Lucius found Julian on the balcony on the second floor of the inn. Julian was wearing a white shirt slightly too big for him, making him look even more boyish and vulnerable. No one would have thought this was the holy man who shouldered humanity’s faith and future.
Lucius joined him by his side. The endless sea of sand spread before them, sleeping under the diaphanous voile of moonlight.
“I did not agree to it when they decided to let you go to Eternia in my place,” Julian said gently as if scared to startle the balmy wind, “but they locked me away and didn’t allow me to even say goodbye to you.”
“That’s a relief.” Lucius replied in a lighthearted, almost bantering tone, “at least one of my family didn’t agree to it.”
“That was cruel of them. I would never have thought they could agree to such a thing.” Anger stained Julian’s speckless cheek, making him more lively, “I want you to know I would never have wanted you to suffer in my place.”
“I’m not suffering. Dorian treated me very well, better than anyone I’ve been with.“Lucius turned around and leaned against the railing, looking at the milky way traveling across the firmament, “I appreciate that you tried to...fix this, but I can’t go back anymore, Jules.”
“You can go back as me.”
“And what about the part that I’m not the prophet who can inform the Churches what to do next to preserve humanity from the fate of being overpowered by all these supernatural species? The whole Project Genesis was based on your vision. They can’t proceed without you. And what if they need to hear God’s words or a miracle? I’m not you, Lucius. I’m not the chosen one.”
Julian lowered his head as worry and sadness brimmed his eyes, “they are planning to let me come out of hiding in the near future, Lu. The faith among the believers was greatly weakened when they believed I fell from grace. Some even began to question the Churchs’ authority. There have been riots and insurrections everywhere in Anthor, and the King and the Churches are becoming unsettled. If they decide to reveal to the people in Anthor that I was never away, what will happen to you then? The vampires will realize they are tricked and kill you for it.”
“King Cosmo wants to resume the invasion of Anthor. He will find a reason to kill me anyway.”
“Then why are you still wanting to stay!”
“Because this is my job, and I must finish it.” Lucius said firmly, “I’ve given too much for it.”
Julian stared at Lucius’s visage for a long, profound time and asked solemnly, “have you fallen for Dorian?”
Lucius fell into silence for a prolonged moment, but eventually, he nodded, “I suppose I have. But that is not the only reason I have to stay.”
Lucius was sure that Dan didn’t tell Julian anything about his secret mission by now. Otherwise, Julian probably wouldn’t have insisted that he abandon his post.
“Why didn’t you wait for Dorian?” Lucius asked before Julian could comment on his confession, “You didn’t even mention him to me when I visited. And knowing you, that means you felt something for him, didn’t you? Then why took the vow?”
Julian evaded his searching gaze and turned his face back to the edge of the world. He admitted quietly, “Because it was wrong. It was a sinful temptation, and I had to overcome it by committing myself to my true destiny.”
Of course it was because of that...The Churches condemned homosexual relationships, not to mention that Dorian was a vampire. Lucius suddenly felt bad for Dorian. The memories he cherished in his locked heart for six years couldn’t compete with the Churches’ doctrines.
“Sinful temptation...so I’m also a big sinner in your eyes.” Lucius scoffed acrimoniously, but then he shook his head and said sincerely, “You should stick to your plan, go back to Anthor and serve your God, because that is your job. We all have our own job to do, and you should leave mine to me.”
“But...”
“No need to feel guilty about my position, either.“Lucius interrupted his unfinished sentence, though his tone was much softer, “I chose this path on my own volition, no one had forced me into it. And I’m doing so much better now, even better than when I was at home.”
“How is this better than home? You are surrounded by creatures that see us as food!”
“I know what I’m doing, just...trust me.” Lucius gave Julian a reassuring and genuine smile, “Everyone needs a reason to exist, a purpose of living. You have God, and I think I am close to my destiny, too. You should be happy for me, brother.”
Julian stared at the simple, warm smile that he hadn’t seen on Lucius’s face for many, many years. And it reminded him of the bygone childhood when they were inseparable and always completed each other’s sentences, when their souls were so close and united that they were almost one.
But since when had they grown apart?
Julian lowered his head and smiled wistfully, “I think I understand now, Lu. Just...be careful, and promise me you will come back one day.”
Lucius firmly touched Julian’s shoulder and nodded, “I promise. And you need to promise me you will never do something like this in the future. I will be much more content knowing you are safe back at home.”
Julian hesitated for a while, but eventually he reluctantly nodded, “ok, I promise.”
“And...just one more thing.” Lucius asked gingerly, “how did you find me? Did someone tell you where I am?”
“Yes. Someone sent me an address saying you will be staying there. Lewis adviced me not to come, worried it was a trap. But I still decided to try my luck.”
“So you never saw the person who sent you the message?”
Julian shook his head, “I didn’t. But the person who wrote it referred to you as ‘Julian’, so I don’t think they know your true identity.”
Lucius contemplated the implication of such an answer as apprehension shadowed his countenance. Silvan did this to show Lucius that he knew everything about him. If he didn’t comply with Silvan’s every request, he was capable of using such knowledge against him, and with some evidence, which was not that hard to find as Anthor was already planning for Julian’s comeback, it was enough to get Luicus hanged.
The question was, where did he get the information? Did he know that Dorian was aware of Lucius’s true identity? And how much did he know about the history between Dorian and Julian?
In the early morning, Dorian ordered two of his bodyguards to escort Julian and Lewis to the airport and made sure they boarded the plane to a transfer airport to Anthor (there was no direct flight from Aelis to Anthor). They waited another day for the guards to return and set out to find the Labyrinth of Mahoraga.
The sand was too soft to drive as the cars would get stuck or damaged by dust easily, so they opted to travel by camel. It was the first time Lucius rode a camel, and it felt much different than riding a horse, as these tall, amicable creatures seemed to have their own steady pace, a lateral, almost leisurely gait, and could walk hours after hours. Though they were not as comfortable to sit on as one might suppose, and after a couple of hours, Lucius felt his balls must be swollen like apples...
“Well...that was a brutal massacre of my sperms...” Lucius winced as he got off the camel when they were taking a break.
Florian chuckled a little and passed him the water bottle. He hadn’t asked any questions about the twin brother who suddenly showed up in the inn, which was a little odd.
Dorian was conversing with the guide about something. The guide pointed at the distant horizon and gestured something big with his arms. Fear wrote clearly in his eyes.
“When do you think Silvan will make a move?” Florian asked quietly.
“I’m guessing he will have three choices. Assassinate Dorian and attribute his death to the desert. Or he can wait until Dorian is about to consume the blood, because as you probably already know, after consuming an old vampire’s blood, they will have a period of vulnerable “evolving period,” during which they will be very sick, similar to when a human is turned to a vampire after consuming vampire blood. Silvan can use that chance to kill his brother. The third possibility is that he can try to steal Elder blood from Dorian and then use it as evidence of Dorian’s subversive plan of overthrowing Cosmo, and then probably consume it himself. I’m guessing the last one.”
“But the Elder they are trying to find is Asmodian.“Florian remarked sarcastically, “Do you know that all of Asmodian’s first generation was eliminated?”
Lucius blinked, “what?”
“Yes. They actually formed an Order just to hunt down all the Asmodian First Generations. And this Order was the beginning of Eternia. About five centuries ago, the last known First Generation of Asmodian was killed by three other First Generation, though the three survivors also went into hibernation soon after it. One of the three was actually the Ashdown family’s ancestor. It was known as the ’end of eternity, and after it, the First Generations gradually faded out of this world.” Florian paused a little before adding, “And there is a reason that they had to kill them all”
“What is it? Tell me!“Lucius couldn’t handle the suspension.
“Well, I don’t really know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? You can’t just tease me like this!”
“It was a secret of the Order, and the Order was pretty much non-exist after it served its purpose. But if even the strongest vampires feared Asmodian’s power growing too strong through his creations, then you can imagine how dangerous this Elder was. Do you think he would just give out his blood like a philanthropist?”
“But Dorian’s mother said Asmodian helped his scions numerous times in history. And he even left a drop of his blood stashed in the sanctuary, in case the family needs it.”
“Perhaps, but probably not without prices. Otherwise, why do you think his mother renounced the Elder’s power and never returned to the sanctuary to claim the blood even if she was in dire situations?”
That added another level of uneasiness to Lucius’s careworn mind. But before he could ask more, Dorian came to him to check if he was alright, and then they had to resume their trek across the desolate land.
They camped before sunrise to escape the heat of the day. The tent they brought was fully UV proof, and if ignoring the ubiquitous sand, the interior was quite comfortable. However, when Dorian got into the tent, the supposedly spacious tent suddenly became much narrower, and Lucius felt...coy for some unknown reason.
Dorian settled next to him, rummaged through his backpack and passed a sandwich to Lucius, “You haven’t eaten much today.”This is property © of .
Lucius took a bite from the sandwich, scraping for words to say to Dorian, but nothing came to mind. It was the first time they stayed alone in such a private space after Julian left, and something between them changed.
Perhaps they were both disillusioned, thought Lucius. Dorian realized he still couldn’t have the one he really wanted, and Lucius couldn’t pretend that Julian’s shadow didn’t exist like a ghost in this marriage any longer.
“Do you think my brother has landed safely in Anthor?“Lucius finally found a topic that seemed suitable.
“He should be by now.“Dorian said casually, “Though I wouldn’t know. There is no internet or cell reception here.”
“Are you sad?” Lucius stole a glance from Dorian.
“Why would I be sad?”
“You finally get to see him again, but it was so short, and you didn’t even get enough time to talk to him.”
Dorian was quiet for a prolonged moment, and a controlled and muted sorrow tinged his visage as he exhaled slowly, “Everything has changed. I asked questions I had always wanted to ask, and that’s enough.”
Watching the subtle but profound sadness in the depth of Dorian’s eyes, a tingling pain rang in Lucius’s chest. He gently touched Dorian’s hand and confessed, “Thank you for letting him go.”
Dorian gave him a wry smile and lay down without giving Lucius a good night kiss as he had been doing since their honeymoon started. Lucius knew he couldn’t expect too much at the moment, but it still pricked his heart just a little.
Slowly, Lucius fell into a troubled slumber. And without realizing it, he slipped in a dream.
And in that dream, everything was burning.
The city, the forest, the sea, and even the sky were a screen of blazing fire. The earth beneath his feet was scorching and smoldering like charcoal. Hot air blew up his seemingly longer hair strands.
People around him were screaming and melting like candles into a puddle of flesh and bones. And their meat and gut mushed together, covering the ground like a lake of flesh and goo.
Creatures were squirming in the fanatic display of light and shadow. Some had horns on their heads and were several meters too tall. Some slithered and writhed like gigantic worms. Others had too many limbs that all bent in the wrong directions. They crawled out of the burning ground like maggots gushed out of a rotten corpse and pounced at the running people, and then there were ear-splitting screams and the chilling sound of bone being crushed and guts spilling.
The preys were not only humans. Some of them were vampires and werewolves. They kneeled before him, begging for mercy as if he was the cause of everything.
Hell couldn’t be worse than this.
Horror struck him, but as Lucius opened his mouth, the scream pressurized in his chest didn’t come out, and instead, he heard himself laughing.
A menacing, amused, evil laughter.
And what scared him the most was that underneath the horror, he felt a sense of...satisfaction, as if he had achieved something he had longed to do. He felt something heavy growing from his back, so he looked down at his shadow casting on the blazing ground. He saw a humongous and splendid chrysanthemum blooming behind him, though all the “petals” were dancing and waving, slithering like hundreds of snakes.
But just as Lucius sank into that unthinkable temptation of destruction, a strange uneasiness crept up on him, and he sensed a presence that was not supposed to be there. And at the same moment, he realized that he was dreaming.
And something, or someone, was trespassing.
“Who’s there?“He demanded loudly, “Show yourself!”
“Interesting dream you have here.“A leisured, distinctive voice rose above all the chaotic noises. Lucius turned around and saw Silvan standing before him, his calculating eyes roving with great curiosity, “it sure doesn’t look like a dream a holy man would have.”