Chapter 39 RUBINIt doesn’t fail to surprise me every time a place dissolves as though it was melting around me and the other one takes over it, solidifying, like it was being built in a fast pace. Birds twitter around, some of them diving in the fountain, splashing as they rejoiced of the water. Aeon marched at the front door and asked for me to prepare my arrow and open it only to be surprise when the door opens. Caelum’s head popped out and he ushered us in. With my guilty hand over my satchel, I silently followed after Newman. “I didn’t expect you to take longer as you should considering the short distance between here and there,” Caelum said as we walk inside, his eyes glued at the books on Aeon’s hand “I can say that you’ve taken your sweet precious time in my flat, judging by those books.” Aeon nervously passed the books to Newman whose knees buckled of the weight, fumbling with them on his arms. “Well, you cannot blame me for taking my time searching over your books consi
Chapter 40RUBINEntering an alley, I grabbed a vial of potion from my satchel and poured it on top of my head. Warmth flooded my insides as I walk back outside the sun, now unnoticeable. I took an arrow from my quiver and lined it with my bow while I choose my desirable victim.The park was sprinkled here and there with children and adults – all occupied with their own business. I couldn’t decide on whom should I target. I bit my lip. I scurried behind a tree and let the arrow fly across and hit a guy who is running after a dog. I watched as the dog pulled harder and the leash tangled with the girl’s roller skate, making her stumble on top of the guy. The dog sniffed its owner before licking the girl’s face as though, the dog approves. “Not bad for today,” I counted my arrows and recheck the tally on my notebook – 23 couples to go. I am past my quota. I just have to work harder to spot which of these Gaeans deserves my blessing of undying love. Slipping the bow on my shoulder, I no
Chapter 41RUBIN“This is the usual ethics. You use the knife and fork for fine dining. You don’t grab food!” I sighed, biting my lip – I know about this already. “Cars are the carriages you are talking about yesterday. Can you tell me what motorcycles are?” I pondered for a moment, putting my finger under my chin and tapping it, “It’s, uh, it’s like the same thing with cars only that motorcycles have two wheels like bicycles but run on machines and operated with gasoline.” Newman smirks as he sat across me, watching us with his curious green eyes that almost matches mine. I smiled back and huffed as Aeon pass me different pictures. “Humans are not that observant, so you can passed most of this as simple ignorance or twisted joke but the crucial thing here is this,” he waves the black pad and gave me a wide grin which I scowled at. He passed the phone at me and take his own, showing me, “The top, smooth part is called the screen. You tap it once or twice and it reacts.” The so called
Chapter 42CAELUM The scroll refused to straighten so I put my cup as a paperweight while I read the inscription on the scroll, frowning down at it. “For he who fell on earth because of love,” I sighed, hanging my head down so it collides with the table whilst glaring at the scroll, stretching my arms. I pulled at my hair and stared at my reflection at the window, my pleading eyes looking back at me as I whispered the next words, “will be ended by the wielder of the arrow...why? Why should she end me? I should be happy because my suffering will finally end but now, I couldn’t. I don’t want to leave!”Rubin knows that something is wrong when I started to refused her of my attention and treated her like she wasn’t there at all. It breaks me every time I see her hurt but I couldn’t help being afraid that those hurtful eyes will be the one I will be looking at as she ends me.She is the one in the prophecy.“You have to stop this, Caelum.” Aeon’s voice rang out as he watches me from acr
Chapter 43RUBINI felt another slap on my arm and only then did I noticed Rubin screaming at me to stop, her warm hands grabbing my face, forcing me to look at her.” Caelum, stop. Please, stop this!” She held my hand and whispered, “Come on, let’s get out of here, okay? Come with me,” She drags me out of the diner, leading me out to the park nearby. The bright sun sobered me up and I look down to see her tiny hands enclosing mine as she pulled me. We stopped by an oak tree; both out of breath and shaking.“Caelum, why did you do that?”“You don’t understand his true intentions.” I gritted my teeth and look down on my feet, continuing, “I knew it from the very moment he spoke. You haven’t seen his face - I can clearly read him.”“Why? Is it because you see the same expression that you have every time you started luring humans in your trap and take their hearts?” Rubin spat, making me stand there, astound of her words. “If you really care for me, Caelum, you will let me experience lif
Chapter 44CAELUMThe dome disappeared. The damp soil was replaced by gleaming granites as the smell of death, moss and rotting flowers infiltrated my lungs. “I’m glad you called. I was hoping for a much earlier meeting but it seems that you are kept busy by that charming little cupid,” His voice eerily echoed and I look around noticing his dark form that is drawing close. Hades pulls off his coat and his luminous blue hair floated, licking the top of his head. Curiously, I observed how each strand of his hair drifted as though the wind is blowing at it.“Staring is rude, you know,”“I know – it’s just that your hair...”“Oh! Of course. You are so fascinated by it that you actually told Walt Disney about it and did you know what they did to my character ? They made a horse blow my hair off!”“Did they?”“Oh, don’t act so surprise.”“But I am not the one who give them the information about your hair, it was Aeon who—”“Anemoi. I prefer to call him by his original name as I do to you,
Chapter 46CAELUM“This is priceless!” I shook my head at Aeon who is looking down at the arrow as though it was the best thing he ever saw. “I mean, this is the arrow that Aphrodite had conjured. This is literally gold – like gold gold!”“And that is what ended me in the past, which will probably be the very same ending I will face.”“Oh, don’t be stupid!” Aeon waves his hand and I watched as the arrow soared around the room, his wind carrying it. “What did Hades really tell you?”“Well, Hades have mentioned that he is only trying to help me which is why he keeps on tracking me down. I do not know if he is being cryptic of his answers but then, I get it. Hades only wanted my soul – it was his main purpose, to restore the balance of life on earth. It was his way of making my life easier or should I say, shorter.” I glared at the arrow as it zooms around. Aeon is definitely having fun with it.“But really – why should he give you something like this after a millennium? I mean, how di
Chapter 46CAELUMI frowned at the women who passed me by, deciding that a nod in reply would suffice only to earn a giggle. I raised an eyebrow at their reaction and pondered as I breathe in, thinking about Rubin, trusting Aeon’s wind. The sun is slowly sinking and the surroundings, darkened. I had to find her, soon. Biting my lip, I chose to enter the boutique and look around.“Try this on. This will cheer you up for sure.” the raven-haired girl exclaimed as I passed by her, thinking that she might be losing her marbles while talking to herself when another girl emerged from the veil, “I don’t think so, Rause. This sort of distractions doesn’t work for me.”Her voice ring out from the other side of the room and I turned around to see Rubin scowling at the raven-head. “Will you be fine to grab some snacks then before you head back? I am famished, Ru.”“I’m not sure though. I’m running late and they might be looking for me already since-” Rubin stopped mid-sentence as she noticed me s