"Who is he?"

Sylvester shrugged and added in his calm voice. "I don't know. But does it matter? That man knows something that, if revealed, will kill your sister. Would you let him go?"

"I'd kill him," Gabriel responded in a heartbeat.

Sylvester didn't say anything instantly as he let the words settle in Gabriel's mind. What he did was for his family, and it didn't matter who he killed.

"May I ask what happened? What's the reason?" Gabriel carefully inquired.

Sylvester looked around this time at the landscape. "Isn't it so peaceful inside this Holy Land, Gab? The air feels fresh. The people are so kind. We are like nobilities here. But the moment we step out of here, we're merely prey for those brave enough to hunt us.

"There is a lot of darkness out there, brother. The Church and its faith keep the peace, but a select few wish to destroy it."

"The heathens?" Gabriel exclaimed.

"Often, the enemy is much closer than it seems. Sometimes, heathens hide under the garb of a faithful. There are kingdoms whose nobles wish to free themselves from the Church, so they can go back to plundering those weaker regions around us. Kill, pillage, and **** to their heart's content."

"What's that got to do with Ro-"

Sylvester interrupted quickly. "That guy… had talent equal to the Guardians of Light. He was one day going to be the king of a powerful kingdom, a kingdom that wished to push away the Church."

"Words are that he ran away. How did they reach that conclusion?"

Sylvester had an answer prepared for that as well with the best facial expressions he could summon. He didn't care as long as Gabriel didn't know about his inheritance because, as far as he remembers, Gabriel was very religious. He'd accept killing Romel in a heartbeat, but not him being a heathen.

"I have played on the lap of the Holy Father since I was a month old. I can meet him whenever I want. That's all I can tell, or else I would have to deal with you too. Even telling you this much is putting you in danger. Just know this, Gab, I am one of the last God's Favored, and most higher Clergy already believes I am the true God's Favored. My shoulders are digging me into the ground, brother.

"I basically don't have a life as the Church directs it. They wish to turn me into a powerhouse so one day I can fight for them—win over Beastaria for them. And I would absolutely give my life away for this cause as long as my family is safe.

"If someone threatened my mum, you, Felix, or Markus' life, I'd kill in a heartbeat. No matter who it is." He pointed at multiple people on the distant roads. "Any of them—in a heartbeat."

Gabriel deeply sighed and looked down at his feet in disappointment with himself. He felt ashamed for doubting Sylvester. "I can understand. Your life is going to be hell. To be born with your gifts and talents is more a curse than a blessing. I learned this a long time ago. You can not choose a calm, peaceful life. They will never allow you—It's sad.

"I can understand you; why you'd go to any length for your family because that's all you have left. In that case, I'm in the same shoes."

Sylvester smiled and patted Gabriel's back. "No wonder fate brought us all together. We've all got a sob story… well, except Felix, his story is a bit too…"

"Childish?" Gabriel finished.Sylvester chuckled. "Yes, you can say that. But I bet he has his reasons too. We can never put ourselves in another's shoes no matter how hard we try. Our experiences are one of the few things we can truly own."

"Sylvester!" Gabriel stood up all of a sudden, away from the edge. He appeared serious and committed. "I have decided I will not become an administrator in the Holy Land. I may not be the strongest, but I have light magic. I can not win you fights, but I can watch your back whenever needed. I will never let you carry the burden alone—never."

Sylvester waved his hand. "Stop, Gab. You don't want to do this. Lord knows where I will be traveling soon. Who knows, I might face a Bloodling again. I can't have you die because of me. I won't be able to look your sister in the eyes."

But Gabriel stood his ground. "You have saved my life enough times in the past. Let me repay you now. For Raven, all I ask is that if I ever die, just give my money to her—as promised in the pact. So, let me make a vow—a Light-Back Vow."

Sylvester stood up, too, seeing the seriousness. He was not expecting Gabriel to become this serious, and what shocked him more were the smell and taste senses. He felt no lies, fear, or jealousy. Instead, he sensed a pleasant heating sensation on the tongue with the smell of tulips, signifying worship.

He used to get this reaction from those faithfuls who believed he was the true God's Favored or those who just heard his hymns.

"Gab, what if someone forces you to break the vow then? So don't do it." He advised and suddenly felt the sense of worship increase.

Gabriel shook his head. "Then I will kill myself before I open my mouth. Let me do this, Max. This is the only way you and I can remain friends as good as brothers—trust each other."

Sylvester noted the firmness in Gabriel's eyes. He knew there was no stopping him now, so he agreed. "Make your own vows then. I will not dictate them."

Gabriel nodded and quickly pricked his right palm with a pocket knife until blood came out. Then he took the blood droplets and rubbed them all over his hand.

"Max."

Sylvester did the same and clasped hands with him. Then as soon as Gabriel started saying some incantations, the thin layer of blood on their hands began to shine in white light. It remained as it was as he started saying his vows.

"By the grace of Solis, I, Gabriel Maxwell, vow to Sylvester Maximilian that I shall never reveal anything related to what happened today regarding Sylvester to anyone in any form or shape. I vow to keep everything I shall learn about Sylvester over time to myself, in all shape and form. Bless us, O'Lord, may your light enlighten our paths bright—Amen!"

The sharp shining white light on their clasped hands vanished suddenly, but not before it condensed into the shape of thousands of strings that spread evenly on both their arms, as if locking themselves.

"Done." Gabriel took a deep breath. "With this, no matter how far we are, if I break these vows, you will know it instantly. I shall accept any punishment from you if that happens."

Sylvester was silently amazed because this was more than he was hoping for. He only wished to talk and see how loyal Gabriel was. With this, not only did his senses tell him that Gabriel believed in him, but the vow acted as a guarantee. Not to mention, he had other plans to counter things too.

He hugged the guy with somewhat genuine feelings of brotherhood. "And I hope I don't disappoint you and do become great one day. Now I only need to know which department they will throw me into."

"You're already great, Max. As for the department, I will follow no matter which one it is."

Sylvester sighed and made a fake yawn, making Gabriel yawn too. "Well, today was a really long day. So let's not talk about any of this to others."

"Agreed, this will be our secret. Let's not talk about this at all."

"Then let's meet at Magna Sanctum Temple tomorrow." Sylvester decided to say goodbye as he wished to give Gabriel some time to digest things. And he had to go see Xavia. As that confrontation still remained.

Gabriel agreed and walked out with Sylvester. "I will see you tomorrow, Max. Take care. May the light enlighten you."

"You too, Gab."

…

Miraj was confused seeing the woman in front of him crying. He could not touch her, nor could he meow. He just looked at her with a frown because it reminded him of something from a long time ago. When his old caretaker once started to cry about some lumps and internal blood.

He did not know why, but it made him sad too. So he went to Sylvester's bed and tucked himself half under the pillow to feel the warmth.

At the same time, Xavia kept cursing herself as her breakdown continued. She had no idea what would happen next as she did not know about Romel's death yet.

Thud!

She heard the door being closed and rushed to see. It was Sylvester, and as she looked at his face, her heart fell. She knew she had made a colossal mistake today, one that may get them killed.

"Max, I didn't mean for this to happen."

However, Sylvester coldly asked back. "Why didn't you tell me this before? How can you be so careless?"

Xavia's eyes bawled out as she fell to her knees and held Sylvester's hand. "I-I had everything planned. I was going to be drawing your blood and changing it with mine. Everything was perfect… but then I was called back to Sickbay and had no way but to tell you immediately. I was not careful… I was foolish…"

Sylvester already knew this much. Although he had things under control right now, he could not go easy on Xavia. What she did was the peak of stupidity, so he needed to teach her some lessons, no matter how hard the smell of sadness hit him.

"You have ruined me, mother. Because of you, today, I lost one of the greatest pawns that could have one day got me to the seat of the Pope. Because of you, I… How can you be so blind?

"Why did you never tell me this before? I am in the bloody Holy Land, I played on the lap of the Pope, and I got injured so many times in the past years. What if someone had done that blood test before? I would have died without even knowing why. How can you be so naive not to have backup plans and more backups for them?" He scolded her with questions that were too obvious now.

She sniffled and nodded. "I was being naive… I am a fool. But I did not hide it for a selfish reason, Max. I didn't want you to live in the same constant fear I have. They chased me from across the sea. I was pregnant and tried to find asylum. Met the worst of men and women. Some tried to enslave me, some wanted to r*pe me, and some were hellbent on killing me… in the end, I settled in Deserte Village because it was too far away, and the… chief was kind to me at the start.

"Max, to live in constant fear of being found out, being killed, is something that can ruin your mind. I knew I was weak, I could not have taken the risk of telling you earlier in fear you might share it with someone—I was being naive—not seeing you were much more intelligent than me.

"I never wished for any of this, you becoming the God's Favored, the church finding us—I never wanted this. I just wanted a calm, secluded life with my son… just that."

She looked down at her knees and hung her head over Sylvester's hand. Tears dropped on their own. "I will understand if you wish to leave me and live alone. I-I won't stop you. You deserve a happy life."

Sylvester wanted to curse loudly. Romel could have been an excellent pawn for him, but what was lost was lost. He could only try to salvage what was left and hope King Riveria does not do something foolish in anger.

He, too, sat down to her level and wiped tears from her eyes while he looked at her emotionlessly. "Tell me about my father. Why, where, and how—all of it."

___________________

CAN I SQUISH YOU?

**1111 Stones = Bonus Chapter!**

APE TOGETHER STRONG!