Chapter 69: What have you heard?

Maya waits for the sun to appear on the horizon in the dark as she peers through the window. As soon as she sees the first rays of sunlight, she jumps off the stool that she sat on next to the window and ran towards Kyrie and Ian's bedroom. She stops in front of the door, and tipping her toes, she reaches towards the doorknob. She twists it, and the door, on its own, opens up. She peeks inside and sees the two facing each other in bed. Kyrie's face is buried on Ian's chest. 

Kyrie rolls away. 

The movement on the bed makes Ian open his eyes. Sensing someone's stare, his eyes lands on Maya peeking in. He smiles at Maya. 

Maya smiles back and walks into the bedroom. Seeing that Kyrie is still asleep, Ian puts his finger on his lips to indicate Maya to keep quiet. Maya mimics Ian and puts her finger on her lips. 

Then, she turns around and walks out of the room. When she closes the door, she sees Ian lying back down again and guiding Kyrie back towards his arms. Kyrie, still asleep, tugs himself back towards Ian and searches for a comfortable position. 

Ian brushes Kyrie's hair away from his forehead and carefully looks at his delicate features. Then, he curls his arm and hugs Kyrie closer to plant a kiss on his forehead. 

When the sky starts to lighten from the sunrise, the gentle light shines into the room. Kyrie lazily half opens his eyes to look at Ian, already awake watching him. 

"What? Never seen a handsome man asleep?"

"I wonder…" Ian says after a pause.

Kyrie's eyes shot open, "You have? Who? Is he more handsome than me?"

"Hmm… Sometimes…"

"Huh? Sometimes? Wait… Wait a minute; there is someone that I don't know of?"

"He is handsome and cute when he is drunk. He proposed to me shamelessly, and now, he is still doing shameless things." Ian looks down underneath the covers at the hands that have invaded his body. The ticklish sensation of Kyrie's fingertips running over Ian's abdomen down makes Ian shudder. His ears redden as he lets Kyrie continue.

"I am just examining to see if you are healthy…"

"Okay…" Ian lets out a laugh, "And? Am I healthy?"

"Yes… Very much so…"

"Well, you have given me your diagnosis, is there something else you are checking?"

Kyrie retreats his hands and clasps them together. He lets out a smirk as he walks off the bed.

"You will need more appointments in the future." Kyrie turns his head towards the door. 

He can hear Maya's footsteps towards their room. The inn is made out of wood, so whenever someone walks, the wood tiles would squeak.

"Shameless…"

"Well, someone is learning from me very well lately!"

"So shameless!" Ian's lips spread into a smile while Kyrie purses his as if he didn't hear Ian's remarks. 

Now, Ian is not that flustered with Kyrie's straightforwardness and perverted acts towards him anymore. He has slowly adjusted to Kyrie's form of affection. 

Nonetheless, he still blushes from Kyrie's advances. Not that he hates it, but he feels like they are going closer and closer to an unknown land that both of them have never experienced before.

Going out of the room once they get ready, they follow Maya towards the table filled with food. The gods and Eric are already waiting on their seats.

They finish their hearty breakfast with gusto, and everyone takes up a role to clean after themselves.

Kyrie meets with Erebus's eyes when he finishes cleaning the table. He feels uneasy because he often encounters Erebus staring at him like the god can hear his inner thoughts.

However, there are also no indications that the god can listen to them. 

At least, Kyrie is sure that Phanes cannot hear. Still, the hostility of Erebus's eyes when they ran away from the tunnels' collapsing ground is something that he cannot ignore. 

If his instincts are right, there might be a chance that Erebus has heard his thoughts throughout this journey. However, he discovers that he cannot ask about it without revealing anything to the god. Plus, in his time, Erebus becomes a fallen god and sets his mind to destroy the world Ian lives in. 

[What should I do? Everything should have been clearly exposed if Erebus can hear my thoughts. Does he not care that Ian's world will collapse? What about Phanes? She is dead in the future, but why. Why did she pass away?]

"Kid," Erebus calls.

Kyrie shudders at Erebus's deep voice, and he slowly turns his head to look at Erebus's unfathomable eyes. Erebus motions with his head to meet him outside. He turns and leaves Kyrie standing stiff. Kyrie watches him leave. 

He turns his eyes towards Phanes, who is busy talking to Eric and then towards Ian, who is busy packing the lunches with Maya.

[Why do I have this feeling like the typical scenario of a bully is asking a bullied student out to meet him?]

Kyrie lets out a long breath and walks towards where Erebus left. He tries to brace himself to face the possibility that Erebus can hear his thoughts.

He looks around as he walks in the streets of the city. He stops when he senses a piercing stare and looks up. He enters a narrow alley and jumps side to side between the walls of two buildings. 

When he lands on the ceiling, he feels the breeze running against his body on the side. Erebus does not turn to face him.

[Do powerful people always like to meet on rooftops?]

He looks at Erebus, looking at the city's scenery as he sits down on the roof's ridge. 

"Is it true?" asks Erebus, going straight to the topic that Kyrie so feared about.

"What?" Kyrie feigns ignorance.

"Kid, don't beat around the bushes. I can read you… Although for a moment in the beginning... There seem to be restrictions from someone high up in our ranks, but that would be my issue. Is it true about Phanes?"

[He did hear me.]

"Before I answer you, how much have you read from my mind?"

"Not much. A lot that I have tried to read has come out as white noise. I only heard partly the things that you have thought about when testing Phanes, and some during your conversation with Phanes."

Kyrie grasps his hands that are starting to sweat.

[Yesterday's conversation? Sigh…]

"What have you heard?" asks Kyrie.