CHAPTER 397: LITTLE XION AND HIS ELF

Xion wasn’t told much about the imperial family.

Even when he asked Mr. Cat, or his new teacher, Minato, all they told him were snippets of the family dynamics.

But there was one thing both of them agreed on:

"Stay away from the Valaria family. No matter what."

"Then why do you still help the nation they rule?" Xion asked one morning.

Minato had smiled gently and replied, "Because we were born on this land. It gave us everything. We’re only returning the favor. But you, Xion...

You don’t belong here. You aren’t tied to this world like we are. So, don’t get involved with royalty. Especially not the newly appointed crown prince, Silas Valaria."

"Okay!"

Xion smiled and took a bite of the freshly baked bread. He didn’t really care about princes or empires. All he cared about was one thing.

Meeting his elf.

And he could do that once breakfast was done.

Awesome, right?

So, little Xion transported himself inside the Darkhelm mansion.

For some reason, his powers weren’t locked this time, even though that was normally the rule when entering the mortal world.

Mother had given him special permission to use as he saw fit, as long as he wasn’t letting anyone from the church see them.

Of course, doing anything magical in front of others was a big no-go.

No fancy lights. No flashy spells. No floating in the air either.

See, he was such a smart angel. He had remembered all the rules by now.

The only problem? He accidentally teleported straight into the elf’s bedroom.

Xion blinked.

The little elf was staring out of the window where the big lady and a little lady were braiding each other’s hair.

"Are you upset?"

The boy jumped and grabbed for something...oh, a sword.

But after some back-and-forth, Xion convinced Darius that he only came in peace.

"So... you want to be my friend?" the elf asked.

Xion bobbled his head up and down. His fluffy hair bounced with the motion.

The boy smiled. It was just a tiny smile, but it still made Xion’s heart flutter.

Hence, the next day, when Xion came to meet Darius with a basket full of food, he was stunned silly by the grotesque sight in front of him.

Silver hair brushing the thin shoulder and pale green eyes. His lips were soft and his cheeks were pale. He looked thin for his age.

And at first glance, one would assume he was a sweet and good-natured child.

Only that sweet child was holding a dagger over a dead body.

Crimson had soaked the carpet. The fresh blood continued to pour out from the many wounds lacerated on the body.

Both arms were twisted at some strange angle, and the eyes were gouged out.

Xion looked up at Darius, who was casually tossing the bloodied dagger in his hand.

There was this strange coldness in his green eyes, a kind of detachment as if Darius was standing at one side and the entire world was on the opposite side.

It was precisely this feeling that had tugged at his heart, forced him to beg Mother Myrthia so he could come here.

Why though? Why did he want to hug Darius?

Despite the disgust he felt when facing other humans, he still wanted to get close to Darius.

Green eyes met Xion’s, and Darius smiled. A slight tilt of his lips.

"You’re here," Darius said, and let the dagger fall with a clink.

The sound echoed in Xion’s ears.

With the way he said those words, Darius hadn’t expected Xion to return. Darius was, after all, used to people leaving him, as for those who stayed... the one on the floor had been one of them.

But this pretty boy had returned. How delightful.

"Are you scared, Xion?" he asked, tilting his head. "Afraid of me?"

Xion swallowed hard. "N-Not scared," he said quickly. "I like you."

He held out a small bunch of wildflowers. "I brought these for you."

Darius stood very still.

Then he stepped forward and pulled Xion into a hug. It was tight. Almost too tight.

It would have been much better if there hadn’t been a bloody scent wafting from him.

"He came to hurt me," Darius whispered.

"Ah..." Xion’s eyes lit up. "So it was... self-defense!"

Darius narrowed his eyes. Self-defence? Killing a new teacher who was possibly here on the orders of his dear uncle to keep a watch over him...

He shrugged. "Sure. Let’s call it that."

Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was something worse. But Xion didn’t ask more questions.

The boy was clearly dismissive of the atrocious act he had committed. Or maybe Darius was used to it.

And yet, something about his words seemed so terrifyingly lonely to Xion.

With how things were, there must have been a loud fight. So, how could no one have come to check on him?

It was almost as if no one cared if Darius lived or died.

The thought of his elf being all by himself tugged at Xion’s heartstrings with a brutal tug.

What was it that his mother, Myrthia, always preached about to him?

Ah, yes.Help those who are in need, my child. Help those who are in need of saving.

Darius looked in awful need of rescue.

"I am good with sharp things, Xion," Darius said as he pulled away, looking down at the flowers. He gently took the bunch from his hands and placed it over his desk.

Then, he took his time studying Xion.

All the while, Xion was doing the same to him. His gaze roamed over the blood-stained clothes.

Is it all that man’s? Xion thought with a frown. Or is Darius hurt?

There were several scars on Darius’ arms. Some had been scabbed, but some were fresh, still beading red drops.

On Darius’ neck was a glaring red mark, and an obvious sign of strangulation.

The sight made Xion sigh. So, it really was as Darius said.

Xion hadn’t even realized it, yet he was already looking for excuses and reasons to validate what Darius did.

While Xion fretted around with healing magic, Darius was studying him with more fixation.

After a bath, Darius let Xion play with his hair. The little angel stuck a twig in it and called it a ’crown.’

Darius didn’t mind. In fact, he laughed for the first time.

Day after day, week after week, the two boys spent two years like that.

Xion would teach Darius how to use his kind of magic while munching on snacks brought by the nanny.

But Xion didn’t know...

His magic was too pure. Too pure for a human to handle.

It started changing something inside Darius.

He began to see things. Dark, creeping shadows around people. Tentacles of malice only he could see.

It was something no human was supposed to see — a forbidden sight, as if it came with a terrible price for the power it offered.

It started eroding his insides, making him see things he wasn’t supposed to. Like the dark, slithering tentacles around others.

"You made him sick, Xion."

Minato sensei, realizing the situation, explained it to Xion.

"I will go and find the cure for it. You stay with your friend, okay?"

Xion agreed immediately.

While staying with Darius, he would use his potions on him. They worked to some extent. At least, now Darius wasn’t clenching his fists in pain.

Days passed like that.

When Xion would disappear to do his research, Darius would wait in his room.

However, one day, Ethen came with Darius.

"Give him to me, Darius. Aren’t we friends?"

Darius directly picked Xion up in his arms and ignored Ethen.

It would have been so much better if Ethan hadn’t insisted on bringing the prettiest doll for Talia Valaria.

Valaria... the name made Xion shrink into Darius’ arms.

"I will ask my dad to buy him for me." Ethen left that sentence and rushed out.

Kids that age were stubborn. Sometimes, they cried so much their parents had to do whatever it took to placate them.

So, Ethen’s father, one of the thirteen elders of the church, came to the Archduchy.

With his special power that forced others to tell the truth, Darius ended up confessing to having a secret friend.

If it hadn’t been for Minato arriving in time with backup from the church, Xion would’ve been taken away. Locked up in jail or maybe worse.

People started whispering behind the Archduke’s back.

They said he didn’t even know his own son was harboring a dangerous outsider.

It was ultimately a slap on his face. All those words made him ashamed and equally furious at the useless son of his.

Humiliated, he called the nanny responsible for keeping that cursed child away from trouble.

All of his wrath was vented on her.

The Archduke’s action caused her to suffer such immense pain that her love turned into hatred.

When she was executed, all she wished was to tear Darius apart with her own hands.