#and scream about kainess i WILL i was born for this

[habitina]

yeah the doctor said kainess is going to stay in the brain Forever and Ever. i can't run from them because they are taller than me. Yeah she said that

[saph-writes]

The [Blue] Pale Spirit, Singing - Chapter 1

ao3 link:

Summary:

"In a world of monsters and magic, it is one’s soulmark that decides their humanity."

Ness is the righthand man to Prince Kaiser, the beloved ruler of the kingdom who is set to inherit the throne on his 18th birthday after the reveal of his soulmate during the soul ceremony. Until then, Ness is sworn to stay loyal by his side. At least he pretends to.

While Prince Kaiser’s a powerless figurehead, his advising council rules from the shadows with the power of the kingdom right in the palm of their hand. And this “Inner Circle” has no intention of handing their power over. As they work to stop the soul ceremony, Ness becomes their spy, reporting every move of the Prince to make sure he does not get in their way. After all, what would he do with himself if he were to let them down?

However when Prince Kaiser starts acting strangely, Ness finds himself getting closer to the Prince. Everything he thought he knew begins to shatter into pieces, both about his reality and about himself.

And yet.. in its place comes something familiar, as he goes from bearing the singe of burning guilt to becoming all too comfortable with the thorns of a blue rose.

~

Or the soulmate fantasy royalty kainess au no one asked for

Words: 10590

“Have you heard the tale?”

“What tale?” 

“The story of the boy from the stars.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Long ago, in this kingdom, there was a baby born without a soul mark. The royal nurses searched and examined and inspected for hours, but nothing resembling a mark was ever found on the boy’s body. Only after some tests were performed could they confirm that the baby was human. It was the first human without a soul mark in thousands of years.”

“Well, was he sentient? Or was he emotionless?”

“Hard to say. The boy cried oudly, and only stopped when in the hands of his mother. Witnesses said that if they weren’t told the situation, they would’ve thought he was just a normal human boy. But of course there were defects. He had no magic, he was weak, he was frail, he was on the verge of dying.”

“And the mother?”

“Oh.. The mother hated the boy. When she found out about her son’s lack of a soul mark, she told the royal staff to kill it. She yelled over and over.‘That is not my son. That is a monster.’”

“Ah, I can’t blame her I guess…”

“After a while, they eventually obliged. They went outside, into the forests encircling the village, into a secret place where there were no towns or people in sight, and they left it in the forest to die alone. Right in the freezing cold of winter, when monsters are at their most active. And yet….” 

“What?”

“Nothing, it's just that this is where it gets creepy. When the royal staff came by again the next day, the boy had disappeared without a trace. They searched for hours and hours, all while the mother screamed at them to kill it, but nothing at all. It was like it was never there to begin with.”

“Woah, that is scary… could it be that it got eaten by monsters?”

“Maybe. No one knows. It still remains a mystery to this day. Did the boy die that day? Was it  found? Did it end up living? Or was it something more? Most say that perhaps it was a gift from the stars, given to provide good fortune to the kindest of people, hence the name. Others say it is a curse, meant to haunt the forest to this very day, bringing any stranglers it finds to their final doom.”

“Ah, you know I don’t like scary stories, …. but for the boy’s sake, I hope it passed away peacefully that day.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s just that… imagine how horrible that would be. To live without a soul mark. I don’t think even I could bear it…”

“I agree. Can you imagine? A life without a soulmate. Personally… I think I would go insane from the loneliness.”

Don’t you think?

~

The sun has always had some sort of magical ability to it. Especially when it sits high on the sky, flaring and shining its absolute brightest, so far out of hand’s reach.

Light sweeping through, its rays allow anything or anyone it touches to glimmer like a jewel. To glimmer and glisten bindingly. A sort of radiance that draws people towards it, like a moth to a flame. 

But for one person, it exceeds far beyond what any of them could have imagined. 

Whispered to be the sun’s favorite, they hold a captivating aura that puts them above everything. Placed above everything. Left to be towering above the ground. 

They are worshipped, and pleaded to. Loved. Perfect. 

They should be standing in the sky only next to the clouds and hidden stars. Right where the other gods would be. 

And yet, this mystical being is not doing any of those things. They do not stand in solidarity with those burnt out points of light, they do not watch over from their place in the sky, they are not even out of hand’s reach. Even with the power to be greater than life itself, they decide to stay on the ground. Walking amongst them. Almost like they are pretending to be a simple mortal human themselves. Nothing more. 

The sight is astounding. Everyone can agree on that. Because no matter how such an individual may try to hide it, the fact is simple. 

Nothing in this world will glimmer more than the vivid blue roses on Prince Kaiser’s neck.  

With the help of the glimmering light, the blue roses appear like sapphires. And not just any sapphires. Encased sapphires, placed behind a glass barrier, riddled with fingerprints from all of those who stand to marvel at the untouchable beauty.  Their faces press against the glass, to get just a touch, or a piece of their radiance. 

But just like every other time, it remains useless. The barrier is impenetrable. As a result, the townspeople are left to stand by, and whisper to soothe their own infatuation. They do not even try to hide their conversations.

“See! Look, there he comes!”

“Oh, he is, he is!”

“Oh, how is it possible that he has grown even more beautiful than before!?”

“If I were the sun, I would simply hide beneath the clouds. To stand in the same presence of someone so radiant! What does the sun hold to him?”

“Nothing! Nothing at all, perfection can not be outshone!”

“Oh, he’s looking, he’s looking!”

The crowds of townsfolk move away to the edges of the paved walkways, opening up to allow the royal bodyguards to march along the center. 

Four towering muscular men, with broad shoulders and stern faces, form a square formation. In each of their hands is a metal device. They grasp tightly on the handle and at the end, a circular round tip sticks out with an oversized marble engraved on either side. Their steps are heavy and wide, breaking apart the crowd forcibly, no matter how tightly packed it is.  

A glass barrier, created by their figures.

For in the center of the 4, the marvelled earth-bound spectacle, walked none other than Prince Kaiser. 

To say Prince Kaiser was admired by everyone would be an understatement. The change in atmosphere when he walked into a room is more than enough evidence, or in this instance, when he walked into a town. 

He is stunning, with an angular porcelain face and blond hair with vibrant blue tips. His eyes are the same piercing blue where the red eyeshadow frames it, and it gives the appearance that they are meant to complement his most important feature: the collection of the blue roses soul mark on his neck, the mark of his royal blood.

Gossip circulates endlessly on the hidden personality of the Prince. He is cunning, intelligent, highly perceptive; he is the heir, after all. Some take in his aloof and indifferent attitude and say he is, in actuality, flirty, cocky, and bold. 

It is said that if you are lucky enough, you might be able to catch his eye and see this for yourself. Catch the child-like part of the soon-to-be king who is all over impressing his own personal favorites, his new toys to play with. 

And if you are even luckier, and born on the same year and day as he is, you might even be realized as his soulmate. Then, the secrets beneath the encasing will all be revealed to you, and you alone. Such a high honor it is to be his soulmate, so much so that becoming Queen or King would be a side achievement. 

Yet with such a tale, one should not get too excited. To be his soulmate is a 1 in a million chance, yet to be captivated by him happens all too often. Just staying too close in it of itself can cause this brutal mistake to happen, and it takes only an instant to be utterly entranced, and unsalvageable.

All whispers, all tales and stories of imagination running wild.

Ness knows them more than anyone.

In the center of the formation of the bodyguards, to the back right side of Prince Kaiser, yet completely in his shadow, Ness watches the townspeople crowded all around.

His place in the barrier allows for him to have a full view of whatever is outside of it, but especially to keep an close eye on Prince Kaiser. Kaiser’s movements are precise and practiced, and each turn of his head is robotic in nature, as expected of a Prince. Ness should always be focused solely on him when they are on these trips, and yet the unavoidable gossip creeps in Ness’s mind. As they always did.

Prince Kaiser’s eyes scan all over, searching by the looks of it, but occasionally he would find the stare of a particular enthusiastic fan, and humor them with a small smile. Squeals would arise, and Ness would have sworn he heard the plant on the ground of a fainted girl.  

Out of the huddled bodies, a young girl breaks out. Her eyes are fixed on Kaiser, and she holds something small in her hands, close to her chest. She runs up to the group. Before the girl holds out her hand for the guards to scan, Ness catches a glimpse of her soul mark. 

Back of the hand, a swirly heart key, colored fuschia pink. 

She is permitted in and nearly skips away guards. A few feet away from Prince Kaiser, with a bodyguard on either side, she holds out her open palms. Ness can not see Kaiser’s face, but he is sure he is giving yet another small smile. 

“P-Prince Kaiser, in celebration of your upcoming soul ceremony, I have made you a gift! Please, accept this!” She threw her head down into a bow. Her body, her arms, are shaking, trembling. 

In her outstretched hands, a simple pink rose overflow her palms. Not a natural rose, a fake one, made up of fabrics sewn together and folded to form its petals. A decorative gift it seems, and by the looks of it, a harmless one at that. Ness stays in his position, his head perfectly forward and his arms folded behind his back, as Kaiser speaks.

“My apologies, but I can not accept such a beautifully crafted gift. Keep it. Your talents should be cherished by yourself.”

“Oh, no need to be modest! It would be an honor to have a small insignificant craft of my own to be in your possession, the highest of honors! I implore you, you must not worry at all!”

Her head is up now, and boldness sparkles in her eyes. It occurs to Ness that this girl is quite beautiful in her own right, even if the shine she gives off is in dim comparison to the Prince’s starry radiance. A shame that her desperation sours it. Ness looks sadly at the girl. Prince Kaiser’s presence on his right weighs the atmosphere, like a scale all too uneven. 

“Very well. You may hand it to my courtier.”

The sparkle in the girl’s eyes flickers and falls upon Ness, seemingly having just noticed him. But whatever had burned out in her expression is quickly retrieved once again, and she hands the fragile rose out to him. 

In his palms, Ness notices the softness of the petals’ fabrics. Like a cloud has been taken from the sky and planted before him. He can feel the state of the atmosphere and the sun’s rays and soft breeze, all captured for display, for a taste of the world.

With a bow, the girl scurries off, and Ness is snapped out of his delusion.

A few other townspeople also came up to Prince Kaiser, old and young, women and men alike. Some had gifts, like the girl, and complimented his soul mark that has been rapidly growing into its own shape. Just a few short months away, they would say, excitement prevalent in their voice. Others made simple conversation, and used the opportunity to provide and gain more gossip. A few words from the Prince was always enough to make them satisfied, and they would walk off content, like their intention was just getting close enough to catch enough of his starlight. Nonetheless, Kaiser’s reactions were all typical and nothing out of the ordinary, so Ness had no reason to pay these interactions any mind. 

He only made sure he could see each soul mark of the approaching people when they were scanned by the guards. He still has a royal duty to uphold after all. 

They end up walking for another short few minutes before Prince Kaiser holds out his hand to stop. His other arm stays folded behind his back and his head turns slightly in either direction, peering across the plaza. 

Being the middle of the week, the marketplace is not busy. Even right now, when the Prince himself has made a visit down, the crowds of people are significantly smaller than they would be on the weekends. Ness looks around the plaza. 

The largest, liveliest place in Teno, perhaps in all of Colluhira, has dozens of rows containing market stalls and shops galore. The walkways between the rows are wider than the typical Teno roads and the entire marketplace takes up a sizable amount of the small town. It is well known that anything from anything can be found here, and ran by the citizens themselves, there are little limits on what one can sell. 

Surely if Prince Kaiser has come all the way here himself, he is looking for something precious and rare. In fact, it seems he already knows where to find it. 

Ness narrows his eyes and sticks close behind his shoulder. 

Kaiser turns back to the guards. 

“I will not be long,” he says, very clearly stepping out of the barrier they made. The guards look at each other and to the Prince with hesitance, but they comply nonetheless. Their heads bow, and their feet stay firmly in place, returning back to statues once again. Ness follows Kaiser out.

They have stopped in front of a small jewel shop that is run by an older man already growing in his gray hair. The stall has several jewels and gems, both alone and paired with necklaces, bracelets and earrings, out for display and naked in the warm air. 

But the real collection lies inside the glass box just behind it. White plastic stairs line the inside, and jewels and gems sit along it pristinely, flaunting their vibrant colors under the beating sun. It ranges from all the colors of the rainbow, and in all the sizes one can think of, so much so Ness has a hard time scanning through them all. 

The older man sits in a plastic chair behind the table. He looks about ready to doze off. 

Prince Kaiser and Ness step up to the stall. He perks up, and nearly jumps out of his seat. The old cigarette lying in his mouth drops to the ground. 

“M-My Prince, you’re here! Lord, you nearly gave me another collapsed lung, I was not expecting-”

“Yes, yes I am here,” Kaiser cuts him off. Ness is now standing fully beside him, and can see his face more clearly from the corner of his vision. Kaiser’s eyes are narrowed, and his lips are pressed in a thin line, like he was running out of patience. Or sending a warning with his expression alone. 

The man laughs nervously.

“O-Of course! Apologies haha. Now.. what may I help you with?” Despite the man’s attempt to seem natural, it was painfully obvious the act he was putting up, through his stammer alone. That, and his nervous fidgeting, his fingers picking with the silky table cloth. Kaiser stays silent for a moment, and tense. 

“I would like a jewel. A sapphire. I believe you have one of those, correct?”

The man nods, “Yes! Of course! They’re in the back, hold on, let me get them for you.” He disappears behind the blanket back wall of the stall.

Ness peers more boldly beside him, to catch a better look on Kaiser’s face. Yet it appears to now be completely indifferent. The tension and impatience from before has dissipated in a way that if Ness did not know better, he would have thought that previous look of sterness was all in his head. An illusion. Kaiser stares ahead, concentrated and focused. 

“Here we are!”

Ness takes a breath, and turns back.

In the man’s hand holds a small, drawstring burlap bag. The other has a small metal device, and a tan paper scroll. He chuckles again nervously. 

“Forgive me, Prince, this is just protocol, but I need to check your soul mark.”

Kaiser nods. “Of course.” He pulls back the vest around the right side of his neck to show the entirety of the blue roses, and the man scans the metal device over it. It makes a high-pitched ding sound. The engraved marble blinks the blue hue. 

“And your courtier, of course.”

Ness goes stiff instinctively. He holds out his hand and lets the man scan over it with the metal device, trying to appear as neutral as possible. Yet, Ness finds himself holding his breath once again. 

Until the device makes another ding and blinks. 

The man puts the device away, and Ness’s held breath along with it.

“And…perfect! Now here you go! And the scroll too, of course.” 

Instead of handing the items to Ness, Prince Kaiser grabs them with his own hands with a sort of haste, and holds onto them tightly. Ness blinks. 

“And for you!” the man exclaims too loudly. “A discount is the least I could do! 50% off the original price you see right there! Pretty nice, huh?” 

Kaiser does not seem bothered enough to answer, and tosses the coins into his hands. 

The man smiles brightly. He looks like he could kiss the coins right then and there, but composes himself just enough to place it off to the side, into a box partly hidden by the encasing.

“I am so honored, thank you! Come again whenever you like, the discount will always be here! Oh! A-And if you need another gem for the soul ceremony, I am always happy to help! Ah wait, farewell!” He waves them away with one hand in the air shaking around enthusiastically. Ness catches a glance before he has to turn back, to where Kaiser had already begun to drift away.

The two walk back to the guards. They gather back into their positions, and start to walk back through the centered walkway. Ness stares at the back of Kaiser’s head, and the rose creeping close to his chin.

The man asked for no details on the jewel, Ness thought. 

Somehow, he knew exactly what Prince Kaiser wanted. 

Despite the fact that Kaiser has never visited that shop before. 

And that interaction was far too brief to be a first time purchase. 

Combined with the man’s stammers, his fidgeting, Kaiser’s expression…

Ness keeps his arms folded tightly behind his back, noting everything. Memorizing it the best he can, until he can close his eyes and picture it all before him. The scene plays in the darkness of his eyelids. 

He opens them back up and looks down at Kaiser’s arms that hang in front of him.

Each hand holds the drawstring bag and paper scroll. The bag is held half-heartedly; the scroll is gripped tightly. 

Ness rubs his fingers, his knuckles, tendons, and the unfelt mark.

He sighs. 

Yet again, another observation to report. 

~

The guards immediately part ways as they arrive in front of the gate. Large stone walls line the entirety of the castle’s exterior, reinforced and built in with multiple layers and towers overseeing the ground from 50 feet up. The pointed tips tap and ripple the ocean sky. For a castle placed relevantly near the towns, its silence hangs strangely in the air, where the methodic patterns of boots stamping the ground hum as a background noise. 

The chatter and gossip of the townspeople that made those blocks of shops and houses seem so lively becomes all but an echo standing here at the gate. Bouncing around the barren grass with no source to speak of. 

Two large guards stand by the checkered metal gate. Their heads and bodies are hidden by the heavy plates of metal plastered to their limbs, and their statures are nearly double that of the guards that led them to town. Their eyes and expressions are not even visible. 

“Soul mark, sir.”

The metal devices they hold are similar to what both the town guards and the shopkeeper had, only these are much larger in size, and they had to turn it over and scan two times to make the ding and blink. Once finished, Ness takes his sleeve and pulls it back up over his hand. 

One of the two guards places their hand on the gate, and it smoothly begins to draw open. Around the edges of the metal bars, a light red hue, barely visible, outlines the edges until the gate is completely open. The guards bow simultaneously and Kaiser passes by without a word. Ness follows closely behind. 

Behind the wall, in front of the castle, garden keepers, with hats and aprons to protect themselves from noon’s sun, are scattered all about the courtyard to tend the flowers. 

Roses specifically, from Prince Kaiser’s request, though the batch is small as a result of the Inner Circle’s demands. 

At the very edges of the corners of the castle, there are peeks of young men walking in rigid lines, far too young to be guards, apprentices instead. Their seniors, high-level guards, walk along the very top of the walls overseeing them, some bare-handed, others with swords and crossbows. Their status is well-known by the pop of red on their uniform. Another request from the Inner Circle.

Then Ness looks forward, and up. 

Despite such a structure having become familiar amongst all these years, the actual castle’s size is still overwhelming, overshadowing everything present on the ground. Or anything from the towns. 

Yet again the dull gray of stone, hundreds of rectangle pillars mark every corner and pattern across the walls, and tiny arcs are drawn in each exposed space. Diamond shaped tops, towers that round out its roof into a pop of muted blue, yet another tower continues to be placed at its very center roof. But the most extravagant detail, and by far the most beautiful, are the stained glass windows scattered about. 

Warm colors shine through with a muted coolness shrouded around them, like a sun peeking behind shadowed rain clouds. They are paintings of descriptors of ancient history that tell the story of the land. 

The castle had been around for so long that it is said that it even predates soul marks. The orange and yellow and red stained glass windows have been built recently by comparison, dating only a few generations. 

The last one had been built when the King and Queen were alive.

Ness looks back at Prince Kaiser.

Kaiser’s head is kept up. His feet, making wide steps across the ground. His arms, wrapped behind him.

Even the way he strides seems regal, and flawless, carven into perfection. He does not spare a glance at the intricacies towering above him. 

The castle’s entrance opens before them. The red carpet leads from the outside walkway into the larger than life hall of the castle, a dancing ball room that serves as more of a welcoming area than anything nowadays. The stained-glass windows encircle the open place and other than a single person standing in the center, its welcome is empty. 

She was a woman, with a soft, melted smile and dark, curved eyes. They hide behind the spirals of hair that whips across her face, and come in to tie behind her ear, two circles planted squarely on either side of her head. The rest is tied back in a low updo, braided intrinsically and meticulously.

Her body, cloaked with a silver dress, gloves, stockings, belt, hidden in every way, bows forward slightly. Her hair strands become perpendicular to the ground. 

“You are late, Prince Kaiser,” she says. Despite the fact that the burlag bag and scroll Kaiser is holding are clearly visible, she pays no mind to it all. Kaiser must have noticed this as well. 

He turns slightly away.

“Yes, I am aware.” 

“It has been twice.”

“Yes. Yes, it has. What is your point, Lady Ilse?”

There is a sharp tension in Kaiser’s voice, one that holds an air of command and yet annoyance. Though, the latter takes skill to notice, and Ness had every reason to believe she possessed it. Lady Ilse’s head is kept bowed forward.

“Forgive me if I am wrong, but I believe the rule is now that you are not to go into town, my Prince. Surely, you have not forgotten?” Her smile melts on her face, but drips with amusement. Melting in her dark dark eyes, dull and engulfing. Kaiser continues on as if he has not noticed.

“No. The guards were with me. Surely they are enough for you? Or should I bring six next time? You seem so indecisive these days, dear Ilse.”

Her amusement comes to an abrupt stop.

Ness shoots his eyes to the floor. 

Silence hangs in the air for a weighty, compressed moment in time. Even with his gaze on the ground, he can feel their stares at each other through the thick air. So thick, Ness feels the need to hold in his breath. 

Continuing for seconds. 

Still seconds and minutes.

Where the sound of the stained-glass light could be heard,

Bouncing off their faces. 

“That is not the issue.”

“Then explain please. Perhaps there is something I am not understanding.” Kaiser said, with a clear question in his voice.

She narrows her eyes, as if she herself is questioning that very tone, but then gives a soft smile. “Of course not. You already understand everything perfectly.” Rather than elaborating, the woman steps forward, and faces Prince Kaiser directly just a few feet away. Her smile and eyes tell completely different stories. First, the narrow dark eyes, fixed on Kaiser.

And Ness.

“From now on, you will be timed. One of the guards will be in charge of that. You must be accompanied by 4 at all times, and they are to report to me if otherwise. Just a few short months away, my Prince. Precautions are necessary.. After all…it would be a shame if anything were to happen before your beloved soul ceremony, would it not?”

Then her smile, dripping across her face, stinging the ground. 

Kaiser stays silent.

He gives a nod, and excuses himself away.

He goes into the right door facing the entrance, and Ness follows, prying his eyes away from the woman still watching them over to the Prince, and down to the scroll he is gripping ever fiercer. His robotic steps go on until he opens the door and they stand in the isolated narrow hallway, now fully disappeared from the woman’s gaze. 

Kaiser stops.

“You are free to leave.”

Ness stiffens. Kaiser is speaking to him, he realizes. Even though all Ness can see is the back of his head. 

Still, he bows in response.

“Forgive me, but I am afraid I can not. I am required to stay nearby for the time being.”

“And by whose orders?”

“The Inner Circle’s, my Prince.”

Prince Kaiser does not respond. From his right, light sprinkling in from the transparent glass windows of the hall frames his side, and makes his blue rose mark glimmer. He clears his throat.

“Very well.”

He does not speak to him again. 

When they exited, Kaiser’s duties took initiative.

For the rest of the daylight hours, they enter from room to room, hall to hall, where Kaiser attends everything from meetings from kingdoms overseas to the planning and checking off of the events scheduled for the week. Ness watches and listens, but never speaks.

His position is to be on the right side of Prince Kaiser, and a few feet behind him. If Kaiser were to do anything suspect though, he is permitted to move a step to the right or one forward to peer over. But otherwise he is to be still, and silent. 

Silence is the key. 

Ness makes sure to note everything though, as he always did. Especially today in particular.

After all, Kaiser was much quieter during the representatives’ meeting. 

His signatures on the documents were messier. 

He hestitated before entering the guard room.

He passed by a room before retreating to go in. 

He was zoned out, never quite paying attention.

He did not once look up at the family portrait on the 5th hall.

By the time they arrive at the office, where Prince Kaiser’s paperwork begins and Ness’s service ends, he has gotten all the information he needs and comes to a conclusion.  

Something is clearly distracting the Prince. 

It must have been this morning. The peculiar morning where everything began odd and different. An event that is keeping his mind busy. 

Perhaps it is the conversation with Lady Ilse, and her underlying threat. But those types of interactions between the Inner Council members and the Prince are nothing new. One would have to be utterly oblivious to not see the tension that has long existed between them. Perhaps it is the trip to the shop. The items, the jewel and scroll. 

It can be, but what proof does he have that shows that was the case? 

All he knows is that Kaiser has something on his mind. The question is only what. 

Ness looks out at the windows painted across the large hallway walls. 

They tower tall and high before him, looming in a way that is not threatening. The whites of the frames and the blues of the curtains are saturated in a light warm orange, mixed in with reds and purples at its very edges. It spills into the hall, until the air becomes nothing but drenched in the rays of the setting sun. So much so Ness feels like he could breathe in the warmth of those colors and take them in as his own. As if he is feeling its life while drowning with every step.

Judging from those colors, they are just a short time away before dark. 

Ness peels his eyes away and focuses back on the growing hall before him. One that stretches on and on and on until eventually fading away into obscurity. A small insignificant darkness looms at the very end. Dull and dead.  

It is sunset, yet there is still so much left in the day. 

~

He feels the familiar two-doored entrance before he sees it. 

Down on the 8th corridor, in the most silent part of the castle. The most lifeless. Only offices and important meeting boards litter the hall, where the few faces Ness saw are that of the highest of royal officials. The townspeople who occasionally visit know well not to come here. Even the prince himself rarely frequents this place. 

Feeling the back of his hand with his thumb, Ness stops in front of the entrance. 

This is the only room in the hall with two doors leading in and an engraved wooden sign on the wall, smooth and placed high above the entrance. The words are large and easy to read.

Inner Circle Board

He takes a deep breath.

And carefully draws a door open. 

“Ah, you could make it after all.”

Spacious and high-ceilinged, the Inner Circle board room is filled in gray and brown, wood and metals, silver and stones, and perhaps some other precious jewels scattered about. Peaks of pearly whites dot the walls, but for the most part the dull hue has engulfed the roundtable meeting, a reality hidden by the blinding light coming from the windows. Blinding white light. 

Tables and cabinets and drawers line the edges of the walls, and for the first few feet beyond the entrance, the floor stays largely empty. At least before the steps to the upper ledge.

Ness walks forward, making sure to stare straight ahead, and goes up onto the steps. He deepens his stance into a bow at the top. 

In front of him, a large round table takes up the room. 8 seats wrap around 2/3rds of the table, and out of those 8, 6 members are present. Various papers sit in front of each and in the center of the rich brown surface, there lies a small dial, slowly ticking and ticking forward. 

Ness mindlessly counts them as he stares at the floor.

“At your service.” He stands straight back up. 

Judging by the papers sitting in front of the members, they were having a meeting before this, and moved time specifically for his designated slot. Not an uncommon act, but a nerve-inducing one nonetheless. He feels a pair of eyes staring at him from the right, and breathes in a little deeper.

“On point as usual, very well,” the center-head chair says. He is an older man, with growing in white hair at his roots and a large, rough face. His words carry a low rumble, but float with a sort of airiness behind them, like they are soft gray clouds drawn across the sky. That is, until he turns to the right, right to that pair of eyes, and those clouds wisps away.

“Now, Lady Ilse?” 

Ness turns slightly to look at her, and sure enough, she has a soft, smooth smile on her face. Dark eyes to peer with right across. 

Ness feels their heaviness upon him. The morning flashes in his mind.

“Thank you, Sir Adal. Now, I am sure you are all aware of this morning, but the Prince went into town without a word despite our insistence on otherwise. In fact, it seems he did so in utter disobedience. A rebellion, if you will.” 

She stops to the endless nodding all around. 

“Granted, this is nothing unusual for a boy his age, to go against those who have done so much for him…”

Her eyes that have been scanning across the room land on Ness with those words. 

Ness stares at her back.

“But, of course that does not change that such a thing holds trouble for us. So Ness,”

Her smile responds.

“The report, please.”

And his feet stay firmly planted. 

His head nods. 

“Of course.”

And the words begin to spill. 

“Prince Kaiser went into the Teno marketplace this morning, shortly before high noon. 4 of the lowest ranked guards accompanied him and came equipped with the newest soul mark devices. Many gifts were given from the townspeople. They are all at the 4th meeting hall for closer inspection if needed. The destination was a jewel shop on the 4th row, 7th stall, and once we arrived, he did not allow the guards to come closer. 

“A peculiar interaction was exchanged with the shopkeeper, a middle-aged man with a green snake soul mark on his wrist. Little was said, and the shopkeeper was nervous. The Prince simply said he wanted a sapphire and the man gave him a small bag. It is unclear if it holds the jewel. He also received the jewel’s scroll, to which the Prince is currently holding onto very tightly. He held these items himself after receiving them.

“After the conversation with Lady Ilse, he told me I am free to leave, which would have left him alone. However, after being informed of your orders, he did not debate on the topic. For the rest of the day, the Prince has been careless, sloppy, and distracted in his duties. This continued until he went into his room and office for the night. That is all.”

He breathes out a bit. 

All 6 members are staring at him, or rather, listening and focusing on what they just heard. Their eyes are fixed into place. Pressing against his shoulders, silence weighs the air, its tenseness quickly taking the place of oxygen. The room becomes filled with it until the stares become suffocating, and Ness has to dart his gaze to the floor. 

He tightens his grip on his hand. Takes in another breath.

Counting the seconds as they pass. 

And feels the skin beneath his fingers.

“Thank you, Ness.” 

Ness looks up. 

“Amazing job as always.” 

Lady Ilse gives him a smile, gentle and curved.

The stickiness of the air evaporates. Ness nods with a blank face, but in his mind, he is responding with a smile of his own. 

The head chair nods, and leans back against his chair. “I see. Well, we will have to keep a close eye on him then. Lady Ilse, what did you say to the boy?”

“Not much at all, Sir. Simply more restrictions on his leaving and coming, to limit his options. Whatever he may be doing or scheming, it all but renders useless if he is unable to be alone to do them.”

Next to Lady Ilse, a short woman with chin-length hair and a plump face nods enthusiastically.

“Of course, of course! But Lady Ilse, I am afraid that perhaps this will make the Prince more likely to do more actions behind our backs. Is it not a saying that one is more likely to do something if it is against the rules?” Her delicate eyes scrunches with worry.

“Maybe if we were talking about any other teenage boy,” said another man from across the table. To the left of the center, skinny and tall and can not be more than 30. Dark hair frames around his deep angular eyes, where further eyeshadow has been placed beneath to enhance their effect. His chapped lips presses thinly. “But this is the Prince. His level of perception far exceeds that of any other his age. I doubt he would do something so idiotic. Especially if he is aware of what we are aware of him.”

Sir Adal nods from beside him. “Siene is right. But Lady Helena has valid concerns. 

“The Prince is aware of us just as much as we are of him, that much is no question. If he knows our objectives, I see a possibility where he could break completely from our control, and become a loose threat under the guise that he has nothing to lose. In a way, this would benefit our case. To run rampage and eventually…”

He takes in a breath, closing his eyes for just a second as if to see something beneath the darkness of his eyelids, and lets it out again. 

“But I doubt we would be that lucky. For the Prince to do such a thing would be unimaginable.”

The table falls silent. 

And the last word lingers in the air. 

Feeling a heaviness descend on them once again, Ness looks around at all their faces, and the dullness that has engulfed their expressions. It is such a far-cry from the usual that Ness becomes tense. What is this shared thought? And how is it that he has no part? 

What does Sir Adal mean by what he said? Is the “thing” he is referring to not the possibility to break away like he said? Or is he referring to something else? 

What are they hiding from him?

“Then let us just continue to keep an eye on him.”

Ness looks over. Right side of the center chair, next to where Sir Adal was sitting grimly, a woman settles her arms on the table. Her long red hair sways slightly, and her tall stature towers over them all. Eyes which are rimmed with glistening red eyeshadow yet drooping tiredly glide across the still, quiet room.

And land beside her. 

“Sir Adal, the climate is changing,” she says. Her voice naturally holds a sing-songy undertone, but when dropped, it feels more like a funeral song complete with bells and all, like a cloud rumbling across the atmosphere. 

A mirror reflection that makes Sir Adal stop to look back at her as she continues. 

“Within this past week, two monster attacks have occurred. On opposite sides of the kingdom. We have discussed this but consider for a moment what this might mean. 

“Even if no one died in the attacks, the fear still lingers. The townspeople are scared. The Prince’s people are scared. What they need the most to feel safe is not the strongest defenses nor the absence of monsters. It is a figure to look up to. To admire and worship. Do you not think that the son of the most beloved King in this kingdom’s history would know that? Do you not think that he would be well aware of this fact and act with it in mind? That he would stop at nothing to achieve it, and cherish the last thing left to him by the King?”

“My point is,” she says, ”no matter how you look at it, that boy is the King’s son. He cares deeply for his people. And he would not do anything to harm them. Sir Adal, he will not commit such a thing. That much I am certain of. But it is a weakness we can exploit. 

“The preparations are mostly finished. For now, all we can do is to continue to keep an eye on him. It may just be the best chance we have.”

The woman settles back against her chair, and the Inner Circle glances around each other. Sir Adal coughs. 

“Thank you, Lady Leonie, for your contribution.” Lady Leonie scoffs. 

Lady Helena puts her hand against her face. Her usual droopy eyes, sad instead of tired like Lady Leonie, becomes watery. 

“Oh, I have heard of the monster attacks...”

“Acres upon acres of destroyed houses,” Sir Adal says, closing his eyes. “It would take a lot of time and many men to reconstruct them all. And the aid from the other kingdoms can only go so far.”

Sir Siene nods, and ticks his tongue. “Well, this could have all been prevented if those careless townspeople and stationed guards had taken our precautions seriously, and properly checked every soul mark. But apparently that takes too much work for their feeble minds to handle. All that spent on new items and spells for the new devices only for it to land on a bunch of ignorant gossipy fools-”

“Siene.”

Sir Siene stops. His eyes widen. He glances over to Sir Adal, who has a warned expression on his face. 

His eyes are fixed facing right beside him. Right at Lady Helena.

Her eyes are watery and shaky.

“The destruction they have caused, tricks and games meant to do nothing but hurt….Those wretched beings… horrible horrible creatures, all of them!”

Her trembling outburst is soothed by Lady Leonie slowly rubbing her back. Lady Helena wipes her eyes. 

“Thank goodness we have captured them this time. To think we live in the same world as those…disgusting monsters! Wretched… wretched creatures…”

The rest of the table stays quiet with their heads down. All that is heard through the silence is Lady Helena’s sobs. Her teary pained words slipping out.  Vibrating across the spacious, high-ceilinged room, coming out as if they are tearing straight from her soul and laying out for display for them all to see. A rawness not meant to be seen and a grief still yet to be processed.  

Ness is trembling too. 

His hands, clenching one another. 

Clawing through their backs. 

Shaking violently with the urge to tear the skin right off. 

As if that would fix everything. 

But other than that, he stays as still as possible. As calm as he can while Lady Helena sobs and sobs. He even switches hands to clutch, in hopes of making the feeling go away. 

Eventually chairs scrap the floor, and when Ness looks up, there are empty spots where Lady Helena and Lady Leonie would be. Just 4 chairs left makes the table feel empty and void.

The dial blinks and dings.

“Ah,” Sir Adal says, “Time is up.” He reaches forward to click the dial back into place, and stop the ringing.

“Ness.” 

Ness straightens up. “Yes, Sir?”

“Tomorrow there will be a change of plans. As a result of the recent monster attacks. We will hold assemblies in the townsquares of Hosek and Konto. A showcase for the townspeople to raise their spirits. Inform the Prince of these activities, and that he is to meet with the officers in the morning for further instruction. That is all.”

Ness bows forward. “Yes, sir.”

As he exits the room, the glimpses he got of the looks of the Inner Circle bore trenches into his mind. The stoic stares from Sir Adal, Lady Ilse, Sir Harian, settling upon the sounds of weeping Lady Helena, and Lady Leonie surely comforting her. 

But what stands out the most is the look of a member who has not spoken the entire meeting. Who lies largely in silence. 

Sir Hadrian. Brother of Lady Helena, sitting in the 3rd overall chair, next to Sir Siene. In the brief glimpse he got, Ness did not see his usual stern and mean expression, but a sorrowful one, complete with watery eyes. Eyes that are small, but droop naturally at the edge with a curve. It is one of the few similiarties he shares with Lady Helena. 

It looks like the mention of monsters touched his soul too, and made it tear open.

Ness closes the door. 

Monsters do not have to be physically present to hurt people. Simply its existence sends ripples throughout them all, denying them the illusion of safety and lingering as a constant threat over their heads. Its presence, defined by the destruction it causes. 

Creatures with no emotion, no mercy, no love, no humanity, distinctly marked by its very lack of a soul mark. And it can be living among them as they speak. Just the idea that something like that could exist is enough to send terror into anyone, and make them fall apart. 

But for Ness, it only makes his hand sear even more.

~

He arrives at the Prince’s bedroom door before he knows it. 

Two guards stand in front. With no armor on, they only bear the uniform of the lounging castle staff, mismatched with their resting angry expression. Tiny squinted eyes, eyebrows pointed inwards, small faces and mouths on top of large arms and chests. Their bodies appear almost naked without the glints of silver and metal all over. 

After one scans his hand and gives the go ahead, Ness steps up to the door, and slowly pushes it. It is heavy, yet free-flowing, and draws carefully open.

Warm air rushes to his skin. 

The royal bedroom is large, and spacious. Many things cover the walls and floor, and yet somehow, it feels empty at the same time.  

The Prince is sitting inside, at the very far desk. His back is to the door and arched slightly forward. 

Both of his arms rests on the desk and his hair is tied up, allowing the blue roses soul mark on his neck to put itself on display. Glimmering and shining like night has just fallen. Right in the darkness of the room, where only dim lanterns and candles scatter about. A stylistic ancient look drenched in the darkest colors. No wonder the sparkling blue pops out like the brightest star. 

Like the first of the night. 

The Prince stops, and turns his head slightly up. 

Ness jumps. 

Ah, right. 

“My Prince.”

Prince Kaiser turns around. Light from the desk’s lamp rims around his silhouette, reflecting off the planes of his face and making highlights in his narrowed eyes. He stares at Ness with pressed lips. As if Ness’s sudden presence has given him yet another thing to think about. 

Ness lets out his held breath, and bows forward quickly. When he looks back up, he notices the desk is completely empty where Kaiser was previously looking at. As if nothing was ever there. 

Ness pretends he does not notice.

“I have a message from the Inner Circle. There has been a change of plans for tomorrow. They will be holding assemblies in the townsquares of Hosek and Konto, in light of the recent monster attacks, and your presence is required. You are to visit the officers in the morning for further instruction.”

The Prince does not say anything, staring once again silently at Ness for far longer than he is comfortable with. Then he slowly gives a nod.

Ness lets out another silent breath. The tension in his hands and chest fades. The task is done.

His eyes peel away from the Prince’s ever stoic face, and scans around the room. Despite being so dark, he can spot every sense of light that matches the Prince’s, in both his eyes and soul mark. The marks of blue that feel scattered all over, and the touches that make it feel his. 

That is no surprise, of course, as this room is only an extension of the castle. His castle. This is what the Prince gives with his presence. A feeling that fills any empty void with its beating heart of life. 

It is no wonder Ness rarely comes here. This is a world too far away from his.  

He turns to leave.

“Ness.”

Only to stop in his tracks. 

He twists around to see Prince Kaiser turning back away from the desk and looking squarely at him, his chair fully turned in his direction. That expression that was filled with contemplation and uncertainty and questioning, that all but seemed unnatural on his face, has been exchanged for a new one. For an emotion Ness can not quite put a finger on. 

Kaiser’s eyes stagger on Ness, but eventually they rip away to look towards one of the few windows in the room, facing the night sky. The stars, the absent moon, the clouds hiding them all. And for a brief moment, Ness thinks he hears the Prince take in a silent breath of his own. 

“Are you aware of the old 5th star tale?”

Ness blinks. 

“...what?”

Prince Kaiser has a small smile on his face, but for some reason, it looks different from the one he gave to the townspeople this morning. Where that smile sits on his face with polite dignity, this one reaches up and pinches the corners of his eyes, not afraid to contort into a state where the lamp’s warm light blatantly shows the new small folded wrinkles. Ness can hardly believe his eyes. 

“My father said it to me once,” he says. “That from the 5th star to ever appear in the sky, there emerged the ancient people of our ancestors, setting foot on this new land. It was barren and hollow, empty for all where the eye could see. They tried to give it life, again and again, but eventually gave up. Afterwards, every single one of them left, all except for one young man. Because while everyone said it was hopeless, while he was called insane, crazy, and a fool, he still believed the land had hope and promise. He was left alone for decades.”

His hand that had been resting on the desk comes up to close in around his neck, resting on it slightly. His palm settles on the blue roses. 

“When they came back, they couldn’t believe their eyes. He’d succeeded, and the land had been reborn.”

Prince Kaiser turns his head back around, to face Ness again, only this time it is with that wrinkly, squinty eyed smile that somehow grew larger. “It is an old fable. From a time when gods and deities still existed. Naturally, it is false, and now we see it as nothing more but a child’s tale. But you’ve heard of it before, right?”

While he has still never seen this look on the Prince, something about it did not feel as unnatural as the prior. In fact, for one reason or another, this one felt safer, and more comfortable. Fitted on him perfectly, like a suit tailored just for his size. Different, but not unrecognizable. 

Ness looks down to the ground in response.

“Yes, I believe I have.”

“I still think about it from time to time… I just wanted to know if I was the only one who still cares about that old tale.” Kaiser laughs. A light laugh, slightly rough but in a polished way. Sweet and airy. Captivating, even. 

Ness does not know what he expected, but it certainly was not that. To hear and see Kaiser act in this way. To witness these polished cracks in perfected marble. It feels he is intruding, like he is overhearing something he should not hear, like he is being mistaken for someone he is not. From his knowledge, no one else has seen this side of this Prince. What has he done to be any different?

A part of him wants to ask, but he can not bring himself to look up to meet his eyes. No matter how comforting this new expression that the Prince has gained is, something about it makes Ness unable to look at it for too long. 

Luckily, Prince Kaiser has moved his attention away to look back at the window. He seems like he is entranced with it. No, Ness realizes, it is not the window he is entranced with. It is the stars in the night sky. 

Perhaps he truly is captivated by that tale. And has decided to share it with him. 

“But in any case, that children’s tale does not matter much now. After all, it isn’t too far off now,” Kaiser says, wistfully. “Just a few short months away.”

The soul ceremony. From the way he says it, the words sound more like an echo than anything. 

He turns back around and settles his arms on his knees; his stare presses deep. Ness can see it from the edges of his vision. 

“Are you excited?”

Ness hesitates before nodding. “Everyone is, my Prince. It has been years since they have had a proper king.” He regretted those words immediately as soon as he said them. His eyes flick up to see the Prince’s reaction, but to his surprise, not a thing about his appearance changed. 

“Yes, I suppose that’s true,” Prince Kaiser says. “It always has been for the people. But I am not asking about them. Surely, as my righthand man, you are excited as well, are you not? I don’t think I’ve ever seen even a sliver of a smile cross your face.”

The idea that Prince Kaiser would be thinking of something like that made Ness’s mind come to a halt and his heart jump to his throat. He attempts to stammer a response. 

“I-I have no time for any of the sort. Your wellbeing is of my highest priority, my Prince. I am of no importance. I exist solely for your sake.” The lies make his tongue grow bitter. But in many ways, they are not entirely untrue. It is just not the Prince that they all apply to. 

Kaiser stares at him for a long time. 

“Well, that’s a shame then. Because I think you’re quite interesting.” 

He puts a hand to his cheek, and leans against it with a smile. A boldly cocky, flirty smile.  

His blue rose mark glimmers against the lamplight. 

Ness has not noticed when the tension in his hands faded away during their conversation, but it immediately flares up again. Not in an achy throbbing way, but in a way that sends chills down his spine. And his heart rate pick up tenfold. 

Kaiser continues talking. “Soulmate or not, everyone here is awfully lonely. Nothing I can do can change that. But even so, we all hold our own value, whether we see it or not. Whether we are using it well or not.” He holds on especially to that last sentence, and Ness clutches his hand even harder. 

“Perhaps that is the only thing we have control over. As for me…”

The Prince glances out the window. 

“No matter what, in a few months, I will be the king of this kingdom. I’ll make sure of it.”

He looks back, and with his smile now fallen, his face settles back into a daring stare. Locking his eyes with Ness, he searches for the truth with his words.

“So I will repeat myself, Ness. Will you be there when I do?”

This is a test. Treading the fields on Ness’s loyalty and searching for the cracks and lies. The secrets that keep his lips sealed and that weigh his steps down. The possibility that Kaiser knows Ness’s true motives strucks him, but he quickly shakes it off. 

Ness has done nothing to make himself suspicious. He has made sure of it. Prince Kaiser is not aware of his meetings with the Inner Circle, nor of his connection to them. For all he knows, Ness has hardly even spoken with any of the members. 

Perhaps he is simply suspicious of everyone. Yes, that must be it. Kaiser knows the Inner Circle’s motives, so he must be testing as many as he can to search for more traitors. 

Nonetheless, Ness knows his answer. 

He is loyal to the Inner Circle. And if they succeed, Prince Kaiser will never become King. 

That is a reality he has always been working for. A future he is giving his life for. No, that future is the entire reason his life exists. 

All he has to do is lie to Kaiser’s question, not even to say a single word. Just a nod would be enough.

So then why is he hesitating to do so? Why does Prince Kaiser’s flirty smile keep replaying in his mind over and over, and why has that heartrate pulsing in his ears and throat not settled down? It is such a simple look, that stare and those eyes, but for one reason or another, it has stripped him bare completely. 

But as he replays that smile over and over, the truth settles on him in a bitter taste, leeching away any warm feeling he might have had. 

That smile was not for him. And he would be foolish to think Prince Kaiser would ever be interested in him that way. Not with his soulmate ceremony so close on the horizon. It is clear Kaiser acted the way he did because of that question alone, and to make him vulnerable enough to expose any disloyalty; that was his entire intention. 

But the thought that it could have been genuine is so nice and warm that it does not want to leave. He does not either. He wants to indulge himself in it, to drown in that delusion. 

So when Ness finally brings himself to meet those eyes that are staring deep into his own, against all rationality and sense, he pretends he can see that boldly cocky, flirty smile all over again, and a smile finds its way to his lips. 

“Of course, my Prince.”

And for a second, he almost believes it.

Prince Kaiser stays silent; his stare on Ness does not move at all, still searching and searching and searching.

Then his expression softened. “I hope out of anyone, it will be you. It is getting late now, you should start heading off.”

Despite all the questions running through his mind with that response, one that simultaneously puts him on edge and makes his heart flip one more time, Ness obeys. But as he grabs the door’s handle, he finds himself glancing back over to where Prince Kaiser is turned back around towards the desk. 

“By the way,” Kaiser says without turning around. “You should smile more. It suits you.”

Ness’s hand stops. Just for a second.

Then without a word, he exits the room. 

When he enters the hallway, the guards hardly give him a glance. In the night sky, it seems that the clouds have finally parted away. Faint moonlight spills into the floor from the wall-sized windows, a coolness that contrasts the warmness of tiny lights scattered about. 

Compared to the Prince’s bedroom, the hall is cold. He keeps his hands in the small pockets of his pants as he walks down, as much of them as he can fit. But the cold still bit at him anyway. 

This is nonsense. All of it. Prince Kaiser has no interest in him, not in the slightest. Besides, it would not even matter in the slightest. Prince Kaiser has a soul mark; he has a soulmate. He is by the far the most important person to have a soulmate. 

And Ness…

Ness does not. 

His hand begins to ache, and he snatches it to clutch it closely to his chest. 

It is said that one’s soul is located in their heart, and that is why people with soul marks on their necks or stomach are the strongest in terms of power. Soul in tandem with soul marks equates to power. Ness wonders how that would apply to someone like him. Someone who had theirs taken away.

None of it is fair, not in the slightest. And he hates himself for it every second of the day. Logically, he knows who he should blame: the monsters that took his soul mark away from him. For the longest time, he could not help looking down at his hands and seeing the bareness of either side, the utter lack of any mark, and seeing more of the monster that took it away than the human that he supposedly is.   

And now, the fake soul mark on his hand feels like it has the words, “traitor” written all over it. 

If Prince Kaiser knew, he would not have acted the way he did, even if it was a means to an end. Ness has known that since the beginning. 

And yet, he can not shake off the racing heart rate in his chest. The feeling of the radiance he was able to witness from the Prince that has always been so heavily talked about and gossiped. Some of it can still be felt, spread across the deepest part of his core that he did not even know existed. It still stays, ingrained into his chest. The townspeople’s words sink into his mind. 

“To be captivated by him happens all too often. And it takes only an instant to be utterly entranced, and unsalvageable.”

So this–this is what it means to be captivated by Prince Kaiser. 

As Ness’s steps echo across the ever-growing hall, he takes in a deep, shaky breath. 

None of this matters. Not with the soul ceremony so close on the horizon. If they succeed, then Prince Kaiser will no longer be an issue, and all of this will be meaningless. Only a few short months left. 

Until then, Ness’s loyalty is to the Inner Circle. Tomorrow he will report the conversation, and prove his usefulness once again. 

They have already done so much for him; he can not betray them. 

Not when they trust him so deeply. 

The thought brings an easiness to his tense hands and a comforting warmness in his chest. 

 “You should smile more. It suits you.”

The moonlight shines behind him as Ness brings a smile to his face.