When his sight finally adjusted, he found that he was standing in the park in Jaida's city. It was dark, the stars painting the night sky above. It was beautiful, but he wasn't focusing on that. His eyes were currently wide with horror, because what he saw wasn't in any way a portrait of beauty. On the ground before him was Jaida, lying limply on the soft green grass. However, something was horribly wrong. She was as still as death, and it was hard to miss the reason. Four bloody gashes were open across her chest, ranging from her neck to her waist. There was no doubt in Arius' mind as he stared at her pale form. She was dead. Arius began backing away slowly, confused and terrified. The image was mind boggling, and the smell of blood was horrific. He just couldn't take this anymore. He couldn't take anymore of these images. His mind was just too exhausted, too distraught. However, when he finally began to feel aware again, w

When they finally reached the area where the gate had opened, it began closing. They were still in the park, but they would end up in the city if they went any further. This was all just so confusing right now. Why had the gate opened? Had someone gone through, or had they come out? "Just what's going on?" asked Jaida, looking to Arius for an answer. Unfortunately, he couldn't provide one. He was unsure about this himself. Why would the gate open without a reason? Jaida screamed a bit in surprise when the nearby bushes and trees began rustling. This part of the park was a bit more shaded, seeming like a miniature forest. Something was lurking in the shadows, and whatever it was had definitely startled her. She was now hiding behind Arius, who had his attention on the rustling plants. His eyes hardened, and he prepared himself for a possible encounter with an enemy. The trees and bushes began to part as whatever was hidin

 The angel spread his wings, flexing them just a bit as he shifted Jaida once more. He watched in fascination as Nero, broken and bandaged, did the same. The Deslyan was bold, that was for sure. "Follow me if you want," said Lucius, "but before Arius returns, both of you will die. I'll make sure of it." And with that said, he took off, and Nero followed shortly after. He had to keep the angel busy until Arius got back. He couldn't let Jaida die, even if it meant that he would be killed by Lucius. It didn't really matter anyway. Either he'd die by the hands of the angel or Arius would kill him personally. His life was more or less

Arius was on his knees, his hands placed firmly against his throbbing head. His eyes were closed in hopes of riding his mind of the illustration before him, but he just couldn't do it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself from killing his only real friend, the one girl who meant more to him than anyone. He couldn't save her. He couldn't do anything."Can you feel it yet?" Lucius asked with a smirk. "Can you feel your inside is turning, your body burning? Doesn't this bring back memories?"

 Currently, he was simply floating high above the forestry below. He was searching the sky for any sign of an angel. He wasn't sure what to expect. If the angel were to stay in the same area, he'd be able to sense him. However, either the angel wasn't even there or he was too busy moving around to let Arius sense him. This one was obviously going to be a challenge. No angel had ever stayed out of his sights for this long. Missions barely ever took longer than a week. This one had already breached that limit.