EnCoffin Me Chapter 95
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 95
By the shore of the Emerald Inner Sea, the lich had left. Zhen looked at the Red Moon Royal City surrounding the Emerald Inner Sea. His face showed little expression as he murmured the story he had read from within the Red Moon Royal City.
“At the Waxing Crescent, a powerful figure arrived and set a countdown.”
“By Full Moon, the followers of the powerful figure came, joining this terrible and arbitrary game.”
“When the Waning Crescent rose, there was no longer any need for salvation. Shadows of defeat spread everywhere, with neither enemies nor friends.”
“Finally, the moonless night of the New Moon came…”
Zhen stood up and paced a few steps beside the Emerald Inner Sea. Soul butterflies drifted as they hunted, their blue soul flames reflecting in his black eyes beyond the talisman paper.
He softly asked, addressing someone who wasn't there.
“What else have you been through, Alexi?”
The play ended amid thunderous applause.
Although it was a holographic projection with no actors to take the stage, many still stood up spontaneously, clapping vigorously to show their gratitude and emotion. They thanked Pupil for bringing this legendary play back to life after ten thousand years, and also the troupe from ten thousand years ago for performing such a wonderful work. Not to mention, the last era was far less technologically advanced in film and theater, yet those actors made the audience feel as if they were truly there.
Alexio was also among those applauding, but his clapping carried more emotion than the simple audience beside him. This play held an important place in his long life. Whenever the melody of ‘Praise the Stars’ played, he would always recall every Carnival he spent with the lunatic.
By now, the lunatic should have regained those memories. Alexio even wished that the lunatic's memories could stay fixed in the present moment, then there wouldn't be what came after…
He let the saint lead him out of the crowd exiting the theater. The Carnival was not over yet. On the central stage of the plaza, the winner of today's free play was about to be chosen. The floats had entered one by one. At midnight, there would be a holographic fireworks display. They hadn't visited all the booths yet, so this time before the fireworks show was perfect to make use of.
“Shall we get some ice cream again? Or try fortune-telling?” Alexio retrieved the balloon they had stored. Worried it might fly away, he held the lunatic's wrist and carefully wrapped the string around it.
Lucius: “……”
“Why don't you tie it around your own wrist?”
Alexio said confidently, “You're not going anywhere, so isn't tying it to your wrist the same thing?”
Then he'd have his hands free to play to his heart's content!
However, the lunatic didn't retort. Instead, he looked at Alexio and smiled.
“All right, I won't go anywhere.”
He didn't take the chance to tease Alexio, which instead made Alexio very wary. He glanced at the lunatic hesitantly, feeling like the other was plotting some big move. But as he kept looking, he gradually forgot his initial caution. Amid the shimmering lights, the saint's gaze was indulgent. Whether it was his platinum-blonde hair or sky-blue eyes, these soft tones looked unbelievably beautiful against the radiant backdrop.
Perhaps this assessment was full of Alexio's personal bias.
The float parade began, and the crowd surged forward. The floats were uniquely named after significant historical events from ten thousand years ago. Alexio had expected to recognize nothing, but as each float passed, his eyes brightened more and more.
“I know this one! That heretical group was the one we investigated together back then.”
“You still remember that bard after all. He was the first to sing a ballad about you, right?”
The last and largest Carnival float slowly approached, spraying holographic flames. The crowd gasped, and some daring souls even reached out to touch the brilliant golden flames. Alexio was bolder, stepping right into the light and reaching for the people on the float who were tossing flowers and candies. His eyes clearly said, “Give me candies.”
The volunteers on the elaborately decorated float: “……”
They had no choice but to hand Alexio a large handful of candies, which he immediately passed to the lunatic. He always remembered how much the other liked sweets.
Watching Alexio diligently gather candies all night, stuffing it into the lunatic's pockets like a cat hunting tirelessly to provide for its family, Lucius held back a laugh. He didn't want to break into laughter over such an oddly fitting comparison.
Alexio looked suspiciously at the expressionless lunatic. He always felt like the lunatic was thinking about something strange.
“Does today feel like a Carnival from the past?” Lucius changed the subject with a slight smile. “Although there was one year you stood me up and there were terrifying rumors of your death, what I remember more is that you came back the next year. We met again at the Carnival.
“Back then, I ordered a little figurine that looked a lot like you from a stall. I hadn't even picked it up yet when you showed up, taking the figurine into your own hands.”
“That was…” Alexio didn't want the lunatic to misunderstand. “That was after I fought Theo. Unfortunately, compared to last time when my wings were torn off, I hadn't made much progress. I had to hide first, so Theo wouldn't kill me.”
“Was the injury severe?”
“It was… not bad?” Alexio didn't remember bad things well. “Vampires have very tenacious vitality. I just found a place to lie low for half a year, then I could run and jump again.”
The saint frowned slightly, clearly disapproving of Alexio's choice.
“You should have hidden away. A hundred years wouldn't have been too long.”
“Do you like being frozen then?” Alexio asked.
“…Not really.”
“Well, that settles it. So I have to stay awake.” He narrowed his eyes a little and seemed in a good mood. “So, even after receiving the First Embrace, you need not worry. I will sleep with you and wake with you. You will be the only continuation of my power, my only descendant to cherish. Even if one day you grow tired of it…”
Alexio suddenly realized his words had sounded overly intimate. He immediately fell silent, but the lunatic wasn't willing to let it go.
“Even if one day I grow tired of it, what then?”
Alexio glared at him, unwilling to answer.
“So, what then?” Lucius pressed on, unwilling to let him off. “Will you let me go?”
“What are you dreaming of? From the day you become my descendant, your life no longer belongs to yourself.” He paused, feeling embarrassed to say it. But looking at the lunatic before him, with his bright and resolute appearance, contrasting sharply with Alexio's own darkness, like a bird about to fly away from his side, he took a deep breath.
“From birth to death, you will belong to me.”
At that moment, the feeling swelling inside him was undoubtedly a strong possessiveness. Alexio had never been attached to power or wealth. Since becoming a vampire, all the joys of the world had long left him. He had no desires, no common cravings. So even after defeating Theo, he didn't see it as a great achievement.
Because it was meaningless. Being at the pinnacle of power meant nothing to him.
For him, the greatest benefit he got from Theo's death was freedom. No one would interfere with his friendships or wanderings anymore. But by then, the Werewolf King was gone, the lich had exited with the Sea of Undead, and those he cared about had all left, leaving only the lunatic behind.
However, in the end, the lunatic had a falling out with him. Alexio wasn't sure if it was his fault. He had thought about reconciling and had asked, but the lunatic refused to say anything.
He said nothing, only looking at Alexio with a complicated, hard-to-interpret gaze. In the end, he would always end up eating a few pieces of candy.
…Just like now.
Alexio was startled. The recent memories had given him a kind of psychological shadow about the lunatic eating candy, as if the lunatic was about to turn against him at any moment. So he straightened his face and snatched the candy away.
“……” The saint sighed. “You have to let me eat some candy.”
“No! You're not allowed!”
“If I don't eat, I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself.”
Because of what he just said? Or had some memory resurfaced? Alexio was very nervous. The lunatic's current memories were dangerously close to the brink of their falling out.
“I originally wanted to give you a gift in a normal way,” the saint said softly, “but now… Alexi, can you come with me for a moment?”
Alexio didn't know exactly what the lunatic wanted to say. His thoughts were unusually chaotic, jumping from ten thousand years ago to the present. Maybe he shouldn't have said those things earlier. Maybe the lunatic didn't actually like such overwhelming possessiveness. Or maybe the lunatic had now recalled some things, including things Alexio might have done that, in the lunatic's understanding, could have led to their falling out.
Alexio sluggishly followed the lunatic into a corner where no one was around. He saw the lunatic put something into his mouth, probably candy, so maybe he was suppressing his anger. Alexio wasn't sure.
Still, he decided to try to salvage the situation as best he could.
“Wait, what I said earlier wasn't about taking away your free will, and I never meant to…” He turned back, trying hard to sound sincere, even more sincere. But before he could finish, the lunatic pressed him against the shadowed wall and kissed him.
The kiss was sudden. Alexio's deep rose-colored eyes widened, and he instinctively struggled. Along with the contact of lips and tongue, something hard was pushed into his mouth. His tongue brushed over some intricate, dense patterns, but he couldn't tell what it was. He only felt the lunatic's lips and tongue were burning hot, while this hard object was icy cold.
The contrast of hot and cold brought moisture to his eyes. He didn't dare move his tongue, afraid that the clearly non-candy object might slip down his throat.
His inability to resist provided convenience for the lunatic. When the man's tongue touched the roof of his mouth, Alexio managed to endure. But when the lunatic began to lick his fangs boldly, the moisture in his eyes overflowed, wetting his lashes.
Then he recognized what was moving on their locked tongues—
A silver cross.
This discovery completely broke him. When the lunatic finally released him, he was slumped against the wall, barely daring to breathe, afraid the silver cross in his mouth would fall out.
【I originally wanted to give you a gift in a normal way.】
He finally understood those words. Along with that understanding, he also realized something else—
The saint crouched down to meet his gaze. In his radiant sky-blue eyes lingered a faint smile, a smile Alexio had seen before. It was the same smile the saint had given him before their final battle in the great cathedral, in front of the heavy, ornate coffin, just before uttering the apocalyptic prophecy.
With the silver cross in his mouth, Alexio stared blankly at the saint leaning in once more. A light kiss landed on his eyelashes, not purely gentle, but carrying a hint of the lunatic's usual mischievous allure as the saint's moist tongue brushed over his lashes.
“I've always wanted to kiss your fangs,” the saint whispered. “You showed me your possessiveness just now, and I've been holding back. You're the one who didn't let me eat candy first.”
Alexio's pupils constricted sharply. That rushed memory surfaced again — their battle, how he was pressed into the coffin and kissed. The mingling of their tongues was no different than now, except back then, what was pushed into his mouth was not a silver cross, but a blood crystal.
【I don't want you to hate me, so even if it kills me, I have to tell you the real reason we fell out.】
【Three years from now, there will be a world-ending firestorm.】
【All will perish in the firestorm, but you and I will board the ark and sail toward a golden new era.】
When the saint spoke the prophecy, his expression was tender yet fierce.
“You…” Alexio covered his mouth to keep the silver cross from falling out, but that didn't stop him from glaring wide-eyed with his red eyes and and cursing in a slightly muffled voice, “You lunatic!!!”