Chapter 16: Lantern Festival

Kyrie lets the Vicar heal his wounds with light magic while he gulps down a couple of flasks of magic potion. He looks at the sword that Vita gave him, lost its shine and is on the verge of crumbling.

[Can this really be called a legendary sword? One time use, and it's gone.]

"How do you feel, Sir Rowan?" asked the Vicar.

"I feel much better. Thank you, your holiness," answered Kyrie.

"Then, I would excuse myself," said the Vicar with a slightly pale face.

When the Vicar left, Kyrie let his body shink into the sofa. He puts one of his arms over his eyes to block the bright light radiated by the chandeliers.

[The first obstacle is gone, and Ian is not banished to the front lines. Right now, I got the best outcome of all the possibilities. This change of fate might not give Imogen the chance to take control of Ian anymore since her empty emotions and words might not work anymore. However, I am worried that my show of power shaken the political tension between the two kingdoms. I might have to go back to Aria if the King of Ethern pushes to make me one of his subjects. Saints usually are stateless; I wonder if I can also gain that right sooner. However, Ian is still a prince from Ethern.]

Kyrie sits back forward when a servant announces, "Sir Rowan, your bath is ready."

The servants follow Kyrie to assist him, but Kyrie refuses since he still feels awkward that strangers would look at him naked while bathing. When he finished bathing and was buttoning his shirt, Kyrie hears a door knock.

"It's me," says Ian.

"Come in!"

Ian goes in to find Kyrie with a half-buttoned shirt exposing his chest and collar bone. His hair is down and wet. Ian nervously turns back and says, "You could have just told me that you were not ready!!!"

Kyrie says, like a matter of fact, "But you have seen me like this so many times already."

"Your words can really make people misunderstand, you know!" Ian blurted out.

"Then let them misunderstand."

Ian huffs like he is out of words while Kyrie chuckles at how cute Ian's reactions are. Although Ian is getting used to Kyrie being very affectionate, ever since Kyrie came to his life, he gets teased to no end!

Kyrie puts his arm around Ian's shoulder and says, "Tomorrow, let's go to the lantern festival together."

Ian says, interested, "Sure."

---

*Huff* *huff*

"I can't... Let me just rest a little bit," says Ian out of breath.

Kyrie slows down and looks around. He breathes out with relief and runs his fingers through his silver hair with a bit of annoyance.

[That was aggressive!!!]

Ian looks at Kyrie, also breathing heavily. Sweat drops continue to drip off his chin.

"I didn't expect so many people to know me..." says Kyrie.

[I just wasted an hour running away from people. I kept encountering people everywhere we turned to hide. Is this how it feels like to be a celebrity?]

"I think I will need to change my appearance so that we can enjoy the festival," suggested Kyrie.

Ian nods in agreement. He chants and casts a spell on Kyrie. Kyrie jolts, noticing that his defences were down, maybe only down for the person in front of him. He did not even react until the magic spell already cast on him.

Kyrie's hair and eyes changed colours. Kyrie looks at his face through a mirror created by water magic and has raven black hair and deep blue eyes.

"You can borrow me," says Ian.

[Are you sure?]

Kyrie furiously blushes while trying to curve back his thinking that Ian might mean something different.

Ian noticing his wording, and frigidly says, "Borrow my identity, my identity!" He rambles his words saying, "Or you can be my younger brother..."

Kyrie breaks the spell in an instant with a darkened face.

He says firmly, "I don't want to be your younger brother."

Ian complains, "But why?"

Kyrie feels an intense frustration building upon his chest. It is enough for him to burst- his tongue against his cheek.

[How can someone be so FREAKING DENSE?!?! ARE YOU SURE THIS IS NOT A NOVEL? Calm down, Kyrie... Calm down... It's Ian we are talking about... You have to be patient whenever it comes to Ian. Patience. Patience. Patience.]

Kyrie sighs forcefully outwards and says firmly, "I just don't want to."

Ian laughs, dejected and says, "I just thought it would be easier. Anyways, I just thought it would be cool to see you with my features or related like a brother."

[I can be related to you in other ways...]

"Do you think of me as a brother?" asks Kyrie downheartedly.

Ian looks at Kyrie with a troubled expression, and says, "I am not sure... I mean... I don't have a brother, so I don't really know. "

"So... a friend?"

"You... you are just... Kyrie."

Kyrie sighs with relief. He felt as if Ian's words were like a sword floating on top of his heart; any time it can fall and stab him.

"Then, I will just be Kyrie to you, Ian. Just like Ian is Ian to me."

---

As they arrived at the site to release their lanterns, Ian looks at Kyrie's different appearance - long, straight white hair tied up in a ponytail with a ribbon and green lemon eyes. It is strange, but also so familiar. They agreed to share a lantern, so they each took the sides that were opposite to each other.

Ian looks at the wish lantern, knowing what he wants but cannot express it in words. Just like how he blurted out that he wanted to be brothers with Kyrie, yet has barely any idea what is a brotherhood or any relationship that can be labeled.

After Kyrie came into his life, everything that he is experiencing is so new that he cannot allocate words to certain feelings or situations. However, Ian knows that he feels happy every day because Kyrie is by his side.

In fact, so happy that he thinks that all this time, maybe he is in a dream and has yet to be awakened. So he makes up his mind and writes his wish down.

For Kyrie, this activity is relatively easy. He writes, "For Ian's happiness."

If this goes according to the legends of the wish lanterns, then he hopes that fate can spare Ian in this life and grants his simple wish. Although Kyrie knows that this is childish to wish on a lantern, he still wrote what he hoped for.

After they finished writing, Kyrie circulated mana into the lantern, and the lantern started to float. Although the lanterns were in a journey into the darkness, together, they illuminated the night sky and became breathtakingly beautiful. They were the hope within everyone ascending to heaven.

[To become so beautiful, the lanterns have to be bright themselves and find others that are similar to them. That way, their journey has hope in this never-ending swamp of darkness. It seems like it is time for me to go on a journey to find allies and the relics.]

"What are you thinking?" asks Ian.

"Hm? Ah... nothing really."

"What did you write for your wish?"

"I wrote that my wish is for you to be happy,"

"What? Wait. Why? You should have written something for yourself. What is your second wish, then?"

"For world peace."

*pfff*

Ian laughs, and tears start to stream. Ian says, "What's up with that? Occupational illness?"

[I would like if you were in a world where you don't have to stain your hands with blood]

Kyrie takes Ian's hand and says, "Yeah, occupational illness."