Zarias stood in the shadows on top of a building, using the darkness to remain invisible. He was watching the humans walk and drive past him unaware of his presence. It was strange how they were all in the same place but didn't even seem to pay attention to one another. But then, he would probably have done the same. After all, why would they give a stranger any notice? He wondered how this world functioned without a king. The Demon Realm was more orderly, that was for certain. His father had done an admirable job of ruling it. And he was certain he, Zarias would do just as well... if his father would give him a chance... but he never gave him the interest he felt he deserved. And it irked him. All his childhood he had moved Hell and Earth to please him, and he'd never had more than a "good, son, do it again." or "not bad. Again, and do it better this time". And never showed any ounce of affection. Even when he called him son, it sounded cold. He leaned back, thinking about how regal he would look in a royal attire. A long black cape, a velvet collar, an obsidian crown and staff... They would bring out his gray eyes nicely, he was sure. Yes. He would make a fine ruler. If he was just given his chance. And then it hit him. He could be king. Yes, it was absolutely possible. If Zorak was recreating the Earth to resemble the Demon Realm, he could take over either one of them. His father could rule one, and he would take over the other. He was sure his father couldn't refuse him that. He might have been a nigh all-powerful demon lord, but he couldn't rule two worlds at once. And what had he spent his life training him, Zarias, for if it wasn't so that could eventually take his place? It was only logical, wasn't it? His father might have been immortal, but why would he have gone through all that trouble, otherwise?
The girls didn't speak as they walked out of the room and left the hospital. Isabelle had meant to go after Andie when she'd run off, but Jessica had stopped her. None of them understood what had happened or why the Caduceus hadn't worked. There had been absolutely no sign of any change in Bane's condition.. After all they'd been through, it seemed really unfair. They were too upset and shocked to even ask the former masters what they thought. They eventually found Andie leaning against the car, her eyes bright and staring into the darkening horizon. She wasn't crying, she just looked lost and empty. If anything, that was worse. It had gotten darker thanks to the rain clouds coming in. It would probably rain, soon, and nightfall was near. The girls glanced at each other, unsure what to do.
"Andie...?"
Glancing up, Andie saw her friends walk towards her, looking hesitant.
"Sorry for running off like that..." Andie said.
"No, it's alright, we understand," Isabelle answered. "Are you okay?"
Andie sighed.
"I don't know..." she said finally. "I mean, I was so focused on getting the Caduceus and healing Bane, I never even considered it might not work..."
The girls weren't sure what to say or to think.
"Maybe it just needs a little time to work," Emily suggested.
Andie shook her head unhappily.
"I don't think so." she said. "Maybe it was just too much for the Caduceus..."
"So what do we do now...?" Emily asked.
None of the girls had an answer.
"I don't understand, it should have worked..." River answered, frowning in confusion. "The Caduceus is immensely powerful..."
"Not enough, apparently..."
"I'm sorry, Andie..." River said.
Andie exhaled and shook her head:
"Don't worry, River, it's not your fault... you were really helpful..."
"I wish we could do something..." Aera said next to River.
"Come on, let's just go home..." Andie said.
Isabelle touched her shoulder as she turned and climbed into the car.
The drive back to the Galestone household was a quiet one. Thankfully, Andie's parents and sister weren't home yet, so she would a moment to compose herself before they arrived. She bid goodbye to the girls, who weren't sure what to say, and offered her tentative sad smiles instead. She smiled forcefully back at them and went up to her room where she found the most sentimental love song she could think of and played it. Then, she fell back on her bed, where treacherous tears finally managed to crack through her eyelids.
"Andie... I'm so sorry..." Ardente said. "I wish there was something we could do..."
Andie let out a sigh, staring at the ceiling.
"... I know, River and Aera said the same thing... I'm not mad, none of us are... it's not your fault..." she said.
She said no more, just listening to the music. As she did, it made her think of Bane. His silly jokes that made her laugh herself silly, his kindness, the sparkle in his blue eyes, the determination to do the right thing when he fought... She missed him more than ever and the thought that he may never wake up... a small part of her was thinking maybe she should ask Isabelle to try again. But the reasonable part objected that at once. It was not a good idea for one thing, she had already effect that would have on Isabelle, and also, if the Caduceus was unable to heal Bane, she wasn't sure Isabelle could, even with all the good will in the world. And she wasn't sure she could stand another failure. She pressed the repeat button and let the music play over and over. She knew this kind of attitude wouldn't get her anywhere, but she was tired of fighting all the time, tired of trying so hard and never feeling like they were getting anywhere. How had things turned out so wrong? Why hadn't Bane woken up? The Caduceus was supposed to awaken the sleeping and heal the injured or sick! It was the symbol of medicine!Why hadn't Bane been healed? It just didn't make sense... more that that, it wasn't fair! Bane had always worked to protect her, her friends, and in fact, the entire world! Far more than she had... he'd told her he thought she was brave, once She sighed, got to her feet and turned the music off. She needed some air, so she went down and left the house.
Balon opened his eyes slowly. He was lying on the floor, somewhere he didn't recognize. It was huge and open, but nothing like he'd ever seen.
What is this place, where am I? He wondered.
If there was anything Balon hated, it was the unknown. He had always believed that control was everything. And when you couldn't control something, you tried anyway. He looked around. It was like a purple plane under a starry sky. It was dark, and yet, he could see as if it were bathed in sunlight. He steadily got to his feet. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he was fairly confident he was alone. He couldn't hear or see anything. Just then, he thought he had an idea where he was.
"... This must be the Spirit Realm..."
He's heard it was where spirits went before crossing through to the afterlife. But if it wasn't, he had no idea what this place was. White birds flew by above him. He watched them go and fade into the distance. He had always admired birds for their strength and grace in flight. He looked around. It was peaceful, but empty.
"Hello?" he called. "Ardente? River? Can anybody hear me?"
But there was no answer. Only an ominous silence. Not even the sound of the water nearby or the birds above him broke it. Balon wondered why there was no one else. Maybe everyone had their own Spirit Realm, he mused as he admired the peaceful perfection. No, he thought. It wasn't quite right. It could only be perfect if Ardente was with him. But he couldn't see her or anyone. He couldn't stand being immobile, so he took a few steps forwards. You couldn't control what you knew nothing about. He had to admit the area was beautiful. He had never really thought about what the Spirit Realm looked like. But he was fairly sure that if he had, he thought this was probably how he would have imagined it. But what was he doing here, and more importantly, how was he going to get back to Ardente and the others?
Without even really planning to, Andie found herself in Chambers Lake Park. She wasn't sure why. Maybe because she'd spent so much time there with Bane and the girls. She hadn't been able to go to the exact spot they'd been in during the attack, so they had taken to training in another part of the park. But this time, she had decided to face her fear and go to the place where Bane had been injured. She wasn't sure what would come of it, but she was confident she needed to do it. She had to face what had happened that day. Hopefully, it would make her stronger. A part of her knew it was maybe foolish and reckless, but she was tired of sitting in her room. You never got anywhere by always playing it safe. She reached the top of the hill that led to the spot and looked around. It hadn't changed. It was like nothing had happened... to Andie, it felt almost worse than if there were permanent marks... She could still picture every moment of that day... the tension of the fight, the pain of seeing Bane injured... the fear when she'd taken him to the hospital and stammered that he'd had an accident... she didn't think she'd ever experienced that kind of feelings since her accident with Lauren and Hannah three years before. And like that night, it had been her fault. If she hadn't told Hannah to be quiet and just let her ramble on, Lauren wouldn't have been distracted...
Andie, your mother looking at the road wouldn't have changed the outcome of that night, Ardente's voice said.
Andie glanced around and saw her hovering next to her.
You said a drunk driver swerved into you, didn't you?Ardente asked. Well, even if your mother had been looking ahead, she wouldn't have had the time to avoid him.
Andie had never thought about it like that.
And you were fifteen, everyone makes mistakes at that age.
Andie sighed.
Okay, let's say you're right, Andie answered. What about Bane? If I hadn't rushed out into the open without thinking, Bane wouldn't have followed and he wouldn't have gotten hurt.
What if he had been the one to run forwards? Ardente asked.
... I would have gone after him... Andie replied. To help.
Exactly like he did.
Andie looked back at the site of the attack, thinking maybe she wasn't entirely at fault after all.
Andie was just going to turn and leave when she froze. Zarias had just appeared behind a tree at the far end of the clearing.
Leave, Ardente told her at once. Go home, you'll be safe.
He'd just go after the others, or wait for me to be out of the open again, Andie replied, not looking at her. And beside, I'm tired of running and cowering in my room.
Andie! Ardente called. Andie, wait!
Andie ignored her and marched forwards. He was leaning against a tree.
"Zarias!" Andie called.
He looked up at her, looking unsurprised. He stepped out into the open.
"Are you here to surrender?" he asked coolly.
"Not a chance," Andie retorted, raising her hands which burst into flames.
"Oh? So you would rather do this the hard way. Fine by me."
Andie, don't be an idiot! Ardente chided. You can't beat him all by yourself! Do you want to get yourself killed?
I'm done letting him scare us, Andie replied. Just trust me.
She whipped the air with her flaming arms which sent what she liked to call fire blades at Zarias. She was not surprised when he merely raised a hand and deflected them, in fact she'd expected that. Using a move Bane had taught her, she used the moment in which he was busy blocking her first attack, she leaped upwards and hit Zarias in the head with her knee, knocking him to the floor. He immediately aimed to fire his purple energy at her, but this time she was ready. She leaped, watching as he got to his feet looking furious.
"Alright. You want power? Try this!"
He summoned flames of a deeper purple, so dark they were almost black. Andie immediately brought up her own fire. Their fired collided in mid air, and the pressure was incredible. Andie wasn't sure how long she could hold it, but thinking of Bane and her friends made her even more determined to stand up to Zarias. They stared at each other over the flames, brown eyes into blueish gray. Then, before either of them understood, there was a blinding light and they were both thrown backwards. Andie lay breathless on the ground a few seconds. Then, she got to her feet, wincing, and took a few steps towards Zarias, who was still on the floor. They looked at each other.
"Are you going to finish me?" he asked, his breath short.
"No." Andie answered. "Because I'm not like you. I fight to protect the people I care about. Not to destroy others."
She marched away, but didn't let up her guard until she was home and in her room.
Andie didn't need to call the girls to know they would know about her running into Zarias through the other former masters. "What happened? Did he hurt you?" they would ask. "Why was he there? What did he want?" And all sorts of other questions she didn't feel like answering. So she turned her phone off to have some peace before letting herself fall onto her bed. There was no doubt in her mind that it would ring on and on until she picked up, otherwise. And she didn't want to spend her evening telling them she was fine or what had happened, partly because she barely made any sense of it herself. Zarias might have been down when she'd left him, but he could have struck her when she'd walked away... maybe he'd not wanted to shoot her in the back... she couldn't make sense of him. He always came after them and yet... he didn't seem to fight that hard to stop them... and that day when he'd told her that she and her friends intrigued him was still etched in her mind. She wondered what his life had been like. And what he was, exactly. Because now that she came to think about it, Zorak looked human but didn't feel anything like one. Zarias, on the other hand, did, somehow. Was he only a half human, then? And if he'd never encountered any, that would explain why he seemed so puzzled by them.
"What do you think, Ardente?" she asked, looking up from the magazine she'd been flicking through absently. "Why is Zarias so... indecipherable?"
Ardente was leaning against the wall silently, her wide amber eyes lost in thought. She sighed and unfolded her arms.
"I'm not really sure..." she answered. "To be honest, neither he nor Zorak ever made much sense to me. I wonder if a part of Zorak's determination isn't bitterness over not getting me as his queen..."
"So he was in love with you," Andie said.
Ardente nodded.
"But I never loved him. My heart was Balon's."
A small smile touched Andie's lips.
"But Zarias... he's... strange. Different from him."
"I have never really encountered him long enough to be able to tell you," Ardente said.
Andie had figured as much, or she would have already, her or Balon or the other guardians. She sighed, put the magazine down and lay down to think. She would have liked it to be so simple with her and Bane...
Andie wasn't sure how long she lay on her bed thinking, absently playing with small flames at the tips of her fingers. She sometimes did that when no one was watching. It felt soothing, somehow. She didn't look at her clock or watch. She just wanted a little peace for a change. She was still unable to get her encounters with Zarias out of her mind. The first time she'd seen him, there was nothing human about him. But that last encounter... he'd realized she could defeat him... and he'd been scared. And that surprised look in his eyes... Andie was pretty sure he could never fake that. He was genuinely not expecting her to let him live... but why wouldn't he attack when she'd left? Because she'd spared him, so he was repaying her? Bane had been complicated enough to deal with, but Zarias... just then, there was a knock on the door. Her parents were at work, so she figured it was Hannah.
"Yes?" she called.
"Andie? It's Hannah..." said her sister's small voice. "Can I come in?"
Something in her tone made Andie frown slightly.
"Sure, come on in," Andie said, quickly shaking her fingers to make the flames vanish.
Hannah stepped in, looking a little troubled.
"Hey, Hannah, is everything alright? D'you want something?"
Hannah shook her head, her long curls flapping on either side of her face.
"... Can I talk to you in secret?"
Andie almost answered that her parents weren't back so they were talking in private anyway, but didn't think Hannah needed that.
"Of course," she answered gently.
She patted the bed beside her.
"Come on up." she said.
Hannah closed the door and hopped up beside her. She shuffled her feet in mid air, like most children did when they were uneasy.
"You know you can talk to me, Hannah," Andie encouraged her softly.
Eventually, Hannah made up her mind.
"... You know the time I set fire that napkin without meaning to?"
Andie certainly did. She still had goosebumps.
"Don't let that bother you, Hannah, I'm not mad, it was an accident," she said.
"I know... but... what if I do it again?"
Andie didn't think so. They had all agreed that it was her being in contact with the wings of the Caduceus that had somehow caused it, though why or how, they had no idea. She squeezed her sister's shoulder.
"Don't worry, if you ever think that's going to happen, just call and I'll come running."
Hannah nodded.
"And I promise you nothing will happen to you. Okay? I will never let anyone or anything hurt you. You know that, don't you?"
New nod. Hannah still seemed worried, so Andie thought a second, then asked:
"D'you want me to do the hand trick again?"
Hannah nodded. Her eyes still had a hint of worry in them.
"Okay, then. Give me your hands." Andie instructed.
She didn't really think that it was needed, but it would help her sister feel better. They turned to face each other, and Andie took Hannah's small hands.
"Close your eyes, and just relax." she said quietly.
Hannah did. Andie breathed in and was about to just stay like that a few seconds when something bothered her. Hannah's hands were warm, of course, but... she felt a heat that felt different from when she usually touched her. She first thought it was her own power throwing her off, but she then realized it wasn't.
It must be some remnants of what the Caduceus left... she thought.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on pulling the energy out of Hannah and into herself. It was painful, though less than last time. After a few moments, she opened her eyes again. Hannah looked much more peaceful now.
"Thanks, Andie," she said.
Andie pulled her into a hug.
"I'll always be there for you, Hannah."
"I know," she said.
And she walked out, leaving Andie hoping her sister wouldn't end up even more involved in her hectic life than she already was.
Balon had no idea how long he had been wondering around here. But he knew that every second, he missed Ardente more and more. Her long flaming hair, her bright, soft green eyes, her kind smile... he sighed and sat on a rock by the river. He could still see the events playing in his mind. Zarias preparing to strike, Bane pushing Andie aside and being hit in the chest, flying through the air and hitting the ground... he didn't remember what had happened then. He'd found himself here, with no idea where he stood or why he was there. He had no idea what had happened to the others after Zarias had hit Bane. But he was alive. That much, he was confident in. He and Bane were too intimately connected for him not to know if he died. But he couldn't sense their connection quite the way he usually did. It was there, but it felt like it was dulled, dormant, somehow.
You're always harder on Bane. Why? He's trained longer and harder than all of us combined. How can you keep... berating him like that you do?
The words hit him like a slap in the face. It wasn't a sensation he was used to. Neither was he very comfortable with it.
And for what? So you can... assert your alpha male authority? Because Bane's the only one who could potentially be a threat? It's disgusting.
Andie's angry voice echoed loudly in his mind. That was insane. Why was he suddenly thinking about that argument now?
You're always harder on Bane!
Balon thought back. Ever since Bane had lost his mother, he'd made it his mission to train him... and he had to admit he'd not let him have much respite... Ardente had even talked to him about it after Andie's outburst. But why had she been so furious? His method wasn't wrong... and it had evidently been efficient in as much as he was now a good fighter, and powerful... but he had not had many friends until he'd met the four girls, and had no male friends aside from Balon himself and his uncle. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Bane had never said anything, but he had to have felt lonely at times... and maybe Andie had a point. He deserved to live like other boys his age, even if just from time to time... and he had definitely had a harder life than many, what with his father leaving and brutally losing his mother... His uncle had been an excellent tutor, but Bane had only recently really gotten to bond with people his age. Which made him think of his disagreements with Bane about his feelings for Andie. It would have definitely been simpler if there hadn't been any feelings involved, but then, Andie and Bane were fire and light, so it was probably inevitable for them to be drawn to each other... He remembered Andie's expression when she'd look at Bane, a mixture of compassion and various other complex feelings. Maybe she had always read Bane better than he had, even though he'd known him longer than she had. He wasn't sure. Just then, a bright light shone above him. He looked up, shielding his eyes. It was almost like it was calling to him, he realized.
I thought it was supposed to be a black tunnel... he mused with a small smile. I guess I was wrong...
He let the light pull him upwards and grow brighter and brighter as he came closer to it. But it wasn't blinding anymore. It was warm, welcoming. He closed his eyes and let it flow over him, slowly fading into its luminous beauty.
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Hmm, what could that light be all about? What's waiting for Balon at the other end?
What are your thoughts? Let's hear them in the comments!
Where will Balon end up? What will happen to the others? Let's find out in the next chapter!