"Sometimes I wonder if you'll ever recover." Emperor Katsuki pushed open the door to his comrades' room, slowly navigating through the dimly lit space.
He stepped over books that had been discarded—sprawled across the floor, ancient manuscripts, and folded letters that had yet to be sent. As he approached the four-post bed, Emperor Izuku's rampant coughing gradually softened.
"Don't wish on that too hard," Emperor Izuku let out a low chuckle as he slowly climbed into bed, rolling over to face away from Katsuki.
The blonde-haired emperor watched from the end of the bed, his usually fiery crimson eyes flickering with something else. At this moment, Emperor Izuku turned to him, a small smile now on his face.
"I wouldn't want to disappoint Hazel; tonight is our weekly star-gaze."
Hearing this, Emperor Katsuki glanced at the half-opened door and out into the hallway. By now, the candles that had been lit began to die down, and the darkness outside—a tell-tale sign that night was upon them—began to surface. Outside, the previously malicious storm clouds pummeling down a mixture of rain and snow had begun to drift off elsewhere.
With a low sigh, he stood up from the end of the bed and trotted over to a closed curtain, pulling it open. Outside, he saw that the clouds had almost vanished, allowing the light of the crimson moon to bleakly filter through the windows and onto the desk. Below the moon and sky, a seemingly endless ocean stretched for miles and miles, crashing with waves.
In the distance, he heard birds calling and screaming—sounds that always annoyed him—yet he refused to tell anyone why. At the edge of the castle, just below the sea, was a small patch of land resembling a beach. Grass, rocks, and sand naturally intermingled to form a suitable spot for sitting and watching the stars pass. Within the area were patches of snow.
He took a step forward onto the balcony, the chilly air nipping at his skin even through his armor. In the corner of the circular balcony, resting against the iron railing, was a large telescope, about as thick as a tree trunk, oriented at the vast and infinitely high sky. Upon seeing this object, he looked back at the room, chuckling softly.
"Do you see much of anything up there?"
From within the room, Emperor Izuku's voice sounded softly, a little hoarse from coughing and hacking. "I sometimes see planets, but I mostly see stars."
Emperor Katsuki heard the rustling of sheets, followed by the light patter of slippers as his friend made his way onto the balcony, now attired in nightclothes. His lips parted slightly, but he refrained from speaking for a few moments. Instead, he stared up at the vast, inky blackness without uttering a single word. Emperor Izuku rested his arms on the iron railing, his dark-green hair blowing in the wind.
The fleshy marks on his left cheek came into view, still pulsing and rippling as if they possessed a consciousness, a life of their own—or at least, an imitation of life.
"Your cheeks' still doing that thing." Emperor Katsuki's hand found its way to the spot, his gloved hands running gently along its sickly, fleshy contours.
Emperor Izuku slowly closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh as he extended one of his arms over the balcony, allowing it to feel more of the colder winds. A sheet of goosebumps formed on his skin, the sensitive hairs erecting and brushing against the bitter, unrelenting winds. This only made him shiver, but he continued to feel the almost blissful sting.
"Does Hazel know?" Emperor Katsuki's question sliced the quiet, almost peaceful atmosphere.
The green-haired emperor refrained from answering immediately. His emerald eyes drifted over to the sea, watching the crashing waves and listening to the distant, dying call of the birds as sleepiness took hold of them. His arm, hanging over the balcony, quivered slightly.
It was at this moment that he finally spoke for the first time in a few minutes. "I don't think she knows I'm getting ...worse. This corruption—this madness within me cannot be dealt with so easily."
Emperor Izuku turned his head away from the ocean, focusing his attention now on the other emperor standing beside him on the balcony.
Both his fists clenched at his sides, and the fleshy malformation on his cheek continued to ripple and contort.
"I promised Hazel that I'd always be there to protect her, to shield the worst of truths from her. But this, I don't know how she'd react if she knew about my situation."
Emperor Katsuki extended a trembling hand, placing it on Izuku's shoulder, gently squeezing the fabric of his nightshirt.
"We've lived over five hundred years together, and we're almost demi-gods. Think of how much we've endured and suffered together. You've had Hazel for like ...nineteen, eighteen years now? That's not even a fraction of our lifetime."
He leaned in closer, his breath hot on the latter's nose. "She's already dealt with the loss of her own mother—your wife. She can't bear to lose you, too; she'd shatter."
Emperor Izuku's lips twitched into a faint smile, and he couldn't help but chuckle softly, taking the hand of the other man, squeezing it gently in his grip. A small, almost invisible amount of moisture accumulated in the corner of his eyes as he gazed into the fiery eyes across from his. Usually, he'd see a chaotic lust for combat—blind, almost unfiltered in demeanor and restraint.
Now, he saw something much gentler, something almost compassionate—deeply out of character for the man he'd known for half a millennium now. Seeing this, his moisture-ridden eyes softened.
"If I'm her entire world, what am I to you? What if I were to perish at this moment?"
The other emperor seemed stunned upon hearing the question, his eyes widening slightly. The scar on his right eye seemed to flicker in the crimson moonlight, the long-dried blood and half-healed flesh telling its own story. Emperor Izuku's hand gently traced the edge of the scar in its perimeter.
"I don't know what would happen if that did ...h-happen. We've fought more battles than I can count on my hands, we've slain powerful enemies, and my ancestors raised this empire from the ashes of destruction. And ...I couldn't have done that without you."
Emperor Katsuki stepped back, his armor groaning softly as he knelt in front of the other man. "Our union is tighter than most, forged in the fires of conflict. Your death would land a blow greater than the strongest of tyrants, the sharpest of swords."
At this moment, a figure came into view. She had long, brown hair, emerald eyes, and freckles that peppered her cheeks. She stepped onto the balcony, now clad in casual clothing, unlike the long coat she had donned before. Her clothing blew gently as she approached her father, leaning on the telescope.
Izuku immediately ran a hand through his hair, covering his wound with his palm. "H-Hazel ...is it time already?"
Hazel looked down at her watch, telling the current time in a matter of seconds. "I'm surprised you forgot to begin with."
"I didn't forget; I was just preoccupied with that meeting."
Emperor Izuku turned to Katsuki, sighing softly. "I'm afraid this little talk has been cut short; it's time for my father-daughter time."
Emperor Katsuki exchanged a glance with the duo before silently nodding his head, stepping off the balcony, and heading out the door. After they were completely alone, aside from the sky and stars, Emperor Izuku couldn't help but chuckle giddily as he walked over to the large telescope, orienting it at the crimson moon.
"The Blood Moon happened two weeks ago; unfortunately, we didn't get to see what would happen."
"Is it gonna happen again, maybe soon?" Hazel leaned forward, resting her elbows on the balcony as she stared at the blood-red goliath nested among the stars.
"Strangely, it should have occurred ...about a day ago."
"Really now?" Hazel turned to her father, her entire body leaning against the railing as she folded her arms over her chest.
"I didn't feel much of anything in the past few days. Usually, I'd awake in the middle of the night with a strange feeling in my chest."
"Hmm..." Emperor Izuku turned back to the moon, blinking slowly. "Perhaps, it's something of the divine."
...
In his own private quarters, an unassuming space near the top of the gothic palace, Kael's gaze remained fixated on the letter in his hands, folded and tucked into an envelope. Clad in nothing but pants and a linen robe, he turned around and saw Crylla standing in the doorway, her hands resting at her sides. The woman's crimson hair had been tied into a braid that draped to her ankles, nearly brushing against the floor as she walked.
Kael turned to the enigmatic woman, smirking softly. "That meeting today was ...amiable."
"For you, I assume, or for our leaders?" Crylla asked, stepping from the doorway and into the room. Clad in a revealing nightgown, she sat herself down on the sturdy bed, her expression shifting ever so slightly as she caught sight of the letter in her accomplice's hand.
"To the ambassador, I assume?"
Kael turned back to look at her again, nodding.
"They made an agreement to keep him positioned in Seraphis Kingdom longer than expected. Apparently, my own efforts are in vain."
"Didn't Emperor Katsuki also send you too?" Crylla asked, tilting her head.
"Yes, he did. While Ambassador Charles was mainly stationed for crop and irrigation supervision, I was sent on a mission to supervise the crop fields as a whole."
"So, one was sent for intricacy, while the other was sent for something a border garrison could analyze by a telescope?" Crylla took note of the details, and she chuckled self-depracatingly.
The crimson-haired man with elfin ears stood up from his desk as illusory black smoke drifted out of his ears and nostrils. Upon seeing this, the enigmatic woman smiled.
"Off to an assembly?"
Kael didn't reply, his body slowly changing. Kael's arms shortened, fusing with bodily tissue as feathers as dark as night sprouted from his skin. His fingers, neatly trimmed, transformed into sharp talons. Kael's mouth and nose swiftly fused, taking the form of a beak. And his crimson eyes darkened, rolling back as lifeless, almost decadent orbs took their place.
With a quiet caw, Kael's form erupted with black smoke as he flew out the window. Crylla watched without saying a word, standing up from his bed.
...
In the dead of night, the ink-black raven landed on a fencepost before transforming back into Kael. The crimson-haired man suddenly erupted in a fit of coughing as he spat out a feather lodged in his throat. The building before him was short in stature and made of wood. It was your average eatery.
He leisurely strode over to the door.
Knock knock knock, knock knock knock, knock knock knock. Kael's curled fists rapped against the door three times in succession.
Shortly after, the door opened, revealing a figure clad in all black attire, fiery blue eyes, pale skin, and a gaunt face.
"I apologize for being late. The meeting had its own set of complications."
At this moment, he seemed to remember something. Kael dug into his pocket and took out the envelope he had addressed to Ambassador Charles, placing it in the other man's palm.
"Later, take this to the post office. It contains classified information."
"Of course, your heir. Now, what information have you scouted from your voyage to Seraphis Kingdom, about ...that boy?"