Beatific. It was a word describing the life Oliver had. Despite his father's worsening health, Oliver remained hopeful and happy.
He picked herbs from the grassy hills that Yerba was famous for. "What a beautiful life I have." Oliver smiled. He checked the guidebook that rested on the grass.
"Is this one the right one? I hope it is. I don't want Father to get even sicker than he already is." He placed the final bunch into the basket he was carrying and looked at his hands.
"I'll wash them in the river later. What's important is bringing these to Father." Oliver sprinted down the hill, laughing all the way through. The people on the hill smiled, as it was usual for Oliver to look so happy doing the most mundane things.
Oliver reached his house and opened the door. "Here, Father. These are the herbs you asked for."
Oliver had light, blond hair that flowed down on his shoulders. The wind that blew in from the windows made him look angelic, even more so to his father.
"How lucky I am to have a child like you, Oliver." He petted Oliver on his head and Oliver pulled his rosy lips into a smile. "I'm only doing the minimum. I will do more for you, Father."
---
"I have. I have asked myself that question. For years!" Jupiter spat, angrily. For some odd reason, the strange place they were in managed to awake forgotten feelings of distress inside Jupiter.
"Not enough, evident by the fact that you haven't figured out the answer." The man said.
Jupiter looked displeased. "What do you mean not enough? And it's not as if I could figure out the answer anyways!" Jupiter shouted.
"Why?" The man smiled and asked.
Jupiter bit his lip. "Why am I here?" He looked around the oblivion, searching for a semblance of light. "I already told you. The universe chose you to be the one."
"The one for what?" Jupiter asked, exasperated. "To save the world." The man levitated slightly above Jupiter and tapped Jupiter's nose.
"You're our Savior." The man added, grinning.
"No." Jupiter looked up at the man. "I can't."
"Is that the only thing the vehement Jupiter cannot do? Are you so weak as to not be able to do that?"
Jupiter gave the man a look of disgust. "I am not weak."
"Then why do you refuse to do this? Is it because you are so strong?"
Jupiter pulled his eyes away from the man, questioning it. When the man looked at Jupiter from a perspective where Jupiter's eyes were not on him, Jupiter truly looked inhumane. He could've camouflaged into the oblivion if it wasn't for his tenaciously pale skin. But his black hair completely hid in the darkness.
"Why is it necessary to save the world? Why should I care about it? Either way, it won't be able to affect me." Jupiter asked, gritting his teeth.
"You're not saving your world, you know that?" The man said. "What do you mean? I'm obviously going to save my world. That's a given, isn't it?" Jupiter asked.
The man laughed. "It's silly seeing you act as though planets merely exist to revolve around you."
"It doesn't matter what world I'm going to save! I'm not saving anything!" Jupiter furrowed his brows.
"If you save this world, you can save yourself as well. Wouldn't you like that? To find out who you really are?"
"...What?"
"Don't you want to know? You've been wondering it ever since you were born. 'What am I? Who am I?' Your questions will all be answered here. Isn't this a good deal?"
"I have never thought that in my life."
"Then what were those years of seclusion? Your imagination? Surely it wasn't mine. I wouldn't imagine such a cruel thing happening to such a helpless and weak child-"
"That child wasn't weak. He wasn't weak at all. It wasn't his fault. People - all of the others - it's their fault! Why - Why are you blaming me?"
"Fault? It's obvious whose at fault, isn't it?"
"...Yes, it is."
"Then who was at fault?"
"I don't know."
---
"Jupiter, can't you open the door for us, please?" Ayden asked melodramatically. The door wouldn't budge.
"Jupiter, hey, are you in there?" Ayden asked once more. "...Did he go somewhere else?" Chazia inquired.
"No. I'm sure he didn't leave this room. Anyway, he always stays here when he's having a headache. It calms him down, or something, I don't know."
Ayden let go of the doorknob and put his ear to the door. No sound came from the other side. Ayden knocked on the door. "You know, you aren't the type to pull pranks. What, are you feeling a little jovial today?"
Ayden angrily kicked the door, causing it to fall out of its frame.
There was no one in the room. The window still let the breeze in, the same wooden desk was there, papers, books, and a smell of cologne. Paintings that Ayden had gifted him, tea leaves that Jupiter reluctantly accepted from Chazia, and an empty chair. It was the same. No, it wasn't.
It was empty.
"He's gone." Chazia automatically said.
They could only stand there, and pray he wasn't going to be gone forever.
>>>
A headline on the newspapers screamed, JUPITER KALOR GOES MISSING AFTER HIS CORONATION. Rumors passed by, including one saying that the family of the woman he killed assassinated him.
Ayden was particularly mad about this rumor, as he knew that Jupiter wasn't that weak. Although, he still cried in fury after hearing it. A form of wrathful guilt.
Chazia felt miserable. He thought of himself as being indebted to Jupiter and yet when Jupiter was in danger, he wasn't there to save him. If he could, he would charge himself with the murder of Jupiter.
The Royal Family was devastated. The original Emperor was killed, only for the new one to go missing? The duties of the Emperor were pushed onto the Empress, much to her anger.
"Chazia! You told me that being Empress would be easy and now this?" Mikaela complained.
"I didn't know that he would go missing, either. None of us knew!" Chazia said, distressed. "It's not that you didn't know... it's just that the Emperor ran away from his duties and left them on me!" The Empress claimed.
The Lenean family was famous for being one of four families able to wield magic. Their son, Chazia, was the latest child able to use magic.
It was tradition for the magic-wielding child to be betrothed to the future ruler, because there was always a boy and girl born from both the Imperial and Lenean family the year of the Emperor and Empress's coronation.
However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the tradition had to be broken. The princes born during the year and the following years of the coronation were all men. Chazia, the newest wielder, was also a man.
Fortunately, the Lenean family had a daughter. But unfortunately, they hadn't bothered to educate her on becoming the Empress because they assumed Chazia would be the Emperor. Chazia told her that it would be fine even if she didn't do anything, as Jupiter was a man who could do it all on his own.
Therefore, when Jupiter disappeared, she was furious at Chazia, who had told her that everything was going to be fine.
"Ran away? Are you saying that Jupiter ran away from his duties? You must be insane! Jupiter isn't the type of man who would do something like that! There - There has to be a reason."
---
"So, why don't you find out?" The man asked Jupiter, giving him a holier-than-thou smile.
"...Does it actually work?"
"Of course it does. Do you think I'd lie to you? If I did then the world would be doomed."
Jupiter could do nothing but stay silent. He tried thinking about it rationally, but the void they were in prevented him from truly considering it. He was overcome by his emotions and feelings.
He knew that he was unable to make correct decisions, yet he still spoke. No matter how hard Jupiter tried to cover his mouth and pretend that he didn't say it, his life was already forfeit to the demon in front of him.
The world around them trembled and Jupiter could feel himself fading away. Surprisingly, he didn't feel terrified or anxious. He only felt peace and calm.
The tension in his forehead, neck, and back faded away and for the first time in his life, Jupiter felt okay.
Okay.
When was the last time Jupiter even thought he felt like that? Most likely never.
But even though Jupiter felt okay enough to fall asleep, he was everything but okay.
---
"It'll be okay, Oliver." Oliver's mother wiped off his tears with a handkerchief.
Oliver looked up at the black and white sky and cried out again. "Why? Why? What's gonna happen to..." He murmured.
As his father lay in his grave, the world turned black and white for Oliver. "Why didn't he get healthier?" Oliver asked. "Sometimes someone may be a lost cause. Unfixable."
"No. Father wasn't a lost cause... Don't say that, Mother." Oliver cried. "It's the hard truth, Oli. You may try to ignore it now, but some people are... unsalvageable."
Tears came down Oliver's face as Oliver looked at his Father for one last time. "I don't want to look at him anymore." He said, as he walked away.
"Oliver. Oliver!" His mother called but the only thing that she could see was his back.
>>>
Oliver sat on the grassy hills that he used to love. The world became darker and darker, the sky began to turn black.
"Hey, Oliver... don't you think it's time to go home-" Oliver slapped their hand away in anger. The farmer looked at him in surprise.
Oliver looked up at the farmer who was staring at him. "Do you think I'm a lost cause now?" He pulled up his sleeve and revealed the main symptom of the same illness his father had.
"Do you?"
A smile appeared on Oliver's face. Even though Oliver was aware of the unsalvageable fate that he was given, he wanted to be happy. But when he witnessed his father's death, he realized that death was not a happy fate.
He reconsidered the "happy" life that he had lived for so long. Was he the one in the wrong? Was he the dumb one? How stupid was he for thinking that he could've lived a good life?
"It doesn't matter, does it?" A laugh escaped Oliver's lips. Tears came pouring down his lifeless, blue eyes.
"Because I'm still going to die."
What was all of that work for?
For his inevitable death?
---
Jupiter raised his eyelids and looked at the white ceiling.
He sat up in a bed, one that wasn't luxurious like his last one, but humble.
His lips felt chapped and his body felt different.
"...Who am I?"
He still didn't know.