Unknotting Fate

CHAPTER 31: So This Is Happiness

One Year Later

      The commemoration of False King Day has begun. Apo Road was filled with stalls selling a range of goodies. The road flanks were filled with people waiting eagerly for the parade to start. Many carried water bottles with piss in them, some with toilet paper, all to be thrown to the statues.

The iconic stage rolled out from the northern gates of the palace. The Empress and the current God Slayers stood in the middle of the stage. All of them waved to the crowd.

Then, at the other end of the street, a parade boat rolled out along the center of Apo Road. The happy cheering turned to hateful screaming. People started throwing things at the parade boat, aiming at the two statues.

One statue was 7219, the vilest, most demonic, and ruthless ghoul that has ever lived, and the statue beside it was the former God Slayer, Ko Resurreccion.

When the parade boat reached the Empress' stage, the statues were decked with hot urine, toilet paper, beer, and leftover food.

Click. The TV was turned off. Ko said, "Damn! Whoever made my statue should be fired. My cheekbones are much more refined than that!"

 Sol and Amu burst into laughter. They were sitting on a sofa beside Ko in Sol's house.

"Oh my God, bestie. You looked so ugly in that statue!"

Knock Knock. "Come in," Ko said.

"This is Sol's house. Why is Ko answering like Ko owns Sol's house?" Sol protested.

Ko chuckled.

A demon entered and said, "Ko, the balloons have all been inflated as you ordered."

"Great!" Ko beamed. He jumped off the sofa.

"Come on, you two. Break time is over."

The False King Day, which the Royal Family commemorates annually, turned out to be the same date as Kana's birthday.

Ko has been planning a surprise birthday for him for a month. Luckily, Kana had to leave today for a business trip in Brahma and will return in the evening.

Ko made his way to the front garden of Kana's estate. And he was not happy with the progress at all.

Not every tree had been adorned with blinking string lights. The food committee was still cooking and might not finish on time. The sound system for the live music was having technical issues.

Rage burst out of him. Despite his yelling, all of the night creatures were laughing at him.

"Why are you all laughing? Take this seriously!"

"Bestie, they're all laughing because you take it too seriously. Calm down. You're stressing too much."

"But it has to be perfect!"

 This was for Kana, after all. Ko wanted to show how much he loved him and how much this one year had meant to him.

Ko's one year with Kana was like snow in summer. It was love as wild as a raging fire yet simultaneously tranquil as a silent meditation.

Another mind-boggling thing Ko learned was that Aurora was a bully. After a few weeks of getting back together, she visited the fortress and told them she had lied. She never had the power to break off soulmates. No one does.

"You silly boys. Where did you learn I was responsible for your fates?" she asked.

"Soulmate experts online," Ko answered.