Divinitas

008 - Aether\'s Challenge


\"Lemme go!\" Phoenix shouted, one leg already thrown over the window sill, both hands gripping the narrow frame in an attempt to leverage himself from the opening and fall to his much desired death.

Both Draco and Chima were gripping the struggling boy in an attempt to haul his whole body back into the dorm room with little success. It seemed that Phoenix\'s terror had given him strength enough to match two perfectly healthy youths, something that quite amazed Draco.

\"Phoenix, calm down!\" the older boy ordered, trying to gain a better hold around Phoenix\'s thin waist.

\"I will not calm down!\" the over reacting boy exclaimed, outraged that Draco could even suggest such an idea. \"I would rather die that lose to the Child of Soul!\"

\"He hasn\'t even challenged you!\" Draco returned, exasperated.

\"The computer said he would!\"

It was rather obvious at that point Phoenix had lost his mind. At least that was the conclusion Draco reached upon hearing those worlds. \"You\'re taking the words of a computer…?\" he demanded. \"It amazes me how illogical you are…\" he muttered underneath his breath. \"Phoenix! Even if the computer is right, that\'s no reason to throw yourself from the tower window!\"

The stubborn boy merely gritted his teeth and put renewed effort into his task.

\"Eh, Phoenix… Your fingers have gone all white…\" Chima commented, poking Phoenix\'s blood deprived fingers gripping the window frame in a death hold with his own smaller ones.

Before Phoenix could tell the younger boy he didn\'t give a damn if his fingers fell off from lack of blood, a ominous knocking sounded throughout the room. Gryps, whom all this time had been making a point of ignoring the spectacle Phoenix was making of himself, rose from the central round table where he had been steadily working through his homework to answer the door.

\"Why can\'t I jump from the fucking window if I want?\" Phoenix demanded, squirming again in the hold of his two friends. \"It\'s my life, and I\'ll bloody well kill myself if I want to!\"

\"But the simple fact remains, Phoenix… It is not your life.\"

All three boys standing by the window froze, caught red handed committing an unforgivable sin. Instantly, both Draco and Chima released their grips on Phoenix\'s body hanging half way out the window. Suddenly lacking the restraint to counteract his forward momentum, Phoenix pitched forward out the window.

The yelp of surprise had barely left Phoenix\'s constricted throat when a powerful hand grabbed his top from behind and threw him roughly back into the room. An undignified dance ensued as the boy hopped on one leg, arms flailing clownishly in a desperate attempt to keep from falling flat on his face.

An amused violet eye looked on, the seductive smile shinning on soft lips. Violet gaze drew crimson ones, and all movement on Phoenix\'s part came to a stand still. The startled expression on Phoenix\'s face dropped, fell away to reveal an expression halfway between stunned disbelief and soul searing terror. How Phoenix wanted to break that gaze. It was too much, standing before this figure of perfection, his amethyst eye sifting through his soul.

\"It is not your life,\" Aether repeated, each word rolling off his tongue like sweet honey. \"It is mine.\" All this while the smile remained on his face, becoming more prominent, more predatory. The Child of Soul was enjoying Phoenix\'s reaction much more than any decent human being should.

Phoenix\'s mind was in chaos. No logical thoughts would form. All there sounded was the persistent beating of his heart, pumping raging blood through his system. Some small voice at the back of his conscious mind demanded he stand up for himself. To pull his shaking body together and not feel this pathetic fear!

\"Fuck you.\" The two words left Phoenix\'s mouth in a dry, disgusted whisper. Filled with revulsion and venom, such as neither Draco nor Chima had ever heard from the boy before now.

Aether\'s smile only widened. The tall boy stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Phoenix with gliding steps. \"I would like that very much…\" Spoken in such a soft delighted voice that it sent a chill screaming down Phoenix\'s spine. \"But I am sure that can wait, don\'t you think…?\"

The feather light caress against Phoenix\'s burning cheek caused the boy to flinch violently, the masked fear flittering to the surface of confused red eyes. It was impossible to escape Aether. His flawless hand was suddenly holding Phoenix\'s neck in a firm embrace, destroying any chance for the boy to duck away.

The touch destroyed any resistance Phoenix still harboured, and the momentary deep hatred the boy directed at Aether shattered and became a deep spell bound stare. Fearful to be cast aside like yesterday\'s rubbish, terrified of being swept up in a whirlwind where no relative ground existed. Where his freewill would cease to exist…

The golden angelic fiend revelled in Phoenix\'s emotional roller coaster, bringing the boy to the apex of his personal hell by rubbing his smooth thumb against Phoenix\'s dry, naive lips in a slow deliberate caress. , to, to complete the boy\'s downfall, the dreaded words, spoken as a lover might to his soul mate after a night\'s lovemaking:

\"I challenge you, Phoenix Incendium, to a Metamorphosis Duel this Saturday. As the Child of Soul verses Sacrifice.\"

Aether let his hand drop, fingertips grazing Phoenix\'s bared chest as it returned to his side. His visible violet watched the fiery boy\'s reaction. Oh, this was too lovely, too enjoyable. Phoenix was most definitely a wild rose. Beautiful and deadly, and something well worth the expedition to capture it and place it on display once again.

The play of emotion of Phoenix\'s expressive face truly brought the boy\'s beauty to his normally only mildly handsome face. Caught between unbelieving anger, dread, and the strangest thrill of pleasure from Aether\'s touch, it was all Phoenix could do to stand there and not explode in a brilliant show of emotional fireworks.

\"Enjoy the remainder of your week, Phoenix. The rest of your term here will belong to me.\" Aether stepped around the motionless boy who already bore his first mark of ownership upon his back. \"And that means forever…\" So soft that last word, whispered as he passed Phoenix to exit through the door.

The closing of the door sounded throughout the room. For several long moments, no one moved nor spoke. And then Gryps simply returned to his work, turning a page of his textbook.

Maybe it was his lack of emotion. How nothing it seemed every affected him. How he could simply go through life without feeling. Whatever it was, at that moment, Phoenix could not stand it. Could not bare to see someone so calm and collected whilst he was on the knife sharp edge of insanity.

His arm swept out before even Phoenix knew what he was doing, sending all of Gryps\' work clattering to the ground.

\"Because I hate you. Because you don\'t give a shit. Because life is bloody unfair!\" Phoenix bit out, his whole body shaking with barely restrained rage.

Only a cold silver gaze answered Phoenix\'s outburst. A gaze that soon lost interest as the feminine boy coolly reaching down to retrieve the scattered books and pens.

An animal\'s growl erupted from Phoenix\'s throat, and only the intervention of Draco hooking both his arms around Phoenix\'s halted his attack on the unresponsive icy boy. \"Taking your anger out on him will do nothing to change your current situation,\" Draco lectured, his voice almost cold. \"You are letting Aether get the better of you. Is that what you want? Were you truly a wise being, you would use your anger to better your chances of pulling yourself out of this predicament. Do not waste it on Gryps.\"

Only when the rage seemed to slowly drain away from Phoenix\'s tense muscles did Draco release his hold. The boy just slumped, a deflated helium balloon. There were tears burning in his crimsyes.yes. Why did he feel like crying. Why? His entire body was shaking, shivering. Every cell in his body was screaming, and for what reason?

It almost felt like… Returning to an old lover\'s quarrel. Something that tied a long history of heated emotions to the present, dragged out from their shallow graves by a few choice words and lingering caresses.

But that was impossible. Impossible because Phoenix had never been loved, never been wanted before in his life. The closest feeling to being desired he had ever felt was when he had been handed the letter announcing that he had been accepted into this damned school!

Phoenix furiously shook his head, scattering the disturbing thoughts. \"Sorry.\" So soft it was barely audible. It wasn\'t really a conscious decision. Phoenix wasn\'t one to purposely deceive himself. But the boy was already dropping the familiar mask of untouchable strength over his broken soul.

He lifted his now clear eyes, catching sight of Chima\'s slightly stricken flame of a face watching him with wide green eyes.

\"It\'s alright, Chima. Don\'t worry, I won\'t let that fiend beat me,\" Phoenix boasted with a smirk. \"Like I said, I\'d rather die before I\'m owned by that heartless bastard.\" With purposeful strides, Phoenix moved to the bathroom and sealed himself inside.

Draco stared after the boy with concern in his eyes. \"I don\'t know how long he can keep this up. He has to come to terms with this or it will break him.\"

\"And the worse thing for him is the fact that he wants Aether as well,\" Gryps spoke up quietly, never lifting his soulless silver eyes from his work.

\"Ah,\" the older boy agreed, turning on the spot to send his long jet hair spiralling out behind him like a rippling cape. \"Do you have a problem with Phoenix?\"

\"You\'re referring to the prospect he may be homosexual.\" It wasn\'t a question, and Gryps was not at all surprised to hear it coming from the older boy.

Draco nodded, pulling out his own homework and beckoning for Chima to do the same. The green eyed boy made a face but joined the other two at the large round table.

\"No,\" Gryps replied simply. \"Either way, he has no real choice at this point, does he? Aether is in a class of his own when it comes to Metamorphosis. The only way for Phoenix to escape this is for him to leave Genesis completely. And I doubt he would resort to that. Or if he even could now, if he wanted to. If any of us wanted to.\"

\"You\'re implying we\'re prisoners here, Gryps.\"

\"Maybe we are, Lympha.\"

The two stared at each other. Silver eyes revealing nothing. Sapphire eyes full of intent to interrogate.

\"What does homosexual mean?\"

Silver and blue eyes turned and stared at Chima sitting across from them. Both older boys glanced at each other, and in union coughed politely before returning to their work. Neither of them had a problem with it… But explaining it to a younger boy… Well, that was just a touch uncomfortable.

Chima just blinked his large innocent emerald orbs. Inside though, the child was holding his ribs in pain from the laughter that racked his body. After all, it wasn\'t every day that such serious people made such interesting faces.

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