Chapter 160: Flickering Lights, Flickering Eyes.
Kaelis’s eyes widened the moment the door opened, his entire expression shifting as he stepped inside. "What on Aurethys happened?"
The question barely settled before Lior’s answer came, loud and broken, the kind that didn’t even try to form words.
"WAAAAAAHH!!!"
The cry filled the room, echoing off the walls, and Ezra moved immediately, his body already angled toward Lior, hand half-lifted, ready to pull him close, ready to calm him down like he always did.
But as soon as he took a step—
"WAAAAAH!!!"
The lights start flickering.
It wasn’t subtle.
The glow above them dimmed, then flared, then dimmed again, the shadows shifting unevenly across the walls. Ezra stopped mid-step, his breath catching, his eyes snapping upward, then around, trying to make sense of it.
’What...?’ Ezra looks around, his eyes widening in shock, his chest tightening as the flickering didn’t stop.
"WAH!! WAAAH!!!"
Another cry, louder, more desperate, and the lights answered it.
The brightness surged, then dropped, then surged again, matching every rise and fall of Lior’s voice as if the room itself was reacting to him.
Ezra’s gaze dropped back to Lior.
To the way his small body shook.
The way his hands clutched at himself like he didn’t know what to do with all that emotion.
And then it clicked.
The lights flickered in sync with Lior’s cries, and Ezra immediately recognized that Lior’s loud cries were affecting the lights.
His stomach twisted.
’How is that possible?’ Ezra thought, the realization settling in too fast, too heavy, turning confusion into something sharper, something closer to fear.
Because Kaelis was there.
Kaelis, who obviously hadn’t missed it.
Who was now standing still, eyes moving between Lior and the flickering lights, taking everything in without saying a word at first.
"Ezra, what is going on?" Kaelis asks, confused.
Ezra didn’t answer right away.
His mind moved faster than his body, faster than his breathing, faster than the panic trying to settle in his chest.
’Think,’ Ezra thought, forcing himself to stay still for a second longer. ’You have to make it believable for this observant bastard.’
Then he exhales quietly and looks back at Kaelis, keeping his expression as steady as he could, even if his pulse was anything but.
"The lights have been flickering on and off since earlier," Ezra says, his tone calm, almost casual, like this wasn’t anything worth worrying about. "Must’ve been some kind of electrical issue. I’ve been meaning to find someone to look into it."
He didn’t look at Lior.
Not even for a second.
He couldn’t.
Because if he did, it might be obvious that it was because of his—
"WAAH!"
The cry cut through the room again, louder this time, and the lights reacted instantly, flaring before dimming again, as if echoing the sound.
Kaelis’ gaze lingered on him for a moment, like he was measuring something, like he was deciding whether to question it further or not.
His eyes shifted once, briefly, toward the flickering lights, then back to Ezra.
Then Kaelis nods slowly.
"That...makes sense," he says, glancing back at the ceiling once more as the lights steadied for a brief second. "You should get that checked soon."
To Kaelis, there was no reason for Ezra to lie.
And that alone made it easier.
Ezra felt the tension in his shoulders loosen just slightly, like something tight had finally given way.
’That worked,’ Ezra thought, a quiet sense of relief settling in, though it didn’t reach his chest. ’I’m fine.’
But then—
Ezra looks down at Lior.
And everything stops again.
He sees Lior’s eyes flickering between orange and gold.
Not slowly.
Not subtly.
Flickering.
Just like the lights.
The same unstable shift.
Ezra’s eyes widened in horror, his breath catching before he could stop it.
’Again?’ He thought, the word heavy, familiar in the worst way.
There was no hesitation now.
Ezra immediately moves, dropping down to Lior’s level and grabbing him from the ground, pulling him close, holding him tightly against his chest.
The movement was quick, almost abrupt, like he didn’t trust the space between them for even a second.
Lior’s cries didn’t stop, his small hands gripping onto Ezra’s clothes as if he needed something to anchor himself, fingers bunching the fabric tightly.
"Shh... It’s okay," Ezra murmurs, his voice low, controlled, even if his heart was anything but. "It’s okay, little one."
He kept his voice steady.
He had to.
He had to get Lior to stop crying.
’Stop...please just stop,’ Ezra thought, tightening his hold just slightly.
Kaelis steps closer.
"Lior, are you—"
But before Lior could even turn his head, before his gaze could meet Kaelis’—
Ezra moves his hand up, pressing Lior’s head firmly against his shoulder, hiding his face completely, his fingers curling protectively at the back of his head.
He holds him tighter.
Maybe a little too tight, Lior even stopped crying loudly in confusion, his sobs hitching into quieter, uneven breaths.
Then Ezra looks at Kaelis.
And for the first time, there was no attempt to soften his expression.
No patience.
No deflection.
Just a firm look.
Something that didn’t invite questions.
"Can you leave?"
Kaelis’s eyes widen, visibly shocked by that, his brows pulling together slightly as if he wasn’t sure he heard it right.
"What? But I need to talk to you," Kaelis says, tilting his head, his tone more confused than offended, though there was a faint edge to it now.
"Lior fell. I think he’s hurt. I don’t think I can talk right now," Ezra says, keeping his voice steady, even as his grip on Lior hadn’t loosened yet.
He was going to turn around to tuck Lior in the bed, already shifting his weight, already trying to end the conversation before it could continue, however—
Lior looks up.
Lior wasn’t crying anymore.
The sudden silence felt just as loud as the crying had been.
His eyes were orange again, and not flickering to gold.
It was steady now.
"I’m okay! Kakay can stay!" Lior exclaims, his voice bright, almost too quick, like he was trying to prove something.
Ezra freezes for a second, stunned by the sudden change, his mind still catching up to it.
"Lior, are you—"
"I’m brave! My knees don’t hurt!" Lior says, puffing himself up slightly, giving Ezra his brave face, the same one he always used when he didn’t want to seem weak.
Ezra looks at him, unsure, his eyes searching Lior’s face for something off, something lingering, but there was nothing obvious now.
Just a child trying to be strong.
Then he turns around to look at Kaelis, who had no plans of leaving, still standing there, watching, waiting, clearly not convinced enough to walk away.
’Kaelis seems to really want to talk,’ Ezra thought, his jaw tightening slightly. ’Then Lior wants him to stay for God knows why.’
He didn’t like it.
Not after what just happened.
Not after what he saw.
But with his back against the wall, he takes a deep breath, steadying himself, forcing his expression back into something neutral before fully turning to look at Kaelis, who has just been confused the whole time.
Kaelis didn’t miss much.
That was the problem.
But he did still speak.
"If you wanted me to go because you thought a crying child would bother me, it doesn’t faze me at all," Kaelis says, his tone light, but controlled. "It’s actually refreshing to see Lior act like an actual four-year-old."
Ezra was still unsure, that uneasy feeling refusing to leave, but he exhales slowly, letting it out as a quiet sigh.
"What did you want to talk about, Your Highness?"
Kaelis steps inside fully now, closing the door behind him without looking away.
"I heard Alyce came to talk to you."
"Is that why you came here?" Ezra asks, tilting his head, his tone sounding more casual than he actually felt. "To ask about Princess Alyce?"
Kaelis didn’t answer him; he just gave him a side smile, the kind that didn’t really explain anything, the kind that only made things more irritating.
It lingered just long enough to make Ezra’s brows twitch.
"Was Princess Alyce not supposed to talk to me, or something?" Ezra adds, a bit sharper now, his patience already wearing thin after everything that just happened.
’Why does he always do that?’ Ezra thought, his jaw tightening slightly. ’That looks like he knows something I don’t.’
"No, I don’t understand why you’re so worked up, you’ve completely dropped formalities," Kaelis says with an amused chuckle, like he was genuinely entertained by Ezra’s reaction. "I was just curious, considering this is the first time the president and vice-president of the Helios fanclub have had a conversation on their own."
It was obvious Kaelis was teasing him, and the timing of it, at all times, only made it worse.
Ezra completely rolls his eyes, not even trying to hide it. "Haha. Very funny, Your Highness," he says flatly, though there was a slight edge to his voice now. "Really, why are you here?"
’Stop playing around,’ Ezra thought, his fingers unconsciously tightening at his side. ’I don’t have time for this.’
Kaelis, still with that amused smile, finally answers, though it softens just slightly, enough to show he was shifting into something more serious.
"I came here to talk about what you’re about to do moving forward," Kaelis says, his tone calmer now, more grounded. "Specifically, about yours, and of course, Lior’s safety."
The topic shift was immediate.
Heavy.
"My safety?" Lior asks, blinking his eyes, his earlier confidence fading just a little as confusion settles in. "Am I still in danger, Kakay?"