forum At War // OxO // Closed

Started September 19, 2021 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

After a couple of hours, Kaylum decided to rest. It seemed to be the only way he could regain some of his energy now. He climbed down from the ceiling, looked over at Nik to check up on him, then curled up and buried his face in his wing. He didn’t sleep, his mind was all over the place. Anxiety began to grow in his belly. For some reason, he thought back to the two princes’ earlier conversations, and suddenly he was reminded of something. Something important that he should really talk about. But how to talk about it? Even if it had been a few hours, would Nikolas be in the mood to talk?
Slowly, he raised his head. He blinked, then shifted to human form and came closer to Nik.
“Prince,” he murmured. “May I speak to you about something?”

Nik had been lightly dozing off and on; he was tired, and in pain. Nevertheless, he turned to Kaylum, squinting for a moment. "Mmph. Sure. Uhm. What is it?" he asked. He was still laying on his stomach in order to keep his back from getting too much pressure.

Kaylum didn’t answer right away. His ear twitched nervously. How to find the right words? If only his mother had blessed him with her charisma.
“I…” he sighed. “I understand that Seren is trying to break you, even kill you if he has to. Your death or the crown in Seren’s hands would be detrimental to Kevra’s survival. In that way, I would say that your life matters more than mine.” He paused. “But for me, there is a greater reason why my father and mother tried so hard to protect me and keep me alive. I also understand you were cursed. Do you… believe in omens?”
What was he even saying? Did his words even make sense to this human? At this rate, Nikolas would fall asleep before he could say any more.

Nik's brows pulled together faintly as he tried to follow what Kaylum was saying. "I am…not sure that I understand." he said slowly. "I do, in some ways, believe in omens, but I fail to…I don't quite follow what you're saying."

His mouth pulled into a thin line. Of course. “Alright. Um. Well, this is what I meant when I said my… ah, situation was the reverse of yours,” he tried to explain. “You were born with a curse, and I was born with an unnatural ability. Or, well, it’s considered as such. But instead of being killed, my parents had to keep me alive, because my birth, along with my ability carried an omen. Rarely any shifter can separate their body from their spirit; I am the only one who can that I know of. Because of it’s rarity, it is said that if anyone with this ability were to die, then a great calamity would fall upon the land.” He spoke as if he were quoting someone or something. “And because I can split my body and my spirit, I can essentially walk up to Death’s door whenever I want to.”

He frowned just a little, trying to understand what he was talking about. "I…doubt Seren will kill you unless he feels he absolutely must, if that is what you are worried about." he said, shifting and wincing when the shift brought pain. He cleared his throat very faintly, looking up at Kaylum.

“Sure. Maybe. Perhaps.” Kaylum shrugged. “But I’m not exactly worried about that. What I’m worried about is if he manages to find out about that information, and uses it to his advantage. If he knows, he could kill me, and use the omen to take over Tesh. It does not really matter if the omen is true or not, but I worry that if Seren finds out it, ah, it will come true. He can use the omen to decrease morale, discourage those who try to fight against him. If there is any way for him to take control of Tesh without facing the dissent of the people, it’s that.”

Nikolas nodded faintly. "I see." he replied slowly, trying to process all of that. "So, essentially, the same thing that could happen if my people found out about my curse?" he asked, trying to get clarification. Perhaps it was just his exhaustion and pain that made this so difficult to process.

He blinked. “Essentially,” he confirmed. “I apologize for giving you all of this information like this, but it has been on my mind. I felt it was important to share. Technically, Kevra is still more vulnerable. If you die, that is.” Kay paused, suddenly realizing he was doing nothing to comfort the other man, nor doing anything to relieve his physical pain. He turned away. “Okay, I’ll stop talking now. Just stop moving like that, it’s surely hurting you.”

He nodded again. "It's alright. Thank you for, ah, telling me, Kaylum." he said, watching the other prince. "It is good information to know and keep in mind."