"What happened to you, Prince Athos?"

Sagitta's statement left a mark on Athos' mind. His head was filled with questions, not only regarding the status of his family but also what transpired a few minutes ago.

'Why would she say my state is unstable? Including the instance with my attacker this morning and mending Sagitta's thread, I only used Divinity twice and made sure to suspend the connection with Fate every time.' Athos was puzzled and his brows creased in frustration.

Sagitta cupped both of her hands on Athos' cheeks and inspected Athos' face. The prince was slightly taken aback by Sagitta's actions and stared back at her with a bemused expression.

"Hmmm... other than the Mana exhaustion and your low physical stamina, there's some sort of charm- no, more like a blessing compensating for your state… Little prince, do not use any more spells or enchantments for the meantime. If that blessing stops working, you wouldn't be able to stand."

Athos was stunned. Sagitta's skill in analyzing patients remains adept, despite retiring from medicine more than a decade ago.

'She can sense the Fated Protection with one glance, I need to be careful.' Athos nervously sighed.

He only knew that the Fated Protection enhanced his physical healing and it also made him immune to any types of poisons or curses. Athos now realized how the blessing was delaying the effects of mana exhaustion. Although his mana pool is at its breaking point, Athos only felt fatigued.

Normally, if a person's mana pool dropped to near depletion, the body would go into sleep as a safety mechanism. Once sleep has been induced, the person's consciousness would be dragged to its deepest level, unable to be woken up by any external influences like noises or actions. The person afflicted with Mana Exhaustion will only wake up once the body fully replenishes the lost mana.

Sagitta's jade eyes glinted with astonishment.

"Little prince, now that I see it, you are radiating with Divinity. It is a little faint but dominant Moirais like us can sense it. It feels oddly similar to how the emperor carries his aura on a daily basis." Sagitta released Athos' cheeks and swiftly inspected Athos' body for injuries.

"Besides the tired feeling you're experiencing now, do you feel any pain or body aches at the moment?" Sagitta inquired as she lifted Athos' arms.

"I had a headache a moment ago but it's bearable and I've already used a relieving poultice for it." Athos pointed at the dried-up poultice residue stuck on his forehead and gave a dry, hesitant smile. "I'm fine, we really need to hurry up and-"

"Are you certain my prince? You fainted for a moment when we met this morning." Omri interjected, his face showing great concern towards Athos.

"What do you mean by fainted for a moment Omri? Please elaborate for me." Sagitta quickly glanced at Omri then sent out a mild sneer at Athos as if to tell him that he can't hide any health concerns from her.

Sagitta folded her arms and glared at Athos. "Little Prince, although I've retired as a doctor, I still have my responsibilities of one. Patients like you need to be checked and treated immediately." She then reached out and firmly held Athos' shoulder and forced him to sit.

"But it's almost sunset, and I still need to find my parents!" Athos brushed off Sagitta's hands and hurriedly stood up. "I need to know if they're safe and sound… Their bonds are still faint, what if it suddenly gets cut off?!" Athos hurried toward the staircase.

Omri gave chase and immediately grabbed Athos' arm. "My prince, it is dangerous to go alone!" Omri gasped and quickly dragged Athos back.

"You saw the parade right? There's too many of them and with your weakened state… It will be suicide." Omri's grip tightened.

"Let me go, Omri." Athos' face winced as Omri held his arm with force.

"You swore to be my shield, but the way you're acting now...A shield would never drag down its wielder." Athos tried to shake off Omri's hold but it didn't budge.

Omri's face scrunched with annoyance, his hand still firmly holding on to Athos."But a shield will do everything to protect its owner, if needed it would get in the way to prevent it's owner's death."

Omri glared at Athos with determination. "I won't let go."

"Then you are not a shield Omri, you're just baggage needing to be carried." Athos mockingly smiled at Omri.

"After all we've been through, Prince Athos...You…!" A fist formed on Omri's hand.

"Omri! Athos!"

A resounding yell came from Sagitta. Athos and Omri turned towards her and they saw Sagitta's face fuming with rage, her face had an intimidating scowl that rendered both of them useless.

"Prince Athos, I know you are anxious about their majesties, but jumping without thinking about it first…" Sagitta looked towards Omri.

"Don't even think about hitting a child Omri, you know better." She groaned with a resigned face. Omri's fist unclenched and released his grip on Athos.

Sagitta approached Athos and held his hands gently, she then slowly channeled a bit of her mana to Athos.

"Prince Athos, I understand your desire to find their majesties first. It is similar to what I saw with Omri earlier, a lost child would desperately look for his parents." Sagitta then cast a high-level recovery enchantment on Athos.

"Your safety comes first. Their majesties would have thought of the same thing when they helped you escape last night... May this help you with your endeavors." Sagitta then stopped the mana transfer and released Athos' hands.

"Omri, go with the prince." Sagitta looked into Omri's eyes with a forlorn expression. "Be his shield as you have committed."

Omri's pale green eyes dilated in shock. "But mother, what about you? We can't just leave you here! You're still recovering-"

"It will be dangerous for both of you if we move together, the enemy has seen my face in the palace. Both of you will be caught if they see me traveling with you." Sagitta clicked her tongue. "We have no choice, but we must move separately from here on."

"Then…" Omri paused for a bit and pondered what to do next.

"Let's meet up on the eastern outskirts at the town of Parte, it should be half a day away from here." Omri then gave Sagitta a warm hug.

"Please send a swift letter to us once you reach the town." Omri's embrace tightened and cast a regeneration enchantment on Sagitta. "Please stay safe until then." he then released Sagitta from his embrace.

Athos gazed at the mother and son with an uneasy expression.

He felt relieved to see them reunited but It also reminded him of the time when his parents said their goodbyes last night. Athos then took out the watch from his pocket and checked the time, it was now 2:32 in the afternoon. There were less than three hours before sunset

"I'll head up first, see you at the porch, Omri." Athos fixed his cloak then propped his hood up and swiftly went upstairs.

"...My son, please take care too. I'll see you in Parte." Sagitta smiled as she patted Omri's back. "Please take good care of the little prince for me."

"Yes… I'll see you soon, mother." Omri cast a restoration spell on his cloak to fix the torn parts, he then wore it and propped the hood up.

"Goodbye for now." Omri smiled at Sagitta one last time before ascending on the staircase, he then heads out to the porch where Athos was waiting.

"Please… protect them both… please keep them safe…" Teardrops started to flow uncontrollably from Sagitta's eyes. Her knees grew weak and fell on the floor. She wept as she begged Fate to be kind to the children she sent out.

Sagitta did not disclose to Omri that her bond with Turris had just been severed. She didn't want Omri to be overwhelmed by the feelings of loss. She also thought of the little prince, Athos who would feel guilty for surviving while his parents were barely hanging on.

"Turris… Florestella… Lucis... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you all."

Sagitta wept in solitude, her cries echoed through the watermill.

***

After retracing their steps, and eventually returning back to the cul-de-sac they entered, Omri and Athos had been strolling in silence, both of them hesitated to speak to each other. After all, they almost ended up exchanging blows if Sagitta hadn't interfered with them. As they hurried back to the main thoroughfare, Athos finally broke the silence.

"Hey, Omri." Athos quickly glanced at Omri who was behind him.

"What is it, my prince?

"About the words, I said earlier… I'm sorry, I was too harsh on you." Athos scratched his head. "I've been stressed lately and seeing you and Sagitta together earlier made me feel rather envious." Athos' face became dark and gloomy.

Omri gazed at Athos with sympathy, he knelt down and extended his arms out to Athos and gave him a generous hug.

"My prince, your apology is accepted. But please, do not take your life lightly." Omri then released his embrace and gently held Athos' cheeks.

"The burden you're carrying is not just yours. Prince Athos, I am your shield... and your friend." Omri's pale green eyes were filled with determination as he gazed at Athos. "You will never be alone, I'm here for you."

Athos felt his throat tighten and his vision grow blurry with his tears once more. He swiftly wiped his face with his sleeve and suppressed his urge to cry.

After all, he had been crying for almost the entire day, Athos also struggled in managing his mana. Athos made a mental note to himself to not let his emotions drive him too much as it invokes his Memory Room involuntarily, causing his mana to deplete faster.

"...Thank you for being with me Omri. Truly, I'm really thankful you're here." Athos reciprocated Omri's hug, as his arms were short, Athos clung onto Omri's neck, like a toddler begging to be carried.

Omri smiled as he saw Athos finally expressing himself genuinely. He gently stroked Athos' back to soothe him from his worries.

'My prince is so adorable. This reminds me of the past when I used to change his diapers.' Omri chuckled softly as he remembered the infant prince.

*Dong*

*Dong*

*Dong*

Their bonding was interrupted by the loud bells of Anima's Clocktower. It was now 3:00 PM and the bells resonating had brought back the two of them to reality.

"Let's head back to the Parade, Omri. I have a gut feeling that the Great Judgement mentioned by the old man earlier… may lead us to my parents." Athos released his embrace and enabled telepathy on him and Omri.

"As you wish my prince since this is all I can manage with my mana, please make sure to keep close to me." Omri then cast a close-proximity illusion barrier on both of them. Athos's silver hair slowly turned into brown just like Omri's. "We'll need to act as brothers so we don't get caught. Omri groaned.

"The barrier is in effect within a meter radius from me. If you stray too far, the illusion will be canceled, so please be careful." Omri glanced at Athos with concern.

Athos held his forehead with his palm. "Big brother, you're the one who should be careful. Remember to not walk behind me alright?" Athos smiled sheepishly.

Omri chuckled. "Of course, little brother. I'll make sure to walk by your side." He gave Athos a cheeky grin.

"Alright then, let us hurry to the central plaza, please lead the way, big brother."

~~~~~

To be Continued.

~~~~~