The first time I laid eyes on Aria was when I was taken to Petrem. It was her mother’s job to interpret the futures of all the children born within the Legion. It’s why the Royal House of Bliss’ symbol is the Eye. Interpreters like her mother would monitor everyone’s growth until they peaked. Part of monitoring growth was monitoring the level of evil. Think of an interpreter as a thermometer that detects the level of evil inside a being.
Everything was fine until I started to show signs of cruelty. It was after my father was cast out to Kaalen for getting drunk and accidentally killing our neighbor. He never would have done it had he been sober, but he was punished anyway. Not wanting to send him to prison for the rest of his life, they banished him to Kaalen. There my father built the Royal House of Ashland. Soon after my father was banished, my brother followed in his footsteps. Many had been banished to Kaalen before them, but none as brilliant as my father and my brother.
Together they built an army. When that army was strong enough, they came for us. My mother, my sister and myself. We had a choice. We could remain on Petrem where our family name had been tarnished, or we could follow him to Kaalen and live like Royalty. We all chose the latter.
Many had come to believe we were the sorts of evil that could not be rehabilitated. It didn’t help that a week before my father had come back both Aria’s gauge and my own tested well above what is allowable for evil. The daughter of the Royal House of Bliss was protected while I was thrown to the wolves. I was given two choices. I could join my father, or I would be stripped of my powers and sent down to earth. Her parents made it very clear. I was NEVER to see or speak to Aria again.
She and I had grown close. She was the one I planned to give my Yang to, but that was all over now. She begged me not to go, but I didn’t have a choice. So I went. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think of her. I’d imagined a thousand ways I could get back to her, but there was the matter of her parents. They would never accept me in Aria’s life. I wasn’t welcome.
A clumsy classmate bumps into me, bringing me back to the present, just in time to see Aria walk into the room. Every time I see her she looks more and more beautiful. She hesitates when she sees me, but she’s too proud to falter.
We meet in the middle of the room, shoulder to shoulder. She faces one way while I face the other. We’re both breaking protocol. “You look even more beautiful than I remember.” I tell her. We’re both careful not to look at each other. “It’s been years.”
“How could you fight for them? How could you lead an army against us?” Aria asks.
“I detect a hint of worry in your tone. Is it for me, or is it for the magistrate?”
She can’t help herself and she turns to face me. “Its for you. You’re on the wrong side and I don’t want to have to kill you Noah. This isn’t you.”
“According to your mother it is. I’m evil…that’s what she told them. That’s why I was sent away.” I turn to face her now. Our gaze is intense. Everyone else in the room becomes ambient noise. All that matters in this moment are Aria and I. “And Thien Youngblood? Really? I thought you had better taste than that.”
“Says the guy who’s been known to share a bed with the likes of Qi.” She scoffs.
“Jealous?”
She turns away but she doesn’t leave. Qi enters the room and our conversation is pretty much over. Qi’s jealous streak isn’t one to be tested and if a human got hurt because of me Aria would never forgive me. I don’t know what she sees in these wastes of flesh, but they’re important to her, so I’ll let them live…for now.
“Raincheck on the trip down memory lane.” I tell her as I make my way over to Qi. Too late. She sees Aria walking away. She tries to blow past me, but I catch her by the arm and stop her. “Let her go.”
Qi yanks away from me and glares at me with pain in her eyes. “Stay away from her Noah.” She demands.
I meet her glance, “Or what?” If she knows what’s good for her she’ll choose her next words carefully. “We share a bed Qi, not a life.”
I walk away from her, but she turns and follows me over to the others. “Qi are you alright?” Asher asks, glaring at me. “What did you do to her?”
He’s not worth responding to, so I don’t. Instead I search the room for Aria who’s talking to Thien. They both glance in my direction and then quickly look away. They’re talking about me, but I can’t hear them over the loud music.
Thien entered Aria’s life after I’d already left. I knew of him, but I was chosen for Muerte first. Once my seat was forfeited it went to him. He was handpicked by Aziza Bliss, Aria’s mother. According to what I’ve heard he showed promise early on, but that wasn’t why he was chosen. Aria’s parents hoped to fill the void my absence created with a suitor of their choosing. Havoc.
Qi turned my face from Aria to hers. “She could never love you the way I do.” Her eyes burn into mine. “I’ve killed for you.”
“Yes you have and I’m grateful to you for it.”
“I don’t want your gratitude. I want your heart.”
Deep down I knew she meant it, but I’d given my heart away a long time ago. What was left of it, turned cold as ice and dark as the midnight sky. “I don’t have a heart.” I turn away from her and head into the kitchen for something to drink.
Qi follows me into the kitchen and swings me around to face her. “Don’t do this to me. Don’t shut me out.” Tears form in her eyes. I wipe the tears from her eyes, wanting to remember her as strong and not the emotional wing she’s become.
“Love has weakened you.”
“No, you have.” She accuses. “I have given you everything Noah, and you never give me anything in return.”
“Then why do you stay?” I ask, indifferent.
It takes me a moment to realize she’s slapped me. I don’t feel pain. I’m impervious to it. She goes to do it a second time but I grab her by the wrist. We have an audience now and within that audience Aria stands watching. “I love you.” Qi professes. “You’re an asshole and you don’t treat me right, but I still love you.”
“We’re not here for love. Do your job and focus your affections on Asher.”
Qi yanks away from me, looks around the room and realizes we have an audience. Not wanting to make a spectacle of herself, she storms out of the room. Asher follows her outside.
I catch a glimpse of Aria once again, but it’s the steroid case in the muscle shirt I give my attention to. He’s walking over to me and all I can think about is sending him back to her in pieces.
“Thien don’t do this.” Aria pleads with him.
Oh please Chi let him try something. I’d love to hand him his ass.
Chi is the God of Kaalen. He’s the God we pray to. The Legion surrounding the human Galaxy is made up of seven kingdoms. Petrem, where Aria is from, pray to the God Alpha. On Kaalen, where I live, we pray to the God Chi. Those unlucky enough to be sent to the in-between are ruled by the God Sigma. Then you have the kingdom of the Magistrate. They pray to the God Omega. In Blood Harbor, where the Guardians who preside over both Galaxies live, they pray to the God Kappa. The Fortress, where Aria was held prisoner for close to four years, they pray to the God Theta. Lastly you have the God Epsilon of the kingdom of Purge. Purge is the city of reformers where criminals or problem children such as myself go to be rehabilitated.
Aria freezes time fearing we’ll come to blows and Thien gets in my face for a second time. “Is there a problem demon?” Thien’s tone conveys a warning.
“I was just about to ask you the same thing half-breed.” I retort, unwavering. He may scare some of the other beings of the world but I don’t scare so easily. I’m more dangerous than he realizes, but she knows. Like clockwork she steps in between us.
“Stop this! This isn’t why we’re here!” Aria yells at us both.
“Since you brought up the subject…why are you here?” My eyes shift to Aria’s. No one else matters. Just her.
“You know why we’re here.” Thien glares at me.
I curl my lips into a smile. They’re after the weapon.
Somehow the Magistrate caught wind of what we were up to and sent Muerte down here to stop us. Still, I can’t help but steal another glance at her. She deserves better than the half-breed but something tells me she cares for him.
Qi’s shrill cries pierce through my thoughts and I’m outside within seconds. The sky is littered with demons, but not mine. I’ve never seen them before. I just know one of them has Asher.
I quickly spring into action, but someone else beats me to it. One by one, demons start to fall out of the sky. Their souls are being pulled from their bodies. I look around until I find the source of this power.
It’s the half-breed.
He’s as promising as they said he would be. His strength peaks my interest and my envy.
Refusing to let him take all of the glory from me I take off into the sky. I lock onto my targets and with a wave of my hands they all wither into black ash and sulfur.
Aria is to my right. Two spirit blades form in her hands and she crosses the night sky like a ballerina spilling black demon blood with every swing of her blades. She’s far more deadly than I remember. I was sure prison had softened her, but I was wrong. Dare I say she seems more focused, more...lethal.
The skies are empty in no time with nothing but ash and sulfur remaining of the demons that dared cross our path. “Where’s Asher?” Qi asks.
We search everywhere for the human but he’s nowhere to be found. He’s gone.
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