《The Light Maiden's Mark》


 Longing for the Dreamer

    People lay on the ground beneath a golden spire, where a tall black fence encased them. No noise. No invaders. Only the petals of the cherry trees above drifted into the sanctuary. The fence squeaked open. A man entered through the gate. After stepping in, the gate clanged shut, making him flinch. He treaded lightly, his steps barely making any noise. He made his way towards a prone body, a woman with curly blonde hair. He loomed over her. The shade he cast upon her obscured the radiance of the sunset. He kneeled. His fingers skimmed the air above her face, not quite touching, but revering.


    He then touched her ring finger, just below the third knuckle. Small black markings sprouted from where he touched. Her eyelids fluttered. He stood up, turned around and started to walk back the way he came. A single black tear ran astray of the vertical scar on his right eye. It grayed his ghost white skin, and his steps slowed. A gust of wind jostled his heavy black trench coat. He whimpered softly and wiped away the tear and continued walking. He then fixed his wind-tossed short black hair, and made sure every hair was back in place as he continued to walk away. He went through the gate and down the steps, leaving the woman behind.


    Waking up with a start, she shifted in her messy bed. A foggy feeling enveloped her, her head felt heavy, and her brain was still half asleep. She covered her face with her hands. She opened her eyes. Black markings on her ring finger were visible.


    "What?", she groggily whispered under her breath.


    Putting her hands on her knees, she hoisted herself up. While she walked to her bathroom, she struggled to deal with how heavy her head felt still. Flicking on the light switch, she threw her hands onto the sides of the sink. She looked up at the mirror; fair skin, a heart-shaped face, small nose, full lips, and mint green eyes welcomed her.


    She looked down at her hands, seeing the black markings that made a ring around her fourth finger. She lifted her hand. Tracing the markings all around the finger.


    "How¡¯d I get these?" She whispered and eyed the weird squiggles that a ring could cover up.


    She decided not to, to make sure that nobody would get the wrong idea. She put a hand to her head, she felt too tired to deal with such a weird predicament at the moment. She realized that it might be early in the morning, remembering the window she walked past was dark. Walking back to her bed, she looked at the clock. Glowing red numbers confirmed it was three in the morning. She had to go back to sleep so she could start her new job as a nurse at the town nearby, she felt so happy that she could finally help people, remembering she wanted to be a nurse ever since she was small. She groaned and jumped back onto her bed. She thought hard about the black markings and what she could do, until she drifted off to sleep.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    After a short time, she woke up. It was clear she was in a completely different place. She laid beneath a clear, dark blue evening sky, the treetops of the cherry trees above her head swayed gently in the breeze. She felt at peace here, like all her worldly worries were suddenly far away. She wore a beautiful white dress instead of her pajamas. She turned to get up, shaking cherry tree petals off of herself. There were other people next to her, all of them sleeping. A bell¡¯s strong, deep and vibrating ring cut through the silence, and she looked to the golden spire, which seemed to be the source of the noise. Surprisingly, even though the sound was loud enough to cause ringing in her ears, the other people did not wake up. Looking to a sleeping man with long gray hair tied in a ponytail, she wondered how even a heavy sleeper could sleep through such a noise. She slowly started to reach out to the man, wondering if she could shake him awake.


    "I wouldn''t do that Gabrielle," a female voice warned. Gabrielle quickly turned around, a short creature dressed in white robes embossed with gold borders and strange sigils stared back at her. It had a hood that resembled a straight wizard hat at the top, the hat-like hood''s top bent back and had a big white tassel at the end. Below the hat, a hole for the creature''s face which was shrouded by darkness, and two large and almost neon-like white eyes with no human features glowed brightly.


    "Who are you? And how did you know my name?" She asked with a shaky voice, she wasn¡¯t scared of the creature in front of her, but it certainly weirded her out quite a bit.


    "I¡¯m Shai, and I know all of the names of the people sleeping here; it is my job to watch over them."


    Brushing off the rest of the cherry petals on her dress, she looked up at the creature, confused. "You don''t seem shy to me," She said with a less shaky voice, brushing all that she saw off as a weird dream.


    The creature''s eyes squint angrily. "No, S, H, A, I. Shai!" the creature named Shai exasperatingly holds up its clawed and four-fingered fist covered in white cloth.


    "Oh! I''m sorry, it sounded like another word!¡± She said, an embarrassed look on her face. Usually the weird things she dreamt up don¡¯t know her name, so this was new to her.


    "I came when I heard the bell," Shai said, her hand relaxed and pointed to the golden spire behind her. "It only rings when someone wakes up." She lowered her hand and put it in one of the gold embossed pockets on her robe.


    "What is this place? And why am I the only one besides you who¡¯s awake?" She asked and looked around at the many sleeping people that lay on the ground.


    "This is the Field of Dreamers. Once a dreamer appears, the spire keeps track. Only if a dreamer has enough magical power will they awaken." Shai then pointed to the man next to her. "He does not yet have the power to enter into this world."


    "Why do you need magical power to wake up?" Gabrielle asked and gripped her dress, she felt like it should have been someone else instead of her to wake up.


    "Because this world is too dangerous for non-magic users," Shai warned, lowered her other hand, and put it into its respective pocket as well.


    "World? This isn''t Earth, is it?" Gabrielle asked and put a closed hand to her chin, waiting for Shai''s answer.


    "This world is Elega, not Earth."

 Of Dark Lords and Mystics

    Beyond a small rural outer layer was a sprawling center castle, towering over the rest of the city. "Keep close to me," Shai said. Gabrielle looked on as both her and Shai walked through the capital. Shai signaled with her hand for her to come closer. "You will get lost easily, there are many people here," She said while the bustling crowds of people that passed by made it hard for Gabrielle to navigate. The dirt road felt soft on Gabrielle¡¯s bare feet, and the crowds smelt like the inside of a barn.


    "And all of these people are magic users?" Gabrielle yanked at Shai''s soft and silky feeling cloak as she got pushed back by a group of people, a whiff of lavender hits her nose as her head jutted forward as a passerby almost tripped her. The houses of the people here were relatively small, enough to house two or three people, they were nicely made, nicer than what she thought would be a medieval fantasy land, they looked almost modern.


    "Yes, magic is incorporated into the daily lives of all of the people here, from transportation to storing petabytes of cooking recipes into a single stone tablet," Shai clarifies while she nodded, almost making Gabrielle''s grip on her cloak slip.


    "But if there¡¯s so many people who use magic here, why do you need me?" Gabrielle asked, she pulled herself closer to her as to not get knocked away by another passing group of people.


    Shai turned her head slowly, and kept one eye on Gabrielle and one eye on the flow of pedestrian traffic. "Everyone has their place. Though, we will not know how much potential you have until we get you to the Mystic."


    After finally making it past the large crowds, the two arrived at the doors to the inner city. The two large wooden doors that looked extremely heavy and very hard to open.


    Shai broke away from Gabrielle''s grip and walked up to the doors, holding her pointer finger up and signals for Gabrielle to wait. She placed her hand on the doors, and white sigils spiraled out from where she touched. The doors groaned as they parted, and she signaled Gabrielle to follow her inside, she ran inside to catch up to her. "Where is this Mystic that you were talking about before?"


    "She is in the inner sanctum, trying to figure out what happened."


    "What? What happened?"


    "The Lords of Darkness just suddenly disappeared. No one knows why, and even the Mystic is having problems figuring out why they suddenly dropped off the map," Shai said, shaking her head.


    "This peace that has come from our enemies'' overlords randomly vanishing is a suspicious one, I am just worried that something bad is going to come from this. Even though parliament feels at ease like the worst is over. I and the Veil of Light are on high alert, in case whatever may have happened upon them decides to happen upon us," Shai said as she looked away from the towers and walks around Gabrielle.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The sky began to darken, time was starting to run short, she had to get Gabrielle to the Mystic before the sky turned dark, or her entire cycle of when she is supposed to be asleep or awake would be disrupted, her sleep cycle on Earth needed to be perfect or she wouldn¡¯t have enough time in this realm to get anything important done.


    "How strong are, or were, the Lords of Darkness?" Gabrielle asked while turning around.


    She turned her face towards Gabrielle. "The forces of light and darkness have been warring in this world for thousands of years, and they have taken much of our land as a result. Whatever wiped them out is more powerful than even me, and that terrifies me."


    ¡°That only halfway answers my question, how strong were they really?¡±


    Shai pondered for a second. ¡°A single one of the Lords of Darkness is strong enough to take out about ten platoons worth of armed men with little effort, that¡¯s how strong they are.¡±


    The castle''s interior was immaculate. Winding staircases with red leather carpeting, a marble checkerboard floor, and golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling. A woman draped in a purple leather dress waved at them, her deep purple side-swept ponytail glistens under the warm light.


    "Shai, it''s so good to see you," The woman cooed, clutching the skirt of her dress. "And I assume this is the new girl? Lovely. Come here, dear, I need to get a closer look at you." The woman beckoned with a sweet smile.


    "Is this her?"


    "Don''t worry, she can sense how powerful you are by just looking at your aura, nothing complicated," Shai whispered discreetly, patting Gabrielle''s shoulder.


    "But if I just woke up, doesn''t that mean I''m weak?" Gabrielle whispers back, a concerned look on her face. She was willing to help but didn¡¯t think she was capable enough.


    Shai turned towards her and shook her head. "This is not just about how much you have now, but how much you can hold. We will not know your potential until we can figure out how much magical power you can store in your body."


    Shai lightly pushed Gabrielle towards the Mystic.


    "There isn''t much time, step forward dear," the Mystic said, motioning Gabrielle to come closer. Stepping forward, Gabrielle stood in silence, clutching the collar of her dress. Awkwardness prickled at her body, she was feeling inadequate, but didn¡¯t want to say anything. The Mystic looked at her with her deep brown eyes, a gust of wind through an open window jostled the chandeliers, making the lights dance on both of their faces. The Mystic''s eyes quickly widened in shock. "I don''t see an end to it!" The Mystic leaned closer, squinting her eyes. "I don''t believe it, her aura depth is endless, and she''s sucking up energy from the atmosphere around her like a magnet and converting it into light magic, I''ve never seen this before in my entire life." The Mystic relaxed her eyes and folded her arms. "There mustn''t be any other place or title for her but Light Maiden, I''m sure of it."

 Back to Earth

    "So, what now?" Gabrielle sighed, sitting down on a nearby red velvet and gold chair.


    "The others are waiting for you upstairs to introduce themselves. They are in one of the side rooms," Shai said, gesturing towards the left staircase.


    Gabrielle gripped her dress and got back up. "What others? There''s more than one Light Maiden?"


    Shai laughed at Gabrielle''s question. "No, there is only one Light Maiden, but there is more than one Maiden of Battle."


    The Mystic nodded. "In this world, it¡¯s become apparent that women are more adept at magic than men, that''s why there are Maidens of Battle, they were created to effectively fight the forces of darkness, and even the Lords themselves. Though, Parliament has extremely high standards for who can be one, so there are only three, including you." She gestured at Gabrielle, warmly smiling.


    Gabrielle nodded and walked up to the steps of the left staircase. "So which room is it?" Gabrielle asked, looking back at Shai and the Mystic.


    "They are in the first room to the right when you walk up, they decided to go there so it would be less confusing,¡± the Mystic said, motioning her to go forward.


    Gabrielle looked back ahead and climbed the stairs. As soon as she reached the top, she looked to her right, two arched wooden doors adorned with gold. "Gold, like everything else in this place." She shook her head, going up to the doors and gave them a push. When the doors creaked open, Two girls turned to look at her. The room itself looking a lot like the rest of the inner sanctum. Checkerboard marble floors, two gaudy red velvet chairs. One sat in the left corner closest to the door, and one in the far right corner. A similar gold chandelier hung from the ceiling.


    "If you¡¯re here, you must be strong enough to fight the armies of darkness!" One of the girls said, brushing back her long cherry red hair, her fiery red eyes sparkling in the warm light. "I''m Fira, and this is Lunara." The red haired girl gestures to the other girl who sat in one of the red velvet chairs.


    The other girl was playing with her hair band that kept her ponytail up high on her head, near the part in her hair. The girl caught herself and kept her hands busy by crossing her arms, brushing her hands over her fair skin. "She hasn''t been cleared by Parliament yet, don''t get too excited Fira," Lunara grumbled, frowning and crossing her legs. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "You don''t seem that happy to see me Lunara," Gabrielle said worriedly.


    "She''s just having a bad day, she''ll warm up to you eventually," Fira said, laughing awkwardly, gripping her short red dress.


    Gabrielle raises her hand.


    "Yes?" Fira asks.


    "Will the Mystic and Shai be joining us later?" Gabrielle whispers.


    Lunara shakes her head "Not today, it''s much too late, we need to get back to bed to wake up, since it''s night time already," she warned, taking her hands off her arms and unwrinkling her long black dress.


    "Going to bed to wake up? How does that work?" Gabrielle asked, covering her mouth with a closed palm.


    Fira went up to her up and puts a hand on her shoulder. "We need to get you into your new bed before too long, because we can only go to this world while we are asleep, when we wake up we go back to Earth."


    Gabrielle nodded. "So it''s daytime here when it''s night time on Earth, and it''s night time here when it''s day time on Earth, right?" Gabrielle pondered.


    Fira nodded at her. "Yep, so we need to get you to your new bed where you¡¯ll wake up each time you come here," she explains, lightly shaking her.


    "How are you going to do that? How will I wake up in the same bed each time? Don''t I wake up back at the Field of Dreamers?" Gabrielle asked, confused.


    Lunara got up and went up to the door. "Nope, once you wake up initially you don''t go back, that would make things very difficult for the people here, since it''s a long walk. We just use a spell to make your new awakening spot the bed instead of the Field of Dreamers." Lunara motioned for Gabrielle to follow her.


    They all went a few doors down and opened the door. A large and plain looking king-sized bed sat in the middle of the room. "This is your room," Lunara said, walking up to the bed. "Get on the bed so we can cast the spell."


    She gestured towards the bed. Gabrielle went up to it and got on. Lunara held up her arm, white sigils materialized from her hand, Gabrielle looked up with a slightly worried look on her face, only just met Lunara, and yet she had to allow her to cast some sort of spell? Before Gabrielle could protest, the sigils burst and dissipated, Lunara lowered her hand.


    "The spell is done, you can go to sleep now. We''ll be returning to our rooms too, good morning," Lunara said, walking out, followed by Fira, who gave her an excited wave on her way out.


    Deciding to get under the covers, Gabrielle thought about how all this was supposed to work, and if she¡¯d still have the markings on her finger when she woke up, if the markings would fade in time, or if it was permanent, she looked at her left hand and sighed. She worried about how all this would affect her new job, and how she would find time to fight the forces of darkness here while being a nurse in the real world. She decided then that worrying would just make her sleep through her alarm. Trying to clear her mind and focus on her breathing, clearing herself of all thoughts, she relaxed, and drifted off to sleep shortly after.

 First Day at Work

    It was the very next morning, and Gabrielle woke up to the sound of her phone¡¯s loud beeping alarm. Yawning, she rolled onto her back and sat up, rubbing the crust out of her eyes. She patted down her nightstand until she found her phone, quickly unlocking it to silence the alarm.


    The clock said six thirty, she hoped that would be early enough to avoid morning traffic. Feeling a bittersweet happiness that she couldn''t sleep in anymore because her mother was paying rent. Her mother always wanted her to be self reliant, and was so relieved when she was told the news that she got her dream job on top of it. She did miss her parents though, even visiting from time to time wasn''t enough.


    Completely forgetting about the markings on her finger, she got ready, grabbed her purse, keys, and coat and headed out. She walked past her new 2049 calendar that hung on the fridge. It was finally the New Year. People back in the previous century were practically praying for flying cars, but cars still don¡¯t fly. However, arguing with your car¡¯s AI wasn¡¯t something anyone expected.


    Gabrielle walked out of her apartment and felt the freezing cold of the outside hit her. Hunched over and shivering all around, she walked up to her white car and hurried to turn it on. Finally getting it to function, she blasted the heater onto her face, she was sure it froze out in the cold. Then, Gabrielle began her drive to Crayla Town


    It used to be something else before 2023. Just a bunch of industrial, process and packaging plants and warehouses that didn¡¯t bother anybody. But the flooding and proceeding mudslide irreparably damaged all of it. What happened after that? They built a town over it, and this was where Gabrielle was to work from now on.


    Gabrielle couldn¡¯t believe she got a job at one of the most prestigious hospitals in the entire Pacific Northwest. One of the doctors that worked there, Dr. Gage, was the one that hired her. He Was always trying to find new cures to all sorts of things. From illnesses as bad as cancer to the common cold! He even tried finding remedies for mutations of diseases that could no longer be treated by antibiotics.


    Always wanting to help people, she remembers jumping into a program to become a registered nurse as soon as she got out of high school. It was about the feeling she got when she helped someone, it was about giving. A warm feeling welled up in her heart just thinking about it as the warm breeze of the car¡¯s heater slowly drifted over and around her.


    Engrossed in all the things she imagined doing, the voices on the radio sounded muffled. She starts thinking back to the big move she had to do after she graduated middle school, and having to leave her best friend Skyler behind, who she knew since kindergarten.


    She wondered how Skyler is doing, he was always prone to bad behavior, she remembered how distant he started becoming in middle school, the warmth in her heart ran cold, and and heavy pangs of regret assaulted her, he was the only one she couldn¡¯t help. Physical wounds can be easily healed, but a broken psyche was way out of her league.


    She hadn''t thought of him in years, why now? She asked herself, shaking her head to snap herself out of it, she had to be dedicated to this job, a white hot sense of bravery welled up in her heart where the cold feeling had just been. A memory popped into her head, the time when she first met Skyler back in kindergarten, he was crying under a cherry tree, his scraped knees were bleeding badly, she felt the need to do something then as she did now, those large band aids and that disinfecting cream were the first steps she took to become a nurse.


    She wasn¡¯t doing it for herself, she was doing it for people like him. She won¡¯t ever forget that day, no matter how many years pass. The white hot feeling of bravery in her heart felt like it was bursting over, making her whole body feel warm, like it was vibrating. She liked him; his short black hair, gray eyes, fair skin, and lanky build, he was nice to her, and thinking about it, he might have liked her too, probably more than he let on. Feeling her face get hotter and heart flutter in her chest, she never dated anyone, it would have betrayed her feelings for him. She tried searching his name before, but nothing came up, that¡¯s how badly she wanted to get back into contact with him.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Her car¡¯s navigation system told her that she¡¯s nearing her destination, large dome on top of the building poked out over the rest of the buildings on the street, she followed the road, moving past small trees and little mom and pop shops. Why would a doctor this great put his hospital in an area like this? There were many people coming and going from those shops, some shops even had lines, Gabrielle guessed that having the hospital nearby has to be big for business.


    She arrived at her destination. It was a large two story building. four doors at the front, both of them are wheelchair accessible. On the far side of the building there sat an entrance for ambulances, three that are all parked outwards towards the road, no serious injuries this morning, she thought. She drove into the parking lot and parked in an employee only space, getting out and walking inside.


    ¡°Welcome to Gage Hospital, how can I help you?¡± a male¡¯s voice said brightly, She looked over to her left, the first thing that caught her eye about the man behind the counter was, that he doesn¡¯t have a normal nose, it was nose-like in appearance but it turns out to be prosthetic, a square of plating on all four sides surrounded it, with scarring under his right eye that darkened his already tan skin. The dish heater beside him turned on, blowing around his short, light brown hair, messing up his feathered bangs. ¡°Are you ok?¡± he asks, raising his prosthetic right arm to fix his hair, the prosthesis ending at the elbow.


    She catches herself, her eyes widened and she put a hand to her mouth.¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to be rude, it¡¯s just-¡±


    ¡°The prosthetics, I know, people are always staring at them when they first see ¡®em, you¡¯ll get used to it,¡± he said, smiling, revealing a dental augment that spanned three teeth wide on the upper-right side of his mouth, evening out until the middle where it¡¯s pointed at the end like a fang.


    ¡°Where did you get Nacron technology from? That¡¯s very high end,¡± Gabrielle asked, wondering why someone with an augment that expensive would be working a desk job.


    ¡°Somebody owed me a favor and I got it done, it helps with my other job,¡± he said, turning off the dish heater. ¡°Are you the new nurse? I can get you situated over here.¡± He pointed to the monitor on the side of the desk looking outward.


    ¡°Oh, yes, that¡¯s me.¡± Gabrielle went over and slid her card and went through the necessary prompts.


    ¡°Good morning, Jack,¡± a man with long white hair and fair features called out, dressed in the usual doctor garb, his voice was low and sounded aged, but his body looked no older than thirty. ¡°Ah, the new nurse is here. I¡¯m Dr. Gage¡± He smiled and bowed. ¡°I hope our patients don¡¯t give you too much trouble.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just itching to get to work is all,¡± Gabrielle said, finishing up with her calibration into the hospital¡¯s system and then turned around to face Dr. Gage.


    Dr. Gage stood up. ¡°We¡¯ll need you to check on Elaine first, she¡¯s still recovering, you can find out more about her state when you get her file.¡±


    She straightened her uniform. ¡°I¡¯ll be right there, which room is she in?¡±


    Dr. Gage smiled warmly, pointing her to the hallway to the left. ¡°Room 204, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be happy to get to know you soon.¡±


    Gabrielle turned towards the hallway but stopped herself in the middle of turning. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say ¡®she¡¯ll be happy to see you?¡¯¡±


    Dr. Gage¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Because she hasn¡¯t woken up yet.¡±


    She turned around towards the door as she heard someone enter. As soon as she saw him, an image of him flashed into her head, he was there before she woke up at Elega, she saw him leaning over her, his hand touched hers, she realized that this was the man who put the markings on her finger, and that none of what she saw, none of Elega, was a dream. He also looked extremely familiar.


    ¡°Good morning Skyler,¡± Dr. Gage said, a smile returning to his face.

 A Fateful Meeting

    All the air in Gabrielle¡¯s lungs escaped her, she realized that all of what she thought was a dream last night was real. Even her getting up in the middle of the night, which she also thought was a dream. It was all too much for her to handle, Though her body tried to breath in, her throat was closed shut. She felt the room go cold, and time stopped for her. All the memories she had rushed back, the cherry tree, the promise they made, all those years at school rushed by in her head, until the day she left. She could still see the old Skyler reaching out to her, begging her not to go, and him fading from her vision as she turned away for that last time.


    He looked like what she saw in the vision she had before when he was leaning over her, only he had a long black scarf wrapped around his neck. He didn¡¯t look surprised at all, like he knew she would be there. Her throat started working again, and a gasp finally escaped her lips as cool air filled her lungs. She felt numb, like her body was jelly, her head felt heavy, and her legs felt weak, like they could give in at any second.


    With her lungs full, Gabrielle tried to speak. ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Ten years,¡± Skyler said, his voice warm and full of relief, like he had been trapped inside for that long. ¡°It¡¯s been a long, hard ten years. You have no idea how glad I am that we could finally meet up again, it feels like an eternity since last I saw you,¡± he said softly. Gabrielle wondered why he said he hadn¡¯t seen her for ten years when he was in Elega with her just yesterday.


    Dr. Gage walked up to Skyler, a smile still on his face. ¡°It seems you two know each other, Gabrielle is the new nurse here, she¡¯s been assigned to your aunt for her first task today, I want you to show her to the room she¡¯s staying in.¡±


    ¡°Aunt? I thought you hated your family.¡± Gabrielle was surprised. Back in school he constantly talked about getting away from his family. His mother was an alcoholic, and his father believed in very archaic ways of discipline, both of which were obviously child abuse. He never told anyone but her about it, though, and somehow his parents were able to fool Child Protective Services. He was forced to wait until he was eighteen before he was able to move out.


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated, I¡¯ll tell you more about it later.¡± Skyler walked past her and through the hallway, she turned around and followed him.


    ¡°I¡¯m just surprised, after all this time, I mean, you resented-¡±


    ¡°Elaine had nothing to do with that, my old family knew, my new one is different,¡± he retorted, brushing his bangs out of his eyes.


    ¡°So CPS finally caught up to them and you got into foster care after all? I¡¯m so glad, I always hated how your parents treated you.¡±


    ¡°Something like that¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Wait a second, this is not what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to talk to you about this.¡± She stopped walking and checked to see if the markings were still there, sure enough, they were. She held up her hand and pointed to the markings around her ring finger. ¡°You did this. Why?¡±


    ¡°How did you find out?¡±


    ¡°I had a vision of you doing it while I was still asleep on Elega.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you can trust visions like that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to fool me, I want this removed,¡± she said, urgency in her voice.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to go back to Elega? You still aren¡¯t strong enough to be awake there without it.¡±


    ¡°W-well when I¡¯m strong enough then.¡± she stuttered


    Skyler leaned over and whispered, ¡°Those markings aren¡¯t just to give you enough magic to stay awake, it¡¯s there to tell anybody who wants to hurt you to leave you alone, it¡¯s protection. I don¡¯t care how many weird looks you¡¯ll be getting, that place is too dangerous to not have it, especially with what title I think you got.¡±


    ¡°How did you even learn to do something like this?¡±


    ¡°I studied enough of it under an expert, my Aunt knows her.¡± Skyler gestures for her to keep walking. ¡°Speaking of Elaine, come on, we should go see her now, we can argue about the markings later.¡±


    They headed to room 204 and went inside, and on the hospital bed lay a short and young looking girl with long stringy white hair and claws on her hands and feet. She looked almost skeletal, with skin pulled tightly over her bones and with barely any muscle or meat left on her. On top of being hooked up to a heart monitor, she was intubated and fitted with a feeding tube.


    ¡°How awful,¡± Gabrielle whispered to herself.


    ¡°She¡¯s been like this for about a week, and hasn¡¯t woken up since she got here. She was using every spell and potion under the sun just to keep functioning before, now she¡¯s not allowed to use magic at all until she gets better, or she might die,¡± Skyler grimly explains. Gabrielle went over to the end of Elaine¡¯s bed and took the clipboard from its place. She had been under a curse that was slowly eating away at her for years, and it only recently broke, prompting her to come here for treatment.


    ¡°How will we know if she uses it?¡± Gabrielle asked, staring at Elaine¡¯s file.


    ¡°There¡¯s a device in this room that senses when magic is used, it¡¯ll sound an alarm if it catches anything. Dr. Gage will fill you in on what you need to do if that happens.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d he entrust walking me through this to you?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve been taking care of her until now. The hospital was low on staff until you came around, and this place is big, all of the nurses were spread a bit too thin for the amount of care she needs,¡± Skyler said while taking his large black scarf off and slinging it over his shoulder.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird, why isn¡¯t there more staff here?¡± Gabrielle put away the clipboard and started to check over all the machinery Elaine was hooked up to.


    ¡°It¡¯s harder to take care of non-humans than it is to take care of regular humans, a lot of people aren¡¯t cut out for the job, and it¡¯s a lot more dangerous too. Ever since technology got past a certain point and magical creatures started appearing, hospitals like this started popping up to accommodate them, due to supply and demand, but I¡¯ve heard of entire hospitals being destroyed because of a patient they couldn¡¯t handle, and they had to start all over. That¡¯s why hospitals like this are very understaffed.¡±


    ¡°I would have thought that more people would want to work here what with all the progress being made,¡± Gabrielle said with a  frown.


    ¡°Well until all the security kinks are worked out, not a lot of people feel that it¡¯s very safe.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s always as much risk as there is reward, I don¡¯t understand,¡± she said, exasperation in her voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m against anyone doing it, I¡¯m just saying that a majority of people are selfish,¡± Skyler said coldly.


    ¡°You need to have more faith in humanity then,¡± she said with worry in her voice. She had hoped that he was alright while she was gone, but the way he said that made her immensely concerned.


    ¡°After what I¡¯ve been through since you left? It¡¯s hard to have any faith at all,¡± Skyler grumbled, putting his hands in his pockets. ¡°Nevermind what I said, how is she?¡±


    Gabrielle continued to look over the machines Elaine is connected to, all the while thinking up all sorts of nightmare scenarios that could have happened to Skyler while she was gone that would make him act like that. ¡°Her vitals are all stable, except her blood pressure is low.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll leave you to it. See you later.¡± Skyler turned around and started to walk out of the room.


    ¡°Wait.¡± she stood up and turned to him, she felt so bad about not being there that she was desperate to make it right somehow going forward.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°When will I see you again?¡± she asked, wanting to make sure she didn¡¯t lose him again.


    Skyler turns his head and grins. ¡°In your dreams,¡± he said, and walked out.

 Black Blood

    Gabrielle woke up back at Elega, strangely not feeling sleepy at all. Her bed was warm from her body heat, and was so comfortable that she didn¡¯t want to get up. Reluctantly getting up from her cozy bed, a pair of white slip on shoes sat at the foot of her bed. Smiling warmly she slipped the shoes on. She got up and walked out of her room and into the hallway. Fira noticed her and stopped mid-walk to talk to her.


    ¡°Oh, good morning!¡± she said, giving her a wave.


    ¡°Lunara said that before I went to sleep, I think she was trying to confuse me.¡± Gabrielle put a hand to her head - even though she said the right thing about being asleep on Earth while being awake here, it still hurt her brain a bit. She hadn¡¯t gotten over it quite yet. ¡°By the way, what do you think about this?¡± She held up her hand and showed Fira the markings on her finger.


    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t see that before, it¡¯s so small.¡± Fira looked closer ¡°I¡¯d have the Mystic check it out, she¡¯s better at these kinds of things than me, I just hit stuff with a sword.¡± she shrugged, then walked away.


    Walking downstairs, she confronted the mystic with the markings. ¡°Oh, my, I didn¡¯t see that before. It seems to be Zoriyan magic, that¡¯s a very rare sight, I know very few users of it since it¡¯s so ancient. Where did you get this?¡±


    ¡°N-nowhere.¡± she mumbled, her face turning red.


    Looking closer at the markings, the Mystic grinned and gave her a knowing look. ¡°Who¡¯s the lucky man?¡±


    ¡°W-what are you saying?¡± Looking for any other person in the room to help her situation, and finding no one, her face became even redder.


    ¡°A mark like that means you belong to somebody.¡±


    ¡°What?! He never told me-¡± Slapping her other hand over her mouth, she realized she may have just said something that could be easily misunderstood. ¡°N-no this isn¡¯t- We¡¯re not- I¡¯m not- Ohh.¡± Groaning, she threw her hands onto her head, confused and angry at the whole thing.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, you don¡¯t have to kiss and tell, darling,¡± the Mystic cooed, batting her eyes at her.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to get a piece of my mind when I see him again!¡± Balling her hands into fists, she angrily stomped the ground.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Fira peeked out from behind the corner of the staircase.


    ¡°Gabrielle has a boyfriend, those markings are basically a promise ring,¡± the Mystic said haughtily.


    ¡°No!¡± Gabrielle squeaked, throwing her hands in front of her. ¡°Don¡¯t tell her that! Now she¡¯s got the wrong idea too!¡±


    ¡°Boyfriend? Sounds nice, I¡¯m jealous,¡± Fira said wistfully.


    ¡°Everyone cut it out, there is work to be done,¡± Shai said while walking down the opposite staircase. She carried a large white flower-like bulb, about as big as an orange. She went up to the two girls in a brisk pace, tossing the bulb at Gabrielle. Fumbling and then getting a hold of the bulb, Gabrielle looks up at Shai, confused.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do with this?¡±


    ¡°You are going on a scouting mission. Parliament said it was safe enough for you to go in alone, but I convinced them to let you have the shielding device I just gave you. The carriage to take you to the border is outside waiting.¡±


    Taking the bulb into her arms, she looked at Shai reluctantly. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, that¡¯s why I gave you that bulb, good luck,¡± Shai said, waving goodbye and walking back up the stairs.


    Turning around and going out the doors, a horse drawn carriage waited for Gabrielle outside. She awkwardly walked past the driver and got into the vehicle. The carriage rocked into action and rumbled along the road. She peered out the window as the town rolled past. Noisy pedestrians walked closely around, sometimes casting a short glance inside. She had her hands pressed to the glass, she stared blankly out the window, watching the crowds pass by.


    The town slowly faded away into the distance, and nothing was left to look at but white ground and bleached, leafless trees. What came into view made her worried, the ground beyond the white landscape was completely black. She turned away and looked to the white bulb sitting next to her. Why a bulb? She didn¡¯t know if it would work, and she wasn¡¯t even told how to use it.


    Reaching the edge of the border, the carriage slowed to a stop. She stopped to wonder why it was only her that was chosen, and if Fira and Lunara had to do the same thing when they first arrived. Grabbing the bulb and stepping out of the vehicle, she looked to the driver, who gave her a nod and gestured towards the dark landscape that laid only yards in front of her. She took in a deep breath and squeezed the bulb tightly to her chest, she went over the border. Overwhelmed with worry, she felt stiff from bracing herself so hard, her heartbeat pounding heavily in her ears. Going deeper into enemy territory, even her own footsteps made her jump.


    Scratching noises pierced the silence, she only noticed now that the ground had man sized holes on the edges of the main stretch of land, though the ground was so dark, they were hard to see. Many short creatures with black skin crawled out of the holes. They were nose-less, with black eyes that had no pupils or irises, they had claws on their hands and feet and were extremely lankey. She heard the horse drawing her carriage neighed loudly in fear, the driver started shouting for the horse to calm down. She looked back just as they turned to runSupport the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Wait!¡± she shouted, turning around and trying to run away from the strange creatures. One of them twitched its long black antennae that rested backwards across its head.


    ¡°Fresh meat!¡± One of them said. They all turned towards her, and a few of them lunged at her at the same time.


    Gripping the the bulb even tighter, she prepared for the shield to activate. Cold fear ran through her and her heart raced. A low boom rang out from her left, flinging the strange creatures back and knocking her over, the bulb slipping out of her grasp. Rolling over to get up, Skyler was standing next to her. He turned towards a group of the small imp-like creatures and his arm morphs into a long black blade. With one sweep, he cuts through one swathe of the creatures, who screech and dissipate.


    ¡°It¡¯s The Forsaken One, get him!¡± One of the creatures squeaked, the rest then started screeching and crawling towards him.


    ¡°How did you do that with your arm?¡± Gabrielle called out to him.


    He took a forward swing with his arm blade, cutting through another chunk of creatures.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later,¡± he said, turning towards the creatures that gathered over to the right that were hissing and chucking little black rocks and bits of dead tree roots in their direction. The rocks lightly bounce off of him, and he stares at them with disapproval. They stopped tossing whatever they could throw, and looked at each other.


    Skyler kneeled down and took one step forward, digging his foot into the ground, the blade his arm turned into grew, and with one sweeping motion, cut through the entire wave of enemies in front of him. The rest of them looked on in shock as they heard the death cries of their brothers and sisters.


    ¡°He¡¯ll kill us all, run!¡± They all scattered, most frantically stampeding and pushing over each other to get to the holes in the ground to escape, some ran into the distance. Skyler gave a sigh of relief as he stood back up, his arm morphing back to normal. Gabrielle reached for the bulb that was lying on the ground, only for him to pick it up instead.


    ¡°What were you doing out here? You just woke up yesterday, those Darklings could have killed you,¡± he said, crouching down to his knees and handing her the bulb.


    She quickly took it. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. I need to talk to you!¡± She demanded angrily.


    ¡°The markings, the Mystic said they meant I ¡®belonged¡¯ to you, why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± she shouted, rolling over onto her hands to get up.


    She wondered why he kept such important information from her, she felt betrayed, anger was welling up inside her again like before.


    ¡°They attacked me anyways, and they attacked you too! Why would you lie to me like that?¡± she said, turning towards him and gripping the bulb for dear life.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying, I just didn¡¯t expect some very sudden things to happen,¡± he said remorsefully.


    ¡°If I had known the old Dark Centaur clan teamed up with the most dangerous Warlock in the multiverse, I wouldn¡¯t have said that. I was sure that everything was going to be fine, but they took the throne. Now I¡¯m afraid the war is going to start up again¡±


    ¡°What? Wait, don¡¯t try to change the subject! You¡­ You should have asked me first before putting those markings on me,¡± she said coldly, still spurned by his decision to not ask her first.


    ¡°And how would I have asked that exactly? You were asleep, that was the best way I knew how to at least assure your safety until you were powerful enough to hold your own out here,¡± he said, stepping towards her.


    ¡°On earth, I saw you at the hospital, you could have done it there, why didn¡¯t you?¡± she asked, stepping away from him and making her body rigid, a strong feeling of resentment welling up in her chest along with anger.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to worry about me,¡± he mumbled, gripping his chest.


    ¡°What?¡± Her body softened, worry about him? Why? Was something wrong? He was gripping his chest, did he get hurt? Her anger and resentment all but disappeared, she didn¡¯t want to be, but she was instantly worried about him,.


    ¡°I was at the hospital for a reason, not because you were there, either,¡± he said, throwing off his trench coat. Pulling his shirt up all the way and unraveling the blotchy black bandages underneath, she gasped when he revealed two black marks that went across his chest, one large, traveling diagonally down the left side of his chest, and a smaller horizontal one on the right, both had stitches in the middle and were weeping a black liquid.


    ¡°What¡¯s that black stuff?¡± she said as she leaned closer, a look of concern on her face.


    ¡°Blood, my blood is black, not red.¡± he mumbled, turning away and re-bandaging his wounds.


    ¡°Oh, my god,¡± she said, walking up to him and putting her hand on his shoulder. She thought he was just there to see her aunt, she didn¡¯t know that he was there for himself. Feeling instant regret, she grasped his shoulder firmly, she hadn¡¯t thought about how he was doing until he showed her his wounds.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he murmured. With his back turned to her, she could see more black markings with stitches down the middle, two long parallel ones that went down each side of his back, stopping at his waist, and then two faded gray scars that cut across each of his shoulder bones.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± she said sternly, once he finished bandaging himself up, she raised her hand away from him, dropped the bulb, and placed both hands on each of his shoulders, pushing down firmly. ¡°Sit down, you shouldn¡¯t be standing when you¡¯re hurt like that.¡±


    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s alright,¡± he tried to assure her, she wasn¡¯t having any of it though. She needed to take him with her so he can find a place to rest. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked as she pushed down harder, making him get down to his knees.


    ¡°You¡¯re wounded, and I¡¯m going to get you to safety whether you like it or not,¡± Gabrielle demanded, grabbing his trench coat, putting the bulb in it, and put it on him. She turned around and kneeled down, grabbing his arms and pulling them over her shoulders, she then grabbed his knees and lifted him up, giving him a piggyback ride.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this, put me down, I can walk I swear,¡± he pleaded, she shook her head in response, and started going towards the border. ¡°No! I don¡¯t belong there, you have no idea what they¡¯ll do to me if you take me there!¡± he warned, trying to get his legs free.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell them we¡¯re engaged, then they¡¯ll have to take you in. The markings on my finger will be proof enough,¡± she said, grabbing his legs even tighter.


    ¡°You¡¯d be lying to them, and you aren¡¯t the lying type, remember?¡± he said, his face turning a light gray as he blushed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not lying, technically, just trust me. I won¡¯t let them do anything bad to you,¡± she said assuredly, they can work out the kinks later, right now, getting Skyler to safety was her primary concern.


    ¡°A-alright, fine, but don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t tell you so,¡± he said worriedly, and stopped trying to wiggle free.

 Burdens

    ¡°You can stop carrying me now,¡± Skyler said worriedly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know how you¡¯ve carried me this far.¡±


    ¡°I exercise, and also you¡¯re real skinny so you are pretty light.¡± Gabrielle shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re well enough to walk by yourself, but if you want, I can give you my shoulder instead.¡± she said.


    ¡°That would be better,¡± he said, nodding in agreement.


    Gabrielle stood him up, grabbed his left arm and put it over her left shoulder to support him. She was going to ask what happened to him that would turn him into a non-human, but she hadn¡¯t found the right time to ask it. Black blood. She wondered what turned his blood black, how he could transform his arms. The scar? The vertical one on his eye? Those wounds. Those scars. How did he get them? She felt he had so many secrets, but she she decided to ask him all that later, when she could get him to a hospital bed.


    ¡°Thanks, but I still don¡¯t approve of you telling them we¡¯re engaged,¡± he mumbled, his cheeks grayed again as he frowned and turned away.


    ¡°What else are we going to do? Friends might not cut it for them,¡± she warned.


    ¡°Are you sure this is a good idea?¡± he asked as they neared the outer gate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll take care of everything,¡± she assured him, picking up the pace as they get closer to their destination. ¡°Hey!¡± she called up to the gate keeper who was up on the wall. ¡°Let me in, I have wounded!¡± she shouted up at the man, who looked at the person she was carrying. An icy feeling of trepidation shot through her, and fear burned in her belly. After a long hard look, the man shouted for the gate to open.


    She sighed in relief, and walked inside as the gate opened, but the fear did not leave her, this was only one step of many to ensuring Skyler¡¯s safety.


    As soon as she got inside, one of the guards noticed Skyler¡¯s pitch black skin on his arms, and shouted for reinforcements. A dozen armed guards surrounded her. ¡°Who let that horrible thing in?¡± one of them shouted, they all pointed their spears towards her and Skyler, fear and anger in their eyes. Gabrielle gripped his shoulder tighter in suspense, she realized this was going to be a lot more difficult than she thought it¡¯d be.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Shai¡¯s voice could be heard from far away. The guards froze, some of them turning around and waiting for Shai to come up to them, some of them were too fearful of who Gabrielle was carrying to turn their back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t turn your backs on that monster, it could kill us all!¡± a guard warned, stabbing the air with his spear. Hatred. There was more hatred in his eyes than fear. Then a light appeared behind the guards, taking the shape of a door. A small girl with long blonde hair and pale blue skin lifted their pearl colored robes and stepped out of the bright doorway. Her eyes were closed. Two glowing white vertical scar-like markings trailed down the middle of her eyelids.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Step aside,¡± the girl said, her soft voice sounding more adult than her body. The girl dropped her arms to her sides, letting her long robes flow freely. As soon as the guards realized who she was, they all made way for Gabrielle, some of them bowing in the girl¡¯s direction, some of them prostrating.


    ¡°It¡¯s really you,¡± Skyler sighed in relief. ¡°You picked the best time to show up.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, O Great Immaculate Veil, I hope this does not offend you, but why are you letting a Darkling into our land?¡± a bowing guard said, his voice wavering.


    ¡°He and I are related by blood,¡± the Immaculate Veil said. Shai had then made her way over to everyone, and bowed at the girl as well.


    ¡°My lady Cara, what brings you here?¡± Shai said softly, but worriedly.


    ¡°It matters not if he is a Darkling, my family is important to me,¡± Cara the Immaculate Veil said, turning her closed eyes towards Shai.


    ¡°What do you- Oh,¡± Shai started to ask Cara a question, but then noticed Skyler resting on Gabrielle¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Lucky boy, if my lady wasn¡¯t here, you¡¯d be in deep trouble.¡±


    Gabrielle turned her head towards Skyler, then turned back to Shai and Cara. ¡°Does this mean we aren¡¯t in trouble? You all know each other, right? You know him, he would only use violence to defend himself or someone he cares about.¡±


    Cara and Shai looked at each other with worry on their faces, though Cara¡¯s eyes never opened, then turned back towards her. Shai stood up and took a step back. ¡°That may have been true about him in the past, but I know differently.¡±


    Gabrielle grips Skyler¡¯s shoulder again. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t believe that-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Skyler interjected, lowering his head. ¡°I¡­ For half I couldn¡¯t control myself, but for the other half¡­ I became so corrupted, I started to¡­ Like it,¡± he choked in a gasp as he tried to breath in. His arms were shaking, and the beginnings of tears pooled under his eyes. ¡°Gabby, I¡­ It wasn¡¯t all the corruption¡¯s fault, I gave into the disease,¡± he said, his voice wavering.


    ¡°I admit it, I¡¯ve got blood on my hands, but I¡¯ve done whatever I could to make things right again, as much as I could, but¡­ It¡¯s impossible to, in the end, all those innocent people¡­ They¡¯re never coming back. Because of me,¡± he said, then took a breath through his clenched teeth, making a hissing noise. Two streams of black tears broke away from under his eyes and streamed down his cheeks.


    ¡°There must have been something, like that corruption, that caused that,¡± Gabrielle said defiantly. ¡°I refuse to believe that you did that yourself, there had to be some kind of influence.¡± She didn¡¯t want to believe he would do such a thing, it had to be something else. Anything else. She thought of a dozen nightmare scenarios; him being controlled by some ungodly evil, him being deprived of all control of his body, and then him storming through the streets, killing innocent people on sight. That was the only scenario she could think of. She felt dizzy, faint even. She refused to believe he would kill innocent people unless he was completely controlled by something. There was no way.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t try to explain away my crimes. It doesn¡¯t matter if I was influenced, it was my hands,¡± he said, squeezing his eyes shut, making more tears stream down his face.


    ¡°I know you want to prevent yourself from doing such a thing in the future, I will ask Parliament to do the necessary preparations. It may be too early, but we should do the ritual the next morning,¡± Cara says, a look of concern on her face.


    ¡°Ritual, what ritual?¡± Gabrielle asked in surprise, reflexively stepping forward, then wobbling from her faintness.


    Cara turned around, and started to slowly walk away. ¡°To put a mark on him so the one who marks him can control him, it¡¯s only feasible to do so when his power is as great as it is. But for now, follow me to the castle¡¯s infirmary.¡±

 Unfortunate Realities

    A short time later, Gabrielle had set Skyler onto a bed in the castle¡¯s infirmary. He hadn¡¯t talked ever since Cara asked them to follow her there. Gabrielle was worried, he seemed shaken after he admitted to killing innocent people.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you a few questions,¡± she said in a soft, hushed tone. She was sitting down in a chair next to the bed, worry filling her chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you want to know all the horrible things I did,¡± he said gravely, looking away from her.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I was going to ask,¡± she retorted. She already felt the mood, and knew it wouldn¡¯t be the right time.


    ¡°I wanted to ask you how you turned your hand into a blade.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that,¡± he said, perking up and looking back at her. ¡°It¡¯s an inherited trait. No dark magic involved. I got the ability to do that from my new mother,¡± he said with a small smile.


    ¡°New mother? What do you mean?¡± she asked, her eyebrows twisting in confusion.


    ¡°Oh, I... ¡° Skyler whispered, his smile faded.


    ¡°This has to do with you not being human anymore, doesn¡¯t it? You can tell me,¡± Gabrielle assured, her face softening into concern.


    ¡°It might be too heavy for you to handle though,¡± he warned, lowering his head.


    ¡°Too heavy? What do you mean?¡± Gabrielle said, leaning forward.


    ¡°It¡¯d make you sad if I told you.¡± he clasped his hands together.


    ¡°You just mean that you were adopted right¡­?¡± she said, trying to find another explanation.


    ¡°No, my new biological mother,¡± Skyler said with sadness in his eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you¡­¡± she gasped and put an open hand to her mouth.


    The realization had hit her, his old human body was gone somehow, and her mind immediately jumped to him dying and getting a new body in some mysterious way. Sadness punched her in the gut, taking the wind out of her lungs and clouding her eyes with tears. She tried desperately to catch her breath past the newly formed lump in her throat. All of the good and bad times she had with him flashed in her mind. Something as horrible as dying happening to him was more than she could take. Pressure formed in her throat, chest and stomach as her feelings of sadness struggled to get out.


    ¡°Gabby please,¡± Skyler said, he then sat up and slid to the edge of the bed and embraced her, resting her head on his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, I¡¯m right here.¡±


    He used it. The nickname that he gave her a long time ago. She remembered the countless times he said it, and another wave of crushing sadness hit her in the stomach. She put her hands on his chest. Her lips quivered as she tried to hold back from sobbing openly. All she could get out were gasps, sputters and silent cries as tears streamed down her face and onto Skyler¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m still here, I haven¡¯t gone anywhere,¡± he said, consoling her.


    She felt the warmth of his body heat in her hands and from his left arm wrapped across her back. He always used to embrace her when she was sad, without fail. She remembered when the guy she asked out to prom in senior year rejected her, and the time she got the news of her dog being run over by a car. She even remembered him embracing her back in third grade when she started crying because her parents refused to let her go to a popular kid¡¯s birthday party. ¡°B-but¡­¡± she croaked, but found it hard to get words past the rock hard lump in her throat.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m still here. Not even death could keep me from you, I¡¯m still kicking,¡± he said, squeezing her tightly.


    Those words were all it took. She planted her face into his shoulder and sobbed openly.


    Skyler rested his head on her shoulder, and closed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I swear. I¡¯m fine now.¡±


    She didn¡¯t believe him, the fact that he went through dying crushed her, she felt so bad for him, not to mention that he was still bleeding from his stitches. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t,¡± she said defiantly, wrapping an arm over his shoulder and onto his back.


    ¡°Come on, Gabby, please don¡¯t cry. It¡¯ll be fine. There¡¯s nothing either of us can do about it now,¡± he said, then pulled away while still holding onto her.


    Covering her face with her hands, she started to sob more softly. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry I ever left,¡± she said, shaking her head.


    ¡°That was something you couldn¡¯t control, and my new family was partially to blame for you not being able to find me earlier,¡± he said with a serious look on his face.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gabrielle said, looking up from her tear soaked hands.


    Skyler sighed, and closed his eyes again. ¡°My new father. He came up with a plan to make it impossible for me to see you, I was given fake papers and moved out after the government found out about the power he gave me,¡± he said as a look of disdain swept across his face.


    ¡°What power?¡± she said, then rested her hands on her lap.


    ¡°The power to see people die in real time, something that took me months to turn off by myself. The government used me to help solve a string of very sensitive crimes,¡± he said, his expression morphing into one of pain.


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible, how did you stay sane?¡± she asked, a look of shock and concern on her wet face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± he mumbled, and let go of her.


    ¡°Anyone would still have a few screws loose after seeing everything I have. And it got worse after getting my new body. Morphing powers in my arms wasn¡¯t the only inherited trait I got,¡± he said, looking haunted.


    ¡°Death vision was also an inherited trait, he could give it to anybody, but his progeny all inherited a stronger version of it. That, and every kid Mother had with him inherited her cursed bloodline, which drives anyone with it insane eventually,¡± he said, and pointed to his head.


    ¡°My half-brother was fine up until Demon Hunters killed him, and when his father brought him back, it was with a different personality. My mother¡¯s blood activated when he was brought back, causing him to have split personalities. It took him months to even regain control of his mind,¡± he said with a frown.


    ¡°My mother, him and me are the only ones of our kind left. My father had way more kids, but created an airborne disease that killed all of them but me. He was purposefully trying to get rid of me again, but I managed to fight it off after being as sick as a dog for months,¡± he said gravely, folding his arms.


    ¡°I thought that Cara person said you were a Darkling, like those little ones that attacked us,¡± Gabrielle said, a look of concern on her face.


    ¡°Darkling is the name given to every creature in the Dark Lands, not just those Mole Imps that you saw earlier,¡± he explained, tapping his fingers on his arm.


    ¡°By the way, why did those imps call you the Forsaken One?¡± she said as she scooched forward in her chair.


    ¡°I was wondering when you were going to ask me that. Forsaken is the name that my kind were given. I¡¯m the only Darkling that is one is why. The scar on my eye is one way they can tell,¡± he said, scooched back and laid down on the bed.


    ¡°What¡¯s another way they can tell?¡± she asked, wiping her face dry.


    ¡°Another way to tell is all Forsaken have a very distinct mouth, I¡¯m not showing it right now because it¡¯s scary looking,¡± he said, placing his hands behind his head and relaxing.


    ¡°Scary looking? It can¡¯t be that bad,¡± she said, wiping her wet hands on her dress.


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± he asked, and turned his head towards her.


    ¡°Show me, I¡¯m not scared,¡± she said defiantly, gripping the cloth on her knees.


    He took his left hand from behind his head and brought it up to his face, he then touched his left cheek with his finger, and made sweeping motions across his skin, quickly drawing an invisible pentagram. His mouth stretched wide across his face and stopped almost at the edge of his face, leaving an inch and a half of cheek left on either side, the sounds of bones crunching rang out as his teeth sharpened and extended. His lips and nose disappeared, and the teeth on the right side of his mouth extended further. The right side of his mouth was stretched wide in a slight upward curve, the opening of his mouth at the top became slanted, revealing long, angler fish-like teeth, which petered out until it reached the left side, which were normal sized but sharp and pointed at the end. There were no rounded corners to his mouth, the edges of his mouth on the right side just ended in sharp corners that were almost symmetrical but not quite, and the left side didn¡¯t have a rounded edge either.


    ¡°Oh, my god,¡± she said with a gasp, covering her hands with her mouth.


    ¡°I told you it was scary looking,¡± he said, his mouth unmoving as he spoke.


    He took his hand and pressed his thumb in the middle of his chin and his finger where his nose was. He pulled his fingers together, and more crunching noises resounded. He took his hand away to reveal that his mouth, lips and nose returned to normal. He put his hand back behind his head and turned toward the ceiling.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t always have the ability to hide it. In fact, it took a few years for that kind of technology to be created. Some kind of morphing magic combined with synthetic material that imitates organic structures. Imagine having to walk around with that scary looking mouth for years! It made a lot of bad first impressions, at the very least,¡± Skyler said, then breathed deep and rested his eyes.


    ¡°So, what was that Cara girl talking about? The thing about a ritual, what did she mean?¡± Gabrielle asked, taking her hands off her mouth and leaning forward.


    ¡°Oh, that. It¡¯s basically the same kind of thing I gave you, only much stronger, and done with light magic instead of Zoriyan,¡± he said, and brought his knees up, arching his legs.


    ¡°Where did you even learn that kind of magic? The Mystic said it was ancient,¡± she asked, scooching back in her chair and straightening herself.


    ¡°That ¡®Cara¡¯ person you keep talking about is actually my grandmother. The one who trained her for battle was Zoriyan as well, actually, her battle trainer is queen of the Zoriyans. I was introduced to her after I was reborn, she taught me many things about fighting, both magic and melee,¡± he said, then rolled onto his side towards her and rested his arms in front of himself.


    ¡°Your grandmother? She¡¯s too young looking to be your grandmother,¡± she said, a confused look on her face.


    He laughed in response. ¡°She¡¯s way older than she looks, that¡¯s what happens when your body stops aging,¡± he said as he tucked his hands under his head.


    She reached out and touched his elbow. ¡°I¡¯ll be here all night, so let me know if you need anything.¡±


    His eyes opened, and he looked up at her with an expression of shock and worry. ¡°I really don¡¯t think you should do that. You need to get to your own bed.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m way too worried about you. I¡¯m staying right here for the night, and there¡¯s nothing you can say that will change my mind,¡± she said defiantly.


    ¡°Okay, but don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± he said and closed his eyes again.

 A Day Off with a Darkling Part 1

    Gabrielle felt the warm bed beneath her, and then something else. Something large. With her eyes still closed, she reached out and touched it. It felt warm. She traced her hand along the side of the figure and came to the conclusion that it was a person. Who was in her bed? She didn¡¯t remember bringing anyone over, let alone allowing them to sleep next to her.


    Opening her eyes, she was met with a familiar face. Skyler laid there, still asleep. Her face went beet red, and she shook him awake.


    ¡°Huh?¡± he grumbled as he slowly sat up.


    ¡°How the hell did you get here?!¡± she squeaked, her heart beating out of her chest.


    Skyler scratched his head and yawned and pulled down on his black tee shirt, then looked at her. ¡°I did warn you about not sleeping in your own bed, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You never mentioned that you¡¯d be teleported into my bed! If you did, I would have left!¡± she said, covering her face. She felt hot embarrassment radiating from every pore in her body.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that. I¡¯m sure you would have shook your head and told me you¡¯d sit there no matter what,¡± he said with a grin, pulling up his black pajama shorts.


    She looked at his arms, his ghost white skin ended at his elbows, the skin on his lower arms and hands was pitch black. ¡°Do they hurt?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Hmm? What does?¡± he shifted in her bed, letting his legs dangle off the edge.


    ¡°Your arms, do they hurt?¡± she sat up and scooted towards him, more worried than embarrassed.


    ¡°Ah, no. The scar on my eye does sometimes, and, well, the wounds on my chest sting, though I should have the stitches out in a week or so,¡± he said in a relaxed tone.


    ¡°You should stay in bed at least until they stop bleeding,¡± she said, and grabbed his shoulder.


    ¡°They should have stopped weeping by now though,¡± he said and grabbed at the hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°That¡¯s not enough to get me to stop worrying, please let me at least look at them,¡± she begged, and placed her other hand on his back.


    ¡°If it¡¯ll get you to let me up, then alright,¡± he says, and rolls back his shirt revealing clean, unbloodied bandages.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange, weren¡¯t your bandages stained with blood?¡± she asked, she could have sworn that they were stained last time she saw them.


    ¡°The nurse at the infirmary changed them while you were out like a light on your chair,¡± he said with a chuckle.


    She unraveled his bandages to see the stitched up wounds that he had shown her before, but they weren¡¯t bleeding.


    ¡°See? I checked before I went to sleep, they were at the tail end of the weeping stage anyways. The reason why I was at the hospital when you were was because I had to ask the doctor about the weeping. He told me that it was normal for the kind of wounds I have, and that it¡¯d go away in a few hours,¡± he explained, and traced a finger along the side of one of the stitched up wounds, where the skin turned black.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®kind¡¯ of wounds?¡± she said as she started to bandage him up again.


    ¡°The weapons used on me were extremely rare and are meant to cause a lot of damage. Dr. Gage has a lot of knowhow on all types of weapons because you have to treat wounds made with different weapons differently,¡± he said and raised his arms in a stretch.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never forgive whoever did that to you,¡± she whispered angrily as she finished bandaging, disdain planted itself deep within her stomach, she knew she was overly protective of him, but if she wasn¡¯t, who would be?


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to, they¡¯re all dead anyways,¡± he said matter-of-factly, resting his closed fist on his chin.


    ¡°Dead? Don¡¯t tell me you killed them, did you?¡± she asked, she thought that if they had rare and deadly weapons they must have been powerful She would be surprised if they were.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying it was easy, though it did happen.¡± He got up and stretched again.


    ¡°Who were they, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± she said as she slid back to her side of the bed and got up.


    ¡°Have you ever heard anybody on your side of the fence say anything about the Lords of Darkness?¡± he said, his back still turned to her.


    She gasped and froze, remembering that Shai had talked about the Lords of Darkness disappearing recently. She couldn¡¯t believe that Skyler could kill all of them at once. Just how powerful was he?


    ¡°So you have heard of them?¡± he smiled and turned towards her.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who did it?¡± she said, turning towards him.


    ¡°I have a good reason, but it¡¯s a secret, for now,¡± he said, his grin turning into a wry smirk.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, aren¡¯t you supposed to be on their side? Weren¡¯t they your friends? Why kill them?¡± she asked, confused as to why he would kill those who are the same as him.


    ¡°They were never my friends,¡± Skyler said, his smirk morphing into a scowl. ¡°I had to deal with their shit for years. You have no idea how glad I am now that they¡¯re gone.¡± he balled up his fists.


    ¡°What did they do to you to make you so angry?¡± she said as she got up and walked to the end of her bed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t talk about it; what they did was the stuff of nightmares,¡± he said, then shakily relaxed his hands.


    ¡°Worse than all those wounds and that scar on your eye?¡± she said, walking up to him.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t trust me, didn¡¯t care for me, didn¡¯t want me to even exist. They threw me away after they found I couldn¡¯t be easily controlled. The promise my mother made to them was the only thing that kept me alive after I was given my new body, but it only applied to me.¡± he sighed and lowered his head.


    ¡°It was luck that Mother found me, she begged them to give me a second chance, and paid a heavy price in return for it. They threw her away when they were done with her too, they were too busy with their master plan to care about other people. Why wouldn¡¯t I be angry at them? Hate them even?¡± he said and turned his head towards her.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± she asked she put a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯d never seen such shameless evil the night I saw the monster who would be my future father,¡± he brought a hand up and looked at it.


    ¡°Before you were reborn?¡± she said and stepped closer.


    ¡°Yeah, I told you before. I got powers from him before I was reborn. He told me after I got my new body that he was the reason I lost my old one, that¡¯s why he was the first one to go,¡± he squeezed his hand into a fist.


    ¡°You killed him first? Why didn¡¯t they try to avenge him?¡± she asked and slid the hand on his shoulder down to his upper arm.


    ¡°Killing him was the reason why I have this scar on my eye,¡± he said, relaxed his hand and brought it up to his right eye.


    ¡°They let you get away with just a scar?¡± she said and let go of his arm.


    ¡°Remember, they had weapons that are supposed to cause long term damage, it may not be the case physically for the most part, what they do is damage all three anchors of existence; mind, body, and soul,¡± he said as he traced a finger across the scar on his eye.


    ¡°The other ones you have will do that too?¡± she asked, hot electric worry shot through her body.


    ¡°They¡¯ll become scars, and when they decide to ache, which could be at any time, everything will. Even Dr. Gage doesn¡¯t know how to remove them yet, or I wouldn¡¯t have any,¡± he said and looked at her.


    ¡°What will you do? If just one of them aching cripples you, how will you deal with four more?¡± she said, grabbed his upper arm and pulled it to her chest, holding it snugly to her body.


    ¡°Dr. Gage made medicine that counteracts it, though it still hurts a bit when it happens,¡± he said, raised his hand and patted her on the head.


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness for that¡­ By the way, you don¡¯t have outside wear or shoes with you,¡± she said and looked down at his bare feet, his lower legs were covered in black skin, stopping halfway up his shin, and his toes were clawed like his fingers were.


    ¡°That¡¯s ok, I can ask my friend to bring my pants and a pair of shoes over, he¡¯s got a key to my place. Can I use your phone?¡± he asked, taking a step to his right, where the bedroom door was.


    Gabrielle let go of his arm and walked to the door. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s in the living room.¡±


    They both walked into the living room, which was minimalist, it was a small apartment so the kitchen and the living room were in the same room. On the far wall stood a flat screen TV, a simple tv stand below it. In front of it was a plain white three seat couch that had a chaise on the right side. In between the tv and the couch sat a glass table with a book sitting on it. To the left of the couch was a tiny wooden stand with a black landline phone sitting on top.


    She points to the phone. ¡°You can call your friend, I need to get dressed, so my door is going to be locked.¡± she slipped back behind the door, closed and locked it. She felt a familiar feeling, the one that she used to have back before she left him. Her body became hot with bashfulness, she hadn¡¯t felt this way in a long time, and thinking about him being so close made her heart flutter and her breath shorten. She used the excuse that she was getting dressed to regain her faculties. she was playing it cool for a while, but when the reality of the situation set in, that he was at her apartment, and it was a lot to handle.

 A Day Off with a Darkling Part 2

    After Gabrielle got dressed, she left her room. Skyler was in the kitchen, looking into the fridge.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± she asked, smoothing out a wrinkle on her lilac dress.


    ¡°Eggs,¡± he said bluntly, one arm shuffling things around inside.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t trying to make breakfast for yourself, are you?¡± she said, trying to put together what he was doing going through her food.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t be silly, it¡¯s for both of us. Did you think I¡¯d just do it for myself and have you make your own?¡± he laughed, food thumping and shuffling around inside.


    She tried to look over from where she was.


    ¡°Ah, there it is!¡± He cheered, sliding the carton of eggs out and bringing them up to the counter.


    ¡°What about your friend? Did you call him? You don¡¯t know where I live, so I¡¯d have to tell you the address.¡± She sat down next to the phone.


    ¡°I have a GPS tracker on me at all times, even bring it to bed with me, just in case things like what occurred today decide to happen. My friend already knows how to access it, so I didn¡¯t need you to tell him anything,¡± he said matter-of-factly, going back in to find something else.


    ¡°Why would you have a GPS on all the time?¡± she asked, getting up and turning towards him in surprise and confusion.


    ¡°Sometimes I lose control of my powers and teleport to places I don¡¯t recognize. The GPS tracker is supposed to be able to tell me where I¡¯m at when that happens. It¡¯s a modified one so it doesn¡¯t lose track of me just because I¡¯m not on Earth, my friend had one of his friends do that for me. Ah, so you do have potatoes, good, I can work with this. Now, where¡¯s that bacon?¡± he said, pulling out a potato. He put it next to the eggs and went back into the fridge to find the next ingredient.


    ¡°Teleporting to some place other than Earth? What other places are there to teleport to?¡± She walked around the couch and towards the kitchen.


    ¡°Elega, for example. That and Lyserge, but you wouldn¡¯t know about that place. Ah, there it is, now it¡¯s a party,¡± he said cheerfully as he dragged out a zipped up bag of bacon and added it to the row of other ingredients.


    ¡°Elega? Does it happen while you are awake too? It only happens to me when I go to sleep,¡± she said and walked up to him.


    ¡°Yeah, but I can go to both anytime I want. I was born on Elega, it would be silly if I couldn¡¯t go from one place to the other if I felt like it. Lyserge may be a different story, but once you get the hang of using dimension jumping spells it¡¯s pretty easy.¡± He walked over to the oven and pulled out the drawer under her oven, and started shuffling around inside.


    ¡°Did your battle trainer teach you how to do that as well?¡± she said, then leaned onto the kitchen counter.


    ¡°No, my aunt used to collect a lot of odd spellbooks, and I read a few, after asking politely of course.¡± He picked up two pans and a splatter screen and placed them on the stove, then started cooking.


    ¡°I hope she¡¯ll be ok without me today,¡± she said worriedly, thinking back to how bad Elaine¡¯s condition was.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Dr. Gage is working on a way to get her back to her old self again quickly, he¡¯s a miracle machine, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine in his hands for today,¡± he said as he put a splatter screen over the bacon.


    ¡°I do trust him, it¡¯s just¡­ Taking a day off when someone¡¯s that ill, it seems a bit heartless for me, do you think I should have worked on my day off today?¡± she asked, feeling a bit selfish.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about her too.¡± he said in a soft and serious tone. ¡°But he gave you this day off knowing her condition. If it was as unmanageable as you think, he wouldn¡¯t have given you the day off.¡± He looked at her and nodded reassuringly.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll take your word for it. Anyways, I¡¯m going to go freshen up. I¡¯ll be in the bathroom.¡± she said meekly, then walked back into her room. She walked past her bed and to the sink, on the right side of the counter sat a small makeup bag.


    She looked into the mirror, and though she knew she was fine without makeup, she wanted to impress Skyler. Her cheeks went red again and her heart beat fast in her chest. Opening the makeup bag, she took out her foundation, a lip gloss, and some mascara. She decided against using lip liner, eye liner and lipstick because it would be too noticeable to him.


    She took out a makeup brush and applied the foundation, taking her time to make it look as perfect as possible, then put the lip gloss on. When she got to the mascara, she heard Skyler shout that breakfast was almost done.


    She was embarrassed, she realized too late that she had taken too much time applying her foundation. She breathed in slowly through her nose and out through her mouth a few times to calm herself down. Applying mascara while anxious could cause her to poke her eye on accident, which she wanted to avoid. She twisted the mascara bottle loose, and pulled out the applicator. Bringing it above her eye, she hesitated for a second, then ran it through her eyelashes. She then did the same for her other eye, and put the mascara back into its tube.


    While she put everything away, she heard Skyler shout that breakfast was done.


    ¡°Oh, good timing,¡± she whispered to herself, and finished up.


    She walked into the living room, and the smell of bacon had hit her about a second after she got there. Her mouth started to water from the smell, and her stomach growled.


    ¡°Your stomach seems to have woken up too,¡± Skyler said with a smile, he picked up two plates, both of them with scrambled eggs, bacon, and lightly fried potatoes, and brought the right one closer to her.


    She walked over and grabbed the plate that was outstretched towards her. Her heart stopped for a second as she felt her hands touch his, and she felt her whole body get hot. Skyler looked at her silently with desperate eyes that confused her. She shook the look he was giving her off and took the plate. She walked to the couch and sat down.


    Skyler stood there holding his breakfast. ¡°I¡¯m wondering why you picked an apartment so small you can¡¯t even fit a dining table,¡± he walked up and sat down next to her, straight faced and looking ahead.


    ¡°Are you feeling ok? You¡¯ve been acting strange ever since I grabbed my plate,¡± she asked after swallowing a mouthful. Her body was still hot and she felt like her heart was going to explode, she was so close to him now that she was almost touching him. She felt the tension in the room, and found it hard to eat with it being so palpable.


    ¡°I could ask you the same thing,¡± he said and turned towards her, a caring look on his face.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she said and turned her head towards him.


    Their eyes locked. As he leaned in, she reciprocated, turning the rest of her body in his direction. As she closed her eyes and lightly pursed her lips, his warm breath smoothly coasted across the skin of her lips and chin. Soft and warm lips met with hers, and her heart almost shot out of her body. His arms wrapped around her back and pushed her in closer, and she connected with his chest. His heartbeat was fast too, and his body was emanating heat just like hers was. She put her hands on his chest, and his warmth increased.


    His lips parted slightly, and something hot and wet touched hers. It lightly prodded at her mouth, and she opened it slightly, letting his tongue slide inside. She took her tongue and slid it past his and out of her mouth, then slid it past his lips as well. Their tongues danced in each others mouths for a while, the taste of his spit was somehow sweet, like he ate candy before deciding to french kiss her. She wondered if her spit tasted too much like scrambled eggs, even though she hardly chewed it before swallowing, it was something she was worried about. She didn¡¯t want her first kiss, or french kiss for that matter, taste like scrambled eggs.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    His body heat was extremely satisfying to her. She had always missed hugging him, he was the only one close enough to her to do such a thing. Her other friends were always fair weather friends, leaving her to fend for herself if a bully tried to cop a feel, and all the guys who asked her out only did it because she was pretty - not because of who she actually was. She was so sad when he said no when she asked him out, but she understood that he couldn¡¯t reciprocate when he was having a tough time with family.


    This was all she ever wanted, she had waited most of her life for this moment, the only person she could really connect to on a romantic level actually returning the same feelings. After a while, they pulled back their heads.


    Skyler wiped the spit from his chin. ¡°You knew exactly what I meant,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°Skyler I¡­¡± She was about to say it but the last word caught in her throat. Even after doing all that, she was still worried he would say no.


    ¡°Love you. Is that what you¡¯re trying to say?¡± He leaned in and kissed her.


    She was so relieved, it was like the whole world was lifted from her shoulders.


    ¡°I love you too, Gabby. And I won¡¯t ever lose you again,¡± He said.


    ¡°I.. Love you.¡± she said hoarsely, tears rapidly building up in her eyes and cascading down her cheeks.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Gabby, don¡¯t cry.¡± he said, holding her close.


    There was a knock at the door.


    ¡°He can wait, I¡¯m not going until you¡¯ve calmed down,¡± Skyler said, then ran his fingers through her hair.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m alright.¡± she said with a sniffle and pulled herself away. She was just so relieved that he felt the same way. She did her breathing exercises again as Skyler let go of her to go answer the door.


    When he opened the door, there was a short young man with skin white as a sheet standing there, a duffel bag in his hand and Skyler¡¯s trench coat draped over his shoulder. The man ran his free hand over his medium length black spiky triangle styled hair, which spanned his entire head and firmly stood upwards, with a short amount of bangs on the right side of his forehead that was just gelled down in that one place, he then pulled his hand away and rubbed the residual hair gel onto his black pleather pants.


    ¡°Teleporting around as per usual I see,¡± the man said jokingly, then pulled the coat off of his shoulder and handed it to Skyler.


    ¡°Thanks Pain, you¡¯re a real life saver, and no, it wasn¡¯t me this time,¡± Skyler said and grabbed the coat from him.


    ¡°I can tell, I was just joking around. Here, see you later,¡± Pain said and presented the duffel bag to Skyler.


    Skyler took it and nodded. ¡°Yeah, tell Drake I¡¯m not going to be there, I¡¯ve got other plans.¡±


    Pain waved as he walked away. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll tell him. Good luck.¡±


    Skyler shut the door and locked it, then hung his coat on the coat rack nearby. He also put the duffel bag on the floor in front of the coat rack.


    ¡°I hope it didn¡¯t go cold,¡± Gabrielle said with a giggle.


    ¡°There¡¯s always the microwave,¡± Skyler said with a small grin as he walked back to his seat.


    Gabrielle took another fork full of fried potato and tasted it. ¡°It¡¯s still warm enough to eat.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have mattered either way, you worry too much,¡± he said as he sat down next to her.


    ¡°Are you leaving after you finish breakfast?¡± she asked after a few bites.


    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be there when you wake up at Elega. I need to prepare for tonight,¡± he said, then finished a piece of bacon.


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen tonight?¡± she said after eating everything but the bacon.


    ¡°Remember the ritual that Cara talked about? That¡¯s going to have to happen tonight or we won¡¯t be allowed to see each other,¡± he said, then cleaned his plate.


    ¡°Is that because you¡¯re a Darkling and i¡¯m the Light Maiden?¡± she said, then took a bite out of a piece of bacon.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s forbidden for any human to fall in love with a Darkling, unless the Darkling undergoes the ritual, which is pretty ancient since Elega has existed for a long time. Most people have forgotten about it, thankfully I and others found this loophole. After it¡¯s all done, I can stay at the castle with you, though you aren¡¯t supposed to let me out of your sight,¡± he said and picked up his plate.


    ¡°Why would I have to not let you out of my sight?¡± she said, she had already finished her plate and was going to take it to the sink.


    ¡°Either that or someone would have to be designated to watch me at all times, I may be allowed to stay there after the ritual but they still won¡¯t trust me enough to go anywhere on my own within their territory,¡± he says as he gets up.


    ¡°But that shouldn¡¯t matter, right? It¡¯s supposed to make sure you don¡¯t do anything bad again, so that means that they are safe when you are around,¡± she said as she got up with her plate and put it away.


    ¡°Not everyone is as trusting as you are,¡± he said, putting his plate in the sink next to hers.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just tell everyone that the Immaculate Veil is your grandmother? Isn¡¯t that enough to get people to trust you?¡± she asked, then grabbed his wrist while he was pulling his arm away from the sink.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be enough to erase thousands of years of fear, Gabby,¡± he said and placed his free hand on hers.


    ¡°I know there¡¯s still this huge war, but I wish they would at least treat you like a person.¡± She lowered her head.


    ¡°I have to go get ready now, I wouldn¡¯t worry about it too much. We¡¯ll get to spend plenty of time together because of all this,¡± he said, and softly pulled his hand away. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.


    She looked back up at him with a small frown, he let out a chuff and smiled again.


    ¡°Just think of it like being able to go on extra long dates all the time. Even though we¡¯ll be at home,¡± he said as he turned and went to the coat rack.


    She blushed and turned around. ¡°Hey, can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Sure, what is it?¡± he said and picked up his coat and duffle bag.


    ¡°Earlier, on the couch, why did you decide to kiss me?¡± she said bashfully, raising her shoulders to hide her face in her hair.


    ¡°That mark on your finger doesn¡¯t just give you more magic,¡± he said while he walked slow walk to her room.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she clasped her hands together and felt her body get hot again.


    ¡°How did you think I know that you were being attacked by those Darklings? Those markings allow me to sense your emotions. Trepidation, fear, desperation¡­ Love.¡± he said and turned to face her.


    ¡°You mean¡­ You could sense my emotions this whole time?¡± she said, surprised and embarrassed.


    She covered her face with her hands. She remembered all the times her feelings got the best of her when it came to him while he wasn¡¯t around. She also felt that it violated her privacy, and even though she was a little mad at him for using the mark to pick up on how she was feeling, she didn¡¯t wish that he had done differently. After all, she never would have gotten that far with him if he didn¡¯t know how she really felt.


    ¡°I only pay attention to the strongest ones, if that¡¯s any consolation. And I won¡¯t use it again unless it¡¯s an emergency, if that will make you feel any better,¡± he said and continued to walk to her room.


    ¡°I¡¯ll trust you to keep your word, then,¡± she said as she peeked through her hands.


    ¡°I know it¡¯ll be impossible for me to know if I¡¯m using it or not, but I couldn¡¯t just ignore what I was sensing, I hope you¡¯ll forgive me for using it in such a selfish way,¡± he said, then opened her bedroom door.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I forgive you, just don¡¯t use it like that again,¡± she said, relieved, and took her hands off her face.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± he said and smiled again, he then looked in her room and then back to her. ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I use your room to get dressed, do you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll be out here,¡± she said and smiled back, then relaxed her shoulders and moved her hair out of her face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll in and out real quick, thanks,¡± he said with a nod, and went inside, closing the door behind him.


    She sat down and turned the television on. After she found a channel that was playing old rubber hose cartoons, she set down the remote. Feeling sentimental, she leaned on her elbow with an open hand, and thought about what just happened. Her hands still held the warmth of his chest, and the warmth of his lips still remained on hers. Phantom sensations of him holding her close still lingered on all the places he touched.


    Her head then felt cloudy, like she was in a dream. She hoped that it wasn¡¯t - because it would have been cruel for her mind to imagine all the things she did with him only for it to disappear, leaving it an unanswered prayer. Even though she could hardly believe it was real, she was still riding high on the unexplainable feelings she got from that romantic encounter.


    The door opened behind her, she snapped out of her trance and got up as she spun around.


    ¡°All done, sorry I stayed a bit longer than expected but, you know,¡± he said and blushed, his cheeks turning gray.


    ¡°Where do you need to go? I wish you would stay longer,¡± she said, gripping the top of the couch seat.


    ¡°Back to the hospital, I need to prepare for tonight,¡± he said as he walked to the door.


    ¡°Hospital? Why would you need to go there? Is it really going to be that bad?¡± she said and got up from the couch.


    ¡°Using light magic on a Darkling isn¡¯t the most pleasant experience. I¡¯m going to need some assistance if I¡¯m going to go through it without it feeling worse than giving birth,¡± he said while he rubbed the back of his neck.


    ¡°What do you mean by assistance?¡± she asked while she walked up to him.


    ¡°Enough painkillers to kill ten elephants probably. If I¡¯m acting a bit funny when you go back to Elega, it might be because of that, just letting you know beforehand,¡± he said as he looked back at her, his hand still on his neck.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it if it¡¯s going to hurt you that much,¡± she said as she grabbed his arm.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have much of a choice, you don¡¯t want me in the royal prison or dead, this is the next best thing,¡± he retorted, took his hand of his neck and grabbed her free hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want any of that, is there really nothing else we can do?¡± she begged, turning her hand around in his and gripping it.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, and there wouldn¡¯t have been any options for us if the ritual was lost to history. I¡¯m at least thankful for that,¡± he said, then pulled his hand back and wrapped his hands around her, bringing her in for a hug.


    ¡°I just, I just don¡¯t want to hurt you,¡± she said, then wrapped her arms around his neck.


    ¡°It¡¯ll only be the one time, think of it like giving me a tattoo, only it does more than just look pretty,¡± he said, pulling away and putting his hands on her arms.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll try,¡± she said and nodded.


    He quickly kissed her on the lips and spun around.


    ¡°Good, I¡¯ll see you tonight then.¡± He opened the door and walked outside, then grabbed the door handle.


    Before he closed the door, he looked back at her.


    ¡°Love you,¡± he said and smiled back at her.


    ¡°I love you too,¡± she said, her face turning beet red.


    He exhaled, still grinning, and shut the door- Leaving her by herself.

 The Ritual

    When she woke back at Elega, Gabrielle groaned - the weird position she was sleeping in pained her, there was a crick in her back from it. As she raised her head and placed a hand on her side, Skyler¡¯s hand slid out from under her. She turned her head forward and felt a jolt of pain in her neck and she yiped, her hand reflexively shooting up to cover the aching spot. Her rear end was numb from sleeping on the chair so long, phantom pins and needles shot across her legs as she moved them around.


    While she was massaging her sore spots, Skyler slowly pulled his elbows up and hoisted himself to a sitting position. His head wobbled, and he brought a hand to his face.


    She let out another groan. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    He mumbled unintelligibly, ¡°...ne. Fine.¡±


    ¡°Fine what?¡± she asked as she stretched her right arm, her hand grabbing the left side of her neck.


    ¡°Me, I¡¯m¡­ Fine,¡± he muttered, slurring his words.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound fine,¡± she said, worried by his sudden change in speech.


    ¡°Painkillers,¡± he groggily boomed, sliding his feet off the bed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, you shouldn¡¯t get, ah!¡± she yelped as she tried to get up, sharp jabbing sensations ran like a wave down both her legs. She desperately tried to stand so she could walk around the bed and stop him from trying to stand himself, she was afraid he¡¯d fall flat on his face.


    He raised himself up and stood, went still for a few seconds, and turned around, his hands outstretched.


    ¡°See? Fine,¡± he said with a smile, then wobbled and almost fell over, but he stepped in the opposite direction, keeping himself from falling.


    ¡°No way I¡¯m letting you walk by yourself like that. Wait for my legs to wake up first, you can use my shoulder again,¡± she said demandingly, she couldn¡¯t see him making it that far without falling and hurting himself. Even if she was sore from sleeping on the chair, she refused to let him go without her, her and nobody else.


    She impatiently stomped her feet, trying to get her legs to awaken, it wasn¡¯t as bad as before, but there was still numbness under the multiple sharp poking sensations. She waited in trepidation, luckily Skyler had his hands on the bed and was holding himself up that way, his head was lowered as it was slowly drifting from one side to the next. Relief washed over her as the sleepiness in her legs faded, and as soon as the numbness was gone, she bolted towards him.


    She grabbed his arm, pulling him towards her. He stumbled, and their heads collided. She shouted in pain, but put her other hand out and on his side to straighten him upright.


    ¡°S-sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to do that,¡± she said with an awkward and wobbly voice.


    ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­ I swear¡­¡± he said groggily, as if in a trance.


    She turned to look at his face, and found his eyes were mostly closed.


    ¡°You must be half asleep, poor thing,¡± she said with a frown, and grabbed his arm. She strung it across the back of her neck and let his hand rest on her shoulder. She carefully pulled him closer, and his arm draped over her chest. His head found it¡¯s way onto her shoulder, and their heads met ear to ear. His weight beared down on her, though it wasn¡¯t a problem.


    ¡°I see he has prepared himself sufficiently for what is to come,¡± Cara¡¯s voice came from behind her.


    ¡°He can¡¯t even stand by himself, whatever it is it must be pretty cruel,¡± she said with venom in her voice as she turned both herself and him around.


    ¡°You say that to me like I am the one who invented it. I assure you I am not, and I would appreciate it if you didn¡¯t treat me like I did,¡± Cara said defiantly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why you couldn¡¯t do anything about all the hate he¡¯s getting just for being what he is,¡± she said, she resented her because there could have been something she could have done to change the people¡¯s minds.


    ¡°Even if I declared that Darklings were no longer our enemies, that would not change the hearts of the people. I don¡¯t appreciate you blaming me for all of this at all, in fact, take that back. Right now,¡± Cara said, then started to open her eyes. As soon as she raised her eyelids, a bright light shot out from underneath them and bathed the infirmary in light.


    Gabrielle held a hand in front of her face and squinted her eyes. ¡°What the- What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°You need to understand that this world won¡¯t bend to you every whim, child. I too, tried to change the world, as did others, just because you have power doesn¡¯t mean that it has the impact to change the feelings of such a large group of people.¡± Cara¡¯s eyes were completely open by this point, making everything a blinding white.


    Everything around Gabrielle seemed to disappear except Skyler and herself, and even her hand couldn¡¯t keep the light from blinding her. Squeezing her eyes shut, she put her hand over her face in a futile attempt to keep the light out. Even with her eyes shut, the yellow color that she saw when her eyes were closed made it seem like it was the middle of a bright summer day.


    ¡°Cara what are you doing? Close your eyes, you are scaring her,¡± Shai¡¯s voice was a far away shout.


    Everything then went black, Gabrielle stood there for a few seconds, still on guard.


    ¡°You can open your eyes now. Goodness Cara, what has gotten into you?¡± Shai¡¯s voice was closer now, the sound of footsteps bounced off of the walls of the silent hallway.


    She opened her eyes and slowly took her hand off her face, Cara was standing there with a scowl like she had just eaten ten lemons and smelled something extremely bad all at the same time, contorting her fair countenance.


    Shai was next to Cara with her hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°What happened Cara? You usually do not act this way,¡± Shai said worriedly, rubbing Cara¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Take it back¡­¡± Cara said, her scowl softening as her upper lip wobbled and tears pooled under her eyes.


    ¡°What do you mean? What did she say to you?¡± Shai asked, leaning in closer.


    ¡°I did everything I could, everything. I even tried to find the book,¡± Cara said as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. ¡°Don¡¯t you think I feel responsible for what happens all my children and grandchildren? Don¡¯t you think I agonize over the fact that I was the only one who was saved? That I had wished countless times that my daughters or grandsons were saved instead?¡± she clasped her hands together and lowered her head and sniffled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to make you cry, I take back what I said,¡± Gabrielle said as she gripped Skyler¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this Cara, the ritual is about to start,¡± Shai said and shook Cara lightly.


    ¡°I know, I just¡­ I couldn¡¯t help it,¡± she said and wiped her tears, letting out another long sniffle. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, just give me a second.¡±


    ¡°Pull yourself together, we can¡¯t be late,¡± Shai said and pulled her hand away.


    Cara¡¯s head shoots up and then she spun around. ¡°I¡¯m ready, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Someone tugged at Skyler, and Gabrielle¡¯s head snapped to the right just as an armed guard gave another tug on his arm. Her grip slipped and Skyler tumbled into the guard, who grabbed him and started to pull him away.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Gabrielle shouted, and turned to run, she bolted towards the two and managed to grab the collar of Skyler¡¯s trench coat. She yanked at it with all her strength to try and loosen the guard¡¯s grip on him.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I called him here, he needs to be prepared for the ritual separately,¡± Shai said, and walked up to Gabrielle and tried and separate her from Skyler.


    ¡°No, let him go!¡± Gabrielle cried while yanking Skyler¡¯s collar again, her upper lip wobbled and tears pooled under her eyes. She wasn¡¯t about to give up without a fight. She thought about the ritual again, and hated the idea. If she had to be separated from him, there was no telling what they would do to him while she wasn¡¯t looking. She saw the looks the guards gave him when she first brought him to the enclave, there was no trusting the same people who had such disdain for him.


    ¡°Gabrielle please, they aren¡¯t going to do anything to him, just let them do their job,¡± Shai said as she grabbed her shoulder and pulled her backwards.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is right, I won¡¯t let any guards take him. Bring someone else, I refuse to let a guard take him,¡± she said, trying to loosen the guard¡¯s grip by pulling at the collar again.


    Shai sighed. ¡°Alright, fine, I¡¯ll call someone else. Guard, let him be,¡± she said as she let go of her shoulder and stepped away.


    The guard let Skyler go, and Gabrielle caught him before he fell. ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered as she stood Skyler up and lent her shoulder to him again.


    Someone else stepped out from behind the door next to them as the guard walked out. He was wearing a hooded cloak, and had the same features as the one who was sleeping next to her when Gabrielle woke up at Elega.


    ¡°You¡­ I remember you,¡± Gabrielle said as the man walked up to her.


    ¡°You summoned me, my lady?¡± The man looked to Shai as he grabbed Skyler¡¯s arm.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Yes, this man¡¯s future guardian does not like guards it seems, she was very rowdy. Please take him to the stadium for us,¡± Shai said and pointed to the door.


    ¡°Stadium? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re selling tickets for people to watch him get hurt!¡± Gabrielle snapped at Shai, she thought the ritual would take place in a quiet room with very little people. The thought of people cheering Skyler¡¯s pain and jeering at him was sickening.


    ¡°No tickets, and only those from Parliament and the Veil of Light are allowed to attend,¡± Shai said and stepped further back.


    ¡°And that¡¯s supposed to make things better?¡± Gabrielle said through her clenched teeth.


    The man in the hooded cloak pulled at Skyler, but Gabrielle had a hard grip on him this time.


    ¡°Ma''am, please, the same thing was done for the last one who did the ritual,¡± he said and increased the strength of his pull.


    Gabrielle paused for a moment, a look of deep thought on her face. If the same thing was done before, then she shouldn¡¯t have to worry. But if it was done so long ago, how is she to know that the people watching won¡¯t act like jerks? Although, they are powerful people, and officials of the government, so if they acted in a rude way, they probably would be dealt with. She eventually loosened her grip enough for the hooded man to pull Skyler to him.


    ¡°Thank you, I swear to take care of him,¡± he said as he slid his arms under Skyler¡¯s arms and started to drag him away.


    ¡°If you even hurt a single hair on him, I swear you¡¯ll pay for it,¡± Gabrielle said, balling her hands into fists.


    ¡°We will be taking another route to the stadium, follow us,¡± Shai said as she motioned for Gabrielle to follow her.


    She followed them down the hallway, through some paths and to the stadium. There were a large number of people in white robes, who stood on the cobblestone steps of the stadium and were facing the inwards. In the middle, Skyler was in the center, chained to a pole by his wrists and ankles.


    ¡°What?! What is this?! What have you done to him?!¡± Gabrielle shouted, running down the steps and down to the ground floor where Skyler was. He was slumped over in an uncomfortable position, his head hung low, and his arms stretched backwards.


    ¡°He¡¯s a Darkling, what did you expect them to do? It¡¯s for everyone else¡¯s protection,¡± Shai said, then turned around and jumped up and onto the top wall of the stadium. She ran around until she reached the other side, then jumped down next to a man with long white hair in a ponytail, who was the only one who didn¡¯t have a robe on.


    Cara held a frown that was small but deep, like she was trying to hide her disgust. She walked down a short ways down the steps and took the only free spot there was.


    Gabrielle got onto her knees and caressed Skyler¡¯s cheek. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. ¡°He must be asleep.¡± She turned to the shackles that were holding him, then grabbed them and gave them a tug, but they wouldn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°He will be released once the ritual is over, Light Maiden,¡± A man who stood near Shai said. He had short white hair that was spiked upwards and a widow¡¯s peak.


    ¡°He¡¯s not going to hurt anyone! Why restrain him like this?¡± Gabrielle cried, giving another strong tug Skyler¡¯s shackles.


    ¡°He¡¯s a Darkling, that¡¯s why,¡± The man with the long white hair said.


    ¡°Shiro, I know you don¡¯t like Darklings, but please give this one the benefit of the doubt, as he could be useful to us,¡± Shai said as she nudged Shiro.


    ¡°Light Maiden, stand, so that the ritual may be performed,¡± The man with short white hair said.


    ¡°...ie¡­ That¡¯s a lie,¡± Skyler mumbled, his head raising slightly. ¡°Shiro, you¡­ You met me at least three times before, you¡­ Didn¡¯t look at me like¡­ Like that,¡± he slurred, then groaned, and leaned back so his arms didn¡¯t stretch in such an odd way.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Gabrielle said as she put her hand under his chin to support his head. ¡°You need to rest, here.¡± She puts a hand on his chest and lightly pushes him back until his back touched the pole.


    He lowered his head back down and let his arms fall onto his back. ¡°Thank¡­ You,¡± he said groggily, his eyes closed and he let out a sigh.


    ¡°Again, please stand so that the ritual may be performed,¡± The same man with short white hair said.


    ¡°My king, please, they are very close, as you can see by the mark on her finger,¡± Shiro said, not needing to put on airs anymore.


    The king frowned, and fixed his small round glasses. ¡°I understand, but I can¡¯t wait for much longer. You brought the person who is to teach her how to do it, yes?¡± He said impatiently.


    ¡°Yes. Guards, open the gate.¡± Shiro said and motioned for the guards next to the door to the right of where Skyler was to do what he commanded of them.


    The guards nodded and opened the door. Dr. Gage walked out and up to the two of them.


    ¡°Dr. Gage? What are you doing here?¡± Gabrielle said, her eyes wide with surprise. Why was he here? She thought he was a simple doctor, but now he was here, in Elega, to teach her how to perform a ritual she didn¡¯t even know the details of.


    ¡°I may be a simple doctor now, but back in the day I was a very powerful light magic user,¡± he said, and took a piece of paper out of his pocket.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡± she said and stood up.


    ¡°Instead of teaching you how to do the spell, which would take an extremely long time, I decided to put the spell onto a special paper. All you need to do is get the chain and place the paper on the last link in the chain, then just close your eyes and concentrate as hard as you can.¡± He hands her the piece of paper.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any chain,¡± she said and took the paper, she looked back at him with worry etched into her brow.


    ¡°Each Darkling has a chain, it is in another plane that we usually can¡¯t reach. You are marked by him though, and that mark gives you passage. Move him a little so you can fully see the back of his neck,¡± Dr. Gage said, gesturing towards Skyler.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what the back of his neck has anything to do with it but¡­ Alright.¡± She lightly placed her hand on Skyler¡¯s shoulder and moved him to the left, leaving the back of his neck exposed.


    ¡°Now, place your hand on the back of his neck, focus hard and push inwards,¡± Dr. Gage said, brushing his hair away from his face.


    She looked at Skyler¡¯s neck, and wondered why he told her to do such a thing. She relented and took her hand off his shoulder, placing it in the middle of the back of his neck. She closed her eyes, and focused on her hand. When she felt she had focused enough, she gently pushed her hand forward, and felt skin give way to open air that was colder than the air around her.


    ¡°That¡¯s the ticket.¡± Dr. Gage said.


    As she opened her eyes, she found that her hand was inside Skyler¡¯s neck, all the way up to her wrist.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± she said, her eyes wide with shock and fear.


    ¡°You¡¯re on the right track, keep going in further until you feel something metal,¡± Dr. Gage said as he leaned over a little to take a closer look.


    She couldn¡¯t believe what was happening, and she was frozen in place due to being so afraid.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you¡¯re not hurting him by doing this. Now, try to find something metal, please. We are on borrowed time here.¡± Dr. Gage assured her. He stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder, then lightly shook her.


    ¡°A-Are you sure?¡± Gabrielle said, worried that if she put her hand in any further it would harm Skyler.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. Please, this needs to be done, for his safety. Skyler told me he had put that mark on your finger because he was trying to protect you. You are about to do the same to protect him.¡± Dr. Gage took his hand off of her shoulder and stepped back.


    ¡°Why would he tell you about that?¡± Gabrielle asked, she knew Skyler had been taking care of Elaine, but if he had only known Dr. Gage for a couple months, why would he tell him anything like that?


    ¡°Because my son is his half-brother. That makes him family, and we don¡¯t really keep secrets from each other because of that,¡± Dr. Gage said, then folded his hands behind his back.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I-I never knew that,¡± she said, her cheeks becoming red as she lowered her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you didn¡¯t know beforehand. Now, please follow my instruction.¡± Dr. Gage gestured to Skyler again.


    ¡°Alright... I guess.¡± Gabrielle hesitated for a second, then pushed her hand further in. Once she was in up to her elbow, she lowered her hand and felt ground below. It was cold and had the texture of stone. As she felt around, her fingers started to numb due to the chill of the ground. She then moved her hand to the left, and felt a biting cold hit her fingertips, which made her reflexively jolt her hand back as she cringed.


    She relaxed her face and lowered her hand back down and touched the cold object, it had a metal texture, she thought it might be the chain, so she traced the shape of the object. It made her fingers really cold but she could make out the shape of chains. She grabbed the last link and put two of her fingers through the hole of the last link, then pulled.


    Skyler let out a noise of slight pain and surprise when she yanked the chain back. Her eyes went wide for a second, then her eyes relaxed and her expression turned to one of worry. As she stopped pulling the chain back, she looked at Dr. Gage, hoping to get a response. Dr. Gage just nodded at her. She looked back at Skyler, and closed her eyes. Then she started to pull the chain back slowly.


    Once she felt warmer air on her entire hand, she opened her eyes. The black metal chain in her hand glistened in the midday light. She brought up the paper that was in her other hand, which had sigils etched onto it in silver ink, in a language she could not understand. She lowered it onto the chain coming out of Skyler¡¯s neck and closed her eyes.


    Once she did, she focused as hard as she could. The color under her eyelids brightened and her thumb and pointer fingers touched, the paper seemed to have disappeared from her hand. As she opened her eyes, a large warm metal padlock rested on her palm, it was around the last link in the chain, and was completely shut. The chain was tugged out of her hand from somewhere inside his neck, and it was quickly swallowed up and back inside wherever it was before.


    Skyler let out a loud blood curdling scream and black blood started to bubble from where the chain was coming out, which was the center. Dr. Gage quickly pulled out a roll of gauze bandages from his pocket and rushed over to him. Gabrielle stepped around to get in front of Skyler, got onto her knees and tightly embraced him. He was still screaming and it was hurting her ears, but she did not loosen her embrace to cover them. Tears pooled from under her eyes and ran down her face as she squeezed her eyes shut. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Gabrielle held him and apologized over and over again.


    Dr. Gage put a hand to Skyler¡¯s head and moved it away from the pole, then proceeded to cover his neck with bandages. Under Skyler¡¯s screams the sound of hissing could be made out. The hissing got louder and Skyler was gasping for breath, and then he was barely able to let any sound out.


    Gabrielle felt intense sadness because of how much pain Skyler was in, she didn¡¯t believe him that it would be this bad until he had let out that first scream. The hissing then started to lessen, and he was able to let out loud cries of pain instead of screams. Warm drops of tears hit Gabrielle¡¯s back and rolled down her dress slowly. She loosened her tight embrace of him by a bit and hid her face with his shoulder.


    The hissing lessened even more and the cries of pain abruptly stopped. There was only gasps for air coming from him now. He rested his chin on her shoulder and let out guttural sounds every now and then as he tried to get enough air into his body to sustain him.


    ¡°It is done, release him,¡± The king said, motioning for the guards. They came up to Skyler and held their hands over the shackles, the shackles broke open and crumbled to dust. They then walked back to guard the exit door.


    Gabrielle held onto him as his bindings were removed and he went forwards away from the pole. She looked up at Dr. Gage with her cheeks wet with tears.


    ¡°How is this even ok to do? Why was there no other way?¡± she said as she looked at everyone who stood there and watched as the ritual was happening in dead silence.


    ¡°I understand. If it was able to be done differently, I would have already suggested it.¡± Dr. Gage said solemnly, and stepped closer.


    ¡°...Alright, I¡¯m alright,¡± Skyler said, and grabbed Gabrielle¡¯s arm.


    ¡°We need to get you back to the infirmary. Right now,¡± she said and pulled away, but still held onto him by his arms.


    ¡°I will show you the way, follow me,¡± Dr. Gage said, gesturing to the exit.


    Gabrielle got Skyler onto his feet and put his arm past her neck and over her other shoulder. She then proceeded to carry him while following Dr. Gage. Eventually they got to the infirmary, and she carefully laid him onto a hospital bed.


    She caressed Skyler¡¯s cheek as he slept. As she sat down onto the chair next to the bed, Cara peeked in.


    ¡°Is he alright?¡± Cara asked as she wiped tears from her cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he is¡­ Look, I¡¯m sorry about earlier, I couldn¡¯t control myself,¡± Gabrielle said as she lowered her head and continued to stroke Skyler¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about that, I¡­ I cannot get his screams out of my head,¡± Cara said, her upper lip wobbling slightly.


    ¡°So it¡¯s not just me, I hope it goes away soon for you too,¡± Gabrielle said as she raised her head back up to look at her.


    ¡°I hope so as well,¡± Cara said as she slowly turned away and walked out.


    She pulled her hand back and crossed her arms in front of her, then laid her arms down onto the side of the bed, and placed her head onto her arms. She closed her eyes, and focused on her breathing. Eventually, the noise in her head faded, and her mind went blank as she fell into a deep sleep.

 The Fallen and Forsaken

    Gabrielle turned in her bed as her alarm went off, she rolled over and quickly hit the button on her alarm clock to stop its loud beeping. Then she felt a familiar form next to her, which she knew was Skyler¡¯s. She remembered what happened earlier and sat up as she wiped the sand from her eyes. As she looked over, she wondered if the painkillers left his system yet, and when her eyes met Skyler¡¯s form, she found he was still fast asleep.


    ¡°Skyler, are you alright? Wake up,¡± she whispered, lightly grabbing his arm and shaking him awake.


    He slowly opened his eyes and rose from her bed. He wore the same thing as the last time he woke up next to her, only this time he had bloody bandages around his neck. He groaned and brought his hand up to the nape of it, then sucked air through his teeth as he touched it, and his hand recoiled back.


    ¡°It still hurts? I hope the pain goes away soon,¡± she said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think touching it would hurt that bad, now I know better,¡± he grumbled as he got up, her hand sliding off of his shoulder in the process.


    ¡°Does light magic really hurt that bad all the time?¡± Gabrielle asked as she got up herself.


    ¡°It won¡¯t do that much anymore, after this I¡¯m basically safe if anybody who knows extremely powerful light magic tries to kill me. Except for maybe you.¡± He turned around and looked at her, a look of relief on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re functioning better, I thought you would still be under the painkillers¡­ Wait, what do you mean ¡®except for maybe you¡¯? Why would I try to kill you?¡± She turned back at him with a mix of worry and shock plastered onto her face.


    ¡°That¡¯s the only person the mark you gave me won¡¯t protect me from. And I¡¯m the only person that the mark I gave you won¡¯t protect you from,¡± he said and then pointed to the mark on her finger.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that if someone with black magic tried to kill me, it wouldn¡¯t affect me as much?¡± Gabrielle said as she walked to her closet.


    ¡°Exactly, though it¡¯s not to be handed out like candy, marking someone is very serious. It should only be used if someone¡¯s life is in great danger,¡± he said as he walked to the door.


    ¡°Are you saying my life was in danger? How?¡± Gabrielle asked, looking back from her closet as she was in the middle of getting together her work dress.


    ¡°You could have woken up at Elega a few months later, but I found out that a certain someone was back, and I didn¡¯t know what he would do.¡±


    ¡°You mean that Warlock you were talking about before? Oh, darn, what else was there?¡± she said, she remembered him saying something about a Warlock some time ago, and something about a throne, but she couldn¡¯t remember the rest of it, and it drove her nuts.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought it was right to tell you about it. I thought the throne was secure because my friend, who you saw before, he was at the door, he was holding it.¡± Skyler turned back away from the door and leaned on it while he folded his arms.


    ¡°Holding it for who, you?¡± she asked and stood up.


    ¡°Yeah. I was still in bad shape after the big fight that happened which resulted in all of the Lords of Darkness getting killed, so I had Pain hold the fort. Unfortunately, someone attacked him, overpowered him and stole the throne,¡± he said as he shook his head.


    ¡°I have a hard time believing you are the rightful king of darkness.¡± She turned back to her closet and grabbed her work dress.


    ¡°For a time I was trained to take on that role once it was given to me, until they found I wouldn¡¯t break,¡± he said and stood back up.


    ¡°I had no idea,¡± she said as she whipped back around, still clutching her work dress. ¡°What do you mean ¡®break?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t exactly want someone who could think for themself, they wanted a puppet. Those who aren¡¯t accustomed to being one are broken down mentally and rebuilt to serve that role,¡± he said as he turned around and put his hand on the doorknob.


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible, that won¡¯t happen to me, will it?¡± she said and tried to find her work hat while still looking in his direction.


    ¡°No, of course not. Parliament doesn¡¯t dirty themselves with those kinds of tactics,¡± he said as he opened the door.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­ Ah, you remember where the phone is, don¡¯t you? You can call your friend to bring you your clothes again, I¡¯ve got to get ready,¡± she said and turned back around and finally found her work hat, grabbed it and started to walk to the bathroom.


    ¡°I know where it is, and thanks,¡± he said as he walked out.


    Gabrielle quickly got ready and went out into the living room. Skyler was sitting on the couch watching television.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just drink a breakfast shake and be off, I hope that¡¯s ok,¡± she said, then walked to the fridge and grabbed one from it¡¯s six pack container, then promptly drank it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need my permission to do anything in your own house, silly. Oh, I heard it¡¯s ¡®take your kids to work day,¡¯ say hi to my half-brother for me, you¡¯ll recognize him by the metallic silver stripes in his hair,¡± Skyler said as he relaxed on the couch.


    ¡°Silver stripes, huh? What a weird hairstyle,¡± she said with a giggle, and walked to the door.


    ¡°He was born with them, funnily enough, that¡¯s what Dr. Gage said.¡± He chuckled, then crossed his legs.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d better get going now, love you, bye!¡± she said as she opened the door to leave.


    ¡°Love you too, have a good day at work,¡± he said as he looked back up at her as she left.


    Gabrielle went inside the hospital and walked up to the monitor to slide her card. Behind the desk was a different person, it was a woman with black hair styled downwards into points at the ends. She was rubbing the pale skin of her lower arm while her red colored eyes seemed deep in thought.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Gabrielle said meekly, since the woman behind the counter seemed imposing. It must have been the vibes she was giving off, because her body language wasn¡¯t all that noteworthy, it just felt like there was something off about her.


    ¡°Yeah, whatever,¡± The woman grumbled with a sharp and slightly raspy voice, never once taking her eyes off the monitor in front of her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, she¡¯s always like that,¡± an unfamiliar voice came from behind Gabrielle.


    She turned around, and a young man stood behind her, it was Skyler¡¯s half-brother, she knew because of the large vertical metallic silver stripes in his chin length hair. He looked back at her with equally metallic silver eyes, she couldn¡¯t tell if it was a trick of her eyes but she could have sworn that the colors of his eyes were moving like waves. He had gloves that went up to his elbows, and sharp claws on his hands as well, which was strange since his father didn¡¯t have them too. She wondered to herself how everyone with claws on their hands keep getting elbow-length gloves.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re Skyler¡¯s half-brother aren¡¯t you?¡± Gabrielle asked and gave a small bow.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s told you about me? He usually doesn¡¯t talk about me to other people, that¡¯s a first. The name¡¯s Drake.¡± He outstretched a hand for a handshake, and gave her a small smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it, he might poke you with those sharp claws of his.¡± The woman grinned haughtily, she was looking away from the monitor and had her head tilted slightly.


    ¡°Shut it Madina, don¡¯t make me tell her more about you.¡± Drake leaned to the side to see past Gabrielle and frowned at Madina.


    ¡°Now now, you two, stop it,¡± Gabrielle said and put a hand in between the two.


    ¡°Alright, sorry.¡± Drake said and stood back up, his face turning red out of embarrassment.


    ¡°I told you to focus on your work instead of instigating things with my son, Madina,¡± Dr. Gage said as he walked in.


    ¡°Oh, Doctor, you¡¯re here. I was just about to go to room 204.¡± Gabrielle said and put her hand back down to her side.


    ¡°Speaking of that, you¡¯ll have to follow me there, I have something to show you,¡± Dr. Gage said as he walked to the smaller hallway where all the rooms were.


    She followed Dr. Gage, Drake following closely behind her, to room 204 where Elaine was staying at. They went in, and Elaine was connected to only a heart monitor and a feeding tube, and she was no longer intubated. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be in a deep sleep.


    On a desk next to her hospital bed, there was a strange machine. It had metal on the top and bottom and blue glass for the middle portion that had a faint red glow inside of it, and it had wires coming out of it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve devised a treatment for Elaine. I will tell you where I got the ingredients for it later, but for now, I would like you to simply sit back and observe,¡± Dr Gage said as he grabbed the wires from the table and threaded them over to Elaine.


    Just as soon as he connected her to the device, her eyes shot open and she rose from the hospital bed all by herself.


    ¡°What in the fresh hell?¡± Drake said as he covered his mouth in surprise


    ¡°Drake, you cherub, is that really you?¡± Elaine asked and smiled warmly, revealing her fanged upper canines. Her eyes had no iris or pupil and were pure white, and she was turning her head from side to side, as if she was trying to find out where his voice was coming from.


    ¡°How is she moving on her own? This is incredible! You told me it would take her at least another two weeks to even wake up, let alone sit up without any help!¡± Gabrielle said excitedly, she was full of adrenaline from witnessing such a medical miracle.


    ¡°Hmm? A voice I don¡¯t recognize? Drake, do you know this person?¡± Elaine said, turning her head towards him.


    ¡°She knows Skyler, father told me about her, hey wait a minute,¡± Drake said, his eyes turning red and his teeth along with his jaw morphed into an identical maw that Skyler had once shown Gabrielle.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Drake. Don¡¯t scare the nurse,¡± Dr. Gage said defensively, stepping back from his son.


    ¡°I recognize that essence, is she here? And did she allow you to do this? What did you do to her?¡± Drake said in a menacing and demanding tone, his maw unmoving.


    ¡°I told her about what her sister was going through, of course she did. I would never do anything to her without her consent, you and I both know that. I didn¡¯t hurt her at all, and I¡¯m honestly offended that you think I did,¡± Dr. Gage scolded Drake, and never once broke eye contact with him while doing so.


    Gabrielle was silent and frozen in fear. She felt that this was different than the last time she saw a maw like that, it wasn¡¯t relaxed like when she saw Skyler¡¯s face transform into that, it was more sinister.


    ¡°So she is here! Where is she? You never told me Mother was here! I want to see Mother, right now!¡± Drake was talking himself into a tizzy, there was a mix of anger and desperation in his voice.


    ¡°If I knew this was how you¡¯d be acting I would have never let you come here, what¡¯s gotten into you?¡± Dr. Gage asked, he looked stone faced but there was apparent worry in his voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this. I need to see Mother, now!¡± Drake shouted as he moved his hand towards his chest, leaving a ghostly snapshot of his hand behind it.


    ¡°Please forgive me for this, Drake,¡± Dr. Gage said and raised his wrist. A loud click resounded and a needle flew out of the sleeve of his coat, striking Drake in the neck.


    Drake yelped and recoiled backwards, gripping the needle that was poking out of his neck. He pulled it out, walked a few steps backwards and crumpled backwards onto the wall.


    Gabrielle turned around and walked up to Drake¡¯s unconscious body.


    ¡°Stop! I wouldn¡¯t do that, he could wake up at any time and attack you, please leave him there for at least a few minutes before you go to retrieve him.¡± Dr. Gage stepped forward and put a hand into his pocket, he pulled out another needle and loaded it into the contraption that shot one at Drake earlier.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°So this is my sister¡¯s essence you are using, you never told me that last time you did this. You shouldn¡¯t have brought Drake here, he wasn¡¯t like this before his separate personality merged back into him, now every hint of his mother makes him go crazy.¡± Elaine said gravely as she blindly looked over to the wires connecting her to the machine.


    ¡°I never knew that until just now,¡± Dr. Gage said and stepped forward, away from the wires.


    ¡°I gave him a brush she was using for comfort reasons. He proceeded to freak out and demand information on where she was, when I had gotten the brush from her months prior. He didn¡¯t like hearing that, and proceeded to have a mental breakdown.¡± Elaine looked back up and in Dr. Gage¡¯s direction while she brought her other hand to the wires on her elbow.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t about to reveal where she was because of how he was acting. His behavior would spook her,¡± Dr. Gage said as he walked over and picked up the spent needle next to Drake¡¯s sleeping form, which had become normal again.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on in here? I heard Drake- oh jeez.¡± Skyler had just walked in on the current scene and jumped back when he saw Drake crumpled up on the floor.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell Dr. Gage that Drake can¡¯t handle any hint of your mother without going ballistic?¡± Elaine asked Skyler with a disappointed tone in her voice.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve said it, I did feel her presence when I walked in¡­ Wait a second, how are you sitting up and talking to me? I don¡¯t understand anything anymore..¡± Skyler brought a hand up to his head.


    ¡°Skyler! Thank goodness you¡¯re here! How is your neck?¡± Gabrielle asked as she quickly walked up to him.


    ¡°It still stings a little, but that¡¯s not the big issue here, what happened to Drake?¡± Skyler said as he kneeled down over Drake.


    ¡°He was acting violently, so I gave him the same tranquilizers as you, when you asked for them. I had some leftover,¡± Dr. Gage said, then looked back at Drake with a sad expression.


    ¡°Anything in relation to Mother makes him go bonkers lately, it¡¯s weird, I can¡¯t explain it. I think it¡¯d be best if I brought him to my place for a while,¡± Skyler said and picked him up off the floor, carrying him in his arms.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad, she¡¯s visiting the hospital right now, and I¡¯m not sure when you¡¯ll be able to see her again, as it has always been like that with her,¡± Dr. Gage said with remorse, turning back slowly to face the machine behind him.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, us both being immortal makes the chance of me and her meeting up again one hundred percent. Doesn¡¯t matter how many different worlds she falls into, she¡¯ll come back eventually.¡± Skyler turned around with the fast asleep Drake in his arms.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tonight, won¡¯t I Skyler?¡± Gabrielle asked as she spun around to face him, wondering if watching his half-brother would take priority over everything else.


    ¡°Of course you will, I¡¯ll have Pain take care of him after he wakes up,¡± Skyler said as he slowly walked out.


    Once the two left the room, she turned back around. Elaine had her head lowered and was gripping the white hospital gown she was in. Gabrielle was confused, was the treatment not working?


    Dr. Gage walked up to her and lightly placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Now now, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll show up soon,¡± he said as he knelt down.


    ¡°I completely forgot until Skyler made me remember¡­ He¡¯s been here while I was asleep, right?¡± Elaine said with a shaky voice and looked up at Dr. Gage with the beginnings of tears in her milky white eyes.


    ¡°He¡¯s been here every day, I have visitor list to prove it,¡± Dr. Gage said, taking his hand off her shoulder and brought a bluetooth ear piece out of his pocket.


    He puts it on his ear and walks to the doorway. ¡°Madina, I¡¯m in room 204, could you get the visitor list for me?¡± he nodded a few seconds later and then took off the earpiece after shutting it off and then put it back in his pocket.


    Madina¡¯s grumbles echoed off the sterile walls as she got closer to the room, getting closer until her thin form slinked into view. She handed Dr. Gage the visitor list on its clipboard with an intense scowl on her face.


    ¡°Madina, if you don¡¯t want to work here you could just quit, you know.¡± Dr. Gage lightly grabbed the list from her hand.


    ¡°I can¡¯t pay my bills with random gigs from nobodies, I¡¯m still climbing that ladder, remember?¡± Madina said, her scowl deflating into a look of defeat and depression.


    ¡°Also, I¡¯m glad you decided to take my advice, it really is much better hearing you talk without your sentences being littered with curse words,¡± Dr. Gage said as he turned around and walked back to Elaine.


    ¡°Oh so many colorful things I could say, but can¡¯t. You will just have to feel my rage and displeasure instead.¡± Madina turned around and walked away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s forget she ever said that.¡± Dr. Gage knelt down and skimmed through the list.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to read it out for me, I can¡¯t see it.¡± Elaine reached out and felt for Dr. Gage, then found his arm and gave his sleeve a light tug.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go over the last week, ah, here, he¡¯s come in sometimes multiple times each day. Other than Skyler, Pain has been here every day as well, and Kalan has come to check on you every other day.¡± Dr. Gage stood back up, pulling free of Elaine¡¯s flimsy grip.


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll show up today?¡± Elaine asked, looking in Dr. Gage¡¯s general direction.


    ¡°What do you mean he has it?¡± A voice similar to Pain¡¯s but angrier echoed so far that it reached their ears.


    ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± Elaine said excitedly, putting closed hands to her cheeks excitedly.


    ¡°Uh oh, I¡¯m in trouble now, I¡¯ll be right back,¡± Dr. Gage said with a chuckle as he took the visitor list to the front.


    ¡°You mean Pain and that guy are two separate people? They sound exactly the same, how does that work?¡± Gabrielle asked, looking to Elaine for answers.


    ¡°Oh that, it¡¯s a long story but¡­ They used to be the same person. You¡¯ll be able to tell they are different when you see Hex. They also act like two different people, too.¡± Elaine took her hands off her face and gripped her hospital gown again, wrinkling it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask you about it later then.¡± Gabrielle walked up to check Elaine¡¯s vitals, which were all normal.


    Loud and fast footsteps thundered down the hall, coupled with heavy panting. A man who looked exactly like Pain, short and small framed with the same hairstyle, entered. His skin was a normal flesh color, which was the only thing that made him and Pain physically look different.


    ¡°Elaine!¡± He shouted with tired relief in his voice and ran up to her, he threw his arms around her in a tight embrace.


    ¡°Hex, it¡¯s been too long.¡± Elaine returned his embrace, and moved her hand slowly across his back.


    ¡°I love you so much, I¡¯ve waited so long for this moment.¡± He put a hand on the back of her head and ran his fingers through her hair.


    ¡°I love you, too, and I¡¯ve been waiting to tell you that again for a long, long time.¡± Elaine rested her chin on his shoulder and closed her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m back, I see you two are getting along just fine.¡± Dr. Gage walked back inside.


    ¡°Is this any different than how they¡¯ve acted towards each other before?¡± Gabrielle asked as she turned towards him.


    ¡°They used to hate each other, actually,¡± Dr. Gage said, a relieved look on his face.


    ¡°Used to,¡± Hex said, not moving from the spot he was in.


    ¡°There¡¯s a very good reason for the sudden change, but it¡¯s still a fresh wound so I wouldn¡¯t ask,¡± Dr. Gage said as he turned around and walked to the doorway.


    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t,¡± Gabrielle said, looking at the two lovers wistfully, thinking back to her intimate encounter with Skyler.


    ¡°I have someone I want you to meet, if you would follow me,¡± Dr. Gage said, gesturing towards the hallway.


    ¡°Are you saying that I can meet her?¡± Gabrielle asked, her eyes wide with shock.


    ¡°Yes, follow me to the elevator.¡± Dr. Gage turned the corner and walked further down the hallway.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know we had an elevator, I wouldn¡¯t have taken the stairs all this time if I knew.¡± Gabrielle followed closely behind him as they walked further down the hall.


    He took a sharp right at the end of the hall, the elevator was crammed into a tiny corner, facing the bathrooms. He pressed the button to call it, and it opened.


    ¡°Do you use it often?¡± Gabrielle said as she walked in with him.


    ¡°Yes, I have to. I can¡¯t constrain myself to one realm of existence. This elevator connects me to all of the hospitals I have built in this dimension and the next. I had moved Elaine from the floor she was on to here so you could take care of her, which is why Hex had to come here by his own volition.¡± he pressed the button that was labeled with the number Four, and folded his hands behind his back.


    ¡°You have two hospitals in two different dimensions? I thought this was just a regular hospital.¡± Gabrielle put a hand to her head, all the confusing information she was getting was scrambling her brain.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing regular about me and my job, I didn¡¯t arrive where you first met me until I was already thirty years old. I was from a completely different dimension, much like Elega, but greener.¡± Dr. Gage grabbed the rail as the elevator rumbled.


    ¡°How do you know about Elega?¡± Gabrielle asked as she walked backwards and grabbed the railing behind her.


    ¡°I visit there from time to time, Drake has taken me there before to show me the new technology he has been working on. I also know that it is where Skyler was reborn into his new body, though it looked different back then. His hands and halfway up his lower arms were completely metal, and he had four fingers instead of five. His feet and halfway up his shin were metal, and he had four toes as well, only there was a fifth toe on the back of the back of his heel,¡± he said, looking up at nothing.


    ¡°What changed him to how he looks like now?¡± she said as she gripped the railing behind her.


    ¡°After he killed his uncle, he had enough power to change his physical form a bit. He used the power he gained from slaying the Centaur Brothers to complete his body. The exposed metal parts of his body were an addition his father made, to take away the skin on their upper arms and lower legs was, to Skyler¡¯s mother, akin of taking an entire sense away from them. It was like leaving them deaf or blind.¡± Dr. Gage lowered his head and gripped the railing hard.


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible, I guess that¡¯s one of the many reasons why he hated his father,¡± Gabrielle said, taking a hand off of the railing to brush the hair out of her face.


    ¡°Believe me, I would have treated him differently. That monster didn¡¯t fully appreciate Deeana or the powers she wields, he was too busy thinking about world domination. An heir was only a means to an end for him, he spat on the precious gift of life he was given, it was painful to watch,¡± he said as he shook his head in disbelief.


    ¡°How long does it take to get to the fourth floor? We¡¯ve been in here a while.¡± Gabrielle frantically looked around, wondering if everything was working as intended.


    ¡°There are only two floors in the building you know, and I don¡¯t have an elevator to the upper floor in the other building at Lyserge, only to the basement, so that makes three. The fourth floor goes to a floor that doesn¡¯t exist in your reality, so it will take some time to get there.¡± he gripped the railings again as another rumble shook the cab of the elevator again.


    The light dinging sound that signaled that they reached their desired floor rang out, and the doors slid open. The musty smell of old sheets permeated the air. She stepped past Dr. Gage and entered the fourth floor. There were a bunch of couches covered with white linens, one with a damp spot on one of the seats, like someone was doused with water.


    On a couch in the right side of the room laid a short and lanky girl covered in bandages. Her long blonde hair was splayed out beneath her, and she had a large white seal plush that she was hugging. Her eyes were much like Madina¡¯s, only they were more innocent looking. The claws on her hands and feet wiggled a little in their places, and the single claw on the back of each of her feet dug into the couch.


    ¡°Max, why did you bring a nurse here? I said I was fine.¡± The girl rolled over and sat up, looking at Gabrielle with a soft and inquisitive gaze.


    ¡°Well, my dear, she¡¯s been hearing a lot about you from your sons, mostly Skyler. I thought she should meet the woman who brought her beloved back into the realm of the living.¡± he stepped out as well, the doors closing behind him.


    ¡°Beloved? Oh, the markings on her finger, I see. So he finally has a beloved? I¡¯m so happy for him, he¡¯s been through a lot and needs the support.¡± Deeana hugged the plushie in her arms tightly, the features on the bottom of her face moving upwards slightly, though there was no discernable mouth or nose behind her bandages.


    ¡°You¡¯re Skyler¡¯s mom? But you¡¯re so small, how old are you?¡± Gabrielle asked, kneeling down slightly so she could be head-to-head with Deeana.


    ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten again, Max, can you use that thing again that tells my age in human years?¡± Deeana pointed to Dr. Gage¡¯s pocket, resting her chin on the plushie in her arms.


    ¡°Alright, one second.¡± Dr. Gage rummaged through the pocket she pointed too and took out a small finger clamp device with a screen on top. He walked up to her and put it on her middle finger.


    ¡°Twenty eight, it says.¡± Dr. Gage pointed to the screen, which lit up with the exact numbers that he said.


    ¡°Oh dear, I¡¯m almost thirty. Did you ever freak out when you became thirty, Max?¡± Deeana asked, looking up at him, the lights in the room reflecting off of her eyes.


    ¡°Not really, I don¡¯t have much time to worry about age.¡± he took off the device and put it back into his pocket.


    ¡°Is Elaine doing fine? Did the treatment go as planned?¡± Deanna criss-crossed her legs together and leaned back onto the couch.


    ¡°Yes, as soon as I hooked her up to it, she sprang up and started chattering like she used to,¡± Dr.Gage laughed and patted Deeana¡¯s head.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I hope I gave you enough for her complete recovery, I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll teleport away again.¡± Deeana lowered her head, resting her chin on the soft plushie again.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I extracted as much as I could in those three days, I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s enough.¡± he took his hand off her head and brushed her bangs aside.


    ¡°How are Skyler and Drake, by the way? It¡¯s been so long since Drake has last seen me.¡± Deeana messed with her hair and put her bangs back in place.


    ¡°Drake needs to stay away from the hospital Elaine is in for a while, I will be taking him back to Lyserge City in the morning. Skyler however is doing great, he just came in this morning and all his brain readings are mostly stable, the most stable I¡¯ve seen them since before he was reborn.¡± Dr. Gage turned and started to walk back to the elevator.


    ¡°I see, I sensed that Drake wasn¡¯t doing so well, I suppose that¡¯s how bad it is. I really wish he hadn¡¯t cannibalized his other self, they were supposed to be in separate bodies for a reason. If he felt so threatened, he should have killed him instead of absorbing him back into himself. You¡¯ll find out a way to suppress that other side of him, won¡¯t you?¡± Deeana asked as she put the plushie down next to her and got up.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t like making my own son an unwilling patient, but when he was acting out today, something felt very wrong. I hope I can convince him to come in so I can figure out how to treat his strange behavior.¡± Dr. Gage pressed the first floor button on the elevator, and the doors opened.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you came to visit me, I hope to see you soon.¡± Deeana quickly walked over to him and tugged on his sleeve.


    ¡°You know you can just call me if you feel lonely.¡± he turned around and ran his hand across her cheek.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to distract you from your work, you know that,¡± she said and stepped back a bit.


    ¡°I told you to call me when you find yourself in a familiar place, didn¡¯t I?¡± he asked as he walked over and held his hand out in front of the door to stop it from closing.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think about it.¡± She folded her arms and looked away.


    ¡°Are we going already? There¡¯s still so much I want to ask her.¡± Gabrielle walked over to them at a brisk pace.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we both need to get back to work. It was nice seeing you again, I hope your journeys aren¡¯t as bad as that last one you told me about. Goodbye, Dee.¡± He stepped into the elevator cab with a small smile on his face and waved at her.


    ¡°Goodbye Max, I¡¯ll miss you. Oh, and it was nice meeting you, miss.¡± Deeana turned to Gabrielle who was walking into the elevator with him.


    ¡°It was nice meeting you too, I hope I can talk to you more soon,¡± Gabrielle said and waved to her as the door shut.


    ¡°Why do they call themselves Forsaken, anyways?¡± she said and turned to Dr. Gage.


    ¡°They have two names actually, the Forsaken name is the one everyone else gave them, but they are known between each other as the Fallen. The name Forsaken could mean forsaken by god, but Fallen definitely means fallen angel. Every one of them has scars across their scapulas, including Drake, who only gained them when he was¡­ Actually, I¡¯d rather not talk about that.¡± he turned away and quickly grabbed onto the railing.


    ¡°Skyler told me about it, that Deeana¡¯s blood didn¡¯t activate within him until he, well¡­¡± Gabrielle looked away as well, Drake is his son, and talking about something as painful as that was extremely difficult.


    ¡°I know very well what you mean, let¡¯s forget about that and get back to work,¡± Dr. Gage said and looked back up at her, then nodded.


    She nodded back, this was a huge piece of the puzzle for her, meeting Skyler¡¯s mother. She wondered why Deeana was covered in bandages though, and wondered what she really looked like under them, since she couldn¡¯t see her nose or mouth. She also wondered why Deeana wasn¡¯t acting erratically even though her eyes were red, since when Drake¡¯s eyes went red he started acting unstable. There was so much about this world she still didn¡¯t know, and now she has to seek answers both in this world and Elega, which will prove difficult.

 Sanctuary

    It had been hours since Pain carried Drake to the abandoned temple that they had repurposed into a hideout in Elega¡¯s dark lands. He had placed him in his the bed in his own room that was littered with scrap metal, a few completed machines here and there on his desk next to him. He wondered why Skyler suddenly showed up with his unconscious half-brother dangling limply in his arms, all that was said was that he had an altercation with someone.


    Pain sat at a table in the main hall, fitted with his more comfortable lower jaw prosthetic which was made out of metal and painted a cyber grape color. The metal rose halfway up his upper lip and was cut so the notches were in a zigzag, making it look like pointy teeth and ended halfway across each cheek. A few feathers on the top of his fluffy dark purple angel wings that were completely torn barely poked out from behind his back, large black stitches covering the exposed flesh at the ends of his useless wings. There was white stitching on his sleeveless black shirt that imitated a Y incision.


    He was in the middle of sharpening his scythe. He was slouching over it, the hilt sprinkled with lidless red eyes. The sound of the whetstone grinding across the edge of the scythe¡¯s blade rang loudly in his ears. Footsteps echoed above the ringing as Drake walked in, rubbing the front of his neck.


    ¡°Can you cut that out? You could wake up the dead just by sharpening that damned thing,¡± Drake said, waving him down.


    Pain¡¯s eyes lit up at the sound of Drake¡¯s voice, he put the whetstone down next to him and rested the scythe on his shoulder. ¡°Drake! I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re up! Are you feeling alright?¡± He speaks telepathically, since he can¡¯t move his mouth because the prosthetic he has on has no joint.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright, I don¡¯t really remember what happened. I remember feeling Mother¡¯s presence, and then next thing I know i¡¯m lying in my room here. Do you know how I got here?¡± Drake asked as he took his hand off the bandage on his neck and tugged at his equally sleeveless black shirt.


    ¡°Skyler brought you here, he only said you had an ¡®altercation¡¯ with someone but didn¡¯t tell me what it was or with who,¡± Pain said and ran the claw tip of his deep dark purple glove across the edge of his scythe blade.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him about it later. By the way, when are you going to scout, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± Drake walked over and sat down at the same table bench then leaned on the edge of the table and folded his arms.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to do it until you woke up, and not because Skyler said for me to watch over you, either. The sharpening was to calm myself a bit, I was having troubles controlling my worry.¡± Pain looked at him with blackcurrant colored eyes so dark it made his eyes look completely dilated.


    ¡°Besides my neck hurting, I feel fine. I¡¯m alright, Pain, you don¡¯t need to worry about me. I have enough people worrying about me already, my dad is a worrywart when it comes to me.¡± Drake leaned his head back and closed his eyes.


    ¡°What with you still being able to die, I think it¡¯s warranted. You and Elaine have a lot in common in that regard, maybe she could teach you how to come back yourself, instead of Dr. Gage always having to bring you back.¡± Pain grabbed his scythe and put pressure on one of the eyes with his hand, it disappeared and popped back up lower down in the hilt.


    ¡°I never thought about that, I guess I could ask her, me being half-demon and all. You think she could get me a good spot in hell?¡± Drake grinned and put his hands behind his head.


    ¡°You could ask her to talk to the big man himself, she always brags about having tea with him on tuesdays,¡± Pain says with a giggle.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s trying to be edgy or is actually serious when she says that.¡± Drake leans forward and rests his hands on the bench, eyes still closed.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she was serious, she was the one who got me the reaper job, remember?¡± Pain says while adjusting the belt around his waist that had various jars and pockets in them.


    ¡°I completely forgot about that, you never told me how she pulled that off,¡± Drake said, lazily kicking the floor.


    ¡°She arranged it through death himself, apparently they know each other, what with her dying a lot. Her cheating death so many times got his attention, though he can¡¯t really do much about it if hell just lets her go back,¡± Pain said and crossed his legs, his claw-ended toes lightly wiggling, wearing his shin-high sock shoes with cloth soles felt comfortable and freeing,


    Elaine having them made for him was nice of her. She was also the one who commissioned the creation of his lower jaw prosthetic. He preferred the one that was originally made for him than Dr. Gage¡¯s anatomically correct one that started to hurt him after having it in for a while. He wondered how Elaine was doing since he couldn¡¯t visit today.


    ¡°You were at your dad¡¯s work today, right? How is Elaine doing?¡± He did still care about her, even after the breakup.


    He was happy for Hex and Elaine, even though it made him that their relationship couldn¡¯t satisfy her, she wanted the man he was and not the man he turned into. Heaven changed him. He used to be more opinionated and would go on diatribes about what he believed in, and would get angry at people for having different views than him. He remembered being angry a lot, but that all changed after experiencing heaven. He learned that treating people with kindness changed people¡¯s minds more than going on rants.


    A lot of things were put into perspective for him, and things he used to prattle on about seem so minuscule now. He prefers enjoying life instead of constantly worrying and getting angry about things that he can¡¯t change, that there¡¯s always going to be injustice in the world no matter how hard you fight against it.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine, she was sitting up and talking which was a huge surprise, turns out that Father was using Mother¡¯s essence to reverse the curse¡¯s damage.¡± Drake turned his head and looked at Pain, an unsure look on his face.


    ¡°I wish she would have told me about it, if what happened didn¡¯t work, I would have done for her the same thing she did for me.¡± Pain looked back at Drake with a look of remorse, he wished he could have done something to help her, instead of her suffering in silence and slowly wasting away until she was able to break free.


    ¡°If she didn¡¯t want you to know about it, there must have been a reason why, I don¡¯t think she even told Kalan, and he¡¯s her familiar,¡± Drake put a hand on Pain¡¯s shoulder.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°But the requirements of breaking that curse could have been met by me, since technically he and I are the same person. She didn¡¯t even attempt to see if it would work, and that¡¯s what worries me. Do you think she didn¡¯t ask me to out of shame? I never resented her, I even told her that, and I told her I still would do anything for her, so why?¡± Pain put a hand to his head, he had just let slip what he was thinking about over the last few weeks. He couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore, he had to tell somebody how he was feeling.


    ¡°She was probably too ashamed, she took breaking up with you pretty hard, you know,¡± Drake said, patting Pain¡¯s shoulder a bit.


    There was an unintelligible shout coming from outside, which was female in nature. Pain looked in the general direction it was coming from, which was the front of the abandoned temple. The left door of the two old wooden doors that make up the front entrance moved slightly as the person outside hit the door.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Pain got up and grabbed his scythe, then ran over to the doors, still slouching.


    ¡°Careful Pain, you don¡¯t know who or what that could be.¡± Drake got up as well, only he walked much slower.


    ¡°It sounds like they need help though, I¡¯ll just open the door a crack first.¡± Pain placed his hand on the wood of the door, a dark purple sigil etched itself into its surface and the door groaned as it opened slightly. Fira was there, looking at them and clutching her arm. The sleeve of her red dress had been torn and her hand was covering a bleeding cut.


    ¡°Please, you have to help us! There¡¯s this giant two headed dog monster chasing us, and my friend¡¯s arrows are only making it madder!¡± Fira shouted, clutching the edge of the door.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your friend? You both need to get inside quickly, Dual Hounds are very dangerous,¡± Pain said. He could broadcast telepathic speech to multiple people at once, and made sure that Drake could hear his words as well.


    ¡°Dual Hounds all the way out here? That guy is really going all-out, isn¡¯t he?¡± Drake increased his pace to a brisk walk.


    ¡°She¡¯s over there, wait, you know who is doing all this?¡± Fira gestured with her head that her friend was further back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you once you and your friend are safe.¡± Pain activates the sigil again and the door opens just enough for Fira to squeeze through.


    ¡°Lunara, get over here! We need to get inside!¡± Fira shouted.


    A few low and booming barks came from close by as Fira ran into the temple. Footsteps could be heard and then Lunara came into view and also slipped inside. She carried a bow that glowed with a soft white light, an arrow with the same glow was loosely held by her right hand ready to be nocked. A white snaking sigil was on the back of her right hand.


    Pain used the sigil one more time and the door quickly closed. He turned to Fira, whose face was wet with tears, she looked at him with intense fear in her eyes. He reached out to her, gently tugging at her hand that was covering the gash. He looked at her reassuringly, and she relented, her hand slipping off of her arm.


    ¡°Here, let me heal you.¡± Pain gently touched the wound, and it quickly shrank until it was no more.


    ¡°How did you do that? You¡¯re amazing!¡± Fira said, her fear instantly melting away into wonder.


    ¡°I¡¯m just thankful it wasn¡¯t made with magic, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything about it,¡± Pain said as he patted the place where the wound once was.


    A loud growl resounded and the doors burst open, a gargantuan two headed dog that barely fit the door frame burst forth. A red snaking sigil appeared on Fira¡¯s left hand and flames shot forth and morphed itself into the shape of a large Falchion sword. She grabbed the flaming hilt, the fire she summoned being unable to burn her.


    ¡°I tried to fight it off, but it was too strong, what are we going to do?¡± Fira held up her sword as if she was going to use it as a shield.


    ¡°I really wish Skyler was here right now.¡± Drake put his arms in front of himself.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to make do. Do you think I can take this big guy out?¡± Pain says, brandishing his scythe.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to fight right now? Aren¡¯t you still recovering from getting dethroned by that centaur guy?¡± Drake says, running up behind Pain.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright now. I think I should at least try.¡± Pain turned his head, looked at drake and nodded at him in a reassuring manner.


    Pain turned back at the beast, lifting himself off the ground and glided over to it. He raised his scythe with both hands and sliced at the beast¡¯s left neck. Both heads turned towards him, their maws almost grabbing him as they snapped shut, but he floated away. Still floating in the air, he levitated for a second and wiped the spittle off his face. A glowing arrow flies through the air and pierces the left eye of the right head. The monster turned both its heads towards Lunara, and lunged at her.


    ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± Drake shouted and ran in front of her.


    Drake¡¯s left arm became coated in what could only be described as a milky X-Ray resembling energy. It cast a very faint but haunting glow, and sparks flew out from his knuckles. He raised the glowing arm and with one motion, sliced the monster down the middle. It let out a pained howl and disappeared into a black smoke. Drake wobbled and stepped backwards as he gripped his arm, the ghostly energy quickly dissipated. A look of shock was plastered onto his face as he stood there.


    ¡°That¡­ Didn¡¯t hurt?¡± Drake said with a tone of disbelief in his voice.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange, usually using that power leaves you doubled over in pain. Thank goodness it didn''t happen this time.¡± Pain glided over to Drake, landed his feet onto the ground, and placed a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Was that light magic?¡± Lunara asked, walking up to Drake as her bow disappeared and the sigil on her hand faded.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t. Please do not tell anyone you saw this, for his safety and yours..¡± Pain turned to Lunara, a look of concern on his face.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lunara said as she walked up to them.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I¡¯ll tell them.¡± Drake turned around and looked up at her.


    ¡°Tell us what?¡± Lunara asked, stepping closer to Drake


    ¡°What you saw is a power that isn¡¯t supposed to exist anymore, I¡¯m not even going to tell you what it is, because I¡¯m scared of someone repeating it. I want you all to not tell anyone what you saw, please.¡± Drake lowered his head and rubbed his left arm.


    Pain had seen Drake use that power once before, he remembered him doubled over in pain as he shook like a leaf. It was when he accompanied him to the castle where the Lords of Darkness once resided. There was a powerful wizard who he couldn¡¯t get past. Drake was conserving it until he needed it, he didn¡¯t want to ask Drake to use it because of what it does to him every time he uses it. It took a long time for Drake was willing to use it. Drake took out the wizard with a single sweep of his arm. Pain wondered what was different this time that would make using that power not hurt him. He also needed to tell the two women he met about that it¡¯s not safe to be in the dark lands anymore, even though they had just gotten a taste.


    He was glad that the two light magic users found him and Drake when they did, and felt that he was redeeming himself in a way. Fira was looking up at him still with bright sparkling eyes of wonder, he felt his usually cold body become hot in response to the way she was looking up at him.


    He was still remorseful about not being able to stave off the centaur that overthrew him. The only reason why it happened was that he sent Drake away and tried to handle it all himself. He felt responsible for everything bad that was happening. The evil centaur that defeated him exploited all of his weaknesses, such as his lower jaw and the Y incision on his chest that never heals, which was only held together by stitches.


    He remembered how he got the wound, that evil sallow skinned doctor that abducted him that cold december night. He remembered waking up on an autopsy table jury rigged with restraints with duct tape over his mouth, and scarcely wanting to remember the horrors of what happened next. Every time he remembered what happened it made his skin crawl. It took years for the random flashbacks and nightmares to subside. Being able to come back to life was a gift and a curse at the same time, he was able to appreciate life more but he was also suffering because of what happened in the past. He eventually found out who that doctor worked for, and that the evil warlock Turbuk was the mastermind behind his murder. He also knew that Turbuk was the one who gave the evil centaur who overthrew him his powers. That act meant war for him.

 City in the Sky

    ¡°Let¡¯s all get acquainted first. My name is Pain, and this here is Drake.¡± Pain pointed at himself and then gestured towards Drake.


    ¡°O-oh¡­ I¡¯m, I¡¯m Fira, and this is Lunara,¡± Fira awkwardly gripped her dress with one hand and then pointed to Lunara with the other.


    ¡°Now that we all know each other¡¯s names, It¡¯d be a good time to tell you that it¡¯s not safe here anymore, at least for right now,¡± Pain said, looking to the two Maidens of Battle.


    ¡°Where should we go then?¡± Drake asked, still gripping his left arm.


    ¡°We could always go to Elaine¡¯s place, since it¡¯s free from Demon Hunters.¡± Pain took a flip phone out from his belt and flipped it open.


    He pressed a few buttons on it and a button that had a circle with horns on it. He turned the phone away, and a light shot out of the screen. A door took shape and materialized, black in color and with a silver rose painted on its surface. The light faded, and he flipped the phone closed and put it back onto his belt.


    This type of magic is one that can transport anyone from one dimension to another. He was originally from where the door lead to, but he came over to help Skyler and hold the throne for him. He felt that Elaine¡¯s hideout in Lyserge city was the safest place, he feared that Demon Hunters would try to kill the two ladies that found him, since Demon Hunters kill anyone with even trace amounts of magic on them, regardless of what side they are on.


    ¡°If we go there, what will happen when we wake up? Why not take us back to our side?¡± Fira asked, stepping closer to Pain.


    ¡°There¡¯s a problem with you going there as well, I will make the necessary accommodations to make sure you wake up safely, but you can¡¯t go back there, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡± Pain looked at Fira, and even though they just met, he was already feeling his hopeless romantic side kick in, making him feel overprotective of her.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Fira said as she gripped the skirt of her dress.


    ¡°We found out that some of the people in your Parliament are colluding with someone very dangerous. We need to make sure they are removed from their positions before you can return.¡± Pain warned as he walked up to the door that he summoned.


    ¡°How do you plan on doing that? You don¡¯t have any connection to our side to be able to do anything about it, and we have no way to talk to anyone at the castle either!¡± Fira shouted and folded her arms tightly over her chest and started to rub her arms in small quick motions.


    ¡°We do have a few connections, but it will take a day or two for things to be resolved, so we are taking you to a safer place for now.¡± Pain walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Okay, Lunara knows the spell we need to set a new dream starting point anyways, so we should be fine.¡± Fira looked to Lunara and nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, I do. I¡¯m glad I asked Shai how to do it.¡± Lunara had folded her arms too, but the goosebumps on the bare skin of her arms signified it was more out of cold than anger or stress.


    ¡°Great, follow me then.¡± Pain motioned all three of them, including Drake, to come over.


    Drake nodded and walked up behind him. Lunara and Fira looked at each other, then broke the stare and walked up behind Drake. Pain opened the door, the hum of a generator coming from the other end. It opened up into a hallway that was painted completely black, with a thin metal roof being the only thing that kept it from the elements. Pain walked through, and Drake quickly followed behind. Fira and Lunara linked hands and reluctantly stepped through.


    Greek pillars that blended into the surroundings because of the coat of black paint on them loomed above the four. There were pedestals between each that had a bouquet of red roses. The door in front of them was classic looking and made out of mahogany, it was the only thing that, besides the roses, was not painted black.


    A female¡¯s shouting voice could be heard from behind the door, which made Pain worried. He recognized that voice, it was Elaine. She should still be in the hospital, he thought to himself, she wasn¡¯t even awake the last time he saw her. He had even visited her when he was still recovering from his injuries after he was beaten by that pitch black colored centaur. They had to wheel him in on a wheelchair just for him to be able to visit her.


    Without thinking, he ran towards the door. He quickly grabbed the ornate doorknob and swung the door open. Elaine was there, looking like she did before the curse ever touched her. She was gripping the black dress she was wearing that went down to the middle of her shin, the claws on her feet unable to angrily dig into the black ground because of the black shoe socks she had on, so her toes curled inwards. She adjusted her blonde hair from under the thin black veil she was wearing. Her completely red eyes with no iris, pupil or whites seemed to glow brighter than usual because of her anger. She slammed her hands onto the black desk, a muted boom rang out because her hands were covered up to the elbow with black gloves.


    ¡°Kalan, for the last time, give me the list! I command you!¡± Elaine shouted, leaning over the desk to try and loom over the man named Kalan sitting at it.


    Kalan looked silly sitting in a small chair, like a full grown adult sitting in a child¡¯s chair. He brushed away his long wavy black locks, and adjusted the tie of his butler outfit. He looked up at her with a blank and distant stare, his dark green eyes showed no ounce of emotion.


    ¡°Wow, he¡¯s huge,¡± Fira said after she slipped through the door¡¯s opening, commenting on Kalan¡¯s large and muscular frame.


    ¡°I was told by your nephew to not give the list to you, and the family of my master¡¯s command coupled with my own thoughts on the matter override your command.¡± Kalan clasped his hands together, intertwining his fingers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe this, you¡¯ve never disobeyed me before! Why now?!¡± Elaine threw her arms up in anger.


    ¡°How are you¡­ I can¡¯t believe you recovered so fast!¡± Pain smiled, his teeth showing since he has no lower lip with his current prosthetic.


    Elaine turned around, putting her hands to her sides, ¡°Thank goodness you are here Pain. Kalan isn¡¯t doing what I tell him to! I don¡¯t know what to do, this has never happened before!¡± she gestured towards Kalan with both her arms. Kalan shook his head and then brought his index finger to his lips, signaling that he should be quiet as well.


    ¡°He and I both know what you would do with such a list, we can¡¯t let you do such a thing. Think about what would happen to Skyler if you slaughtered Parliament members.¡± Pain put his hands in front of himself and shook his head.


    ¡°Oh, so I was right about there being Parliament names in that list. All the more reason to give it to me.¡± She grinned and put a hand to her face haughtily, a scheming look in her eyes.


    ¡°All the more reason to not give it to you, you mean.¡± Pain let his arms flop in front of himself as he lowered his head, she didn¡¯t get it.


    He used to always hate the vigilante side of her, there seemed to be no end to her righteous indignation. Nobody was safe from her wrath if she got enough incriminating evidence on someone, even a politician could be slapped on the wrist in court and wind up dead the next day, that was her modus operandi. He knew that quirk was dangerous, but the revelations that came out of the golem they captured could spell doom for the peace that he and Skyler are so desperately fighting for, if the information he and Kalan gained got into Elaine¡¯s hands.


    ¡°You won¡¯t comply either? You know what will happen if you don¡¯t give it to me, the king will let them off easy, and what then? They would cause as much of a ruckus as I would by killing them. I¡¯m trying to help you.¡± Elaine held up her hand, gesturing for him to relent and give her the names the golem told him.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°You don¡¯t trust the assembly that has your own grandmother on it to do the right thing?¡± Pain looked up at her, but still slouched.


    ¡°Cara is too soft, she¡¯d never excommunicate people, she always sees the best in even the worst people, that¡¯s how I was born, remember?¡± Elaine stretched out her hand even further, furrowing her brow and clenching her jaw tightly.


    ¡°I know that, but there¡¯s one member in the Veil of Light that has lost all his patience. If I give the list to him, he has enough power to excommunicate all of the people on the list. He even works directly with Parliament,¡± Pain retorted, holding up an index finger.


    ¡°Even if that person exists, I doubt he¡¯ll believe you.¡± Elaine folded her arms and turned her head away from him in a huff.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t trust them, at least trust me. I would hope you would give me that much.¡± Pain lowered his hand and grasped a bottle on his belt.


    ¡°Fine, but I will say I told you so if something bad happens,¡± Elaine said and turned to face Kalan, who was still looking up at her with a face devoid of emotion.


    ¡°Get out of my chair already, Kalan, you¡¯ve been commandeering it for about an hour, and I¡¯m getting tired of standing already,¡± Elaine said as she gestured for Kalan to get up.


    ¡°Yes, my lady.¡± Kalan stood up and walked over to the side of the desk. He loomed over her because of how tall he was.


    ¡°We have a problem, by the way. We have a few guests who are to stay here until this whole thing blows over.¡± Pain pointed behind him to Fira, and Lunara as well, although she was peeking her head through the door¡¯s opening.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask me for something like that, Pain. You already know where the free guest rooms are.¡± Elaine went over and sat down and crossed her legs.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d run it by you first. Come on, you two, let¡¯s get you to your rooms, then you can explore a bit.¡± Pain turned around and gestured for both Fira and Lunara to follow him.


    Fira and Lunara looked at each other silently then followed Pain out of the room. Drake was leaning against a wall in the middle of the hallway. He looked to the others and walked up to them, silently joining the group. Pain walked with them down the hallway, then gestured for them to turn left down another hallway. He led them down that hallway until it opened up to another hallway with several doors.


    ¡°Pick any one you like.¡± Pain held up his hand and made a sweeping motion with it.


    ¡°I-I pick you!¡± Fira pointed at Pain, gripping her dress with the other hand again. Her cheeks went red as soon as the words escaped her mouth.


    That completely threw him off guard. It was then that the hopeless romantic side of him that overpowered him in that moment. His heart almost jumped out of his chest when she said it. He felt his own face get hot. He was going to correct her but he couldn¡¯t find the words as to how, his mind went blank. He could only put his hand up to his heart in response. His heart was pounding so hard and fast that it made him feel dizzy for a short time.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that if you don¡¯t mean it, he¡¯s very fragile.¡± Drake walks up to Fira with his hands in his pockets.


    ¡°I think he meant the rooms, not people, Fira,¡± Lunara said, pointing towards the doors.


    ¡°I¡­ I am not,¡± Pain said as he continued to try to calm himself down.


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Drake said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me please,¡± Pain said with a huff.


    ¡°Quit it, you two,¡± Lunara said as she folded her arms aggressively.


    ¡°You guys, please. Here, I¡¯ll choose this one.¡± Fira walked up to the middle right door and opened it.


    ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll make it your new designated bed,¡± Lunara said, unfolded her arms and quickly followed her.


    The two went inside, leaving Drake and Pain behind. Pain leaned against the corner of the hallway and took his hand off his chest to fold his arms. He had a lot of memories of this place, he remembered the first time Elaine showed him around after she had her friend make him his prosthetic jaw, and after Dr. Gage found a way to close up the Y incision on his chest.


    He remembered how she tried to act like nothing was wrong, but he could tell she was shaken. Having to go through losing someone she loved, even though she brought him back, it hit her hard. Not to mention her losing a piece of her soul twice. First by the forbidden book she had in her possession, and second by using a spell to merge with her past self, which involved transferring body, mind and soul. That was something he unfortunately couldn¡¯t do himself, the curse that she used to bring him back made it so his soul could never leave his body again, and since the merging spell involves transposing the soul, it was impossible for him to do.


    She felt extremely guilty about it, and did whatever she could to rectify the situation. She let him stay in one of the guest rooms he was currently near until he could get a place of his own. She did a lot for him, not just to try and make him feel comfortable, but because she saw him as the person he used to be before he died. He and Elaine even dated for a time, because she thought that he didn¡¯t change too much after dying and going to heaven, but he was too different now. He had become almost a completely different person. She loved Hex, not him.


    Fira and Lunara came back into the hallway, Lunara as usual was silent, and Fira was awkwardly gripping her dress again. Lunara turned around and waved, then went into the room to the right of them without saying a word. Fira stood there for a short time, exchanging awkward giggles with Pain. He didn¡¯t want it to be completely silent, but the awkward giggling made things worse. He did it without thinking, and once he realized he was doing it, he turned away from her. He just didn¡¯t know what to say, she was the only girl who had even the slightest bit of interest in him. The feelings he was getting made him nervous, what if he messed it all up and she lost interest?


    The silence broke as Lunara walked back out, she walked up to Drake who still had his hands in his pockets. Drake was looking the other direction, so Lunara tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped slightly and made a surprised vocalization, then turned his head towards her.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Drake asked, then turned his body to face her direction.


    ¡°When can we go exploring?¡± Lunara said, and used her right hand to rub her left arm.


    ¡°Oh yeah, there¡¯s something you two should see,¡± Drake said, walking back into the other hallway and gesturing for her and the others to follow.


    ¡°Is he going to take us where I think he¡¯s going to take us?¡± Pain asked, a small smile showing a little bit of his teeth.


    ¡°Yeah, just follow me,¡± Drake said as he continued to walk down the hallway.


    Drake led them through the building and out the large doors made of thin metal that had ridges in them. Outside it looked just like a normal, albeit large storage facility. The clouds above obscured the sunlight, casting a shadow over the city. Cars rode on by, and the brick and mortar buildings next to the building they were in seemed out of place next to a large metal structure that seemed to be a wall that spanned such a distance that looked like it continued even out of sight. There was a roof and a walkway in the structure, so there must have been a way to get up onto the wall. He led the three to the entrance of the wall, which was a large double door made of metal. He pressed the button on the side and the doors opened, revealing an elevator.


    ¡°We¡¯re too far away from the stairs anyways, so let¡¯s use this.¡± Drake gestured for them to follow him into the elevator.


    They all got in, and he pressed the button with the arrow pointing upward. The elevator closed its doors and dinged, and Pain grabbed the railing. Lunara just stood there, while Fira grabbed the railing with both hands. Drake however put his hands in his pockets and stood there next to Lunara. The elevator jostled a bit, making Lunara bump into Drake.


    ¡°S-sorry,¡± Lunara said, taking her hand off his arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Drake said and smiled warmly at her, making Lunara¡¯s face turn red as she looked away.


    The elevator stopped with a ding, its doors slid open, they were on the walkway. Lunara quickly ran out, followed by Pain and Fira. Drake slowly walked out and the doors closed behind him. Lunara ran over to the railing, she gasped, her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. Fira walked up to the railing as well.


    ¡°What is it, Lunara?¡± Fira asked, leaning in to make sure Lunara was ok.


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t believe this!¡± Lunara said as she looked from side to side and even straight down.


    ¡°Pretty neat, huh?¡± Drake said with a grin.


    ¡°There¡¯s no ground out there!¡± Lunara shouted as she looked back at Drake.


    ¡°Let me explain,¡± Pain said, holding up his left index finger


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Drake took a hand out his pocket and brushed away a strand of hair that got in his face.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t Earth, this is Cluster. It¡¯s called that because it is a bunch of floating continents. The planet that this ground came from collapsed in on itself. There was warning though, that¡¯s why these giant floating cities exist. The atmosphere, the gravity, the ozone layer, it¡¯s all man-made. Anti-gravity technology is the only thing keeping these big floating rocks afloat. Don¡¯t worry though, if something breaks, there are backups, as well as one for the barrier that keeps the vortex from sucking everything into it.¡± Pain put down his hand, and went to the railing himself.


    He looked down at the barrier, the city casting its reflection on the water below. He hadn¡¯t looked at it in a while. He thought about one of the few things that didn¡¯t change, when he was depressed he would always come up to the wall and stare down at the sea below. A hand touched his shoulder, he looked up, and it was Fira. She smiled at him and patted him. He realized that he had a sad brow, and his face relaxed.


    He sighed, and nodded at her, saying nothing. He appreciated that she was trying to cheer him up. He thought he was already over what happened to him, but looking down at that clear blue water reminded him about right after he was able to after he came back to life. That crushing depression he felt when he found out he had to separate himself from his previous life. Elaine told him not to get too attached to his old friends and Hex¡¯s girlfriend, who used to be his. He couldn¡¯t look his old friends in the face anymore because he felt like a different person, a stranger. He had to make new friends, Elaine, Drake and Skyler were there for him, but every once and awhile he thinks about his old life. But he knows those moments will pass, and that he needs to enjoy the present.

 Mainframe

    Drake left the three behind and they all went their separate ways after going to the edge of the city. Drake went back to the hospital his father worked at, where he lived. His father was married to his job and worked constantly, so his father building a bedroom for himself and his son seemed like a good idea, but it turned out to only blur the lines between work and rest.


    He loved and resented his father at the same time. For a majority of his life he always thought he never had a mother, and that he was a test tube baby. It was only a few years ago when he found out he actually had a mother, but she was dead. A year after that, his father admitted that his mother wasn¡¯t dead, he was done with his constant lying. He thought about her constantly as of late, wondering why Father never told him about her before. Was it to protect him? Why did it take his suppressed demon side taking over for him to tell the truth?


    He entered the building, paying no mind to Jack, who was behind the front desk this time. He went over to where Elaine¡¯s room was. He still felt remnants of his mother¡¯s essence lingering in the air.


    ¡°I knew you would come back here.¡± His father¡¯s voice was right behind him. There was no fear or dissatisfaction in his voice when he spoke.


    He jumped, and spun around. His father, Dr. Gage, had his hands behind his back, and had a grin on his face. His father¡¯s sudden change of mood from distant to loving unnerved him. His father had been lost in his work for months, which meant little or no time for him.


    ¡°W-what is it? What¡¯s got you so happy?¡± Drake said with an awkward laugh.


    His father took a hand out from behind his back. What he saw in his hands froze him in place. It was a device that had metal shaped to fit around the back of someone¡¯s neck, in the middle of it there was a metal protrusion covered in many different colored wires that went outward. He knew exactly what this was. It was a device that connected straight to his mother¡¯s mainframe.


    ¡°You¡­ How?¡± Drake said breathlessly, unconsciously reaching towards it.


    ¡°I thought this would calm you down, I know how much she means to you. She gave me this before she left.¡± His father held up the contraption.


    Drake walked over, his heartbeat in his ears. He felt full of energy and tired at the same time, a flash of sickly warmth cascaded through his body. He reached out to touch it, but then he remembered gaining control of his body again with his hands covered in blood. He remembered the other half of him that was locked away, the one he cannibalized. He pulled his hands away. Thinking of Marissa, and how his other side had murdered her.


    He could never forgive himself for what happened to Marissa. It was years ago, but every time he remembered it still felt recent. It may not have been completely himself, but it was still his body. Her blood was still on his hands. Waking up to find that the one he loved was gone was physically painful, like dying all over again. He could still remember looking at her as she stared out over the balcony at the Weather Center. It was the highest place in Lyserge, and he would go there with her to just hang out. He remembered her smile, her laugh. He felt like his heart was going to collapse in on itself from the pain.


    ¡°Will¡­ Will he be there? The other me?¡± Drake asked while he clenched his hands into fists.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever wanted to talk freely with him? Have you never had any questions to ask him?¡± His father lowered his hands a bit.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only ever talked to him about five times. Seeing myself in him was disgusting. I couldn¡¯t take it anymore, all the innocent people he¡¯s killed. You know I had to do it. It was a mistake to give him his own body.¡± Drake scowled, his gloved claws putting stabbing pressure on his palms.


    He hated his demon side, the one he named Glitch. He knew that Glitch was an extreme misanthrope, to the point of killing people just to remove them from existence, at least that¡¯s what he thought. He only had second-hand accounts of what Glitch would do when his body was under Glitch¡¯s control. He attacked his own father, killed countless innocent people, including Marissa.


    He didn¡¯t talk to him much after they got separate bodies, because even being in the same room with him made him sick. Letting a psychopath have a superpowered android body was the worst idea. Glitch easily broke out and escaped into the city. The only thing he could do to rectify the situation was to kill him. He gave the bastard a few close calls, but eventually he did it, he finally got revenge.


    ¡°He¡¯s going away soon. You only have a finite amount of time before he¡¯s completely gone. He can¡¯t hurt you anymore, either. You can talk to him without fear now,¡± he said and held the machine up again.


    His hands relaxed, his fear of facing Glitch subsided. He needed her. So, so badly. He¡¯d do just about anything to get closer to his mother. Why would he let his other self get in the way? He had to face the much more unsavory part of himself if he was going to get to know his mother better.


    He reached out for it again, taking it into his hands this time. He stared at it. Thinking of what it would be like to live inside his mother¡¯s brain. He almost dropped it, then fumbled it as his hands shook.


    ¡°Are you¡­ Are you sure I can take this?¡± Drake said.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure,¡± his father said as he lowered his arms to his sides.


    His breathing became quicker, he clutched the device in his right hand, turned around and ran to his room. Bolting through the hallways, although he felt completely out of energy, he kept going. The rooms zoomed past him as he ran, and he gripped the contraption in his hand tightly, so it wouldn¡¯t fall out of his grasp.


    He reached his room, and stopped in his tracks, slouching over and putting his hands on his knees. While he tried to catch his breath, he brought the hand that held the device up, and looked at it. A drop of sweat escaped his face and hit the glossy metal.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    This was it, he was finally going to be as close to Mother as he could possibly be. He rose up and opened the door to his room. On the plain white countertop sat an unfinished pair of augmented reality glasses he was working on earlier. He had been trying to make them look like regular glasses, using some recent technology. He was getting close, but he was working with flimsy material, and wanted material that was less prone to breaking.


    He walked over and laid down on his bed, the green bedding below him rustling slightly. He looked at the device, and on the back of it there was an arrow at the top end of the protrusion where it said to turn it. He put it onto the back of his neck, and turned the contraption. His vision went black and he felt an electric shock from the device go into and through his body.


    He instantly felt her presence, and the feeling of the soft bed below him was exchanged with the feeling of wood. He opened his eyes, and found himself on a wooden platform held up by chains that was lowering itself down. He sensed who he feared would be there, his other self. He hoisted himself up by his arm, and looked over to the other edge of the platform.


    There he was, Glitch. Staring back at him with red colored eyes. His Fallen mouth was showing, making his visage even more menacing. Glitch scratched at the stitches holding together his patched together skin; some were a raw pink, some were a sickly green, and some were a deathly blue, the rest were normal but all different variants of lighter pigments. Glitch¡¯s right arm was missing, all that was left was a stump covered in patched together skin like the rest of him.


    He stood up slowly, not saying a word. Menacing stares didn¡¯t phase him. He looked to the nearest wall, which was behind him. Protruding halfway out of the wall was a giant version of what his mother would have looked like if she was still human. She was covered in raw flesh, as was the rest of the wall. Various tubes, pipes and wires were connected to this giant version of her. All of them threaded out of sight. He remembered this place, this was where he went the first time he died.


    ¡°You motherfucker,¡± Glitch said with vitriol in his voice.


    ¡°What took you so long to respond, you murderer?¡± Drake retorted, clenching his hands into fists again.


    ¡°Thought I could at least let you get your bearings again before I start explaining why what you did was fucked up.¡± Glitch looked away from him and the wall as he rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Fucked up? And murdering Marissa wasn¡¯t?¡± Drake said through his teeth as he clenched his jaw shut.


    ¡°That¡¯s something entirely different, and you know that. I am a product of your father¡¯s want to keep you from being ostracized, taking that shit out on me instead of him isn¡¯t exactly fair. I didn¡¯t ask to exist. Never wanted to.¡± Glitch looked back at Drake and held up his hand.


    ¡°Why did you do it? Why did you kill her?¡± Drake relaxed his jaw enough so the words he said would get through his teeth.


    He almost choked up as he tried to get those words out of his mouth. He never asked Glitch why he killed Marissa, since it was such a touchy subject. Too afraid to ask Glitch in fear of him mocking him over her death.


    ¡°You know I had to do it. She was too pure for this world. I loved her too, you know. You could have asked me how I felt about her. But you never did. All you thought about was yourself, your loss. Not mine. You never once asked me how I felt. I¡¯m not a cold unfeeling robot, I have emotions like anybody else in this god forsaken existence,¡± Glitch said, tears pooling slowly under his eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, if you really loved her, wouldn¡¯t you have wanted to spend more time with her?¡± Drake asked, confused because of the mixed signals he was getting from Glitch.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want her to suffer. Existence is suffering, Drake. Why do you think I killed? Because I enjoy it? No, it¡¯s because I was freeing them. She needed saving the most, I couldn¡¯t stand seeing her suffer any longer. That world ruined her, turned her cynical. And yet she still tried. Tried to help me. Tried to save me, in her own way. But there¡¯s no real escape from suffering besides death.¡± Glitch put his only hand up to his face to hide his tears.


    ¡°If the world didn¡¯t have suffering, there would be no meaning to happiness! The specter of death and the existence of suffering and pain is what gives life meaning! If nobody died and nobody got hurt, what kind of life would that be? It would be meaningless!¡± Drake shouted.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what humans call Heaven?¡± Glitch retorted as he took his hand away from his face, which was wet with tears.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Heaven and life is supposed to be different for a reason,¡± Drake said, now unsure about what he was saying before.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to backpedal with me, if I was any different from what I am now, I probably wouldn¡¯t be like this. I was pulled, kicking and screaming into life. My mission was to end all the suffering and let God sort them out. I didn¡¯t destroy your body because I still had work to do,¡± Glitch said as he put his hand to the side of his head.


    ¡°What about Mother? She can¡¯t die, remember?¡± Drake asked as he tried to get the upper hand in the argument.


    ¡°I know that, I knew from the start I couldn¡¯t save her, and that¡¯s what hurt me the most. It¡¯s too late now, anyways. Soon I¡¯ll be gone, and your race can continue its endless cycle of suffering. You win. Are you happy now? Does this satisfy you?¡± Glitch said with a shaky voice, tears ran down his face a second time.


    ¡°I¡­ It didn¡¯t make me happy. I wasn¡¯t seeking to be satisfied, I was protecting people from you,¡± Drake said


    ¡°Liar, as soon as I was reintroduced to your body I felt the rush of satisfaction you had in what you did. I may not be able to control your body anymore but I can still feel your emotions. You wanted revenge, I get it. Since you think life still has meaning, me taking her away from both of us was a perceived slight against you. You wanted revenge. Why then, did you not chase after me immediately after I broke out when I got my own body? Was it because you questioned yourself? Maybe you knew, deep down, that I¡¯m right,¡± Glitch said as he covered the stump where his arm once was.


    ¡°I only felt that because I hated you, not because I wanted revenge,¡± Drake retorted.


    ¡°Hated? As in, past tense? Is it different now, now that you know where I¡¯m coming from?¡± Glitch said as he wiped his face dry.


    ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t hate you now, just resent you. But nothing will ever make us friends,¡± Drake said angrily.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now, anyways. I¡¯m already starting to lose parts of myself. Soon, there won¡¯t be anything left.¡± Glitch said with sadness in his voice, his hand trailing back to the stump where his arm was again.


    ¡°Is that why your arm is gone?¡± Drake asked as he folded his arms.


    ¡°Yeah. By the way, we¡¯re almost there.¡± Glitch said, raising his hand away from the wall.


    ¡°Almost where?¡± Drake said, since he had only been on the wooden platform before, and thought that the platform went nowhere.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think this was all there was, did you?¡± Glitch laughed.


    Drake wondered where the platform was going to. He looked to the wall, they were at Mother¡¯s ankles now, which meant that where her feet were, there was floor. He only saw the device he was wearing to get here when Skyler showed him his a few months back. He remembered wanting to borrow it, but Skyler refused. The interaction devolved into Drake trying to grab for it while Skyler kept it just out of his reach. He should have asked Skyler what he saw while he was there, instead of incessantly asking for him to give it to him. He felt stupid now, and wanted to see what was beyond the platform for himself.

 The Fourth

    A low boom rang out as the platform hit the ground. Drake cowered and covered his head with his hands. Glitch, however, was not phased at all. Drake took his hands off his head once the boom had stopped echoing, and looked around. The floor was covered in the same raw, pink flesh that covered the walls, speckled with large, bolted down metal floors. Up in the metallic canopy of catwalks were square cages of varying sizes. Sprinkled in were a few elevators, which looked a bit unsafe, considering they had no doors and their boxes were guided with what looked to be random scraps of metal welded together.


    ¡°Is this it?¡± Drake asked, stepping onto the raw, fleshy ground.


    ¡°They sensed our presence and ran.¡± Glitch walked off the platform behind him.


    ¡°They? Who are they? And, I suppose they would run, since you are around.¡± Drake walked up and ran his hand across the coarse metal that held one of the elevators together, and frowned. Shoddy craftsmanship, he thought, the floors look fine but they skimped out on the elevators.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t sense the presence of countless others? Wait, do you hear that?¡± Glitch asked, putting his only hand to his ear.


    A single pair of footsteps squelched on the fleshy floor off in the distance. A humanoid shape could barely be made out.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Drake said, putting a hand above his eyes and squinting hard to try and make out the figure.


    After trying to discern who it was that was walking towards them, they looked at eachother. Drake shrugged, and started to walk towards whoever was there. Glitch stood there for a second, looked around, and then quickly walked in Drake¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Who do you think it is?¡± Drake turned to Glitch, who had caught up with him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I¡¯ve only ever been on the platform, remember? That¡¯s the only time you¡¯ve ever seen me. I¡¯ve never gone past that point,¡± Glitch said, his face contorting into a hideous frown due to what his teeth were like.


    Once they got close enough, whoever it was came into view. It was a girl, with short blonde hair spiked downwards. She had a Fallen mouth as well, but her skin wasn¡¯t stitched up like Glitch¡¯s, it was normal looking. There was a thick wire that was coming out of the left side of her head, fastened by a long metal wire cap. The wire trailed backwards behind her head and trailed off in the direction of her neck. Drake¡¯s stomach dropped as soon as he noticed that she had metal claws for fingers, he quickly looked down to his left hand, and grabbed his middle finger with his other hand, then pulled the glove off. Under the glove he also had metal claws for fingers, but unlike her, he had scars that looped around his knuckles. He looked back up to her.


    ¡°Who, or what, are you?¡± Drake asked.


    Losing his fingers was a traumatic experience, it was because of a fluke his father made the second time he was revived. The wires threaded through his body to disperse the nanites that regenerated his flesh cut off too early in one spot, and the nanites could not reach his fingers. He remembered the talk he had with his father after his fingers started to turn blue, then purple. Something went wrong, he was still technically dead. Blood was pumping, his brain was functioning, but his body didn¡¯t completely catch up to his revived state. The nanites were the only thing he could do to keep his body from decaying, but in his rush to keep his son from turning into a living zombie, he made a mistake during the mostly non-invasive surgery.


    His father was too afraid to mess with the wires, and was afraid that the decomposition would spread to the rest of his body. The operation started only two hours after he told his father what was going on, enough for his friend with connections to get prosthetic fingers manufactured. The worst part was that the drugs that he was given weren¡¯t working that well.


    It was his liver. It was taking longer than expected for all of his organs to catch up to him being alive again. He could barely metabolize anything, the anesthesia only partially worked, and his father didn¡¯t want to have him overdose later. So he had to be conscious during the procedure, with nothing to numb the pain completely. He remembered begging and screaming for him to stop, or at least give him a break, only to be snubbed every time. It was so bad that he ended up vomiting because he was crying so hard. He could metabolize painkillers normally the next day, but the nightmares plagued him for months into the future.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°I came here to greet you, since the others are too¡­ Either shy or scared. Males are a rarity and are quite polarizing here. The only other male here is, well¡­ A troubled boy. So most everybody thinks that all boys are volatile and unapproachable,¡± The woman said, fiddling with the wire coming out of her head.


    Drake snapped out of his flashback, there was another male here? Besides him, Glitch and Skyler, he thought nobody else survived the disease that wiped most of them out.


    ¡°There¡¯s another boy here? There¡¯s only three I know of, and one is standing next to me. The other is my half-brother. This is impossible, I¡¯ve only heard from Skyler that us three are the only males of our kind left!¡± Drake said, pointing at Glitch, who glared at him in response.


    ¡°I keep telling them it¡¯s because he is incomplete that he¡¯s like that. Being incomplete, well, maybe have your friend over there describe it.¡± The woman gestured towards Glitch


    ¡°I¡¯ve never felt like this before, it¡¯s not just a physical part of me that¡¯s gone, it¡¯s a part of my being, I feel. Like a part of my soul left with my arm. There¡¯s an emptiness where it once was that constantly eats at me. I thought existence was suffering before, but this¡­ This is a whole other level of suffering I wasn¡¯t prepared for.¡± Glitch lowered his head and brought his hand to where his arm used to be.


    Drake recalled how he felt when he was getting his fingers replaced, it wasn¡¯t just a physical pain. It felt like something inside him was being forcefully ripped out, and only strangely returned when his new fingers were implanted. He looked back down at his hand.


    ¡°Do you think¡­ That just replacing the missing part can bring that part of the soul back?¡± Drake asked, tracing the scars on his knuckles with his eyes.


    ¡°No, only with materials made by Mother can one be re-completed,¡± The woman said, shaking her head.


    ¡°So¡­ Does that mean that my prosthetic fingers were made with materials from here?¡± Drake said, looking up at the woman.


    ¡°Yes, also.... I will give your similar-looking friend over there a replacement arm, one that will patch up the hole and make him complete again.¡± The woman turned her gesture into a point. Glitch looked up at her with his eyes wide open.


    ¡°You can do that?¡± Glitch asked, looking back to his stump.


    ¡°Of course, but materials are few and far between, I¡¯ve been saving them.¡± The woman said, then gave the wire cap on her head a twist.


    ¡°Did you get a request for fingers a few years back, by any chance?¡± Drake said, then held up his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯d have to check the logs, but if you don¡¯t feel incomplete, it should have come from here,¡± The woman said, putting her thumb and pointer finger to her chin.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Glitch asked as he looked back at her.


    ¡°Oh, I completely forgot to introduce myself! My name is Wira, I was the one who gave your friend¡¯s father the device you are using to connect to Mother¡¯s mainframe. It would have been rude if I hadn¡¯t greeted a guest, so here I am.¡± Wira laughed as she took her hand off of her face and flicked her wrist in their direction.


    ¡°So, how long do you think it¡¯ll take for the others to start showing themselves?¡± Drake said as he slid his glove back on.


    ¡°It¡¯d take a lot of convincing, maybe if¡­ Maybe if the male who lives here comes around, they would be more receptive of your presence?¡± Wira said as she lowered her arm to her side.


    ¡°Enough talk of whoever that is, being incomplete like this is unbearable. I would like a replacement arm please, for the love of god,¡± Glitch said in a wobbly voice.


    ¡°Oh, right. Your suspiciously similar-looking friend can follow me. You can go explore, um¡­ Drake, right? I believe that¡¯s what your father said what your name was,¡± Wira said, gesturing behind her to a tall hallway behind her.


    ¡°Wait, how did you and my father meet anyways? How did he get the wireless connector from you?¡± Drake asked, holding up his hand to signal for her to stop.


    ¡°I can leave this place for a short amount of time every once and awhile, but mostly I¡¯m glued to the servers.¡± Wira turned her head but didn¡¯t turn around.


    ¡°Will Glitch stay if I leave?¡± Drake said, signaling to Glitch who was walking next to Wira.


    ¡°Yes, your mind and hers are connected now. I know your similar-looking friend is part of you, but I¡¯m not sure how.¡± Wira put her hands to her hips.


    ¡°He¡¯s the demon part of me that was ¡°locked away since birth.¡± At least that¡¯s what my father told me after I started remembering what happened when he took over my body, and he couldn¡¯t hide it from me anymore,¡± Drake said, disdain in his voice.


    ¡°Hm, weird. I wonder how he did that. Your father must be a genius. A genius who likes to keep his secrets at that.¡± Wira laughed.


    ¡°As long as you can keep him busy, and out of my body, I¡¯m fine with whatever you do,¡± Drake said as he turned around and walked away.


    He didn¡¯t really want to explore, knowing that his psychotic other half was there made him ill. He hated his other side still, even after his tearful attempt to rationalize what he did. He went back to the platform, hoping that taking it up would take him out of the mainframe. As soon as he put both his feet back onto it, he woke up. He frowned and angrily punched his pillow, how could he have forgotten about Glitch? Meeting Glitch again completely spoiled the experience for him. He was just barely tolerating him until he found a way to pawn him off on someone else. He wanted to try again later, but the prospect of running into Glitch again made him wary. He sighed, took off the device, and got under the covers. Thinking about his encounter with his other self until he eventually drifted off to sleep.

 Searching for Power

    Gabrielle woke up to the sound of her phone beeping, she rolled over and turned it off. She was waiting for Skyler for the entire time she was in Elega, but he didn¡¯t show up. She waited hours in the castle for a guard to call her down and get him, too. Dazed, confused and angry, she punched her pillow. Where is he? There was a whooshing noise, and she could feel his presence behind her.


    ¡°Where were you?!¡± She squeaked, rolled over and tackled Skyler, she put so much of her weight onto him that he almost fell over.


    ¡°Woah, careful! You could¡¯ve knocked me over!¡± Skyler said with a giggle as he patted her on the back.


    ¡°You¡¯d better tell me what you were doing,¡± She grumbled, her head buried in his chest


    ¡°I was with Dr. Gage and a few of my friends, trying to figure out what we could do to get me more power. I don¡¯t really want it, but I won¡¯t be able to defeat him without more, after what I was told.¡± Skyler said.


    Gabrielle looked up at him, she didn¡¯t know what he was talking about. ¡°What do you mean ¡®him¡¯? Who¡¯s ¡®him¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, you weren¡¯t there¡­ His name is Wrackivorn, he¡¯s a cousin of mine. On my father¡¯s side, obviously. Nobody on my mother¡¯s side would do what he¡¯s done. It¡¯d be insane to have your soul get a second chance, only to trade it away for more power.¡± Skyler looked down, but averted his eyes.


    ¡°What do souls have to do with this?¡± Gabrielle asked and tugged at his sleeve.


    Skyler stared at nothing for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s that¡­ Book, again. A¡­ Very bad person who I won¡¯t name had it and let Wrackivorn borrow it, and Pain is one hundred percent sure that he read all of it. Pain¡¯s a reaper, he can sense souls, and Wrackivorn didn¡¯t have one.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean, though?¡± Gabrielle was worried, something felt off about the way he spoke, and she couldn¡¯t put her finger on what was wrong about the feeling she was getting off of him.


    ¡°That book, I can¡¯t even describe¡­ And him¡­ It¡¯s worse than horrible, I don¡¯t have the words for it. I¡¯ve only heard a little of what is inside from Elaine, but even she couldn¡¯t tell me some of the things she read off the cheat sheet she was given.¡± He raised his head and turned away from Gabrielle.


    ¡°Cheat sheet? For a scary sounding book like that? Why¡¯d she have one?¡± Gabrielle said and pulled at his coat.


    ¡°The reason why Pain even exists is because she read a bit of it. Each page takes a part of the reader¡¯s soul away, or rather, rips it out of them. She told me it was an extremely painful experience, but she didn¡¯t want to lose him, so she did it, but he would never have died if it weren¡¯t for that man, and I wouldn¡¯t have died either.¡± Skyler looked back at Gabrielle, a pained expression etched into his face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never forgive that guy,¡± Gabrielle said with hatred in her voice as she buried her head into his chest again and squeezed him tightly. He must have been shaken just remembering the guy, she thought. This was the first time Skyler actually talked about his death without dancing around the fact that he died, but she didn¡¯t want to prod him for any more information, even though she wanted to know more.


    ¡°Me neither, but enough about that, get dressed. We¡¯re going to meet up at your work to continue brainstorming,¡± He said and patted her on the back.


    ¡°Aw, but I had today off.¡± Gabrielle let go of him, fell backwards and plopped back onto her bed.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t feel up to it, I can go myself.¡± Skyler turned and started walking out.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go, I just don¡¯t like the fact that I¡¯m going to my workplace on my day off is all,¡± Gabrielle said as she got up and yanked at Skyler¡¯s trench coat.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be in the front room waiting,¡± Skyler said and giggled again, looking back at her pouting face.


    Thirty minutes later, they were at the hospital. She knew he teleported so she pestered him to let her drive him there instead of him teleporting away. The car ride was silent for the most part besides him asking her how she was doing today, and her responding saying she was doing fine.


    She slammed the car door behind her, and heard the front passenger door slam as well. They both silently walked towards the entrance. Without a noise she took her hand and prodded at his and looked up at him. He smiled in response and held her hand. She put a hand to her chin, a warm and fuzzy feeling coursed through her body.


    They walked in together, and Jack was at the counter again.


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing here on your day off? I never come near this place on my days off,¡± Jack said and laughed.


    Gabrielle walked around and faced Jack, his eyes widened a little as soon as he got a glimpse of them holding hands.


    ¡°You know you should probably not do what I think you¡¯re going to do here, don¡¯t want you to get fired for having some¡­¡± Jack cleared his throat and raised his hand to do a quoting gesture, ¡°fun, in the hospital.¡± Jack grinned, stifled chuckles barely escaped his throat.


    Gabrielle¡¯s face turned beet red, and Skyler started laughing. She wondered if she should let go of his hand, but decided not to. Why was Skyler laughing? She didn¡¯t think it was funny at all, more embarrassing than anything else.


    ¡°I would never! And stop laughing, Skyler! It¡¯s not funny!¡± Gabrielle said and lightly punched Skyler in the arm.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I just couldn¡¯t believe what he said.¡± Skyler rubbed his arm, a cheeky smile still etched onto his face.


    She leaned forward and stuck her finger out. ¡°You¡¯re wrong to think that I¡¯d even consider doing a thing like that in a place like this. We¡¯re here to see his friends and talk about what to do next, not¡­ You know, that!¡±


    ¡°I was joking, chill!¡± Jack laughed and made a dismissive gesture with is hand.


    ¡°You¡¯d better have been joking, pervert!¡± She wagged her finger at him, then stood up and led Skyler out of the room by the arm.


    ¡°Do you even know where we¡¯re going?¡± Skyler asked, pulling her back.


    ¡°No, I just wanted to make it dramatic by leaving, sorry. Um¡­ Can you show me where it is?¡± She turned around, embarrassed.


    ¡°No problem, follow me.¡± Skyler walked in front of her and led her in the right direction.


    A small bit of walking later, she could hear distant conversation.


    ¡°Well, I can have them make anything I want, just like your lower jaw, remember?¡± A female voice asked.


    A voice spoke inside her head that wasn¡¯t her own, It was a velvety smooth male voice. ¡°Yes, I remember, I¡¯m wearing it right now.¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.¡°What the- what was that?¡± Gabrielle was filled with fear, she¡¯d never experienced anything like that before. What was that voice? She was thoroughly freaked out.


    ¡°Oh you remember Pain from before, right? The guy who gave me my clothes? That¡¯s him, he¡¯s just speaking telepathically, since his favorite prosthetic keeps him from talking normally.¡± Skyler turned around and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.


    They walked into the room, and she immediately notices Pain floating upside-down in the criss-cross position near the right wall. Their eyes met, she was completely floored. What the hell? She¡¯d seen Skyler turn his arm into a blade, but this was a lot stranger.


    ¡°W-who? Who or what is that?¡± She shakily pointed to Pain, who became stonefaced in response.


    ¡°Gabby please, I know you didn¡¯t get a good look at him but don¡¯t call him an it, he¡¯s very fragile. Pain, stop floating over there, you¡¯re scaring her.¡± Skyler made a collection of downward sweeping motions with his hand.


    Pain nodded and turned himself right side up, then put his feet back on the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m used to getting that kind of reaction first.¡± Someone responded. It was the same female voice from the hallway. She was a purple colored android, her outer layer looking like a skin tight suit. Her lower legs went outward like bellbottoms and ended over where her feet should have been, with a flat surface in the middle of the curve of the metal so she wouldn¡¯t fall over, with a streak of light purple paint at the end. Her long purple hair reached down to her mid-back and didn¡¯t have varying length at the end, it was a straight line all around at the end. Two pointy contraptions that looked like sensors poked upwards where her ears should have been. Her mouth had a thin bright red line around it and her lips looked like large upper and lower fangs, though there were teeth behind said lips. Her eyes were black where the whites of her eyes should have been, and the color of her eyes were a glowing red.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t expect someone from New Metropolis to be here, what¡¯s your name?¡± Gabrielle was very interested, she¡¯d rarely ever seen an android, since they all live in the New Metropolis area and built their own society.


    ¡°Nagix, Nagix Brooks.¡± Nagix unfolded her arms and waved.


    ¡°Oh, so did you use to be¡­?¡± Gabrielle was going to say it but she stopped herself, she didn¡¯t want to sound racist, her voice was very similar to what African American women sound like.


    ¡°You were going to say black, weren¡¯t you?¡± Nagix said, her eyelids lowered, and she put a hand to her hip.


    ¡°Oh, no I wasn¡¯t! I just don¡¯t know how to say it without offending you,¡± Gabrielle said, putting her hands in front of her.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I¡¯m still my race even in this body, though.¡± Nagix did a dismissive hand gesture with her free hand.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not get too far into this, I need to go back to the mainframe soon.¡± Wira waved her arm.


    Gabrielle looked around the room, there was Pain, Wira who she didn¡¯t know, Drake, who was sleeping in a chair, Nagix, and Elaine, who was buried in a book.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait a little longer, Wira, I¡¯m trying to find a certain spell.¡± Elaine turned a page, looking intently at the contents inside, which from where Gabrielle stood was a lot of red text and some sigils.


    ¡°Is that your sister over there Skyler?¡± Gabrielle pointed to Wira.


    ¡°Ah, technically yes. We decided on trying to siphon my mother¡¯s power into me somehow, but we don¡¯t know how to do that yet exactly.¡± Skyler waved to Wira, who waved back.


    ¡°Is that how you¡¯re going to get more power?¡± Gabrielle asked, tightening her grip on his hand.


    ¡°Are you sure about this? It could be extremely dangerous,¡± Pain said, scratching an itch on his cheek.


    ¡°I have Gabrielle to keep me in check, I¡¯ll be fine. What do you think, Wira?¡± Skyler turned to Wira, who put her index finger to her cheek and thumb to her chin.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ An upgrade of the wireless connector?¡± Wira wondered.


    Drake shook his head as he woke up. ¡°What about the wireless connector?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a plan, but how do we upgrade it? And do we have the parts for it after getting that one guy you told me about an arm?¡± Nagix asked.


    ¡°My asshole demon side, yeah. I hope he didn¡¯t set you back too much.¡± Drake pouted, and crossed his arms.


    ¡°I have some spare chest parts from some trial version of an offshoot Wire Girl that was never mass-produced, which was how Boy was created. It was supposed to be a line of male Wire Girls, but the trials were unsuccessful.¡± Wira shook her head.


    ¡°Boy?¡± Drake asked as he leaned over in his chair.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a name, usually I give a color and a number to Wire Girls, and Tall Dolls choose their own names amongst themselves. Neither of them accepted him into their group, and he became an outcast, which made him increasingly angry, on top of being incomplete.¡± Wira lowered her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to talk to him sometime,¡± Drake said while he leaned back into his chair.


    ¡°I found it.¡± Elaine lifted her head from the book she was reading, and pointed to the sigil on the page.


    ¡°Good, now we need the parts,¡± Nagix said and looked to Wira.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to find a buffer version¡¯s parts that could fit over Skyler¡¯s shoulder.¡± Wira smiled, her strange mouth making her smile look menacing.


    ¡°Do you have a neck plate though?¡± Nagix asked and folded her arms.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can find one and finagle it to work,¡± Wira said and leaned against the wall.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you called on me, I¡¯m an expert on this, you know.¡± Elaine grinned pridefully.


    ¡°Of course, Lady Elaine. You even knew the exact book it was in,¡± Pain said, bowing at Elaine with a hand behind his back and another on his chest.


    ¡°I told you to stop calling me that, and stop bowing,¡± Elaine said in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°Yes, my Lady,¡± Pain said and rose back up.


    Elaine groaned and put a palm to her face. ¡°Oh whatever¡­¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t stop being formal I guess,¡± Drake said with a grin.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a nervous tick for him when he¡¯s around her.¡± Skyler said and shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°That¡¯s really cute.¡± Gabrielle smiled.


    ¡°Yeah she keeps telling him not to do it but he can¡¯t help himself,¡± Skyler said as he walked up and ruffled Pain¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Cut that out,¡± Pain said with a smile but pushed Skyler¡¯s hand away.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a goober, you know that?¡± Skyler let out a chuckle and patted Pain¡¯s back.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a goober, I swear,¡± Pain said, lightly punching Skyler in the arm.


    ¡°I think I need to get going now,¡± Wira said and started to walk out.


    ¡°See you soon.¡± Drake waved at her.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®see you soon¡¯?¡± Skyler asked and turned to Drake


    ¡°Father gave me a wireless connector.¡± Drake said with a pained grin.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem too happy about that,¡± Skyler said.


    ¡°Glitch was there, and until he¡¯s gone I won¡¯t be able to enjoy connecting to the mainframe.¡± Drake slammed his fist on the chair.


    ¡°Oh shit, him?¡± Skyler scowled.


    ¡°Yeah, him. I never want to see his damned face again, but I don¡¯t want to stay away for too long,¡± Drake said as he looked away.


    ¡°Is Glitch the other personality Skyler told me about?¡± Gabrielle asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it would have never happened if my father didn¡¯t want me to be human, he thought he could keep me from having demonic urges. It worked until a few years ago,¡± Drake said with a slight nod.


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible, I hope it works itself out soon,¡± Gabrielle said. She felt bad for him, having another side of him that he couldn¡¯t control.


    ¡°You think you could work with Wira on the device, Nagix?¡± Skyler asked, turning to the purple android.


    ¡°Yeah, but only in short bursts. It might take a while to complete because of that,¡± Nagix said as she closed her eyes and nodded slightly.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you all later then. See ya,¡± Skyler said and waved to the group.


    ¡°Okay, bye.¡± Elaine said, her head back in the book she had.


    ¡°See you later, brother,¡± Drake said as he smiled and put his hands behind his head while leaning backwards on his chair.


    ¡°Yeah, see ya.¡± Nagix grinned and waved back.


    ¡°See you tonight., Pain said with a wave.


    ¡°Well that was quick,¡± she said as she walked out of the room with him.


    ¡°Well we had to cut our time short last time and Wira and Nagix weren¡¯t there, I reluctantly brought Elaine to Elega, but I had to make her promise she wouldn¡¯t try to take it over.¡± Skyler grinned and shook his head.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had to stop her from toppling governments before, I wanted to preemptively tell her to not try that kind of shit there,¡± he said and sighed.


    ¡°Oh, wow, she seems really¡­ Aggressive.¡± Gabrielle¡¯s eyes widened a little, she didn¡¯t think that woman with the body of a child could be so power hungry.


    ¡°Tell me about it, she runs a vigilante group with a name I have told her about ten times to change, but she won¡¯t listen to me,¡± he said and looked at her.


    ¡°What¡¯s its name?¡± she asked, wondering how it would be as bad as the hero he wrote in english class in high school, Super Awesome Ranger isn¡¯t exactly the most creative name to give a protagonist.


    ¡°Macabre Hearse,¡± Skyler said and scowled.


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting name. Never knew she was a goth,¡± she said, wondering how she came up with such a weird name.


    ¡°It¡¯s incredibly bad and I just want her to change it, but she keeps saying it¡¯s the best name ever and that I just don¡¯t understand genius.¡± Skyler shook his head again.


    ¡°Ha, that¡¯s great.¡± Gabrielle smiled and stifled a giggle.


    She was still holding his hand. She wondered why his mother¡¯s power was so dangerous, and how he met Pain, who freaked her out in the beginning, but turned out to be a nice guy. She also liked Nagix, even though she was really awkward around her initially. They walked out together, and parted ways. She drove back home. The radio was drowned out by her own thoughts. She wished she was less awkward that day, and laughed at herself because of how silly she was.

 The Machine

    Gabrielle woke up at Elega, and immediately rushed to the front gates. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his black trenchcoat. He waved at her and she shouted at the guards to lift the gate. They obliged and she ran over and hugged him.


    ¡°Get on my back, we¡¯re going to go to the hideout I frequent,¡± Skyler said and turned around and gestured with his index finger towards his back.


    She saw that the bandages on his neck were gone, and a reflective golden rose head that was in full bloom was etched into the skin on the middle of the back of his neck, adorned with golden sepals as well.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s pretty! So that¡¯s what the mark looks like.¡± She reached up to touch it, but noticed that there was still a small ring of scabbing around the edges of it. She pulled back her hand and frowned, remembering how painful it was for him to get it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, just get on already.¡± He gestured again,


    ¡°What, you¡¯re going to let me piggyback?¡± Gabrielle widened her eyes a bit, she wondered if he was trying to pay her back for her kindness when he was wounded.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re flying there,¡± Skyler said, then sprouted spiky black wings out of his back.


    Gabrielle gasped, she knew he wasn''t human anymore but didn¡¯t know he had wings, she put a hand up to her mouth, and forgot what she was supposed to do, and just stared at him.


    ¡°Get on, we don¡¯t have much time, Wira only has a bit of time to teach me how to use that new contraption she and Nagix worked together to make,¡± he said, gesturing for her to come closer.


    She snapped out of her trance, shook her head and wrapped her arms over his neck. The sudden jolt that rocketed them into the air scared her, and she squeezed her arms around his neck without thinking.


    ¡°Ggk, relax, arms, can¡¯t, breathe.¡± Skyler grabbed her arms and pulled at them gently.


    She realized how hard she had been squeezing and relaxed her arms, but kept enough hold on his neck to keep her from falling off.


    ¡°Why are we flying? Why can¡¯t you just teleport me there?¡± Gabrielle shouted over the sound of the wind.


    ¡°And miss this view?¡± Skyler shouted back at her.


    She looked down. He had flown off the main trail, and she could see a sea of bleached white trees below her. She gasped slowly, the trees were crystalline and caught the rays of the sun and reflected them back, making the branches sparkle with speckles of all the colors of the rainbow.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± She said breathlessly.


    ¡°It¡¯s only like this in the winter, any other time of year the leaves get in the way of the branches. I¡¯ll bring you back here in the summer, too. The leaves on these trees are something else as well, it¡¯s like a sea of light.¡± Skyler turned his head towards her and flashed her a smile, then turned his head back.


    She tightened her grip a little as he sped up, the ground below started to zoom past them. The trees beneath suddenly broke to plain white ground. The border came into closer view, where the white ground suddenly turned pitch black beyond a certain point. She relaxed her grip again as he was slowing back down again. The landscape of the Dark Lands was covered in a network of human sized holes a little ways back, that¡¯s where those small creatures she believed to be Darklings lived. They flew past the stirred ground, and a sparse amount of spiky looking leafless black trees that slouched over in different directions came into view.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± Skyler pointed forward, the abandoned temple came into view, it¡¯s two gray brick towers poking up over the rest of its cathedral-esque structure.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, why are you and the others the only people using it now?¡± Gabrielle turned her grip into something more of a hug, and rested her cheek on his shoulder.


    ¡°It used to be a temple that the Light Side used. After the Lords of Darkness took the swathe of land it was on, it was left unused.¡± He took his left hand and placed it on top of hers.


    They continued until they reached the front of the temple, and Skyler brought himself back up and landed softly. Gabrielle let go, and felt Skyler lightly pull on her hand before it slipped out from under its pressure.


    They both went inside. Wira was sitting on the last bench closest to the opposite wall. Elaine was there as well, sitting close to the door that they both entered from, her arms folded and her body language was telling, she was antsy. There was a woman standing in between the first and second rows of tables with benches. She was tall, and had dark purple hair. Her beautiful violet colored eyes reflected the light from the glassless window from high up that was filtering in light. She wore a dark purple tank top with a necklace that had a dark purple, tear shaped gem at the end. She itched her hip through her black jeans, her black loafers making a shuffling noise as she scooted her left foot in front of herself.


    ¡°Ah, he¡¯s here.¡± The woman turned towards Skyler and Gabrielle, gesturing towards Skyler with a warm smile.


    ¡°Oh, hey, Gabrielle, this is Zlyena, she¡¯s the one who trained me to fight. She¡¯s got some scary ability to sense how much magic someone or something has.¡± Skyler pointed to Zlyena


    ¡°She¡¯s also both mine and my mother¡¯s guardian.¡± Elaine snapped her head towards Skyler.


    ¡°What¡¯s with you, Elaine? You seem on edge.¡± Skyler looked down at her worriedly.


    ¡°I snuck out, and I¡¯m hoping that Kalan doesn¡¯t notice that I¡¯m gone.¡± Elaine turned away with a frown.


    ¡°Well, I guess he¡¯s still concerned for you after what happened, you not telling him what was going on might be the reason why he¡¯s being like that.¡± Skyler shrugged


    ¡°He was bad before when Pain happened, but this is a whole other level of hovering. I had him go do some errands for me so I could sneak over here. I¡¯m afraid of how closely he¡¯ll hover if he finds out I snuck out.¡± She meekly looked back up at Skyler.


    ¡°Enough of that, come here.¡± Wira gestured Skyler towards her, a single pauldron shaped contraption with wires and plates leading up to a wireless connector like Drake was given.


    ¡°Is that the thing that¡¯s going to help me kill Wrackivorn? That tiny centaur fuck is going to get it now.¡± Skyler frowned and rolled up his sleeve.


    ¡°You have to take your trench coat off.¡± Wira frowned, and pointed to him.


    He looked down, then back at her. He took off his trenchcoat, and tossed it aside.


    ¡°There, better?¡± He flashed a small smile, and outstretched his arms.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Your shirt too.¡± Wira did a dismissive gesture with her left hand, her right keeping the machine on her lap.


    ¡°Oh, jeez... it won¡¯t work with a shirt on?¡± Skyler¡¯s face flushed gray, he put his arms down to his sides.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gabrielle looked at him, he was looking straight down, she remembered that he¡¯d only shown a little bit of the skin of his chest, enough to show his wounds. She never saw him with his shirt fully off.


    ¡°Okay, fine¡­¡± He mumbled, and grabbed the bottom of his shirt. He took it off, revealing the scars that were once wounds that were stitched up. The scars were black, like the one on his eye. He had a lightly toned six pack and his pectoral muscles were also lightly toned, and his chest was hairless.


    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t know you were such a beefcake.¡± Gabrielle playfully pushed him and let out a giggle.


    ¡°I¡¯m not though, I don¡¯t even work out, See these noodle arms?¡± He pointed to his upper arm that had almost no discernable muscle.


    ¡°Enough with the lovebird talk, get over here, I don¡¯t have much time, remember?¡± Wira gestured impatiently.


    Skyler looked at Gabrielle, shrugged, turned back to Wira and walked up to her. He grabbed the machine from her lap and examined it.


    ¡°You sure this won¡¯t suck me into the Mainframe?¡± Skyler asked, reluctantly putting the device onto his shoulder and connecting it to his neck.


    ¡°Just turn it on with the switch in the back and see, if it sucks you in we¡¯ll know and I can fix it later.¡± Wira folded her arms and crossed her legs.


    He reached behind his neck and found the switch Wira was talking about, and flipped it. He grasped his head and his Fallen mouth came up with the familiar sound of bones crunching.


    ¡°Gabrielle, focus on the back of Skyler¡¯s neck and close your eyes.¡± Zlyena gestured towards Skyler.


    Gabrielle did just that, and felt a presence as she focused. She heard Skyler cry out, accompanied by the loud squelching sound of what sounded like a plant growing. She opened her eyes, there was raw flesh under Skyler¡¯s feet and it spread a few feet outwards.


    ¡°What happened?¡± She ran up to Skyler, who was in the process of slowly taking his hands off his head. She walked onto the pinkish red flesh and it made a wet squishing noise as she walked over it. She grabbed his left wrist and spun him around. His eyes looked distant, he looked ahead in a trance.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡± Skyler asked as he snapped out of it and shook his head.


    ¡°Look down.¡± Gabrielle pointed at the ground.


    Skyler followed her finger to the floor, and his brow furrowed.


    ¡°The hell?¡± He put his right hand back on his head.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Elaine shouted.


    Gabrielle spun to the side, a cloud of black smoke was floating two feet above the ground. A pitch black foot with four clawed toes in the front and one in the back came out of the bottom of the cloud. The second foot came with the rest of the humanoid creature, it had pitch black skin in the same areas Skyler did, with claws on her hands as well. It was a female form in a sleeveless black dress that had a wet oily texture and went down to her shins. The humanoid woman had a black mask on, her piercing eyes were black where its whites should have been, and the iris had no striations. The outer layer of color was a creamy yellow, it stopped in a perfect hard outline for the white color on the inner part of the iris. Two long thin and sharp black horns stuck out from behind the upper back part of the helix of her ear in a sixty degree angle, and was seven inches long. Her skin was a sickly gray color and had darker blemishes sparsely dotting her skin.


    ¡°Oh shit no, I¡¯m out,¡± Wira said, her voice trembling, she quickly stood up and bolted out of the temple.


    ¡°Where are you going? Come back!¡± Gabrielle shouted back at her, she hadn¡¯t let go of Skyler¡¯s wrist, to make sure that he knew that she was still focusing on him.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Skyler turned towards the mysterious and woman, who was demonic in appearance.


    ¡°A friend,¡± The woman said, her voice was smooth like honey, her slightly higher pitch made her voice sound light and unintimidating.


    ¡°If you were a friend, Wira wouldn¡¯t have bolted. I know she has a good sense of who is bad and who isn¡¯t.¡± Skyler frowned and turned towards the woman with the sickly sweet voice.


    ¡°You should trust me, unlike that girl there. She¡¯s dangerous, you should kill her before she kills you.¡± The mystery woman gestured towards Skyler, and he gripped his head again, a pained expression etched into his face.


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing to my nephew, asshole?¡± Elaine got up and went over to the woman in a stride. Once she got close enough, she shoved the woman. Elaine¡¯s lips curled in a snarl, her fangs in full view.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± The woman said, her voice went from sweet to a demonic growl in no time flat.


    ¡°I should be asking you the same thing, bitch.¡± Elaine put the back of her left hand up to her breast, and her other hand directly under in a loose fist. Sigils materialized from her left palm and a bastard sword materialized. She brandished it, and pointed it at the woman.


    ¡°Fucking again? I¡¯m sick of this.¡± Skyler was frowning as much as he could, his hands were no longer on his head, they were balled into fists at his sides.


    ¡°Drop it.¡± The woman gestured towards Elaine. After a few seconds of nothing happening, Elaine burst into maniacal laughter.


    ¡°You think you can manipulate me? My mind needs to be an impenetrable fortress, using the kind of magic I do. Black magic usually drives people nuts, and I¡¯ve learned how to use extremely powerful black magic spells without a single thing happening to my mind.¡± Elaine boasted, her snarl turned into a toothy and prideful grin.


    ¡°Fuck, I¡¯ve had enough of this.¡± The woman raised her hand and brought it down, a translucent white residual version of her arm where it was before she brought it down appeared, and stretched upwards and forwards in an unnatural manner.


    The stretched version of the woman¡¯s arm narrowly missed Elaine, who leaned backwards to avoid it, leaned back too far and fell back onto her rear end.


    ¡°Elaine, don¡¯t! She¡¯s dangerous with that power!¡± Skyler shouted towards Elaine, who was in the process of getting up.


    She rubbed her rear end, her smile faded as soon as the strange stretchy arm came down, it went right through her sword so it was impossible for her to defend herself.


    ¡°No, fuck that! I¡¯ll kill her anyways!¡± Elaine pointed her sword towards the woman again.


    ¡°No, you have to run!¡± Skyler put his hands out in front of himself, to gesture for her to stop.


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Gabrielle shouted and closed her eyes. A translucent orb of magic with golden sigils encased her, and an area of the orb that was facing the woman lit up.


    Skyler pulled his hand away from the area just in time before a beam of light shot out from the orb, hitting the woman. An ear piercing screech rang out and a sizzling noise accompanied the cooking of the woman¡¯s flesh under the light magic. The beam stopped and the woman was covered with burns, and smoke was slowly rising from her body. Elaine walked up to her and pushed her over. She stepped on the woman¡¯s chest and pointed her bastard sword at her neck.


    ¡°Serves you right.¡± Elaine leaned over the charred body below her.


    ¡°Fuck this thing.¡± Skyler reached back and turned the machine off and promptly lifted it off his shoulder. He raised it up over his head.


    Gabrielle grabbed his arms and kept him from throwing the machine on the ground. A loud screeching noise came from the woman as she dissipated into ash, Elaine¡¯s foot landing on the floor.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t! We need it!¡± Gabrielle squeaked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had ten lifetimes worth of that shit and I don¡¯t want to go through another second of it again.¡± Skyler kept trying to throw the machine, but Gabrielle was pulling back on his arms, making it impossible for him to throw it.


    ¡°She¡¯s right, you shouldn¡¯t destroy it. It¡¯s the only thing that will bring you and Wrackivorn onto the same playing field.¡± Zlyena walked up to them, and stopped a few feet away.


    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t. But I¡¯m not using this fucking thing unless I absolutely have to.¡± Skyler let the machine down slowly, and Gabrielle let go of her grip on his arms.


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea. I¡¯m thinking maybe Gabrielle needs some training to counter that Aspect¡¯s appearance.¡± Zlyena gestured with an open hand towards Gabrielle.


    ¡°Sure, if it¡¯ll make Skyler feel safer when he uses it.¡± Gabrielle turned towards her, and she smiled and nodded in return.


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t need me anymore, I¡¯m going to slip back into my office before Kalan finds out I¡¯m gone.¡± Elaine turned around and walked out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to do the training either here or after I get off work or I have a day off, I can¡¯t forgo work for training.¡± Gabrielle extended an open hand, gesturing with her head for Zlyena to shake it.


    ¡°Deal, Skyler already gave me your number so I¡¯ll call you sometime tonight before you go to bed.¡± Zlyena grabbed her hand and shook it, a smile still on her face.


    She let go of Zlyena¡¯s hand and turned to Skyler, who returned her gaze with a nervous smile, he turned to pick up his clothes, and put down the machine that he now hated, even though it was the only thing that could help him stop Wrackivorn.


    The weird woman freaked her out, but she was glad that Elaine was there to help, and that she had enough power to stop the woman from hurting anyone. She wondered what that weird ability that woman used was, and why Skyler was able to recognize it enough to determine how bad the situation was. She was thankful that someone was going to help her out with training besides the Mystic, who she rarely saw nowadays. She wondered how one woman was so ingrained in the lives of everyone important to her. She thought about how nice it was that Zlyena helped out so many people, and thought she should try to be more like her in the future.

 Trouble Letting Go

    It had been a week since Pain last met Fira, but the gesture she made towards him was on his mind constantly. Was it flirting? Or was she looking for safety? He lay in his bed in Purgatory most of the day for each day ever since, his brain and his heart conflicted with each other. He sat up on his twin sized bed and decided that he had to do something, or he¡¯d be thinking about it for the rest of his deathless life.


    He checked his phone, it was night time on Earth, so Fira should have been in Elega by then. He slid off the bed and used his phone to open up another portal, then walked through it. He arrived right outside the abandoned temple, and used his half-ghost powers to float upwards into the sky. His wings were useless but at least he was able to use being in between the spirit realm and the physical realm to his advantage.


    As he surveyed his surroundings while being a good ways up, he noticed something different about the land near the border. He decided to take a closer look, cutting through the air quickly as he swooped past. As he got closer, the many shapes of a large mob of darklings came into view. He narrowed his eyes in frustration, what was it this time that caught their attention? It didn¡¯t take long for him to be above the group.


    What was happening below made him angry. Fira was there, her sword cutting through small swathes of darklings, but every swing that took a few out, more jumped in to replace the ones that were lost.


    ¡°Come on! How many of you jerks are there? I¡¯m just trying to get through!¡± Fira shouted breathlessly.


    ¡°What do you think you assholes are doing?¡± Pain boomed, folding his arms and glaring down at all the darklings below.


    Every darkling¡¯s head snapped up in the direction his disembodied voice came from. Their eyes went wide and their bodies became stiff, all actions they were doing were cut short, a few of them in mid jump froze up and landed like they had just turned to stone.


    ¡°Death! It¡¯s death!¡± One of the darklings shouted, shakily pointing towards Pain


    ¡°Scatter!¡± Another one of them said. They all quickly dispersed at once, some even trampling over each other or pushing each other out of the way to get to the holes they live in.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you!¡± Fira wiped the sweat from her brow and then waved at him.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you it¡¯s dangerous here? You came back even after that monster scratched you up? Why?¡± Pain floated down onto his feet, his brow furrowed in concern.


    ¡°Shai- I mean, my¡­ My instructor sent me out here, she wanted me to scout the abandoned temple again.¡± Fira looked down as she let go of the flaming sword in her grasp, letting the light wind blow the fire away.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell her what happened last time?¡± He put a hand on her shoulder, he didn¡¯t want to see her get hurt again. He knew that it was futile for her to fight so many darklings at once, even if they were not that smart and went single file into her blade, they would have eventually worn her out.


    ¡°Yes, but she assured me that it was a one time thing, that something like that wouldn¡¯t happen again.¡± She looked away with a frown.


    ¡°Believe me, I know it isn¡¯t like that, I experienced it firsthand, you don¡¯t want to be here.¡± Pain clutched his chest with his free hand, where the three cuts of the Y incision pattern on his shirt met. He felt his face contort, remembering his Y incision being ripped open by the large two sided axe that Wrackivorn brandished.


    He remembered having to use his scythe as a crutch to limp away from the large, pitch black centaur demon as he laughed at his agony, he recalled clutching his lower jaw prosthetic in his free hand, trying not to pass out from the intense pain he was feeling as tears clouded his vision and blood filled his throat, causing him to cough and choke while struggling to breathe.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Fira said as she squeezed his hand lightly


    Pain snapped out of his flashback and quickly shook his head to bring himself back to his senses.


    ¡°You looked like you were really bothered by something for a second there, is everything ok?¡± Fira was looking back up at him, her brow furrowed with concern now.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, just remembering getting dethroned. That had to be one of the worst experiences I¡¯ve ever had. Not only because it hurt, but because I let my best friend down.¡± Pain squeezed his eyes shut and slowly shook his head, he said he would hold throne of the Lord of Darkness for Skyler, only to be bested by Wrackivorn.


    Skyler was the rightful heir to the throne, not Wrackivorn, he wasn¡¯t closely related enough to have it. He knew why it was so easy for Wrackivorn to beat him. the evil warlock that put a price on his head, and directly lead to his demise, told Wrackivorn his only two weaknesses. That was the only way he could have known, he went for both weaknesses so early on that he didn¡¯t have enough time to react.


    ¡°Dethroned? What do you mean?¡± He felt her hand moved up to his wrist.


    He opened his eyes, and remembered that she didn¡¯t know a thing about what happened. Her ruby red eyes were catching the light of the sun behind them, they weren¡¯t wide with shock, but slightly wider than usual. It was apparent that she was transfixed on him, and it made him nervous. He thought about pulling his hand away, but didn¡¯t want to give her any negative signals than he already had.


    ¡°I was.. For a time, the only Lord of Darkness-¡±


    Fira gave a quick gasp in response ¡°Wait, what?!¡±


    ¡°Let me explain, I didn¡¯t deserve the title, I was only holding it for my best friend, the true heir to that throne.¡± Pain averted his eyes. It didn¡¯t take a lot of convincing from Skyler, he only had to take one look at his bleeding bandages to understand why it was so important for him to hold his place.


    ¡°You¡¯re best friends with the actual Lord of Darkness?¡± Fira¡¯s face contorted in fear before him in his peripheral, he knew he had to respond quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already seen his half-brother, Drake, and the two of them are on good terms with each other.¡± Pain looked back at her, and looked back to see her face soften back up again.


    ¡°They¡¯re related? He didn¡¯t seem like a bad guy, I wonder what his half-brother is like.¡± Fira tilted her head slightly, he had saved face in terms of his best friend, which was a relief.


    He parted his lips, his bottom lip made of silicon and colored the same purple as the rest of his jaw prosthetic, and exhaled out of his mouth. He was glad the war between light and darkness was almost over, the polarizing effects it has on people who would, in any other setting, get along well, weren¡¯t helping things.


    ¡°If it was so off-putting to you, why didn¡¯t you shy away from me when you were wounded?¡± He wasn¡¯t angry, he was more confused than anything else. She was giving mixed signals. Her being comfortable around him, but recoiling at any mention of the Lord of Darkness, he didn¡¯t look like a someone from her side of the land at all, and wondered why she was giving off such mixed signals.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fallen angel though, and your wings¡­ What¡¯s¡­ What¡¯s left of them, I mean... Aren¡¯t bat ones, so I thought you still had good standing with heaven.¡± She looked away from him and gestured with her hand toward his back.


    ¡°You¡¯d be correct, but I don¡¯t look like a light magic user, now do I?¡± he said with a close lipped smile, his purple lower lip rising up to keep his teeth from showing.


    ¡°No, but¡­¡± She squeezed his wrist lightly, and looked at the hand that was squeezing it.


    ¡°And what of Elaine? The demon woman from before? She didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d be on your side, but she is. You can thank her for my continued existence, she¡¯s the reason I¡¯m even here talking to you right now.¡± He stepped a bit closer to her.


    Her eyes widened with shock. ¡°Oh, I¡­ I didn¡¯t know that! I¡¯m terribly sorry, I just¡­ I was trained to fight the forces of darkness, so¡­ I¡¯ve grown to have an aversion to Darklings and the like. Demons are different, I¡¯d only heard stories about them, that the Lords of Darkness are descendants of them.¡± Fira looked back at him, her cheeks flush red with embarrassment.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m not angry at all. Actually, I want to show you something.¡± Pain pulled his hand back, and held his hands out. A black orb appeared and stretched horizontally, materializing his scythe.


    He stepped back from Fira, turned to the left, and brandished his scythe in his right hand, the red eyes that dotted the weapon staring into space. He raised his scythe, grabbed it with both hands and swung down, ripping a hole where the scythe connected in the air in front of him.


    ¡°It¡¯s just through here.¡± He took his left hand off his weapon and gestured towards the tear that he just made.


    Fira put a hand up to her mouth and stood there for a second.


    ¡°What¡­? How did you do that?¡± She stepped towards it and gazed into the tear, it¡¯s reflective surface like a mirror.


    ¡°Reaper magic. Not many reapers have access to the place I opened a gateway to, it is of my own creation. I used whatever power I had leftover from my previous life that was stored up to create it. It¡¯s very special to me, and I wanted you to see it.¡± Pain smiled warmly, and lowered his left arm a bit, still keeping the gesture.


    ¡°That¡¯s so sweet! I¡¯m so flattered¡­ But on one condition.¡± Fira took her hand off her face and put her hands over her dress, one hand over the other.


    ¡°What is it?¡± He tilted his head at her, a smile still on his face.


    ¡°We go in together, you being in front, and¡­ You have to hold my hand while we go through.¡± Her cheeks flushed red and she brought her shoulders up to her neck while looking down.


    ¡°Oh¡­ R-really? Are you sure about that?¡± He felt blood rush to his cheeks and he turned his head away a little to avoid looking directly at her.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She extended her left arm out in front of her, her open hand waited to be grabbed.


    His hands fell to his sides for a moment, and he, with his cheeks still feeling hot as blood coursed through them, looked back at her.


    ¡°All¡­ Alright.¡± He didn¡¯t know what else to say, but such a gesture made him start to tear up a little.


    Skyler was the only one who was there for him after every bad thing happened to him, and now that he has no time for him, he felt stranded. Skyler wasn¡¯t able to be there after he was dethroned because he himself was still wounded. Her extended hand, however, was his saving grace.


    He quickly looked away, memorized where her hand was, and grabbed it with his right hand. He squeezed her hand with a delicate firmness, pressing down and over every area his gloved hand touched her skin. His heart was beating very fast, and was glad that he was wearing gloves, because it meant she couldn¡¯t feel how fast his pulse was. He felt slightly dizzy for a reason that escaped him, and was glad that he had already turned his head before the dizziness hit.


    He said a silent prayer that his legs will work before he tried to move them. His right leg sluggishly dragged forward and to the left, and he wobbled a bit when his left foot moved to match where his right foot was going. He quickly raised his free arm to wipe away the tears before she could see, and squeezed his eyes shut again.


    After he took a deep breath, he let said arm fall to his side and walked forward, his knees miraculously started to work again, which was a lucky occurrence. Usually when he¡¯s this excited, his knees will refuse to work, which made his previous relationships awkward sometimes. Was he getting better at controlling his emotions? He felt more about her than any of his other relationships, but even though his emotions towards her were so intense, he somehow fought back enough for his legs to not give way and stop working.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    He felt his arm pull Fira forward as he walked through the portal blindly. The feeling of her other hand grabbing his made his heart almost jump out of his chest again. He took another deep breath as he felt the purple roses that cover the ground of Purgatory crunch under his feet.


    He gave her hand a yank and opened his eyes, and the scenery, once it met his eyes, calmed him. Her left shoulder connected with him as she bumped into him. He let go of her hand and pulled it back, then spun around and gestured towards the scene before her as the portal behind them closed itself.


    The ground as far as the eye could see was covered in the same purple roses that they were standing on, A large gray castle was close by, it¡¯s tower tops colored purple. He stepped to his left so she could see the ornate gazebo that was only a short walk to the castle, it was embellished in gold, and the mahogany wood glistened in the light of the sun.


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Pain said with a smile, he had even created magical versions of the sun and moon to provide light to his world. He worked very hard to make his own special place perfect.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, you made all this?¡± Fira put both hands to her face, eyes wide with wonder.


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re the only human who¡¯s stepped foot in here in a while, about two years, I think.¡± He turned and walked towards the gazebo, then gestured for Fira to follow him.


    ¡°What other human has been here before me?¡± She asked, every step she took to keep up with him making a soft crunch as she stepped on the roses below.


    ¡°Well, just two before you. They were¡­ Past lovers,¡± Pain said as he pulled out a wooden chair as ornate as the rest of the gazebo, and sat down. He gestured to the chair next to him, inviting her to sit.


    ¡°Really? So you¡¯ve only shown your past girlfriends this place? So, does that mean¡­?¡± She stood there, an excited look on her face. He now knew that she felt the same.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying¡­ That I really like you, and I wanted to show you this place because it might give me luck.¡± He felt his face heat up again, and turned his head away a bit, enough to still keep eye contact with her.


    He brought her to Purgatory because before, he would only bring girls there after he had already started dating them, and that maybe bringing her there before would mean they were destined to be together. If she said yes, he would do anything to keep her, and would do everything in his power to make sure that the relationship wouldn¡¯t fall apart or that she would have to leave him.


    He already argued with the sun spirits about not asking Fira to join them, which they agreed that they wouldn¡¯t. His most recent girlfriend became a moon spirit, so he was terrified that if he and Fira got together, that she would become a sun spirit and have to leave him, because spirits are not allowed to have relationships.


    ¡°So¡­ What kind of luck would liking someone need?¡± She said inquisitively while she smoothly walked over to the chair he was gesturing to, pulled it out and sat down.


    ¡°Oh.. Well¡­¡± He painted himself into a corner, all of his previous comments came back to him all at once, he let too much of his feelings for her slip, all because of his big mouth and him not thinking straight.


    ¡°Enough about that, why does your lower jaw look like that?¡± She put her elbows onto the table and pointed at his prosthetic jaw.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a prosthetic, I lost my original one due to an¡­ Unforeseen circumstance, one that is a very touchy subject for me. I¡¯ll tell you someday but, not at the moment.¡± Pain looked away and closed his eyes, trying to force himself not to remember, to think about what¡¯s going on right now instead.


    ¡°Can you feel this?¡± She said, and without having time to react, he felt her hand caress his chin.


    ¡°What are you¡­?¡± He opened his eyes and looked back at her, a small smile was on her face and her hand glided across the polished metal of his lower jaw. He immediately felt himself blush for the umpteenth time


    ¡°Well, can you?¡± She asked with a giggle, her own cheeks becoming red.


    ¡°Yes, I can. You¡¯d be surprised how far technology has come in terms of sensory implants in prosthetics.¡± He wanted to pull her hand away from his chin, but didn¡¯t want her to get the idea that he didn¡¯t like her.


    ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t your jaw move?¡± She said and her hand moved up to where his jaw joint would have been.


    ¡°They couldn¡¯t make one that could let me do that without it hurting after a while. This one is much more comfortable.¡± He put a hand up to the same place on the other side of his lower jaw.


    ¡°Hurt? Why would it hurt?¡± She pulled her hand back and her smile faded into a look of concern.


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated, long story short is the curse that keeps me in my body makes the wounds that were given to me unable to be closed and cause a lot of pain. And it only goes away with intense magical intervention. The thing holding my lower jaw in place is a special kind of magical adhesive that can essentially close the wound. The other lower jaw I use to eat and talk with can only keep the wound closed for a few hours before the adhesive starts to wear off, there¡¯s too much movement involved there that the adhesive can¡¯t take it¡­ I¡¯ve had the unfortunate experience of it slipping off before, it¡¯s a work in progress.¡± He clutched his lower jaw with the hand he already had on it.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know.¡± She looked away with a frown.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t worry about it. I was asking the same questions too when I first got them both. The other lower jaw causes too much grief, I only use it when I¡¯m going out in public.¡± He smiled at her, not a fake smile either, he remembered how nice it was sleep with his lower jaw adjustment after they found out that him not having a lower lip caused him to drool all over his bedding.


    ¡°Pain! There you are!¡± A familiar voice called out. It was Matilda, the ghost from the middle ages that got too attached to him, so he made her his assistant.


    He looked over to see her floating over to the gazebo, her flowing purple dress fluttering wildly because she was gliding by so fast. Her long purple hair had gotten into her mouth, but she hadn¡¯t seemed to notice yet. Her fair face was curled into an angry expression, making her icy blue eyes seem piercing.


    ¡°What is it, Matilda? Can¡¯t you see I have a guest?¡± Pain got up out of his chair, what was it now? Why was she so angry? Was it because he was neglecting his work?


    ¡°It has been a whole week, you cannot keep him here forever! Only beings who understand human language can consent to staying here, remember? That is what we agreed on!¡± Matilda balled her fist in obvious rage.


    He knew who she was talking about. The cat that had been taken in a few months ago that hated humans, or anything that resembled them. His name in the book of death was Bub Roberts,the poor animal was more than mistreated by his owners, and the hate almost corrupted his soul. The last time he saw Bub, he was very loving, signaling the rehabilitation had worked.


    ¡°Do we have to do this now?¡± He turned his head away from the both of them, embarrassed that he was shirking his responsibilities to impress the girl he liked.


    ¡°You told me that you would release any spirit that was ready to be released that cannot understand human language, we have been through this a thousand times. You locked yourself in your room, which I cannot get into, for a week, and expect me to wait?¡± Matilda folded her arms and made an annoyed noise.


    ¡°Fira, can you stay here for a bit? I need to take care of something.¡± He turned to Fira and put his left hand out in front of him, his palm facing her.


    ¡°No, I want to go with you.¡± She got up and with one swift motion, grabbed his wrist.


    ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m¡­ Still not the best at my job, even after years of doing it. I may be the head of the reapers but¡­ One aspect of the job still is very hard for me, and I still have trouble with it to this day. It¡¯s hasn¡¯t gotten better for me, even after all this time doing it.¡± He looked at her with desperate eyes, he didn¡¯t want to have her see him like what he knows without a doubt he will be like when he releases Bub.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave you alone like that, please let me come with you.¡± She looked back at him with the same desperate expression.


    He had two choices, risk ruining everything and brush her off, or risk ruining everything by letting her see what he¡¯s like when it comes to reaping animals. Either one could end in less than good terms between him and Fira. On one hand, he could completely ruin any chance of a relationship with her by leaving her there; on the other hand, letting her follow him could end disastrously in terms of destroying any chance of romance. He paused, and took a moment to choose whether to leave her there or let her come with.


    ¡°Alright, follow me.¡± He pulled his hand back and gestured for her to follow. He had decided on her being there, because if he was too afraid to show her his weaknesses, he would never fully be able to open up to her.


    He stepped back onto the rose covered ground, and lightly crunched his way towards the castle, the roses behind him magically regenerating themselves, only to be stepped on again by Fira, who followed close behind. He pushed the heavy wooden doors open and stepped inside. The inside of the castle looked very much like the insides of the castle on the light side of Elega, only the lighting was dimmer, and the velvet was purple, as were all the curtains.


    He went to the left, where he kept the animal spirits for rehabilitation. He could only handle a few at a time, the rest were in the Soul Bottle that was on his utility belt, it was a round bottle with small vertical creases in the black glass and with a dodecahedron of a crystal glass cap that kept the bottle closed. The souls inside are in stasis, so they don¡¯t get too stressed inside.


    He walked into the room, and was immediately greeted by Bub, who snuggled his leg. He knew it was time, but he regretted having to leave him. Bub¡¯s fur in his spirit cat form was light purple, as was the color of everything else on him. The lighter the purple, the purer the spirit. Bub was a dark purple when he first came to Purgatory, the anger and hate inside him made his spirit form look menacing. Now, besides the color, he looked like a normal cat.


    ¡°Aw, what a cute kitty.¡± Fira kneeled down to pet Bub, who headbutted her hand.


    ¡°Forgive me, Bub¡­ I¡¯ll miss you.¡± He said and felt his face contort into a pained expression as he materialized his scythe.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Fira got up and looked up at him.


    ¡°He can¡¯t stay, I need to sever his ties to the human realm so he can go to heaven.¡± He gripped his scythe and tried to hold back the tears that were surely coming.


    ¡°Are you crying?¡± She stepped closer to him, it was too late to wipe away the tears that had already formed and were cascading down his face.


    ¡°Step aside, for your safety.¡± He pressed his eyelids together to force out the vision impairing tears.


    He looked at Bub, who looked at him with content eyes, not knowing what was about to happen. A hard lump had already lodged itself in his throat that made his breathing slightly labored. He held his scythe out in front of himself with his left hand, and ghostly strings that glowed with a soft white light appeared over Bub. He brought his weapon back, his hands far from steady, and with one swift motion, he cut every string. Bub laid down on his side and closed his eyes, his spirit form then slowly disintegrated.


    A loud clank rang out as he dropped his scythe, and it desintagrated a second after it hit the ground. He couldn¡¯t handle the guilt and sadness that immediately overwhelmed him as soon as he cut the ties. He couldn¡¯t see past the cloudiness of his tears, but he heard Fira¡¯s footsteps quickly coming towards him. He fell forwards, just in time for her to catch him. He sobbed openly, and put his arms around her as he hid his face in her shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, he¡¯s in a better place now.¡± Fira reached behind him and patted his back.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hard. They don¡¯t¡­ They don¡¯t understand! I can¡¯t tell them how much I love them, that¡¯s why it hurts so bad! If only they could understand what I say, it wouldn¡¯t be like this!¡± He communicated telepathically while sobbing at the same time.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, even if they knew it would still be hard.¡± She started to gently rub his back instead of patting it.


    ¡°It goes for humans, too! When they¡¯re that young I¡­ I don¡¯t even want to think about it!¡± He balled his fists, it was too much for him. He couldn¡¯t tell her yet, but he usually would get a fellow reaper to cut the ties of children young enough to not understand speech, it was much too difficult for him to do.


    ¡°The fact that you are like this shows that you care, it isn¡¯t just a job. It¡¯s something that you feel needs to be done, despite any emotions otherwise.¡± She hugged him and gave his back another couple pats.


    ¡°Now you understand why I didn¡¯t want to bring you here, right?¡± He pulled back a little and raised his head, his face wet with tears and snot.


    ¡°Of course, but I care about you too much to let you go through that alone.¡± She grabbed her sleeve and used it to wipe his tears.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± He choked back more sobs and wiped the his nose on his upper arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying I want to be your girlfriend.¡± She grabbed his arm and gently pulled it outwards.


    ¡°Wha-... Really? Even after all this?¡± His heart skipped a beat; He didn¡¯t understand, he was so used to being berated for being a crybaby, that all of this took him by complete surprise. His whole body heated up this time, and this time, with her hand on the skin of his arm, she could definitely feel how fast his pulse was.


    ¡°Yes, of course¡­ Hey, are you alright? Your heart seems to be beating¡­ A little fast.¡± She looked up at him with a worried expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now, I just¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say, I-...¡± Her confession completely knocked what he just had to do out of his brain, along with everything else, his mind blanked.


    ¡°So¡­ What do you say? Can I?¡± She smiled at him, though a hint of worry was still on her face.


    ¡°Of course, why did you think I brought you here? That was always my intention.¡± He grabbed her hand that was on his upper arm with his free hand, and entwined his fingers with hers.


    They spent the rest of the day there. They talked, laughed and had a wonderful time until the cloudless skies got dark. When Purgatory¡¯s sun had just about completely set, Fira turned to Pain, her hands behind her back.


    ¡°So, I guess it¡¯s time to go back.¡± She grabbed his wrist and moved her hands down to his hand, then firmly grasped it.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll drop you off at the front gates, they won¡¯t know anything different. Oh, by the way, I¡¯ve made that abandoned temple we met at a little home away from home. So next time you want to go there, ask me, with this.¡± He pulled out a similar flip phone to his that was next to his own on his utility belt, and handed it to her.


    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this yours?¡± She reached for it with her free hand, but was just short of touching it.


    ¡°It¡¯s an extra I was given, my number is already on it.¡± He smiled at her and placed the phone into her hand.


    ¡°So this is essentially giving me your number then?¡± She grinned and clasped the phone tightly in her hand.


    ¡°Well, we need ways to contact each other¡± He nodded and used the hand that gave her the phone to materialize his scythe again.


    He pulled his other hand away from her and turned to the left, then promptly teared into the air to create another portal.


    ¡°Where does this go? Does it go back to where we entered?¡± She asked as she pointed to it.


    ¡°It goes to where we were before, yes. But the sun will be coming up in Elega when we get there, so the Darklings won¡¯t want to come out of their holes.¡± He dematerialized his weapon and gestured towards the portal.


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ Hey, can we¡­ Hold hands again?¡± She meekly held out her left hand.


    ¡°Of course, darling.¡± He winked seductively at her and grabbed her hand.


    ¡°Wow, you got over being embarrassed real fast,¡± she said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Well, it was only because we weren¡¯t dating yet. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get embarrassed later though.¡± He chuckled back at her, and they walked through the portal together.


    The portal closed behind them after they stepped through. He turned to her and then felt her lips connect to the metal of his lower jaw where his lips sat, and felt her upper lip connect to his in between the zig zags of the metal of his prosthetic. As soon as he realized she had just kissed him, she pulled back, waved, and quickly walked back over the border. He put his hand up to his mouth as he blushed, and grinned.

 Back to Basics

    Gabrielle was still fast asleep when she felt something nudge her. In the inky blackness of her mind she knew something was there but her brain wouldn¡¯t let her move. The next thing she knew she was flipped over from sleeping on her belly to being on her back, her brain sounded all the alarms, and her eyes snapped open. Skyler was looming over her, his hands on her upper arms.


    ¡°What? What is it?¡± She lightly smacked one of his hands away, her brain still foggy.


    ¡°It¡¯s your day off, and Zlyena is an impatient woman, we need to be there in minutes.¡± He didn¡¯t look pleased in the least about what he just said.


    ¡°Why wake me up so early?¡± she said as she got up and rubbed the sand from her eyes.


    ¡°She told me to wake you up, you were the one who told her your days off.¡± He took his hands off her arms and got stood back up.


    ¡°Yeah, I got her number from that weird phone you gave me and I put it on my smartphone so it wouldn¡¯t take forever for me to text her.¡± She never liked using a flip phone when she had one, and flip phones were notorious for taking forever to even input a single word in for texting.


    ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s fine, as long as you don¡¯t tell people about her. She likes a bit of secrecy, choosing to live underground and all.¡± He shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°She lives underground?¡± She looked up at him, confused. Was she going undercover, or did she actually live below ground?


    ¡°Yeah, she built a whole society for her people nearby Crayla Town, there¡¯s a teleporter under there so they don¡¯t actually have to land and stuff like that. Also that weird grapefruit looking fruit they have is an experience and a half. Imagine tasting every flavor! Sweet, sour, savory, spicy, all at once! No idea how that is even possible, but it¡¯s a thing that exists.¡± He grinned and pointed to his mouth.


    ¡°Wow, they really must find single flavor foods weird.¡± She got up and went to the closet, opened it and pulled at a gray dress, looked at it for a second, and decided against it. She pushed it back into the closet, and pulled on a red dress, she wasn¡¯t going anywhere fancy, so she decided against that too. She shoved it back in and pulled out a blue one, which looked too much like sleepwear, so she put it back.


    ¡°Having trouble deciding what to wear?¡± Skyler walked up and put his hands on her shoulders.


    ¡°This always happens, and I don¡¯t know what to do about it.¡± She grabbed a green dress with a darker green for the collar,


    ¡°That one looks good, although the red dress was kinda nice too. A bit too fancy for the event, though.¡±


    ¡°Maybe once this is all over I could use it when you take me out to dinner.¡± She took the green dress off the coat rack and turned to him. She tried her best to make puppy dog eyes at him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to make that face at me, I¡¯ll take you, I promise, after this is all over.¡± Skyler smiled back at her.


    ¡°Yay!¡± She did a happy little jig, hoping that things go well enough that they can have a nice dinner together.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m going to let you change. We¡¯re taking my car today by the way.¡± He looked back as he was walking out of the room.


    ¡°Yeah, because I have no idea where it is.¡± She stood there and took the dress off the hanger.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the address next time, but I have to go there too because she called me there as well.¡± He did a little wave and went through the door.


    She got dressed put on her black slip on shoes and her white coat, she¡¯d always had a hard time with coat zippers, her hair would easily get caught in the teeth and she¡¯d have to finegle it while pushing her hair back. She remembered that when she and Skyler walked to school together in middle school, he always zipped up her coat when she was cold.


    A sudden feeling of sadness hit her and before she could react, tears were pooling under her eyes and threatened to wet her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away, sniffled, and finished getting ready. He was hers now. There was no reason to feel sad. Why did she suddenly start crying? Was it because remembering all that happened to him while she was gone still filled her with guilt every time she thought about it?


    ¡°You ok in there?¡± Skyler said as he lightly knocked on the closed door from outside.


    ¡°I told you not to use that thing again.¡± She said in a scolding voice as she wiped her face again. She knew he could read her emotions, she didn¡¯t know how it worked, but she guessed he it was something he had to actively do.


    ¡°It turns on by itself at a certain intensity, I don¡¯t know much about how this damn thing works either, you might be feeling mine soon too, I¡¯m not sure.¡± He talked loudly so his voice could reach her through the wall.


    ¡°I¡¯m dressed now, you don¡¯t have to keep shouting out there.¡± She walked over and opened the door. He was right outside it, and looked at her.


    ¡°I hope she can tell me how to get me to not feel intense emotions from you, I should ask about that when we get there.¡± He put his hand to his chin and turned around


    She walked around him, and got almost the entire way around him when he spoke.


    ¡°By the way.¡± He kept still, not even looking at her from the corner of his eye.


    She turned towards him. She didn¡¯t feel the need to ask him what it was.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you feel mine, but you may have to learn how to turn it off for other reasons.¡± He looked away and walked towards the door.


    She stayed silent, unable to find the words to convey how touching that was. But also was confused as to why she would ever have to turn it off.


    She followed him out, and kept pace with him. She looked at him and gave him an endearing smile. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and smiled back. There was something off about what he said earlier, so she was trying to cheer him up. They walked up to a new looking shiny black car.


    ¡°My last one broke down on me recently, that¡¯s why this one looks so new. Here.¡± He took out his keys and pressed a button on his key fob, and all the doors clicked open.


    ¡°My last one didn¡¯t have a key fob and I very much enjoy having one now.¡± He was still smiling as he opened the car door and got in.


    She went around and got in as he started the car. She then remembered that he woke her up in her room.


    ¡°Wait a second, why do you have your car here? You teleported in, right?¡± She turned to him and his smile faded and his cheeks flushed gray.


    ¡°Oh, I drove here but I teleported in anyways because I needed to wake you up quickly, and knocking on the door wasn¡¯t quick enough,¡± he said as he pulled out of the driveway and drove out of the apartment complex.


    The passing scenery was familiar to her up until a certain point, when he turned into an area she didn¡¯t recognize. She was usually very good at remembering where she has been, and has a good memory for directions, so she knew they were going someplace else.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting close¡± He quickly looked at her with a slight grin and then turned his attention back onto driving.


    He turned onto a side street past the rural housing area she had never seen before, and there was a single, abandoned looking shack. Her eyes went wide and she widened her closed lips as he started slowing down. That couldn¡¯t be the place, could it? He turned onto the gravel side lane that was in front of the shack and stopped.


    ¡°Here it is. Not much of a looker, is it? It¡¯s not supposed to. They actually got a guy to make it look older than it is, which I didn¡¯t know was a profession but I guess if it pays the bills, go for it.¡± He turned off and got out of the car, then slammed the door behind him.


    She got out and did the same, and reluctantly walked around the car, the gravel crunching under her feet. It turned to the shuffling of well kept grass as she stepped off of the road. The shack itself looked aged but all around it was green grass, not a bald spot or dead area to be seen.


    ¡°Does someone do upkeep on the grass here?¡± She looked around and spotted sprinklers dug into the ground.


    She turned back around, and noticed grass clippings on the edge of the gravel road, someone had definitely been mowing, so she knew she wasn¡¯t being somehow tricked by Skyler.


    ¡°They pay someone to come mow it I guess, you¡¯ll have to ask her about it.¡± He walked up to the shack and took out a keyring with two keys, one that was larger than the keyring itself.


    He shoved the key into the lock that was keeping the metal chains together around the shack. The lock opened and he gently slipped it off of one side, nails keeping the rest of the chain from falling down, and he let it fall and sway silently. He used the smaller key on the bronze door handle, and opened it. A rush of cool air blasted outwards, blowing her hair back.


    ¡°Come on in.¡± He gestured towards the open door that had concrete stairs going downwards into blackness and made another slight smile at her.


    ¡°What is that?¡± She grabbed her hair and tried to keep it from blowing back.


    ¡°That¡¯s the air conditioning, don¡¯t worry about that.¡± He put his arm down and walked up and into the doorway.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think aliens knew about air conditioning.¡± She walked up to him, still keeping her hands on her head.


    ¡°Follow me.¡± He gestured inwards and started to walk down the stairs.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    She followed him down, the concrete stairs ending at black flooring. They walked through a small black hallway. Near the end, floodlights came into view. They came out onto the landing, which was very large. Past the metal railing was a huge area that stretched for miles that had exposed dirt with no grass. The only plant life there were a kind of strange plant she had never seen before. On the vines of the upwards growing plants that had stalks akin to corn plants were dark fruits, which she gathered must have been the fruit that Skyler had talked about earlier. Strange humanoid creatures with dark purple, almost pitch black skin and short fluffy silver hair tended to the plants.


    A ringing noise came from Skyler¡¯s pocket, he quickly pulled out a similar cell phone to the one he gave her, and flipped it open. He put it up to his ear.


    ¡°Yeah? ¡­ What is it? ¡­ Don¡¯t ¡®um¡¯ me, just say it. ¡­ What?! We¡­¡± He quickly covered his free hand with his face.


    ¡°No! We haven¡¯t! She doesn¡¯t even know about that yet! ¡­ No, I didn¡¯t tell her!¡± He balled his hand into a fist and took it off his face, revealing grayed cheeks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about what now? There¡¯s something you haven¡¯t told me?¡± She got closer to him, hearing Elaine¡¯s voice through the phone, even though she couldn¡¯t understand what was being said.


    ¡°She¡¯s pestering me about us, because of the markings. Just because she was more promiscuous when dating doesn¡¯t mean that we have to do anything, even though¡­¡± He paused, and Elaine¡¯s voice yelled into his ear.


    ¡°Even though what?¡± She tugged at Skyler¡¯s coat sleeve, she didn¡¯t like that he had been keeping secrets from her, she felt her face scrunch up a little.


    ¡°That technically¡­ We¡¯re kinda¡­¡± He looked away from her, Elaine still shouting in his ear.


    ¡°Just tell her already!¡± Elaine shouted loud enough through the phone for Gabrielle to hear.


    ¡°Married.¡± His posture curled in on itself and he tried to shield his face.


    ¡°We¡¯re what?!¡± She squeaked, keeping such an important thing from her was unheard of. How? What did she do? She looked down at her hand, the markings. That¡¯s what it was. That¡¯s the only thing she could think of. She looked back up at him and grabbed him by the shirt.


    ¡°Wait, wait! I can explain!¡± He held his hands up, taking the phone away from his ear.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this?! I would have given the ritual a second thought if I had known!¡± She yanked at his shirt, her brow furrowed.


    ¡°I was going to tell you later, I swear! I just, I was scared that you wouldn¡¯t go through with it! I wouldn¡¯t have anyone to fall back on if I lost control if you didn¡¯t! You won¡¯t take it back, will you? Please don¡¯t leave me to my own devices!¡± He closed his eyes, his blushing faded and his hands started to shake.


    ¡°You should have told me! Why didn¡¯t you trust me enough?¡± She was less angry now and more hurt than anything, why was he so scared that she wouldn¡¯t do it?


    ¡°I¡¯ve had the rug pulled out from under me so many times, I wanted to trust you, I swear, but all the things that I¡¯ve been through made me question everything. I didn¡¯t want to lose you again.¡± He looked back at her, tears pooling under his eyes.


    Her face softened. She knew he felt remorse for not telling her. She couldn¡¯t fault him for that, she hurt him too by leaving, even if it wasn¡¯t her choice. She understood that she didn¡¯t know everything about what happened while she was gone, and she couldn¡¯t just take it back either. He wasn¡¯t an evil person, but was still a slave to his own devices up until the ritual.


    ¡°We¡¯ll call it even, but no more hiding things from me.¡± She let go of his shirt and stepped back.


    ¡°I gotta go Elaine, bye,¡± he said into the phone, and after a few seconds, flipped the phone closed, and put it in his pocket.


    ¡°Was there really so much doubt in your mind that I¡¯d do it if I had known?¡± She walked over to the railing and leaned on it, looking out over the rows of plants.


    ¡°I was frightened at even the slightest chance that I wouldn¡¯t have anyone to stop me if I couldn¡¯t control myself. I¡¯ve had it happen for so long, I just couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and it would have been even worse now, with the power I¡¯ve gained. I mistrusted myself more than i mistrusted you though, I hope you¡¯ll believe me.¡± The sound of cloth shuffling against skin caught her ear, he was wiping his eyes.


    ¡°I would have done it anyway, you dummy.¡± She brought her hand up and rested her head in her palm, her elbow supported by the metal railing.


    ¡°Elaine was asking me if we had¡­ Consummated yet.¡± He walked over, his hands in his pockets and his entire face turned gray.


    She sprung up from where she was leaning and snapped towards Skyler, her face instantly felt hot, and her heart, while she was getting up, had skipped a beat.


    ¡°C-c-c-consummation?! Oh no no no no! Absolutely not! Not yet! Not for a good while!¡± She squeaked again and threw her hands out in front of her.


    ¡°Wait, not yet?¡± He covered his face with both hands but parted his fingers so his wide eyes could still see her.


    ¡°Ssshh! Just forget I said that!¡± She put her pointer finger up to her lips and shushed him.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here,¡± Zlyena said as she walked out of the farthest back hallway leading to the landing.


    ¡°Zlyena, Gabby has already seen the Zoriyans below, you should show her what you really look like.¡± He shook his head and snapped towards Zlyena, it was apparent he was trying to change the subject.


    ¡°Well, I see no reason to keep this form if she¡¯s already seen my people.¡± She relented. A flash of purple light cocooned her for a second and then disappeared.


    Her skin was like the rest of the Zoriyans, and she had equally silver hair that was short and fluffy. Two four inch cone-like horns came out of the middle of each top side of her head, and she stretched the two batlike wings that came out from behind her back. She looked like she wasn¡¯t wearing anything yet there was no sight of unmentionable parts. A proud look beamed from her as she put her hands on her hips, sharp looking claws at the end of her fingers. A slight tap came from one of the claws on her feet, which had four toes in the front and a dewclaw poking out from the back of the heel of each foot.


    ¡°Did you think I was kidding when I told you she was the queen? I know it¡¯s hard to believe in ancient magical space aliens, but the proof is in the pudding.¡± Skyler put the knuckles of his closed hands on his hips and turned to Gabrielle with a sly grin.


    ¡°So she¡¯s an ancient magical space alien queen? That hurts just thinking about it.¡± Gabrielle put a hand up to her head, she could barely even process what she just said, let alone the concept of all those words put together. There was a stinging pain in the top left side of her forehead from just trying to slap all those words together, it sounded like word salad to her.


    ¡°Try not to think about it too much and follow me instead.¡± Zlyena turned around and gestured for them to follow her.


    She and Skyler followed her into a maze of hallways, she wondered how all this could be underground, and how people haven¡¯t found out about this underground hideout yet.


    ¡°In here.¡± Zlyena opened the door and led them inside.


    It was a large red room with a single light to illuminate it all. The room was completely empty, save for a single small bookshelf in the corner, which had weird symbols on all of them. One looked familiar, a circle with two cone-like horns poking out the upper part of each side. She looked to Zlyena and realized that it was her symbol.


    ¡°You have your own symbol in your own language?¡± She walked over to the books and picked one up.


    ¡°The one that resembles me either means god or a powerful Zoriyan spell.¡± Zlyena walked up next to her as Gabrielle opened up a book


    The pages were all written in symbols she couldn¡¯t understand, she flipped to the last few pages of the book and saw Zlylena''s symbol there.


    ¡°So this one would be a really powerful spell?¡± She pointed to the spell that had the symbol.


    ¡°Yes, maybe I¡¯ll teach you how to read it someday. It¡¯s a bit like the english language, one symbol is one letter.¡± Zlyena lightly grabbed the book from her and placed it back on the bookshelf.


    Gabrielle noticed red markings on Zlyena¡¯s ring finger, and looked up at her.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Marked too?¡± She fiddled with the darkened skin on her finger.


    ¡°Yes. oh, and if you haven¡¯t done it yet, having these markings is really good in be-¡±


    ¡°Sssshhh! Don¡¯t talk about that!¡± Skyler interrupted and shushed Zlyena.


    ¡°What? What is it?¡± Zlyena looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you two forgetting something?¡± he said with desperation in his voice, obviously trying to change the subject a second time today.


    ¡°Oh, right, light magic.¡± She put a palm up to her face, as she had just remembered that she was there for light magic training.


    ¡°I have to go over something with Skyler first, if you would let me.¡± Zlyena turned to Skyler.


    ¡°What is it?¡± He walked up to the two of them with his hands in his pockets.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably rusty in hand-to-hand combat, so I¡¯m going to need to give you a refresher course.¡± She walked over to the middle of the room, pointing for Skyler to come over.


    ¡°Oh boy, this is going to be not fun.¡± He grumbled and walked over to face her.


    ¡°Should I just watch?¡± Gabrielle turned away from the bookcase and towards the two.


    She felt weird all of the sudden, and Zlyena quickly turned around and grabbed the finger that had her black markings.


    ¡°I¡¯ll turn it off for you.¡± Zlyena then said something in a language she has never heard before, and the markings pulsated once, then went quiet.


    ¡°No, no! Not right now! Shit! It¡¯s all of them! All of them at once! Fuck, fuck!¡± Skyler frantically shouted, clutching the scar on his eye and his chest and fell to his knees.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gabrielle tried to run towards him, but was stopped by Zlyena.


    ¡°He¡¯s having a flare up, I wouldn¡¯t go near him right now. You¡¯ll see why.¡± She held her arm out in front of Gabrielle to block her path.


    ¡°Flare up of what?¡± She turned to Zlyena, desperately grabbing her shoulder and shaking it.


    ¡°His scars, sometimes the spirits of the Lords of Darkness he killed garner enough power to come back as spirits and activate his scars, causing him extreme pain.¡± Zlyena looked at her, stone faced.


    ¡°No, stop it! Get out! Get out!¡± Skyler screamed, his Fallen mouth appeared, and ghostly white energy shot out of his scars and out his mouth.


    She remembered that was the same energy that one creature used that almost hit Elaine, and became even more fearful because she remembered how Skyler frantically told Elaine to get away when the demon creature used it.


    The energy went away, and he slumped over. She tried to get past Zlyena¡¯s arm but her stance was stiff and she would not budge. Zlyena shook her head, and put her index finger to her lips, and tilted her head towards Skyler twice. He started to move, but his movements were erratic.


    ¡°No, no, don¡¯t you dare,¡± he said as he grabbed at something that wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°On the count of three.¡± Zlyena whispered to her, and she nodded back at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll count. One, two¡­¡± She paused and as soon as he put both his hands to his face, she knew it was the perfect moment.


    ¡°Three.¡± Zlyena whispered, and they both ran towards him. She reached for the mark on the back of Skyler¡¯s neck and touched it. She looked up at Zlyena, waiting for directions.


    Zlyena placed her hand on Gabrielle¡¯s, and said some more words in her language. Skyler gasped, and looked around.


    ¡°What, what happened? Why am I on the ground?¡± He looked up at Gabrielle who still had her hand on his neck, his eyes were half opened, and he rubbed his eye, and his face crinkled.


    ¡°You had what Zlyena called a flare up.¡± She took her hand off of him and leaned down to his level, then put her hand on his head, and ruffled his hair slightly.


    ¡°Fuck, my everything still hurts.¡± He clutched his chest as well.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± She got onto her knees too.


    ¡°Yeah, just put me on a chair and let me sit for a while.¡± He started to get up, wobbled a bit but successfully stood up.


    ¡°Alright, we passed a chair on our way here, let me get you it.¡± Zlyena went out of the room, leaving the two of them to stand in silence as Skyler groaned softly and gripped at his scars.


    She turned to him and hugged him, she was worried that he was still dangerous but couldn¡¯t help wanting to comfort him.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine Gabby, I¡¯m fine.¡± He mumbled and made a pained smile, but she knew that he was lying.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to lie to keep me from worrying about you. I know you aren¡¯t fine.¡± She squeezed him a little, but not too tightly, for fear of hurting him more.


    They stood like that for a few minutes, his pained smile faded, she knew he relented that he wasn¡¯t fine. Zlyena came in with a wooden chair, and Skyler sighed in relief.


    ¡°Gabby, let go so I can sit down.¡± He tried to move but she didn¡¯t want to let go yet.


    ¡°Ok, but you have to stay in the room, I¡¯m not letting you out of my sight.¡± She let go and patted him on the back


    ¡°Yeah, and Zlyena, you teach her light magic while I sit over there. We¡¯ll have to do the hand-to-hand later,¡± he said and walked to the chair, then sat down.


    ¡°Alright, come here Gabrielle. Let¡¯s begin.¡± Zlyena gestured for her to come over.


    They spent the rest of the day of her practicing light magic while Skyler was in a corner of the room groaning silently for the first hour, but quieted down after that. After they were done, they both left. She asked him to hold her hand on the way up to the car, and he agreed to. He then drove her home, and at the door, she gave him a kiss. They told each other they loved one another, and parted ways. It was night time by the time she got back, so she went to bed. She had a hard time getting to sleep because of her worrying about Skyler, and then the thought of consummation popped into her head. She imagined Skyler looming over her in a compromised position, and she turned beet red and put her hands over her face. She tried to get that image out of her head, and she did, but it took a half hour for her to do it. She fell asleep late that night.

 The Ex-Vampire, the Boy and the Witch

    Drake had already plugged himself into the mainframe again, and met with a very sorry looking Glitch. He had a replacement arm that was a blue-ish emerald color, which was coated with a glaze of a light amber colored substance. The arm was fastened by square metal clamps that dug into his skin. One of his feet looked to be the same, meaning he had now lost his leg too.


    ¡°How¡¯s the new arm and leg?¡± He asked but with a disinterested tone.


    ¡°Still hurts, Wira had to rip me open to put everything in.¡± He grimaced, and clutched his shoulder.


    ¡°Is she licensed to do that sort of thing?¡± He asked, putting his hand to his chin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, it was very¡­ Messy, and she forgot to give me anesthetic beforehand so¡­ If you felt a jolt at around five in the morning today, that was me.¡± Glitch looked away slowly, rubbing his new arm.


    ¡°I guess a being created by mother¡¯s mind wouldn¡¯t be able to get one, either.¡± Drake forgot that it takes living in the human world for a while to be able to get those credentials.


    ¡°She was created to run things and build Wire Girls and Tall Dolls, not to install arms and legs onto a Fallen that is flesh based.¡± Glitch looked back at him, his brow furrowed and his eyes squinting.


    ¡°Alright, alright, I get it. I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that.¡± He put his hands out in front of himself.


    ¡°Yeah, well I didn¡¯t appreciate being cannibalized either. Just because I was made of machine parts didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t feel pain.¡± Glitch slouched his head forward, signifying extreme disgust.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t deserve to have your own body anyways, father only did it to keep you away from me. I told you that if you let down your guard around me, bad things would happen. That wasn¡¯t a warning, it was a promise.¡± Drake gave him the same look back.


    ¡°Why did you let me live for so long then?¡± Glitch asked, his face softened to confusion instead of anger.


    ¡°I wanted you to have a better taste of what you lost before I took it from you,¡± Drake said, making sure that his words were sharp.


    ¡°Jesus, I thought you were warming up to me for a second too.¡± Glitch lurched his head back.


    ¡°You killed the only girl who ever loved me, and made me a criminal. I only tolerate you, at least until you are gone.¡± Drake turned away in disgust.


    ¡°So it was to satisfy you, at least your want for revenge. You didn¡¯t have to lie to me, you know.¡± Glitch shook his head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to¡­ I didn¡¯t want to give you that. I just want this to be over as soon as possible, every moment I have to deal with these outbursts and being around you is suffering.¡± He scrunched his nose slightly and furrowed his brow in disgust.


    ¡°Oh right, I forgot that you were having those. Maybe that¡¯s why you suddenly got really mad at me?¡± Glitch put an open hand to his chin, his metal claw of a thumb dug lightly into his face.


    ¡°I hate this. I hate this so much. I¡¯m not used to these emotions being so strong. It¡¯s so difficult to control.¡± Drake put his hands on the sides of his face.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t used to the demonic energy yet, getting random zaps of it will do things to your mind. You should ask your half-brother how he dealt with it.¡± Glitch tried to smile, but it turned out to be more pained than was intended.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to smile, it¡¯s freaking me out.¡± He slightly put his hands out in front of himself.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Sorry.¡± Glitch turned away, and started to walk towards one of the elevators.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Drake followed closely behind.


    ¡°Wira said we need to find that boy, whoever he is.¡± He grabbed Drake¡¯s arm and stuffed himself and Drake into the small elevator.


    ¡°There¡¯s barely any room, I think this is only meant for one person.¡± Drake raised and furrowed his eyebrows and frowned, he didn¡¯t like being this close to Glitch in the least.


    ¡°It¡¯ll work, it might be a bumpy ride, but it¡¯ll work.¡± Glitch carelessly pressed the button to go up.


    A loud clunking noise followed by a whirring sound resounded, and the shoddy metal box went upward quickly, the box made a loud metal on metal screeching noise as it constantly smacked back and forth against the shoddy metal shaft.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking the stairs next time.¡± Drake had bumped into Glitch a multitude of times during the ride. Every time the box moved backwards it flung him back into Glitch, and when it moved forwards it flung Glitch into him.


    ¡°It¡¯s much faster to do this. You can take a separate one next time.¡± He shrugged, and walked out onto the catwalk.


    Drake followed close behind and went up a ramp that led to one of the higher up open hallways, which were tall and had rudimentary railing that was slightly rusty. The burgundy colored paint on the walls and ceiling had places where the paint was chipping. He looked to Glitch, who was walking slowly, and wondered why, if he needed to find someone, was he walking so slow?


    ¡°You seem to be taking your sweet time,¡± Drake said in annoyed tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the little one will be able to go far. After all, his name is Boy, he must be a tiny thing if he was named that.¡± He folded his arms and shook his head.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Drake shrugged and continued to follow.


    They walked for a few minutes, past rusty doors with handwheels that would be more at home inside a submarine. Once they reached one somewhere in the middle of the hallway, there was a squeaking noise that came from behind the door, and the hand wheel on the door quickly turned.


    The door swung open, and a young man who wore all black with stringy black hair down to his chin walked out. He didn¡¯t notice them at first, but then turned around, revealing that he too had a Fallen mouth. He scratched the ghost white skin of his face with pointy gloved fingers, fingers that were the same as Drake¡¯s. That meant he also had claws for hands.


    ¡°What the- Who are you?¡± Drake was surprised, he didn¡¯t know there was another male Fallen walking around. Why hadn¡¯t Wira told him about this?


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s thing one and thing two! I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from Wira. She didn¡¯t tell you about me?¡± The stranger¡¯s red colored eyes smiled back at them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to him.¡± Drake folded his arms, disgusted at even the thought of being compared to Glitch.


    ¡°But we look almost exactly the same.¡± Glitch shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Drake said with a harumph.


    ¡°Looks like you two get along great.¡± The stranger said jokingly.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, brother?¡± Glitch lightly pointed at said stranger.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Aiden. And I¡¯m not your brother, I¡¯m the first sired fallen. Your mother found out how to turn a dead person into a Fallen, subsequently reviving them. I had an¡­ Altercation with an exorcist boy, back when I was still a vampire.¡± Aiden shrugged and smiled.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem too worked up about it.¡± Drake was confused and jealous at the same time, and wondered how recent his siring was.


    ¡°I¡¯m still getting used to the changes that were made to my body, but so far I¡¯m liking my new self.¡± Aiden struck two poses imitating what people do when they check themselves out in the mirror, his foot long tail fully clothed in black slapped against his leg as he turned around.


    ¡°Jeez, the whole nine yards. Even the tail, too.¡± Glitch looked Aiden up and down.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I never had to cut holes in my pants.¡± Drake tried to think on the bright side but was still jealous that he was having a better time with being a Fallen than he was.


    ¡°Most Fallen I know hide their tails, except maybe Wire Girls, I¡¯m proud of mine, though. Maybe you¡¯ll get yours someday, like your half-brother.¡± Aiden smiled and flicked his tail.


    ¡°Show off.¡± Drake looked away, his arms still folded, and gave out another harumph.


    There was an opening in the architecture of the flooring above them, and for every floor above their floor, there was a small two foot walkway that was for crossing. The awkward silence was broken by a distant yell that was held and got louder as it came closer. A loud thump resounded as a humanoid creature landed ungracefully in between Drake and Aiden, and the creature¡¯s yell was silenced.


    ¡°Mother?¡± Drake gasped and looked down at the creature that looked eerily similar to his mother.


    ¡°Nope, that¡¯s a Wire Girl, what happened, little lady?¡± Aiden put his hands onto his knees and leaned down.


    The creature, whose skin was a shiny greenish yellow metal, got to its hands and knees. The female creature had a Fallen mouth, but her teeth were made of shiny gray metal. The only organic thing about the girl was her long fluffy blonde hair. She got up and brushed the dust off of herself, her tail slightly shaking with each brushing movement. Her red colored eyes widened, and she looked both ways, from Glitch and Drake to Aiden.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°B-Boys?! Here?!¡± She said, her voice in and of itself childlike.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, Wire Girls rarely ever see Fallen boys, thinking them all extinct.¡± Aiden laughed and got up.


    ¡°I thought there were no boys left,¡± the Wire Girl said in a breathy voice.


    ¡°What happened that made you fall?¡± Glitch spoke up and took two steps forward.


    The Wire Girl looked to the small metal wings on her back that were a mix of plane wings and butterfly wings.


    ¡°My jetpack augment stopped working¡­ Now I have to walk to the factory to get it fixed.¡± The Wire Girl groaned, and stood up.


    ¡°Well you¡¯d better get going then. I heard Boy was spotted in this area.¡± Aiden raised his hands in a grabbing fashion.


    ¡°Oh, oh no! I¡¯m out of here! G-Goodbye!¡± The Wire Girl ran past Glitch and Drake.


    ¡°Green 137? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Glitch turned around to face her.


    The Wire Girl turned around quickly.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s my name! Wire Girls don¡¯t have human names, we get assigned a color based on our personality. Each Wire Girl gets a number correlated to the number of Wire Girls created under that color based on the number of that color built.¡± She smiled and turned around, then continued to run away.


    ¡°Oh yeah, we¡¯re looking for him, you said he was seen around here?¡± Glitch turned back to Aiden.


    ¡°Yeah, but an incomplete Fallen is dangerous, they were all cleared out from the front area before you came, except for Boy, nobody can catch him since he¡¯s a Tall Doll. They can jump like a flea, so they¡¯re hard to catch if they have both legs. Other incomplete Tall Dolls will always come back to their designated area though, but not Boy, he was excommunicated at birth, and has no emotional connection to any home.¡± Aiden shrugged again.


    A loud boom rang out, and Aiden turned around. Another loud boom resounded shortly after, but much closer.


    ¡°Speak of the devil.¡± Aiden folded his arms.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be running?¡± Glitch quickly ran up and put a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make a run for it if he¡¯s stupid enough to grab me. If he grabs you, wait a second until he starts monologuing, then scratch him.¡± Aiden held an arm straight out to keep Glitch from going any further.


    Another loud boom, and a large, purple skinned creature with a torso twice as long as a human¡¯s, with thin arms and legs three times as long as a human¡¯s, and a head twice as big as a human¡¯s gripped the railing with large feet with claws that had the same feet as Zlyena, the back claw gripped the railing tightly. It¡¯s short and fluffy white hair and purple eyes were also similar to Zoriyans. There was an open wound that did not bleed over where its heart was supposed to be, but only darkness lay within.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Drake¡¯s jaw dropped, he¡¯d never seen any Tall Dolls before, and the fact Boy looked like a nightmare creature frightened him.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I expected when I heard the name Boy.¡± Glitch looked at Boy with wide eyes.


    ¡°Three of you. And one repaired, and what about me? Why do I get nothing?¡± Boy¡¯s nose crinkled in disgust, and he grabbed Aiden with his free hand, his other one dug into the upper floor with the claws of his hands.


    ¡°Agh, we meet again, asshole.¡± Aiden tried to loosen Boy¡¯s grip with his right hand because his claws were digging into his flesh, his left hung loosely over Boy¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Some of you even know yet I¡¯m always refused help. I¡¯ve done everything in my power to fix the mistake Mother made, and what do I get in response? That there¡¯s nothing they can do to help me, and to just live with it. Why shouldn¡¯t I break you open and take what was denied from me my entire life?¡± Boy scrunched his spine and fit himself into the tall hallway, the back of his head scraped the roof.


    ¡°Run!¡± Aiden shouted, and lifted his hand up in front of Boy, a swarm of bats came out from the palm of his hand.


    Boy yiped as the bats swarmed his face, and he dropped Aiden, who bolted after Drake and Glitch, who were already running for the open door Aiden came from.


    ¡°No, the next one over! I¡¯ll get it!¡± Aiden ran past the two and quickly used the handwheel and swung the door open.


    The three of them ran in, and Aiden used the handwheel to close it back up, in the same quick and unnatural manner he used to open it. There was a loud boom as Boy slammed his fists against the door.


    ¡°Get back here! I¡¯m not done with you yet!¡± He shouted as he continued to pound on the door, which caused the door to dent at points.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to preemptively say that I¡¯m fine, by the way. He didn¡¯t get me that deep, or break any stitches.¡± Aiden held a hand over his chest, and all his wounds slowly closed up.


    ¡°Stitches?¡± Glitch pointed to his face, which was adorned with stitches.


    ¡°Yeah, see?¡± Aiden pulled up his shirt to reveal a long thin wound stitched up in the center of his chest.


    A whirring siren that increased in tone to an ear piercing pitch flooded their ears and assaulted their senses. The pounding stopped, and everyone covered their ears. The siren lasted for a short time, and once it ended, Drake looked at Aiden, confused. Out of the corner of his eye he could tell that Glitch had the same expression.


    ¡°That siren is to tell people The Witch is loose.¡± Aiden shrugged.


    ¡°Her name is Dahlia, she¡¯s an Aspect. A part of mother, like I am a part of you, Drake.¡± Glitch turned to Drake and took a step forward.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Dahlia, The Witch of Shadow. We need to get to safety before she corrupts us. The alarm is to make sure that everyone has time to run. Being corrupted isn¡¯t fun, I¡¯ve heard horror stories from Wire Girls about it, we really need to leave.¡± Aiden walked up to the door and spun the handwheel to unlock it.


    ¡°What if she finds us?¡± Drake walked up to Aiden.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t let her touch you, she can¡¯t corrupt you if she doesn¡¯t touch you.¡± Aiden opened the door and gestured frantically for them to step out.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Drake walked back and grabbed Glitch by the arm. He felt ill for a second coming into contact with him, but he shook it off and tugged at Glitch for him to follow.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a child, let go of me.¡± Glitch yanked his hand out of Drake¡¯s grasp and grimaced while quickly walking past him.


    They ran out into the hallway, there was a ramp that led down to the ground close by. Aiden turned and silently gestured in the direction of the ramp. Drake nodded and they all ran down it. As soon as they got in the middle of the structure, a black cloud materialized, and the female creature that tried to manipulate Skyler stepped out of it.


    ¡°Well shit.¡± Aiden stopped running and held out his arm to block Drake and Glitch from going any further.


    ¡°Oh look, a few new friends to play with.¡± Dahlia said suggestively, her right hand creeping down her chest and onto her thin, emaciated thigh.


    ¡°Guess I have to do a repeat, go! Get out of here! I¡¯ll follow!¡± Aiden raised his hand and bats poured out of his palm again and swarmed Dahlia.


    ¡°Hey! No fair, get off! Why isn¡¯t it working?¡± Dahlia tried using her shock powers but the bats were unaffected and continued to swarm her.


    Drake made a run for it, reflexively he looked back to see if Glitch was following. He was, so he turned back around, and skidded a bit to avoid running into Dahlia. He picked up the pace. He heard Aiden and Glitch¡¯s panting as they ran behind him. The area he first saw when he landed in the Mainframe flashed in his mind, he thought that if he could run there, Dahlia would not be able to follow.


    He ran for a short while longer, until he could no longer hear the squishy footsteps of the two who were behind him. He turned around, and saw both Glitch and Aiden as they tried to catch their breath.


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Drake shouted breathlessly.


    ¡°Safe zone¡­ We¡¯re in the safe zone¡­ Invisible, wall¡­¡± Aiden continued to pant and cough.


    ¡°Invisible wall?¡± Drake walked up to where they were bent over.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Glitch grabbed Drake¡¯s arm and yanked him backwards.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show him, just¡­ Give me a second¡­¡± Aiden was still gasping for air.


    ¡°There¡¯s an invisible wall there... If you go past it... She¡¯ll come for you again.¡± Glitch continued to drag Drake backwards as he tried to catch his breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine now¡­ Just needed to recover from that sprint.¡± Aiden got back up and brushed himself off.


    ¡°Where is this wall you two are so sure exists?¡± Drake turned to Aiden and gave him a confused shrug.


    ¡°Observe.¡± Aiden held a hand out, and a yellow colored barrier appeared near where his hand stopped.


    ¡°So she can¡¯t get past that?¡± Drake leaned in to look closer.


    ¡°Nope, we¡¯re home free.¡± Aiden smiled and lowered his arm.


    ¡°Oh, there you boys are!¡± Wira¡¯s voice came from behind him.


    Drake turned around to see Wira as she walked quickly towards them, a weird contraption that looked like another machine like the one Skyler was given jammed under her arm.


    ¡°What¡¯s that thing you got?¡± Drake pointed to the contraption under Wira¡¯s arm.


    ¡°I had enough materials to make another machine like the one I gave Skyler, this one is yours. I was able to use a Wire Girl shoulder plate because¡­ Well... ¡° Wira covered her mouth with her free hand


    ¡°Well what?¡± Drake folded his arms for the umpteenth time.


    ¡°You¡¯re body type is very¡­ Feminine.¡± Wira choked back a giggle.


    ¡°I-M-My body type is not feminine!¡± Drake balled his fists and quickly shifted them to his sides.


    ¡°I have the same body type, my friend. You just have to live with being androgynous.¡± Aiden walked up to Drake with a snarky grin.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t grown fully yet!¡± Drake stiffly turned to Aiden.


    ¡°How old are you again?¡± Aiden put a closed fist to his hip.


    ¡°I¡¯m fourteen!¡± Drake yanked at his hair.


    ¡°Jeez, I didn¡¯t think you were that young. Doesn¡¯t that mean your mother had you when she was really young?¡± Aiden raised his hands in shock.


    ¡°Lyserge¡¯s age of consent is fourteen, I didn¡¯t make the laws.¡± Drake put his hands back to his sides.


    ¡°Sheesh, it¡¯s eighteen where I¡¯m from.¡± Aiden hugged himself in discomfort.


    ¡°They did it to minimize sexual assault lawsuits, Lyserge City fucking sucks.¡± Drake grimaced, thinking of all the young girls who have gotten accosted by crusty old lawmakers.


    ¡°Enough of that, here you go.¡± Wira walked up and handed the device to Drake.


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll ask Skyler how to use it.¡± Drake took it and nodded.


    ¡°No problem. Now, I gotta go help a Wire Girl with a dysfunctional jetpack.¡± Wira turned around and walked away.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go now, it was nice meeting you, Aiden.¡± Drake turned to Aiden and waved.


    ¡°You too, I might come back sometime.¡± Aiden waved back.


    Drake disconnected his wireless connector and woke up in bed with the contraption in front of him. He rolled over to find Lunara awkwardly standing in the middle of his bedroom.


    ¡°What? Who let you in?¡± Drake slowly got up and took the wireless connector off.


    ¡°Y-Your dad let me in¡­ I was worried about you, so¡­¡± Lunara fiddled with her dress.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me, I¡¯m fine.¡± Drake walked up and put a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t seen you for a while, and after all you showed me¡­ I just wanted to talk to you again.¡± Lunara looked up at him.


    ¡°You¡¯d be better off not trying to get too close to me¡­¡± Drake recoiled his hand, he put it on her shoulder reflexively and as soon as he realize, he took it back off.


    ¡°Why?¡± Lunara put two closed hands to her chin.


    ¡°I¡¯m too dangerous, you¡¯ll get killed if you get too close to me.¡± Drake grabbed his own wrist and moved his hands close to his chest.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that, you don¡¯t look dangerous at all.¡± Lunara lightly pounded the back of her feet on the floor.


    ¡°Trust me, if you don¡¯t want to end up dead, give up on me.¡± Drake turned away from her and walked out.


    In the hallway that he needed to go down to get to the front of the hospital, Nagix was leaning with her back against the wall, both her legs and arms were crossed.


    ¡°What is it? What do you need?¡± Drake walked up to her, still a little tired from waking back up.


    ¡°You missed your checkup. Even Pain never missed a checkup. I don¡¯t want your fingers to fall off again.¡± She turned to him and squinted, clearly not pleased with him missing an appointment.


    ¡°I know I know, I just¡­ I was busy.¡± Drake tried to walk past her but she blocked his path.


    ¡°I know you want to get closer to your mother, but you need to still be grounded in the real world too.¡± Nagix held out her hands as she tried to reason with him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know how long I was out but I really need to use the bathroom, could you move? I¡¯ll tell my dad to reschedule.¡± Drake tapped Nagix¡¯s shoulder and pointed to his belt.


    ¡°Alright, but make an early one, I¡¯m open and willing to check your hands anytime.¡± Nagix looked at him suspiciously and then turned around and walked out.


    He spent the rest of the day reading up on his studies, since he was homeschooled. He went to bed wishing he hadn¡¯t told Lunara to stop trying to get close to him. He was just scared that she would end up like Marissa. He felt it was for the best, but simultaneously hoped that it wouldn¡¯t change her mind and wished that it would. He liked her, but he was so afraid to get close to anybody.

 The Man From Another Dimension

    Gabrielle walked into work, and as soon as she walked in, she saw Skyler and Dr. Gage inside talking about something.


    ¡°Oh, hello you two!¡± She said as she checked in.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t tell her, she doesn¡¯t have to know.¡± She heard Dr. Gage whisper to Skyler.


    ¡°You¡¯re so scared of her finding out that you¡¯d tell me to not talk about it? I decided today would be a good time for it because she can¡¯t be kept in the dark forever.¡± Skyler whispered back to him.


    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Gabrielle turned to them, hoping that after the debacle before, Skyler would tell her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get Drake, she needs to know about this.¡± Skyler turned around and started to walk to the door.


    ¡°Wait! Stop, I¡¯ll tell her myself! Please, I wish you wouldn¡¯t bring age into this, we all agreed that since it was her decision, we wouldn¡¯t make a fuss about it.¡± Dr. Gage reached for Skyler frantically.


    ¡°Gabrielle isn¡¯t from there, you know as well as I do we need to explain it to her eventually.¡± Skyler turned back around and pointed at Gabrielle


    She was confused. Age? What about age were they talking about?


    ¡°What is it?¡± She looked to the both of them, not sure how to feel.


    ¡°Ah, um¡­ Well you see.¡± Dr. Gage scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°Fourteen.¡± Skyler spoke up.


    ¡°Wait, wait! I was going to tell her! I swear! Just, give me time to think about how to say it in the right way!¡± Dr. gage held his hands out towards Skyler.


    ¡°Fourteen?¡± Gabrielle had no idea what Skyler was talking about.


    ¡°Okay, okay. You see¡­¡± Dr. Gage rubbed his hands together, a pained expression on his face.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She was extremely confused, and couldn¡¯t put two and two together.


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ Originally from here, I came to Lyserge originally when I was sixteen, I made a pact with a light god that if I defeated the Destroyer that my world was being ravaged by, I¡¯d be given a new life. There were setbacks though.¡± He folded his arms and looked away.


    ¡°Why are you telling me all this?¡± She took a step forward, wondering what that had to do with anything.


    ¡°The big setback was I was unable to have children, in exchange for the power to defeat the Destroyer.¡± He looked back at her and then let out a concerned sigh.


    ¡°Oh¡­ But Drake exists though, so that¡¯s not true, is it?¡± She didn¡¯t understand what he was getting at at all.


    ¡°You see, I¡¯m from another dimension entirely, and the rules are different there. I didn¡¯t know that¡­ I didn¡¯t know when I came here things would be different. I had to change mine and Deeana¡¯s age so we would not get in trouble here. I gave Jack this talk as well, when he found out out of boredom.¡± He gave Jack an awkward wave, and Jack waved back, then looked back to the screen.


    ¡°Trouble? Age? You don¡¯t mean¡­ How old were you two?¡± She felt her face crinkle into a grimace, she was staunchly committed to eighteen being the legal age of consent, and anything under that made her skin crawl.


    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t look at me any different, I had no idea what I was getting into when I came here. I sort of¡­ Surprised Zlyena with Drake¡¯s existence, I kept him secret from her, because I didn¡¯t want him to know about magic until he was older.¡± He looked down at his feet.


    ¡°Are we going through this talk because of me and Skyler being magically married?¡± She intertwined her fingers as she tried to not think about something she felt to be morally wrong.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a family secret. I told Jack to not tell anybody. I¡¯m from a different dimension entirely, and the age of consent there was low because people didn¡¯t live that long back where I¡¯m from. I had no idea things were different here, and I understand how bad it is, Zlyena made sure to tell me how big of a mistake I made, when I legitimately did not know any better.¡± He sighed again and rubbed his arm.


    ¡°Well, if you seriously didn¡¯t know any better, I can¡¯t fault you for that. Is it different in Lyserge?¡± She stepped forward. She had only heard Skyler talk about Lyserge in off-hand comments.


    ¡°Their age of consent was the same as where I was from, fourteen. When I decided to come here, I realized that it was definitely a bad idea. Zlyena explained it to me, even though Deeana grew up in Lyserge and also did not know any better either. Her sister is adamant to get it changed back to eighteen any way she can, even though she has made peace with the fact that her own sister had a child when she was younger.¡± He looked back up at her and let his arms fall back to his sides.


    ¡°Fourteen?! Jesus¡­ I, I don¡¯t know, that¡¯s¡­¡± She was mortified, even though she couldn¡¯t fault him for what he did at that age, it still made her stomach turn.


    ¡°I myself was sixteen at the time, and I would hope you won¡¯t tell others about this, it would be quite the scandal.¡± He lightly put his hands out in front of himself and smiled awkwardly.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot to take in¡­ does Drake know about this?¡± She was worried about how the news would affect Drake, even though they had barely met.


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons why I didn¡¯t tell him about his mother, he resents me greatly for it, but I was only trying to protect him.¡± He took a step back and put a hand to his face.


    ¡°How was Drake even able to be¡­ You know.. Born?¡± She furrowed her brow, unsure as to how it all happened.


    ¡°His mother is the only survivor of a ritual that I¡¯d rather not talk about. A side-effect of the ritual¡¯s failure was her gaining the Azoth, which is the alchemical holy grail. It gives the holder the ability to create life from nothing. She knew about my inability to have children, and knew that she was the only one who could.¡± He looked to Skyler, who silently nodded back at him.


    ¡°Oh, so she¡¯s the only one who could? But why did she?¡± She was asking a lot of questions and she knew it, but she needed answers.


    ¡°I was the only one who did not feel threatened or scared by her appearance when I first laid eyes on her. There¡¯s a reason why her entire body is covered in bandages, and it isn¡¯t pleasant. I found her while I was fixing the wiring below the hospital, I¡¯ll never forget that absolutely miserable crying noise she made.¡± He recoiled at nothing and gripped his heart.


    ¡°So she felt attached to you because of that? She did¡­ Do it willingly, right?¡± Her face contorted at even the thought of it not being a willing act, on top of her being that young.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°I was unwilling to do such a thing at first and had resigned myself to my fate. It took a lot of convincing from her for me to agree, we were both going through hard times, to say the least. We both had to leave our lives behind. She took me not being willing as me thinking she was too ugly to be touched, which wasn¡¯t true, but there wasn¡¯t much I could do to tell her otherwise. She already knew I had a hard time agreeing to trade my ability to have children for more power, so it hurt her deeply that I would refuse¡± He looked back to Gabrielle with a somber look on his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel comfortable talking about this anymore¡­¡± She quickly walked to the doorway, but Skyler was still there.


    ¡°Ah, um, Skyler¡­ Could you move? I need to get to work.¡± She looked up and tried to smile.


    She heard a person enter the hospital behind her. She went to turn around, but Skyler put his hand on her shoulder and firmly pressed back, which kept her from turning.


    ¡°Gabby, don¡¯t look. Close your eyes.¡± Skyler took off his right glove, and his lower arm morphed into a shotgun.


    ¡°W-What are you doing?!¡± She went to grab his arm but he grabbed her hand with his other arm.


    ¡°Shoot already!¡± Dr. Gage shouted.


    She backed up and turned around, there was a man with a spiky green mohawk and a long beige coat that had the initials D.H on it, who was trying to stab Dr. Gage, who had his hands pressed against the blade from both sides. She heard a click behind her, and everything went black.


    A shot rang out, but she couldn¡¯t see anything. When she reached for her face, she realized that Skyler¡¯s hand was over her eyes.


    ¡°What happened?! Let go!¡± She grabbed his hand and yanked at it, but it wouldn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Keep your hands over her eyes until it turns yellow,¡± Dr. Gage said.


    ¡°Fuck, more are coming. Jack, I could use a little help here.¡± Skyler said, and took his hand off of her face.


    All she could see was a puddle of clear yellow goo and clothes. She looked up at Skyler, not knowing what to think.


    ¡°There¡­ There was a guy there, but now¡­ What¡¯s going on here?¡± She looked back to Skyler¡¯s right lower arm, which was still morphed into a shotgun.


    ¡°Demon Hunters, you need to hide.¡± Skyler grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into the doorway.


    Dr. Gage ran up to them, splattered with the same clear yellow goo.


    ¡°To think they¡¯d come so quickly, now I wish I hadn¡¯t given Madina the day off.¡± He grimaced and wiped some of the goo off of his face.


    ¡°We know you¡¯re in there, filthy Mags! Die like men, motherfuckers!¡± A man shouted at them


    ¡°Mags? What are they talking about?¡± Gabrielle looked up at Skyler, still not able to process a lot of what was happening.


    ¡°It¡¯s a slur for anyone who uses magic or is made of it.¡± Skyler¡¯s head was still turned away, his free hand balled.


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s horrible! I don¡¯t understand that at all!¡± She put a hand to her face, surprised anyone would hate all magic or every magical creature.


    She stared at Skyler, and wondered how hard it must have been for him when he wasn¡¯t human anymore.


    ¡°I said go hide, hurry!¡± He looked back at her and lightly pushed her away.


    ¡°No.¡± She gripped the sleeve of Skyler¡¯s trench coat, she was too scared to leave, and didn¡¯t want anything bad to happen to him. She wasn¡¯t there for him before, and didn¡¯t want to leave now.


    A man with a similar coat ran into the view of the hallway, and her vision went black again. She felt Skyler yank her to the left, then she heard another shot.


    ¡°Stop it!¡± She was angry that Skyler was keeping her from seeing the fight even though she¡¯s a nurse, and nurses aren¡¯t supposed to be squeamish. She yanked at his hand again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to see that,¡± Skyler spoke into her ear.


    The way he said it, half-breathless and in a low tone made her heart skip a beat. Even in moments of danger her emotions were getting the best of her. She had only known him when he was still young, him being all grown up was a foreign concept to her until recently. It was a trick of her mind but how he said those words sounded romantic and even sexual to a degree, even though it had nothing to do with what he was talking about.


    She snapped out of her lust-fueled daydreaming and pulled at Skyler¡¯s arm again, it relented and she found the man had been reduced to a puddle of yellow goo and clothes like the other one.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that for me, I¡¯m a nurse, remember?¡± She huffed at him and gripped his hand.


    A sound like a machine releasing steam rang out, she wanted to look to see what it was but she did not want to stray too far from Skyler.


    ¡°It¡¯s been months, forgive me if I¡¯m still a little rusty.¡± Dr. Gage smirked and in a flash of light, he summoned a lightly luminescent and transparent short sword with sigils etched onto it. The bottom part of the sword¡¯s blade curved outward and had a circular indent slightly below the center part of the sword and in the middle of the curve.


    ¡°Glad you finally had free hands to be able to do that.¡± Skyler sighed with a smile.


    Dr. Gage ran out, and she yanked on Skyler¡¯s coat again.


    ¡°Alright, stay close.¡± He turned to her and nodded.


    She took his hand and they both came out of the doorway. Jack was in the middle of fighting off a few of the Demon Hunters, his hand turned into a small jackhammer. He put it up to one of the Demon Hunter¡¯s chest, and cylinders sprung out in a circular pattern near where his metal lower arm met flesh. With a mechanical hissing sound, the cylinders slammed back down, and the man went flying into the wall, blood spilling out of their mouth.


    ¡°I could use some help here!¡± Jack shouted, and smacked another one of them with the metal of his arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll clear this room real quick.¡± Skyler smiled, and the shotgun that his lower arm morphed into morphed into a serrated blade resembling a machete.


    He quickly ran towards one of them and, with one large sweeping motion, cut right through one of the men, who¡¯s upper body slid off.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like killing?¡± Gabrielle walked up to him, confused, he cried about all the people he killed.


    ¡°Not if they¡¯re trying to kill me.¡± He looked back at her as his smile faded.


    Dr. Gage was up front, most of the men who came after him were already turned into yellow goo and a pile of clothes. He dug his blade into the chest of the last Demon Hunter, put his foot up to the man¡¯s chest and pulled, the blade slicing down the man¡¯s lower torso.


    Skyler took his lower arm blade and quickly stabbed into two of their chests, one that he stabbed used a dagger and slashed at Skyler¡¯s face. It cut into his left cheek, and black blood creeped out of the new wound. He wiped it and frowned angrily. He then turned to the last one alive, and quickly made a perpendicular slash across the man¡¯s chest, and they fell back.


    ¡°Motherfucker got me.¡± Skyler huffed and wiped more blood from the cheek wound.


    ¡°I got a little scratched up too.¡± Jack turned his lower arm back to normal and raised his other arm, then pointed to bloody scratch marks.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if you two take the day off.¡± Dr. Gage turned around and, in another flash of light, the sword he was holding was gone.


    ¡°Yeah, going to need to shut things down to clean up all this goo.¡± Jack laughed and pulled bandages out from his back pocket, and started to wrap them around the scratches.


    ¡°Actually, why don¡¯t you try your healing magic?¡± Skyler looked to Gabrielle and smiled.


    ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t been able to yet¡­ May I?¡± She looked up at him, and reached for his face.


    ¡°Sure, just don¡¯t burn me please.¡± He scrunched up in a recoiling motion.


    ¡°Burn you?¡± She paused for a moment, and then remembered that when she used light magic last time, the darkling looking woman was burnt to a crisp.


    ¡°Darkling, remember? If you use a normal light magic spell instead of a healing one, It¡¯ll burn me.¡± His smile became a bit of a grimace.


    She closed her eyes and focused on the wound on his cheek. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes, and found that only a bit of blood remained of the wound.


    ¡°Oh, good. I was scared you were going to scorch me for a second.¡± Skyler laughed awkwardly and wiped the remaining black blood off his cheek.


    She turned to Jack, who put the bandages back into his back pocket and walked up to her.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯ll save on bandages.¡± Jack shrugged and smiled, then put his left arm out.


    She held her hand out towards the scratch marks and closed her eyes, then focused again for a few seconds. She opened her eyes again and all that was left was the blood that was already outside of his body.


    ¡°Thanks, you two should go home, I¡¯ll clean up.¡± Jack nodded and walked past them.


    ¡°Oh, ok. See you tomorrow.¡± She went up to the front and clocked back out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to Drake if he isn¡¯t plugged in, though it would explain why he didn¡¯t come to see what the commotion was.¡± Skyler turned around and kissed her on the forehead, and then walked to the other doorway.


    ¡°Ok, see you tonight.¡± She awkwardly turned around and walked out while stepping over the yellow goo and piles of clothing.


    She got into her car and went home. Thinking about how happy Skyler was to kill, she never thought he had a violent bone in his body. He had killed Darklings in front of her before, but never Demon Hunters, even though they most certainly were not human. She did remember he had killed before, but thought that he wouldn¡¯t be happy to do something like that. It was on her mind even when she was about to go to sleep, the reality of the man she loved enjoying taking the lives of others was something she would have trouble getting over.

 Desperation

    Drake was in the Mainframe for the umpteenth time, he was plugging in more and more now, sometimes going an entire week mostly vegetating in his bed, only getting up to eat, bathe, and use the restroom. He had gotten used to Glitch¡¯s presence, even though he still hated him. Wira had already trained him on how to use it outside the Mainframe, and was loathe to find that it summoned Glitch, who he wished would just stay inside the Mainframe forever.


    ¡°So, you never told me why Glitch was able to come out of the Mainframe when I put on that machine, and it¡¯s been bugging me for a while, how did he do that?¡± Drake huffed and crossed his arms at Wira.


    ¡°I think the machine channels one Aspect, a physical representation of one¡¯s inner self, and brings them to where you are. Your assigned aspect seems to be Glitch¡± Wira let out a single small laugh, then caught herself, and put a hand over her mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t laugh at my suffering.¡± Drake sighed a sigh of defeat, his entire face drooped as he frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen another aspect besides the seven, never even knew Glitch was one until then. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s even a sin or a horseman, he¡¯s just, a big ball of nihilism.¡± Wira shrugged, Deeana¡¯s aspects were all based on the seven deadly sins and the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and Glitch didn¡¯t fit the bill for any of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, you know.¡± Glitch was standing a bit farther back away from Drake, his arms crossed and a very familiar scowl painted on his face.


    ¡°I know, I just¡­ This has never happened before, it¡¯s kind of a historical moment here, in the scope of things.¡± Wira clasped her hands together and smiled


    A red flash of light went off at the area where Drake and Glitch first entered, and everyone looked over. Lunara fell onto her rear end, and let out a grunt. She got onto her feet and looked at the fleshy ground with a crinkled nose and a frown.


    ¡°What the¡­ How did a human get in here?¡± Wira¡¯s eyes widened.


    Glitch made a very disconcerting small gurgly hissing growl through his teeth as he turned to look at Lunara.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare,¡± Drake angrily said through his teeth as he turned to Glitch. He¡¯d already lost Marissa, and he¡¯d be damned if he let Glitch do the same with Lunara.


    ¡°Drake? What is this place? Is this where you¡¯ve been all this time? Who is that¡­ Thing, that looks like you?¡± Lunara pointed to Glitch, fear etched onto her face as she slowly walked over, but in Drake¡¯s direction.


    ¡°So this is the girl you¡¯ve been thinking about all this time.¡± Glitch stretched his sharp metal claw fingers, his gaze fixated on her.


    ¡°I said don¡¯t you dare!¡± Drake tried to run at Glitch to stop him, but Glitch held out his hand and a pulse of red energy came from him and hit Drake, knocking him on his back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand me at all still, even after all this time. That also means you don¡¯t understand yourself either.¡± Glitch walked over to Lunara, who was trying to walk around him, and grabbed her arm.


    ¡°Let her go!¡± Drake scrambled onto his feet and lunged at Glitch, who sent another, more powerful pulse of red energy towards him. Drake fell back again and gasped for breath.


    Glitch was in control now, he stared her down and strangely saw fear fade from her face.


    ¡°You stare death in the face and yet I see no fear anymore, why?¡± Glitch reached for her neck.


    Lunara¡¯s gaze did not shift, she stared defiantly at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, I will. I¡¯ve done it before!¡± Glitch shouted, clasping his hands around her neck.


    She barely even moved, and it was as if she was staring into his soul, it made him angry. Why? What made her lose her fear? Was she accepting death?


    ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you! I swear it!¡± He shook her a little bit, though it was aggressive.


    ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± She barely moved her mouth.


    She was resilient, even though his claws were digging into her skin, and little streams of blood slowly made their way down her neck.


    ¡°Was that a challenge?¡± Glitch was confused and that made him even madder, he had no idea what was going through her mind.


    ¡°You can¡¯t bring yourself to.¡± She raised her right hand and rested it on his arm, which made his hand pull back a bit.


    ¡°That¡¯s a damn lie, you don¡¯t know shit about me. You don¡¯t know shit about him either, he barely knows his own potential, and you have no idea how much danger you are in.¡± Glitch snarled at her.


    ¡°I can tell if someone has intent to kill or not. I don¡¯t see that in you.¡± She pushed down on his arm, and his hand pulled back and off her neck.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, I refuse to believe you¡¯re a fucking psychic, there¡¯s no way.¡± His hand stayed halfway between them, he was dumbfounded. She couldn¡¯t know, could she?


    ¡°Just because you¡¯ve done it before, doesn¡¯t mean you can bring yourself to do it again.¡± Lunara grabbed Glitch¡¯s other hand and yanked it away from her neck.


    ¡°Why¡­ Why?¡± He felt hot tears pool under his eyes, he didn¡¯t understand the emotions he was feeling, there was a pressure in the center of his ribs and over his heart, and he struggled to swallow with the lump that formed in his throat.


    The crushing pressure in Drake¡¯s chest finally let up so he could breath. He sat up and saw Glitch confusedly wipe away tears that rolled down his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? How¡¯d you get him to stop?¡± Drake turned to Lunara, who looked back at him and didn¡¯t say anything back as she wiped the blood from her neck.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not a monster! I¡¯m not!¡± Glitch shouted as tears continued to pour from his eyes.


    ¡°What are you even talking about?¡± Drake was dumbfounded , what¡¯s gotten into him?


    ¡°It was never supposed to be like this! I shouldn¡¯t have to go through all of this shit because of someone else¡¯s decisions! It¡¯s not fair! I have the same capability of emotions and ability to feel feelings than anyone else! Why treat me like I¡¯m different or that I have no empathy?¡± Glitch angrily pointed at Drake as he backed away.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Drake had no idea what brought this on. What did Lunara do to him?


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to feel guilt.¡± Lunara looked back at Glitch and wiped her bloody hands on her dress.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not fucking okay, it will never be okay.¡± Glitch turned to her while his arm covered his face.


    ¡°What did you do to him?¡± Drake looked to her, not sure what to think.


    ¡°You want to know the reason?! Well do you?! Fine!¡± Glitch swung his arm away from his face, he scowled and tears continued to fall.


    ¡°Wh-,¡± Drake started to speak but he was cut off.


    ¡°My entire existence consisted of being shoved aside and locked away, I¡¯ve been treated like I shouldn¡¯t be here when you humans are the ones who brought me here in the first place! how else am I supposed to feel?!¡± Glitch shouted, still angry.


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t so vengeful maybe people would have felt bad for you.¡± Drake frowned and got up.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been tossed aside like rotten garbage by humans my whole life, and you expect me to not to even feel a little bit vengeful?¡± Glitch balled his fists and huffed.


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t have been that bad, could he?¡± Lunara reached out towards Glitch, who hissed and backed away.


    ¡°I was the Downtown Lyserge killer! I took his body to do it!¡± Glitch flung his arms outwards at his sides and pointed to Drake.


    ¡°She¡¯s not from here, idiot.¡± Drake stretched his lips outward with a frown and lowered his eyelids.


    ¡°What? She¡¯s not?¡± Glitch looked at him, his face still wet with tears, even though the water flow from his tear ducts had stopped.


    ¡°I only showed her Lyserge a little while ago.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°I killed fifty people, including Drake¡¯s girlfriend, Marissa. I loved her, too, which he still doesn¡¯t believe to this day.¡± Glitch frowned again, and looked back at Lunara.


    ¡°Killing that many people isn¡¯t really what an empathetic person does.¡± She folded her arms.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel it too? That crushing hollowness inside you? So strong that it hurts? Doesn¡¯t it hurt right here?¡± Glitch put a fist over his heart.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel that. I feel fine, sans the blood running down my neck.¡± She wiped the blood from her neck again and wiped her hands on her dress like last time.


    ¡°What? You¡­ Don¡¯t feel it? I thought everyone did.¡± His eyes widened with shock.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°What? I don¡¯t feel that either, I think it¡¯s just you.¡± Drake never knew that Glitch felt that way, and thinking back, what he felt explained a lot.


    ¡°So that means¡­ No, No!¡± Glitch writhed and put his hands to his face and began to sob.


    ¡°So you killed her because you thought everyone felt the same as you?! What were you thinking?! You could have asked anyone if they felt the same and they would tell you no! How could you be so stupid?!¡± It took Drake a second to process what Glitch¡¯s shortsightedness actually entailed, and he was furious. His girlfriend was dead because of a misconception and that was unacceptable.


    ¡°Oh god, no! Oh, oh god!¡± Glitch sobbed while doubled over.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡± Wira walked up to the three, definitely because she heard Glitch sobbing


    ¡°Glitch killed Marissa over a misconception and I¡­ I¡¯m so angry.¡± Drake balled his fists and huffed, he was halfway to jumping Glitch and attempting to beat him up.


    He looked to Lunara, who looked back at him for a second, then turned and walked in Wira¡¯s direction.


    What¡¯s going on over there?¡± Wira walked up to the three, definitely because she heard Glitch sobbing


    ¡°Glitch killed Marissa over a misconception and I¡­ I¡¯m so angry.¡± Drake balled his fists and huffed, he was halfway to jumping Glitch and attempting to beat him up.


    He looked to Lunara and took a deep breath. If he attacked Glitch while he was down like that, even out of anger, what would Lunara think of him?


    ¡°Oh, I heard about that from him. He has meltdowns from time to time, because he¡¯s just a big ball of resentment and nihilism. Wait, How did a human get in here?¡± Wira looked to Lunara with wide eyes.


    ¡°I touched the device that was on Drake¡¯s neck, that¡¯s the last thing I remember before arriving here.¡± Lunara shrugged.


    ¡°Well, this is fortunately a problem that can be fixed, I¡¯m going to have to call Zlyena about this and have her lead the human out of the Mainframe like she did for me¡± Wira turned around and started walking towards the large control center that everyone was standing in front of.


    ¡°Oh, right, the way out, I forgot about that. So it was Zlyena that helped you escape?¡± Drake was initially surprised when he met up with her outside the Mainframe, but she was too busy talking with the others to tell him how.


    ¡°Yeah, bring the human with you, and I¡¯ll call Zlyena to fix this.¡± Wira motioned for them to follow.


    He looked to Lunara, who looked back at him for a second, then turned and walked in Wira¡¯s direction. She led them up to the main console, and she opened a drawer that was below it. Drake peeked in, and it was a bunch of what he thought was crap. Hand sanitizer, stress balls, random bits of paper and some CDs that were in flimsy paper sleeves.


    She pulled out a very familiar looking phone, the one Zlyena gave him looked exactly like it. She flipped it open and pushed some buttons, then held it up to her ear.


    "Yeah, hey it''s me, Wira. We''ve got a bit of a problem over here, a human touched Drake''s wireless connector and got sucked into the Mainframe, could you come and lead her out?" Wira leaned on the console by her elbow, which made her look like a phone hogging teenager.


    "What about that scary looking version of you, Drake?" Lunara turned to Drake, visibly worried.


    "Let him get his emotions out, this is the second time I''ve ever seen him cry, but that''s not going to make me feel sorry for him." Drake turned away, he was still angry at Glitch, he thought that Glitch was smarter than that, too. How such an intelligent being could do something so stupid escaped him.


    A bright light appeared out of nowhere right next to Wira, which made him and the others cover their eyes. A see-through Zlyena appeared, her hands on her hips and looking at Wira disapprovingly.


    "You''re supposed to guard the Mainframe and not let foreign entities enter, I hope this is the last time I have to clean up your messes." Zlyena folded her arms and sighed.


    "I thought it was Dr. Gage''s job to not let people into Drake''s room while he''s plugged in." Wira shrugged.


    "Oh, so it wasn''t your fault?" Zlyena turned to Drake and glared at him.


    "I had no idea she was in my room, don''t blame me." Drake shrugged at her too.


    "It''s my fault," Lunara spoke up.


    "Oh, how so?" Zlyena''s glare faded as she turned to Lunara.


    "I ran past Dr. Gage. He couldn''t grab me in time, he told me not to go in, but I haven''t seen him in forever!" Lunara threw her hands outwards from her sides.


    "And you touched the wireless connector and got stuck in here." Zlyena sighed again and shook her head.


    "Yes, but even though you are going to lead me out, it won''t stop me from coming back." Lunara crossed her arms.


    "This place is dangerous, but you already knew that I''m guessing, seeing as you are still bleeding." Zlyena put a hand to her head.


    "I know that, there''s a scary version of Drake here. But he''s out there crying right now. You can hear him from here too, right?" Lunara pointed back from where she came in.


    Everyone went silent, and Drake heard the muffled sounds of sobbing for himself. He would have felt bad for Glitch if he hadn''t killed Marissa, and could have forgiven him for the other murders, but killing Marissa was irredeemable in his eyes, and nothing that Glitch could ever do could change his mind about how evil he was.


    "Yeah, I can hear him. You''ll have to follow me past him though." Zlyena started walking over to Lunara.


    "What will happen to him?" Lunara turned to Zlyena and reached out to touch her, but her hand went right through her.


    "Sorry, I''m using astral projection to be here right now, this is not my physical body." Zlyena gestured for Lunara to follow.


    The four of them left the console room, and as soon as they opened the door, Glitch''s loud sobbing assaulted their ears. Drake almost felt bad for him, almost. They silently walked around Glitch, barely making any noise. Lunara turned around and bolted in Glitch''s direction out of nowhere, and even though he tried to grab her arm to stop her, she was too fast. He wondered if her being fast on her feet was the reason she could outrun his father.


    "I''m sorry, but... You can''t follow me." Lunara tried to put a hand on Glitch''s shoulder, but he slapped it away.


    "Just go! I don''t belong there! I don''t belong anywhere! Fuck this! Fuck everything!" Glitch turned around and ran off.


    "Wait!" Lunara tried to run after him, but Drake grabbed her arm.


    "Leave him, he doesn''t deserve your kindness." Drake lightly yanked on her arm, and gestured with his head to keep going.


    "You may hate him, but he barely even gave me a reason to." Lunara pulled her arm out of Drake''s grasp.


    "You''re bleeding because of him, that''s not enough of a reason to not like him?" Drake didn''t understand why Lunara was being so nice to Glitch even though he made her bleed and could have potentially strangled her.


    "He couldn''t help it, he has metal claws for fingers, just like you." She pointed to Drake''s outstretched hand.


    He looked down at his hand, and then back up to her.


    "I didn''t scratch you when you pulled your hand away. If I''m perfectly able to keep myself from hurting you, he''s just as able." Drake huffed and put his hand to his side.


    "Does it really matter? He may have drawn blood, but he''s probably never met a human like me before." She looked down at the ground and intertwined her fingers.


    "He has, once." Drake turned away from her and walked back towards Wira.


    He listened to the sounds of her following him. The reason why Glitch almost strangled her was the reason why he told her to stay away. The reason why she kept persisting made him question if she had feelings for him or not. Actions speak louder than words, and both her actions and her words point him in that direction, even though he hoped that it was just out of the kindness of her heart instead.


    "Do you like me?" Drake said without turning his head to look at her.


    "What?" Lunara''s footsteps stopped.


    "I said, do you like me? You know... Like that?" Drake finally turned his head to look at her.


    "What brought this on?" Lunara walked up to him, her eyes sparkling.


    He knew it. The stars in her eyes gave it away.


    "All the things you''ve been doing. Dodging my father to get to me, touching the device and by extension, me. And being nice to Glitch, who you keep saying is a scary version of me. You treat him like you want to treat me, don''t you?" Drake turned his head back to see where he was walking.


    "You keep telling me to stay away, and it''s not fair. It''s not fair to me, and it''s not fair to you either. Just because there''s danger involved doesn''t mean my feelings are annulled." She grabbed his arm and walked to his side.


    "So you do like me." He didn''t look at her, he thought that if he acted aloof that she would stop trying to get close to him. It wasn''t like he didn''t feel the same way, but he just wanted her to be safe instead of being with him, which would mean subjecting her to constant dangers.


    "You''re not fooling anyone, you know." She yanked on his arm and glared at him, the beginnings of tears pooling under her eyes.


    "What are you talking about?" He pretended not to know the meaning behind what she was saying.


    She yanked his arm hard, which made him bump into her. They were chest to chest, and he could tell she was getting very aggravated at him by her shallow breaths.


    "Will you... Will you go out with me?" She stared him dead in the eyes as she visibly tried to hold back the tears that were about to completely come up out of her tear ducts.


    "How old are you?" Drake thought she looked younger than eighteen, which was not ok for him. He knew Lyserge would allow it, but he prefered the original age of consent that was eighteen.


    "Sixteen." She sniffled, and quickly wiped her eyes.


    "See me in four years." He turned away from her, but she grabbed at his arm again and yanked him back.


    "No! Ok, we won''t even do anything, I just want to be with you is all," She forced words past what he believed to be a lump in her throat.


    He sighed, it would be just two teenagers dating, and he believed she would never let go of her arm if he didn''t at least relent a little bit. But he had to say one more thing first.


    "You barely even know me." He turned to her, his words weren''t angry, he said it in a low and calm tone.


    "Nobody ever got close to me like you did." She looked at him with puppy dog eyes.


    "You''re more starved for affection than falling in love, then." He shook his head.


    "If you didn''t love me, why did you take me there?" She lightly tugged at his arm again.


    Shit, he thought. She had a point. He had only ever showed a girl a beautiful place if he liked that girl. He showed Marissa the old clock tower, where they then would normally hang out in. Just thinking about her made his heart hurt, even after all those years.


    "I... I''ll think about it, ok? Can we get you out of here now?" He pointed at Wira and Zlyena in front of them, who were just standing there talking.


    She smiled, and bolted forward, yanking him with her.


    "You two lovebirds done?" Wira smiled and put a hand up to her mouth.


    "I said I''d think about it. Yes, we''re ready." He looked back to Lunara, who''s mood completely turned around with only a few words.


    They continued walking, her hand still on Drake''s arm, her snug grip really was something else. He never knew she was so strong and fast, he just assumed she was either average or frail, he was thinking more frail because of her pale skin. They were led to what he believed to be a giant brain stem.


    "Here we are, you just slide down there and you''ll wake back up next to Drake." Zlyena gestured for Lunara to come forward.


    Her nose crinkled and her eyebrows furrowed as her smile turned into a frown.


    "That''s gross, are you sure there''s no other way?" She clung to Drake''s arm, which was falling asleep because of how tight her grip was.


    "You heard her, that''s how Wira got out, right Wira?" He looked at Wira while facing Lunara.


    "Yes, it''s not as gross as you think it is, either." Wira shrugged and continued to smile, only a little bit wider.


    "Ok... I''ll see you in a bit, alright?" She looked up to Drake, who looked back at her. She then finally let go of his arm and walked up to the man sized circular opening next to the brain stem.


    She looked back at him, and all he could do was smile and wave. He hoped that saying he''d think about it would deter her from being so persistent from then on. She turned around and got down, and slid into the hole.


    He sighed and felt his smile fade as he returned his hand to his side, his arm still felt like it was getting pricked with pins and needles. He reached behind his neck and flicked the invisible switch, and woke up.


    He then warned Lunara not to touch the wireless connector again, and walked out. He needed some time to clear his head, and he went to the same old clock tower. As soon as he entered, he felt the emptiness inside him, the place was falling apart, more than it used to be when he and Marissa would hang out there. He went up to the top, and looked out over the balcony at the rest of the city.


    He wished Marissa was still alive, he found he''d been wishing that a lot more recently. If she was still alive, he wouldn''t be having those troubles with Lunara. He still has mixed feelings about dating her, he would have to talk to Skyler about how he handles Gabrielle being in danger a lot, since he heard about her through talking with Skyler on the phone. He stayed there for a few hours, then went back home, and spent the rest of the day working on projects, like fixing his old lazer, the one that Glitch broke. Once he saw it was dark out, he headed to bed, and thought about all his relationship problems until he drifted off to sleep.

 No More Secrets

    It felt like forever since Pain had seen Skyler face to face, and Pain was irrationally happy when he got the call that they were to meet up, at Skyler''s apartment no less. Even spending time with Fira didn''t keep his mind off of his best friend. He met Skyler at a low point in his life, while Elaine was visiting him because she heard that his last sister, Betty, had been murdered. The first time he ever saw him was when he was sitting at the edge of the hospital bed, bandages blotched with gray covered his chest.


    He was there at Skyler''s apartment in a flash, and knocked on the door. There was leisurely footsteps, and the door opened.


    "Pain! It''s so good to see you!" Skyler smiled and hugged him.


    "Good to see you too! God, it feels like forever since we met last." Pain returned the hug and laughed.


    "Come in, come in! There''s something I need to talk to you about." Skyler smiled awkwardly and waved him in.


    "Sure! What is it?" He followed him inside and sat down on the left facing cushioned black chairs in front of the blank television that he used instead of a couch.


    "Well, it''s about Gabrielle and me." Skyler sat down on the one opposite him.


    "Oh, is everything alright with you two? By the sound of your voice on the phone last time I couldn''t hear a single bit of worry in your voice." He sat on the edge of the chair and was ready to listen intently to the conversation.


    "Well, I promised myself that I wouldn''t keep any more secrets from her, and that includes... What happened between us." He sighed, and avoided eye contact.


    "Oh, you didn''t tell her already?" Pain was confused, he thought people usually talked about their orientation while they were dating.


    "I haven''t, have you talked to Fira about it either?" He scratched his cheek and looked back at Pain.


    "Well, yeah. I told her that I dated a guy, and she took it pretty well, to be honest. I¡¯m perfectly comfortable with my sexuality, so I didn¡¯t think much of it." Pain shrugged, Fira was okay with it, it wasn''t about how someone ''took it'', he told her almost immediately after they started dating, back in Purgatory.


    "I''m... Kind of afraid to tell her." Skyler smiled awkwardly again.


    "Are you still getting the feeling that liking guys at all is bad? You can''t change who you are, remember?" He shook his head, Skyler told him before that he always felt like it was wrong to like the same gender, like it was a guilty pleasure.


    "That''s not it. I''m afraid of how she''s going to take it." He waved his hand and lowered his head.


    "I know a lot is riding on you two being together, but I don''t know if it''d be alright for you to stay with someone who won''t accept who you are. You have to tell her, and tell her why you never revealed it to her before. I know you were terrified back then, and didn''t want to make anything worse than it already was, but that''s over now. You just have to tell her that liking both isn''t that big a deal, and you''ve learned to accept yourself." Pain sat back in his chair and frowned, he wished Skyler wouldn''t feel like it was like telling someone that he had a disease, which he believed that was what was going on in his brain.


    "Well... I guess you''re right. I think it''s because I don''t trust people to react rationally when I tell them about serious things like this." Skyler intertwined his fingers and looked down at his hands.


    "That''s a whole different can of worms. I know you aren''t comfortable bringing stuff like that up, so I''m not going to say anything. I just hope someday you can be more trusting of people when it comes to things like this. I know it''s hard, after what you''ve been through, but that might not be something you can ever get over. All I can say is you need to take a leap of faith, coming from your perspective." He knew very well what happened with Skyler in the past, he told him everything about himself, and the same thing with his own self.


    "Yeah, I guess you''re right. It''s time I opened up, no more hiding that part of me." Skyler smiled sadly, and sighed.


    "You being with her all the time like you are should be proof enough that you love only her. It... Hurts that I haven''t been able to see you more often, but I know you''re happy, and I should be happy that you''re happy instead of being selfish." Pain shook his head again.


    It hurt to let him go, but he would have lost Skyler to the darkness that was eating away at him if he hadn''t helped him defeat the Lords of Darkness. It was either be selfish and be with him until he was completely consumed by darkness, or set him free and help him see Gabrielle again.


    He even made the superweapon that helped Skyler do it, a scythe fashioned with Skyler''s prosthetic hand. The hand''s attachment when he died meant that he could convert that to shock power, an extremely large amount of it. Skyler channeled too much of it and it broke, but it had outlived its use because it broke after the last Lord of Darkness fell.


    "Hey, it''s ok, we''re still friends, I wouldn''t abandon you, you know that." He got up and looked down at Pain.


    "I do, I just..." Pain got up, jumped up and hugged Skyler, his arms wrapping around his neck.


    "Wh- What are you doing?" He bent his knees a bit and Pain''s feet touched the ground again.


    "I was just seeing if you''d pull away from me or not." Even though he was already moving on, those feelings he had for Skyler still lingered.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Why would I ever pull away from you?" Skyler returned the hug.


    It made him remember. All those moments they spent together. He felt a jolt of pain in his heart, he knew he could never be with Skyler again, but it didn''t make it hurt less.


    "What''s gotten into you? You doing alright?" Skyler patted him on the back.


    He let go but he slid his hands down onto the middle of Skyler''s chest.


    "Would it be wrong if I said I still have feelings for you?" Pain looked away.


    Ever since he got back from heaven, he felt like a completely different person. Almost nothing between him and Hex were alike anymore. Hex may have had trouble letting old relationships go, but it felt three times as difficult.


    "You still have feelings for Elaine too, right?" He stood back up and placed a hand on Pain''s shoulder.


    "Yeah, the only one I don''t have feelings for anymore is Din, since she wasn''t even a real person and it was all a lie. There''s only hurt where those feelings used to be now." Pain clutched his chest.


    It wasn''t fair that she was fake, just a golem. It made him want to give Elaine the list of all Din''s cohorts, even though he knew it was wrong, just to get revenge, and then maybe it would hurt a little bit less.


    "You always were the hopeless romantic type, that''s part of who you are, don''t feel bad about it." Skyler smiled and patted Pain''s shoulder.


    "You''re right, but I hate it. I hate not being able to get over my feelings for people. It just causes so many problems for me. I know I''ll be able to get over all this in time but it''s going to take what will seem like an eternity to do it." His feelings constantly betray him, and even though he loved Fira, he still couldn''t let go of the emotions he had for others, even though they started to slowly fade. Sometimes he wished that his feelings wouldn''t fade, and that he could keep things how they were, but that would just be too painful.


    "They say that caring too much isn''t a flaw, but I''m sure that you don''t feel the same way." Skyler grabbed one of Pain''s arms and took it of his chest.


    "It''s got to be a flaw, it''s got to be. You wouldn''t believe how much trouble it''s causing me." He took his arms back and let them fall to his sides.


    "I heard Drake''s having problems too, there''s this sixteen year old girl who''s after his heart." Skyler let out a singular laugh.


    "Oh jeez, I''m glad Fira is eighteen, Elaine even confirmed it, even though I told her not to dig into Fira''s identity." Pain sighed, Elaine was a bit overprotective still, after all the girls who broke his heart she was very wary about any new relationships besides Skyler who she cleared almost immediately.


    "Overprotective as always, she only agreed to me being with Gabrielle because she was a childhood friend, she gets worried over nothing and it makes her seem like a helicopter aunt." Skyler closed his eyes and shrugged.


    "She doesn''t need to worry about you making bad decisions though. I''ve got a history." Pain frowned, he always wanted the next relationship to work out but it seemed like they never would. He doesn''t want to lose Fira too, and it scares him to think about her mortality.


    "I''ve never regretted a relationship, so I can''t say the same." Skyler shook his head.


    "I don''t regret ours either, even though it ended." He looked up at Skyler and stared him dead in the eyes.


    "You don''t need to be sad, I''m still here, you know. I haven''t walked away, and you''re the one who asked for us to break up, remember?" Skyler looked back down at him with a reassuring smile.


    "I know that. but that''s because of what was happening to you. It wasn''t because I wanted to, it was because I had to." He grabbed Skyler''s trench coat sleeve.


    "I was slipping, you''re right. I just didn''t want to push you away." He averted his eyes away from Pain and his smile faded.


    "If I didn''t take the initiative I''m not sure you''d be here right now." Pain looked down and his grip on Skyler''s sleeve tightened.


    "You didn''t make a mistake, neither did I, it just wasn''t in the cards for us in the end." Skyler turned back towards him.


    "That''s what hurts the most," he said.


    He had hoped things would have worked out, and that nothing bad would happen to Skyler, but Skyler, when he started to lose the fight against the darkness, even though he tried to act like nothing bad was happening, he could feel it.


    "Well, there''s Fira, and Gabrielle has me, so you don''t have to feel so bad about it anymore." Skyler put his hand on Pain''s hand that was grabbing his coat sleeve.


    "Yeah, I prefer not to lose you, so at least I have that going for me." He smiled sadly.


    "By the way, how are you and Fira doing? Has she seen your stitches yet?" He took his hand off of his and let it fall back into place.


    "Oh, no, she hasn''t. I''m thinking about how to go about that." Pain let go and frowned again.


    The stitches on his chest in the shape of a Y incision were very permanent. He didn''t want to freak her out but didn''t know how to let her know about it in a better way.


    "Well you just have to explain that you were put back into your own dead body, and the spell that put you back in made it impossible for the wound to close without special stitches." He shrugged again.


    "It''s not that easy, Skyler. The floating and telepathy are cool, and she already saw what''s left of my wings, but the stitches are another thing entirely. I have to explain to her what a Y incision is, on top of bringing up really bad memories." He put a hand to his head in frustration. He didn''t want to dig up what happened again, but if she was to know everything about him, he would have to.


    "Oh, yeah... You had a real hard time getting over that. I could even see how haunted you were in your eyes when you told me about it." Skyler sucked air through closed teeth.


    "She''s still young and probably doesn''t know what it is, I''d be surprised if someone as innocent as her did." Pain took his hand off his head, raised his other hand and cupped it over the other.


    "You''d be surprised, there''s lots of crime and medical shows out there, she might have even seen one while flipping channels." Skyler giggled.


    "I''m not so sure, but I guess I have a leap of faith to take too." Pain felt his face make an awkward grin.


    "Well, we''ve got to make preparations for tonight, so I think it''s time we call it for now. I''ll meet up with you tomorrow night though." Skyler hugged Pain, pulled away and smiled again.


    "Alright, I''ll see you then, I should have expected that because it''s so late already." Pain waved.


    They said their goodbyes and parted ways. He went back to his room and waited for Elaine to summon him. When she did, it was about whether or not incense worked for summoning, and he had to explain that candles were necessary, and that he didn''t make the rules. She was angry because there was a sale at an incense store and she bought a bunch. Kalan saved the day when he offered to take it off her hands so he could use the incense in the daily rituals his clan held.


    He spent his time in Elega with Fira, and the time he had been with him almost made him forget about his feelings for past relationships. He was asked by her to take her back to Purgatory, and he was confused initially, but then she started to teach him how to control his emotions when reaping the certain souls he had trouble with reaping. He was extremely grateful for her help, and almost didn''t want to part ways with her when night time in Elega came close. Being left alone to his own devices was the worst feeling, that small window where he had no one to depend on was extremely soul crushing. He was so glad that Fira was a part of his life, and that he felt he could learn to appreciate his past relationships without feeling so strongly about them.

 Acceptance

    Gabrielle woke up at Elega after a long day at work, and the fuss Drake made when he told her to tell Lunara to stop going into his room without permission and jumping into something he called the Mainframe with him.


    She ran to the gate as per usual, and smiled when she saw Skyler''s familiar shape as it waved back at her. She felt like tearing through the gate just to get to him, but she wasn''t that good with light magic yet, and the gate needed to be there. As soon as the gate was high enough she ran under it and hugged Skyler.


    "I missed you!" She felt her face muscles start to hurt because of how big her smile was.


    "I missed you too, we''ve got a big day ahead of us though, so get ready." Skyler outstretched his hand.


    She took it, and he opened a portal. They walked through it and appeared at the same hideout where Skyler had worn that machine.


    "Why are we here?" She looked around, there was nobody there.


    "It''s time you learned the big spells." Zlyena appeared out of the ether.


    "Oh, really? I thought I was doing okay with the ones you taught me earlier, why the sudden difficulty spike?" She was worried that she wouldn''t be able to do the spells without possibly hurting Skyler.


    "Well, a little birdie told me that we don''t have all that much time until things get bad." Zlyena frowned.


    "Oh, after you''re done, there''s... Something I need to talk to you about." Skyler gave an awkward grin and looked away.


    "Oh, alright... It isn''t something bad is it?" She already had so much on her plate, she didn''t know if there was any room for more bad news.


    "Not... Necessarily." Skyler rubbed his arm.


    "Oh, well if it''s not that bad, that''s a relief." She sighed, she had already gotten over Skyler''s bloodthirsty demeanor from the last time she saw him, she felt silly that she was so conflicted before. He was a demon, it was in his nature to be like that.


    "It''s still a bit... Complicated." Skyler sucked air through his teeth.


    "Oh, well I''m sure we can work things out." She smiled at him, and remained optimistic.


    "Enough talk, come here." Zlyena waved her over.


    "Yes ma''am" She looked at Skyler for a second, then turned and walked to Zlyena.


    The spells that she was told to work on were difficult, she had trouble controlling where they were aimed, and almost hit Skyler a few times on accident.


    "Sorry, sorry!" She put a hand to the side of her face.


    "As long as you don''t actually hit me there won''t be much to be sorry about." Skyler smiled and shook his head.


    She continued to try and get the hang of the new spells she was being taught. After a while, she could aim the spells with a good amount of accuracy.


    "That''s the ticket." Zlyena smiled and patted Gabrielle on the back.


    "So, you said there wasn''t that much time left before things got bad, what did you mean by that?" She turned to Zlyena, who sighed.


    "Well, I heard from one of the Gravekeeper clan that Wrackivorn was planning on making a move." Zlyena looked down.


    "Who even is this Wrackivorn person anyways?" She was annoyed, she hated that he had started the war up again after Skyler worked so hard to end it.


    "He''s an uncle of mine, he used to be the smallest, but Pain told me he was quite large when he got dethroned." Skyler put his hands in his pockets.


    "Oh, what does he look like?" She wondered if Wrackivorn looked a lot like Skyler.


    "He''s one of the Centaur clan, obviously the same as my father and the one who gave me the scar on my eye. You probably already know what Centaurs are, half human and half horse. They are still Darklings, which are shadow demons, so his horse half is that of a black horse, like the rest of his clan, while they were still alive." He was visibly uncomfortable while talking about his family.


    "Oh, that''s weird, you don''t have the bottom half of a horse." She was confused, if his father''s side was Centaur, why didn''t he look like them?


    "Mother''s genes are more prevalent, so I look way more humanoid with this new body. Fortunately for me. I don''t have to be reminded of the bastards every time I look down." He smiled and let out a small laugh.


    "You can talk later, right now, you need to focus on honing your skills." Zlyena tapped her shoulder.


    "Oh, yes, sorry, I just..." She felt her face flush red, she really did want to know who foiled all of Skyler''s plans to end the war.


    "It''s fine, just focus on this right now." Zlyena gestured for her to not worry about it.


    She continued to work on improving her aim with the spells, while Skyler sat at one of the tables and watched her.


    "I''m starting to feel, weird." She grabbed her head, the room was spinning, did she try too hard?


    "Oh, it seems that you''ve reached your limit, I think we should stop for now." Zlyena caught her before she could fall backwards, and guided her to the same table Skyler was sitting at.


    "You ok?" He quickly walked up to her and helped lead her to a seat.


    "The room started spinning and I started to feel... Light headed." She felt like her head was floating up and down, and even though she tried resting her head on the table, it still felt like her head was moving.


    "You must''ve channeled a bit too much energy for your body to handle, light magic is safer because of the fact that it won''t drive a person insane unless they go too overboard. All you really need to work on is your tolerance level for using a lot of high powered spells in a short amount of time." Skyler sighed sadly.


    She felt him run his fingers through her hair, and she closed her eyes. She was glad he was there, she would have felt so scared and alone without him. It was comforting, his fingers as they ran through her curly blonde hair.


    She then stopped feeling his fingers, so she opened her eyes and raised her head back up, and turned to see a very worried looking Skyler.


    "What''s wrong?" She felt fine all of the sudden, so she didn''t really know why he was worried.


    "You were asleep for two hours." He put a hand on her shoulder.


    "Really? It seemed like maybe a minute to me." She rubbed her eyes, and sure enough, there was sand.


    "You tuckered yourself out, no doubt about it." Zlyena''s voice came from behind her.


    She turned and saw her sitting next to her, though there was relief on her face instead of worry.


    "So this was all to test my tolerance?" She felt a little mad about that, Zlyena should have known when she was doing in too much.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "Only partially, I can''t know your limits until you reach them." She smiled at Gabrielle.


    "You seem to not be worried about it like Skyler is, why is that?" She got a little bit madder because of the smile.


    "I used to run Cara ragged all the time, forgive me for not being worried." She blushed and averted her eyes.


    "She used to run me ragged too, only she kept having to teach me sanity defense spells a lot because I''d go nuts from time to time." He took his hand off her shoulder and frowned.


    "It''s not my fault that you''re inherently good at black magic and shadow magic, blame your parents." Zlyena huffed and cupped a hand to her face and set an elbow down onto the table.


    "I''ll blame my father but Mother never chose that," he said with anger in his voice.


    "I don''t think she meant it like that." She turned back to Skyler and saw him bearing his teeth.


    "Cara didn''t choose to have a cursed bloodline either, nor did you, but we all have to make the best of what we have." Zlyena put her arm back down on the table.


    "I wish you wouldn''t bring up my grandmother all the time." Skyler groaned.


    "She was the first one I ever trained on Earth, I''m just using her as an example." Zlyena shrugged.


    "You two, cut it out." She put her hands out to her sides in a stopping signal to both of them.


    "I''m sorry, Gabby. It''s just, she went until you fainted! You can''t expect me not to be at least a little bit angry about that." He balled his fists.


    "I know, and I''m fine now, you don''t need to worry about me, see?" She stood up and twirled around.


    "I know, but that doesn''t make me feel any less mad." He put a hand to his arm.


    "I think we should call it for today." Zlyena got up and started to walk away.


    "Alright, see you later Zlyena." Gabrielle smiled and waved.


    "Yeah, see you." Skyler grumbled.


    She kicked his foot, and he jumped up.


    "Yeah, see you!" He waved.


    After Zlyena walked out, they looked to each other.


    "So, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" She sat down next to him.


    "Oh well, I wanted to tell you something, I''ve only dated once before and that, well..." Skyler rubbed the back of his head and looked away.


    "What is it?" She leaned in closer.


    "It was with... A guy." His face flushed gray.


    "Really?" She gasped, she had no idea he was into men. This was something she never knew about, and she thought she knew everything about him.


    "Yeah, I''ve been attracted to... Both genders, ever since I can remember. I never told you because I felt too... Disgusted with myself about it. I didn''t tell anyone else either, or the shit I had to deal with would have ramped up tenfold." He turned back to her, he had a look on his face like he had done something wrong.


    "I don''t think it''s something to be disgusted about. You can''t choose who you''re attracted to." She put a hand on his shoulder.


    "I know that now, I was just, too scared to tell you until now, I mean. I was scared you''d want to reverse the ritual, and bad things would happen if you did. So I didn''t say anything." He tilted his head.


    "So, who was the lucky guy?" She smiled and lightly shook his shoulder.


    "Uh, well..." He grinned and scratched his cheek.


    "Come on, you can tell me." She gave his shoulder a few pats.


    "It was Pain." He quickly looked away.


    "Oh! You mean the spiky haired floating guy?" She giggled.


    "Yeah, him, I told him to not do that around you because it would freak you out." He shook his head and blew air out of his nose.


    "Oh, it was a bit shocking initially, but I''m ok with it now." She waved her hands.


    "So you... Aren''t weirded out that I''m bisexual?" He looked back at her.


    "Of course not, all I''m sad about is that you didn''t feel comfortable enough to tell me back then." She put her hands behind her and intertwined her fingers.


    "Well, I would have, if I was able to." He looked back down and tilted his head.


    "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" She wondered if there was anything else he was hiding.


    "Besides working for the government and the time I had to chop my own hand off, I don''t think there''s much else." He shrugged.


    "You what?!" Working for the government was one thing, but him chopping his own hand off was a completely different thing altogether.


    "Oh, yeah. I got some of that weird gas that turned people into bloody puddles on my hand, so I had to use a fire axe to chop it off before it killed me." He just looked at her like nothing was wrong.


    "Okay, you never told me about that either, what kind of weird stuff have you been mixed up in?" She was flabbergasted that he didn''t even have a hint of concern in his voice.


    "Well on the upside the government gave me a really nice prosthetic hand, but I think they made a clerical error when they installed retractable razor blades into the fingertips." He laughed and put his hands on his knees.


    "Oh my god." She put a hand to her head in frustration.


    "I think they just wanted me to be their attack dog, I was off my rocker quite a bit back then and they pretty much exploited that." He sighed and his smile faded.


    "That''s horrible, the fact that they would use your mental instability as a tool instead of getting you help." She huffed and folded her arms.


    "Yeah, only Betty saw me as a person, the rest of my colleagues just saw me as an animal." He messed with his bangs.


    "Betty? Who''s that?" She never heard that name before, but that woman he just named couldn''t have been one of his former lovers, could she?


    "My sister, she''s not with us anymore though," his voice wobbled a bit.


    "Oh, that''s so sad. I''m sure she was a really nice girl." She hated that she felt relief when he said that Betty was a relative instead of a lover, she never thought of herself as a jealous type, but her emotions were a different beast.


    "I... Don''t really want to talk about that right now." He sniffled and blinked a few times.


    "Alright, I won''t press you." She leaned down, lifted Skyler''s bangs and gave his forehead a kiss.


    "You didn''t have to do that." His cheeks went gray and he played with his fingers.


    "It made you feel better though, didn''t it?" She closed her eyes and grinned at him.


    "It snapped me out of it at least." He looked back up at her again with relief etched into his face.


    "Good. Now, are we ready to go back to the castle?" She outstretched her hand like he did before.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s one more thing. I used to have four fingers and toes initially when I got my new body. I had to perfect my shadow magic to even get a fifth finger.¡± He blew air through the gaps in his teeth.


    ¡°Really? So Betty only had four fingers on each hand and four toes on each foot?¡± She was real interested, and imagined him with one less digit on each limb, it made him seem more alien to her.


    ¡°Yeah, all of the Forsaken were like that, I call them that because me and the rest of my brothers and sisters who shared a father were different.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Oh ok.¡± She nodded back at him.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time we go.¡± Skyler got up and started to open a portal back.


    As he was opening the portal, she caught him wiping his eyes and she saw him shake his head.


    "You alright?" She grabbed hold of his hand.


    "Yeah it''s just... Memories, you know?" He blinked a few times again and wiped his eyes one more time.


    "It''s ok to cry, you know. You don''t have to hide your emotions from me." She tightened her grip on his hand a little, and made it more snug.


    "It''s not that, I just, if I let loose all the time most of my time would be dedicated to crying. It''s a defense mechanism, I bottle up my emotions for a reason because letting them out would be dangerous and would take up a majority of my time. I don''t have time to cry." He put a hand to his head.


    "I''m going to help make a world where you have all the time in the world to cry." She pulled him closer.


    "I''m sure a bit of time in the time cube would suffice." He smiled sadly.


    "No time cubes, I mean real time. You don''t have to do it all the time, just bits throughout the day. You promise that you''ll let your emotions out like that?" She widened her eyes and made a small frown as she tried to make puppy dog eyes at him.


    "If I find the time, sure. Maybe after this is all over, I could. How about I promise to do it after we beat Wrackivorn?" He returned her tightened grip by gripping back.


    "It''s a deal." She smiled and patted his head.


    "He-Hey, come on!" He chuckled and closed his eyes again.


    "Your hair is fluffier than I remember." She used to give him headpats when they were young, but only when nobody else was around.


    "Oh, is it?" He opened one eye to look at her.


    "Yeah." She nodded.


    "Must be the new body, I didn''t really get to pick and choose what I got back then." He shrugged with his hands.


    "No, I like it," she said.


    "Oh, that''s good. I''m glad." He put his hands back down to his sides.


    "I''ll see you later." She leaned in and kissed him on the lips, then let go of his hand and waved as she went through the portal.


    She walked back to the castle and found that Lunara and Fira were sent off on another mission. She was worried that since the war started up again, that they could get hurt, even though she knew they prepared for battle. She spent the rest of the night staring out onto the castle''s interior from the balcony. She thought about Skyler and how he always bottled up his emotions, she wished he could be free to express his emotions more. A world where Skyler hid in his shell is not a world she wanted to live in, and she was determined to change that.

 Hearts and Names

    Drake was back in the Mainframe, he didn''t know how to get to Boy, who he had seen a few times after they first met. No matter what he said, nothing would get through to him. He walked with Glitch up on one of the higher floors.


    "Are you sure this is where you saw him last?" He looked around, he did see claw marks on the railing, but that could have been from anything else.


    "Yeah, I have something to give him, I need to find him as soon as possible." Glitch frowned, and his eyes darted left to right.


    "You? Giving anything to anyone except for stab wounds? Has hell frozen over?" He scoffed.


    "Fuck you, ok? I''m not just a cardboard cutout of everything you hate about yourself. " Glitch''s frown turned into a grimace.


    "Alright, alright, jesus." Drake lifted his hands to the sides of his face.


    Boy wasn''t the best person to talk to, he was constantly bringing up that he was incomplete, it must have taken a harsh toll on Boy''s sanity. He tried to get Boy to ask Wira for a replacement heart, but he said that he couldn''t face Wira because of all the transgressions he had made towards the WireGirls and the server overall.


    "So, what are you going to give him?" Drake turned back to Glitch, curious as to why Glitch seemed to be warming up to Boy.


    "I''m not telling you shit." Glitch balled his fists and squinted his eyes at him.


    A flash of light and Lunara fell on her rear end next to Drake.


    "Again? Didn''t I tell you to stop coming here?" He begrudgingly extended a hand and helped her up.


    "I got past your father again, it''s way too easy, he''s so slow." She awkwardly smiled at him.


    "Don''t brag about not heeding my warnings." He wagged his metal claw of an index finger at her.


    "Wait, I think I hear him." Glitch hushed Drake and Lunara and put a hand up to his ear.


    He was right, there were booming noises that were in the distance that drew closer and closer.


    "What''s going on?" Lunara wrapped her arms around Drake''s arm.


    "Oh shit. You have to get out of here now!" He turned and grabbed the shoulder of Lunara''s dress and spun around. He started to drag her behind him but then he felt the floor beneath him vibrate.


    "Fuck, fuck!" Drake turned back around to see Boy as he stared at Lunara with a confused look on his face.


    "What the-! What is that?!" She pointed at Boy.


    "Shut the fuck up, I''ve got this. Hey, you!" Glitch cupped his hands outwards on top of his face and shouted at Boy.


    Boy turned to him, visibly annoyed.


    "The girl is off limits." Drake quickly stepped in front of Lunara.


    "What? What is it?" Boy shrugged with his long arms.


    "I hate this fucking thing, so take it already." Glitch put his right hand in front of himself, and with one quick motion, plunged it into his chest.


    "No!" Lunara tried to get to Glitch but Drake held her back.


    Glitch ripped his heart out of his chest, and held it in front of himself.


    "Wh-What are you doing?" Boy looked at the heart, his eyes wide with disbelief.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "I said take it, idiot." Glitch held it a bit more upwards towards Boy. "Why is he doing this?" Lunara started to cry and buried her head in Drake''s shoulder.


    "I have an idea or two about why." Drake didn''t really care for Glitch, so him doing something like that didn''t phase him much.


    "But he''s you, isn''t he?!" Lunara shook him as tears streamed down her face. "He''s not going to be around much longer anyways, so that doesn''t matter."


    Drake looked down at her, confused as to why she was crying.


    "What? What do you mean?" She looked up at him with wet eyes.


    "He''s being reabsorbed into my consciousness, that''s why he has the metal arms and legs, he''s going to be gone soon, so you shouldn''t cry over him." Drake shook his head, he didn''t feel that Glitch deserved any sympathy.


    "So you''re going to kill him?" She furrowed her brow in anger.


    "At this point the deed is already done. He already lost his android body because of me, anyways." Drake shrugged.


    "How can you be so cruel to him? I don''t understand!" She sniffled and more tears welled up in her eyes.


    "You don''t know him like I do, he doesn''t deserve your pity." Drake frowned, Lunara was being crazy, catching feelings for a psychopath like Glitch.


    "He''s right, I''m going to be gone soon, but I can''t wait any longer." Glitch coughed.


    "I can... Really have this?" Boy nervously reached towards the heart.


    "No! Don''t! Put it back!" Lunara tried to get past Drake, but he held her back again.


    "Let him." Drake already tried to reason with Lunara, but she wasn''t being very receptive.


    "Let me go!" She started to punch and kick Drake.


    "Ow, jesus! Stop that! What''s gotten into you?" Drake started to get angry, she was so infatuated with Glitch that she, to him, probably liked Glitch more than she liked him.


    "I said let me go!" She landed a punch over his heart.


    That sent him into a flashback, he felt the lightning rod pierce his back again. The next thing he knew, he had his hands on her upper arms. He loosened his grip, which was tight. There was fear in her eyes. He must have blacked out.


    "Why are you doing this?!" She sobbed.


    He didn''t mean to hurt her, and felt an instant wave of regret wash over him.


    "Oh god, I- I''m sorry I-"


    "Please, let me go!" She grabbed his arms and pushed him back.


    He let her loose, his hands were still in the air, in the same position he grabbed her in. He looked over, and Boy was already putting Glitch''s heart into his chest.


    "You''re too late, he''s got it now." Glitch smiled sadly.


    "Why? Why wouldn''t you let me stop him?" Lunara punched him in his arm.


    "Because it didn''t matter." He covered his heart rather than his arm.


    "If it didn''t matter, why did you stop me? If it really didn''t matter, you would have let me help him!" She stepped back and wiped the tears from her eyes.


    She was right. If it really did matter, he wouldn''t have held her back, and if it didn''t matter enough to him, he would have let her go as soon as she started punching and kicking him.


    "Oh, Oh god!" Boy wailed, and covered his face.


    "Oh, yeah. Those are my emotions. You''ll stop feeling those soon, it''s just residual." Glitch chuckled.


    The hole over Boy''s heart had already closed up by the time he put Glitch''s heart in his body. Surprisingly there was no blood anywhere. Not on boy''s hands, or Glitch''s hand.


    "If it''s too much, you could always give it back." Drake shrugged again.


    "No, I don''t want it." Glitch shook his head.


    "Just admit you didn''t want to live with what you did to Marissa anymore." Drake balled his fists.


    "You already know that''s the truth, I didn''t have to say a fucking thing." Glitch looked away.


    Boy wiped the tears from his eyes, though he still sniffled.


    "Asher." Glitch turned to Boy.


    "What?" Boy stared blankly at Glitch.


    "That''s your name now, it''s Asher." Glitch stepped back.


    "You... Named me?" Asher put a hand to his mouth.


    "I thought I''d give you a human name, nothing like that number color bullshit." Glitch smiled.


    "Asher... That''s a great name... Th-... Thank you." Asher''s eyes welled up with tears and he sniffled again.


    "What''s going on over here?" Wira showed up and looked concerned as she peered into the hole in Glitch''s chest.


    "Nothing, just giving a fellow reject a few gifts." Glitch still had a grin on his face. Wira turned around and saw that Asher''s chest hole was gone.


    "You gave him your heart? Why?" Wira turned back to Glitch, who happily waved back at her.


    "Because I hated my emotions. I feel much better without them." He laughed and held a hand over the hole where his heart once was.


    "I thought you couldn''t feel emotions if you didn''t have a heart." Wira''s eyes nervously darted from Drake back to Glitch.


    "I can''t, and that''s why i¡¯m glad!" He gave a thumbs up.


    "Wow, he did a complete one eighty." Drake was surprised to see how Glitch was acting. He never thought he''d see the day where Glitch would be genuinely smiling and happy for a non-horrible reason.


    "Is he ok?" Lunara walked up to Glitch in a stiff manner.


    "I''m fine, girl. I''m fine. Feeling nothing is way better than feeling anything at all." He turned his smile on Lunara.


    "I don''t think that''s true. You can''t feel love if you don''t have any emotions." She shook her head.


    "Love was the reason I gave my heart to Asher. It''s fine that I can''t feel that emotion anymore." His smile faded.


    "You love that girl, don''t you?" Asher pointed to Lunara, tears still streaming down his face.


    Glitch paused, and stared at her.


    "I used to." He turned and walked away.

 Decisions for Incisions

    Pain sat in the large bath that his castle had, and wondered how he could go about telling Fira about his stitches. He looked down, and saw the stitches on his chest going down into the water. He sighed, and wished they could have healed a long time ago. Every time he looked down he remembered what happened to him, and visions of that man would flash in his mind, which gave him a rush of adrenaline each time as his fight or flight response kicked in. This time he had the smell of the lavender bath bomb he used and the relaxing warm water to keep himself from having too big of a reaction.


    Only a single image flashed in his mind when he looked down, and it was gone in an instant. He shook his head, and felt some of the warm water come loose from his skin in drops.


    He opened his eyes back up and looked at his hand, then lightly wiggled his clawed fingers. He, since he had sharp claws, did not like to touch Fira with the ends of his fingers, he always kept the ends of his digits up, so as not to scratch her. He then looked to his pale skin, and even though he knew that blood was running through his veins, he wished he had color to his skin again.


    He took in a deep breath and let out another sigh. He was starting to get praise from other reapers because Fira had helped him overcome his emotions when reaping. He wished that he could tell the other reapers that it was a human girl that was responsible, and he did not improve by himself. With the help he received, he had even begun to let go of the emotions he still had for Elaine and Skyler.


    He slid down deeper into the water. He tried to not think about Fira¡¯s mortality, but it came into his head every once and a while when he was about to go to sleep. It terrified him. He didn¡¯t want to lose her. Telling her that he was bisexual was one thing, but his Y incision had a complicated story he didn¡¯t think he could tell her.


    He let the steam of the bath lick his face as he lowered his head and closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t feel like he wanted to be human again before he met Fira. He found himself wishing to be a regular human more and more often. He wanted to grow old together with her, but as an ageless deathless being, that was impossible, and even though he tried not to think about that either, there were soul crushing moments where that thought would invade his mind.


    All his current problems seemed to stem from him being unable to grow old and die, which was something that he had tried to change before, but he never found a remedy to his condition. He got up and grabbed the towel that was behind him, and wrapped it around his waist, then he tucked the end of the towel in.


    He heard the door slide open, and became confused, because he could have sworn he locked it before he came in.


    ¡°Pain? Oh my-¡± Fira had just walked in. She had a hand over her mouth and was visibly staring at his chest.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no use in hiding it now.¡± Pain frowned, he was so deep in thought that he forgot to lock the door behind him.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were hurt?¡± She walked up to him, took her shoes and socks off and stepped into the bath with him.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m alright.¡± He put his hands out in front of himself.


    She sloshed her way up to him and put her hands on his bare chest, over the stitches.


    ¡°No you¡¯re not. If you were fine how come you have stitches?¡± She furrowed her brow.


    He knew she was concerned for him, and if he lied to her now, she wouldn¡¯t forgive him for it later.


    ¡°No, this wound doesn¡¯t completely heal. The stitches are permanent.¡± He shook his head again, but more softly.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Her face softened, and she kept looking at him with sparkling eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s an extremely rare type of wound that doesn¡¯t completely heal.. I got this from... Being murdered, and when I was sucked back into my own dead body, the wound was there to stay. That¡¯s also why I need the prosthetic jaw, because that wound can¡¯t heal either.¡± He put a hand to her shoulder.


    ¡°I knew you were a fallen angel, but I didn¡¯t know anything about this.¡± Her eyes widened and tears started to form under her eyes.


    ¡°Well, how else do you think fallen angels are created these days? Other angels are too scared to speak up and get tossed out of heaven.¡± He gave her a melancholy smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t laugh at me because my dress is all wet though.¡± Fira frowned and looked down at the bottom of her dress that was softly floating in the water.


    ¡°I won¡¯t, you came up to me because you were concerned. It¡¯s just like you to run headfirst into something you don¡¯t fully understand.¡± His smile became a happy one.


    ¡°I¡¯m used to getting laughed at or berated for just rushing in, but I can¡¯t help it.¡± She cupped her hands together.


    ¡°I¡¯d never do that, you know that.¡± He hugged her.


    ¡°I know, it¡¯s just, it¡¯s just a force of habit.¡± She chuffed.


    ¡°I hope you can unlearn to feel embarrassed for doing something selfless or heroic by being with me.¡± He pulled away and looked at her warmly.


    ¡°I hope so too.¡± She smiled back at him.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll allow me, I¡¯ll go get dressed now.¡± He pointed to the folded pile of his clothes.


    ¡°O-Oh! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll go!¡± She turned around and sloshed back out of the tub.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re at the point where you¡¯d want to see me without the towel.¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°I... I never said that.¡± She looked back at him over her shoulder.


    ¡°Oh really now?¡± He grinned suggestively and started to reach down.


    ¡°Eep!¡± She turned back and smacked her hands onto her face.


    He chuckled, she was still so innocent, it would be a while before she was comfortable with anything sexual at all.


    ¡°See what I mean?¡± He turned and got out of the large tub.


    He heard the door slam behind him. ¡°You still there?¡± He looked back and, sure enough, there was a shadow in the glass of the sliding door.


    ¡°Y-yeah. What do you need?¡± Her shadow shuffled about.


    ¡°Wait for your legs to dry before you put your shoes and socks back on.¡± He didn¡¯t think she would wait long enough for him to get her a towel.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Oh! Okay... L-Let me know when I can come back in.¡± Her outline lowered as she sat down.


    ¡°Alright, I will.¡± He let out another chuckle, though it was smaller and more breathy.


    He went over to his clothes, took another towel and started to dry himself off. The water on his skin was cold when in contact with the air, and goosebumps started to form all over his body. He frowned and patted his other towel at the goosebumps. His skin may have been pale but he wasn¡¯t cold, like a vampire would be. If he was always cold, his skin wouldn¡¯t get goosebumps, he wouldn¡¯t feel cold either. He sighed and thought about how grateful he was that he at least wasn¡¯t cold to the touch.


    After he dried himself off, he got dressed. He slid his shirt on carefully and tried not to catch his shirt on the stitches. He smiled because he was thankful he had already done his hair in the bath before she got there, he would have been embarrassed if she caught him in the short amount of time that he had his hair down.


    ¡°Alright. You can come in now. ¡°He turned around and reached down to pull the plug on the bath.


    He heard the door slide open again. The water groaned into the opening as he pulled the drain plug.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your gloves?¡± She carefully walked over, her feet still slippery with water.


    He stood up, a towel already in his hand. He held it out to her.


    ¡°Here, use this to wipe yourself off. Maybe pat it on your dress too, it¡¯ll dry faster that way.¡± He smiled and extended the arm holding the towel a little further.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t... Isn¡¯t that the towel you used to dry yourself off with?¡± She put her hands together and her gaze darted from the towel to him.


    ¡°Yes, why?¡± He didn¡¯t see it as a big deal, the towel was still mostly dry.


    ¡°Are you... Are you sure you want me to use this?¡± She slowly reached for the towel.


    ¡°What, are you embarrassed because I used it?¡± He grinned at her. She was so adorable, even sharing towels got her all flustered.


    ¡°Ma-Maybe...¡± Her hand hesitated, and her face flushed red.


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute.¡± He giggled, she was a little angel to him, she couldn¡¯t even share a towel without turning as red as a tomato.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say stuff like that.¡± She quickly snatched the towel from his hand.


    ¡°But it¡¯s true.¡± His face started to hurt he was smiling so hard.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a butt.¡± She huffed and sat down, then started to pat her legs and feet dry.


    ¡°I¡¯m not patronizing you, I really mean it.¡± He leaned down and grabbed an end of the towel, and started to dry her other leg.


    She stopped moving and looked up at him, her face still extremely red.


    ¡°What is it? I¡¯ve touched you before, why is this any different?¡± He was purposefully trying to make her blush now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that.¡± She quickly turned her head away,


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be embarrassed anymore, we¡¯re dating, remember? It¡¯s romantic.¡± He didn¡¯t mean to turn the tables on her, he was only embarrassed because he didn¡¯t want to mess up. Now that he was dating her, he was much more upfront and relaxed.


    ¡°Well, if you put it that way.¡± She slowly turned her head back, her eyes were averted though.


    ¡°You were so upfront before, this is a new side of you.¡± He shook his head, a smile still plastered on his face.


    ¡°Well, you were the one who was embarrassed at first, and I thought it was cute.¡± She shrugged her shoulders.


    ¡°I can understand that one hundred percent.¡± He lightly poked her flushed red cheek.


    ¡°Is the guy who did it dead?¡± Her blush slowly started to fade.


    ¡°Is the guy who did what what now?¡± He pretended to not know what she was talking about, and tilted his head.


    ¡°The guy who gave you those stitches.¡± She looked up at him.


    ¡°Are you talking about the guy who fixed me up or the guy who caused me to have to see the guy who fixed me up?¡± His smile faded, even though his face muscles still ached.


    ¡°The second one.¡± Her blush was gone now.


    ¡°Nope, he¡¯s very much alive. He only technically did it though, in this timeline he hasn¡¯t even laid a finger on me.¡± He slowly shook his head.


    ¡°What? I don¡¯t understand.¡± She started to get visibly angry, and balled her fists.


    ¡°You see, the man who I used to be is still alive in this timeline. I¡¯m from a timeline where he died and came back. It¡¯s very complicated.¡± He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.


    ¡°What?¡± Her face softened but her fists were still balled.


    ¡°There¡¯s a guy walking around that is a continuation of who I used to be, he and I used to be the same person. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard of the band Angels of Acid, but he¡¯s the lead vocalist. His band name is Hex, technically he and I have the same name still. I can¡¯t go by Hex anymore though.¡± He turned his head downwards, he didn¡¯t want to confuse her but it was a very convoluted situation.


    ¡°So you and Hex used to be the same person? How¡¯d you get here?¡± Her hands relaxed, and she got up, already done with drying herself off.


    ¡°Me and Elaine traveled back in time by a day, to warn Hex that he was going to die. He hated her and wouldn¡¯t believe what she would say, so she had to show him. Coming face to face with his future resurrected self meant there was no room for doubt.¡± He pointed to himself.


    ¡°Is Elaine that one short girl with the veil and the red eyes? I don¡¯t remember all that well.¡± She took a step towards him.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s her. She¡¯s with Hex now, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± He shook his hand.


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t kill the guy who murdered you? Why?¡± She took another step forward and grabbed his arm softly.


    ¡°Because he didn¡¯t do it in this timeline, he¡¯s a crazy bastard but holding grudges is bad for you. I let him go because I¡¯m better than that, better than him.¡± He put his other hand on hers.


    ¡°So you just let him go, to kill someone else?¡± She leaned in closer and tugged at his arm.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s in jail, Elaine made sure of that. It took a lot of convincing to keep her from killing him herself, it¡¯s in her nature to do that. There¡¯s vigilante in her blood, but I wanted justice, not revenge.¡± He intertwined his fingers with hers. ¡°You¡¯re a lot stronger than me, I would have cut him into little pieces.¡± Her face hardened again.


    ¡°I know, I know you well enough to know you¡¯d do something like that.¡± A smile returned to his face.


    ¡°They¡¯d be finding pieces of him for weeks.¡± She shook her fist.


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that.¡± He let out a single chuckle.


    ¡°He¡¯s probably glad he¡¯s in jail, because if he wasn¡¯t he¡¯d have two people out for his head.¡± She huffed.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not one to dwell, it does come up often but I just let it roll off my back now. I can¡¯t escape that part of me, so why be sad about it? Why worry? Why get worked up over something that¡¯s never going to change?¡± He sighed, a smile still on his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you do it, I¡¯d be scarred forever.¡± She let her free hand fall to her side and she looked back down.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to spend my life constantly ruminating about what happened. That¡¯s not a life I want to live. I want to be happy, I want to live, laugh and love like anybody else.¡± He raised his free hand.


    ¡°You¡¯re way, way stronger than me then.¡± She sighed back.


    ¡°I think you¡¯d find it in you to do the same too if you were in my situation. I wouldn¡¯t sell yourself short.¡± He reached out and patted her on the head.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to live just for revenge.¡± She peeked up at him past his hand.


    ¡°I could have done that, but would you have ever fell in love with me if I was living that way?¡± He stared back at her and took his hand off.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± She messed with her hair.


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t completely certain, then how do you know?¡± He breathed air out through his nose and closed his eyes.


    ¡°I fell in love with you because you¡¯re you, but even if your demeanor changes, I won¡¯t leave.¡± She frowned and eyed him from the side.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that, if that was true for everyone, Elaine would never have broken up with me.¡± He opened his eyes again and darted them away.


    ¡°It may not be true for everyone, but it¡¯s true for me, and that¡¯s all that really counts.¡± She turned her head back.


    ¡°I believe you, I¡¯m just having a hard time believing in myself.¡± He was still a bit hung up over Elaine, and even though those feelings are almost completely gone, those same feelings were very strong before, and not easily defeat-able.


    ¡°If you can believe in me, you can believe in yourself, too.¡± She gave him a reassuring smile.


    ¡°Believing in other people is easier if you trust other people more than you trust yourself.¡± He shrugged with his arms.


    ¡°I know you can do it.¡± She gave a single nod.


    ¡°I guess I may be selling myself short as well, though.¡± He smiled back at her.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not like you. You¡¯re such an optimist, seeing you do that to yourself is surprising.¡± Her smile disappeared


    ¡°I can¡¯t be an optimist in every aspect of my life.¡± He tried to keep a can-do attitude for the most part, but some of his past self deprecating behaviors still hung around.


    They talked for a while longer, and after Fira put her shoes and socks back on, they spent the day in Purgatory. His intrusive thoughts about Fira growing old and dying kept inserting themselves into his brain, and he would go quiet for a second. He needed to do something about it, anything, he couldn¡¯t stand that every second that passed could lead to her death, and it made him worried sick. He knew he was making her worry as well. Every time he paused, she looked at him with visible concern, and even though he didn¡¯t want her to worry, he couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious about her mortality.

 A Romantic Evening

    Gabrielle was coming back to the castle after a scouting mission. She was surprised she didn¡¯t see Skyler earlier, and was worrying that he may have gotten in trouble. She felt an instant rush of relief when she saw Skyler standing outside the gate. She ran up to him and tackle hugged him, she felt him fall back but regain his balance.


    ¡°Whoa, hey there!¡± He laughed and took his hands out of his pockets to hug her back.


    ¡°Where were you this morning?¡± She wanted to at least know the reason why he didn¡¯t show up when she got to Elega.


    ¡°I was helping a friend with some relationship issues. He said he¡¯d talk to Death to see what he could do.¡± He shrugged with his hands.


    ¡°Death? As in Death himself?¡± She was surprised that anyone could get an audience with the grim reaper.


    ¡°Pain¡¯s a pretty high level reaper now. After Fira helped him out, he started blasting through the ranks. I think he has enough experience under his belt to talk to Death.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Oh, I never knew he was a reaper. Even Fira never told me about that, even though she did say he carried a Scythe with red eyes on the hilt.¡± She hadn¡¯t put two and two together until just then, and it made her feel silly.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, it¡¯s just his job title, not actually part of who he is,¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh, well, I¡¯m glad he¡¯s doing better with his job now.¡± She was happy his best friend was doing alright, for the most part.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask why he needs to talk to Death?¡± He looked at her blankly.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing because he¡¯s immortal and Fira isn¡¯t?¡± She guessed that anyone with pale skin was immortal, like vampires being immortal.


    ¡°You¡¯d be right.¡± He frowned slightly.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why haven¡¯t you worried about me?¡± She was very sure she was mortal, just a normal human besides having magical powers.


    ¡°Shai told me you¡¯d be let into the Veil of Light soon, and that¡¯s not something she says lightly. Anyone in the Veil of Light becomes immortal, so I don¡¯t really have to worry about that.¡± His smile returned and he patted her shoulder.


    ¡°Really? I was never told about that.¡± She was surprised and excited at the same time.


    ¡°Yeah, you growing old and dying won¡¯t be a problem neither you nor I will have to worry about soon.¡± He nodded again.


    ¡°So I won¡¯t age either? I¡¯ll be like this for all eternity?¡± She admitted that it seemed a bit wrong, but she also decided that, if Skyler was ageless and deathless, that she¡¯d want to be the same too, and not leave him alone because of dying of old age.


    ¡°Yep, you¡¯ll be just like me. Ageless and deathless.¡± He softly sighed out of his nose.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared that I¡¯ll die before I get in?¡± She wondered what would happen if she didn¡¯t make it before she could become like Skyler.


    ¡°If that ever happened, you know I¡¯d use the book to bring you back. Losing a piece of my soul isn¡¯t anything compared to how I¡¯d feel losing you.¡± His face hardened.


    ¡°You mean that forbidden book? You lose a bit of your soul if you use it?¡± The thought broke her heart. Him sacrificing a piece of his own soul to bring her back if she died was something she didn¡¯t want to think about.


    ¡°Yes, I only know a few people who have ever used it, two of them are the ones we¡¯re fighting against, one of them is my aunt,¡± he said.


    ¡°You mean Elaine used it? Why?¡± She didn¡¯t notice anything off about Elaine, and didn¡¯t think that there was a piece of her soul missing.


    ¡°To bring the man she loved back to life, that¡¯s why Pain exists.¡± He became visibly sad.


    ¡°So did Pain and Elaine ever date before that happened?¡± She wondered why they didn¡¯t help Elaine when she had almost died.


    ¡°Nope, he hated her.¡± He frowned.


    ¡°Oh, but why? She¡¯s a good person for a demon, isn¡¯t she?¡± She was confused, what could have made him hate her?


    ¡°For one, Elaine tried to get him to fight her by faking his girlfriend¡¯s death, he hated her ever since, but for the most part it was the golem, who was the girlfriend, that was controlling his emotions.¡± He sighed and shook his head.


    ¡°Golem? I never heard about that either.¡± She didn¡¯t know things were so complicated between Pain and Elaine, but a golem, a creature she thought was made of stone or clay, complicated things more.


    ¡°Yeah, nobody knew what she really was, she fooled me too,¡± he said.


    ¡°She must have hid herself very well.¡± She trusted Skyler, enough to know that he would have found out at the slightest hint of the golem¡¯s true self.


    ¡°She did, anyways let¡¯s go inside, it¡¯s pretty chilly out here.¡± Skyler gestured towards the gate.


    Gabrielle told the guards up top to open the gate. They walked in, and she reached out and held his hand. He turned to her, and she turned back with a smile. They walked into the castle, and she let him to her new room.


    ¡°Wow. I thought you said you only had a small bed in a tiny room?¡± He looked amazed.


    The room was large and regal looking, The entire room was ornate, the checkerboard tiles and candlelight gave it almost an otherworldly look. The heavy golden curtains blocked out all the light of the outside world. There was a king sized bed covered in golden cloth as well.


    ¡°That was the old room, they gave me a new one.¡± She was given a new one since she showed them how far she had come in terms of training. She had to explain to Shai she got her training from Zlyena, and even though Shai looked slightly angry, she begrudgingly let her continue to train her.


    ¡°You must have come far for them to give you the VIP treatment.¡± He smiled at her.


    ¡°They said they¡¯d bring us food, I ordered food for two, by the way.¡± She put her hands behind her back. She hoped so much that he would show up that she even ordered dinner ahead of time.


    ¡°You were expecting me, weren¡¯t you?¡± He chuffed.


    ¡°It was wishful thinking at least, I know what you like, so I ordered your favorites.¡± She remembered all the things he said he wanted to eat, but couldn¡¯t because his family didn¡¯t have enough money.


    He would bring a coupon book to school and drool over all the food he couldn¡¯t afford. She used to sneak him out over to her place so she could have her parents feed him, because she knew that he wasn¡¯t having dinner. She always used to make him lunches and bring them to school so he could eat, too. He couldn¡¯t even afford cafeteria food, he depended on her for so much, it hurt when she had to leave.


    ¡°Just like old times.¡± He gazed at her lovingly.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°It should be here any minute now.¡± Her heart stopped for a moment because of the way he looked at her, and she peeked out of the door. She wondered when the butler would be arriving.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that, it¡¯s the thought that counts.¡± He let out a small chuckle and grabbed her hand, and held it in hers.


    ¡°You must be hungry though, I hope they come soon.¡± She led him to the medium sized table that had two chairs that was in front of the bed. She wondered if he could feel her quickening pulse as he held her hand.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He sat down, and slowly let go of her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be here shortly.¡± She sat opposite him, and adjusted her dress.


    There was a knock at the door. She perked up and quickly tapped her way over. She swung open the door, and a butler stood there with a silver platter with a large silver lid.


    ¡°Your dinner, madame¡± The butler lightly bowed.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not just for me, it¡¯s for my bo- I mean, husband, as well.¡± In her romantic trance she had forgotten for a second she was magically married to Skyler.


    ¡°Wait, did you just call me your husband?¡± Skyler piped up, she turned to him and he had a deer in the headlights expression on his face.


    ¡°Well, you did tell me we¡¯re married, at least magically.¡± She shrugged, She didn¡¯t think it was that big a deal to correct herself.


    ¡°Y-Yeah but.¡± He rubbed the back of his head, still looking stunned.


    ¡°No buts, you¡¯re the one who told me, so we are.¡± She jutted her head forward. He was the one that the ritual was for, for the most part, and she didn¡¯t want him to feel like she was going to break up with him at any moment.


    ¡°A-Alright.¡± His face flushed gray.


    ¡°Excuse me, madam, you and your betrothed¡¯s food.¡± The butler interjected.


    ¡°Oh, yes, right this way.¡± She turned back to the butler and gestured for him to come in.


    The butler brought the platter in, and placed it on the table.


    ¡°Your meal, ladies and gentlemen.¡± The butler took the lid off.


    A meaty smell assaulted her senses, there was steak, a large turkey, and a succulent honey smell coming from the ham. There was sides of fruits, veggies and greens but the big hitters were the slabs of meat.


    ¡°It¡¯s like the coupon book came to life.¡± Skyler gulped and mumbled.


    ¡°Drooling yet?¡± She grinned over the rising steam coming off the plate.


    ¡°Y-yeah.¡± His eyes were glued to the table.


    ¡°Bon Appetit¡± The butler nonchalantly rattled off and turned and walked out.


    ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in!¡± She giggled, he was still staring at the plate like he was under a spell.


    ¡°O-oh, yeah.¡± He snapped out of it and grabbed the fork and steak knife beside him, and started to cut into the turkey.


    She turned to the same utensils and picked them up. She went for the ham instead, and left him to the turkey. She placed a slice of it on her plate, grabbed a bit of fruit and put that on the plate as well, and then started to eat.


    He was eating through the turkey at an alarming pace. It almost looked like he wasn¡¯t even breathing in between bites, besides when he grabbed the cup of ice water and took a swig. She shook her head ever so slightly, he was a demon, so of course he would be partial to meat. The room was silent besides the active chewing noises coming from the both of them. She couldn¡¯t help but smile as she chewed. Even though he was mostly focused on the food, he would look up from the table at her with sparkling eyes.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± She covered her mouth, since there was still a piece of ham she was working on.


    ¡°You do so much for me all the time. You¡¯re so generous and all, and I''m just, I¡¯m in awe,¡± he said after he swallowed a mouthful of turkey.


    ¡°Oh please, it¡¯s nothing.¡± She gulped down the piece of meat she was eating and laughed.


    ¡°No, I mean it, I didn¡¯t expect anything like this.¡± He stopped eating for a second, even though he had a piece of meat floating in front of his face on top of his fork.


    ¡°It¡¯s just food, you don¡¯t need to be this surprised.¡± She didn¡¯t know what brought this up, was it the fact that she called him her husband?


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had the pleasure to eat like this for most of my life, you know, this is something big for me,¡± he said after inhaling another bite of turkey.


    They continued eating until all of it was gone. She would laugh at the occasional burp Skyler would do, he looked embarrassed each time, but she thought it was funny.


    The butler came back and took the leftover bones and bits of green that were on the plate out the door, along with the utensils and half-empty glasses.


    ¡°You ate like a starved animal.¡± She laughed, impressed with how fast he powered through the meal. She was mesmerized by him the entire time.


    ¡°H-Hey, come on now.¡± He flushed gray again and rubbed his upper arm.


    ¡°Come on nothing, you could eat an entire horse in half an hour.¡± She smiled and flopped onto the bed.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t eating that fast! Was I?¡± He put his hands back in his pockets.


    ¡°I could have timed you, that was world record breaking amounts of eating speed. I was floored.¡± She chuffed. He was one to eat like he hadn¡¯t eaten in days, but he was gulping his food down so fast that she had only seen him eat like that once before.


    ¡°Really?¡± He didn¡¯t seem to believe that.


    ¡°Yes, really.¡± She lifted her head back up and got onto her elbows.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope demon metabolism is higher than human metabolism.¡± He meekly played with his hands.


    ¡°Did you completely forget the all you can eat buffet incident? You ate enough for ten people, I was having flashbacks of that.¡± She poked at her head.


    ¡°I was hoping you forgot about that.¡± He lowered his head.


    ¡°If your metabolism was higher than that, you¡¯d be one lanky guy.¡± She eyed him up and down.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I already lanky looking?¡± He was visibly confused.


    ¡°I mean James the Killer lanky.¡± She cupped her hand to imitate how skinny his limbs would be and moved her hand from left to right.


    ¡°As if I wasn¡¯t James the Killer enough.¡± He let out a single awkward laugh.


    She sat up and tugged on his coat sleeve.


    ¡°What is it?¡± He looked at her hand.


    ¡°Come here.¡± She patted the space next to herself. She couldn¡¯t stand to be too far away from him at that moment, and she desperately wanted to be closer to him.


    ¡°Okay.¡± He sat beside her.


    ¡°How do you feel about your new body anyways?¡± She flicked the cloth of his coat on his chest and placed her hand slightly under the cloth. She was worried about how he was doing, on top of all the other, more lewd things she was thinking of.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a few years, so I¡¯m fine with it now. I had real bad alien limb syndrome but with my entire body for a while after, but that¡¯s gone.¡± He put his hand on hers.


    ¡°Are you¡­ Sensitive about it?¡± She put her other hand on his inner thigh. She wanted him so badly, but didn¡¯t know how else to convey it without sounding needy.


    ¡°What exactly are you getting at?¡± He looked down at the hand she had on his thigh, his cheeks went gray.


    ¡°I was asking because I¡¯ve been worried about how you¡¯ve been adjusting to it, what with the scars and all.¡± She lightly brushed her hand up and down his thigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking you¡¯re worried about something else, how¡­ You know¡­ It, looks.¡± He pointed down.


    ¡°Oh, no, I wasn¡¯t going to ask about that.¡± She took her hand off his leg. She felt conflicted, she wanted him and yet she didn¡¯t want to let him know for various reasons, one of them being that she didn¡¯t want to seem needy.


    ¡°Oh, I thought you were. I uh, I can¡¯t really control receiving your feelings if they are this strong, you know.¡± He pointed to the back of his neck.


    She was found out, her cover was blown. Her whole face went hot and she pulled her hand out from under his, and put it on her chest. Her heart was beating out of control, she was having a very hard time controlling her feelings for him.


    ¡°You act different to how you feel, and it confuses me. You need to be more honest about what you really feel.¡± He slowly looked up at her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it, then.¡± She raised her hand back up at him and started to take off his coat. She was already found out so there was no use holding back.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡¯ His eyes went wide.


    ¡°You want me to be more honest, so I will. I¡¯m not joking.¡± She worked on taking off the other sleeve of his coat.


    ¡°I thought you said that-¡±


    ¡°I did, but that was because I didn¡¯t want to admit we were married yet.¡± She let go of his sleeve and it flopped onto the bed behind him.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± He relaxed his eyes but he still had a stunned look on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to explode, please, don¡¯t keep me waiting for an answer.¡± Her whole body was hot, and she felt like her heart was going to bust it¡¯s way out of her chest with how hard it was pounding.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me if I¡¯ve done it before or not?¡± His stunned look turned into one of concern.


    ¡°Are you comfortable sharing that with me?¡± She wasn¡¯t going to ask him about his past endeavors, but he was the one who brought it up.


    ¡°Would it make you feel better if I said I got checked and it came out clean?¡± He lightly scratched his chest.


    ¡°You know I haven¡¯t done anything at all that wasn¡¯t with you, so I think that settles it.¡± She put her hand back on his thigh. She wanted him so badly she could barely contain herself.


    ¡°Well, alright.¡± He turned his body towards her and leaned in.


    The heat radiating from her body was matched with his, and as soon as she felt it, her body got even hotter. There was a long silence, her heart was like a battering ram trying to break out of her rib cage.


    ¡°You promise you¡¯ll be gentle?¡± She placed her hands on his chest.


    ¡°I promise.¡± He nodded and wrapped his hands around her waist.


    The rest of the night was a blur, but the image of Skyler¡¯s bare chest was burned into her mind. The single black scar that ran from the center of his lower abdomen, where his belly button was, down to his right hip looked deep in the center, and she found herself reaching out and touching it from time to time. He assured her that it was fine, but to her it still looked like it hurt. She also found herself reaching up and touching the scar on his eye as well. He had to constantly say he was fine, but that wasn¡¯t the reason why she would touch his scars. She wanted to make him feel better, and she thought her touch would somehow soothe him. The next thing she knew she was fast asleep in his arms. For someone with ghost white skin, he was very warm.

 Waking Up

    Gabrielle felt the dull warmth of her bed, then the cold of the room touching the left side of her body. She opened her eyes, and immediately felt sore. She got onto her elbows and felt something she needed to deal with. She grabbed the sheets and tossed them off of herself, revealing small stains. She took a deep breath and sighed, then sat up. She felt disgusting, only because of the feeling it gave off. She quickly got up and ran over to the bathroom, the soreness sending pangs of pain through her body as she ran.


    She cleaned herself up, and sighed again while sitting on the toilet. Skyler was probably out in the living room, had she slept in? It was another day off, so she didn¡¯t feel the need to set the alarm. She felt a dull, pulsating ache in her hips, as if Skyler¡¯s hands left an imprint on her sides.


    She rose up and went over to her clothes drawer, then grabbed a pair of replacement underpants and slip. She went back to the bathroom and closed the door. She looked down at the ones she was wearing, and wondered if she wanted to throw them away or save them. She tossed them into the cupboard under the bathroom sink to deal with them later. After she put clean clothes on, she opened the door, and warily traced her eyes along the carpeted floor, hoping that she wouldn¡¯t see anything on the carpet. Thankfully there was nothing, no trail for her to clean up meant she only had to change her sheets.


    ¡°I heard you running, you alright in there?¡± Skyler¡¯s voice called out as she heard the door open to the left of her.


    He was standing there with a very worried look on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m alright.¡± She reflexively looked down at her stained slip that was still in her hand.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± He walked up to her and placed his hand on her upper arm.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She didn¡¯t look up from the balled up slip in her hand. She also wondered if she wanted to save it too.


    ¡°Be honest.¡± He lightly grabbed her chin, and with little force, pushed on her chin to get her to look at him.


    She relented, and her eyes met his. There was something slightly different about the way he looked at her, though she couldn¡¯t exactly place what it was.


    ¡°I still hurt a little, but other than that I¡¯m alright.¡± She sighed and smiled.


    ¡°How bad is it?¡± He let go of her chin.


    ¡°It¡¯s not too bad, it just feels like you¡¯re still squeezing my hips.¡± She placed a hand on one of her hips, where she still felt his touch.


    She watched his face flush gray, and he gulped.


    ¡°A-Ah, I see. Sorry about that.¡± He averted his gaze.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I wanted it, remember? I was the one who propositioned you, silly.¡± She giggled and poked the tip of his nose.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you, I promised I¡¯d be gentle. I guess I broke it.¡± He rubbed his upper arm.


    ¡°I only wanted you to be gentle initially.¡± She shrugged, she didn¡¯t feel like he broke any promises.


    ¡°Really? You should have said so.¡± He looked back at her.


    ¡°Oh no no no no, I¡¯m afraid of how rough you¡¯d have been if I clarified.¡± She wagged her finger.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a monster in that sense, you don¡¯t have to be afraid of me like that.¡± He folded his arms.


    ¡°Only because I knew you were feeling my emotions.¡± She didn¡¯t want him to take her emotions as consent to be rougher, is what she was trying to say.


    ¡°How was it, anyways?¡± He scratched his head and looked at her with sparkling eyes.


    ¡°It was amazing, you don¡¯t have to worry about that¡± She smiled at him again.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, I just wanted your first time to be special is all.¡± He breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°It was, like I said, you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°Thank god you didn¡¯t tell me to do any dirty talk, or I wouldn¡¯t have known what to say. My mind was blank pretty much the whole time.¡± He let out an awkward laugh and rubbed his neck.


    ¡°You did fine.¡± She shook her open hand.


    ¡°Oh, hold on, let me get something real quick.¡± He quickly ran out of the room, his bare feet sounded mute on the carpeted floor.


    She went up to the doorway and looked out, he had his clothes, so why was he dressed like he just woke up? She saw him pick up a thin box out of his duffle bag, it was pink, was it for her? He walked back up to her and held it out. As soon as she read the words ¡®Morning After¡¯ she knew what it was.


    ¡°Oh, right, because We¡­ Didn¡¯t have anything back there.¡± She felt her face get hot as she grabbed the box with her free hand.


    She didn¡¯t know why she was so embarrassed, it had already transpired. Of course he would have thought of something like that, he was always thinking of her.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, I can take responsibility for whatever the turnout is.¡± He looked at her with the softest expression she¡¯d ever seen him make.


    ¡°I¡¯m not ready for that yet, you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± She shook her head. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to, it was the fact she didn¡¯t think she was prepared enough. She also wanted to be married to him on human terms before even considering something like that.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s your body, remember? I don¡¯t think I have the say to override somebody¡¯s autonomy.¡± He shrugged and smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to be human married to you first at the very least.¡± She let out a breathy sigh.


    ¡°Well, you should probably take it soon then.¡± He raised his hand and patted her on the head.


    ¡°Alright, I will.¡± She looked down at the box, and then to her stained slip.


    ¡°You should probably do something about your old clothes first though.¡± He pointed to the slip.


    ¡°I¡¯ll toss it somewhere until I can figure out what to do with it.¡± She turned and went back to the bathroom. She quickly tossed the slip where she tossed her underpants and walked back to where she was.


    ¡°That was fast.¡± He looked at her, visibly confused.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it later.¡± She walked past him and started to open up the box.


    She went over to the kitchen and took the pill. She was worried that she would feel guilt, but she didn¡¯t. As soon as she had finished gulping down water, she let out a deep sigh. It wouldn¡¯t have exactly been a crisis, but that didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t have been relieved if nothing happened, the pill was only to make sure nothing did.


    ¡°You okay?¡± He walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alright.¡± She turned and gave him a closed eyed smile. She didn¡¯t know why, but she felt the words ¡®crisis averted¡¯ pop up into her brain. She dismissed it as an intrusive thought.


    ¡°Sorry about the bedding, by the way.¡± He lowered his head.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t something you could control, I¡¯ll just have to get new bedding.¡± She shrugged, she wasn¡¯t that attached to her plain white bedding, and was thinking about replacing it anyways.


    ¡°Alright, didn¡¯t know if you liked your bedding or not is all.¡± He let out another relieved sigh.


    ¡°How long was I out?¡± She opened her eyes again and looked at him.


    ¡°About two hours maybe? I wasn¡¯t timing you.¡± He rubbed his chin.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± She looked to the oven¡¯s clock, it was eleven in the morning, so he must have woken up at nine, tried to wait until she woke up, and eventually got up without her.


    ¡°It was a good while, long enough for me to get up.¡± He awkwardly played with his hands.


    ¡°So you did try to wait for me to wake up.¡± She was happy that he did, in fact, wait.


    ¡°You were out like a light though, and I didn¡¯t want to shake you awake or anything, so I just let you sleep,¡± he said.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, at least you tried.¡± She gave a single nod.


    ¡°I should get dressed and go now. I have some work later on today¡± He turned to his duffle bag and grabbed it.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, where do you work?¡± She had always wondered where Skyler was working at.


    ¡°I¡¯m a school security guard. The kids love me, even though it was kinda difficult to get a concealed carry license for, well, my hands.¡± He pointed to his hand and grinned awkwardly.


    ¡°Really? I never pegged you as a school security type.¡± She put a hand to her face, she was surprised that he would even go near a school after being treated like he did during his entire time there.


    ¡°I know, right? After all that shit that happened to me before? You¡¯d be surprised, though. They enacted a lot of anti-bullying laws now though so things are one hell of a lot better.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s already so late though.¡± She knew that schools started early, so he should have left by then.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m only there for after school curriculum today.¡± He started to walk to the bathroom.


    ¡°Alright.¡± She watched him close the door behind himself.


    She sat down on the couch and waited in silence for a bit. She never intended to act so prudish around him, but it just turned out that way. She silently admitted to herself that it was because she had such a hard time controlling her romantic emotions towards Skyler. He came back out and he kissed her goodbye. She waved as she saw him walk away. She sat back on the couch, alone. She suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of sadness wash over her, and she couldn¡¯t keep herself from crying, she already missed him so much, after such a tender moment with him. She calmed herself down with the fact that she would see him tonight, and that he wouldn¡¯t be away from her for much longer.

 Plugged In

    Today was the day, the day that Glitch would disappear forever. Wira told him the time frame of when he would be gone. He returned to the Mainframe, and didn¡¯t see Glitch anywhere. Did he disappear already? He remembered getting random mood swings in the past mirrored with the time Glitch lost a limb, but he didn¡¯t feel any different today.


    He kept walking, he knew there was a barrier Wira put up to keep him from going to different zones, and he wasn¡¯t about to take a risk going into those sprawling hallways that his mother had constantly gotten lost in before. He got to the halfway point and still nothing. If he wasn¡¯t there, but he wasn¡¯t feeling aggravated, where was he? He wasn¡¯t mad, just really confused.


    He arrived at the edge of the entrance zone, and found nothing. He turned around, thinking he would see nothing. There were two figures off in the distance. One was lying down, and one was looming over them. He quickly walked towards the two figures. As he got closer, he could see the figure looming over the other one had blonde hair, and the rest of her was white. Was it his mother, Deeana? He ran the rest of the way there.


    He could see an incomplete body made of metal, the same materials that WireGirls were made of, but he recognized the arms and legs, those belonged to Glitch. What were Glitch¡¯s limbs doing on a metal body? Why was his mother there?


    ¡°Mother?¡± He slowed down and put his hands to his knees, panting.


    ¡°You¡¯re just in time.¡± She turned towards him. She had something under her arm.


    It was a head made of metal, with very recognizable hair and mouth.


    ¡°What-¡± Before he could say anything, she walked over and placed the head on the headless body.


    It clicked into place, and the body whirred to life. It lifted its hands and opened it¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Mother? What¡­ What¡¯s going on? Why aren¡¯t I dead? Why do I feel again?¡± Glitch was confused and visibly pained.


    His mother took a wire exactly like Wira¡¯s from her makeshift belt of bandages, and stuck it onto his head, sticking the other end onto the back of his neck.


    ¡°Why the fuck are you doing this?¡± Drake was enraged, he hated Glitch with all his might, and didn¡¯t want to see him survive.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t about to let another one of my children die.¡± She turned to Drake, stone faced.


    ¡°He killed people! Lots of people! Not on accident, either! And he never felt one bit of remorse!¡± He angrily pointed to Glitch, who was in the process of sitting up.


    ¡°I refuse to lose another child.¡± Not once did she soften her glare.


    ¡°He has to die! Don¡¯t you understand that?¡± He only relented because Glitch was going to be gone soon, now he felt that he needed to take matters into his own hands.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt him.¡± She threw up her hand, and a few red pentagram sigils materialized in front of her.


    ¡°Why are you protecting him? You want to save people, right? Then saving him would bring harm!¡± He looked on in disgust as he saw Glitch get up and dust himself off.


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t feel any remorse? After what I had realized?¡± Glitch turned to Drake, a mix of confusion and agony etched into his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie, I know you more than anyone else, you said the same to me, remember?¡± He didn¡¯t believe Glitch, who had previously defended his reasons for killing people constantly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± She held her hand out further and the sigils started to spin


    ¡°Why would you threaten to attack me like this? I¡¯m not going to hurt you, I¡¯m only after him! Don¡¯t believe him!¡± He couldn¡¯t believe that his own mother would do such a thing as attack him to defend Glitch.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying, I have no need to. People change, Drake.¡± Glitch adjusted his shirt.


    ¡°Are you saying that because she would defend you anyways? Aren¡¯t you pissed off too? Didn¡¯t you want to die?¡± He was brimming with rage, how could this happen? Why would his mother prevent Glitch from dying? He just couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°I did, want to die but I¡¯m guessing this new body is immortal, and only the weapon Wira created can take me out. And I know she wouldn¡¯t because I¡¯m complete again, so I¡¯m shit out of luck too here.¡± Glitch put a hand to his head.


    ¡°So you¡¯re just going to let this slide then?¡± He didn¡¯t know what to do anymore, he was so confused and angry and nothing made sense.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to have to keep on living. I would have preferred that she didn¡¯t install a heart though.¡± Glitch clutched his chest.


    ¡°Please, I didn¡¯t want him to die, because he isn¡¯t less precious than you, and you are not less precious than him. All my children are equally precious, and I couldn¡¯t, I just couldn¡¯t lose him...¡± His mother¡¯s bandages under her eyes started to stain red as she cried tears of blood.


    ¡°You can¡¯t honestly believe that I¡¯ll accept this, can you? I killed him because he was too dangerous, if I use the machine, he¡¯ll come back, do you honestly want that to happen?¡± He knew that the machine, even though it had limited charges, could bring Glitch to Elega, or even the real world.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything to any innocents anymore, I already have enough innocent lives under my belt to live with.¡± Glitch slowly shook his head.


    ¡°How am I supposed to believe you?¡± He needed proof to know that Glitch would not harm anyone else.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to trust me.¡± Glitch looked down with a defeated expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can.¡± He was slightly willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because of how his mother was acting, it tugged at his heart strings.


    ¡°Ask her, the girl.¡± Glitch looked back up at Drake.


    ¡°Her name is Lunara, she has a name.¡± He didn¡¯t want Glitch to know Lunara¡¯s name, but it had already slipped out.


    ¡°Ask her what she feels about it, if you won¡¯t listen to me, please, listen to her instead,¡± Glitch said.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Drake tried to get Lunara to see his side, but it was no use, he already knew what she would say, but he planned to ask her anyways.


    Drake angrily reached behind his neck and unplugged himself. He gasped and awoke, and turned to see Lunara reaching towards the device.


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you not to come here?¡± He sat up and glared at her as he removed the device from his neck.


    ¡°You¡¯re always in there, though. I told you that if you wanted to keep me away from the Mainframe, you had to go out more, and your father says you¡¯ve barely left your room, so...¡± She sighed.


    ¡°So I have a problem. Glitch isn¡¯t going to disappear, and I don¡¯t know what to do. Mother is protecting him, and he asked me to ask you if he has it in him to hurt anyone else after trying to strangle you.¡± He didn¡¯t see the problem in just coming out with the information right then.


    ¡°I know he doesn¡¯t. Not just because most of him has been re-absorbed into you, but because he¡¯s learned that not everyone feels like he does.¡± She looked at him sternly.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying I should trust him.¡± He rubbed his upper arm and lowered his head.


    ¡°Trust that he won¡¯t hurt anyone else? Yes.¡± She nodded.


    He still hated glitch with a passion, but he had people that cared for him, both Lunara and his mother, so there must be some redeeming qualities about him, somewhere.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can, after all he¡¯s done.¡± He was still very sore about the death of Marissa, even after all those years.


    ¡°I understand why you still hate him, but he¡¯s you as much as you are him. I was scared of what would happen to you if Glitch died.¡± She reached out and grabbed his arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I would have been fine.¡± He turned away.


    ¡°I¡¯m not certain either one of us could have been sure,¡± she said.


    ¡°Nothing in this world is certain.¡± He looked back at her.


    ¡°I get that, but I didn¡¯t want you losing a part of yourself to be a risk,¡± she said.


    ¡°If it meant never seeing him again, I wouldn¡¯t have minded.¡± He huffed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll offend you but I¡¯ll say it anyways, I¡¯m glad he¡¯s not dead.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°Sometimes I think you prefer him over me.¡± He frowned at her. She had such a bleeding heart for Glitch.


    ¡°He¡¯s you though, I like you and him equally. He just doesn¡¯t push me away like you do,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not pushing you away, I warned you like once. I just didn¡¯t want you to go into the Mainframe anymore.¡± He understood that he was addicted to being there, but now that Glitch wasn¡¯t going to die, he didn¡¯t know if he wanted to continue visiting all the time.


    ¡°I told you, you¡¯re there all the time.¡± She lifted her arms slightly and pumped them out to her sides once with her fists balled.


    ¡°I most likely won¡¯t keep up the same routine now that Glitch is alive and well.¡± He put a hand to his head.


    ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re about to go out, you know, with that phone Pain gave me.¡± She fished out the purple flip phone from her dress pocket and held it out in front of herself.


    ¡°Your number is already in my phone¡¯s database, mine should be in there too. I¡¯ll let you know.¡± He turned and walked out.


    He retreated back to the clock tower. He recalled every step he took inside the now empty halls, and flashes of Marissa¡¯s face came to him every once and a while when he walked up, causing him physical pain as he clutched his tightened chest. He didn¡¯t know what to do, and quietly wished Marissa was still there to help him. It comforted as well as hurt him, looking over the balcony.

 The Slow Dance of Death

    Pain rolled over in his bed. He had been puttering along in his reaper job ever since Fira¡¯s mortality hit him like a ton of bricks. He had just woken up from a nightmare where she had turned to dust. There was hardly a thing he could do about the situation, so he decided, as he sat up, to go ask Death what to do.


    He opened a portal and went through. The large expanse of dark skies greeted him. There was barren ground as far as the eye could see. A single white sigil was the only thing nearby. He took a small satchel from his belt, fished out some black dust from it, and set it in the center of his hand. Setting the satchel back into his belt, he blew the dust off his hand in the direction of the sigil.


    The sigil glowed a dark purple, and a large skeleton with a laurel wreath around its head emerged from the center, clothed in a light purple cape, and brandishing a tall scythe. It was Death himself. His hollow eye sockets stared back at him.


    ¡°Hello my lord.¡± Pain took a bow.


    ¡°What is it, Pain?¡± Death¡¯s lipless mouth opened and closed, clacking each time his teeth hit each other.


    ¡°I have¡­ A question.¡± He played with his hands awkwardly.


    ¡°Ask, and I may have the answer, though it may not be the answer you want.¡± Death leaned down slightly.


    ¡°How would one be able to, say, keep a person from growing old and dying? As in, giving a mortal human immortality.¡± He looked away, ashamed of the question that had been haunting him.


    ¡°There are many ways, are you looking to turn them into a Vampire? A Werewolf?¡± Death nodded.


    ¡°No, I¡¯d rather not have the person in question suffer with such things.¡± Pain shook his head, he didn¡¯t want Fira to have to hurt others to survive.


    ¡°Ah, that would exhaust most of the avenues that you could do what you wish. There, however, one more way, though I am not sure you would do such a thing.¡± Death put a thumb and index finger to his bony jaw.


    ¡°Let me guess, The Forbidden Book.¡± He knew the forbidden book had spells for any situation, including granting immortality to anyone.


    ¡°Yes, I see you already had the answer within you.¡± Death let out a single laugh and put a hand to his ribs.


    ¡°I was afraid you were going to recommend it. Lady Elaine told horror stories of her reading it, and the hollow feeling that took months for her to get used to.¡± He grimaced, even though she didn¡¯t feel that bad eventually, it still took her a long time to get used to it.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that unless you want to make her a creature that lives off the life force of others, you will have to use the book.¡± Death sighed.


    ¡°She isn¡¯t powerful enough to become part of the Veil of Light, Shai told me so. She said that it would be almost impossible for her to be strong enough in her entire lifetime.¡± Pain put a hand to his head, he had already exhausted every other avenue besides Death¡¯s ability to make anyone a soul sucking monster, whether it be a Vampire or Werewolf, or The Forbidden Book.


    ¡°I see, it must be that girl that I have seen you with that you are asking for. Selfless as always. You never had a problem like this before, why now?¡± Death scratched his skull.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it just didn¡¯t hit me until recently. I guess it would have been because I never needed to think about it with my previous relationship, and suddenly having to worry about that now must have thrown me for a loop.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°I suppose, how is that Darkling fellow anyways?¡± Death left his mouth open.


    ¡°He¡¯s doing much better now. He and I are still best friends, it feels like our relationship went back to the way it was before, which is a relief.¡± Pain smiled, Skyler seemed very chill about the whole thing.


    ¡°Anyways, you may get your chance, since The Forbidden Book has been lost by those who had it in their possession.¡± Death laughed and clutched his ribs again.


    ¡°I have a small suspicion as to who has it.¡± He didn¡¯t want to think about that unnamed man with the Fallen mouth that looked just like him, but surely it was in that man¡¯s possession.


    ¡°Ah, Yes, there are five of you now. I forgot.¡± Death nodded again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to get it from him that easy.¡± The unnamed Fallen version of him was adamant about nobody else using The Forbidden Book.


    ¡°You could always explain that it isn¡¯t for you.¡± Death shrugged with his long skeletal arms.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be enough for him.¡± He knew that Fallen Hex, which is what he decided to name him, would never let him have it without a fight.


    ¡°Well, you could always kick his arse and take it from him by force.¡± Death laughed again.


    ¡°I might have to.¡± He wasn¡¯t so positive about the situation.


    ¡°Well if he¡¯s going to be an arse about it, what else is there to do?¡± Death kneeled down further and let out a small chuckle.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know if I can muster up enough courage, he radiates this creepy aura that makes me uneasy.¡± Pain shivered, the feelings he got when he first met him came back to him and made his stomach turn.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny that I¡¯m not the same. Everybody seems to tell me I radiate a kind of zen aura instead.¡± Death chuckled again.


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to succeed I¡¯m going to have to just power through it like I always do.¡± Pain sighed and wished life wasn¡¯t so difficult for him.


    ¡°I know you can do it. You won¡¯t lose all your soul, let your master know, she will give you the cheat sheet she got from¡­ Oh what was her name.¡± Death put a hand to the side of his head.


    ¡°Zlyena.¡± Pain knew exactly who Elaine got the cheat sheet from. He wondered if she still had it.


    ¡°Ah, yes, her. She has her fingers in about as many pies as I do at the moment.¡± Death let out another chuckle.


    ¡°Responsibilities stack, unfortunately.¡± Pain shrugged, Zlyena was so quick to take in any magical creature that she amassed a large roster of people who needed her support.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a child trying to bring home any animal they find, only she somehow makes it work.¡± Death sat down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to Elaine, you have a good day, my lord.¡± Pain took another bow.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later then, friend.¡± Death waved and the sigil under him lit up again and he phased into the floor.


    He went back to Macabre Hearse, and knocked on Elaine¡¯s office door.


    ¡°Elaine? Are you in there?¡± He jiggled the door knob, it was locked.


    ¡°What is it?!¡± Elaine shouted.


    ¡°I need to talk to you.¡± He felt quite impatient and didn¡¯t want to wait for her to open the door, so he phased through.


    ¡°Argh! I wish you would stop doing that!¡± She got up and walked up to him.


    ¡°Your door was locked.¡± He shrugged again.


    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s locked for a good reason! What is it that you need?¡± She put her hands on her hips.


    ¡°Do you still have that¡­ Cheat sheet? The one you used to bring me back?¡± Pain played with his hands nervously.


    ¡°What do you need that for? Are you planning on using it? If so, I¡¯ve already warned you how bad it is.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°Well¡­ Yes. I want to make someone immortal.¡± He slowly nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s that Fira girl you¡¯ve been gushing over isn¡¯t it?¡± She smiled.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Well...¡± He stopped playing with his hands and looked up at her.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t stopped talking about her to everyone but me, I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s because of our past. Kalan has been complaining that you won¡¯t shut up about her though, which made me laugh.¡± She chuckled.


    ¡°Oh. He didn¡¯t seem that disinterested when I talked to him about her, though¡­ It¡¯s hard to read him.¡± Kalan was usually stone-faced and expressionless so it was hard to gauge whether or not anything was positive or negative to him.


    ¡°Well he didn¡¯t want to bother you, so he complained to me and told me not to tell you. By the way don¡¯t tell him I told you.¡± She put her index finger up to her mouth in a shushing motion.


    ¡°I won¡¯t, don¡¯t worry.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Let me go get it.¡± She turned around and went back to her desk.


    She took a key from the inside of her black knee-high legging shoe-sock hybrid and unlocked the bottom drawer. She shuffled around inside the drawer.


    ¡°Aha! Here it is! It¡¯s in Zoranian though.¡± She smiled and held up the cheat sheet which was a stack of black sheets of paper with white writings. There was a staple in the left corner.


    ¡°You were the one who stapled it, didn¡¯t you?¡± Pain raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Well, it was in a folder before.¡± She smiled and shrugged.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to teach me how to get over the feeling you described once I do it.¡± He took a deep breath and sighed.


    ¡°Yeah, I promise.¡± She handed him the papers.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He didn¡¯t feel the need to be formal with her anymore, so he didn¡¯t bow.


    ¡°Thank god you stopped saying ¡®my lady¡¯ and bowing at me, that was so embarrassing.¡± She laughed.


    ¡°Ah, yeah. It was because I wanted to thank you for bringing me back. I learned that me just being around is enough, so I don¡¯t do that anymore.¡± He smiled back at her.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been doing a lot better as of late, I can tell.¡± She gave him a thumbs up.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, how do you deal with Hex being mortal?¡± He completely forgot that, for all he knew, Hex was still mortal.


    ¡°He¡¯s not, had him trade his godlike powers in for immortality. Zlyena took him to The Veil of Light to do it, since I can¡¯t go because I¡¯m a demon.¡± She put her hands back to her sides and gripped the skirt of her dress.


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how you consolidated that so nobody would try to kill him again.¡± He gave a relieved sigh, he didn¡¯t want any more resurrected Brians walking around than him and Fallen Hex, two was already too much.


    ¡°Is there anything else you need to talk to me about?¡± She smiled and played with her skirt.


    ¡°Nope, have a good day.¡± He waved and walked out by phasing back through the door.


    He went back to Purgatory and waited for Fira to get out of high school. He was very excited because he had asked her to Prom earlier, because she didn¡¯t have a date before. His new identity contained his old age, and he was under the maximum age which was twenty one, so he could go. He changed his jaw to his normal looking one for the event, and headed out. He showed up in a tuxedo Elaine had rented for him, and awkwardly waited at the entrance.


    ¡°There you are!¡± Fira came out of a car wearing a beautiful flowing red dress with red gloves that reached halfway up her upper arm. Her hair was braided and she wore a beautiful rose hairpin made with pearls and rubies.


    ¡°You look beautiful.¡± He was blown away, she looked perfect. The sweat of his hands made him start to lose his grip on the plastic corsage box behind his back. He brought it out, it was a rose corsage. She gasped and put her hands to her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s perfect, thank you!¡± She took it and put it on her left wrist.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, you did tell me you¡¯re left handed.¡± He helped adjust the corsage.


    ¡°We should get in soon, I think it¡¯s about to start.¡± She looked up at him and smiled.


    He took her hand and went inside, and like Fira said, the festivities were beginning. Someone was talking over the microphone in the ballroom, welcoming everyone to the event. There were red cloth covered tables covered in food and a large punch bowl at the far wall.


    ¡°I wonder what the rest of the place looks like.¡± He peeked over and saw only white hallways.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see!¡± She turned to him and started to go forward and yanked at his hand.


    She pulled him towards the back of the building. They came outside where there were many round wooden tables with the soft glow of metal lamps with butterfly designs on them. The cool spring air coasted over him and lightly chilled him, it wasn¡¯t enough to make him cold, it was more relaxing than anything else.


    ¡°It¡¯s really nice out here.¡± He looked up at the trees behind the fence that had just started growing leaves again.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back in, we can come back out here later.¡± She pulled on Pain¡¯s hand again.


    ¡°By the way, you can call me Brian, just for now.¡± He looked to her, he didn¡¯t she knew his old human name, so he had to tell her.


    ¡°That¡¯s a very normal name for someone like you.¡± She smiled and giggled, and tugged on his hand another time.


    ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll go.¡± He chuckled back and let her lead him back inside.


    Music was already playing, but it was fast party music, everyone was either dancing or enjoying the food.


    ¡°Do you think I can dance without spilling any punch?¡± She turned to him, still smiling.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get some and we can both find out for ourselves.¡± He let out a single chuckle and headed over to the punch bowl.


    There was a security guard there, possibly on punch bowl duty to make sure nobody spiked it, even though everyone there was under the age they could legally drink. He gave a single nod to the security guard, who gave one back. He waited in the disorderly line. Once it was his turn, he filled a single cup, since he didn¡¯t feel like punch just yet. He brought it back to Fira who was waiting at the edge of the dance floor. She took it and took a sip.


    ¡°Tastes like punch I guess.¡± She smiled again, and led him to the dance floor.


    The songs were all very upbeat. The dance floor was cool as well and the party lights lit up the room. They started dancing together, and he watched her cup in his peripheral vision to make sure it didn¡¯t spill. The music pulsed and everyone on the floor felt like they were moving as one to the music. The lights mesmerized and enchanted and bounced off the chandelier above, scattering the light even more. He saw Fira take swigs of punch constantly until it was empty.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go toss this.¡± Fira pointed to her cup and headed for the trash can.


    He was so used to not exerting himself that he was panting, he wasn¡¯t exhausted yet but he was close. He hoped that the slow songs would start soon so he could still keep up with Fira. She came back and they started dancing again.


    ¡°You doing okay over there? You need a punch break?¡± She patted him on the shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Probably going to have to take you up on that offer.¡± He let out a single breathy laugh that sounded like a huff.


    ¡°I understand, you¡¯re not used to exercise, it¡¯s so easy to put off, isn¡¯t it?¡± She laughed again.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He smiled again and took her hand, and they both went to the punch bowl together.


    He waited in the messy line again until it was his turn. He got his turn, and filled two cups full. He turned to Fira and handed her one.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go outside to that one place.¡± She pointed to the hallway.


    ¡°Alright, but we¡¯ll check every once and a while to see if the slow dancing has started yet.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Oh, O-Okay...¡± She blushed and meekly grabbed his hand.


    He let her lead him back outside. The cooler air on his hot skin was amazing to him. He had already worked up a bit of a sweat, and was ready to sit down. She led him to a nearby table.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He let go of her hand and sat down.


    ¡°So, are you enjoying it?¡± She sat down next to him on his right.


    ¡°It¡¯s time spent with you, I will never not enjoy that.¡± He winked and smiled another time.


    ¡°R-Really?¡± She blushed, her smile faded and she turned her head slightly away, but she still made eye contact.


    ¡°Of course, you know me.¡± He put an index finger to his collarbone as a gesture to himself.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She sighed and her smile returned.


    ¡°How are you fairing though?¡± He put a hand on her knee.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing fine, a little tired though, and my feet are killing me.¡± She let out a phew and wiped her forehead.


    ¡°I can imagine, are those heels?¡± He looked down and saw a pointed shoe poking out from under her dress.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She took a hand and slightly pulled up her dress, revealing a ruby red shoe with a two inch heel.


    ¡°Those look pretty high, sheesh.¡± He didn¡¯t think she would be wearing heels that high, and was surprised she could dance with such footwear.


    ¡°I feel a few blisters but other than that I should be fine.¡± She massaged slightly under the shoe.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you stopped, at least for now. Are you sure you want to even slow dance with blisters?¡± He was worried, he didn¡¯t want to hurt her by continuing to dance with her even though she had blisters.


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving without slow dancing with you, please, even just one song.¡± She begged, her eyes showing beginnings of tears.


    ¡°We can slow dance all you want, but if it starts to get bad let me know immediately and we can stop.¡± He took his hand off her knee and took a sip of punch.


    They continued to talk while taking sips of punch for a time. He told her a bit about Elaine, and how she brought him back. He left out some details, because it was very difficult still to think about the feeling of waking back up. He discussed the feeling Elaine conveyed afterwards of an emptiness after she read the book. Fira was glad that it wasn¡¯t the other way around, and he laughed awkwardly. He looked back at her and she had a look of visible confusion. They kept checking every once and a while to see if the slow dances were beginning yet.


    ¡°The slow dances are starting.¡± Pain had just come back from one of his trips to check if they were.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She got up and grabbed his hand again.


    They went inside and waited for the next song to come on while standing on the edge of the dance floor, still hand in hand. Another song started up, and they headed to the inner dance floor. Pain and Fira embraced and began to dance. The song was in Korean, and was from one of the most, if not the most popular K-Pop bands at the time. It was very slow and relaxing. This is the moment she would remember forever, he held her even closer. Fira gripped his arm and pulled him in as close as she could. They went around in circles, the scenery slowly spun around them. The night continued on and they kept dancing slowly. A while later Fira tugged on his sleeve.


    ¡°B-Brian, my feet aren¡¯t doing so good.¡± She frowned, and looked down.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, let¡¯s get some punch and go back outside.¡± He was caught off guard for a second once she had said his old human name. It felt like an eternity since he last heard it.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded.


    He was the one to lead her to the punch bowl this time. The line was much shorter this time because most everyone was on the floor still. He filled up another two cups and led her outside again. He sighed in relief when the outside air hit his lightly sweaty skin. They talked some more and then he began to take her back out front so she could leave, on the way they passed a mirror.


    ¡°Hey, do you¡­ Want to kiss before we leave? That last one wasn¡¯t really, you know¡­ Your jaw was in the way.¡± She looked up at him with innocent eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider this one our first then.¡± He nodded.


    They kissed in front of the mirror. She pulled away slowly and tears pooled under her eyes. He comforted her and told her that she didn¡¯t need to rush to leave. They slowly walked to the front while talking. He heard her sniffle, so he told her to turn around, and he wiped the wetness from under her eyes. She thanked him, and they continued. They got to the front of the building, and they said their goodbyes in between awkward strings of silence. She kissed him once more, and walked to the car, but before she went inside, she turned and waved. He waved back, and they parted ways.

 Night Chasers Part 1

    Gabrielle was back at Elega waiting for evening to come, she was at the sanctuary with everyone. Skyler, Drake and Pain were there, as well as Fira and Lunara. Drake and Lunara awkwardly sat together while Pain and Fira were chatting away with her and Skyler.


    ¡°You never told me that you two went to prom together! That¡¯s so cute! I remember going to prom with Skyler, though we never kissed.¡± She put her lips to the cup of tea that Fira had provided. Skyler was chewing another snickerdoodle that Fira had made as well.


    ¡°So why are we all here again?¡± Drake looked uncomfortable but also gave cues like he wanted to say something.


    ¡°I thought it¡¯d be nice to have a little party together, and Fira agreed.¡± She pointed to Fira, who waved as she got another cup of tea.


    ¡°I made the snacks.¡± She put a hand to her face and went and sat down next to Pain, who had his more comfortable lower jaw on.


    ¡°I wish I could have some, can you put some in a bag for later?¡± He pointed to his jaw and frowned.


    ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot you can¡¯t have food with that in, sorry sweetie.¡± She looked at him, visibly remorseful.


    ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s fine, as long as you save some tea and cookies for me for later.¡± He turned his frown into a smile.


    ¡°He¡¯s used to eating later,¡± Skyler said after gulping down the rest of the cookie he was working on.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re hungry still after our dinner.¡± She turned to him and he coughed.


    ¡°Ah, I uh. Got some stuck in my throat.¡± Skyler coughed again and took a swig of tea.


    ¡°You¡¯re a bottomless pit, you know that?¡± She giggled and patted his back.


    ¡°Demon, remember? Demons have big appetites.¡± Skyler smiled and bit into another cookie.


    ¡°I can see that.¡± She giggled again.


    ¡°Drake is half-demon, I don¡¯t even wanna think about how much Dr. Gage spends on food.¡± Skyler shook his head.


    ¡°Hey, I used to eat like a normal person up until a few years ago.¡± Drake huffed.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t keep mother¡¯s blood in, not after what happened.¡± Skyler¡¯s smile faded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like talking about it, you know that.¡± Drake folded his arms and furrowed his brow.


    ¡®Sorry, sorry.¡± Skyler raised his hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you two, cool it.¡± Pain mediated the two arguing boys.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Drake sighed.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± Gabrielle asked Skyler.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost time, we should wrap up.¡± Skyler got up and brushed the cookie crumbs off of his clothes.


    Everyone said their goodbyes and parted ways. Gabrielle went with Fira and Lunara back to the castle. Once inside, she rushed to bed. She lied down, and waited to wake up. Time passed, and she wondered why she wasn¡¯t waking up yet. A knock came, so she sat up.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± She wondered why someone would be trying to contact her in between like that.


    ¡°It¡¯s Shai.¡± Shai opened the door, a white key in her claws. She did remember to lock the door, but she knew Shai had a key, since she was one of the owners of the castle itself.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She got up and put on her slippers.


    ¡°We have a problem. Come outside, you will see it.¡± Shai pointed out of the doorway.


    They went outside, and looked out, the sky was still evening. Fira ran up behind them.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I been able to wake up yet?¡¯ Fira whispered with fear in her voice.


    ¡°Someone cast a spell that has trapped Elega in evening.¡± Shai closed her eyes and shook her head slowly.


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible! I have to call Skyler.¡± Her first thought was to call him, and see if he was awake yet too. She summoned the flip phone that Zlyena gave her and gave Skyler a dial.


    ¡°Hello? Gabby? What¡¯s going on?¡± Skyler¡¯s voice on the other voice soothed her anxiety.


    ¡°Someone cast a spell that is keeping us from waking up.¡± She tried to stay strong but her voice still shook despite her wanting to keep it together.


    ¡°Fuck! I¡¯ll be right over! Don¡¯t move, don¡¯t do anything until I get there!¡± Skyler shouted, a boom came from the other end, signifying that he hit something.


    ¡°Are you in Elega right now?¡± She was worried he wouldn¡¯t be able to get to her if he wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Yeah, my portal spells aren¡¯t working. I gotta fly over. Love you. Goodbye,¡± he said.


    ¡°I Love you too, bye.¡± She hung up.


    She waited for him to show up, and eventually saw his form in the distance. She ran up to the gate to meet him. She shouted for the gatekeepers to preemptively open the gate, that it was her husband who was arriving. They opened the gate, and she rushed out to meet him. She hugged him as soon as she got close enough.


    ¡°Thank god you¡¯re okay.¡± Skyler embraced her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, are Pain and Drake still here?¡± She was worried that everyone would be separated.


    ¡°I got calls from them too, they¡¯re stuck here as well, we decided to meet up at the sanctuary, they are waiting for us there.¡± He frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get Fira and Lunara.¡± She turned and started to walk back to the castle.


    ¡°I¡¯ll follow you.¡± He walked behind her.


    They got to the castle, and got Fira and Lunara.


    ¡°I fell asleep.¡± Lunara rubbed her eyes.


    ¡°She was tired.¡± Fira shrugged.


    ¡°I was kind of tired too, but I couldn¡¯t fall asleep.¡± She guessed that she just wasn¡¯t sleepy enough to fully fall asleep like Lunara did.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have enough strength to carry you all, so we¡¯ll have to get a carriage to the border and fight our way to the sanctuary.¡± Skyler frowned.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Drake?¡± Lunara sleepily looked up at Skyler.


    ¡°He¡¯s with Pain at the sanctuary.¡± Skyler smiled reassuringly.


    ¡°Thank god, I was just about to ask about him.¡± Fira gave a sigh of relief.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t separated, that¡¯s the good thing. I still have both mine and Drake¡¯s machines as well. He decided to give his to me after something happened, not sure what, he didn¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± Skyler said


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ask Shai for two carriages.¡± She turned and walked up the stairs.


    She got up to the second floor and went to Shai¡¯s office. Shai was sitting there at her ornate gold desk, awkwardly writing on a piece of paper.


    ¡°Excuse me, ma¡¯am, we need two carriages.¡± She looked through the door sheepishly.


    ¡°Very well, I will write two vouchers for you, the Darkling boy and the girls.¡± Shai picked up a pad of smaller papers and began to jot something down.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Thank you, miss.¡± She slipped into the room.


    ¡°Here, take these to the stables.¡± Shai tore off two pieces of paper and handed them to her.


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll see you later.¡± She turned and started to walk out.


    ¡°I hope so, Gabrielle, I hope so.¡± Shai whispered under her breath.


    She went back down to the first floor, and Skyler was surprisingly chatting with Lunara.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, he hates those. Spicy food absolutely destroys his stomach.¡± Skyler laughed.


    ¡°Really? I thought since he¡¯s half-demon he¡¯d like it, since all demons like spicy food, at least I think so.¡± Lunara shrugged with her hands.


    ¡°Not all demons do, I prefer sweet food over anything. Anything smothered in honey or teriyaki is fine with me.¡± Skyler flicked his wrist.


    ¡°You guys, we got it! I just have to show these to the stables and we¡¯re set!¡± She waved the papers around happily.


    ¡°Thank goodness, how many? Only two can fit in a cart.¡± He looked at the two papers intently.


    ¡°Two carriages, that means we get to have a little joyride.¡± She smiled and tore the two pieces apart and handed one to Lunara.


    ¡°This one is for us, right?¡± Lunara reluctantly reached for it.


    ¡°Yes, go on, take it.¡± She grinned a little harder.


    Lunara snatched the paper and grabbed Fira¡¯s hand. She stared at Gabrielle for a second, gave a single nod and then started towards the stables.


    ¡°We should follow them.¡± Gabrielle grabbed Skyler by the hand and led him to the stables as well.


    It was only a short distance outside the castle to the stables. The air smelled musty in contrast to the beautiful ornate white and gold carriages. She walked up after Lunara handed the guard their voucher. She handed hers to the already slightly confused guard, who looked at them and slowly nodded.


    ¡°You four can go ahead.¡± He pointed to the front two horse-drawn carriages that were already ready to go. The others behind had no horses.


    ¡°Come on.¡± She yanked at Skyler¡¯s hand, and he smiled.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m going.¡± He let out a chuckle.


    She led him to the one in the front, since Fira and Lunara took the back one. She quickly got in and patted the seat next to her. He sat down and adjusted his trench-coat. The carriage started up and they slowly saw the stables fade into the distance.


    ¡°So what are we going to do?¡± She turned to Skyler.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m ninety nine percent sure Wrackivorn did it.¡± He balled his fist.


    ¡°Why would he do something like that? Wouldn¡¯t it be suicide to make you angry?¡± She knew how powerful Skyler was, she felt it when his markings lit up. He was much more powerful than her.


    ¡°He read the book, I¡¯m not sure Turbuk told him about all the ass kickings he got from me. He¡¯s fucking dead.¡± He turned away.


    ¡°What?¡± She was caught off guard by how angry he was.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking we should all team up and cut a swathe through their defenses and go straight for Wrackivorn, and then kill him, and if Turbuk is there, possibly kill him as well.¡± He huffed.


    ¡°Killing doesn¡¯t solve everything.¡± She pointed to the scar on his eye. She knew that he got that scar from him killing his own father.


    ¡°It does solve most things though.¡± He turned to her and looked her dead in the eyes.


    She felt anger and vengeance radiating from him.


    ¡°I get that you think that, and I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to stop you from doing it, but if it were me I would only kill if I absolutely had to.¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°If he¡¯s there, he¡¯s dead.¡± He looked back away and off into the distance.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re angry, but can we please at least enjoy the ride a little bit?¡¯ She put her hand on his.


    ¡°Alright, alright, you¡¯re right¡­ I do need to cool it, at least for now.¡± He sighed and turned to her, his fist uncurled.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to deal with me being angry later anyways.¡± He let out a phew.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re mad, you have every right to be, I¡¯m scared too, but we need to all be together first so we can figure out what to do.¡± She took her hand off his and put it on his shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re both scared.¡± He turned away slowly.


    They were silent for a time, until she decided to speak up.


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of sad that I don¡¯t get to see the trees this time.¡± She sighed, the beautiful crystal trees always mesmerized her, and she couldn¡¯t see them because there were no trees in the part of Elega they were going through, since they were all harvested already and were just replanted.


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m kind of glad you only get to see them from up above,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see them from the ground as well, and maybe even up close.¡± She yanked on his sleeve.


    ¡°We can take a detour back through there after we¡¯re done.¡± He turned to her and smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± She patted his arm.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± The whip spoke up and stopped the carriage.


    ¡°Alright, time to get out.¡± She patted Skyler¡¯s knee and hopped out.


    The memory of getting attacked by those weird mole Darklings came back to her as she stared over the hole infested ground. She quickly walked around to meet Skyler, who was standing there.


    ¡°Come on, we should get going.¡± She poked him.


    ¡°Wait for us!¡± Fira shouted.


    She turned around and saw Fira dragging Lunara by the hand up to her.


    ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t have much time.¡± She motioned for them to follow her.


    She cautiously stepped onto the black ground, and tried to look out for holes. It was a little dark so she couldn¡¯t see clearly. She held onto Skyler¡¯s hand tightly as she walked forward. She squeaked as she felt the side of her foot slip into a hole she didn¡¯t see. She lifted her foot and yanked at Skyler¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Skyler caught her.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡± She sighed exasperatedly, the holes were going to be a problem for her.


    She heard a yipe behind her, only to turn around and see Fira falling down a hole with Lunara.


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Skyler turned to her and rushed over to the hole.


    She knew he was going to jump down, but didn¡¯t know how quickly he would, so her arm painfully gained all of his weight. She let her feet go and she slid down, her arm twisted so she let go of his hand. The holes were longer than she thought they would be, it took a bit for them to get to the bottom. Once they reached the end of the hole she slid backwards into Skyler.


    ¡°Oof.¡± Gabrielle got up and brushed the black dust off of her dress.


    ¡°There you guys are.¡± Skyler gave a sigh of relief.


    Lunara and Fira were there, Fira was trying to get all of the black dust out of her hair, Lunara shrugged because everything she wore was already black.


    ¡°I hope none of those mole boys show up.¡± She frowned and remembered how unnatural they looked crouched down so far that their knees stuck all the way out.


    ¡°What this?¡± A tiny voice spoke. It was a Mole Darkling, like the ones she saw the first time she went over the border, she saw it¡¯s milky white eyes open.


    ¡°Oh no.¡± She groaned and put a hand to her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Skyler took off one of his gloves and his lower arm morphed into a blade.


    In two quick motions he jumped over and cleaved the Mole Darkling in half.


    ¡°Will we see more down here?¡± She walked up to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s thousands of them down here.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Thousands?!¡± She was worried they would never get to the sanctuary at that rate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get through if you give it one good spell.¡± Fira walked up and grabbed her wrist.


    ¡°Do you really think I could do it?¡± She was concerned about passing out again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll count how many, you did twenty before you passed out.¡± Skyler turned to her.


    ¡°She passed out? When?¡± Fira gave a look of visible concern.


    ¡°A little while ago when Zlyena was training her.¡± He turned to Fira and frowned.


    ¡°I thought she had an infinite amount.¡± Fira¡¯s face turned from concern to confusion.


    ¡°Having an infinite amount of power doesn¡¯t mean you can use it all properly. I know so.¡± He lifted his shirt and pointed to the large black scar on his belly. Gabrielle did recall that Skyler did have a super weapon when he was fighting The Lords of Darkness, but he still almost died.


    ¡°Well, we should get going.¡± Fira turned around and started for the cave entrance.


    ¡°Alright.¡± She grabbed Skyler¡¯s hand again and led him into the cave.


    The cave had a skylight because of a single hole in the ceiling. She could hear skittering in the distance and wondered if they would be spotted soon.


    ¡°How far away are we from the sanctuary?¡± Fira turned to Skyler.


    ¡°Not too far, there should be an exit here somewhere that goes to a canyon.¡± He looked around.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing a canyon.¡± She remembered the layout of the Dark Lands from the air, and never once saw a canyon.


    ¡°It¡¯s called The Canyon of Illusion for a reason.¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°Oh, so there¡¯s a magical something or other that keeps it from being seen, right?¡± She sighed exasperatedly.


    ¡°Basically, yeah.¡± He sighed as well.


    There was a tiny yelp, and another skitter noise.


    ¡°I think I stepped on one of their feet.¡± Fira turned around, her face a mix of fear and embarrassment.


    ¡°I¡¯d get ready.¡± Skyler raised the blade of his lower arm and pointed to it.


    Fira and Lunara summoned their weapons, Lunara had a magical bow that glowed like the moon.


    There was much skittering and a bunch of Mole Darklings stared through the hallway of the cave. Lunara took aim and fired, her arrow ripping through a few of them. The rest of the Mole Darklings rushed the group. Fira tried to cut a swathe them away so she could get space, and Skyler jumped in and started to work on getting past them as well.


    ¡°Move out of the way, Skyler,¡± she said as she closed her eyes and focused her energy forward. She heard a flash and a group of small squeaks. She opened her eyes again and a large open area was all that remained.


    ¡°Skyler?¡± She looked around to see if he was there, she gave a sigh of relief when she saw he was at the far right end fighting a few of the Mole Darklings, who were throwing sticks and stones at him.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± He had his blade covering his head to defend from the debris hitting him in the face.


    ¡°Oh thank goodness.¡± She smiled, she was relieved that he wasn¡¯t hit by her spell.


    ¡°You told me to move, I did.¡± He turned to her and bonked one of them with the dull side of his blade.


    ¡°I know, I just, I was still worried.¡± She clutched her hands together.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that right now, I¡¯d ready another.¡± He pointed to a gathering group of moles in the back.


    ¡°Are they going to rush us?¡± Fira shouted.


    ¡°Here they come.¡± Skyler drew back his blade as a bunch of Mole Darklings poured into the open space.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this! Charlie!¡± Fira shouted, and the ground rumbled, a giant fireball came bursting out from under the floor, laying waste to most of them.


    ¡°Who taught you that?¡± Lunara asked with wide eyes.


    ¡°A funny skeleton girl, I talked to her when Pain was visiting Nagix, you know her right?¡± Fira turned to Lunara.


    ¡°I know Nagix from Drake having check ups with her, but I¡¯ve never seen a skeleton girl with her.¡± Lunara shrugged again.


    ¡°She¡¯s usually on the interplanetary ship she has, she¡¯s confined to the back because she causes lots of ruckus usually.¡± Fira laughed.


    ¡°We can talk about Rennaiyan later,¡± Skyler said as he cut up a few more Mole Darklings.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lunara nodded and fired another arrow.


    They spent the rest of their time quietly clearing out the rest of the Mole Darklings. Gabrielle had already begun to feel a little weak and her vision started to flicker, did she use too much energy? The next thing she knew, Skyler was yanking on her sleeve and asking if she was alright. She snapped out of her daze and apologized.

 Night Chasers Part 2

    After the rest of the Mole Darklings were cleared, they continued on through the caves.


    ¡°I wonder why they just suddenly stopped coming.¡± Gabrielle turned to Skyler.


    ¡°They have pockets of activity, we might hit another pocket but I¡¯m not sure.¡± Skyler looked just as confused as she was.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall.¡± Fira was letting Lunara hang onto her as they scooted past the giant hole in the center of the room, leaving only a small bit of room to cross.


    Lunara made a small yelp noise as her foot slipped, she regained her footing, but not before almost taking Fira down with her.


    ¡°So we may not see any more of them?¡± She yanked on his sleeve.


    ¡°We may, we may not, I¡¯d prepare for the former.¡± Skyler raised his lower arm blade and it morphed into a shotgun.


    ¡°So, how exactly do you remember what the entirety of a shotgun is like? You know, to be able to turn your hand into one.¡± She pointed to it.


    ¡°Lots of studies, you¡¯d be surprised on how many times I got it wrong. Sometimes some pieces fell off or it¡¯d blow up in my face.¡± He smiled awkwardly and imitated a cloud of smoke with his hand and shotgun.


    ¡°How long did it take for you to perfect it?¡± She poked the cold steel of the barrel.


    ¡°A few months. Come on, we should get going now.¡± He looked back at Fira and Lunara who had just crossed.


    ¡°Alright.¡± She smiled and walked around, then grabbed his other hand.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hold my hand you know, I don¡¯t own you.¡± He looked at her, visibly confused.


    ¡°But I love you.¡± She tried to make puppy dog eyes at him.


    ¡°I know. I just¡­ Public displays of affection when we¡¯re in danger?¡± He gave a confused frown.


    ¡°It¡¯s to help me feel safe.¡± She pouted.


    ¡°I see, alright, just letting you know it isn¡¯t a requirement.¡± He shrugged.


    She smiled and hugged his arm.


    ¡°I wish Drake would let me hold his hand like that.¡± Lunara sighed


    ¡°Aw, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work out in the end, Lunara.¡± Fira patted Lunara on the back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put in a good word for you.¡± Skyler looked forward and winked. He spread his wings and gestured for Gabrielle to get on his back.


    She hopped on, and he glided over the hole quickly. They landed, and he let her off, she immediately grabbed his hand afterwards, and he let out a small chuckle.


    ¡°You just can¡¯t get enough of me, can you?¡± He shook his head slowly as he put his wings away.


    ¡°Nope.¡± She gave her head two quick shakes.


    ¡°I miss Pain already.¡± Fira whined.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be there in a bit, just a small walk through these caves and up the canyon and we¡¯re there.¡± He pointed into the darkness.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± She quickly but carefully walked forward.


    They quietly continued through the caves, stopping every time they heard a skittering noise. She held her breath in those moments, and slowly let her breath out each time the danger passed. She didn¡¯t want to pass out in the middle of such a big quest, and was worried that if she had to cast one more spell that she¡¯d faint again. They got to a small opening in one of the cave walls.


    ¡°This should be it.¡± Skyler morphed his lower arm back to normal and put his glove back on, and stepped forward.


    He knelt down and squeezed through the hole. Once he arrived at the other side, his hand came back through and he made a gesture signaling to follow him. Gabrielle looked to Lunara and Fira, who all looked at each other. She turned back and proceeded to squeeze through after him. She popped out on the other side, and surprisingly, there were little black plants and a large expanse of black grass. Skyler outstretched his hand since she was still knelt down.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s so pretty here, why haven¡¯t you shown me this?¡± She asked as she took his hand and was helped up.


    ¡°I was going to once you got more in tune with your abilities, since it¡¯s pretty dangerous here.¡±


    Fira was the one who went through next, and then Lunara, who fell on her backside once she popped out. Fira helped Lunara back up and patted her on the back.


    ¡°Why is it so dangerous here?¡± She reflexively grabbed Skyler¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Because a very powerful Darkling roams around here, and I didn¡¯t want you to meet up with him.¡± He turned to her, visible worry on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be fine, I have you, remember?¡± She made her grip on his hand more snug.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯ll be enough, unless I use the machine.¡± He slowly shook his head again.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I didn¡¯t think that he¡¯d be that hard to beat.¡± She knew Wira gave him that super weapon for no other reason than to beat Wrackivorn, and using it on another enemy would probably be a bad idea since Wira did say that it had limited charges.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not kidding, that was to put it into perspective.¡± He shivered.


    ¡°He must really be strong to make you scared like that.¡± She took her thumb and started to stroke his thumb with it.


    ¡°I just hope we don¡¯t meet up with him.¡± He sighed


    ¡°I hope so too.¡± She nodded


    They continued up the canyon and crunched through the dry grass. She wondered if there were any Darkling Fleas that would infest her clothes, and prayed that that wasn¡¯t the case. She didn¡¯t want to ask Skyler since it seemed like such a silly question to ask, especially in front of Fira and Lunara, so she just hoped that there weren¡¯t Darkling versions of fleas in Elega. The ground rumbled, and a large golem made out of black stone with black wood for a head and large branch horns rose from the ground.


    ¡°Who dares?¡± The golem boomed.


    ¡°Oh shit, it¡¯s him,¡± Skyler whispered hoarsely.


    ¡°Uh, H-hello, we just want to get past.¡± Gabrielle said meekly.


    ¡°Oh, so you aren¡¯t here for a fight? Prove it.¡± The golem¡¯s round eye slots squinted.


    ¡°Over here, Look!¡± Skyler shouted up at the golem and waved his arms, then turned around and pointed at the back of his neck.


    ¡°Ah, a union. I see. Very well, you may pass.¡± The golem turned around and walked away.


    Skyler wiped his brow and let out a phew.


    ¡°Holy fucking shit that was close.¡± Skyler shook a little still.


    ¡°He seemed nice.¡± She put a hand to her mouth.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know if he was the type to like or hate a Darkling who was in union with someone from the light side.¡± He let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I thought you knew everything about this place.¡± She wondered if his knowledge was really that expansive about his own land, even though he had been there for years.


    ¡°I barely even talk to the guy, and I was afraid he was going to get angry and try to squish us. He¡¯s basically elder god tier powerful, and I don¡¯t want to mess with that,¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m surprised you¡¯ve been here before, what with all the mole boys here.¡± She wondered if he had to constantly fight his way through to get there.


    ¡°I usually go around, away from the Mole Darklings, also I can fly, remember?¡± He pointed to his back.


    ¡°Oh yeah! I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just a little spacey.¡± She chuckled and put a hand to her head.


    ¡°I can tell, you take a load off, don¡¯t push yourself too hard, okay?¡± He grabbed her hand and held it in hers.


    ¡°Aw, thank you.¡± She smiled and snuggled up to him.


    The flora and fauna of the canyon was quaint, there were small animals all around. She was surprised as they looked fluffier than she thought they would be. She then noticed one other one that was limping coming up to one. They both looked like larger, fluffier hedgehogs. The one that was originally by one of the wilted trees started to eat the sick one, the sight of it made her stomach turn.


    ¡°They may look cute, but they¡¯re rabid.¡± Skyler slowly shook his head again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d want to domesticate them anymore.¡± She shuddered.


    ¡°Oh, horrible.¡± Lunara looked away in disgust.


    ¡°Yuck.¡± Fira gagged.


    They continued past the disgusting scene, and up to a barren cliff. The ground was pointy and sharp, and puffs of black dust came up over their feet with each step.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there, look.¡± Skyler pointed in front of himself.


    They had reached the top of the canyon, and in front of them was the sanctuary, just out of reach.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go on ahead.¡± Fira started to run towards the building.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Skyler grabbed Fira¡¯s arm.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Fira turned around, surprised.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how dangerous it is around here now, you can¡¯t be going off by yourselves anymore. Stay with the group.¡± He let go of her arm.


    ¡°Alright, I just¡­ I wanted to see him as soon as I could.¡± Fira pouted.


    They walked to the sanctuary and went in. Fira immediately rushed to Pain and tackle hugged him.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re here, I don¡¯t know what I would have done if you weren¡¯t¡± Fira sniffled as she held back tears.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± Pain embraced Fira.


    Lunara ran up to Drake but then stopped right in front of him.


    ¡°Are you¡­ Doing okay?¡± Lunara asked, her gaze averted.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alright.¡± Drake nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Lunara played with her dress.


    ¡°Alright, we have time for random stuff later, right now, we need to figure out what we should do.¡± Gabrielle waved everyone down.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking we should just go straight for the castle, but we should also get to the Gravekeeper Darklings hideout on the way, they like me.¡± Skyler smiled.


    ¡°Oh? That sounds good, what do you guys think?¡± She turned to the others.


    ¡°I¡¯m in, what about you, Pain?¡± Drake turned to Pain


    ¡°I¡¯m in as well. Girls?¡± Pain looked to Fira and Lunara.


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Fira nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m in too,¡± Lunara whispered.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s settled then. Should we head out now?¡± Gabrielle looked back to Skyler.


    ¡°Yeah, I think we should.¡± He nodded slowly


    They all agreed to head out after they got ready. Everyone summoned their weapons and headed out. The evening sky was full of dark clouds, telling that rain was off in the distance. They stepped out into the cold dreary air again, and the overall energy of the place hit her again like a ton of bricks. The dark energy that the land radiated was heavy on her, and she was afraid she would be consumed by it. She fiddled with the markings on her finger, she hoped and prayed that Skyler¡¯s mark would protect her from the forces of darkness.

 Night Chasers Part 3

    The group of three boys and three girls left the sanctuary. The terrain before them looked a lot more jagged and foreboding to Gabrielle. Her breathing became labored and her chest became tight. Something landed on her shoulder, so she turned to see Skyler¡¯s hand resting on it. He gave her a reassuring smile and immediately her chest loosened up and the knot in her throat disappeared.


    They saw a barrack in the distance. Pain turned to the group and gestured them to get down. They all went down on their chests and army crawled up to it, pokey terrain be damned. Once they got up to the walls, they put their backs up to the wall, and sneaked to the entrance.


    ¡°Okay, time to end this,¡± Pain whispered, and summoned his scythe.


    Everyone summoned their weapons as well, Skyler took off his glove and his lower arm morphed into a smaller sword. They went inside and attacked a group of Mole Darklings. After they quickly defeated those, they started going through the tents. The third tent they entered had a dark figure inside. It turned around, and it was absolutely horrifying. It had six black lidless spider-like eyes, a sideways mouth filled to the brim with thin sharp teeth, and fleshy pink tentacles protruding from the holes on the bottom of it¡¯s pale face.


    ¡°Oh Jesus.¡± Gabrielle¡¯s stomach turned as she stared at the monster.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Cultist Darkling, one of the mages.¡± Skyler ran up to it.


    The Cultist raised it¡¯s hands and black sigils formed in front of it, but before it could use the spell, He cut it in half.


    ¡°Well, it was one.¡± He chuffed.


    ¡°Keep your voice down, there could be others.¡± Pain quietly shushed him.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Skyler whispered


    They kept looking through the tents, but there was nothing.


    ¡°They must all be at the front except that one.¡± Pain shrugged with his hands.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the front?¡± Gabrielle was confused.


    ¡°In front of the castle, of course.¡± Pain nodded slowly.


    ¡°How close are we to the castle?¡± She asked.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t too far now. They probably already know we will show up, so there¡¯s no sense trying to hide,¡± he said.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯d best be going.¡± Skyler turned and started to walk out of the barracks.


    They left the barracks and headed towards the front. They could see black figures in the distance, it was Wrackivorn¡¯s army. A dark purple spell whizzed past Gabrielle¡¯s head and almost hit Lunara.


    ¡°Damned cultists,¡± Skyler growled, his lower arm turning into a large crossbow.


    ¡°A crossbow? Where did you learn to do that?¡± Gabrielle was shocked, she didn¡¯t think he could do anything more complex than a shotgun.


    ¡°No time for that now, get down.¡± He launched a black arrow out of the crossbow.


    She looked over, and Pain pointed down to the black hole in the ground in front of them.


    ¡°What about the Mole Darklings?¡± She was worried they would get attacked by those tiny monsters.


    ¡°There are no holes in the bottom, I just dug it out.¡± He pointed to his scythe, a sharp tongue going back into one of the eyes.


    ¡°Just get in.¡± Skyler daintily nudged her forward. Fira, Lunara and Drake were already in the hole by that time and were staring up at her with blank looks on their faces.


    She slid into the crevice, a cloud of dust forming behind her. She was surprised that Pain made a trench without kicking up even a tiny bit of dust. Pain and Skyler jumped in after her. Skyler went right to the front of the trench and started firing off arrows again.


    ¡°Can you cast a spell from here?¡± Pain turned to her.


    Lunara was firing off glowing blueish-white arrows from her bow that glowed the same. Gabrielle nodded. She stepped up to the front of the trench and raised her hands. A large amount of white sigils materialized above her. They started to spin, and she closed her eyes, focusing her energy forward and outward. She heard a flash, so she opened her eyes. All the Mole Darklings out on the front were decimated.


    ¡°Excuse me, god king Skyler.¡± An unfamiliar male voice spoke up.


    She turned around, and there was a pale floating figure cloaked in a gray hooded robe. He was tapping Skyler¡¯s shoulder. Skyler turned and looked to him, confused at first, but then a smile broke out onto his face.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you Gravekeeper Darkling guys, you sure do know how to show up at the right time.¡± Skyler turned to the floating cloaked man.


    ¡°We will give you enough cover to get past the battlefront. May you succeed, my god king.¡± The man bowed, his long gray hair drooping with him.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep calling me that, I¡¯m really not that special.¡± Skyler gave a small frown.


    ¡°Oh but you are! You are the chosen one who will end the war that has been waged for centuries! My men, fire!¡± The Gravekeeper Darkling turned and shouted. The Gravekeeper Clan seemed more human looking than the other clans, and if they didn¡¯t float in the air, Gabrielle would have thought they were completely human, albeit their paleness.


    ¡°Oh boy, not this again.¡± Skyler sighed, turned around and continued firing at the enemy.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be going?¡± Gabrielle prodded Skyler¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°In a bit, yeah.¡± Skyler didn¡¯t look at her and kept firing.


    ¡°Alright, just tell me when.¡± She raised her hands and fired off another spell.


    ¡°You should conserve your energy, I don¡¯t want you to pass out again. I wish we had more time...¡± Skyler made a pained expression.


    ¡°Should I stop?¡± She didn¡¯t want to pass out either, but she also wanted to help.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to try something.¡± Fira stepped up and threw her sword forward, it landed its mark on a few enemies. She raised her hand, and her sword rose and flew back into her hand.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Lunara stopped firing and stared at Fira.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you learn that?¡± Skyler¡¯s face softened and he smiled.


    ¡°I just kinda thought it up, I want to be useful too.¡± Fira smiled back.


    Dark purple spells whizzed above their heads from both directions. Gabrielle didn¡¯t want to be in a war zone, it made her extremely anxious, she wanted to get out. She would catch looks at Skyler in between casting smaller spells, wondering if the look on her face would pressure him to move out of the ditch they were in.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Skyler motioned for everyone to follow him.


    They carefully got out of the trench. Pain helped Fira up, and Drake and Lunara crawled out by themselves. Gabrielle got out by herself and helped Skyler up.


    ¡°Trying to be the leader I see.¡± Gabrielle smiled.


    ¡°I was going to help you up instead but this works too.¡± Skyler didn¡¯t seem worked up about it.


    ¡°Remember to zigzag when you run so they don¡¯t know where to aim.¡± Pain looked at everyone.


    ¡°Alright¡± Fira nodded, a fearful look on her face.


    They all started running for the front. There were a bunch of Darklings waiting for them.


    ¡°Why were they waiting?¡± Drake turned his head towards Skyler as he ran.


    ¡°I have no fucking idea.¡± Skyler sighed, visibly exasperated.


    A spell hit Lunara, and she dropped onto the black ground. Drake was the first one to stop, he quickly ran back to her, everyone else followed behind him.


    ¡°Lunara! Are you alright?¡± Drake knelt down and helped Lunara up.


    ¡°I think... I¡¯ll be fine.¡± She was visibly shaken but only lightly injured.


    ¡°Guy¡¯s I¡¯m sorry but we really, really have to go.¡± Skyler huffed, his hands on his knees.


    They continued running, and got to the front of the group. A few large lizard-like Darklings stared them down.


    ¡°You may not pass,¡± One of them boomed, they were all clad in black armor and brandished axes.


    ¡°Like that means anything.¡± Skyler morphed his lower hand into a large blade, like the first time Gabrielle had seen his lower arm transform.


    ¡°We know why you came, godkiller.¡± Another one of them hissed.


    ¡°Hey, thanks, that¡¯s a nice title.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°You slew your own father, bastard,¡± A third one spoke up.


    ¡°And I¡¯d do it again after what he did to Mother.¡± Skyler¡¯s smile turned into a demonic grin and his face crackled as his Fallen mouth appeared.


    The three of the lizard-like Darklings roared and brought their axes down at Skyler. He jumped out of the way and hopped closer to the first one. He made one quick slash and the lizard-like Darkling¡¯s axe holding arm was separated from his body. It made a pained screeching noise, and the other two hissed and brought down their axes again. One of the axes sliced a bit into his cheek and the side of his neck.


    ¡°Ah, fuck.¡± He grabbed his bleeding neck and his mouth returned to normal.


    ¡°Do you need me to heal you?¡± Gabrielle walked up to him.


    ¡°Listen, we¡¯ll hold them off, you go kill Wrackivorn,¡± Pain said. The lizard-like Darklings looked at them angrily


    Drake took off his shirt, revealing a large deformed scar over his heart, and a bunch of smaller circular scars across his chest in vital areas, with one large scar across his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± He summoned the machine that Wira had made for him, and put it on his shoulder and neck as the lizard-like Darklings stared in confusion.


    Glitch materialized next to him.


    ¡°G-Glitch? Is it really you?¡± Lunara ran up to Glitch.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s Drake¡¯s scary twin.¡± Fira shuddered


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve gotten yourself into some deep shit.¡± Glitch looked to both Lunara and Drake.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Drake removed his gloves and wiggled his clawed fingers.


    ¡°Well fuck me this is bad.¡± Glitch looked up to the large, beastly enemies.


    ¡°Let me heal you first.¡± Gabrielle brought her hands onto Skyler¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Okay but make it quick,¡± Skyler said, visibly worried.


    She healed him while Glitch, Drake, Lunara, Fira and Pain fought the lizard monsters.


    ¡°Thank god they were distracted, stupid assholes.¡± Skyler smiled.


    ¡°You two had better get going.¡± Pain turned his head towards Skyler. The four of them were busy fighting the giant monsters and distracting them from Skyler and Gabrielle.


    ¡°Alright, thanks.¡± Skyler nodded.


    Gabrielle and Skyler slipped past the fight.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fly the rest of the way there.¡± Skyler sprouted his wings.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gabrielle nodded again.


    She got onto his back and he flew into the air. They were very close to the castle, so it wouldn¡¯t take them long to get there. The black trees there had purple roses sprouting from their branches.


    ¡°I see Wrackivorn hasn¡¯t renovated since Pain was in power.¡± Skyler smiled.


    ¡°Did Pain do this? It¡¯s very pretty.¡± She had never seen purple roses, let alone ones that grew on trees.


    ¡°Yeah, the Gravekeeper Darklings call him the God of Death.¡± Skyler didn¡¯t slow down even though the beautiful trees were passing them by.


    ¡°Are there any girl Gravekeeper Darklings?¡± She was going to ask that Gravekeeper Darkling earlier, but they were in the middle of fighting.


    ¡°Yeah, although they all look very similar to each other.¡± Skyler gave a small nod.


    They saw the castle before them, it was large and strangely white, it was even Greek looking, with Greek pillars in the front. Skyler landed and she looked to him, confused as to why the castle was white.


    ¡°Why is the castle¡­ You know¡­ Not black?¡± She did a double take to him and pointed at the castle.


    ¡°White is the absence of color and shade, at least that¡¯s what my father told me his father said.¡± Skyler shrugged.


    ¡°Was your grandfather any different to your father?¡± She started to walk towards the castle.


    ¡°Yes, my father was the one to start the war up again. My grandfather was the one who built the Ruby Citadel, which I want to reopen, it¡¯s been closed for a long time, I want to share the knowledge of whatever is inside with the whole world.¡± His eyes sparkled as he talked about it.


    ¡°That¡¯s real nice of you, I¡¯d like to see it too after we¡¯re done here.¡± She smiled at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, there¡¯s not much time.¡± He patted her on the shoulder.


    She was scared but excited to go inside. She wondered what Wrackivorn looked like, and imagined a black Centaur as big as a building. She was sure that Skyler had the tools to defeat Wrackivorn, and he wouldn¡¯t let Wrackivorn live unfortunately, even though she would like to talk Skyler out of it. Wrackivorn endangered her, and Skyler was hellbent on killing anyone who endangered the one he loved.

 The Dark Horse of Revenge

    Gabrielle and Skyler entered the castle, it¡¯s exterior may have been white but it¡¯s interior was all black. They entered the throne room where there were many statues of various Centaur Darklings along the walls, Wrackivorn was sitting with the back part of his horse body on the throne. He was clad in black armor, his glowing white eyes were similar to Shai¡¯s. He carried a large two-sided axe with him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been expecting me.¡± Skyler coolly took off his coat and removed his shirt.


    ¡°You have destroyed my family, and now I will destroy you and all that you love.¡± Wrackivorn got up from his throne and galloped over.


    ¡°We¡¯ll fucking see about that.¡± Skyler summoned the machine, took off his coat, shirt and gloves and put it on before Wrackivorn could reach him.


    Another pulse of energy was emitted by Skyler, knocking Wrackivorn back and causing the earth under him to be covered in raw flesh. Skyler¡¯s face crunched as his Fallen mouth came back out and he gripped his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about her, she isn¡¯t there, she isn¡¯t there,¡± Skyler whispered to himself.


    ¡°Die, wretch!¡± Wrackivorn tried to hit Skyler with the axe, but he caught it between his hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t... fucking... interrupt me!¡± Skyler shouted, and a pulse of Shock energy came from him, radiating from his scars and into the weapon.


    Wrackivorn managed to keep a hold of his weapon as he was knocked back again.


    Dahlia materialized next to him in a cloud of black smoke. She walked up to him, and gave one glancing look behind her towards Gabrielle. He saw her eyes smile, and then she turned back to him.


    ¡°Ah, revenge¡­ Wonderful, wonderful revenge. I live and breathe for revenge, how about I help you? Are you willing to merge with me to defeat him?¡± Dahlia whispered into his ear.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything as long as he dies.¡± He pointed to Wrackivorn.


    ¡°Good, it¡¯s settled then, get ready.¡± She took off her mask to reveal a gray skinned face with small intricate black cracks around her eyes and mouth, she had a Fallen mouth as well, but her teeth were black.


    She jumped into him, and Skyler howled in pain and put his hands to the sides of his face. He grew Dahlia¡¯s horns and his Fallen mouth¡¯s teeth turned black. His eyes changed into hers and black cracks appeared around his eyes. Skyler¡¯s new form terrified Gabrielle, she stood there for a few seconds while the two of them stood there. She thought he was scary before, but after merging with Dahlia, it changed him. She snapped out of it, then tried to focus all her energy on the mark on his neck.


    ¡°What have you done? Merging is a forbidden act!¡± Wrackivorn was brimming with rage, the man who killed his family had just done something unspeakable.


    ¡°Ah, so he¡¯s just like me after all,¡± A combination of Dahlia and Skyler¡¯s voice spoke.


    ¡°I cannot allow you to live after this.¡± Wrackivorn readied his axe.


    ¡°That is not for you to decide,¡± The two demons spoke in unison.


    Gabrielle tried to keep her fear from getting the best of her, but she was also scared that Skyler and Dahlia could never separate again and he would be stuck like that forever, on top of being scared that the new being that formed would turn it¡¯s sights on her.


    The new Skyler jumped at Wrackivorn and slashed at him. It missed, so they slashed again, they hit Wrackivorn¡¯s helmet and a loud clang resounded. They continued to fight, and every second Gabrielle could feel her consciousness fading, she was using too much energy, but she was scared that he would be corrupted forever.


    ¡°I have no choice, you must be punished.¡± Wrackivorn raised his hand, but before the spell could finish, the new Skyler slashed at his neck.


    Black blood spilled from him. He used his axe in one final attempt to kill him, it barreled down onto the machine on the new Skyler¡¯s shoulder, breaking the machine and cutting into the new Skyler¡¯s flesh.


    The new Skyler screeched, but looked back to see a spell heading straight for Gabrielle. They jumped in front of the beam, and they were hit instead of her.


    ¡°What? That was a forbidden spell to disintegrate anyone! How are you still alive?¡± Wrackivorn shouted.


    ¡°Dahlia isn¡¯t dead, and neither is Skyler.¡± Dahlia¡¯s features faded from Skyler, and black blood dripped from his shoulder.


    ¡°One of you had to die,¡± Wrackivorn growled.


    ¡°Dahlia can never die, that¡¯s why she took the hit instead of me.¡± Skyler gripped his bleeding shoulder.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± She didn¡¯t feel he was safe enough but her concern was too great to stay where she was, so she ran up to him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯s over now.¡± He looked at her and then turned to Wrackivorn, who was desperately covering his wound to stop the blood.


    ¡°How? But I¡¯m immortal! Why aren¡¯t my healing spells working?!¡± Wrackivorn cried.


    ¡°Remember when I swallowed the Black Hole Sword? Yeah, I can only reuse a weapon¡¯s power once, and I saved it for you.¡± Skyler neither smiled nor frowned.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t save it for the others?¡± Wrackivorn looked to him.


    ¡°My old prosthetic hand was combined with a scythe, that gave me nigh infinite power. Unfortunately, it broke, just like you broke the machine, they destroyed it before they died.¡± Skyler shook his head.


    ¡°Damn you, damn you to hell, you worm!¡± Wrackivorn bellowed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, The Ruby Citadel awaits.¡± Skyler turned and started to walk away.


    ¡°Wait! Shouldn¡¯t I heal you first?¡± She grabbed his arm.


    ¡°No healing spells work, only special stitches and bandages will help, Pain has some outside, he came prepared.¡± Skyler¡¯s Fallen mouth went away, and he smiled lovingly at her.


    She was so relieved that he was back. She felt pools of tears forming under her eyes, she couldn¡¯t help but hug him.


    ¡°Hey, hey. It¡¯s okay.¡± Skyler patted her on the back.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re back.¡± She whimpered.


    ¡°It was a mistake to merge with Dahlia, I¡¯m so sorry. She initially didn¡¯t want to separate, it was a trap.¡± He hugged her back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever do something like that again, promise me.¡± She pulled away and stared at him, tears rolling down her cheeks.


    ¡°I promise, never again.¡± He nodded.


    She was so overcome by emotion that she forgot that he was bleeding for a second. Black blood stained her dress, she looked back up at him worriedly. He only smiled back at her. They left the throne room and went back outside. Pain was was waiting for them out front alone.


    ¡°Where are the others?¡± Skyler looked around.


    ¡°They went home. Here.¡± Pain handed Skyler purple bandages with light blue markings on them.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Skyler rolled the bandages onto his wound.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later, Pain.¡± Gabrielle waved.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere, at least not now, there¡¯s someone I need to talk to.¡± He turned to look behind Skyler.


    There stood Fallen Hex, he was clad in black with a long black coat and long gloves covering his sharp claws. He, unlike Pain, did not have bangs on his hair. He had red colored eyes, and his Fallen mouth frowned. He was clutching a large black book under his arm.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you. I need to talk to you.¡± Pain walked past Skyler and up to Fallen Hex.


    ¡°You can¡¯t have it.¡± Fallen Hex gripped the book tightly.


    ¡°No, you misunderstand me, it¡¯s not for me. It¡¯s for someone else.¡± Pain waved his hand.


    ¡°Wait, you aren¡¯t actually asking him to give you the book, are you?¡± Skyler¡¯s eyes widened and he looked over.


    ¡°I have to, there¡¯s someone I need to protect.¡± Pain looked back at Skyler, then turned back to Fallen Hex.


    ¡°Turbuk didn¡¯t use the book for himself but for Wrackivorn, you expect me to hand it to you even if it isn¡¯t for yourself?¡± Fallen Hex scoffed.


    ¡°Pain! I¡¯m so glad I found you!¡± Fira shouted and ran up to Pain.


    ¡°Fira! I thought you had gone home.¡± Pain turned to her.


    ¡°I did, but I came back to look for you since you were gone.¡± She wrapped her arm in his.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go yet, I¡¯m talking to someone.¡± He pointed to Fallen Hex.


    ¡°Wait, why does he look like you? That¡¯s not the real Brian is it?¡± She did a double take.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s actually five of us, he is from a different timeline, like I am.¡± He lowered his arm.


    ¡°Is this who you are going to use it for?¡± Fallen Hex pointed to Fira.


    ¡°¡­ Yes, yes it is.¡± Pain nodded.


    ¡°Come.¡± Fallen Hex gestured him over.


    Pain silently let go of Fira¡¯s arm and walked up to him.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Fira looked around.


    ¡°Take my hand.¡± Fallen Hex outstretched his hand.


    Pain took it his hand, and closed his eyes. He grimaced, and threw back his hand.


    ¡°Now that I know, I will allow you to do such a thing, but only once.¡± Fallen Hex took the book in his arms and handed it to Pain.


    ¡°What was that?¡± He opened his eyes but still had a pained expression on his face.


    ¡°We exchanged memories, it was to better help understand you. I know you will keep it safe.¡± He gestured for Pain to take the book.


    ¡°Thank you, I promise not to lose it.¡± He took the book.


    ¡°You came prepared to fight, but I am not that kind of man to hurt an innocent and you know this.¡± Fallen Hex frowned even harder.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be this easy.¡± Pain looked down.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t, what got you here was difficult.¡± Fallen Hex shook his head.


    ¡°Pain, what kind of book is that?¡± Fira went up and tried to open the book.


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t! It¡¯s dangerous!¡± Pain pulled the book away from her.


    ¡°Dangerous how?¡± She looked at him with a blank expression.


    ¡°It could hurt you! This book isn¡¯t for the faint of heart!¡± He put it under his arm, where she could not read it.


    ¡°Oh, I¡­ I¡¯m sorry I¡­ I didn¡¯t know.¡± She frowned and lowered her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry too much about it, just steer clear of it.¡± He patted her on the shoulder.


    ¡°Okay, I will.¡± She nodded.


    ¡°I think I heard about this book, it¡¯s that forbidden one, right?¡± Gabrielle turned to Skyler.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Skyler nodded.


    ¡°Oh he¡¯s not going to use it, is he?¡± She grabbed his arm.


    ¡°Unfortunately I can¡¯t stop him, that¡¯s his decision, not mine.¡± Skyler shook his head again.


    ¡°Oh Skyler please! You have to!¡± She tugged on his arm.


    ¡°I know why he¡¯s going to use it and I can¡¯t bring myself to tell him no.¡± He lowered his head.


    ¡°Thank you, old friend.¡± Pain turned around and started to walk past Skyler.


    ¡°Remember to go to Elaine after you use it, she¡¯ll know what to do.¡± Skyler grabbed Pain¡¯s arm.


    ¡°I know.¡± Pain nodded again, and slipped loose of Skyler¡¯s grasp.


    ¡°Ah, there it is,¡± A low male voice spoke.


    ¡°You motherfucker.¡± Skyler raised his head and his Fallen mouth appeared again.


    ¡°Hand over the book.¡± A man with short black hair and clad in a long red robe came up and tried to grab the book.


    ¡°Absolutely not, not to you or anyone but Fallen Hex.¡± Pain pulled the book away from the man.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Gabrielle turned to Skyler again.


    ¡°That¡¯s the man who signed both mine and Pain¡¯s death warrant, he¡¯s the reason either of us died in the first place.¡± Skyler was still shirtless and had no gloves, he had left his clothes behind.


    ¡°Oh, my god.¡± She put a hand to her mouth.


    ¡°You picked the absolute best time, asshole.¡± Skyler ran up and slashed at the man.


    It connected and he dug his claws into the man¡¯s shoulder and dragged his claws across his chest. The man screamed and pulled away.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t die from this, I hope you live the rest of you life in misery for hurting me and everyone I love.¡± Skyler licked the man¡¯s blood from his fingers.


    ¡°That¡¯s Turbuk, the evil warlock, if you were wondering.¡± Pain turned to Fira and Gabrielle.


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s Turbuk.¡± She turned to Turbuk, who was running away.


    A portal opened in front of Turbuk, and he jumped in.


    ¡°Fucker got away again, but this time I chose to let him go.¡± Skyler smiled


    ¡°Why did you let him go?¡± Pain looked up at Skyler.


    ¡°I scratched him when I still had the Black Hole Sword powers in my claws, saved them just in case he showed up.¡± Skyler laughed.


    Gabrielle and Skyler bid Pain and Fira farewell and went to find the Ruby Citadel. Skyler told her that it was a giant white structure that was placed on what used to be the old border. He told her that he would bring the border back to the way it used to so it would open. She asked him if he should go get his shirt, coat and gloves back. He refused, and said he was leaving it behind for now, and would grab it later when he came back to be crowned King of Darkness. She asked him about the spell that kept Elega stuck in evening, and Skyler pointed up to the sky, it was already continuing on into the night. He said that without help she would be stuck in Elega for the rest of the night, and to go to Shai once they were finished at the Ruby Citadel.

 The Ruby Citadel

    Off in the distance Gabrielle could see a white structure. She looked to Skyler, who¡¯s purple bandages with blue markings were stained black. She worried about his wound, even though she thought that it wasn¡¯t bleeding anymore.


    ¡°Is this the Ruby Citadel?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He gripped his bandaged wound.


    ¡°Are you going to be alright?¡± She reached out and grabbed his bare arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯ll be fine. You don¡¯t have to keep worrying about me.¡± Skyler smiled and shook his head.


    ¡°Alright, I was just checking up on you.¡± She let go of his arm and grabbed her dress.


    They continued to walk up to the citadel, until Skyler raised his arm to stop her.


    ¡°Watch this.¡± He looked at her, then looked to the citadel.


    He raised his arms, and off in the distance the black ground turned white. The ground turned white up until it reached halfway across the citadel, he then lowered his arms, and the black ground stopped going backwards.


    ¡°Wow, how did you do that?¡± She looked to him, amazed.


    He summoned a single black coin with unknown markings.


    ¡°This stores all Wrackivorn¡¯s powers, now that he is dead, I possess them. That doesn¡¯t include the spells he got from the forbidden book, those can¡¯t be transferred.¡± He flipped the coin and caught it.


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness, I was worried you¡¯d lose your soul.¡± She breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Oh, no, learned spells are only transferred if it comes to shadow magic. I¡¯m the last of my kind left now, so I all of them, and I have to use my powers responsibly.¡± He smiled again.


    ¡°Why did you have to change the ground?¡± She was confused as to why he already gave back so much land to her side.


    ¡°Because the citadel wouldn¡¯t open otherwise.¡± He chuffed.


    ¡°Really? I thought they just closed it because they didn¡¯t like it, not because the land was taken from us.¡± She thought that it was only because they wanted to keep whatever was inside secret, not because it was impossible to open because it had to be on both halves of land.


    ¡°It¡¯s because there needs to be peace and an agreement between both light and dark that they would keep it open and not try to take any more land, if any amount of land on either side is more than half, the citadel closes.¡± He pointed to it.


    ¡°Should we go in?¡± She looked to it and then back at him.


    ¡°Yeah, I want to see what¡¯s inside, and, most likely, so do you.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± She nodded back and gave him a small smile.


    The doors creaked open, and inside was a giant library with beautiful statues of people on one side and shadow demons on the other. The inside was very spacious and there were breathtaking murals along the walls and ceiling. She looked to the one directly behind her and saw two figures, one dark male with short hair, and one light female with long curly hair, they were shaking hands.


    ¡°Wait, is this supposed to be us?¡± She looked to Skyler, who turned around and walked up to the mural.


    ¡°Wow, looks like it, they even got the hair down pat.¡± He gave a surprised smile.


    She stared at the mural for a few more seconds, but then got the overwhelming urge to open one of the books in the library. She turned back.


    ¡°What are all the books here about?¡± She walked up to the bookshelves.


    She opened one, and even though the writing wasn¡¯t English, she could understand it.


    ¡°This is a¡­ gray magic book?¡± She looked up to Skyler, who shrugged.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s a combination of shadow magic and light magic. Must have been forbidden and got locked away after the war started up again.¡± He looked over her shoulder.


    ¡°Can you read it?¡± She looked over.


    ¡°Yeah, I can too, usually reading light magic spells hurts my eyes, but this doesn¡¯t¡± He reached around and put his hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°What else is there in here?¡± She put the book away and ran deeper into the citadel.


    ¡°Whoa, slow down, there could be dangerous stuff in here.¡± Skyler ran after her.


    They ran to the center of the citadel, where there was a circular opening filled with white water.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before.¡± She reached down and touched it.


    A being came out from under the water, it had white skin and a large yet thin backwards pea pod shaped head and solid red eyes with no pupils or whites. It was wearing a long white poncho with gray magic markings around the bottom. The poncho had sleeves and it waved with sharp white hands.


    ¡°Greetings, Light Maiden. It seems the war has finally ended, and my time of awakening Is now.¡± The creature smiled with its eyes, since it had no mouth.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Ah shit, I hope it¡¯s friendly.¡± Skyler ran up behind Gabrielle and stopped. He huffed, his hands on his knees.


    ¡°I am Adam. It seems your betrothed¡¯s power is waning, usually Darklings do not tire.¡± Adam looked to Skyler.


    ¡°That¡¯s a very normal name for a creature like you.¡± She looked Adam up and down.


    ¡°I am named after the first human, I was sent by the Veil of Light to guard this place, since I am a member of it.¡± Adam pointed to himself.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s adorable.¡± She put a hand to her face and smiled again.


    ¡°Ah, thank you, Light Maiden. And I suppose your betrothed is the King of Darkness?¡± Adam continued to stare at Skyler, who stood back up and coughed.


    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t been crowned yet but I will be soon.¡± He lowered his head but kept looking upwards at Adam.


    ¡°Oh that is fine. Do not worry. What of your brethren?¡± Adam put his index finger to his face.


    ¡°They¡¯re all dead, I¡¯m the only one left.¡± He summoned a bunch of coins with slightly different symbols to Wrackivorn¡¯s coin, along with the coin itself, into his hand and showed them to Adam.


    ¡°I see, so that is all that is left of them. They must have really hated the light to not be swayed by the threat of death.¡± Adam looked to the coins and back up at Skyler.


    ¡°I¡¯m determined to do whatever I can to end the war, let me know how I can help.¡± Skyler bowed and the coins disappeared from his hand.


    ¡°Have you given back any artifacts that were stolen?¡± Adam asked.


    ¡°No, not yet, but there¡¯s a lot, a giant display case full. I¡¯m planning on returning it after I¡¯m crowned king.¡± Skyler rose back up.


    ¡°I assume you two have already consummated?¡± Adam looked to the both of them.


    ¡°I-¡± Gabrielle started to try and say something, but Skyler piped up.


    ¡°Yeah, I showed the bloody bed sheets to Shai, don¡¯t worry.¡± Skyler nodded again.


    ¡°Skyler! Don¡¯t tell him that!¡± Gabrielle¡¯s face crinkled and reddened in embarrassment and anger.


    ¡°What? That¡¯s kind of important, even if we didn¡¯t do it immediately after the ritual, it had to be done eventually.¡± Skyler¡¯s face flushed gray and he lowered his head again.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell the nice man about our love life.¡± Gabrielle huffed.


    ¡°Sorry, but it seems like he¡¯s an important figure, so I thought I should tell him. Besides, he asked.¡± Skyler¡¯s face became more gray.


    ¡°It is fine, it is too late now, the cat is out of the bag anyways.¡± Adam giggled and held a hand to his face.


    ¡°What else does he need to do? And no more asking personal questions.¡± Gabrielle frowned.


    ¡°Other than being crowned king? He did the biggest one, which is why you are inside here, he gave the land back to your people, Light Maiden. Are you prepared to be crowned queen, by the way?¡± Adam looked to Skyler and then to Gabrielle.


    ¡°Wait. I¡¯m going to be queen?¡± She was surprised, she didn¡¯t think she needed to be queen to make peace with the other side.


    ¡°Well, a king must have a queen. I assume you will build a new castle on the border, yes?¡± Adam looked to both of them again.


    ¡°The old king is alright, but I would prefer if you were ruler.¡± Skyler looked at her lovingly.


    ¡°I have no idea how to run a country though.¡± She looked to Skyler again. She was worried that she would do something wrong and have the people knocking at her door with pitchforks and torches.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Shai would teach you how.¡± Skyler waved his hand.


    ¡°Do we really have to build a new castle here?¡± She looked back to Adam.


    ¡°You can use the Ruby Citadel as a castle while the other one is being built.¡± Adam nodded.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then. Can¡¯t wait for this war to finally be over.¡± Skyler grinned.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go back so you can be crowned?¡± She looked to Skyler.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± Skyler took her hand in his.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± She grinned and giggled.


    They bid goodbye to Adam, and went back to the dark side castle, on the way they noticed that the battle had ended and everyone was gone. Skyler went inside and picked up his clothes and put them on. He apologized for bleeding on her dress, but she just said she could easily get a new one. Skyler talked to the Gravekeeper Darklings about a coronation, and she smiled. She knew that Skyler would be a great king.


    Skyler then took her to the light side castle and she talked to Shai about her coronation as well. Shai already knew that Gabrielle was in line to become queen, but did not tell her because she did not want to worry her. She asked about how to wake up and Shai told her that Fira and Lunara had already awoken. Shai led Gabrielle to her room and they performed a spell that would wake her up. She woke up in the middle of the day, and thanked the powers that be that it was her day off. She called Skyler, who was already awake, and spent the day chatting and having fun with him.


    Off in the distance Gabrielle could see a white structure. She looked to Skyler, who¡¯s purple bandages with blue markings were stained black. She worried about his wound, even though she thought that it wasn¡¯t bleeding anymore.


    ¡°Is this the Ruby Citadel?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He gripped his bandaged wound.


    ¡°Are you going to be alright?¡± She reached out and grabbed his bare arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯ll be fine. You don¡¯t have to keep worrying about me.¡± Skyler smiled and shook his head.


    ¡°Alright, I was just checking up on you.¡± She let go of his arm and grabbed her dress.


    They continued to walk up to the citadel, until Skyler raised his arm to stop her.


    ¡°Watch this.¡± He looked at her, then looked to the citadel.


    He raised his arms, and off in the distance the black ground turned white. The ground turned white up until it reached halfway across the citadel, he then lowered his arms, and the black ground stopped going backwards.


    ¡°Wow, how did you do that?¡± She looked to him, amazed.


    He summoned a single black coin with unknown markings.


    ¡°This stores all Wrackivorn¡¯s powers, now that he is dead, I possess them. That doesn¡¯t include the spells he got from the forbidden book, those can¡¯t be transferred.¡± He flipped the coin and caught it.


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness, I was worried you¡¯d lose your soul.¡± She breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Oh, no, learned spells are only transferred if it comes to shadow magic. I¡¯m the last of my kind left now, so I all of them, and I have to use my powers responsibly.¡± He smiled again.


    ¡°Why did you have to change the ground?¡± She was confused as to why he already gave back so much land to her side.


    ¡°Because the citadel wouldn¡¯t open otherwise.¡± He chuffed.


    ¡°Really? I thought they just closed it because they didn¡¯t like it, not because the land was taken from us.¡± She thought that it was only because they wanted to keep whatever was inside secret, not because it was impossible to open because it had to be on both halves of land.


    ¡°It¡¯s because there needs to be peace and an agreement between both light and dark that they would keep it open and not try to take any more land, if any amount of land on either side is more than half, the citadel closes.¡± He pointed to it.


    ¡°Should we go in?¡± She looked to it and then back at him.


    ¡°Yeah, I want to see what¡¯s inside, and, most likely, so do you.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± She nodded back and gave him a small smile.


    The doors creaked open, and inside was a giant library with beautiful statues of people on one side and shadow demons on the other. The inside was very spacious and there were breathtaking murals along the walls and ceiling. She looked to the one directly behind her and saw two figures, one dark male with short hair, and one light female with long curly hair, they were shaking hands.


    ¡°Wait, is this supposed to be us?¡± She looked to Skyler, who turned around and walked up to the mural.


    ¡°Wow, looks like it, they even got the hair down pat.¡± He gave a surprised smile.


    She stared at the mural for a few more seconds, but then got the overwhelming urge to open one of the books in the library. She turned back.


    ¡°What are all the books here about?¡± She walked up to the bookshelves.


    She opened one, and even though the writing wasn¡¯t English, she could understand it.


    ¡°This is a¡­ gray magic book?¡± She looked up to Skyler, who shrugged.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s a combination of shadow magic and light magic. Must have been forbidden and got locked away after the war started up again.¡± He looked over her shoulder.


    ¡°Can you read it?¡± She looked over.


    ¡°Yeah, I can too, usually reading light magic spells hurts my eyes, but this doesn¡¯t¡± He reached around and put his hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°What else is there in here?¡± She put the book away and ran deeper into the citadel.


    ¡°Whoa, slow down, there could be dangerous stuff in here.¡± Skyler ran after her.


    They ran to the center of the citadel, where there was a circular opening filled with white water.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before.¡± She reached down and touched it.


    A being came out from under the water, it had white skin and a large yet thin backwards pea pod shaped head and solid red eyes with no pupils or whites. It was wearing a long white poncho with gray magic markings around the bottom. The poncho had sleeves and it waved with sharp white hands.


    ¡°Greetings, Light Maiden. It seems the war has finally ended, and my time of awakening Is now.¡± The creature smiled with its eyes, since it had no mouth.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Ah shit, I hope it¡¯s friendly.¡± Skyler ran up behind Gabrielle and stopped. He huffed, his hands on his knees.


    ¡°I am Adam. It seems your betrothed¡¯s power is waning, usually Darklings do not tire.¡± Adam looked to Skyler.


    ¡°That¡¯s a very normal name for a creature like you.¡± She looked Adam up and down.


    ¡°I am named after the first human, I was sent by the Veil of Light to guard this place, since I am a member of it.¡± Adam pointed to himself.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s adorable.¡± She put a hand to her face and smiled again.


    ¡°Ah, thank you, Light Maiden. And I suppose your betrothed is the King of Darkness?¡± Adam continued to stare at Skyler, who stood back up and coughed.


    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t been crowned yet but I will be soon.¡± He lowered his head but kept looking upwards at Adam.


    ¡°Oh that is fine. Do not worry. What of your brethren?¡± Adam put his index finger to his face.


    ¡°They¡¯re all dead, I¡¯m the only one left.¡± He summoned a bunch of coins with slightly different symbols to Wrackivorn¡¯s coin, along with the coin itself, into his hand and showed them to Adam.


    ¡°I see, so that is all that is left of them. They must have really hated the light to not be swayed by the threat of death.¡± Adam looked to the coins and back up at Skyler.


    ¡°I¡¯m determined to do whatever I can to end the war, let me know how I can help.¡± Skyler bowed and the coins disappeared from his hand.


    ¡°Have you given back any artifacts that were stolen?¡± Adam asked.


    ¡°No, not yet, but there¡¯s a lot, a giant display case full. I¡¯m planning on returning it after I¡¯m crowned king.¡± Skyler rose back up.


    ¡°I assume you two have already consummated?¡± Adam looked to the both of them.


    ¡°I-¡± Gabrielle started to try and say something, but Skyler piped up.


    ¡°Yeah, I showed the bloody bed sheets to Shai, don¡¯t worry.¡± Skyler nodded again.


    ¡°Skyler! Don¡¯t tell him that!¡± Gabrielle¡¯s face crinkled and reddened in embarrassment and anger.


    ¡°What? That¡¯s kind of important, even if we didn¡¯t do it immediately after the ritual, it had to be done eventually.¡± Skyler¡¯s face flushed gray and he lowered his head again.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell the nice man about our love life.¡± Gabrielle huffed.


    ¡°Sorry, but it seems like he¡¯s an important figure, so I thought I should tell him. Besides, he asked.¡± Skyler¡¯s face became more gray.


    ¡°It is fine, it is too late now, the cat is out of the bag anyways.¡± Adam giggled and held a hand to his face.


    ¡°What else does he need to do? And no more asking personal questions.¡± Gabrielle frowned.


    ¡°Other than being crowned king? He did the biggest one, which is why you are inside here, he gave the land back to your people, Light Maiden. Are you prepared to be crowned queen, by the way?¡± Adam looked to Skyler and then to Gabrielle.


    ¡°Wait. I¡¯m going to be queen?¡± She was surprised, she didn¡¯t think she needed to be queen to make peace with the other side.


    ¡°Well, a king must have a queen. I assume you will build a new castle on the border, yes?¡± Adam looked to both of them again.


    ¡°The old king is alright, but I would prefer if you were ruler.¡± Skyler looked at her lovingly.


    ¡°I have no idea how to run a country though.¡± She looked to Skyler again. She was worried that she would do something wrong and have the people knocking at her door with pitchforks and torches.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Shai would teach you how.¡± Skyler waved his hand.


    ¡°Do we really have to build a new castle here?¡± She looked back to Adam.


    ¡°You can use the Ruby Citadel as a castle while the other one is being built.¡± Adam nodded.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then. Can¡¯t wait for this war to finally be over.¡± Skyler grinned.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go back so you can be crowned?¡± She looked to Skyler.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± Skyler took her hand in his.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± She grinned and giggled.


    They bid goodbye to Adam, and went back to the dark side castle, on the way they noticed that the battle had ended and everyone was gone. Skyler went inside and picked up his clothes and put them on. He apologized for bleeding on her dress, but she just said she could easily get a new one. Skyler talked to the Gravekeeper Darklings about a coronation, and she smiled. She knew that Skyler would be a great king.


    Skyler then took her to the light side castle and she talked to Shai about her coronation as well. Shai already knew that Gabrielle was in line to become queen, but did not tell her because she did not want to worry her. She asked about how to wake up and Shai told her that Fira and Lunara had already awoken. Shai led Gabrielle to her room and they performed a spell that would wake her up. She woke up in the middle of the day, and thanked the powers that be that it was her day off. She called Skyler, who was already awake, and spent the day chatting and having fun with him.

 The Fate of a Soul

    Pain went into Macabre Hearse and asked Elaine about what was left of Diana, who was the golem that almost killed the both of them. Elaine allowed Pain to go into where Diana was being kept, but Kalan said that it would be available to him only if he promised to not talk about the list of Terriyah¡¯s cronies. Pain entered the portal, and Din was there, she was being kept in a pod covered in a clear glass-like substance. Her long and stringy blue hair sent Pain into a wave of painful emotions, how he had to leave her behind and how she didn¡¯t even really love him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s really you.¡± Pain shook his head, tears pooled from under his eyes.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t gotten over that fact? I thought you had already long forgotten about me, since you never visit.¡± Din turned her head towards him, her black and hollow eye sockets stared through him.


    ¡°I could never.¡± He tried to choke back a sob.


    ¡°I know it was shitty, I admit it, but doing what I did was why I was created, I had no other purpose.¡± Din shook her head as well.


    ¡°I believe in free will, even for golems, you aren¡¯t a genie, you aren¡¯t forced to do anything.¡± Pain shook his head even harder.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to ask me about the list, are you? I already told crow boy everything.¡± Din frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not, I had to promise not to.¡± He summoned not his scythe, but his old sword.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She tried to get up, and smacked her head against the pod. She put a hand to her face.


    ¡°Do you recognize this?¡± He made a pained expression and held up his sword with one hand.


    ¡°Of course I do. It¡¯s your old sword.¡± Her empty sockets widened.


    ¡°Tell me, what was your reason for following her orders?¡± He walked up to the pod.


    ¡°I had no choice, she read the book, Brian-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t call me that.¡± He squeezed his eyes shut and tears rolled down his cheeks.


    ¡°She would have killed me, I wanted to live, was that so bad?¡± She returned a pained expression.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you have told me? I would have helped you. You know that.¡± He opened his eyes again and wiped his tears.


    ¡°Ha, nobody could love a golem, it was pointless to try.¡± She laughed sadly.


    ¡°I did.¡± He lowered his head.


    ¡°You had no idea though.¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°That didn¡¯t matter, I still would have loved you, and yet you betrayed me, and him, for her, that evil archangel.¡± His sword clanged and then scraped across the front of the pod.


    ¡°I had no choice, I¡¯ve already told you!¡± She cried.


    ¡°What was your reason?¡± He questioned as his sword broke through the pod¡¯s barrier and planted itself firmly into Din¡¯s shoulder.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I already told you my reason!¡± She grimaced and gripped her shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for her reason, I¡¯m asking for yours.¡± He dug his sword deeper into the flesh of her shoulder, tears still rolling down his cheeks and wetting his face.


    ¡°Go ahead. Kill me. I deserve it,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you, the scar this would makes will always remind you of your betrayal.¡± He pulled his sword out from her, and white blood oozed from the wound.


    ¡°Fine then, leave me.¡± She boomed and gripped her wound.


    ¡°If Hex would have broken up with you, you could have gone to me instead. I know you were scared, but telling the truth and facing the consequences is much better than living a lie.¡± He turned around and started to walk away, and his sword disappeared.


    ¡°You and him aren¡¯t the same person anymore, I¡¯m thinking we would have ended up like you and Elaine.¡± She shook her head again.


    ¡°I had to leave my old life behind when I came back, do you know how painful it was for me to have to forget about you? Why did you have to make me go through such a thing twice?¡± He turned his head towards her as he continued to walk away.


    ¡°It was unavoidable, it was either keep secret or die.¡± She put her white blood covered hand up to the barrier.


    ¡°Why did you try to kill Elaine when she revealed who you really were then?¡± He turned his head back and did not look at her.


    ¡°I was angry, wouldn¡¯t you be angry too if you had your life ruined?¡± She took her hand back off the barrier and put it back onto her wound.


    ¡°How you acted only incriminated you.¡± He opened a portal back to Macabre Hearse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take what I did as not loving him, I did, I still do!¡± She shouted.


    He went back through the portal, and went back to his room in Macabre Hearse. He felt that it would be the last time he would feel himself for a while, so he had to confront Din then. He sat in his room, the book in front of him. The door was locked, no one was going to stop him now. He was overwhelmed by fear and sadness that it had come down to that, having to give up a piece of his soul so his lover wouldn¡¯t die.


    He placed his hand on the book, the bookmark he left firmly stuck inside. He had to carefully place it after counting the pages a few times without looking. His face was soaking wet with tears, he was scared of how much it was going to hurt after Elaine told him what happened when she read it.. His chest was tight with anxiety and stress. He sniffled, and took his hand off the book. He slid his hand in between the pages that were bookmarked, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Stop,¡± A female voice harshly whispered.


    He opened his eyes. The hand on the book had long fingers with claws, and a white glove. It was Shai, he recognized her voice in that moment and turned to look at her.


    ¡°What? Why? You were the one who told me she couldn¡¯t become one of the Veil of Light members, why would you stop me from following the only other path I can take to ensure her safety?¡± A rush of tears rolled down his already wet cheeks.


    ¡°I do not usually do this, but I don¡¯t want you to lose a part of your soul. I will make her an honorary member, just please, do not do this.¡± Shai shook her head.


    ¡°You would¡­ Do that for me?¡± He breathed a sigh of relief, and said relief washed over him, it felt like the whole world was lifted off his shoulders, the tightness in his chest subsided and he felt like he could breathe again.


    ¡°I will ask Fira if she wants to first, I can make these kinds of executive decisions, and eventually she won¡¯t have to be an honorary member anymore.¡± Shai nodded


    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much.¡± He turned away, tears still falling from his cheeks, but he was crying because he was so relieved.


    He took the book back to Elaine¡¯s room and had her lock it away, since it was so dangerous. Elaine was also relieved that Pain didn¡¯t go through with reading it, saying that she had a really hard time with how she felt afterwards for a long time. They both went to Fira and asked her if she wanted to go through with becoming an honorary member, and Pain aired his grievances about how nerve-wracking it was that she was mortal, because she was so precious to him, he couldn¡¯t bear the thought of her growing old or randomly dying one day. She hugged him and agreed to it.


    He let Shai and Fira go to where the Veil of Light was, because he and Elaine were not allowed to enter. She came back later and ran into his arms, she told him it was all done, and he didn¡¯t need to worry about her dying anymore. Tears pooled under his eyes again, he was so happy she was safe. He embraced her, and let out a couple whimpers. She told him it was going to be okay, and they went about the rest of their day. Fira went with Pain back to Purgatory and hung out together. He still had to unlearn his intrusive thoughts of her mortality, but he was happy she was immortal.

 First Date

    Drake sat opposite of Lunara in a restaurant, they had just sat down and were about to order. This was their first date after Drake finally asked Lunara out. This was official, they were finally together, he was finally over his fear of her dying to Glitch. He thought about how he didn¡¯t have to worry if Lunara was immortal or not, even though he is and she isn¡¯t, because she passed all the tests that Shai gave her and was eligible to be part of the Veil of Light.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s your training going?¡± Drake had his elbow on the table and his closed fist under his chin.


    ¡°It¡¯s going fine, after I passed all the tests they kind of let up on me and weren¡¯t so¡­ Scrutinizing.¡± She smiled awkwardly and let out a single chuckle.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. You seemed really stressed for a while.¡± He smiled back at her.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Lunara looked down, they both went silent for a second.


    ¡°Hey...¡± Drake felt guilty about pushing her away for so long, he felt he needed to apologize even more after he asked her out and apologized then.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± She looked back up at him.


    ¡°Again, I¡¯m sorry that I was pushing you away so much...¡± He lowered his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it was because you were scared I was going to die. You¡¯re not as dangerous as you think you are.¡± She put her elbows on the small table and intertwined her fingers, then put her chin in the middle of her fingers.


    ¡°I know, I just¡­ I still feel bad.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad, you were trying to protect me, albeit in the wrong way.¡± She shook her head back.


    The waiter walked up to the table, an empty serving tray in his raised hand.


    ¡°Hello, what would you like to¡­ Wait a minute, Drake?¡± The waiter piped up


    Drake looked up at the waiter, he had silver hair and purple eyes.


    ¡°Asher? Is that you?¡± Drake smiled at who he thought to be Asher, who, to him, apparently had acquired a human form.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me. Zlyena landed this job for me. Oh¡­ Can you tell Glitch thank you for the heart?¡± Asher looked from side to side.


    ¡°Yeah, I see Zlyena told you he lived. He has a heart again now too, but strangely he¡¯s much nicer now.¡± Drake nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, she did. Anyways, what would you like to order?¡± Asher got out his notebook and put the empty serving tray under his arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the burger, plain and dry with just the meat, the bun, and a slice of tomato, and a side of fries.¡± Drake looked at the menu.


    ¡°Only tomato? That¡¯s kinda strange.¡± Lunara giggled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why but I just don¡¯t like anything else on my burger but that and possibly bacon.¡± Drake shrugged.


    ¡°Ah, alright. And you, miss?¡± Asher looked to Lunara.


    ¡°I would like the Fettuccine Alfredo.¡± Lunara looked to the menu as well.


    ¡°Ah, the new Italian menu, I see. Anything to drink?¡± Asher looked to them both.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have a root beer.¡± Drake looked back up at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just have water..¡± Lunara looked up at Asher as well.


    ¡°Very well, one burger nothing on it but tomato, side of fries, Fettuccine Alfredo, a root beer and a water, correct?¡± Asher started to jot down the order and looked up at them every few seconds.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Drake nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lunara nodded as well.


    ¡°Alright, thank you for your order. It will be here soon.¡± Asher finished jotting down the order and looked up from his notebook and smiled.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Drake nodded again.


    Asher took the menus from them, then walked back into the back of the restaurant, leaving Drake and Lunara alone.


    ¡°So, what about your dad?¡± Lunara looked back to Drake.


    ¡°What about him?¡± Drake huffed, his dad had constantly apologized for hiding his mother¡¯s true identity and state, but he still had sour feelings about it.


    ¡°It¡¯s father¡¯s day, you should at least tell him happy father¡¯s day. I told my father as much.¡± Lunara frowned.


    ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t know if I can bring myself to.¡± Drake frowned.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go see him together, how about that?¡± Lunara ran her finger in a circle on the table.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re with me, maybe...¡± He looked down.


    Asher brought the drinks and set them on the table.


    ¡°One root beer for you, one water for you.¡± Asher smiled again


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Drake grabbed the root beer and took a big sip.


    ¡°I will be back soon with your order, sit tight.¡± Asher waved and headed back.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Drake looked away from Asher and back to Lunara.


    ¡°So, how are your fingers doing?¡± Lunara playfully stirred her water with the straw, the ice made quiet clinking noises against the glass cup.


    ¡°They¡¯re fine, I had them checked just yesterday. Dad is always afraid they are going to fall off again, even after he literally welded them onto my hands.¡± Drake looked down at his hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can weld metal with flesh, can you?¡± Lunara asked.


    ¡°No, he put a special cap onto what was left of my fingers and cauterized them onto the ends. He welded the fingers onto that.¡± He shuddered, the memory of the painful heat came back into his head and disturbed him.


    ¡°Did he have to thread the nerves?¡± She leaned in closer.


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me.¡± He put his hands to the sides of his head and tried to make his mind blank, but the painful memories just kept rushing in.


    ¡°Sorry... I¡¯ll stop talking about it then, I was just wondering how it all worked.¡± Lunara frowned and lowered her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m alright, I just haven¡¯t had to think about it in a while.¡± Drake put his hands back down onto the table and sighed as the memories faded, but the disturbed feeling remained.


    ¡°Your order is here.¡± Asher came back with two plates.


    Asher put the plates down in front of the both of them. The burger was quite large, seeing as it was gourmet. Lunara smiled again as she looked at the plate of Fettuccine Alfredo.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Drake looked up at Asher and smiled again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back later with your bill.¡± Asher smiled back at him, and walked to the back.


    They mostly ate in silence, besides the random bit of small talk here and there. Drake was busy working on his hamburger, and got a third of the way into it before he started to feel full.


    ¡°This is a bit too big for me.¡± Drake put the burger down.


    ¡°You should have known it was going to be that big, gourmet burgers are always huge.¡± Lunara giggled.


    ¡°I have a notoriously small stomach.¡± He pushed the plate away slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost done with mine too. They gave me a lot.¡± She wiped the white pasta sauce from her upper lip.


    ¡°I guess it was Italian gourmet.¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°Good joke.¡± She giggled again.


    Drake watched Lunara eat until she was finished. Drake saw Asher walking by and waved him down.


    ¡°I¡¯d like my bill, please.¡± Drake pointed to the now empty plate of Fettuccine Alfredo.


    ¡°Right away, sir.¡± Asher went up to the register and printed out the bill¡¯s receipt.


    He went back to the table and handed the receipt to Drake, who placed his card onto the receipt. Asher took the card and ran it through. He came back and handed Drake¡¯s card back to him.


    ¡°Thank you for your service.¡± Drake took out a twenty dollar bill and slapped it onto the table.


    ¡°Thank you, I hope to see you two again very soon.¡± Asher smiled again and took the twenty.


    ¡°You know, I could have paid half.¡± Lunara turned to Drake after she got out of her seat.


    ¡°Dad gave me his card, it should be fine.¡± Drake shrugged again.


    They got their things together and left the restaurant for the hospital. They got inside and Lunara bumped her shoulder into Drake and looked at him.


    ¡°Go on, say it.¡± Lunara motioned towards Dr. Gage, who was working on something behind the counter.


    ¡°Hey uh¡­ Dad?¡± Drake piped up.


    Dr. Gage looked to Drake with widened eyes.


    ¡°Did¡­ Did you just call me Dad? I haven¡¯t¡­. I haven¡¯t heard that word from your mouth in years.¡± Tears started to form under the doctor¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Ha-Happy Father¡¯s Day,¡± Drake said, almost mumbling it as he looked away.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dr. Gage smiled.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Gage...¡± Lunara waved.


    ¡°Ah, this must be your new girlfriend, yes? I had heard from Nagix that you finally decided to date again.¡± He wiped the wetness from his eyes.


    ¡°Yeah. This is Lunara.¡± Drake gestured to Lunara, who waved again.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you in different circumstances, and not running away from me into my son¡¯s room.¡± Dr. Gage laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, he wasn¡¯t going out of his room and that was the only way I could get into contact with him.¡± Lunara slouched over.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, he¡¯s out and about now, which is good.¡± Dr. Gage waved his hand.


    They talked for a little while longer before leaving. Drake led Lunara to his special place, the old clock tower. He talked about how nobody else went in because of how decrepit it was, but it wasn¡¯t rickety, and the floors were very solid. He led her up to the top and looked out from the balcony. Lunara was amazed at the view. Drake smiled at her, and quietly said in his head that he was going to move on from Marissa.

 Golden Sands, Questions, and Demons

    Gabrielle woke back up in Elega, and rushed out of the castle to meet Skyler, who was waiting inside. She ran to hug him, and he embraced her back. He said there was something he had to show her. And he went inside the castle and had Shai open a portal.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± She asked as she turned to Skyler.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Skyler grinned at her.


    ¡°Why did Shai have to open a portal, why can¡¯t you do it?¡± She wondered why he couldn¡¯t just open a portal himself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have access, Shai does.¡± He pointed to the white portal.


    ¡°I guess because it¡¯s white magic? Aren¡¯t you scared of getting hurt?¡± She worried about where it was going to go, and if it would injure him.


    ¡°I have my special shoe socks on, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He waved his hand slightly.


    ¡°Okay, but I¡¯m going first.¡± She lifted up her new dress, which was very regal looking with many golden markings on the bottom and golden accents on the shoulders and chest.


    She stepped through the portal, and what was there amazed her. It was a beach that stretched into infinity, the sand was a beautiful golden color and the water was a clear crystal blue.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so beautiful.¡± She looked to Skyler who was just coming out of the other side of the portal.


    ¡°Yeah, these are the Golden Sands, my grandmother allowed me to come here, she¡¯s the protector of this sacred place. The mark you gave me ensures I won¡¯t burst into flames¡± Skyler chuckled.


    ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡± She gripped her dress and stepped further onto the sands.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon, let¡¯s keep walking. Let¡¯s go this way.¡± Skyler pointed to a mountain of sand.


    ¡°Okay.¡± She nodded and walked up to him


    They went up to the top of the sandy hill, the ground beneath them was hardened sand turned to stone on the way up. They got to the top, and they looked over the edge. The water and sand stretched out as far as the eye could see.


    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful up here.¡± She looked around breathlessly.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s the perfect time to ask the question now.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°What did you want to ask?¡± She turned to him as he started to lean down.


    He got on one knee, and she immediately knew what was happening.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Oh my god.¡± She covered her mouth.


    ¡°Gabrielle Cruz, you have been the love of my life these past few months, and now it¡¯s time to fulfill that promise we made under the cherry tree when we were young.¡± He took a small box out of his pocket and presented it to her.


    Her vision got cloudy because of the tears pooling under her eyes. She blinked hard and wiped the wetness away with her left hand, and sniffled.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be here right now if it wasn¡¯t for you. I owe you everything, and now, I¡¯ve decided that you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.¡± He looked at her with bright eyes.


    She was silent, she had a knot in her throat on top of not knowing what to say. She had hoped that the day he would propose to her would come.


    ¡°Gabby, will you marry me?¡± He flipped the box open, and the ring was gold with a golden rose head in the middle, with a diamond in the middle of the rose head.


    ¡°Oh my god, yes!¡± She squeaked through the lump in her throat. She jumped up and down and hugged him.


    She held him tight. Tears spilled out and cascaded down her cheeks. She was so happy. She pulled away and wiped her eyes again, only to find something surprising. Skyler was crying too, but his tears weren¡¯t black, they were clear. He intercepted a tear that was rolling down his cheek and held it out in front of himself.


    ¡°Look, my tears aren¡¯t black anymore, you¡¯ve saved me.¡± He made a face as he tried to smile, his cheeks quivered and more tears rolled down his face.


    ¡°I love you so much.¡± She stared lovingly at him.


    He took the ring from its box and slid it over the mark on her finger, even though it didn¡¯t completely cover it.


    ¡°Where¡¯s yours?¡± She continued to stare at him


    ¡°I have it right here.¡± He took out another box and opened it. It was gold as well, with a golden rose etched into it, and a diamond in the middle. It was like hers, but the rose was outside the ring for hers.


    He took off the glove on his right hand and slid it onto his ring finger.


    ¡°Will that fit under your glove?¡± She was worried that his hand or the ring would get stuck in the glove.


    ¡°It should, it¡¯s thin enough.¡± He waved his hand gently.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± She smiled at him and giggled


    ¡°Do you want to go with me to return the weapon Wrackivorn stole to its owner?¡± He got up off his knees and brushed the gold sand off his pants.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°That weapon that scarred you was stolen? How do you know the owner?¡± She was surprised, she thought Wrackivorn owned it fair and square.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s an ancient demon who was liked a lot by the big man himself. My ancestors stole his weapons from him before they went to Elega.¡± Skyler nodded.


    ¡°Alright, but you¡¯ll be taking me out afterwards, right?¡± She put a hand to her face.


    ¡°Of course, and you¡¯ll be able to wear that cute red dress that you always wanted to wear.¡± He smiled again.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go back.¡± She took his hand and started to walk back to where the portal was.


    The portal was closed and it was just a silky white jagged and half translucent line. She waved her hand around where it was and it opened back up again. They walked back through and greeted Shai, who asked about the rings. They explained, and she said that if she had known Skyler was going to propose to Gabrielle there, she would have allowed him in earlier.


    They went to the old sanctuary, and she was surprised to see two men who looked like Pain with a normal jaw and no bangs that were in neck chains, and with Dr. Gage holding said chains. One of them was dressed in in white with a sleeveless shirt and had silver eyes, he was smiling and tapping his foot, which had claws at the end, like his hands. The other one was dressed in black with the same kind of shirt only black, he was frowning and he glared at Gabrielle with red colored eyes.


    ¡°Why do you have them chained like that? Isn¡¯t that inhumane?¡± She looked to Dr. Gage.


    ¡°Believe me, you wouldn¡¯t like what would happen if I took the chains off.¡± Dr. Gage shook his head.


    ¡°Where is it? I¡¯ve been waiting like a good boy! I¡¯ve wanted my old stabby back for so long! This is the last one, right? I got the rest from the nice man over there, yes?¡± The man in white looked to the man in black, who nodded and huffed.


    ¡°Yes, Xhe, this is the last one.¡± Skyler summoned the axe that Wrackivorn had and tossed it over to Xhe, who caught it.


    ¡°Oh, I remember this stabby, Shadow Vortex, I missed you.¡± Xhe started to cuddle it.


    ¡°You can snuggle with it when we get home.¡± The man in black rolled his eyes.


    ¡°How has the secret underground base below the hospital been, Pestilence?¡± Skyler smiled at the man in black.


    ¡°It¡¯s been fine, I like it here better though, feels more like home.¡± Pestilence smiled.


    ¡°Oh, hello pretty lady!¡± Xhe waved Gabrielle down.


    ¡°Oh Skyler this seems so mean, he seems so nice, besides the stabby comment.¡± She looked to Skyler.


    ¡°He¡¯s a lot more dangerous than he appears. Also, if you ever see him again, don¡¯t ever ask him for help, or to help you in any way, if you even say the word help, you¡¯re in deep shit.¡± Skyler frowned.


    ¡°Someone needs helping? I¡¯ve already got a stabby ready!¡± Xhe smiled and made stabbing motions with the axe.


    ¡°Actually, I think you may be right.¡± She recoiled and put a hand to her chin.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to introduce yourself, Xhe?¡± Skyler turned back to Xhe, who nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m Xhe, and this is my boyfriend, Pestilence Machine, Pestilence for short. He¡¯s a bit grumpy right now but he¡¯s nice.¡± Xhe pointed to Pestilence Machine, who huffed again.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I can¡¯t get mad at you.¡± Pestilence sighed.


    ¡°Why is Dr. Gage in charge of these two?¡± She wondered why a doctor would be in charge of two dangerous people.


    ¡°Well for one, he¡¯s the one who helped make Xhe and Pestilence¡¯s current android bodies, they are both androids, I know it¡¯s hard to tell. They were fashioned after Pestilence¡¯s vision of perfection, which is what Hex looks like. Xhe was a randomly chosen soul, basically Pestilence wanted a boyfriend and he won the demon lottery.¡± Skyler let out another singular chuckle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we don¡¯t look amazing.¡± Pestilence¡¯s smile turned into a wide grin.


    ¡°I¡¯d be a hypocrite if I said that.¡± Skyler shook his head.


    ¡°Well, how did Wrackivorn and the others take your weapons, Xhe?¡± Gabrielle asked Xhe.


    ¡°They said they would borrow it from my armory but they never gave them back.¡± Xhe folded his arms and frowned.


    ¡°You have an entire armory?¡± She was surprised a regular demon would have enough weapons to own an armory.


    ¡°He used to be Satan¡¯s right hand man, of course he has an armory.¡± Skyler raised a finger.


    ¡°I miss mister Satan sometimes, but Pestilence makes me happy, so I¡¯m not sad about it.¡± Xhe hugged Pestilence, who smiled back at him.


    ¡°You big puppy.¡± Pestilence ruffled Xhe¡¯s spiky triangle of a haircut.


    Xhe made high pitched barking noises, and Pestilence laughed.


    ¡°You know, he may have a few screws loose, but he¡¯s really adorable.¡± She giggled again.


    ¡°He acts like a kid but he¡¯s ancient, even Dr. Gage isn¡¯t sure why.¡± Skyler shrugged.


    ¡°How old is Pestilence?¡± She asked.


    ¡°A lot younger than Xhe but still probably a couple hundred years old.¡± He turned to her and put his hands in his pockets.


    ¡°It¡¯s weird that the younger one acts older.¡± She wondered what caused them to act completely different to their age.


    ¡°I heard from Elaine that Xhe was always like that, and that she met him once before in hell. He looked a lot different than he does now, besides the height, he was always short.¡± He grinned again.


    ¡°She¡¯s been to hell? That¡¯s terrible!¡± She never knew Elaine had went to hell, and always thought that it was a terrible place.


    ¡°She¡¯s a demon, hell doesn¡¯t torture demons. She was fine down there.¡± He shook his head again.


    ¡°Oh, okay, I was just worried.¡± She knew Elaine wasn¡¯t a bad person, even though people thought the default for demons was bad.


    ¡°She¡¯s right about having tea with mister Satan on Tuesdays, you know. She wasn¡¯t bluffing, I saw them.¡± Xhe giggled


    ¡°I believed her.¡± Skyler waved his hand slightly.


    ¡°She has prime real estate down there.¡± Pestilence said matter of factly


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Xhe turned to Pestilence with wide eyes.


    ¡°I still keep in touch with the big man down below.¡± Pestilence gave a small smile.


    ¡°Tell mister Satan I said hi then.¡± Xhe tugged on Pestilence¡¯s shirt.


    ¡°I will, I let him know how you¡¯re doing, you think I wouldn¡¯t? Or that he wouldn¡¯t be interested?¡± Pestilence said calmly.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good, I¡¯m glad.¡± Xhe nodded again.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time for us to go.¡± Skyler turned and started to walk away.


    ¡°Okay! Bye nice shadowy guy! Bye pretty lady!¡± Xhe waved and grinned at them.


    ¡°Bye Xhe!¡± She waved goodbye and turned around and went to catch up with Skyler.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really like them anyways.¡± Pestilence huffed again.


    ¡°Aw, come on. They were nice.¡± Xhe elbowed Pestilence lightly.


    ¡°Bye, I guess,¡± Pestilence grumbled.


    Skyler and Gabrielle went back to the castle and waited for nightfall together. They enjoyed each other''s company, and talked the day away. He told her about how selfless Elaine was, that not only did she give up a piece of her soul to bring Pain into the world, but she had also used herself as a human shield to protect one of her previous boyfriends from getting shot, which was the first time she had died. She was confused as to why she had a boyfriend even though she was told before that she fell in love with Hex early on. Skyler explained that she was trying to forget about him and move on, but none of her relationships worked out.


    She felt bad for Elaine, who gave up so much for the people she cared about. She said she wanted to be like Elaine, selfless and ready to lay down her life and even her soul for the people she cared about. But Skyler explained that she already was, and that her trying to control him while he was merged with Dahlia was extremely dangerous, as he knew that she was doing it. He was scared to tell her before because he didn¡¯t want to scare her. She was surprised, she barely ever felt in danger in the past months, but she was more in danger than she thought she was.


    She hugged him, and told him that she was right to trust him. Skyler said that he was unsure about himself because of his past and dealing with mental instability. She understood what she was told before, that it took him a lot of time in therapy to even become remotely normal, but she still trusted him. She loved him with all her might, and she was prepared to spend the rest of her life with him.

 Triple Date and Trouble

    Gabrielle put on her pretty red dress, she was so excited to go on a triple date. She didn¡¯t know that Drake and Lunara had gone on a date the week before though, but luckily Lunara coaxed Drake into going. She felt bad about Pain going, because Fira told her that it hurts him to change his prosthetic jaws, but he really did want to go.


    ¡°Are you almost ready?¡± Skyler peeked in, he wasn¡¯t wearing his trench coat, he had a nice black dress shirt on with some black dress pants.


    ¡°Are you trying to catch me in the middle of getting dressed?¡± She giggled.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen you in less.¡± His cheeks turned gray.


    ¡°Oh, you!¡± She blushed as well, and flicked her hand in his direction.


    ¡°Well, you might wanna hurry up, it¡¯s almost time to leave.¡± He lowered his head and quietly shut the door.


    She picked out a matching pair of red heels and put them on. She grabbed her purse and headed into the living room. Skyler was putting on a long dress coat. After he buttoned it up, she couldn¡¯t hold in her chuckles.


    ¡°You look like a super villain.¡± Some air escaped past her teeth as she tried to stifle her laughter.


    ¡°Do I?¡± He looked down.


    ¡°Yeah, I think you should have picked a shorter one.¡± She put a hand to her face.


    ¡°Sheesh, is there anything I can do to make it look less super villainy?¡± He raised ends of the coat a little with his fingers.


    ¡°Maybe a cute lapel pin would take the edge off, and I do mean edge.¡± She went into her room and looked in a clothes drawer for a cute pin for him to wear.


    ¡°You keep your pins in there?¡± He peeked back in.


    ¡°Oh, this one is just perfect.¡± She picked up a golden rose pin.


    ¡°Can I keep it?¡± He slipped through the doorway and walked up behind her.


    ¡°Of course.¡± She presented him with the pin.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He took the pin and kissed her on the cheek.


    She giggled again. She slipped past him and went to the door. They left in Skyler¡¯s car to the restaurant. They arrived and got out, she noticed Pain and Fira first, and waved at them. Pain went over and hugged her.


    ¡°How are you doing? It feels like forever since I last saw you! Thanks for keeping those guys occupied, by the way.¡± She patted Pain on the shoulder.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have to use the book, I¡¯m fine, Shai made Fira an honorary member.¡± Pain smiled.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great! I heard horrible things about that book from people.¡± She shivered. remembering the horror stories Skyler and Elaine told her.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you two are getting along.¡± Fira walked up to the two of them.


    ¡°Wait, why do you have a ring? Did you and Skyler get engaged?¡± Pain looked down at the ring and looked up at Gabrielle


    ¡°Well, yes.¡± Gabrielle nodded


    ¡°That¡¯s so sweet, I¡¯m happy for you two.¡± Fira put her hands on her cheeks.


    ¡°Looks like you two are about ready to tie the knot.¡± Pain grinned.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Lunara and Drake?¡± Gabrielle looked around.


    ¡°Over there.¡± Fira pointed to the doorway to the restaurant.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t recognize them in those clothes.¡± She was surprised. Lunara was wearing white, which was the first time that she had ever seen her in those colors. Drake was wearing a dark blue suit. She had never seen him anything but black, and thought that goths are only supposed to wear black.


    ¡°I told them not to wear their goth clothes this time.¡± Fira shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t tell me to not wear dark purple,¡± Pain said, adjusting his dark purple suit.


    ¡°Oh no, you¡¯re fine. I don¡¯t think dark purple is a goth color, I¡¯m trying to get Drake and Lunara to ease up on the goth clothes.¡± Fira giggled.


    ¡°To be honest, I think you are right about Drake and Lunara being goths, I never see them wear anything but black, they¡¯re mopey a lot, it really fits. I just didn¡¯t realize until you told me they¡¯d be losing the goth clothes.¡± He rubbed the back of his head.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Well, we should join up with them, come on.¡± Fira tugged at his suit.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go, Skyler.¡± Gabrielle turned to Skyler and grabbed his hand.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Skyler smiled as she led him to the doorway.


    They got inside and got seated. Lunara and Drake looked surprisingly happy for people who weren¡¯t wearing the type of clothing they usually do. They were seated next to Pain and Fira on the right side of the table, and Skyler and Gabrielle sat in the middle of the left side.


    ¡°You seem to have cheered up after I got you to go.¡± Lunara grinned at Drake, who smiled back.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been told taking your advice is a good idea.¡± Drake nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m so used to us spending time in Purgatory that going out became a foreign concept to me.¡± Pain smiled awkwardly.


    ¡°Aw, but you know I love that place.¡± Fira rubbed Pain¡¯s gloved arm.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Lunara can say the same for the Mainframe.¡± Drake frowned.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that scary, I mean, the ground was slippery but other than that it was fine.¡± Lunara shook her head.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, Gabrielle and Skyler are engaged now,¡± Pain said.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡± Lunara smiled.


    ¡°I had already heard about that from Skyler, since we¡¯re family.¡± Drake shrugged.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy for them still?¡± She turned to Drake.


    ¡°Yeah, I am. I just already heard the news.¡± Drake lowered his head.


    ¡°Oh, speaking of that, Skyler got a new scar. By the way, will you ever get those flare ups again?¡± Gabrielle looked at Skyler worriedly.


    ¡°Oh, no. Now that they are all dead, that won¡¯t be a problem anymore. I easily overpower their influence now, since I have all their pieces.¡± Skyler sighed and smiled.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good! I really hated that I had to watch you sit there and hurt last time.¡± She breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I was told by that Adam guy, you know, the guy with the pea shaped head.¡± He made a gesture with his hands showing the shape of Adam¡¯s head.


    ¡°Oh yeah, he told you what to do to bring peace to Elega, I remember that.¡± She nodded slightly.


    ¡°Yeah, glad all that shit is done and now we can relax while the new castle is being built.¡± Skyler leaned back and wrapped his hands behind his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make a great king, not sure about me being queen though.¡± Her smile faded, she wasn¡¯t really sure about her abilities.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be the best queen ever, I guarantee it.¡± He nodded at her reassuringly.


    ¡°You always know what to say.¡± She leaned on her wrist.


    The waiter came up to the table and took their order, then went back to the back. They chatted for a little while until the waiter brought them their food. After that they started to eat. Skyler scooped a fork full of lasagna but some of it got on his right glove.


    ¡°Ah shit.¡± He took some water and a napkin and rubbed the glop of sauce off. He took his glove off to let it dry.


    ¡°You¡¯re so messy.¡± Gabrielle laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, they put a lot of sauce on this thing.¡± Skyler frowned and wiped his sauce covered lips with the still wet napkin.


    ¡°It almost looked like blood,¡± Lunara said.


    ¡°Yeah, like he¡¯d eat anybody.¡± Gabrielle laughed again.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Well...¡± Skyler went silent.


    ¡°Wait¡­ You haven¡¯t¡­ Did you?¡± She put a hand to her face.


    ¡°I was out of it but yeah, I have before. Demons are capable of digesting that kinda stuff. I just choose not to.¡± Skyler lowered his head again.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say if I have or not, I wouldn¡¯t have been in control of my body if I did, but I do know Mother has, only when she was either really hungry or she was out of it,¡± Drake piped up.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t asked Glitch about that?¡± Lunara¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°I was too afraid to ask.¡± Drake shook his head


    ¡°Okay, I think that¡¯s enough of that talk for now.¡± Gabrielle was getting uncomfortable.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Skyler nodded. Drake went silent and continued to eat his food.


    They continued to eat, mostly in silence, with some small talk sprinkled in. After everyone was done with their meal, everyone wondered who would pay the bill, and if it should be split. The door opened to their right, and a bunch of people in very familiar coats came in.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it.¡± Skyler raised his right hand.


    One of them drew a gun and fired at Skyler. There was a loud ricochet noise, and Skyler lowered his right hand, which had morphed into a small shield. Everyone got up and drew their weapons.


    ¡°I see Turbuk wants to say hello.¡± Skyler morphed the shield into a blade.


    ¡°At least they let us finish eating first.¡± Pain chuffed with a smile.


    ¡°Who are these people?¡± Lunara looked to Drake.


    ¡°Demon Hunters,¡± Drake replied.


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s who they are.¡± Fira looked back.


    ¡°Yeah, stay vigilant.¡± Pain brandished his scythe.


    They jumped into action and attacked the Demon Hunters. Pain and Skyler were slashing at them, while Lunara and Gabrielle were in the back, Lunara was shooting arrows and Gabrielle was casting weak light spells so she wouldn¡¯t pass out. Drake had his gloves off and was clawing at a few Demon Hunters, while Fira was busy dodging and parrying a few of them on her own. Pain hacked a few of them in half, as did Skyler. Gabrielle and Lunara hit a few of them from afar, weakening them enough so Skyler, Pain and Drake could finish them off. Drake was covered in goo in the aftermath after how many he clawed, and Fira eventually finished off her opponents as she finished them off one by one.


    After the last one fell, Skyler morphed his arm back to normal and handed the stunned waiter his card, along with a twenty dollar bill lightly splotched with yellow goo.


    ¡°Here¡¯s a tip for being understanding.¡± Skyler grinned.


    ¡°Th¡­ Thank you,¡± The waiter said breathlessly and took his card and the twenty dollar bill.


    After the bill was paid, they left. Even though they were covered in goo, they still had a good time.


    ¡°See you soon, everyone.¡± Skyler waved.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to stop by the hospital.¡± Drake waved back.


    ¡°Congrats on the engagement, you two! I¡¯m going to get cleaned up and then spend the rest of the day with Fira, you up for it, love?¡± Pain wiped some goo off his face and lovingly eyed Fira.


    ¡°I wish we didn¡¯t have to go, but alright. I¡¯ll see you later Gabrielle, Lunara.¡± Fira waved.


    ¡°Yeah, bye everyone! Have a great rest of your day!¡± Gabrielle waved too.


    They all parted ways and got into their cars. Everyone went home knowing that even though the war was officially over in Elega, conflict was always on the horizon. Gabrielle especially knew that it wasn¡¯t over, because Skyler didn¡¯t seem that happy about the confrontation. She remembered Skyler saying it was Turbuk who sent the Demon Hunters, and she was worried that she wouldn¡¯t be able to go out by herself anymore without being prepared for battle. She sighed and looked at her ring. One story had ended, but another was just beginning.