I Promise You

Third-Person POV:

Gasp!

"Eiri-niichan! No!" Darien yelled in panic as Eirian suddenly, from who knows where, had s sword in his hand, standing in front of the noble with the blade pointed at his neck. 

Just a moment ago, he was standing beside him, defending him, and then that old man called Darien a demon's son, which ticked Eirian off. In the blink of an eye, the blond boy was now in front of the noble, with the sword aimed just an inch from his neck, drawing a small trickle of blood at the tip of the blade.

The sword itself looked unique and stunning, unlike the swords of the knights or anyone else there. It was a mint color, like Eirian's eyes, with a glimmering aura around the blade, and the hilt had three white gems on it.

If it wasn't for this dangerous situation, Darien would have been in awe, or in his mood, fanboys, asked his brother so many questions, especially about how he summoned the sword. But not now.

Because Eirian looked serious about killing the man. His eyes were dull, full of coldness and ... rage. It's like there is a cloud in his eyes. It was as if he wasn't really there, as if he was being controlled by something, looking completely emotionless. Honestly, Darien could feel a chill down his spine looking at his brother. He didn't look like the Eirian he knew.

'This is not good...'

Meanwhile, the noble was pale, trembling so hard he looked like he might have wet himself. Darien could see several knights--who knew when they came in--in a ready position, as were some of the witnesses, including Aidan. The rest were just on high alert.

Some nobles beside the man had also distanced themselves from Eirian and the noble. They didn't want to be Eirian's next victim.

'... This is the boy's power? Interesting... I didn't see when the sword appeared or how he got there. Teleportation? I don't think so... It has a different kind of aura. But, it's different from the aura of power I felt from his brother,' Aidan thought, looking at Eirian and then Darien with an unreadable expression.

He seemed to be thinking about something else with a serious face this time, as if he was trying to make an important decision that would completely change his life.

After a long moment of everyone being frozen in their places, like time had stopped, Darien moved first to stop his brother from committing murder in front of everyone. He doesn't want other trouble now.

Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath, watching the younger brother cautiously approach his older brother, afraid of triggering him and causing him to kill the noble.

"... Could you repeat what you said to my brother just now? A demon's son?" Eirian asked in a cold and emotionless tone.

That tone made Darien hesitate for a moment before he started walking again, going towards his brother with a more determined stride, even though he felt so scared now that he could feel the trembling in his spine.

'... He's Eirian... He won't hurt me. I trust him...'

"I'm asking you a question... You called Darien a demon's son? Where did that idea come from? But... heh, if that's the case, then I'm a demon's son too, right? We have a blood connection, after all," Eirian said, this time with a smirk that was sure to give everyone a shudder, including Aidan and Darien.

'... His power and emotions have taken control of him. Eirian isn't aware of what he's doing right now. I have to stop him. He's seriously dangerous now. That noble will get killed, and people around here will get hurt if I don't stop him now,' Darien thought while quickening his pace but still being cautious.

When he reached Eirian's back and tried to figure out what he should do, the blonde boy immediately turned his head back, looking at him, making Darien flinch hard and swallow nervously.

Their eyes met, as if Eirian was looking at Darien's soul and the hazelnut boy was trying to find his brother, who was drowned in the pool of cold and dark eyes.

They were still looking at each other without either of them looking away or blinking. For the others, Eirian seemed to be trying to recognize who was in front of him, and Darien seemed to be hoping that Eirian would recognize him. It would be easier if he did.

But what came out of Eirian's mouth surprised everyone; They all gasped and held their breath again, as if afraid it would trigger something it shouldn't.

"... You're not Darien...", Eirian said with that emotionless look and tone, but this time the writer didn't flinch. Instead, his face looked sad, but there was a small smile on his face. A faint smile.

When Eirian said that, he tried his hardest not to flinch, because he had expected that Eirian might not recognize him for a moment, overwhelmed as he was with anger and overprotectiveness towards him.

But it still hit home. Because what Eirian said was true, him not the real Darien, and it honestly hurt Darien's feelings. He tried to push that feeling away, focusing on his task to free the noble and get his brother back.

Darien, still with that look, reached for Eirian's hand that was holding the sword, with so much gentleness and care. When he saw that Eirian didn't respond to anything or smack his hand away, he held Eirian's hand with both of his hands this time with a tighter grip.

"... You're not Eirian either..."

"..."

"I know you're still there, Eiri-niichan. I understand you're angry and just want to protect me, and I appreciate it, but... I can't let you take someone's life. I don't want the two of us to be separated..."

Eirian seemed to jolt a little, and that gave a small glimmer of hope in Darien, so he continued.

"You promised you wouldn't leave me, right? So, I'm promising you too... I won't leave you, Eiri-niichan... Please? I need my Eirian back... Everything will be okay. So, please, let him go, Eiri-niichan," Darien pleaded again, with a steady and calm tone, but the softness and warmth of his kindness were still there.

"..."

The room became silent for a moment, then the sword in Eirian's hand disappeared, and he almost fell if it wasn't for Darien catching him, but because Darien was a bit small for his age, the both fell onto the luxurious floor together.

Darien felt a little panicked and immediately moved to see his brother's condition. Eirian's head was safe because Darien managed to protect his brother's head with his small palm. He was lying on Darien's lap with a confused and tired look on his face.

The blond seemed lost again, but a least for Darien, Eirian was back again. He might be too tired because he used his power so suddenly. Sigh. 'Everything's okay... Maybe.'

The noble who had been standing fell to his bottom, with a face like he had just met a ruthless killer, and while Darien was trying to talk to his brother to get his attention back, the old noble crawled in a panic and ran towards the King and Queen, who had just gotten up, wanting to go to the two brothers.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty saw what happened!? He tried to kill me! He even admitted that he and his brother are a demon's son! The two of them need to be stopped--No! They need to be eliminated!"

Darien's heart stopped beating when he heard what the old noble yelled. He could feel the darkness trying to pull him into panic and fear. His hands were trembling a little, even though he clenched them many times to stop it.

Eirian, who heard, tried to get up to protest, but he was still tired and dizzy, a side effect of using his power. That made him feel hopeless and angry with himself because he couldn't do anything, and seeing Darien's pale face full of fear only added to his guilt.

'Eliminated? Is he crazy! But, no matter if it's eliminated or exiled from this kingdom, it's the same as giving up our lives. It's impossible for the King and the judges to make such a decision. This is another world.

I don't know the laws of this world yet, so it only adds to my worry and fear that they might be serious about using that method. What should I--!'

Darien immediately looked for Aidan and found him. The spy was looking at the old noble, trying to convince the King and Queen with a bored look, and was already done with the man's remarks.

Aidan could feel that someone was looking at him now, and when he turned to see who, his venus-blue eyes met the familiar crimson-red eyes. They were teary and shining with a plea for help.

He could feel that this Darien boy was smart enough to know who he needed to ask for help, and it seemed to be him. Sigh. Aidan massaged his head. How did he get involved with these two brothers in the first place?

'What was I thinking back then? I never thought we would meet again, but... I'm really softie, huh? That's old man is right. But, I already have a decision in my hands...'

"We're not sure yet whether he's really a demon's son, Han. Have you read their documents and birth certificates? Who were their family?" the chief judge asked, even though her voice was still calm and steady; she looked angry and disappointed.

The old noble, Han, was red from embarrassment and anger. But his pride was still higher. 

"If their parents were commoners! It doesn't mean they were real, right!? Think about it, these two kids have been orphans since they were little, and their strange and dangerous status windows and powers--it's possible that couple just picked these two kids up from the side of the road without knowing they were a demon's son!"

'I want to sew that old man's mouth shut right now. He's annoying me even more now...' Darien thought with a dark look on his face as if he wanted to kill someone.

The chief judge looked stunned before she looked even angrier and wanted to talk back, but the King and Queen spoke first.

"So, you're trying to say that our Prince is also a demon's son, then?" the King asked. Even though his tone was normal, it had turned the atmosphere in the room into a chilling horror that made everyone shudder.

"N-No, Your Majesty... I'm not--"

"Because you said that Darien and Eirian are children picked up from the street who have the potential to be a demon's son, right? If that's the case, is my son also a demon's son? Not my real son?" the Queen asked in turn with eyes full of coldness.

Han swallowed nervously and trembled hard, seeing the King and Queen look like they wanted to erase him from this world. The King then took a breath and sighed tiredly while shaking his head.

"Han, these two kids are innocent. They didn't do it on purpose and have never used their power before. We all know whose parents they are and what has happened to them."

Darien lifted his head with a shocked expression at the King's statement earlier. His eyes were wide, and the pupils were trembling a little. '... What?'

"Yes, their power is indeed dangerous, but it will bring disaster to our world if we let them go or if they are brought down the wrong path...", the Queen said this time in a gentle tone, but still looking mad and disappointed at Han.

"..."

"I understand , Han... You're worried about your grandchild, who is outside the gate now. We will figure out how to bring them back in here. I've ordered the knights there to protect everyone outside," the King said, while holding Han's shoulder.

The old noble looked like he wanted to cry when he remembered his small grandchild outside, and Darien felt embarrassed and angry at himself. Now he understood why the old man was yelling so much; he just wanted his grandchild back.

'But, what did my power do so that no one can enter this kingdom? I really want to go look now.'

"But! That wall can't be destroyed at all! Even Aidan, who has the strongest power in Serenity, can't break it! So how--"

"I have an idea for that," Aidan said suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. When he turned to look at Darien again with a small smirk on his face, the writer felt the chill in his spine, and he really wished he hadn't asked the man for help before.

'... Oh no...'