Chapter Text
Part IV: God save the ocean, God save the breeze
The Submerged Fish Hunt Test.
Everyone had a role to play, and by some weird draw lots, the goal was to let Rachel and Bam be eaten by a fish underwater that would spew them on land later. The test seemed easy, but there were many factors like protecting the land Rachel and Bam would land in. Also beware of the Bull that might cause a catastrophe in their test. If Aguero played his cards right, they could pass this test with flying colors. This was heavy on strategy, and Aguero had been sharping his mind since he and Bam entered the Tower.
The test was suspicious.
Maybe it was not the test, but Rachel.
Bam gained a lot of new friends, and Aguero was happy with the sunny smile radiating from his best friend. It might be annoying holding up with the more-samurai-than-brains warrior, but if Bam was having fun eating with everyone at the cafeteria then why not? His best friend was experiencing everything the boy was deprived of. All Aguero had to watch out was Bam’s innocence, if anybody ever betrayed him...
Rachel did not sit with them but she was a recurring presence too. Aguero remembered heading out of the Lightbearer class and seeing the two interacting. Something green did not churn nicely in his stomach. Bam talked with Rachel, all smiles and trusting, he did mention she was there when they were fighting. Aguero was stupid, but maybe he can thank her for comforting Bam when they were in an argument. Never again, Aguero hoped.
He didn’t thank her, but the least he could do was let her be friends with Bam despite his instincts whispering in defiance. There was a bit of envy on how Bam fell into camaraderie without hesitance, it was something Aguero lost long ago. He couldn’t speak without thinking every word he might utter, he couldn’t shake hands without the assurance that Bam was fine with this person. At this point, Aguero realized his trust heavily relied on where Bam placed his own. It was some sick dependence, but Bam only hugged him after ranting and said it was okay, totally understandable.
Aguero was lucky with Bam, Eduan must have felt the same.
Before the team proceeded on taking their positions for the final test, Aguero pulled Bam in a corner, away from the peering eyes. He embraced Bam, his hand cradling the chestnut head in his palm. Bam hugged him with the same fervent tightness, Aguero inhaled the innate scent.
“Just one more test, we’ll move to the next floor.” Aguero promised, and Bam chuckled.
“Yeah!” His best friend cheered, “We’ll climb this Tower like the heroes in the stories did!”
Aguero released the hug, and squeezed Bam’s hand. They’d fight side by side in the future, as a Lightbearer and Wave Controller.
He couldn’t wait for this test to be over.
There was another Khun child, audaciously barging in his Lighthouse during the test. Aguero almost stiffened, but he didn’t recognize this son. The relative only asked to use his Lighthouse for a moment, and Aguero silently watched him.
“I didn’t expect you’d be here, there were legends on where you were, you’re quite famous, little brother,” The boy who introduced himself as Hachuling a minute earlier stated as he typed codes.
Aguero impatiently crossed his legs and tapped his foot. The test was on-going, what the hell was this guy doing here?
“Don’t worry much, I got lost and ended up here.” Then a beeping sound and monitors flashed abruptly from his Lighthouse, it blinked away before Aguero recognized who the people were in the screens. “Found them, good luck with the test.”
Khun Hachuling checked him out from head to toe, then left with parting words which shook him to the core.
“Personally, I don’t think what happened with Maria was your fault. You need trust to climb this Tower, lil’ bro.”
Aguero misses Bam, he really wanted this to be over as soon as possible.
The announcement of the test finishing brought relief in his tense shoulders. Aguero and the rest of the team stationed at the land ran to the spot where the fish barfed up their teammates. Aguero first sighted Rachel, fresh from the innards of the fish with slimy mucus covering her red dress and yellow hair. That would be a pain to wash, but Aguero would help Bam with his clothes.
Aguero filtered through the muddy patches, searching for any stroke of brown hair. The fake shinsu sun was brightly lighting the test area, and the Regulars were the only people playing in the field. Surely it was not hard to find the body of his best friend, no matter how dirty it was from the belly of the fish.
“Where is he?” Aguero breathed, because maybe others have seen him. Maybe his eyesight were fooling him with tricks, staying underground without the inherent sun must have weirded out his senses.
Because there was no way Bam should not be here, right?
“Where is he...?” Aguero repeated, his voice more stern. His nails digging crescents in his palms, it stung but it was nothing compared to the hissing dread as he roved his surroundings. His favorite familiar brunette out of his periphery.
Something in the background groaned, Aguero whipped his head to face Rachel waking up. Her eyes couldn't meet his, and her grubby hands clenched into fists. No, no...this is wrong.
"Bam..." Rachel muttered the name in morose, "The Bull came, it attacked us. He...I'm so sorry, Mr. Khun."
The despair pooling in his stomach, Aguero wanted to retch it out. His throat leaden with a weight nostalgic to the pain he had before, but at the same time, also different. This time, Bam...Bam won't embrace him to fight his fears away.
Aguero gulped, heaving but it was as if no air could be collected wherever he was. Aguero sprinted to the edge of the lake, he dropped to his knees, staring out at the murky waters where his best friend must have drowned.
He couldn't hear anything other than the ringing shout of somebody, like a wounded animal wailing. The surface of the lake rippled with droplets of water, and with a horrid tremor of his body, Aguero realized the screams were erupting from his throat. The waves of the lake were made from tears falling of his eyelashes, and that his breaths were fogging cold.
"Bam...Bam," I couldn't protect him, the jewel my father gave to me. All Bam did was protect me, but in the end, I couldn't...I was too weak.
"Hey Khun, I'm so sorry, it's getting cold we should head inside," Shibisu wrapped the tracksuit jacket over his shoulders, Aguero shrieked.
"No! Bam is..." More tears pouring in the lake, "Bam is not affected by the cold, I can find him—'
As his tears cascaded on the lake, there were sounds of the shinsu murmuring, whispering, and cracking. The blue-black waters were glowing, smoke swirling from the waters. A sheet of glacier ice frosted the lake in a rink, webbing the waters in white snow. The waters which Rachel and Bam submerged in moments prior, the same waters where the Bull rested and attacked his best friend.
His teammates filed in to head inside, witness firsthand in horror of a boy with a storm freezing the entire lake. Shibisu stepped backwards, opting to reach for Rachel instead. They have all heard the story, it was not a pleasant one. On how there was a Khun child who killed his sister in a glass case of ice.
Rachel yelped when Shibisu supported her, lifting her body.
"I can't...move," Rachel cried.
"What do you mean?!" Shibisu panicked, Aguero dug his fingers on the soil. Every exhale of his was looking cold and dry, the once liquid lake was solid in ice.
"My legs...they're frozen," Rachel attempted again but only gasped, with her whimper, Aguero twisted to finally intake the current predicament.
Shibisu was holding Rachel's arms as Rachel feebly tried standing up, she kept slipping and falling. Only at her fall did their eyes finally meet again, and Rachel had tears on the corner of her eyes as well.
"I'm so sorry, he really is the brightest star," Rachel sobbed but Aguero walked to her, and every step of his faintly reminded him of another girl.
Another girl who was frozen, breathless, trapped in ice underneath. Unable to walk, stand, nor breathe again. Rachel helplessly stared up at him, apologizing profusely. Their teammates were inside the ship, behind the windows, grieving and crying for the loss of a friend whom the Tower did not truly deserve to have.
"I...I didn't mean it," Aguero stuttered as he knelt before Rachel, afraid to touch her quaking shoulders as she cried.
"Maybe this was my consequence, the fish jumbled up my legs," Rachel huffed, Aguero noticed his own hands were shaking, dripping snowflakes. "I'm sorry about your best friend, Mr. Khun, I wasn't able to do anything..."
No, Aguero might have refuted, this isn't your fault, Rachel. Aguero almost called her Maria.
"What did he say...before the Bull..." Aguero asked, his throat scratchy, not wanting to finish the sentence.
"He talked about you," Rachel said, staring straight through his arctic eyes. "On how fun it was to climb with everyone and you, especially, he was so kind...I'm jealous."
Aguero felt another tear raining on the ground.
"I wish I met Bam before you did."
Khun Aguero Agnis was known in the Tower as the son of Khun Eduan who killed a candidate of Jahad's princess by encasing Khun Maria in a coffin of ice.
Years later as the boy entered, he was also known for another catastrophe.
Khun Aguero Agnis was known in the Tower as the boy who froze an entire lake at Evankhell's floor, in the sadness for the loss of his best friend, the Twenty-fifth Bam.