The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II - 13. Chapter 13

The Brotherhood: Awakening

Chapter XIII

By X

 

 

“You and I are not so different, Jacob.”

If I’m being honest, those words hit me harder than the ‘it would destroy them’ bomb he just threw at me. I was looking for something more comforting and less destructive than being like a leader of the ‘Destroy Our People’ club. Zenial seemed like a cool guy, but I wasn’t keen on the comparison.

I don’t think I flinched or even reacted, but maybe something in my eyes betrayed the blow he’d just dealt me. Zenial eased back in his chair. Without breaking eye contact, his sly smirk morphed into a warm, genuine smile that seemed purposely placed to allay my fears.

“Specifically, regarding our arrival into this world.”

I wasn’t holding my breath, but I felt something heavy leave my chest.

Zenial’s smile grew larger, and he gave a single nod as if confirming something to himself. Then he looked away from me and out the window in front of us. I followed his gaze but saw nothing.

“I hope it won’t trouble you to learn that Razual shared some of your history with me before our meeting today.”

“Not at all,” I reassured him, curious about the link between our births. “I assumed he told you everything.”

“Good.” Zenial blinked slowly and stared hard as if something outside the window held him in a trance. Long seconds passed before he broke free and returned his attention to me. “You see, Jacob, you and I were both born just as the events of the Great Calamity unfolded.”

This time, I hid nothing as another curveball flew passed me. The shock on my face screamed louder than the voice in my head, and Zenial clearly loved watching me struggle to put it together.

“You look surprised,” he smirked.

“Um, yeah,” I confirmed with wide eyes. “I just assumed you were one of the Skai who lived long before the world ended. Now you’re telling me we’re basically the same age?”

“I guess I am,” he laughed. “You are not the first to make such an assumption. Eolaeis is one of the first of our brethren to be created by Skailer, and yet most of our human brothers assume I am the same age. They have the same look of disbelief when they receive the Umbra and link. It continues to amuse me.”

“But…uh….” I was so confused that I stopped mid-thought.

“But what, Jacob?”

“But you’re supposed to be one of the most powerful Skylarians alive, according to anyone who mentions your name. Especially Sunny. He can’t shut up about how “OP” you are.”

“Is that so?” he considered it for a moment, then shook his head. “I do not believe I am as ‘OP’ as Sunny says, but it is nice of him to say so.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “No offense, but I’m sensing some false modesty being thrown my way. I have a pretty good bullshit meter, and it’s going off like crazy.”

Zenial looked at me but said nothing. I felt my face start to heat up.

“No offense, My Prince.”

Zenial smirked, letting me off the hook, “None taken. I do not deny I possess some skills.”

“Really? Some skills? This from the guy who’s gone toe-to-toe with Q and is sitting here to tell the tale.”

“Interesting,” He mused. “Is Qua’quelle the metric you use to determine one’s strength and capabilities?”

I shrugged. “Well, he is one of the most powerful El’odians out there, isn’t he?”

“Some would disagree, but most would find that to be a fair assessment,” Zenial conceded.

“So, if you can compete on equal footing with Q, what does that make you?”

“Getting severally off-topic,” he deflected cleverly, annoying me a bit but not making me bold enough to push the issue. “Let us return to the subject at hand.”

“Yes, let’s….”

Zenial seemed amused by my sarcasm and smiled as he announced, “I was born in Cyprinia.”

“Cyprinia?” I repeated in a whisper as the wheels turned in my head. Zenial paused, allowing me to find the answer on my own. “Isn’t that The Great Mother’s city?”

“Indeed, it is. Very good, Jacob.”

I felt like I was being patronizingly patted on the head, but I wasn’t foolish enough to call Zenial out about it. “Why Cyprinia and not Asevaya?”

“Tradition, I suppose,” He shrugged. “My fathers and their fathers before them were born in Cyprinia. It was the custom of many fathers to cocoon their newborn sons in Cyprinia to make it easier to bring them before The Great Mother. It avoided the long trip from Asevaya and made it safer.”

“How so?”

“We are most vulnerable when cocooned and bringing a new life into this world. In Asevaya, we had the protection of our fellow brothers, of course, but Cyprinia was a neutral City where The Great Mother forbade all violence. All were welcome to have their children in her city, and many did for peace of mind.”

“Skai and Nave children being born side-by-side in the same city. Who would’ve guessed?”

“It was not side-by-side,” Zenial said matter-of-factly. “We had separate chambers, but don’t think your meaning is lost on me. Razual was quite explicit about your stance on the hostilities between Skai and Nave.”

He raised his brow sharply, and I braced for a lecture. Instead, Zenial simply allowed the comment to hang in the air before continuing his narrative.

“When I emerged from our feathered cocoon, I remember my fathers walking me out into an open field where I tasted the air for the first time and felt the sun on my naked body.” He stopped, a distant memory taking hold of him for a moment. Again, his eyes wandered to the world outside his window. “The smiles on their faces were brilliant and contagious. It is what I remember the most from that day. Their smiles.”

His words trailed off, and I could tell he was again lost in a loving memory of his fathers. I admit I was envious of his ability to pluck precious memories from his past while I struggled to recall even the faintest image of my own. Or my parents. Honestly, until then, I hadn’t given them much thought. I was too busy processing all the information coming at me to really process the emotions of it all.

Now, I wished I knew their smiles.

“The tranquility of our new family was quickly shattered,” Zenial continued. “I was too preoccupied with my feathery appendages to notice or even understand the impending doom heading our way. The clear, sunny sky above quickly darkened as a large shadow was cast upon the land. It stretched as far as the eye could see. The wind picked up soon after, becoming turbulent and violent. I heard my father yell out to my father, and when they turned to me - their faces full of dread and confusion - I finally saw the source of their alarm. A massive wave of corrupted energy was barreling toward us like a tsunami. It was the devasting aftermath of Aquaiia crashing into Asevaya.

“Of course, I did not know that at the time. I was newly born, after all. My fathers probably didn't understand what had happened either, but they knew it was bad. Desperately trying to protect us from being swept away, my father erected a field around us just as the wave crashed over our heads. Realizing this would not hold for long, my other father extended his wings around me like a blanket to encase me in yet another cocoon.” Zenial shifted in his seat as the pleasant thoughts were replaced with darker, more unpleasant memories. “The last thing I saw before the cocoon was fully sealed was the dome giving way and crashing down on my parents.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said delicately.

“Thank you, Jacob, but it was a long time ago.”

“Still, to see your parents….” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

“It was a long time ago,” Zenial repeated, his tone softer than before.

“What happened to you?” I asked.

“I went to sleep,” he shrugged. “It was my father’s last act. He put me to sleep so I would not feel alone and afraid while wrapped in the darkness of his cocoon. I don’t know how long I was out in that field, but eventually, The Great Mother found me. By this time, all surviving El’odians were slumbering deep within Eiyr, waiting for the moment they could reawaken into this world. The Great Mother encased my cocoon in a time field to preserve my life and hid me away as she watched over all El’odians while we slept throughout countless millennia.”

“That’s crazy,” I said. “I can’t imagine what it was like for her to exist all alone for all that time. We’re talking millions and millions of years of solitude. I’d go nuts in a week!”

Zenial chuckled. “Yes, she’s an extraordinary being, and we owe her a debt that can never be paid.”

“No arguments here,” I agreed, and after a brief lull in our conversation, I sat forward while fidgeting with my nails and looked at the floor. “So….it turns out both of our parents sacrificed their lives to save ours.”

“Indeed, they did.”

“But I’m confused. While I can appreciate your father's efforts to keep you safe, it seems like what my fathers did for me was out of the norm. Why didn’t they put me in a time bubble thingy like everyone else? Why did they feed me a slow drip of their power over millions of years, keeping me alive until it ultimately killed them? Why would they do that?”

“I wish I had an answer for you, Jacob,” Zenial said sincerely. Pressing his fingers together, he leaned forward, his face showing the same perplexity that I was feeling. “The only way to understand their decision will be with their memories. Once their history, thoughts, and feelings come through, you will understand the why.”

Not what I wanted to hear. I knew their whole lives were locked away in my head somewhere, but opening that door, absorbing millions of years of history, culture, and traditions, and potentially waking up a different person was not on my to-do list. Also, this was not the conversation I wanted to get into with Zenial, so I quickly redirected the focus to him again.

“Thank you for sharing your past with me. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but it doesn’t explain why you can’t link.”

“For that, we’ll have to go back some four thousand years during the Awakening, when our people were slowly coming out of their long slumber. By then, The Great Mother had lived among humans for centuries. She traveled the world, learning their customs to help us understand their ways and successfully assimilate when the time came. According to her, I was the first El’odian to awaken.”

“The very first? Not just the first Skai?”

“No, you heard me correctly, the first El’odian to wake up into this new world, excluding The Great Mother, of course.”

“Well, yeah.”

“She heard my cries even though we were on separate continents.”

“You were crying?” I admit, I snickered. I just couldn’t picture Zenial as a crier.

“Yes, I cried. I was still a child, Jacob. Have you forgotten that we are born into this world with the development of a five-year-old?”

“Oh, yeah….and there’s the time bubble,” I recalled, slapping my forehead hard. “I’m sorry, I pictured you as you are now.” I felt like such an idiot.

“Trust me, I was smaller,” Zenial jeered. “In fact, I was a child in complete darkness with no powers to escape my cocoon. I was trapped.”

Picturing a young, scared kid in such a state made me feel more like an ass.

“Lucky for me, The Great Mother freed me within minutes of waking up, and I was born into this world for the second time. But she was astonished by the transformation of the child sitting before her on a bed of raven feathers.”

“Why?” I asked, hanging on Zenial every word like a child listening to a bedtime story.

“Because I looked nothing like the child who entered the cocoon eons before.”

“Huh? What does that even mean?”

“You see, Jacob, I awoke looking like this.” Zenial leaned forward to show me his palms. I looked down at them, then back at his face, unsure what I was supposed to see. He flipped his hands over and nodded at me to look again. I did. He flipped them several more times as I looked on, bewildered.

“I don’t get it. Did you wake up with a nice manicure and moisturized skin? What?”

Zenial laughed. “No, Jacob, that came much later. I lost the rich, gray complexion of our people.” Pulling his hands away, Zenial sat back in his chair and reflected on his past. “When I was born and out under the sun for the first time, I distinctly remember how my smokey skin shimmered under its light. Now that beauty was forever lost. If that was not tragic enough, my wings were almost gone, dying off like two withered branches on an otherwise healthy tree.”

“What?” I exclaimed. “Your wings? How?”

“Yes,” he said woefully. “We found smaller feathers scattered among the larger ones from my father’s cocoon. I was still a young mortal boy who did not understand what was happening, but one thing was clear even to me, The Great Mother was concerned. She examined me immediately, and what she discovered chilled her to the bone. You see, what no one knew at the time, what no one could have known, was that when my father wrapped me away in the cocoon, a sliver of the corrupted energy made it inside and remained sealed with me.”

I gasped. It was loud and embarrassing and exactly the way a four-year-old does when you tell him the part about the wolf blowing the third pig’s house down. Honestly, I reacted for the sake of reacting. I had no idea what the implications were; it just felt like a moment that needed a response. And clapping would have been weird.

In the end, my overreaction felt disingenuous. So when Zenial met my eyes, I quickly looked away, pretending to be distracted by something on his desk.

“The corrupted Askyli and Anavi seeped into my system as I slept,” he continued, unfazed by my outburst. “Luckily, I was a mortal child and not a fully awakened El’odian, or it would have killed me in my sleep, regardless if I was Skai or Nave. Instead, it coursed through me, binding itself to every fiber of my being. Obviously, the Askyli would not be a problem long-term, but the Anavi acted like a poison in many ways. It could not kill me, but it eroded away the features that made me Skai.”

“Your wings and your complexion.”

Zenial nodded.

“And nothing could be done,” I asked.

“It was too late for that, I’m afraid. It would be like a human getting a blood transfusion and later requesting that only the new blood be removed. It would be impossible. There is no new and old; the blood is now one and the same. So, it was with me.”

“I don’t know what to say,” I offered meekly. “I can't imagine how hard that was for you.

“There were moments, for sure,” he said without elaborating. “I spent the first few weeks in this new world with The Great Mother. She looked after me with all the love and nurturing one would expect from a parent. All the while, she taught me about my people and delicately explained how I would be different from other Skylarians but no less of a Skai. Time passed, and more and more of our people began to wake up and find their way to The Great Mother.

During this period, she introduced me to Vyshaan and Mezoroth, a loving couple who took me as their own without hesitation. Many of the young lost their parents during the Great Calamity, but luckily there was no shortage of Skai willing to bring them into their families. At the time, I did not believe that would be my fate. After all, I looked more human than Skai. Worse, actually.”

“Worse?”

“Think about it, Jacob.”

Leaning forward, I placed my elbows on my knees and clasped my hands together. I examined Zenial head to foot, trying to uncover a hidden clue and redeem myself for missing the whole ‘not gray’ thing. But he remained reserved and gave nothing away. I pondered what he meant as the first two minutes ticked by. How could it be worse? I was about to ask for a hint when the obvious smacked me in the face. “Take away their wings, and the Nave basically look human. So, it wasn’t bad enough that you looked human, but you also looked more Nave than Skai.”

He confirmed my answer with a simple nod. “I looked like the enemy. How could they possibly care for me? But they did, as did the rest of our brothers. I never felt anything but real love.”

“That’s awesome,” I smiled.

“Being different did come with some advantages. I could pass as an ordinary human boy, so I got to explore this new world with my fathers. I got to visit a lot of human cities and learned a great deal. Others my age had to stay close to the tunnels and caverns we called home. They couldn’t venture into the world until they fully developed their powers and could disguise themselves as humans.”

“Couldn’t the older Skai use their powers to change their appearance?”

“They could, and at times, they did just that, but it was rare for fear of being exposed if the illusion failed or something else went wrong. As you can imagine, it was not a risk many fathers were willing to take with their children.”

I nodded, then gave my best devilish grin. “I’m going to take a guess here and say those real-world experiences made you popular among the other boys.”

“In a roundabout way, sure,” he laughed. “Some were envious of my freedom to explore the outside world, and that did not win me any friends, but you are correct. When we returned from one of our "adventures," most kids were eager to hear all about it, and I often found myself being pulled in multiple directions.”

“I bet,” I laughed along with him, picturing little Zenial being the center of attention while recounting stories of humanity. “I can’t believe I’m even asking this, but where was Kaylec during all this? You haven’t mentioned him once.”

“Kaylec would not be born for another century.”

“Hold on a sec,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Born to your new fathers, Vyshaan and Mezoroth?”

“Correct.”

“He’s not your actual brother? More like you’re his adopted brother?”

“He is my actual brother,” Zenial stated matter-of-factly.

“Wait, I’m confused,” I said, waving both hands wildly. “I thought you just said….”

“What I said was correct, Jacob. Kaylec is my brother. Adopted brother, step-brother, and half-brother are human concepts that hold no meaning for Skylarians. In our society, when you are taken in, you become family, with no distinction or label to separate you from the whole.”

I nodded my understanding. “That explains a lot.”

“Meaning what, exactly?”

“Um, nothing. Nothing at all.”

Zenial shifted forward and gave me the side eye, “Are you perhaps referring to our different temperaments?”

“That’s not exactly the word I’d use, but sure.”

He laughed. “I realize Kaylec can be hot-headed at times….”

“More like psycho,” I mumbled.

“But he means well,” he continued, pretending he didn’t hear what I said. “In fact, I do not know if I would be sitting in this office as a Prince of The Sanctum if Kaylec had not pushed me to strive for bigger dreams and loftier goals.

“Oh god, please don’t tell me you were like the stoner brother with no ambition, and Kaylec swooped in to put you on the right path.” I buried my face in my hands. “You’re pretty awesome, and I don’t want to think we owe Kaylec for that. I don’t know if I could handle it.”

“Relax, Jacob,” Zenial chuckled, “it was nothing like that, I assure you. As I got older, I was content with being a soldier. I was good at it. Kaylec, on the other hand, felt I had overcome too much and developed too much power and potential to sit back and let someone else call the shots. My parents also saw it, but they were happy to allow me to follow whatever path made me happy. Kaylec was like a dog with a bone. He would not let it go.”

“Maybe I missed something, and I don’t mean to sound dismissive, but what did you overcome? It sounds like your community accepted you despite your, I don’t even know what to call it, condition, I guess.”

“I was accepted, yes, but there would be more hardships as I neared the age of Ascension. I’m sure you know we ascend and shed our mortal form exactly ten years after our birth. You can time it down to the second.”

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s El’odian 101.”

Oh, god, I sounded so pretentious just now! Kill me.

“Well, my ten years, my Day of Ascension, came and went with nothing happening.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“Was it off by like an hour because clearly….” I allowed my words to trail off as I gestured toward Zenial with both hands.

“A little more than an hour,” Zenial confirmed somberly. “I was devastated.”

“I bet.”

“Not for the reason you might think, Jacob.”

“Oh?” I pondered. “So, you weren’t looking forward to getting your powers and becoming a god among men? What kid doesn’t want that?”

“A kid desperate to know his birth parent’s names.”

“I don’t under…”

“I never knew their names, Jacob.” Zenial interrupted. “I knew my name was Zenial because they called out to me when we stepped out of our cocoon for the first time. They would call out to me repeatedly when the corrupted energy was moments away from crashing down on us. But never once did I get to hear their names. Like you, no one could tell me who they were because I was a child alone. Despite that, I had hope. Like all children, I would ascend in ten years, and their memories would become mine. I would get to know them even if I could not be with them. But it didn’t happen.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Well, if there is anyone who understands my situation, it is you,” he said kindly.

I merely nodded; despite being tempted to say something more. I wanted to sympathize with Zenial, but again it would have been disingenuous to a certain extent. Don’t get me wrong. I understood where he was coming from, but the emotions weren’t the same. I could hear the sadness in his voice when he spoke about his birth fathers. I could sense the pain in every syllable. Despite all that, it wasn’t my experience. I didn’t feel the loss as he did. Would I like to know more about my fathers? Absolutely. Do I have questions that need answering? Sure. But the idea that I had a whole different set of parents millions of years ago is still so foreign to me. I woke up in the woods with no memory of my past. No concept of a world before the one I found myself in. And now, my parents were in Maine, where I left them, and I could pick up the phone anytime to talk to them. To pretend I could feel the depths of Zenial’s sorrow would be a lie.

“After the failed ascension, I went to live with The Great Mother for a time. This had never happened before, and she wanted to monitor my condition. It was cause for great concern. My fathers visited daily, of course, spending time with me as if there wasn’t this looming dread hanging over their heads. They had great fear for what might happen to their son. It would take another five years before I would ascend under the strict supervision of The Great Mother. I was with her when it happened. This momentous occasion is meant to be celebrated with family, but my fathers had not arrived for their visit, and no one knew it was going to happen. At least I was not alone.”

“That’s good,” I smiled. “She does seem to be at the right place at the right time.”

“This is true,” he replied with a smile of his own. “But a hard truth I would come to learn is that nothing would come easy for me. During an ascension, one is filled with a sense of utter bliss that we experience only once in our lives. Some events and emotions come close, to be sure, but nothing ever matches the purity of that moment.”

I instinctively withdrew back into my chair, wincing at what Zenial would say next. I knew it wouldn’t be good.

“My special day was filled with pain and anguish,” he said, confirming my fear. “As my Askyli took hold of me, it felt like I was being torn apart from the inside out. The hope was that the explosion of my Askyli would burn away the corruption in my system, more specifically, destroy all traces of Anavi. The process was excruciating and took several days. In the end, despite cleansing much of the Anavi, I was not able to rid myself of the corruption completely. It has become my burden to bear.”

“Wow, that’s crazy. I can’t believe you had to endure all that.” I gestured toward Zenial again. “Clearly, you got through it, but it sounds painful on so many levels.”

“Yes, it was,” he responded, brows raised with emphasis. “Much of my power was spent trying to purge the corruption. Ultimately, I was left weaker for it and forever unable to summon my wings. Still, I refused to allow those circumstances to dictate the rest of my existence. It took a lot of hard work and countless centuries of mental training, but I slowly grew my power, developing skills and abilities no one believed possible. And of course, there is….” As his words trailed off, Zenial’s bright eyes disappeared behind pools of Askyli as two tennis ball-sized tears in space appeared over his shoulders. He stood and walked to the center of the room; two more tears appeared on either side of his waist, followed by two more by his feet. Six black chains flew out from the tears, encircling Zenial from different angles, then arching out from behind his slender figure, giving him the appearance of a six-legged spider. The ends were bladed, curved like claws, and pulsated with Askyli. “Requiem, Devouring of Light.” And just as quickly as they appeared, they recoiled back from where they came and were gone. Adjusting his jacket, Zenial took his seat and relaxed back into his chair, staring at me as if nothing had happened.

“What the hell was that?” I exclaimed, still shocked over his impressive display of power. He summoned two chains before, which was impressive enough, but seeing him controlling six was on another level.

“A gift.”

“From who? Satan?”

“Not exactly,” Zenial said with a soft chuckle. “It was a gift from Skailer.”

“As in the Skailer?”

“The one and only. I know what you’re thinking.”

“Do you? Because I don’t have a clue.”

“It was not gifted to me directly, obviously. Skailer had given up his power to our people long before I came into the picture. But when he did so, he presented Requiem as a gift to our brothers. They were awe-struck at such a gesture. Requiem was Skailer’s weapon, one he used in countless battles when the trio of Gods traveled from dimension to dimension, slaying their enemies and conquering worlds until they ultimately settled in our reality and made Eiyr their home. But a gift….”

“Hold up,” I interrupted, shaking my head to clear the fog I found myself in. “Are you seriously telling me there are different dimensions out there?” My animated hands were making swirls in the air. “Like entirely different planes of existence?”

“According to the Gods, yes,” he said simply as if this wasn’t world-shattering news. But then again, his nonchalant attitude made sense because who the hell were we going to tell? And who would believe us? I’d have to kiss the Nobel Prize goodbye. “Try not to freak out too much, Jacob, for we do not possess the power to travel between dimensions. That was reserved for the Gods.” He then cocked his head, arched his brow, and rethought his position. “Well, that’s not entirely true. There is one dimension, but that was completely by accident.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing to concern yourself with, Jacob,” he laughed, but his words sounded very much like code for drop it, especially when he moved on. “As I was saying, a God-given gift does not come easy. You see, Requiem does not even exist in our reality.”

“Of course, it doesn’t. That would be too easy.” My words were wrapped in sarcasm and delivered on a plate of faux surprise, but Zenial’s laugh told me I hadn’t crossed a line.

“The power he bestowed on us would be the key to acquiring Requiem. But it would take the most dedicated of his sons to break the lock and summon it, forever binding the two together. For thousands of years, countless Skai tried to claim Requiem, and eventually one did.”

I jerked forward and said, “Spoiler alert! That was you!”

“You are very perceptive, Jacob.”

“So, I’m told,” It had been a long day, and I found myself giggling at my own silliness. “Do the Nave have something equivalent to Requiem?”

“No one can say for sure,” Zenial shrugged. “Many believe Naveyk left behind an equally powerful relic for his people, but we have yet to see it. It has always been believed that Qua’quelle would be the wielder of such a weapon. If he possesses it, he has never used it in battle.”

Zenial turned to me and narrowed his eyes.

“Hey, don’t look at me. I’ve never seen Q wielding anything as crazy looking as Requiem. Though I’m sure if something like that exists, it would be called ‘Something, Something Devouring of Shadow.’”

Zenial busted out laughing, even going so far as leaning forward and slapping my knee hard. “I have no doubt!” Sitting back, he threw his head back against the chair and stared at the ceiling.

He stayed that way for a while, allowing for a comfortable silence between us. I couldn’t begin to guess what was going thru his mind. My mind, on the other hand, tried to make sense of everything he said. I wanted to put all the puzzle pieces together. That said, processing the idea of multiple dimensions was out of my skill set at the moment. I had to take that little nugget of knowledge and lock it away for later. It was just too much for a boy from Maine to handle.

Despite all that, I was grateful Zenial had asked me to stay. I enjoyed our conversation immensely, got an insight into his character, and learned a little more about our people. Without the memories of my parents, every new bit of information, no matter how small, helped paint a fuller picture of who we are as a people. And who I might be as well. But watching him sit there, eyes fixed on the ceiling above, I knew it was time to go.

“Well, um, I think I should go,” I said, using my thumb to point behind me.

“Are you sure?” Zenial asked. “I do not mind the company, but I will not try to keep you. I am sure you have important things waiting for you.”

“Yeah, homework and all,” I said sarcastically as I stood.

Following my lead, he got up and messed with the buttons on his jacket. I stared at him without moving to the door. In hindsight, it probably freaked him out.

“Is something wrong, Jacob?”

“Okay, this is weird,” I replied nervously.

“What is it?”

“Should I bow on my way out? Or give you a handshake or something? Maybe a hug? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do right now.”

His laughter filled the room and bounced off the walls. He slapped my arm, and I blushed.

“You can walk out like normal, Jacob. Do not overthink it.”

“Okay, cool,” I said and then awkwardly tapped him on the arm like he just did to me. His was more of a slap, but I didn’t want to be that aggressive. All this to say, any cool points I gained during our conversation were now completely spent. I turned to walk away, only to pivot right back around without taking a step. “One more thing, if you don’t mind.”

“Go for it,” Zenial said as he walked around his desk and sat down.

“Would it be okay with you if I stopped in to check on Soullen?”

He stopped halfway through sitting down, his butt hovering over the seat for a few seconds before finally plopping down. Picking up his pen, he tapped it on the stack of papers several times, no doubt pondering the implications of my request carefully.

“Never mind,” I said quickly. “I shouldn’t have asked. I’ll just….”

“Sure, I do not see a problem with that.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Go to the 33^rd floor, take a right, and go down the hallway. You will know when you reach his room because I have a guard posted outside.” He threw his hand up hastily. “It is just a precaution. I will call ahead to let him know you are on your way. Sound good?”

“Yes, thank you!”

“Is there anything else?”

“No, thank you!” Again, I took just a few steps and turned right back around. “Actually, there is something.” He looked at me questionably. “During the little scuffle between Soullen and Kaylec, you didn’t happen to see anything out of the ordinary, did you?”

“Like what exactly?”

Great. I shouldn’t have asked. He’s seriously going to think I’ve lost it.

“I don’t know, just anything weird. Like shadowy weird.”

“Are you referring to the release of energy? It sometimes happens when our weapons clash, especially when they have been absent from battle for a long time, as I am sure was the case with Soullen’s swords.”

Clearly, Zenial hadn’t seen what I saw. Now I was starting to wonder if I saw what I thought I saw. Either way, I decided to drop it before he had me committed. “Ah, okay, that makes sense. I’ll be off then.” I gave him this half wave, which he awkwardly reciprocated to avoid being rude, and then returned his attention to the papers in front of him. I made it to the door and was about to leave, but damn it, something else popped into my head. “One last thing.”

“Are you sure you rather not stay? I do not mind.”

“No, I really should get going, but I’m curious about something. Even though it took you five more years to ascend, and despite everything you went through, did you gain the memories of your fathers?”

“I did.”

“Were you able to figure out their names?”

With a smile stretching across his face, he looked down and began writing something. “I hope you understand the reason I told you about my past was not to bore you to tears, though in true form, I’m sure I accomplished that masterfully,” Zenial said, looking up at me, his smile replaced by a more somber expression. “It was because I know you have been struggling. Your powers are acting up because you lack the knowledge that usually comes with awakening. You suffer pain when you encounter anything El’odian. The future you planned has been taken from you. And one of your brothers has labeled you a spy. It’s a lot, I know.”

He set his pen down as if to show his full attention was on me. “The point I am trying to make is that you are not alone. If I could get through my struggles to sit where I am today, you certainly have the strength of character to do the same. You are going to be just fine, Jacob.”

“Thanks, Zenial. I mean it, thanks.”

With a subtle nod, he picked up his pen and scribbled something on the paper in front of him. I turned to leave, but to my surprise, this time, he was the one to speak out.

“Their names were Aphaelon and Xerkoraz.”

I never looked in his direction as the smile grew on my face. I walked out, politely said my goodbyes to Ms. Cynthia, and headed down to the 33^rd floor. My claim of not having a strong emotional connection to my past like Zenial still held true, but I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever get to know my fathers’ names or possibly even their faces. Was I fooling myself into thinking I didn’t care as much?

I walked down the hall as Zenial instructed, offering a friendly nod to those who passed by until I turned a corner and saw a guard sitting at a small table scrolling through his phone. Interestingly enough, he wasn’t the only one who held my attention. Halting my advance just out of sight, I saw a certain fifteen-year-old pacing back and forth in front of a particular door. He would go up to it with his hand poised to knock, only to back away and pace again.

Using my ninja skills and gesturing to the guard to stay quiet, I snuck up behind Zac and poked his sides. He yelled, threw his arms out, and struck me in the face by accident.

“Ouch!” I matched his yell, rubbing my jaw as if he really did a number on me.

“Serves you right!” He purposely punched me in the arm. “You scared me!”

“Settle down, MMA fighter.” I laughed, blocking his next strike. “What are you doing here?”

The guard laughed along with me. I introduced myself and shook his hand.

“Xazzumir,” he smiled, his eyes giving me a once-over. “Most people call me Zazz. The boy’s been pacing for at least ten minutes trying to muster up the courage to knock on the door.”

“I have not!” Zac decried forcefully.

“Well, that’s true,” Zazz admitted. “You’re closer to twenty minutes now. I was trying to be nice.”

“That’s enough out of you,” Zac snapped his hand shut right in front of Zazz’s mouth, gesturing for him to be quiet.

“What are you doing here, Zac?” I asked. “It’s late. What time is your shift over?”

“I stayed late to help Ms. Cynthia with a few things.”

“Uh, huh,” Zazz mumbled.

After receiving a death glare from Zac, Zazz threw his hands up and surrendered.

“Why are YOU here?” The brat threw my question back at me.

“No, no, we’re not doing that. Answer me.”

With a shrug, Zac finally conceded. “I don’t know. I guess I wanted to swing by to see if he was doing okay or needed anything.” He looked over his shoulder at the door for a moment. “Is it true that he’s Naverian?”

“Yeah. He said he was a Prince. What did you think he meant?”

“I thought he was being goofy.”

“I see.”

Sadness filled Zac’s eyes as the realization of who Soullen really was sank in. It pulled at my heartstrings. I couldn't believe I was seeing the beginnings of puppy love blossom in front of my very eyes. Sunny was going to love this as much as vampires love garlic. Unsure of where to take this conversation, I suggested that Zac head home.

“Serious though, Jacob, why are you here?”

“I came to check up on our guest.”

“I’ll come with you!” If I didn’t already know why he was there, the excitement in his voice and the sparkle in his eyes would have betrayed his intentions.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I insisted firmly.

“Why do you get to go in and not me?”

“For one, you’re a kid, and this whole situation is way above your pay grade. And two, I got permission from Zenial.”

Zac immediately looked at Zazz.

“He did,” Zazz confirmed.

“Well, that’s just dumb,” Zac whined.

“As are many things in life,” I teased, walking behind Zac and placing my hands on his shoulders. Giving them a reassuring squeeze, I looked down at the attractive guard. “Were you even going to try to stop him?”

“Not really,” Zazz smirked. “I didn’t think he had it in him, so I wasn’t too concerned.”

“Whoa, tiger!” I laughed, pulling Zac back against my chest as he tried to lunge at Zazz. This was all brotherly banter, mind you, nothing to take too seriously.

“You know me and Ms. Cynthia are like this, right?” Zac said, crossing his fingers to emphasize his point.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re the wind beneath her wings. We get it,” I joked as I gently pushed him away. “Now go home, pull out an English textbook, and brush up on your grammar.”

Zac did an about-face to stare at me. “Huh?”

“It’s Ms. Cynthia and I.”

“This isn’t over,” Zac vowed as he spun back around and trudged down the hall.

“Of course, it’s not. That would make my life boring, and we can’t have that.”

The moment Zac disappeared around the corner, Zazz turned to me. A nervousness washed over his face. “You don’t think he’d really go to Ms. Cynthia, do you?” He looked down the hall before looking up at me. “He has to know I was just messing with him, right?”

Slowly backing away from him, I sucked my teeth, bent over slightly, and whispered, “For your sake, let’s hope so.”

“Hey, Zac! Buddy,” Zazz shouted, getting up to chase after him. He took one step, then turned to look me in the eyes and pointed at Soullen’s door. “Watch him for me.”

I gave him a stern salute and watched him head down the hallway at a healthy pace. “Hey buddy, hold up….”

Shaking my head, I knocked on the door a couple of times before letting myself in. And wow, let me tell you something. It was like stepping into another world. This “room” was impossibly large. Literally. It stretched well beyond where you’d expect the external walls of the building to be and seemed to twist and bend in a way that provided for more than one space. For all intents and purposes, I’d walked into a modern-day palace befitting of a Prince. It felt lux with marble and glass floors, rich colors on the walls, oversized-plush furniture covered in pillows, and sleek vases that stood taller than me and guarded the room from every corner. There were large paintings displayed throughout the space and a string of crystal chandeliers that lit the room from end-to-end. On the far side, a wall of windows similar to the ones in Zenial’s office offered stunning views of downtown to the occupant inside.

“Soullen,” I called out to no avail. After calling for him a few more times, I started to look around for the prince. He could have been in a different wing of the “room” for all I knew. I thought the fireplace I found around a bend in the wall would be my favorite thing about the place. It was made of black stone but had the texture of expensive, worn leather. The sides and front were simple and smooth. But across the top, a line of intricately carved animals and stylized flowers wrapped the edifice like expensive jewelry. It was stunning in design, but what made it truly impressive was its size. I could literally step inside it without bumping my head and bring several friends.

So yeah, it held me in awe. That was until I found the room with the swimming pool! It wasn’t as stunning as the fireplace; it was just your average, everyday Olympic-sized pool inside an office suite. But the laws of physics said it shouldn’t be there, and it was difficult getting past that. Truth be told, I almost missed the entrance to the room completely. The door was to the right side of the wall of windows and blended in seamlessly. In fact, standing in front of it, I could see the city of Hartford and the parking lot below. Other than the crystal doorknob sticking out at hand level, it looked and acted like a simple pane of glass. I turned the knob, expecting to smell the night air, and see a dangerous drop to the street below. Instead, the smell of chlorine and the sight of wall-to-wall white tile messed with my senses. I shut the door quickly, and Hartford was back. I opened it again, and the chlorine made me sneeze.

“Unreal,” I whispered as I closed the door gently and turned away from the glass wall.

With no sign of Soullen in any of the rooms, I headed back to the main living area again to check the other side. Yes, there was a whole other side to explore. Suddenly, a tendril of light snaked around from behind me, quickly taking the form of a hand wielding a sword. The blade was pressed to my throat before I could fully comprehend what was happening.

“Come to finish me off?” a familiar voice hissed.

“Soullen, it’s me,” I said, holding my hands up to show I wasn’t a threat.

Soullen’s head popped over my shoulder as he looked at me. “Oh, it is you.” With my identity confirmed, the sword melted away, and he stepped out from behind me. “I thought you were one of Zenial’s minions coming to put an end to me.”

“Are you deficient?” I demanded as I rubbed my throat. “Seriously, I’m asking.”

“I do not know what that means. Explain.” Standing in the middle of the room, he stared at me in bewilderment.

“I’m so getting you an urban dictionary for Christmas.” I could already tell he was going to repeat his famous words, so I waved him off. “Never mind all that. What are you doing prowling around like some psycho in the night.”

“I already told you I….”

“Zenial already guaranteed your safety, so there’s no need to cosplay as Jack The Ripper.”

What I found more annoying than a sword to my throat was that all my witty puns fell on deaf ears.

“I was trained to be prepared for anything,” Soullen said proudly. He had ditched his formal attire for an oversized white t-shirt, gray joggers, and what looked like Daffy Duck socks. He actually looked cute standing there pompously puffing up his chest. “Are you to be my jailer in this prison?” Without waiting for an answer, Soullen walked toward the large, picturesque window, took a seat on a tufted ottoman, and stared into downtown Hartford.

I walked up behind him, slowly spinning around as I approached, taking note of the eighty-inch TV hanging on the wall, the three gaming consoles connected to said TV, the stacks of Blu-rays and books on the shelf, and said, “Yes, I can see how you’re suffering in this prison.”

“Thank you,” he said, missing my point entirely.

“You know you have an entire pool to yourself through that door, right?”

“Yes, it is quite nice, actually,” he mused, still not getting it. “Now, why are you here?”

“I wanted to check in on how you’re doing.” I was standing directly behind Soullen, looking down at him. I shoved my hands in my pockets and purposefully bumped the ottoman to get his attention, but he never turned around. “Is that okay with you?”

At first, he didn’t say anything, keeping his attention on the sky outside. After a minute or so of silence, he begrudgingly mumbled, “I will allow it, I suppose.”

“Gee, thanks,” I snickered, rolling my eyes.

“You are welcome.”

Shaking my head, I allowed a few more minutes of awkward silence before deciding to get the ball rolling. He obviously had no interest in starting a conversation. At first, I thought perhaps he didn’t want me there, and I was more of a bother than anything else, but I caught Soullen looking at my reflection in the window a few times. When our eyes met in the glass, he would quickly look away to some random building in his field of view. I realized this wasn’t the same brash, infuriating Soullen I’d been dealing with the last few days. This Soullen appeared to be more reserved, quiet, and unsure of what to say.

This Soullen was a kid locked in a room…er…palace.

I cleared my throat. “I also came to….apologize.”

“Apologize?” He was quick to whip his head back and look up at me. “Apologize for what?”

“I wasn’t the nicest towards you since we first crossed paths in Raz’s office. Granted, I didn’t know you were playing spy this whole time, and you were kind of an ass your damn-self, but still. I want to say I’m sorry. I hope there are no hard feelings between us.”

“You do not need to apologize for anything,” he declared, looking back out at the night sky. “In fact, it was Qua’quelle’s idea for me to be more antagonistic towards you to help sell my ‘cover story.’ He assured me you would understand once the truth came to light. If that is true, then we should have no hard feelings, correct?” He was fishing to see if I was mad at him without asking me directly.

Clever boy.

“No hard feelings,” I smirked. “So, Q put you up to this?”

Again, he snapped his head back to look at me. “You are here to gather information from me for The Sanctum. Now, who is the spy?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I said, a long, drawn-out sigh escaping my lips as I threw my head back. “I am not a spy, and I’m not here to gather anything. I’m here because I want to be here for you. Yes, I hope you can clear some things up for me, but whatever you say, does not leave this room. I promise.”

Soullen stared at me intently, narrowing his eyes, unsure if he should trust me. If he were my little brother, I would have slapped him upside the head and told him to knock it off. But, as tempted as I was, I allowed him the moment.

“You swear it?” Soullen finally asked.

“Yes, I swear.”

“Do you swear it on Qua’quelle’s name?”

“Oh, for crying out loud,” I grumbled and rolled my eyes. “He’s not Jesus. You know that, right?”

“I do not know this Jesus person, nor do I care to; I just need to know if you swear in….”

“Yes! I swear in Q’s name. Seriously, you make a strong case against having siblings.”

“Good,” he said with furrowed brows, clearly confused by my last statement. “No, Qua’quelle did not put me up to this, as you say; in fact, he was quite angry.” Soullen stared at the blank TV screen for a long moment before he continued. “The idea was born out of the Council of Brothers, or more accurately, Remus brought it to them, and they threw their support behind his plan. Qua’quelle was doing his house tours when the idea was first introduced. I just happened to be in the Nexus with them when they began discussing the proposal. I welcomed the idea.

“Qua’quelle arrived several hours later while the more specific details were being ironed out. When he learned what was being planned, he….well, you know how imposing Qua’quelle can be most of the time.”

“Or all the time, but I get what you’re saying. Continue.”

“The Nexus was now open for debate, and it was fierce. Putting the idea out there to see if anyone took the bait would cost us nothing. Remus argued that this was an opportunity that would never come again.”

“Exactly what Zenial said.”

“Yes, I realize that,” he scoffed, unable to hide his irritation. “He was also key to all this – Zenial, I mean. It was believed that if anything went wrong and I was discovered, Zenial, more than any of the other Sanctum Princes, would respect my lineage and title as a Naverian Prince, and no harm would come to me.”

“That’s exactly what….”

“Yes, I know, Jacob!” He threw a stern look at my reflection in the glass. “That was the argument Qua’quelle made – that Zenial would not be foolish enough to fall for this subterfuge. He was too cunning. But his biggest point of contention was my role. I was their Prince and not a pawn to be used for the dangerous whims of the Council. This back-and-forth lasted all night and into the following morning. By dawn, the Council was evenly split. Kyrios would be the deciding vote, but in the end, since I was putting myself on the line, he gave his vote to me, allowing me to determine my fate.”

“And you voted for the plan.”

“Here I am,” he said, throwing his hands up. “And since he could not stop me, Qua’quelle did everything in his power to prepare me for this mission.”

“Steve. He’s alive?”

His eyes met mine in our reflection, a little smile stretching across his lips. “Very much so.”

A massive sigh of relief left me as I threw my head back and ran my fingers through my hair. “Oh, thank God!”

“He has been kept in the Nexus and out of sight this whole time.”

“Thank God,” I repeated in a whisper.

Soullen fell silent, allowing me a moment to process the truth he had just dropped on my lap. Hearing that Steve was alive was the best damn news I could have imagined. Now that I’m Skai, I realized he would see me as an enemy, but I didn’t care. That would not stop me from being over the moon. I also made a mental note to murder Q the next time I saw him.

Once I came down from my euphoria, I looked down at Soullen, who was playing with the cording on a pillow. I smiled warmly even though he couldn’t see me, then flicked him in the back of the head super hard.

“Hey!” he protested, looking back at me while rubbing the back of his head. “What was that for?”

“What the hell were you thinking voting to come here?” I scolded. Soullen quickly looked away without so much as a peep and averted his gaze to the floor. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed, you know that, right? You’re lucky I wasn’t in Q’s shoes, or I would’ve beat your little ass for being so reckless.” I was heated but had you asked me at the time why I was so upset, I wouldn’t have been able to give a clear answer. Now thinking back on it, I could honestly say it was because it felt like I was in the room with my little brother, who needlessly put himself in danger. “Seriously! You are so lucky your little princely title saved your little ass because this could’ve gone sideways super-fast.”

I peeked over his shoulder when he remained silent. He was still staring at the pillow, picking at some fringe. Now I felt bad for going off on him so harshly. I started punching my leg softly, chastising myself.

Too fucking much, Jacob! He’s just a kid!

I reached for his shoulder but stopped short when he broke the silence.

“I tried to give it up, you know,” he said meekly.

“Give what up?”

“My role….my title as Prince,” he continued, his voice barely above a whisper. “What was the point, really? What is a prince without a kingdom? Besides, Zenial was right. Again. When I awoke in this strange new world and realized my father and The Kingdom of Aquaiia were truly gone, I thought I might have to lead our people as King. I was terrified, and honestly, I did not want to do it. My father was a wise and powerful King who ruled for many centuries. My brother Sol, next in line for the throne, was deeply loved by our people and trained to be one of our greatest warriors by the greatest warrior. Who was I to lead our people? A nobody among giants.” He paused, tapping his glass like thumbnails together, filling the otherwise quiet room with a soft tapping sound. “I was overjoyed when I learned my brothers had adopted a new governing style, but that joy also brought great shame. I felt like I was betraying the memory of my father and brother and taking the easy way out.”

“And that’s why you lashed out at everyone, pretending to be outraged that your crown was stolen from you.”

He nodded. “Remember when you took me to see The Great Mother?”

“Yeah.”

“She saw right through the façade. I am sure of it.”

“I have no doubt. She sees everything.”

A timid smile appeared on his face, but only for an instant. “I made things right with Qua’quelle after that, though I am positive he, too, was aware of my ruse. He never said anything. He spared me the humiliation. Still, I wanted to make amends, so the day before I met with Kaylec, I went before the Council of Brothers and renounced my title as Prince, and any claims afforded me because of my lineage.”

His eyes found a spot on the floor that held him transfixed. Neither of us said a word for several minutes. Then Soullen wiped at his left eye, and my heart broke for him. I had no idea how lost he felt. I’m sure the brothers showered him with much-needed love and support, but still, he was a kid who lost his father, brother, and kingdom. If that wasn’t bad enough, his whole world crumbled and changed into something unrecognizable.

It was a lot.

I sat next to him on the ottoman, and despite there being plenty of room, he scooted over to make sure I had enough space. Draping my arm around his shoulders, I pulled him close, resting my chin on the top of his head. “I’m curious to know what happened, but you don’t have to continue if you don’t want to, Soullen. We can just sit here.”

He shrugged. “They refused,” he said. “They told me I was not only their Prince but something far more significant. A symbol of the greatness of the Kingdom of Aquaiia, the last living son of the great House of Zet, and a beacon of light in the shadow.”

I smiled.

“Then Qua’quelle and Kyrios bowed before me. And as he did so, Qua’quelle said, ‘We bend a knee in deference, loyalty, and duty so that we may honor the sovereignty imbued to the title of Royal Prince. We bow our heads and cover our hearts so that we may honor the man who holds that position.’” Soullen paused and wiped at his eye again, leaving behind a pale light on his finger that quickly evaporated. “Qua’quelle, of all Nave, bowing to me and calling me a man? I couldn’t believe it. And they were not alone. All the brothers in the Nexus bent the knee and bowed. Even those hovering above in the sea of Anavi came down and took human form to bow and cover their hearts.

“‘Hail Soullen, Prince of the Nave, Our Light in the Shadow,’ Qua’quelle proclaimed, and then everyone joined in, chanting for an uncomfortably long amount of time.”

I laughed, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit misty-eyed, picturing all those guys showing their love and support for their Young Prince. “That’s why you were so eager to volunteer for this dangerous mission. You wanted to prove yourself worthy to those giants you so admired.”

I felt him nod under my chin as he cleared another luminescent tear. “But it was all for nothing. I failed. I did not even last a week before being discovered. I will return to them in disgrace.”

“I seriously doubt that, Soullen.”

“Well, you would be wrong.”

“I don’t think so,” I insisted, rubbing his arm before pulling him away and forcing him to look at me. “You showed huge balls coming here and putting yourself in danger. That’s what they’re going to take away from all this.”

“I don’t understand,” he said, brows knitted together in confusion. “What do my genitals have to do with this? Yes, they are quite sizeable, but I never had to show them to….”

“Oh my god!” I exclaimed, placing my hand over his mouth and pushing his face away. “I don’t need to hear about your junk, Soullen.

He forced my hand away, “But you said I have huge balls….”

“It’s an expression! It means you showed a lot of courage and bravery coming here. It has nothing to do with your package.”

“My package?”

“Forget it! Just forget I said anything.” Placing my hand on his head, I turned him so he was looking directly at me. “Your brothers love you. They are going to celebrate getting you back safe and sound. That’s all that matters and the only thing you should focus on right now. Got it?”

“Got it,” he smiled finally. “Thank you, Jacob.”

Ruffling his hair, I playfully pushed him away, almost knocking him off the ottoman. “Okay, enough of that. ‘Nice Soullen’ is freaking me out.”

“Will you be there during the exchange?”

“Doesn’t look that way. But,” I said, grabbing him by the neck when his demeanor changed, “you’ll be in good hands with Zenial.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. You’re going to be fine, so relax.”

We went back and forth on some of the details of the meeting, even though I had nothing to share. That didn’t stop Soullen from asking me a dozen questions, even though the only real answer I could give him was, “I don’t know.” Then he sneakily slipped in a question to which he damn well knew the answer. It was his way of changing the subject to something without making it too obvious.

“Do you think the human boy Zac will be there?”

Yeah, about as subtle as a nuclear explosion over Manhattan. “Why in the world would Zac be there?”

He shrugged bashfully and turned to look out the window. “So, he is human, correct? I did not sense the presence of Skai when we met or when I helped him with the boxes, but perhaps he was taking a fully human form?”

“Negative Ghost rider. He certainly wasn’t.” After looking at me weirdly, I rolled my eyes at him. “Yes, he’s human. Does that bother you?”

“No, not really.”

“Interesting,” I snickered. “Suddenly, not all humans are mindless apes to you?”

“That still holds for many of them, but not him.”

“Oh, I see,” I laughed. “Why are you asking me about Zac anyway?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged unconvincingly.

“Is that so?” I bumped into him to get Soullen to look at me, and he did for a second before looking away quickly. “Could it be that you like him?”

“No!” he protested. “Why would I like a human?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because he’s cute in a dorky, geeky kind of way.”

“I do not know what those words mean. Besides, I do not know what it feels like to like someone.”

“Trust me. You’ll know when you like someone. Besides, you’ve merged with your brothers, so you should know what it is like to fall for someone.”

“It is different,” he said. “I know their feelings but do not understand my own.” After a brief pause, he quietly asked, “How did you know you liked Qua’quelle?”

“Because he took my breath away,” I smiled. “Granted, it was because I was terrified of him initially, but that quickly turned to admiration. You know, because nothing else matters when you are around them. You can’t stop thinking of them; any little thing you come across reminds you of them. You trip over your words when you talk to them because the way they look at you fills you with a warmth that feels right. You’ll know, Soullen.”

“Do you think Zac could like someone like me?”

“Someone like you? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I am Nave. He is with the Skai”

“Okay, there’s that. Buddy, I don’t know.” I could tell that was not the answer he was hoping for. Grabbing Soullen by the back of the neck, I squeezed gently. “I can’t speak for Zac’s feelings, but is it possible? Sol fell in love with Juyx, didn’t he? I fell in love with Q. Romeo fell for Juliet.” I forced his head forward when he looked at me. “Yes, I know you’ve never met Romeo or Juliet, but the point I’m trying to make is that anything is possible. But for now….” I got up and stood behind Soullen, placing both hands on his shoulder and looking at him through the reflection on the window. “Let’s focus on what is possible, and that’s getting you home safely in a few days. We can worry about everything else later, okay?”

He nodded.

“Perfect!” I shook him vigorously until he finally laughed. “I’ll leave you to it then.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to head home.”

He shot up like a rocket, almost in a panic. “Do you have to?”

“It’s late, and I figured you’d want some alone time.”

“I’m fine.”

“I also have some homework I have to get done,” I said, gesturing over my shoulder.

“Whatever that is, can’t you do here?”

“I suppose.” He stood there, staring at me, his eyes silently pleading with me to stay. “Sure, why not. I’ll tell you what. I’ll get my things and be back here in twenty minutes. In the meantime, pick a movie from the shelf for us to watch when I return. Sound like a plan?”

He agreed, barely able to contain his excitement.

Taking one step back, I bowed, “Your Highness.” I turned to leave, and just as I reached the door, a luminous silhouette appeared before me and took shape. “Soullen?”

To my surprise, Soullen hugged me, a gesture I was more than happy to reciprocate. I was glad this was over for him. As much as Soullen wanted to prove himself to the others, I don’t think he considered the toll being away from his brothers so soon after waking up would take on him. A few days in, he was homesick. And even though I was not Nave, my relationship with Q made me his only connection to home.

Without a word, he released me from his embrace and walked to look for a movie. I watched him from the door for a minute, suddenly regretting my decision to allow him, of all people, to pick a movie before quietly closing it behind me and heading down to the gate.

At The Club, I ran into Liam and Elijah and spent a few minutes talking to them. They told me Sunny had been asking about me for the last couple of hours and wondered if anyone had seen me get in. I knew where this was heading, and sure enough, he was waiting for me in my room. Setting his book down on the nightstand, he got up to greet me, and we immediately started apologizing to each other. I assured him I wasn’t upset and understood why he had revealed the information about Kyrios. In fact, as I said, I apologized for putting him in that difficult position in the first place. The minute I mentioned Kyrios and forgot to mention it to our leaders, I tied his hands behind his back. Of course, he had to say something.

He assured me an apology wasn’t necessary, and we let the matter float away under the bridge. On the other hand, he didn’t seem too pleased that I was heading back to Ski-Tech to spend time with Soullen. “I’m trying to wrap my head around going to visit a Nave,” were his exact words, but he didn't press me on the issue because of the whole “Kyrios” incident. I was able to gather my books and leave, promising to call him if I needed anything or if “shit goes down.” You’d think I was going into a warzone.

Returning to Ski-Tech, I found Soullen kneeling in front of the TV, scratching his head, trying to figure out how to get the Blu-ray to play. After solving the great mystery of the “power button,” we settled in for a night of movies and fun. Unfortunately for me, no pleasure would be had for the first forty-five minutes because Soullen decided to pick a comedy to watch, so that time was spent trying to explain most of the jokes to him with little success. I ended up switching the movie for a mindless action flick, and it was smooth sailing. Turns out, like most “teenage” boys, blood, guts, and violence spoke his language.

With neither of us needing any sleep, I finished my homework, and after, we spent the rest of the night watching movies and playing video games. Soullen was particularly good at Mario Kart, though I’m not convinced he didn’t use his powers in one or two matches.

At eight in the morning, I left for school, promising Soullen I’d swing by during the evening to hang out again. Classes were uneventful for the most part, and notably, CJ was absent from physics. It wasn’t like him to miss class, so I couldn’t help but wonder if he had dropped it to avoid me. Or maybe he was just hungover, but even though I would never know the answer, that thought plagued me for the rest of the day. I avoided any areas where I might run into them and stayed to myself most of the day.

With my last classes behind me, I spent a couple of hours under my new favorite tree and did some homework and light reading. By “light reading,” I mean I finished two thick-ass textbooks. Daylight surrounded the evening earlier these days, so I packed my stuff and went straight to Ski-Tech to spend time with Soullen as promised.

I had no classes the following day. Learning this, the guys wanted to spend the day shopping. I didn’t understand the point of shopping for clothes when we could create pretty much anything we wanted out of thin air. Liam assured me he still enjoyed the experience and got a rush when finding that perfect outfit or that hidden bargain. Elijah was all for it because, according to him, Liam gets super horny after he’s done shopping, especially when he finds a sweet deal. Sunny flat-out said he was going because he wanted to “score some French dick.” And with that, we took a gate to Paris and spent the day shopping up and down the Champs-Élysées.

True to his word, Sunny disappeared a few times for up to twenty minutes at a time after eye-banging some hottie from a distance. I don’t think he ever remembered what he was wearing because he would wear something completely different every time he caught up with us. And then proceeded to act all innocent like we didn’t know what he was doing in the changing room with the boutique employee —employees in some instances.

I had a blast and ended up with several bags of new clothes. When Liam and Elijah tried calling me out on it, I had a valid excuse because I couldn’t fully control my abilities yet, so they could suck it. We got home around six in the evening, and after putting all my crap away, I went to meet up with Soullen again. I could tell Sunny had so much to say, but to his credit, he bit his tongue and let me go with a wave and smile.

On the day of the “prisoner exchange,” I went to school like usual. I was bummed to learn that my physics class was canceled because the professor was sick—something about bad clams. I wasn’t broken up about missing the lecture. I just wanted to see if my theory was correct. If CJ didn’t show, it could only mean he did indeed drop the class. No way he would miss two days of class.

After the exchange, I would meet with The Great Mother. I found concentrating difficult despite being under the tree of peace and tranquility. I was both excited to see her because I had so many questions and dreading the answers she may or may not have for me. And that’s key because you never really get a straight answer from The Great Mother. She leads you to a fork in the road, tells you to pick a path, and wishes you luck. That was about as much as I could except from The Great Mother. Still, it would do me good to be in her presence.

And, of course, there was Q. Was he still my Q? Was I still his Jacob? Maybe I wouldn’t see him at all, and the answer to those questions would have to wait. Still, the butterflies in my stomach felt more like angry dragons.

My tranquility was shattered when this moron decided to sit next to me under my tree. With the weather getting colder and colder, you could look out into the distance and not see any students hanging out outside anymore. Sure, a handful could be seen here and there, but the point is that he could have picked hundreds of other spots.

I didn’t even look at him for fear of giving off the impression that I was friendly. Fuck that noise. Instead, I placed the headphones I borrowed from Sunny on my head and cranked up the music, making it clear I didn’t want to be bothered with idle chitchat. It worked because he didn’t bother me, but fifteen minutes in, I felt him nug my shoulder as he presented me with a dark chocolate bar, my favorite. Eyeing the candy in front of me, I removed the headphones and looked at the guy, wondering what he could want from me.

His emerald eyes and perfect smile surprised me, taking my breath away instantly.

“Hey, Sparky….”