"Auren, your majesty. A guide from the other world."
Everyone was stunned. Even the civilians who had heard it were also stunned. And in an instant, it suddenly rained. It seemed that even the sky was surprised by the words of a seemingly weak man named Auren.
He waited, and even the civilians waited for the king's response, but there was none.
The king just stood up with a serious face and then used his power to quickly leave the area. Auren just looked at the unconscious Lyore while the three other companions of the king from earlier passed him.
As soon as they left, the townspeople came and helped Auren carry Lyore while the heavy rain continued. They took Lyore to one of the still-stable houses and rested Auren beside it. After they gave Auren a towel and new clothes, they invited him to eat so he could regain his strength, but Auren only smiled slightly and chose not to leave Lyore.
A few minutes later, a lady suddenly rushed in, followed by a doctor who immediately went straight to Lyore's side. Auren just looked at her but didn't speak.
The lady was catching her breath but immediately said, "Child! It's Aleng Elena and her sibling..." Auren stood up when he heard Aleng Elena's name. The lady hesitated when she saw the shock on Auren's face, but knew she had to tell the news. "They were one of the casualties of the battle earlier, and now they've passed away."
Auren's knees gave way; fortunately, he could hold onto the edge of the bench he was sitting on, so he didn't completely fall to the cement floor.
Auren held his forehead after taking a deep breath and sat in the chair. He knew he could've done anything to help them, but he couldn't. He does not have any supernatural powers besides subduing the effect of being an esper by doing sexual stuff like holding them intimately or worse, having sex with them. He's scared of that thought. He didn't want to be like his parents, who fell in love after having sex. He's not that kind of person, but it hunts him. It feels like it was the only way for him... and he hates it.
"Son?" The lady said to catch his attention but Auren didn't say anything so they just let him be.
"He's out of danger." The doctor got Auren's attention again and immediately approached Lyore. "You just need to wipe him with warm and cold water when he gets a fever. Here's the medicine for the fever: give him a drink every four hours. Asleep or not, he needs to drink it. I'll be back tomorrow to change his bandage." As you could tell, the doctor said he had a high position because that was how grateful the elders who helped them were when he started walking out of the house.
"Thank you." That made him stop walking, and even the elders who helped them. "T-thank you to all of you." He added, followed by sobs and a brief cry while burying his face next to the arm of the still unconscious Lyore.
"You should thank King Mirenor. Despite the blasphemy you committed in front of the king, he still immediately came to me to treat the wound of a civilian," The doctor said before turning to face Auren again. "I think you are not from here, young man, and no matter what your level of origin is, you are here in the kingdom of Verbana and under the rule of King Mirenor.
Threatening him could be the end of your origin, which is why I am warning you."
"Wait a minute, physician, sir, didn't His Majesty swear when he took the throne that his power was for the people?" one of the female elders exclaimed.
"And what? Do you think he can save us all? Even though he is saddened by the loss of the people he loved, he is only helping a young man who seemed threatened. You don't understand me!"
"Sir Perdo!" Everyone looked at the one who spoke outside the house. It was the magician. "His Majesty understands how you feel about losing your loved ones, but the king's decision cannot be changed. Even if I am his advisor, his decision to help those in need cannot be changed, so I hope you are too. On the other side, someone is waiting for you to be treated.
This is also an order from the king, so if possible..."
The chancellor didn't finish what he said and gestured for the physician to leave. And when he did, even the elders chose to get out of their way, leaving Auren and the sleeping Lyore with the chancellor.
"Are you okay?" He asked, but Auren didn't answer.
He can't help but be angry at the king's inattention because he feels like he is really alone in that world. And whether he admitted it or not, the king's appearance was familiar to him; that's why he begged him like that.
Still, he felt even more guilty when he learned that he had left so quickly to bring the healer to help them immediately, and he was the only one who thought the king was evil.
"Is it true that the king brought the healer here to help us?" Auren's cheeks were still stained with tears when he asked that. "Weren't you the one who sent the healer here?"
There was a sudden pause from the chancellor. "I was the one who opposed you when you said you would remove the king's illness, so why should I help you?"
"Hypocrite!" Auren shouted. He stood up just so he could even reach the man's collar. "Aren't you here just to find out if what I'm saying is true? If I could help those with power, wouldn't you imprison me? Claim me and not let me out of the palace? And what? I'll never see the man who saved me again?" Auren shoved the king's advisor away from him. "And don't ever tell me that I'm wrong because when I'm not paying attention, you can use Lyore's situation to make me obey you."
"You're right. I can do that. I can lock that man in a cell and use him for you to do everything to save us from our own circumstances from the power within us, but did we do it? Did I do it?" The advisor's hand clenched for a moment, then took a deep breath before walking to the window across from Lyore's bed. "When Mirenor was crowned king, the four of us promised that we would not step on anyone's toes and that we would not let anyone control us. And I'm telling you this because I feel that you are different from the people who live here, and as you say, you can take away this burden that we feel. So I'm here to prove that it is true. Isn't that enough compensation for saving that man?"
Auren didn't like what the chancellor said, but he knew he was right and needed to keep his end of the bargain. So he took a deep breath and looked at the chancellor. While doing so, he slowly held his hand. Even though the chancellor was puzzled about what he was doing, he let him be. Just for a moment, Auren liked how the chancellor's facial features fit his preference for men. Because of that, he started the guiding session.
Undoubtedly, he is also compatible with the chancellor and that person called the king.
The chancellor already feels refreshed by what they did, but not enough to be fully lifted from the curse of being an esper. He finally looked at Auren, whose eyes were closed and those fluffy cheeks he swore he could bite off. He also smelled the natural scent of his rain-soaked hair; even that, he still liked holding Auren. He wanted more. He tried to keep him, to make him his, to kiss him and more... but Auren felt something was wrong and chose to break free from the hug.
"Get out," Auren said, making the man confused. "I need to rest." By then, he saw how pale Auren looked after that session, so he wanted to guide him to another room. Still, Auren chose to lie beside Lyore, making the chancellor's heart skip.
"Just call my name if you need me." The chancellor said. "And that is?" Auren asked without looking at him. "Yusei." He answered.
"Righteous and just", Auren whispered when Yusei went out the door.
By that time, afternoon turned to night and night turned to day. Auren woke up when someone moved beside him. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lyore trying to stand up even though he could see that he was suppressing the pain he was feeling. "Lyore", Auren said in his newly awakened voice.
"Did I wake you up?" Lyore asked with a smile, then turned to Auren. He could see a few scratches on her face, but Auren ignored them and immediately let Lyore sit on the bed.
"Not at all. Does something hurt? Should I call a doctor? He said he'll return here today, but I don't know what time. If you have a fever, you need to drink this--"
Auren couldn't finish what he would say because Lyore was still smiling, laughing a little at Auren's hesitation now that he was awake.
A slightly cool breeze was blowing from the window. The sky was overcast, but there was no sign of rain. A few moments later, the sun rose and hit Lyore's seat completely. At that moment, Auren seemed fascinated by Lyore's appearance while smiling. Auren knew that he had to suppress the flirtatiousness he felt because he was not like his parents but seeing that the man who had saved him, the man who had accepted him from the very beginning and had been with him for the past few days and who he had first met was still alive, smiling and as if telling him not to worry anymore... he was no longer alone.
Auren quickly wiped a tear from his left eye when he felt it.
"Thank you... Thank you for being alive." He said, looking down so Lyore won't see his teary eyes.
"Oh, you were just dreaming. This was a dream." Lyore joked, pulled Auren's neck towards him with his left arm, and then ruffled her hair with his other hand. "I heard Aleng Elena is gone. So it's just the two of us now. Is that okay with you? I'll be fine if you don't want to stay with me. But I want you to know I want to be with you." Auren immediately shook his head and hugged Lyore.
It seems like his feelings for him at that moment weren't sexual. He feels like he's his brother here and is ready to protect him at all times. And even if they become more than brothers in the coming days, he thinks he can accept it because this person is the only one he can trust at that time.
Lyore was taken aback by Auren's hug, so Auren avoided it. Lyore immediately laughed at his reaction, and Auren realized that Lyore was just kidding. He slightly pinched Lyore's arm out of annoyance, then they both laughed.
That laughter could be heard outside the room where, unbeknownst to them, King Mirenor was quietly waiting to talk to Auren. The king's fist clenched for some unknown reason; he was
Annoyed by what he heard inside. But because of the shame he heard, he chose to just leave and not talk to him anymore.