Chapter 22 – What Is Remembered, What Is Not
Xavier's expression shifted.
It wasn't a sudden movement, but a slow, tectonic slide of his features as the words registered in his mind.
A heavy silence descended upon the room.
"…What do you mean…?"
His voice was barely a whisper, thick with a confusion that bordered on dread."Lumian is… your brother?"
Ignes didn't flinch.
He simply blinked, his eyes clear and guileless, reflecting the flickering light of the room.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
There was a tilt to his head, a look of pure innocence that felt almost jarring given the weight of the revelation.
"Is there a problem?"
But inside—
Behind that mask of calm curiosity—
His thoughts were moving at a jagged, frantic pace.
*No way…*
A cold realization began to prickle at the edges of his consciousness.
*Does he have Lumian's memories?*
The mere possibility sent a ripple through his composure, hidden deep beneath the surface.
Xavier shook his head slowly.
"No… it's not that."
He hesitated, his hand reaching up to rub at his temple as if trying to soothe a sudden ache.
"It's just…"
The rhythm of his speech broke. His words became uneven, stumbling over one another.
"I don't know why…"
He paused, a look of genuine bewilderment crossing his face.
"But I feel… a great respect for that name."
His brow furrowed, a sharp line appearing between his eyes.
He looked like a man staring into a thick fog, trying to make out the shape of something just out of reach.
A shadow. A memory. A ghost.
Ignes watched him.
He didn't offer a hand or a comforting word. He remained still, his gaze tracing the lines of Xavier's face with a terrifying quietness.
"Don't think too much," Ignes said.
His voice was a calm ocean.
Steady. Cool. Reassuring.
But hidden within that vast calm, there was a faint trace of something else.
Something microscopic.
Something buried under layers of iron-clad will.
Disappointment.
Xavier didn't notice.
He was too busy fighting the static in his own head to see the flicker of grief in the boy before him.
*So he doesn't remember…*
Ignes thought, the realization settling in his chest like lead.
*Maybe that's a good thing.*
A long, agonizing pause stretched between them.
The air in the room felt thin, used up.
*When did I become this selfish…?*
The thought was a bitter pill, swallowed in the dark of his own mind.
Even so, his expression didn't change.
Not a muscle twitched. Not a single spark of his internal turmoil escaped to the surface.
Not even a little.
*I think the time is coming.*
He looked at his hands, then back at the man who didn't know who he was.
*I should enjoy what I have now.*
*When the time runs out…*
*Matt will remember everything.*
*I don't have to worry about him…*
*Or the other two.*
In that single moment, a tidal wave of emotions crashed through Ignes.
Dark.
Heavy.
Vast and complicated, spanning more than just this lifetime.
But none of it showed.
He was a fortress, his gates barred against the world.
Suddenly, Ignes stood up.
The abrupt movement broke the heavy atmosphere, shattering the silence like glass.
"Let's go to the victory banquet."
He turned his gaze toward Xavier, his voice regaining its light, commanding edge.
"After all… you're the one who led the war."
A small, knowing smile played on his lips.
"If you're not there…"
"Half the spirit of the banquet will be lost."
Xavier looked up at him.
The confusion in his eyes softened, replaced by a familiar warmth.
He smiled back—a look that was gentle, bordering on doting.
"Alright."
He stood, dusting off his uniform with a practiced grace.
"As you wish… your highness."
Then, he added as an afterthought, his voice turning thoughtful.
"I did lead the war."
"But I didn't fight the Demon King."
A shadow of regret crossed his face.
"He never appeared on the battlefield while I was there."
Ignes nodded, his expression unreadable.
"I know."
Then he added, his tone casual.
"If he had come…"
"You wouldn't be alive right now."
Xavier raised an eyebrow, a challenge sparking in his dark eyes.
"Why?"
He gave a short, scoffing laugh.
"I don't think killing his subordinates would make him angry enough to come after me personally."
Ignes smiled faintly.
It was a small, sharp thing.
"No."
"He wouldn't."
A small pause.
The world seemed to hold its breath.
"But he would…"
"Because he is Lumian."
Xavier's smile faltered. He frowned slightly, the name once again causing a strange resonance in his chest.
Ignes laughed.
It was a light, airy sound, completely devoid of the weight he had been carrying moments ago. There was clear teasing in his voice now.
"Do you think Lumian would stay calm…"
"If his lovely little doll was taken away…"
"By a man older as his father?"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Xavier blinked, his mind reeling as he processed the sentence.
"…I'm that old?"
Ignes let out a small, clicking sound—a tsk of mock pity.
"Ah… so you didn't get his full memories."
He began to walk toward the door, his pace casual, as if he were discussing the weather.
"By the way…"
"My father is your older brother."
"Same parents."
A beat.
One.
Two.
"And I'm your nephew."
"The youngest."
Absolute silence.
Xavier froze mid-step.
The blood seemed to drain from his face as the lineage clicked into place.
"…Wait."
His voice was hollow.
"I'm your… uncle?"
He stood there, rooted to the spot.
Completely still.
Like a marble statue forgotten in a garden.
Ignes laughed again, the sound echoing in the quiet hallway.
"Wow! Have you been mortal for so long that you forgot?"
He stopped and leaned back slightly, closing the distance between them just enough to be intimate, yet distant.
"There are souls that are born…"
"And souls that reincarnate."
He watched the realization dawn on Xavier's face.
"We're reincarnated souls."
"And souls like us…"
He smiled faintly, a look of ancient wisdom passing over his young features.
"Sometimes end up as siblings."
"Sometimes…"
"Uncle and nephew."
"…And sometimes…"
He paused, the word hanging in the air like a final, unplayed note.
"Something even more complicated."
"...Like enemy or a person how killed a person dear to them there are lot of types."