Word spread throughout the capital, then the country, and finally to every country about the emergence of the prophet of darkness. It was a shock to discover that the son of Academy Director Ignis Vanguarde was the person of interest.
A day which started with excitement and joy was now concluding in the worst way possible.
'Are you afraid to die?' Johan questions.
"I don't know myself." Aster responds. "I'm sorry that I won't be able to talk with you much, I want to spend the time I have left with my family and friends."
'That is completely understandable' Johan says, although it really wasn't for him. He did not understand why death caused so much pain, so much anguish.
I guess you can't understand when you're a hitman.
The maids and butlers were at work restoring the damaged garden while also cleaning up the remnants of the sandworm. Inside the Castellion castle, things were not much better.
How were you supposed to act when a young ten year old child had a scheduled execution the very next day? What you had known that boy since his birth, or worse, what if you were his parent or sibling?
Only little Elise was kept in the dark about Aster's fate.
"Why does everyone look so sad? Was it because big bro Aster had that purple mask thingy on his face?" The girl asked, concerned for everyone around her. Talia simply forced a smile at her daughter in response.
"Can we have dinner? All of us together." Aster finally broke the silence in the room.
No one had the courage to respond verbally, so they nodded their heads. Aster saw a wide array of emotions revealed by the faces of these people he had known for so long. Confusion, anger, fear, sadness, it was truly a depressing scene to witness.
Dinner was no different than the aftermath of Aster's newly awakened powers. The room usually filled with conversation, laughter, and the noises of plates and utensils lacked any of these lively sounds on this night. Everyone ate in silence, a few sniffles or coughs being audible here and there.
At the end of the night, Louis and Kaira only offered their condolences to Aster's parents and an apology that this matter was out of their control. The tears in their eyes signified to Aster that at least the king and queen did acknowledge his existence and were fond of it.
Eliana and Owen tried their best to keep everything formal, offering a simple bow to the boy when saying goodbye. Sniffles could be heard from the girl while the boy still had a look of confusion and shock written all over his face.
Victor, ever so stoic, apologized that things had to turn out this way while his wife fought back tears when saying goodbye.
Matteo himself looked the most conflicted out of everyone. History told him that this boy, the boy who had been one of his closest friends, the boy who he had so many great memories with, was his sworn enemy. He found it hard to even look at Aster, but mumbled a quiet goodbye before heading towards his parents.
After that somber parting, Aster was back at the place he had spent his entire life in. The butlers and maids were aware of the current situation, evident by their frowns and sad expressions. Allen the butler, who had taken care of the young boy since his infancy, was seen tearing up after talking with him.
"I guess this is it…" Aster started. "You all have been the best family I could've ever asked for." He continued, putting a smile on his face.
"I'm sorry… sorry I couldn't do anything… sorry that I don't even have the power to protect my own son." Ignis professes, his tone depressing and his expression even more so.
Talia was unable to even get any words out to her son, embracing him tightly as she weeped. Aster could feel her body shaking as he reciprocated the hug.
Makai stood silently, trying to find the right words to say. Those words would never come as he also just hugged the boy. While Makai was usually a happy and cheerful individual, you would never know by how he looked right now.
Elise, who had been kept outside was let in to see her brother one final time.
"Elise, can you listen to your big brother and parents for me?" Aster requests, a gentle smile on his face.
"Of course! Although I don't think I'll be listening to big brother Makai much! I'll listen to you though!" the girl responds in a sweet tone, still not really understanding what was going on.
Aster would be able to say a final goodbye tomorrow, so now left all alone in his bed, he simply let his thoughts run wild.
"Life really is fragile."
'You don't say.'
This was Johan's final chance to talk to the boy.
'How are you feeling, knowing that you'll be dead in less than a day?'
"To be honest, I can't do anything but accept it. As long as I accept it, I won't feel sad or upset about it- huh?" Aster hadn't noticed that tears were freely streaming down his cheeks.
Johan again pitied the boy, being robbed of his life in a manner like this. However, he did not feel sad nor angry at this fact, most likely due to his past job. It was a shame though, for someone who studied as hard as Aster to be killed for something out of his control.
"Did you ever love anyone, Johan?" The boy asked.
'No.' The hitman responded simply. 'I'm pretty sure you could tell I've had some sort of past. In that past, there was not a single second where I cared for or loved another person. However, you might be the closest in those regards.'
"You don't have to say all that to cheer me up," Aster replied, a somber smile forming.
Just then, Aster heard a knock on his door. Confused, he got up and opened it where his eyes widened.
"Juno? What are you doing here? How did you even get here-" Before Aster could finish, the girl hugged him tightly, with no sign of letting go.
"You're not really dying, right? This is a bad dream right?" She frantically says, her voice coarse. Aster didn't know how to respond. The two just embraced each other by the door in silence, with Aster feeling his shirt dampen.
"Don't cry Juno, our marriage was arranged, now you'll be able to find someone else you can truly love, think of the positiv-"
"You think I don't love you?" Aster was once again cut off by the princesses cries. "You told me we were getting married, that we'd be together forever! Was that all a lie?" She was sobbing heavily, barely able to get that part out.
Asters heart stung. He knew that arranged marriages were complicated, that they rarely ever had any real emotion or love in them. He was wary of this fact, yet something always made him refuse to not care for this girl.
"I wish I spent more time with you Juno. I wish we could go back to the days where we played for hours in your garden." Aster muttered, tears now forming in his own eyes.
Juno used to be more open about her love for the purple haired boy, but as she grew, it became more embarrassing for her to show affection. It was only now that she realized her regret.
Johan watched, a little perplexed by what had just transpired.
'These are some emotionally intelligent kids. However, they may just be confused, children don't understand what love is.'
Said the man who proclaimed he never loved anyone.
"Please Juno, go home. I'll get someone to escort you back. Your parents must be worried," Aster says, but the boy does not let go of his grip on the princess.
"I can't stay with you?"
It was here Aster made a decision.
"Juno, this won't be the last time you see me. I promise that I'll marry you, and that we'll have a great family in the future. I know you can't believe me now, but please trust me Juno. Please wait for me."
There was no way Juno could believe his words, but the way he spoke made her want to. It made her think that a miracle like that could happen.
Aster finally loosened his hold on the girl, getting one last look at her face.
"Do you promise me you'll come back and marry me?" Juno asks, a slight smile on her face.
"Pinky promise."
The two interlocked fingers before Juno kissed the boy on the cheek. Aster's face reddened while the princesses face was practically glowing.
A maid had already alerted Ignis that Juno had secretly traveled to their estate. Concerned and worried about how a young child walked this far in the middle of the night, he made sure that she would get back to the castle safely. The man really did contemplate on telling Louis and Kaira.
"Hey Johan, what were you in your past life?"
'A hitman. Someone who killed other people as a job.'
"Do you think you can help me not die tomorrow?"
Hearing these words, Johan grew excited.
'I was thinking of doing so, but you seemed too depressed to even think about escaping.'