"I have a few theories," Caelum stated, shifting his position to lean against the cushioned headrest of the large bed.
"What exactly are they?" Elias asked, his gaze fixed on Caelum.
"Before I share them, what will be my reward if my theories prove correct?" Caelum inquired, a spark of playful mischief in his smile as he looked at Elias.
"I will buy you that exquisite sword you admired yesterday but walked away from when you saw the exorbitant price tag," Elias promised, his own lips curving into a mirror of Caelum's playful expression.
"Am I not taking advantage of your generosity?" Caelum asked, a slight furrow in his brow.
Elias gently shook his head, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips. "I assure you, I take far more advantage of you than you realize," he responded softly.
Caelum let out a soft, resigned sigh. "My first theory is that the poison is somehow intricately linked to Aurelius," he began, his voice dropping slightly in seriousness. "You always appear visibly nervous and apprehensive whenever he chooses to use his magic, and he consistently wears a smug, unsettling smirk just moments before he unleashes his ice magic. That smirk is always, without fail, directed precisely at you."
Elias swallowed hard, the sound audible in the quiet room. He wrestled with a sudden, unsettling thought: 'Just who exactly are you?'
"My second theory," Caelum continued, his voice steadying, "is that the poison, which was given to you by Aurelius' grandfather, functions as a magical leach of some kind. When Aurelius attempts to use magic that exceeds his natural capacity, the poison immediately triggers, forcibly pulling your powerful ice magic directly into him. That is the reason your own magic spirals out of your control, becoming so violently berserk. He desperately needs more magical power to solidify his position as the Crown Prince, and you, among his siblings, possess the highest level of magical ability."
Elias' face became noticeably pale, the color draining from his cheeks as he absorbed the chilling information.
"The third theory," Caelum delivered, his expression hardening slightly, "is that Aurelius, consumed by the fear that you might one day seize the throne because of your formidable magical prowess, superior swordsmanship, and keen intellect, deliberately administered the poison to you. Its primary function was to ensure that you would be physically incapable of attending crucial wars, important raids, and all the other vital activities expected of a future king," Caelum explained, watching Elias closely. "The leach mechanism remains active within this theory; Aurelius drains his own magic, immediately pulling yours to him whenever he perceives that you might potentially steal the spotlight or gain too much attention," he added. "That is also why he needed to forcibly pull your magic when he audaciously attacked us in His Majesty's presence. He was absolutely terrified that if he did not successfully demonstrate that you were still magically susceptible and compromised, the King would undoubtedly take serious punitive action against him."
Caelum observed Elias, whose entire body was now trembling visibly. He moved quickly, gently pulling Elias into a comforting embrace. "The third theory, was it?" he asked softly, his hand rubbing soothing circles on Elias' back.
Elias nodded almost imperceptibly into Caelum's shoulder. "I do not know how much deep thought you put into these theories or how meticulously you observed our interactions, but I can confirm that the third one is the correct theory," he confessed, his voice muffled.
"He truly leaches your magic?" Caelum repeated, his own body tightening in barely suppressed fury, his fists clenching tightly into hard knots behind Elias' back.
Elias nodded again, a deep sigh escaping his lips. "I possess significantly more magical power than he does," he explained. "The inherent royal magic, the teleportation magic, is passed down and distributed equally among all the royal children. However, the second main magic is something unique; we must cultivate it rigorously and gain complete mastery before we reach the age of eighteen," he elaborated. "I had already reached level twenty five when I was only fourteen years old. Aurelius, despite being a full year older than me, was only at level twenty."
"He simply could have worked harder to catch up," Caelum sighed, a note of disappointment in his voice.
"He always managed to acquire exactly what he desired, thanks solely to the influence and power of his grandfather," Elias admitted with another heavy sigh. "When my father consistently praised me for achieving early control and mastery over my ice magic, Aurelius became overwhelmingly jealous. He did attempt to gain levels, but I was inherently faster, undeniably stronger, and my skill with the sword was also far superior to his in every way," Elias recounted, a touch of lingering sadness in his tone.
"Then why were you not officially named the Crown Prince?" Caelum asked, genuinely puzzled. "From everything I have carefully observed about you, you possess all the necessary and desired qualities to become an exceptional Crown Prince," he asserted confidently.
"I definitely would have been named the Crown Prince if my father had not announced his intention at the dinner table a full week too early," Elias revealed, his expression darkening with remembered frustration. "Aurelius immediately ran to his grandfather and frantically explained the entire situation. Aurelius' mother, the main consort, desperately wanted her own son to be the Crown Prince and essentially forced her powerful father's hand in the matter," he explained.
"So, he was brutally forced to use a poison that would serve as a powerful leach and keep Aurelius alive and protected even if His Majesty eventually discovered the terrible truth of what he had done?" Caelum asked, his simmering anger clearly skyrocketing into open rage.
Elias solemnly nodded his head. "What you unfortunately missed in your third theory is this vital piece of information: if Aurelius is harmed in any way, the pain is instantly transferred to me. If he is killed, I am also instantly killed, while he himself is completely spared from death," he revealed, his voice strained with the horror of the reality.
"The poison terrifyingly links both your magic and your life force directly to his," Caelum gasped, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
Elias sighed deeply, a profound weight settling on his shoulders, and simply nodded in confirmation.
"We absolutely must find you the antidote immediately before he takes any more serious or irreversible action," Caelum insisted, his voice laced with urgent determination.
"You truly believe he might…?" Elias started, his voice trailing off fearfully.
Caelum nodded grimly. "There are very real chances of it happening," he confirmed. "If he ever finds himself backed into a desperate corner or a tight spot, he might take that drastic action, simply to manipulate His Majesty into doing exactly what he wants," Caelum hypothesized, his mind racing for solutions. "I still cannot, however, logically theorize the inherent need for us to have sex," he admitted, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Elias offered him a small, pained smile, acknowledging Caelum's confusion. "Do you often feel physically weak when we finish and I withdraw from you?" he asked Caelum directly.
Caelum nodded slowly, remembering the fleeting sensation.
Elias gently pulled himself back from the hug and leaned his weary body against the headrest once more. "That precise feeling happens because, while I am physically inside you, your magic and my own magic become intricately intertwined, temporarily making it completely impossible for Aurelius to steal my magic. But, and this is the terrible consequence, the act of sex regrettably demands a small portion of your precious life force every single time we do it," he explained, his voice heavy with guilt.
Caelum immediately took Elias' hands into his own, clasping them tightly. "Please, do not feel any guilt about this," he pleaded sincerely.
"How can I possibly not feel guilty?" Elias exclaimed, his voice cracking with emotion. "How can I possibly not feel this overwhelming guilt when I might ultimately be the reason you die decades before your time?" he cried out, hot, involuntary tears streaming freely down his face.
"I am not going to die, Elias," Caelum stated firmly, giving him a soft, reassuring smile. "I already knew that you somehow pull my lifeforce to you when we have sex," he confessed as he carefully and gently wiped the tears from Elias' cheeks with his thumb.
"When did you realize that...?" Elias asked, his eyes wide with astonishment.
"The very first time," Caelum admitted readily. "I distinctly felt a small, momentary loss of my life force. But, the second I deliberately used my healing magic and light magic on myself, I completely regained all the life force that had been drained from me," he explained calmly.
Elias' face transformed, an expression of profound relief and gratitude washing over him, as though he had just been told he was, without a doubt, the single most important person in Caelum's entire existence.
And in truth, he was. Caelum had never before cared so deeply and completely for anyone. Not as Caelum, and certainly not as his former self, Benedict.
"You genuinely do not mind this?" Elias asked, his voice still shaky but hopeful.
Caelum shook his head definitively. "If you must feel guilty, then keep me permanently by your side and promise me you will never, under any circumstance, have sex with anyone else," he stated with a playful huff. "I am the only one capable of keeping up with both your intense magical and demanding physical needs."
Elias looked genuinely shocked for a few seconds, his eyes wide, and then suddenly he erupted into a joyful, hearty laugh. "Jealousy is definitely not a good look on you, my dearest Caelum," he teased affectionately as he leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to Caelum's cheek.
He watched with great amusement as Caelum's face immediately flushed a vibrant, bright red. Elias smiled warmly to himself, a wave of profound gratitude washing over him. 'Thank you for choosing to stay with me, despite the inherent and terrible danger I have unknowingly placed you in,' he thought, his heart swelling with love.
Caelum suddenly gasped aloud, a look of sudden realization dawning on his face. "That was precisely why his magic felt so profoundly unnatural!" he exclaimed excitedly. "He was expertly using a combination of his own magic and a dangerous amount of yours!" he concluded triumphantly.
Elias simply nodded, confirming Caelum's final, astute observation.