Planet Xyloria: The Witches' Island

Aélius was not having a good day.

First, he'd been voluntold to investigate some ancient power on a planet he'd never heard of. Second, he'd been forced to leave his cozy home in Vorithis, where he could've been lounging in his shimmering robes, sipping on a glowing elixir, and pretending to be important. And third, he'd just been dragged across a tri-colored moonscape by a ridiculously attractive king who seemed to have no concept of personal space.

"So, Aélius," Emrys said, his voice smooth and melodic, like a siren's song—which, given the recent developments in his household, might not be far off. "What brings you to Xyloria? Business? Pleasure? A mix of both?"

Aélius cleared his throat, trying to maintain his composure. "Uh, business. Definitely business. I'm here to… uh… study the local flora and fauna. For… science."

Emrys raised an eyebrow, his purple eyes glinting with amusement. "Science, you say? Fascinating. Well, you've come to the right place. Xyloria is teeming with life. Some of it's even friendly."

Aélius forced a smile, his mind racing. Five months. Five months of this. Why did I agree to this again? Oh, right. Because the Kings said so. Because I'm a hybrid and they've never fully trusted me. Because I'm expendable.

As they walked, Emrys pointed out various landmarks—the Dim and Bright Crystals that dotted the landscape, the shimmering rivers that seemed to flow with liquid starlight, and the forests that pulsed with an almost sentient energy. Aélius nodded along, pretending to be interested, all while mentally calculating how quickly he could gather the information the Kings wanted and get the hell out of here.

"And over there," Emrys said, gesturing to a large, ornate structure in the distance, "is the palace. Home sweet home. Well, one of them, anyway. I've got a few."

"Of course you do," Aélius muttered under his breath.

Emrys turned to him, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Did you say something?"

"No, nothing," Aélius said quickly. "Just… admiring the architecture. Very… shiny."

Emrys chuckled, clearly not buying it, but he let it slide. "Come on, let's head inside. I'll introduce you to my son. He's… well, he's something."

Meanwhile, back at the palace, Damian was having a crisis.

"Umbra, I can't do this," he whispered, pacing back and forth in his room. "I wake up to find that my papa is not here. Then I look to see him dragging someone we don't know, laughing it up like it's sweet. What if he is a spy? Like from the movies? They come to spy on us and BAM. We have nothing left."

Umbra, perched on the bed, tilted his head to the side, his glowing midnight black eyes narrowing in confusion. He let out a soft screech, as if to say, Calm down, you're being dramatic.

"I'm not being dramatic!" Damian snapped, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm being cautious. There's a difference."

Umbra rolled his eyes—a feat for a creature without eyelids—and let out a long, exasperated sigh.

Fenrir, who was actually relaxing for the first time, looked up to see what the commotion was about. He let out a low growl, getting irritated of his pacing.

As Damian continued to pace, his mind racing with all sorts of worst-case scenarios, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. 

Before Damian could continue his rant, the door swung open, and Emrys strode in, followed by Aélius and Basi.

"Damian," Emrys said, his tone cheerful but with a hint of warning, "I'd like you to meet Aélius. He's here to study our planet. Be nice."

Damian froze, his eyes widening as he took in the newcomer. Aélius, for his part, looked equally stunned. The two stared at each other for a long moment, the air between them crackling with tension.

"Uh… hi," Damian said finally, his voice squeaking slightly.

"Hello," Aélius replied, his tone equally awkward.

Emrys looked between the two, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Well, this is going well. I'll leave you two to get acquainted. Come on, Basi, let's go check on the ostrich."

With that, Emrys and Basi left the room, leaving Damian and Aélius alone.

The silence that followed was deafening.

"So…" Damian said after a moment, scratching the back of his neck. "You're here to study the planet?"

"Yes," Aélius said, nodding. "Flora and fauna. For… science."

"Right. Science." Damian narrowed his eyes. "And you're not here to, I don't know, kidnap me or anything?"

Aélius blinked, taken aback. "What? No. Why would I do that?"

Damian shrugged. "I don't know. It's just… suspicious. You show up out of nowhere, and Papa just brings you into the palace like it's no big deal. It's weird."

Aélius sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm just here to do my job. I don't want any trouble. I'm not here to kidnap you, or… whatever an ostrich is."

Damian studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I believe you. For now."

Aélius raised an eyebrow. "For now?"

"Yeah. I'm keeping an eye on you. If you do anything suspicious, I'll sic Umbra on you."

As if on cue, Umbra let out a low, menacing growl, his glowing eyes fixed on Aélius.

Aélius swallowed hard. "Noted."

Over the next few days, Aélius settled into a routine. He spent his mornings exploring the planet, gathering samples and taking notes for his report to the Kings. In the afternoons, he returned to the palace, where he was inevitably roped into some bizarre activity by Damian or Emrys.

One day, it was a " practice session," where Damian attempted to use his newfound powers to summon a school of fish from the nearby river. The result was a cacophony of off-key singing and a very confused group of fish that ended up flopping around on the riverbank.

Another day, it was a "magical obstacle course," which Emrys had apparently set up to "test Aélius's agility and reflexes." The course involved dodging flying crystals, leaping over shimmering rivers, and outrunning a very enthusiastic Basi, who seemed to think it was all a game.

Through it all, Aélius found himself growing… fond of the strange little family. Damian, despite his initial suspicion, was endearingly awkward and eager to show off his powers. Emrys, while clearly a bit eccentric, was kind and welcoming, always making sure Aélius had everything he needed.

And then there was the ostrich.

Aélius still wasn't entirely sure what an ostrich was, but it seemed to be some kind of large, flightless bird that Emrys kept as food. It was… odd, to say the least, but Aélius had to admit it had a certain charm.

One evening, as the two suns of Xyloria dipped below the horizon, Aélius found himself sitting on the palace balcony, staring out at the shimmering landscape. Emrys joined him, leaning against the railing, his hair flowing softly with the wind.

"So," Emrys said after a moment, "how's everything so far? Do you like it here?"

Aélius chuckled. "It's…going. Your planet is… unique."

"That's one way to put it," Emrys said, grinning. "So, tell me about yourself."

Aélius froze, his heart skipping a beat. "What do you want to know?"

Emrys shrugged his shoulders, titling his head so he can look at Aélius in his eyes. "What's different from your home to here?"

Aélius hesitated, torn between telling the truth or lying. Finally, he sighed. "Xyloria is more alive to put it simple. You go out everyday and interact with your people. Teaching them until the schools are ready, doing fun activities, and overall just being there." Finally looking directly at Emrys, he notice one thing.

He can look at him for hours. For days. And never get tired. Gulping down his saliva, he continued, "Back home, it's mostly just work. I wake up, eat, work, eat, work some more, then sleep. But aside from my routine I suppose, we have three kings. What I listed for you, they do the opposite. They're usually locked away in their study going over papers for our planet. We report to them if anything important comes around and afterwards, we don't see them unless we are called."

Emrys hummed in understanding, his eyes never leaving Aélius. "… Could I ask you another question?"

Aélius turned his head to look at Emrys, his eyes softening once he is looking into his royal like eyes. "Anything."

Eyes meeting each other, Emrys and Aélius just stood there, just staring for a short moment. "If you had the chance, would you ever stay here in Xyloria?"

Aélius looked away, his expression grim. It was silent for a second. Emrys head titled, eyes widen, waiting for an answer while Aélius head was turned to the side, thinking of what he could say. "I don't know..." But he does. He know the answer deep down. He don't know if he should just say the truth but he decided against it.

Bitting his lip, he smiled softly at Aélius, "Well, if you do decide to stay, you'll always have a home here." 

Aélius opened his mouth to say something but closed it, simply nodding in response as his heart pounds in his chest. 

As the two sat in companionable silence, watching the moons rise in the sky, Aélius couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He had a mission to complete, but the more time he spent on Xyloria, the more he questioned his loyalty to the Kings.

And as he glanced at Emrys, a small, traitorous thought crept into his mind: What if I don't want to leave?

But as quickly as the thought appeared, Aélius pushed it away, reminding himself of his duty and the consequences of failing his mission. He couldn't afford to get distracted by feelings or attachments, no matter how alluring they may be. 

With a heavy sigh, Aélius stood up, his heart heavy with conflicting emotions. "I should get some rest. It's been a long day."

Emrys nodded, his own expression unreadable. Suddenly, his facial expression broke into a smile, looking up at Aélius once more, he turned before waving his hand. "Good night Aélius. I will see you tomorrow." Aélius mumble a soft "Good night" and left, retiring to his room. 

As Aélius lay in bed, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, he couldn't shake the feeling that his time on Xyloria was growing more and more complicated with each passing day. 

He sighed heavily, punching the side of his head before groaning. No, no, no. Focus on the mission. Focus... But all he can think of is Emrys. Emrys tilting his head slightly to listen. Emrys smiling up at him. His royal purple eyes that Aélius can just get lost looking at. 

Rolling over, Aélius tried to force himself to sleep, but the image of Emrys kept creeping back into his mind. 

Shit. He was in way over his head. He couldn't think of nothing else but he tried his hardest. He will focus on this mission and return to his kings, report to them, and leave it as that.

After what felt like hours, Aélius finally drifted off into a fitful sleep, his mind still swirling with thoughts of Emrys and the strange, alluring planet of Xyloria.

The last thing on his mind was the question he kept repeating to himself.

Will he be able to leave Xyloria? To leave Emrys?