The sound of hasty steps echoed through stone corridors. Robes fluttered like veils. Instructors and veterans crossed the halls, surrounded by the anxiety of young people who would soon tread the divine path. Some newbies sweated even without physical effort, not because of the heat, but the weight of expectation.
"Did anyone see that hooded boy? He needs to get his tunic and get ready!"
Alinys knew very well who she was referring to, and for a moment she moved instinctively to offer herself and look for her own brother. However, another person raised his hand and approached with a calm smile on his face.
"You can let on me, I know where he is".
"Thank you, Mikhal. Make sure he's here on time."
Mikhal smiled as he picked up the impeccably folded white robe. As he turned to leave the huge hall where everyone was getting ready, he passed Alinys and looked at her with an eye-corner. Giving her an enigmatic smile, Mikhal received the purple eyes full of mistrust in return.
Discreetly he crossed the sea of newbies, leaving the main hall of the academy. Even the halls were busy, with servants and priests carrying boxes and furniture to finish the decoration of the largest temple in the city of Othea.
The erudite temple
It was there that would take place the ceremony of coming of age that year.
Fleeing from all the chaos of tidying, Mikhal crossed the garden to escape the glances. No one would have seen the secret passage where he crossed to reach the small and abandoned temple.
It was enough to step on the first slab buried in the wet earth to feel the intense presence.
Suppressing every shudder in his spine, Mikhal crossed the garden and stopped at temple's door. Peeking, he saw Cale kneeling praying. His voice was a whisper, but still Mikhal was able to hear part of his prayer.
"Time Lords... guardians of fate... let me pass through this day without stumbling."
A mysterious and devout figure, and with such a simple prayer without asking for glory or power. Clearly someone worthy of your curiosity and pity.
Giving light knocks on the door, saw the hood move when the boy turned his head over his shoulder.
"Oh, it's you again."
Opening a half smile, Mikhal entered the temple in silent steps.
"The instructors were looking for you, but you seem to run away from crowds" stopping to walk, Mikhal raised his arm where the white robe was hanging. "Time to change."
"How nice of you to bring my closet here."
Holding the laughter, Mikhal approached him and reached for the cape he was wearing. He understood what Aries felt about that boy, although Mikhal did not think it would be so deep.
"Can I?", Cale hesitated. It was clear that he never intended to lower the hood in front of him. His attitude was lovely. "Relax. I don't intend to tell anyone if you have a third eye or something."
"Wow, one more point for your kindness", Cale laughed, and then sighed defeated. "Go ahead, then."
Mikhal's fingers wrapped in the cords of the robe, loosening the knot carefully. The hood slid down, revealing the dark hair like charcoal and the purple eyes like amethysts. Mikhal had to suppress surprise in seeing that beautiful and jovial face for the first time under the light.
It was not only the question of beauty that surprised Mikhal.
"What? You're staring at me in a strange way..."
Ah, he was still on high guard. Mikhal relaxed his shoulders and smiled calmly, pulling the cover off Cale's shoulders.
"You're very handsome. I'm surprised you've been hiding your beauty like this for a month."
"Will there be some kind of evaluation on the veterans' performance? You are complimenting me and talking too much."
"Haha, if have, I expect good compliments, okay?"
Mikhal unfolded the white robe and threw it at Cale carefully. He made sure that each of his touches was soft, without hurting him. Not that there was any danger, but Mikhal felt an extreme need to be cautious. Perhaps he was teasing him a little, since he noticed the tense shoulders of Cale.
As he was about to raise his hood, a hand held his wrist. The shadow cast on the floor was the first thing that changed the temperature of the room. Mikhal did not have to turn to know who it was.
"I see that the jealous is always on alert."
Aries, who stared at Mikhal furiously, clenched his fingers around the veteran's wrist. Cale watched them, raising his eyebrow without understanding what was happening. However, he was surprised by the silent and sudden arrival of Aries.
"What do you think you're doing, Mikhal?"
"Doing my duty. The boy fled from the hall and the instructors asked me to hand over the robe and take him back to the hall, where they will leave for the Erudite Temple."
"And is he a child to need your help in wearing a simple tunic?" growled Aries.
"Don't know if I feel flattered or offended" Cale interfered, pulling the hood on his own, covering his head.
Mikhal let out a low laugh, noticing Aries' intense look on him. keeping the expression serene, provocation came soon after. Moving his hand away, and opening space not to be shot so much, he continued:
"You know Aries, if you spend two more seconds staring at me like that, someone might think it's us two who are in contention here."
"Shut up, Mikhal" replied Aries, turning his eyes to Cale. "Do not make mistakes, as you have done during training."
"Difficult task, I've been used to being humiliated publicly", Cale raised his head and stared back, opening a provocative smile. "But I wouldn't mind if someone returned the favor and treated any wound of mine."
Mikhal raised his eyebrows in surprise and turned to Aries waiting for some explanation. To his surprise again, what he saw was an expression full of anger and shame.
Now, now, what did we have there?
"Stop talking nonsense, boy. Let's go. They are already waiting for you to leave for the temple."
Mikhal crossed his arms, still with the same calm smile on his lips. It was quite amusing.
"Good luck to you."
Cale, who had already turned to follow Aries, suddenly stopped and stared at Mikhal under his hood.
"You're not coming?"
"No. I'm trying to avoid someone."
The intensity of those amethysts caught Mikhal unawares. The feeling of being chained and bound to the ground, where lies would not be allowed, almost suffocated him. Unfortunately, his words carried sincerity. Mikhal was only omitting details.
Cale nodded silently and continued his way out of that little abandoned temple. Only the judgment-filled look of Aries remained, who silently followed the boy.
But Mikhal's words came out faster.
"Stay alert, Aries" When the guardian stopped again, Mikhal knew he had his attention, and continued. "Yvaine said that a storm is coming."
"Humpf."
Mikhal watched those two leave. Although it was fun to follow the change in Aries, what really worried him was the itch behind his ear, that itching that made him stay alert for being a bad omen.
Raising his colorful eyes up from the temple door, Mikhal saw the clear blue sky as if nothing was going to happen. However, in the distance, near mountains that seemed mere shadows, heavy clouds brought anxiety.
The way back was quiet. The sound of dry leaves under their feet marked a hesitant rhythm, as if neither of them wanted to get too fast.
Aries walked with arms crossed, shoulders tense, gaze fixed in front of him. Cale, on the other hand, was more loose — kicking pebbles along the way, eyes strolling through the shadows of the trees. But there was a clear restlessness in their gestures. A desire to break the silence. Or perhaps, to understand what kept him so attached to that presence next door.
"You always appear out of nowhere" he commented, without looking at him. "I start to think that you have some kind of emotional radar. Or even a persecution mania."
"You always run away from where you should be."
"It is not escape if the place where I was was silent and sacred", Cale provoked, pretending indignation. "And honestly, it's better than that crowded hall."
Aries let out a discreet sigh.
"Mikhal should not have touched you."
"I thought you were going to beat me for this" said Cale, laughing.
"I thought about it."
The silence returned, this time more dense. Cale looked at the corner, expecting some playful expression, some irony. However, Aries remained serious. Tense. As if he had more to say but did not find the right form.
"Do you have a problem with it?" he asked.
"I have a problem with people who get too close."
Cale raised an eyebrow, but did not comment. An uncomfortable silence hovered for a few steps. It was clear that something was bothering Aries, it was too serious after hearing the warning of Mikhal.
"So... do you think something will go wrong?" he let loose, suddenly more serious.
"I don't know. But when the air gets like this, heavy... I feel it. As if something is waiting to happen."
"In my opinion, which you did not ask for and even so I will give it, I doubt very much that anything can go wrong considering the moment. I mean... We will be surrounded by gods."
Aries was slow to respond.
"I don't know. But you... attract things. And people. And problems."
Cale let out a muffled laugh.
"I'm glad you put me in the same category of 'things' and 'problems'."
Aries stopped, finally staring at him.
"I will be supervising the ceremony along with the guard of the gods. I'll be watching you, so don't do anything other than what was rehearsed at the Academy."
The sentence came dry. Almost like an order. But his eyes said something else.
Cale hesitated for a second.
"Are you afraid of losing me at sight?"
"No." Aries looked away. "I just think it's easier to stop you from doing something stupid if it's within arm's reach."
"How romantic. Just ask me to walk hand in hand."
But there was something that bothered Cale too.
After all, Aries interjected when Mikhal was going to adjust his hood, and now he said something about "getting too close". This gave him room to interpret it in many ways. Each one of them leaving Cale anxious.
And he was willing to clear up any problem.
Cale stopped walking and kept his eyes down on the ground.
"The ceremony is about to happen, and everything will end. Everything will go back to how it was before."
Aries took two more steps before noticing and turning his face.
"So what?"
"And then I will return to my village, where I will begin my priesthood. As for you, you will probably continue on your way as Guardian of the warriors."
"Hm? What? You really want me to hold your hand like a goodbye?"
A bitter taste emerged in the mouth of Cale to admit that. It made no sense for him to feel a void just by imagining that he would not see Aries sleeping on top of a tree after arriving from a mission. Or to see him in his baby dragon form, slapping the tail on his head when Cale irritates him.
It made no sense!
But he missed just imagining.
Stopping to walk, Cale looked back at Aries. His hand held the warrior's wrist, feeling the heat and blood pulsing in his veins.
"What if I want to?"
"What did you said?"
"And if I want to hold your hand as a way of saying goodbye, what will you do?" Cale stared at him, taking a step forward. "Aren't you curious to know what it is that we have? Why do we keep meeting? Why do I care so much... and always end up looking for you when you're not around?"
Staring at Aries, Cale could see the surprise. He was acting strange, but Cale had to admit to himself: he didn't want to be away from Aries.
"We met in this academy, I discovered your secret, took care of your wounds and even provoked you every time we met. But at the end... all because of something that constantly attracts me to you. I want to figure it out before I leave."
"Haa... So what do you want to do, kid? It's not like it's easy to prove something as abstract as-"
Cale just did the unthinkable.
He kissed Aries briefly. A touch of lips ephemeral, but soft. His mouth tingled subtly, and butterflies appeared in his stomach making his heart speed. When Cale moved away, he noticed those green eyes looking at him surprised.
Aries didn't expect that, of course. But it was a satisfactory result. Cale felt it was the right way. That is because it was full of everything that had not been said. Even more so now that he saw something in Aries' look, which seemed to complement it.
What he did not expect was also Aries pull him by the waist and kiss him again, with more will and intensity. The hot hand against his back, the strength of lips that answered the question Cale had asked.
For the first time Cale felt the touch of Aries in an intimate way. Fingers curl around his waist, the other hand dipping into the hood to hold him by the nape and prevent Cale from moving away. Cale could feel his strong muscles, his heart beating fast and other reactions of that kiss so strangely welcome.
Cale could only admit that the completeness seemed right. Nothing wrong was happening there. And so he gave himself to the kiss and twisted his tongues to feel even more connected.