[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke

It was easy to dwell on the past, to fixate on mistakes, and mourn the time when the pain began.

Easier still to let the relentless grind of time swallow the heart with guilt.

But grief, in truth, was only proof of love. Because without love, there would be nothing left to mourn.

With Berry's clothes carefully placed inside the sealed coffin, Ray placed his hand on his chest.

He bowed in a solemn salute to the old man who had once taught him how to wield a sword.

"Teacher… I apologize for coming too late."

That was all he could manage before the sorrow choked his throat.

There would be no booming laughter in the barracks, no teasing of the old man.

With a last bow, the coffin was sent off toward the Darkhelm capital, where Berry's family waited.

Swallowing the ache that threatened to burn his eyes, he stood there, watching the cart roll away until it disappeared from sight.

All Berry had wanted was to spend his old age with his family. Now, not even his body remained to return to them.

The blast of pure mana had seared all the corpses until nothing remained.

Nothing to even remember the soldiers who died for their land.

After forcing his thoughts into order, Ray returned to his room and slumped beside the bed.

Minutes passed, and he pulled the parchment with dark smudges on it.

"Dear Raymond..."

His fingers clenched tight around the letter.

"You bastard," he hissed under his breath. "You promised to ride my horse if I came back alive. I did it, Allen. So why won't you open your eyes, too? Why are you all leaving me alone?"

The young man on the bed remained still. His stern face didn't scowl, nor did his honey-brown eyes soften when he looked at Ray.

They remained close.

Ray tucked the letter inside his pocket, its edges frayed from the numerous times he had read it over the past couple of days.

Without making much noise, he climbed onto the bed.

The place was comfortable, but with two grown people on it, the bed became cramped instantly.

Not that the knight commander cared about it. Though he was sure Allen would scold him if he were awake.

After arranging the duvet properly, Ray touched Allen's forehead. It was cool to the touch; no burning fever in him anymore.

He let out a slow breath and combed Allen's hair back, untangling the soft strands with his rough fingers.

"You know," he murmured softly, all of a sudden, "I met our Aurilius. He's a good boy. He is eleven, right? I told him I'd be his dad, but he just looked at me and ran away."

A short chuckle escaped him at the memory. Poor kid. Not that he could blame Aurilius.

"Well, I was covered in blood and the nasty brains of those Death Walkers. You might have to coax him yourself. I'm no good with kids, you know. Never have been. Hell, the first time I met His Grace, I—" He grimaced. "Bad history."

He wouldn't tell that to Alchemist, ever.

If Allen did find out, he would never stop teasing him about it.

Ray shook his head, shoving the thought aside.

He propped his cheek on his fist, lying closer beside Allen until his body heat could get rid of the cold clinging to Allen's body.

His gaze lingered on the pale face that refused to stir.

His thumb brushed the shadows under Allen's eyes.

"I messed up, Allen. So you'd better wake soon and coax our kid. I bet he's waiting for me to leave so he can check on you. But I don't want to. I hate sharing the most."

As if on cue, there was a clatter outside the door, followed by quick running footsteps.

Ray chuckled softly. "See? Told you. Seems like he ran again."

He leaned down, lips brushing against Allen's forehead. "Wake up, Allen. I don't do well with waits. Please…"

It had been four days since the carnage at the border of Suniva's capital city.

Both Xion and Allen still lay in deep slumber. Their lives hung by a thin thread.

Healer Bard—Xion's student—insisted it was the plague's aftermath.

Though the healing dust had purged it, Allen had worked his body to the bone. Now it was compensating for it, forcing Allen into sleep.

Xion was no better.

At least Allen was resting quietly, but Xion… Xion was trapped in nightmares.

Sometimes he thrashed violently, but most often he just wept silently, tears streaking his face as though he couldn't escape the torment even in dreams.

Whatever pushed him to manifest those angel wings had left scars carved deep into his very soul.

No human should've been able to wield that much pure mana.

All they could do was pray—pray that he could withstand the weight of it all.

Just like Ray, Darius had been cradling Xion in his arms ever since.

He barely left Xion alone, only leaving to take a hasty bath and returning.

His baby always hated it when he came back messy.

"How is he?" The Archduke asked Bard. "When will Allen wake up?"

"Allen is doing much better, Your Grace." Bard bowed slightly.

"The Alchemist should wake in a day or two. But as for His Grace, Xion… I think he is trapped in nightmares, reliving the loss of something precious. If you continue to talk to him, maybe that will pull him out of it."

Darius hugged Xion closer. Even now, tears clung to his dark lashes, sliding silently down his cheeks.

Due to his overexertion, they couldn't even supply mana to Xion's nearly empty vessel.

So, Darius had been keeping his mana wrapped around Xion all the time, letting it sink into him bit by bit.

"You may leave," he said, allowing Bard to step out.

The room once again fell silent.

With a soft cloth, he gently dabbed at the tiny droplets, letting them soak quietly into the fabric.

"Every night I see you in my dreams, Xion. Not the you now, but a little angel. You looked so cute with those fluffy wings on your back, flying over our bed and throwing pillows at me for being 'cold' as you wanted warmth."

Darius had started seeing them when he was first infected by that devil's heart. They started to come to him in blips more often when he was fighting with Michael.

Although he had no clue how such visions came to be, the way Xion had looked on the battlefield, he understood that those were real.

Perhaps they were glimpses from their past life.

And with the look of it, Xion was aware. His baby had been aware for a long time.

Only he was stupid to forget them.

"We can do it again. You can hit me, and I'll hide. We can also play hide and seek or draw on each other's faces. I'll take you on dates at many places, yeah? There will be no orcs, baby, and no more Michael to steal you away from me."

With Nikolai taking charge of the situation, Darius didn't interfere on the surface.

However, he had made it so that Silas would be delivered directly to the northern dungeons instead of the Royal jails.

"We will leave in the morning, my love. If you don't wake up, I'll keep carrying you. You don't have to worry about Noxian, too. He is a good kid. He even started calling me brother-in-law."

Darius smiled, dabbing at tears spilling hot on his fingers. The touch burned him, and yet he forced his lips to curl up.

With his other hand, he held Xion's fingers, lacing them with his own.

"I never thought I'd like someone calling me brother-in-law so much. You gave me such a beautiful family, my love. I have a little brother now, and the most beautiful person as my lover."

His lips quivered as he kissed the pale cheek, his throat dry from talking so much.

"I am here, Xion. I will always be here, waiting for you. And when you wake up, I'll show you the heaven we created together. People are waiting for you, Xion. We are all."

Xion stired faintly.

He didn't open his eyes, but his fingers curled faintly around Darius' hand.

.....The End.....

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Author's Note- I sincerely want to thank all the sweet angels who have been reading this story since the very first day.

This has been such a special journey for me, and it wouldn't have been possible without your support.

Truly, thank you for being here with me.

Darius and Xion are very special to me. Just like all of my readers.

A very special thanks to riemc, Lizzess, and DaoistQ8X—our top three fans—and to sweet momnmot, who always encouraged me with her lovely comments to keep going. (I promise I'll focus on finishing my first novel now, hihihi~)

So, this marks the end of the main story.

There will be a few extras—just two or three, maybe—about their lives after the war.

Once again, thank you so much, both to my dear readers who are here now and to the future sweethearts who will discover this story later.

I love you all!