Arius relaxed a bit and sat back comfortably in his chair. He calmed down enough to at least answer her question."The council is a group of Deslyans who decide what the rest of us do," he told her calmly. He shot her a small glare, and she got the hint that he didn't want her asking anymore questions about him or the other Deslyans. She wasn't sure why it mattered so much, but she quickly remembered that she wasn't even supposed to know about him. When she had first mentioned his wings, he had nearly killed her on the spot. Right now though, in exchange for her life, she was helping him. She wasn't sure what the point was if he was just going to have to kill her anyway once Lucius was dead. At least if she hung around Arius, she could live for a little longer, right?As soon as they were finished, they left and continued wandering the city. There wasn't too much to really do if you didn't have money, and Jaida was really running short. Her two weeks allowance wasn't that much (maybe a
Arius walked around a bit more in the area, knowing that Jaida wouldn't have gone too far. She knew he didn't know the city that well. She wouldn't just abandon him. However, he just couldn't see her, and no matter how many times he called out to her, she never answered. He walked back to the department store, looking around a bit more."Damn it," he cursed softly. "Where'd she go?""Are you looking for someone?" asked a voice beside him. Arius glanced over and then downwards, seeing a relatively old man sitting against the brick wall of the store. He looked a bit poor, and he had a tin can in front of him. Arius had seen these people before. Jaida had told him that they were unemployed men and women who were too poor to afford a house. They usually collected money from sympathetic passersby. "Yeah," said Arius, not wanting to say too much t
Jaida sighed mentally, her frown turning into a small smile. She had been sure he would just insult her a bit more. It's not like what he had said was much of a compliment anyway, but she decided that that was as good as it would get. There were only two types a humans in the world according to Arius. There were those who were useful and those who weren't. She was happy to be in the first category. After all, if she wasn't useful, Arius would just get rid of her. "So tell me," began Arius, looking to Nero. "Why are you here?" "I have a message from the council," he began, his expression becoming quite grim. Whatever he had to say, it probably wasn't very good. "They need you to kill Lucius this time. He can't be allowed to escape again.""I know that," said Arius with a scowl. "Who does the council think I am?" Nero just smiled a bit. Jaida was ha
Jaida had spent the rest of her day reading in her room while Arius was either lying in his bed, pacing the hallway, or watching television, something else that greatly fascinated him. He was always saying how primitive their technology was compared to what was in his world, yet he was always so fascinated with everything, especially the electronics. Strange as it was, he spent a lot of time watching the news, learning about the rest of their planet along with the things that went on in their city. It was currently around eleven o'clock, and both Arius and Jaida were exhausted, considering the fact that Arius had gotten up at around six thirty and got Jaida up an hour later. They were both in dire need of sleep, and they'd be able to sleep in tomorrow for a few hours at least. They didn't have to go back until Wednesday, so they'd make the most of it.Jaida's eyes opened, but she was met wi
Jaida just stated at it for a while, marveling at how beautiful it was. She then realized that she had no idea why she was holding it. How had she gotten such a thing? Whose was it anyway? It was then that she remembered her dream. Lucius had spoken to her. He had told her to take something. He had called it a keystone. She had a sneaking suspicion that that was what she was holding. She also knew who its owner was."Damn it!" she heard Arius yell, his voice breaching the wall between their rooms. Jaida quickly got out of bed and pulled on a housecoat, tucking the keystone deep in her pocket. She then ran to Arius' room to see what he was so angry about. He was always angry, but this seemed a bit serious.Jaida reached his room. He was still dressed in his school uniform, which he had worn yesterday. He was currently tearing his room apart, throwing things everywhere. He seemed to be searching for something, and searching frantically at that. Whatever he had lost was obviously of great
"Arius?" she questioned. "Is something wrong?" She watched as he looked to the building next to him. They were currently in a rather unpopulated area where the buildings were a bit more spread out. Hardly anyone walked these streets anymore unless they were just passing by or heading to the residential area. The fact that it was supposed to rain had chased even more people away from the streets.The building Arius was looking at was abandoned and had been for a few years now. It had currently been bought out and was going to be turned into an apartment. It was definitely large enough, spanning at least forty floors."He's here," whispered Arius, drawing Jaida's complete attention. She already knew who he meant. There was only one person that Arius became this rigid about. Lucius was nearby, and from the direction Arius was looking, he was either in or on top of the abandoned building. Arius seemed incredibly nervous this time though. Damn you Lucius…why now? What am I supposed to do?"
Jaida suddenly felt sick to her stomach. If this was what had given Arius his barrier, his protection against Lucius's magic, then by taking it, she had nearly killed him. She glanced up at him, instantly regretting doing so. He looked shocked, hurt…betrayed. He was staring at her as if she had just taken a knife and stabbed him in the back. She couldn't take it. Never had anyone looked at her like that, and Arius had been the last person she had thought would. "So you understand now," began Lucius. For a moment, she had forgotten that he was even there. "You know what the keystone is for.""You…" she began, suddenly feeling scared again. Scared and a bit angry. "You tricked me. You made me take it…you made me take it so you could…kill him." "A little slow are you?" he asked with amusement drippin
"Human," he growled lowly. "You won't be able to keep that up for too long. Eventually your body will succumb to the demand of the keystone. You don't have the energy to use it properly." Jaida pulled Arius closer, allowing his head to rest on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest.Arius, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If only there was someway I could make it up to you.She could feel the heat of the flames start to soak through the barrier, but she just held the keystone tightly in her hand. She had to keep this up. Their lives depended on it.Ever since this all began, you've been protecting me, and I've never done anything for you. Just this once, I wanna be the one to save you. So please Arius…don't die now.Suddenly, Lucius's attack stopped. The barrier fell, and Jaida opened her eyes to see what was going on. She was