13. Sephen

Chapter 13

Sephen

A uslin's story of what had happened when he went through Fate's Gate was the stuff of Sephen's fantasy books. He sat in a stunned silence as he tried to absorb it all. It was a fantastical tale, but Sephen knew his older brother would never lie to him, so he had no choice but to believe it. Having Kitsuki present with his imposing silent presence also lent credibility to Auslin's outlandish story.

Once Sephen was caught up, there was one lingering question. "What do you do now?"

Auslin shrugged. "I need some time to figure out what I'm going to do next."

"Are you going to come back here to the temple to live?" Sephen desperately wished his brother would come back permanently, but he would never stand in the way of his happiness with Kitsuki.

"No, I'm going to stay at the castle with Kitsuki. I'll still come visit you, though."

Kitsuki's gaze softened as he looked at Sephen. "You are welcome to join us at the castle."

The offer shocked Sephen. It wasn't every day a king invited someone to live in their magnificent castle. "While I am touched by the generosity of your offer, Your Majesty, my place is here at the temple. But I would like to come visit sometime if that's okay?"

"You are always welcome," Kitsuki told him.

"I really hope you'll come visit me at the castle. I would love to introduce you to Kitsuki's older brother, Kisano. He's the one I told you about in my letter that has the amazing library and all kinds of rare Reskin and Liros books."

Sephen's eyes lit up at the prospect of getting to see something so unusual by his favorite authors. "I'd really like that. Although, fair warning, I might never leave his library if it's as amazing as you say."

"The two of you will definitely hit it off."

"I look forward to meeting him," Sephen replied with genuine eagerness. "Do you think you'll resume your travels for the temple?"

Auslin shrugged. "We haven't had the time to discuss it. Kitsuki's position doesn't really allow him the freedom to travel the way I used to."

"If you wish to resume your pilgrimages on behalf of the temple, I will accompany you," Kitsuki told Auslin.

"But you're the king of Valzerna. There's no way you could be away from your duties that long."

"Kisano often acts as my regent during my own travels. He is well respected," Kitsuki explained. "It is possible for me to be gone for a few months at a time with enough warning."

Auslin frowned. "But what if we go into other kingdoms that might cause a diplomatic incident if you were to join me?"

"I will consider it an opportunity to forge better relations between our kingdoms," Kitsuki countered. "You need not concern yourself with such matters. As long as we avoid Kunushi and Reflorna, I am happy to go anywhere else."

"We can talk about it later."

Kitsuki nodded his agreement. He didn't say much, but Sephen could see in the way he looked at Auslin that the king loved his brother. It made Kitsuki a little less intimidating.

Satisfied the matter had been put to rest for the time being, Auslin refocused his attention on Sephen. "I can't say I'm sorry enough for disappearing for as long as I did."

Rather than acknowledging his brother's umpteenth apology, Sephen respectfully bowed to Kitsuki. "Thank you for taking such good care of my brother this whole time."

"It was my privilege," Kitsuki said in a gentle voice.

"I can rest easy knowing that Auslin finally has someone who will love him like he should be," Sephen told Kitsuki with a small smile. It was still unnerving to be in the presence of the taciturn monarch of their kingdom, but Sephen knew Kitsuki would take care of Auslin instead of always punishing him with cruelty like Kio. "That means more to me than I can possibly express."

The unspoken words of "After watching him suffer so long with Kio" hung heavy in the air.

"I'm so sorry," Auslin apologized again.

Sephen shook his head. "Don't be sorry. Be happy. That's all I've ever wanted for you."

Auslin looked up at the shifter monarch with love in his eyes. It was beautiful to see. Sephen could only hope someday he'd be lucky enough to find someone who looked at him the same way. "Nothing makes me happier than being with Kitsuki."

"It is a mutual feeling," Kitsuki said.

Hearing Kitsuki affirm his feelings for Auslin made Sephen smile brightly at the shifter monarch. "That's all that I can ask for."

"You promise you'll come visit at the castle?" Auslin pressed his brother. "I've already told Kisano everything about you. He's excited to meet you."

"Hopefully, he won't be too disappointed when he meets me," Sephen self-consciously replied. "Or scared by how much I love Reskin and Liros."

"Trust me, that won't happen," Auslin insisted. "We should probably go, though. I'm sure Kitsuki has stuff to attend to back at the castle."

Kitsuki shook his head. "I am in no rush to return. We may stay as long as you like."

"Is it really okay?" Auslin hesitantly asked.

Kitsuki softened his gaze. "Ah."

Auslin shifted his attention back to his brother. "In that case, tell me what's been happening in your world since I left."

"Reskin published a new book about a month ago called Remembrance ," Sephen stated, having a one-track mind for his favorite author. He didn't take it personally when Auslin laughed at his predictable answer. "It was so heartbreaking, though. I kept crying the whole time I was reading it."

"What was so sad about it?" Auslin asked.

"It was a reflection on the things we all lose over the years," Sephen explained. "Even thinking about it makes me want to cry now. There's a chapter where he talked about losing his dear friend, and it really made me miss you even more because it somehow sounded so much like you."

"I'll have to borrow it from Kisano's library," Auslin said. "Other than Reskin, what else have you been up to?"

"Liros came out with a new treatise on how learning provides a path forward to enlightenment, and books are a sort of the stepping-stones of that process. A lot of his discourse surrounded the importance of having an open mind and hands-on experience. It's common-sense stuff, but when he explains it, it has so much more profundity." Sephen sighed happily as he thought about the long hours he spent reading the text. "I know it'll never happen because Liros stays in the Divine Realm, but I'd give anything to see Reskin and Liros co-author a book. The meeting of their two brilliant minds is the stuff of my dreams." He left out the part about them being sexy dreams for his brother's sake and to not embarrass himself in front of Kitsuki. There were some things they didn't need to know.

"It is wonderful to see you have such a passion for reading and knowledge," Kitsuki said.

The monarch's choice of words made Sephen wonder if maybe the shifter's sense of smell had betrayed his secret after all. "I enjoy all books, but Reskin and Liros are on a totally different level to everyone else. They're just so smart." Sephen knew he was weird for finding their minds so sexy, but he couldn't help how he derived enormous satisfaction from reading their books. When Kitsuki arched an eyebrow at him silently, Sephen flushed scarlet. "Uh, but anyway, to, um, change the subject? I've volunteered to help organize a new database for the library. I can finally sort things to my preference and not their nonsensical system. It's embarrassing for a temple that worships the Knowledge Power. Liros would be ashamed of their shambles of a sorting system."

Auslin chuckled. "If anyone can make the library worthy of the Power it honors, it'd be you."

"Kisano may be able to provide some advice on effective sorting systems," Kitsuki said. "There is no library more organized than his."

"Then I definitely need to meet him. And hopefully not completely humiliate myself." It would be quite the challenge since Kisano already sounded like his dream man.