Not knowing what response he should give Isaac, he returned the hug as he patted his friend’s back awkwardly.

He knew that if Isaac was like this, he could not push his friend to talk.

“Okay, okay. I won’t ask you again. You must have your reason.”

No answer from Isaac.

“Can you let go of me now?”

Isaac released his embrace. His hand gently touched Raphael’s lips.

“Isa—ng!”

His eyes widened as he found Isaac kissing him while the man’s hand went into his clothes, touching every inch of his body. It gave him a warm sensation that contrasted with his body temperature. Until he unconsciously let out a soft moan.

The silent room was now filled with the sound of their kisses, their moans. As soon as he had time to speak, he covered Isaac’s lips, who was about to kiss him again.

“Stop!”

Isaac was silent, obliged. He stopped kissing him, moving his body away from him and barely looking at Raphael.

“My apologies. Just forget what I did before.”

He did not understand why Isaac always kissed him every time they entered the potion room. Isaac kissed him on the lips as if it were the most natural thing he had ever done.

To be honest, he did not mind Isaac’s kiss. In fact, he enjoyed it. Still, he did not understand why Isaac did it. Isaac never wanted to explain everything.

Just like Isaac was doing right now.

“Isaac?”

His childhood friend did not answer his call, busy paying attention to the contents of the shelf containing his potion bottles one by one. Once again, he tried to call out Isaac’s name, but there was still no response. Isaac deliberately ignored him.

Annoyed, he walked over to Isaacbut there was and kicked the man’s ass until he fell over, touching the wooden floor of his potion room. Isaac immediately rose from his place, staring at him in disgust.

“You!”

“What? It’s your fault. I called you several times, but you didn’t respond to it.”

“But you don’t need to kick me!”

“Usually I’ll let go of this matter, but I’m already tired. So can you explain the reason you kissed me earlier?” he said, folding his arms across his chest, waiting for Isaac’s reply.

“Should I tell you?”

“What do you think?”

Isaac walked over to him. He touched both of Raphael’s cheeks, forcing Raphael to meet his gaze. Raphael swallowed, finding himself sucked into Isaac’s highly magnetized green eyes.

“If you object, I’ll stop doing it.”

He couldn’t take his eyes away from Isaac’s. He could not move his body, frozen.

In fact, he could not help but admire the structure of Isaac’s face up close. His lips were so thin. Eye bags that were visible from not sleeping for almost a week did not diminish Isaac’s handsome looks.

His thick eyebrows had deep creases. His firm jaw, coupled with the mint scent emanating from Isaac’s body, tickled his nose, perfecting the figure in front of Raphael now.

“You’re right. I better just say it now, before it’s too late,” Isaac took a deep breath, then smiled. A smile Isaac had never shown him before. “I love you, Raphael Lockwood.”

“You… love me?”

The surrounding time seemed to stop at Isaac’s sudden statement. His eyes widened, staring at the man who was staring at him with his green eyes, waiting for his answer. He blinked, waiting for his next words.

“Yeah. I loved you for a long time. Do you understand what I say? Should I describe how I feel to you?”

His body froze, still standing in his place. His brain was still processing what the man had just said.

Isaac, who had been his best friend for nearly 20 years, suddenly said he had feelings for him.

His heart, which had been calm, beat fast. He could feel his cheeks blushing quickly. The man moved closer to him, gently stroking his cheek. Isaac’s smile had bewitched him, making his eyes—for the first time—lock onto him.

Isaac’s hand then moved through his hair, rubbed his ears, and ended up rubbing Raphael’s back neck, creating an electric shock-like sensation that tickled him.

Seeing his reaction, Isaac laughed softly, removing his hand from Raphael’s neck.

“You are still sensitive in the neck, huh?” Isaac muttered softly, more to himself. No more laughing. His expression now looked serious. “I didn’t notice it before because I got used to your body temperature, but …”

“But what?”

“Your body temperature is much colder than usual. Are you all right? You didn’t miss the schedule for drinking the potion, right?”

“I just drank it… wait. When did you take me to my room?”

“Two days ago.”

“Two days ago, huh?”

Raphael muttered softly to himself. The formula for balancing the two energies in his body—human and witch—was just right, just what his father had taught him so far.

The potion was not wrong. Until now, he has been fine as long as he drinks it regularly. He should have awakened after six hours of drinking the potion.

However, if what Isaac had said was true, it meant his body had created a new immunity against the potion he had been drinking. A sign that the potion he usually drank was not as effective as it used to be.

He ignored Isaac, walking towards the shelf where he stored his energy-balancing potion. He opened the shelf, then took out the potion bottle that was in front of his eyes.

Then he looked carefully at the red transparent liquid. Before finally opening the bottle cap and dropping a little of the potion onto the back of his hand.

The potion instantly evaporated, giving off a strange hiss, along with a strong fragrance. He gasped, immediately waved his hand that was numb after getting in touch with the potion, quickly closed the potion bottle, and put it back on the shelf.

His breath caught, holding his hand, which returned to normal after those few seconds with a gaze of horror.

No, no. The potion should not have evaporated so quickly. It would not make a hissing sound. It would only emit a fragrant smell that helped him fall asleep, allowing the potion to work to balance his unstable energy since birth.

While his sister, Ursula Lockwood, had no difficulty in balancing the human and magical energies within her body.

But not in his case. The type that was like his younger sister was rare, he had to admit.

Did that mean he fell asleep not because of the potion’s effect, but because the magic energy in his body had grown stronger, attacking his body’s cells, just like poison?

He bit his thumb subconsciously, feeling anxious.

Secretly, he glanced at Isaac, who was near him. He felt anxious. His death was getting closer. His dream of living longer with his family and reciprocating his feelings for his childhood friend had vanished.

Why did his death come when he was happy that Isaac had just confessed his feelings for him?

There was no hope. He could not possibly let Isaac bond with someone who was about to die like him?

His chest ached at the thought of that possibility. His eyes blinked, holding back the tears that had gathered at the corners of his eyes, so they did not fall down his cheeks.

No. He must not be selfish.

Although Isaac finally said the words he had been waiting for. Even though the man standing behind him already knew his unusual background, this man was still with him until now.

So he couldn't ask Isaac not to love him and find someone else. When he also realized that he had the same feelings for Isaac.

“Raphael?”

He jumped up in surprise—almost screamed—when Isaac tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, hiding the anxiety he had felt earlier.

“What?”

“That should be my line, you fool. Are you all right? Your face looks pale.”

He shook off Isaac’s hand, which was about to touch his cheek. “I’m fine. Wait, I’ll take your orders.”

Quickly, he ran past Isaac, down to the last shelf. He grabbed a few bottles and put them into a cloth drawstring bag on the shelf. Then quickly gave them to Isaac, who was still standing where he was.

“Here. If you have no more business, get out of here now. I want to take a rest.”

Isaac remained silent in his place and did not return his words. Half in shock, the man accepted the bag while muttering softly.

“And about your statement earlier, I’ll pretend not to hear anything.”

How can I do that when I already knew you had the same feelings as me? Raphael muttered to himself. Sadness enveloped him, although he tried to hide it by acting calm.

“O-oh ...,” Isaac nodded, regaining consciousness. There was a slight disappointment on Isaac’s face before it changed to a half-forced smile. “Y-yes, if you say so. Y-you’re right. I’m sorry for bothering you.”

His hands clenched when he saw Isaac’s face, holding himself back from retracting his words.

Yes. It was for the best. Isaac would not be happy if he chose to be with him. A king like Isaac should not just focus his life on prioritizing a weak half-blood witch like him.

There was no way he could allow his selfishness to be with Isaac to make this man fall into the abyss of sadness when he could no longer be beside him.

He walked past Isaac, who was cradling the drawstring bag, leaving the man there.

***

His younger sister—Ursula Lockwood—has just returned from the magic academy after spending her first semester in her final year of school.

The first thing the woman with long silver hair in the red dress, who would soon turn seventeen when she saw him, did was jump right up to him, who was reading a book on medicinal herbs.

"Brother!"

The shrill voice of his sister, coupled with Ursula’s merciless jump, knocked down the book he was reading. He screamed in pain when Ursula’s body hit him.

Apparently, his younger sister did not notice that things were so different. It was impossible to keep jumping on his lap with the body of a mature woman. She was no longer the three-year-old girl who kept following him like a duck. 

"I’ll die instantly if you crush me like that!" He still grimaced, picked up the book he had read earlier, and placed it on the table in front of him. "When did you come home?"

"You won’t die easily like that, duh!" Ursula rolled her eyes. "Just now. I called, and you didn’t answer, so I went to the library. And it turned out you are here."

Ursula peeked at the title of the book he was reading earlier, then frowned. "Didn’t you already finish reading this book five years ago? Why are you reading it again?"

"It’s for research. There are several new recipes I want to try." He dodged her question quickly, as he didn’t want his curious little sister to know the real reason he was reading the book.

His sister accepted his reason with a nod of understanding, not asking any more questions. Instead, his sister stepped away from him, sat in the chair beside him with her legs bent and resting her hands on her knees.

"Since I’m on semester break now, do you want to go out?"

"Eh? To where?"

"To the forest."

"On what occasion?" He raised an eyebrow, confused. Ursula rarely offered to take him out because, usually, his younger sister preferred to spend time with him in the library room every semester break.

"Do I need a reason for that? Besides, it’s been a while since we spent time together since I entered the magic academy. Damn that academy! How dare they take away my precious time with my beloved brother!"

His eyes narrowed, staring at his sister, who was puffing out her cheeks. He was waiting for the real reason. It was really strange for him to find Ursula taking the initiative like this. But Ursula escaped his gaze.

Finally, he gave up.

"All right. When?"

"Tomorrow." Ursula smiled broadly at his question. "Of course not today! I want to have some rest first. I’m tired, and I want to eat Mom’s food. The food in the dorms isn’t delicious at all."

"You’ll graduate soon. Try to hold it until your graduation. But as far as I can remember, the lasagna in the magic academy’s dorm canteen is delicious. I mean it."

"Yes. When you were still there, yes. The school has changed the chef now. A fat woman with a mole near her enormous nose and a stern face, always glaring at every student who likes to be picky about food. All the dishes are spicy, like her face!"

Ursula now buried her face on her knees, crying hysterically.

"You’re lucky, Brother! I envy you! You could eat delicious food when you were at the academy ..."

He shook his head slowly while laughing at the childish reaction of Ursula, who looked so cute in his eyes. His hand moved to caress the top of his little sister’s head. "Come here, my poor little sister."

Ursula’s crying stopped when her nose smelled the smell of food entering the library room, provoking their hunger. His sister looked up and sniffed the scent with sparkling eyes, like a dog. She immediately jumped out of her chair while pulling Raphael’s hand away without waiting for his approval, exiting the library room to the dining room. 

As soon as they arrived at the dining room, he found the figure of their mother wearing an apron, holding a pot of freshly cooked pasta that was still steaming hot, spreading the aroma of Ursula’s favorite pasta—a tradition their mother made every time Ursula returned from the academy.

It was just like when he was still at a magic academy, where their mother always made his favorite chocolate pudding. Their father, who had just finished tidying the dining table, cast a spell on the pot that their mother was holding, flew the pot from their mother’s hand, and landed it smoothly in the middle of the dining table.

"Woah! As usual! Mom’s food is the best!" Ursula was already in her seat, wiping her hands while waiting for their mother to give her share.

"Ursula! Fix the way you sit. A lady doesn’t sit like that!"

"But, Mom, it’s my day off! How come I have to behave at home too? I’m tired! Hmph!"

"Your mom is right," said their father, now sitting on the chair, waiting for their mother to get his pasta on his plate. "Try to act like your brother. You need to always maintain the attitude, anywhere, anytime."

He did not respond to their father’s praise and sat beside Ursula, who was currently devouring her food.

"Let her be. It must be tough for her to live far away in the dorm without Mom’s food, right?"

Ursula swallowed the pasta and then pointed proudly at him. "My brother understands me more! Not like Dad and Mom!"

Mom rolled her eyes, facing Raphael, before finally sitting in her chair and enjoying her lunch. She looked irritated. "You too, Raphael. Stop spoiling your little sister. It’s not good for her in the future!"

"I’m not spoiling her, Mom."

"Not spoiling her, you said? Then what? Your attitude is spoiling her even more! If this continues, when will she be independent? Ah, seriously, you two..."

Mom glanced at them. There was a moment of silence before the four of them laughed at once, melting the hot atmosphere that their mom had created earlier.

***

The next day, the horse carriage that their butler had just ordered arrived at the front of the house, waiting for the two of them.

Raphael walked first toward the carriage, opening the door for his sister behind him, wearing a more practical suit than her usual gown. He invited his beloved little sister to enter the carriage first, which was enough to carry four people, before jumping in and closing the door.

The chariot driver said nothing and immediately pulled on the steering rope, leading two dark brown horses to move the cart away from their house.

“Be honest, Ursula. What’s the real deal?”

“Oh, you find out quickly ...,” Ursula murmured, pursed her tiny lips when looking out the window.

“You rarely invite me out. Especially invite me to go to the forest. Were you really afraid to go to the forest because you got lost back then?”

“That was when I was nine years old! It was natural to be afraid at that age!”

“Oh. Really?”

“You don’t believe me, Brother? Hmph! You’re annoying!” Ursula folded her arms across her chest, puffed her cheeks, and frowned in annoyance.

“It’s not that I don’t believe it. I’m just curious.” Raphael laughed softly at his younger sister’s reaction, then turned his gaze out of the window, staring at the row of houses on the street they were on now.

“I’ve trained myself to face my fear. So I’m not afraid to go to the forest anymore. Besides, I brought you here, as it’s all related to you.”

“Related to me? About what?”

Ursula no longer folded her arms across her chest. Now her hand is on her thigh. “When I was at the academy, I spent my time in the library. I tried to figure out how to balance the energy in your body.”

Suddenly, the scene outside the train window no longer caught his eye. He looked at his younger sister’s face, which looked so serious when he said it, letting her continue what she said.

“My talent is not in potions like you or Dad, so I was researching through other routes; through legends, fairy tales, and myths of ancient people’s beliefs. I tried to connect all the possibilities.”

“And then?” Raphael became curious. “Did you get anything from that?”

Ursula nodded. It was unexpected coming from his sister, as he hesitated to believe her words, which sounded illogical.

“There is one legend that caught my interest.”

“What legend?”

“Dragon.”

“Dragon?” repeated Raphael, amazed. 

His sister nodded, leaning toward him in a half-whisper. “According to legend, if someone met a dragon and kill it, then bathed in the dragon’s blood rushing from the dragon’s neck, all the sickness and misfortune that had enveloped that person would disappear without a trace.

“Some say that the person who bathes in dragon blood will get immortality. How about that? It’s pretty interesting, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. But they’re just legends. It’s not real. So?”

Ursula clicked her tongue, looking impatient. “Of course, we’re looking for the dragon right now.”

“Right now?” Raphael smiled wryly at his sister’s ridiculous suggestion. “You know, dragons went extinct long ago. So how can we find creatures we’ve never even seen?”

“Tsk, don’t underestimate me,” Ursula moved away from him, took out a piece of paper from the backpack that his sister had brought. “There is a place deep in the forest that we’ll be heading to. It has never been touched by anyone because it is difficult to find and dark. Plus, there are so many traps and wild monsters.

“The place that I circled in red might be where the dragon is. In my research, while gathering some information about the forest and the cases of people who could not return after passing through the forest, I found the same pattern.

“My guess is that there is an ancient spell surrounding this place. Well, if we can break this spell, Brother, we’ll be able to meet the dragon and then kill it.”

“It’s just your guess, isn’t it? Then what do you plan to kill them with?”

“With my magic arrow. I also took stock of the death potions on your shelf, hehe.” Ursula stroked the back of her neck after opening the backpack, showing several bottles of potions that his sister had taken. 

His hand flicked his little sister’s forehead, smiling wryly. Holding back his annoyance at knowing his sister had walked into the potion room without his knowledge to take some dangerous potions without his knowledge. 

“Ouch! That hurts!!”

“It’s your fault. You know, this potion cannot be touched carelessly. It’s dangerous! What if the bottle broke, and you accidentally inhaled it without knowing it? How will you explain it?!”

“I’m not that stupid, Brother! I follow the standard protocol. At least, that’s what I remember from Dad’s potion lesson.”

“But—”

“Besides, we can’t depend forever on Dad’s potions. I’ve heard from Dad. The potion lost its effect, isn’t it?”

He bit his lower lip. After Isaac visited his house the day before yesterday, he discussed his findings with his father, and his father asked him to stop taking the potion until a new, more stable formula was found.

“Regarding permission, you don’t need to worry. I told Dad and Mom that we went to the forest to look for dragons.”

“And they just believe it like that?”

“Do we have any other options?” Ursula shrugged her shoulders. “My magic skills are not as good as yours, Brother. But when it comes to sword, arrow, and fighting skills, I get the highest rank in school.”

“I already know that part.”

“Also, Brother Isaac definitely doesn’t want you to die.”

“Isaac?” He was a little reluctant to mention the man’s name. “Why did you suddenly mention that person?”

“Oh. Did you have a fight with Brother Isaac?”

“No,” he argued, avoiding Ursula’s curious gaze.

“You’re lying. You are bad when you are lying, Brother. No wonder I didn’t see Brother Isaac at home yesterday. Though usually, Brother Isaac will always be the first person to greet me every time I come home.”

“He came the day before you arrived. But not for long. He is busy with the kingdom’s matters.”

“Tsk.”

“What’s with that attitude?”

“Usually, no matter how busy he is, Brother Isaac will take the time to visit our house. At this rate, my hopes to get additional money have disappeared.”

“Is the money you get from me and Dad not enough?”

“It’s not like that. But you know, the more, the merrier. Something like that.”

“Geez,” Raphael chuckled, looking back out the window. Their train had already moved out of the town they lived in, heading towards the border area before reaching the forest they were going to.

***