His eyes slowly opened, the darkness fading from their corners. However, what he saw made him wish he hadn't woken up. Everywhere around him things were burning. He could feel the heat of the flames nicking at his tender skin and feathered wings. Everything hurt, and his head was pounding. It felt like he had just been hit by a truck. He couldn't remember what had happened. Everything was so blurry.
He slowly got to his feet, his small hands
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.
"Damn him," Arius cursed softly, looking around for the angel he so wanted to destroy. He was getting sick of all the games, of all the times Lucius had only been "playing" with him. The angel had to die this time. It was as simple as that."Looking for me?" questioned a sickeningly sweet voice. It was one that he could never forget. He'd know that voice anywhere. Arius slowly turned around and came face to face w
Twelve years. Twelve long, agonizing years, and now it was all going to be for nothing. As Arius watched his beloved keystone shatter into an unimaginable amount of pieces, he knew that Lucius had won. There was no way out of it this time. The gate wasn't about to open for him like it had two years ago. No one would be able to stop the cataclysm that was to follow, not even the one causing it. Arius was a victim of his own magic, of the power living inside him. This was really it. He was finally losing control.In a matter of a split
Jaida took off running, heading right for Arius. She was dodging, swerving out of the way of as many magic tendrils as she could. She wanted to use her barrier as little as she had to, but the closer she got to Arius, the more magic there was emanating from him. Pretty soon the barrier would be in full force. She was going to have to step this up a notch. If ever there was a time where her years spent on the track team could make a difference, it was now. Speed was of the essence here. She had to push herself harder and faster if she was going to make it to Arius in time.Jaida began pumping her legs harder than she could ever remember. Her muscles began aching, pleading for her to slow her pace. The winds were blowing so hard that she had slowed to half of her sprint by now. Her barrier was also going up continuously since she was closing in on Arius. She had to do this quickly. She'd only get one shot. It was all or nothing now, so she began pushing her legs h
After a few more passes, she missed the ball, and it bounced off behind her. Without a word, she went to fetch it, and Amy and Seth just watched with worried eyes. They knew there was something wrong with her, but neither one knew what it was or even had a clue as to how to help."Hey Amy?" began Seth in a soft voice. He easily caught her attention, and he suddenly felt a little nervous about the question. "Um…do you think…if I were to ask Jaida out…would she say yes?" Amy really had to ponder this now. She had known for a while that Seth liked Jaida, and he had been wanting to ask her our for at least a few months now. Arius' appearance had ruined that for him, but now that Arius was absent, he had a chance to ask. However, Jaida really didn't seem in the right mindset. She didn't really seem to be in any mindset for that matter."I don't know," Amy told him seriously. "She seems kinda out of it today. You can try thoug
A low groan came from Arius as he shifted on his bed, turning away from the sunlight that had decided to seep through his windows. He could feel his body slowly waking up, becoming more aware. Everything hurt, and some of his limbs were tingling. His eyelids were so heavy that he wasn't sure if he could open them. It's not like he really wanted to in the first place, but something told him to get up. There was only one problem with that. His whole body was somewhat stiff. It felt like he hadn't moved in days.Slowly, Arius managed to sit up, and his eyes lazily opened. What happened? Where am I? The last thing I remember, I was… Arius' eyes suddenly widened. I was fighting Lucius, and my keystone broke! He reached down to where his keystone hung and found that he had one. However, it wasn't his. This keystone only had one gem, not two. What's going on? Exactly what happened? How did I…?He closed his eyes and focused on his thoughts. He had to figure out how he had gotten back to Jaida
"I should be asking you that," she told him. "You've been asleep for three days.""Hey," called Nero from the living room, drawing their attention to him. Neither one had known that he was still semi-conscious. "It's not that I mind the happy moment or anything, but I'd really like to get home." He attempted to sit up, cringed, and fell back to the couch."Don't move," warned Jaida as she walked towards him, followed by Arius. "You broke a few ribs, so it'd be best if you stay still. My teacher, Mr. Owens, said he'd come over and see just how bad it is. If worst comes to worst, we'll have to take you to a hospital." Nero just sighed, a small smile now on his face."Guess that'd be alright," he said, closing his eyes again. "I'd rather go home though.""Too bad," stated Arius. "You're the only one who can open the gate." Nero just laughed a bit, wishing he hadn't. Laughing hurt quite a bit right now.
The door to Jaida's house opened, and Arius walked out, his hands in his pockets. All of them were now standing outside behind Jaida's house. Each house had a small backyard, and hers was rather closed in. No one would see them there."Okay, let's get started," said Nero. Arius just scowled a bit."I hate to break it to you," he began, "but we may have a problem.""What?" asked Jaida, confused. They had planned this all out. There wasn't a single problem in their plan unless the spell was complicated, which it wasn't. Just what was he talking about?"Watch," he told them. He extended his arm, aiming his palm towards them. His eyes narrowed, and he focused on his hand. It began shaking, and soon, small streams of electricity danced around his arm. The keystone around his neck began glowing softly, and the hints of magic quickly faded, sending a small shock into his hand. He pulled it back and cringed