Chapter 66 - Epiphany : Part 3

Axel crept behind Aster's fence, watching the Edelweiss's household thoroughly, waiting for an opportunity to break in. The house screamed fancy while at the same time there were so many plants surrounding it.

The cream colour of the wall supported the delicate brown rooftop and the black window frame. At the same time, red roses surrounded the side of the house, facing the big fence.

The sun would hide under the horizon in a few hours. The orange sky adorned the world, fighting the usual blue colour as it tried to morph into a dark shade of the night.

The youngest Vergessene fixed his white mask as he let his black fluffy locks cascade down onto his blue eyes. He blinked while putting more pressure on his right eye to make sure his contact lens stayed still.

He jumped and let his white-gloved hand hold his weight as it gripped the top of the fence. His feet were swaying in the air before he brought his right leg over the fence and quietly landed on the ground.

He cautiously looked around, tiptoeing to Aster's bedroom window calmly. He peeked into the window and made sure no one was around.

When he believed that Aster was not there, he quickly raised the window open and made himself in. He stumbled a little upon the clothes on the floor and quickly gripped the edge of Aster's study table so he would not fall.

He caught the sight of the white cap on top of his classmate's wardrobe and quickly reached up, trying to take it into his grip.

He actually did not know why he was still wearing this cap, considering that the Vergessene got it when the boy was twelve from a stranger that he did not even remember the face of. Sometimes he would wonder if he would ever meet the person okay.

Axel just hoped that the person was still alive.

The boy stared at the white cap with two empty eyes. This cap was the witness of how many people he had been killed to live up to the name as the mute murderer.

"Murder boy?"

Axel widened his eyes at the sudden voice. "Shit." He mumbled quietly, slowly facing the blond that was standing in the doorway.

"You're alive! Holy shit! You actually didn't die!" Aster exclaimed happily. The kind of reaction that should not actually be there when one was faced with a literal dangerous criminal.

Axel answered him with a shrug, watching the blond as he slammed the door shut and ran at him excitedly.

Technically, he almost died. Like many times. He even believed that he had died, considering his heart was stabbed, and his whole body got turned into something he was not supposed to be.

"Dude, how's life? It's been so long since we go on an adventure together, eh?" Aster slapped the mute murderer's shoulder as he wiggled his eyebrows at the criminal

Axel really wouldn't call it an adventure. But Aster had a unique sight on things, he guessed. "You're here to take the cap, right?" The blond moved his eyes to the white cap in Axel's hand. "You are a man that keeps your words, I see."

"No pun intended." Aster peacefully raised both of his hands as he sat on the edge of his bed.

The blond patted the space beside him and stared at the mute murderer with an exciting smirk. "Here, sit down."

Axel shook his head politely and raised both of his hands to decline the offer. He pointed at the window to tell the Edelweiss that he needed to go.

Aster tugged the boy's sleeves and brought him down to sit beside him. Forcibly. "Come on, murder boy! We've literally been working together many times now."

Many times?

Axel gave him a look.

"Okay, maybe two times- but at least it's more than once!" Aster corrected his words, trying to define everything.

The blond boy was about to open his mouth to talk again when suddenly, the door was opened, revealing identical green eyes and blond hair as Aster, looking right into the both of them.

"Aster, what do you want for din-"

Axel was quick enough to turn around so the lieutenant would not see his mask nor the white cap and his gloved hands. Valerian only saw the back of his body as the older eyed him suspiciously.

"Who's that with you?" The lieutenant asked his brother, almost demanding.

"Um-" Aster sweat nervously, glancing at the mute murderer in a desperate state before diverting his gaze back at his older brother. "A friend?"

The lieutenant raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Alright then." The older Edelweiss stated as he started walking toward the mute murderer, achingly slow.

"I'm Valerian, Aster's brother." He began introducing himself to the boy, still eyeing him sceptically. "What's your name?" The lieutenant asked him as if he was interrogating the black-haired murderer.

Aster stood up and stayed between the mute murderer and his brother. "Look, Val. I think you should go." He began, trying to push Valerian away from the mute murderer. "He doesn't really talk much and-"

Valerian softly shoved Aster to the bed and forcibly turned the mute murderer around to face him.

When he met a familiar boy with blue eyes, smiling awkwardly at his being while scratching the back of his neck with his bare hand, Valerian was not expecting this.

Maybe he was paranoid with white clothing. He should stop being like this and quickly arrest the mercenary.

Though Aster was frozen in his place, staring at Axel like he had grown a second head. His green eyes were blown wide, entirely stricken by the sight of the boy as Axel believed the blond's soul left his body for a moment.

"Hi! Um, I'm Axel. Your brother's friend." Axel offered his hand for a handshake that Valerian gladly took.

Aster's mouth trembled from shock as he desperately tried to speak. "Wait wh-"

Axel gave Aster another look before quickly masking his eyes with fragileness again to fool the lieutenant.

"Oh. You're the Vergessene." Valerian let go of their handshake as his green eyes moved from the top of Axel's head to the tip of his toes.

"Do you perhaps know where your brother is going?" The sudden question was what Axel had expected. He had been prepared for this act.

He learned it from Kiaran anyway.

The Vergessene fiddled with his fingers, looking at anywhere but Valerian's sharp green eyes. "Um, I'm kind of running away from home right now, so...."

Axel grimaced as he forced a smile at Valerian. "Yeah."

The lieutenant blinked. "Oh."

"I understand." In understatement, Valerian put a hand on his shoulder while nodding at the black-haired boy. "I would run away if I were you too."

The lieutenant turned around, sighing as he walked away from the room. Right before he closed the door, Axel could hear a mumble from Aster's brother. "Poor boy."

Ironically, Axel agreed.

"Wait- where's the mute murderer?" Aster whisper-yelled at him, looking at Axel with a confused look.

Axel would think he was joking if the blond's face was not so serious right now. "Seriously?" He answered flatly, trying to keep up with the blond's low IQ.

"Are you pretending to be him?!" Aster gripped both of his shoulders, looking at him exasperatedly.

"He's going to be so pissed if he found out about this." The blond added, lecturing the literal mute murderer.

Axel's mouth dropped. He stared at his classmate with disbelief, completely stricken by the dumb blond. "I-"

"Dude." He deadpanned, rolling his eyes to the back of his head with this dumb situation he was in.

Axel sighed as he slowly put down the hands on his shoulders. He picked the white cap and waved it in front of Aster. "I'm just going to take this and go." He uttered, trying to stand up just to be brought down by the blond again.

"It's not yours! It's murder boy's!" Aster exclaimed at the mute murderer.

Axel sighed again, closing his eyes as he tried to calm himself from murdering the blond. Maybe this boy was in denial. But a really stupid, foolish, and ludicrous denial.

"For god sake- I'm the mute murderer, Aster." The Vergessene raised his voice at him, completely done by his shenanigans.

"What?" The boy croaked confusedly, trying to shove down the denial and actually used his brain for once.

"What- no, that's-" Aster shook his head, backing away from Axel with two aimless eyes.

He looked up at Axel with a frown, blinking his green eyes so many times that made him look really ridiculous and more foolish than ever. "Am I high?"

Axel smiled. "Yes."

The Vergessene stood up and wore his white cap again. He took no time to run for the window and got out of this fever dream that he was sharing with Aster. "Now, I'm just gonna go-"

"Wait!" Aster followed his classmate's movement, trying to catch Axel. "Does that mean you're high too?!"