
'The manor is never this noisy… and definitely not the frost castle. They all know I hate loud places.' He thought as he barely picked himself up from the bed with great difficulty.
He wore the house slippers. Running his hand through thick black hair, massaging at the stabbing pain pulsing behind his temples.
It was like a bunch of needles were piercing into it, plus the muscles in his body were all aching worse than when he used to do aura training.
'Why is my body in so much pain? Whatever did I do?'
Crossing the room to the window became its own miniature battle. He nearly collapsed halfway, and only the windowsill stopped him from sliding to the floor. He tugged the curtains aside and pushed the window open with a soft click.
Sunlight flooded in. He squeezed his eyes shut instinctively. After blinking several times, the glare softened enough for him to make out the world beyond the glass.
He finally managed to focus—and froze.
Kaan scanned the surroundings and the parade of people at the city square.
'Wait, city square…? I am not at home…? Why the hell am I at the hero's manor?'
His mind started spiraling from all the pending questions. Scratching his head as he thought back and tried to remember what happened before he woke up.
Before Kaan could collect his thoughts, the crowd below erupted into a series of chants.
"The Ice has shattered, the light has won!
The villain falls, the hero's dawn!
From shadow deep, the brave did rise—
The darkness slain beneath bright skies!"
Kaan furrowed his eyebrows as the chant settled into him.
There was nothing wrong with the chant itself.
The problem was that the "villain" they were celebrating the death of…
was currently standing at the window, very alive, aching, and increasingly annoyed.
Kaan's fingers tightened around the windowsill as realization, something unsettling, coiled through his chest.
'Why are they chanting that? Who the hell told them I died?'
A sudden voice behind him cut through the confusion, calm and familiar.
"You are awake, my lord." His husky but quiet voice sends a sudden chill down Kaan's spine, making him more alert than before.
He turned sharply, causing pain to ripple through his ribs, a small grumble followed from his throat.
Standing just inside the doorway was the hero of the nation—the so-called savior who had "defeated" him.
Jasper Mort.
His own puppet.
A calm expression was on Jasper's face, but it almost looked fake compared to the times Kaan has seen his true self.
"What's going on? Jas?" Kann asked with a fake calmness, but his fingers were digging into the windowsill, nothing more than to ground himself against the storm named Jasper.
Jasper dipped his head, silver-smoke hair sliding forward to veil those honey-gold eyes. It felt deliberate, as if he was tucking his emotions out of Kaan's reach.
Then he spoke.
And whatever fragile composure Kaan had managed to weave snapped clean in two.
"I completed my mission of defeating you, my lord. Is this not what you wanted? Your death and my succession."
Kaan blinked. Once. Twice.
Then he narrowed his eyes, because no one in the history of existence could wrap respectful sarcasm in silk the way Jasper Mort could.
"I never appointed or gave permission to kill me," Kaan said slowly. "Where did you hear this order?"
'This has to be a misunderstanding,' he told himself. 'I was the only one who knew about the endgame. The only one who—'
His chest tightened sharply.
'No. There's no way he found that paper. I hid it too well.'
But Jasper raised his head then, and the look in his eyes made Kaan's pulse stutter.
"Kaan," Jasper said quietly, "how long were you going to pretend I wouldn't figure it out? After this was all over, you planned to die and hand everything to me."
Kaan felt like he was about to collapse from the mere words coming from Jasper.
'What in all nine frozen hells is he talking about?'
"I can't let that happen. You are too important for me." A hardness of affection was blooming behind those gold-lit eyes that stared straight through Kaan's soul.
Kaan knew how Jasper was. His obsession and affection were visible in his actions and words every day. And Kaan had loved that loyalty and friendship, accepting it with open arms.
But along the way, those sixteen years they spent together, Kaan knew somewhere in the back of his mind that this obsession would someday hinder him.
And today finally it did, and it was not little; it was like a tsunami that wiped the entire plan, worth ten years of his life, clean.
But before Kaan could voice his confusion that was mixing with annoyance, Jasper spoke again, his voice low and terrifyingly sure.
"You can't leave us. Not like this. That's why I faked your death. I lied to everyone. Even our own side. I kidnapped you… and I'm not planning to let you go anytime soon."
Kaan's whole body froze and his mind came to a screeching halt.
"What!?"
'Has he finally completely lost his mind!'
Kaan was beyond stunned. His shout vibrated in the walls and somewhere deep inside him. He blinked and blinked again, hoping, no willing, for this situation to change.
But no, this is really happening, because Kaan knew Jasper would never lie on occasions like this.
He forced a breath through his teeth, planting a palm against the windowsill to steady himself. "I'm not staying here. I'm returning to the Mabuz manor. Go arrange the carriage."
Kaan waved his hands dismissively, a habit learned and mastered.
But Jasper didn't move an inch, his golden eyes staring at the hand like a predator at its prey.
"No," he said with the firmness of a blade's edge.
Kaan just looked at him in disbelief.
Jasper Mort, the one who calls himself Kaan's shadow, his blade, and his right hand.
Jasper Mort, who has never disobeyed his master.
Jasper Mort, who will sacrifice anything for Kaan, just refused and said no.
'The world is ending..' Kaan thought as he remained frozen on the windowsill. His silhouette fell on Jasper's face, making it darker than it should be.
"… What did you just say?"
Jasper stepped forward. One pace. Then another.
Kaan backed up until the window frame pressed against his spine. The hero's shadow now falling over him, quiet and solid.
Before Kaan could snap at him or shove him away, Jasper's cold hand reached for his right wrist. He moved slowly, not breaking eye contact, gently caressing the skin under the sleeves of Kaan's shirt.
A click, and a coldness that even made the Ice King shiver wrapped around his wrist.
A golden bracelet.
A faint pulse.
And then suddenly, brutal emptiness.
Kaan's breath hitched, all air being knocked out of his ribcage. His knees buckled, and he grabbed onto Jasper's shoulder purely to keep himself upright.
Mana—his mana—rushed out of him like water through a broken dam. He tried but nothing was happening.
He had lost control over the very thing he thrives on.
A hollow ache spread through every limb and his heart felt empty.
It was akin to losing a friend who you knew would be forever present.
"This is a magic sealer," Jasper murmured, one hand steadying Kaan's back as if comforting him, the other firm around his arm.
Kaan bit his lips just to divert his attention from the emptiness and focus on Jasper's idiotic words.
Jasper leaned into his ears and said something that sent a chill down Kaan's spine.
"If you cause too much trouble, I will have to tie you up. Please don't make me do that."
He guided Kaan to the chair by the window and eased him down with infuriating gentleness.
Kaan glared up at him, chest heaving, fury simmering right beneath his skin, lips a bit bloody from biting too hard. Jasper only stared back, expression impossible to decipher.
Then he turned, walking out of the room with the quietness he came with, signaling that it's final.
The door closed.
"What the hell?!" Kaan snapped, grabbing at the bracelet. He tugged. Nothing. He tried channeling mana—only for a wave of nauseating dizziness to slam into him.
He sagged forward, breath shallow.
Knock. Knock.
The sound jolted him. He straightened, ready to unleash his wrath. "Jasper, take these things off me! It—"
The words died on his tongue.
'Herrick…'
Herrick Dunne stepped into the room and closed the door behind him with quiet care. Brown hair slipped forward over his glasses as he bowed, pointed ears peeking through the strands.
Relief flooded Kaan's chest at the sight of him.
"Herrick, thank the gods," Kaan said hoarsely. "Something's wrong with Jasper. He—"
His voice faltered when he looked at the doctor's shaking shoulders.
Herrick hadn't lifted his head.
A single drop splashed onto the floor.
Then another.
Kaan stared and licked his lips, confusion tightening his chest. "Herrick…?"
The man's shoulders trembled. His bag slipped from his grip and landed softly on the bed as the silence stretched, heavy and unbearable.
"How could you do that to us, my lord?" Herrick finally whispered, voice breaking. He looked up then, tears streaking down his face, eyes red and raw. "Planning to die alone… without telling any of us."
Kaan felt his heart drop straight into his stomach.
'Damn it, Jasper.'
"I—Herrick, you don't understand," Kaan tried, but the words tangled uselessly in his throat.
"Thank heaven Jasper told us," Herrick went on, wiping at his eyes with the heel of his hand. "If he hadn't… we would've lost you."
He moved forward and knelt in front of Kaan, taking his hand with careful reverence, as though afraid Kaan might shatter.
"Don't worry," Herrick said softly. "We'll take care of you now."
Kaan wanted to argue. To shout. To demand answers.
But the grief in Herrick's face stole the strength from his spine.
Herrick helped him into bed, murmuring reassurances as he worked. Every movement sent sharp jolts of pain through Kaan's body, and Herrick noticed immediately.
He began stabilizing Kaan's mana with practiced ease, fingers glowing faintly as he examined him.
As the minutes passed, Herrick's breathing slowed. His tears dried.
Kaan swallowed, testing his voice. "How many people know I'm alive?"
Herrick hesitated for only a second. "Me, Jasper, Ivey… and Skyler."
Kaan's eyes widened.
'Skyler knows.'
Hope sparked, small but fierce.
Herrick reached into his bag and produced two pills, placing them carefully in Kaan's palm. One was a Granny Green capsule, the other a small white tablet.
"What are these?" Kaan asked warily.
"You've sustained internal strain," Herrick explained. "The green one will dull the pain. The other helps regulate mana flow."
Kaan nodded and swallowed both with the water Herrick handed him.
"Herrick—" he began.
The room tilted.
His vision blurred, his body locking in place without warning.
Herrick gently guided him down, tucking a blanket around him with almost heartbreaking care. That was what Kaan, the back, which always stood strong for them, had become.
Fragile.
"Sleep, my lord," Herrick whispered.
It was only as darkness closed in that Kaan realized the truth.
'Paralyzing pills.'
One of an elven doctor's specialties.
The door clicked shut.
"Damn it…"