The Sole Prince of the Fallen Kingdom-Chapter 29. Communication

"So, your brain's good now? Frost and fire still ain't going at it in there, or are they?" Zephyrix asked in a delicate yet gruff voice, as Aiden's eyes fluttered open.

It was palpable that he wasn't used to showing kindness, but the tantrum Aiden threw before had him thinking.

"...Yeah."Waking up disappointed and ashamed of himself, Aiden backed away from Zephyrix. "I'm very sorry. That wasn't very mature of me."

"Hahaha. A 10-year-old kid talking about being mature in front of me? A being who saw the birth of this world. That's the funniest shit I've heard in an eternity," Zephyrix chortled.

"...I'm not a 10-year-old, though," Aiden muttered under his breath, scratching his cheek, his words barely audible.

Now that he was in a much clearer state of mind, he felt embarrassed about his earlier actions.

Ephy-... Zephyrix healed all my injuries, and instead of thanking him, I lashed out, playing victim and blaming him, even though it was all my fault.

How pathetic.

I need to control these emotional outbursts I've had since I came back from the void and gained my memories.

I can't let my emotions control me again.

"What's got you thinking like that? C'mon, share it with these old bones."Zephyrix curled his wings in a relaxed position and tucked his tail behind him as he lazily lay against the corpse of the serpent.

Aiden was dumbfounded—and a little heartbroken—to see the legendary Ice Phoenix, Zephyrix, act in such a... disgraceful manner, even though he'd never met him before.

The stories his father used to tell him, boasting with pride about the family's ancient connection to the Ice Phoenix, had set his expectations sky-high.

He imagined him to be a creature who was otherworldly. Someone whose voice carried power, kindness, and compassion.

He was supposed to be regal, royal—a being who cleared the path in obscure times and guided the lost through treacherous darkness.

Maybe that's why one shouldn't set baseless expectations for anyone, especially after hearing glorified stories. They crumble.

Aiden took one more look at the comfortably sprawled Ice Phoenix before sighing and accepting that the hero's companion of the stories would be like... this.

"What? Are you insulting me in your mind?"Zephyrix smirked, catching Aiden off guard and making him tense up.

"I-I'm sorry—"Mustered in a rush, Aiden's words got cut off by Zephyrix.

"Chill. If I started losing my shit over something like this, the world would have frozen till eternity. Relax a little and let it go, just like me," Zephyrix said, closing his eyes and lying flat without a speck of elegance one would associate with an Ice Phoenix.

"Hoohh..."Taking a deep breath, Aiden's lips curved up slightly as the subconscious pressure of meeting the guardian of his family and behaving like an Everhart in front of it faded from his shoulders.

On second thought, maybe it's better he turned out like this; otherwise, I doubt I could have relaxed this soon.

Heeding Zephyrix's words, Aiden mimicked his action and sprawled out on top of the corpse of the Serpent he'd slain. Surprisingly, its scales weren't as tough and metallic as they had felt when he struck them.

They were slightly hard, but their texture massaged his back comfortably.

He felt like his exhaustion was evaporating into thin air.

Oh man! I'm shaving these scales off, storing them in the Magic bag, and making a jacket if I ever get the chance.

"Heh, feeling euphoric, aren't ya? These scales are extremely good at trapping even the tiniest amount of heat inside them. That's why this worm could survive in this climate. Most creatures can't even last a couple of hours here. I guess their species evolved and adapted brilliantly to this magic."

Zephyrix dropped this piece of information so casually that Aiden's ears perked up. Something that would've taken humans on Earth months of testing to figure out, Zephyrix just said in passing.

"So, feel like talkin' now? What happened out there that got you yelling like that?"Opening one eye slightly, Zephyrix muttered softly, not wanting to overwhelm Aiden.

He was trying his best to be considerate in his own way.

"Hmmm... Where do I even begin?"Aiden pondered.

Should I tell him about my previous life? Or just this one?

But if I only tell him about this life, a lot of things won't make sense.

And judging by him, I doubt he knows much about my father either.

"Well, if you're still unsure, let me ask some questions. Just answer me."Zephyrix poked Aiden's cheek gently with his wing.

"...I guess that works," Aiden affirmed absent-mindedly, blissfully enjoying the soft feathers on his cheek.

It feels so good~

"Alright, let's start with your Name."

"...Huh?"A stupid noise escaped Aiden's nose as the question pulled him out of his little paradise.

"Your Name. Introduction. I gave you mine, now it's your turn," Zephyrix said calmly.

"But you called me 'Everhart Kid,' right? Then don't you already know who I am?"Aiden straightened his back, putting his hands on his thighs as he sat up, confused.

"Haha. That's not because I recognized you. I recognized the energy your Scythe was emanating—{Legacy of the Everharts}. The last time I met an Everhart was when Alfred came to brag about his granddaughter... uhh... what was her name again?"

With a light laugh, Zephyrix replied.

"...Do you mean Lady Elisa?"

"Ah! Yes, Elisa. I still remember that stupid smile on his face when he bragged about her. It annoyed me so much I wanted to freeze him to death, but alas, he died of old age sometime later. That bastard."Zephyrix gritted his teeth as nostalgia hit him, but soon realized he needed to bring Aiden back on topic.

"Ahem! ...So, are you a child of Elisa's, or maybe her grandchild?"Clearing his throat, Zephyrix asked.

"No. I'm not. It wouldn't make sense for me to be her child after she's been dead for more than 9 centuries, would it?"Aiden said innocently, though he'd lost hope that Zephyrix knew how much time had passed.

"What?! 9 Centuries have passed since she died? Then it's been over a millennium since the fight against the Demon King?"

Genuine surprise showed through Zephyrix's body language as his wings flapped in a disarray.

The sight of a mythical creature reacting like that was one to behold.

"Yeah... You didn't know that?"

"You bet. I thought only a couple of decades had passed. Guess I still don't understand the concept of time that well."

Zephyrix phrased it like understanding time was some incredible feat.

I thought so.

"Heh,"Aiden chuckled, finding the situation amusing, before proceeding.

"Don't worry, Zephyrix— ...No, can I call you something else? Saying your name trips my tongue."

Now relaxed, Aiden asked.

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"...Sure, go ahead. I don't mind it. I don't like my name either, but sigh~ one can't do anything about it now," Zephyrix sighed with practiced disappointment.

"Then how about ...Zephy? Just a modified version of the name I gave that little bird before I found it was you. I like it a lot."

A charming smile tugged at Aiden's lips, enhancing his already beautiful looks.

"Well, I guess it's way better than what the heroes used to call me."Zephy shrugged.

[A Name worse than given by the Host? Impossible!]

Char, shut up.

"Really? What was it?"Though he said that to Char, Aiden was curious too.

"They called me 'PP.' It was seriously so infuriating getting called that by a bunch of 18-year-olds. If it wasn't for their powers, I'd have frozen every last one of them."

A muffled laugh came to Aiden's lips, but he swallowed it back after hearing the latter part.

"Ahem! ...Let's get back to my Introduction."Clearing his throat, Aiden gave a slight bow.

"I'm Aiden von Everhart, 48th Descendant of the Hero Alfred Everhart, son of Azriel and Kiera Everhart, who possesses two blessings of the Sovereigns and ...the memories of his past life."