3 The Death of a Kid : Part 2

You would realize you actually cared for someone when they were already gone, right before your eyes, out of nowhere.

It was poetic in some way.

Kiaran was always a poetic person. He was charming, and had a way with his words, making people fall beneath him when he spoke.

The thing was, he did not like to get his hand dirty. No matter how wicked he was, how sadistic he was- he did not like blood in his hands.

And then came his little naive brother. A boy who saw him like he was the whole world, glimmering eyes with child-like wonder as he told and read him stories. He was the perfect candidate to do the dirty job for him.

He would wrap his wing over to the kid as he fell asleep on his shoulder. He would tell his adventures as the brain of the family, trying to be the favorite sibling even though he knew Axel adored Adreanna more.

And now, the same boy he used to adore stared at him with pure hatred in his red eyes, trying to stop him from seeing the world burn.

He stood there after saving the king who was supposed to be dead. He stood there and he knew Axel was afraid yet he still went against his own family.

His cute little brother had grown up and started not to be naive anymore. It was written in Axel's eyes that his dear older brother was a manipulative bastard and oh how Kiaran was aware of that.

So when he realized it was the last thing of what his brother saw of him, he screamed.

He felt his world shattered when he saw Axel fall impossibly slow. He saw the arrow coming from the corner of his eye, he really did. He just did not know it would stop at his brother's heart.

He did not know if he was still screaming or not, all his focus was thrown on the boy he manipulated. He hated how he suddenly looked really lovable with an arrow in his-

He was greedy. He was aware of it. He was egoistic because he wanted to make Axel see him with pure curious eyes again. He did not want him to die with the thoughts of how bad Kiaran was.

Lord, he realized he was a bad person. He was hating on the kid a moment ago but somehow he suddenly saw the five-year-old Axel again when the boy was in his dying state.

He was planning this war with his sister and father. They planned this behind Axel's back because the kid started to get attached to the kingdom, befriending many demons.

They never wanted to hurt him. They never did. They just wanted this war.

It was poetic how they actually did hurt him. Because Adreanna used to leave him to die, Cain abandoned him, and Kiaran manipulated him.

They always blamed many things on Axel, now that he realized it. Mother died when giving birth to Axel so father avoided the boy at all cost that it led to abandonment.

Because it hurt his father to remember his wife's death.

Sister though, she was always Axel's favorite. Axel would see her as a star, like a goddess.

Adreanna was not good with emotions at all, so she just ignored the kid. It was ironic how she was the one who was showing too many emotions right now.

She used to stare at the kid coldly, she felt betrayed by the kid. Maybe it was guilt but she was too big-headed to realize that maybe it was her fault.

Now, she stared at the kid like he was the person that she cared about the most.

Kiaran could see her anger, sadness, panic, and-

regret.

Oh, it was really poetic.

It was really poetic that he could cry.

He manipulated the boy, making him loyal with some fake love. Because Kiaran could feel the love in his heart wear down as Axel got older, so he decided to fake it until he made it.

But now he felt like all the love came back instantly. He was a bad brother, wasn't he?

They blamed the kid for many things. Turning him off because his voice did not matter, because he was just a kid. But instead, when it came to war and murder, they forgot that he was just a kid and turned their back on him.

Cain forgot that he was just a kid when he blamed him for his wife's death. Adreanna forgot that he was just a kid when she left him to die. Kiaran forgot that he was just a kid when he made him kill people.

It was too poetic, and Kiaran wished it could stop.

"Axel, stay awake for my sake, stay awake." Adreanna rushed to the kid after she could not find the source of the person who shot her brother.

Axel blinked slowly, his mind felt all foggy from the amount of blood he had lost. His eyes were blurry; was he crying? He did not know.

His eyes moved over to Adreanna, trying to take her words. Because it was bad to close his eyes, wasn't it? He should not close his eyes.

So he stared at his sister as he tried to stay awake, taking all the features in his sister's face in a daze. Today she was different, she usually braided her black hair, but she let it loose.

He liked it, his sister looked so pretty.

"You know-" Axel coughed, blood oozing from his mouth. "-you look really pretty with your hair down."

Adreanna would cry if not for the fact that tears were already streaming down her face.

"You think so?" She choked as she tried to smile, something that she was not good at.

"Now stay awake, yeah? Father will bring you home, and I'll let you braid my hair."

Axel coughed again and nodded slowly. "Your smile is pretty too, you should smile more."

"I will, I will smile. So keep your eyes open." Adreanna said sweetly, and Axel really liked it. Her voice was like an angel, he was getting really sleepy, though.

Cain's hold on Axel tightened. He spread his feathers and went up with the boy in his hand. He looked over to the demons and the undead soldiers who were still fighting.

Cain's red eyes lightened up as a wave of red light spread across the battle zone, making his undead soldiers suddenly stop fighting. The demons were confused at the sudden movement, but the father could not care less.

He had a son to take care of. He took off and went away from the battle zone, quickly followed by Kiaran who was still holding Axel's hand.

Some of the enemies tried to follow them, those demons who could fly tried to catch them. They quickly fell down, though as Adreanna shot them all with her sharp porcelain feathers.

Adreanna tried to keep up with her family, ignoring how their undead soldiers all stopped suddenly. She knew her father had let go of his power as the three left the war zone.

"You know when you were younger, you loved it when I told you stories?" Kiaran choked; tears finally came out after all the shock he was going through.

"Mmm-hmm." Axel hummed; he showed a genuine smile to his brother. "You said when I reach seventeen, I can tell my own stories." And just like that, all was forgotten, the manipulation, the hatred, the boy could not care.

He did not know what was happening to him. He could not think straight. It was like all his memory fuzzed up, and he could only grasp a little. Seeing all his family worried and caring about him made him feel like he was wanted.

He loved this moment.

"Yes, I want to hear your story, so keep your eyes open." Kiaran's grip on Axel's hand tightened. "Keep your goddamn eyes open."

Axel did what he was told and looked over at his father's face who was too focused, holding his body so tight yet gentle like he could break anytime. "You're warm, father." He blurted.

"I would..." Axel coughed, and more blood trickled down his jaw. "I would love a hot chocolate from you."

Cain opened his mouth to speak but could not get any words. He choked on the lump in his throat. He realized he never even once gave the boy or made him anything.

"Father will make it for you, just like he makes it for me," Adreanna vowed. "When we are home, you can drink as many as you can, and we can be together again."

"Together?" Axel whispered, finding his voice getting weaker.

"Yes, together, son." Cain finally uttered a word as they stopped at the sight of their mansion. Forest surrounded the place as they were hidden away behind the trees.

They landed in front of the mansion and quickly rushed inside. They stormed in and went to the sofa in the living room.

Cain quickly rushed to the sofa and put Axel down slowly. He was careful so the arrow in the boy's heart didn't move. He yelled at Adreanna to get the medical equipment, and he ripped open his youngest son's shirt.

Cain could feel his breath taken away at the sight. He stopped his movement for what he saw. The arrow was planted still in his heart, spreading black roots all over his heart, and it almost reached his neck already.

His breath hitched, and quickly tore away the arrow from Axel, getting a shriek of pain from the boy as doing so. Blood oozed even more from Axel's heart, and the black root sprouted even faster.

Cain's hand trembled as he fell down to the floor. The black arrow fell down from his hand, making a sound of a clank. He stared at Axel's bleeding heart with despair, breath getting ragged as he saw the root almost touching the boy's face.

"The cursed arrow, how?" The father put a hand on his face, he failed his son, he failed his wife, he failed again.

The cursed arrow was something that was almost impossible to find. There were only five arrows in this world. Whoever demon got shot with it would die. Nothing could help them.

A sudden loud noise came up behind Cain. He looked over to Adreanna who just dropped all the demon medicine on the floor. She fell onto her knees with all the medicine scattered around her.

"No..." She whispered. The cold bloody fighter in the family finally found out what despair was at this moment. It was ironic, really.

Kiaran staggered back, hand still holding Axel's. "There must be a way to- to stop the curse, there must be a way to save him! Father! Don't just give up like that!" He yelled desperately.

It was a messy sight. A kid who was still at the age of sixteen dying on the sofa, the kid who had a dream to make it past seventeen. Nothing could help him at this moment, not even the gods.

It was painfully poetic.

"Kiaran?" Axel asked weakly, desperation forming on his face. The black roots were already covering all of his body, leaving only his right eye as they slowly ate the boy away.

"Don't leave me," the boy begged. "Please, I don't know what's happening, I'm scared."

"We're here, Axel." His father moved over to the boy and held his other hand, he leaned to kiss Axel's forehead.

Adreanna's hand went over the boy's stomach and desperately hung into him. She muttered 'sorry' so many times; guilt was taking over her body.

"We'll always be here, son," Cain assured, smiling gently at his youngest one.

Wasn't that poetic because they were too late?

Always was not forever, it was temporary, but the boy could grasp that word because for him, it always was this moment.

"Thank you." Axel breathed. "I'm sorry, I..." There was too much to say, he had so much left to say. Forgiveness, warmth, love, assurance.

He would talk later. He would when he woke up again. Oh, maybe he would tell them when he made it to seventeen. Axel just wanted to sleep for a moment.

For the first time ever, the Vergessene family lost in a war.

And a member of their family.