Kass saw a ray of light.

More specifically, the glowing hair from Phos afar.

“Light-bro!” The Lord of Metal shouted from afar, running towards the Light Lord.

Nymph followed closely behind, white clovenlip flowers popping out of her hair in her confusion.

As Kass and Nymph slowed down, they realised that another Lord stood besides Phos. Neither felt too concerned—they’d introduce themselves and have Phos introduce this Lord back! But as they drew closer and closer…

Blue, flame-like hair with frosted tips. Taciturn white irises with little emotion. A neat black-and-white trench coat buttoned neatly over his turtleneck.

“The Lord of Flames, Pyre.” Nymph’s arm shot at the man, a barrier of branches condensing and winding upwards between Phos and Pyre. She grabbed Kass’s sleeve and dragged him behind her, then motioned to Phos for him to run over.

Pyre arched an eyebrow, unconcerned, but he jumped backwards to avoid getting tangled in the mess of wood. Meanwhile, Phos stared confused at the wall before himself. Where did it come from? Could clouds grow trees??

Kass showed an uncertain expression as his eyes flitted towards Pyre then Nymph. He wondered if he should tell her about his forced employment under the Fire Lord or not. On one hand, Nymph would get mad, leading to Kass’s potential release from Pyre’s control. On the other hand, Pyre would unquestionably hunt him down afterwards.

“Phos!” Nymphs’s stern shout brought Kass out of his daze, and he tugged Nymph’s outstretched arm down.

“Kass?” She faltered, and the thick tangle of trees receded. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t think Pyre is doing anything bad to Phos…” He scanned the Light and Fire Lords from head to toe. “...blood?!?! Light-bro, are you alright???”

Phos looked down at his feet, still confused.

Right, he was bleeding. While the blood flow had clearly diminished, he could feel the sharp stings whenever he moved even his toes.

“I didn’t know Lords could bleed!” Kass marvelled, intrigued. “Did Pyre do this to you?”

Nymph looked ready to beat the Fire Lord to the ends of Anima Mundi and back. Her fierce expression, like a mother witnessing the bullying of her child, contradicted the soft white goddess dress hanging loose from her body. If she could roll up her sleeves, she would.

Phos turned to Kass, then to Pyre, then nearly jumped in terror at Nymph’s vicious face.

“No, it wasn’t him. I cut my feet walking along the rocks at Eos.”

“Why are your shoes off?” Nymph glared, evoking a primordial fear deep within both Phos and Kass.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Phos couldn’t tell Nymph that the reason he’d taken off his shoes in the first place was so he wouldn’t scare her at the edge of the cliff.

Too bad the ‘her’ ended up being Pyre….

If Phos had to compare the two, Pyre would be like a wolf, while Nymph was a lioness. One acted silently and fast, while the other charged right in with a ferocious roar.

“Right… where’s Ornis? I thought he was with us..?” He changed the topic, fast.

“Didn’t you leave him far behind when you decided to walk off to find Nymph?” Bewildered, Kass pointed afar at the tiny golden tip covered by the clouds. “He’s probably still at the capital.”

Phos’s eyes widened. Oops.

“And so much for becoming brothers; you even held hands walking there…” Kass muttered under his breath.

Instantly, the atmosphere became cold.

The dormant Pyre finally reacted, his eyes sharp and filled with a red bloodlust that even the dense Kass couldn’t disregard. Nymph clenched her fist, petunias and yellow carnations rising from under her tall white heels.

Phos, on the other hand, didn’t notice anything and instead brought his hand over his chin in contemplation.

“I do remember dragging you away. But didn’t Ornis follow us? He was right there—”

Kass thought long and hard about whether or not he should open his mouth.

“Uhh. Light-bro, do you not remember him going off to buy Aer a Chinese fan? You even gave him permission—”

Phos froze.

On the other side of Nephele, surrounded by tall Lords and vendors with no Phos or Kass in sight, Ornis aggrievedly held the jade fan close to his body and stomped his foot. He’d really just left for a second, to get a gift for the cold and terrifying Aer, but as soon as he turned around, the two people he’d specifically requested help from had just… disappeared???

He vowed to get his revenge. But he had to find them first.

A group of ladies dressed in colourful dresses and holding matching ornaments giggled amongst themselves.

“Look at that kid! He’s so cute, do you think he’s lost?”

“A child Lord! I haven’t seen one since the Light Lord Phos! What do you think this one does?”

“Let’s go over and ask him. He looks angry, like a bird, so cute!”

They slowly shuffled their way to Ornis, who was lost in thought. When he snapped out of it, he found himself surrounded by a wall of ladies, towering over him like stalks of bamboo.

Horrified, Ornis took a step back, bumping into one of the women.

“Hello, little Lord! What’s your name?”

Both Phos and Kass sneezed at the same time. They could feel someone cursing them.

The four Lords had decided to navigate their way back to the capital to regroup with Ornis. Kass, to apologise; Phos, to ask where he’d gone; Nymph, to meet this little bird man who’d shipped her beautiful Kass with her (adoptive) brother Phos; and Pyre….

A hint of a smile lingered on Pyre’s lips. His eyes narrowed playfully.

Him and Ornis had a lot to discuss.

But then again, why did he feel so infuriated? Phos was his target, someone to kill. He glanced at Phos from the corner of his white eyes. Had he gotten emotionally attached to this Little Light Lord?

Phos, feeling an ambiguous gaze on his face, shuddered and continued walking. If Pyre wanted to stare, he could stare all he wanted. At least Phos knew his own beauty value. With the two brain cells Pyre had, it would be a wonder for him not to stare.

Seemingly understanding the Little Light Lord’s inner voice, Pyre covered his mouth to hold back a chuckle.

What an interesting target.