IBSBV Ch 26

Chapter 26

 

Suddenly, his head was filled with weak and pathetic thoughts. Fate was already set in stone anyway. If he hadn’t changed and stayed the same, then Eddie wouldn’t have taken such a risk…

Grit. He bit down on his lips, halting his self-reproach. Being incompetent wasn’t enough—he despised himself for wallowing in such absurd regrets.

Even if he hadn’t changed, things would’ve unfolded the same. Sover had a clear goal, and Eddie was essentially leashed to him. He would’ve fought to break free regardless. If anything, Eddie would have suffered more had he remained the same.

Just the thought of that was horrifying. Honestly, he hadn’t turned a blind eye and suppressed those feelings simply because the situation didn’t allow it. Deep down, hadn’t he always dreamed of a new version of himself?

He had only been able to move forward because Eddie existed—because he’d been there when Louis couldn’t muster the courage on his own. No matter how worried he was about Eddie, he couldn’t trample over the efforts Eddie had made for him like this. Forcibly, he pushed away the feeble shadows trying to nestle into the dark, shabby corners of his mind.

Then he thought of Eddie. Where might he be now? Was he already on his way back? Or still finishing up business at the guild?

Desperately hoping that nothing dangerous would happen to him, Louis lifted his head and inhaled the icy wind deeply.

Startled—his spine stiffened as a merciless aura struck him like a whip. His heart thudded wildly, gripped by an overwhelming pressure.

《It’s been a while, Louis.》

The voice that poured into his mind was one he hadn’t forgotten even for a moment. His eyes flew open.

His brother… It was his brother. Sover—

Gasp! He couldn’t breathe—his throat trembled on its own.

《I heard you were doing well.》

While Louis only mouthed silent words, unable to make a sound, Sover’s voice was beyond calm—it reeked of irritation. The shallow, layered kindness and the cold cruelty he wielded whenever things didn’t go his way still coexisted within that voice.

His body and will instinctively shrank. It was a completely different tension from when he had caught Sover’s scent near Eddie.

《I won’t say much. Don’t bother trying anything.》

Though brief, the threat was far from insignificant. As if to say, no matter how much you’ve changed, the future won’t, so stop doing pointless things and don’t make a nuisance of yourself—

《That’s an order.》

The arrogant, solemn warning struck like a bolt of lightning. The weight of those words was so heavy it felt as if Sover were right there, bearing down on his shoulders. Could he be here…? Was he standing right in front of him?

《Don’t get greedy.》

Just as he was about to succumb to the learned helplessness, he thought of Eddie. In that instant, his mind snapped clear. Sover wasn’t here. Someone as busy as him wouldn’t have come all the way to the north just to say this.

It must’ve been the same magical messenger that he’d used with Eddie. Just because he heard the voice didn’t mean he had to cower.

Sweat rolled down his forehead, clung to his chin, then dropped. Releasing the tension that had built up drop by drop, Louis reached into fragments of the past, tracing the memory of Sover.

To him, Sover had always seemed so composed. His tone was full of mockery and mischief, and he was never hesitant to press in cruelly while pretending to soothe. He performed acts most people wouldn’t even consider—just because curses made them uneasy—without a shred of hesitation.

Naturally, he hadn’t been this brief with his words either. He enjoyed manipulating situations and people, never missing a chance to trap someone in an imagined hell and torment them. How many tragic stories had he heard from him?

It had long since become a habit through repetition. The fact that Sover wasn’t behaving as usual now could only mean that Eddie and his own changes had influenced his mindset more than expected.

In other words, the current Sover was… different from the past. He was desperate. Very desperate. Louis’s grip tightened around his cane, his palm damp with sweat. Somehow, he felt like now—he might be able to ask.

“Why… Why do you want to kill me? What gain could you possibly get from my death…?”

It was a question he had kept buried deep since Sover began to show murderous intent, lacking the courage to ask—until now.

《Hah… The timid you actually dared to ask me that. Eddie must’ve really emboldened you.》

“…Please, answer me.”

《Because I need your death before the curse is passed to another vessel. What, you’ve suddenly grown a fear of dying? Tsk, a miscalculation. I shouldn’t have sent Eddie. A doll should act like a doll—be used and discarded quietly. Harboring useless hope is—》

My death, before the curse gets passed on…

《Listen well. You won’t live long anyway. It’s only a matter of whether your end comes sooner or later. Wouldn’t it be better to at least be of use to someone rather than let your life end so meaninglessly?》

He repeated Sover’s words over and over to himself. Eventually, he understood what they meant. He… wanted the power of the curse. For his own desire.

Louis’s face went pale. This was dangerous. Far too dangerous. For Eddie—and for himself. His body stiffened again, perhaps from the shock.

《Delusions are always empty and sweet. Foolish little brother, you seem to be enchanted by that child despite being unworthy of even beholding his beauty. If that’s the case, there’s only one thing you must do. Die quietly. Don’t live for Eddie, or for the ones he wishes to protect.》

He had to break free. From Sover’s shadow—right now. There was nothing to be gained by continuing to be played like this. He knew that. But the fact that Sover would so shamelessly use Eddie in this way enraged him. The fury boiling inside made his already dark vision feel even blacker.

Heat rushed to his head, making it hard to stay rational. At that moment, just as a curse crept in, threatening to take over—

《You and that child cannot share a future. You must die… for Eddie to live.》

Eddie’s face flickered in his mind. That gentle, beautiful face he often imagined alone, again and again, swept through his consciousness and seized his thoughts.

He had to stay focused. Eddie would arrive soon. He didn’t want to show him a version of himself defeated by something like this—didn’t want him to face the filth that was Sover’s shadow. This much… he had to overcome alone. Only then could he avoid becoming a burden to Eddie.

His wildly pounding heart began to settle, and warmth returned to his frozen limbs.

‘Eddie, I’m sorry. I promised I’d cherish the gift you gave me… but I didn’t.’

“Hoo—”

Lifting his cane quickly, Louis threw it at the magical messenger that contained the stench of Sover.

Paang! With a short burst, the unpleasant remnant vanished. This was the second time he’d destroyed a magic messenger, but the first time he had outright rejected Sover’s presence to his face. In their relationship, disobedience had never been an option—yet he’d finally been the one to sever that lingering tie.

To steady his trembling hands, he clenched his fist tightly. Now, at least for a while, Eddie would be free from Sover’s pressure. Rather than scolding a subordinate who was failing to carry out orders, Sover would likely just choose to kill the uncontrollable one—that would be faster.

He’d bought time. But from now on, he had no idea how quickly things might change.

‘I have to stay sharp.’

Panting heavily into the wind filled with cold, Louis gauged the position where he had thrown his cane. Slowly, he stepped forward and dug through the snow.

When he brushed over the cane’s body, cold and half-buried in the snow, he found no damage. Relief washed over him. Forcing strength into legs that were starting to give, he made his way back and returned to where he’d been standing before.

Holding back tears so as not to show how scared he’d been, he straightened his shoulders and spine, standing as tall and firm as he could—waiting, endlessly, for Eddie.

 

***

 

The dawn sky was tinged with red. Eddie urged his horse forward, watching the faintly brightening patches between the heavy clouds that still blanketed the sky. In the distance, a familiar silhouette came into view.

It was Louis. Though Eddie had told him to get some rest, he’d expected him to wait. He just hadn’t imagined Louis would be standing out here like this….

His lips twisted slightly. It wasn’t the kind of behavior he liked, and yet he didn’t find it all that unpleasant. In truth, it was a first. Never before had anyone come out to greet him when he returned where he was supposed to be.

His heart fluttered for no reason. Wanting to let Louis know he was close, Eddie pushed back his hood and pulled down his face covering. Just as he was about to make his presence known…

“Eddie?”

Louis spoke first, as if he’d been keenly attuned to his surroundings. The tension Eddie had built up deflated in an instant.

“…Why are you out here? It’s cold. What if you catch a cold?”

Instead of a greeting, a gruff scolding came out first.

“Welcome back. It’s cold, and I figured you’d be tired. I wanted to greet you myself.”

It was nothing much, just a simple line, but the warmth in it made Eddie feel like he might tear up. It was something no one had ever said to him in his entire life.

“I’m… back safely.”

“Yeah. I’m glad you made it back okay.”

A gentle smile spread across Louis’s face. Somehow, it felt unfamiliar. And yet it was so beautiful that, even though the sun hadn’t fully risen, it felt like light was shining from behind him.