Ciel's decisiveness was renowned, so when he announced their return, Lucas had to pack though he'd already done so, a fact unnecessary for the Prince to know. Cross-legged, Ciel stared at his palm, still holding the fading warmth of Lucas, the absence of which left him aching in every bone. Aware of their longing for him, mirroring his own yearning, he decided to return.
Leading Snow, tall, noble, and haughty, Lucas guided him toward Ciel. After a quiet "thank you" from Prince Lucas, he remounted Onyx, his mount seemingly unconcerned about their location. Because of Ciel's urgent need to return, the journey back to the capital started. After five days of relentless travel, Lucas could finally see Asyngritos City on the horizon.
Seeing the city wall before sunrise brought on a wave of anxiety for the prince; his last memory of this place may have caused his unusual hesitation. Having impulsively chosen to return, Ciel halted his horse, got off, and reflected on his decision. Three years provided ample time for reflection on his hasty departure, and despite his anger, he acknowledged the irrationality of his actions.
The memory of his lovers tainted by the betrayal he felt that night was enough to bring him a wrenching pain. He shook his head and summoned his courage, maybe he felt betrayed but that didn't mean he was letting them go. If they couldn't be his then they would better die in solitude. He thought as a ruthless gleam flashed in his eyes.
Having decided, Ciel mounted Snow and as if sensing it master's resolve sprinted toward the city.
Erin was on patrol all night and though there were dozen others within his squad, he felt obligated to set an example as a leader. At the sight of the rising sun he began preparing to head home, it was then that he heard it, the sound galloping hooves from outside the city walls, it wasn't loud but something about the clacking noise felt majestic, he rushed to the window trying to see who could be galloping to the closed city.
One black, one white, one in front the other behind, looking like light and shadow, opposite yet strangely harmonious, as soon as Erin saw this he dropped everything and rushed to the gates shouting orders along the way. The empire's beloved prince was back from dancing with death and there was no happier event than this.
Ciel rode Snow into the city his eyes yearning and his face cold but nothing could beat the drumming of his heart or the anxiety in his clench, he was suddenly feeling the restless energy of adrenaline cheering him on. Lucas looked at the moon that was slowly but surely turning into the sun it once was and finally sighed in relief his frozen aching heart softening.
At the city gates Erin rushed to blow the horn announcing the prince's return to the entire city. Every household awoke and those who going about their business dropped everything rushing to the main street to welcome the long awaited prince. The celebration on the streets that day was enough to rock the land.
Theodore Vassylia wanted nothing more than to rush out and meet his lovers but he remembered the Emperor's warning :
Theodore read this as a fellow alpha and a brother, I love my brother and the last thing I want is for him to suffer the pain he has suffered in the past few years again so this time I want you to wait for him to find you. If he never does then that's your answer and so I suggest you and the others prepare to break the imprint you have should he ever reject you.
It was so simple in words but so hard to understand and even more impossible to practice because their imprint wasn't as simple as others thought no, it was the kind where none of them will survive if and should it be necessary to break the bound perhaps because they all knew that Ciel was the only omega for them. Theodore grunted in dismay, the very thought of losing Ciel to another alpha out there felt like a knife plunging into his heart, he had at some point accepted sharing with the three because of how complex their emotions developed, only he knew the kind of mental barriers he overcame for that. The thought alone that someone other than them could touch Ciel caused him phatom pain. He reached for the communication crystal and contacted Jesse. " Dory, how are you doing? Have you met Ciel yet? How is he and what about Lucas?" Theodore took a deep breath and looked at the anxiety on Jesse's face and calmed himself, he wasn't the only one the bond was getting to.
"Jesse calm down. Damiel sent a warning in hopes that we could break the bond should Ciel reject us. Also he said for us to say away until Ciel looks for us. I don't know anymore but I can only count on the ball in three days, ou should come too and if you can get through Clyde, let him know I'm sorry and I missed him so he should please contact me" Jesse sighed, perhaps among all the four men Lucas was the only one without blame.
" Please take rest Dory, I'll let him know and the ball, I got an invite I will be there."
" Thank you"
Dory mumbled we both knew he was refering to Clyde, I guess he knew long ago but couldn't speak up because of guilt.
" Okay see you soon, love you"
" Love you too"
" What's going on with Theodore?" Clyde Asked his voice sharp.
"Wow even at this point you have the energy to be jealous?"
"I don't mean that, I'm asking why he looks so pale, what's wrong with him?"
" Isn't that just because you two are the ones who hurt Ciel the most, and because Dory was the first to form an imprint on Ciel and yet got together wiyh you before you even figured your feeling for Ciel, it counted as a betrayal. Because of that he experence equal pain as Ciel waeighed his betrayal"
Clyde's breath stalled, at this point he was indeed at fault, because unlike all the other alphas who circled around the omega, his feeling developed way much later.
In fact he began with jealousy, as Jesse who was his twin kept giving all his attention to the omega, then he reliazed that the alpha he favoured in his heart also fixed all his attention on that same omega and the breaking point was even when they developed feeling for each other later that omega was the first in the alpha's heart. As an alpha who was naturally posessive he didn't want to share his partner but who would have thought that when he finally figured out his feeling concerning the omega things had already been ruined by his mistakes.
The night when Dory had confronted him became his neverending nightmare and so he left not from anger but from shame and since Ciel didn't come back he couldn't even fix things between him and Theodore only to be hiding like a coward.
Jesse saw his brother's expression and couldn't even find the words to console him, perhaps their real fate can ony be based on Ciel's judgement.