Chapter Text
Ciaran would be lying if he said this came as a surprise. The moment Ciaran decided to reveal himself as the lord Magician, he had started anticipating this face off. What he could have never imagined was how far Warren would go for power. It was late at night when he was pulled away from his dream world by a phone call. Accepting the call from Quinn, what Cairan heard took his breath away.
"Warren knows! He took him! It's a trap for you, and yet you need to go there alone. You are the only one who can save him. I am sorry, it has to be this way, but you need to tell him.... show him. I am sorry," said Quinn.
Regaining his composure, Ciaran replied, "Tell me, how do I find him?"
"He will show you."
Just then, visions of the dying boy, the place, and a feeling of something dark flooded his mind. Well, Cairan did not choose him just for his good looks.
Some 40 minutes later, Cairan found himself on the entrance of one of the many secret properties, owned by Hex throne, on the outskirt of Nantucket. The air is still, there is no sound, the grasses are dead in a radius of 1 something Kilometre around the underground established hidden behind the secret door, hidden behind a curtain of illusion. When looked closely, one can find corpses of the insects previously inhabiting the field. There's a heaviness in the surrounding, suffocating. Just standing on the unholy ground was exhausting, like it was sucking the life force out of him. Death, if Cairan had to define the scene in one word. Rage filled him like fire through his veins. Won't be a secret for much longer, thought Cairan, as he will be blowing this place up, along with certain imposter. He let his aspect rise, a river of mercury surrounding him. He tapped into his Arcanum majeure, asking for strength to get through the curse, to get to him, as everything else comes second.
These past few months, New Atlantis has had its fair share of forbidden magics, and it looked like, it is not about to end. In the blind greed to get a grip on the Hex Throne, Lord Warren Saint Anthony, the ex face of lord magician, has broken another rule, and put the forbidden death curse. Ciaran knows this stupid bravery only stems from being a pawn in another's hand, and being confident enough that no witness will see the morning's sun, to breathe a word about the sin. As he walked through the dark corridors of the facility, Ciaran knew he wouldn't find the magician there. Even with his arcanum maejure, even with the shield and strength sigils in use, it feels like tons of weight has been tied to each foot to him.
He remembers Rune asking him why he revealed his true identity. He did not lie in what he said. It was true he did this so that he could be a better support to Rune, and he is sure he would be getting ample amount of adventure. He just did not tell why Rune has become so important to him, a friend, well more like a family.
The darkness, not just the vision, but the feeling, was growing as he was stepping closure to his aim, and he knew he would find him in the centre.
Being the Arcana of Hex throne, curses and hexes came easy to Cairan. He knows how to cast and remove almost all of them. The Death Curse is an exception when it comes to the removing part. There is no known cure to this. Once put on someone, it becomes a black hole, slowly sucking in all life force in its vicinity, including the host of the curse. It dies when the main victim of the curse dies. It rarely lasts for more than a couple of hours, but it leaves a dark imprint on the place for decades, maybe even centuries. It does not even leave behind the souls of the dead to haunt, the cursed ground carries the feeling of death for long, making every living soul avoid it on instinct.
Ciaran can feel that his majeure is rapidly using his life to keep him going. He has already lost a few years of his life, and it hasn't even been 20 minutes, and the speed at which he is losing his age is continuously increasing the closure he is. Trading through the heaviness is taking more time than Ciaran anticipated. He finally found him. Pushing the door open, he sees Max, collapsed on the floor, his already pale skin looks white, like a ghost.
Cairan runs to him, tripping, and crawling rest of the way, and cradles his head in his lap. The 19 year old scion is barely conscious, something thik and dark dripping down his nose and mouth. His eyes are sunken, dark bags beneath them.
"Max, look at me, it's me, Cairan."
Max is only able to open his eyes slightly, curling his dry like paper lips in a weak smile.
"Cairan... you do pop up somehow when needed." Max whispers, some of the words lost in the breath, but Cairan understood, and reciprocated the smile.
"Always love."
Cairan does not want to tell him, not yet. It is still too soon, but Cairan trusts Quinn. This has to be the only way to save Max.
Cairan takes a deep breath and starts- "Max, this was not supposed to be like this. I am sorry. I will explain it all to you. But I need you to trust me. Max, let me kiss you, please.
For a long few seconds, Max does not say anything. Cairan doubts if Max was even able to hear him. But he understands how out of the blue it must have sounded to Max, with him finally being in a good romantic relationship, with some guy in the Magnus Academy, that Cairan refused to learn the name of. Cairan knows this moment would flip Max's life, and he hates himself for ever having to put Max through this. He will murder Warren, so slowly, and painfully, that he will regret ever being born.
He repeats- "Max..."
"Yes, I trust you."
It was but a whisper, but the confidence behind those words was so sure, despite Max fighting his own death each second. There was not even an ounce of doubt. Cairan closed his lips on Max, and there was a soundless explosion of light, a rainbow twisting around Cairan's river of silvery magic. Max rose with a gasp, like breaking out of the water surface, after suffocating for long. His entire body was covered in moving colours, eyes shining white, and a shadow falling behind him on the ground, like created from wings. Cairan can only define the feeling as pure bliss. Like happiness, like peace, and yet a storm he never wants to step out of.
It seemed like eternity has passed, and yet it was not long enough. Cairan knows he will forever long for that feeling, especially after looking at the changing expression on Max's face, from bliss to confusion, then realisation, and then Max's eyes met Cairan's with so much hurt, it breaks Cairan's heart.
"Max, I am sorry, I did no"
"I want to go home. Will you take me home please." Max breaks the eye contact, and then avoided it throughout the ride to sun court.
The entire ride was so silent, Cairan wanted to break it. He wanted to apologise, he wanted Max to shout at him, curse him, even hit him, if that could make the expressionless face change.
Once they were at the entrance gate, Cairan tried again- "Max, you need to understand", but before he could say anything further, Max opens the door and leaves, going inside the open Gate, with Brand standing at the entrance with him arms crossed.
Cairan would have been more surprised if Brand didn't find out at this moment. Making his way to the window, Brand tapped on it. Cairan does not have time for this, but he understands Brand's concern. He has every right to know.
Once he roles the window down, Brand warns, "You have 30 seconds to explain why Max just ran into the house with tears, and how were he able to leave without my knowledge."
Taking a deep sigh, Cairan explains- "He was kidnapped. Warren."
"Why Max?"
Brand, and his on point questions, thought Cairan. He tried to deflect.
"It was a trap for me, to get rid off me, and the throne would be his. I also think someone else has backed him up, someone powerful enough to lend him this confidence. It might be a start of something big, so be prepared. Now, Max is safe, and I have someone to hunt, so if I can have your leave now."
Cairan started the car's engine. Brand put his hand on the open window pane.
"But that is not why Max has been this way."
Not a question. Sometimes, Cairan hates his observation.
"He is my Talla." Cairan says and hopes that is enough for now. Cairan just went through having his soulmates life at risk, to awaking his talla bond, to realising he might have missed the chance to ever have his talla, while entire time being pissed at Warren for putting him through this misery.
It was Quinn who told him about Max and the probable connection he might have with the boy. Cairan never expected that he might one day find his Talla. His fondness for Quinn was not the only reason why Cairan agreed to meet Rune Sun. He wanted to see his probably future Talla. Quinn assured him he had seen Max accompanying Rune and Brand.
That was the first time he saw Max, a 17 year old boy, who had just lost everything. Cairan decided right then that he is going to help in every possible way he could. But he needed to put the asshole appearance on. When he saw Max has been drugged, he sent Rune his way. When he came to know that Max had a troubled past, that might have even involved abuse, he wanted to hurt everyone who ever looked at the boy wrong. When Quinn said that everyone will go shopping for Max, he didn't have to think long to suggest Magicians long lost mall. He had to help Rune save Max from The Hanged Man, in the process of which, he found a wonderful ward like Layne. Now, he might have lost the possibility to ever unite with his Talla, romantically, his Talla was okay, he had a loving family. And whether Cairan would ever be allowed in that family again or not, they will forever be his family, and he can give his life for every single person in Max's found family.
To his relief, Brand silently removes his hand from the window, and moves back to let him leave.
"Take care of him." Says Cairan. It's a very real possibility that he might never get to talk to Max again. Cairan sees Quinn looking at him through the door, a sad smile on his face. He needs to avoid Quinn for a few days, or he might ask him about the future, he's afraid he doesn't want to know about. Well, Cairan decided to take all the emotion and turn it into rage. Warren will not be alive to see the morning.