Jesse’s gaze hardened at the round discoloration at the top of Hokuto’s chest. It was a small mark, pale red and fleshy, formed into the shape of a ring, but the mere sight of it made Jesse’s blood burn.
Hokuto frowned, seeing where Jesse’s eyes were fixed. He would have preferred to hide the bullet scar to himself, but they were making love, and it couldn’t be helped. The younger man used to be hard to read, but the past few perilous months since they met were enough for Hokuto to know when Jesse’s emotions were volatile.
The scar was small, but it was a large gash to Jesse’s strength and pride. It was a heavy reminder of his fault — his failure to protect the most important person to whom he swore his life. Seeing it brought back images that haunted him in his nightmares.
The deafening gunshot. The coppery stench of blood. The crucial seconds of silence where reality had yet to sink in. The scenery was fuzzy —gray and slow— and Jesse only snapped out of it from the harrowing sound of Hokuto’s pained cries.
Then came the paralyzing fear of possibly losing Hokuto. There was the nauseating blockage in his throat and the tight pressure on his chest as he rushed to do all he could to stop more of Hokuto’s blood from making a pool on the floor. There was not a trace of shame in Jesse who was ready to fight the gods or make a deal with the devil just to keep him alive.
“Jesse.” A warm hand touched Jesse’s cheek, trying to steal his attention away from his scar. Cautiously, the fingers traced down to his hard chest. Despite Jesse’s anger over his scar, Hokuto thought it was nothing compared to the many others scattered all over Jesse’s body over the years.
Hokuto parts his legs when Jesse lines himself in front of his rear. He sucks in a shallow breath when Jesse pushes inside.
It’s been a while since they made love facing each other. Jesse never talked about it, but Hokuto knew Jesse would make him turn around on purpose. Jesse had reflected that it was terrible of him wanting to have the scar out of sight since it was his fault he couldn’t protect him in the first place.
But Jesse was selfish. Deep down, he was just as fucked up as the enemies he was born to kill. Inside him was a twisted desire to get rid of someone else’s disgusting mark on Hokuto’s body.
Hokuto had closed his eyes at some point while Jesse thrust into him at a steady pace, mouth parted open for the breathy gasps he didn’t bother to suppress. His brows were furrowed as he focused on matching his breaths to the rhythm of Jesse’s hips. Then the movement inside him abruptly stops.
Hokuto blinked his eyes open. A cold shiver ran up his spine at the dark eyes fixed on his chest.
Hokuto watched as Jesse’s fingers traced over the mark on his chest, and in the back of his mind, he wondered if he was distracted or fascinated.
Then Hokuto didn’t have time to react when nails dug into the skin, provoked and desperate like he was seconds to clawing the scar off of his flesh, and Hokuto’s breath sped up, squirming under Jesse’s hold.
“--Jess—” Hokuto loved Jesse with all his heart, but he also feared him at times. And with that fear also came pity for the man who had to go through hell a hundred times to save himself. It broke his heart when Jesse’s destructive instincts won over his human side, and Hokuto couldn’t blame him for those outbursts.
Hokuto sucked in a sharp shaky breath. All he could do was promise himself that he would protect those remaining bits of humanity in Jesse.
“Jesse…it hurts…”
Realization flashes in Jesse’s eyes. He pulls back away in horror at what he has done, too stunned for the shaky apologies to come out of his throat. But Hokuto pulls him into an embrace, cradling his head and keeping him close before guilt eats Jesse whole.
The scar on Hokuto’s chest throbbed in pain, a cold reminder that the man he loved was a killer.
Matsumura was on the second floor, observing the party from the marble railing with watchful eyes. He preferred to be away from the crowd. He was never really in the mood to mingle, most especially not amongst socialites and people carrying noble titles. If he could, he would have declined the invitation if it weren’t for the fact that this would be his third time turning the host down. As much as possible, he’d rather not be at the end of his whining.
He could spot the host from above. One couldn’t miss him with his tall stature, and Matsumura was certain it wasn’t just him, but Count Lewis seemed to emit a striking glow that stole everyone’s attention toward him. Matsumura fell for it the first time. It was a strange thing, but it seemed to work on everybody else.
He was very handsome, and it was perfectly accentuated when his hair was combed back and he was formally clad in his sleek suit. He had a charismatic air about him with a pleasant personality, almost always smiling and capable of engaging in conversation with just about anyone. Rumor has it that he wasn’t exactly the brightest back in his years of formal education, but he was a master in his craft of communication and persuasion, and that was what a succeeding heir needed.
And with his looks, charm, and most importantly wealth, Jesse Lewis was naturally sought after by the lords’ and noblemen’s daughters. If Matsumura was charmed by him in the mere seconds they met, then there was no doubt those women were too. With his noble background, Lewis was one of the top bachelors women dreamt of being betrothed to.
It always amused Matsumura when the ladies grouped; giggling behind their lace fans, fixing each other’s hair, discreetly retouching the rouge of their cheeks and lips, ensuring their corsets were tight for a more flattering bust.
Somehow it made Matsumura feel sorry for them.
In the end, Lewis wouldn’t look at those women. Lewis only had his eyes on Matsumura.
From where he stood above, Matsumura was absentmindedly watching Lewis when the count suddenly looked up for their eyes to meet. Lewis smiled, the endearing kind that made Matsumura’s heart skip and thump profusely. Lewis subtly made a motion with his head, beckoning him to go down. Right on cue, the bells from the clock tower outside rang, signaling the start of a new hour. While no one in the crowd minded it, Matsumura nervously swallowed.
He parted from the railing and coughed, fixing his cravat and briefly sliding his fingertips over the letter that rested inside the pocket of his coat. He quietly headed down the staircase, easily blending into the crowd like a shadow before making it outside of the grand estate.
Earlier in the party before Matsumura decided to hide upstairs, Lewis had passed by him, discreetly slipping a letter into the pocket of his coat. The message written in ink promptly had Matsumura’s cheeks turn warm.
“Meet me outside at the gardens when the clock strikes nine.”
Based on Kochi’s calendar, he didn’t have anything blocked for the next four hours. He could sneak out and kill a little time buying a pastry down in the nearby bread store, but his plans were dropped as soon as Hokuto showed up outside his door.
And when Hokuto showed up, it meant a whole hour of his ass hurting from sitting down and listening to him ramble.
“What is it now?” Kochi sighed. There was a list of ‘Hokuto’s Woes’ in mind and he could only guess which one he would be subjected to this time.
Hokuto made himself comfortable on the chair in front of Kochi’s desk, politely refusing when Kochi gestured for the candy bowl by his laptop.
Hokuto cleared his throat and went straight to the point. “I’d like to request for my desk to be moved to the other end of the office.”
“Huh?” Kochi was certain this type of concern wasn’t under his job description. He was sure that required management approval and assistance from the admin and facilities team.
“How do I say this…” Hokuto continued, stroking his chin as he searched for the right words. “You know that guy who transferred two months ago? Jesse?”
“Yeah?”
“I think I’m allergic to him.”
Kochi stared, tired and deadly silent.
Hokuto stared back, patiently waiting for Kochi’s reply. He was quite serious, it seemed.
Now, don’t get him wrong. As a friend, Kochi would be willing to listen to Hokuto run his mouth if that made him feel better. As a fellow employee, however, he might as well report him for abusing HR’s consultation services.
“And how did you arrive at the conclusion that you’re allergic to him?” Kochi asked, helping himself to a caramel square from his own candy bowl. It was for his own sanity.
“It’s weird, but my stomach starts to hurt when he’s around.”
“You sure it’s not acidity?”
“I…no?”
“You’re not sure?”
“It’s hard to tell sometimes.”
“We talked about this before. We have chamomile and peppermint tea in the pantry, Hokuto. They’re free for all.”
“And that’s not all!” Hokuto continued, voice starting to rise. “My face feels like it’s burning when he’s talking to me.”
“And it’s just with Jesse?” Kochi probed.
Hokuto nodded.
“Plus! My heart rate starts to palpitate when he’s close. I think it’s affecting my work performance.”
The symptoms started to click in Kochi’s head and he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and prayed to whatever deity that they please protect his naive friend who could be so terribly clueless sometimes.
Kochi leaned forward, elbows and linked fingers resting on the desk like he was about to speak serious business.
“It’s the butterflies, Hokuto.”
“Butterflies?”
“Yes. The butterflies.”
Hokuto blinked. “What does that mean?”
“It means you’re hopeless, and as HR, you’re not moving from your workstation.”
Workstation reassignment wasn’t part of Kochi’s job description, but Hokuto wouldn’t know that.
Their apartment used to be full of warmth. Hokuto didn’t know when it all started to change. Rather, he didn’t want to think too hard and recall, fearing he would trace the source of all their problems back to himself.
He made a mistake today. A grave one that was the last straw to Jesse’s patience, and Hokuto tried, he really tried to hold his anxious thoughts back. Old habits die hard, they say. In the end, his heart and mind betrayed him and he just couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
Hokuto didn’t know how many times he hurt Jesse. How many times has he let his trust issues conquer Jesse’s constant reassurance? How many times has he doubted Jesse’s love for him? He didn’t mean to hurt him; he loved Jesse to the moon and back, and maybe that was the scariest thing because he knew he would die inside if, for some reason, Jesse slipped through his fingers.
Hokuto was afraid of loving so hard again only for everything to collapse. When the fears came to him, he couldn’t help but resort to conditioning himself, making a bad dry joke that he wouldn’t be surprised if Jesse left him too. It was a toxic coping mechanism. It was an endless cycle, and while Hokuto was exhausted running through it, Jesse was bound to be tired of it too.
From the very start, Jesse had always been too kind and forgiving for his own good. Hokuto always thought he would never forgive anyone who made Jesse sad, and it was ironic how that person had turned out to be himself.
It wasn’t like this was the first time they’d disagreed. They’ve argued before; it was natural and bound to happen in any relationship. Most of the time, if not always, it was Jesse who’d talk and apologize first because he wouldn’t allow the day to end on bad terms.
This time, Hokuto was genuinely scared. It was entirely different when Jesse’s quiet. The second Jesse held all the words he wanted to say and looked at Hokuto with eyes of sadness and disappointment, Hokuto knew he had fucked up.
The silent treatment went on for days. Hokuto tried to talk, but Jesse only gave short, barely audible responses. It went on until they started merely acknowledging each other’s presence with habitual motions like preparing food or preparing the bath. They slept on the same bed but faced the opposite sides. It was like two separate people in their own world merely existing in the same space. The Jesse who said ‘good morning’ ‘how’s work?’ ‘I love you’ was gone, and Hokuto was scared.
Jesse was quietly slipping through his fingers.
He couldn’t stand it.
“Jesse.”
It was early morning, with the sun barely rising over the horizon. Lately, Jesse had been heading off to work much earlier, resulting in Hokuto waking up to mornings where the apartment was already empty.
Upon hearing his voice, Jesse paused on his heels by the entrance but he didn’t turn around. Slowly, with quiet steps, Hokuto walked toward Jesse, eyes stinging and lips quivering as he watched Jesse’s back toward him.
“I’m so sorry. For everything I said.”
Hokuto wanted to embrace him. He wanted to hug him from behind, but his guilt and shame only allowed him to grasp his sleeve.
“Can we please talk again?”
His voice shook as he said it, and Hokuto couldn’t care less about his pride anymore. He was begging for Jesse to just look at him again.
“Please.”
Considering how Hokuto was as a clingy partner, it should be to no one’s surprise that he’d be the sweater-stealing type. The moment he stepped out of the bedroom in Jesse’s gray university hoodie with just boxers underneath, Jesse was struck with the hardships of controlling his boner.
First of all, that was his favorite person in the world wearing his favorite gray hoodie. He didn't think such a combination would be so destructive, but there he was with his mouth drier than the Sahara.
“I’m borrowing your hoodie,” Hokuto states, obviously having zero intention of asking permission. With quiet steps, he heads to Jesse’s kitchen to help himself to a glass of water and Jesse couldn't peel his eyes off his long and gorgeous legs.
Jesse wasn't exactly used to seeing Hokuto this casual and dressed down. They'd only been officially dating for over a month and slept with each other around two times (last night was the second and it was amazing! ), so seeing his boyfriend move around his apartment like he lived there too made him way too nervous.
Which was ironic because this was his place.
"What are you watching?"
Jesse already forgot what was even playing on the television when Hokuto stepped out of his room. He shrugs and Hokuto gives him a suspicious look.
Approaching the couch, Hokuto falls on the empty spot beside Jesse and scoots in closer to rest on Jesse's shoulder.
"...comfy…"
"Huh?"
"Your hoodie. It's soft. And it smells like you."
Jesse gulps.
Making himself extra comfortable, he pulls his knees to his chest. The ends of the hoodie ride up, revealing smooth skin, giving Jesse a closer view of his thighs. The very same thighs Jesse caressed last night, the same thighs obediently spreading apart for him, the same thighs that squeezed his head when he went down on him—
Hokuto looked at him unamused, eyes darting down to the tent in Jesse’s pants.
“Are you going to strip me off of it or not?”
“Hokuto.”
The lump under the bedsheets still didn’t make a sound or move. Jesse sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed and careful not to sit on what could be a hand or a limb under the sheets.
“I swear, I’m going to be okay. Just drink already.”
This time, there was a bit of rustling under the thick blanket and Jesse imagined Hokuto was shaking his head. He was hopeless.
While Jesse himself was a kind man, he also had limits to his patience after days of convincing the vampire to replenish. After stretching his shoulders, the human grabbed the blanket and pulled, trying to uncover the body underneath. The vampire wrestled back and pulled, desperately trying to keep the blanket over himself.
He was just so stubborn! But Jesse didn’t miss the quiet whine under the covers. If he recalled correctly, Hokuto hadn’t had any blood in the past week and a half, and the vampire’s limit without sustenance was max two weeks. By now, he should be physically weaker than he is at his peak, so Jesse takes advantage of that, hauling the blanket off of Hokuto with all his strength.
“There we go.” Smack in the middle of the bed was a pale figure curled into a ball, covering his face from the light and just the fact that he didn’t want to see Jesse. But curiosity eventually takes over him, and Hokuto peeks through the gap of his fingers, finding Jesse towering at the edge of the bed with his arms crossed.
“Hokuto, you’re going to kill yourself if you keep avoiding me.”
The vampire huffed, burying his face into his knees.
“I’m telling you, you need to drink.”
“I don’t want to,” Hokuto finally responded, voice slightly hoarse after having been parched for days.
Jesse was about to reply ‘There’s nothing to be embarrassed about!’ but it would probably provoke and embarrass Hokuto even further so he held himself back. The reason Hokuto was even acting like this in the first place was because he had lost control and excessively drank too much of Jesse’s blood the last time, resulting in Jesse passing out after nearly having the life sapped out of him. Hokuto really didn’t mean to go overboard— aside from Jesse being his personal blood bank, he LOVED him. But there was something about Jesse that night after a passionate session of love-making and his self-control just flew out the window.
Since then, Hokuto had been extremely embarrassed and committed to a self-destructive type of abstinence.
Personally, Jesse was dying too at having been unable to touch him.
Carefully, Jesse sat beside the vampire and caressed his head. Eventually, the calming motions urged Hokuto to finally acknowledge and look at him, and Jesse smiled to ease his worries away.
Apart from being embarrassed for losing control, Jesse could tell Hokuto was scared. If Hokuto didn’t do something about his self-restraint, he might accidentally kill Jesse.
“Don’t worry about me. I may be mortal, but I’m stronger than you think.”
The last thing Jesse wanted was for Hokuto to starve. While he applauded his loyalty for refusing to drink from another human, Jesse didn’t want to be the cause for him to suffer.
Jesse lowers himself down closer to Hokuto. With zero hesitance, he pulls the neckline of his shirt to expose creamy skin, instantly rousing the hunger Hokuto had been trying to suppress.
“Jesse…” The ivory fangs were inching closer despite the vampire’s weak attempts to pull himself back. Jesse shivers when he sees the red glint in Hokuto’s eyes.
“Drink up.”
In a world where even the most powerful of heroes were tested in their abilities to uphold goodness and justice, betrayal wasn’t a rare foe to come by when the stakes were high.
It was unsightly, but Jesse coughed raggedly, blood splattering on the ground and running down his chin. His body was beaten, aching while rumbling with the bits of remaining energy fueled solely by adrenalin. He didn’t know what happened to his left eye —he didn’t want to know anyway— but his struggling right vision focused merely on the one beautiful face that was now standing on the enemy’s side.
There was guilt and fear in Hokuto’s eyes, and it made Jesse smile. That was enough, knowing there was still a good conscience in him despite leading Jesse into a trap.
A heavy boot smashed Jesse’s head to the ground, and he bit his lip, grunting in pain at the impact. What follows is an onslaught of attacks, and Jesse resigns himself to his fate. He couldn’t move anymore. He’d broken too many bones. He was beyond his limit.
Jesse had never felt so powerless. He chuckles to himself dryly, remembering the world warning him that ‘the strongest will fall.’ His mission was to protect the world from the evils that persisted, and though he had always put a facade showing there was always hope and goodness, he knew deep down that it was impossible to protect everyone.
Thus it was killing him that he couldn’t protect the one person he promised he would put his whole life on the line for.
Hokuto clenched his trembling hands. He was a coward who couldn’t come to save the only person who believed in him, and he was a coward too frightened to show any signs of doubt to the force keeping him hostage.
There was a particularly loud sound of a bone snapping. Hokuto shut his eyes and turned around, unable to watch any more of the hero’s torment. But a cold ghostly hand that made his skin crawl held his face in place.
“Watch.”
A formidable voice whispered next to Hokuto’s ear. Cold sweat formed on Hokuto’s skin as he unwillingly opened his eyes, forced to watch the show of Jesse stripped of his power.
“You did a job well done.”
“I want to get you pregnant.”
Hokuto almost didn’t hear it from the sound of his own breaths. When the words sank in, he gazed up at Jesse and his breath hitched at his serious eyes.
It was the strangest thing to hear. Biology wasn’t Hokuto’s forte in his academic years, but it was common sense that conceiving a child was out of the male body’s functions. Modern science wasn’t close to finding a way to beat the odds, and even if Hokuto was more than willing to bear Jesse’s children, it was physically impossible.
It was strange, out of the blue, and impossible thing to say, but Hokuto had to admit it unlocked something inside of himself.
Whatever was running in Jesse’s head for him to blurt that out, Hokuto didn’t know, but he’d entertain him nevertheless. They completely ignore the condoms they took out earlier when Jesse lined himself in front of Hokuto when he spread his legs apart. He pushes in without difficulty because Hokuto’s body is always ready for him, hot and wet, and the perfect tightness that had Jesse’s cock growing even harder inside.
Hokuto wraps his arms around Jesse’s neck, closing the proximity because he wants Jesse as close to him as he can, and Jesse rocks his hips back and forth, rough and fast, moving with carnal intent to climax over gentle love-making.
Hokuto wants him to come inside. He’s desperate for Jesse to fill him up, he needs him to pour every single drop that he was sure to get pregnant if his body allowed it. He didn’t realize his scrambled thoughts were making their way out through breathy gasps, but Jesse heard them all. He heard everything he wanted, then a switch flipped, and Jesse had never wanted to knock him up so badly.
Plunging all the way in, Jesse’s hitting the deepest part of Hokuto with ease, and Hokuto’s body twists the same way his mind was twisting into impossible directions. Jesse was fucking him so hard that Hokuto thought the mattress might give in, and Hokuto could barely breathe each time Jesse’s tip pounded his prostate. Both of them were close. Hokuto’s stomach was tightening, growing hot with the need for release.
A whine escapes Hokuto’s throat when Jesse grabs his hips with strong hands. He was bound to leave marks on his skin. The new angle drives Hokuto to come first, and his body grows limp after, and he fully surrenders his body to Jesse, letting him be moved to meet his thrusts.
Jesse isn’t far behind either. With a few more thrusts, Hokuto could feel Jesse’s cock twitching, and his thighs tense in anticipation, heart pounding fast as Jesse’s cum spurts inside and coats his walls.
It was heaven, and Hokuto wanted Jesse again and again. They were both out of breath, gasping for air while their heated bodies were trying to recover, but Jesse didn’t pull out. Hokuto’s mind is in sync with him, wrapping his legs around Jesse and keeping him in place, making sure his cum doesn’t drip out of him. They weren’t finished.
The tips of Jesse’s fingers trace from Hokuto’s chest down to his stomach, coating his fingers with Hokuto’s release that had spilled all over. He presses his palm flat against his abdomen, imagining how it would be if life could form in there, and as if Hokuto could read his thoughts, he smiles. They were losing their minds.
Jesse stays inside Hokuto’s body until he grows hard again. Ready for another round, Hokuto’s hips start grinding against him, his walls clenching with the need to be filled.
‘Whatever you do, do not step on that crosswalk.’
Even when the pedestrian light was green, Jesse warned. He never expounded and Hokuto couldn’t wrap his mind around what could happen if he passed the same crosswalk he encountered every day.
It was like any other Tuesday evening on his way back from work. The sun was setting earlier and Hokuto was only taking his usual route after taking the bus.
It was like any other ordinary day. The same crosswalk. The same scratches under the button of the traffic light. The same post office at the other end of the street.
It should have been the same ten steps with his long strides to cross to the other end of the road.
Then by the sixth step, Hokuto realized he should have listened.
How did you know, Jesse?
How did you know I shouldn’t pass the crosswalk?
How did you know there would be a speeding truck out of control?
How did you know I would be bleeding to death on the pavement?
How did you know, love?
How did you know?
Judgment.
It was what they called the power that set in motion the second genesis: the recreation of the world the prophecies forewarned for centuries. The sole factor that decided the fate of mankind whether to continue its existence or fall. A power that had turned sealed and dormant for long years like it knew it needed to be hidden.
No one knew what the judgment looked like. No one knew how it felt and how they would find it. The only clue from the prophecies was that 'one would know when it awakens'
All his life, Jesse had dedicated it to searching for the host that bore the dangerous force. For years, he had put his life on the line to find it before it fell into their enemy’s hands; if their opponents took hold of judgment, the earth would collapse into darkness. No one could predict what kind of world would form from the rebirth, but everyone felt deep in their bones that it was everything wicked.
After having lived a life as an advocate for the good of mankind, Jesse vowed he would do anything before their enemies caught it. He tries to convince himself the sword in his hand and the flames he summoned were for peace. But for too many times, he had witnessed the blood spilled from both sides and the innocent. Since he was a child, he had watched the way greed, envy, and hatred cloud the eyes of man. And in their world, anyone would have wished to run away if only they weren’t to be hunted and killed for the sake of silence. His worn and weary bones just wanted the war to end. Inside, he wished judgment would forever stay dormant. If possible, he wished it would cease to exist.
In their world, love and peace were scarce. Yet Jesse was lucky to find them in a man named Hokuto.
Hokuto was Jesse’s partner in more ways than one. He was the cool-headed comrade that offsets Jesse’s warm-blooded character —the ice to his blazing fire. The only person among their force who could level his strength. A friend he met and grew up with as a child in the dark halls of the order, the man he would run to after the horrifying nightmares. The only person he could trust and long for his embrace.
Hokuto was the miracle that kept Jesse alive to this day. And Jesse refused to die in battle until the two of them reached the end of the war and ran away to a far place where no trace of their past could find them. It was a promise they made one night when Jesse sneaked into Hokuto's quarters to lay with him to sleep. They would find that cursed judgment and destroy it. Then they would run away together with new identities with no destination in mind.
Running his fingers through Jesse's hair, Hokuto pulled him closer to press a kiss to his forehead. Jesse's eyelids begin to fall hearing the soft whispers of stories he’s read about from books, of different land and seas that made Jesse wonder whether there was peace there or not. Jesse wondered if there was a place where the two of them could stay like this, just in each other’s arms and pretending they were closed off from the world. A place where no blood was shed and there was no such thing as judgment.
Jesse was seconds away from falling asleep when the fingers playing with his hair paused. Glancing upward, Jesse was checking to see if Hokuto had fallen asleep until he found the other man had frozen. Before he could ask, Hokuto pushed Jesse away and curled into himself, biting his lip to hold back his pained whimpers as his hands clutched and scratched over his heart, nails digging into his skin like it was fighting to tear something out.
The pain was spreading to every cell in Hokuto’s body, his head feeling like it would split and burst. Even more was the excruciating pain in his chest; the sensation of everything closing in until he was suffocating. He could imagine thorny vines wrapping around his heart and pressing in, and the mental image made him sick.
From the other side of the bed, Jesse stared at a loss on what to do. But as soon as a strangled cry leaves Hokuto’s lips, he rushes back to his side and collects him in his arms. He pushes back the hair stuck to his forehead, damp with sweat. He holds himself from spilling his panic, careful not to push Hokuto over the limit with the questions flooding his mind. But every question gets stuck in his throat when Hokuto’s body stills and emits a warm crystalline glow.
.
.
.
.
No one knew what the judgment looked like.
No one knew how it felt and how they would find it.
The only clue from the prophecies was that 'one would know when it awakens'
.
.
.
.
Their eyes met and both of them understood.
No.
No. No. God , no!
Jesse’s blood ran cold. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to curse their fate which was anything but fair. If he still carried an ounce of hope before, then it had completely vanished.
A cold hand touched Jesse’s face, and Hokuto had never felt so far away and ephemeral.
“Kill me.”
Hokuto’s voice was merely a weak whisper, and Jesse couldn’t fathom how much pain he must be in. He shook his head, grasping the hand that was touching his face between his own.
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Jesse, I have to die.”
“Hokuto, I can’t let you die-!”
“This is what we’ve been fighting for, remember?”
It shouldn’t have to end this way, Jesse wanted to tell him. What was the point if he didn’t come out of this war with the man who gave his life meaning?
Why, God, must you be so cruel?
If saving mankind came with the price of Hokuto’s blood, then Jesse would willingly drop his sword.