From The Ashes [#NaNoWriMo16]

Chapter Twenty Six - Quinton Mattos

"How strange," Helio murmured as he stepped forward, looking like he was inspecting the bodies. "Why are they kept in here?"

Quin lost track of what Helio was saying, as he started frowning and inched a little closer himself. Despite how decayed these bodies were, Quin felt like he knew them somehow, and it made him nervous. Neither of these people were immortal; Quin could see the remains of old, wiry hair on both of their heads, and their old baggy clothes still covered their bodies.

"I know these people," he murmured finally, his head tilting sideways as he took in the dead bodies, trying to process. Helio sighed heavily.

"That is Kiara Delwen," he announced rather reluctantly, and Quin's eyes widened as he took an unconscious step backwards.

"As in... Kida's sister?" Quin demanded. "Kida's twin sister?"

"Yes, Kida's twin sister," Helio agreed, and they both drifted their gazes to the other body.

"That means... but how-?"

"You do know this woman," Helio told Quin, his eyebrows creased together. "She is from some time ago, when you had family."

It took him a moment, but when Quin finally figured out who the woman was, he barely had time to widen his eyes before a loud explosion could be heard from somewhere else in the castle, and the entire thing began to shake.

"We need to get out of here," Helio snapped, grabbing Quin's arm before dragging him back down the corridor they came from.

"But if that's who I think it is," Quin shouted over the noise as he picked up a jogging pace beside Helio, "then that means Kaylan-"

"Not now, Quin," Helio shot back, dodging a piece of ceiling that suddenly flew out of its place. "We need to get out! We will talk about it then!"

So Quin, left to think about that woman without any answers, ran with his heart thumping loudly in his chest as he worried about what was going to happen next. He now understood, but he didn't want to. He wanted to forget ever seeing that woman and he wanted to go back home, where he dealt with memory-loss and stealing instead of saving the world and dying.

They were outside without getting hurt in a little while, where they turned and found the entire building shaking. It wasn't going to fall – it didn't look like it, anyway – but it was definitely shaking. It was kind of confusing.

"Okay, we need to find the-" Helio began, but stopped right as he turned around. Quin, frowning, turned as well, and was equally as surprised as the spirit was to find a man standing before them, breathing heavily. He had blood all over his hands, as if he had ripped someone's chest open with them, but that wasn't what shocked Quin the most. It was the man's grey skin, his bald head, his threatening black eyes, and his crazy-familiar features that put Quin's senses on fire.

"Kaylan," he breathed, his voice small and hoarse. He couldn't believe it. All this time.

"It's Ìzzøckål, brother," Kaylan spat, glaring his brother down as if he had just killed his entire family in front of his eyes. "I have not gone by the name Kaylan in a very long time."

"Not since you abandoned me, if I recall correctly," Quin shot back, anger rising in his own voice. It was then he realised they were speaking in their own native tongue, the language of the Keeri. Helio was not saying a word.

"I did what I had to do," Kaylan hissed, his fists clenching at his sides. "You killed them! YOU KILLED THEM ALL! I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO SAY GOODBYE, QUIN!"

Quin stared at his brother, feeling like his heart had just been ripped out. "No," he whispered, holding a hand to his throat. "No, I did not. I don't remember that, Kaylan; that's something I would remember."

"Then it was him," his brother snapped, referring to the crazy one. "It doesn't matter; it was still your hand. YOUR HAND THAT KILLED THEM!"

"I didn't mean to!" Quin shouted back, his eyes wide and full of horror. "I didn't want to, okay! I can't control him!"

"Don't you get it?" Kaylan demanded, taking a few steps closer as he spoke. "You are him! Everything he does? That's you. You can't blame anyone but yourself, brother."

"They were my parents too, Kaylan!" Quin burst out, anger bubbling to life just beneath his skin. "I didn't want to!"

"You killed Cloey too, Quin!" Kaylan screamed. "You want to know why I'm here? Because you killed my wife!"

"I DIDN'T WANT TO!" Quin cried, tears streaming down his cheeks and blurring his vision slightly. "Please, Kaylan! Come home with me; let me help you!"

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Kaylan growled, his fists tightening at his sides. Suddenly, someone came running into the scene and interrupted whatever was going to happen, making Quin kind of relieved until he saw the person was Issey. And she was covered in blood; some of it seemed to be hers.

"Quin, I'm so, so sorry," she called to him, tears filling her emerald eyes to the brim. Quin frowned slightly, opening his mouth to ask her what she meant.

"What-?" he began, but he was interrupted by Issey saying the words he most dreaded to hear, that he never expected her to use against him.

"My love."