Sorry for the long delay, I was travelling and also suffering from writer's block. This chapter is boring with explanation, but I wanted to get moving with the story so that I will get back in the grove. Be warned, unedited as of now.

“So his powers are still intact?”

Bomiya who had by then dusted herself and set her robes straight strode towards the king and bowed. She put a strange looking glass on her left eyes and peered at Kai who was purring contentedly.

She then turned to the king and said.

“Yes my lord, but it’s not the same though.”

“What does that mean?”

“My lord, all living beings have some form of aura that also determines their power. These auras are not visible normally, but this glass is actually extracted from the eye of deep seas demons that sense the being around them purely by seeing their aura. The unique colour of the aura tells us how much power a being has and what type it is. For example, I can tell that lord Sehun here is a death demon because his aura is a deep red. Your aura my lord is a flaming blue and so should be prince Kai’s.”

“But it isn’t?”

“It is my lord but it is also speckled with bright orange. Now human aura is usually an even yellow but lord Suho’s… is a flickering orange. I suppose somehow his soul is rendering itself to Kai’s”

“Is that even possible?” In all his life the demon lord has never heard of such a story.

“I have never seen something like this before lord. Two auras don’t mix. For example, the only aura that’s big enough to overlap here are yours, lord Suho’s, lord Sehun’s and prince Kai’s. Your’s and Prince Kai’s aura recognize each other and shift around each other easily. Same is true for lord Sehun’s and prince Kai’s but since there is no such acknowledgement between your’s and lord Sehun’s they are constantly in conflict and hence you often clash. Lord Suho’s aura though is a strange one and it seems to seamlessly flow around and blanket all other auras within its reach in its bright orange glow. Only in the case of prince Kai, the orange seems to have infused itself in the blue.”

“Sounds like a disease. Trust humans to find a way to pollute our soul.” Lord Siwon mumbled. He then looked at Suho and said, “Lord Suho, I am not sure what you have done to my son but I need an explanation, hopefully, one that will not cost you your head. I suggest you show some respect and kneel before me first.”

Sehun just face palmed and muttered, “and here I was thinking we can get to the story without wasting time on posturing.”

Suho smirked at Siwon’s demand. “Do you so desire that I push your son to the ground and then kneel to show my respect to the demon king I remember defeating thrice before in battle?”

“How dare you? I can chop your head off and get this whole farce done with in an instant. Don’t fool yourself. It’s only my sense of fairness that’s keeping your blood from staining the marble floor.”

“Don’t fool yourself either. I maybe blind but I am still the Red Thunder. And I still can defeat you if it comes to that. But I am here because I chose to save your son. It is you should kneel and thank me.”

Suho spoke without much inflection but it still sent a chill down the spine of those who heard him. Sehun realizing where it was heading intervened just in time.

“Let me just remind you both that as the resident death demon, I am not going to reap either of your souls in the next decade. So if you want to chop each other up, please do, but remember you will suffer for a long time to come with no merciful death in sight. With that I suggest you move on to the story telling.” With a grand gesture, Sehun stood up and bowed.

“On mighty ex-king of Asegi, on behalf of the equally mighty demon king, please tell us how the hell the demon prince lord Kai became bald.”

Quiet familiar by then with Sehun’s brand of humor, Suho chuckled and began…

“Not many know this but my mother is a transient, a hybrid creature she never revealed to anyone till the end. I do not know my father, but I suppose he should have been a human judging by the fact that I ended up in Asegi under the care of King Yifan’s family after my mother died when I was six. My mother didn’t leave me anything except for a spell. A spell she said I should never use, unless I loved someone so much that I would rather die in their place than live without them. On the night of Yifan’s engagement, I returned to my room a few hours before dawn and went to bed. I woke up with the demon prince poised over me with his sword raised. He asked for my name and I surrendered ready to die by his hands. But before the prince could bring his sword down, he clutched at his heart and fell. His body started breaking down into dust and I realized he was about to die. Knowing the trouble Asegi will have to suffer through if he did die. I used the spell my mother gave me, but instead of stopping his death, my eyes caught fire and I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I could feel Kai inside me. Somehow, his soul had entered through my burnt sockets perhaps. Would I be spared if I reveal this to any demon or man? Knowing what would happen, to protect myself, I bound my eyes and hid him inside.”

“But if by the hunters spell, my son had died…” the demon king began.

“He didn’t. Only his body did.” Sehun interrupted.

“As a death demon, I felt his soul flare just for a moment. When I rushed to see what had happened, Kai’s soul had snugly made itself home inside lord Suho. I kept an eye on lord Suho because I was really not sure if it was Kai’s soul or some form of residue.”

“Residue?”

“Sometimes it’s possible for some souls to be completely obliterated so much so that they leave just a faint lingering trace. In these cases, usually, there is nothing to collect. My dear friend Kai who never did anything in half measure could have been one of those cases. So, I waited. But as time went by, I could see that Kai’s soul was getting stronger. His form changed and grew but he couldn’t survive for long outside Suho. Even when he was outside, much like a duckling, he still followed only Suho. When lord Suho was hurt, Kai hurt too, when he was sad so was Kai. Essentially, it’s like two peanuts in a single pod. And believe me, with someone as suicidal as lord Suho who went to battle as often as you sat down to have lunch, I spent most of my time healing him overnight, just to make sure that Kai’s soul remained intact.”

Suho chuckled and mumbled, “Sorry, I was still a soldier responsible for Asegi even if not its king.”

Siwon sighed “This is an interesting theory, so what is happening with Kai now.”

Bomiya stepped forward.

“Allow me to explain my lord.”

“Yes, proceed.”

“I think the prince’s soul has grown enough to survive outside lord Suho’s physical body. There are signs of his body restoring itself as well. With the right treatment and spells, he will able to grow back to his original form. However, I think he will continue to depend on lord Suho as his care giver for a while yet.”

“How long will it be before he is as good as his old self?”

“There is no reference to this my lord but based on his growth so far, I suspect it will be more than a few years. Although he might grow faster physically, his mental growth is not something I am sure about.”

“Lord Suho, how old do you think Kai’s mind is now.”

Suho thought about it. He hardly had any reference other than the few children he had seen in Asegi.

“I am not sure, but maybe around three…”

The demon lord thought about it. Decision made he stood up and pronounced his verdict.

“Because of circumstances, somehow Lord Suho has become the prince’s guardian. He will continue to do so as there seems to be no other option at the moment. Bomiya, you will track the prince’s progress and find every possible treatment that will help Kai become his old self.”

Suho knew that he was wanted in Asegi at the moment. Going back would only cause problems for Yifan. The thought of his friend’s confused face set a deep ache in his heart but he was not ready to go talk to him yet.

“For reasons my own, I agree. I didn’t protect Jongin for the past few years to leave him before he is his old self. I owe him and I will pay my debt in full.”

“That’s settled then. Bomiya, find a suitable place for Kai’s development and we will set up residence for lord Suho there. Call the scholars and get to work on researching the scriptures for medicines and treatment. Sehun…”

“And… my work is done here. I will be on my way. I do have to make a living you know.”

Siwon rolled his eyes. The brat never missed an opportunity to make his life difficult.

“Be that as it may, given that you are the only other person Kai seems to be comfortable with, I request you to stay and help.”

Sehun reclined even further from his perch and pretended to think.

“I will think about it.”

“One last question lord Suho.”

Suho looked up at the demon lord.

“Why do you call my son, Jongin?”

Suho thought about it. It was a word from his mother tongue. The few words he remember his mother by. He did not know its actual meaning but his mother always called him that when she comforted him.

“I didn’t want others to hear that name in Asegi. So I named him with a word from an obscure dialect. There is nothing more to it.”

Siwon nodded.

That night Suho had retired to a guest chamber in the palace along with Kai. Sehun had come by and they had seen to Kai’s dinner. Kai even played a bit with Sehun. As Sehun stood up to retire he paused as if he was making up his mind about something.

“Someday, you should tell me the truth.”

“Truth?” Suho asked

“Truth about exactly why Kai spared you.”

Suho looked uneasy and angered, but before he can utter a word, Sehun turned around and walked to the door.

“On second thought, no. I don’t care.”