Capítulo 40: Ch. 40 – Life Is, Sometimes, A Stairway
Chapter Forty – Life Is, Sometimes, A Stairway
Sebastian woke up, startled and aware that he shouldn't have given in the temptation of closing his eyes, to begin with. Luna must have helped him to the bed, but he didn't recall the particulars. He forced himself to his feet and dressed, groaning every step of the way. Luna was wrong, after all. Even though the thought of seeing Milo again was soothing for the soul, Sebastian knew, for a fact, that he wouldn't allow his beloved to see him in such a sorry state. His fate was sealed, and he was at peace with it, but he still had things to do, and right now, he was wondering what Conrad and Galien were doing. By now, they should have let Fiana know that he needed her help.
He was barely decently dressed that the doors to his quarters flew open. Reya walked in, her eyes in flames of blue steel. "What is she doing here, Sebastian?" she asked.
Fiana emerged from behind her, looking majestic in her red dress, adorned with rubies and feathers of the same color. She was slightly taller than Reya, something that Sebastian knew that irked his mother to no end, and she had an even more tempestuous temper. Although goddesses had no age and were immortal, he had heard plenty of rumors of how Fiana was slightly older.
"What I'm doing here, my dear sister," Fiana said in her no-nonsense voice, "is to come to the rescue when my nephew is calling for help."
"He doesn't need your help," Reya said through her teeth.
"Are you sure? He looks a bit paler than usual." Fiana ignored Reya and stepped in front, quickly reaching him and tipping his chin. "Yes, I see."
"I need your help," Sebastian said directly. So much for perfect timing. Only if he hadn't overslept.
"Anything," Fiana said, earning an annoyed groan from Reya right away. "Don't mind your mother. Sometimes, she can be blind to your needs. Now, tell your auntie what you need from her."
"I need you to melt some magical ice," Sebastian replied.
Reya gasped in disbelief. Even without looking at her, he could picture her narrowing her eyes. "What magical ice, Sebastian?"
"I know where you keep Pepin," Sebastian replied. "Fiana, help me." He took his aunt's hand and wished for them to be whisked away. Reya would follow them, but it didn't matter now. He had powerful allies by his side.
The next moment he opened his eyes, they were at the Shimmering Cavern. Reya was already standing between them and the altar, her eyes determined and her mouth set in a grim line. "What do you want to do, Sebastian?"
"I want Pepin free and by my side. We have an heir to raise, and a kingdom to rule. Or did you forget that he's my sworn beloved?"
"Interesting family drama," Fiana commented. "Galien told me everything he knew, but it's still astonishing to see with my own eyes how still set in your wrong ways you are, Reya. Step aside. My nephew needs me."
"Over my dead body," Reya hissed.
"Funny thing to say, seeing how you're immortal," Fiana replied. Moments like this made it clear where Galien took his sense of humor from.
Sebastian slapped one hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh. How could he even think about laughing under such circumstances? He was pitting the two sisters one against the other because he hadn't thought of a better solution. Still, he had no time for regrets.
Reya raised both her hands, making spears of ice fly. Fiana laughed and waved, making them drop in midair and turn into puddles of water by their feet. "You haven't changed at all, I see. Now, Reya, play nice for a change. All I want is there," she said and pointed at the altar behind Reya.
"You cannot. Sebastian would be ruined! What would people think--" Reya fumed and made another attempt to raise the icicles around them as an army.
Fiana laughed. "They'll think of him as a brave and generous ruler, just as he is."
Sebastian was looking back and forth between the sisters, a witness at best, as there was little else he could do when such powerful beings were at work. He pressed one hand against his chest as sudden pain gripped him again. Reya flashed one worried look at him, and that moment was enough for Fiana to step quickly by her and put her hands over the altar and whisper words only she could understand.
"Fiana!" Reya called loudly but stopped when Sebastian leaned to one side and let himself crumple to the floor.
She was fast enough to catch him in her arms. Sebastian let his head rest against her shoulder as she held him tightly. "It's all right, mother," he whispered as he looked into her eyes, swimming in tears. "Let Pepin rule in my stead until our heir is of age. It's all that matters."
"That's not true!" Reya shouted.
"What else? Ifigia will live," Sebastian added, his eyes closing.
"I don't care about it," Reya said and pressed her forehead against his. "I just want you to live!"
***
Kai rubbed against his chest and stopped for a moment. Good thing Sebastian had trained this body of his for a little while, or probably he would have to be carried by now. Unlike him, Milo kept up with the rest and was actually in front. Plus, he had Tani hanging on his back, so there was no other that could offer to carry him, as well.
Still, he needed to rest for a bit, so he lay with his back against a tree and groaned as quietly as possible. Maybe he would close his eyes for a few moments and catch a breath. Then, he'd follow the others just like that.
Lately, each time he closed his eyes, his mind wanted to think of nothing else but one thing, or better said, a certain someone. Maybe that was true for anyone in love, but for him, it was indeed the first time to experience anything of the kind. Pepin's clear eyes came to mind unbound, and Kai smiled. "Well, I'm actually coming for you, so make sure you have some of those tiny omelets ready 'cause I'm starving."
It wasn't because of the omelets that he wanted so much to see Pepin, but surely, they were a bonus. Hmm, but what if Pepin had like morning sickness, and now he couldn't stand the smell of eggs whatsoever? Yes, he had read some mom's blog about what to expect when expecting, and now he liked to think that he was a tiny bit ready for what it meant to care for someone pregnant. Surely, some of that advice might not apply since Pepin was a dude, and the baby was magical, but still, he had to take all kinds of things into account. Like learning how to cook stuff that wouldn't make Pepin puke all the time.
Well, that was on the do-to list. But first, he needed to get on the move and to Pepin as fast as possible. Kai stood to his feet and brushed the bottom of his pants. And next, he looked around only to realize that he was alone.
"Um, guys?" he called out cautiously.
The forest was pretty dark, and the evening had already set. However, the worst thing was that there were no traces of light through the trees like before. Kai inhaled, exhaled, and began walking. "Hey, anyone around?" he shouted.
Damn, he must have fallen asleep or something. How else could have the rest of the group gotten so far that they couldn't hear him anymore?
With determination, he set himself to walk. Did they go in that direction? He turned around, but all the trees, tall and dark, seemed precisely the same. "What was that thing that people into hiking did to find north?" Kai put one finger into his mouth and extended his arm up. That was supposed to help him get it which way the wind blew or something. And north had to be where moss grew, so he began to feel the trunks of the trees for any signs of growing lichens.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed as he tripped over an unearthed root and fell face first. Clearly, all of Sebastian's training must have gone to waste if he managed to be so terribly uncoordinated. "Great, now I'm never going to find Pepin because I managed to get myself lost," he murmured and closed his eyes for a moment.
"You're stronger than that," a voice called from above.
Kai turned on his back and stared. To his surprise, it was no longer dark, but a gentle light washed over the forest around. His dad smiled and offered his hand to help him to his feet.
"I'm totally dreaming," Kai said to himself but accepted his dad's hand.
"Let's stretch our legs a little," his dad suggested and took him by the shoulders.
There was something different from the last time he had dreamed of his dad. There were more silvers in his hair now, and he seemed older. It was no longer evening around them, but it felt like a chilly invigorating morning. Puffs of steam floated in front of them each time they breathed out and disappeared like mist only to be replaced with their next exhalation.
"You're the strongest boy I've ever known," his dad said.
"Which means that you haven't known many boys, right?" Kai joked. "Come on, dad, let's face it. I'd totally embarrass you if you were still alive…" The words died on his lips.
His dad just laughed. "I am still alive, Kai. You still remember me. And Tani, and your mother, too. Just for the record, you're not embarrassing me at all. But I'm not here to talk about me. Tell me what's on your mind, son."
"It looks like I got lost," Kai explained. "And I must find Pepin. Shoot, you don't know, but I sorta, kind of, um, how should I say this… I guess there's no easy way to say it, so I'll just say it."
"Say it, son," his dad encouraged him.
Kai took one deep breath. "I got him pregnant. In some magical way that I can't explain because I don't even know how it happened. So we're basically expecting, as the Internet says, and I don't exactly know what that means."
His dad chuckled. "You'll know what it means as it happens to you."
"Hey, that's not very helpful. I mean, I've read some mom's blog about it when I could because mom took our phones… The thing is that I don't know what to do exactly. And the baby, you know, the one Pepin and I are expecting, is not some ordinary baby."
"I'm sure he's not. That's why you shouldn't fret so much. You'll be a good dad, Kai. Because you care."
They stopped, and his dad pointed ahead. "Was this where you needed to be?"
Kai raised his eyes, and his jaw dropped right away. "We're at the Shimmering Cavern! How did you--"
Like before, his dad was already gone. Kai smiled. He didn't feel abandoned like before. Whatever lay ahead, he would know what to do. Somehow. His dad said so, and he was always right. With that thought in mind, he set himself to walk the steep stairway that allowed mere mortals entrance to the cave. His answers had to be there, and with all that had happened lately, Kai was pretty sure that nothing would take him by surprise. Funny thing, when he had been to the Shimmering Cave before, he hadn't noticed a stairway, but he had been on Adhe's back, so he might not have paid attention to that kind of details.
Luckily, he wasn't completely out of breath when he reached the entrance. "Hello?" he called out tentatively.
He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight in front of his eyes. Sebastian lay in his mother's arms, completely still. And there was someone else there, a tall lady in red leaning over the altar of ice at the center of the cave. "Oh, no, did I get here too late?" he asked.
The ice goddess only then seemed to notice his presence. For a moment, her teary eyes took him in like he was some kind of alien, or a bug, or an alien bug. "Who are you?" she hissed.
The question was merely an afterthought because Reya didn't wait for a moment for him to reply and sent a spear of ice toward him. Kai stared in disbelief, his body jolting in expectation of the pain that would surely follow, but the spear melted just as it was about to hit him square in the chest.
His eyes moved to the other woman who was holding a stretched arm, a small fire burning from the tips of her fingers. "Thanks," he mumbled but didn't move for the simple reason that he couldn't. "By the way, I'm Kai Martin, and," he added while rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, "I'm the dude that Sebastian swapped bodies with." That was a proper introduction in that kind of situation; he was sure of it.
A strange growl came from the ice goddess, but the other woman placed herself between her and Kai. "Galien told me about you," she said. "I'm Galien's mother, Fiana."
"Fire goddess, so cool," Kai said with a stupid grin. He was pretty sure it was stupid. "I mean, nice to meet you."
"This stranger is responsible! Get out of my way, Fiana!" Reya shouted.
Kai held his jaw as Fiana silenced Reya with a single flick of the wrist. The ice goddess took a step back, and the tiny fire summoned in front of her face followed.
"Because of you, my son…" Reya suddenly broke into tears.
Kai's attention turned toward Sebastian. Without caring for getting speared with ice or whatnot, he hurried by his side. "Damn," he murmured, "it's because of that wound, right? From that ninja asshole." He clearly saw black blood seeping through the ice prince's pristine shirt.
He had no idea what he was doing, but he placed both his hands on Sebastian's chest. Too bad he knew jack-shit about offering first aid and such, although whatever Sebastian suffered from required high-level surgery or something like that.
At this point, he no longer doubted that this wasn't a dream at all. "This isn't fair," he mumbled as he continued to touch the wound gingerly, feeling awfully responsible but also helpless at the same time. "I was stupid enough to let myself get stabbed."
There had to be something that could be done. After all, if he traveled here so easily, maybe Sebastian could travel to his world, too? And maybe he could get some high-level medical aid, although again, Kai knew absolutely nothing about magical wounds and what they needed to get healed. "He needs surgery and stuff," he added with only half-conviction.
A warm hand on his shoulder stopped his mind from reeling. "I don't know what you mean by that, but Sebastian needs something else to heal."
"Like what?" Kai turned his head and looked at Fiana.
He was a bit startled when the fire goddess brushed her fingers against his cheeks, wiping a few tears away. He had no idea he'd been crying, which was pretty weird.
"The only thing that could make him whole," Fiana replied. "Take your hands away."
Kai stared down. His fingers, where they touched Sebastian's wound, were starting to get black. "Hey," he said, "what's that?" He was beginning to get weak.
Fiana squeezed his shoulder and tried to pry him away, but it felt like Kai now weighed at least several tons because he remained stuck in place. He couldn't even turn his head, and his eyes set on Sebastian's face, his eyelids bluish and streaked with jagged thin lines that were almost black. "I suppose I had that coming," he muttered as he realized what was going on.
Sebastian's eyelids began to lift, and his icy blue eyes stared at him in disbelief.
"Hi, man," Kai said. "Looks like I'm here to right at least one wrong."
"Kai, no!"
Kai stared at the ice prince, wondering how the hell he could talk without moving his lips. The next thing he knew, he was embraced, and only then he realized that he had heard Pepin's voice, not Sebastian's.
"Pepin? Is that really you? Sorry, I can't move my head."
His face was caught by smooth hands smelling like summer flowers, and his lips were kissed. Any strength he had inside was draining quickly, and Kai felt like he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. And he wanted so much to be able to look at Pepin and his cute face, even if it felt like it was the last time he would do so.
"Foolish boy," someone growled, and this time, Kai knew it was Sebastian.
His wrists were caught in a vice-like grip, making him cry out in pain. Quickly, he was losing any feeling in his hands, but he didn't have the time to process what was going on because he was pushed away by a relentless force and made to fall on his back.
Someone was breathing hard, and it took him a few moments to realize that it was him. Pepin hovered above him. "Kai, Kai, are you all right?"
"I think so, although Sebastian might have broken some bones in my body," Kai replied with a groan. "Wait, what are you people doing here? Don't tell me that the baby is already here!"
Before Pepin could say anything, he was lifted into the air and thrown away. Kai barely had the time to push himself up on his elbows, only to witness helplessly how Reya was holding Pepin by one arm and shaking him. "Because of you!" she hissed at the servant.
"Hey, let Pepin go!" Kai managed to get to his feet, although he was wobbly and couldn't keep his balance. "He did nothing wrong!"
Fiana rushed to save the day again. She made Reya drop Pepin and caught him right in time, seemingly without breaking a sweat. She unceremoniously pushed the servant toward Kai. "Children, leave. Now," she commanded.
"But Seb--" Kai pointed at the ice prince who was barely holding himself, propped on one elbow, and in horrible pains, by the looks of it.
"Go," Fiana ordered as she put herself between them and Reya. "Tell that boy he's the only one to make Sebastian well again," she threw over her shoulder.
Kai wanted a bit more clarifications on the topic, but Reya raised her arms, and icicles from the ceiling began falling. A blast of wind pushed him and Pepin away, and Kai noticed, wide-eyed, how that had been Sebastian and not one of the goddesses fighting right in front of them.
Sebastian locked eyes with him. "Don't tell Milo anything, Kai Martin," he said, forcing each word out of his mouth. "It's the only thing I ask of you." He moved his arm again, and this time, Kai found himself tumbling out of the cave, down on the stairway, with Pepin following closely.
He grunted and groaned as the slippery slope made it impossible to stop. Luckily, there was an end to it all, and he eventually stopped. Pepin landed on top of him, and Kai caught him quickly. "Ouch, Pepin, did you gain some weight or something? Oops, I shouldn't say anything. You're just as beautiful as always," he hurried to say as he remembered something else from the mom's blog.
Pepin smacked him playfully on the forehead. "What do you mean, I gained weight?"
Kai grimaced. "I said nothing! Damn, that was some nasty fall, are you okay?" He turned his head to look at the stairway, but it was no longer there.
And it was late evening again. Kai blinked a couple of times. So, was it a dream? But no, Pepin was still crushing him, so…
"Where are we?" the servant asked, visibly confused.
"Pepin! You're home with me!" Kai exclaimed. "Wow, you just got reverse isekai'd! I mean, we both were… You know what? It doesn't matter. You're in my world! With me! Yes! Mission accomplished!"
Pepin was the first to get to his feet and helped him up, as well. Kai quickly wrapped one arm around Pepin's shoulders, afraid that he might just be dreaming again and not wanting to let go.
"Is your world a forest?" Pepin asked, looking around. "It doesn't look a lot different from Ifigia."
"Just wait for it," Kai said with a knowing smirk. "You'll have the shock of your life. Have you ever seen a dishwasher? Or a smartphone?"
"No, what are those?"
"I have so much to show you!" Kai felt energetic and a lot stronger than before. "Are you all right with walking through all these bushes? You know what? Climb on my back."
"Why? I'm not tired," Pepin retorted.
Kai stopped. "I don't care. I want to carry you. I can. 'Cause I'm a man," he said with conviction.
To his dismay, Pepin began laughing.
"I mean it. I mean, we're still due to become parents, right? I still have to graduate, but I'll find a job--" he began jabbering.
Pepin silenced him with a kiss. "I'll climb on your back if you're so bent on it. Just don't ever complain that I'm fat, okay?"
"Cross my heart. That's a mistake I won't ever make again," Kai promised. "Pepin, the shard, though…"
Pepin took his hand and placed it over his chest. "It's safe, here."
"Here, where?" Kai asked, confused, as all he could feel was Pepin's shirt and nothing else.
"I had to protect it," Pepin said. "It's inside me now."
"Well, that means that I haven't read that mom's blog for nothing," Kai joked. "You're properly pregnant, then?"
Pepin laughed softly and climbed on Kai's back. "Are you sure you can carry me?"
"Totally. But I have a question?"
"Yes?"
"Is that a dagger or something or you're really happy to see me?"
That earned him another playful smack from Pepin. Kai grinned and hiked Pepin up, lacing his arms under the other's legs and setting up to walk.
***
"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"
The hissed words brought Sebastian back from his stupor. He winced as he forced himself to get up. Kai Martin had been about to commit the biggest mistake of his life and take upon himself that horrible curse of the Uxilan wound. Good thing he had intervened on time. Now, hopefully, he and Pepin were already far, hiding somewhere. The servant must know of at least a few places where he could take his beloved and make a living for themselves.
That changed the initial plan, of course, but it looked like Kai liked to choose the strangest and most inopportune times to make an appearance. How had he traveled back to Ifigia? Obviously, he hadn't switched bodies with anyone this time, which made everything uncanny. Nonetheless, it was the reality, and Sebastian had no time to waste on wondering how any of that was possible.
Fiana and Reya both hurried to help him.
"I'll take care of you," his mother promised. "You'll be well again."
Sebastian had doubts. Kai had just proven that one way for him to be rid of the curse was to transmit it to someone else, and that was something Sebastian couldn't live with. The other way, Fiana thought, was for Milo to come to him and heal him somehow, but that, again, was not something he would wish for.
"Your beloved will be with you, soon," Fiana said, sounding perfectly convinced.
"He won't," Reya contradicted her in a harsh voice.
"Do you want your son to die, when he could be alive and happy? What kind of mother are you?"
Sebastian huffed. "Thank you, aunt. You helped me. But you can leave me with my mother, now. Somehow, the right thing happened."
It was nothing like he had planned, but it was still right. He felt it in his heart.
"I'll search everywhere for those traitors," Reya promised.
"No," Sebastian said firmly. "Leave them be. I'm asking nicely," he added, and he hoped his frosty tone was enough to convince his mother.
Fiana kissed his forehead. "I'm not leaving your side just yet." When he tried to open his mouth, she silenced him. "Someone needs to keep an eye on your willful mother. Your friends will be fine. And your soul will be whole soon."
Sebastian no longer had the power to argue. Fiana was well-intended, but now, his heart was at peace, even without an heir to follow on the throne to Ifigia. Reya will find a way to protect her beloved kingdom.
TBC
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