Divinitas

027 - A Movement and a Warning

~ * ~

Phoenix awoke late Sunday morning, feeling strangely calm and collected. The events that had transpired the day before were still crystal clear within his mind\'s eye, from defeating Aether, to Draco tucking him up in bed and assuring him that no fire had been born from his body.

It seemed foolish, in retrospect, such a concept…

Yet every time he closed his eyes, that night came back to him. The dream, then waking to feel his hands burning… And the entire house around him being licked by the ruthless flames.

But that was the past. So it didn\'t matter, did it…

The others had left him to his own devices, Draco having left a note to say he had called the café to let them know he would be back at work next weekend. As a post script, the older boy had added that perhaps he should take it easy. Meaning, in other words, don\'t go and stir up trouble, namely with Aether.

\"Not much chance of that. I\'m free, and I intend to remain so,\" Phoenix said with a smirk. A smirk that all too quickly faded from his face. So, why then, did he feel utterly lost and defeated?

The boy shook his head. No. This wasn\'t his fault in the least. He shouldn\'t be the one feeling all shitty about the situation. It was Aether\'s fault. When Aether could pull his head out of his ass, he would deal with him then. And until such time, Aether could bur hel hell.



~ * ~

Gryps never returned last night. He had disappeared on leaving their room after Casi\'s bubbly chatter, and hadn\'t been sighted since. If what Draco suspected was true, then he had every right to be as worried as he was.

Casi had taken the younger boy shopping, which Draco was silently grateful for. He didn\'t know how he would explain about dead people suddenly coming back to life to either of them. Never mind the consequences of Casi and Chima shopping together. That was something he would simply have to deal with later.

\"Must be special, whatever it is you\'ve lost. You look so stressed, searching for it,\" Gryps\' voice rang out in the silence of the library.

Draco\'s head turned sharply to the right, momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight that streamed in through the tall narrow windows. Gryps\' silhouette was outlined against them, sitting at one of the tables, lazily reading the newspaper.

\"You\'re not Gryps,\" Draco stated slowly, sapphire eyes travelling up and down the other\'s form. His long silver hair hung freely down his back, and he wore the normal school uniform, not the low cut and overly revealing Metamorphosis uniform Gryps normally adorned.

\"Quite observant. Unlike your comrade. Phoenix is rather thick, isn\'t he?\" the silver eyed boy said with a pleasant smile. \"Or he just has a knack for conveniently avoiding the truth that\'s right in front of him. I talked to him before you know, here. I convinced him to hurry up with his duel against Aether. Of course, he thought I was my beloved Brother.\"

Draco approached Ari with caution, a cat ready to spring back at the slightest warning. \"Why did you convince Phoenix? What do you gain from his winning the duel with Aether?\"

Ari flashed Draco another wide smile. \"A guarantee,\" was the simply reply. \"Don\'t you know how volatile a Soul Bind is? It almost always back lashes onto the one who casts it. And should anything happen to Aether, well then, everng wng would have been for nothing, ne?\"

\"And what, may I ask, does \'everything\' refer to?\"

\"Oh, you don\'t know? You\'re Draco, aren\'t you? The scholar, the one who was always stuck in the books? The one who flew straight and always gave me a disapproving look whenever I didn\'t toe the line?\" Ari was grinning now. \"No, I don\'t think I\'ll answer you. But I\'ll tell you one thing you still seem oblivious to…

\"You\'re one of us, Draco… Child of Water.\"



~ * ~

Burning red eyes glared up at chocolate brown ones. \"You are so not getting any sugar cubes from me…\" Phoenix seethed from where he lay sprawled on the ground, shooting daggers with his eyes at the midnight coloured horse standing above him.

Phoenix, being Phoenix, had totally disregarded Draco\'s advice. Instead of \'taking it easy\' the boy had promptly tacked up Solar Flare (a horse who had not been ridden in over three weeks, by the way. Not to mention the fact that this horse was a stallion and thus was highly strung to begin with…) and ridden him out. He should have thanked his lucky stars that Solar Flare had thrown him off here at the paddocks, and not down a rocky hill side or off a cliff. Still… His backside was complaining overtime, and he had ripped one of the shirts he had brought with his hard earned money.

With a sigh, Phoenix picked himself up and dusted off his pants. Really, he wasn\'t stupid. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it had been a reckless thing to do. But wishes of self-destruction brought on such mindless antics.

Everything was just pressing in on him. And he didn\'t want to deal with them. So it was easier to lose oneself in the wind, bolting down the hill and onto the paddock. If falling off was the price he had to pay, then so be it.

The boy caught Solar Flare\'s reins and was about to lead the black horse back to the stables when sunlight simmering on golden silk caught his attention. Leaning up against the paddock fence was Aether. His back was turned towards him, his attention else where, focused on the golden mare within the enclosure.

Half of him wanted to instantly run towards the older boy, do anything to have that amethyst gaze on him. But the other half… The other half stubbornly insisted it never wanted to talk to Aether again. He was not the one who initiated this game. Thus if Aether wanted to continue with it, he would have to be the one to make amends.

The decision was suddenly snatched out of his hands as Solar Flare snorted and tore the reins free, trotting directly to where Phoenix least wanted to be.

\"I hate that horse so fucking much it isn\'t funny,\" Phoenix growled under his breath as he stalked over to where Aether stood no more than a few meters away.

Solar Flare had thrown his head over neck over the fence and was nosing the Aether\'s palomino filly fondly. Phoenix blinked at the scene, crimson eyes roaming over the young mare and her rounded belly.

\"You didn\'t…\" Phoenix uttered in disbelief, his jaw dropping open.

\"He did,\" Aether voice spoke from the other side of Solar Flare. Phoenix inwardly cringed at the lack of amusement in the other boy\'s voice. \"Venus was in foal before you came here. She\'s due in about 4 months. The whole reason Solar Flare was assigned to you was because he\'s very fond of Venus.\"

\"Oh,\" was all Phoenix could manage.

Aether turned and looked at Phoenix for the first time. \"I…\" the older boy paused, unsure of himself. It was like speaking to a whole new person. \"You did well in the duel. Congratulations, Phoenix.\" Aether gave a small smile and walked away from the other boy without another word, leaving a stunned Phoenix to stare at his retreating back.



~ * ~

The scene Chima and Casi burst into was downright depressing. Both Phoenix and Draco were sitting at their normal table in the cafeteria, picking at their dinner and looking gloomy. If Phoenix\'s head drooped any lower, he might as well have been eating off his plate.

This, however, was lost on both Chima and Casi as they rushed up to their table looking very smug and happy with themselves.

\"Ne, ne! Guess what Casi got for me today!\" Chima said, grinning, standing with his hands behind his back.

\"Hn…\" Phoenix replied, turning his head and letting it drop into his plate of cooling food. He looked at the pair blankly, quite unaware of what he was using as a pillow.

Chima and Casi giggled and revealed a wriggling bundle of fluff which promptly wriggled out of Chima\'s grasp and bounded onto the table. A puppy, no more than five weeks old skittered up to Phoenix and started gnawing on his red locks, tearing at them as if trying to drag his head off his plate.

It took several long moments of Draco staring blindly at the little scene in front of him before he actually became aware of what it was he was seeing. \"Casi… You can\'t… You… That\'s a wolf pup,\" Draco finally stammered out, something that was a very unlike-Draco thing to do.

Casi grinned widely. \"Isn\'t he the cutest? He took such a liking to Chima I just couldn\'t leave him in the back of that man\'s truck,\" the girl beamed.

\"Well, that answers my question of where you were able to find a wolf… An animal smuggler, I assume. How much did you pay for him?\" Draco inquired as he observed the young wolf\'s innocently violent game of tug-a-war with Phoenix\'s hair. Each time the pup danced forward to grab a larger chunk, his sharp little teeth scratched bright red marks on Phoenix\'s pale face. Of course, the boy was too zoned out to even notice the pain.

The girl sparkled and held up her hand to form a zero with her thumb and index finger. \"I distracted the man while Chima coaxed the puppy to gnaw through its leash,\" Casi said happily before Draco could ask how it was possible.

Draco gave a gentlemanly sigh. \"First you break the school\'s rules by bringing a pet into it. Never mind that it\'s a wolf and illegal in this part of the country. Now you\'re teaching him to steal as well? Casi, don\'t you have any morals?\"

\"Hmmm…\" Casi pondered, pretending to look thoughtful for a long moment. \"Nope!\" she declared, grinning again.

The older boy muttered something that could have been \'hopeless\' under his breath.

\"So… Why is there such an air of doom and gloom at our table?\" Casi asked, seating herself next to the traumatised Phoenix and enticing the wolf pup to pull more savagely at Phoenix\'s hair.

\"I\'ve just got a lot on my mind,\" Draco answered shortly, returning his attention to his food and stubbornly ignoring Ari\'s words that taunted him from his memories.

\"Oh, I see… What about my Little Phoenix here? Looks like something the cat dragged in…\" Casi wrinkled her nose, eyeing the mushed up food Phoenix was sulking in. The wolf pup had grown tired of playing tug-a-war, and had settled for chewing on Phoenix\'s hair instead.

\"I don\'t know. He was like this when I got here… But I would assume that is the reason…\" Draco gestured vaguely in the direction where a group of girls were clustered. A mop of golden hair could be seen above the crowd.

A hand suddenly grabbed a large chunk of Phoenix\'s hair and hauled his face out of his food. \"You,\" Ares\' voice said from behind Phoenix, \"are pathetic.\" The Child of Fire dragged Phoenix up from his seat and glared at the younger boy. \"Look at you. You have food dribbling down you face. You, the only student in the history of the school to ever best a Child of Soul, and you are sulking over it! Man, have a bit of consideration for you House! You\'re not exactly making a good impression on the other students…\"

Phoenix just stared at the leader of his House blankly.

Ares grunted in frustration. \"Don\'t you know the trials for the position of Child in the Houses are coming up in a few weeks? You\'re going to take my freaking place, yet you don\'t show any enthusiasm over it!\"

\"My, Ares… If he wins the title of Child of Fire, your House will be even more worthless than it already is,\" the Child of Water said mockingly as the blue haired boy walked up to the table with the Child of Air and Earth behind him.

It was quite a sight, the four Children gathered together, each of them welding their weapons and dressed in their full Metamorphosis uniforms. Sparks were flying between the three boys whilst Dawn stood off to the side, holding the long scythe and chain naturally. Her calm hazel eyes watched Phoenix, taking in his despondent expression.

The Child of Earth picked up a napkin with her free hand and pressed it into Phoenix\'s, urging the boy to clean himself up. \"You have no reason to be as you are, you know,\" Dawn said softly to Phoenix. \"I watch Aether often enough to know he\'s always watching you when you\'re not looking.\"

Acknowledgement slowly filtered back into Phoenix\'s dull red eyes. \"I\'m sorry,\" the younger boy murmured, dropping his eyes to study his shoes.

Dawn smiled softly. \"We don\'t have a choice in who we fall for… So don\'t be.\" The older girl paused as if considering her words before speaking again. \"Just give Aether some time… But if you wish to resolve the conflict between the two of you sooner, you might have to be the one to make the first move.\"

Phoenix nodded without look up. This was the girl that had an affection for Aether long before he had ever arrived at the School of Genesis. What was it like, to know the person you love loved another? Something sharp struck inside of his chest. Phantom pain.

\"Enough!\" Ares\' voice roared above Phillip and Louis\' so both the Child of Water and Air shut up immediately. \"This happens every year,\" Ares muttered under his breath. \"We\'ll see which House is the best in the annual tournament. It\'s pretty damn useless to argue about it now,\" Ares said, glaring at the other two boys before turning his attention to the occupants at the table. \"Alright, let us get to the point before we break out into another bitch fight.

\"We\'re here, enduring each other\'s undesirable presence, because we wanted to inform the four… Oh, Gryps isn\'t here … Will one of you just pass the message along to him? Great… As I was saying, we\'re here to inform the three of you,\" Ares looked pointedly at Phoenix, Draco and Chima, \"as well as Gryps that you\'re probably the most likely players who will win the Trials. That is, the annual duels held within each house at the end of the first semester which determines the new Child of that House,\" Ares said very quickly all in one breath. He gave himself a pause for air before continuing. \"Of course, these two,\" he gestured airily at Phillip and Louis, \"are being tight-asses about it. In any cause, you\'ll have to fight each of us in a one-on-one duel and win to gain the title.

\"The Trials will be in the last week at night after dinner. If you make it through all the other players in your House that wants the title of Child, then you\'ll duel with the current Child of your House on Friday night. We\'re not going to be spending any time in the training sessions to prepare you for a duel with another member of the same House, so it\'s up to you guys to do whatever. Our advance warning is the only help you\'re getting from us.\" Ares waited until the three younger boys had nodded their acknowledgement before walking off, instantly being attacked by Casi as she ranted on about some new cheer she had devised for the Trials.

\"Wow, that\'s neat,\" Chima spoke up once the other three Children had departed. The wolf pup was wriggling around in his arms, having retreated to them when Ares had chedched Phoenix\'s hair out of his reach. \"Dawn always said I was a natural at Metamorphosis, but I didn\'t think I could ever become the Child of Earth…\" the youngest boy murmured dreamily.

Phoenix let himself sink back down into his seat, silent. Despite Chima\'s enthusiastic response to being told he had a very high chance of becoming next Child of Earth, Phoenix felt only a sense of deep forbidding that racked his soul. Draco too seemed discomforted by the Children\'s sudden announcement.



~ * ~

\"Let go of me,\" Gryps hissed, snatching his arm back and holding his wrist as if where Ari had touched it burned. His heart was racing, shocked at the sudden appearance of his twin.

Ari laughed, leaning back against the cool stone wall of the dark underground passage way. The silver haired boy tilted his head back and let his gleaming silver eyes roam the painted ceiling, smiling. \"You know, Gryps, not even we could have painted something this… alive. And we were the most talented artist in our time.\"

\"Just get out of my way,\" the younger twin said coldly, walking past Ari without another glance.

\"Do you even know why you\'re down here?\" Ari asked in a teasing voice, watching with delight Gryps\' coldly furious face. \"I know what happened last time your curiosity got the better of you. Genesis told me all about your little escapade with the Gate Into Eternity. Tsk tsk. You should have known better than to touch something that\'s been cursed by our old adversaries.\"

Gryps stopped cold at the comment, his mind racing as it turneer ter the information. \"You… You have all the memories.\"

\"YesAri Ari smiled. \"The only good thing that came from your pushing me off that cliff, Brother…\" The older twin walked silently up behind Gryps, locking his slender arms around the other\'s waist.

Gryps instantly stiffened at the contact, feeling all too well the heat of Ari\'s body pressed up against his back and the warmth of his palms as they slid across his bare stoma

\"I can share them with you, Gryps,\" Ari\'s scentless voice tempted next to Gryps\' ear. \"Just become one with me…\"

The silence that followed deepened until Gryps could feel each beat of Ari\'s heart revibrate through him, completely in sync with his own, calling, making itself known… His own gapping hole in his heart.

In an instant, Gryps broke free of Ari\'s embrace, shoving Ari backwards and sprinting down the halls, his mind screaming at him to just get away. Anywhere was fine. Just away.

Ari laughed, giving chase as if all this was simply a fun childhood game.

This wasn\'t happening, this wasn\'t happening! The words pounded in Gryps\' head in time with his feet. The shock of Ari being alive was still rolling over him like waves of violent thunder. Never forgiven himself. Never, never… Can\'t forgive Ari either, killing her. Trying to kill him - that didn\'t matter. Just can\'t…

Gryps faltered, losing his footing for an instant and stumbling forward. The ground rushed up to meet him, the lines in the stones vividly clear, only to have them snatched out of focus as a strong hand clamped around his wrist and jerked him up and forwards, pulling him on without missing another beat.

Dazed silver eyes looked up to see Ari urging him on, running ahead of him now, and looking back with the exact same silver eye, grinning. Eyes that laughed at him, taunted him. \'Come,\' they said. \'Let\'s play.\' Filled with indecent lust.

Huge double doors loomed into view, bursting open with a crack of thunder as they struck the stone walls behind them. And then Ari\'s laugh that echoed so eerily in the cavernous hall, the large portraits watching the pair with indifferent eyes as one swung the other in an unwilling dance.

Suddenly Ari released his grasp on Gryps\' wrist, letting the other boy stumble and fall heavily onto the black marble floor. Ari grinned, watching Gryps\' slender body slide several feet before coming to a rest, his chest heaving with each breath the only sign of life.

\"Do you like it here? The place where you were irresistibly drawn?\" Ari asked, his voice ringing out clearly into the circular room, laughter underlying it.

Gryps struggled to his hands and knees, his vision blurred, his head spinning. \"Where… Where is… this place…\"

Ari grinned, twirling around slowly with his arms outstretched as if to welcome the spirit of the room into himself. \"The last and only place where the rituals of old can still be performed. The Heart of Genesis.\"

\"Why is that so important…\" Gryps demanded, pushing himself up onto his feet and forcing himself to stand steady as he glared at his older twin.

The other stopped and locked eyes with Gryps, smiling sinisterly. \"Do you see the paintings around us?\" Ari wondered, his slender hands gesturing to the five large oil portraits hung on the wall surrounding them. \"We painted them when we were the God of Air. We were the most gifted artists in our day and age. No one could match our talent. Isn\'t that why you love art so much? Why you use to paint portraits of Ophelia?

\"Well, think on that fact… And then think of the images that appear on the ceilings around the castle,\" Ari suggested, watching Gryps with lowered eyes, loving the play of emotions that filtered across his identical face. \"That\'s beyond skill. Beyond the skill of any human, beyond the skill of a God… But this was where all of them were born.\"

Gryps\' eyes widened with the realisation. \"Sacrifice.\" The single word passed through his mouth as if it were cursed. The boy suddenly felt ill. The dreams… They had been a warning. The only warning.

\"Now you\'re getting it, my dear Brother,\" Ari praised with a smile, closing the divide between them until they were standing face to face. \"I don\'t regret killing Ophelia. I am the side of you that has no regret, no remorse, no mercy. I was the one who killed, you were the one who created with your artistic talent. And because of that, I do not care if Genesis must take into itself sacrifices to survive, as long as when all is finished, you and I will be one.\"

\"And your trying to kill me?\"

Ari gave an innocent smile. \"Well, you must forgive me for that, Brother. That was before I knew of the better alternative. You see, if both of us died, our soul would have reunited in death. I would have thrown myself off that cliff after I killed you, of course. I wouldn\'t have abandoned you…\" Ari lifted a hand to caress Gryps\' cheek, only to have to promptly struck away before contact was made. The older twin laughed.

\"But then the memories returned. And everything made sense. My intense attraction to you, my desire to be one with you. Beyond mere lust, Gryps. It was simply meant to be.

\"And finally, the alternative to killing both of us was remember.

\"Aether has the grand agenda to return to us what was taken. In doing so, we will recover our original forms. Thus the two halves of our soul will be reunited in the one body. Ne, doesn\'t that sound sweet, Brother?\"

Icy eyes burned into Ari. Hatred that burned like lava swirled violently in Gryps\' heart, pulsed in his veins. The pain of losing Ophelia, to be told her death meant nothing. \'Hate you, Ari. Hate you because what you say is true. You are a part of me and I loath you!\'

Gryps\' right fist came up fast, landing a solid punch on Ari\'s jaw, sending the older twin stumbling backwards. Not missing a beat, Gryps leapt forward, dealing a solid blow to Ari\'s side with his leg. A twirl to compensate for the momentum, and then another kick, upwards this time, striking at Ari\'s chin and connecting heavily with the bone.

Ari was barely fazed, his hand easily catching Gryps\' foot on its decent, twisting it around sharply and forcing Gryps to turn with it, flipping him over to land heavily on his stomach. With a fluid movement, Gryps rolled over and back flipped onto his feet. Ari was beside Gryps in an instant, trapping his wrists and swinging the boy round in a wide arch before sending him hurtling towards the wall.

Gryps\' head impacted with solid stone with a ringing crack. Bright red blood stained the wall as the boy slid down, his vision fading to black. But Ari\'s slender frame was pressed up against his, electric shocks flaring up and down his spine with the contact.

\"You hate me, I know,\" Ari spoke softly into Gryps\' ear. \"Hate me for being unable to understand the pain you go through at the loss of our sister, hate me for being the cause of that loss. Hate me for bringing you the guilt of killing me. Hate me for being a part of you. I understand you very well… Gryps… At how human you really are, how vainly you try to hide all the pain under your icy demeanour. I\'ve seen how you look at that girl. Casimir. She resembles our beloved sister very much, doesn\'t she?\"

Gryps visibly tensed at the words, prompting Ari to laugh again, softly, his breath brushing across Gryps\' bared neck. False sweetness that magnified itself ten folds as it circled around the curved room.

\"I\'ll play the villain. You can play the naïve Prince in love with the idiot Princess… I have no qualms with hurting anyone that come between us, Gryps. Nor killing them. You should know that very well.\"

\"What do you want…\" Near impossible to form coherent thoughts, let alone words. Gryps\' head was spinning wildly, demanding the blissful darkness of unconsciousness.

\"You,\" Ari answered, forming the word slowly and carefully with his lips. \"Submit to me, Gryps. Just be with me. You can take me, if you like. I don\'t mind. Only… Be one with me and only me…\"

The mirror image closed the distance between illusion and reality, pressing a delicate kiss on trembling lips. Lingering for only a moment before the image pulled back, breaking the mirroring effect as its lips curved up in a cruel smile. Ari\'s hand slipped a piece of paper into Gryps\' pocket, remaining there for a moment longer than necessary, coldness passing into the warmth.

\"I\'ll be there… Don\'t leave it off for too long, Brother. Or else… you might just be convicted of another murder…\"

Long moments passed as Ari\'s foot steps faded away. It was longer still before Gryps\' legs gave out from underneath him and his body slid into a boneless heap upon the floor. Silver eyes closed, glazed with unshed tears. No, he would never cry over this. Never shed tears for himself who had single-handedly destroyed his human family.

\"I\'m sorry…\" A gentle touch on his mind.

Fields of green and gold spread out before him, the wind blowing across the long grass and making elaborate ripples. The sky above him was a burst of gold and red, the sunlight reflecting off the clouds to form unimaginable works of art.

\"He shouldn\'t hurt you so…\" Voice of a child… Innocent, naïve. Did it really know what it was saying even?

\"I thought I had left all of this behind. I believed everything would be fine if I just followed this damned destiny that Aether has set out for each of us. I would have accepted that, aided it even, if I did not have to face my past!\" Gryps\' voice rose to a pitch that had not been reached since that day. Silver eyes flashed with deep sorrow as they glared at the form of the child playing in the long gentle grass, looking up at him with large golden orbs.

\"That\'s silly,\" the child chided with a smile. \"You can\'t forget what makes you yourself… But it doesn\'t matter, ne?\" The child hopped up onto its feet and skipped over to Gryps, hands behind its back as it looked up at the older boy, grinning. \"Because soon everything will be fine, and we can all be together! Then you can paint pictures in the clouds for me again, ne, Griffin of Light? And you won\'t be lonely anymore!\"

Gryps only closed his eyes, feeling the twin tears roll down his cheeks. One for himself. The other for his twin who could not cry.

~ * ~

http://cruelangel.net/divinitas