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The man Nergius Synthesis Sixteen brought back from the mines certainly didn’t feel like a criminal. It was an accident, apparently, that he’d even broken off a part of the End Mountains themselves. Administrator couldn’t exactly argue this logic, but now that he’d been brought here and seemed to be fairly strong, there was no sense in discarding him. She wasn’t going to waver now. As soon as Nergius deposited the man with her, she ordered the Prime Senator to reset his memory while she performed the Synthesis Ritual. The man caved so easily when she exploited his guilt towards his master down at the mines. Without much of a struggle, Entokia Synthesis Eighteen was born into the order of Integrity Knights.
As Nergius had been the man to apprehend Entokia, it seemed only appropriate to place Entokia under his wing. The new knight, rather disoriented and naïve, agreed to his post without much of a thought, and before he knew it, he was alone with Nergius, awaiting whatever task was befitting of his new position. He thought this would be an easy-to-handle situation, but as Nergius turned to him, he felt something stir in his chest. The younger knight’s eyes lit up, and he dashed forward to place his hands on Nergius’ shoulders. The senior knight seemed shocked by this action.
“I’m certain!” Entokia cried. “I know you from the heavens!”
Nergius blinked back at him. Integrity Knights weren’t meant to have memories of the heavens. This was something Administrator, the Holy Pontifex herself, always told them. They would leave the heavens behind completely, devoting their entire existence to protecting the human world as gods among men. There was no sense to be had here. Nergius cautiously shook his head. If this Entokia remembered him, there had been a flaw in his summoning; he was certain of that.
“You should remember nothing,” he said. “We are to shed ourselves of the memories of our old lives and dedicate ourselves to this one.”
Frowning, Entokia shook his head.
“No, this stirring in my chest,” he said. “It’s too real to mean anything else. We were together in the heavens. I’m sure of it! I can never bring myself to leave your side again, Negio!”
Already, a nickname. This man was certainly different from other Integrity Knights. The look in his eyes was one of a desperate lover who had lost his beloved. Nergius, on the other hand, appeared to be rather perplexed by this, but his cheeks were tinged with red as he comprehended Entokia’s meaning. When he claimed that they had been together, no doubt he meant that they were more than just friends. He was claiming something rather bold. Whether Nergius believed him or not, Entokia was brought to tears over the thought of being reunited with him.
“I’ll help you remember,” Entokia said. “Even if we don’t remember our lives in the heavens, I want you to remember this feeling.”
It was true that there was a stirring in his own chest. Nergius couldn’t deny this fact. He hardly saw it as proof of their former bond, but there was something to this feeling. The two had a connection, and whether it be a bond formed by a long life together as immortals or love at first sight, he supposed that it couldn’t hurt to explore this feeling. If the Vice Commander of the Integrity Knights could needlessly pine for their Captain, then there was no need to concern himself with whether or not attempting to explore his own sentiments was permitted.
With this proposal by Entokia, the two knights set about on their duties for the day. Nergius was to walk Entokia through the steps of their duties, from patrolling to fighting enemies at the edge of the End Mountains, to apprehending the occasional criminal. He requested that Entokia spar with him to see where his strengths lie. As expected of a man with his muscular figure, Entokia put quite a bit of force into his swings, and he had very sturdy footing. Nergius wanted to focus on the quality of Entokia’s fighting, but he felt his mind drawn elsewhere as he watched the shirtless man before him moving.
As his muscles glistened with sweat, Nergius found himself unable to draw his gaze elsewhere. Had those strong arms once held him? He couldn’t help but distractedly imagine it. This brawny knight certainly could lift him up with ease. There was a brute force behind these muscles, one that could crush an enemy mercilessly, and yet, even knowing this strength from their sparring, Nergius could sense that they were also gentle and controlled. These arms, these hands, they were meant for protection, not destruction.
“You don’t seem incredibly focused, Negio,” Entokia teased, grinning over at him. “Something on your mind?”
Nergius frowned. This man was more perceptive than he let on.
“If you claim we were together in the heavens, how do you plan to prove this?” he asked, diverting the conversation.
Determination flashed in the other man’s eyes.
“The only proof I need is my feelings,” he said. “There’s a lot I can’t quite remember; that’s true. But these feelings in my chest are truths that can’t be denied. Fate has brought us together again, and I have no intention of losing you. Nothing in this world can separate us now that we’re destined to live here eternally and protect the humans.”
Such confidence carried in his voice. Could sentiments truly never die? Nergius wanted to believe in this. Entokia rushed at him with a great swing of the broadsword he’d selected to fight with. Nergius smoothly dodged the swing and parried the blow with the staff of his spear. Their eyes met in the middle. Those dark, almost black eyes pierced into his green eyes, holding them captive before him. Vibrant life seemed to fill those grey eyes, eager to offer their devotion to someone. That someone was Nergius, without a doubt. They should have been trained on Administrator. She was owed the knights absolute devotion.
And yet.
“You’re quite skilled in terms of strength,” Nergius said, “but we must work on your flexibility.”
With as much gusto as he swung the broadsword, Entokia responded to his senior knight.
“Can’t wait!” he cried.
The two separated, but their eyes remained locked. Entokia sheathed the broadsword and set it back against the wall. He finally broke his stare when he stepped aside to pull his shirt back on. Nergius reluctantly tore his eyes away from Entokia and tried to focus on making a plan in his head. He now knew that his goal was to instill a sense of flexibility in his sword fighting. He might have had the strength of an ox, but he needed to learn how to appropriately dodge oncoming attacks. Unless he somehow possessed the unique skills of Bercouli Synthesis One, he’d need to adapt to having an enemy more eager to kill him than Nergius in his close quarters.
“Where to next, Negio?” Entokia asked.
The senior knight glanced over at his charge and frowned. The sweat on his body was soaking through his shirt, making it cling to his cut figure. It might have been an appropriate time for him to show the new knight the bath on the 90th floor. Whether he was doing so to be kind to Entokia after having him work up such a sweat or to have a further glimpse at his well-muscled body, well, even he himself could not quite tell. He led Entokia up to the 90th floor and brought him into the bath, casually removing his own clothing to step into the fragrant waters.
“Man, am I that sweaty?” Entokia asked, stripping down and stepping in as well.
It was just as Nergius had suspected. This man’s muscles left nothing to chance. He’d taken care in the heavens to keep all muscles equally trained. Nothing had gone unnoticed, from his bulging biceps to his rippling abs to his strong legs to his toned buttocks. He was the perfect picture of someone with fine muscles. Once more, Nergius found himself pondering whether he’d been held by those arms. Had he been pressed against those large pecs? Had his hands run down that muscled back? For once since he’d come down to the human world, he found this lack of memory to be quite infuriating. Everything was left up to his imagination.
Entokia came and sat as close to Nergius as he possibly could in such a large bath. With all of this space, there was no excuse for such behavior. It was clear that he, too, might have been imagining being close to Nergius in the heavens. Smiling, Entokia reached over and gently pulled at a strand of Nergius’ long, flowing hair. He brought the lock over to his lips and pressed it just beneath his nose. The gesture was strange to Nergius, but for some reason he felt heat rising in his cheeks. Was it the steam from the bath? He didn’t want to admit that it might not be.
“How long do you suppose I’ve been waiting to reunite with you, Negio?” Entokia asked.
Nergius found himself unable to respond.
“You’re called Sixteen, and I’m called Eighteen,” he said. “In the Sacred Tongue, those are numbers. Only one stands between us. How long of a gap is it between the Pontifex’s summonings, Negio?”
The senior knight shook his head.
“A few years it’s been since my summoning from the heavens,” he said. “But I do wonder if time is felt the same way there that it is here. We are immortals, after all.”
Entokia laughed and let Nergius’ hair slip out of his fingers and fall into the bath water.
“My heart feels like it’s been millennia since I last saw you,” Entokia said. “When I first saw your hair lifted by the wind, even before you turned around to face me, I knew that waiting to see you again had felt like relief after an eternity of patience. Perhaps if we’d been summoned closer to one another, you might still have felt that longing to be reunited.”
Nergius allowed himself to smile at that. The brawny knight before him certainly had a way with his words, and his energy was radiating off of him. It felt soothing. If there was anything Nergius felt he was lacking, emotionally or physically, he felt it no more as he sat near to Entokia. Trying to divert his mind, he reached over and picked up a brush.
“May I wash your back?” he asked.
Nodding, Entokia moved into position, clearly enjoying the notion. Nergius gently ran the brush over his back, feeling as though he had to be gentle with this tough skin. When he was finished, he was surprised to see Entokia offer to do the same for him. He sat down and pulled his hair away from his back, exposing it fully. Before he felt the bristles of the brush, he felt Entokia’s fingertips run down his back.
“Is something the matter?” Nergius asked.
Entokia’s fingers left his skin, and they were quickly replaced with the gentle scrubbing of the brush.
“It’s just been so long since I’ve touched you,” Entokia said. “Or, at least, that’s what it feels like. I was afraid you’d actually get mad if you felt my fingers against your skin. I’m glad to see that that wasn’t completely offensive to you.”
There was a warmth radiating from Entokia now. His desire was so strong that it emanated from his very skin. Nergius wanted to throw aside his composure and tell him that he’d been entertaining this notion of a former relationship between the two this entire time. Entokia’s hesitation only existed because he knew that Nergius remembered nothing. It was Nergius’ job to remove that barrier between them. When Entokia set the brush down, Nergius turned to him and reached out to grasp the man by his shoulders.
“There is no need to feel a distance between us,” he said.
Entokia’s dark eyes began to sparkle with interest again. Nergius found that sparkling to be quite mesmerizing. He leaned in, drawn into those eyes as if they were a force pulling him closer to Entokia’s face. The man’s lips grew closer and closer to his own. He wanted to drink of them. He longed to seal this fantasy by locking his lips with Entokia’s, melting away any doubts that they were truly destined to be drawn to one another. However, he stopped a few cens short of the man’s face. Perhaps now he was being too forward in Entokia’s place.
“Then don’t create that distance,” Entokia said to him.
He reached his hands up and pulled Nergius the rest of the way by his cheeks. As expected, Entokia’s grasp felt gentle and protective. Nergius closed his eyes as his lips met Entokia’s, and he eagerly accepted the kiss. His lips were softer than expected. For a man so comprised of strength, brawn, and solidness, his lips were tender and Nergius felt as though a rose petal had touched his lips. Even more energy started to flow into him. There was no denying the connection between them now. This was fate; no, it was destiny.
When their lips parted, Nergius wanted nothing more than to pull him in again and drink more of the sweet nectar that was Entokia’s very being. Feeling the man’s skin against his own intoxicated him and created a longing to never part from him. Entokia had felt it first in a glance, and he’d been foolish to think he could escape that sensation. His cheeks began to burn as Entokia reached up and once again grasped a lock of his hair between his fingers.
“May I comb this out for you?” he asked.
Such a simple action it was, yet it filled Nergius with a rush. He numbly nodded his head. The two donned plush robes over their naked bodies and retired to Nergius’ quarters where they could be alone. Entokia picked up the fine brush on the side table and carefully, lovingly pulled the bristles through Nergius’ long hair. The feeling of the brush against his hair was pleasant and methodical, almost lulling the senior knight to sleep. In his soporific state, he relaxed and allowed Entokia to stroke him as he pleased. He could certainly entertain falling asleep like this every night.
Somewhere in the vast heavens, they must have sat just like this after a shared bath together, with Nergius’ eyes half-closed and heavy from Entokia’s gentle brushing. They’d done this before. There was that sensation again; one of familiarity and attraction that confirmed these silly whims. What truth was there other than this one? They were a pair of lovers, destined to be together even when they were summoned from the heavens to live on this mortal plane. Years of human time may have separated Nergius from Entokia, but no more could the starry expanse stand between them. At last, they were united in a way that could not be broken.
The brush stopped moving, and Entokia pulled it away from Nergius’ hair. He set the brush down and glanced over at his clothing. Nergius wondered what in the world the man must have been thinking as he gazed so pathetically at his uniform. Entokia frowned and reached down to grab the clothes.
“I suppose I’ll dress and see you in the morning, Negio,” he said. “I wouldn’t want that annoying Prime Senator to rat me out for staying out past my curfew.”
Nergius jumped to his feet as Entokia turned to dress himself. He caught the burly man by his arm and gave him a very severe glare, one that brought about a look of surprise on the new knight’s face.
“He’ll excuse you,” he said, his tone serious.
Entokia smiled and shook his head.
“As great as it is to assume that,” he said, “the Prime Senator doesn’t sound like the sort of man who allows exceptions to his pesky rules.”
Tightening his grip, Nergius shook his head.
“As your mentor, I forbid you to leave my chambers,” he said. “We still have much training to do.”
One of Entokia’s thin eyebrows lifted in question.
“We do?” he asked. “What will we need to learn in here?”
The man perhaps wasn’t as bright as Nergius had hoped. He started to undo the top of his robe, maintaining eye contact with Entokia as he spoke. The other night’s eyes dropped down to gaze upon Nergius’ bare chest.
“Sword training,” he said, still hoping that his long-lost partner would catch his meaning.
Once more, though, Entokia seemed more perplexed than anything else.
“But Negio,” he said, “you fight with a spear.”
Sighing, Nergius removed the rest of his robe and allowed it to fall onto the floor in a heap. His body now exposed, Entokia’s expression transformed into one far more understanding of the situation. A smile curled up at the edges of Nergius’ lips as Entokia’s cheeks turned a gentle shade of rouge. He had his man’s attention. He stepped over to the other knight and placed his hand on the one balled up around his clothing.
“Surely you haven’t waited so long for a mere taste,” Nergius said.
For once, the brawny knight seemed to be at a loss for a response. His eyes couldn’t be moved away from Nergius’ naked body. There was a longing reflecting in those dark irises. The wait was over at last, and now, having won back the attention of his long-lost lover, he was being offered intimacy that had long been overdue. Two men stood there, with passion thick between them, and they longed for one another, already committing the act with their eyes.
“You’re free to refuse,” Nergius said. “But something tells me you won’t.”
Entokia’s hand unclenched and released the clothing he was grasping. He eagerly pulled Nergius into his arms, pulling him against his chest. Nergius slowly slid the robe off of Entokia’s broad shoulders, separating the last bit of a wall between them. Their bare skin finally pressed together; they could hardly breathe as they gazed into one another’s eyes. Two hearts beat in unison on opposite sides. Entokia’s hand traveled up Nergius’ back, and his hand stopped at the base of his skull. For a moment, it stayed there, but after some time, he slipped his fingers through strands of hair and curled them around it, securely holding his lover’s head.
“How could I refuse you?” he whispered. “You’re everything I’ve longed for in this life and the last one.”
Nergius ran his fingertips over Entokia’s chest.
“Then take me,” he said, “and do as you please. For as long as we live, I shall never be parted from you again.”
With his promise spoken aloud, Nergius leaned forward and pressed his lips into Entokia’s once more. His heart raced in his chest. This feeling; this intoxicating, addictive feeling pulsed through his veins. Kissing this man felt like ecstasy. He wanted to remain here forever, locked in this embrace. He knew, though, that he would earn more pleasure if he took the next step. As Entokia’s hands moved to grasp his shoulders, he let himself be walked backwards over to his bed, and his back fell against the clean sheets. After all of this waiting, the two lovers would consummate their love, giving not a care to any scorn felt by anyone else in the cathedral.
For in their minds, they were always together and always had been. Nothing could have convinced the two knights otherwise, not even the truth itself. In truth, they couldn’t have been further apart in their previous lives, separated not just by time, but also by status. Where the senior knight had been a nobleman, the student had been a miner. The connection they’d imagined was nothing more than love at first sight confused for something far deeper. Their love was built on a lie so strong that it would take the end of the world itself to break such a bond.
After all, they needed nothing more than that bond. They already knew how their hearts had sparked upon meeting in the cathedral. Feelings that strong and genuine needed not be explained. They were simply meant to be felt. Nergius longed for Entokia. Entokia longed for Nergius. It was simplistic and at the same time far more complicated than anything that world could have conjured up. Even if Nergius awoke to his memories prior to synthesis, he would not have changed how he viewed his student. Unaware as he was to this fact, he told himself that if his memories of the heavens proved another story to have been his past life, he would not waver from the life he’d begun now.
“Do you believe that we were created for one another by the goddess?” Nergius asked.
Entokia ran his fingers through Nergius’ hair slowly.
“I do feel that something like that might be true,” Entokia said. “If the other knights don’t feel the same instant draw that we did, our feelings must be stronger somehow.”
Nergius nodded and rested his head against Entokia’s naked shoulder.
“Fanatio only came to love the commander after years, some say,” he mumbled. “And yet only a day has shown me that you’re all I desire in this world.”
Smiling, Entokia kissed his mentor on the forehead.
“Then I’ll never leave your side, Negio,” he said. “Not even in death.”
At peace with his choice, Nergius closed his eyes and allowed himself to smile as he rested against Entokia’s chest.
“Not even in death…” he repeated.
And thus, thoroughly convinced, the two Integrity Knights fell asleep in one another’s arms, never to be parted again.