"What can I do for you?" she asked. Jaida just held up her injured finger and gave the woman a smile.
"Just a paper cut," she told the nurse, who simply smiled and walked further back into her office. While she looked for some bandages, Jaida turned to Arius, who was avoiding her eyes. He didn't want to see the blood on her finger, even if it wasn't that much.
"It's only a cut," she told him. "I won't die or anything."
"I know," he told her. "It's just that…" He wasn't sure how to end that. He couldn't tell her that when he had seen the blood on her hand, Lucius had sent him a rather horrifying image. He tried to think of a way to complete this sentence, but nothing was coming to him. He knew a cut that small wasn't in any way life threatening. He just couldn't stand the sight of blood, no matter how much or how little there was.
"It's okay. You don't like blood," she finished for him. "I know
The bell seemed to ring all too soon, signaling the end of the class. The students all hurried out, anxious for another weekend. However, Jaida and Arius were taking their sweet time, especially Arius. He seemed so zoned out. He resembled the living dead as he nonchalantly shoved his books into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He began following Jaida out of the room, his eyes currently on Mr. Owens. The English teacher was looking at him rather sadly."Goodbye, Mr. Owens," he called as he began walking through the door."Goodbye, Arius," his teacher responded. "Take care." With one last nod, he left the room, knowing for a fact that he'd never walk through that doorway again.After a day of nothing but school and watching television, night had finally fallen. It was sometime between eleven and midnight, but Arius found that he just couldn't sleep. It's not like anyone could blame him. He had to fight Lucius tomor
"I just wanna hold you," he told her, his soft voice melting her insides. "Just for tonight…please." Jaida broke into a soft smile and wrapped her arms around him. It felt so strange holding him like this. He had changed so much since that first day, the day he had threatened her life in the hospital. The once cold, arrogant, aloof Deslyan was now asking if he could hold her, if he could stay with her for the night. In the beginning, he wouldn't even touch her, and now he didn't seem to want to let her go. Life on Earth, life with her, had changed him…for the better."Sure," she told him. "I don't mind." He just pulled away slowly and watched as she moved over on her bed, motioning for him to join her. He just sat down first and then proceeded to lie next to her. He rolled onto his side and met her tender eyes with his glowing ones. She had such a soft smile on her face.Arius reached over and wrapped his arms around her, pulli
Behind him, the sun began spreading its light to the surrounding buildings. It was painting everything in a beautiful golden color. This was the last time he'd see the light of the sun, the last time he'd see this blue sky. Sure, there was the possibility that he would survive, that he would win the war, and then he would be allowed to return. However, that option was highly unlikely. He didn't want to depend on it. He would keep it in the back of his mind as something to keep him going. He would look at this not as defeating Lucius, not as winning a war and saving a planet. He'd do it all to protect the people he loved. He'd do it for his race, his friends, his world…for Jaida. He'd kill Lucius in her name, no one else's.As he reached the renovation area, the one place in the city where not a soul resided, he noticed that the broken glass and damaged buildings hadn't completely been taken care of yet. It was probably for the best, because t
"Sorry," she apologized before standing up."Jaida?" the other person questioned, and she finally looked to see just who she had run into. It turned out that she had slammed right into Mr. Owens. He was currently getting to his feet, rubbing his head a bit. He adjusted his glasses before offering her a hand up. Usually he'd put a smile on his face during a meeting like this, but instead he wore a very dismal expression."What are you doing up so early?" he asked her curiously."I could ask you the same thing," she shot back, wanting to get this conversation over with. She had to go find Arius."I came because there's something I need to tell you." He paused, inhaling deeply before continuing. "It's Arius. He left this morning to fight Lucius.""I know," she told him, a rather urgent tone in her
Jaida had been running for what felt like an eternity, and she still hadn't found hide or hair of Arius. She wasn't sure where to even look. There weren't that many places in the city that a battle could be held at. They obviously didn't want anyone seeing them fight, so it wouldn't be towards the populated areas. They wouldn't have gone to the park. However, they wouldn't have left the city limits either.When she reached the residential area, the place she had started from, she had to stop and catch her breath. It was time to try a new direction. She couldn't take a break for too long. She needed to find her friend. She had to find Arius before something horrible happened to him. He couldn't die; she wouldn't allow it. He had to stay alive for a little longer, at least until she could see him again. All she wanted was to see him one more time.After taking a deep b
As he hit the ground, he felt his broken wing twist a bit more, and he cried out in pain. It blocked out the rest of the sensations in his body, including the way his raw and bloody chest was burning from its recent thrashing. The pain of his broken ribs stabbing into his side was long forgotten, and the taste of blood in his mouth could no longer be sensed. As he lied there, bleeding from every limb he possessed, he found that he just didn't care anymore. The pain had become so great that he felt numb. He couldn't move a single muscle. He could barely even catch his breath. This was really it. He was dying.Arius wanted to get back up, to face down Lucius once more. He wanted to glare at the angel, threaten him, to do something other than just lie here. However, he couldn't find the strength he needed. His mind was blank, every thought being drained from it as he lied there. He found that all he wanted was for this pain to
"Jaida?" he questioned, shaking her a bit. "Don't do this. You've gotta wake up." She didn't respond at all to him. She was barely breathing anymore. He bent down a bit, placing his lips to her ear. "You've gotta stay alive. If you do, I promise I'll see you again. Thank you…Jaida.""Well," began Lucius, a very edgy tone to his usually laid back voice. "I see you told her." He slowly began walking forwards, a scowl on his face. "You know the rules. Since she interfered, I'm afraid I'll have to kill her." Arius snapped his attention to the angel, a deep, hateful glare on his face. His blood red eyes were like ice as he stared down Lucius. The angel didn't seem to notice the sudden change in his adversary, because he tried approaching. He apparently thought that Arius was too drained to fight back anymore, so he reached out towards Jaida, as if he was going to take her. Needless to say, this didn't go over well with Ari
Arius snapped his blood red eyes open and shot Lucius his most threatening glare. This was going to be it. He had to put everything he had into one massive release of pure black magic. That was the only way he'd be able to truly get rid of Lucius. He had to destroy the angel once and for all. After all, the deal had been "no retreating." Lucius couldn't run away this time. He had said it himself. One of them was going to die today."How?" Lucius asked, watching as the tendrils of black light no longer thrashed about wildly. If anything, it looked like they were under Arius' control. The Deslyan's blood red eyes were full of fire, and all of it was being directed towards him."It's over," Arius stated. "One of us will die…that's what you told me. It's time we end this once and for all." Every bit of magic radiating from him suddenly stopped moving, the winds fr