Salvation of the Scum Fifth Prince

Sometimes, there were hidden truths placed easily in plain sight one could never discover.

Perhaps, so long as it remained a secret, the despairing weight of reality wouldn't crash down.

But life didn't work in ways we want it to.

Brioc's entire body chilled over in frosty understanding, his face paling under the echoing words which surrounded them in the narrow passage. It settled in his mind, draping over it in its horrors.

The magician didn't need to see it, not when he could clearly see the dreadful glow reflecting off Soren's pale blue eyes.

He choked out a laugh. "You're kidding?"

But no laughter followed him and his smile grew strained, violet eyes darkening with desperation.

"Hahaha... what a joke." muttered Brioc in a complex confusion, brows tightly furrowed together. "What absolute stupidity."

"That foolish old man, what sort of crazy idiocy did he force upon me?" 

The air, suffocating in the narrow space, seemed to leave his lungs.

He'd been free.

In the past years, he had thought he was free. Away from the nonsense of the Haze Kingdom, living his own life. It hadn't been easy, sure. Yet all these struggles were marked into his bone — and it was something he was willing to do a million times over, just to be free.

It had all been a lie. A farce that he stupidly believed in. The prince was right, how could the king let him escape so easily?

"Brioc." called Raphael in a soothing tone, voice coiled with deep emotion that made Brioc pause. "Breathe."

"Hahaha, I'm breathing just fine, thanks." said Brioc chokingly.

"Stop laughing." said Soren suddenly, narrowing his gaze. "It's annoying."

Brioc blinked several times, turning his head to face the seeping darkness ahead. "Wow Renren, you're really not taking it easy on me despite everything."

"You're annoying usually, but it is more annoying when it's forced out like that."

"...ah?"

Soren scowled. He wasn't empathetic, not at all. But he'd tolerated Brioc all this time, this crazy magician he'd read about in a book. Perhaps he wouldn't have cared in the beginning, but after all this time, watching such a strained laugh was... unpleasant.

"..." Brioc found himself speechless once again. He pressed his lips together, nibbling at the edge of his stress before saying, "He can find me. As long as I'm here, the mission will end as a failure, if it hasn't already."

"And?" asked Soren impatiently.

"Well..? It's be wise to have me leave first, act as a distraction. The king wouldn't kill me."

"Don't speak nonsense."

"What?" Brioc frowned in complete confusion. "I haven't lied, for once, you know?"

There was a teaching installed in his mind from childhood. The weak would die, and failure was intolerable.

If Brioc was marked by the King, he would only be a hinderance that should be disposed of. Regardless of his light-hearted, unexplainable personality, this was a harsh fact he believed in.

It was simple, really.

"Move." was the reply that drummed in Brioc's mind. "A sacrifice isn't necessary."

Soren had seen too many of those, and often, he had been the sacrifice himself.

Raphael suddenly laughed, a rumbling chuckle that hung in the air. "Look, Brioc. If he knows you've entered the kingdom, not that the plan won't work. It's all chaos and disguises anyway, so just keep moving and be careful. We have no intention of giving you back to the King."

"The little prince here most likely thought the same thing, although his way of expressing care is strange." added the man off-handedly.

Soren glared. "It isn't care."

Raphael raised his brow, the corner of his lips tugging into a careless grin. "I'll give you a lesson, little prince. When you're worried about somebody, or don't want to see them upset, that's care."

"....." Soren continued to frown, but said nothing else.

Raphael smiled in satisfaction.

And in the front, dazed at the light conversation which seemed to carry heavy emotions, Brioc laughed.

He laughed loudly, childishly, furrowing his brows as he grinned.

"You're pretty necessary for the plan, you crazy magician." remarked Raphael as his eyes softened at the bright laughter. "We won't abandon you."

"I didn't take you for the sentimental type, Raphy~" said Brioc in his typical teasing manner, though his tone was lighter and layered with meaning. He sucked in a breath, chilly as it swept between his teeth, cooling the simmering negativity that had started to brew.

He'd followed the group because he found Soren interesting. A strong person who seemed weak at times, with a natural disposition at being indifferent to reality. 

Not to mention, Brioc had terrible fun in teasing the solemn prince.

In the end, he would separate from the group, as people always did. Maybe this time, he figured in the back of his mind as he started to move again, maybe this time he wouldn't.

"Since the Haze King has likely noticed my entering into the Kingdom," said Brioc after some time, his disarrayed thoughts now in order. "We'll have to move quickly, as speedily as possible."

"Ok."

"Yeah, sounds good."

The duration to the end of the passage wouldn't be long. It came in the form of an open door in the cellar of a low-key bar Brioc had once visited in the past. It was near the castle, but far enough to be away from the prying eyes of the King.

If anything, the tattoo should've alerted his general position, but not the precise place he had been. Or at least, he assumed so.

The bar was typically busy throughout the day, though Brioc couldn't be certain after the changes in the land occurred. Perhaps the entrance was discovered, unlikely as it was. 

Even he wouldn't have discovered the secretive exit had he not casually read through the endless books in the library after tiring of his extensive studies.

A rare chance. A lucky one, too.

Despite the realization that the King allowed him to escape, he doubted that they found the passage. The difficult part of leaving had been slipping through the windows of the castle, surrounded by guards that flocked left and right. 

"I think I hear noise coming from ahead, faintly. We've likely reached the exit." said Raphael, listening carefully to his surroundings his precise accuracy.

Brioc nodded and grinned. "Get ready to see some interesting stuff, Renren, Raphy."

His hand stretched out, pressing against an invisible door hidden within the curtains of darkness that covered their vision. 

There was a low creak, echoing in their ears as the smell of dust clouded the air. It hadn't been opened since Brioc had left; he confirmed at the rusting sound of the old door opening. 

If it had been discovered by the King, the passage would've been throughly discovered. There was no possibility of that coward leaving risks surrounding him, not when he prioritized his own life over anything else.

Be it the citizens, or his family. 

Light trickled into the room, blinding at first as their eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, having been crawling in the darkness for several hours. 

"We're here~"

They stepped out, ducking under the low overhang before groaning, their compressed limbs finally free. A dull ache from the crawl remained in their legs, even after they twisted their torsos and stretched out their bodies.

"Remind me never to do that again." said Raphael as he twisted his neck. "I didn't expect it to take that long."

Brioc shrugged and smiled carelessly. "You lose concept of time in there anyway, so I didn't think I needed to tell you."

"...next time, please do."

"Sure~"

Soren looked around the worn out room, seeming not to have been entered in years as it gathered dust. There were few drifting bits of storage on the ground, but it was relatively empty. The door to the passage covered by a strayed piece of cloth hanging from a shelf.

There was noise upstairs, the low but bountiful chatter of people. Muffled laughter seeped into the room, along with the sounds of clattering plates and glass.

"Well," said Brioc, tilting his head. "Looks like that bar is still up and running."

"How do we leave without being seen?" asked Raphael, thinking.

"Easy. Both of you, pull your hood up and follow me."

The two glanced at each other before tugging the hood over their eyes, hiding their face entirely. Brioc grinned and stumbled upstairs, pinching his cheeks. 

He walked in a dizzy fashion, past several doors and into the main area. After pausing at the bathroom and opening the door to enter, he stumbled out again. 

Raphael caught him and steadied him. 

"Oh~ woah~ there's two of you....!" slurred Brioc with a sleepy grin, hands grasping onto Raphael's arm. 

He stretched out a hand to clammer over Soren as well, only to have Raphael stop him habitually and Soren step back.

Brioc raised a brow in his drunken haze. "I always knew you two were together~ can't believe... you didn't tell me~"

"....." Raphael gave him a pointed look, unable to say anything when several eyes glanced at their situation. 

It was rather obvious that Brioc was abusing his act to tease them more. 

Soren stared at him coldly. "Get it together."

"Reen~ there's two of you, too....! That's two too many, hahahaha~"

"....."

If a Brioc who pretended to be drunk was as irritating as this, neither wanted to learn what a Brioc who was actually drunk behaved like.

A woman walked over with a plate in her hand, holding two drinks in the other. "Is there a problem?"

"He's drunk." stated Soren as he glanced over. 

Raphael chuckled, tugging Brioc into a more proper position as his lazy smile peeked from under the hood. "Don't mind us, really. We're trying to have him get more fresh air, but he's a little unsteady on his feet."

"Oh," The woman flushed at Raphael's smile. "Well, would you like any help?"

Soren watched the two converse and frowned. It was a waste of time, and they needed to hurry to the castle. He watched as Raphael gently rejected her, only for her to press one more time. 

'Troublesome.'

He stepped forward, tugging Raphael's collar down as the man's head ducked beside him. His chilling blue eyes seemed more icy under the hood, lips bright against pale skin, curved in a displeased frown.

"He's mine." said the cool, arrogant tone in a smooth manner.

The woman blinked in surprise. "What—"

"Don't bother us." He raised his chin lightly, cold eyes staring with annoyance. "Understood?"

Raphael jerked his head to the side in surprise.

The woman's flush deepened, and she nodded, her eyes flickering between the two. "Y-yes! My deepest apologies." 

She blinked several times in embarrassment and scampered away, like an animal being preyed on by a beast. Or in this case, thought Raphael, a lazy sloth whose viciousness only showed at random.

They stepped outside successfully with Soren's intervention, as Brioc continued to mutter incoherent, mind-numbing words that could only provoke anger.

They turned the corner, and Brioc straightened, winking. 

"He's yours, hm~"

"....." Soren didn't want to deal with this crazy magician any longer. "Time was limited."

"So you say."

"....."

Raphael's eyes glittered with amusement as he watched. "I didn't deny your claims."

"....." It felt as if Soren grew more speechless by the moment. Why did he choose to go on this mission with these two, of all people?

Suddenly, a cry rang out through the streets.

It was nearby, only a few meters away from where they lurked in the shadows. Raphael had been the first to turn at the sound, walking over without hesitation. 

His eyes contracted, the view etched in his eyes as he watched in utter disgust, lips curling into an irritated frown as his eyebrows furrowed. 

On the floor, fallen and tearful, was a single girl, clothed in ratted clothes that had stitches from being fixed over and over again. The basket of food she held was now a broken mess on the cobblestone grounds.

A guard tugged at her arm roughly, eliciting a cry of pain.

"Get up!" barked the man gruffly, hands violently gripping her slender arms. 

"Please..." sobbed the girl, trying to pull away. 

He ignored her, tugging at her arm more violently as a vicious gleam flashed in his eyes. He was power, authority. Such a measly girl had no right to disobey him. 

These were the ruthless thoughts he truly believed. 

Words of filthy abuse left his lips as the girl's expression grew more and more hopeless. The citizens only watched — out of fear, or knowledge that helping would only lead to death. 

The girl's life was forfeit, now in the hands of these cruel guards.

Soren turned, lowering his chin slightly. A pair of rough hands littered with scars clenched and unclenched with trembling anger. In a moment, they wouldn't be able to hold back from punching that guard.

He lifted his head again, watching the scene calmly. 

There was no need to act, yet. Because somebody else would before he did. 

"I'm sorry, Brioc." said Raphael finally, his voice steady like a silent river, hiding the boiling water that simmered in his chest. "But I have limits on what I can watch, and there's no doubt that the situation will get worse."

With that, he ran forward.

Brioc lunged, but Raphael's jacket slipped from his fingers. The magician's teasing expression was lost. "I warned him not to act! This won't do at all... he'll get caught, I'm certain of it."

They remained in the corner, around from where the terrible scene had played before their eyes. The rotting walls hid them from any prying eyes in an area where darkness ruled over the light.

Raphael had swooped in — much like a hero in any typical tale — rescuing the young girl from the guards' abuse. In doing so, he became the common enemy of the castle guards, drunk in their own power and arrogance.

There was no reasoning with such people. 

Raphael, too, had pulled out his sword, gleaming under the brilliant daylight as his figure stood tall. For him, there was no shame in doing what he believed was right. 

Even if it killed him.

A crowd was nearing, guards circling in from various directions. There was no room for escape.

"Stay." said an icy tone from besides Brioc.

The violet eyes gazed at the prince in confusion. "Hey Renren, I appreciate your comradeship but—"

"I intended to do this from the start."

"What?"

"Because that hippo..." said Soren in a knowing tone, despite his cold warning to Raphael before they arrived, "...definitely can't look away."

Caring, Raphael was. Soren had bet on that, and knowing the state of the Haze Kingdom, that foolish protagonist wouldn't be able to resist. Not when justice ran through his blood like he was created from it. 

And from the very start, regardless of how troublesome Raphael's actions were, Soren had always been ready to save him.

Brioc had no time to say anything else.

As if he'd been waiting for it to happen, like a natural instinct, Soren rushed over, leaping into the air with his chains rattling in a violent dance around him. 

"Move." snapped Soren, pushing Raphael to the side as the flurry of metal created a chaotic illusion. "Go!"

Raphael twisted his head, dark eyes wide in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Dealing with your mess."

"This isn't the time to being sarcastic, little prince."

Soren scowled, his icy eyes sending a chill over Raphael's body. "I said go."

"You—"

"Go." hissed Soren again. "You stupid hippo, I'll deal with this. So leave."

"I can’t—"

For a moment, time seemed to slow and Soren's eyes glazed with a familiar confidence, one so reassuring that Raphael couldn't refute any longer. 

"Trust me, Raphael. I already promised you, so trust in that. If only that." said the prince with startling certainty. 

But there was no need for Soren to convince Raphael to trust him. Because that protagonist, after all this time, already did. As if he always had, in the lurking thoughts in his mind, buried under forgotten memories. 

Raphael stepped back, hesitated for a moment before turning around, avoiding the whirlwind of clattering metal. 

The battle was loud, and the guards' challenging voices even louder. Chaos bounced off the streets, into the corners where some hid.

"Soren," rumbled Raphael's low voice over the winds, carried over to Soren's listening ears. "No matter what, stay alive. You absolutely cannot die."

When Soren had a moment to glance back at the direction of the tone, Raphael was already gone. His gaze lingered momentarily before he tore it away.

A scowl flickered on his lips and he said to nobody in particular, 

"I won't."