Arylos turned the page of a Kaiyumian book as he took in the warmth of the torotsu and the wool blanket over his shoulders. He cracked a smile as he read the spiraling Kaiyumian characters. He remembered the trouble the language gave him for a while, yet now he could read the glyphs with relative ease. It only took him five years, but he was able to get it in the end. He still needed Iris to read more complex works yet he could functionally read on his own.
He cast a glance to Iris next to him, reading her own book and bundled up in more blankets than Arylos. He secretly wondered if she could learn his language in return. She was able to give him a piece of her culture and he wanted to share with her. Yet he knew it would be beyond her.
“Am I that interesting to you?” Iris said with a scoff, feeling the Titan’s eyes on her.
“Do you want an honest answer or do you want me to be sarcastic like you?” Arylos responded while returning to his book.
“Knowing you, you would be sarcastically honest,” Iris said while tapping Arylos’s leg while keeping her eyes on her book. “Do you have anything you’re stuck on?”
“Actually there was one thing,” Arylos said while turning back a few pages and pointing to a set of characters on the page. “This right here says ‘kyoketsu’, right?”
“Yep, meaning ‘underneath’,” Iris said while reading the characters Arylos described.
“But on this page it’s different,” Arylos explained while going forward a page and pointing towards similar characters but with a different character at the end. “This word doesn’t make sense to me. Would I read that as ‘kyoukekkai’?
“No, that’s ‘yoldurn’makt’,” Iris corrected while shaking her head.
“That’s what’s confusing me,” Arylos said in shock as if the reading never came to him. “Why do these characters change sound? Earlier these first two were ‘kyouke’ and now they’re ‘yoldurn’?”
“You know what ‘yoldurn’ means, right?”
Arylos thought for a moment as he remembered the words. “It’s the Reig’s language; it means ‘burning soil’.”
“Exactly, I had the same question for my mom when she was tutoring me,” Iris said while resituating herself to face Arylos. “Apparently our ancestors believed that the ground underneath us was on fire, so they referred to ‘underneath’ by that. When the Reig took over and our language slowly changed, we inherited the Reig’s way of saying it.”
“But how do you know the difference?” Arylos said while scratching his head, wanting to dodge the topic of the Dragon Wars if he could. “It even ends with the ‘tsukai’ suffix which makes me think it’s still Kaiyumian.”
“Because it’s a title; ‘yoldurn’makt’ is the name of a mining foreman,” Iris explained while closing her book on her finger to not lose her place. “It’s an honorific, and you know words that old keep their Reig roots because we don’t know what they originally were.”
“And I thought our language was confusing, but the wounds of the Dragon Wars really do run deep,” Arylos wondered aloud while turning the pages back to where he was.
“I’m sure you Titans had wars or the like that changed your language,” Iris said while leaning her head against a pillow.
“Only one, and you know how that one ended,” Arylos said almost mournfully.
Iris said nothing as she looked down, remembering Arylos’s secret. She couldn’t help but feel sorry, even if she meant no offense. She reached out to grab Arylos’s shoulder, wanting to apologize. “I’m so–”
“Hold on, how the hell would I have known that?” Arylos said, cutting off Iris as if he was ignorant of her. “There’s nothing indicating any difference so how would I know that’s a title to even think about using the Reig reading to begin with?”
Iris lowered her hand and laughed nervously under her breath, realizing she was overreacting. “Instinct I guess? You just kind of learn it as you go; there’s no real rule for words like that.”
Arylos looked towards Iris in disbelief as if she had lobsters crawling out of her ears. “You know, maybe I should spend less time teaching you divinity and giving you attention and more time repairing your broken as fuck language.”
“Hey, you don’t even do that,” Iris barked while slapping Arylos’s bicep.
“You spend your time clinging to me half the time so obviously I don’t give you enough attention,” Arylos scoffed while returning to his reading.
“No, I mean teaching me about my divinity,” Iris corrected as she set her book down, giving up on it almost entirely. “I mean, you have taught me how to control it, but you won’t tell me anything about my ancestors. I have a Templarian in my family; I’d like to know more.”
“There’s a reason for that; I don’t want to color opinions,” Arylos said with a deep sigh.
“What? Am I going to hate the Templarians or something? Or hate my ancestor?” Iris pushed forward as curiosity chewed at her.
Arylos sighed as he set his book down and turned towards Iris. “It’s not that. I just…I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Do you not like that I’m half Templarian?” Iris asked softly.
“No, it’s not that; I just don’t like the expected obligation it gives you,” Arylos corrected himself while trying to find the right words.
“What does that mean? That it makes me want to be a god?” Iris asked with a joking tone in her voice.
“No; that it makes you think you have to,” Arylos answered in a stern voice. “You are free to do whatever you want. I don’t want you thinking you’re obligated to follow your Templarian heritage and sacrificing your life here just because you think you have to throw away your mortality. You’re not bound to anything but your own choice.”
“But what if I decide I want to be a Templarian myself?” Iris asked while moving her arms under the blanket.
“Then I want that to be your own choice and no one else’s,” Arylos said, his voice almost fatherly with his tone. “I don’t want you to think you have to move to Templarius just because of your heritage, to become a soldier just so your power can be used, that you have to become a Templarian just to live a little longer for me. If you want your divinity restored, I want you to willingly make that choice yourself and not do it for anyone but yourself.”
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“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Iris said softly, feeling a hint of anger in the Titan’s words.
“Because it can be,” Arylos said, losing his starn tone as he looked for Iris’s soul deep in her brown eyes. “You will be casting away your mortality, your humanity. You won’t live as long as I do, but you’ll live long enough to see your friends here on Kaiyumi die; you’ll outlive Rikio, Subaya, Aniya, and even Moviron.”
“But Moviron’s a Templarian too,” Iris cut in suddenly.
“But he refuses to reincarnate,” Arylos corrected. “He’s willingly keeping a piece of his mortality so if someone kills him before old age kicks in, he can let go. It’s his way of regaining control after he lost his humanity through sheer bad luck.”
“So I could walk up to him and slit his throat and he’ll do nothing about it?” Iris asked, scoffing in disbelief.
“Yes; he won’t let reincarnation change who he is and turn him into someone he’s not,” Arylos said, smiling at the idea of Iris trying. “I admire him because of that; he’s refusing to do the one thing that I did.”
“You mean when you cut off your wings,” Iris said, grabbing Arylos’s hand through the blanket.
“Exactly,” Arylos answered with a nod. “I gave up a piece of myself, gave up what I was, telling myself it was for the greater good. Now I have to live with the consequences and I don’t want that decision for you. You have a choice and you should never sacrifice that for anyone.”
“And what if I want to?” Iris asked, wondering what her options were.
“Then let it be your own choice,” Arylos answered without hesitation.
“It sure sounds like you’re telling me no,” Iris said sarcastically, hiding a laugh under her breath.
“I will support whatever you choose; I only ask that you choose carefully and choose for yourself?” Arylos responded while leaning back against the sofa and pulling the blanket over his torso.
“But what do you think?” Iris asked softly.
“Doesn’t matter,” Arylos said with a smile. “Do it for yourself and only yourself; don’t consider me in that equation.”
“And why do you insist on that?” Iris asked while casting a glare of disbelief towards Arylos.
“Because knowing you, you would do it just for the longevity,” Arylos said with a laugh. “So that you don’t die so soon, probably because you want to save me the pain of your loss.”
Iris furrowed her eyebrows, thinking about Arylos’s persistence. “Okay, no need to call me out like that, you know.”
“I just know you well and I know what you’ll do,” Arylos said as his smile widened, admiring Iris as if she was a fine painting just for him to admire.
Iris watched Arylos and held his hand under the blanket, feeling embarrassed from his red eyes watching her so intently. Before she could contain it, a soft laugh escaped from her, prompting Arylos to raise an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?” Arylos said, awaiting for whatever new entertainment Iris was about to present him. “You know, a part of me wishes your brothers were still alive,” Iris said while trying to mask her embarrassment. As Arylos’s expression changed to an annoyed frustration, Iris realized she crossed a line. “I-I would just like to see the look on their faces to see their younger brother, an Elder Titan just like them and an uncontrollable beast, brought to his knees by a little human girl.”
Arylos thought for a moment, looking down as he tried to imagine just what Iris was picturing. He imagined just what he would say; how he would pick her up like she was a stuffed animal and tell them ‘look at her, she’s fucking adorable isn’t she?’ Adalfheim would wonder what happened to Arylos’s sanity with such an out of character move. Vulonheim would probably wonder just what Iris did to gain his affections like this. Arylos could instantly tell that Vulonheim would ask about Iris’s sexual nature and if that was a factor, but could Arylos deny it?
As the scene played out in Arylos’s head, he couldn’t help but let out a choked laugh that hurt his throat to hold in. “I wouldn’t hear the end of it; I would have no pride left as a Titan,” he said while continuing to laugh.
“Oh? And what pride would that be?” Iris teased while poking Arylos’s arm.
“Oi, I still have my uses little girl,” Arylos barked in embarrassment.
“Oh I know just how useful you are,” Iris said while raising her eyebrows, making sure the dumb-as-rocks Titan got the hint.
Arylos couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. “You better settle down over there little girl or I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.”
“Oh~?” Iris asked. With piqued interest, she crawled closer and climbed onto Arylos, straddling his hips as the Titan held her waist under the blanket. “And what kind of lesson could you teach me, big boy?”
“The only lesson of mine you seem to understand,” Arylos said as he leaned back and pulled Iris close. Iris giggled as she grabbed Arylos’s chin and gave him a kiss as she growled seductively under her breath. She ran her hands along the Titan’s neck as Arylos loosened the sash of her robe, breaking from her kiss and kissing her jawline as Iris’s heart pounded and Arylos could feel her jugular pulse with the touch of his lips.
Yet before Arylos could have her, they were interrupted by a loud knocking on the front door. The two broke their kiss and Arylos howled in a growling scream, the sound itself cursing whoever was at the door. Iris sighed as she pulled away from Arylos, angry that her mood had been ruined.
“Can I kill them?” Arylos said with a deep sigh.
“Only if I don’t first,” Iris said, replicating Arylos’s telltale growl before putting a finger on Arylos’s nose. “Stay here; I’ll tell you when I’m done with you.”
“Yes ma’am,” Arylos said with an entertained laugh as Iris got up from the torotsu’s blankets and resecured her robe. Iris continued groaning as she walked towards the door and pulled it open and she was greeted by a familiar silver haired valkyrie. Iris growled as she covered her neck with the collar of her robe, bracing against the cold wind from the winter outside.
“Oh Iris, hello there,” Eir said cheerily, seemingly warm under her thick layers of jackets.
“You’re on a timer, I hope you know that,” Iris growled as her eyes cast daggers towards the valkyrie.
“I’m sorry, was I interrupting something?” Eir asked in a shy voice.
Iris laughed and let out a frustrated sigh as she leaned against the doorframe. “Yes, as a matter of fact, you were.”
“So hurry up with your bullshit so I can plow the little girl on the sofa!” Arylos’s roaring voice howled from the living room. Eir laughed nervously as she looked at Iris yet Iris rolled her eyes and gestured towards the living room with her head, trying to non verbally tell Eir what was going on.
“Oh, he’s not kidding is he?” Eir asked once her laughing subsided.
“Nope,” Iris said with a smile while shaking her head.
“Oh,” Eir said softly before her cheeks went blood red. “O-Oh!” she repeated while furiously looking through a satchel at her side. “I-I’m sorry, I’ll be quick I promise. Fjandinn, where the hell did I put that thing?”
“Tick tock, Eir,” Iris said while raising her eyebrows, her patience reaching its limits.
Eir panicked and gasped as she took out a white envelope with blue and silver trim and handed it to Iris. “Here, Lord Sentarus wanted me to give this to you. He said it was from–”
“Great! Thanks! We’ll read it tomorrow!” Iris said as she snatched the envelope from Eir and went to close the door.
“B-But Sentarus was insistent that you read that tonight!” Eir said while panicking once more.
“Well, it can wait until tomorrow; goodnight Eir, do stay warm now, will you?” Iris said as she went back and closed the door. She examined the envelope and found no writing on the outside save for gold runes of an unfamiliar design in the blue trim. The envelope was sealed shut with a wax seal that was also decorated with a strange insignia Iris had never seen before.
“What did she want?” Arylos called out, breaking Iris’s concentration on the envelope.
“She wanted to drop off some envelope; said Sentarus wanted us to read it tonight,” Iris said while looking at the envelope closer.
“Well, it can wait until tomorrow,” Arylos said in frustration.
“That’s what I was saying,” Iris said while setting the envelope on a table in the foyer before going back to the living room, shivering as she wrapped her robe around herself. As she neared, Arylos lifted the blankets and Iris quickly climbed in and went back to straddling Arylos while wrapping the blanket around both of them.
“Now then, can the big bad Titan of fire warm me back up?” Iris asked, regaining her seductive voice.
Arylos raised his eyebrows and pulled her cold body close and kissed her neck, feeling her warmth from under her cold skin once more. “As much as you like,” the Titan said, willing to give himself entirely to her.