A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

The night was quiet, except for the low splashing sound of the spring water sprayed on the stone statue of Goddess Isdar in the courtyard.

The hexahedral diamond-shaped crystal column stands in the middle of the courtyard, emitting a soft white light in the dark night.

In a corner of the room, the little milk lion curled up on the soft cushion, like a ball of fur, with its fluffy head buried in its two short legs, purring.

It slept soundly and was completely unaware of what had just happened in the room.

The night wind that blew suddenly and violently for a while just now softened again, skimmed over the water surface of Crescent Lake, raised the translucent veil, and blew into the open floor-to-ceiling windows.

The golden forehead hair moved slightly, sitting on the bed, Garlan turned his head, and glanced out the window at the tips of light green buds swaying gently in the wind.

As soon as he moved, the arms holding him tightened, but they seemed to be afraid of his pain, so they tightened a bit and then loosened immediately.

Garlan's hand lightly patted Heymos's back.

Heymos hugged him, holding him tightly in his arms, as if he was afraid that he would disappear.

His head was buried deep in the hollow of his neck, and his jet-black hair fell on his shoulders.

It looked like a big dog that had been away from its master for too long so it had to sit on its master's lap to feel at ease, holding Garlan and refusing to let go of it no matter what.

Garlan didn't say anything, didn't do anything, just let Heymos hug him, and hugged him back in the same way.

He could feel a little wet touch on his shoulder.

He still didn't say anything, but from time to time he gently stroked Heymos' back with his hands.

I don't know how long it has passed, the crescent moon has already crossed the sky, and before I know it, it has reached the middle of the night.

"Heymos."

Garlan yelled softly.

After a short pause, Heymos finally raised his head slowly.

His lips were still tightly pressed.

From the beginning until now, the man's thin lips never made a single sound.

Under the soft light, one can clearly see that the corners of his eyes are red at the moment, very red.

His face, which was clearly sharp and cold like a knife's edge, is now full of tears

Perhaps it is because of this great contrast that it makes people feel more distressed.

A strand of wet white hair fell down the corner of a red eye.

Garlan looked up at Heymos, raised his hand, and wiped away the tears on Heymos' face with his palm.

His fingers stroked the strand of snow-like hair, and then he saw the deep scar on the corner of his eye.

It's Heymos.

From the way this person looked at him, Garlan knew that this person was Heymos.

But what he didn't expect was that Heymos turned out to be Heymos.

There are still burn marks on the hands without palm prints, and there is a scar extending to the ear at the corner of the eye.

This is the Heymos from 2000 years ago.

He wasn't reincarnated in this era like Brother Wang or Keyhors.

Garlan remembered.

Brother Kamos said that the barrier of time is extremely strong, just to allow the soul to cross time, the power needed is enough to shatter the seat of God.

It is absolutely impossible for a person to cross the torrent of time together with his body.

Unless the world is destroyed and the rules break down.

Why would Heymos...

But Garlan didn't want to ask.

Because it is not necessary.

This person is in front of his eyes now, silent, just shedding tears all the time, like a wronged child, which makes him feel distressed.

So he didn't ask anything, just looked at him and raised his hand to wipe away the tears on that face.

"I wanted to find you."

Garlan said that his wet fingertips, which had just wiped off tears, gently stroked Heymos' forehead hair.

His eyes fell on the unusually conspicuous strands of white hair between the jet-black forehead.

"Although I don't know where you will be, will you remember me... I don't know how long it will take me to find you."

Heymos, who pursed his lips tightly, didn't speak immediately, his red eyes were still fixed on Garlan.

"But you did."

The man finally spoke.

He spoke very slowly, one word at a time, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time and seemed rather stiff.

The voice was not only deep, but also terribly hoarse.

"You told me back then..."

He raised his hand and grabbed Garlan's hands.

He gripped tightly, his brown fingers digging deep into the white wrist.

He looked at Garlan with accusing eyes.

"You said, you don't want me anymore."

Garlan took a breath.

He didn't respond for a while, just staring at Heymos blankly.

In a word, the memories of that time flooded him.

He remembered his own powerlessness at that time, and the words he said to Heymos with a smile at that time.

It is obviously very uncomfortable, whether it is the body or the deepest part of the body, it is so painful that it is hard to breathe.

However, he still had to say that to Heymos with a smile in that calm tone.

【I don't want you anymore, Heymos. 】

Garlan lowered his eyes.

His hands were held by Heymos, but he lowered his head and lowered his eyes.

The blond hair that fell from his cheeks covered his face and cast shadows on his side cheeks.

He bit his lower lip slowly.

He kept thinking about what to say after he found Heymos.

Is it 'sorry', or...

Now this person is in front of his eyes, but he can't say anything.

He did the cruelest things to him.

Knowing what he meant to him, he still left him there alone.

【Protect Aaron Landis, just like guarding me. 】

He knew that every word Heymos said to him had been fulfilled.

This man is always like this, always giving everything he has to him without hesitation.

But he took advantage of Heymos' admiration for him in this cruel way, and made Heymos make that promise.

He couldn't deny this even if it was for the reason of protecting Aaron Landis, everyone, and even Huimos.

Now, facing Heymos, he couldn't even say 'sorry'.

In front of this man, a word of 'sorry' is so feeble.

Under the soft light, the drooping slender eyelashes cast deep shadows on the young man's cheeks.

The young man bit his lower lip very tightly, and his teeth were sunk into deep marks, biting to the point that his lips were slightly white.

And at this moment, Heymos suddenly lowered his head, leaned over, and kissed Garlan.

He sucked the other's lips, and the soft tip of his tongue pushed away Garlan's teeth clenched on his lower lip with extremely gentle movements.

Loosening his gripped wrist, he held Garlan's head in both hands, and the tip of his tongue gently licked the white place on the young man's lips as if soothing.

What a pity.

After a while, Heymos raised his head, gently pressed his forehead against Garlan's head, and rubbed it.

"Don't bite."

He says,

"I'm not angry anymore."

Obviously he was still complaining a second ago, but now he is softly coaxing the person in his arms.

"I'm just trying to scare you, I'm not angry."

He held Garlan's head in both hands, gently rubbing his forehead against the blond hair.

The warmth from the opponent's forehead softened Heymos' eyes.

His fingers kept stroking the warm skin, which was a warmth completely different from the cold body he remembered.

That kind of warmth penetrated into his body, as if it had completely dispelled the coldness of more than 2000 years.

As he spoke, he gently kissed the corners of the eyes, forehead, and ear tips of the boy in his arms like a dragonfly on water.

"Stop biting."

he said, in a hoarse voice.

"My heart aches."

The chest that seemed to be under heavy pressure suddenly became sour, and even the tip of the nose seemed to be sour.

Garlan stretched out his hand and hugged the person in front of him tightly.

Trying his best to suppress the thick soreness at the tip of his nose, he buried his whole face into the other's broad chest.

It was the embrace he was all too familiar with.

He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against the man's strong chest. Through that thin layer of muscle, he could hear the clear heartbeat coming from the depths of the man's chest.

one more time.

Strong and powerful.

Let him feel indescribably at ease.

[No matter where you are, I will come to you. 】

[Even if it's hell. 】

Every word he said to him was a promise.

…………

........................

That night more than 2000 years ago.

In the dark night, the brilliance of the stars filled the sky.

On the top floor of the White King's Tomb Palace, in the temple located at the highest point of the palace, there are dome roofs and relief stone statues of the gods of Aaron Landis on all four walls.

The night was eerily still.

The black-haired man squatted halfway in the center of the empty temple, and the boy's icy body was held in his arms.

He raised his head and slowly looked around the reliefs of the gods on the stone wall of the temple with creepy eyes.

"I know you can hear me."

At the cost of achieving the unification of the continent, he demanded a contract with the gods.

At first, the gods were silent and did not respond to his words.

And he didn't speak any more, remaining indifferent.

For two days and three nights, he remained motionless, like a stone statue.

The gods, who could no longer remain silent, finally responded to him.

[If 'he' does not return, your soul will be trapped in this body forever, and you will never be free. 】

The gods had warned him so.

[Even so, do you want to make this contract? 】

The man nodded without hesitation.

The sighs of the gods sounded in the void.

【as you wish. 】

From the moment he signed the contract with the gods, time stood still on Heymos.

Since then, his heart has stopped beating.

From now on, time will not pass by him.

Those strands of white hair that were like snow in an instant were the symbol of the contract.

Before Garlan set foot on the land of Aaron Landis again, his time will always stop at the moment of signing the contract.

……

After making a contract with the gods, he walked out of the royal tomb and inherited the throne.

Completing the missions of the gods and reaching the thread of destiny is his only goal.

Other than that, he didn't care about anything.

Because time stands still, his appearance has not changed in the past few decades.

Although everyone was surprised by this, but due to the fear of him, no one dared to speak out.

32 years later, he entered the royal tomb after completing his mission and began to wait in a deep sleep.

And this class is more than 2000 years.

…………

Holding his beloved who had been waiting for 2000 years in his arms, Heymos's deep and hoarse voice resounded in the quiet night, speaking of his contract with the gods.

Garlan listened quietly.

It wasn't until the end that he raised his hand and touched the handsome face that was no different from before 2000.

He said softly, "You haven't thought about it, if I can't go back to the year 2000, or if I can't come to Aaron Landis due to an accident, what will you do?"

"Then keep sleeping."

Embracing the warm body of the boy in his arms affectionately, Heymos said.

He put it lightly.

"It's fine if you don't wake up."

If he didn't fall asleep, he might fall into madness during the long wait.

If the person in his arms is not there when he wakes up, he would rather sleep forever.

"I don't need to be reincarnated."

He says,

"Whether it is you before 2000 or you after 2000, it is 'you'."

"Without this contract, the 'I' you meet after 2000 may not necessarily be me."

"I won't allow it."

Reincarnation?

No, he never believed in an afterlife.

He only wants this person in front of him at this moment, only now.

Perhaps thinking of something that made him unhappy, Heymos tightened his arms.

His tone was cold and hard.

"Even if that is the reincarnated me, I absolutely can't stand 'him' touching you, let alone being nice to him."

Garlan was dumbfounded for a moment.

After a while, he raised his hand and poked Heymos on the cheek.

"It's stingy."

"Whatever you say."

The man who unabashedly showed his great possessive desire grabbed the hand that poked his cheek several times, lowered his head, and forcefully blocked Garlan's mouth.

"Even if it's another me," he said, "you can only be mine!"

Can only belong to me alone.