"Brother, Cyrus?" Fallon asked as he saw Cyrus picking up food, "why are you picking up food?"
Cyrus was in the middle of pouring porridge that Soren had prepared before he had gone with Voren somewhere into two bowls, "it's for Voren's elf. Voren wanted to reveal himself after Soren managed to get into his human form." He continued getting porridge into a bowl.
Fallon nodded, "I see…" he took some porridge into his bowl as well. The red tray in his grip shook slightly as his hands felt unsteady from what had happened last night… he can't believe he had woken up wrapped around Aaron. It was so embarrassing. He shoved that embarrassing memory out of his brain, "after I had looked into Voren's eyes. It was as if a blank space of my memory suddenly filled up." Fallon continued after pouring one more spoonful of porridge in the pot, "I had forgotten how Aaron had come to this orphanage… it was a blank slate for so long… who would've known that it was actually Soren's purple eyed clone who had saved him from the streets."
Cyrus was agitated. He couldn't deal with one Soren and another one showed up, bringing back hollowed out memories and an elf with him, "some won't even get their memories back."
"Are you talking about the elder brothers and sisters who had left the orphanage after eighteen?"
Cyrus nodded, "Voren had explained that only by looking in his eyes. They could get their memories back."
Fallon hummed in response.
Cyrus after taking the necessary food from the kitchen. He went upstairs. Soren had always remembered to make his breakfast sandwich ever since he had taken the duty to cook.
Cyrus bit his tongue. He felt heat rising up his neck. Even when changed physically. This annoying guy makes his heart beat faster. If Cyrus ever dies from excessive heartbeats then it will be Soren's fault.
He opened the door to his room slowly, there he was sitting prettily as if he was a part of a fairytale waiting on his prince. Aizen had sharper features than Cyrus… who would have thought this pointy-eared, green-eyed guy with flowy silver hair could have trouble talking to strangers, "Hey elf." At Cyrus's call, Aizen turned to look at the shorter blonde boy.
He smiled, he seems to be getting quite comfortable with Cyrus. Maybe it's because they have bonded over the fact that they got each twin of the same pair to date. One slightly more unhinged than the first one,
"Cyrus!"
"Don't look so happy." Cyrus put the tray in front of him. Uncharacteristically gently, "I only brought you this because I don't like wasting food."
He plopped down beside Aizen.
Aizen just nodded and took one bowl of porridge and dug in. He ate it like–this was the best thing he had ever put in his mouth.
"How was life as a traveller?" Cyrus suddenly asked.
"It has hardship," he put one spoonful into his mouth, chewed then swallowed, "but it has its merits."
"Merits?"
Aizen thought for a bit, "if we help or offer favours to someone in a village then we may get some advantages… like sleeping in a full bed or eating good food along with some copper coins as currency."
"Isn't that basic necessary?" Cyrus rolled his eyes.
"When you are homeless," Aizen put the bowl of porridge on the side table, "any piece of comfort will feel like the best thing in the world."
Cyrus sighed, "how long were you homeless for?"
"Six months." Aizen stretched and leaned back, "and those six months were one of the toughest times I have ever been through."
Cyrus side-eyed Aizen, "really?" He picked up his bowl of porridge, "was it really that hard?" He put a spoonful of porridge into his mouth.
"Uh-huh," Aizen nodded, "well getting beaten up by vendors and little rich brats and sometimes stealing food or pickpocketing a random stranger… does not sound so healthy now, does it?"
"That's rough, buddy." Cyrus then looked clearly at the elf, "where did those two go?"
"Probably in some cave nearby," Aizen sighed, "or in a forest."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You lived here…" Soren looked shocked. He stared at a cave entrance, "in this cave."
Voren put his palms against his hips and nodded, "that's right."
"So close to the orphanage…" Soren still stared at the cave.
Voren smiled, "Sister Arianna had made me promise to live near the orphanage." he murmured, "so after every journey I have returned here."
"Why didn't anyone notice…?" Soren looked at Voren, "and big sister Ari knew?"
Voren sighed, "before I could remove her memories. She suddenly got up and grabbed my poor little shadow tendril." he huffed, "it did not let me take her memories… then she reluctantly agreed to let me go on adventures." Voren sighed.
Soren side-eyed his older twin brother, "so you did not have a hard time making her agree?" Soren was more baffled at the cave than Voren's ridiculous adventure. Because it is the same cave where Soren and Cyrus had stayed during the rainstorm while finding some medicinal herbs from two or three months ago.
"Oh," Voren suddenly remembered. "One of the deals between me and Arianna was that I had to take survival classes from her for about a year and after she confirmed that I won't ve stupid enough to fight a wild monkey. She agreed."
"A wild monkey…" Soren tilted his head, "really?"
"Yeah, and then…" Voren kept talking about his past experience with adventures.
Soren kept listening and suddenly a sharp pain pierced his back. His knees buck. Voren stopped talking and was by Soren's side by the blink of an eye.
"Little brother," he asked urgently, "What's wrong?!?!"
"My back…" Soren winced, "it hurts so much."
"Fuck…" Voren looked at Soren's back. He saw two bumps forming slowly, "Soren you are…"
"I… am… what…?" Soren said through gritted teeth as the pain on his back.
"Sorry…" Voren whispered, running his fingers through his little brother's hair, "I would have to knock you out for this."
"Wha-" before Soren could finish his words. A faint glow flickered at his fingertips as he pressed them to Soren's temple.
The pain vanished—replaced by a heavy, sinking darkness. Soren didn't even feel himself fall.
Voren caught his brother in his arms, cradling him to his chest, "I didn't want to hurt you–but it would have hurt more if you were awake…"
He pulled Soren up, carrying him as if he was a princess and started to go inside the cave. He murmured almost to himself.
"You are growing wings."