Eleven - The Outcast

“Baek Ahn,” Luhan’s voice ripped the silence, before he ran towards the said man and threw himself at him.

The prince lost his grip on the parasol, letting it fall to the ground as he caught Luhan’s body against him.

The embrace was tight and warm, far warmer than what Hyun Ryu expected from Luhan. He never thought he would get this kind of reaction from his brother. To answer Luhan’s wordless relief, he wrapped his arms around the Sun Child gently, patting his back reassuringly. As Luhan silently and secretly shed his tears against his robe, Hyun Ryu regarded the archmage with a tight-lipped smile.

“How come you are here? Where’s Chanyeol? Did he agree for you to come back?” Luhan asked when he pulled away.

“Chanyeol will not bother us for the meantime, and no he did not agree. Would not agree even if you tried.” he sighed, “And please, do not call me Baek Ahn, Luhan. I am no longer the Moon Child.”

“You are and still are the Moon Child.” Luhan insisted. “You’re my brother, my counterpart.”

“Whatever you believe in,” the prince dismissed, “But may I request for you to call me Hyun Ryu, it is what I came accustomed to in my life on the other side.” Luhan frowned in displeasure, but he was able to coax the other when he said it would make him comfortable.

“I will not be able to stay here for good, but I promise to do everything I can to bring everything back to normal.” he said as they walked down the volcano’s body. “Chanyeol wouldn’t appreciate me leaving without a word, and I’m certain that he would blame you all here, despite my attempts of defending you. He would and still take that as me siding with you.”

“I don’t appreciate him claiming you as if he owned you.” pointed out the Sun Child.

Hyun Ryu hummed in acknowledgement, “Perhaps I may have spoiled him a little."

"A little?!" Luhan exclaimed, "From what I heard from Chen, he caused another mayhem during the last eclipse! I had no doubt it would come to this point. Ever since a kid, that child had been attached to you."

Hyun Ryu waved a hand, “That’s the point, Luhan. Chanyeol was attached to me the moment he started breathing. He was my responsibility and what he is today, and what people had said about him all points back to me.”

“Your Grace, the Moon Child, If I may speak—”

Hyun Ryu was swift to give the archmage the glance he knew Chen understood. The archmage pressed his lips in a thin line and backpedalled a bit, “What I mean is, Hyun Ryu, If I may speak, I don’t see it as your fault if the Phoenix Prince behaved in such a way.”

Releasing a breath of defeat, Hyun Ryu changed the topic by asking how the process of healing. While he was aware of the knowing eye to eye between his brother and the mage, he continued walking. They never understood Chanyeol, despite his constant reassurance. He had always defended him, but this kind of conversation would go nowhere.

"We have prioritized those with critical conditions under

Yixing's care. We planned to continue tomorrow in batches. However, there were still a lot of patients under each empires, especially the Hervens. Arnkai had been so busy assisting in his own way. While he rarely coordinated with the Herven King, he still attended the patients personally."

Upon the Astral Child's mention, Hyun Ryu felt his chest constrict.

"I see. Have you talked to Arnkai? After the eclipse, I mean."

Luhan chuckled bitterly, "We all know how Arnkai took your absence the past years, losing you again must have taken a toll to that kid's heart."

After that, the Daevric Prince said nothing more. Luhan understood that silence, and let the wind fill in the lack of words.

As they reached the foot of the mountain, Luhan lately realized that they could have flown but they chose to be on foot. Perhaps he wanted to spend the time talking with his lost brother. Perhaps he missed standing alongside him, like old times.

The Sun and Moon. Together they were invincible. Together they hold the pillars of Cepherus on opposite sides. Together they maintain balance and peace.

Luhan stole another look at his brother and observed the raven wings dragging on his back. He compared the contrast between this version of him to the one he had been used to. Hyun Ryu. He wondered how he became the Daevric Prince. Was Baek Ahn reincarnated? But reincarnation is quite random, and the chances of him falling under Chanyeol's care was too much of a coincidence.

But then if he really was reincarnated, how come he remembered his past life so fast?

Such a mystery. Luhan could ask him himself, but somehow, he was afraid of the answer. He was afraid to admit that he wasn't able to help Baek Ahn back then. He was afraid to face the possibility of owing his brother's life to the Phoenix Prince.

"Let us travel on air from here on so we could save time. I would like to visit the rest of the infected myself and help with the process. If we could, I'd also like to ask for assistance from you, Chen, to accompany me to the Herven Lands and meet Arnkai."

Chen, like a second nature to him, suddenly knelt in one knee before Hyun Ryu, bowing his head with one fist on the center of his chest, “As you wish, Your Grace.”

The nerve popping on Hyun Ryu’s temple was almost visible that Luhan almost laughed if it wasn’t for the fire he suddenly conjured out of thin air to scare the archmage and make the latter fall on his bum with a startled yelp. “Call me Your Grace or the Moon Child one more time Chen, I will toss you back to the clouds and have the Moon servants hang you upside down.”

Sweat dropped on Chen’s temple as his throat bobbed, squeaking, “Yes Your-I- I mean, As you wish, Baek Ahn.”

Although the Daevric Prince didn’t like the mention of the Moon Child’s name, it was better than being called Your Grace over and over again. It was his absolute law to Chen right after he chose him as his right-hand man.

Hyun Ryu noticed the blank stare Luhan had on his hand. He was going to ask why, when he realized what he just did with i