David Edmonds stared at Nathan's poised expression with shifting emotions circling amidst his eyes. The boy before him faced death like a casual walk in the park. Not a hair on his body even shivered with instinctual fear. This was especially embarrassing to him when he realised that it was he who was trembling, he who regretted his decision before it became actualised.
David didn't know why he commanded his subordinate to protect Nathan. It was certainly not the words Nathan yelled before the attacks landed that caused his resolve to waver. As much as he wanted to deny that fact, everything before pointed to the singular truth that Nathan might truly be someone significant to the history of this kingdom.
"Release them," Nathan commanded aloud in the dead silence. Perhaps it was because of what they had just witnessed; the guards behind them instantly obeyed and set Daniel and Jennifer free from captivity. Unlike before, his words were filled with a sense of power that no one dared to deny, even though they didn't hold any weight in reality.
Or maybe that was an overstatement.
"Nathan Modernson! I almost died because of you!" Jennifer Lumendra hollered as she prepared to charge towards Nathan, only to be stopped by Daniel before she could.
"Calm down. We didn't die after all…" He breathed heavily, with sweat still visible on his forehead. His arms were trembling, barely having enough strength not to be dragged along with Jennifer's wrathful fury. "Maybe we will… But I trust Nathan."
"Trust him?" Jennifer yelled back at Daniel, dragging her arm out of his grip. Thankfully, she didn't look like she was still trying to attack Nathan. "He brought us into this death trap without a word of warning, and you expect me to trust him?"
"Would a mere warning stop you from going in with him?" Daniel argued, trying to stay as logical as he could while defending Nathan. "We are in this together! This wasn't all Nathan's plan!"
"Then next time, you go die with him! I'm never trusting him again!"
Nathan turned around awkwardly and said in a semi-apologetic tone, "Let's leave the finger-pointing for later. Business isn't completed, you know?"
Daniel nodded towards Jennifer, his eyes almost begging her. Both of them fell silent.
On the other side, David remained frozen in disbelief. He swallowed unnaturally and squeezed some words out of his throat. "Nathan, I was… too reckless… I shouldn't have…"
Nathan chortled kindly and comforted him, as if he were forgiving a friend who went over the limit with a joke. "No need for that, David. What kind of friends are we? If anything, it was my fault for speaking so coldly. Let's reword what I had to say, right?"
"If you really want to protect your father, all you need is a sentence or two, and trust me, the world will never find out the truth. Like, come on, David. It's not like an outsider figured it out."
He walked forward in wide, confident steps and held out a hand to David. "Still good mates?"
David raised his arm to grab Nathan's hand nervously. The handshake was far from firm, but the warmth in Nathan's hand calmed him down slightly.
"The Edmonds Clan… owes you a big favour…" he murmured uncomfortably.
"See?" Nathan shook his head in resignation. "It's this give-and-return thing all over again. Don't worry about it." He leaned in and whispered in David's ear, "Just treat it as my present for your father's birthday, as I promised him."
"We've been here for quite a while; it's time for us to return to the party." He pulled himself back and concluded. Tidying his hair after the gust from the explosion, though it didn't really have any meaningful effect on that disobedient mess, he signalled Daniel and Jennifer towards the staircase leading to the entrance.
"Laters, David, see you back at the academy." He patted David on the shoulder as he passed him, leaving no further words or demands behind.
It was clear in the eyes of David Edmonds that there had to be something Nathan demanded, perhaps the authority to use the army of secretive agents he trained in a future he couldn't even control. However, what seemed logical and clear may not always be correct.
The thing that David never understood, even after tens of years had passed, was that people sometimes do something not because there is a benefit to it, but because of the sheer fixation on getting something out of their heads.
So even though David swore to himself that he would pay Nathan back someday, all Nathan ever wanted was to fulfil the promise he made, and to validate his destiny by using the threat of death as the judge.
There was indeed another reason, a reason so concealed and deep that Nathan himself didn't really comprehend it. It was the reason why he brought his two closest friends to face the trial of death, though he could never use that pathetic excuse to justify his apparent selfishness.
On the way back to the party, Daniel and Jennifer argued at the back across a distance where they thought Nathan couldn't hear. Like everyone else, they once again underestimated Nathan's ears.
Julius Edmonds welcomed them as they walked in, confident in David's ability to remove any threats if there were any. Nathan, however, wasn't in the mood for any pretentious courtesy.
"Mister Edmonds," he whispered quietly in his ear, "I've found out your secret, but don't worry, it's safe in my hands. As I promised at the delivery of your present."
Julius Edmonds remained calm as they parted. He nodded with a polite smile that was more reserved but also warmer than ever. "I only do what's good for the Edmonds Clan, and I promise you, Mister Modernson, whatever is good for us will be good for you."
"I appreciate your permission." Nathan lowered his head in respect, which almost made Julius lose his cool. "Then, time shall prove our vows. Goodbye, for now."
Before Nathan left, he looked back at the crowd, which didn't seem to lose any energy during the time they were away, and spotted the face that he was hoping to see. That face, with a stare as cold as a viper, smiled at him. The girl beside him grabbed his arm tightly, though her eyes were fixed on Nathan too.
"Thanks for the help, Arthur Paradox," he mouthed to himself. Even though Arthur couldn't directly hear his words, he nodded back subtly, as if he were saying, "Didn't break a sweat."
Nathan led Daniel and Jennifer out of the gate, waving goodbye to the stewards standing by in their tedious responsibility. Finally, he could catch his breath and remove the façade he had to put up.
He let out a long sigh towards the sky. Nathan's limbs lost all the adrenaline that had barely kept him intact. He almost fell to the ground due to the loss of support. Fortunately, however, Daniel swiftly caught him at the last second.
"We lived…" Nathan gasped. "I knew we would…"
Daniel didn't want to disclose the obvious. He only nodded and replied softly, "As bad as the decision sounds, Nathan Modernson, just for what you've accomplished today, I'll follow you to my death."
"Is this some sort of joke?"
Jennifer Lumendra finally lost it completely. She was never the kind to suppress her anger. The last guy who pushed her limits too far had probably floated to his desired resting place.
"Don't claim to be some kind of saint. Some sort of saviour who's gonna save this kingdom from some random threats that don't even exist. Nathan Modernson, I don't care who you will become; all I know is that I've almost been killed by you, and not a word of apology came out of your mouth." She didn't yell as she had back in the cavern, but neither Nathan nor Daniel could say that was a relieving sight.
Nathan exhaled his last long breath and stood up with Daniel's support. Just when Daniel thought he was going to kneel and apologise right away, Nathan Modernson snapped back at her.
"Sure, Jennifer, if I apologised to you, you would totally accept it. You would certainly forgive me, and you would definitely feel better, wouldn't you? You know me, just like how I know you wouldn't. You know what? Instead of apologising, you no longer owe me a life; isn't that great news for you? Isn't that what you want more than anything?"
Jennifer wasn't surprised that Nathan had this kind of attitude towards her. She had gotten so used to it that she couldn't even get mad at it anymore.
"Then screw whatever you want me to do with Amy Blanc!" She raised her voice.
"There's actually no way you took that seriously. I made that up on the spot so you wouldn't feel… burdened by something that I did out of goodwill. I'm not as into murdering people as you are!" Nathan argued, trying his hardest to sound annoyed.
"Goodwill, that's what people say when their egoism is exposed," Jennifer scoffed with contempt. "It's especially unbelievable coming out of your mouth, great saviour."
"Why does it matter to me whether you believe it or not?" Nathan rolled his eyes. "We are even now, alright? None of us owes each other anything anymore. Now, yes or no answer: do you still want to continue our partnership or not? Are we still friends or not?"
"Oh, shut up, Nathan Modernson! We are not clear until I try to kill you once and save you once!" She leaned in threateningly. Lightning sparked between their eyes, pushing back and forth; neither side wanted to soften up.
"I'll take that as a 'yes.' Now get on with life." Nathan leaned in as well with a flutter of his jacket. Their eyes were centimetres away from each other, so close that their vision of each other's face blurred.
"Hug it out, guys," Daniel Whitedawn whistled from the side, staring at the sun setting on the horizon, with the residue of joy still within him, knowing that he could survive for at least another day. To him, everything in this world had suddenly become more precious than it had ever been. "Or kiss it out. The mood is cute enough for that."
"I agree!" Nathan provoked Jennifer as he pointed to his lips, his tone still lingering with anger. "I'm ready, Jennifer."
Daniel laughed; it seemed like his harmless joke would finally put this argument to an end.
However, to his surprise, Jennifer grabbed Nathan's head and pressed her lips to Nathan's.
Daniel froze in place, his eyes and mouth widening in disbelief that what had just happened before his eyes was a hallucination. A hallucination that felt too absurd even for a dream.
"I didn't survive through that, did I?"
The moment was short and brief, more like Jennifer used her mouth to pack a punch on Nathan's. The two separated, with incitement and disdain still lingering in their eyes. Neither of them saw the incident as something demonstrating affection or even friendship.
"Oh, I bet you thought I didn't dare, right, Nathan Modernson?" she mocked.
"Wow, should I give you an award for the courage?" Nathan shook his head from side to side and kidded.
"Give me one, then. Mister Modernson isn't someone to forget a promise."
Nathan wanted to argue something back, only to realise how stupid they must have looked in Daniel's eyes, and eventually pulled back. He turned around and crossed his arms behind his head, walking down the road while murmuring, "Childish." Jennifer walked forward and bumped Nathan aside, taking the lead position from him.
"What did it feel like?" Daniel whispered beside Nathan as he watched Jennifer jog faster to outrun them like an angered child.
Nathan Modernson rolled his eyes in thought, trying to remind himself of the short, almost forgettable experience. He eventually just shrugged. "It didn't feel like anything, to be honest, just one pair of lips touching another pair of lips. Do people actually enjoy this?"
People never kissed each other in Lostburg, not even "married" partners; it wasn't a part of their traditions. Nathan had only heard of the concept of kissing from his father, though he never thought it was anything special.
Daniel looked at him like he was staring at some sort of monster, even more fearful than David, who had witnessed the same guy smiling at death a few moments before.
"What, is it really that big of a deal?" Nathan added, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.
"It IS that big of a deal!" Daniel cried out in the quietest voice possible. "You know that if an aristocrat kisses another aristocrat, you have to get married by the law of Runalond?"
"WHAT?" Nathan cried out in the loudest voice possible. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Now what?" Jennifer jerked her head back and shouted. The boys completely ignored her.
"Alright, Daniel, nothing ever happened, alright?" Nathan's breathing accelerated.
"Thank the Divine Beings that you're the only one who saw it! No, no, no, you didn't see anything either, alright? No matter what you do, don't tell this to ANYONE, alright?"