The door to his room opens and Zye looks over, shoving the book beneath his pillow. The little journal he’s been keeping isn’t for anyone else’s eyes and he plans to keep it that way. Something that’s easy to do when Orion lingers at the threshold.
“You’re to stay here in your room until the meeting is over. Guardians aren’t needed for this so rest up until the mission later.”
Zye gives him a dismissive wave, keeping his tone barren of emotion. “Whatever, go on then. Have fun.”
Orion hesitates— something he’s not prone to do. It’s not for long as he’s pivoting and leaving the room. The door gives a solid ‘thunk’ behind him as he heads for the next door. Leaving his chamber, Orion heads straight for the stairs that will take him up to the next floor.
To Celeste’s room.
Up the stairs and to the top landing, Orion is greeted with the soft colors that make up Celeste’s room. It’s far more colorful than his could ever hope to be. The only plain thing about it are the off-white tiles and light blue-gray walls.
A look to the right gives a view of the large canopy bed in the corner. The faded lavender sheets and pillows are hidden well behind the semi-opaque draperies of the darkest magenta.
The dark color matches well with the large rug beneath the table across from where he stands. It’s low to the ground and reaches the knees of the people sitting around it. There’s plenty of room between the lavender-colored couches and the two chairs at the head of the table to round it off.
In one of those chairs is Celeste, they give a smile and nod toward him. Not that Orion pays them much mind. The only pair of eyes he cares to meet is Aster’s. The man lounges back against the cushions of one couch with Ilista next to him and Vespera to her.
They’re not the ones that he’s concerned about. No. Even the sight of Hax doesn’t have him bristling as much as he thought he would. If anything, it has Orion moving to sit beside Celeste faster than he normally would.
It’s the fact that Jace is seated next to Hax that has Orion on edge. Even worse when Jace lifts his gaze, easily meeting Orion’s green with his silver. A silent challenge. A fight between their eyes that has Celeste shifting uncomfortably in their seat from the palpable tension.
“Hax, you were telling me about the increase in energy density?” He nods and Celeste continues. “We as well have begun to encounter more Nether.”
“The density isn’t as concerning as it sounds. What is, is that it seems to be festering and spreading faster. It’s becoming harder to cleanse and disperse.” Hax meets each of their eyes, including them in the conversation by doing so. “I believe this is the work of the Dark Surge. Our intelligence has shown that it’s not just Dark Stars but Stars as well.”
Sitting up straight, Ilista quickly chimes in. “I’ve had Stars report that even rank four Nether are becoming difficult to deal with as if everything is getting a power boost.”
At the ends of the couches sit Jace and Vespera. Neither speak up and they keep their gazes guarded. Aster leans against the arm of the couch, following Orion’s every move with his eyes. The fact that Orion isn’t speaking up has Celeste rubbing their palms over their knees.
“Then we need to increase the monitoring of this situation.”
A smile tugs at Hax’s lips as he leans forward, bracing an elbow on his knee, while reaching for the cup of tea on the table. They might not need to drink, but Celeste has made and provided them each with a cup of warm liquid.
Hax aims his gaze at Orion, “And what do you plan to do other than that?”
Orion bites back quick, each word laced with cold precision. “Us? Your side isn’t even all here. I don’t see Kerse or Charmilla here helping.”
“O-Orion, calm down, there’s no need—”
Hax sets the cup down after taking a sip and waves for Celeste to stop. It doesn’t seem to phase him at all, this little outburst from Orion. “I’m sure you’ve gotten my message, that we’ve lost Charm. Then again, you don’t care about how we,” he gestures to Jace, “might feel to hear an accusation like that so soon after.”
Ilista tries to bite down her gasp. She glances over to Vespera who shakes her head, that she had no idea either. Regardless, Hax continues.
“We’re doing all we can to keep our heads above water. Not that someone so high on the horse would understand. It must be nice to be the most powerful man in the room.”
Orion’s grip on the arm of the chair tightens. “You’re out of line.”
“Am I?” Hax spares a glance at Celeste before standing. “It truly is a pleasure to see you again, old friend, but I’m done here. Jace will relay the rest of our findings and locations that have been the most suspicious in regards to the Surge.”
Hax steps around Jace’s knees and begins for the stairs. Not that walking stops him from chuckling on his way. A noise that’s neither happy nor light. “It’s a shame Haru isn’t here. He’d care that our stars are blinking out one after the other.”
“You can’t just walk away! Hax!”
Ignoring Orion’s anger, Hax hurries down the stairs. He knows he doesn’t have much time. Jace is thorough to the point where it won’t take him long to divulge the information. What he doesn’t expect is to get to the bottom of the stairs and have his eyes find purchase on just the thing he’s looking for.
The person.
Zye is shutting Orion’s door. A furtive glance and he turns around. His breath, which he can’t remember he doesn’t have to worry about, catches in his throat as hears it.
“And who might you be?”
His eyes meet with Hax’s almost instantly. A draw is there, something he can’t resist. They move toward each other and meet halfway between the mouth of the hallway and the stairs.
“Uh, I guess the fresh meat.”
“I meant your name. It must be stifling here, hm?”
“Zye and yeah, it can be.”
To say he’s having a hard time not staring is an understatement. This man looks nothing like Orion who seems human. Instead, the man before him has dark sclera and horns that curl back against the waves of his hair. Yet he’s not…scared. Just bewildered.
Despite his appearance, the man is nice enough to hold out his hand for Zye to shake. Which he does.
“My name is Hax. A pleasure to meet you.”
The first thing Zye notices is how warm the palm against his own is. So incredibly warm. It’s a welcomed heat until the fingers clasped to his hand don’t give way. There’s no pulling away— no sense in being rude. Not when he’s walking on thin ice with these people, to begin with.
“So, uh, is the meeting over then?”
A smile is directed up at him. “Almost. I don’t care for those things so I stepped out early.”
“Then I should get going.”
“Can’t let Orion know you snuck out of your cage?”
“What?”
Zye finds himself yanked down to Hax’s level, the man pulling his hand away and taking Zye’s with him. The grip tightens and he doesn’t know why he’s not concerned. At least, not yet.
“I can see it in your eyes. Something isn’t right and you have more questions than answers. I’m sure Orion keeps you on a tight leash, no?”
“I— what does that have to do with anything?”
“How sad. Be careful. Loneliness has people willing to become blind so that they can have companionship. They say they’re on your side, but are they?” A softer smile, one that rivals the emotion in that visible yellow eye. “If you ever need help, come find me.”
Zye doesn’t even hear the footsteps as they descend the stairs. However, he does see the man that comes off the last step. At first glance, he wouldn’t seem like much aside from being tall, like Zye himself. There are yellow tattoos beneath narrowed silver eyes. To which dark brown bangs dip between them and to the sides.
Some of the shaggy hair is styled up with the help of a yellow bandanna. Otherwise, he’s dressed in dark grays, shoes and shirt, with black pants tucked into knee-high boots. The sleeves stop just at the edges of his shoulders while a blue cloak is draped over his arm.
Yet to Zye? The man is striking.
“I’m ready to go. We’ll reconvene another day. Nothing is going to get done now that you worked Orion up into…Hax?”
Retreating from the handshake, Hax gives a small laugh. He turns to Jace with a slight nod toward the portal he summons beside Jace. “My apologies. I’ll play nicer next time.”
Zye is left standing there as Hax walks over to the man he doesn’t know. For a breath, their eyes lock and it’s as if he’s struck by lightning. Everything tingles and burns. There’s even a buzzing in his ears, something that does little to drown out the subtle jingling of the accessories on Jace’s boots as he’s urged away.
He reaches out toward their backs as Hax places a hand on the man’s arm. But he’s not fast enough. His feet don’t want to move and his throat feels like it’s sealing shut. He can’t do anything other than watch as the portal begins to dissipate— the swirls of oranges and reds fading away far too easily.
The second they’re gone, Zye feels it.
A sharp pain and unyielding pressure that settles between his eyes. It spreads faster than any headache or migraine he’s ever experienced. The intensity amps up to where tears gather at the corners of his eyes.
It hurts. It’s a pain that rivals that which he experienced when he was alive.
The agony wells up in his body. He lifts his hands, the very things that drag up and tussle through dark tresses. Clawing through the strands, he can’t do anything other than let out a groan despite the scream he wants to make.
Trapped in his own pain, he doesn’t notice Ilista coming down the stairs. Nor does he hear her muttering angrily to herself. Her hand glides down the railing as she goes. “I can’t believe they didn’t say anything. It’s Charmilla. Dammit…” She catches sight of Zye as she hops off the last step. “Zye? Are you alright?”
Except he’s not and he can’t even lift his head to tell her that. The strength is leaving him quickly to where he drops to his knees. The pain doesn’t register. Neither do the repeated calls of his name— it can’t get through the loud buzzing that’s making his ears ring.
Ilista hides her panic well. It’s smothered down beneath the concern as she kneels in front of Zye. She lifts his face in hopes of getting him to look at her. “Zye, come on, focus on me. If you can hear me…what in the…”
It’s not the eyes beginning to turn silver that confuses her. That normally happens when he’s training and using his bond with Orion. The blood dripping from his nose does. Anyone associated with Noctis is supposed to have blue blood. Something that Zye doesn’t have at this moment. To her, it looks red.
“What’s going on?”
The question is hurried and shouted at her as Orion bounds off the last few steps. Boots skid over the tile as he stops beside Ilista. He presses his palm to Zye’s forehead and immediately he can feel the heat radiating off of him.
“I’ll get Aster and—”
“Seriously?” Ilista pushes Orion away and begins to stand Zye back up. It’s a rocky maneuver to get him into place so that she can scoop him up into her arms.
Orion is left staring as she adjusts her grip. He knows she’s strong, but he didn’t expect her to go this far. When he doesn’t react, she huffs at him.
“Are you going to stand there and stare? Let’s go.”
“R-right.”
Leading her to his domain, she keeps up well with his quick strides despite having to carry someone. He takes her into the chamber and then into the next room. Orion gestures to Zye’s bed. “Just lay him down.”
“Shouldn’t we do something more? I can go get Celeste if you’d like.”
She doesn’t say it. The blood, the heat coming off of him, and the way Orion’s power flared up— they’re all signs that something is very wrong. More things he’s not telling her.
“No need. Thank you but you can leave.”
Orion doesn’t move until Ilista is gone. He waits for the sound of the door shutting before summoning his Mark. A touch to its head and he’s given a cloth. Taking it, he waves it away.
“Go clean up any trace of blood.”
It nods and follows in Ilista’s footsteps. Left alone, Orion is quick to wipe away the blood as best he can until no more comes out. Once it has, he rolls Zye over onto his stomach with a grunt. A glance to make sure he’s still out, cheek to the pillow and eyes closed, has Orion scouring the expanse of skin. To the point where he has to push the shirt up a hair.
There he glares at the mark on the middle of his back. Two slanted, white figure eights are beginning to fade. Almost barely able to be seen at that.
“Damn him…I should have known Hax would bring him. Having to erase more is only going to make this more unstable.” Orion places a hand over the marking until the skin begins to go from burning to cold. “I can’t let that happen again.”
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40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4030EU1Jz
The portal takes them straight to Hax’s room. Walking out into it, Jace is already shrugging away from Hax’s grip the second his feet touch solid ground. He doesn’t want to do this and turns right on his heel, planning to leave.
Seeing Zye again— seeing someone that should have run to him and didn’t?
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I have work to do.”
“Work? I thought you’d be more interested in your little boyfriend. But if you’d rather—”
Jace spins back around. Fingers curl into fists and eyes betray him from how they shine with emotion. The stoic mask cracks far too easily at the mention of the man he loves. “Why did you make me leave? He was right there!”
“You should be careful. You’d hate to let your visage slip. Although, it has been a while since I’ve seen it.”
A spark brightens along Jace’s knuckles followed by a lick of flame up his arm that snuffs out once it leaves his skin. He doesn’t have time for this.
Hax sighs and takes the shawl from his arms. Folding it, he tosses it onto a nearby chair while making for a bookcase. There, he idles— not quite lost in thought but looking for something.
“Calm down, it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.”
“Tell me why and what they did to him. He…looked in pain when he saw me.”
Hax takes something from the shelf. Looking at Jace, he lets his posture soften a bit. “Really? You would want to bring him here and let Kerse get her hands on him? Not to mention if he’s bound to Noctis, he can’t survive in Solis for that long.”
“But—”
“Orion is making sure to keep him weak. Strong enough to play the part of a pawn, but too weak to fight back. He couldn’t even handle my presence.”
“And what does that mean? Wouldn’t it be smarter to get him away from there? You—”
Hax strides over to Jace. “I will keep my end of the deal. Give me time to plan and I’ll let you know when it’s ready to make a move.”
“This…is ridiculous. We should just go back and talk to Orion.”
“If looks could kill, you’d have been dead ten times over from how he glared at you.” Hax gives a hum of thought. “Everything in all of creation is made of energy. If one learns, someone as powerful as a Celestial can tamper with the flow and block channels of it in a person.”
“I’m not in the mood for more riddles today.”
Hax chuckles at that. “You’re far cuter when you’re angry.”
The glare he gets in return for that reminds him how comfortable Jace is getting around him. Far more than he’s ever been.
“Orion has more than I. He’s on par with Kerse at the moment. That, plus how talented he is with strings would make it easy for him to tamper with memories.” Hax gives a wave of one hand, mimicking playing with strings. “Not to mention how much power he allows his Guardian.”
Jace watches Hax’s visible eye for any sign that he’s lying. “There’s still a balance? But Charm is gone.”
The only thing that Jace finds in that gaze is how Hax looks down toward his feet. Toes curl slightly against the tile as he tries to keep his voice steady. “I apologize again that I couldn’t…But yes, there’s still a balance.”
“Then…why did she kill Charm?”
“If you ever get the chance, ask her. I’m not entirely sure what happened. Charm can’t tell me her side. All I know is that Kerse said that Charm attacked her and not in the way that leaves room for living afterward.”
“She…attacked Kerse?”
He can’t say he doesn’t believe it. Not when he saw the look in her eyes that day when she disobeyed him. Part of him knows very well that she would have acted sooner, she’d have “fixed” the problem by force. The safety of his and the souls they protect was always her number one priority.
Nonetheless, Hax is already moving along in the conversation with a nervous laugh. “One day I’ll tell you about the Celestial named Polaris and what became of him. But don’t worry. We can fix this and you can have him back.”
Jace shakes his head. He doesn’t want to make this his selfish wish. He never wanted to force Zye into this life. He’d have let him quit the second it got too much.
“I just want him to be free from where he is, that’s not the life I promised him.”
“And you can have that. All you have to do now is help me by getting closer to Kerse just in case something happens to me.”
“Are you planning on running?”
Hax holds out his hand to Jace, showing the yellow diamond-shaped jewel that sits comfortably on his palm. “No, not yet anyway. Wear this and keep it on your person. If you channel your power into it or give it your blood, you can hide your presence for a short time.”
“Why are you giving this to me?”
Lifting his chin, Hax meets Jace’s eyes. “You’re the only one I trust. Use it wisely.”
“Understood.”
“Good, now go on. I have to check on what Kerse is up to.”
Jace takes the gift and turns. Leaving the room is easy when he’s already opening a portal to escape through. It’s just in case Kerse is around— he doesn’t want to get that close to her yet. Instead, he aims for the one place that’s become his and Callua’s meeting spot.
It’s nothing special. The weather is usually overcast and dreary. The cliff he steps out onto is thankfully over a body of water. Not that it stops the water from churning and crashing up against it when a harsh wind scoops in.
Above him, the moon is full and bright. It illuminates the young woman that sits atop the shortest of the group of rocks. She perks up immediately at the sight of him. Once he’s close, she smiles.
“How was the meeting?”
“Frustrating. He was there. We have to wait and try something else since he’s bonded to Orion.”
“Of all people…it’d have been easier if it was anyone else.”
“You mean Ilista or Celeste?”
“Mhm. I’m sure we could talk and reason with them. But whatever is going on between these big shots has everything at a stalemate. More people are quitting, Jace.”
He huffs and tries to resist the urge to pace. He just needs time to think and plan. “I know. Hax said we can manage, it’s just not going to be easy.”
“And I don’t trust him any more than Kerse or Orion.”
The disgust laced into her words makes it apparent there’s no way he can tell her what he heard. Right now is not the time to drag Charmilla into the conversation. She’s not here, it doesn’t matter.
“I don’t have a choice, Cal. He’s the only one willing to talk and try to help.”
“We don’t even know why! Why does he care about one soul?”
Jace turns to the moon, staring up at the light it gives. It’s a good question. He fidgets with the diamond, turning it over between his hands. “Maybe it keeps leverage over me, so I do what he wants. Or it’s a sick game between him and Orion. But it doesn’t matter if he’ll help us get him back and break whatever hold is on him.”
Callua softens her tone, almost afraid to ask, “What about our original goal?”
“It hasn’t changed. The balance has to be protected or there’s nothing to come home to anywhere. Hax…I’ll just keep doing what he asks.”
“And he asks what of you?”
“I don’t know yet. So far I just need to get on Kerse’s good side.”
“I…don’t like that. She’s dangerous, Jace.”
“I know.”
“She’d kill you if you mess up once.”
“Then I won’t.”
“I…I’ll stick with Charm’s plan then and stay glued to Soren. He’s been talking about Blessed Tools and that they’re almost done. If I can find out about them, maybe you can have some information to barter with Hax.”
Jace stops pacing at that. He glances back at her and she’s already shushing him. As much as he doesn’t want to dwell on it, they both know the mind is going to wander.
“Don’t. You couldn’t have done anything about it.”
“I don’t know, maybe I should have talked to her about everything more. Maybe gone back and—”
“Jace, stop. It had nothing to do with Kerse and her. I just…miss her, is all.”
“Even if she was suffocating?”
Callua can’t help but giggle at that. “A little bit, yeah.”
Sitting down beside her, he tugs the bandanna loose. He wraps it around his wrist before running his hands up through his hair. Jace leans his head forward until it reaches his raised knees. Fingers grab at his pant legs, clinging to them.
“What’s wrong, Jay?”
“Just wondering if this is what destiny is. Can I even do anything to stop what’s happening?”
He feels useless— truly so. No matter what he’s done it hasn’t curbed the tide of people joining the Dark Surge. It hasn’t stopped them from harassing and fighting, even killing, those who won’t conform. Not to mention all of these higher-ups that won’t work together or listen to a word he says.
Not that his past life was any different. Just another leaf on the tree. He could do nothing to stop the suffering that ensued. Just like now.
It’s something that Callua isn’t used to. Jace is never this blunt about his feelings, certainly not when they’re dark. She’s worried and concerned. She doesn’t want him getting worn down by all of this. Especially when there’s no way to get a vacation to recharge in the middle of this fight.
“You know, whatever happened to you in life doesn’t have to keep happening in death. Just because you think you’re not making progress doesn’t mean that’s the truth.”
“Cal, you don’t have to sugarcoat for me.”
“I’m not. I’m trying to tell you that you are helping people and doing the right thing. And that you deserve to be happy and fight for that happiness. I got to see you do that the most when you were with him.”
“That doesn’t—”
“I do have a secret to tell you. Shae told me actually, but you can’t let him know I let the cat out of the bag.”
“What is it?”
Jace lifts his head to look at her but she doesn’t let him. Callua drags her hand through his tussled hair, guiding him to lean his head against her leg. He’s more than confused about it. Except, when she begins to comb her fingers through his hair and around the tangles, he relaxes.
It feels weird to be comforted. Their jobs never let them get this close lately. It reminds him all too well of those he’s lost. And he realizes he’d do anything to keep her safe, as well.
“So, apparently Shae and Zye were talking. You know, they told each other everything. Apparently, you were the first person he dated, since the first asshole, that he let his guard down around. He really does like you, Jace.” She pats his head. “And I know he’s fighting to get back to us, too.”
“He looked at me like he didn’t know me, Cal.”
“As if you can’t make him remember? Shouldn’t you of all people know that love is full of pain and hardship? But that’s why when it’s right, it’s not so easily broken.”
Jace chuckles at that. “You’re starting to sound as cheesy and full of nonsense as Hax.”
“Mhm, sure, sure. Compare me to the man that lazes around and doesn’t help out.”
Lifting his hand, he places it over hers. He’s grateful that she lets him pull away. Even more so when she doesn’t say a word about the tears she left on her leg.
“I am sorry I couldn’t protect him as I promised.”
Callua squeezes his hand in return. “You did your best. It’s not like I was doing any better.”
“Then you’ll promise me that if you need help you’ll ask? I’ll come running, just call for me.”
“Same to you.”
ns 15.158.61.8da2
