I: Prelude to Ruin

I-XII: Resolute

By: Talyn Gray

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Araius shifted her weight, adjusting her body so that she lay on her side as her fingers fiddled with the hem of her sheets.

Banished.

Although Araius knew that she shouldn’t be surprised of Caeley’s punishment, it still came to her as a shock. It wasn’t because she hadn’t expected the other goddess to be severely punished for her actions, but because Araius had never had someone close to her be punished so sternly.

She and Caeley had grown up together. Though they hadn’t particularly liked each other very much, they’d tolerated each other and become reluctant friends.

Friends, Araius thought with a light frown. The word friends seemed to be an even more disinclined notion since Caeley had attacked her. Lium had said that what happened to Caeley was his fault, and though Araius didn’t want to believe it, she was starting to think that there was truth in his words. It scared her more than she wanted to admit. Despite everything, she’d wanted to believe that it wasn’t really happening.

x—X—x

Araius left her room earlier than usual the following morning and made her way towards class, cradling her textbook in the crook of one of her arms. She ignored the dorm doors opening and closing as she took a few steps down he hall. Her mind was blank—the aftermath of her insomnia and thinking too hard over when she was supposed to be sleeping.

She jumped when a hand reached out and lightly touched the small of her back. Araius turned around, her heart running from being startled, and found Aryden looking down at her.

“Aryden!” she said with poorly masked surprise. They were in the way of other deities walking through the halls, and he took her elbow and pulled her to the side. There were a few curious gazes cast their way, but he ignored them.

“Where were you last night?”

His question caught her off guard and all she could manage was a stupid sounding, “What?”

He repeated his question to her, slower this time, though both perfectly knew that she’d heard him well the first time. She blinked and forced her brain to start working again.

“Were we supposed to train last night?” she asked, trying to remember when they’d said they would meet. “We aren’t supposed to meet until tomorrow,” she said, regarding him curiously with a hint of irritation.

“I…” he trailed off, and the fact that he sounded so uncertain made Araius wonder whether or not she was dreaming. “I need to talk to you,” he said finally, and it took Araius a moment to realize that his hand was still wrapped around her arm.

“About what?” she inquired, tilting her head slightly. His gaze suddenly left her eyes to stare over her shoulder and his mouth tightened into a line.

“Let go of my girlfriend, will you?”

Aryden let go of her arm and allowed his hand to rest at his side. His eyes were guarded and strangely hostile as Lium materialized beside her. Lium put a free hand around Araius’ hips and drew her closer. She glanced between the two gods, neither blinking as they glared at each other. Aryden’s gaze looked as though he was trying to pick Lium apart by staring alone, while Lium appeared strangely different, his eyes bleak.

After what seemed like years, Aryden broke away and looked at Araius. He said, “I’ll see you in class,” and joined the rest of the students walking towards the Academy.

“I should have killed him on accident yesterday,” Lium muttered darkly and she felt a chill run down her spine. “You have no idea how close I was to hitting his vital organs.”

Araius pulled away from him and stared at him in shock. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked.

His honeyed eyes narrowed, his black lashes only increasing the intensity. “I don’t like him,” he stated. “I don’t care if he is training you. There’s something strange about the way he’s always around you now.”

Her brows drew into a line across her forehead and she heard herself saying, “It’s not like he’s going to hurt me. We’re….we’re friends.”

It was strange describing Aryden’s relationship to her in such a way, but she supposed that after all they’d been through, even though it was only a couple of sessions of training, they were more than mere acquaintances.

Lium’s nose wrinkled in distaste.

A spear of fear suddenly ran through her as she looked at Lium. He was different, different than she was used to, and the tone of his voice had almost been malicious. His eyes weren’t burning with anger, they were cold and chilled her.

“Come with me,” she said and grabbed his arm. Araius dragged him back to her room, ignoring the students who were disgruntled by her going against the flow of the hall. She swung open her door, threw him inside, and slammed the door shut behind them. She set her textbook on a table and looked at Lium worriedly.

Her room was as dim as she’d left it just a few minutes ago, with the wall-length window haphazardly covered by heavy curtains.

“You haven’t…talked to them recently, have you?” she asked, unable to keep the alarm out of her voice. Araius reached a hand out and curled her fingers around the fabric of his sleeve.

“No,” he answered, but she caught the hesitation in his eyes; felt the uncomfortable shift in his weight.

“You’re lying,” she stated. “Lium, you can’t do that!”

“It’s not like I can block them out!” he replied, the sudden outburst surprising her. “It’s not like I can say, ‘No, Hate, I don’t want to talk to you. Why don’t you come and visit me at a time that’s more convenient for me?’” he mocked, throwing the textbook in his arm on her bed. It bounced off and landed open faced on the floor with a hollow thud.

“When you beat Aryden yesterday,” she began, her voice sounding breathy. “That was them, wasn’t it? You asked them for power.”

He was quiet, shrugged her hand off of his sleeve and crossed his arms over his chest. “I wanted to beat him,” he stated.

“Lium, you can’t do that,” she said again. Araius took a step forward, feeling desperation tug at her heart when she saw that the eyes that regarded her were cold. She took his face in her hands. “Please, don’t ask them for anything. I know you can’t keep them from contacting you, but don’t take anything from them. You’re not the same. I can’t see you in your eyes.”

“I try,” he answered, “I try very hard to resist them, Araius, but after I see them and they put me through hell, I find you in a cozy little corner talking to Aryden with his hands on you. He’s always around you now. Every time I see you, he’s never far away, and you don’t even care.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she responded, her eyes still drilling into his. “You’re the only one I care about. I may care about Aryden as barely a friend, but I love you, Lium. There is no competition.”

She stared into his face, waited for the ice to melt. When it did, he let out a sigh, the tension releasing from his body as he uncrossed his arms and wrapped them around her, pulling her close. Araius wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling a small amount of relief fill her; one small battle won.

“I hate feeling so weak,” he said in her hair. “I’m so powerless when it comes to them.”

“Their power is only equaled by my father,” she replied and leaned back to look at him in the eye, “but you’re strong, Lium. I know that you have the will to resist them. I believe in you.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “I don’t know if I should feel so happy that you think that of me,” he told her and lifted a hand to cradle the subtle slant of her jaw. “I love you, too, by the way,” he added with one of the smallest smiles.

Araius closed her eyes and kissed him briefly on the lips, and his hand slid behind her head to keep her from backing away as he tilted his head to gain better access. His lips were slightly dry and that was all she focused on as the world around her began to melt away. Nothing else mattered when they kissed, and it was a few stolen moments of clouded bliss in what seemed to be a spiral of uncertainty. She wondered if that was how he felt, wondered and hoped that it was enough to make him forget for those few seconds.

When they parted, he slid his lips to her neck and kissed her collarbone before resting his chin on her shoulder.

“I can’t handle it anymore,” he whispered in her ear, the words making them abruptly return to their problems. “My body can’t hold the energy they’ve been pushing on me for much longer.”

Araius gulped and bit her lip. She closed her eyes and buried them in the crook of his neck.

“I think that’s what they’ve been counting on,” he murmured, his arms tightening. “You have to show me the Gates.”

A/N: I apologize for my lateness and lameness with chapters XP My imagination just isn’t what it used to be.

I’m currently revising my story “K for Catcher” and thought seriously of putting this story on hiatus until KfC is finished. However, this story WILL NOT be put on hiatus, but the updates will be much slower than my usual slowness. I’m really sorry, especially to those who leave me amazing reviews and send me messages with ways to improve this.