My Possessive Mr. Stranger

Insomniac: Fear of sleep

                                                                             Xeron

                                                            Storm Valley, Devilish Cemetary. 9:00

Xeron didn't speak a word. He knew that exaggeration wasn't a part of his job and he would never. He just nodded at his dad when his father c*m master ordered," Make sure to bury Reyan alive and get back to your dorm, Xeron. I will wanna meet you again tomorrow after this mess is cleared today." Xeron could have said,"

"Dad I heard you and Emmanuel conversing about the billion-dollar deal. If that's  what you wanna talk about, then I can assure you I am not the man meant for that."

But Xeron couldn't gather the courage. He just bowed in respect, gave one last glance at Racheal who was hugging her dead boyfriend with arms caressing his shoulder, and Mr. Emmanuel who seemed to be dizzy after panic attacks of listening to his son die and his girlfriend mourning over him, and he strolled off. 

Had it been two years before, then Xeron would have even smirked at the depressed Racheal and whispered in her ear teasingly," You are upsetting your beautiful breasts with the blood of your long-gone boyfriend, girl. if I was you, I would have just made myself useful by hooking up with some lame asshole during this time.". 

But Xeron knew it was very wrong to utter such insults at a loved one's ear especially after they had just witnessed their deceased ones. Xanthus had taught him the purity of love and the understanding of pain. 

Two years before, he would have enjoyed the orders of his superiors to kill, hook up, smuggle and betray. But now it's just carrying out the orders. He could never enjoy them, no matter how hard he tried to.

There was a lot of commotion expected as Xeron came back for Reyan's body. 

But alas! Racheal had already fainted after exhaustion and anxiety. Unanimous refused to touch her and Ohio was summoned to get her to the guest house after strict orders,

" Make sure to wash your hands with soap after touching her. God only knows the kind of makeup and impurities they immerse their body parts in." 

Ohio saluted in his formal sword trainee manner and he lifted her off. Xeron wasn't so callous as his dad and he managed to get Ryan into a sack, as his dad was watching him, then he whispered to the Ohio who was waiting patiently after the former gestured him to stay,

" Make sure to get her to the nurse room. Insy will give her some medicines. ". 

Ohio managed to smile but he seemed startled. Xeron raised his eyebrows questioningly and he bit his lower lip in rage. Ohio gulped and he nodded vigorously. There wasn't anyone who didn't know Xeron's lip-biting could get them killed.

Xeron walked off with Reyan inside the sack but he had managed to loosen the opening after he had made sure his dad was out of sight. 

He then reached the cemetery after a long stroll and he started digging a grave. The moon was shining brightly and he could see the light from the Guesthouse also called, " Some Peace " which lit up their entire ground. 

There wasn't a soul near the assassination track or in the archery yard. Xeron was relieved to see that. After all, everyone was too frightened by the Toenail punishment and Hundred boulder crush task to even snoop around after six in the evening. Xeron after loading up the grave walked to the bushes that surrounded the cemetery marking its boundaries and slowly plucked a daffodil from the only standing yellow tree without any hesitation. 

He then caressed the tree and walked back to Reyan's grave where he placed the flower. He whispered his prayers to the Reyan whom he had known for two years almost and his mourning family who wouldn't even know about his death as they would be having another party in San Francisco then. However, Xeron prayed in the hope that his dad wouldn't be punished severely one day for all these deaths even though he knew he would be.

This behavior of tending to the prayers and needs of the dead was Xanthus's behavior. Being an orphan, Xeron didn't know what to do after a person was dead. He used to play around with his partners while they uncovered a grave for the dead. 

But Xanthus always placed a bouquet of flowers on the grave of his mother who had left him when he was born with a smile imprinted on her face. Xanthus had said," The dead are still living and they will be watching us from above. W e have to show them that we still care for them and it's not that we ignore them because they have passed away. It is a sin to ignore and it's an even greater sin to kill."

Xeron remembered how much he had cried in the bathroom that day. s*x that night was terrible because he felt guilty, and he felt even more guilty when Xanthus got worried about his weird behavior and started to get him medicines and a platonic massage.

Xeron just left abruptly that day without a goodbye and he still remembers the dead eyes of his lover as he visited the next afternoon with guilt and anxiety, just to face the love of his life lying inside the upstairs bathtub with one hand on a razor dripping blood and another hand hanging lifelessly on the bathtub from which the fresh scent of his red vital life dripped down in intervals that went like the clock downstairs, "Tick Tock, Tick Tock'. It was relieving to see him smile once again beautifully two days later holding his hand while he pouted," Thought I would just die like that? Anyway, I thought you had got fed up with me. I JUST COULDN'T HANDLE THAT ABSURD THOUGHT. "

Xeron closed his eyes and clenched his fists. He then tried to get himself off the heavy feeling that had crept into his heart as he stood there in the cemetery. Thousands of daffodils were there, sometimes it even felt like millions to him. 

He made sure to stick the stem into the mud so that they never flew away in the mud. Though he did manage to write what he felt about the departed ones after he saw Xanthus doing it for his dead uncle and dead mother. He didn't need another day to think about what he wanted to write for Reyan. His dad would never see too because more or less, the rain would just wash this away.

For Reyan, he wrote: An Awesome Lover. One he thought himself could never be.

It wasn't long after he had completed his job, did he get the call from his dad. He was halfway to the guest house namely, "Reign of Peace" when he saw Ophio coming from the other side with a hand on his sword and another behind his back. He saluted at Xeron and bowed in respect. However, Xeron would just smile and hug him. Ohio always felt comfortable with Xeron especially after both of them had tasted the other's blood. 

In Storm Lane, The Blue Moon Day was when every learner was challenged personally by every secondary with a note that arrived the previous night. The chosen ones are made to fight and the winner gets to cut off any part of their partner without any hesitation. Xeron hadn't won that day as he was challenged personally by the Sword Master- Ohio who was born to slay and burn bodies. 

He was six feet tall and very heavy with bulging muscles that lay hidden behind the sword suit and his scabbard despite being the least decorated, held the fiercest weapon of all times. Xeron had his toenails cut and Ohio was his personal nurse for two weeks. Xeron felt shocked by this and he personally asked the reason. He laughed when he heard Ohio say, " Your techniques brought my arms to three-day rest. Gotta teach me some, boy."

That is when they became best buddies. 

Xeron was chatting with him informally when Ohio started to shift his gaze slightly to the ground and up. Xeron noticed and became surprised. Suddenly, he heard the racket of his dad and Emmanuel approaching. The latter wasn't smiling but he was having a fresh scent of cruelty mixed in his unexplainable countenance. 

Xeron and Ohio bowed at both of them. Ohio was dismissed which made Xeron hurt but he conferred no feelings. The three of them were alone in the yard and the moonlight lit up the night. Not a soul around with the dogs howling now and then with some far off owl hooting slightly-the atmosphere grew tensed as his dad cleared his throat.

"Xeron, Emmanuel, and I have been discussing a big deal that has come to our notice. "

Xeron said nothing and he kept staring at the ground. Eavesdropping the previous afternoon had led him to new discoveries already. he had even stopped going to the city for two days with the fear of facing Xanthus with an unbearable fact roaming around him. He refused to meet his father's eyes. Two years before, it would have been because of respect but today, he was doing it because he was disturbed.

"The billion-dollar deal is to spy over someone very important. The son of a big billionaire or can I say, the biggest wealthiest piece of s**t in this world..."

The accusations made Xeron curse his dad slowly and Emmanuel laughed along though it didn't seem genuine to Xeron.

"The deal is for two weeks' time. Spy this boy and get him to our net. Trap him and there we go. A ransom or his death. Simple as that."

Xeron was gritting his teeth and he grasped his fists.

The dark however left him safe or else, his dad wouldn't have been fooled by his change in posture.

Emmanuel's voice came,

"This boy has no friends and only family is what keeps him going. He lost his mother when he was born. Thank Goodness!Right?"

Xeron was biting his lips and his eyes were bloody red. The bleeding lips were being tortured with every passing by second.

His dad noticed the silence and enquired,

"Xeron, you are assigned with the duty of getting him. Got it?"

Xeron said oblivion.

His dad's eyebrows lit up in confusion and exploded,

"XERON, DO YOU EVEN HEAR ME? YOU ARE ASSIGNED WITH--"

Xeron spluttered with hesitation.

"Y-Y-YES."

Suddenly, The lights in the backyard lit up. It was damn dark before and the yellow lights that the maids switched on at half-past six came flickering onto Xeron's teary eyes and he tried to blink away the tears with quite some difficulty. He met the eyes of his dad and Emmanuel who were standing there with their gazes fixed on him. Emmanuel was in a white shirt and blue pants but his bruises remained as trademarks of his brutal torture hours before. 

While Unanimous was still heavy and hefty in his black robe with dried blood on his hard hands and his black beard. He looked like a devil in flesh. His dad was glaring at Xeron but it seemed like he was trying to be miserable. Somewhere, Xeron noticed the misery for a second, and there, it was gone. Xeron didn't keep his eyes on his father for long.

Emmanuel blinked twice and to clear the awkwardness, he stated "The address will be given to you. His name is quite strange. Named after his grandfather it seems. It's Xanthus."

"My name is Xanthus."

Xeron shook his hand and just walked away.

He heard footsteps and he spun around.

He turned to see Xanthus following him with a smile.

Xeron couldn't handle it. The recollection brought more depth to his pain. A tear fell from his eyes. He stood there with his arms beside him not moving an inch of his body.

His dad noticed the damage. He moved forward and wiped it off with his large swollen thumb. Xeron flinched at the touch and he refused to look at his dad who was so close. His dad then whispered," Don't feel sad when Papa raises his voice at you. Go and get some sleep".

Saying so, Emmanuel who had been sobbing his eyes off for his dying child and girlfriend a few hours before, walked off excitedly with his master c*m childhood friend, Mr. Unanimus shoulder to shoulder.

Xeron felt numb.

He dragged himself to his dorm and lay on his bed.

Feeling the smell of the daffodils from the cemetery on him, he lay awake thinking about his Xanthus without whom his life meant meaningless.

From that day onwards, he became an insomniac.

Sleep would contrarily kill him with nightmares.

Of a man groaning as nails pierced through every inch of his body, his hands straining to catch hold of a beautiful finger that was touching him a little, giving him no pleasure of feeling her weeps echo the room as she tried to gain a bit of hope by holding him just beside her.

Their faces were never apparent.