Chapter 25 Poison
Love bends reason. That was the problem. Not power. Not monsters. Not gods. Love. Love made people irrational. Love made people foolish. Love made people blind. Eemil hated that. Especially because he was suffering from it too. The realization only made him angrier. The forest had entered autumn. Golden leaves drifted through the air. The battle royale continued. More Chosen disappeared every week. The survivors grew stronger. Harder. More dangerous. And Eemil had become one of the strongest among them. His wolves numbered twelve now. Each larger than the last. Each carrying fragments of his hatred. But no matter how strong he became Moon never looked at him the way he looked at Nico. Never. The truth poisoned him. Slowly. Patiently. Every day. Every moment. Until eventually he decided something had to break. And if he couldn't break Moon He would break Nico.
It happened beside a river. Nico sat alone. Moon had gone searching for berries. The celestial often wandered. Trusting everyone. Trusting too easily. Eemil appeared from the trees. The wolves remained hidden. Watching. Waiting.
Nico immediately frowned.
"What do you want?"
Eemil smiled.
Not kindly. Not cruelly. Something worse. Sadly.
As though he pitied him.
"You know he's not human."
Nico's expression hardened.
"I know."
"Do you?"
The question lingered. Eemil sat beside him. Uninvited. Comfortable.
"He isn't mortal."
Nico remained silent.
"He doesn't age."
Still silent.
"He won't die."
The words struck harder. Nico looked away. Toward the river. Toward his own reflection. Because he had already thought about those things. Often. Too often. Moon would remain beautiful forever. Forever young. Forever untouched by time. While Nico Nico would grow old. Wrinkled. Gray. Weak. The thought hurt.
Eemil saw it immediately. And smiled. Because wounds are easiest to deepen when they already exist.
"He'll forget you eventually."
"No."
The answer came instantly. Certain. Absolute.
Eemil laughed. Not kindly.
"Really?"
The future Shadow King leaned back against the tree.
"You've known him what?"
"A few months?"
Nico's jaw tightened.
"And how old is he?"
Silence.
"You don't even know."
The river continued flowing. Cold. Relentless.
Eemil's voice softened. Dangerously soft.
"He'll watch you grow old."
The words landed perfectly. Like arrows.
"He'll watch you die."
Nico closed his eyes. Because the thought terrified him. Not for himself. For Moon. Moon would be alone. Again.
Eemil saw the hesitation. Saw the fear. And pressed harder.
"Do you really think you're special?"
Nico looked up sharply.
"What?"
"Look at him."
The future Shadow King pointed toward the forest.
Toward the place Moon had vanished.
"He's beautiful."
The word sounded bitter.
"Perfect."
Eemil laughed quietly.
"You think you're the first person to fall in love with him?"
Nico didn't answer. Because suddenly he wasn't sure. The thought had never occurred to him. Maybe Moon was ancient. Older than kingdoms. Older than civilizations. How many people had loved him? How many had been forgotten?
Eemil continued.
"How many centuries has he lived?"
"How many names has he forgotten?"
The questions lingered.
Sharp. Cruel. but Reasonable.
That made them dangerous. Because lies mixed with truth are the hardest to recognize.
Nico stared at the river. His reflection looked uncertain. Lost. Young.
Eemil smiled inwardly. The poison was working. Not quickly. Not completely. But enough. Enough to create doubt. Enough to weaken certainty. Enough to begin.
Several days later he tried again. Then again. Then again. Always small comments. Always gentle. Always pretending concern. Never direct attacks. Never obvious cruelty. Because Eemil understood something important. Poison works best when it tastes sweet. The idea grew slowly inside Nico. Moon was immortal. Nico was not. Moon was divine. Nico was human. Moon belonged to eternity. Nico belonged to time. The thoughts became impossible to ignore.
One evening Moon found him sitting alone. Unusually quiet. The celestial immediately noticed. Moon always noticed. His black eyes studied Nico carefully. Concern appeared. The sight nearly broke Nico's heart. Because Moon genuinely cared. The realization made everything worse. Moon sat beside him. Close. Comfortable. Familiar. Their shoulders touched. Neither moved away. Moon smiled softly. The same smile that made Nico feel alive. The same smile that made the world disappear. The same smile Eemil hated.
And suddenly Nico couldn't bear it. Not because he didn't love Moon. Because he loved him too much. The fear hurt. The uncertainty hurt. The future hurt. Everything hurt. Moon reached out. Gently. His fingers brushed Nico's hand. Simple. Natural. Innocent.
Yet Nico felt his chest ache. Because what if this couldn't last? What if Eemil was right? What if immortality made everything temporary? What if one day Moon simply forgot him? The poison had entered his heart. And even love could not remove it completely.
Far away Eemil watched through the eyes of a shadow fox. Watching. Waiting. Satisfied. Because doubt had finally appeared. A tiny crack. Almost invisible. But Eemil understood something the others did not. Great tragedies never begin with betrayal. They begin with doubt. And doubt had finally taken root.
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