Chapter 118: Flame Part 1: The Mark of Fate [VIP]

【so……】

Yes, not only do I completely distrust Edmund's promise, I never intended to let him escape unscathed from the start... I'm an extremely possessive person. Whatever I want, I must have it. I want his throne... Regardless of whether he abides by his promise to abdicate today, I will force him into a corner with no escape.

[Your original plan was——]

If he abides by his agreement and publicly announces his abdication, Maleficent, enraged by Moras and his men's act of setting the house on fire, will believe these young men were instigated and assigned by him, and will rush to the scene or kill him afterwards. If he uses the abdication agreement to plot against us, our pre-prepared plan will come in handy... I thought my calculations were dark enough, and I'd made arrangements for every eventuality, but I didn't expect...

[This isn’t your fault—]

No, that's not the case!

Yaris looked up and spoke slowly and firmly, "Just as He and the 'Dark Night Mentor' said, my soul is naturally close to darkness. I cannot and will never be able to become someone as bright and upright as the sun. I must constantly suppress the darkness in my heart to maintain the outward brightness."

"It doesn't matter, even if you are darkness itself. I will turn myself into the sun and illuminate your darkness."

…

…

The streets of the royal capital were filled with a tense and eerie atmosphere.

What happened in the Sacred Square haunted the minds of those who had experienced it like a nightmare from which they could not wake up, but some others firmly believed that - whether it was the falling corpses, the lizard monsters that suddenly attacked the crowd, or the black witch that emerged from the fountain... they were all lies, lies carefully fabricated by the rebels to give the rebellion a legitimate name!

They have very good reasons.

All the strange and bizarre creatures rumored to have appeared in the Sacred Square left no trace of evidence. Instead, Emperor Edmund III, rumored to be possessed by an evil demon, displayed his usual incompetence in the face of his cousins' sudden betrayal.

He actually allowed the rebels and the citizens who supported the rebels to evacuate the square safely, and has not blocked the roads leading to the two rebel strongholds in the royal capital, nor has he sent people to search the Silver Moon Palace.

"If the emperor has been possessed by a mysterious, powerful, and evil demon king, how could he be so foolish and incompetent in responding to the rebellion?"

"Prime Minister Ulysses was also present yesterday. He's a pragmatic and capable wizard, and a high-ranking mage. If something truly bizarre had occurred, he would have contacted the Mage Guild to address it."

"I heard that although the Holy Family possesses beauty beyond imagination, they have also been tormented by a special substance flowing in their blood for generations, especially the black-haired high priest... They have been able to see and hear things that do not belong to our time since childhood, and often cannot distinguish between reality and fantasy..."

"So that's how it is. All these ridiculous rumors against Your Majesty are merely the ravings of the Grand Duke, tormented by illness to the point where he can't distinguish between reality and fantasy. No wonder Your Majesty and the Prime Minister are so perfunctory and compromising with the rebellion."

"She was so beautiful and so young, yet she went crazy. How pitiful..."

"The most despicable are those ambitious individuals who exploit His Highness's ravings to incite rebellion!"

…

Of course, those who witnessed yesterday's events as a nightmare that would never be forgotten, and those who insisted that all the strange rumors about the emperor were the Grand Duke's fantasies, were in the minority. When the ordinary citizens of the royal capital received news of the rebellion, the first feeling that welled up in their hearts was a sense of relief.

(That day has finally arrived.)

(I knew this day would come.)

(Your Highness has indeed been forced into a desperate situation by the tyrant...)

(……)

Compared to the country bumpkins living in other cities of the empire or even in the vast rural areas, most citizens of the royal capital have a special sense of pride in their hearts. They not only firmly believe that they are qualified to participate in national political activities, but also believe that it is their sacred duty to express their ideas to the rulers and criticize wrong and unfair policies.

Therefore, as early as when the Grand Duke's younger brother was appointed lord of the most remote and desolate Gola region in the empire, and when the Grand Duke himself voluntarily left the capital and lived in seclusion in Maga due to health reasons, the people in the capital had already noticed the turbulent undercurrent between the Yula royal family and the Holy Family.

The various incidents that followed——

Whether it was the Archduke's sudden invitation to the coastal city of Cucuccia and his announcement that the Holy Family and the Mercenary King Alfonso would jointly govern the liberated Cucuccia, or Prime Minister Ulysses' frequent visits to the Little Palace of Love in Maga, or the overnight spread of the legend of the lizard monster by Lake Lilia targeting the Emperor himself throughout all major cities, or even the recent widespread rumors of the Black Death and the Black Pyramid, or the Archduke's sudden return to the capital and his rumored affair with Countess Sonya...

(No matter how incompetent the emperor himself was, he didn't know?)

(Why did the emperor not react to these things? He was an incompetent man, but he was definitely not a weak man.)

(The Emperor has been waiting...)

(Rebellion... Civil War...)

Just like that, a story spread quietly and secretly from mouth to mouth, never discussed face to face, until -

(Finally...Finally

Along with the sense of relief that a heavy burden had been lifted, the capital was also filled with inquiries about the current state of the rebellion and the decision of one's own stance.

"What's going on outside now!"

"I heard the army is gathering. The Ebola Bridge leading to the lower city is firmly controlled by the Knights of the Holy Family and the rebel forces calling themselves the Citizens' Volunteer Corps."

"Where is His Highness? Where is His Highness?"

"He has reached a safe area under the protection of several paladins who support their brothers. They are using the Sin Tower as a temporary command post, and their supporters are gathering in the direction of the Sin Tower."

"What's going on with Silver Moon Palace? I'm afraid such a beautiful and elegant place will be—"

"I did see the Royal Guards blocking the entrances and exits of Silver Moon Palace. So far, I haven't heard of anyone breaking into Silver Moon Palace to arrest people or destroy things."

"There are rumors everywhere on the streets now. Some say that His Majesty sold his soul to the Demon King, while others say that His Highness has been kidnapped and exploited by an ambitious person..."

"No matter what the truth is, I'm going to the Tower of Sin."

"What did you say? You want to go to the Sin Tower, where is—"

"I believe His Highness would not accuse the Emperor of being possessed by the devil for no reason. If he is truly being held hostage and used by an ambitious person, it is even more necessary for us to go to his side, protect him, and rescue him!"

"You're absolutely right! I'll go with you!"

"No matter what, we should first find out what happened!"

…

Just like that, before the sun officially rose, the city was already ignited by the words "rebellion broke out."

Regardless of the era, the overwhelming majority of ordinary citizens either drove their carriages and took their families to flee the capital for safety, or followed their inner thoughts and returned home to take up arms and join the justice they believed in.

For a moment, the city was full of fast-paced pedestrians and carriages piled with luggage.

…

…

Yaris had just finished an acupuncture treatment when Lady Sonya entered the room.

"Your Highness Jarris! Lord Lucien!"

"Oh, it's Sonya."

Yaris raised his eyes, glanced at the person who came, and said with a smile: "I was just thinking about whether to send someone to pick you up."

Xiao Yun put away the silver needle and turned to greet Madam Sonya: "Madam, this place is very dangerous."

"I know, but I..."

Sonya looked around the room, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Compared to the cozy bedroom in the Silver Moon Palace filled with fragrance, even though Yaris's temporary residence in the Sin Tower had been tidied up, with brocade covering the walls and slate floors, and exquisitely crafted tables, chairs, beds and cabinets placed in the room, the sweetness of Bishaluya lingered in the air, but it still felt narrow, closed, damp, and eerie.

"...If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that someone like you could—"

"Once the rebellion fails, we won't even have shelter like this."

Yaris said calmly: "No matter how uncomfortable it is here, at least we have freedom."

"……All right."

"What's the situation outside now?" Xiao Yun asked.

"It's a mess out there, with all sorts of rumors. However, most people believe the rebellion is rooted in the emperor. Even the most staunch royalists, when discussing this matter, generally believe that you brothers are too naive and have been exploited by ambitious individuals."

Lady Sonya said enthusiastically, "Most of those close to me sympathize with you and your brother. No one believes that such a gentle and fragile person like Your Highness would have embarked on the path of rebellion of his own accord. When I left, they were intensely discussing how to get His Majesty to forgive Your Highness after the rebellion was quelled..."

"My brother's gentleness, kindness, beauty, and fragility easily lead people to feel pity and favoritism towards us brothers, regardless of gender."

Xiao Yun's tone of voice was a little subtle.

"It's human nature to be attracted to beauty, and your Majesty's consistent behavior makes it difficult for anyone to have a favorable impression of him."

Sensing jealousy, Sonya calmly changed the subject: "Even civilians who have never met him know that he is incompetent, cruel, and self-righteous. No one I know likes him. He leaves all the daily affairs of state to the poor Bat Prime Minister. Every time he attends a court ball, he does something that spoils everyone's fun. Now he even--"

"But as long as he achieves the final victory, everyone's evaluation of him will develop in a positive direction."

Yaris said gloomily: "People always have a preference for winners and don't want to be the loser."

"you mean--"

"If we lose, we'll have nothing."

"You won't be left with nothing just because you lose the civil war, because you still have me."

Xiao Yun held Yaris's hand and comforted him gently.

Then he looked at Sonya again and asked sourly, "How long do you plan to stay here?"

After a brief and subtle silence, Sonya opened her mouth and said, "Since you are safe, I will leave too."

"So you came to make sure we were safe."

Xiao Yun's voice still contained a hint of harshness.

Sonya covered her mouth with a smile and said, "If you need any help, just ask."

"Well……"

Xiao Yun turned his head and looked at Yaris.

Yaris thought for a moment and said, "We do need your help with something."

"What?"

"Help us deliver some leaflets to the palace."

"Flyers?"

Sonya's eyes sparkled. "Are you planning a publicity stunt?"

“We want more people to know the truth.”

“I am honored to be able to participate in your action.”

Sonya showed great excitement.

Xiao Yun opened the drawer and took out a stack of flyers that he had gathered everyone to complete overnight. "Time is tight, so this is all I have prepared for now."

“It’s already a lot.”

Sonia took the flyers and found that although the handwriting of the flyers was different, the signatures at the end were written by Jaris and Lucien.

"No wonder you have bandages on your chest. I thought—"

"A handwritten signature adds credibility to a document."

Yaris's tone was flat.

"but--"

"Everything that happened yesterday was beyond my brother's and my expectations."

"Indeed... If we can anticipate this, we can prepare flyers and everything needed to print them..."

Yaris murmured.

Xiao Yun sighed and said comfortingly, "Even God cannot predict everything in advance, let alone us humans."

"All right."

Yaris nodded, reluctantly accepting his brother's reassurance.

Sonya put the flyer away and stood up to leave.

"Although I don't know when, in what capacity, or where we will meet next time, I still want to say one thing - goodbye, and take care!"

As she spoke, Sonya's tears flowed down her face. "I never thought that one day I would say something like this, but... I'm already so old, and I thought I would spend my whole life in a boring love game. I didn't expect... I'm very happy to have met you. I hope that after I die, you will remember me..."

She took out a handkerchief, wiped her tears, glanced at the two of them gently, and turned away.

…

After Lady Sonya left——

"She's a very special woman, isn't she?"

Yaris looked up at his brother who was bidding farewell to Sonya with an expressionless face.

"She is indeed special, but..."

"Are you jealous?"

"No, I just feel... I'm glad that she was already very old when she appeared in front of us, otherwise..."

"What else? Are you worried that I'll fall in love with her?"

“That’s as it should be!”

Xiao Yun said seriously, "The High Priest cannot commit any form of infidelity while in office. Once discovered by the Divine Tower, all those who violate the commandments, including you, will be severely punished."

"Is this really what you have in mind?"

Yaris looked at his brother with great interest, obviously waiting for something.

“I…I…”

Xiao Yun took a breath and whispered, "To be honest, I don't have any complaints about her. I don't want to hate her, nor do I intend to feel jealous or angry towards her. But when I think about the possibility that she might replace my position in your heart or even have a relationship with you that goes beyond spiritual connection, it's hard for me to control my emotions."

“…Nothing will happen between her and me.”

"I know, I know you won't have any contact with her beyond the boundaries of friendship. I have deep confidence in our love and being loved. Our spiritual connection is something no one can interfere with or surpass. But no matter what I think, hearing about your affair and seeing her looking at you and caring for you with the motherly, gentle eyes you most desire, my heart can never be at peace."

"That is to say, no matter what the truth is, from the moment her name was linked to mine, she became the person you least wanted to see."

"Yes."

Xiao Yun nodded.

"Even if she never considered you an enemy emotionally."

"That makes me even angrier."

Xiao Yun blurted out.

This answer made Yaris's eyes sparkle like stars, and a smile as bright as the rising dawn appeared on the corners of his mouth.

He reached out and cupped his brother's cheeks, blessing him. His lips slid down gently, touching his brother's forehead, nose, and lips in turn, until he rested his forehead against his brother's lips and said breathlessly, "You are always so direct and frank, using the simplest words to draw out the deepest secrets in my heart... And I have made up my mind. I will never run away from my fate again..."

"destiny……"

"Well, fate."

“…”

Xiao Yun said nothing. He put his arms around Yaris's shoulders and rested his hands on Yaris's thin back as if he was immersed in a dream.

The room converted from a prison cell has very poor lighting, and it is still dim even during the day.

However, when Xiao Yun hugged Yaris tightly with his arms and Yaris also held Xiao Yun's cheeks tightly, there was suddenly some light in the room, some strange white light that came out from nowhere.

Before they knew it, the mysterious white light had filled the room, like the thick fog in autumn and winter but without the dampness of mist, loosely wrapping the two people sitting on the bed.

There was ethereal music in my ears.

"Did you hear that? Those notes..."

Yaris whispered in a low, hoarse voice.

"Yes, I heard it. There were bells, rattles, an organ, and... a female voice singing... I couldn't understand the lyrics, but I could feel the emotion contained in them..."

Xiao Yun narrowed his eyes and spoke haltingly about the feelings the music brought him: "It's like celebrating the birth of a baby, but also like burying the dead... It's solemn and sacred, filled with joy, sadness, and nostalgia..."

"The lyrics are divine language, singing about fate, life and death—"

Yaris leaned against his brother and whispered softly, the distant melody echoing in the house.

“Death is the truth of life, life is the existence of death…Only when you embrace death, life truly belongs to you…Death is the blessing of life, life is the meaning of death…Life and death are one…Life and death…”

"Life and Death..."

In a trance, Xiao Yun saw the dancing universe and stars. Countless threads of fate whizzed past him, and time and space completely disappeared from his perception...

…

"Um……"

Xiao Yun gradually came to his senses and found himself and Yaris lying on the bed, still hugging each other.

I don't know how much time passed, the white light had long since dissipated, the room was dark, and all the sounds disappeared.

He looked at Yaris who was hugging him tightly, not knowing what to say.

There was something fiery going on deep inside him, but he didn't dare express it in words.

(What just happened?)

(At that moment, it seemed as if an extremely special substance, crucial to the fate of the entire universe, was activated...)

(I don't know what that thing is, but I'm sure I can't stop...)

(If this is our fate...)

He looked down at Yaris and found that Yaris had also opened his eyes and was staring at him closely.

The moment their eyes met, he felt an incredible intimacy and unfathomable unity, as if the two souls could leave their bodies and merge at any time.

(Is that so? This is what I've been longing for... what I've really been waiting for... love...)

(If this is true, if our souls are one, if...)

"younger brother……"

Yaris murmured as if waking from a dream, and hugged him tightly with trembling hands: "—I won't let go this time, I swear."

"I don't understand. I..."

"Tell me, do you love me?"

"Yes, I love you, since a long time ago."

"I love you too, from a long, long time ago... the supreme love..."

…

…

After a whole night of cleaning, all the bodies in the Sacred Square had been removed, but it was impossible to restore things to normal immediately.

Not to mention the shock that the news of the "outbreak of rebellion" brought to the city, it will also be difficult for those who lost their loved ones to recover from the blow in the short term.

The wife who came looking for the news sat on the roadside holding her child and crying silently. The parents who could not accept the reality knelt on the stone slabs and groped for the last trace of their children left in the world.

The fully armed army passed by, but the grief-stricken people did not react at all. They just stood there in a daze, with no light in their eyes.

Seeing these pitiful people who had lost the courage to live, Lias, who had come to comfort the families of the deceased on the emperor's orders, was a little flustered. After trying several times, he stretched out his hands and shook the hand of one of the mothers. "I'm sorry, but... I, on behalf of His Majesty..."

"I don't want anything now! I just want my child! My child!"

The mother yelled, shook off Lias's grip, and knelt on the ground, crying loudly.

Lias felt overwhelmed again.

At this time, he saw several young people handing out leaflets in a corner of the square.

At first, people were completely uninterested in these young people and their flyers, and they would crumple them up and put them in their pockets.

until--

The first one among them appeared and read the contents of the leaflet.

After reading the flyer, he showed great excitement and took the initiative to catch up with the young people handing out flyers and asked them for another flyer: "I want to give it to someone I know."

Later, more and more people caught up and surrounded the young people handing out flyers, either asking them for more flyers or asking them to read the contents aloud to themselves who were not very literate. Then the light appeared in their confused eyes again.

Lias looked at this incredible scene in disbelief.

(I wonder what's on the flyer...)

(These people... these poor people, who had already given up wanting to live, saw the leaflets and rekindled their passion...)

(There must be something very important and special written on the flyer...)

Thinking of this, Lias shook off his followers and ran to the young people handing out flyers who were surrounded by an eager crowd, stretching out his arms and shouting, "Give me one!"