Chapter 23 – Names, Rules, and Mischief
Xavier exhaled slowly, the sound long and weary, as if he were trying to push the weight of the last ten minutes out of his lungs.
The world felt tilted. Unstable.
"…I think," he began, his voice flat, "I'm not going to think about the information you just gave me."
It was a survival tactic. A mental wall slammed shut against the impossible.
Ignes laughed.
It was a bright, silver sound that didn't belong in a drafty hallway.
Then, with the fluid, effortless grace of someone who didn't quite belong to gravity, he stepped forward—
He spun on his heel—
And started walking backward, his eyes locked onto Xavier's stunned face.
"Really?"
A playful spark danced in his gaze.
"Come on."
"It's just a little world-bending, Xavier."
He tilted his head slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a knowing smile.
"If you can't even accept a simple family tree…"
"How are you going to survive in more bizarre universes?"
His voice dropped an octave, carrying a hint of a challenge.
"Places where logic doesn't even exist? Where the laws of physics are just… suggestions?"
Xavier's brow furrowed.
He stayed in step, his eyes fixed on Ignes to make sure the boy didn't trip, though he suspected Ignes was beyond such mortal clumsiness.
"…Are there really places like that?"
He searched his mind, reaching into the hazy shadows of his past lives.
"As far as I remember…"
"There's no universe like that among the ones I've reincarnated into."
Ignes paused.
His backward steps didn't falter, but his expression turned thoughtful, his eyes drifting upward as if reading text written on the air.
Thinking.
Calculating.
"…That makes sense," he murmured.
He looked back at Xavier, a faint, teasing smirk stretching across his face.
"You have zero acceptance for things that don't make sense to you."
He pointed a finger, punctuating his words.
"In other words…"
"You're rigid. A total stick-in-the-mud."
Xavier let out a defeated sigh.
"Alright, fine."
"I'll accept it. I'm your uncle. The world is a strange place."
He held up a hand in a silent plea.
"Just don't start lecturing me again. My head is already spinning."
Ignes smiled—
Not the sharp, knowing smile from before, but something soft. Sweet.
Dangerously innocent.
His red eyes shimmered with a sudden, wicked mischief.
"Hey, Xavier…"
He leaned back as he walked, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Should we change into modern clothes?"
The idea seemed to ignite something in him.
"It would be fun. Imagine the looks on their faces."
"I want to see Frey spit out his wine when he sees us."
The response was instantaneous.
"Merin."
Xavier's tone didn't rise, but it carried the weight of an iron anchor.
Calm—but immovable. Firm.
"Don't bring things from another world directly into this one."
It was the voice of the Commander, the man who understood the delicate balance of a world's order.
"If you want them…"
"Recreate them using materials from this world. Respect the boundaries of where we are."
He watched Ignes, his gaze softening but staying serious.
"You can collect what interests you. You can build your little wonders."
"But you're not allowed to reveal it to people from this world. We aren't here to break their reality."
Ignes made a face.
He scrunched up his nose, looking every bit the petulant teenager he appeared to be.
"…As you say," he muttered, his shoulders slumping in mock disappointment.
Seeing that reaction—the small, human pout—something in Xavier's chest tightened.
Without thinking, he reached out.
He pulled Ignes into a hug.
It was gentler this time.
Less about protection, and more about a quiet, grounding affection.
He leaned closer slightly, his voice dropping to a warm hum near Ignes's ear.
"…Alright."
"I'll help you make them."
"The clothes. The gadgets. Anything you need."
A faint, rare smile appeared on Xavier's lips.
"I'll make you beautiful gowns. The finest the kingdom has ever seen."
Ignes froze.
The mischief vanished, replaced by a cold, stunned silence.
"…What gowns?"
The words were flat. Dead.
"I'm a boy, Xavier. Not a girl."
He pulled back, narrowing his eyes into sharp slits of suspicion.
"And more importantly…"
"Do you even know how to make clothes? You can barely tie your own cape correctly half the time."
Xavier answered without a hint of hesitation, his confidence unshaken.
"You can teach me."
It was a simple, logical solution.
Then he added, as if stating an obvious fact of the universe.
"And your name is Merin."
"That's a girl's name. It's only fitting."
Ignes stared at him.
The silence stretched, long and awkward. He looked at Xavier as if he were a puzzle with missing pieces—or perhaps a puzzle that had been put together wrong.
He asked a single, pointed question.
"…What is my twin brother's name?"
Xavier blinked.
The question hit him like a physical spark.
Twin brother.
The realization clicked into place with a sudden, jarring thud.
Merin was the middle name. It was the name shared by the twins—a family marker. Which meant the boy standing in front of him… had a name of his own.
"Oh."
The syllable hung in the air, lonely and embarrassed. But it was strange that he never questioned what is name was. given that he knews both twins had the Shared same middle name. And he also had a twin younger brother just like Merin his twin old brother. Both middle name are 'Merin' his and his brother also have there middle name. That is Aqua.
"Then… what's your name?"
Ignes looked at him.
His expression was perfectly calm, his red eyes reflecting a depth of time that Xavier couldn't yet grasp.
"…Are you an idiot?"
The question wasn't an insult; it was a genuine inquiry into Xavier's mental state.
A small pause.
The air grew heavy again, the playful banter receding to make room for a deeper truth.
"Pure souls…"
Ignes spoke the words like a title.
"…Are also known as nameless souls."