✔ blue-coloured beginnings 「 khunbam 」

a

"Aguero."

Khun met Agnisʼ freezing stare, lifting himself from his thoughts. "Yes, mother?"

In a wristʼs flick, the woman sliced the tender meat with elegance before she spoke. "I heard from Sivori that my only son has been spending too much time with Maschennyʼs brat lately."

'Snitch,' was what he thought, recalling the dependable facade the platinum blond had plastered when he went with them inside the library. He made the right call to test how Sivori would report to his mother before taking on his claims of loyalty.

Still, despite his inner musings, Khun kept his emotions in check, glancing at his sister in nonchalance when she had let out a mocking gasp. "That must explain why he kept disappearing from the training room in the past few days." Kiseia being her avid follower, followed suit. "Are you hiding something from us, A.A?"

"Maybe a conspiracy." Elqennaʼs ultramarine eyes gave off a judgmental air, obviously trying to get their mother to reprimand him for the sake of it. "Are you planning on betraying your own family, brother?"

"Why?" By all means, Khun wasnʼt a pushover so he smirked at her taunting in return. "Are you afraid I might make it a reality, sister?"

"Aguero Agnis!"

Khun glared at them, slamming his utensils on the table. "Then stop doubting my decisions! Since when have I disappointed your expectations, mother?" Seriously, why were the few women in his life so difficult to handle?

"So would you care to explain your interactions with our main enemy, huh?"

Especially Kiseia. When his mother first adopted her into the family, there was no animosity between them which Khun had appreciated. They werenʼt close, but they did not hate each other either. Both respected their own boundaries and went their merry ways, until he won the successor play. Was that when everything went wrong?

"Am I obligated to update my whereabouts every single time to you then, Kiseia?" When she shut her mouth up, Khun exhaled deeply, taking a sip from the marmalade on his side.

"I am to make Elqenna a Jahad Princess- that is my task and I will make that happen. However," the latterʼs gaze turned sharp. "I donʼt appreciate my actions being directed with even a scrupple of suspicion."

He wiped his lips with a napkin before setting down his cutlery, standing up with an expression devoid of emotions.

"Isnʼt Sivori enough as a watchdog?"

ー・ー

Khun takes it all back. He was more than suffocated.

He tried discarding all hesitations and abided by his familyʼs demands. He planned for every possible scenario that might befall him as he set out to slowly change his future. He chose the best course of action. Still, he felt the same way he felt centuries ago- when he exploited his own team for the sake of his real teammates. During the strategizing of the second floorʼs final test. After his last vivid moments of Bamʼs auspicious smile.

He felt perfect. Cold and calculating, like the schemer he always was.

"Youʼre getting distracted, A.A!"

'Ah.' Khun blinked, barely evading the upcoming attack which left it grazing his cheek. Ran cheered at himself for a job well done, but his triumph was cut short when Khunʼs fingers glowed an ultramarine hue healing the gash on his face without ever leaving a scar.

"Hey, thatʼs cheating! Using shinsu is against our rules!"

"Says who?" He smirked when the younger frowned in irritation, watching the formerʼs brazen withdrawal.

"Let me tell you something, Ran." Khun laid down onto the soft patches of grass under the treeʼs shade, his hands behind his head as he stared at the streaks of light passing between the spaces of the leaves. "In the game between life and death, there are no rules. Itʼs either you use or be taken advantage of. Play your cards right and trust nobody- not even yourself." His mother once told him before the awaited exile, "Cover your ears, close your heart, and find the best path." And he guessed it stayed in his system after all that had happened. At least he would be able to teach Ran something he could use in the long run.

Khun had said that intently but all he received was Ranʼs incredulous stare. "You know what, you donʼt talk like a ten-year-old. At all." Well, duh. "Youʼre always out and about. You donʼt attend classes and when you do, it would be during practical lessons and exams. Youʼre always staring off either at some book or nothing."

Khun had been attending the mandatory classes required by Khun Edahnʼs children, but only really show up when it has something related to shinsu or combat. Other than that, he has no interest in engaging with fellow disposables. Theyʼre all going to die anyway, either by his hands or another. Sooner or later they will fade into existence, and their places would immediately be replaced by a few thousand others in the queue.

He was quite sure the child has many more examples to share, but he gets the gist of it. Ran was basically saying he acts different and strange. He knows heʼd better be careful, but this was Ran. It shouldnʼt harm him that much unless he tattles to his relatives.

"Well," Khun turned to his cousin who was now situated beside him, influenced. "If you lived with at least half of the things I lived with, or somehow went back in time and was given the chance to redo everything that went wrong, Iʼm sure youʼll definitely act like I do."

"But you didnʼt. No one does that, you bozo," the kid bearing hair of arctic blue said in an as-a-matter-of-factly tone. "So stop acting like a generic Khun and start living as A.A- in the present."

Can he really do that, though? Khun couldnʼt believe he just had gotten advice from an infant, but well, this was happening. Should he really bring Bam to a present full of uncertainties?

"Fine. You win, smart ass."

"Language, you uncultured swine!" said Ranʼs fully articulated mouth.

What if he fails? What if he would not be able to protect bam because of his lack of preparation this time? What if he loses him again and would go through that cycle of agony for another lifetime?

"About the map though."

But he canʼt leave Bam alone in that darkness again.

"Oh yeah, you said something about a cave. What about it?"

"There is actually something I must see there for myself." The thought of not having to bask in that warmth again was more suffocating than the pressure of pulling the right strings of the Princess Selection.

Khun couldnʼt take that. He might just go insane.

Ran looked at him again like he was crazy, sitting up and ranting about how silly Khun was for believing in such myths. "And how are you even expecting yourself to go down there?!"

Hereʼs where all of Khunʼs recent hard work of wasting his time in that wretched class would pay off. The latter just simpered and smirked at him which made Ran gape at his older brother-cousin in disbelief. "Iʼll jump."

"You are crazy!"

"You forgot, dear cousin." Khun chuckled at him like the latter had just said an amusing joke, and Ran knew he would never like that tone.

"Weʼre all mad here."