Zaliyah woke to the invasive sting of the morning sun.
His eyes fluttered open, his hand automatically sweeping across the silk sheets to find the warmth of Karas. But the bed was cold. The space beside him was empty, the pillows undisturbed as if the intimacy of the previous night had been a fever dream.
He walked towards the bathhouse thinking maybe Karas would be there. Karas is a neat freak who usually preaches about bathing regularly, even the maids were not free from his lectures.
Zaliyah opened the curtains, it was empty, maybe Karas was lost in the the book shelf? He went there, even the scent of Sandalwood which usually hit his nose was absent, it smelled like books instead .
Panic, cold and fear, spiked in his chest.
He rushed from the bed, still in his thin undergarments, his white hair a wild tangle down his back.
He reached Karas's chamber doors, but two guards stepped forward, their swords crossing to block his path.
"Stand aside," Zaliyah commanded, his voice trembling.
"We have strict orders from the young lord himself," one guard said, his eyes fixed firmly on the wall. "No one is to enter. Especially not you, Young Master."
Zaliyah tried to persuade them, his pride crumbling into desperation, but the men remained like stone. As he finally turned to retreat, the hushed voices of the guards followed him like venom.
"Shamelessly walking around in his undergarments," one muttered.
"Is he begging to be devoured?" the other replied with a low, crude chuckle.
"I mean, he looks so haggard, looking for Lord Karas so early. Who knows what they did?"
The guards shared a look, a brief flash of red crossing their faces before they settled into a look of feigned disgust.
Zaliyah didn't stop. He retreated to his room, his heart a lead weight. What did I do wrong? "Did he get scared of my ears?" He touched his ears, wondering. Karas has never abandoned me like this.
Inside, the maids Zora, Cisca, and Solar were already waiting. They worked in a synchronized, hollow silence, undressing him for his bath.
Usually, Zaliyah would snap at them for their slowness, but today he sat in the tub like a doll. He kept leaning down, sniffing his own skin, wondering if the scent of the "tanned bum" still lingered if that was why Karas had fled.
The maids exchanged confused glances. They were used to Zaliyah's fire, not this hollow, distracted ghost.
The day stretched on in a blur of isolation. Zaliyah sought out Riru and Riosuka, only to find the halls empty.
A passing servant informed him that they had accompanied the grandparents back to the neighboring town.
Riosuka had looked in on the brothers the night before, but seeing them sleeping so soundly, she hadn't had the heart to wake them. It was a silent blessing on their bond she knew her son's heart better than anyone.
Restless, Zaliyah wandered into the garden Karas had gifted him. It was a lush sanctuary of rare flowers and medicinal herbs, but today the beauty felt stifling.
He picked a lotus, pressing it to his nose, when voices drifted over the hedge. His impeccable hearing, sharper than ever, caught every word.
"Lord Karas is bedridden," Cisca whispered.
Zora added " I know He's fuming in his sickbed because he can't be near Zaliyah."
"I heard the young Master, was denied entry countless times," Cisca spoke.
Zora with a sneer. "Serves him right. He was so lost this morning, wandering like a stray cat."
Zaliyah's hand tightened, crushing the lotus until the petals bled clear juice.
Anger replaced the hollow ache. He dropped the ruined flower and marched toward the main wing.
He collided with Solar, who was carrying a tray of steaming medicinal tea.
"Young Master! I .....I'm sorry!" she stammered, but Zaliyah didn't even look at her.
He reached the guards again. This time, he didn't plead. He looked into their eyes, his purple gaze pulsing with a faint, hypnotic light. The men blinked, their grip on their swords loosening as they stepped aside in a daze.
Zaliyah pushed the doors open. The air in Karas's room was filled with the scent of bitter herbs and sweat, the atmosphere was very calm.
Karas lay unconscious, his chiseled face pale, his lips chapped and tinged with an alarming shade of purple.
He was drenched in a cold sweat, his breath coming in shallow hitches.
Zaliyah's heart tightened. This wasn't a cold. It was something deeper, something that looked like the life was being drained from him.
Zaliyah pulled a stool close to the bed. The room was simple but filled with the history of "them." There was a large bronze mirror, mostly exquisite charcoal drawings and portraits Zaliyah as a child, Zaliyah growing, Zaliyah laughing. Karas's entire world was pinned to these walls.
"Did you catch a cold?" Zaliyah whispered, wiping the sweat from Karas's brow. Karas's face relaxed slightly at the touch, but he didn't wake. "Why didn't you tell me you were this ill?"
The silence was deafening. Zaliyah missed the "Mmmh and slow answers " that usually followed his voice.
Desperation took hold. He didn't understand the extent of his nature, only that he felt a strange, humming power whenever he tended to his plants.
"I can give him my strength, I can heal him ,If I just focus....., I just need to focus, Zaliyah thought with a clumsy, amateur hope.
He leaned down, his face inches from Karas's. "Can I at least dream of having you? Can I have this innocent moment for life?".
As he spoke, intricate white markings began to glow on Zaliyah's forehead, pulsing with the rhythm of his life essence.
His eyes turned a brilliant, electric violet. He pressed his lips softly against Karas's, intending to breathe his own vitality into the man who had always protected him.
The white markings crawled across Zaliyah's skin and began to mirror themselves on Karas's forehead, a bridge of light forming between them.
The heavy doors slammed open.
Lord Caius stood in the threshold, his face a mask of distorted horror. He saw the glowing, otherworldly marks. He saw the "demon" he had feared for eighteen years finally taking his son's breathe.
"You..." Caius choked out, his trembling finger pointing at Zaliyah, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword. "You monster!" He roared.