Seventeen - Salvation

When they went past through the gates and over to the other dimension of Daevric Kingdom, Chen didn’t think that they would be welcomed inside, much less be fed by the race who dominated Cepherus for years. He knew that he wasn’t the only one who felt this way, given the uneasiness etched on each of these royalties’ faces. He couldn’t blame them. Daevrics are naturally hard edged and aggressive. All these years, they were feared and avoided, and everytime people saw fire, they knew that it would be followed by the scent of blood and ash.

But standing inside the castle (thankfully not their dungeons) Chen observed that the majority of the hallways and rooms were lit by chandeliers, if not rows of torches. There are no screams and wails from slaves, no forced manual labors, no one was carrying whips on their belts, and what intrigued Chen the most, was that they now wear lesser metal armors on their body. 

Daevric soldiers in the past wore head-to-toe armor, covering their faces more often than not. But now, they wore crimson translucent robes under a light chainmail over their chests, their long, dark hairs either braided or tied at their back. They wore arm braces, but it only covered up until their elbows. However, from the waist below was still the familiar black armor they wore. 

The doors of the dining hall opened, and the man named Kyungsoo entered with confident poise. He looked at them one by one, and then to their almost empty plates before asking, “If you’re done with your meal, please follow me to the Ambrosia Garden. His Highness requests your presence.”

“‘His Highness’, you mean the prince?” The Aeri Queen asked.

“Yes, our prince.” 

“What about the king?” The Sabre Chief asked. 

“His Highness said that King Chanyeol needed to rest and he will handle the talking with you in his stead.”

The Aeri Queen frowned, “We came here to talk to the king, how can he just barge and interrupt us earlier and now--”

“With all due respect,” Arnkai’s voice cut her off, “That prince is also the Moon Child we are trying to get back. And if you are all listening to me earlier, our Moon Child is also the White Dragon, one of the two supreme beings who created the worlds--who created us. If there is one person we should be talking to, it would be him. Caecil hated Cepherus down to his bones, and the only reason why we are not yet turned to ashes was because of him. Instead of looking at his status and blood, I think we should also consider Hyun Ryu’s real identity before we judge him.”

The queen was too prideful to show embarrassment, but Arnkai’s words definitely muted her throughout their walk towards the garden. Chen mentally shook his head from the queen’s self-righteous comments. Aerie-folks and their high regard for respect sometimes go out of its boundaries. 

When they arrived at the said Ambrosia garden, they did not expect it to be a hectare of red flowers emitting the scent of mixed honey and vanilla. The landscape was tendered to make way for paths, but aside from it, the field was nothing but a sea of flowers.

“There is no room to sit here besides that swing that was built for the prince.” Kyungsoo commented, “But His Highness will be here in just a bit--”

As if he was summoned, they heard a distant flap of wings in the air, and were greeted by Hyun Ryu’s descending form. His velvet black wings folded behind him as soon as his bare feet touched the tender soil. 

“Thank you, Kyungsoo.” he turned to the right hand man.

“I’ll go back to my post, Your Highness.” Kyungsoo bowed and took flight. 

“Baek Ahn,” Luhan’s voice cut through the silence. For the first time after the revelation of their identities, the Sun Child spoke again. Chen watched as he slowly approached his brother, who in turn gave Luhan a small and tender smile. 

“I’m sorry, Luhan.” the prince sighed, “I…I know whatever I said earlier must have been a shock to you and I’ve hurt you--”

Luhan shook his head, beads of unshed tears lining in his bloodshot eyes. “I am the one who must apologize. I didn’t know anything…about you and about Chanyeol. I guess I was jealous that you seemed closer to him than you are to me. My ignorance made me blind to the bond you too had. I now understand why you are so adamant on taking him under your wings when he was born…” 

Hyun Ryu bowed his head, kept his eyes on the ground as he pursed his lips. “Chanyeol was forsaken by the world even before he was born. I didn’t want him to feel alone like I did. The pain I went through isn’t something I would want anyone to feel. I was desperate to save him from that nightmare, desperate to make him believe that there is at least one person who wanted him in this world.”

Luhan nodded, tears cascading down his face as he reached out a hand, placing his warm palms on Hyun Ryu’s face. “I’m sorry brother…” 

“It’s not your fault…” Hyun Ryu smiled, placing his hand over Luhan’s. “Let us put this behind us, hmm?” 

Luhan pulled his brother in a tight embrace, sighing when Hyun Ryu answered it with an equal, if not tighter, hug. He missed this…he missed this bond between them. His jealousy and envy had unknowingly created a wall between them, pushing Baek Ahn away from him. Luhan hated that, but now he understood. 

He would not let his selfishness be the cause of their fight. He would not do anything that would make his brother hate him. No matter who he really was in the past, to Luhan, he is his brother, the Moon Child he grew up with.

When Hyun Ryu pulled away, he was also teary eyed, but he was strong enough to hold it unlike him. Hyun Ryu chuckled as he wiped Luhan’s tears with his thumbs, caressing his face in both of his hands. “Are we okay now?”

Luhan nodded, “We’re okay.”

Arnkai cleared his throat, “You know there are people here right?”

“Oh shut up, Arnkai, come here.” Hyun Ryu opened his arms and the Celestial Children embraced each other. The scene warmed up all the spectator’s eyes, seeing them brothers smiling and crying like a normal person. 

They might be Cepehrus’ protectors, they might be celestials, but they learned that they too, have hearts and they feel love, pain and loss just as they do.

***

“First of all, I’d like to apologize for your loss,” Hyun Ryu said as he faced the leaders of the nations. “It wasn’t my intention to cause imbalance to Cepherus. During the last eclipse, as you all remember, the reign of Daevrics was stopped because of Chanyeol. The Sun Child was revived and the Crown of Sun was returned to his hands. The Curse of Ekleipsis almost consumed me again in another cycle, but Chanyeol ended it with his own hands by…killing me.”

Hyun Ryu saw how his brother went rigid, and how Archmage Chen’s brows frowned from the revelation. “Chanyeol--the Phoenix Prince, ever since the beginning, was not aware of his other self. Caecil told me that he had placed a barrier between his and Chanyeol’s memories to not overwhelm his other persona, because if it happens, it will reflect on Cepherus.” 

“Because he is the creator of this world?” Chen asked.

Hyun Ryu nodded, “That’s what he said. And whenever Chanyeol accidentally taps Caecil’s memories, catastrophe happens. The first time it happened was when you, brother, and Chanyeol had your first fight in the Moon Temple.”

Luhan dipped his head, “I remember. The power he had back then overrides mine.”

“The second time was when he accidentally took the Crown of Sun from you.” 

“And unlocking its powers to non-celestial bloods?”

Hyun Ryu hummed, “It seemed so. Chanyeol as himself does not possess celestial blood, but he is Caecil. So when he touched the Crown of Sun, it responded to his presence, his blood. So, when that traitor of a king stole it when no one was looking, he was able to use its power.” 

Arnkai took a deep breath, “What triggers this…merging of memories between the king and Caecil?”

“I believe it was when Chanyeol tapped into my memories and saw what happened to me…what Dea did to me.” 

There was a long stretched silence after that, making Hyun Ryu squirm on his feet. “Let’s not think about that anymore. It’s in the past, and what matters right now is that we do something to the problems we face in the present. Which brings me to the agreement Chanyeol and I had during our talk.”

Hyun Ryu saw the hope in Luhan’s eyes, the silent begging, making his heart clench. Luhan only wanted to save the people of this world. He might have selfish reasons as well, but that didn’t change his desire to protect Cepherus. A true Celestial Child. Maybe, despite his and Chanyeol’s misunderstanding, the Phoenix chose him because he knew Luhan could carry this responsibility.

“The Daevric Kingdom will go back to Cepherus and will sign a treaty together with all nations, promising peace and rebuttal to any violence between races. This will not only apply from Daevrics to other races, but so does your kind to Daevrics. In my short time in Cepherus as a Daevric Prince, I received severe hostility from Garnlok people.” Hyun Ryu sighed, “I could not blame them but if we are going to go back, I do not want my people to suffer the same treatment. I know that the lives of the people they killed can no longer be saved, but if we keep on hating each other, then we cannot live together.” 

Luhan immediately turned to the leaders of races. “This is going to be hard on all of you, to your people as well, but if we do not agree to this, we will not be able to save the rest of our people.” 

The Aeri queen, Hervern King, Sabre Chief and Garnlok Archmage shared looks with each other, and silently came up with a decision. They all nodded to each other, and it was Chen who spoke for them all. “We accept this condition, Your Grace. The lives we lost are no more, but we can still save millions if your power returns to us.”

Hyun Ryu had let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He thought that it might not work out well, given the history of Daevrics to the other races. But this is the only way he could think of to save Cepherus, and remain in Chanyeol’s arms and live with his people as their prince. 

“I couldn’t thank you enough,” he said, voice cracking from his overwhelming emotions. To their surprise, the Daevric Prince knelt on one knee, his black wings veiling his form, as he bowed his head before the kings and queens. 

“In behalf of the Daevric Kingdom, I, Prince Hyun Ryu, formally apologizes for the death of your people in my kins’ hands.”

“Ahn, stand up.” Luhan tried to reach for his brother but Arnkai stopped him. Luhan looked at his cousin like he grew another head. But his cousin whispered, “Let them have this closure, Luhan. Ahn might not be the one who had sin, but as their prince, he took it as his responsibility to do so. Daevric Kingdom needs redemption, and the other nations must close this chapter, this era of hate and hostility, to be able to face a better future.” 

Luhan looked at his kneeling brother, and to the rest of the leaders. They seemed surprised as well, to have the Daevric Prince apologize for the sins of his kin. The Archmage was the one who moved first, crouching before the prince to meet him in the eye. 

“Your Grace, it wasn’t your fault.” 

“I’m their prince. I carry their blood. So please, let me do this.” 

“You said before, those soldiers who killed my people were only forced to do so because their family was held hostage?” The Aeri queen asked. 

Hyun Ryu nodded, “Yes, Kyungsoo, the right hand-man and the previous Crown Prince, w