POSSESSION: The Hidden Omega In All Alphas' Academy [BL]-Chapter 164: Didn’t You Recognize Me?

Zenith deliberately wanted to avoid talking about the Moon Goddesses’s shrine, but Kylian’s keen ocean eyes somehow softened his strong resolve from inside. He had initially thought of taking Kylian away from there, even if it meant by force.

But now, standing firm still with a solemn grimace, Zenith answered with a big sigh, "It’s not that you aren’t allowed to know the reason, Kyle. I just don’t want to talk about it at this moment. Our first date was already a bit spoiled by that bastard, and now this mountain shrine...I just don’t feel the need to do this today..."

Even though Zenith expressed his reluctance clearly this time, Kylian was smart enough to realize if he didn’t urge him to spill the truth now, he might never have had this chance to hear about it in the future. By now, Kylian had realized it must have some connections with the dark scars Zenith had harbored in his heart for his entire life.

Thus, Kylian put on a sad puppy gaze towards Zenith when he muttered, "But...I wanted to go there together for our first date, Zenith. Besides, it’s been so long since I had gotten the chance to visit Holy Mother’s shrine, so I wanted to go there and pray for Mom and both of us. But...if you really do not want to go there and you’re avoiding talking about that place...so...I guess...there’s nothing that could be done..."

While Kylian sounded grim in his voice, deep inside, he knew Zenith’s heart would soften to see him getting all gloomy. And his idea perfectly worked, since instead of heading towards the opposite direction, Zenith grabbed his hand and pulled him forward towards the direction of that shrine.

Being dragged away by him, Kylian didn’t oppose, but he felt jovial inside to realize once again, that Zenith put his own feelings aside to prioritize Kylian’s wishes. Though it made him happy, the reluctant look on his face couldn’t help but make Kylian curious as he urged, "We don’t really have to go there, if you don’t want to, Zenith...Besides, you don’t believe in deities—"

"You know I would give up the world for you...so there’s no way I would ever refuse you."

Zenith mumbled aloud, holding his hands tight, while keeping his keen watch on the rugged mountain path they had to take to move ahead. The journey was quite difficult, but being with Zenith made Kylian feel much at ease.

But deep inside his mind, Kylian was determined to learn about the reason why Zenith was hesitating to go there in the first place. The rugged journey took about half an hour for them to reach the gorgeously decorated entrance arches of the mountain shrine.

Kylian’s ocean eyes were beaming with happiness to witness such a beautiful place amidst the green mountains, but in contrast, the more they reached close, Zenith’s face was turning darker with a tint of despair apparent in his onyx eyes.

"Look Zenith, the scenario is so beautifu—" When Kylian was about to excitedly convey his thoughts to Zenith, his words trailed off the moment he turned around.

Watching Zenith standing numb with a forlorn expression on his face which was radiantly lit up until a moment ago, made Kylian genuinely concerned for him.

He moved closer and softly held his arm, sounding diligent from his tone, "Zenith, I truly didn’t want to make you feel sad by bringing you here. If you dislike being here so much, then we won’t have to go inside. We can just go back right now."

"Hello little children, are you here to visit Holy Mother?"

Before Zenith could answer, a sudden calm manly voice from behind flinched them, making both the boys turn around. There stood a tall monk, probably in his late 50s, with a serene smile plastered on his face when he greeted both of them. His appearance had a soothing effect, so much that it immediately made Kylian bow respectfully to him, even though Zenith still stood impassively.

"Hello, Sir. Yes, we came here to offer our prayers to the Holy Mother, but it looks like my companion isn’t feeling very well...so we should just head back—"

"Not everyone can reach this place without a reason, my child. Since you both have already climbed up the mountain, why don’t you come inside and take a view of the shrine?" The monk spoke in a gentle voice, and as if just by hearing him, the uneasiness splurging inside Kylian felt a bit relaxed.

Turning around, Kylian keenly rolled his gaze at Zenith when he asked, "Shall I...go and take a look inside first if you’re uncomfortable joining me?"

"You may go inside first, my child. But I am sure, your partner will also join you too inside." Before Zenith could answer him, the monk once again addressed in a confident tone while gazing calmly at Zenith’s solemn face.

Strangely enough, Kylian noticed from the first glance that Zenith’s eyes were keenly locked on the monk since the moment he approached them as if Zenith was contemplating something very deeply in his mind.

Hearing the monk’s answer made Kylian a little curious about his confidence, but hearing him call Zenith his ’partner’ made him a bit flustered but very happy, as if the fear inside him of being prejudiced for being together with a man felt a lot alleviated.

Kylian didn’t intend to interfere since he could understand from the atmosphere that the monk must have wanted to speak to Zenith in private at that very moment. Thus, allowing them some space, Kylian quietly marched inside first but still kept glancing behind at Zenith to make sure he wouldn’t feel too uncomfortable without him there.

When their gazes met once before Kylian walked inside through the arch of the shrine gate, Zenith glanced coldly at the monk’s face who still retained a tender smile at him. In an aloof voice, he asked, "Why would you ask him to head inside first? What do you want from me?" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Holding a mysterious tint in his smiley big eyes, the monk walked closer and patted Zenith tenderly on his head. But as if his touch held a magical healing effect on him, all the dark painful memories from the past which was tormenting Zenith inside until now felt a relieved. In fact, Zenith could sense his eyes were getting teared up, making his throat stifled from the urge to cry.

But before he could speak a word, the monk calmly answered in a soft voice, "I remember you, my child. I still remember you...very vividly. Didn’t you recognize me already?"

.......

[FLASHBACK: 13 YEARS AGO]

"NO! I WON’T PRAY TO THE MOON GODDESSES! TELL HER TO GIVE MY MOMMY BACK! OTHERWISE, I WON’T GO IN THERE!!"

Painfully wailing aloud, a 7-year-old small Zenith was dressed in a black suit especially prepared for the funeral, while he was almost being dragged inside the temple premises by Mr. Clark. Countless people were surrounding them, including several VIPs who had attended this particular shrine for Zorina’s prayer meet, just a day after her passing away.

Normally in the case of influential people of Westport town, they held the funeral prayer meeting 14 days after the victim’s demise. But as if Dolemort wanted to erase Zorina’s name from everyone’s memory as sooner as he could, he ordered to arrange the prayer meet the very next day after finishing with Zorina’s burial in that floral yard at the backyard of the Agastya Mansion which she used to cherish affectionately.

Dolemort had also heftily bribed the media outlets to address the reason for Zorina’s death due to drug overdose all in the country, by hiding the actual reason for her committing suicide. However, on every occasion that was held for Zorina, Vanessa had always accompanied Dolemort strictly following his command. Shortly after her demise, in less than a month, he publicly announced Vanessa as his fated pair and also his future partner.

But amidst his cunning strategy, little Zenith was the one who had lost his everything overnight. The reality of coping with his mother’s death who was falsely labeled as a drug addict by the media completely wrecked his heart, making him bleed tears from grave despair.

Zenith wasn’t willing to leave for a second from being next to his mother’s grave in the backyard of their enormous mansion, but under Dolemort’s orders, he was strictly dragged here to this distant Moon Goddess shrine.

Mr. Clark’s heart grieved from watching this innocent child in this miserable state, but unable to defy his Master obeying his last vow to Zorina, swallowing his tears, Mr. Clark tried to console little Zenith while hugging him, "Young Master, please come inside with me. I will carry you on my back—"

"No!! I wanna go back to Mom! She’s all alone in the yard...she must be feeling cold under the ground... I want to go back home, I want to be there for her!"

Gritting his small jaws, Zenith sobbed bitterly while he pleaded to Mr. Clark, clenching the hem of his suit coat, "Please take me back home...Please, Mr. Clark?"