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June 14 - June 14, 2024
“I’m Eri,” the boy said with a confused little frown. “Don’t want a new name!” Castien sighed. It seemed the child was a stubborn one, and a quite smart one for his age. “Fine,” he conceded. “You will be Eridan, then.” It fit the nickname, but it was different enough from the boy’s real name not to raise people’s eyebrows. If there were no other children with that name in the Order, the child would be able to keep the name when he was Named.
He’s a two-faced snake, Eridan realized, looking at Idhron with a mix of fascination and disgust. A liar, and an excellent one.
“Very well,” Idhron said at last. “I will speak frankly with you.” Eridan looked at him skeptically but didn’t voice his doubts. “I really do not ‘hate’ you,” Idhron said. “I do not ‘hate’ anyone. Hate is an emotion. Emotions are a liability, and I have eradicated most of them.”
If you get angry with someone more powerful than you—socially, politically, or telepathically—the right reaction would be to feign subservience and wait until you become powerful enough to destroy them.”
Castien wasn’t a good man. Eridan had been right to suspect him of being a cold-hearted, manipulative bastard; he was that, and more.
Home. It felt strange that he had already started thinking of Master Castien’s mansion as home. It was probably inadvisable, but Eridan couldn’t help himself. It was his safe place. No one mocked him, hated him, looked down on him or sneered at him in his Master’s house.
Castien’s shields weren’t as impenetrable as they usually were, and Eridan could feel flashes of his emotions: relief mixed with greed, dark and possessive. There was the sense of finally, as if his Master was as thirsty for this as him, and Eridan felt a rush of euphoria at the thought, his body shuddering in pleasure.
“If it were a matter of conscience, or lack thereof, I would have stuffed you with my cock years ago.”
If Eridan didn’t know better, if Castien wasn’t Castien, he would think… he would think his Master was feeling a little clingy. A little possessive. Or something.
He had never had delusions about his Master. He knew Castien never did anything on a whim, his every move carefully planned. Eridan had always found it strange that his Master had claimed him so early and yet had shown no interest in him when he was a child. Now it all was starting to make more sense. Castien had shown no interest because he had no intention of keeping him as his apprentice.
Castien had always known that one day he would use Eridan as another piece in his game, so there was no point getting attached.
Even Castien’s rejection of him was starting to make so much sense. Why would Castien want to start an unnecessary physical relationship that had the potential to mess up his plans? After all, he would want his apprentice to be loyal to him but not too clingy if he wanted to use him as a puppet king.
He was just an expendable pawn, nothing more. Castien probably couldn’t wait to finally get rid of him and get an apprentice he really wanted to teach.
“I hope you have a happy life,” the man said, his voice quiet. “Goodbye, Prince Eruadarhd.”
tried to be kind. To do the ‘right’ thing. But kindness does not come naturally to me. I am a selfish man.”
“I find that I dislike living in a world where you do not remember me.” Something rueful and self-deprecating appeared in his telepathic presence. “Apparently, I am that selfish. I need you to need me. Therefore, calling your… love for me unrequited is not accurate. It is very much requited.”
I love him, Eridan suddenly thought. I will always love him. I will never love another person as much as I love him.
“You are mine,” Castien said, sucking a hickey into his neck. “You will always be only mine. I will kill anyone who touches you.”
