Cursed Ones

The Order

Hallow stood amongst the center of a crowd that had formed into a circle around him, eyeing the painting he had brought from his kingdom. Each monster present in the room stared at the image of Isen, whispering with confusion at the sight that was glaring back at them.

Algol stepped forward from the throng of otherworldly beings, his clawed feet barely making any noise as he inched closer towards Hallow.

"Word is already spreading of Farrah and her offspring. I'm sure you caught note of it?" Hallow commented in a low voice, keeping an eye out for those with keen hearing.

Algol bowed his head, failing to respond as a heaviness settled on his soul. Hallow took note of this and hooked his arm around the other's shoulders, bringing him closer, "You knew this would happen. Don't-."

"It's not just that," Algol interrupted, raising his head to look upon the painting.

"It's Isen."

"What of him?"

"I....miss him. Too much. I don't know what to do, Hallow. I don't know what to do."

Hallow looked down at his friend, a rare look of sympathy flashing across his face. It was only for a moment, though, and he was back to his usual wicked self.

"What is soooo special about Farrah? She changed Isen and got him killed." Hallow aggressively lifted Algol's chin so that the other's glowing sockets could meet his own fiery gaze, "I see you're slipping from The Order's grasp every second you spend with that woman."

Algol yanked his jaw away, sneering with a low growl, "Stop it."

"If she ends up being the reason you die, I will not hesitate to pluck her pretty little heart out and devour it." Hallow whispered, digging his metal claws into Algol's arm, "That's not a threat, my friend. It's a promise. I will not lose you like we lost Isen." Hallow finished with spite and began to walk away from Algol, ending the conversation between them.

Algol inhaled deeply, clenching his jaw tightly as Hallow's words echoed in his skull. He couldn't let Hallow get to him. No. He had to focus on protecting Farrah and her children, yet at the same time lead Vulcan down a path he knew the woman wouldn't like. He felt like he was being torn apart, one side needing him and the other calling to him. Why couldn't he pick both and end it at that?

A sudden hush fell over the crowd as a familiar energy began to take over the church. Algol rose his head, his jaw falling open slightly as he made contact with a familiar being staring at him from across the silent room. Lowering his gaze, Algol politely avoided eye contact until he felt a gentle yet heavy gloved hand resting on his forehead.

"Master. I wish to speak with you in private."

xXx

Vulcan stared at the cooked meal before him, then at his mother and sister as they both ate their dishes in silence. His stomach grumbled, echoing in the quiet dining room. The man quickly cleared his throat, one hand holding a fork and the other twirling a knife around.

Farrah glanced upwards, noticing her son's disinterest for her food once more, "What is it? You don't like potato?"

"..."

"I know you're hungry, but we're limited. Algol can't bring-."

Vulcan cut her off with a lifeless cough, forcing the baked potato down his throat with big fork fulls. Nova could sense the tension building up and decided to break it by clapping her hands together. Both mother and son turned to her with confused expressions as she calmly stood up from her chair and made her way to the kitchen.

"Don't eat too much. I made something really good with the help of Uncle Hallow. It's made from a beautiful fruit that grows from a 'Galaxy Tree'. Well, Hallow told me that's what a friend of his called it. He also told me that when they go bad they can kill you, but he made sure the ones we used were safe." Nova giggled with delight as she made her way over to a cupboard, opening it and pulling out what looked to be a red cake. She hopped back to the table, setting down the frosting covered dessert between the three of them. Nova bit her lower lip, shyly glancing at her brother who stared at her work of art with no emotion on his scarred face.

"It's your birthday tomorrow, brother."

A glint of surprise crossed over his eyes, but he immediately recovered and casually shrugged, "It's not only mine, it's yours also. Why couldn't you just wait till tomorrow?"

"I got too excited," Nova responded, glancing at her unusually quiet mother.

Farrah seemed to be staring off into space, her attention focused on the red treat before her.

"Do you want some, mama?"

"It's fine, Nova. I'm just tired all of a sudden." Farrah stood up, picking up her plate as she took it over to the sink.

"I'll make sure there's enough for you tomorrow then," Nova pouted in defeat, sighing sadly as she sank back in her seat.

Vulcan silently watched as his mother began to trudge back into her room, shutting the door behind her without a backwards glance. He reached out for the nicely crafted cake, using one of his fingers to sink into the soft sugar coating. Once he got a good bit of the red, sparkling treat, he hesitantly licked it off his finger. Nova's face brightened with joy as she waited for her brother to tell her how her baking skills were.

"Hmm," Vulcan smacked his jaw together, furrowing his brow, "This is actually pretty good."

Though his sister was relieved, Vulcan was confused. He had always thought he could eat nothing but raw meat, yet there he was enjoying a cake.

"Do you know what you want for your birthday?"

"I don't want anything."

"What?" Nova's jaw dropped in disbelief, "How can you not want anything? I'll still give you something, and you better like it."

Vulcan rolled his eyes, one hand reaching out for an even bigger chunk of their cake," Fine. Maybe I want something." He paused for a moment to stuff his mouth, "I want to be left alone."

Nova playfully pushed her brother's shoulder, her laughter echoing into Farrah's enclosed room.

As for Farrah herself, she sat amongst her neatly folded bed, the sound of her children talking only causing her heart to grow heavier. She had completely forgotten about their birthdays. What could she do for them? Maybe they could all walk by the lake and have a picnic, or perhaps she could make their favorite foods, though Vulcan would be difficult to please.

She moved to one side of her room, grabbing a stray piece of paper sitting on top of her desk.

First thing first, Farrah thought with a satisfied smile, a letter had to be written. She rose her head, staring out into the quiet world and waiting for inspiration.

She wanted to tell Vulcan and Nova how much she loved them, though at times she felt like a failure. The woman even felt she had difficulties expressing her true feelings, and it pained her not being able to have the energy to say what she wanted to say.

She wanted to talk to her children about their father, but how could she do it without feeling the immense loneliness and agony she felt when he passed away?

"If not now, then when," Farrah whispered to herself, twirling a pencil in her hand as it hovered over a blank page. She suddenly gave a quick nod, determination glowing in her eyes as she hastily began to write out the words that spilled into her mind. She wasn't growing younger, and it wasn't fair her children had to grow up knowing nothing of their father.

It was time.

Time for Nova and Vulcan to finally learn about Isen.