Chapter Sixty Six
A F T E R M A T H
Osiris groaned as his sooks opened the curtain in his room. He was going to-
Osiris vomited all over his bed.
“Fuck.”
He was still a little tipsy.
“Osiris.”
He looked at them then looked away.
They were worried.
“I’m fine-”
Sunnie dragged him from his mess and over towards his restroom. He could hear the boys working on his bed.
He stood awkwardly as she filled the bath.
He looked down.
Yeah, he was filthy and he smelled like a bar. He gagged. Sunnie moved him to the toilet and he emptied more of his stomach. It was yellow and thick.
“..”
When was the last time he ate? Everything coming up was just poison-
She started to pull off his clothes. He let her and helped her with unsteady hands. The buttons tended to slip from his finger once and awhile.
“Curse these giant paws.”
Sunnie pushed his hands away and finished it for him before using the soiled clothing to wipe off most of the puke.
Her face was pinched.
In the bath, she sat behind him on the ledge with her pants rolled up as she started to wash his hair.
“..”
Osiris looked at himself in the water.
He looked like shit.
He disturbed the water, shaking his reflection, and sighed. He remembers when he first came out to a boy he liked. He had a flower and a piece of candy hidden behind his back.
He got into his first fight that day.
A week later the boy was with a girl, and every time he would see him he would deep throat her with his tongue like a man who was drowning.
They were in middle school at the time.
Osiris lowered his head for Sunnie to rinse.
It was warm.
She lathers him up with a conditioner next.
Osiris closed his eyes.
I’ll forget about it, it’s just a crush.
Sunnie could feel his mood dropping steadily as she finished rinsing his hair.
The three days before the party he was the happiest they’ve seen him since Morpheus left. He was eating and sleeping better, if not sporadically, but he was…
Something happened between them leaving him with the royals that morning, and when they found him in the garden. They kept looking for him, even after he ran off, and when that failed, they tried to find the cause.
They found nothing.
Then he shows up late and ignores them before trying to leave. Sunnie followed him and he just sat sadly at the fountain. Even his chat with that King didn’t lighten his mood.
She would have followed him if not for the barrier.
Instead King Mikael begrudgingly left him with them blacked out drunk this morning. Every time he woke up he didn’t even know where he was half the time.
Sunnie felt her eyes water.
How is it that he knows what’s wrong with them, but they can’t do the same with him?!
She bit her lip.
Drying him was easy. He didn’t fight her and Vep came in with clothes. They helped him change. Back in the room, Fibble was finishing cleaning the bed, and they sat him down in front of some food.
“..”
He gagged before running back to the bathroom.
Sunnie looked at her men and shook her head.
Vep left and came back with a few pills Kou has been experimenting with. They were meals on the go, but should only be used when things get desperate.
Like war.
Sunnie removed the food from the room and placed a jug of water and the pills down.
An hour passed and Osiris was still on the toilet.
There wasn’t blood, but it didn’t look normal either. Fibble rubbed his back as Sunnie tried to get him to drink water.
He would get some down, but then throw it back up.
Fibble’s god refused to help since it wasn’t life threatening.
She looked at him again.
It sure looks life threatening.
He did nothing but groan that day.
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Eventually he passed out and they had to force feed him the pills and water. Even his mana was acting lethargic.
“What happened…”
All four of them were in bed with him at the center.
Fibble’s eyes watered.
“I don’t know, and Lux won’t..”
“Did he meet anyone new?”
“But who could cause something like this?”
There was literally no one.
“A lover?”
“No, he can’t hide that much from us.”
“His mom?”
They looked down at him.
Osiris never talked about her.
He says he doesn’t remember her, but what if he does now? Osiris hit the big one-nine. He was legally an adult, so maybe he feels like he’s missing something? Missing her?
Sunnie felt tears fall.
They can’t replace that.
“You three are loud.”
They startled. He didn’t open his eyes but he snuggled in closer.
“Talk later.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
They doubted that, but they needed sleep too.
The night was restless for them.
His father has been distracted since they returned home. He was going over what they found, but occasionally he’d see his eyes wander and glaze.
This had to be the first time Horus has seen him this out of it.
“Dad?”
Seth looked at his son like he just noticed him and motioned him over.
“What is it.”
Just like that Prince, his father spoke like a jackass. He wasn’t any better, but he can at least blame his father.
“Did the Prince ever try to attack-”
“No.”
Horus sighed.
“Let me guess, he was out celebrating the occasion.”
His dad’s heavy gaze fell upon him.
“You were right, it didn’t go the way I thought.”
Unlike other parents, Seth will admit when he is wrong, which is rare, but it still happens. Less and less these days, but like his son stated, the Prince was not what he expected.
Their battle was going to be ravishing.
Horus saw his dad’s lips curl the tiniest bit up.
Something uneasy filled his gut.
It can’t be that.
Mikael sat with his children, minus Osiris, in his destroyed office.
They took everything.
He sighed.
Mikael was just glad he kept his important files at the Silene Virginica castle. He rubbed his head. This war was on him.
He only received one letter from the Nox’s. Just one. He assumed that the supplies must not have been that serious when he never received a reply.
Mikael rubbed his eyes.
He should have known after seeing how badly the war destroyed nearly half of the entire country's military. But he was blinded by money.
“This war is going to cost us nearly everything.”
Claudia was biting her nails.
“How the hell are we supposed to fight a NINTH circle mage?!”
“They killed even more of the nobility-”
“So they were the ones behind the attacks.”
Luella and, eventually, Axel, noticed a pattern over their brother’s last occurrences. There were certain things he took no credit for, and Mercedes’s poisoning made it more obvious.
“Now it makes sense.”
Everyone got lost in thought.
“Isn’t-”
“Osiris-”
“An eighth circle?”
They all turned to the King.
He pursed his lips.
“Not just Osiris will be fighting in this war.” He looked up. “Luella and Mercedes will need to join this time too.”
“What?!”
Claudia dropped her entire weight into the room.
“It’s them or you, Claudia.”
She flinched.
Mikael’s eyes were cold.
“I would send Axel and Luella, but Axel is the heir.” Claudia shook as she met his eyes. “All nobility will fight as well. Heirs will be the only ones left behind this time.”
Claudia felt her eyes water.
They lost too many men these last few years. With Osiris, and her own children, they went through the men like flies.
They now have little to work with….
“Guilds might not support us this time.”
The Nox’s had connections to nearly every guild on their entire continent. If she had to guess, they would be aiding them over us.
“Rest.” The King stood. “Tomorrow preparations will begin.”
Osiris woke before his men.
It was hotter than hell and he was sweating buckets.
He looked at their faces.
Fibble had red, angry tear marks, and puffy irritated eyes. Vep’s mask was off, and had a permanent frown on his mouth. Sunnie looked like Fibble, but worse.
“..”
He closed his eyes.
He honestly didn’t know what to tell them.
Hi, I’m having some ptsd about trauma from another life! Right! I’m not from here, had a whole-
He can’t.
Osiris pulled Fibble further up his chest and towards his neck. The boy was under the covers and looking like he could barely breathe.
He moved without a fuss.
He smiled sadly.
Everyone was older now. Things he got away with before, won’t work anymore. They know him too well. He loved them, but sometimes there are things a person must keep to themselves, and he felt like this was one of them.
Osiris knows it’s because this is the first man he’s fully attracted to. It wasn’t just their hair, or their eyes, or their voice, or their mouth. He was the entire deal. Osiris felt his eyes ache.
This is probably how Dove felt when he left her in that field.
He smiled sadly then noticed Sunnie was awake.
“Hello.”
He whispered.
Sunnie’s eyes watered and she shoved her head beside Fibble. Vep joined not long after and shoved his face behind his neck.
“I’m sorry for worrying you.”
They cried a little louder.
“I’ll be okay, it’s just..”
All he could do was hold them.