Divinitas

012 - Aftermath


The Witching Hoas aas approaching. Aether had left and never came back. And all that time, Phoenix had simply sat where he had fallen, unmoving, barely breathing or blinking. Nothing adorned his body except the white patches of bandages, his black bandana, his pants and boxers that encircled his ankles like shackles… And the silver collar clasped coldly around his neck.

He truly felt like an abandoned doll. He should have felt angry, filled with rage. But that was not so. Only a bleak depression, a feeling of being used and unwanted.

Aether had just left after he had placed the collar around Phoenix\'s throat. As if that was the final victory and there was no more to do or say. All that, and then to be simply cast aside and forgotten. It felt as if history was repeating itself.

What made him get up finally, Phoenix did not know. But he did, pushing himself up against the wall and kicking off his shoes before stepping out of the blood encrusted pants and crossing the expansive room to the king sized bed. He wasn\'t really thinking. He just pulled the black silk sheets from the bed and wrapped them around himself like a toga the Romans once wore.

Then he felt his way back to his dorm room, feet numb from walking on the dark cold stone floors of the dimly lit stairs and hallways. His head was spinning. The loss of blood and lack of food really weren\'t a good combination. By the time he reached the door to his dorm rooe hae had only strength to knock once before collapsing onto the ground, hoping with all his might that someone was still awake and had heard him.

What Phoenix didn\'t consider was that Gryps would be the one to open the door. Really, was everything against him today? It would seem so. Gryps opened the door. Looked down at Phoenix with unfeeling silver eyes. And then turned and walked back into the room, leaving the red eyed boy sitting on the lonely stone floor.

Luckily, Chima was still awake, and his curious nature lead him to poke his head out the ajar door. He took one look at Phoenix and then jumped on him, hugging him with tears in his emerald eyes as if Phoenix had returned from the land of the dead. \"I\'m so glad you\'re alright, Phoenix! We were all so worried about you!\"

Phoenix forced a smile, cringing as the boy unknowingly bumped into several sore spots. \"I\'m alive,\" Phoenix said truthfully as Chima helped him up. \"It takes more than a little beating to kill me…!\" He was being stupid, trying to boast when he could barely stand on his own two feet. And… He couldn\'t quite remove from his mind what had happened afterwards… Couldn\'t quite stop his body from feeling Aether\'s touch still ghost over him. A shiver ran down his spine.

Chima looked down the corridor each way suspiciously before pulling Phoenix inside and shutting the door with a bang. \"Have to be careful, Phoenix!\" he cautioned, pushing the older boy clad only in a black sheet to the table. \"I like Casi and all… I mean, she\'s really fun and into horses like I am… But… Err… She\'s kinda creepy when she\'s around you.\"

With his head resting on the table, Phoenix gazed inquisitively at Chima, but his exhaustion and state of mind kept words from being spoken. He opted for giving the boy a tired smile.

\"Umm… If yon\'tn\'t mind me asking, Phoenix? Why are you wearing a collar and a piece of cloth? What happened to your clothes?\" Chima suddenly wondered, youthful face no more than a few inches from Phoenix\'s, peering at him with large green eyes that resembled a playful kitten\'s. Ins Instantly a blush stained his face. \"Ahh… Ahh…\" he said, hand wandering up to scratch his head. How to tell a boy that he\'d just been… He\'d just been…

A door opened and closed, and a somewhat haggard looking Draco walked in, several books under his arm. He took one look at Phoenix and Chima after setting his books down before ushering the younger boy to get to bed.

\"But I\'m not tired!\" Chima whined, clinging to the table. Even as he said the words he gave a loud yawn. \"I wanna stay up and talk to Phoenix…\"

Draco turned a deaf ear, picking up the smaller boy who was already in his pyjamas and tossing him onto his bed. \"Go to sleep. It\'s past midnight, Chima,\" Draco said firmly, pulling the curtains closed to shut out any further protests.

\"Thanks…\" Phoenix said sheepishly.

Sapphire eyes regarded him. \"So why are you wearing a collar and a sheet… And only a sheet that\'s from a bed at that…\" Draco demanded in a hushed voice.

Phoenix glared. \"The collar is because Aether feels it\'s necessary to mark his property. The sheet is because my clothes were either shredded or removed from me. I didn\'t partially want to go wandering in the night butt naked.\"

\"Well, that would scare away even the ghosts,\" Gryps spoke up from his desk where he was typing away at his laptop.

\"I would come over there and bash you, but I can\'t move much at the moment…\" Phoenix grumbled under his breath. His fingers absently played with the collar encircling his throat. \"Draco… I have to get my freedom back…\"

\"I\'ve been in the library since the Duel. Trying to find some loop hole that would let you off the hook… But it\'s almost as if the rules were designed specifically for enslaving someone. They\'re solid, Phoenix… That is, as long as you choose to honour them,\" Draco said quietly.

\"I think I\'m just an idiot,\" Phoenix mumbled, voice muffled as he lowered his head to rest on his arms. \"I\'ve never followed rules before… And it\'s not the rules holding me now. Draco, it\'s the fact I lost. I can\'t let myself be free until I\'ve won my freedom back on my own merits. You understand that, don\'t you?\"

Draco nodded, calm eyes assessing the boy resting on the table before him. Despite his strong words, he looked completely defeated. Though Phoenix hadn\'t said it directly, something less than decent had happened whilst he was in Aether\'s presence. \"I understand, Phoenix… But the question is, can you survive that long? The only way to in yin your freedom under your own rules is to beat Aether fairly.\"

\"And Hell would freeze over before that happens,\" Gryps commented. One could swear his braid was swishing with delight as he taunted the poor boy.

Phoenix picked up one of Draco\'s books lying on the table and hurled it at the back of Gryps\' head. \"I know,\" Phoenix said quietly. \"But there\'s nothing else. It\'s the only life line I have left now…\"

The play of emotions glittering in Phoenix\'s crimson eyes made Draco want to embrace the boy and simply tell him everything would be all right… Even if it was probably a lie.

And then the boy gave a wide grin, the fire flaring in his eyes. \"That\'s right! I will beat Aether even if I die trying! And well… if I lose… err… part of me in the meantime… Well… I\'ll just deal with it… But anyway!\" here a devious smile was born on the fiery boy\'s lips, \"Let\'s plan for ways of making his life a misery in the meanwhile!\" And with that, laughed a villains laugh that would have rivalled even the most evil character in history.

It was cut short, however, as the wound skewing his stomach shot a stab of pain through him.

~ * ~

After a big ordeal, one would think that they would get a break, and be able to wake up peacefully, stretch around on their bed for a bit, before getting up and eating a healthy breakfast.

Fate, however, was out to get Phoenix.

A loud banging on the door at the break of dawn woke the sleeping students. Like giant echoing footsteps that chased the terrified child in some deep dark forest, the banging was unrelenting, demanding to be let in.

Waking from his surreal dream, Phoenix cried out, sure that the fiend on the other side was none other than his darkest demon, here to snatch up his and and pinch it between his fingers. \"Don\'t let him in, don\'t let him in!\" he yelped, still ensnarled in the clutches of sleep.

Gryps, however, didn\'t heed Phoenix\'s words. Wearing his only his boxers as he usually did when sleeping, he threw back his covers and stalked to the door, pulling it open. He was just a little bit pissed off. The back of his head was throbbing still from where the book hit him, and all night his sleep had been restless. Now someone had to go wake him up at some un-godly hour on a Sunday.

A violet blur barrelled in, locking arms around Gryps thin waist and throwing both of them onto the cold stone ground. \"Ahh! I\'m so glad you\'re okay!\" Casi\'s delighted voice rung out into the stunned silence. She was almost purring as she rubbed her cheek against Gryps\' bare chest.

For an instant, a blush coloured the usually impassive face, and Gryps looked almost lost. But then the coldness washed over him, and he was once again the Ice Prince. \"I am Gryps,\" he said simply, not bothering to try and push Casi off himself.

Casi froze. In an instant she was standing up and laughing nervously, avoiding the silver eyed boy. Her aqua gaze swept the room and fell on the shivering lump that was Phoenix, hiding underneath his covers. All discomfort forgotten, the girl launched herself at the lump, wrapping crushing arms around the slight frame and squeezing. \"I was so worried! I wanted to help you, you know, but that Ares gagged and tied me up!\" Casi cried, sniffling.

Meanwhile, Phoenix, who had managed to free his head from the covers suddenly realised he had been sleeping in Aether\'s silk sheet and nothing more. His face coloured red at the realisation, and he suddenly found it very hard to breath. Any observer could see he was on the verge of fainting again.

\"Casi, it\'s not even six in the morning yet… I am sure Phoenix appreciatour our concern, but what he needs most now is rest and time to heal,\" Draco said with a yawn from the bed on the other side of Chima, who was still snoring lightly.

\"Hmm… I guess you\'re right… Okay then! I\'ll bring him breakfast in bed!\" she declared, and had dashed out of the room before anyone could blink an eye.

Phoenix flopped back down on his bed, eyes rolling. \"What have I done to deserve this…\" he groaned.

Gryps stared emotionlessly at Phoenix. But for the cold boy, it was merely a mask this time. A green-eyed monster had just hatched in his icy heart. With a shake of his head, Gryps pulled on some casual clothing, picked up a sketch book from his desk, and stalked out of the room.

For a moment, Draco simply watched as the silver haired boy left, a somewhat bemused smile played on his lips. Then, with a soft sigh, he willed his tired body from the bed and pulled open Phoenix\'s set of drawers. \"Probably nothing, Phoenix, but I suggest you put something on that body of your\'s before she comes back,\" Draco replied, throwing a pair of torn jeans and a tight black cotton shirt at the fiery boy.

\"If I\'m with Aether, I have to fend him off. If I\'m not with Aether, I have to fend her off. It\'s a no-win situation!\" he moped, fishing a clean pair of underwear from the open drawer beside his bed.

\"It would seem that way…\" Draco said quietly to the lump as Phoenix ducked under the covers to pull the clothes on. \"This is just a word of caution, Phoenix… But from now on, I would be careful with Gryps. I think he\'s jealous of you.\"

Phoenix gave a bitter bark of muffled laughter. \"Jealous? That\'s a first. I can\'t begin to imagine why anyone would be jealous of me. Let\'s see… One, my body doesn\'t even belong to me. Two, I haven\'t a penny in my name… Three, I ache all over… Four-\"

\"Alright, Phoenix! I get the point,\" Draco interrupted, a sweatdrop forming at the back of his head. \"But I am referring to the fact that Gryps likes Casi… For some odd reason…\"

The younger boy poked his head \"Y \"You\'re kidding me.\"

Draco shook his head. \"I can tell,\" he answered with a mysterious and knowing smile. But his playfulness soon faded as he recalled the words Casi had spoken to him on their first meeting. \"There\'s something else, Phoenix. Don\'t let Casi get to you… I think she has her own reasons for playing with you like this.\"

Phoenix regarded the older boy for a moment before nodding. \"Probably…\" He gave Draco a small smile before swinging his legs out of bed and getting up cautiously, carefully favouring his wounded shoulder and stomach. \"Well, I\'m off. I haven\'t eaten since breakfast yesterday. Err… Don\'t bother trying to find me for the rest of the day. I intend to hide like a wounded animal and lick my wounds in peace.\"

Sapphire eyes smiled understandingly. \"Don\'t worry. You\'ll get through this, Phoenix. Just believe iurseurself… Oh, and don\'t forget you have homework to do that\'s due tomorrow morning!\"

Making a face, the boy disared red through the door.

~ * ~

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