"Calm down?"
Heimos handed over a cup of sweet juice, and the blond child sitting on the bed stretched out his hand to take it, holding the white jade cup in his two small hands, and looked up at him.
The golden forehead was scattered messily in the corner of the child's eyes, and those eyes looked red, like a red-eyed bunny, looking pitiful and cute.
Heimos wanted to laugh a little while watching Garlan pursing his mouth and drinking the juice, while drinking, his reddish nose twitching from time to time.
He stood there, watching Garlan, holding the glass of juice and drinking it in small sips.
"The doctor checked it out and said it's fine."
He took the empty white jade cup and put it on the table next to him, Heimos said.
"The sun is a bit bigger today, and you used up too much energy, so you fainted. Just take a good rest."
"It's okay to see you, they have something to do themselves, so they left first."
He said it was an understatement.
As for King Camos and Ximul, they had urgent government affairs to deal with and had to leave, and Kaihos left with the doctor to arrange the preparation of the medicine. These details were downplayed by Heimos, intentionally or unintentionally. .
Hearing what he said, Garlan didn't ask any further, just tilted his head to look at him. The light of the setting sun shone in through the window and shone on the child's face, making that half of his cheek red.
Heimos stepped forward, leaned over the bed, reached out and rubbed the fluffy little head.
He said softly, "Next time you feel uncomfortable, say it earlier and don't hold on."
In his opinion, Gallan must have been too tired from Ximuer's training, but he was stubborn and refused to say a word, so he passed out hot and tired.
His head was stroked and comforted by Heimos, and Gallan lowered his eyes, his slender eyelashes concealing the look in his eyes.
Heimos stood beside him, from his perspective, looking from top to bottom, he could see a little tear stain left in the corner of the child's eye, like a light mole on the reddish corner of the eye, inexplicably like it was clicked in people's hearts.
It's like there is a soft feather in the softest place in the bottom of my heart, a little bit.
He heard the child speak in a low voice.
"Ximul... How is he?"
Garland asked him.
"At that time, you stabbed him."
Huymos hummed.
"His arrow wound split open during the pairing exercise, and I didn't have time to stop it." He said, "The doctor also checked him out just now, but it's just a skin injury. It'll be fine after a few days."
After he finished speaking, he saw Garlan let out a sigh of relief as if he were relieved.
"Is that so..."
"Are you worried about him?" Heimos said with a smile. "I thought you didn't like him very much because he always reprimanded you."
Garlan lowered his eyes and said nothing, pursing his lips as if thinking about something.
After a while, he suddenly lifted the thin blanket and lifted his feet to get out of bed.
"I want to go out for a walk," he said.
Heimos didn't stop him, let him get out of bed, put on his shoes, and then accompanied him out of the door to the outside courtyard.
The place where Garlan lived was a partial palace close to the palace of King Camos. It was very spacious, and there was a large courtyard with beautiful scenery outside. It was sunset now, and the red light of the setting sun shone on the lush trees and the sparkling lotus pond in the courtyard, covering them with a light red veil.
Tall stone statues stand above the fountain pool, and the sprinkled water droplets reveal a rainbow-like luster in the light.
It didn't take long for Garlan to walk to the side of the fountain, and the icy water droplets that fell on his face made him raise his head.
On the fountain pool, the standing star goddess Isdar holds the stars in her hands, bows her head slightly, and looks down at the earth with loving and compassionate eyes.
... that very familiar gaze...
Garland's heart skipped a beat.
Yes.
right here.
In that life, he also lived in this partial palace, in this courtyard, and fell under the stone statue of Goddess Isdar.
He still remembered that when he was about to die, what he saw, the stone statue of the goddess seemed to be looking down at him with sympathetic eyes...
Garlan stood there with his head raised, looking at this familiar place, motionless.
As long as he remembered that scene, he had a feeling that he couldn't breathe.
His mind was so confused that he couldn't think at all.
Suddenly, a pair of hands stretched out from the side, reaching into his armpits on both sides and lifting him all at once.
The messy memory was suddenly interrupted, and Garlan turned his head in astonishment, seeing the boy who held him up smiling at him.
Heimos held him up and placed him on the edge of the fountain pool.
He smiled and said to him, "You want to sit up, don't you?"
Before Garlan could react, Heimos lifted him up and sat on the edge of the fountain.
The edge of the basin-shaped fountain that unfolded from the bottom to the top was carved in stone. It was a little high, more than one meter, which was almost as tall as Garlan, who was still a child.
Seeing Garland standing on the edge of the fountain pool with his head raised and staring at the edge in a daze, Heimos thought he wanted to climb up, so he lifted him up.
After putting Garlan in place, he turned around and pressed his hand on the edge of the fountain pool, and his body rose into the air. As soon as he turned around, he sat up and sat beside Garlan.
The boy who jumped up and sat down had one leg bent, his foot on the stone edge, and one hand on the bent knee, looking sideways at the child on the side.
The setting sun reflected on the young man's face, reflecting the handsome face like the morning glow, which was indescribably beautiful.
At this moment, Heimos still carried the youthful clarity and handsomeness, like the rising sun in the morning, full of vigor and vitality, revealing the bright breath of life of young people.
No one would believe that this young man, who was as handsome as the dawn at this moment, with bright and clear eyes, would turn into such a terrifying and gloomy appearance in the future.
... Is that because of the obsession with the throne
Garlan sat on the side rail of the high fountain pool, his calves hanging in the air, dangling gently in the air.
He tilted his head and looked at Heimos, and suddenly said: "Heimos, you never thought about it, did the sword I stab you just now actually want to kill you?"
Heimos froze for a moment, then laughed.
"kill me?"
He obviously took Garlan's remarks as a joke, and continued to follow these jokes.
"Do you want to kill me?"
He asked this question, then put his arms up, jumped down, turned around, and faced Garlan who was still sitting on it.
Then, Heimos reached out and pulled out the dagger from his waist and handed it to Gallan.
"Give you."
The boy said with a smile, with a hint of connivance in his tone.
"Why, are you going to kill me now?"
Garlan didn't take the dagger, just lowered his head and looked at Heimos.
Heimos, who was still a teenager at the moment, stood in front of him, looked up at him, held a dagger in one hand and handed it to him, and put the other hand on the stone fence of the fountain pool beside him, as if half circled. He is average.
Those golden red eyes looked at him, slightly bent, and there was a little smile in their eyes.
The current Heimos probably likes him very much.
Garland thought.
Perhaps it was because of the shadows left by the previous few times that he resisted this person. Since his rebirth in this life, he has never looked at this person seriously.
Now, for the first time, he was seriously looking at the person in front of him, this young Heimos.
For the first time, he looked directly into Heimos's eyes, and he finally saw the eyes of the young man in front of him looking at him.
A person's eyes can't deceive others, and he can clearly see from the golden-red eyes that the teenager is full of trust and intimacy.
Garland was a little confused.
…
Is it because of that one time
That night, when Heimos fell down with a fever, he ran over by accident and bumped into it and helped him.
Because of that time, so now Heimos is so close to him
It was like a young wolf that had just grown its fangs and claws, accidentally fell into a trap, and after being rescued, he approached the person who saved him intimately.
Garlan stared at the boy in front of him.
That life flashed through his mind, also under this fountain, those golden red eyes looked at him, as if quenched with poisonous cold eyes.
For some reason, he stretched out his hand, touched Heimos' face, and touched the slightly raised corner of his eye.
Heimos was startled by Garlan's sudden movement. The child's fingers had just dipped into the water of the fountain, and the fingertips were cold, but the coolness made Heimos's chest jump slightly.
For the first time, the child took the initiative to get close to him.
He was in a good mood.
He took the initiative to lean over, put his face in the palm of that small hand, and raised his hand to cover Garlan's hand.
The young man covered his hand, tilted his head slightly, narrowed his eyes, and gently rubbed his cheek in the palm of that small hand.
The squinting and comfortable appearance is very like a young wolf who is lovingly rubbing the hand of a close person.
… This future wolf is still very small, very young, very close to him, like him...
... but the young wolf will eventually grow into a wolf...
Garland thought.
Suddenly, a terrible thought appeared in his heart uncontrollably.
If you take advantage of this evil wolf when he is still a young wolf, coax him, deceive him, and make him think of himself as his best friend and closest friend.
Then, using emotions as shackles, trap him, and then seize the opportunity in the future to sever the wolf's claws and pull out his teeth—
Only by getting rid of this evil wolf can he survive.
"What kind of nightmare did you have just now?"
The voice ringing in his ear suddenly woke Garlan.
He hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I dreamed of Ximuer, he was killed."
Gallan said so, but Heimos reflexively believed that Gallan was talking about the refugee incident.
In the dream, Xi Muer was killed by those refugees.
"...I'm dead too."
Garland said in a low voice.
She lowered her eyes, her fine eyelashes cast light shadows on her snow-white skin, and the child's voice was soft, with some indescribable sadness, which made people feel a little distressed.
No wonder.
Heimos thought.
Not only dreamed that his guardian was killed, but also himself was killed.
I dreamed of such a terrible thing, no wonder I cried out of fear at that time.
"Gallan."
Heimos said that he stood in front of Garlan and looked up at the immature face.
He reached out and grabbed the child's wrist, holding Garlan's hands in both hands.
He raised his head, and occasionally a few drops of water fell from the hand of the standing stone statue of Goddess Isdar on his dark hair.
"Don't be afraid."
He coaxed the child in front of him in the softest voice he had ever had in his life.
Heimos thought that he was Garlan's brother, and this was the tie between him and Garlan that would never cease.
As long as this tie is still there, then protecting Garlan is his responsibility and his right.
"I am here in the future, I am strong, and I will become stronger in the future, stronger than anyone else."
"So I won't die or get hurt, so I will protect you in the future."
Heimos said this, the setting sun was about to fall into the horizon, and only the last red light remained on the ground, falling on the bottom of his golden-red eyes, as if a little light was ignited in his eyes.
The gleam in his eyes reflected Garlan's figure, perhaps even he didn't notice it.
At this moment, what he said and promised was equivalent to a lifetime vow.
"Garlan, in this life, I will accompany you, protect you, and will not let anyone hurt you."
…
[With emotion as a shackle, wrap the neck of this young wolf, and then seize the opportunity to cut off his claws and pull out his teeth later—]
… can’t do it.
He couldn't get close to this person.
What's more, how despicable it is to use emotions as a bargaining chip to cheat.
So, he can't do it.
…
Taking his eyes away from Heimos' face, Gallan looked up, and he saw the stone statue of Goddess Isdar on top of his head.
Those stone-carved eyes looked down at him with deep compassion.
It was like the last scene he saw before his death that day.
After taking a deep breath, Garlan lowered his head again and his eyes fell back to Heimos.
"… unnecessary."
He says,
"I don't need you to protect me, I don't need you to accompany me."
"I do not need you."
Suddenly, Heimos's breath paused slightly.
He stood there, staring blankly at Garland, as if he didn't quite understand what Garland said.
Garlan sat there, looking down at him, the shredded fountain dripping from behind him.
"Heimos, whoever fell there that night, I will help him. Even if that person is someone I hate, I will help him."
…
Heimos, you and I will one day be hostile.
For the throne, we are the mortal enemies of fate.
I will not forgive you.
You won't let me go either.
Therefore, we will not be able to be close friends for the rest of our lives.
…
"You once asked me why I never called you brother Wang... I thought you understood, but you still don't understand."
"I've been avoiding you, why can't you see it?"
"... Now, I'm tired of it, so I'll tell you directly."
The blond child looked at him, his bright eyes reflected his shadow, his tender lips, and his soft voice, but he spoke hurtful language.
Children's words have always been straightforward and straightforward, but it is this kind of straightforwardness that is even more cruel.
"Heimos, from the first time we met, I hated you very much."
Garlan raised his hand and easily pulled it out of the opponent's hand.
He jumped down from the fountain without looking at Heimos, and left without looking back.
The boy who was left on the spot turned his head and glanced at the back of Garlan's departure.
His expression was light, and he could not see any emotion. But at this moment, the setting sun completely fell into the ground, so the glimmer of light that had been reflected in the boy's eyes a second earlier also disappeared.
It seemed that at this moment, the starlight in those eyes suddenly disappeared without a trace, falling into darkness.
[Heimos, I don't need you.]
[I do not want you.]