The Passage of Time- Chapter 1
Alright, well, the first chapter (the prologue) didnt get much attention, but I'll keep posting this just incase someone gets interested. Sorry about the shortness of the chapters but I didn't really write this in chapter format, so I had to choose where to cut off. Thanks for anyone who reads and reviews!
Wolfram strode calmly through the garden, Yuuri in close stride behind him. He could feel the teen’s eyes on him, sweeping across his broad shoulders, his back and legs.
“You’re so...big.” Yuuri said quietly. Wolfram looked over his shoulder to see Yuuri’s onyx eyes large with awe. He couldn’t help but chuckle at his King’s bemused expression.
The blonde stopped short, turning around in full to examine Yuuri thoroughly. The black haired boy was taller than he remembered, his shoulders were broad and his face was sharper. Yuuri stood stalk still as Wolfram circled him more. His ass was the same though.
“You’re pretty big yourself.” Wolfram replied, letting a small, amused smile paint his face.
Yuuri was happy to see the smile, but something about it was off. It didn’t look genuine, it made his cheeks wrinkle, it made his eyes look tired. He looked so much older than he was, older than Gwendal even. What could’ve sapped him of life so much?
Wolfram cocked an eyebrow at Yuuri; he had been staring intently at his face for a long time. “See something interesting?” he asked, moving his face closer to Yuuri’s to break his gaze.
Yuuri flushed and jumped back. “Ah! Nothing!”
The blonde shook his head and continued on his way. Yuuri watched how he carried himself. He stood tall but not with the same fierce pride he used to have, he was calm in his steps, taking his time as they made their way to the castle.
“How old are you now, Yuuri?” Wolfram asked, catching Yuuri off-guard. He kept walking, not bothering to look back and wait for an answer.
Yuuri wrung his hands, feeling nervous about his answer. “Um, I’m almost 18.”
Wolfram’s head drooped a little, “Three years...” he whispered, taking a deep breath.
“How old are you? Well, how long has it been since I left?” Yuuri sped up so he was walking evenly beside his former fiancé. He watched closely for Wolfram’s reaction, but he seemed to keep an apathetic expression.
Wolfram closed his eyes in thought, grunting low in his throat. “Let’s see, I’m 118 years old, which means it’s been 36 years.” He finishes with a conclusive nod.
“What!? 36! It’s been that long?” Yuuri shrieked, pulling on his hair as he tried to contemplate the extreme time difference. He felt incredibly guilty for being absent for so long, even if he thought that he would never return.
Although it had been many decades since Yuuri left, he acted very much the same as he used to. ‘It hasn’t been that long for him,’ Wolfram reminded himself. “After the first few years of your absence, time didn’t really stay an issue. We all tried to get our lives back together.” He said, idly latching his right hand gently to his left wrist, continuing forward out of the castle gardens.
“What have you been doing with your life, Yuuri?” he asked, smiling genially at his former love.
Yuuri gave a swift laugh before replying, “Um, well. I finished high school and-“
Before he was able to finish his sentence, a few guards came trotting their way. One, Yuuri recognized as Dorcas, had a pale face and worried expression. “Heika!” Dorcas cried, coming before the duo and bowing deeply.
Yuuri winced and went to reply but was cut off, yet again, this time by Wolfram, “What is it?” the blonde man asked sternly.
“Viktor is looking for you! He seems upset!” Dorcas bellowed.
Yuuri watched Wolfram roll his eyes, shake his head and respond with a quiet chuckle. “Didn’t I tell you not to be afraid of him? He’s harmless.”
The two guards shook with tremors of fear, “But Heika, he has quite the temper,” the other, unknown, guard said. Wolfram smiled and dismissed the soldiers with a wave of the hand. They scampered off quickly, in the opposite direction from which they came.
“...Heika?” Yuuri asked Wolfram with a look of subtle shock on his face. The blonde glanced back at him; his eyes were soft, perhaps even wistful. He leaned his head back and looked up into the sky, as if he were drowning in a reverie.
“I was the only one eligible to become the new Maou. You had no blood relatives here and Greta was only a child, and a human. Having a human as the new “Demon Queen” probably wouldn’t have sat well with some of our...more old-fashioned aristocrats. So, naturally, since I was your fiancé and a demon and of noble blood, I was the perfect candidate.” The way Wolfram spoke about it made it seem like something that should have been obvious to Yuuri. But his words didn’t have the same condescending bite as they used to. Instead of saying it in a nasty, ‘matter-of-fact’ method, the words poured out of his mouth like cold, dead facts.
Even though Yuuri was astonished by this new development, he didn’t say anything. Instead he dwelled on Wolfram’s lack of personality. He was acting so impersonal to him, like all the others used to do. The one thing Yuuri could count on with Wolfram was that he would be overly friendly with him, treat him as a close friend when no one else would. But now, that aspect of Wolfram seemed to be gone. He acted more...professional.
Yuuri thought that, maybe it was because Wolfram was bitter towards him. Maybe this impersonal behavior was a way to get Yuuri back for leaving. But there wasn’t any malice behind his words, his face wasn’t twisted in restricted rage, and his eyes weren’t ablaze with jealous passion. He just seemed...lifeless. At least compared to the old Wolfram. He was acting more like a mixture of Gwendal and Conrad.
Then Yuuri contemplated that this might be what a mature Wolfram was like. Calm, collected, powerful, handsome, and witty, all the things a perfect man should be. But he wasn’t a perfect Wolfram. The perfect Wolfram should be hot headed, angry, passionate, and above all else, he should have beaten the hell out of Yuuri by now.
The idea that the old Wolfram was gone made Yuuri incredibly somber. He had returned, hoping that the place he left would be exactly the same. But things have changed, as they always do. He wanted to start up exactly where he left off. He felt that the time he was gone allowed him to grow up, gave him new perspectives of life and helpful experiences. And he foolishly hoped that time would stand still in New Makoku, so he would return a new man and solve the problems he couldn’t before he changed. But the world changed as well, as did the people who lived in it. Yuuri couldn’t help but feel hopelessly left behind.
“Yuuri? You’ve been silent for a while.” The black haired boy was brought back to the present by Wolfram’s decidedly more masculine voice. Yuuri just laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.
Wolfram strode calmly through the garden, Yuuri in close stride behind him. He could feel the teen’s eyes on him, sweeping across his broad shoulders, his back and legs.
“You’re so...big.” Yuuri said quietly. Wolfram looked over his shoulder to see Yuuri’s onyx eyes large with awe. He couldn’t help but chuckle at his King’s bemused expression.
The blonde stopped short, turning around in full to examine Yuuri thoroughly. The black haired boy was taller than he remembered, his shoulders were broad and his face was sharper. Yuuri stood stalk still as Wolfram circled him more. His ass was the same though.
“You’re pretty big yourself.” Wolfram replied, letting a small, amused smile paint his face.
Yuuri was happy to see the smile, but something about it was off. It didn’t look genuine, it made his cheeks wrinkle, it made his eyes look tired. He looked so much older than he was, older than Gwendal even. What could’ve sapped him of life so much?
Wolfram cocked an eyebrow at Yuuri; he had been staring intently at his face for a long time. “See something interesting?” he asked, moving his face closer to Yuuri’s to break his gaze.
Yuuri flushed and jumped back. “Ah! Nothing!”
The blonde shook his head and continued on his way. Yuuri watched how he carried himself. He stood tall but not with the same fierce pride he used to have, he was calm in his steps, taking his time as they made their way to the castle.
“How old are you now, Yuuri?” Wolfram asked, catching Yuuri off-guard. He kept walking, not bothering to look back and wait for an answer.
Yuuri wrung his hands, feeling nervous about his answer. “Um, I’m almost 18.”
Wolfram’s head drooped a little, “Three years...” he whispered, taking a deep breath.
“How old are you? Well, how long has it been since I left?” Yuuri sped up so he was walking evenly beside his former fiancé. He watched closely for Wolfram’s reaction, but he seemed to keep an apathetic expression.
Wolfram closed his eyes in thought, grunting low in his throat. “Let’s see, I’m 118 years old, which means it’s been 36 years.” He finishes with a conclusive nod.
“What!? 36! It’s been that long?” Yuuri shrieked, pulling on his hair as he tried to contemplate the extreme time difference. He felt incredibly guilty for being absent for so long, even if he thought that he would never return.
Although it had been many decades since Yuuri left, he acted very much the same as he used to. ‘It hasn’t been that long for him,’ Wolfram reminded himself. “After the first few years of your absence, time didn’t really stay an issue. We all tried to get our lives back together.” He said, idly latching his right hand gently to his left wrist, continuing forward out of the castle gardens.
“What have you been doing with your life, Yuuri?” he asked, smiling genially at his former love.
Yuuri gave a swift laugh before replying, “Um, well. I finished high school and-“
Before he was able to finish his sentence, a few guards came trotting their way. One, Yuuri recognized as Dorcas, had a pale face and worried expression. “Heika!” Dorcas cried, coming before the duo and bowing deeply.
Yuuri winced and went to reply but was cut off, yet again, this time by Wolfram, “What is it?” the blonde man asked sternly.
“Viktor is looking for you! He seems upset!” Dorcas bellowed.
Yuuri watched Wolfram roll his eyes, shake his head and respond with a quiet chuckle. “Didn’t I tell you not to be afraid of him? He’s harmless.”
The two guards shook with tremors of fear, “But Heika, he has quite the temper,” the other, unknown, guard said. Wolfram smiled and dismissed the soldiers with a wave of the hand. They scampered off quickly, in the opposite direction from which they came.
“...Heika?” Yuuri asked Wolfram with a look of subtle shock on his face. The blonde glanced back at him; his eyes were soft, perhaps even wistful. He leaned his head back and looked up into the sky, as if he were drowning in a reverie.
“I was the only one eligible to become the new Maou. You had no blood relatives here and Greta was only a child, and a human. Having a human as the new “Demon Queen” probably wouldn’t have sat well with some of our...more old-fashioned aristocrats. So, naturally, since I was your fiancé and a demon and of noble blood, I was the perfect candidate.” The way Wolfram spoke about it made it seem like something that should have been obvious to Yuuri. But his words didn’t have the same condescending bite as they used to. Instead of saying it in a nasty, ‘matter-of-fact’ method, the words poured out of his mouth like cold, dead facts.
Even though Yuuri was astonished by this new development, he didn’t say anything. Instead he dwelled on Wolfram’s lack of personality. He was acting so impersonal to him, like all the others used to do. The one thing Yuuri could count on with Wolfram was that he would be overly friendly with him, treat him as a close friend when no one else would. But now, that aspect of Wolfram seemed to be gone. He acted more...professional.
Yuuri thought that, maybe it was because Wolfram was bitter towards him. Maybe this impersonal behavior was a way to get Yuuri back for leaving. But there wasn’t any malice behind his words, his face wasn’t twisted in restricted rage, and his eyes weren’t ablaze with jealous passion. He just seemed...lifeless. At least compared to the old Wolfram. He was acting more like a mixture of Gwendal and Conrad.
Then Yuuri contemplated that this might be what a mature Wolfram was like. Calm, collected, powerful, handsome, and witty, all the things a perfect man should be. But he wasn’t a perfect Wolfram. The perfect Wolfram should be hot headed, angry, passionate, and above all else, he should have beaten the hell out of Yuuri by now.
The idea that the old Wolfram was gone made Yuuri incredibly somber. He had returned, hoping that the place he left would be exactly the same. But things have changed, as they always do. He wanted to start up exactly where he left off. He felt that the time he was gone allowed him to grow up, gave him new perspectives of life and helpful experiences. And he foolishly hoped that time would stand still in New Makoku, so he would return a new man and solve the problems he couldn’t before he changed. But the world changed as well, as did the people who lived in it. Yuuri couldn’t help but feel hopelessly left behind.
“Yuuri? You’ve been silent for a while.” The black haired boy was brought back to the present by Wolfram’s decidedly more masculine voice. Yuuri just laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.